Thank you for selecting this message by Dr. James Hoffman. Dr. Hoffman preaches verse by verse through the entire book of the Bible. From all of us at Living Water of Lapine here in Central Oregon, we hope that it will encourage you and feed you spiritually. And if you would like to leave a message after the sermon, our contact information is found on the sermon page where you found this sermon. Now may God richly bless you as you listen. How about now? We're there, all right, got that out of the way. So when Pastor asked me to do this, I got excited. When I figured out the segue and how he's gonna use what I'm gonna talk about here, I just, I got really excited. So I'm gonna talk a little bit about just my kind of yearning and kind of wanting to be back home during this magical time. For those of you that don't know, I'm from Illinois, been a Cubs fan my whole life, And so to kind of be out here while all that was going on was tough. But I want to start off by saying that at no point in time did I regret my decision to come here. because like we talked about in the small group earlier with the kids, it's important to have hobbies and things that we like, that we're passionate about, but we can never let those hobbies take the place of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. So as much as I love the Cubs and I love baseball, Jesus, I love more. So don't regret my decision, very happy to be here. But with that being said, to watch the team that I've rooted for my entire life, that I've had so many memories of going to ball games with my dad, with my best friends, my family members, Finally see them do what we all talked about for so long, you know, there's a saying well, there's always next year There's always next year that's still valid because we're not done. We're gonna win some more before it's all said and done but Just seeing the celebration that was taking place in the city Seeing the emotions that my friends and family were going through whether it was through Facebook whether it was through text or Phone conversations that I had with people out there, I had this longing to be back home, just to be a part of this. I wanted to just, of course, try to get World Series tickets, even if I wasn't able to do that. I wanted to go down to Wrigley, just be a part of that atmosphere. just to feel that electricity that was going on down there. I mean, it was just amazing. I stayed connected through the Chicago radio stations. I was getting pumped through listening to them, the Chicago TV stations and just excitement, pure excitement that was going on there. And I was excited too. And it was just this like, man, I just wanted to be there so bad. And my wife kept telling me and my family members kept telling me, well, you had to leave for them to win. And it was in that time that our God does have a sense of humor. I honestly believe that, because I felt like he's telling me, not only are you going to be a youth pastor, not only are you going to move to Oregon, but you're going to do all this stuff, and then when you leave the Cubs, you're going to win the World Series. So there was just this excitement that was going on, and I guess it just radiated off of me. I mean, I just had a smile on my face, really excited. If you ask my wife, that's kind of rare sometimes. But just everything that was taking place, and as the steps went on and went on, and they, you know, sorry, they beat the Giants, and then they beat the Dodgers, and they finally made it to the World Series, and then just the emotions that went through going down three to one, and just the fans never losing faith in this team that they've just followed for so long, and in the back of our mind, that heartbreak was always waiting to kind of come back in, but we just knew there was something different about this team. And then to watch Game 7 and the emotional up and down of that. And there was just this big sense that I want to be back home. I want to be a part of that. And I just really longed for that. And my wife, God bless her soul, was looking at plane tickets and trying to get me to go back home, even if it was just for a night to just go around Wrigley and hang out with my friends or watch a game with my best friends and family members. But overall, I was just as excited for what was taking place. I so badly wanted to be there. I just wanted to be a part of it. When it's all said and done, I'm just happy that it happened. That is awesome. I never thought I would see that in my entire life. I'm still in shock. I told my wife the other day, I'm like, let's turn on the Chicago radio station. We're in the car. I just want to hear how many times they say 2016 World Series champions. They literally just, people were calling in these radio stations asking to talk about other sports in the city. And they're like, we don't care about the Cubs or World Series champions. So there was this great anticipation of wanting to be there, just wanting to be a part of it. And even though I wasn't there, I was still a part of it. I got to live through my friends and my family. They got to go down there and be a part of it and stay connected through social media and through text messages and cell phones. But I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a big part of me that wished I was back at home for this experience. But like I said, God's plan outweighs