“People Who Know Their God Will Be Strong” | Daniel 11 | Pastor Keith

Daniel 11 the prophet Isaiah tells us the Lord speaks in

chapter 46 verse 9 and 10. There God says these things.

He says, remember the things that I have done in the past,

for I alone am God. I am God.

There is none like me. There's no other God, there's

only one God. There are not many roads, too

many gods, there's one God. Jesus said I am the way, the

truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but

by me. There is no other God but the

God of Israel. There is no other way to God but

through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

He goes on to say in verse 10 of chapter 46, Only I can tell you

the future. Don't believe anybody else.

You want to know what the future holds.

You don't have to go to a psych. What do you call them?

Psychic? Is that what they call something

like that? I make a lot of money out of

poor people anyway. I call them con men, women only.

I can tell you the future only and the future is laid out in

God's word. God's ringing me.

I'll, I'll be, I'll be calling back before it ever happens.

He says. Everything God says I plan will

come to pass everything for I do whatever I wish.

So we learn only God knows the future and he's made it known to

us in the Bible of the word of God.

He made it known to Abraham as he and an Angel came to Abraham

on the plains of memory. They're going on to judge Sodom

and Gomorrah and there before he went in and judge Sodom and

Gomorrah and they rescued Lot because judgement doesn't fall

on the righteous, only on the unrighteous.

So Lord had to be taken out of the city.

Genesis 1817 God said the Lord said should I hide my plan from

Abraham? In other words, I'm going to

tell him what I'm going to do. The Lord asked, but also the

Bible tells you and I revelation chapter one, verse one.

This is a revelation from Jesus Christ which God gave him to

show his servants. That's everyone who's received

Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

By the way, do you know that his servants, you can't, you don't

attend church, you don't attend or hang out at church.

When you become born again, Jesus says you must be born

again. You then change from serving

yourself to serving the Lord. And so I want you to really

think about that 2026 where, what, and how are you going to

be serving the Lord in 2026? This is a revelation from Jesus

Christ which God gave Him to show His servants and servants

do what their master asks or commands.

The events that must soon take place future.

We're living in a time where those who call themselves

Christians proclaim that they are followers of Christ, and

many people do. Every American president has

done for ages are coming to a pivotal junction in the world's

history, biblical history. That is a valley of decision.

Now it says in the prophet Joel verse chapter 3, verse 14,

thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of

decision. There the day of the Lord will

soon arrive. And that's specifically Speaking

of the valley of Jezreel when the Lord returns the battle, the

battle of Armageddon. But you and I today, as

believers, we're in a valley of decision.

And so as 2026 comes up and we sang about it this morning, we

are to make decisions that direct and guide our lives.

And the decision should be, what does the Lord want me to do in

this situation? In Chapter 11, the future is

detailed in Prophetic Information so much that we'll

have to summarise it. We couldn't go through it and

pick every verse. Chapter 10 through to chapter 12

are one prophetic vision that Daniel is receiving.

Remember, he's been praying three weeks, fasting and prayer

and it covers a period of time from King Darius the Maid to the

second coming of Jesus Christ, that period past future, even

our future. So first one also in the first

year of Darius the Mead I even I stood up to confirm and

strengthen him. This is the messenger sent from

God the first day, the first moment that Daniel prayed a

messenger was sent and remember, but it took three weeks to get

there. Why battle in heaven?

Spiritual warfare, The answer was sent.

But there was warfare before. Daniel received this messenger

from God, who now from 10:11 and 12:00 tells him this amazing

vision of future events. And he says this messenger and

now I will tell you the truth. I like that.

Behold, 3 more kings will arise in Persia, and the 4th shall be

far richer than them all by his strength.

Through his riches he shall stir up against the realm of Greece.

Remember we had the Babylonians and the Medes and the Persians

who followed them, the Grecians who followed the Grecians, the

Romans. So I want to ask you, do you

want the truth? You know dogs and cats?

