Understanding the Times, Part 3

Greetings, friends and new listeners. Welcome to The Sound of Faith.

I'm Sharon Knotts thanking you for joining us today because we know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. I'm very zealous to bring you today's message, Understanding the Times. On the surface, there are many things transpiring in our world today that seem to defy human decency, logic, and even sensibility. And at the same time, many Christians are witnessing the rapid fulfillment of Bible prophecy, while others appear to be uninformed or apathetic. In this detailed teaching, we will travel from the time of Noah to Daniel and the first coming of Jesus the Messiah, 4,000 years of human history, to this season of the rapidly approaching second coming of our Lord and the signs we are to look for in Understanding the Times.

Here's another thing we just read. The heavens will not release Jesus to return until the restitution of all things. Isn't that what we read in verse 21? Said we're waiting for Jesus to come, but he's not going to be released. God is not going to say, Jesus, go and get your people until the restitution of all things. There are a lot of things.

You could read Matthew 24, as I said, Mark 13 and Luke 21, but I want to just give you some tidbits. Time is moving along exponentially. We understood that technologically.

We understand that. But now we're going to see in the spirit time is going faster. This second cup is going to get filled much quicker than the first cup. The first cup took 4,000 years to fill.

This second cup is 2,000 years and Jesus is at the door. Amen. God's time clock is the nation of Israel. You cannot watch the news or read the newspaper without there being many articles in there about what is going on with Israel.

Amen. And God said that we are in the time of the Gentiles when God began to open the door through Apostle Paul and others that Gentiles were saved. And now we're in the time of the Gentiles. And for the most part, the Jewish people are blind. You can read the ninth chapter, 10th chapter, 11 chapters of Romans, you find out he says they're blind.

They did not, they missed it. We saw they missed the second coming of Jesus and so they did not receive their Messiah. So now they're blind and they still don't receive their Messiah. But the day is coming when the scale will fall from their eyes and things are now beginning to go exponential as God deals with Israel. You know, technically the United States is not in the Bible. We cannot get this mindset that the prophecy is dependent on what happens in America. God's fulfillment of prophecy does not depend on what we do in America or don't do in America. The linchpin to everything is the nation of Israel.

Amen. And so when Jesus was sitting there looking at the great temple and you know, it was one of the wonders of the world, the temple that Herod built and he told the disciples, he said the day is coming. There will not be one stone left on another. And we talked about Wednesday night about how they built the temple out of those huge stones. He said there won't even be one stone left upon another. And do you know, it was not many years after Jesus was resurrected in the year 70 AD and we'll say Jesus was resurrected, I mean around 33 AD.

We'll just use that. But 70 AD, the Roman general Titus marched into Jerusalem and he burned the temple. And the reason why they burned the temple is because even though it was made out of cedar planks, it was covered. The walls were covered in solid gold. The outside was the stone.

Inside was cedar paneling and over top of that was gold. And they set the temple on fire so that the gold would melt off the walls and they could come and steal the gold out of God's temple. And so from that point on, the year 70, the year 70 when Titus marched in Jerusalem and burned down the temple, time clock is racing now.

Amen. And the Jews were scattered all over and they, they, they went so far. They went so far that today there are some trial. There's a tribe in China that are Jewish in South Africa. There are men and women there that are Jewish. They're doing all of the Jewish Jewish religious protocol. They went everywhere on the face of the earth.

Amen. Now, not on this side of, not on the Western Hemisphere wasn't discovered yet. We're talking about after Titus came in and destroyed the temple. And here's another little tidbit.

It's very, very, very, very important. Inside the temple was a place where they recorded the begats, who begat whom and this one begat that one. It was the genealogical records were kept in the temple and they were very, very important and they were destroyed.

So what does that mean? That means all those people have no record of their tribe that were born later. There's no proof of their tribe. There's no record of what tribe they came from.

