Under The Shade Of The Palm - Fred Price - March 25th, 2024
Transcript
00:00 Just for a second, on this Palm Sunday, Exodus 15, verse 27.
00:11 And this is the first time the palm is mentioned in Scripture.
00:16 The palm tree is mentioned in Scripture.
00:20 And this is after deliverance out of Egyptian bondage and Moses has led the children of
00:27 Israel through the parted Red Sea.
00:31 And they're singing songs of victory and songs of rejoicing.
00:37 And then we make our way in Scripture to the account of the bitter waters of Moriah.
00:44 And then we find ourselves in this 27th verse, final verse of Exodus 15, and it reads, "Then
00:50 they came to Elim, where there were 12 wells of water and 70 palm trees.
00:57 So they camped there by the waters."
01:00 This is the first time we see the word palm trees or palm, the palm tree or the palm branch
01:07 mentioned in Scripture.
01:11 But I'm hoping that you noticed what I noticed in this 27th verse.
01:18 Did you see the numbers in this verse?
01:22 How many wells of water?
01:25 12.
01:27 Is that a coincidence?
01:31 How many palm trees?
01:33 Is that a coincidence?
01:36 Did not Jesus first send out 12 and then send out 70?
01:41 Gave them His authority to cast out demons and heal all type and manner of sickness and
01:47 disease?
01:50 And we've seen the number 12 in Scripture numerous times, not just with the 12 holy
01:55 apostles but 12 sons of Israel that would produce the 12 tribes of Israel.
02:01 We also know that as a result of these two specific biblical occurrences of 12 that biblically
02:10 it is the number of government.
02:11 12 is the number of government.
02:13 And then the number 70, we see 70 as I mentioned, the 70 who were sent out after the 12.
02:19 Over in Genesis chapter 10, the table of nations, there are 70 nations mentioned.
02:26 70 seems to be a number of a period of judgment but it also seems to be a generational number.
02:34 Remember what the psalmist said, "Our years would be 70," right?
02:39 If reasoned by strength 80 but 70 as a given.
02:48 So there's much significance with these numbers in Scripture.
02:53 Water can be symbolic of cleansing, it could be a symbol of the Holy Spirit, symbolic of
03:01 the Word of God.
03:03 And then we'll talk about the palm and its meaning as we progress throughout the lesson.
03:12 Now take a look at Deuteronomy.
03:15 Find Deuteronomy 34.
03:24 Verse 1, Deuteronomy 34, 1.
03:27 You all good out there?
03:32 You awake?
03:34 Did you sleep well?
03:39 Did you enjoy the wind?
03:43 Mixed reactions, okay.
03:47 They said it would rain, instead the wind came.
03:52 Deuteronomy 34, verse 1, it reads, "Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount
03:59 Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho.
04:08 And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali in the land of
04:15 Ephraim and Manasseh.
04:19 All the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the south and the plain of the valley
04:23 of Jericho, the city of palm trees."
04:27 I thought that was Los Angeles.
04:33 Or maybe Miami.
04:35 No, here we just read in this third verse, the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city
04:43 of palm trees.
04:46 I like how that sounds.
04:49 Says "As far as Zoar, then the Lord said to him, 'This is the land of which I swore
04:53 to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants.
04:57 I've caused you to see it with your eyes.'"
05:01 But how many of you know Moses was not permitted or able to enter into the promised land?
05:10 That would be Joshua that would lead them.
05:14 Says "I've caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there."
05:19 Verse five, "So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab according
05:24 to the word of the Lord.
05:27 And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth Peor, but no one knows
05:32 his grave to this day."
05:35 How come no one knows?
05:39 Verse six just told us why no one knows.
05:42 I've touched on this before.
05:45 Did you catch that?
05:46 Did you see who buried Moses?
05:48 God.
05:50 Oh, what kind of life did you live that God buried you?
06:01 And there are a number of theories that I've presented before, and I won't get into that
06:06 super deep stuff today.
06:09 But I will give you one thing to consider.
06:14 Why God buried Moses.
06:16 You all remember he spent time on the mountaintop.
06:20 Now we know he was up there 40 days and 40 nights, but what we may forget or what some
06:25 of us may not have known is that he would frequent the mountaintop after the 40 days
06:29 and 40 nights.
06:32 And he was immersed in the glory of God, and I believe it changed his physical nature.
06:38 It changed his makeup on a cellular level.
06:43 Look at what the next verse says.
06:44 "Moses was 120 years old when he died.
06:49 His eyes were not dim, nor his natural vigor diminished, because infused in his DNA was
07:01 the glory of God."
07:05 There's a Scripture later in the book of Jude that says that the devil contested Michael
07:09 about the body of Moses.
07:12 Probably had something to do with this.
07:15 But our focus today is the palm, and we see here in this third verse that the plain of
07:21 the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar, the Scripture says.
07:27 And now let's take a look at Judges.
07:31 Judges chapter 4, when Israel became a nation, God wanting them to be distinctly different
07:44 than the heathens, the Gentiles, established that they would be governed by judges.