everything. And I'm very happy to be here and to be serving his kingdom in Lapland. So just thank you for letting me share that experience and that passion and that longing to be there. Thank you very much. It was fun. to experience the World Series through Derek this week. It really was. It's been some years since I considered myself a follower of Major League Baseball, but this week I was a fan. I was a fan again one week this week. Pretty much living my joy vicariously through Derek. I'm so glad that he is here with us in Oregon, but my heart was aching with him through an identification of what it must be like to move away and then have the team that you're so passionate about finally make it to the World Series after 108 years of waiting. Now, I don't think Derek waited 108 years, did you? No, okay. 32 years, okay. But it's obvious, he does know that God wants him to be right here, right now, And I'm sure we can all understand, though, that sense of feeling torn, wanting to be back in Chicago to be able to celebrate with his team and with his fellow Cub fans who have waited so long. All of this makes me very mindful about the nature of things that we celebrate and the things that we enjoy. Ben Zobrist became the first Chicago Cub in history to win the title of World Series Most Valuable Player. That's quite an honor. Let me invite you to do something here just for a moment. Imagine yourself winning the MVP of the World Series Or if you prefer, imagine winning the Heisman Trophy as the best college football player. Now try to imagine winning something better than these. Perhaps it might be the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government, the Medal of Honor, which is bestowed by the President in the name of the Congress bestowed on members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through conspicuous gallantry and intrepidness at the risk of his or her life beyond the call of duty while engaged in action against the enemy of the United States. Okay, that might be a better honor to receive something like that. Now imagine something even better than that. Then the medal of honor. Just for a moment imagine being the doctor who discovers the cure for cancer. Now not only saving a few lives, you're saving perhaps thousands or millions of lives. Don't stop with this. Now try to conceive something even better than that. Well, what could be better than the Heisman Trophy, or the World Series MVP, or finding a cure for cancer better than winning the Medal of Honor. I would like for you to know with great certainty, I would like for you to believe with every fiber of your being that there is something better. And it will be yours. One day, the dead will be raised. And the multitudes will stand before an almighty God. On that day, King Jesus will say to those who trusted him and who lived for him, well done, good and faithful servant. And on that day, no Heisman Trophy, no World Series MVP, no medical or military achievement will be worth more than those words. What will motivate us to live for such an accommodation? I believe very little will like an understanding of the end times. That's why we have the book of Revelation. It shows us how God will win the final victory. It motivates us to yearn to be part of the greatest celebration there will ever be. As well as to live for the commendation above any earthly reward. We're not here this morning to satisfy our curiosity about end-time Bible prophecy. We are here to have God's Word mold, construct, reshape our sin-infected priorities, desires, and motives, that only look to earthly rewards. We're here to be reoriented by God's word. So my goal this morning in looking through this lens of prophecy is to watch with you God's sovereignty and justice, seeing how he will save his people, winning praise to himself. I pray that it'll create a deeper yearning to be there celebrating among the redeemed with at least twice as much passion as Derek experienced this week. And that's a lot. Let's pray for that now. God, as we open up your word today, as we continue our study in the book of Revelation, may you impress upon our heart a deep yearning to be part of the victory celebration in glory with you. And Father, would you tune our hearts to yearn for that, to desire that far more than any earthly pleasure or privilege. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Now our passage this morning in the book of Revelation is the time in which the great cry of the oppressed of the ages is finally answered. How long, O Lord? How long? We come to the end, the final series of the judgments of God through chapters 15 and 16 in the book of Revelation. Now chapter 15 is the shortest chapter in Revelation. Chapters 15 and 16 actually should go together and therefore I'm going to be taking them together this morning. So we're going to be covering both of these. Now John sees another sign in heaven as we open up the 15th chapter. This is the third sign of the three great signs that he sees in heaven. One was the sun-clothed woman, which represented Israel. And then he saw the great red dragon, which is Satan. Now he sees seven angels with the seven last plagues. So open your Bibles now to Revelation chapter 15. And I begin with the first five verses. It reads this way. Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations. Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you. For your righteous acts have been revealed. After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened. First thing to notice is the promise from God to be the last of this series of judgments. We've reached a turning point of history when we come to the seven bowls of God's wrath. God will then begin to set up the kingdom here on earth. These plagues were in golden bowls. The last seven plagues were also called the bowl judgments. We see them poured out in the next chapter. The word plague literally means a blow or a wound. And they're not epidemics, but powerful, deadly blows that will strike the earth with final impact. In these plagues, the wrath of God is finished. He is the God of love, but he's also the God of judgment. You know, men mock divine wrath. They make jokes about hell, et cetera. But you know, I, I know for certain that when they see his wrath coming, when it starts to come and he begins to bring his judgment, that joking is going to end. When God gets done with his judgment, holiness will be vindicated and victorious. Sin will no longer be triumphant on the earth. Now, in verse two, starting here, the scene suddenly changes. A quick break is taken from these horrible judgments. Before continuing, it's as if John wants to encourage the believers who are going to go through these judgments. I am continually amazed. I had not seen it so profound until we started this study. How often God wants to warn, I believe, those who are going to be living through these times. And that's why we get the explanation in chapter 7 and in chapter 11 that there are going to be revivals during this time. That God is going to leave his witnesses. There will be 144,000 witnesses all around the world from every tribe of the nation of Israel. And what are they doing? They're leading others to the truth of who God is during the first half of the tribulation. And then God leads two witnesses in Jerusalem. What are they doing? They're bringing people to the truth to recognize who God is. And so often what we have seen as we've been going through this book is God is warning those who are going to come to Christ. Oh, unfortunately we're not resurrected with the church, but who remained and are going to put it all together. And they're going to see, but unfortunately they have to live the consequences of these judgments. And so much of the book of revelation is encouragement to them. Encouragement. And I believe much of chapter 15 and 16 is that encouragement to those who are going to be living through these horrific times. We serve a God full of grace and mercy, don't we? Who wants them to hang in there. Who wants them to be tenacious. It's like he's saying here in our chapter or these verses that we're looking at right here. It's like he's saying, when this happens, I want you to keep this in mind. This vision I'm going to tell you about here of this sea of glass mixed with fire and you, you saints, standing victorious in heaven, having made it all the way through. And so he says, picture this. There will be a great host of martyrs, men and women who have given up their lives under the Antichrist, the beast of chapter 13. I see you now in heaven standing beside the sea of glass that's mixed with fire. It's mixed with fire because this is definite holiness in the midst of persecution. We first saw this sea of glass in chapter four. And there we understood it to be a symbol of the spirit of holiness. John says to the tribulation saints to encourage them. I saw you standing in holiness. And you know what else? I saw you celebrating. You celebrated because you were victorious over the beast. I love the way that he's putting it here. John is writing to a group of men and women in the future, to you and I, who will suffer terribly and be martyred, and it looks as though when these men and women leave the earth that they're losers, but when they arrive in heaven, they are victors. It's a wonderful revelation for how God works so different than man. Man is under the illusion that what he sees happening is actually according to the way that he views it, but it's really not. The Antichrist thinks he's getting rid of his enemies down here, but what he's really doing is he's running a shuttle service to heaven. He's an elevator boy in God's service, taking loads of saints up to glory. God is using him for the very purpose that God has ordained. The tribulation saints whom John saw and heard were standing by the sea of glass in heaven, just as the Israelites stood by the Red Sea, having been delivered from Egyptian rule. And I think John is making this parallel here. They were singing, the Israelites there by the sea, the Red Sea, they were singing the song of Moses. They stopped their journey, paused for a moment beside the sea and sang the song of Moses. And so we see the tribulation saints standing by the sea of glass, pausing. to sing the very same song of deliverance and the song of the lamb. These songs are not on the wicked world's hit parade, but they're on God's list of top songs. Now the striking thing about what they will sing is there's not one single word about their own achievements. They don't ever say, Lord, how faithful we have been to you. How true we have been to your word, though we suffered greatly. How steadfastly we endured for you. None of that. None of that whatsoever. Instead, take a look here. Let me put it up here for you. In Revelation 15 verses three and four, I've emphasized The words here, great and amazing, are your deeds, O Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations. Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed. When you go through tough times, don't ever think God owes you, that you are earning a special favor with him. Here are these tribulation saints who will go through far more than anything you or I could ever imagine or experience. Don't give a single thought to themselves. It's all about the Lord and his worthiness. And that's true of us too. Once you and I stand in the presence of God, we will not feel that we have done anything. We'll simply be grateful. Grateful beyond words for what God has done for us. Now from verse five to the end of this very brief chapter, the seven angels proceed to the final judgment. Let's read verses five through eight now. After this, I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was open. And out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. And the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power. And no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. So the angels come out of the temple right from the presence of God. And they have special clothing. Now, the clothing is described in the same manner of the priestly clothing of the Older Testament. These are special angels who have been delegated with a very special task. They are bringing an end to the rebellion of man on earth. We're told that smoke fills the temple. This symbolizes the very powerful glory of God. It's the smoke from the glory of God and from his power fills the great temple so that no one can enter until the work of the angels is completed. Again, that's symbolic. But what does it mean? I think what it means is that at this point, it is too late to pray. By faith and by prayer we enter into the presence of God in his holy temple. But here it has become impossible. The time has come when man can no longer repent at this point. During the second half of the tribulation. It's too late to pray when this judgment scene begins. Until the seven have been completed, no approach to God, no prayer otherwise, can halt the coming of judgment. God's mercy is not forever. His coming wrath will shut the door to mercy to man here on the earth, sinful man, for the unrepentant. Now in chapter 16, the seven angels pour out their bowls in rapid succession. It's a terrible time of judgment, the most intensive period of the tribulation the world has ever seen. It is what several Old Testament prophets call the great and terrible day of the Lord. It's what Jesus referred to in the Olivet Discourse found in Matthew chapter 24 when he said, And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short. No one, all the population of the world would have been destroyed. It's a brief, intense period which comes at the close of the last three and a half years of the Great Tribulation. Let's now dive into this section with chapter 16, verses one and two. Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God. So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth and harmful and painful sores came to the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Constant, constant pain. You know, that kind of pain affects a person's disposition so that he finds it difficult to get along with other people. I can't imagine how cantankerous people are going to be with one another during that time just living in constant pain. Human relations during that period are probably just going to be at their worst. It's an overwhelming thought to consider. Almost the entire population of the world suffering from a painful malady that Nothing can cure. Boy, I tell you, I get a little simple pain, I get a little simple rash or whatever, I go to the medicine cabinet and put something on it. If there's nothing in the medicine cabinet, I'm there at Bi-Mart, finding something that's gonna take care of this sore, this itch, this inconvenience. Bi-Mart's not gonna be able to help them. Nothing will. Sorry, as good as your story is, Bond. Verses 3 through 7. The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea. The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel in charge of the water say, just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. For they have shed the blood of the saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve. And I heard the altar saying, yes, Lord God, the Almighty, true and just are your judgments. J. Vernon McGee says, this angel who knows the whole story now declares that God is right and holy in this act of judgment. My friend, whatever God does is righteous and holy. If you don't agree with him, it's too bad. You are wrong, not God. Imagine a little man standing up and saying concerning the creator, I don't think he's doing right. I have a question for the person who would make a statement like that. What are you gonna do about it? In fact, what can you do about it? If you're not in agreement with God, you had better get in agreement with Him. God is righteous in everything He does. Many people today don't like talk about divine judgment. In their view, that's not what God is for. A Santa Claus theology that makes God always kind, never firm, as many people have tried to do, is not the God of Scripture, but an idol of one's own making. Heaven gives justification for this terrible judgment. just read it in our passage here, the earth dwellers have shed the blood of God's people. And so it's only right that they should drink blood. You know, God has a system of justice and with God's system of justice, the punishment fits the crime. Pharaoh tried to drown Jewish baby boys. So it was his own army that eventually drowned in the Red Sea. Haman planned to hang Mordecai on the gallows and exterminate the Jews, but he himself was hanged on the gallows, and his family was exterminated in the Old Testament book of Esther. King Saul refused to obey God to slay the Amalekites, so he was slain by an Amalekite. 