Welcome
to National Community Church online. My
name is Jon Vaughn and I'm the Campus
Pastor at our Potomac Yard
location. Thank you for spending a part
of this weekend
with us. From all of us here at NCC we
miss you.
We look forward to the day that we can
gather everyone back
together again, and that day will come,
but right now
we're stewarding a moment. And we're
calling this moment #NCCANYWHERE
So wherever you're at today, if
you're gathering with a small group,
or you're by yourself, we just want to
encourage you to fully engage
in the worship service this weekend.
We're continuing our series called
Unshaken,
on the book of Daniel, and I don't know
about you, but this series is actually
shaking me up in a good way.
Every week our community group gathers
together at a park
or online and we have these rich
discussions that come
out of some of the resources that are
given to us. To find those resources go
to ncc.re/unshaken. They are rich and I
just encourage you
to take on this posture that we see in
the life of Daniel and that is a
student posture. He has this holy
curiosity,
and a way of going through life to learn
what God is teaching him.
And I believe we have an opportunity
each day to be
students to the way of Jesus and our
cultural moment
and the people that God has put around
us. The student posture
is one that says I haven't arrived yet.
It's seeking the Lord to learn something
new about Him.
It's seeking to learn more about our
city and the neighbors who call it home.
It's learning new things about those
closest to us, regardless how much time
that we spent together. A student posture
goes through difficult moments and hard
conversations
to become better instead of bitter. So
this weekend
let us ask the Holy Spirit to teach and
lead us
into a posture as we worship together.
And remember
church, the best is yet to come.
For some of you that takes you back
to a place that you've been many times.
An altar
where you continue to offer yourself to
God.
And for some of you maybe this is your
moment to surrender your
life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Can I encourage you to do that? Right now
wherever you are
at just to surrender yourself to Him.
God will give you back so much more
than you surrender to Him. Love this song
we just sang.
We don't seek God's hand we seek God's
heart.
But can I let you in on a little secret?
Blessing
is God's most ancient instinct. Nothing
that God wants to do more than to bless
you.
Every spiritual blessing is ours
in Christ Ephesians 1. And so would you
receive that right now
in Jesus' name amen.
Well welcome to National Community
Church. If you are a guest
we want to help you take that next step
in your
spiritual journey ncc.re/connect.
If you attend one of our
seven campuses uh listen we cannot
wait until we can gather together
again. And on that note let me share
a little bit of an update. We find
ourselves in
August approaching the fall season.
And so let me start with some good news.
Our vision is bigger than building a
church. We want to bless a city.
And since this covid crisis began
we served more than 50,000 meals at our
DC Dream Center. You have given $365,000
to our relief fund. We have blessed
hundreds of people, dozens of
churches. More than 300 hands raised
at our online campus. People taking
a step of faith. And speaking of this
online campus
all 50 states and 68
nations represented. Grateful
for each and every one of you. Let me get
into
some logistics. Our original game plan
was to meet again in September, but
if you watch the news you know that this
covid crisis
is not cooperating. DC
is still stuck in phase two of its
reopening
plan. Public schools will be virtual
in DC, as well as many school districts
in Virginia and Maryland. And then all of
our
theater locations in DC and Virginia
are delaying those reopening
dates. So what do we do? Well
here is our game plan going into the
fall, and listen we reserve the right to
get smarter.
If we get a vaccine approved. If we
experience
herd immunity, we will call an
audible. But here's our plan. We will
continue to record
our online gathering on Thursday
nights. If and when DC enters a
phase three uh we will add
a live gathering. We will do Thursday
church.
We'll take reservations. We'll wear masks.
We will socially distance.
uh Not sure if and when that is going to
happen, but
if we get to that phase three we will
launch a live service 7:14 p.m on Thursday nights. And of course
we'll continue to offer
online and on demand services at
live.national.cc as well as our youtube
channel. That said, and this is pretty big
news,
might be surprising to some of you,
others maybe not,
but we will not gather on the weekend
at our campuses until 2021.
And I want to explain why. Tough decision
no doubt.
Lots of factors that are out of our
control.
Because most of our campuses meet in
rented facilities, but I want you to hear
what I'm about to say.
This is not a holding pattern.
The early church didn't even have a
building until the third century, and I
think they did
pretty well didn't they. We have an
opportunity
right now to reimagine church
and to jump the curve as we go
into 2021. Now I'll try to anticipate a
few questions.