07:53 The pagans were judged by kings, ruled by kings, but God's will was for Israel to be
08:02 governed by judges.
08:04 Leaders, the judges occupied the leadership position, but it made Israel ruled and governed
08:15 in a way that was distinctly different than the rest of the nations.
08:20 So here in Judges chapter 4, we read about one in particular, and this judge was a woman.
08:31 I'll pause there for a second.
08:38 A woman, by the will of God, judged Israel, had a term judging Israel.
08:48 Look at verse 1, Judges chapter 4.
08:53 It says, "When Ehud was dead, the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the
08:59 Lord."
09:00 How often did they do evil in the sight of the Lord?
09:02 A whole lot.
09:03 "So the Lord sold them into the hand of Yabin, king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor.
09:11 The commander of his army was Cicera, who dwelt in Harashelph, Haggain.
09:18 And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, for Yabin had 900 chariots of iron,
09:24 and for 20 years he had harshly oppressed the children of Israel."
09:29 Now Deborah, Deborah, a prophetess, she was a prophetess also.
09:41 The wife of Lappidoth was judging Israel at the time.
09:47 She was a boss.
09:50 And notice this, "She would sit under the palm tree of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel,
10:01 and the mountains of Ephraim, and the children of Israel would come to her for judgment."
10:07 It says she would sit where?
10:09 Under the palm tree.
10:13 And that is our lesson for today, under the shade of the palm tree.
10:20 What is so significant about the palm tree?
10:25 What is so significant about the palm branches?
10:30 Well let's get into this day, many of us know as Palm Sunday.
10:35 Incorporately, as and since being pastor of this illustrious ministry, I have never specifically
10:45 taken the time to focus a message or even a day on Palm Sunday.
10:52 But again, Palm Sunday took place seven days before the resurrection.
10:57 Seven.
10:59 Look at John chapter 12 and find verse 12.
11:09 John chapter 12, verse 12.
11:14 Our dancers were waving their branches.
11:17 Why?
11:19 Why were they doing that?
11:20 What does that mean?
11:21 Is there some significance?
11:26 What is the reason?
11:27 John 12.
11:30 Find verse day.
11:36 It is most believed by scholars that these first three words in John 12, 12, the next
11:44 day, is referring to Sunday, the beginning of what would be known as Passion Week.
11:53 Imagine seeing The Passion of the Christ, a movie that focused on the last 12 hours
11:59 of the earthly life of our Messiah before he was crucified, killed, and of course defeated
12:05 death and would be resurrected by the power of the Holy Spirit.
12:11 This next day was the beginning of the Passion Week, Sunday.
12:19 And it says the next day, a great multitude that had come to the feast, that had come
12:26 to the feast.
12:30 There was a feast.
12:32 It says when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem and this feast would have been
12:41 Passover, one of the high holy days, one of the high Sabbaths, they heard that Jesus was
12:50 coming to Jerusalem.
12:52 Again, the next day, a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard, when
12:59 they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they did what?
13:06 They took, they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him and they cried out
13:15 something.
13:16 Why, again, why the palm branches to go out and meet him?
13:21 Why go out and meet him?
13:25 And when going out to meet him, why the palm branches?
13:31 It says they took branches of palm trees and they went out to meet him and they cried out,
13:36 "Hosanna!
13:37 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!"
13:47 This exclamation of adoration, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of Israel, the King
13:56 of Israel!"
13:57 Sounds to me like the multitude is crying out to Jesus that he is the King of Israel.
14:07 Well, this would definitely be problematic for, for the Herods who were occupying the
14:15 throne of Israel.
14:16 Again, they didn't have a, a genealogical right to the throne.
14:21 They were not Israelites.
14:22 They were of the seed of Esau, not the seed of Jacob.
14:26 So they, they did not have a genealogical right to the throne, but, but in a sense they,
14:32 they had a legal right because Rome was policing the world and so Rome placed the Herods there.
14:38 You recall Herod the Great around the time of the birth of Jesus.
14:43 And so he, he had sons and the Herods would, would serve terms as, as King of Israel, but
14:49 they really were not the kings of Israel.
14:54 The multitude is crying out with their palm branches, waving their palm branches towards
15:01 the actual King of Israel.
15:03 Verse 14 says, "Then Jesus, when he found a young donkey, sat on it, as it is written,
15:09 'Fear not, daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming,' sitting on a donkey's colt."
15:18 His disciples didn't understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, this
15:26 is John speaking of, speaking ahead of, of what happened after he was resurrected.
15:32 It says when he was glorified, then they, they remembered these things.
15:36 Here's one way we could read this.
15:37 We can read it like this.
15:39 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus would be glorified,
15:47 they would remember.
15:51 Because at the time in which we're reading John, Jesus had yet to be crucified.
15:58 But John is speaking ahead towards his crucifixion saying that once he's glorified, because the
16:03 glorification follows the resurrection, the resurrection follows the death.
16:08 Once glorified, they would remember these things.
16:12 These things that were written about him and that they had done these things to him.
