Glory to God. What do y'all think about what's happening in Israel now? It's amazing, isn't it? It's amazing to see to see what's happening. So just continue to pray for Israel. You know there's never going to be a two-world. There's never going to be a two-state setup. It's never going to happen because Palestine doesn't want it to happen. They've never wanted it to happen. It's not going to happen. So the people that talk about that are just saying things that aren't going to be true. So anyway, it's Pretty amazing. Pretty amazing. Glory to God. I don't know what happened this morning, but it seemed like there was more shells, more shooting this morning or something. A bunch of rockets. They shot at them again. They shot back there. Just continue to pray for them. I mean, I would have never imagined, you know, go back three or four years, would you ever imagine what we're seeing today, what we're experiencing? There's no way. We've had two assassination attempts on one of the presidential candidates. We've had two assassination attempts. He's not even in office yet. And who's behind it? Do you have any idea? I don't have any idea. Something had just... We got the media who lies to us, and we have... You can't trust anything they say, but so many people do. People who aren't informed, you can believe lies a lot easier than people who are informed, so I pray you stay informed. We have a presidential candidate who's basically incoherent. I mean, think about that. It's just it's just amazing to me you vote who you want to vote for you vote exactly how you want to vote That's up to you. But I mean facts are facts We got death celebrated and going on now and remember at the Democratic Convention They had a mobile abortion clinic and guess how many abortions they had there. I you know? Twelve. They had twelve abortions at the Democratic National Convention. Twelve abortions there. Death is celebrated now, and I can't... Our own governor, our ex-governor, not our current ex-governor, he comes through, and he's in the position that... I saw it. I watched him say it on the TV. I saw him. He believes that a woman can have a baby, and then the baby's born, and then the mother talks to the doctor and decides what to do with the baby. I saw him say it. That's not something I read. If that's not murder, I don't know what is. That's absolute murder. No question about that. He's like a pediatrician. I don't know. I get really confused. And I was talking to somebody. They said adoption is $20,000 to adopt a baby. But you get one kill for free, basically. Why can't we set something up to where these girls... People make mistakes. People make mistakes for crying out loud. Why can't you sit up to where you can have their babies? You've got plenty of people who want babies. I mean, let them live. Why can't that be a program? Or pay the mom of $10,000 to have the baby, but put up for adoption for like no money. I mean, why can't we do that? That makes more sense to me. I don't know. It's amazing. You look at the Israel's been betrayed by so many people. I just breaks my heart You got the Olympics where people came in riding a white horse You got the Golden Calf deal happening drag queens at the Last Supper. They prayed to Zeus Jesus was portrayed as a lesbian. I Can't demons everywhere. This was at the Olympics. I just this there's something bad wrong and these kids are seeing this stuff Our young people are seeing it I didn't watch it. Try to buy a house today. Pay your insurance. People pay their insurance. I mean, good golly, 50% up on insurance. Go buy groceries. I mean, y'all see what's happening. I mean, you see, it's right in front of us here. Gas, credit card debt. You watch what happens to your 401K if the Democratic Party gets elected into the presidency. Watch what happens to your savings. I think your market will crash. I don't know. I'm not a predictor, And the other way, let's go up. All we have to do is, and I think it's very simple, is we need to shut our border down for now, and then just, like I think they said, drill, baby, drill. The energy, what they did to energy has killed our country. They shut it down. You open up where we can use our own resources and take all these limits off what they're doing, and you get the fuel down right, everything else will fall right back in line. It's just, it's so simple. That's what's hurt. That's one thing that's hurt us really bad, but I'd have never thought it. Corporate tax. How many of y'all don't say this? Man, tax them rich corporations. Man, tax them. Who's gonna pay for that? We are. It's a hidden tax. But the people are so naive to believe somehow they're going to do that. You can't do that. They are going to make money. They are going to make money. They're going to charge us for it. It's real. It's just so simple. It sounds so gory. We're going to tax the rich. Do y'all really think that's going to make it? Y'all know better than that, don't you? And I had one guy one time, and I worked with him, and he was talking about stuff, and we worked in the feed mill, and I said, look what I taxed, look what this and that and the other. He says, I don't care about the taxes. I said, what do you mean? He said, Mr. Martin, I've never had anything my entire life, and so why should you? That's what he said. And he's I mean half the us don't even pay tax y'all, you know half the half the united states don't even pay taxes They don't care what the tax rate is. I don't pay it. Anyway It's it's messed up, but I would never thought it'd be this way, but I guess we're just getting close to the end It's just getting closer closer $20 minimum wage to work in a fast food restaurant What happens they close the restaurants down? They cut the hours back Well, you could have high schoolers people learning trying to make a little bit of money and trying to do that You know earn some cash and they can get a job and it I don't know It just it just I see these things and I hear some stuff talking about I think it'd be so great Trump's talking about putting a tariff a 200% tariff on cars made outside the country. Yes. Amen. Hallelujah. I Otherwise, they're going to leave here. Once the corporate tax rates go up, all the places are going to leave here like it did before. Go out of the country, make it overseas. You put a tariff out there for the foreign countries. Where are they going to put their businesses? Back here. Back here, where they belong in our country. Everything is just Some stuff is so simple if you have some kind of business sense, but I would have never thought these things. Never. Not a million years. But it is what it is. Last week I showed you, I tried to show you how Satan's own tricks of his trade led to his own destruction. His own method of deception and deceit led to his own destruction. What were those things? Lust of the flesh, lust of His eyes, and His pride. His beauty and His wisdom, His wicked heart led to Satan's defeat. 