Our small groups will continue to gather
online
and in person. NCC
Kids and NCC Youth have some amazing
things
up their sleeve. And if you want to get
connected there
ncc.re/kidsconnect. We're going to continue to
invest time and energy
in #nccanywhere. And we are
innovating something called NCC
Daily. I think our primary objective,
during this season,
is to help you find a daily rhythm
in your relationship with God. On
mission every day.
So many opportunities right now to put
the great commandment
and the great commission into practice.
You might even want to turn your house
into a house church.
Speaking of those folks that are in your
covid
circle, come on why don't you invite them
over for a little Sunday
brunch and hang out at live.national.cc?
Well clarity is so critical with
all of this uncertainty. And so
we will not gather on the weekend at our
campuses
until 2021. We will launch
Thursday church if and when we
enter a phase three.
uh We'll continue to provide
an online experience, in fact we're going
to add
a worship experience to
the mix. We'll continue to gather in the
Upper Zoom. We'll have
some incredible small groups available
uh this fall and we will start rolling
this
out in the month of September.
Now very aware that not everybody has
access to technology. um Listen we we do
the Living Room at Ebenezer's for our
friends experiencing homelessness
every week. We are dialed in.
And uh and listen if you need relief, if
you need
counseling, if you need
prayer our pastoral staff, our prayer
team,
our care team. Listen we are absolutely
available. uh We want to serve you
in any way that we can. Now I'm guessing
there are probably a few questions. Maybe
even
a couple concerns. We will continue
to update you at NCC.RE/COVID
we're gonna find our way forward. In fact
I'm gonna one up it.
The best is yet to come.
We're going to serve our city. We are
going to love
our neighbors, and here's what I believe.
We're going to see
God's kingdom come in some new
and novel ways and His
kingdom is going to advance
during this season. You can't go to
church, you
are the church. And we're living it
right now. Ready or not here we go.
I was 21 years old. I was a student
at Central Bible College. On the weekends
our basketball team
would travel to different churches.
Our team would form a choir,
not sure I would call it singing.
We would make a joyful noise
unto the Lord. We would teach Sunday
School and
and one of us would get to preach. One of
the first sermons I ever preached from
behind
a pulpit was at a little country
church in Max Creek, Missouri.
I got up and I laid down
an entire timeline for the
end times. I was taking
a class in eschatology that semester.
Felt like I had it all figured out. I
owe that pastor an apology
in the eschaton. Okay because the next
class
of the next week my timeline
totally changed. All of that to say this
with everything that is happening in our
world right now it just seems like a
little eschatology
is apropos. And I'll do my best to give
us a plot line and a timeline.
But I do so with a high degree
of humility. I said this two weeks ago.
It's not about figuring out who the
antichrist
is, or when the rapture is going to
happen.
That isn't the issue. The issue is this.
Are you ready for the second
coming of Jesus Christ?
We got to get our A game on. We are here
for such a time as this. We are here for
such a place
as this. We are agents of the apocalypse.
It is
our job to usher in
the eschaton. To do everything within our
power to see His kingdom come,
His will be done on earth as
it is in heaven.
Let me set the scene. Verse one of Daniel
chapter nine.
In the first year of Darius the mede son
of Xerxes. The the year is
539 BC, and there is a new sheriff
in town. Now we have already met him. It's
Darius who threw
Daniel into the lion's den.
At this point Daniel has taken more than
80 trips
around the sun, been there done that. Long
obedience in the same direction.
But there is still a lot of gas left
in the tank. Listen I hope this inspires
someone. You never
age out in the Kingdom of God. You are
never
passed your prime. I love this story about
Pablo Casales, one of the greatest
cellists of all time,
played a concert for Queen Victoria
when he was 22, and then played for
President Kennedy when he was 86.
Well into his 80s he's still practicing
four
or five hours a day.
When someone asked to him why he said
because I think I'm making progress.
Come on I love that approach and I think
that's who
Daniel is. Well into his 80s, but he's
still learning, he's still studying, he's
still praying, he's still prophesying,
he is still dreaming.
How do we know this?  Verse 2.
In the first year of his reign I Daniel
understood from the sacred books,
according to the word of the Lord given
to Jeremiah,
that the desolation of Israel would last
70 years.