16:19 Therefore the people who were with him when he called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised
16:24 him from the dead bore witness.
16:28 For this reason, the people also met him because they heard that he had done this sign.
16:37 Then verse 19 says, "The Pharisees therefore said among themselves," that's what messy
16:47 people do, they talk amongst themselves.
16:53 Can't wait to get together to be messy.
16:58 "The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, 'You see that you are accomplishing nothing,
17:07 you haven't stopped him.
17:09 Look, the world has gone after him.'"
17:14 Well, clearly not the entirety of the world, but you know how the word world can be used
17:24 figuratively or it could be used generally, maybe not always specifically.
17:33 Many of us at least at at least one point in our life, we've made this statement or
17:40 we've asked this question, "Where in the world are you?"
17:46 Now if we really meant that, it's a lot of world we would have to traverse to find whoever
17:52 we're looking for.
17:56 My dad used to say, "What in the world are you doing?"
18:02 The Pharisees said, "Look, the world has gone after him."
18:06 Oh, a lot went after him.
18:09 Pharisees didn't go after him, so they weren't talking about themselves.
18:16 Back to verse 13, "Why the palm branches?"
18:19 Well, by waving palm branches, which was a Jewish national symbol.
18:30 How many of you know that there were a number of trees or branches that represented Israel
18:38 in specific ways?
18:41 Come on Bible students, help me out.
18:44 Name me one tree.
18:46 Talk to me, there we go.
18:48 The olive tree.
18:51 Anyone else?
18:52 Fig tree.
18:53 You guys know your stuff.
18:57 That's right.
18:58 Palm as well, another Jewish national symbol.
19:03 It says, "By waving palm branches, the people hailed Jesus as the Davidic king."
19:12 The king coming by way of the line of David.
19:17 Matthew's gospel account opens up with the genealogy of Jesus, and there are two specific
19:24 titles given to him in the beginning of that genealogy.
19:28 Number one, son of Abraham, and also son of David.
19:35 As a matter of fact, there is a prophecy in Isaiah chapter 11, verse 1 and 2, which reads—actually
19:41 specifically in verse 1—and it reads this way, "There will be a rod and a stem from
19:50 the root of Jesse."
19:53 Who is Jesse?
19:54 Father of David.
19:56 That rod, capital R, that branch, capital B, was prophetic dialogue, prophetic symbolic
20:05 language referring to our Messiah.
20:08 Jesus is the rod and the branch that stems from Jesse by way of David.
20:16 That's why he's the son of David.
20:18 That's why he is a Davidic king.
20:21 So by waving palm branches, again a Jewish national symbol, the people hailed Jesus as
20:27 the Davidic king, hoping that Jesus is the promised Messiah.
20:35 Most of the crowd then would have understood the reason for shouting out "King of Israel."
20:44 But the sense that they would have shouted it out and the manner in which it would have
20:50 been heard would have been from more of a political or military standpoint, because
20:59 the Jews were looking for the Messiah to free them from the Roman rule of order.
21:08 Whoever this Messiah is will free us from our slavers or free us from those who are
21:16 lording over us.
21:18 Well, as we know, Jesus lived his life and he died to take away the sin of the world,
21:24 but he did not immediately, by his death, take away Roman rule.
21:32 And that's why there were so many that rejected him.
21:38 They would hope that Jesus would use his amazing powers to resist Roman rule and lead the nation
21:44 to independence.
21:45 But like Caiaphas, they spoke better than they knew, as his disciples later understood.
21:58 Notice in verse 14 and 15, Jesus is depicted as the humble shepherd.
22:05 See, Jesus was a shepherd king just like David.
22:10 God told David to "shepherd my people Israel."
22:13 You know, David was a shepherd before he became a king.
22:18 And his shepherding practices were utilized in his kingship.
22:23 He was a shepherd king.
22:25 Jesus, the great shepherd, the chief shepherd, pastors all across the world who claim, who
22:32 say, like myself, that the Lord has called us to his church.
22:37 We are identified as shepherds, but more specifically, under-shepherds, submitted to the chief shepherd.
22:49 There is only one arch.
22:54 Only one.
22:57 Now you might want to figure out how to do this respectfully, but if you come across
23:01 an archbishop, just let them know you're not an archbishop.
23:09 You're not the arch.
23:10 There's only one arch.
23:11 Arche in the Greek, meaning what?
23:13 Chief.
23:14 There's only one chief bishop, chief shepherd, chief pastor, chief prophet, chief apostle,
23:20 chief evangelist, chief teacher, chief elder, chief of—there's only one chief.
23:29 There's only one tribe.
23:32 Now he is the chief of chiefs, the king of kings, but there be only one chief, long-lived
23:43 chief.
23:49 He's a shepherd king.
23:53 And he's depicted here as the shepherd king who comes to the holy city to take his rightful
23:57 place.
23:58 I mean, this is just Old Testament prophecy being fulfilled left and right.
24:06 This is Palm Sunday.
24:09 Matthew, Mark, Luke say nothing about this.
