Today we are going to continue talking about the presence of God. Yesterday we looked at the glory of God which means God is dwelling among us and the reverence and awe we should have. We really should fall on our faces before Him. We also saw what the presence of God does not look like and saw how satan can masquerade as an angel of light and deceive many. When God is present, as we saw with Joshua, God said, Joshua 1:3 “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” That was the Old Testament, and the Promised Land was Israel, but now the land is the world. Revelation 12:10 “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah.” Revelation 11:15 “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” 1 John 3:8 “The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” Paul said Acts 26:17 “I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” 

    We were supposed to continue destroying the work of satan with power from on High.  The church was given power to defeat satan to the ends of the earth and take it back. We were supposed to continue the work Jesus showed us to do and He gave us the power needed to do that work. Our guide is the Gospels. Jesus said John 14:12 “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Jesus said truly I tell you, so I believe Him! The question is do you? So what did Jesus do? Matthew 8:16 “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.” Matthew 4:23 “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.” Matthew 11:5 “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” Matthew 9:35 “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Today there are lots of sick people and people who need demons cast out of them. Jesus still takes up our infirmities, but we must return to Him.

    Those workers were and are His disciples. Luke 9:1 “When Jesus had called the twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Mark 6:7 “Calling the twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. 12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” But not just the twelve. Luke 10:1 “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.” But not just the seventy-two, Acts 6:3 “Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. 8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.” Acts 8:3 “But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. 4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.”

    This was the presence of God among the people. This was the glory of God just like at the temple. This was the Kingdom of God coming near. This is what the church was to continue doing, but to do as Jesus did, requires the presence of God, which is why the church must repent. We need to be filled with the glory of God. We saw yesterday the glory of God filled the temple but now the temple is the people and the same thing happened at Pentecost. Acts 2:1 “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” This was just as we saw with the temple. 2 Chronicles 7:1 “When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” Now at Pentecost, Peter said Acts 2:17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call. 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” We too live in a corrupt generation. That anointing at Pentecost would continue. Acts 10:44 “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” This was not the babble of charismatics. Paul Acts 19:1 “found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. 4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.”

         So, we see the presence of God continue and not all the stories are written down of each person that was filled with the Spirit of God, just as all the miracles of Jesus were not written down. John 21:25 “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” John 20:30 “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” As Peter said Acts 2:39 “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” That promise is for us today. That promise will look like Jesus. Nowhere does the bible say the power is not available to all who believe. It is only the false teachers who say this like John MacArthur and others like him who teach cessationism, which is a doctrine of demons. It is actually satan saying it from the pulpits! 

    What has happened is the church has rebelled against God and God has turned His face from the church and the glory of God has left the temple just like the Old Testament. If we had continued to obey God’s word and follow wholeheartedly, we would have continued doing as Jesus did because he said, Mark 16:16 “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well. 19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” MacArthur is telling you Jesus did not say this nor can you believe Peter when he said this promise is for you. He wants you to believe in a powerless gospel which is no gospel at all. As Paul said most only know of John’s baptism, so even though they say they are filled with the Spirit, they are not. If they were, they would believe all of these next verses, not just the parts their doctrine agrees with. 1 Corinthians 12:7 “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” Paul then describes what has happened instead of believing what the bible actually states. Galatians 1:6 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!”  As I said yesterday there is no difference between John MacArthur and Bill Johnson as both are false teachers.

    As we saw yesterday in our example, the church has rebelled and the abomination that causes desolation has decimated the church and the end result has been that God turned His face from the church, meaning the church has been taken captive, and is powerless against our enemies. The healings are few and far between, casting out demons is not happening like how Jesus did cast them out. Most people do not realize that demons are all around them. Picture an army that has surrounded a city. Don’t be deceived by satan masquerading as an angel of light. He has power. Mark 13:22 “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” Many people have been deceived by these false teachers / prophets. The scripture is full of warnings about false teachers / prophets for a reason. Jesus warned about them. He was asked Matthew 24:3 “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered, “Watch out that no one deceives you.” Deception is everywhere in the church. He then says, 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” He also tells us about the abomination that has decimated the church but gives hope when He said 22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.” Peter warned us about false teachers and said 2 Peter 3:17 “Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.” Jesus also warned us, Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Paul warned us, Acts 20:29 “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” When we see people like Bill Johnson and John MacArthur and there are many, many more, you have to see them in light of scripture as ferocious and savage wolves. 1 Peter 5:8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

    When talking about the presence of God, the church needs to know the difference between the kingdom satan wants to give you and the kingdom of God. Most have fallen for satan’s kingdom, the one he tried to tempt Jesus with. Luke 4:5 “The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.” How arrogant is that as we read in Revelation “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord.” The kingdom satan offers comes with a different kind of power. It looks similar to what the kingdom of God is, but it is counterfeit. There will be signs and wonders that will deceive people, it will appear as if the gospel is being preached but it will be different and distorted and sometimes you have to listen very closely to distinguish truth from the false. Worship will seem authentic, preaching will seem inspired and as we saw the other day, many false prophets and teachers know their bible better than most Christians do. There are some really good counterfeits and some that satan is just mocking people with, that are so ridiculous like the feathers, the glitter bomb (glory cloud), false prophecies like Copeland gave about covid and on and on they go but this is no joke because people are dying every day without knowing the truth and will spend eternity apart from God.

