Please turn with me in your Bibles to Daniel chapter 11, verse 40. We continue through chapter 11 and now come to kind of a, not a great break as if we're talking about something altogether different, but now it's moving historically in this account, this prophetic account into history. And so let us, I'll read verse 40 first of all, and at the time of the end, and shall the king of the south push at him. And the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind with chariots and with horsemen and with many ships. And he shall enter into the countries and shall overflow and pass over. We're also going to be considering Revelation nine verses one through 11, which I won't read at this time, but we will be in the course of the sermon going to that passage as well. So you might want to again hold your place both in Daniel 11 and Revelation 9. When God's people fall into idolatry, God sends avenging nations against them to demonstrate their folly, to demonstrate their rebellion, in turning away from him, the Lord God, whom they profess to serve. You remember that the Lord sent the Assyrians against the northern kingdom of Israel for their idolatry, for their covenant breaking. That idolatry God calls spiritual adultery because he is the heavenly husband. And by covenant, he's brought his people into that relationship with him. And when they go serving other gods, this is a very serious affront to a holy and a jealous God who has made covenant with his people. In 2 Kings 17, verse six, and then verses 10 through 12, we read, In the ninth year of Hosea, that would be the King of Israel, the Northern Kingdom of Israel, the King of Assyria took Samaria, Samaria was the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and carried Israel away into Assyria and placed them in Helah and Hebor by the river of Gozan. and in the cities of the Medes. And here's the reason why they were carried away. Verses 10 through 12. And they set them up images and groves and every high hill and under every green tree and there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen, whom the Lord carried away before them, and wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger, for they served idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, ye shall not do this thing. Likewise, God sent the Babylonians against the southern kingdom of Judah, for their idolatry. In 2 Chronicles 36, verses 14 through 17, we read, moreover, all the chief of the priests and the people transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathens, that would be their idolatry, and polluted the house of the Lord. which he had hallowed in Jerusalem, even brought their idols into the temple, which God had set apart into himself. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up be times and sending, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God and despised his words and misused his prophets until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people till there was no remedy. Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, that is the Babylonians, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man or him that stooped for age, he gave them all into his hand. Not only with nations, but let us take heed because the Lord likewise, the Lord Jesus likewise threatens judgment against churches that practice idolatry as well. In Revelation, Chapters two and three, there are letters that are sent by the Lord Jesus to the seven churches in Asia Minor. One of those churches, church in Pergamos, the Lord Jesus says this to that church in Revelation chapter two, verses 14 through 16. Jesus says, but I have a few things against thee. because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate, Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Likewise, in the church of Thyatira, another one of those churches mentioned in Revelation chapter two, Jesus speaks and he says in verses 20 through 22, Notwithstanding, I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which called herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed in them that commit adultery with her, and do great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. God takes idolatry very, very seriously. Dear ones, our God is, as we have noted throughout the service, the worship today, Our God is most gracious and merciful. He's full of compassion and forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ. But let us never ever forget that he is also a holy God to be revered and that he is rightly jealous for the worship alone that he has commanded to be given to him And he hates and he despises the mixing of idolatry, which begins with our own innovations, which begins with our own creation and our own mind to offer to God something that he's not authorized, commanded for us to bring to him. He hates and despises it. What he wants is that true worship. to be brought to him. Worship in spirit and in truth, as Jesus says in John 4, 24. God is a spirit, they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. We must worship God spiritually with the inward man and in truth by what he has authorized and commanded in his word. We don't have the luxury. God has never given us that innovation to do whatever we want to do in worship. We are commanded to worship him, not to add to his commandments, nor to subtract from what he has given to us, but simply to come to him and offer to him the worship from a heart of love and faith, the worship he has commanded. Now, some people may think that's legalism. It's not legalism, dear ones, to worship God only as he has commanded. As I said, not