24:14 And this specificity—you don't find the word "palm" in those Gospel accounts.
24:22 You can see the heralding of him as king.
24:27 We see days leading up to his death, but John only gets this specific, his Gospel account.
24:37 And John is the Gospel account that more aggressively presents our Savior as the Son of God as opposed
24:43 to the Son of Man.
24:44 He was both, 100% man, 100% God.
24:49 John's focus, his greater focus is on the divinity and deity of our Savior and Lord,
24:57 Jesus Christ.
25:00 That's where we get this celebration.
25:04 It's often not celebrated as much as Resurrection, but Palm Sunday leads us to Resurrection Sunday.
25:12 Here's an interesting fact, because it is said—I remember when I went to school of
25:21 ministry and I don't know who came up with these statements that these instructors would
25:27 say but many of them were very clever.
25:29 They were clever statements and they did highlight the truth of Scripture.
25:35 So one statement that many of my instructors would make regarding the Testaments, they
25:40 would say that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed.
25:49 The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed.
25:53 The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.
25:59 The Old Testament is the what?
26:00 The New Testament concealed, hidden.
26:04 The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed, available for viewing.
26:15 We know in the Old Testament that there are a number of prophetic proclamations as well
26:21 as a number of types and shadows.
26:26 We can find our Messiah in every book between Genesis to Malachi.
26:34 I just mentioned one and two of them in Isaiah.
26:37 Rod and branch.
26:41 In Isaiah 9-6, the Scripture tells us, the prophet tells us, "For unto us a child is
26:45 born.
26:46 For unto us a son is given."
26:50 In Genesis 50, he's called Shiloh.
26:53 In Genesis 3, God says that I'm going to put enmity, serpent, between your seed and the
26:58 seed of the woman, capital S.
27:02 We know that the angel of the Lord many times was actually the pre-incarnate Christ.
27:08 We know specifically this particular angel of the Lord, because this angel would speak
27:14 as if he was God.
27:17 We know angels don't have the authority to do that.
27:20 The first angel to do it was the last angel to do it.
27:26 The first celestial creature who uttered "I will" statements was put in his place.
27:34 How then could another angel make statements like "I will bless," that's God's job.
27:39 "I will multiply," that's God's job.
27:44 That lets us know this particular angel of the Lord must be something other than an angel.
27:51 We find out, for example, in Exodus chapter 3, you all recall the flaming bush, the bush
27:58 that was not consumed by fire.
28:02 And Moses was looking at this bush, and a voice came from the bush while Moses is looking
28:11 at the bush.
28:14 And the voice says, "I am."
28:15 Well, wait a minute.
28:18 Verse 2 says it was the angel of the Lord that was in the midst of the burning bush.
28:22 Yet the voice says, "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
28:25 What does Moses do?
28:26 He no longer looks at the bush, he hides his face.
28:31 Because any man who looks on the face of God, at least during the old covenant for sure,
28:36 is a dead man.
28:38 But wait, Moses was already looking at the bush not consumed by fire.
28:45 Who then was he looking at?
28:47 He was looking at the pre-incarnate Christ.
28:49 Remember what Jesus said in his earthly ministry, "If you've seen me, you've seen the Father."
28:56 In Joshua chapter 5, he's the commander of the army of the Lord.
29:00 How many of you know that as much authority as Michael the archangel has leading a regime
29:06 of military angels, Michael reports to Jesus.
29:11 Jesus is the captain or commander of the army of the Lord.
29:18 We know that was Jesus because the captain of the army of the Lord in Joshua 5, 14 and
29:23 15 tell Joshua the same thing the angel of the Lord told Moses, "Where you stand is holy
29:29 ground."
29:32 All throughout the fabric of the Old Testament, we can find Jesus, we can find our Messiah.
29:36 We see types and we see shadows.
29:39 You know, every feast, every festival, every holy day, every offering speaks of our Savior.
29:50 And here's something very interesting that would be required of Israel during the Feast
29:58 of Tabernacles.
30:01 The Feast of Tabernacles, the Feast of Booths.
30:05 The children of Israel were—watch this, this stuff's not accidental in Scripture.
30:11 It's not coincidental in Scripture.
30:13 God is intentional.
30:14 How many of you know God is intentional?
30:17 He doesn't accidentally bless you.
30:19 I didn't mean to do that, but hopefully that works out for you.
30:24 God is meticulous and intentional.
30:27 Watch this.
30:29 During the Feast of Tabernacles, the children of Israel were to take palm branches and they
30:36 were to do what?
30:37 What our dancers were doing.
30:40 That's what they were—during the Feast of Tabernacles, they were to take palm branches
30:44 and rejoice—watch this—rejoice before the Lord for how long?
30:48 For seven days.
30:54 On a day during this feast, they would take palm branches and rejoice before the Lord
31:01 for seven days.
31:02 Palm Sunday is seven days before resurrection.
31:09 Symbolic of the—now we should be rejoicing all the time, but knowing that the day is—the
31:19 day of our celebration of resurrection is getting near and we know exactly how close
31:25 it is when Palm Sunday arrives.