A couple of questions that I've been
asking an awful lot
in recent weeks. What is God saying
during this season? What is God doing
in His church in this
nation? Well some things i'm pretty sure
God is waking us up. God is shaking us
up. He is shaking up false securities,
false identities,
false narratives, false idols, false
ideologies. I think that
God is activating gifts
of the Holy Spirit. I'm believing for a
supernatural
demonstration of His love and
His power. I think God is calling
us to radical repentance. God is
reprioritizing
prayer. I think God is raising up a
remnant.
I think God is getting us out of our
weekly mindset.
Listen we want Acts 2:47 right? God added
to the church daily. While we just do
what we do once a week.
No it's not going to work that way.
Listen it's about finding
a daily rhythm in our relationship with
God and then finally I think God is
decentralizing His church. Once again
you are the priesthood of believers. You
are
the company of prophets.
We've been studying this old testament
prophet named Daniel
and we're asking this question:
How do we cultivate a prophetic imagination?
How do we grow in this prophetic gifting?
Now Moses said I wish that all the
Lord's people
were prophets. And so that includes you.
In Judaism the prophetic gifting was not
reserved
for the few, the proud, the marines ooh rah.
The prophetic gifting was the end goal
of mental and spiritual
development. Maturity =
Prophecy. And then we use this
gift to speak words of edification,
and comfort, and encouragement.
Well this is where I want to go old
school. We'll talk about eschatology at
the end
but I want to share two best practices
that will
help you cultivate this prophetic
gifting
in your life. Two daily habits that.
Listen Daniel models
like Zoolander. There are two things
Daniel does
every day. One is explicit. One is
implicit. Daniel prayed three times a day
like clockwork. And we'll see that in
verse three,
but verse 2 is telling. It says that
Daniel
understood, from the sacred books
according to the word of the lord given
to Jeremiah. Let me parkmobile right
here.
I don't want to read anything in the
scripture that's not there.
That's called eisegesis. But I have no
doubt that Daniel
had a daily habit of getting into
God's word. In Judaism very few things of
more importance than the
daily study of Torah.
According to the talmud the study of
Torah was considered
of more importance than the daily
sacrifice. In fact a single day devoted
to
Torah outweighed a thousand
sacrifices. The study of Torah was on par
with honoring one's parents, which is one
of the ten commandments.
And then one rabbinic tradition goes so
far as to say that the gentile who
studies the Torah
is on par with the high priest.
In Judaism unique approach to scripture
called PARDES.
It's an acronym. It stands for uh these
four levels of learning. Or four
stages of study. Now listen the Jewish
hermeneutic a lot more about
exploration than explanation. A lot more
about
discovery than didactic.
You'll find these uh in your note tabs.
Level one
is Peshat, it is the plain reading
of scripture. And this is a great place
to start. Highly recommend
a Bible reading plan. In fact
fun fact I am on day 277
of my daily bible reading plan, and it
has me
today, the day that I'm preaching this
message,
in Daniel 9. Come on you got to love it.
What timing.
And I've found this so many moments
throughout the year where
it's just right on
time. And so if you don't have a plan you
can check out
youversion online. If you're a little bit
more auditory you can check out the
dwell
app. Either way get a plan, work
the plan, but don't stop there. Bible
wasn't meant to be read
by itself, was meant to be prayed through,
meditated on,
and put into practice. Now level two
is Remez, which literally means hint.
It's almost like putting something under
the microscope,
or turning a kaleidoscope. Jewish Rabbi
said that every word of scripture has 70
faces,
and 600,000 meanings. One way
to reveal those facets
is pull out a concordance and go back to
the original languages Hebrew
and Greek. And I've got some good news
you don't have to go to seminary to do
this. There are so many
unbelievable study tools online.
Bible Gateway, Bible Hub, Bible Project uh
great ways to remez
the scripture. The third level is
Deresh
I would liken this to a google search
that produces
lots of links. A lot of hyperlinks
between
the book of Daniel for example and the
book
of Revelation. And I'll share a few of
those a little bit later on.
I think Deresh is connecting the dots
between the old
and new testament. And this is one of the
most fundamental rules in hermeneutics,
let scripture interpret
scripture. And then finally level four
is Sod. And you can't skip
to stage four. You've got to
study to show yourself approved.
Rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy
2:15. This is where we need the
quickening
of the Holy Spirit. Now a good sermon
it'll give you level one, level two, and
level three. Level four
newsflash pass my pay grade. This is
where we need a
spirit of wisdom, and
revelation. Good news same spirit that
inspired those
writers inspires us as readers. And so
the spirit of God
at work on both sides of that equation.
Call it a revelation. I call it a
prompting. Call it a God idea.
We've got to get into God's word. We've
got to get God's word
into us. and when we do
some good things happen. Thy word have I
hid
in my heart. Psalm 119 that I might not
sin against thee.
Sod is about getting truth from here
to here. It's a long distance from here
to here. It's about getting it from
our head to our heart. I think the
principles
of scripture then begin to form our
conscience. And the promises of scripture
they begin to form our convictions.
And that's how you get the mind and the
heart
of Christ. And you become more
and more prophetic in the process. And I
just pray that right now for every
single person who is listening to this
message. A
cultivation of that prophetic gifting
in Jesus' name. What does that have to do
with Daniel? Well verse 3
is a rather rare occurrence where
one writer of scripture references
another writer
of scripture. Now the catalyst for these
different dreams that Daniel has
they're pretty varied right? I mean some
are the byproduct of prayer and
fasting, some are these angelic
visitations, you've got handwriting
on the wall, but this one is
unique. In this instance the revelation
I would suggest is the result of peshat,
remez, and deresh. And then it results
in this sod where Daniel
gets this word from God.
We are people of the book and we've got
to keep going
back to the book because that's where
the Holy Spirit
does his best work. And so best guess
Daniel is probably studying Jeremiah 29.
Now I'll unpack this a little bit in our
q&a, but this is where we get
our theology of the city. A false prophet
named Hananiah says that they're only
going to be in captivity
two years. Jeremiah calls them on the
carpet says no
it's going to be 70 years. Now if you
have a two-year mindset you aren't even
gonna unpack your suitcase.
But if you have a 70-year mindset, ah
that's a different game. And so
Jeremiah says plant gardens and build
houses. In other words don't
rent the city, own the city.
Put down roots, do things that will make
a difference 70 years
from now. He says seek the peace and the
prosperity of the city. What city?
Well he's writing to the exiles in
Babylon.
We are not just trying to build a church
we are trying to bless
a city to the third and fourth
generation. We are playing
the long game. We think right here right
now.
God is thinking nations
and generations. Now I am absolutely
convinced
God is making a move right now. I know a lot of us are concerned. Wow
what's happening
up in here. You know we would prefer the
status quo.
No, no, no we're going to see His kingdom
come.
In some new and novel ways we are going
to
see in Jesus name a demonstration.
Supernatural demonstration
of love and power. God is renewing His
deeds
in our day. And our job.
Come on, our job is to stay grounded
in God's good book. Why? Because
God is watching over His word to perform
it.
Jeremiah 1:12.
As a church we are committed to racial
unity.
We are the peacemakers. We are
the ministers of reconciliation. We are
praying the pledge one nation
under God indivisible with liberty and
justice
for all.
Our multicultural team. I want you to
know
we are leaning in, like every day, we're
leaning into this.
Every day we are praying into this.
But you know what? There aren't any
shortcut solutions.
We've got to play the long game. Why? For
that third
and fourth generation. Can we believe
together that we would live up to some
of the aspirations
that we have as a church. But we know
what we're aiming at
Revelation 7:9. Every nation, every tribe
every people,
every language, worshiping around
the throne. Verse 3.
I set my face to the Lord God to seek
Him by
prayer and petition, with fasting
and sackcloth, and
ashes. What do you do when you get a
vision from God? When God quickens His
word? When you get a God idea?
I think you do this. I think you set your
face to seek God
by prayer and petition. In my experience
the more you pray, the bigger you dream.
And then the bigger you dream, the more
you have to
pray. Listen it's a God-sized dream that
keeps us
on our knees in daily dependence
upon Him. Now the next 17 verses
contain one of the longest recorded
prayers
in the bible. Wish I had time to unpack
this entire prayer.
Falls into the category of a communal
penitentiary prayer. It's a prayer for
mercy. It's a prayer for justice.
You read it and you'll find radical
repentance.
This is huge. And radical
dependence. Now you'll find an outline
in your notes tab, maybe we'll unpack
this
in that q&a but powerful pattern and
very timely template for prayer.