adding to nor subtracting from. That's actually an expression of love to God, to worship him as he has authorized, as he has commanded. That's an expression of our love for him, our devotion to him, to want to do so and to do it. So what does, as we continue in our text in Daniel 11, what does idolatry have to do with what we have just read in Daniel 11, 40, where it speaks of, and at the time of the end, shall the king of the south push at him. The him there is the one who was in view in the previous verses, the papal, that papal king. So the King of the South will push against the Papal King. What does idolatry have to do with that? Well, let me just say very briefly, it has everything to do, it has everything to do with what God here in this text brings by way of his righteous judgment upon the Papal King. It is for the idolatry of the Papal King that the King of the South pushes against him. And then as we'll, in a subsequent sermon see, the King of the North comes against him as well. God is sending the King of the South and the King of the North against this Papal King for the idolatry of the Papal King. That idolatry, as we have noticed, became certainly entrenched in the Church of Rome in the West, and likewise in the Church of Constantinople in the East, well entrenched by the 7th century. As we will see, the angel Gabriel reveals to Daniel the idolatry of saints and using their images, the images of saints in worship, we've noted that, and that the papal king would introduce into the church the worshiping of a strange god, which we have noted in verses 36 through 39, which his fathers, that is the apostles, did not know, In verse 38, Daniel is shown here, beginning with verse 40, Daniel is shown what judgment God would bring against the papal king and those who follow in the idolatry. of the papal king through the scourge of Islam beginning in the 7th century as we will hopefully be able to make more clear as we work our way through the sermon this Lord's Day. Let me give you, before we actually get into the main points, let me give to you an overview of what major events are prophesied to come in the next few verses. and Daniel 11, and even into Daniel 12, the first three verses. So this is just, again, an overview of what is to come in these verses, but also by way of sermons in the next few weeks. There are four major periods of history that Gabriel prophesies shall come to pass after the papal king has arisen, has introduced this idolatry, into the church in Daniel 11 verses 36 through 9. We saw that idolatry introduced into the church. But these are four major events that will follow that by way of some of them by way of God's judgment. First of all, we see the first invasion of Islam in Daniel 11, 40, verse A, and at the time of the end, shall the King of the South push at him. This is parallel, I would suggest, and we'll go to later on in the sermon to Romans chapter, I'm sorry, to Revelation chapter nine, verses one through 11, and we'll be looking at the fifth trumpet judgment and showing the parallel that they're really speaking of the same thing, the first Islamic invasion against Christendom in the seventh and into the eighth centuries. The next major event is a second invasion of Islam, a few hundred years after the first invasion, but a second invasion of Islam by the Turks. And that would be the King of the North that is spoken of that will come against the Papal King in Daniel 11, 40, the latter part of that and continuing on in the next several verses, where it says, and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind with chariots and with horsemen, with many ships and he shall enter into the countries and shall overflow and pass over. And that would correspond, which we won't get to today, but that will correspond to the sixth trumpet judgment in Revelation 9, verses 12 through 21. The third major event that we find here is the end of God's enemies. And that begins in Daniel 11, 45b. and he shall come to his end. And this is most likely speaking of the King of the North. He shall come to his end and none shall help him. And then into chapter 12. And at that time shall Michael stand up, the Prince of Israel, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people, and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time, and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And that, again, will correspond in Revelation to the sixth trumpet as well in Revelation 11, 13. And then the fourth, and I don't expect you to just remember all of this, but we will be going through this. I wanted to give you just kind of an idea where we're headed in Daniel and trying to, again, tie that together, connect that with what is said in Revelation because That's given, the Old Testament is given for us to understand the New Testament, the New Testament is given for us to understand the Old Testament. They're to interpret one another. And it's no accident that they speak of the same events that are to come. And that will be what I hope to be able to demonstrate that there is an overlapping, a connection between the events of the fifth and sixth and the seventh trumpets that are mentioned in Revelation and what is given to us here in Daniel chapter 11 and into chapter 12. But the fourth event is this, the glorious reign of Jesus Christ is realized over all the earth when his people are raised up to serve him and that in Daniel 12, verses two through three, and in Revelation 11, 11 through 19, the seventh trumpet that is sounded. So having given that overview, let's proceed with the main points from our text today, from the