31:29 We know in seven days.
31:33 Let's take rejoicing up a couple notches when Palm Sunday hits.
31:41 Look now at Revelation.
31:46 Revelation chapter seven.
31:54 Now remember, we are constantly surrounded by signs of the coming appearing of our Savior
32:10 and Lord Jesus Christ.
32:13 The Lord is going to appear.
32:17 Now again, Paul was very clear to Timothy in his first letter to him in the sixth chapter.
32:24 Paul said that Jesus will manifest His appearing in His own time.
32:35 That means Jesus schedules His appearing, not anyone else.
32:44 We don't know.
32:46 We don't know when the Lord's going to appear.
32:48 There have been many who attempted to predict the coming of the Lord.
32:55 And those days passed and the Lord didn't come.
33:00 And it's so interesting that some of these movements still have followers.
33:07 People will make excuses for obvious false prophets.
33:13 Still follow them, still support them.
33:15 Come up with a, "Well, you know, but I mean."
33:27 There are groups in the body of Christ that look at believers like us and think we're
33:35 not saved simply because we're charismatic or maybe we're word of faith.
33:42 And so they think we preach a different Jesus and a different gospel.
33:46 And some of those same individuals that preach that have fathers in the faith who own slaves
33:52 and will defend them.
33:55 No, no Fred, no, we're not doing that.
34:04 There are signs and signs and signs and signs that the appearing of the Lord, again, we
34:11 don't know when that's going to happen, but we know it's going to happen.
34:15 This is why that day will not overtake you and I like a thief in the night.
34:20 See we don't know when the day is, but we do know the day is.
34:26 So we're not caught off guard.
34:29 We just don't know when it's going to happen.
34:32 But when it happens, we'll say we knew it was going to happen.
34:37 That's the appearing of the Lord.
34:38 Well, once the Lord appears, he's going to receive his church.
34:41 That's you and I.
34:43 What's called the rapture will occur, will be caught up.
34:47 The Bible is very clear, right?
34:49 This is, this is Jesus under the radar stealth mission to grab his Ecclesia in the earth
34:57 without no one realizing it.
35:00 That's why his feet never touched the ground.
35:02 The Bible says we'll meet the Lord in the clouds in the air.
35:05 Oh, when the Lord comes and sets his feet on the ground, he's not coming like a thief
35:10 in the night.
35:12 Oh, everybody's going to know the Lord is showing up.
35:17 You pretty much know it's the Lord when you see the face of fire and the robe in blood
35:21 on the horse coming from the heavens with a whole squad of saints, notably you and I
35:28 on horses also ready to fight with some angels too.
35:36 No, no, no.
35:38 When the, when the, when the Lord comes, this is in the very end, right before he sets up
35:43 his earthly kingdom, oh, everybody's going to know, but the rapture, that's a stealth
35:49 mission.
35:51 Now, now, once that happens, you and I will become participants in, in what John hears
36:02 the voice saying in revelation four, get up here.
36:10 That's what he reads.
36:11 That's what he hears.
36:12 The voice says, come up here or come hither.
36:15 And John sees a door, that's the door we'll walk through.
36:20 Immediately we make our way to the judgment seat of Christ to receive our rewards.
36:25 Then what begins in the earth realm?
36:27 A seven-year tribulation.
36:31 We will not be here for that.
36:34 Not the church.
36:36 Now again, as I've always said, once the rapture happens, there will be a large number of unbelievers
36:45 becoming believers in an instant, immediately.
36:57 Because when the person next to you just disappears, then those family members that you thought
37:05 were getting on your nerves because they kept preaching Jesus, you'll realize they were
37:09 right.
37:14 But then you'll still have skeptics.
37:16 Oh, you'll have your conspiracy theorists.
37:18 Oh, the government took them.
37:21 This is, this is, this is some CIA type of, you're going to have it.
37:28 You will.
37:30 Because the book of Revelation shows us that after the receiving of the church and during
37:36 all the tribulation and all of these signs, there will still be naysayers.
37:41 There'll still be doubters.
37:42 There'll be those who still don't want to receive God.
37:47 What kind of hardened heart is that?
37:52 So what we're reading here in Revelation 7, this is after we're out of here.
37:58 We're in God's great IMAX theater watching all of it.
38:04 And verse 1, and here's one of the main marks in which you know that the events of Revelation
38:13 are progressive, when you see words like "after these things."
38:20 Or when John opens up with "now."
38:25 Verse 1 says what?
38:26 "After these things I," because John is the one who received the revelation of Jesus Christ
38:33 regarding the end of things.
38:35 "After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth."
38:44 I saw four angels.
38:48 Now what I want you to take away from this is I want you—I want you to understand,
39:01 each and every single one of you as believers in this room, watching wherever you're watching
39:05 from, I really want you to grasp, I really want you to get an understanding of how advanced,
39:16 of how strong, and how powerful your individual secret service details are.
39:24 I'm talking about your angels, you know, the ones that protect you.
