The Great Tribulation - (part two)

Read my introduction to this series in the descriptions of part one.

Transcript

Pastor Rickey D. Dixon 0:03

The Great Tribulation and the signs of the end of the last days, if you will. Um the Great Tribulation being a period uh if you research it and study, it's it is said to is going to last for a period of three and a half years. Just that part about the Great Tribulation. That being said, there is a lot of events that's gonna happen or lead up to before that period gets here. And and there's a few things that Jesus talked about uh before he got to the Great Tribulation part. Uh, if you ever study, uh, we're gonna use Matthew 24th chapter of Matthew uh as our foundation if you got your Bibles open. Now, this is spoken in the gospel. I'm using Matthew, the 24th chapter of Matthew, but you can also find this, even Mark wrote about it in the 13th chapter of Mark, and even Luke spoke about it in Luke the 21st chapter. But I kind of like the wording of Matthew, but they all agree. Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John did not write about it, but the these three did. And on last time we were together, it's three, it's three main subjects that I like that Jesus talked about before he got to the great tribulation part, and we touched on them last time. The first one, he starts off by being deceived. Don't sit up and let yourself be deceived. Then he goes into being offended. Somebody's gonna be offended. Uh somebody's gonna call you holy and sanctified. You can't don't let yourself be offended because you say you better be glad. So we didn't get to that third part that I want to try to get to tonight about false prophets. So let me just recap a little bit, just for those who was not with us on last time we had the Bible sort of just a quick recap. In the book of Matthew, uh, Jesus was talking uh with his disciples, Matthew 24, verse 1, it says, and Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. And the the great architecture structure of it was a beautiful building. But Jesus, being a teacher, he starts off in that verse 2 say, and Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things. Look at all this stuff you're looking at. I want you to see it. Verily I say unto you, there shall not be one, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. No matter how beautiful you see the stuff in the world today, Jesus is what he's giving them a prelude that destruction is coming. And where certain buildings used to rest, or certain buildings used to sit, you're not gonna be able to tell that that was even a building ever there before. Because that got me one stone ain't gonna be left on top of another stone for you to even see a remnant saying, Oh, it used to be a building here, or I can tell a house used to be right there. You're not gonna be able to tell that. And he's trying to give us a heads up as he was trying to give his disciples a heads up. In other words, don't focus on that stuff because it's gonna come to an end. But what he was trying to do is turn their focus on their own lives, on the one thing they can uh dictate or they can uh change the outcome of is our end, our soul. We can change the outcome of our eternity. If we are sinners now, we got time to change the outcome of that by giving our lives to the Lord. But what Jesus wanted to let them know is there are gonna come things up against you to try to cause you to not accomplish the things concerning your souls or your salvation to hinder and keep you from coming to the Lord or having uh, as it say is also in the same very same chapter, 24th chapter, where Jesus is gonna say, He that endures to the end, it's gonna be a lot of things y'all try to stop us from enduring to the end. There's a whole lot of things we're gonna have to go through before we even think about making heaven our home. We got to fight the fight of faith down here and endure those things that we must endure. Listen to what he says. And verse 3 said, and as he sat up on the Mount of Olives, the disciples, and then he put, in other words, he dropped, he dropped the bomb on and put something on their mind. And they just they couldn't just let it go, so they waited we got to the till they got to the mount of olives, and they brought it back up again. And the disciples came to him privately saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world? Come on now. And Jesus answered and said unto them, the first thing before he begins to talk to them about this particular area that should concern all of our lives, the first thing that Jesus says unto them, take heed that no man deceive you. And thanks to God, brothers and sisters, I'm here to tell you, we're in a day now where people are intentionally trying to deceive one another. But what Jesus is can, our Lord and Savior is telling us, take heed. That means you better be watching what you let up and let folks tell you. You better be watching what you shouldn't have and let folks preach and teach to you if it's not the word of God. Take heed that no man deceive you. No, don't let no man, this time a mankind woman, don't let no man, don't no boy, girl, don't let nobody, no race deceive you from what is the truth. And Jesus here is finna begin to tell them. Now, on last time, when we got on this spirit part right here about being deceived, I read another scripture. If you got your Bible, got some get some paper and pencil by close