sermon today. The first main point is this. The first Islamic invasion against the Papal King. In Daniel 11, 40, verse A, the second main point, a brief confirmation of the first Islamic invasion found in the fifth trumpet judgment in Revelation 9, 1 through 11. So the first Islamic invasion against the Papal King Chapter 11, verse 40a, and at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him. When it says at the time of the end, it doesn't mean necessarily the last few days before the millennium begins, but it's talking here about the time of the end that those events that will lead and be the beginning of leading to that time of the end. So these are events in Daniel that happen chronologically and will lead to the time of the end. Now we've noticed that Gabriel, the angel, has revealed to Daniel that there would arise the king, And we have identified that as the papal king in Daniel 11 verses 36 through 39, who would do according to his own infallible will in exalting himself above all gods, all rulers on earth, and even speak against the God of gods in usurping his God's authority and God's Christ's office here upon the earth, who would not regard marriage, but promote celibacy among the priests and monks and nuns, and who would also introduce into worship patron saints, the mausine, as we noted, and images to them, which his fathers, that is the apostles, knew not. and who would build strongholds, that is temples and cathedrals in which to place these images that we have already considered. What does the Lord do about this idolatry brought into the worship of God by his people and through this papal king? Does the Holy God say anything? Does he do anything? Does he simply allow it to go on? And what we read in Daniel 11 40 and following says, no, God does not allow that simply to continue without him bringing his judgment to bear. God brings against the papal king, another king. He's called the king of the abyss. He's called the king of the in Revelation 9 11, the king that reigns over this horde of locusts that spread over the face of the earth. As we'll see, again, as Revelation is a book of symbols, that this speaks of the Arabian hordes of Saracens that originate in the East and then press by way of invasion into Egypt and into the Holy Land and into Other parts of Asia crossed the Mediterranean Sea into the Papal Kingdom itself in Europe. So I submit that as we come to Daniel 1140 and look at those events, that will lead to the time of the end when God's enemies are destroyed and Jesus Christ reigns over all nations and all nations come unto him. That the king of the south that is spoken of here that will push against the papal king, push against him like a bull with its horns pushing against other animals, this King of the South will push against the Papal King, who is the subject, again, of the next few verses. Well, the subject that's King of the South in verse 40, but in Revelation chapter nine, verses one through 11. The Papal King gained the recognition as the Universal Bishop. He was given that title as Universal Bishop over the whole church on earth in 606 by Emperor Phocas, who made this declaration for the Roman Empire. By that time in the Roman Empire, the veneration of patron saints and their images had become a part of worship. ever growing from the fourth to the seventh centuries. God responds at that time through the scourge of the prophet of Islam, the king of the abyss, Muhammad, who lived from 570 to 632. Muhammad was born to a tribal leader in Mecca. His father died when he was young, and he was raised by his grandfather and his uncle, who was a trader, and that traveled throughout the Middle East at that time. And so Muhammad grew up being exposed to both Jewish and to Christian systems of belief, which are clearly evident in the Quran. though it is indeed a perversion of the Old and New Testaments. You see, the Quran teaches that Jesus, whom the Quran calls Isa, teaches that Jesus is not God, teaches that there is no atonement in the death of Jesus, that he was not raised from the dead, and yet, It does teach that Jesus was a great prophet. It does teach that Jesus, like Elijah, or Elijah, went up into heaven without dying and that Jesus, there will be a second coming of Jesus to the earth in which he will gather all people, subdue enemies and will gather all people to become one in the Islamic faith. So the Quran does teach that. Again, It's a corruption and it's perversion of what the scripture teaches, but it certainly makes clear that Muhammad was familiar with Christianity and with Judaism. Quran teaches that Jesus was God's prophet, but teaches also Muhammad being the last prophet is the greatest prophet. Muhammad, in fact, he saw and beheld as he traveled, he saw the images of saints in Christian churches. He saw them as idolatry. He was against images in churches. He saw it as his mission to rid the world of such idolatry that he saw being practiced in Christianity at that time, particularly by the papal king. Muhammad began to publicly preach what he claimed he had received by way of revelation from the angel Gabriel in 612, and from 622, of the Islamic Crusades under the Saracens began in Arabia. A few years later, 639 to 642, the Islamic conquest of Egypt was complete and reached through the Holy Land to Syria, to Persia, and crossed the Mediterranean Sea into Europe, beginning with Catholic Spain in 711 to 721, Catholic Sicily, and then even attacking Rome and the Papal King, besieging Rome as well, the Papal King. Thus, the King of the South, under the Islamic Saracens, who occupied the region of Egypt