1 Corinthians 2, 7, 8. 1 Corinthians 2, 7, 8. Father we thank You for Your Word, it is absolutely true, there are no errors and no mistakes in it. We bless it in Jesus' name. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory, which none of the princes of this world knew, For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory." Right here it plainly shows the mystery program was hidden from Satan because he says if they had known what God had in store, they would have never crucified Jesus. He tricked Him, God tricked Him. That's why He kept it a mystery. That's why He kept the dispensation of grace hidden because He didn't want Satan to see it. Plain and simple. Excellent plan. God has the wisdom. that we know the resurrected Jesus taught Paul for three years in the Arabian desert. He got his information directly from him for three years in the Arabian desert. And if you want to read it, read something about it, you can go to Ephesians 3, 1-12. I'm not going to read it today. I read it last week. Ephesians 3, 1-12 will tell you. It's about as concise a description of what the dispensation of grace is right there in the Mystery Program in Ephesians 3, 1-12. And see, some people say, well, when Jesus confronted Paul on the road to Damascus, was it to save him? Was that why he confronted him, to save him? You're right. No! He wasn't even saved right then. Maybe next week we can talk about it. He called him out to be an apostle to the Gentiles. He called him for his purpose. That wasn't just to save him. He called him. He called him out. Romans 11, 13. He is the apostle to the Gentiles. You are either a Jew or you're a Gentile. We're Gentiles. He is our apostle. And you have to remember those things. Mid-Acts is when things started into the dispensation of grace, about the middle of Mid-Acts. And the mystery program was revealed to Paul. He's talked about it over and over, the mystery program. He wrote what books? Romans to Philemon? All of those books he wrote. Did he write other books? Yes. I forgot to look it up again, but the Bible talks about other letters he's written. These are just, what's in here are just the inspired words of God. That's the difference. He wrote lots of letters. What's in here, God chose to put it in the book. That's how that happened. What he wrote from Romans through Philemon, how many books is that? 13 books, or our doctrine and our instruction for today. See what happens is so many churches, they get confused. They try to look at the Gospels and apply that to today, but then they move over into some of Paul's writings, they don't line up exactly right. I've got to be baptized to be saved? No, you don't. Well, it says over here, I know, but that's not for you. You have to remember the Gospels are still Old Testament because Jesus had not died. You can't have a New Testament until the testator dies. And so he died at the end of the Gospels, okay, right? And Acts is a transition book between God working with Israel and God moving to the Gentiles. It's a transition book. That's why we looked amid Acts. Probably the most important scripture that we stand on and need to understand is 2 Timothy 2.15. That's what Paul wrote, 2 Timothy 2.15. 2 Timothy 2.15. Study to show thyself approved unto God. If your Bible doesn't say that, you don't have the right Bible. A workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. The Word of Truth, that means everything in this Bible is the Word of God. Everything in here is true. It's not divide truth and error, it's just to divide the truth. You're just dividing the truth. And the truth is the Word of God. Make no question about that. There are no errors in the King James Bible. There are no errors whatsoever. The other Bibles, the devil's come in and he's tried to corrupt them and remove words, added words, change words, make it read like it's easy to read. I mean, God is not going to give you a book that you can't understand. And if you think you can't understand it, you're just not reading good enough. You need to study. You're supposed to study. You're supposed to study. Amen? His own testimony, this Bible, this is God's testimony and this instruction for us. He has a purpose we're going to talk about today. He's got a two-fold purpose we're going to talk about today. Every word is true, there are no mistakes in it, we have to rightly divide it. That's what God has told us to do. Today I want to talk about a two-fold purpose. I want to talk about God's patience. Was God patient with you? Is He still patient with you? I can't imagine anybody being more patient than God is with us and with Israel. I don't think it can happen. One aspect of God's plan involved the nation of Israel. They were his chosen people. But, you see, he started with Abraham because he'd been working with all the world. Remember how it worked out before Noah with all the giants and everything? And so he had to wipe, he had to clean the whole planet. Only eight people lived at the flood. He still had mercy on eight. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. So he lived through that, and then only eight lived. So we're all descendants of Noah, right? All of us go back, we know, to Noah. And so then, from that point on, after the flood, then you had the Tower of Babel. Remember, everybody came together. We're going to build a stairway to heaven. And that's where he came to his own. No, no. The devil's behind all of that. No, we're not going to do that. And so he scattered the people and confounded the language. That's what I'm telling you. That's where he gave all the different languages at that point. So you think about how does who learned Chinese, who learned Swahili, who learned French? He did that. He gave them a language at that time. He dispersed everybody and confounded language. That's where it came from. That's why we're all over the earth. That's what he told us to do anyway, but they wouldn't do it. This part of the earth, this part where he comes to Abraham and establishes a covenant with Abraham, says, I'm going to bless the world through you, Abraham. One man. Abraham was not Jew, but the nation of Israel came out of him. And this part of the plan was concerning his repossession of the earth. See, Satan took the earth Adam and Eve. Remember when Satan was, last we talked about, was tempting Jesus? He says, I will give you this, I will make you this. He had the authority. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been tempting Jesus. If Jesus said, no, you don't really own it, it's not really yours, it's mine. No, he was tempting him. Satan usurped that. He got in and messed up the guard, twisted the Word of God around a little bit, and deceived Eve. And so now he has authority over the earth. And what's going to happen is God has a plan to get that back, and his plan is through Abraham, Sarth Abraham. The other aspect, because they're going to have a kingdom of heaven on earth. There's going to be a Jewish kingdom, well, there might be some Gentiles in it, of heaven on earth. At the millennial reign, after tribulation, there's going to be a kingdom of heaven on earth. Jesus is going to rule in that too. The other aspect of God's plan involves the body of Christ. The body of Christ is only mentioned in Paul's epistles, no place else. It's not in the Gospels, it's only in Paul's epistles. If you just, if you get your mind right, just to write the divided scripture, I mean, remember I told you, in that Jesus said, I didn't come for anybody but the Jews. He told his apostles, don't go to anybody but the Jews. So why would you want to take everything he said to us because he said I've been I'm not good I'm going you I'm going here. I'm here for my lost sheep You only go you want to go to Israel don't go to the Gentiles. Well, all of a sudden we get Paul Rightly divine Paul becomes he raised him up to be our Apostle Make sense. I Hope so Another aspect involves the body of Christ. So you've got the nation of Israel, you've got the body of Christ. No place else in the Bible does it talk about new creatures except in Paul's epistles. Now we're new creatures in Christ, if we're born again. Right? We're new creatures, new creations in Christ. Now, before, the Holy Spirit could just come on people in the Old Testament. Now, the Holy Spirit comes in you. Entirely different makeup. Entirely different makeup. So, new creatures in Christ. Now this plan is going on now during the dispensation of grace. Israel's program has been suspended. It hadn't gone away, it's just been suspended. We're now in the dispensation of grace. Paul, our apostle, we have the 13 epistles to study and learn from. This is our time. We're saved now by grace through faith. It's a gift of God, not of any works. Before you had to be baptized and several other things, okay? Sacrifice, all kinds of good things before. But everybody's saved by faith. Everybody's always saved by faith. But now it's solely grace for us. Solely grace. The second part of God's plan has been hidden since before the world began. I've told you that before. It's been hidden since before the world began. The mystery program. He revealed it to Paul. It involves using man, us, to repossess the heavenly places from Satan's dominion. See God created heaven and earth. Satan took control of heaven when he got a lot of the angels on his side, and then he took control of the earth when he came to Adam and Eve. So God's plan, he's going to clear out Satan, and he does. It's going to happen. Satan's going to be destroyed. There's going to be a lake of fire, and heaven's going to be like it was in the beginning, and then the earth's going to be like it was in the beginning. That's what the goal is. We're going to be in the dispensation of grace. We're going to be in the heavenly plan. That's what we're going to be. We're going to take the place of the fallen angels once they're kicked out of Revelation 17. We're going to take their place in heaven. And after we have our judgment and we get our crown, whatever, then we'll know where we're going to be up there, what we're going to be doing. I'm sort of excited about it, actually. I think it's going to be pretty cool. It's going to be great. I'm sure it is. I'm sure it is. Remember, God kept this a secret before, since the world began. You have to ride the divide to see these two plans. If you don't, That's why some some well when we used to be charismatic We believe certain things we believe, you know to sow seed and give to prosper and get a payback And we believe this god's will to heal everybody and we believe you could speak things, you know, y'all remember those days Don't you say that don't you make a native confession all those different things? We believe We and if we do this, we're going to be wealthy and healthy. We promised all that. We're not promised any any wealth or health we're not promised that but you go back in the Old Testament and so you say I'm gonna pick these parts out over here that's what happens when you get confused you start believing these things and then you get confused on it because you're not you're not right to divide the word not right to divide the word but I was pretty sad I mean if you're a Christian today you're gonna suffer you'll suffer I mean you are I mean it's it's y'all agree with that I mean but it's uh we do have a Savior we do know the end What happens on this earth? It's not gonna mean Diddly-squat to the day you step into the presence of the glory of God I don't care how bad your life has been. I don't care how ruined What kind of shape you've been in physically or whatever the day you step into his glory? Because of what Jesus Christ did for you when he died for you and you believed in his death his burial and his resurrection You know, he died on the cross when you die and you step into that glory all this down here You ain't gonna remember any of it I think it's gonna be gone. You're gonna be in his glory forever and for millions and