It was burnt. Why does that matter? It matters because there is no Messiah that could come after that. Nobody could come after the year 70 AD and say, I'm the Messiah the Bible's talking about because the genealogical records are gone and he's got to come from the tribe of Judah. So that's just another little thing to prove that Jesus fulfilled the scriptures. So now they have destroyed the temple, destroyed the city and the Bible says that it was trodden under by the Gentiles. He came in there and they just trotted Jerusalem underfoot. And God said, Jesus actually said it, he said, there's going to come a time, Amen, when all of that will be restored and Jerusalem will once again be in the hands of the Jewish people. But it took 2000 years on June the 6th, 1967.

Maybe I ought to back up and get them a nation. 1940, this is 1948, 1948 Israel became a nation for the first time in 2000 years, they became a nation because the league of nations, which is today the United nations voted and said, these Jews that of which 6 million were gas in the gas in the gas chambers of, of Hitler. They need a homeland, they need a place and the nations voted to give them the land of Israel. So in 1948 Israel was a nation in 1967, June the 6th, 1967 we have the famous six day war in six days. My God, see in six days God created the heavens and the earth and the flowers and the trees and the birds and the bees and the fish and the best thing of all, he created man in his image and in his likeness. So six days is very, very significant with God.

And in six days after Israel had been attacked, minding their own business and they were attacked by great armies of all the Muslim nations around them in six days, they not only backed off their enemies, they regained city of Jerusalem. God said, Jerusalem is mine. That's where I will put my name. That's where my feet will be. And what does that mean where my feet will be? If you read anything about making somebody your footstool, it means you have authority over them.

He said, that's where my feet will be. Amen. And so exponentially the time clock is racing ahead. We come to our day.

All right. They got Jerusalem back in 1967 and then there was another war in 1973 and this time it was called the Yom Kippur war. Oh, what cowards the devil is. He's such a coward.

It was on the Sabbath day when all the Jewish soldiers were in the synagogues with their prayer shawls on the Sabbath day and those nations around them, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, all of them conspired and they waited till the day of Yom Kippur, which this was a holy day, the holiest day of all the day of atonement when they would be repenting of their sins and they attacked Israel. What a coward think cowardly thing to do. Amen. Attack them when they knew that all the soldiers knew that they had, we would say he went to church and you know, they took Israel by surprise. They took them off guard and they began to run over Israel and it looked like that they were going to lose and it looked like they were going to be defeated.

Amen. But sitting in the white house, you know, he's known for some other things more famous than this, but God works all things together for good. Sitting in the white house was president Richard Nixon. We all know he resigned in disgrace, but you know, he was raised by his mother who was a Quaker and if you know anything about Quakers, they love the word of God. They're very, very serious and very conservative and I mean they take the word of God literally and from a little boy, his mom had instilled in him the love for Israel just from a kid up. She had taught him about Israel and he loved Israel and his mother even said to him, you'll never know that one day you may be in a position to do something great to help Israel.

Oh man, I just got cold chills when I said that and I got to tell you, I'm sweating, I'm sweating in this jacket, but I just got cold chills went right up my back. One day you may be able to do something great for Israel and well, he grew up and he won. He lost a lot of elections, but he persevered.

He just would try and run for something else and run for something else and he finally made it to the presidency. After this happened on Yom Kippur when they had attacked Israel and Israel was floundering and Israel was losing, their prime minister was an elderly woman named Golda Meir. She called Richard Nixon on that hotline that leaders have one for another and she got on the phone and she says, if you don't do something to help us, nobody else will help us. And if you don't do something to help us, they're going to defeat us. And you know, Richard Nixon remembered what his mother told him and he realized that was a prophecy.

And here I am with the power and the authority to see it come to pass. And he sent warplanes and ammunition and you know, all the things that he just sent everything to them that they needed. And Israel rebounded. Not only did they manage to defeat the enemy, but they then went the spoils of war and beat the enemy back and took the Sinai off of Egypt, took the West Bank off of Jordan and took the northern part, the Golan Heights off of Lebanon.