previously in Daniel 11, we saw that the King of the South was from Egypt. And again, the Saracens did indeed occupy Egypt. And so they continue, therefore, in Daniel 11, 40, they are called the King of the South here. They are advancing. against the Papal King. And this is, again, in harmony with what is briefly stated in Daniel 1140. And now we turn to our second main point where we'll consider a brief confirmation of the first Islamic invasion that's found in the Fifth Trumpet Judgment. read for you and you might want to turn there just so that you can follow along as well, but Revelation 9 verses 1 through 11. And the fifth angel sounded and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth. And to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth, and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months. And their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he striketh a man. And in those days, and shall men seek death and shall not find it, and shall desire to die and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared into battle. And on their heads were as it were crowns like gold. And their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women. And their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates as it were breastplates of iron. And the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots and many horses running to battle. They had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails, and their power was to hurt men five months. They had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. We've just begun a study in the book of Revelation in our midweek Bible study. We'll eventually get to Revelation 9, but just to introduce what we have just read, let me say that this is, again, a book that is filled with symbols, Revelation, that need to be interpreted. and we use the scripture to interpret scripture. And I believe that this book of Revelation, or most of it, was not realized in 70 AD, which is the position of preterism, one of the schools of interpretation. Nor do I believe that the book of Revelation, or most of it, is yet to be fulfilled. that would be futurism. I believe the book of Revelation began to be fulfilled at the time John penned it by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit somewhere between 94 to 96 AD and that in it the Lord Jesus reveals throughout history from the time of John, moving throughout history up until, again, the very end, Jesus returns, establishes the new heaven and new earth, that this is a chronology of history, major events throughout history, wherein Jesus is declared and shown to be king. that he saves his people and he judges his enemies, that he is king to be exalted. And that's called historicism. That's the particular school of interpretation that I believe is most faithful in our understanding of the Book of Revelation. I invite you to either come or to listen to those series of studies on the Book of Revelation as we move our way through that book. In the Book of Revelation, there are three major groups of judgments that are given here. There are the seal judgments in Revelation chapter 6, where seals on a document are broken and more of the document is opened and revealed after each seal was broken. That covers, I believe, the judgment upon pagan Rome from the time of John around 100 A.D. to 400 A.D. The next group of judgments are called the trumpet judgments in Revelation chapters 8, 9, and 11, which cover God's judgment upon civil and ecclesiastical Rome, beginning with God's judgment by way of the barbarian invasions upon Rome in 400 AD and stretching all the way into the future when Jesus destroys his enemies. and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of his Lord, our Lord and of his Christ. And then the third category of judgments would be the vile judgments in Revelation chapter 16, which lead us through history to the destruction of the papal kingdom and Jesus as King subduing all nations unto himself. Thus, when we consider the trumpet judgments, which as we began looking at Revelation 9, 1, and the fifth angel sounded. This is the fifth trumpet judgment. We move beyond the first four trumpet judgments, which detail, as I said, the barbarian invasion against Rome from 400 to 600. Now we come to the judgments. in the Fifth Trumpet Judgment, the Sixth Trumpet Judgment, which detailed the rise of Islam that advances against both the Western and the Eastern kingdoms, that advances against Roman Catholics in Europe, that advances against the Eastern Orthodox in those kingdoms under its power advances by way of the Saracens coming from the south, and then a few centuries later, the Turks, who are also Islamic, second Islamic invasion, coming from the north, the king of the north, coming from that part of the world. Now, I will only have time, very, very briefly, to identify some of the symbols in Revelation 9, 1 through 11 in this first Islamic invasion of the Arabian Saracens. And so, this will be something very brief, summarized, again, when we get to that. this portion of God's Word in the study, the Bible study, we will spend a lot more time looking at these things. But here's a brief summary, some of the, some of what we see in this fifth trumpet. Here we see that there's a star that falls from heaven to earth. It's called the King This star is called the king over the locusts. Those locusts are released from the bottomless pit in Revelation 9, 1 and 11. A star may refer to true ministers. In Revelation 120, there are seven stars in the hand of the Lord and it says they represent seven angels or ministers