billions and there's no end to eternity. You know, you might live to be a hundred years old. Good for you. But I mean, the Bible says a day with the Lord is like a thousand years. And a thousand years is like a day. Work that out. I think time stops once we have the new heaven and new earth. I think times eternity is no time in eternity. I think time just stops It's forever at that point anyway Parts of the Bible are not for us today We've been given instructions and commands to follow in Paul's epistles. We know Romans to Philemon's and If we don't rightly divide, we get confused, we get doubtful, we question our faith. Why didn't this happen? I believe God for it. You said that if I lay hands on a sick, I'll recover. You also said you pick up something deadly, it won't hurt you to drink some poison, you won't die. You don't believe that, do you? I ain't gonna drink Clorox. Well, you can't just pick and choose. Well, okay, but do you believe? Well, I believe, but I just don't believe that part. It's not for us. That was for the Apostles, you guys. It was all for the Apostles to do, to protect them. And it did. Don't get your Bible confused. You have to know how to rightly divide it. I look back today and think how we were following wrong instructions four years ago. I just wonder if God's laughing at us. Well, He's just laughing at me. Poor Gary, he don't know what he's talking about. Well, at least he's saved. But thank God somebody prayed for me or something when my eyes were open. Satan knows his end. He knows what's going to happen. He tries to tempt us to sin. We all know about temptation. We experience it every day. Every day. And you know, it could be such simple things. It ain't got to be something really like a really bad sin. It could be only what you're eating, right? Right? I buy stuff to eat, I go to the grocery store and buy stuff to eat, and I know I shouldn't buy it, but when I go through, I'm hungry, I come back home, and I put it over there, and then I might eat one of them, and then I go, wait a minute, I want another one. You know what I do? I'll carry it out and throw it in the trash. I'll actually throw it in the bad trash. Don't put it in a container, because you can go back in a trash can and get it you get that muffin out of that, it's still in that. I don't know. We all do stuff, we know we shouldn't do. We're tempted every day, so many times. Satan manipulates God's Word, like I've told y'all before, if I could just get you to do one thing, if you could just get the right word, just to read the right word, read the right Bible, I would be so thrilled just to know that that's happening. One day you're going to know if I'm telling you the truth or not. One day. One day. It doesn't affect your salvation. It could affect what you believe, though. And then he also said he hides right division. I've got several people I've talked to about right division, and they sort of poo-poo it. They can't tell him what's wrong with it, but they can't, I mean, what's wrong with it? well blah blah blah whatever it is and I don't understand and I'm starting to understand more about it because see if you if you grew up like Most people you probably grew up in a church and you probably could have been a Baptist Church a Methodist Church You know, it could have been all kinds of churches Pentecostal Church and you grew up your whole life believe in something your whole life you're taught something Well, then all of a sudden something comes a little different you go. Wait a minute Uh-uh, I ain't gonna go back. Uh-uh, I mean, my mama said, my daddy said, my grandma said, my preacher said, oh, I just love my preacher. He told me this is all not true. Well, see, all of a sudden, you got all this tradition you gotta deal with. You gotta clean house, you gotta say, you gotta admit you were wrong. Is it hard to do? Is it hard to do? Or you gotta admit they were wrong. Well if you've been here any time at all and some of y'all might not like me because it is but I'll tell you when I'm wrong If you don't know that by now, then you don't even you don't know anything at all about me when I find out I'm wrong. I've told you I'm wrong. Y'all know that I May be wrong about something here when I find out I'm gonna tell you about it. I Don't I don't I don't like that. I'm accountable. I'm accountable for this. I Don't want I don't want to do that, but I tradition I I heard somebody the other day was talking, they went to some other church because they liked the music. Well, what? I mean, be careful with that. I mean, we can go to a concert, right? Just be careful about things. Make sure you're hearing the Word of God. Make sure you're hearing it right. I mean, I understand all that, but all of a sudden I've got emotions all involved in things, and your emotions will take you down a bad, a wrong path. Almost every time, maybe not every time, but quite often. Sometimes people say, but preacher, the Bible says, everything in the Bible says is true. It's all true, but you've got to divide it. You've got to know who he's talking to. I told you, like in Malachi, they talk about giving. How many times you hear me preach on Malachi 3.10 about giving? Robbing God if you don't give. You're gonna hear that. Well, just go to the first page of Malachi. Who's the book written to? The Jews. It ain't even written to us. But the preachers use it all day long. You understand? And I can see, you don't know all of this, but I mean, when we quit preaching that, a lot of people quit giving. It's that simple. And so I can see why preachers keep preaching it, because they want people to keep giving. But what should a preacher preach? The truth. Somehow things are going to work out okay. Amen? But the Bible says, what should you do to your son if he disrespects you according to the Bible? What did you say? No, according to the Bible. Stone him. It's in the Bible. Y'all ready to do that? I won't even be here today. None of y'all be here either. Y'all all want to be vegetarians? I mean, there's nothing wrong with being a vegetarian, but do you want to be? Do you have to be a vegetarian? Well, wasn't that in the Bible at one point? We had to be vegetarians. It's in the Bible. What if you got caught cheating on your husband or wife? What happened to you? He stoned you. Boy, that