Four things you've got. A corporate
confession
of sin. You've got a
declaration of God's character.
You've got an articulation of Israel's
predicament, and you've got a petition
for divine intervention.
We need to be praying this prayer right
about now. Now two things that I sense
in my spirit. Last week I did a two-day
silent
retreat. A little bit of ear cleansing
opportunity just to
lean in and listen to God. And I felt
like one thing that the Lord spoke to my
my spirit was Mark
My house will be called a house of
prayer for all people.
When do you see most Jesus most animated
in the gospels? I'll tell you it's when
He throws down at the temple. Do you
remember this moment? He turns over some
tables.
He drives out the money changers. I love
this.
Does it with a homemade whip, jump back
Indiana
Jones. Now He gets so
riled up. Why? Because they have
turned the house of prayer into
something else and he says I'm going to
take it back to its
original intent, a house of prayer for
all people. Ethnos every language, tribe,
people, nation and I feel like the Lord
has spoken a word to me.
A word to us as a church.
If you will turn this into a house of
prayer
I'll turn it into a house of healing, a
house of dreams,
a house of miracles, a house of
reconciliation for
all people. And if you believe that right
now I don't care where you are
would you say amen.
That's what Daniel does. Daniel couldn't
go to the temple, the temple is 900 miles
away. And Daniel is socially distanced.
Okay
what does he do? Check this out.
He literally turns his house into
a house of prayer. Now there's an
idea
during this covid crisis.
Listen Daniel climbs the stairs, he
opens the window towards Jerusalem,
he kneels next to his bed,
and he prays three times
a day.  Powerful!
Listen, the only ceiling
on your intimacy with God, your impact on
the world, is daily spiritual disciplines.
Get enough people praying this way,
revival is inevitable.
Revival is going to happen one way or
the other.
Gypsy Smith a revivalist, hundred years
ago,
said this, "Go home, you're already home
good start. Go home, lock yourself
in your room, kneel down in the middle of
the floor, and with
a piece of chalk draw a circle
around yourself. There
on your knees pray fervently
and brokenly that God would start a
revival
in that circle."
Would you draw that circle? Would you
believe with me
for personal revival in your life.
For reformation in the church. For a
renaissance
in our culture.
Listen we're gonna have to re-dig some
ancient wells. We're gonna have to
rebuild some ancient ruins. We're gonna
have to retrace
some ancient past.
Now the second thing that I sense is
that God
is bringing us into a contending
season. We need to press in and pray
through. We need to pray through
until the breakthrough. Now listen
I have no issue with short prayers
before
meals okay. I think it's good stewardship.
I think you ought to eat
food while it's hot. This is not the time
for intercession. It's time to eat. Can I
get another
amen! But there are moments, there are
seasons where we need to contend in
prayer. Where we need to rise up by
kneeling
down. Moments where we need to double
down
and double over in prayer
like Daniel Psalm 35.
All my limbs shall say Lord
who is like you? Another translation
says all my bones. Now Jewish rabbis
took this literally. There was a
physicality
to their prayer. In Judaism you have
standing
prayers, you have bowing prayers where
you
bow the knee, but you also bow your upper
body,
and then there are swaying prayers. Now
the first time I went to Jerusalem
you go to the Western Wall, you can't
miss this. There's a certain swaying that
happens in prayer. Now
I don't think that contending prayer has
to be louder necessarily. I don't think
it has to be
longer. I don't think you have to use
King James
english, you know fancy theological words.
Listen some of the most powerful prayers
you can pray are one
word prayers. and by the way that's what
Daniel does right at the end in verse
19.
Oh Lord hear.
Oh Lord forgive.
Oh Lord act.
So simple.
So powerful. Wow
just having this firing in my synapses
there's some
hymn we used to sing that one word
will fell him, the enemy. You go look it
up. Google it and help me out.
Believe that.
Along with that Bible reading plan that
I encourage you to download.
Listen can I extend an invitation
Tuesday, W,ednesday, Thursday
we gather in an Upper Zoom. Hundreds of
us. If you want to be discipled
in this spiritual discipline of prayer
it's an amazing way to do that. Come on
Daniel had an upper room, we have an
Upper Zoom. Let's get our game on. Now let
me flip this script.
Prayer is the difference between you
fighting for God
and God fighting
for you. Some of you, you're so tired.
You're so discouraged. You've been trying
to fight your own battles.