by you too, because you might want to write some of this stuff down. I read to you last time, 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 18 and 19, where Paul told the church in Corinth, let no man deceive himself. One strong uh uh deception that a lot of us have and focus on others deceiving us, but you got to make sure you don't deceive yourself either. So many people lie to themselves, so many people convince themselves that they're all right. I got all my dust in the road. But what Paul was seeing in the very church in Corinth is also what we see in the world today. People have deceived themselves. How you deceive yourself? Because when you make truth out of what you think is true, you're deceiving yourself. Because the truth only lies in Jesus. He is the truth. Let him be the truth and let every man, everybody else be a liar. Listen to what he told the church in Corinth. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise, this is not what Paul, this strong taught. If anybody comes acting like they know it all, know everything, get away from them. He said, if any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool. See, you gotta this is this spiritual talk here. You got to understand the spiritual to understand what he's talking about. I'd rather be a fool to the world, but wise in the word of God. But see, so many of us are trying to be wise in the world, and we are foolish when it comes to the word of God. Somebody try to put your phone on mute. I'll hear some background noise. Make sure all your phones are on mute. So we won't disturb somebody that's listening. Just check your phones, make sure they're on mute. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wise. Y'all know the scripture in the Bible that God he chooses the foolish to confound the wise. God ain't looking for somebody, nobody that's a know at all. God ain't looking for somebody who you can't tell nothing to because they think they know everything. That ain't what them is not the people God looking for. They think they better than somebody else. That they got more sense than somebody else. You might be wise in the world, but when it comes to the things of God, you are a fool. I'd rather be a fool to this world. Call me slow. Call me what you're gonna call me. But when it comes to this book, I want to be wise in the things of God. And that's what Paul was trying to tell the training over that he may be wise. Verse 19, for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. Trying to show people how much sense you got, trying to show people how much you know. And outside of God, He consider you foolish. Because ain't none of that, none of that stuff you think you know or claim to know ain't gonna help you get into heaven and ain't got nothing to do with your salvation. Keeping up with all happening on the TV shows, knowing what all the celebrities is doing. Who cares? Ain't none of that got nothing to do with my soul. I wanna be wise to God. And this foolishness, this wisdom of the world, if God considered foolishness, I consider it foolishness. Now we're gonna have to start realizing we have to do this where the rubber meets the road at. Are we ready and to prepare ourselves for what is to come, or are we gonna be caught? Listen, it's a reason why Jesus is trying to alert us to be mindful of what is to come. Because I'm gonna show you some stuff that those that think they're ready and not ready, they're gonna fall away. And if you fall away before Jesus gets back in, why do you think you're gonna spend eternity? Paul also told the church uh in Ephesus, let no man deceive you with vain words. I don't care how much pretty words, eloquent words you hear folks pray. You got some people look for that kind of stuff. Folks who can talk good when they preach, use big words, sound like they're educated. Well, you probably don't want to be around me, huh? I'm country to the bone. But I speak the truth of what God's word. I ain't finna use no vain words with you. I'm not finna use no empty words, I'm giving you the raw truth, and I let whoever receive it, receive it, and whoever don't, don't. But you ain't, I'm not gonna be found guilty, not giving the truth of God's word. Because I got to stand before him too. And then and anybody that's doing that, they are they are being deceptive, and they have, and you give them an opening to deceive you. Let no man deceive you with vain words. This is Ephesians. I'm in Fius chapter 5, verse 6 and 7. Let no man deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. You know why God is gonna have such a strong anger against folks that distort his word, that the word of God calls it the wrath of God. Not the anger of God, it calls it the wrath of God. Because anytime preachers of preaching, preachers of teaching, and they change or distort the word of God, God takes that personal because to try and change God's word, you are not whether you acknowledge this or ignorance or not, you are trying to change God. Because God and his word are one. And when you're trying to change in the hearts of God's people, in the eyes of God's people, who God really is, by changing his word, the wrath of God will come against you. And I'm gonna read you a scripture this evening. It's gonna show you the Bible, gonna say, Let that person be accursed. And I'm gonna tell you what the word accursed means when I get to it. The deception of the enemy who is working