cut down on the thing, wasn't it? And, I mean, probably the biggest thing to me is, man, where's my barbecue gonna go? Or my shrimp? If you're gonna just do everything the Bible says, you can quit eating shrimp. Quit eating barbecue. Can't have any pork. You remember how long time ago people said, I'm going to do the Jewish diet and I'm going to gain all my health. Y'all have heard that before, haven't you? If I could eat the Jewish diet. Well, God said everything I've got is good for you if you bless it. It's in the Bible. Anything I got. I even ate, wasn't it one time, I ate them chicken feet. It was in some kind of place in a restaurant. You know those little chicken feet? You ever had those? It's just crazy. But you know, they bring what they call a poo-poo thing around. Poo-poo platter and it come by your table got all this weird stuff on it And you just sort of pointed what you want am I saying it right and then you pick all these weird things and you know you Anything this stuff I can't imagine but I saw that the head of the claws on and the leg up I mean, I don't mean the leg I mean like this foot and you stick your mouth somehow you just sort of suck the stuff off of it. I Mean it's good, but God said everything that's good. I You bless it and thank Him for it, it's good to eat. I'm not into that. I mean, I'm not. Is God patient? How patient was He with you? How patient was He with Israel? Israel had crucified their Savior, their King, the Lamb of God. He was resurrected from the dead. He walked the earth for 40 days. In His resurrected body, He walked all of the earth. Thousands of people saw it. in his resurrected body. So what I'm talking about today, none of these happened until after he rose from the dead. Acts 2.14. I'm gonna show you how patient God is. Acts 2.14. Does the Bible say that Jews require a sign? Y'all know that, right? The Bible says that the Jews require a sign. It's in 1 Corinthians 1, 22, 23. The Jews require a sign. That's one of the main reasons they had tongues back then. There was a sign. It was a sign. Acts 2, 14. but Peter stand up with the eleven lifted up his voice and said unto them you men of Judea and all you who dwell in Jerusalem be this known unto you and hearken to my words for these aren't drunken as you suppose seeing as it's but the third hour of the day nine o'clock in the morning but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel it shall come to pass in the last days yada yada he goes to the whole thing that he talks about the prophet Joel and said now Go he Jesus preaching the word. This is prophecy there not mystery. This is prophecy go to 32 verse 32 Peter still preaching the end of his sermon. He says I The 32, this Jesus hath God raised up where we all are witnesses, therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received the promise of the Holy Ghost, which has shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is sitting in the heavens, but he said, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore that all the house of Israel know it surely that God hath made that same Jesus whom you have crucified both Lord and Christ." He's talking to the Jews here. Now, when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said, repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. But this promise is made to you, your children, all is far off, even as many as the Lord God shall call. And that day, they were added, 3,000 people were added right there. He preached a sermon, and they were pricked to the heart. They said, oh my gosh, what are we gonna do? What are we gonna do? 3,000 signed up. Now, what's interesting, I've taught y'all before, if you go down to 42, it say, verse 42, and they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking the bread in prayers and fear came upon every soul." Why? Why are they afraid? and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles and all that believed were together and had all things in common and they sold their possessions and goods and part of them to all men as every man had need and it continued daily in one accord breaking bread house to house ate food praising God having favor that once they knew what happened right there at Pentecost they knew the next thing was going to be Tribulation That's why they sold everything. They got a great fear. Oh my gosh We know that we know prophecy the tribulation is in the prophecy. We know Daniel 70th week is coming next That's why the great fear came upon them because that's when God's going to weed out The believers and the non-believers at that point So right there they had a chance all of had a chance at 3,000 but to rule us didn't come along It's chance number one chance number two Acts 3, Acts 3, 1. Now Peter and John went up together in the temple, the ninth hour being the ninth hour for prayer. A certain man laying from his mother's womb was carried, and he laid him daily at the gate of the temple, which is called beautiful, because he's asking money to enter into the temple. They saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, ask him for money. And peter fastened his eyes upon him with john and said look on us And he gave heat unto them expecting to receive something of them. Then peter said silver and gold. I have none But such as I have a gift to thee in the name of jesus christ of nazareth rise up and walk He took him by his right hand lifted him up and immediately his feet and bones received strength and he leaping up stood and he leaped up stood and walked in with him in the temple walking and leaping and praising God and all the people saw him walking and praising God and they knew it was It was he which set for arms at the beautiful gate of the temple They knew who he was and they were filled with wonder and amazement and what happened to him And the lame man, which is healed, helped Peter and John, all the people, ran together unto them to the port, saying what is called Solomon's Greatly Wondering. So everybody saw it. Everybody saw this lame man healed. All of them saw the miracle right before their very eyes, right there. Now, Peter said, verse 12, Peter saw it. He said, why are y'all marveling at this? Why are you looking at us like we did something great on our own? This God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He