Amen. And Syria. And people say today Israel needs to stop occupying the land. They were attacked and they were attacked while their army, their men were at church and they were almost defeated because they were caught off guard and they weren't prepared. Of course, it was a lesson to them.

I'm sure they learned some things about being prepared after that. You can't trust your enemy. You think he's going to have some, well, let's, we're gentlemen.

We are gentlemen. We don't attack one another when we're in church. You don't attack me when I go to church. I won't attack you when you go to church.

It doesn't work that way. That's when the devil will attack. Amen.

He's looking for a time. You've got to be prepared. Amen. And so God delivered them and they took all that territory and there have been many that have testified that they saw the men that were flying the aircraft would see angels coming up alongside of them, angels coming up alongside them. And you may have even heard reports that even now when those missiles come to fall into Israel, what they, sometimes they shoot them down.

A lot of times they shoot them down with what they have, that anti-missile thing, but sometimes they don't. And it was reported that even some of the PLO and the Hamas and all them are saying that their God redirects the missiles because Israel is God's time clock. Now here's very, very powerful verses that we are living in right now.

My God, are we living in these and they're only going to become more so. And that's Zachariah the 12th chapter and two verses. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling under all the people round about when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day I will make Jerusalem a burden for all people. All that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

I wish some of these people over Washington would read these scriptures. God said, I'm going to make Jerusalem a cup of trembling. And God said, I'm going to make it a burden and some stone. I'm going to make it a stone like weighs tons. And everybody that troubles themselves to try to pick it up, he said, are going to be cut into pieces even though the whole earth, I hope that doesn't include the United States.

I hope that's just a figure of speech, meaning the majority, even though the whole earth gathered together against it. Amen. God is saying that I am going to make Jerusalem and it's coming more and more a burden stone to everyone that rises up against it. Amen. The cup of time is ready to overflow. Saints were this close. Jesus said in Matthew 24 verse 42 and 44, but of that day and that hour know with no man, not the angels of heaven, but my father only watch there for and pray for, you know, not what hour your Lord does come, but know this, if the Goodman of the house had known and what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have suffered that his house to be broken up.

Therefore be ye also ready for in such an hour as you think not the son of man cometh. Has anybody here ever had your house broken into? Anybody ever been burglarized?

Oh, that's a lot of hands. Wow. Quite a few people. Well, I'm just curious that, and is there anyone here that can say that you got a email or a postcard or something from the thief telling you when he was coming and when he would be there? Nobody?

No. Thief is not going to tell you when he's coming. In fact, he ain't going to tell you that he's coming. At least God is going to tell us that Jesus is coming and all these things are going to be fulfilled. Amen. And he said they are going to be fulfilled in their time.

And here's a powerful verse in Isaiah 48 and verse three. I have declared the former things from the beginning and they went forth out of my mouth and I showed them and I did them and I did them what? Suddenly and they shall come to pass.

Thanks. You have got to be ready. You have got to be ready because we see the signs right now over there.

Well, we see what's going on with Israel right now. And God said, I, the former things that I have spoken of, I brought them to pass and I did them. Suddenly he said that I will hasten my word to perform it. And you may think, well, you know, it's here, but when God says suddenly the whole thing just fills up and runs over just like that. Amen.

When God does it suddenly for some people, it's going to be too late. And when we read in the books, the book of Revelation, we see over and over again that God sends forth his angels and they have cups in their hands and they're filled with the wrath of God. Amen. And you know, a time is coming that we read about. He said it's going to be a time on the earth. It's never been a time like that ever in the history of mankind. A time is coming on this earth and saints, it's not too far away.

Amen. In fact, turn back to Daniel, Daniel eight and look at verse 19 and he said, behold, I will make you know what shall be in the last done end of the indignation for at the time appointed the end shall be. Do you know that in the book of Daniel there is at least five times that it says the time appointed. That means God knows a particular time.

It's not what we'll wait and see what happens and we'll figure it out as we go along. No, it's already set down. It's already written. God's already declared it. He hasn't revealed it to us, but it's already declared a time appointed. Drop down to verse 23 and in the latter time of their kingdom when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance and understanding dark sentences shall stand up.

Who is the king with the fierce countenance? The Antichrist at the time appointed at the end of time, the Antichrist is going to stand up and when he does, God's cup overflow and empty out. Amen. So saints, we have got to be diligent and we've got to get out there and warn people and let them know and you know, don't get frustrated and don't get upset when people don't receive the truth and receive the gospel. He said the wicked will do wickedly, but the wise will understand and you've got to sow the seed and believe that God will allow you to get on that fertile ground of that fertile heart that is ready to receive the truth. Amen.

That is ready to know and people, how many people do you think know about these things? They read the paper and all they see is, okay, there's a thousand Palestinians that are dead and there's a whole bunch of children and they say they need to go in there and do something about Israel and they're trying to get our president to withhold military help and try to withhold all the money and the military things that we give them. All those poor Palestinians, you need to understand that this is part of what the word of God tells us and anybody who does not stand with Israel and anybody that stands against Israel is going to incur the wrath of God. Amen. What nation do you know that when they're in war and they're getting ready to bomb an area, first makes phone calls and drops leaflets to say to the civilians, you've got a half an hour to get out of here. We're getting ready to bomb. You know anybody else that does that? That's what Israel does.

Amen. They don't want to kill civilians. They don't want to kill little kids, but when Hamas is shooting at them from civilians houses and civilian schools and hospitals and Israel has the proof that they've already put some of it up that you can see the UN shelter. How dare they bomb a UN shelter?

Well that's because they were inside there shooting it out and Israel's got satellite showing you the firing coming out of there because see they know Hamas knows that Israel doesn't want to kill innocent civilians and children because if they do, they're going to incur the wrath of the world and the wrath of the United Nations and that's what they want to happen. So they kill their own people. They put their own children at risk and I'm talking about these fanatical radicals. I'm not talking about the average Palestinian who lives and lives there.

I'm talking about these radicals. They don't care if some kids get killed. They don't care if some people get killed because they know it stirs up anger against Israel and that's what they want. They want the word. Turn on Israel and hate Israel and say Israel's murderers and doing heinous things and you know what?

It's working. It's working until the Bible says the day will come when the whole earth, the whole earth will stand against Israel. What a day that is going to be when Israel is going to be all alone, a country that's the size of New Jersey. Even now there's 22 Arab nations that surround Israel and they've got vast, vast square miles of land, hundreds of thousands of hundreds of thousands square miles of land and Israel's the size of New Jersey. Why can't they take some of that land and give it to their, their people? Why don't they say, Hey, come here, we'll give you, you can have all this land. You can start having a beautiful country. But the fact is, is whenever Israel has pulled away and given back for peace, you can have this back. We're going to give you Gaza. That used to be April's along the Mediterranean will give it back to you so you can have it.

And what happens? All the things that Israel left behind, whether it was farms or orchards or important things, they destroyed it. Amen.

The Arabs inside of Israel, they live better off than the others around them because Israel wants them to have jobs, wants them to work. Amen. But you see, you've got to understand behind it all is that serpent in the garden. That serpent in the garden is behind it all. And that spirit of Antichrist, as I preached about Wednesday, that that was began with Nimrod is in the land today. But you can be sure just as we read of how God fought for Israel in the Old Testament, just as we read how that one time when David and the armies were surrounded by the Philistines and they had David prayed and said, God, what shall we do?

What shall we do? Shall we go forth? And God said, go forth. So they went forth and they were able to slay a lot of the enemy. But then the enemy came against them again.

And being wise, even didn't assume, well, we'll do the thing again. He went back to God and said, God, what shall we do? Shall we go forth against them?

And God said, no, don't go forth against them this time. Circle around and come up behind them. Come up behind them. And then when you hear rustling in the top of the trees, when you can hear rustling in the top of the mulberry trees, that's when you shout and go forth.

That's what they did. They went in behind the troops and had them on in their back. And then when they heard the rustling of the mulberry trees, Israel rose up to attack them. But the Bible says that God sent ambushments. Ambushments. What does that mean? I think it means angels hiding in the bushes. God had angels hiding in the bushes because the rabbis teach that the rustling of the tops of the mulberry trees was the feet of the angels when God sent them forth and destroyed the enemy. And I want you to know that God is still says that he said that Zechariah 2.8, he said Israel is the apple of mine eye.

Whoever touches you touches the apple of mine eye. Amen. So saints, the clock is going fast and the cup is running over and we are now in borrowed time.

We need to be about our first business. Amen. We need to be sober and be vigilant. He said not only pray, watch and pray because you don't know the day and you don't know the hour, but thank God we know the seasons. He said you're not ignorant of the seasons because you see the signs, the signs of the second coming of Jesus Christ are everywhere. Let's make the second coming like Christmas. The signs of the second coming are everywhere.

Before we get to Christmas, we got to get to Thanksgiving. Before we get to the second coming, we've got to get to the rapture. The rapture comes before the second coming.

You understand what I'm saying? But we're seeing the signs of the second coming. How much closer, how much nearer is the rapture of the church? Because Paul said, except that son of perdition be revealed. That's when the tribulation is going to be poured out.

But he said, there's something that's a letting old English word for preventing, stopping, keeping him from being revealed. What is it? It's me. It's you.

It's us. If you're part of the church, it's us. Because when God takes the church out, the son of perdition, that wicked one is going to be revealed. That wicked one, that one whose number is 666.

Oh, we are in wind up time. The signs are all around us for the second coming of Jesus Christ. And if the signs for the second coming are that numerous, that obvious, that plentiful, how much sooner is the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ? Because when Paul wrote in Thessalonians, he said, I beseech you brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering to him. Because in the rapture, he's coming to gather us to him. And in the second coming, it's like Jude said, we'll be coming back with him to throw the antichrist and his armies and to throw the devil in the pit. Aren't you glad you're saved this morning?

Amen. What a revelatory overview of the biblically significant day we are in when understanding the times is a paramount concern for Christians who desire to be informed and relevant in these prophetic end times. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of his day saying, you can discern the face of the sky and even predict the weather, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. Because of this, they missed his coming, their long awaited Messiah, although he had fulfilled over 300 prophecies that foretold his coming. Scripture declares when the fullness of time had come, God sent his son that entailed 4,000 years of human history.

And the very calendar was changed to A.D. in the year of our Lord. Scripture further tells us that the heavens will not release Jesus to return until the times of restitution of all things. Now, this began on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out, and it is rapidly approaching the climax when Jesus will return for his people.

It will come suddenly and without notice as a thief in the night. But while we do not know the day nor the hour, Apostle Paul said that we are not ignorant of the season. God gave the prophet Daniel a panoramic view of human time from his day to the future tribulation and reign of the Antichrist. He was told to seal up the book until the time of the end when knowledge shall increase and many shall be purified and made white and tried, but the wicked shall do wickedly, but the wise shall understand.

They will be like the tribe of Issachar who understood the times and knew what Israel ought to do. Saints, if we ever needed those who understand the times and know what the church ought to do and this nation, it is now. This teaching, Understanding the Times, can be ordered on CD for a love gift of at least $10 for the radio ministry. Request SK115, that's SK115, mail to Sound of Faith, P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203, or go online to soundoffaith.org, where you can also order on MP3. But to order on CD, send a minimum love gift of $10, request offer SK115 to P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Till next time, this is Sharon Notze, Maranatha.