2 Samuel 1 verses 1 through 16. Let's read them. The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch the people with fire. They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory. on many occasions have told my students at the community college where I teach, and I have posted this on Facebook a couple of times, scientific research that contradicts what I believe is a hoax being perpetuated on people today. Folks, I believe that the hype today about global warming is a manufactured deception. And the sad thing is, The very nature of science is there has to be some skepticism. That's what makes science science today. Being skeptical of something and doing an investigation. But with this global warming thing, you're not allowed to question it. You're put down if you don't believe in it. That defies the very nature of what science is. But I have gone out on a limb to say that I do not believe it. Well, you know what? I guess I do. Well, not the kind of political correctness is trying to force us to believe. I don't think that it is happening now, but it will during the second half of the tribulation. And I would say that, okay, so what they are reporting today is just building up to what we just written now. No, I don't buy that. Because this is the second half of the tribulation. And there's a lot that's gonna happen before then. And this is his own on that. Verses 10 and 11. The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds. The sixth bowl judgment makes the seventh and final bowl judgment possible. The one that's gonna bring the return of Christ. The sixth bowl judgment dries up the Euphrates River, which allows the armies of the East to gather and prepare for Armageddon. The Armageddon Campaign is the last bowl judgment. And please notice I am calling it Armageddon Campaign. It is not a single battle, folks. It is an eight-stage series of events that will take place. I'm gonna save the Armageddon Campaign for next week. felt I was being very ambitious when I came in on Friday and started to write this message and knowing that chapters 15 and 16 would be quite a bit. And then I got to this point and I thought, no, there is too much good stuff about the Armageddon campaign. So I'm gonna save that until next week. We'll complete chapter 16 at that time. There's some things I wanna show you that is all through the Older Testament that speaks of it. And I wanna show you these passages and bring them together and show you why this brings the end and Christ's return. We're told some great specifics and I can't wait to show those to you next week. I'm gonna save that until then. I hope you return, it's a fascinating study. involving many passages of the Older Testament. There's so much that God has to say about his covenant people, his people, Israel. For me, it is very exciting. It's too much to deal with right now, but we will get there. He is gonna bring about this deception of the Armageddon campaign. Christ is going to return. Verses 12 through 16. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits performing signs who go abroad to the kings of the whole world to assemble them for battle on the great day of God, the Almighty. Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed. And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called, Armageddon. So demons are going to convince the kings of the East to go and have war against each other. These are probably the seven other kings who had once ruled with the Antichrist before he took over and took command. The Euphrates River is going to dry up, and it's going to make it easier for the Antichrist to assemble his troops together. Now, verse 12, it uses the phrase, the kings of the East. And there is a popular teaching that I was taught, and I have followed, and it was just given to me, many Bible commentators, prophecy speakers, say that the kings of the East are the Chinese, because they're from the East. And then they combine the wording here, kings of the East, with this army of 200 million that we saw in chapter nine. These prophecy writers and speakers declare, since China today boasts that they have an army of 200 million, that the kings of the East who gather for Armageddon campaign are from China. They say China will invade when the Euphrates River dries up. Can I tell you something? We need to develop our understanding by staying in the context of where these concepts are given to us. The army of 200 million is in chapter nine, where it is dealing with a totally different set of judgments. It is in the context of the trumpet judgments. And the army of 200 million never says, never calls them men, in fact, Some Bible scholars are saying these are probably demonic forces by the way they