had glorified His Son, Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied Him in the presence of Pilate when He was determined to let Him go. See, remember, Pilate was going to let Him go. Pilate was ready to let Him out, but they said no. But you denied the Holy One and the just and desired a murderer to be granted unto you. And you killed the Prince of life whom God has raised from the dead, whomfore we are all witnesses. Verse 19, repent ye therefore, be converted, that your sins be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come upon the presence of the Lord. And he shall say, Jesus Christ, which is before you, preached unto you. He's asking me to repent, repent, you saw it, now repent. As he spoke to the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees that came upon him, all the rulers, the religious rulers came upon him, and being grieved that they taught the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They didn't like that, didn't like that. They laid hands on them and put hold on them till the next day. They captured them. How bid it many of them which heard the word believed, and the number of men, which is about 5,000. And so the rulers all come in, Annas, Cephas, John, Alexander, all the high priests that came in, they got together. And then in verse 7, when they set them in the middle, they said, by what power and what name you've done this? And Peter said, filled with the Holy Ghost, he said, you rulers of the people and elders of Israel, If this day we examine of the good deed done To the infinite man by what means is made whole Be it known to you all that all people of israel and by the name of jesus christ whom you crucify Whom god raised from the dead Even by him doth this man stand here before you They they know exactly exactly what's going on and now in verse 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled. And they took knowledge of them that had been with Jesus. And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they couldn't deny it. But when they commanded him to go aside to the council, they got among themselves. They got to talk a little bit. And he said, what are we going to do with these people? We see a miracle that's happened. Everybody in Jerusalem saw it. We can't deny it. But we can't let it spread anymore. So we've got to go back to them not to ever speak in this guy's name again, this Jesus name. In verse 18, they called him and said, don't you teach or speak in the name of Jesus. What'd they do? Not. They went and spoke and preached in the name of Jesus. That was how they tried to come through. So here, the second time, this miracle happened right in front of them. And they all saw it. They got afraid. But we can't stone them. We can't get rid of these guys. Let's just tell them not to ever say it again. Third time, Acts 5.12. Acts 5.12. And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people. They were all in one accord on Solomon's porch. And the rest, there's no man joined himself to them, but the people magnified them. And believers were more added to the lord multitudes men and women And so much that they brought forth the sick in the streets and laid them on beds and couches that the least that the peter's shadow That just hoping his shadow would pass over so they'd be healed There came a multitude out of the cities around jerusalem bringing sick folks and them which were vexed with unclean spirits And they were healed every one every one Then the high priest got up and with the Sadducees and they were filled with indignation. They lay hands on the apostles and put them in a common prison. They put them in prison. I don't know. You know what a sect is or a cult? What's a cult or a sect? You got a group of people who are blindly following a leader who is teaching contrary to the written word of God. That's a cult. Anyway, that's how people, you know how somebody comes up and they say, y'all be careful of this. I've talked to this before. Be careful when you say God said. Hey Gary, God told me, you better be careful you start spitting that out. Be really careful. I'll never say it again. I will never, ever say God told me anything. Even if I thought He did, I'm not going to say it. You just became the Bible. God told me to do this. I did it one time when I was working, and gosh, it taught me a very valuable lesson. We had to make a decision on something, and I believe I was being led. This was a long time, this was 30 years ago. I was believing that it was, anyway. And I told my partner, I said, you know, God told me that so and so and so, what do you think? And he was so, man, you talking about cutting my guts out. He said, what difference does it make what I think if God told you? Right? If God told me to wear this blue shirt today, what difference, don't tell me to wear a pink one, I mean, you see? I learned a very, I mean, I felt that tall. Well, that tall. I mean, a millimeter. You talk about a midget of a man. Just calmly, he said, well, if God told you, Gary, what do you want me to say? You saw through what God said, just be careful with it. Be careful. 19. But, verse 19, but the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors and brought them forth. I wonder how an angel did that? How'd you open a lock on a door as an angel? Did he just like just bend them open? I mean, I guess he could. See, I think about stuff like that. An angel came that night and opened the door to get in my prison. An angel, an angel came, an angel came and opened the door. And he said, go stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. I'd have done what he said, right? The angel comes to you and you see the angel, he tells you what to do, you'd do what he said, wouldn't you? Yeah, I think you would. And so they heard that, they go in and they start preaching, they start talking and preaching, proclaiming the name of Jesus. But then in verse 22, but the officers came and found him not in the prison, And they go back and say, man, what are we going to do? We had the door shut all night, but now they got out. They're open. Nobody's inside it. And then in verse 24, the high priest said, the captain of the temple and the chief priest heard these things, and they doubted of them where this would grow. Uh-oh, we're in trouble now. They came one and told them, saying, behold, these men whom you put in prison. They're standing in the temple teaching the people. Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence. They feared the people lest they'd have been stoned. They'd have stoned them if they weren't afraid of the people. They'd have killed them right there. But then he brought them in before the high priest, sat them down and asked them, did we not tell y'all not to teach in Jesus' name? And you filled Jerusalem with your doctrine? You're going to bring this man's blood upon us? Then Peter and the other apostles said, we ought to obey God rather than men. I think that's a good possibility there, don't you? Very good possibility. Go into verse 27, let me see. 233, and then when they heard, verse 33, when they heard that, they were cut to the heart and took counsel to slay him. Once again, they heard the truth, it cut to the heart. But Gamaliel, he came in, talked him out of it, did a very good job of that. He talked them down. And then Acts 540, Acts 540, saying to Aaron, make us gods go before us. That's the wrong page, 540. And to him they agreed and they called the apostles and beaten them and commanded they should not speak the name of Jesus, let them go. They left and went out and counted their suffering as joy. Now here's another thing too, have you ever thought about that? I mean, everything got done. Y'all don't talk about it. We told you one time, don't talk about it. All right, now you ain't talking about Jesus again. Don't do it anymore. Now they take him and beat him. I mean, think about that. A grown man, you're being beaten, I guess, with a whip or something. I mean, that's just interesting to me. You think Peter didn't suffer for proclaiming Jesus? Oh, my gosh. And the last time, The last time it happened in Acts 6, Acts 6, 5. This is Stephen. And here, Stephen is a man full of the Holy Ghost and faith. They said before the apostles, verse 6, when they had prayed, they laid hands on him. Word of God increased. Verse 8, and Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. And then in verse nine, they started arguing with Stephen. Verse 10, and they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. Then they got other men and said, accuse him of blasphemy, you know, the false witness. And verse 12, they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and he brought them up to, everybody's all jacked up now, so they bring Stephen in, you liar, you blasphemer. He'd just been doing miracles and preaching faith. Set up false witnesses. And they say, he's speaking blasphemous words against the holy place. We heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth is going to destroy this place. He's changing our customs. And verse 15, and all that sat in the council looked steadfastly on him and saw his angel as it had been the face of an angel. All that's going on, he is at perfect peace. Perfect, absolute perfect peace. And then I'm not going to read what Stephen said Steve made it He went through the history of Israel how God had worked through him all the way down to verse 51 751 and then he ends up Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears Stephen saying this to them the rulers You do always resist the Holy Ghost as your fathers did so to you Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which show before the coming of the just one of whom you have now been betrayers and murderers You've received the law of the disposition of angels that have not kept it When they heard these things they were cut to the heart and they gnashed on him with their teeth I don't know what that means But they were upset But he'd been full of holy ghost looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God." Jesus standing. What do y'all think that means? Jesus standing on the right hand of God. What have you heard? You think it means anything? See, right now he's seated, correct? But this, they're getting ready to stone Stephen. And Jesus, Steve looks up and he sees Jesus, heaven's open, and he sees Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. That's pretty good. Who said that? Ready to come get him? I mean, close. I mean, my opinion. My opinion. I believe he was ready to come back to earth. and begin the wrath of God. That's what I believe. I believe, okay, it's time, Father. Four times they rejected. God gave them four times signs, wonders, miracles, thousands saved, thousands saved, but the religious rulers never believed, or they never admitted it. Why would they not do that? Money. Tradition all it if he's a king if they go to him, they don't need us anymore It's what all comes and their power and their control of the people They denied him. I believe when I believe and you can I'm not gonna the same doctrine I believe when he stood up that was him showing it. So when I'm cut, okay, I'm coming back now. I'm ready. I'm ready to go God I'm ready to go father that just let me go and the tribulation and start that's what I believe and You can't prove me wrong, but I can't prove him right either. But that makes sense to me. Why would he stand up? When you stand up out of your chair, now you're ready to go, ain't you? You don't stand up till you're ready to go. Go to the kitchen, go to your car, go to the bathroom. You stand up when you're ready to go somewhere. That's what I think. I was pretty impressed with that. Here God, his patience was done. His mercy was done for Israel. This is the fourth time. After the resurrection, after they'd even crucified Him, they had at least four times to come on board with the program and believe Jesus Christ was the Son of God. That's what they had to do. They didn't do it. He was ready to purge the Jews. The tipping point was done right then. That's what I believe. They were moving closer to the kingdom of heaven on earth. That's what I believe. Oh, in verse 8-1, I guess check this out pretty cool, just so you know. Acts 8-1, and Saul was, oh, let me, I'm trying to finish this. I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. Go back up to 56, I'm sorry, 756, 756. He saw Jesus at the right hand and said, behold, I see heavens open and the son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried with a loud voice and stopped their ears and ran upon him and cast him out of the city. You couldn't