Listen you weren't meant to do that. It's
not by might,
nor by power, but by My spirit
saith the Lord. Oh Spirit of God
breakthrough
the person who needs it right now. Break
through with hope,
and love, and grace,
and power. The battle
belongs to the Lord.
In this same Psalm, Psalm 35 verse 23.
Here's what it says, awake and rise to my
defense.
Here it is. Are you ready? Contend.
Contend. Contend for me my God
and Lord. Long before you woke up this
morning,
long after you go to sleep tonight.
Spirit of God is contending for you
with groanings that cannot be put into
words.
Right now Jesus is at the right hand of
the Father contending on your behalf.
Two thirds of the Holy Trinity
contending to the other third
on your behalf. This is where
our holy confidence comes from.
This is what wakes us up in the morning.
This is what
keeps us going at night.
Far more power, far more authority
than you realize.  A little bit of history
right here.
September 7, 1774. Continental Congress
held its first official meeting
at Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia.
First official act, prayer.
And this was no perfunctory
prayer. That first session of congress
turned into an
old-fashioned prayer meeting.
Ear witnesses said that they heard
them praying several blocks away.
Eyewitnesses said that Henry, Randolph,
Rutledge,
Lee, and Jay were doubled
over as they bowed in reverence before
God. Not surprisingly
George Washington ended up on his knees,
a
posture that he was prone to take.
The pastor who led the prayer that
morning was Dr.
Jacob Duche'. His text?
The very verse that we just cited.
Contend
for me
my God and Lord. Let me switch gears
verse 21 while I was praying
Gabriel, who I saw in an earlier vision,
came swiftly to me
at the time of the evening sacrifice.
Gabriel makes a few cameos. Shows up to
Zechariah. Announces John the Baptist.
Appears to Mary announces the immaculate
conception.
um You know angels are ministering
spirits. By the way I love the fact that
he reminds Daniel you are greatly
beloved.
Can I remind you today you're greatly beloved
by God. And then reveals this vision
to Daniel. Now when you get to the book
of Revelation
lots of angels in the outfield. Okay they
blow trumpets, they open seals, they pour
out bowls of
judgment. They bind our ancient enemy and
they form this angelic
circle of worship around the throne of
God.
Let me go to verse 24. A period of 70
sets of seven has been decreed
for your people and your holy city to
finish
their rebellion. To put an end to their
sin. To atone for their guilt.
To bring in everlasting righteousness. To
confirm the prophetic vision,
and to anoint the most holy
place. Now the angel says 70 weeks or 77
and it adds up, if you do the math, to 490
years. Now let me be honest
we don't know for sure whether to take
this literally
or figuratively. Seven is the number of
completion
in scripture, but one way or the other
God is saying
my discipline has to run its course. And
then Daniel prophesies the rebuilding of
the temple.
Then we get to the last two verses and
we're going to close with this, and we're
going to move fast.
Verse 26 after the 62 7's the anointed
one will be put to death and we'll have
nothing. The people
of the ruler who will come will destroy
the city, and the sanctuary.
The end will come like a flood. War will
continue until the end.
And desolations have been decreed. He
will confirm
a covenant with many for one seven. In
the middle of that
seven he will put an end to sacrifice
and offering.
And at the temple he will set up. Here it
is.
An abomination that causes desolation.
Until the end that is decreed is
poured out on him. Now this phrase, the
abomination that causes
desolation, pops up a few times in the
book of Daniel. Maybe,
just maybe, it's time for us to unpack
that prophecy. Now in eschatology, stick
with me,
there is a concept called dual
fulfillment.
Many prophecies fulfilled not once
or even twice some even thrice. One
way to think of dual fulfillment is
driving towards
a mountain range and from a distance it
just looks like one mountain right?
But you get a little bit closer and you
realize that they're actually a couple
of mountain ranges with
a valley in between.
A lot of scholars believe that the first
fulfillment of this prophecy
happens in 168 BC.
When this little horn that is referenced
in Daniel 7
uh Antiochus Epiphanes invades
Jerusalem. Now he plunders the temple,
he takes everything. Okay including
the curtain between the Holy Place and
the Most Holy Place. He sets up a
statue to Zeus and then he
sacrifices a pig on the altar.
And he makes the Israelites eat the
unclean
parts.