    When we talk about the presence of God, it is more than a feeling. So many people have fallen for emotionalism. Their faith is based on how they feel. This is why so much emphasis is placed on praise and worship because it feels good. When preaching or singing doesn’t feel good, they move to another church where it feels better. This is why true repentance is not preached because it doesn’t feel good and it offends people. Yesterday I said close the church. That is not going to feel very good to explain why, but God will be pleased. You can be seeking God with all your heart and there will be times you feel nothing, but it doesn’t mean God is not there as Job said, Job 23:8 “But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. 9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. 10 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. 11 My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. 12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” If you base everything on feeling, when you are being tested, you most likely will not feel so good but that doesn’t mean God is not present, so persevere and do not give up. Luke 8:13 “Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.” 

    The presence of God is more than just talk where someone says God is here or surely the presence of the Lord in in this place, you need to make sure and usually power shows that the glory of God is present. Paul said 1 Corinthians 4:20 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” Can you imagine if Paul came to your church and said “18 Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have.” There are many powerful men and women in ministry, but they do not have power from on High. We then saw what that kingdom power looked like with Paul. Acts 19:11 “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.” We also saw the results of that power. This is what we talked about yesterday with the demolition of material things, teaching, doctrines, theology etc. in the church that need to be gotten rid of. Acts 19:18 “Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.” 

    As we saw yesterday, Jesus is Immanuel which meant God with us and dwelling among us. John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus is the word of God, therefore God, which is why Isaiah said Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Matthew said Jesus was “Immanuel, God with us.” I have heard people trying to defend their false teaching, like homosexuality, by saying Jesus never said anything on the subject, because it isn’t in red letters. Jesus is the word and yes, He said it all through scripture. 2 Peter 1:20 “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. By the way this is how you know jehovah’s witnesses are not actually God’s witnesses and are a cult. Have nothing to do with them. Their book, not a bible, says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.”—John 1:1, New World Translation.” If you have one, treat it like they did in Acts. If we look at John 1:1 in BibleGateway and look at other translations, you will see every translation say, “was God” and thankfully I did not see the New World Translation.

    When God dwells with us, the church then looks like the church Jesus started and is the head of. The church will then do as He did. When God isn’t dwelling among us, it doesn’t and doesn’t do as He did; it is that simple. Right now, the church is not doing as Jesus did, in fact it is doing as satan wants the church to do. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 “He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” Pay attention to these next verses as they are here. 9 “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” Notice that not only do you have deception from satan, you have delusion brought by God because of disobedience, so that you will believe what is false. If you watched the video I talked about yesterday, you would have seen deception and delusion.

    When God created the world, He spoke. That means the word is powerful. Everything was brought into being by those words. As we just read “through Him all things were made.”Jesus became flesh and was given power and authority. Daniel saw this. Daniel 7:13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” As we read earlier Revelation 12:10 “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah.” We know that the kingdom came because Jesus said Luke 11:20 “But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” He cast out demons. When Jesus started His ministry Luke 4:36 “All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!” 37 And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.” The creator has authority over His creation. Matthew 14:25 “Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.” Matthew 8:23 “Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.” 27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” The chief priests sand elders were not too bright, as they said to Jesus. Matthew 21:23 “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” Then this is even more amazing Matthew 28:18 “Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Mark says the same thing except it is expanded. Mark 16:17 “And these signs will accompany those who believe: 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” We saw this earlier when Jesus gave this power and authority to His disciples. Matthew 10:1 “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.” 

    Let me ask this, why in the world would you want to be part of a powerless church? Why wouldn’t you want to be part of what Jesus has for us? All authority and all power is given to Jesus, who wants to dwell among us and He wants to give you that same authority and power. This is the offer. John 14:23 “Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 16:13 “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” Jesus said Mark 1:15 “The time has come, The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” When the kingdom comes near, all that authority and all that power, the glory of God comes and fills His temple. When that happens, the same incredible power you read about in the Gospels and Acts will once again turn the world upside down. People will be healed, demons cast out, people truly saved, untold blessing, fearlessness and this gospel will be preached to the ends of the earth. All this because God has given the church power and authority over the works of satan. 