I don't care about the truth. You know when you go and leave

your dog at home and you you come home to the dog and and

he's wagging his tail? He didn't.

He doesn't know. You've been gone for hours.

He's just, you wouldn't have a clue.

He doesn't wear a watch, can't tell the time.

You know you can tell him off because he's been digging holes.

Next minute, he's your best friend again.

You say come in here. He wags his tail.

Everything like cats. They're a little bit different.

Cats don't care. You can go away.

Don't come back. I don't care, but you know you

and I want the truth. When we go to the doctor, we

don't want him to kind of go, well, what's the problem?

What are you going to do about it?

God created us to demand to know the truth.

We need the truth. In Daniel chapter 10 verse 21,

Daniel 10:21

the messenger said to Daniel, I will tell you what is noted in

the scripture of truth. God's Word is the truth.

And now in Daniel Chapter 11 he repeats verse 2 and now I will

Daniel 11 · chapter mention

tell you the truth. Remember, it was Jesus Christ

Himself who placed His seal on the authenticity of Daniel's

prophecies in Matthew 2415 on the Olivet Discourse when the

disciples said, Jesus, tell us what's going to be the things,

what's going to happen at the end, the end of the age, Matthew

2415, Jesus and part of that discussion said, therefore, when

you see the abomination of desolation spoken of.

And now Jesus says by Daniel the prophet, Jesus says Daniel the

prophet standing in the holy place.

Jesus adds this. Whoever reads Daniel the

prophet, let him understand. You need to know and understand

the prophecies of Daniel the word of God.

In other words, the events that are spoken of here, they're

coming and they're going to happen.

Guaranteed there will be 3 more kings that will rise up in the

Persian Empire. Ahasiris was the first, then

there was Arctic Xerxes, then there's Darius, then a fourth,

the most powerful of all will come his name, Xerxes.

Then another empire that follows is mentioned, The Grecian.

Why are there only two empires mentioned?

Have you ever wondered why he only deals with the the Medes

and the Persians here specifically for Persian and

then the Greeks? You know, why doesn't talk

about, you know, other empires that were going on throughout

the world and there were other empires at that time in the

world. Why, why does the Bible just

mention the Persians and the Grecians?

That's a good question. Because these two empires took

on the nation Israel. Because it's all about Israel

and attempted to annihilate the covenant people of God.

That's why they mentioned the first one.

The Persians attempted to do this initially through the

wicked plot of a fella called Haman.

It's a great story to read your kids.

It's found in the book of Esther.

Haman. Secondly, the Greeks tried to do

the same to the Jews during the reign of a fellow called

Antiochus the 4th. He was king of the Seleucid

Empire from 175 BC until his death in 164 BC.

And it's the period between the end of the Old Testament and the

beginning of the New Testament. And Antiochus tried to make the

Jewish people deny their Jewish character, their heritage during

that period. Verse 3 Then a mighty king.

So we've moved from the Persians, and now we're going to

go to the Grecians Shall arise, who shall rule with great

dominion, and do according to his will.

And when he has arisen, his Kingdom shall be broken up and

divided toward the four. Note that four winds of heaven,

but not among his posterity, not in other words, not his kids.

They're not going to his heirs, they're not going to take over

his Kingdom, nor according to his dominion with which he

ruled. For his Kingdom shall be

uprooted, even for others besides these.

Now, in the middle of the Persian and the Greek Empire,

there arose a mighty king, his name, Alexander the Great.

He defeated the Persians in 332 BC Alexander the Great, however,

died at the age of just 32 years.

He was drinking all night, been raining.

He had a fever, and he died. And as he's dying, they said,

well, who's going to, who's going to rule?

And he said to, to the strongest.

But here's a point. Why do we not hear any more

about Alexander the Great? I mean this mighty man well, and

I recommend you have one in your home.

There's a book called Josephus Jewish Historian, and the Jewish

historian in his book tells us that Alexander the Great arrived

at Jerusalem with his mighty army during his at the height of

his reign. And who met him?