through his imps, who are working through these false pastors and preachers, are out to deceive the people. Deception being to cause people not to know the truth, so that they cannot have the truth of who God is, who Christ Jesus is in their hearts and minds. But paint a total different picture of who the who the Lord God is, which in turn is to change the truth into a lie and cause people to be deceived, and why Jesus said, let no man deceive. God's word is what God's word is. It cannot change, it ain't gonna change, but the deception of the enemy and those who work for him will attempt to try to distort it in the minds of those who don't have a working knowledge of God's word. Otherwise, they don't know the devil knows who don't know enough of God's word, and those are easily people that are easily deceived. Because you can't deceive a person who know the word. Come on in all you want to say what the Bible said, and I and I know what that Bible said. You ain't finna fool me. Because I know what that book said. I dedicate too many years to the word, which is the safeguard against my heart and my mind that the enemy who's gonna try to deceive me. He may try, but he will not be successful. Because I know the truth, and I know that the Bible said, Jesus Himself said, and the truth shall make you free. I'm free from being deceived, and God wants his children, you and I, to be free from being deceived by the enemy or anybody who would try to amaze us and dazzle us with vain words. That's not the truth. Be not therefore partakers with them. Remember what the word of God said. Once you notice these kind of people know what they're up to, they craftiness, be ye therefore, he said, be not ye therefore partakers. Don't take no part with them, don't take no part of their ministry, don't take no part of what they got going on, or nothing. Because it's deception in it. And anytime where you find deception, you're gonna find the devil. One other scripture that I quoted on last time. Paul told the church in Thessalonica, let no man deceive you by any means, by no means necessary. Let no man deceive you by any means. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 3. Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first. Those of us who are gonna sit up and let ourselves be been deceived for the last decade, gonna be the first one to fall away because you don't have enough of the word in you to stay stable in your spiritual life. Except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin, that the devil is, be revealed, the son of perdition. Now, let me tell you another thing. Three places in the Bible that I found that the Bible used this terminology. The son of perdition. If you and and the man of sin. When Moses, the one Moses had to be aware. The second time you hear about the son of perdition, is Judas. Jesus himself called him, he was a son of other words he had, he was on this earth for a particular reason. And we know what that reason was for. To to be the one to betray the Lord. Okay, now the third time you hear the son of perdition, if you really want to get off into some good studies, it's gonna be in reference to the Antichrist, the Son of Perdition, the one that's yet to come. Now, the Bible, you find the Bible gonna say that Antichrists have already been. Yeah, there have been low-level antichrists all over the world, they hear not, but there is one coming that's the head antichrist, if you would. The one that's really gonna fight and cause so much chaos during this great tribulation. And he's gonna be deceiving many people because he's gonna show great signs and wonders and power. And a lot of people are gonna think that's the Lord. Because they're gonna think ain't nobody had that kind of power unless they be the Lord. See, if you get in the Bible, you know the book, you wouldn't say that. Because there's all kinds of power, and you read in the Bible, the Bible says all powers ordained by God, and God He has all power, but there's a God power that the enemy possesses, and He can use it to simulate or to deceive, to make one think that his power that he's showing is the power of the Lord, and that's how the Antichrist is gonna deceive a lot of people. Because they want to see a sign, and Jesus constantly said in the Bible, ain't no sign gonna be given you. Because all the sign, all we need to know is already before us. If the word is not a big enough sign for you, and I don't need to find, but see, because so many people are gonna be so intent on trying to find a sign, the antichrist is gonna give you the very sign you're looking for, and it's gonna deceive you and make you think that's the law. That's not that's the third time you hear about the perdition. And this is why Paul is hinting on this in 2 Thessalonians 3 and 2. And that man of sin be revealed. In other words, he's hiding right now. In other words, he's disguising himself right now. But when his time comes, he's gonna reveal himself. He's just setting the stage. Look at all this stuff that's happening in the world, y'all. All this stuff is setting the stage for the Antichrist to take over. All this crime, all this killing, all these diseases, all this turmoil, all this, all this stuff is setting the stage and making it right. For when the Antichrist steps on the scene, many gonna be deceived. And the Bible is saying, many gonna fall away. Falling away. Falling away is that means they're gonna turn