that are faithful. And then there is here a star that is fallen, a fallen star, a fallen minister, if you will, that has perverted biblical Christianity and has formed his own religion. I submit that this is fulfilled by Muhammad, who proclaimed himself to be God's last true prophet, who says that he completed the testimony of Jesus Christ. And so here is this star that has fallen from heaven. We also see that there is smoke that after this star, this angel, or false minister, false prophet, does release smoke from the abyss, from the bottomless pit. Smoke arises. It darkens the sun. Well, again, the true light of the gospel And the doctrine found in scripture is corrupted and is perverted, is darkened. When this King Muhammad releases smoke that darkens the sun in all of its light, in all of its glory. In fact, Jesus is called in Malachi 4.2, the son of righteousness, S-U-N, not S-O-N, S-U-N, the sun that shines forth brilliantly. He is the son of righteousness, but this false prophet has released smoke from the bottomless pit and darkens that in Revelation 9.2, darkens the sun, darkens the truth. You see, Psalm 119, 105 says, the word, thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. And so again, the truth is darkened by this false prophet that has released this smoke from the bottomless pit. And out of the smoke of error and perversion of the truth come forth locusts. Locusts are known to arise from the east, from the Arabian deserts. We see again this in Revelation 9.3. Think of the plague of locusts that came upon the Egyptians when Israel was yet in Egypt and was to be delivered out of Egypt in Exodus 10.13. Where did the locusts come from? The east, east of Egypt, from the Arabian desert. In fact, in Joel 2.25, their locusts are likened to great armies, armies of warriors, armies of men. There it says in Joel 2.25, and I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten the canker worm and the caterpillar and the palmer worm, my great army which I sent among you. So again, locusts in Joel chapters one and two. Speaking of locusts, devastating Israel are not literal locusts, but are the armies that God sent upon his people due to their idolatry. And here in Revelation 93, the locusts are vast numbers of the Islamic armies that invaded Egypt and overcame it and overcame the Christians. There were Christians in Northern Africa and Egypt. Alexandria was one of the great learning centers of Christianity, overcame and brought judgment, God's judgment there in Northern Africa, even spreading to Roman Catholic Europe and to Greek Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire. Likewise, the figure of a scorpion in Revelation 9.5 points to the origin, again, scorpions, desert creatures that are known to, again, be prevalent in the East, in the desert. of Arabia. Point two, again, the Saracens, the Islamic armies that came from that part of the world. Interestingly, where it speaks of that they're commanded, these locusts were commanded not to eat, not to destroy the vegetation. Historically, these first Islamic invasions did not destroy The vegetation did not destroy the trees by which people depended. They did not have a scorched earth policy, but rather they tormented by way of the sting of the scorpion by their false doctrine. They tormented the people by way of their strict laws that the people were required to follow. So they were not so interested in slaughtering people, but in bringing people in subjection to their rule. Interestingly, again, the torment fell upon the people that were conquered At its height, it says that that extension of its power, its kingdom throughout the world would last for five months, five prophetic months, according to Revelation 9.5, five months times 30 days, 150 prophetic days a year, a day for a year is 150 years. That's how, again, in Daniel chapter nine, it speaks of 70 weeks, which are 490 days, and the 490 days are 490 years from the time of the decree to Christ. Nearly all conservative scholars understand that principle when applied to Daniel 9, about the 70 weeks. Simply being consistent to say here, five months, 150 days, is 150 years. And that was, again, the period of time from the invasions instigated by, at the time of Muhammad, In 622 to 772, when Baghdad was established as the Islamic capital, Baghdad, which means the city of peace, it rested. Islamic peace, however, was through submission to its false religion. Historically, again, these Islamic warriors were noted for their horses, which it speaks up here in Revelation 9, 7. Some of the finest horses in the world are Arabian horses. Their distinctive clothing, the golden crowns or the turbans, their long flowing hair, likewise, Breastplates of iron were all distinctive characteristics of the Saracen warriors. Thus, I submit that Revelation 9, 1 through 11 is parallel to what we have seen in Daniel 11, 40, where it speaks of the King of the South pushing against the Papal King. And this, again, in Revelation 9, 1 through 11, exhibits, once again, the rise of Islam under Muhammad, spreading its false teaching, false doctrine, perversions, and corruptions throughout the Christian world, and in particular, against the papal king. That's all we have time for today as far as the text. But before we close, let me just make some application for you. We've spoken a lot recently about idolatry because, again, not just raising it because I wanted to raise it, but because I believe that it has been something found within our text that needed to be raised. But in warning against idolatry, both ecclesiastical, but also personal idolatry. Personal