Good morning everyone, today is the 18th, Sunday morning, 18th of August, 2024. Today I want to talk about something that has often been a... and that is discerning the literal from the spiritual. And sometimes the literal and the spiritual are connected. There is a lot of allegory and metaphor in the Bible. But there is a lot of literal things that happen. The definition of literal is taking words in their usual or most basic sense without metaphor or allegory. You know? taking the exact words of the text as it was written, in fact. Spirituality, on the other hand, is defined as the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul, as opposed to material or physical things. The shift in priorities allows us to embrace the spiritual rather than the physical or the material. One of these days the spiritual and the physical are going to be totally separated when the earth is destroyed by fire. And we see the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven, prepared for the bride, the Church of Christ. In John, the 12th chapter, 16th verse, we read, These things understood not his disciples at the first, but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they these things were written of him, and that he had done these things unto him. You know, Jesus Christ was literally crucified on a wooden cross. Literal nails were driven through his hands and feet, and a spear was pierced through his side. It wasn't spiritual, it was literal. He experienced literal pain and suffering. A literal crown of thorns was placed on his head. He literally died on a cross. You know, he suffered tremendous anguish and pain and suffering. It was literal, it wasn't just spiritual. These things were written at him, but they had done these things unto him. and it was prophesied 2,000 years before in Isaiah that he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, and by his stripes we appeared. There were many literal things that had spiritual implications that happened throughout the Bible. We've talked about it before. For example, The three Hebrew children were literally cast into a burning fire. Yes, there were spiritual implications of it. God gave them the grace and the faith not to bend the knee to the God of this world, but not one hint of smoke. affected their clothing, and there was a man seen in the fire likened to the Son of God. Daniel was cast literally into the lion's den, and the mouth of the lions was literally shut from eating him up. All of the miracles that Christ did while he was in his ministry for three and a half years, happened literally. The man's hand was literally, the man with the withered hand was literally healed. His hand was straightened out. The lepers were literally cleansed. The lady with the issue of blood had seen all these doctors and she was healed when she touched the hem of Christ's garment. Zacchaeus literally climbed up in a sycamore tree for his Savior for to see. And as the Savior passed that way, he looked up in the tree and said, Zacchaeus, come down. Today I will go to your house for tea. That was a literal event in history. Jesus Christ literally said I must go to Samaria. Jesus Christ literally spoke to Lazarus and said Lazarus come forth and Lazarus came forth and he said loose him and let him go. You might say well why are you bringing all this up? A lot of people try to explain away the book of Revelation saying it's only spiritual. I've talked about this many times. A lot of people say all prophecy was fulfilled in Revelation. Well, I think a lot of people are going to be changing their eschatology. John 12, 16, these things understood not as disciples at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered these things were written and then the things they had done, these things underlined. One of these days, people are going to begin to see that all prophecy hasn't been fulfilled. When literal stars fall from heaven, when the sea turns to blood, when everyone's required to take a mark in their hand or in their forehead and they won't be able to buy or sell, save they have a mark. You say, oh it's not, that's a spiritual thing, it's not a literal thing. I believe it's a literal thing. Just like I believe that when Christ spoke to the fig tree and said, no more figs are gonna grow on you anymore, I believe it. It says immediately the fig tree lithered. You know, the woman that rides the beast, I believe that's the Roman Catholic Church. I believe their historical significance to give evidence of the validity of prophecy. Scarlet and Purple, I remember Richard Bennett talking to me about all the Scarlet and Purple in the Roman Catholic Church. And the hill, the church that sits on seven hills, right? Vatican. The only city that sits on seven hills. Vatican, Rome. Roman Catholic Church. and we know that Pope Francis is a false prophet this is what comes out of his mouth so even though much of Revelation is metaphorical or allegorical or however you want to say it It all has spiritual implications, but there's much of what is prophesied in Revelation that is literally going to happen on this earth. Literally going to happen. Much of it is literally already happening. So that's my thoughts this morning. Don't just think you have all the answers by spiritualizing everything. God bless.