The high priest of Jerusalem met him and asked him to speak with

him. The high priest then showed

Alexander personally the scroll of the Daniel of of the prophet

Daniel that you and I are reading today.

And he told Alexander, this is you here.

This is who Daniel is writing there.

He wrote about you before you came.

This is you on the way, and it's in the antiquities of the Jews.

In the book of Josephus, Chapter 11, verses 8.5, on the way to

Jerusalem, Josephus says that Alexander said, you know, it's

funny you say you've done all this as I'm coming.

I had a dream and I saw you, you the high priest, coming to me.

And so he was so overwhelmed by him being found in Daniel's

prophecy written years before, he offered a sacrifice to the

God of Israel in Jerusalem along with the high priest, and then

he turned and left with his army.

Alexander left Jerusalem alone. In verse 4 it tells us of the

time of Alexander's death and the Grecian empire being divided

up. Remember it says four winds, 4

generals. Now the rest of Chapter 11 deals

greatly with just two of the four generals and their

kingdoms. 2 kingdoms, Syria to the north, Egypt to the South.

We have no dealings in Daniel here with the other two

generals. Again, question.

Well, why? Why aren't they mentioned here?

Because they had no dealings with the people of Israel.

It's all about Israel. Verse 5 Also the king of the

South shall become strong as well as one of his Princess, and

he shall gain power over him and have dominion.

His dominion shall be a great dominion.

The king of the South, who took over during the Grecian reign

after Alexander's death, was a fellow called General Ptolemy.

He was Ptolemy the First of Egypt, the king of the north,

one of the four generals of Alexander.

His name was Seleucis. He took over the dominion of the

region of Syria. So Egypt, Syria, sandwiched in

the middle, Israel, and they were at war with one another.

The rest of Chapter 11 goes into incredible detail.

It speaks of Cleopatra, it speaks of Mark Antony, and all

those things that occurred are found in Chapter 11.

Between the two rules, North and South.

They fought one another back and forth and often the battleground

unfortunately was the land of Israel that separated them both.

I remember our guide telling us when we were at the Jaffa Gate,

the Jaffa Gate in Israel still has all these bullet holes in

it. You know, he was pointing out

what calibre that one is, what calibre that one is, which war

and so forth. And he said, here's the thing,

every time there was a war in in Europe and Asia, everyone went

through Israel on the way to the war or back through Israel on

the way home from the war. The fighting between the two

lasted some 130 years. So between verses 6 and 21, we

have alliances, marriages. They try, you know, married one

another, you know, you marry Cleopatra.

And then there's Marc Anthony, you know, and all this so forth.

Then there's more wars. Then there's victories and

defeats on both sides, victory to the north.

They're occupying the Holy Land that is the Seleucid Empire or

the dynasty of Syria, and then more alliances, more marriages.

So the prophecies are so detailed and written now between

6 and 21, that many Bible, I mean not Bible scholars, but

scholars around the world said it's impossible for this to be

written before the events. It is impossible because the the

events that Daniel has written down, told to him by the

messenger of God are too detailed.

But you know, that's God's word. God's the only one in you.

Which raises a question right now at this time for you and I,

are you troubled by the events of 2025?

I am Gaza, Israel. We're hoping now as we click

over, we'll be putting out our sign up sheet for our trip to

Israel in January 27, which will be months, only months away once

we click over for the first time in three years.

In Bethlehem, they celebrated Christmas safely.

But the events of 2025, Bondi massacre, I mean, it's wicked.

And now are you fearful of what may happen in 2026?

I mean, we have children growing up.

Grandchildren don't be. How can I say that?

Why? Because we serve the Lord who

knows and dictates the future. You see, fear is the opposite to

faith. And God has our lives in His

hand. God knows the future now you

know your past. Can you remember your past?

Oh yeah, I remember I did that. Oh no, I forgot that.