kill him in the city, cast him out of the city and stoned him. The witness laid their clothes at a young man's feet whose name was Saul. and they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Stephen kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, do not lay this sin under charge. And when he said it, he fell asleep. Almost just like Jesus. Don't hold them responsible. That's a heck of a man right there. And he fell asleep. But what I want you to see is 8-1. And Saul was consenting unto his death. In that time there was a great persecution against the church. At this point right here, Saul's still an enemy of Christians. He's still right there in Saul. Saul did. He became Paul. God gave Israel four times to repent after the resurrection of Jesus. The religious leaders rejected him four times. God's patience was he was so patient with Israel so patient with him in his mercy He suspended Israel's program the prophetic program and raised up Paul as our Apostle next chapter next chapter in Acts We'd be in the body of Christ Now I can't prove this either, but I'm going to suggest this you think about this a second Wonder I gotta get that chart up here something. I'm gonna do that some way. I keep point to it Okay, I guess it you can't see it. I wonder This is just me talking. This is just me. I Wonder if at that point God had seen remember the mystery program. He'd he had he'd had hidden Christ. I haven't been revealed yet to Paul. I wonder if everything Israel had gone through and then they finally denied, denied, denied, denied, and then finally they denied Stephen. I wonder if in His mercy God didn't start the dispensation of grace. He could be showing Israel mercy right there because He didn't bring tribulation right then. Just a thought. Just a thought. See, tribulation, there's going to be a lot of people die. A lot of Jews die. Anyway, a lot of people are going to die. Well, if they die, though, during tribulation, for Jesus Christ to go to heaven, I'm talking about they're going to have a spiritual death. Let me say that right. They're going to spiritually die in tribulation. God started His dispensation of grace at this point. His patience was done. His mercy for Israel was done at this point. He put their program on hold. He started dispensation of grace. New creatures are going to reign with Him in heaven. We'll be taking the places of fallen angels. And that's the big picture. At some point, you and I as believers will be with Jesus forever in the heavenly places. Hebrew heaven, Hebrew the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of heaven on earth. Somehow, somehow they're going to be one, I don't know how that all works out. Then somehow after that there's going to be a new heaven and a new earth. Our destination as new creatures in the body of Christ is to spend eternity in heaven. The believers here, the believers here in Israel, their destiny is to be in the kingdom of heaven on earth. So make sure when you're reading, when you get in Revelation, make sure you know who they're talking to. They ain't talking to you. We should be gone. We should be wrapped up before the tribulation. God said we would escape the wrath. He's designed us that way. So that's the wrath. Tribulation is a wrath. That's definitely going to be wrath. At that point, God will be purging those in tribulation. He'll be cleaning the house out to see who the believers are that he then would carry with him to the kingdom of heaven on earth. One person asked me a long time ago, said, well, what if one of us don't believe and so the rapture takes place, the believers go, we're still here? Do we still have a chance in the tribulation? All right? Okay, I understand what you're saying. I'm not sure we will. The reason I say that is because as I've said a little bit, we've had all this time, we've heard the grace message over and over and over. It's saved by grace. We've heard the gospel so many times. I wonder if the tribulation is just done for all of us. Can't prove that either. Can't prove it. But some people believe that, that if you are a Gentile, and I can't prove this, if you're a non-Jew and you don't make it up into the rapture, in the rapture, to be with Jesus in heaven, then you're pretty much doomed. I used to think that you, yeah, you got a chance, again, to try to make it through the rapture, but I'm not sure I think that anymore. See, there's a point, God, that God's done with things. It's a point he's done. And so, I don't know. It's my thought. Body of Christ, heavenly realm. Israel will be earthly realm. Jesus will rule all of it. His goal is to repopulate, to repossess the heavens with us as new creatures in Christ, with new resurrected bodies. Remember all the fallen angels will be cast out. They have jobs to do. They're going to be cast out down into the lake of fire. And so there's spots to fill. And all of my research and study shows that we as believers will fill those spots. and then on earth, you know what's happening on earth now, there'll be a point where it's going to be so perfect, Jesus is going to be the king. Couldn't get any better than that, that He's going to be on the throne on earth. He'll be with us in heaven. Can't explain all that, but that's how it is. Father, we thank You for Your Word. Please help us learn more about understanding and rightly dividing and make sure that we're doing things right. Please Lord and give us understanding because we do we do want to do things, right? We thank you for your word. It's absolutely true Father we know the one that there's really only one thing that we need to know This Paul said is that's Jesus Christ at him crucified. The one thing is if you're here, are you listening? There's one thing that above all Please please put your faith in the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, His crucifixion and His resurrection three days later. Knowing that His blood paid for every single one of your sins. Knowing that you're saved by grace through faith, not of yourselves. It's a gift of God, not of any kind of works. Otherwise you'd be bragging about it. So Father, please touch their hearts as these non-believers' hearts were cut We'll accept cuts on our hearts, too, to be believers. We believe, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen.