[0:00] Take your Bible, if you would, and go with me to the book of Micah, and we'll be in chapter 3, Micah chapter 3. Before I go with you to this passage of Scripture, I just thought I might kind of give you an idea of what happens when you're studying a prophet.
[0:15] You're in the Old Testament. You know, you've got to read the Bible. Every part of it has a way to be read and studied. You have the epistles in the New Testament. They're great, because it's like God said, this is what you're supposed to believe.
[0:26] This is what you're supposed to do. And so we read that, and that applies to the church. Then you read poetry, like the book of Psalms and Song of Solomon, and it's a little bit harder to understand, because it's got a truth for Israel, got a truth for us, and it's poetry.
[0:40] And so when it says that a woman's teeth look like a flock of sheep, you know it doesn't really mean a literal flock of sheep. Praise the Lord. Nobody would want to kiss that, I think. And so then you're in a prophet, and these prophets are men of God who are preaching to their generation.
[0:54] So Micah is preaching to his generation, but he's a prophet. And so he's writing scripture, and he's talking to his generation, and then he's going to talk about things that are going to happen way out in the future.
[1:06] He'll talk about what's happening in their country right now, what's about to happen in their country, what's going to happen a long ways out from there, and then what's going to happen even after that, and even after that. And most likely, Micah didn't even understand all he was saying.
[1:19] He was writing it down. God was giving it to him, and he's hearing all these truths, and they're like, most wonderful things in the world, but he's like, how in the world is that going to happen? So in the passage of scripture today, in Micah chapter 3, he is hot.
[1:31] He is angry. He is mad. He is ripping hot. He's talking about all the corrupt leaders. We'll look at that in just a minute. We'll go through that. And he gets to the end of chapter 3, and basically it's like this.
[1:43] It's over. Israel, you're toast. You're out of here. God has no plan for you right now. You're off the scene. You're a mess. And then he ends it by saying, but God's still got a plan.
[1:53] And so in chapter 4, he starts to talk to them about a time there will be a kingdom. And then Jerusalem is going to be destroyed in one verse. In the very next verse, Jerusalem is going to be lifted way up high, and nations from all over the world are going to flow to it, and that has never, ever happened.
[2:09] He promised it would happen, but it never has happened yet. Key word, yet. So that means it's word of God, so it's going to take place in some future time.
[2:20] Now, we call that future time the millennium. I'll go through that in just a second with you, too. And then in chapter 5, he's going to say, you've got a king coming, and he's going to be born in Bethlehem.
[2:30] Now, that's happened. So the fact is, when the guys in the New Testament are reading their Bibles, they got to, excuse me, when the wise men got to Herod, they wanted to know where the king was going to be born. Those scribes and Pharisees went and looked, and they came back out and said, hey, Micah said he's going to be born in Bethlehem.
[2:45] So all of a sudden, now we're back to Micah. So Micah had talked about that hundreds of years before it happened. All of these promises about it happened just like he said he would.
[2:59] But there's a whole lot of stuff that hadn't happened. If it came true on the first time through, what do you reckon about the other time? People didn't believe the first one was going to come true, but it did.
[3:10] And now you just don't believe that there will ever be a millennial kingdom, and you don't believe there will ever be a rapture, and you don't believe there will be a second coming, and you believe things will continue as they are. You're kind of like Jewish people, but we know that God's word is true.
[3:22] And we know that what God said will come true. So let me just kind of give you an overview real quickly. Micah's preaching to these wicked leaders in his time. And by the way, what he's going to say to our wicked leaders applies to today.
[3:34] I promise you, if you read Micah chapter 3, and then you read the newspaper and you found out about our president and those people running for president and our judges and our preachers, because he's going to hit every one of them, it sounds like he could have written it today.
[3:45] It's just like he could have written it today. And then what's going to happen, so he's preaching. And what happens is on that scale of things, Israel is then going to be set aside, and God's not going to use Israel. He was, that king was struck in the face.
[4:05] His name is Jesus. He was struck in the face. And then they're going to set up a thousand-year reign kingdom, and there's going to be no war, and all the nations are going to flow there. And so you're going to see all that happening. You're in a prophet.
[4:17] So he's telling you all sorts of stuff. So when you read the Old Testament, and you're like, when did that happen? Well, if it didn't happen yet, that means it's going to happen. So you find out if it didn't happen, and then you move from there.
[4:28] So go with me to Micah chapter 3. We move from the way things are in Israel and Judah to what God will be doing. There will be a time when God restores Israel to her greatness. He himself will come as king and Messiah.
[4:41] He will set up a kingdom here on earth. He is coming again. He has future plans for the earth and the nation of Israel. As he sets up his plan for Israel, he will take us out of here to glory.
[4:52] We're going to glance at that a little bit this morning. Micah chapter 3 and verse 1. Wicked leaders need to hear God's message. Wicked leaders need to hear God's message. Number one thing it's going to say in this chapter is, they're wicked.
[5:04] Look at Micah chapter 3 and verse 1. And I said, here I pray you, O heads of Jacob, you princes of Israel, is it not for you to know judgment? You guys are the leaders.
[5:16] Shouldn't you know what's right and wrong? Shouldn't you know what to do? Shouldn't you know that? Verse 2. But you hate the good, and you love the evil, and you mistreat the people. Pluck off their skin, and they're flesh from off their bones.
[5:29] These political leaders should have known right from wrong. They probably do know right from wrong. They just hate what's right, and love what's wrong. And they're using their position to hurt God's people.
[5:43] They're wicked, and they know what's right from wrong, probably, but they hate what's right, and they love what's wrong. And then in chapter 3 and verse 9, he says, not only that, you're perverting all my good stuff. Micah 3, 9.
[5:54] Hear this, I pray you, you heads of the house of Jacob, you princes of the house of Israel, that hate a poor judgment. You hate doing right.
[6:05] You hate what you know is true, and you pervert all equity. You twist and pervert all good stuff. It's more than just not liking what's good. They hate whatever's right.
[6:16] They prefer it, they twist, and they destroy all that is good. That's seen today, isn't it? And what they would do to marriage and the family. That's seen in the lack of respect for life, and abortion taking place and being legalized.
[6:31] That's seen in taking up the rights of perverts over the rights of what is right and good. They hate good. They twist what is good.
[6:42] God meant marriage good and a blessed thing, and the world hates that. Satan hates that. When we say the world, we're talking about that system that hates God and wants to twist everything he does. They did their political work hurting and killing people.
[6:55] They did things that God hated to build up their country. Look at Micah 3, 10. They build up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity. Yeah, they're building the country.
[7:06] Yeah, they're the great leaders, and they're doing good stuff for us, but they don't lead in the light but in the dark corners. They use people, and they hurt them. They do wrong to get ahead. They do it with blood and with iniquity.
[7:18] The righteous leaders make the people leave the ways of God. So now you've got these preachers all across the nation, and they are a bunch of lying hypocrites.
[7:29] The Bible says in Micah 3, verse 5, Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets, the preachers that make my people err, that make my people do wrong.
[7:40] They bite with their teeth and cry, Peace. As long as you give them something to eat, they'll say, Peace. If you don't give them something to eat, they'll say, War against you, buddy. You don't take care of me. Give me money. Make me rich, or I'm out to get you, and I'm going to preach a mean message.
[7:52] It's not that they do not preach, but they actually cause the people to make mistakes and do wrong and go astray. So in America today, you've got more preachers than you ever had. We've got bigger churches than we ever had.
[8:03] We've got big buildings full of people, but they are prophets that make their people err. They intentionally hurt God's people by not preaching God's word or by telling people that God's word is wrong.
[8:18] All these wicked leaders did their job for the money. Look at Micah chapter 3 and verse 11. The money was running everything. Micah 3, 11. The heads are of judge for reward.
[8:30] Underline that, reward. Hey, we're leaders, and we'll make our political decisions by lobbyists, and the priests are of teach for hire. So the preachers are like, what are y'all paying me to preach here today?
[8:41] And the prophets will divine for money. The prophets are going to preach, and they're going to do it for the money, and they will lean on the Lord and say, is not the Lord among us, and none evil can come upon us. They kind of want to act like they're God's people.
[8:52] And nothing bad can happen. The judge and other decision makers gave the verdict that the people paid for. The men of God preached whatever they were paid to preach. And the prophets found the will of God that satisfied the guys with money.
[9:06] You've got pulpits bought and paid for. You've got judges bought and paid for. You have political leaders bought and paid for. And so Micah says, and God's going to deal with these wicked leaders.
[9:19] When they need God sometime, they're going to call on him, and he will not hear them. But instead, they will reap the consequences of their sin. Look at Micah 3, 4. Micah 3, 4. Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them.
[9:33] He will hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings. There comes a time when even political leaders realize they need God's help.
[9:43] The fact is, you know, it's amazing. They'll finish their speeches off and God bless America. Who? God? God bless America. So these guys who are these crooks are using that term in Micah's day.
[9:54] Of course, that doesn't apply to America. That was what the prophet was talking about Israel. It wouldn't be true about today, would it? They have lived so selfishly in rebellion on their own that God refuses to answer as they have behaved ill in their doings.
[10:06] They have gone too far for God not to let them suffer the consequences of their rebellion. And that's a truth taught out in the scriptures. In the book of Proverbs, Solomon writes in Proverbs chapter one in verse 28, Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer.
[10:22] They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me. They hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would none of my counsel. They despised all of my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices.
[10:36] Before I go on now, let's see this. Here's what's happening. These religious leaders, these religious leaders, these political leaders, these judges and presidents and congressmen and senators and prophets and priests and preachers and TV writers and everybody else that do it, they're wicked.
[10:51] And someday they're going to want to call on God because everybody's going to realize sooner or later they need God and when they do, God's going to say, not listening to you. Not listening to you. You chose not to listen to me and now I won't listen to you.
[11:02] By the way, you're here this morning, you've never accepted Christ as your Savior. And every time a gospel message is preached, you present some worldly argument about why you are not a sinner, why you don't deserve to go to hell, why you don't need God and you stand up and in the face of God, you act like, I don't really need you.
[11:17] I do not want to hear what you got to say and that guy up here could preach it all he wants, but I'm not listening. God's all right. He said, well, I'm listening to you. I'm listening to you and someday when you cry out for me, I'll just look at you and say, well, you don't want to listen to me and I don't want to listen to you.
[11:30] If I were you and today was the day that God would offer salvation to me, I'd take it. Say amen. I'd acknowledge I'm a sinner. I'd acknowledge I deserve to go to hell and I would not do that or you will eat of the fruit of your own devices.
[11:42] Micah chapter three and verse seven, God will not answer and that will cause great confusion. Micah chapter three and verse seven, then shall the seers be ashamed. That's the guys who were prophets that could see and the diviners confounded.
[11:55] So these preachers and prophets and these spiritual leaders, they're going to be embarrassed and confounded and they shall all cover their lips and say, I don't know. I don't know. I don't have an answer from God.
[12:05] They will turn to all that they should know something. Everybody turns to these guys that are supposed to know something and they'll have no answers. There are men that they confide in that they should have an answer but they won't have an answer.
[12:16] Things will be so bad, no answer. But even in those dark days, there's still a man of God. He's like one of the few. His name is Micah.
[12:26] Micah chapter three and verse eight. Micah said, they might all be messed up and they might not have the answer but bless God, I got the power of the Holy Spirit. Won't you listen to me? Look at him. Micah chapter three and verse eight. Truly, I am full of the power by the Spirit of God and of kingdom, of judgment and of might to the clearing of Jacob his transgression and his sin.
[12:43] Do you realize this guy? I mean, this is like the most unpopular preacher of his day. They are not asking him to the Larry King show. They're not asking him to come on television and give an opinion because this guy is full of the Spirit and when he preaches, he's like, y'all are sinning.
[12:57] I'm not cutting you any slack. Y'all are sinning. So, God seems to have a man in the darkest hour. The man will have the power of the Holy Spirit. He'll tell the truth. He will not talk of prosperity but of sin and consequences.
[13:10] Oh, Micah reminds me of one of the greatest stories in the Bible. It's like one of my favorite stories. Look with me, if you would, to 2 Chronicles chapter 18 and verse one. 2 Chronicles chapter 18 and verse one. There's a guy here and his name is Micaiah and oh, Jehoshaphat has riches and honor, it says in 2 Chronicles chapter 18 and verse one and in abundance and he joined an affinity with Ahab and Ahab was the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah and they got together.
[13:37] Now, you gotta remember, Ahab is a wicked scumbag king. I mean, we talked about his story just a week or two back. Oh, Ahab wanted a, he wanted a Naboth vineyard that was close to his vineyard and he stole it.
[13:50] It's exactly what Micah is preaching about. He stole the vineyard. He gets old Naboth killed. He gets all the Naboth's family killed so that all that land can be moved over to him and his possession. He is a wicked guy. So he goes down to see this guy named Jehoshaphat and he's trying to get Jehoshaphat and him are gonna get together so they can go to war.
[14:06] Verse four. And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, inquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord today. Now, Ahab, if we're gonna do this, don't we wanna know what God's got to say about it?
[14:17] And so, verse five, the king of Israel gathered together all of his paid preachers, kind of like Micah chapter three. He's got all these preachers on the payroll and he's got 400 men in Micah chapter, or in 2 Samuel chapter 18 and verse five there.
[14:32] And he gets all of them together and he says, guys, should we go to war or not? And they said, whoa, you should go. God will deliver you. And Jehoshaphat goes, I think they're all on the payroll. I think they're saying what they're saying because you pay them and they eat because you pay them.
[14:46] And I really like to hear from a real man of God. Do you have any real man of God around here? Just a man of God. He ain't getting paid much. He ain't, he's not somebody, he's not somebody on the TV show. He's just somebody.
[14:57] Verse six, he said, is there not a prophet of the Lord besides? And oh, Ahab goes, yeah, there's one. There's one guy, but I don't like him. He'll never say nothing nice about me.
[15:10] And I don't like him. Look at it, verse seven. There's yet one man, but I hate him. For he never prophesies good to me, but only evil. Sound like old Micah. And Jehoshaphat said, well, don't let the king talk like him.
[15:22] Yeah, come on, man, he can't be that bad. So in verse 10, Zedekiah stands up and he makes these horns of iron and he says, we can push Syria until they're consumed.
[15:32] And in verse 11, all the prophets agreed and said, go and prosper and the Lord will deliver you. And so they sent a messenger to get Micaiah. And oh, Micaiah, when they get him, they said, look, buddy, we got a good thing going here.
[15:44] You can get on the payroll too. So you need to say what we're saying. Don't come in here and mess everything up. If you would, that's in verse 12. Behold the words, the prophets declare good with one assent.
[15:55] Be like one of theirs. Speak some good, all right? And Micaiah looks at him and says, buddy, I only say what God tells me to say. I only say what God tells me to say in verse 13. And so in verse 14, when he got in to see the king and the king said, well, what do we do?
[16:09] And Micaiah says, go up and prosper. And they'll be delivered into your hand. And the king said, come on, tell me the truth. I know you don't agree with my guys.
[16:20] I want to hear what you really think. Micaiah says, well, in verse 16, he said, I see all of Israel scattered upon the mountains and the sheep without a shepherd.
[16:30] That means you're dead. There's no master. And the king of Israel goes, didn't I tell you that? Didn't I tell you he wouldn't be nice? Didn't I tell you he wouldn't say something nice about me? And so Oahab says, take Micaiah and stick him in the calaboose until I get back.
[16:44] And Micaiah basically says, well, I'll be in there for a long time because you ain't coming back. And they stick him in there and they give him the bread of affliction and the water of affliction. And in verse 27, Micaiah said, if you return in peace and the Lord hadn't spoken by me and Oahab's out in a battle and they have knows enough to know that O Micaiah really does know God and he also knows that those dime a dollar, dime a, or a penny a profit, penny profits, you know, the ones you pay a penny and they say what you want and he knows they're not right.
[17:11] So when he gets into battle, he dresses like a regular soldier. He gets another guy to dress like him and the other army says, let's kill only the king. Let's get old, the king. And so Ahab's like, I'm slick.
[17:23] They'll never catch me. And the battle's over and everybody's about ready to go home and one guy's got an arrow left over. I guess he didn't want to take it home with him. It looked like he didn't shoot all his arrows. So just as he gets ready to leave the battlefield, he just shoots an arrow up in the air, just nowhere intended to go and that arrow flies through the air and finds a crack in the armor of O Ahab.
[17:42] Bam! And he's laying in there bleeding and the battle continues on and they pull O Ahab off to the side and the blood drains out and the dogs lick his blood just like the man of God said was going to happen. You see, there are penny prophets out there.
[17:56] There are prophets out there that don't tell the truth. There are prophets out there that lie. You ought to always, you ought to judge every man you listen to. You ought never come to vision and say, I'm going to listen to Austin and just believe what he says.
[18:09] You ought to come in here and say, I have a copy of the word of God and I'm going to check it out. I'm going to look at it. I'm going to make sure it's what the Bible says. When you move from this place and you establish yourself in another place, you should find a Bible preaching church and you should always check every preacher because there's more bad ones than there are good ones and I don't mean that to be braggadocious but if they don't preach the book, they're not the right kind of man of God.
[18:31] Micah chapter 3 verse 12. We're still on point 1. Micah chapter 3 verse 12. God's people and his country will be destroyed. Look at Micah 3 verse 12. Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field and Jerusalem will become a heap of garbage and the mountain of this house and the high places of the forest it's all going to be destroyed.
[18:49] Your sins have found you out and that's what's going to happen. Micah said, you got lousy leaders, lousy preachers, lousy judges, everybody you got in that country is lousy so your days are numbered.
[19:04] So in Micah chapter 3 verse 12, it looks really dark. Look, Israel and Judah, you're fried. It's over. But the good God of heaven always has grace and mercy.
[19:17] So in Micah chapter 4 in verse 1, look what the Bible says. In the last days. Would you underline that in your Bible? Look at it. Micah chapter 4. But in the last days. First I've got to put a circle around that. But!
[19:29] Jerusalem will be destroyed. But! But! In the last days it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains.
[19:40] It'll be exalted above the hills and the people shall flow unto it. Wow! Micah now moves from the destruction of Jerusalem that happened in Micah 3.12 you just read to the last days.
[19:51] In the last days there will be a new Jerusalem. Jerusalem has been plowed. The temple and all that junk has been torn down. And he says a rebuilt temple, a righteous kingdom of the Messiah. And the last days began already.
[20:05] Biblically we are in the last days. Go with me in your Bible to Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 1 so you'll know what the Bible says. You need to know you are living in the Bible days.
[20:17] You need to know that this isn't stuff about Israel it's stuff about you and you are living it right now. In Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 1 the Bible says God who at different times sundry times different times in different ways diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets.
[20:35] You remember how God used to talk when Michael was doing the preaching? Verse 2 has in these last days spoken unto us by his son.
[20:45] In these last days when they start well when his son started talking that would be in the Gospels. So since Matthew Mark Luke and John we're in the last days. Old Peter on the day of Pentecost is going to say these are the last days.
[20:56] We're in the last days. So all this stuff is still coming true. Look at what it says in verse 2 though I want you to notice this. In these last days he has spoken to us by his son whom he appointed heir of all things. Underline that he will inherit it all.
[21:09] It will all belong to him. And I wish you'd mark this one down because some of you are starting to follow new preachers that don't believe this. He said and he made all the worlds. He's the God of creation. Say amen.
[21:20] He made all the worlds. In the past he spoke by prophets in the last days he speaks by his son. His son will inherit all things. Israel and Judah are in hopeless condition. Assyria is about to destroy them.
[21:32] But God says even though you're going to be destroyed Micah certainly couldn't understand all he was saying here. He's like you're destroyed you're plowed Assyria is going to defeat us it's going to be horrible. But God's got big plans.
[21:43] Chapter 4 verse 1 in the last days Micah 4 verse 1 in the last days the house of the Lord shall be established. There's coming a day when the temple will be established and it will be exalted above the hills and people will flow to it.
[21:58] Micah 4 verse 1 It shall come to pass and the house of the Lord shall be established. People will come flowing. God will raise up a place via an earthquake probably that will put the temple up higher than every other mountain.
[22:10] Look at it exalted above the hills. People will go there and learn about the things of God. Jesus the Messiah will reign. Jerusalem will be the most important city and true worship will be restored.
[22:24] Look at Micah 4 verse 3 Not New York City and not Atlanta Jerusalem. Micah 4 verse 2 And many nations shall come and say come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob in case you didn't know who we're talking about and he will teach us his ways.
[22:42] And we will walk in his paths and the law shall go forth out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Many nations will come and want to go to the mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob.
[22:52] He will teach his ways they'll walk in his paths and they'll be sending missionaries like crazy around the world and peace will reign. Micah chapter 4 and verse 3 Look at it And he shall judge among many people and rebuke strong nations and they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks and shall not lift up a sword against the nation neither shall they learn war anymore.
[23:14] That ain't happened yet. I'm only 62 years old and the time I've been alive there's been a whole lot of war that just keeps on. Ain't nobody beat any plowshares any swords into plowshares since I've been alive. They'll enjoy prosperity and peace.
[23:28] Micah chapter 4 and verse 4 Every man under his own vine under his own fig tree and nobody makes him afraid. They own their own property so they can enjoy what God's doing. Micah chapter 4 and verse 5 They will walk in the name of God.
[23:41] For all people walk everyone in the name of his God. We will walk in the name of the Lord our God. All of a sudden Israel's going to be walking in the name of Jehovah the God of heaven once again. Micah chapter 4 and verse 7 Even though they're weak and lame and no one would ever expect that Israel could have all of this happen to them because you right now are thinking this ain't happening that's Israel and Israel's a puny little country and it ain't happening.
[24:02] So Micah said well let me just go ahead and tell you that God said I will make her that halted a remnant and her that was cast off a strong nation and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion. Without a miracle Israel and Judah would never enjoy such a future but God's still working there.
[24:18] There'll be war no more. Micah chapter 4 verses 11 and 12 12 They know not the thoughts of the Lord neither understand his counsel and so they will come back one more time for war and they'll come back and they'll be fighting again and then they'll take all that stuff and consecrate it to the worship of God in Micah chapter 4 and verse 3 the king is coming the king is coming Micah chapter 5 verse 1 got your Bible Micah chapter 5 verse 1 the king is coming Israel you're going to be destroyed but God's got this big plan to set up this he's going to lift up the nation of Israel he's going to put the temple up way above the mountains and people are going to ascend up in the temple and learn about the things of God and there's not going to be any war anymore and everybody's going to still have their farm and their trees everything's going to be great and he says but the king's coming Micah chapter 5 verse 1 now gather thyself in troops oh daughters of troops he has laid siege against us they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod on his cheek that judge will be struck on the cheek that's how Jesus was treated hit beaten crucified humiliated this Jesus the very son of God who came from
[25:26] Micah 5 2 Bethlehem look at Micah 5 2 and thou Bethlehem though thou be little among the thousands of Judah yet out of thee shall come forth unto me the ruler in Israel okay not David not Solomon not the two divided kingdoms but a ruler will come forth out of Bethlehem Jesus and look at who he is he's God eternal he is God eternal Micah 5 2 whose goings forth have been from old from everlasting you do understand that the God you worship is not a God that Jesus made up it's not a God that the people came up with he's the God of everlasting he's the God of old time he's the God before time began he was in the beginning when the world was created he was in the beginning with the Father and he's the God and he comes to earth and in John 1 14 he is made flesh in John 1 14 the Bible says and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father
[26:29] Jesus was born in Bethlehem Jesus the Son of God Jesus the Christ Jesus the Messiah Jesus sent to be the Savior of the world 1 John 4 14 and we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world and so God's going to save a remnant out of Israel Micah chapter 5 verse 3 a portion a part a small fragment of Israel is really going to get saved really going to serve God and God's going to build a whole new kingdom Micah 5 3 therefore will he give them up until the time which she travaileth and then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel so God has a plan to bring them back he will destroy Jerusalem's enemies and Micah 5 15 he will execute vengeance upon the heathen and he has not thrown away the nation of Israel Romans chapter 11 and verse 1 Romans chapter 11 and verse 1 the Bible says I say then has God cast away his people has God gotten rid of Israel
[27:33] God forbid that's not true that's not true I'm a child I'm an Israelite of the tribe of Abraham the tribe of Benjamin one day God's going to gather these unbelieving Jews to the land and they'll suffer and he'll reveal himself and the nation will be reestablished and today because the king is coming the king is coming so you need to understand just a tad so Micah the prophet is preaching to a wicked and a corrupt group of people while he's alive and he says man it's over for us it's over for us but don't wait wait wait God has something really this is going to be great it's terrible now but God's got big plans for the future and he's going to have that king born in Jerusalem in Bethlehem and he's going to be smitten in the face but that king will rule and the king will reign so what happens for us is God one day when Jesus was here on earth he sets the nation of Israel aside and says
[28:35] I'm going to use a new group of people to carry the gospel and I'm going to make a new group called the church and the church will be made up of Jews that get saved and Gentiles that get saved and that's us and we will carry the gospel but not long out in the future God's going to be finished using us and he's going to take us out of here take us to heaven and he's going to kick it in to full time gear with the Jewish people and they're going to carry the gospel to the world 144,000 of them will spread out all over the world and evangelize the entire world and all the time the church hadn't been able to get the job done those Jews will so as a church we look for Jesus to come back go with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 13 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 13 Paul's writing to the Jews excuse me to the church churches made up of saved Jews and saved Gentiles born again people who've trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior and he says I would not have you to be ignorant I don't want y'all to not understand what's going on brothers some of our number have died they're asleep but you don't need to be crying and whining because they didn't get to go up in the rapture like other people that don't know
[29:40] Jesus and have no hope verse 14 for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so them also would sleep and Jesus will God bring with him so your family members are already dead they're buried in the ground they're already in heaven their bodies in the ground and when he comes back he's going to come down to the clouds and he's going to bring them with him then he's going to pick up their bodies and their bodies are going to be transformed and we're going to be lifted up and we're going to be with them and we're all going to go back to heaven look at it verse which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him verse 15 for this we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord will not prevent will not proceed will not go in front of them which are dead or asleep for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of an archangel with the trump of God and the dead and Christ shall rise first and then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up put a circle around that word caught up the word rapture is not in the Bible anywhere we're going to be caught up we're waiting for the big catching up together with him in the clouds underline in the clouds because as we read scripture you're going to find out that one time he comes in the clouds and another time his feet touch the mountain the mountain of Mount of Olives and it splits in two so it's two different comings he caught up with him in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord y'all can comfort each other with these words because you've got family members that have died and you're wondering what happened to them they're still alive lost or saved they're alive if they're saved they're in heaven with God if they're lost they're in hell that's found in Luke chapter 16 and they'll be judged and they'll spend all eternity in the lake of fire that's why we witness to everybody who can but you and I when we die it ain't over for us buddy life is just beginning we're gonna be forever with the Lord forever with the Lord and he will establish a Jewish kingdom and Jesus will come back as a thief in the night as a thief in the night 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 10 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 10
[31:43] Jesus Peter knows Jesus knows him well look what he says in verse 10 the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise the elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up he comes as a thief in the night if you understand anything about the Bible you need to understand this at any moment the rapture or the catching away could happen if you understand anything in the world this world is not permanent this world is temporary it's all gonna be destroyed all gonna be burned up and so he's gonna say in chapter 2 Peter chapter 3 and in verse 11 he's gonna let you know if you understand what God's got in mind you get your eyes on heaven you get your eyes on the things of God and that would be more important because your job's gonna burn up because your farm's gonna burn up your house is gonna burn up it's all because Jesus in the other world is the most important world that's what the Bible's teaching look if you would at 2 Peter 3 11 seeing then you understand then that these things shall be dissolved everything here will be destroyed what manner of persons ought you to be in holy living and godliness
[32:48] Jesus is coming soon that doesn't mean you don't get to enjoy this world that doesn't mean that God hasn't given you things richly all things to enjoy but every Christian ought to know this this world is not my home I'm just a passing through my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue I am serving the great God of heaven and Jesus is coming soon he may not come before I die I have no idea I've been expecting him I've been expecting him since I was a kid when Betty and I first got married I was teaching through the book of Revelation and it was so exciting to all of the young people I taught I told him Jesus could come at any minute and my wife didn't even make curtains for our first house because she said why make curtains if we ain't gonna use them anyway and so she didn't make curtains she just hung sheets on the windows and later on she made curtains we've been married 43 years but I don't know when he's coming but this much I do know this world is not the important world that one that's coming is the important world let me ask you a question are you ready for him to come are you ready for him to come if he came today in your death or if he came today in the catching away are you ready if the Bible is true and this world will be dissolved and we will spend eternity with him have you put your eyes and your hope on him or are you just so worldly earthly minded you hardly ever think of him you say
[34:05] I just don't expect him exactly because he comes as a thief in the night and thieves don't send advance warning we're coming tonight thieves come when you least expect it Jesus is coming soon the king of Israel old Micah said guys things are looking really bad here the city of Jerusalem is going to be destroyed but wait wait God's got a big plan way out there in the future he's going to lift the city of Jerusalem up and everybody's going to come to it and everybody's going to be worshiping our God's going to be great and the rulers from the old times before the world ever began he'll be born in Bethlehem and he'll sit on that throne and he's coming and when everybody heard Micah they probably thought that's ridiculous nobody will destroy us but Assyria comes through just shortly after this book and destroys them and probably everyone thought oh that little comment about Bethlehem Micah was a little bit off on that but later on in the New Testament you'll find out Micah wasn't off at all God was right say amen and then he says this the time is coming when I will send the king are you ready what did great and then
[35:10] I know I'll throw you up lightly and then if they stay against them and then the day looks up and then puts them here and then up here again and I know how did they turn to be Iandra and you