are described there in chapter nine. Now the Kings of the East mentioned in Revelation chapter 16 are part of the bowl judgments, not the trumpet judgments. We can't ignore these contexts. Everywhere in scripture, Every time East is used, it refers to Mesopotamia, Assyria, Babylonia. I think that these kings will be from Mesopotamia. We know that the city of Babylon is going to be rebuilt. It's going to be the center of where the Antichrist centers his world power. It's gonna be the world's capital. This suggests to me that these are kings who once ruled with the Antichrist, who he is now keeping under his thumb, probably in his capital city, who are going to be influenced by demonic forces, and they're gonna rebel against the Antichrist. and gather their forces. And so what this is saying, I believe, is saying those other kings are gonna gather forces. Like I said, influenced by these demonic influences, described, we just read here, like frogs that come in and drive them out. And drying up of the river is gonna make that easier for them to do that. In Revelation 16, 15, it's as though the very next verse after he's describing all of this, John just can't contain himself. So he interrupts his own message once again to warn the saints. It's all through revelation where he stops and he starts talking again to those who are going to be living during this time and giving them a specific message. And I think that's what verse 15 is again here. saying, when you see this happen, stay awake, stay dressed, keep alert in your faith. I've been so impressed in our study of this book, of how merciful this book really is in announcing these judgments. Aren't you? God wants them and us to be ready. He wants them and he wants us to stay awake, to stay dressed. Brings back the imagery that Christ told of the parable of the wedding feast. And the person who was there who wasn't dressed didn't have faith, didn't put on faith. and wasn't allowed to be there. I love telling the story. I told it about a year ago from this pulpit. I love it so much, I'm gonna tell it again. On Saturday, November 5th, 2011, University of Tennessee freshman Derek Broadus was laying on the couch in his fraternity on a Saturday night waiting for the Tennessee Volunteers College football game to start which it was scheduled to start at 7 o'clock p.m. Less than an hour before kickoff, Derek fumbled for his cell phone because it was ringing. Imagine his surprise as the voice on the other end told him the coach was sending a police escort to get him to the stadium immediately. I thought it was a dream, Derek said. I was just laying on my couch relaxing and I answer my phone and they just tell me that I need to come to the stadium as soon as possible. Just minutes before that call, Tennessee backup kicker Chip Rome pulled a muscle during pre-game warm-ups. Starting kicker Michael Pardee was already out, injured in Tuesday's practice. One hour before kickoff and the volunteers were out of kickers. Derrick, a freshman, had tried out for place kicker when he enrolled at Tennessee, but he never made the team. But on that Saturday, Derrick emerged as the Vols' only option. Vols coach Derrick Dooley told the press, I said, let's get an APB out on Brodus. It's a good thing he wasn't intoxicated. Get him, just get him here. Give him a breathalyzer, he instructed them. Fortunately, he didn't do anything bad. Minutes after Derek hung up his phone, the police escort arrived at the fraternity to rush him to the stadium. The team's trainer stretched him in the locker room while he put on his pads and jersey that didn't even have his name on his back. And early in the game, Derek was called into duty. And he quickly made the most of his opportunity. Derrick made all three of his extra points and kicked a 21-yard field goal at the end of the first half. The Tennessee Vols won 24 to nothing. Back in the locker room after the final whistle, the kicker who began the evening laying on the couch with a bag of chips was celebrated as the hero. The team cheered as Coach Dooley gave Derrick the game ball. I began this morning by telling you there is a celebration to be ready for that is far better than what made them happy in Chicago this week. And I believe that once you see, especially next week, how all these Old Testament prophecies bring a sharp focus and preciseness as to what will happen during the Armageddon campaign, you'll wanna start celebrating now for how it's all gonna come together. It is tremendously motivating. making us want to be there, part of that celebration in person. I hope that you'll come back next week. But you know what? The rapture can happen at any moment. It might happen before we come back together next week. Are you dressed? Are you ready? Those who are ready will not be subject to these judgments that we have been reading here. Only those who are not ready will have to live through it. If you have not trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, the provision he has made for you by dying on the cross, taking your punishment, for the sin that you deserve. Please make that decision today. And not trust in anything else. Do not trust in your own good works, anything that you do, even coming to church here. Trust only in what the Lord Jesus Christ has done on the cross that obtains for you eternal life in glory and the celebration we're talking about.