39:33 You know where the psalmist in Psalm 91 says he's given his angels charge over us?
39:40 You know, "A thousand on one side, ten thousand on the other, but it shall not come nigh me."
39:45 That song?
39:47 Lest we dash our feet against stones, that song?
39:52 Why?
39:53 Because angels are protecting us.
39:57 How many?
39:58 Innumerable.
40:00 How strong are they?
40:01 Well, these angels are strong enough to hold back the wind from coming on the earth.
40:11 Hold back the wind, John says.
40:15 After these things, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding
40:19 the four winds of the earth.
40:23 Yesterday, I went outside for two seconds, the wind caught my shirt, and you got angels
40:35 that are saying wind.
40:38 One second, just hold up.
40:44 Holding back the four winds of the earth.
40:48 So much just to discuss in this one verse.
40:50 It says that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.
40:56 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God.
41:02 And he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm
41:07 the earth and the sea, saying what?
41:09 Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees.
41:13 Until we've done something.
41:15 Until we've what?
41:17 Until we've sealed.
41:18 Now, I need you to understand what it means to be sealed.
41:21 You and I right now are sealed.
41:23 You want to know who sealed us?
41:25 The Holy Spirit.
41:28 The Bible tells us in Ephesians 430 that the Holy Spirit has sealed us until the day of
41:33 redemption.
41:34 So, we're sealed.
41:37 But again, we're not here during this time.
41:41 So how then are believers going to be marked?
41:44 Well, it begins here.
41:48 Verse three again, saying do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees until we've done
41:55 something.
41:56 Until we've what?
41:57 Sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.
42:00 And I heard the number of those who were sealed, how many?
42:04 144,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed.
42:11 And when you read verses five through eight, you see it's 12,000 each from the 12 tribes
42:17 of Israel.
42:19 Israel is on full display during the tribulation, during the judgments.
42:25 They will be leading the cause of Christ.
42:29 And the first to be sealed, I believe based on Revelation 7 and based on Revelation 14,
42:38 and then you'll see how the Jehovah's Witnesses came in and hijacked this and gave it a meaning
42:42 that it doesn't really mean.
42:49 I'm not trying to poke and prod, I'm just saying, where'd you get that from?
42:54 This is how you know you're dealing with a cult.
42:59 When they tell you only we're right, and everybody else is wrong.
43:09 When Joseph Smith was 16 years old, he had a revelation of God the Father and God the
43:14 Son.
43:15 I guess the Holy Spirit was busy, but the Father was there and the Spirit—and the
43:19 Son was there in this vision.
43:21 And he asked God, "What's the true church?"
43:24 And God told him, "None of them are.
43:25 I want you to start it."
43:27 And now we have Mormonism.
43:32 I'm right, you're all wrong.
43:36 Run.
43:38 Run.
43:40 Well, the Jehovah's Witnesses, they have a 144,000 revelation.
43:48 Anyone ever encountered a Jehovah's Witness?
43:50 Have they knocked on your door?
43:52 Have you encountered them on the street?
43:54 They are nonstop.
43:55 They are—they—I tell you what, they know their false doctrine well.
44:06 They know it well.
44:09 And the thing is, there are fragrances of truth in there.
44:17 Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the first 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses are the 144,000.
44:22 They're the ones in heaven.
44:23 That's not what the Bible says.
44:25 The Bible's very clear.
44:27 144,000 are 12,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel.
44:31 Then we take it a step further.
44:32 If we—if we go to Revelation 14, you don't have to go there, but when you read Revelation
44:35 14, that's the second time, seven chapters later, that's the second time the 144,000
44:42 come up.
44:43 And you know what the Bible tells us?
44:44 The Bible tells us that the 144,000 are virgins, never to have been defiled with women.
44:52 That's what it tells us.
44:55 Let the Bible speak for itself.
44:59 But look, what did the—what did the—what did the angel say?
45:09 The angel said, "Don't harm the earth to see," verse three again, "or the trees, till we
45:12 have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.
45:15 And I heard the number of those who were sealed.
45:17 144,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed."
45:24 All the tribes are mentioned, then we get to verse nine.
45:27 We get to verse nine.
45:29 After these things, see, there it is again, after these things.
45:33 In other words, John is saying what?
45:35 Here's what happened next.
45:36 Think about this.
45:38 Now he's getting a—he's getting a preview way back then.
45:42 He's all by himself on the Isle of Patmos, his exile.
45:49 He wasn't—he wasn't crucified upside down like Peter.
45:56 And here's a little—here's a little bit of information that you might—you might want
46:01 to run with if you didn't know this.
46:04 You know, the upside-down cross is known as a demonic symbol, right?
46:08 The satanic symbol, a mockery of Jesus' right side up crucifixion.
46:18 Most don't know that Peter requested to be crucified upside down, because he did not
46:23 want to equate his crucifixion with his Savior's.
46:27 The devil then took it and did what he always does.
46:32 So now, when you see an upside-down cross, again, see, that's what happens.
46:35 I've talked about this before.