Well, God knows your future, our future, better than you even

know your past. So why is Bible prophecy so

important? Why are we even dealing with

Persians and Grecians now? First, Bible prophecy covers 1/3

of all scripture, so it's pretty much there's no getting around.

Secondly, God shows off through the word of God constantly that

he rules the future. Only he knows the future.

He says for I alone am God, there's no one like me, only I

can tell you the future before it even happens.

This tells you and I this morning and gives us great

evidence in the word of God that it is inspired.

This is not just the book. We gave a book to a kid.

We were living in Bibra Lake one time.

He's nine years old, won't mention his name, but man, he

was like Dennis the Menace. He just annoyed the daylights

out of us. We drive up the driveway and

he'd been on our kids band trampoline, bouncing up and down

and he disappeared as we drive up.

Gary, you even did trampoline. No, no, I haven't been there.

Anyway, we thought we'll try and win him to.

The Lord gave him a Bible. Obviously his mom and dad didn't

like it. So next day he came back and

said here's the Bible. I said, oh, you read it?

Yeah, you read it last night so you can have it back.

Gary, God's word is inspired. Thirdly, God's word is true.

You see, you don't want to waste your time coming here today.

I hate when, you know, as you get older, you really don't like

wasting time. You like to get in.

I mean, how long are we doing this?

You know, you know, you stand in the line at the grocery stores

where it says 12. What do you do?

Count how many they got in their basket.

They got they got 14 in that basket.

And then you go through fast food and they tell you to drive

around to wait till the you mean I got to drive around way out

the front. Now, by the way, don't go to

Hungry Jack's over here The other day I was 30 minutes and I

reversed out in the end, 30 minutes and I had not moved.

Some of the kids here work at Hungry Jack's.

That's really good, isn't it? Just remembered that that went

down. Well, the Bible is true.

It gives us the details, nations, the kings, it names

them, it tells you the years. And fourthly, if all this is

true, you know what then? The truth about our salvation is

real. It means you are saved.

God has saved you. You are saved by his grace.

You are safe in His arms. You were saved through his death

that was prophesied. You were saved by his

resurrection. Jesus said three days, I'll be

back. He did.

And you know what else the Bible says he said he's going to do?

He says I'm coming back. That's as concrete as you can

get. This is why Jesus said to his

disciples on that fateful night, the night of his betrayal and

arrest, He said let not your heart be troubled.

You believe in God, believe also in me.

Why in my Father's house, so many mansions?

If it were not so, I, I would tell you, I go to prepare a

place, a real, tangible, actual existing place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and I

will receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be

also where I go, you know, and the way you know.

So God did not just have in Daniel 11 here, just a specific

plan for four generals. And Alexander, the Bible tells

us because of this, that this morning God has a specific

detailed plan for your life, your life.

You're created in his image. He saw you being formed in your

mother's womb. Psalm 139.

He made your heartbeat. He has a plan also.

Many of you are young, newly married.

He has a plan for your marriage. Some of you are been married for

a number of years. He has a plan for your marriage.

It's just not what shall we do now we're married, what shall we

do? No, it's what does God want us

to do? Where does God want us to go?

We can't be selfish. You can't be a believer in

Christ and run your own life. Can't do that.

God has a plan for you. Specific plan.

Here's a plan for your family. How is your family to minister

in the Kingdom of God? Your family.

Here's a plan for your son and your daughter, a specific godly

plan for them. Do you know what it is, Mom and

Dad? Do you pray about it?

Do you seek God about it? No matter who you are, God has a

plan for you. There's a little guy he wanted

to see Jesus, couldn't see Jesus.

He was just small, you know, every time he tried to see, he

couldn't see out of the crowd. So he rushed the head where

Jesus was going to walk, climbed up a tree, and as Jesus came

under the tree, he stopped Zacchaeus, tonight your place,

I'm coming, calling me out by name.

As he left Zacchaeus, Jesus said salvation has come to this

place. He knew Zacchaeus, he knew

Zacchaeus couldn't see, He knew Zacchaeus was up the tree.