    Some were told Mark 9:1 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.” The same will happen again as there will be those who see God’s power return. They saw Pentecost come. Pentecost was just the beginning as the power was to keep flowing just like this. Acts 4:31 “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” Jesus had said John 7:37 “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” The church was supposed to have this power and authority. Instead, the church decided to build with their own hands and strength. The church decided to create something that looks nothing like the church Jesus said He would build. It looks nothing like His kingdom. Yes, Jesus responded to Peter when he said Matthew 16:6 “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” This is the power that was available to all who believed but that power went away when the church turned away, which started when Paul said Galatians 1:6 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.” Deception and delusion are everywhere in the church, as are false teachers, prophets, apostles, preachers and evangelists. What we do not have is the presence of God or the power of His kingdom. The church is weak and powerless, yet on the outside it looks like it must be filled with the presence of God, except God said Ezekiel 13:2 “Hear the word of the Lord! 3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 10 “‘Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, 11 therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth. 12 When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, “Where is the whitewash you covered it with?” 14 I will tear down the wall you have covered with whitewash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you will be destroyed in it; and you will know that I am the Lord. 15 So I will pour out my wrath against the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. I will say to you, “The wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it, 16 those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Sovereign Lord.” Jesus said Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.” Often you will see a church with tombs surrounding which is symbolic of the church today. The building is just a bigger tombstone. Proverbs warns us Proverbs 9:16 “Let all who are simple come to my house!” To those who have no sense she says, 17 “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” 18 But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.” Proverbs 2:16 “Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words, 17 who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. 18 Surely her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. 19 None who go to her return or attain the paths of life.” Proverbs 15:24 “The path of life leads upward for the prudent to keep them from going down to the realm of the dead.”

    Jesus warned us about the abomination that causes desolation, as did Daniel, that if we rebel, we would be destroyed. Matthew 24:1 “Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down.” Yes, the second temple was destroyed just like the first, but Jesus was talking about the end also. The church has been destroyed because of rebellion. Just because you see churches everywhere, does not mean the presence of God is dwelling among the people. There is a remnant left who have been themselves scattered but God gave a promise to David that the remnant would be restored. Isaiah 54:7 “For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.” Like the second temple was rebuilt the church will also be rebuilt and then go out in power and authority. Nehemiah said Nehemiah 2:17 “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” They also rebuilt the temple. Haggai 2:6 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. 8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

    Picture with me a group of people willing to shut everything down and start over. A group of people willing to submit their lives to God and vow to live by His word alone. A group of people willing to be willing to lose everything and seek God. Ezekiel talked about how bad the people of God had become.  A group of people willing to separate themselves from this. Ezekiel said Ezekiel 22:25 “There is a conspiracy of her princes within her like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within her. 26 Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 27 Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. 28 Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says’—when the Lord has not spoken. 29 The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice.” Jeremiah said Jeremiah 23:21 “I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. 22 But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.” He also said Lamentations 2:4 “The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The prophecies they gave you were false and misleading.” And the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel made this sad statement. Ezekiel 22:30 “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.”

    Today our time is running out. The end is near, and you and I really have no idea the day of our death, so we must be prepared to meet our God. Even the secular world say it is near. The Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and their Doomsday Clock move closer to doomsday. They said, “This is a time of unprecedented danger: It is 90 seconds to midnight.” 1 John 2:18 “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.” Ezekiel said Ezekiel 7:2 “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says to the land of Israel: “‘The end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land! 3 The end is now upon you, and I will unleash my anger against you. I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices. 4 I will not look on you with pity; I will not spare you. I will surely repay you for your conduct and for the detestable practices among you. “‘Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ The end has come! The end has come! It has roused itself against you. See, it comes! 7 Doom has come upon you, upon you who dwell in the land. The time has come! The day is near! There is panic, not joy, on the mountains. 8 I am about to pour out my wrath on you and spend my anger against you. I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices. 9 I will not look on you with pity; I will not spare you. I will repay you for your conduct and for the detestable practices among you. “ Amos 8:2 “Then the Lord said to me, “The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.”

    Many people have said they stood in the gap, but the gap only got bigger because they didn’t actually repent of their wicked ways and return to God, they ended up going backward. Jeremiah 7:24 “But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.” To stand in the gap you have to see the decimation of the church and the anger of the Lord because of our rebellion against Him. You will understand that the church cannot go on this way and be blessed by God. You understand that millions have died without ever hearing the truth and that is just those who thought by going to church they were safe and secure. You understand the significance of true repentance like the Ninevites did who responded to Jonah’s preaching. You are willing to change what you think you know and submit to what God’s plan actually is for your life. The bible is your source of life. You are no longer satisfied with the powerless church and are desperate for God to turn His face back to us. You are pleading with God to hear your cry. You are willing to tear down, destroy and demolish anything that is not God’s. You are willing to wait for His plan to unfold. You will stand before God even if everyone hates you because of Him. If you seek Him, God says you will find Him. Jeremiah told the people they would be freed after seventy years. He said Jeremiah 29:10 “This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” Daniel prayed Daniel 9:4 “I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” 

    God said Isaiah 6:6 “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Will you stand in the gap no matter what? Will you answer God as Isaiah did? Are you willing to serve your King with everything you have? Luke 14:5 “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Peter said we have left everything to follow you and Jesus responded Mark 10:9 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Will you come before Jesus with a repentant heart and willing to serve Him? Isaiah saw Isaiah 6:1 “the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.” “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.” His response 5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Job responded Job 42:5 “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” Isaiah responded to the question with a repentant heart. His response was Isaiah 6:8 “Here am I. Send me!” How will you respond?