46:37 As the law first mentioned, it just goes out the window, and nobody takes it into consideration
46:41 anymore.
46:42 I've used some pretty, some pretty, you know, harsh examples, but the reality is, it's like
46:49 the harsher the example, right, the stronger I can drive the point home.
46:56 If I come in here with an upside-down cross talking about, "Oh, no, no, no, I just mean
46:59 it as, you know, Peter's upside-down crucifixion."
47:03 In the day we live in, nobody's buying that, right?
47:06 I'm going to trend on social media, and I'm going to be called some kind of a witch or
47:10 warlock pastor for wearing an upside-down cross on my hoodie.
47:15 It's not going to fly, right?
47:19 Like today, I can't, I cannot wear a shirt that says, "I'm feeling very gay today."
47:25 I can't, because somebody decided to change the rules.
47:34 And now the changed rules hold more weight than the original rules.
47:37 Now, all you got to do is watch the Flintstones, and they'll tell you what gay means.
47:42 Were you listening to the theme song?
47:44 "We'll have a gay-o time," meaning we'll have a happy time, because gay's original meaning
47:49 is happy.
47:56 How hard would I have to argue that I only mean it as happy?
48:01 Nobody's buying it.
48:08 Here's a tough one.
48:09 If I come in here wearing a swastika, first off, somebody's going to really think there's
48:15 something wrong with me as a black man wearing a swastika.
48:22 But my argument would be way before Adolf Hitler took it, the natives of this country
48:34 meant it as a symbol of peace.
48:37 It was a tranquil symbol.
48:39 Those of the Far East also had the symbol.
48:42 Had nothing to do with hate.
48:45 But guess what?
48:49 Nobody's going to buy.
48:52 They'll think I'm trying to be over the top or I'm being sensational, trying to get clicks
49:00 or views or just stir up conversation for wearing it.
49:05 My argument would be what?
49:06 No, no, I mean this symbol the way the natives—nobody thinks of the natives of this country when
49:13 they see that symbol.
49:15 Nobody thinks of the people of the Far East when they see that symbol.
49:19 They don't.
49:20 They think of one person, one regime, and all that it meant.
49:25 That's just the reality that we live in.
49:29 Some things have an original meaning and the devil, I mean he works, I mean he works overtime
49:35 to pervert it.
49:36 And you know what ends up happening?
49:38 The perverted meaning in the earth realm ends up holding more weight.
49:46 This is some of the stuff that the Wednesday night class gets.
49:49 Have you all ever heard of tarot cards?
49:53 What's the first thing you think of?
49:54 Witchcraft, I heard witchcraft.
49:56 Anybody else?
49:57 Any other takers?
49:59 Witchcraft going once.
50:05 Witchcraft stuff, right?
50:07 Fortune telling.
50:09 So if I put out a deck of tarot cards, y'all are either running or praying for me.
50:20 And yet, and yet, when they were first invented, they were a simple card game of Uno.
50:37 They were a card game.
50:38 It's what they were.
50:41 Watch this.
50:42 Let me show you the hypocrisy that we live in.
50:46 Tarot cards' origin has nothing to do with witchcraft.
50:51 The origin of dice does.
50:56 If I pull my tarot cards out now, let me not say my before somebody thinks I actually have
51:01 some.
51:02 Lord Jesus.
51:03 I don't have tarot cards.
51:07 Y'all know how I am.
51:08 If I pull out tarot cards now, you're thinking there's something wrong with me.
51:16 But we don't have a problem throwing dice in Monopoly, do we?
51:19 Isn't that interesting?
51:23 Tarot cards had no witchcraft meaning, and now they do.
51:27 Dice only had supernatural meaning, and now they don't.
51:35 Back to that upside-down cross, the original meaning was Peter said, "I'll be crucified
51:41 upside down.
51:42 I am not Jesus."
51:45 The devil took it, turned it into what?
51:50 It's a mocking demonic symbol.
51:53 A mocking demonic symbol, because that's how the Father is.
52:00 So Peter is crucified upside down.
52:05 Paul's beheaded.
52:07 Was he also boiled in oil?
52:09 Somebody was boiled in oil.
52:11 John, the revelator though, he was exiled to the Isle of Patmos.
52:18 Doesn't die the gruesome death.
52:19 He receives the revelation of Jesus Christ regarding the end of things.
52:23 You can imagine people probably thought he was crazy after he writes this.
52:29 But look at the world today.
52:32 Look at verse nine.
52:33 "After these things I looked and behold a great multitude which no one could number
52:36 of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues standing before the throne and before the
52:40 Lamb, clothed with what?
52:42 White robes and palm branches in their hand."
52:46 And you know what they're doing?
52:47 They're crying out to the Lamb of God.
52:50 This is what John sees.
52:52 Look at this again.
52:54 This is after the sealing of the 144,000 from the 12 different tribes of Israel.
53:00 "After these things I looked, behold a great multitude which no one could number."
53:05 Meaning what?
53:06 A sea of people.
53:09 And what were they doing?
53:10 What did they first consist of?
53:12 All nations, all tribes, peoples, and tongues.