And he said, Zacchaeus, I'm coming to your place.

Some insignificant guy, where's Zacchaeus come from, didn't do

any great mighty deeds. And then there was a woman.

She had tried, she'd had broken relationship, one after the

other after the other. And she was with another man,

now the 6th. And there she goes to get water.

All the other women are gone because they just talk about her

all the time. She turns up.

There's just this, there's this guy waiting, He's a Jew.

And he asks, could you get me a drink?

And then the discussion unveils. Jesus has sent his disciples off

Why? He had an appointment with a

woman at a well in Samaria. You see, I want you to realise

you're not just, you're not just somebody that no one knows

about. God has made you and he has a

plan in his Kingdom for you. The trouble is, so few of us are

walking in the footsteps that He's created.

So few of us are walking in the plan.

And you know what that means? That means we're not living in

the glory and the wonder and the joy that God has prepared for

us. We're doing our own thing and

it's miserable. Doesn't work.

Verse 21, We drop down to now, and in this place shall arise A

vile person to whom they will not give the honour of royalty,

but he shall come in notice peaceably.

He's a trickster, he'll seize the Kingdom by intrigue.

This vile person we mentioned again, we've covered him

previously, his name, Antiochus Epiphany in the Grecian Empire,

he gave himself the title of the Epiphanies, which means

illustrious, glorious, he is a God.

The Jews called him Antiochus Epimines, which means he's a

crazy man madman. In verse 22 to 25, Antiochus

tried to make a name for himself, so he sets out to

conquer the Ptolemy Empire of Egypt to the South.

But the Ptolemies do battle with Antiochus, and there's a new kid

on the block. They get some help from some

naval ships from the Romans, and the Romans find their place in

the Middle East for the first time and they defeat Antiochus.

And the Roman leader gets Antiochus on the beach and he

literally draws a ring around him on the beach.

And he says, before you put your foot out of that circle, you got

to promise to stop coming down to take over Egypt before you

put your foot out of that circle.

So Antiochus, he said, OK, Antiochus, at that time, it's

170 BC, he says on verse 28, while returning to his land on

the way back from this defeat with great riches, his heart

shall be moved against the holy covenant.

Who are they? There's only one group of people

who have the holy covenant, the people of Israel.

So he shall do damage and return to his own land on his way back

from fighting. He heads back through Jerusalem

on the way back to Syria in 170 BC.

It says in verse 34 ships from Cyprus shall come against him.

Therefore he shall be grieved and return in Rage Against the

Holy Covenant Israel and do damage.

So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the

Holy Covenant, and forces shall be mustered by Him.

They shall defile the sanctuary, the temple, they shall take away

the daily sacrifices, place there the abomination of

desolation. We've heard that mentioned by

Jesus. Those who do wickedly against

the covenant, He shall corrupt with flattery.

But then there's his verse. But the people who know their

God shall be strong and carry out great exploits.

Antiochus because he's defeated, being humiliated, rage.

He's a crazy man, comes back and does Jerusalem just savages it,

stops everything, stops the worship.

He then goes into the temple and there he erects the image of the

God Zeus in the holy of holies. He then also gets a pig, a sow

and slaughters it on the holy altar and sprinkles sprays pig's

blood all throughout the temple. At the time he slaughters 80,000

Jews, he takes prisoner another 40,000.

He steals from the temple in Jerusalem a billion dollars in

gold. But yeah, we have this.

Then it's also semi colon but the people of God who know their

God shall be strong and carry out great exploits.

It seems like this is a doesn't fit here.

It just pops up amongst this mayhem.

What happened is some Jews sided with Antiochus.

Yeah, he will go along with him during the time because he had

smooth sounding words. He was a conman.

But then there are others who resisted him, who are strong in

their God. In the worst of times, under

Antiochus, there were those in Jerusalem who knew their God and

stood strong in their faith. They didn't bow to him.

There are those who no matter the storm, you and I know some,

maybe you're one of them. No matter the doctor's words,

you have months to live. No matter the heartache that

you've had, the grief that you've lost, when someone has

passed or had, you still stand strong in their faith.

I remember Pastor Greg Laurie from Calvary Chapel of Harvest.

It's called Harvest now. It used to be Riverside.

His son Christopher, he gets a phone call.

His son Christopher, 32, killed on a car crash in California.

So they're wondering what's Greg going to do the Sunday following

the accident, the death of his son.

Greg is devastated. He says he's never wept and been

in pain like that in all his life.

So Greg got up and I remember we watched it and he stood at the

pulpit. He's devastated.

And he said these words I still believe when he sat down.

I still believe you, see you and I can look at this and this is a

message for us this morning. In your darkest hour, you can

serve God idly. We're heading into troubled

waters. With the New year approaching,

persecution to true followers of Christ in Australia is coming.

There will be no exception to those who are true followers who

live the Christian life, not persecution, I believe like we

see in Nigeria or such places as yet, but in your workplace,

you'll be exiled. You have a Bible, everyone which

they knock you, laugh you as you read it during your lunch break.

You don't swear and carry on. You don't tell dirty jokes,

you're ostracised. Better stop talking.

Here comes sunset. I had that, had that for years.

You'll be overlooked in promotion because you're that

weird church girl. You'll be forced into situations

where you either will fold or you'll stand out like a beacon

around the meeting room as discussions going on about

something and something comes up.

What's your opinion on the matter?

And it's something that's really bubbling over at the moment.

What do you say about the matter?

And you either go, oh, or you say, well, I'm a I'm a believer,

so I go along with what the Bible says on the matter.

Oh, you're an idiot. You'll be considered intolerant.

But you love people who Christ died for, but you'll be

considered intolerant. You'll be considered unloving.

Now that no, that's not unloving.

It's actually the one person who tells the truth.

It's actually loving, isn't it? You know what you're doing is

not good for you. Everyone auction just let you go

about and behave like an idiot. But the one person's hey, this

is not right. That's the enemy's plan for us

in 2026. Confusion, 3 CS Confusion,

compromise and casualness. He's bringing to those who are

lukewarm and Australia as churches full of lukewarm

people, casual in their walk with God.

They fit God in when they can and they're going to run into

great confusion because Jesus said on the Mount of Olives

there's going to be people coming up.

Christ. Christ is here, Christ is there.

All new things. Deceivers, you fads.

This is the latest church thing. This is the the new.

This is the new teacher. Oh, Manny, he is.

She's travelling around the world.

The new prophet and Satan will bring in compromise.

You'll have decisions to make serious decisions.

The way you choose, the direction you take that will

affect your walk. You know, adultery, fornication,

cowardly idolaters, unbelieving. Revelation 21 verse 8 says

Revelation 21:8

people who do those things will not get into heaven.

That's not me saying that if people come and go to church,

living in sin, lying, rejecting God, cowardly, and they walk

with God, have idols, they think, well, it's not so we're

not so bad. God will help me through.

It's the great deception. The Bible says you're not going

to get into the Kingdom of God. It's compromise.

It's how you lead your marriage, how you lead your family.

If you're casual with God, Can you imagine being in a marriage

where the person is casual with you?

People have that. They call them open

relationships. You know, they're not, they're

not faithful to one another. They go with others.

They go with others in here and they in and out and I'm not this

and that. We're open.

No, it's sinful. God doesn't have a casual

relationship. He doesn't have an open

relationship. He's a jealous God.

The first commandment is what? Love the Lord your God with

what? All your heart, all your mind,

all your soul and all your strength.

God's not into. I couldn't see it pop in.

Yeah. High 5 See you in six weeks

time. He's not into that.

When Jesus died on the cross, it wasn't a casual thing.

I just bang a nail here and then he gave a whole lot.

This is my body. Communion will celebrate.

This is my body I give for you Broken 2026.