He outlaws circumcision. He outlaws the
reading
of Torah. This is the abomination that
causes desolation and if you know your
Jewish history it actually
leads to this Maccabean revolt.
Now fast forward to the Olivet Discourse.
Jesus is speaking apocalyptically
of the end times and he references
Daniel. And
you see this abomination that causes
desolation
and Jesus says
pay attention. When you see this
abomination that causes desolation
spoken of by the prophet Daniel
pay attention. Well I thought this
already happened?
Well that was the first fulfillment, but
it's gonna happen all over again
in 70 AD when Rome lays siege to
Jerusalem. They set up
in idol to Zeus. They sacrifice
sheep, oxen, and pigs on the altar.
Can you say deja vu? Now I know that this
all sounds like history, but listen
history is prophecy.
And and we'll see this later in the
series as we get
uh further into the book of Revelation.
Bottom line prophecy is a little bit
like jazz. It doesn't
really resolve. It's kind of like this
dangling participle. It's like this
hanging
chad. What we know for sure is Revelation 11:15
the kingdoms of this world are becoming
the Kingdom of our Lord and
Christ and He shall reign
forever and ever.
I believe that the next plot twist. That
the next
inciting incident may very well be
the rapture of God's church. In fact can
I tell you two things I'm praying
a lot. Come Holy Spirit.
And we sang it in the first song, come
quickly
Lord Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 4 We're
almost done. The Lord Himself will
descend with a shout, with the voice of
the archangel, with the trumpet call of
God. The dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are still alive, and left
will be caught up together with them to
meet the Lord
in the air. That phrase caught up is
where we get this idea of
rapture. um I'll leave this for the q&a
but listen, I believe in a pre-wrath
rapture. I think it happens between the
sixth and seventh
seal in Revelation 7. And
we'll talk more about it. Bottom line,
don't lose faith in the end of the story.
So much for us to look forward
to. The best is yet to come.
God's got this. God's got you. May His
Kingdom come.
May His will be done. On earth as it is
in heaven.
in Jesus' name
amen.
I encourage you as we sing this next
song that wherever you are. Whether
you're at home.
Whether in your car.
Whether you're in a space where you're
with a group of friends.
That we posture our hearts
in repentance. That we posture our hearts
for prayer.
That we posture ourselves in a space
where we allow the Holy Spirit to have
His way.
If God can breathe
into the dust and form Adam.
What can He do with you? He's the potter.
You're the clay. Would you let Him
mold you, and make you
into something beautiful.
I don't know when our team wrote this
song, it was many years ago.
We're going to keep singing it.
We keep declaring it. We're going to keep
believing it.
I've got some good news. Are you ready
for this? Revival is so
close. It's so close. I'm going to show
you how close it is. Are you ready?
It's about the distance from your knees
to the ground.
Come on wherever you are right now
would you just allow God to revive
some things that have died in you. Some
of those
dreams. Some of those hopes. Some of those
emotions.
Whatever it is right now Holy Spirit
would you come
and do your profound work
within us. Now I want you to hear me.
I'm so grateful for doctors. I'm so
grateful for
counselors. Doctors have saved my life
many times. I appreciate the counselor
I'm seeing right now. Okay they're
helping me with some of my issues.
I also know that there are some things
that
only the Holy Spirit can accomplish
in your life. And I make no apologies for
that.
The good news is He wants to do it. So
Holy Spirit
come. Come Holy Spirit.
Come Holy Spirit.
Come in Your strength and Your power.
Come in Your own special way.
You know us. You love
us. Would you fill
us and transform
us in Jesus name.
That rapture that I talked about.
Are you ready? Are you ready?
Listen how do I get ready?
You make sure you're in right
relationship with the God who is coming.
Now listen He's proved His love to us at
Calvary's cross.
If we confess with our mouth, Jesus is
Lord, and believe in our heart that God
raised Him from the dead, we shall be
saved.
This is your moment right now. If you're
at our online campus would you just
raise that hand.
We want to pray with you and pray for
you. Would you have the courage
to take that step of faith and we want
to be with you for this journey. If you
need
prayer our prayer team is ready and
waiting. We're going to sing one more
song, if you need to just spend some time
on your knees, you just stay right where
you're at.
God's gonna move in us and through us.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord
turn His face towards you, and be
gracious towards you.
May the Lord turn His countenance
towards you
and give you peace. In Jesus' name amen.