53:18 John is intentional about how he words this because saying all nations doesn't cover everything.
53:26 You could be from a nation but in a different nation and have the tongue of the nation you're
53:34 from, not the tongue of the nation where you are.
53:38 Or you may come from a nation that really doesn't have a tongue.
53:40 It's just an amalgamation of tongues from other nations.
53:45 What's John's point?
53:46 He's really driving it home.
53:47 He's saying what?
53:48 All nations, all tribes, all peoples, all tongues, all doing what?
53:53 Standing before the throne, standing before the Lamb, clothed with white robes.
53:57 The white robe is normally synonymous with our righteousness.
54:03 And what do they have in their hands?
54:06 Doing what the dancers was doing.
54:08 A sea of people with palm branches.
54:13 Doing what?
54:14 Announcing the King of Israel.
54:17 Acknowledging the King of Israel.
54:23 Amen.
54:25 This today prepares us for what happens in the next seven days.
54:31 What happens in seven days.
54:32 And that is we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior.
54:37 Yeshua Hamashiach, Jesus the Christ.
54:43 And aren't we grateful that He laid down His life for us?
54:46 Amen.
54:47 Father, we thank You for Your Word, its life and truth.
54:52 Will not and cannot return to You void, but it will accomplish what it set out to do.
54:56 It will prosper where it's sent.
54:58 And I thank You that indeed the seed of the Word has gone forth and it has been planted
55:05 into the hearts of the people.
55:10 And I thank You, Father, that these are, these are hearts of good ground.
55:17 We declared it early on, Father, so that the seed that would be sown, the seed of the Word,
55:21 that which is incorruptible, that which be, that which does not return to You empty, vain,
55:27 or useless, Father, but accomplishes when You send it and prospers where You send it.
55:34 We thank You for the accomplishing, prospering Word right now that's been sown into our hearts
55:39 today.
55:41 Thank You, Holy Spirit, for making the invitations that I'll mention in just a second available
55:47 to the people.
55:50 Thank You for those that have a need spiritually.
55:55 The need will be met in the name of the Lord Jesus.
55:58 If you don't know, oh, if you don't know the one in which the multitude were waving their
56:07 palm branches, you can know Him today.
56:09 Jesus the Christ, Savior and Lord, the only way to the Father.
56:16 Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
56:19 When I call and ask and confess and then believe in my heart that God's raised Him from the
56:25 dead, I am saved.
56:26 It's a simple act of faith, it is not complicated.
56:30 The gift that the Father gave to the world so the world would not remain the world but
56:36 become a part of His world, His kingdom.
56:38 A gift then was given to believers, those of us who are saved, the disciples, the first
56:45 church, the first Christians, the first believers.
56:48 They could not go forth spreading the message until they were filled with the Spirit.
56:53 They had to receive the gift of the Spirit.
56:55 They had to be endued with power from on high.
56:59 And if you've never been filled with the Spirit, you can be filled today.
57:03 It's as simple as being saved.
57:05 Jesus said, "How much more will the Father give the Holy Spirit to those who simply ask?"
57:13 We ask in faith, we confess in faith.
57:16 And when we're filled with the Spirit, we receive a heavenly language.
57:18 It serves many purposes, has many benefits, but also we speak the Word with boldness and
57:25 we prophesy and we magnify God.
57:28 The only way to witness for the kingdom of God in the earth realm is to be filled with
57:34 the Spirit.
57:35 The only requirement for being filled is that you're saved.
57:38 Number three is to become a part of this local assembly, this local body, whether in person
57:43 or whether online.
57:46 There should be a time we assemble to be fed.
57:50 There are other reasons for assembling, but there is a specific time in which we should
57:58 at some point get together to be fed the Word.
58:01 If you're not a part of a local body of believers, you didn't show up this Palm Sunday on accident,
58:07 you didn't tune in this Palm Sunday on accident.
58:09 This is a church where you learn and grow in the Word.
58:11 And then lastly, number four is for assurance of salvation.
58:14 God wants you to know that you know without a shadow of a doubt that you are saved.
58:20 That you belong to Him.
58:21 You can't get born again, again, that is impossible, that is unnecessary, but you may need assurance
58:25 and you can have it this day.
58:26 Those four again, to be saved, to be filled with the Spirit, to make this ministry your
58:31 home for assurance of salvation.
58:33 If any one of these or combination of these apply to wherever you are, raise your hand
58:38 up high.
58:39 High enough for the ushers to see your hand.
58:42 Salvation, Holy Spirit becoming a part of this ministry, this family of faith for assurance
58:50 of salvation.
58:52 Well in the event that there are those watching that raise their hands or have responded,
58:58 I want to pray two prayers.
59:01 We want to make sure that we cover all we can't see.
59:04 I'm going to ask that we all say these together to be on one accord for salvation.
59:09 Simply pray, dear God.
59:12 I repent of my sins and I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus and I believe in my heart
59:21 that You've raised Him from the dead.
59:24 Therefore I am now saved in the name of the Lord Jesus, amen.