You see, if you're casual, what's going to happen to the

casual? They'll fall away.

In fact, many will fall away in the future.

But this need not be your future.

Today you and we can repent right where you are now.

You can fall before God, call upon him and say, God forgive

me. Let me get my heart right.

Let me live right before you right today.

Now, right now is the time for you to know your God.

Now, right now is not the time to back off, but to press in and

to serve parents with your children.

Don't back off. Don't don't mellow in your Oh

well, others I'll let them just can't do that.

That's child abuse. When you let your kids have

their way. Notice it says but but the

people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great

exploits. In Ephesians chapter 3 verse 19

Ephesians 3:19

Paul wrote to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge

that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

The problem is 2 things one we don't realise how much we be we

have have been forgiven and two we don't realise how much God

loves us. The woman who wept over Jesus

feet loved him much. Why?

Because she had been forgiven much.

You know me, I have been forgiven much much so I love

him, he loves me. She'll keep my commandments.

It's not because I have to. I'm a Christian and I'm a

pastor. I got to do this I desire to.

So now the prophecy in Daniel shifts toward.

The last days Antiochus was a type of foreshadow of the coming

lawless one, the future world leader known as also the

Antichrist. Verse 36 Then the king shall do

according to his own will. He shall exalt and magnify

himself. Isn't that what Lucifer said?

I will ascend, I will above every God, shall speak

blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the

wrath has been accomplished. For what has been determined

shall be done. It's specific.

He'll do according to his own will.

He'll be above every God. Only the Antichrist.

Not Antiochus. He was a shadow.

Only the Antichrist. Future fits this passage of

Scripture. Why?

For Antiochus, remember he set up a statue of Zeus in the in

the temple. The Antichrist, he's not putting

up a statue of another God. What's he going to put up?

Second Thessalonians, chapter 2? He's going to put up an image of

2 Thessalonians 2 · chapter mention

himself, and you'll be forced to wear a mark of worship.

The number of a man for Antiochus was the shadow of the

coming Antichrist. It is the Antichrist also who

alone will speak openly, publicly blasphemous against the

one true God. He'll give speeches around the

world. He'll be a great orator.

Daniel has told us already he has a big mouth, and he rides on

a White Horse when he comes bringing peace, and he will woo

the world, but he'll blasphemy God.

I do not believe that, says verse 37.

He shall regard neither the God of his father's, nor the desire

of women, nor regard any God, for he shall exalt himself above

them all notice. But in their place he shall

honour a God of fortresses, that's power, and a God which

his father's did not know, he shall honour with gold and

silver, with precious stones and pleasant things.

Now, there are a couple of ways people read this.

I do not believe this text tells us that the Antichrist will be

one Jewish and two homosexual. Some do that.

I don't go along with that. The God of his father's.

I believe it's just simply saying this.

Whatever God his family served, he ain't serving that.

He's serving no God. He's God.

Secondly, it says about the desire of women.

That means he's going to be a homosexual.

No, not so. That's a term.

It's Jewish. The desire of every young Jewish

woman was what to have the Messiah to bring forth, to birth

the Messiah. It's a Jewish term to be the

chosen mother of the Messiah. Verse 39.

Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a

foreign God which he shall acknowledge and advance its

glory, and he shall cause them to rule over many and divine the

divide the land for gain. The God or God of fortresses.

At the moment, and I said it the other week, our world is arming

up, isn't it? Except for Australia, we've got

the submarines. They'll be here in 2475.

Little bloke will come in, a little outboard motor on.

Here's the submarines. Little bloke will get out and,

you know, pull out an air rifle, right?

Who are we taking on? But everywhere else in the world

is loading up. Europe, Taiwan, China,

Auckland's just come back from Samoa.

China's bought after Samoa, by the way.

They're buying all the Polynesian islands.

They're just up the road. Those of you in the Navy here

know that our biggest threat is who China and the world is

reloading and rearming. Trump's just introduced these

new vessels, these new battleships, the Trump class.