idolatry, dear ones, is something that we can practice even as Christians. We can fall into a kind of idolatry. How is that evidenced? How is our personal, how is personal idolatry evidenced in our lives? Not necessarily because we craft some image and bow down before it, But rather I would submit to you that personal idolatry is evidenced by making oneself to rule upon the throne of one's heart. Basically to make our will supreme to God's will is personal idolatry. Not thy will be done, but my will be done. That's personal idolatry. And so by way of, again, just that reminder, let us cry out to the Lord every day. Let us cry out to God that he would crush that stubborn pride of idolatry where we exalt ourselves. rather than Christ, where he sits upon the throne of our affections, upon the throne of our will, upon the throne of our knowledge and understanding, and that we pray that he as king would take captive every desire, every thought, every plan, every word, and every act to the obedience of Jesus Christ. Let him be king, Jesus is king. Not me, not you, Jesus is king. Another application I would submit, false religion and one of the identifying characteristics of false religion is that it seeks to block out. the glory of the son of righteousness. Seeks to darken, seeks to corrupt in some way, Jesus, the son of righteousness, the S-U-N of righteousness, to dim in some way his authority, his supreme authority, to dim his offices, to in some way usurp those offices as prophet, priest, or king by way of some earthly individual taking and claiming those offices to himself. By way of deming his sacrificial atonement upon the cross as sufficient No further atonement, no further sacrifices necessary. Jesus and his atonement is sufficient once and for all. No further offering Christ in the mass as a sacrifice. Jesus has offered his life once and for all. Not dimming. his glorious resurrection, not dimming his intercession, his alone intercession, not sharing that intercession with anyone else. He alone is our mediator between God and man. You see, when the glory of Jesus, the son of righteousness, is dimmed, is usurped and given to another, it is like smoke that darkens the sun. That's one, one of the key evidences of one who is a false prophet. The glory of Jesus Christ is dimmed in some way. And then, finally, the last application. In Revelation 9, 4, we read, and it was commanded them, that is the locusts, that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. So they were allowed, the locusts were allowed to hurt those who did not have the seal of God in their forehead. But they were not allowed to hurt or to harm those who did have the seal of God in their forehead. This is not a physical mark, the seal that's spoken of here. This is a spiritual mark by which the Holy Spirit is sealed unto us. We trust in Jesus alone until the day of redemption, the sealing of the Holy Spirit, which again is not some physical mark. Jesus says in Matthew 24, 24, for there shall arise false Christ and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders in so much, notice, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. But those who have the seal of God, it is not possible to deceive the very elect. God's elect, God's chosen ones, those who trust in him alone. God grants perseverance. Certainly, God's people can be misled into certain errors. Most of us have come out of branches of Christianity with which we now believe we're in error. Doesn't mean we weren't saved when we were in those branches of Christianity, but God has continued to grow us and sanctify us. But what he's saying here is that it's not possible to deceive one who is sealed with the Holy Spirit by way of leading him away from Jesus Christ as the son of righteousness. that those whom the Lord has chosen, those whom the Lord has called, those whom the Lord has given faith to, to believe and to receive him by faith alone will persevere to the end, will persevere. They will not cast away that faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Dear ones, That's a great blessing. That's a great promise when we're going through many trials in our life. When we are tempted by the enemy to just throw in the towel to quit. That the Lord doesn't hear our prayers, he doesn't care for us. We are tempted in various ways by the enemy to give up, surrender. But here we see we cannot do so. the Lord will not allow us to do so. He has sealed us into the day of redemption, and he will see that we are his to the very end. No doubt there were true believers among those at that time in the Saracen invasions into Christianity and Christendom at that time. No doubt, though there was great idolatry, that there were also true Christians that were affected by the Islamic invasions. No doubt they endured great oppression as well from these Islamic invaders, but no amount of deception, perversion could take them away from the faith they have in Jesus Christ and in the gospel. No amount of false doctrine promoted by that prophet Muhammad, that false prophet Muhammad, could take them away from the Lord Jesus Christ. That's not true of mere professing Christians. That judgment did fall upon mere professing Christians who had their allegiance to the papal king, but it did not affect those whose allegiance was to the king of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, let not your faith, let not your faith rest in yourself. Let not your faith rest in a preacher, a minister, a prophet, or a king, let your faith rest in Jesus Christ and his promise and his power to save you now and for all eternity.