They're the most powerful battleships, largest battleships

ever to be built. And the Antichrist, when he

comes into power, will have a massive, powerful military

might. That's how you rule from verse

40 to 45. Notice the wording.

It says at the time of the end there will be wars and

ultimately all the world military might will gather in

one battle. Where's that battle?

The final battle will be in where?

Israel. It's always about Israel.

Verse 45. He shall plant the tents of his

palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountains.

Yet he shall come to his end, the Antichrist, and no one will

help him. The end will come to the

Antichrist is only a set number of days given to him by which

he'll be allowed to rule. Christ will then return at that

very battle, the battle of Armageddon.

Revelation, chapter 19. Israel finally, after that,

Revelation 19 · chapter mention

we'll finally know the real peace.

But here's the sad part. And we love Israel.

We love Yaniv and his family and the Israelis that we've met over

the years visiting. Anti semitism doesn't finish

until then. It's just going to grow and grow

and grow until all the world has turned its back upon Israel,

until the time of the end. Will the persecution of Israel

cease? In the end, the followers of

Christ, you and I, will bask with our Saviour and his great

victory. But the people who know their

gods shall be strong and carry out great exploits.

I want to ask you today, do you know Jesus Christ as your as

your God? You might know him, you heard

about him, but do you know him as your God, your God?

Do you say when you pray the Lord pray our Father that he is

your Father? When you say Saviour in Jesus

name, you're saying he's your saviour.

Do you know him as your Redeemer?

Keith, what is a Redeemer? Someone who has paid the price

for you. Redeem you brought, brought you

back. Do you know him as your

Redeemer? That's like the woman who wept

over Jesus feet. That's someone who's been

redeemed. Have you been redeemed?

Do you know how much you've been forgiven?

Do you know how much you've been redeemed from and to?

God has a world plan. It's coming to pass.

It's laid out in absolute great detail.

But right now, this morning, you may be in the valley of decision

yourself because you're living kind of cruising.

Which path will you take? Because the Bible says the

future is coming. All this, all these events,

those that were predicted, look back, they all happened.

They all happened just as Jesus, as Daniel said, as God said, so

the events in the future, they're all going to happen.

The Bible tells us at the end of it all, God's plan, God's will

will be done. Jesus said, pray this way.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy

Kingdom come, thy will be done. What on earth as it is in

heaven, it's cometh today for some of you could be the day of

salvation. You've been raised in a

Christian family, you've even attended church, maybe here for

some time, but you have never surrendered all your life to

God. Today's the day.

How hard is it to do that? A young fellow called Charles

Haddon Spurgeon walked into a cold little church, 20 odd

people and the preacher looked at him and said these words, the

scripture, Isaiah 4522. He said look to me young man and

be saved all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is

no other young man. Look to me.

And all Spurgeon had to do was to look to God.

All you have to do right now is look to God.

We're going to close our eyes. We're going to pray as the

worship team comes forward. If you're here today and you've

never surrendered, I mean surrendered your life to God,

what do you have to do? Bible says in Romans chapter 10,

Romans 10:9

verses 9 and 10. Let's bow our hands, close our

eyes, if you confess Jesus Christ as your Lord with your

mouth, if you believe that in your heart that he is Lord.

Romans chapter 10 verses 9 and 10 says you shall be saved if

Romans 10:9

you were here today and you've never surrendered your life to

Christ. OK, how?

How long you've been coming to church, how often you've read

the Bible. If you've never surrendered, do

that now. Look to him, the future is

coming. It's certain we're in the end

times, the last days. Receive Christ today, right now,

as your Lord and Saviour. Simply confess and believe in

your heart. Here's your Lord Father.

I pray for any who have prayed that prayer, I pray right now

for the Holy Spirit, Your Holy Spirit, to now take residence

inside them, that they'll leave changed, born again, no longer

in the valley of decision. I pray and ask your blessing

upon them, Jesus name, Amen. Amen.