from believing in the Lord and they're gonna believe in the Antichrist, not knowing He's the Antichrist. I'm gonna tell you something else, I'm gonna move on because I don't want to go too deep into this. He's gonna be so powerful, he's gonna even decide. Israel into thinking, making them think that he is an ally with them until he gets his foothold into Israel like he wants to. And then he's going to reveal himself and come out and show his true colors. But this is a lot of stuff. You got to go through a lot of stuff with this one. I'm not wanting overload you. I don't want to confuse nobody. But I want to get you know a lot is going to happen before it comes up and leads up to the great tribulation. The second thing that Jesus talked about was be not offended. When a lot of this stuff go to happening, a lot of people are going to get offended because the world, y'all, understand me when I tell you this and prepare your hearts for this. It may look like the world, the hatred in the world is racial. It may look like one nationality hates another nationality. I'm here to tell y'all, all this is setting the stage from what the true hatred is gonna be. The world is eventually gonna turn a strong hate to any. I mean, come on now, look at the world. Let me show you something. Just say something about abortion now, the way things just say something about gay rights now. Just tell them folks what the Lord says or what the Bible says. Look at how the hatred, the strong hatred against you for standing up for the truth, they will be against you. This stuff is setting the stage because the real hatred that is coming is gonna be the world against anybody that's saying they belong to the Lord, that's saying they saved, that has a conviction, and a lot of us, because we're gonna be weak in the faith, we're gonna get offended. Because so many people are gonna be hating us, and a lot of us can't take a lot of hate. But see, if we get in that word, the Bible comes to tell us Jesus that if they hate me, read your Bible. If they hate me, you ought to know they're gonna hate you. Now they hated Jesus. And if you walk around here with Jesus in you, if you walk around here talking about the Lord, they is finna hate you because everything that the world doing now goes against the word of God and what the people of God stands for. The word of God speaks against homosexuality, lesbianism, being gay, abortions, the word of and the world, the world speaks against marriage, being a man and a woman. I was just listening today. Woman talking about her wife. Now, she's a woman, but she said this old woman was a wife. Now, a saint of God, if he was to speak out against that, the hatred of the world will be strong against you. Because they say you ought to accept people the way they are, and people got a right to love who they want to love. See the deception in that? People are so deceived by what they want. They have a true and a strong rejection for really what is right and what the word of God stands for. And if you stand enough for that, they're gonna hate you too. And some of us, if we're not rooted in the Lord, we're gonna be offended. He said, and listen to what he said in Mark. Mark said in uh chapter 4, Mark 4 and 17. And have no root in themselves. If you ain't got no root in you, the root of Jesus, if you ain't rooted in the Lord, you ain't gonna stand. I'm just gonna go and tell you. And have no root in themselves, and so endure before that. Look like you live in the sand, as long as nobody attacking you, as long as you ain't going through nothing, as long as you ain't got no problem, look like you're doing all right with the law. And so endure for a time between trouble coming, testing coming. What you're gonna do next, you're gonna be able to endure when the hate gets here. And so endure but for a time afterwards when afflictions or persecution arise for the word's sake. You stand up living according to the word in this day and time, people think something's wrong with you because you live because they think the word, the word of God, that's old fashioned. That's yesterday. That's grandma and grandpa stuff. This is a new day. And if you choose to live by the word today, you you might as well accept the fact that you're gonna be persecuted and you're gonna be afflicted. Simply because you're standing up for the truth. But many are gonna be offended because of persecution. And the Bible is gonna say it says immediately they are offended. So somebody called you a holy role, as soon as somebody called you sanctified, see if somebody called you a church goer, you get offended over that. Well, you sure enough ain't gonna make it in because they finally they gonna do worse than that for this thing over with. But here's the thing about it: if you rooted and grounded in the Lord, if I lose my life for his sake, I'll find again. If I keep looking to Jesus, hallelujah, who is the offering to finish on my faith? If I keep standing for righteousness for holiness, if I refuse to let myself be deceived, and not even deceive myself, if I don't let folks just just influence me with vain words, that's because they sound educated. Uh-huh. The devil is educated. Plenty of devil is educated. He said immediately they are offended. Lord, see, some of y'all need to go back and do and listen to that CD I made a few months back called Be Not Offended in Jesus. Go back and listen to that CD. Be not offended in Jesus. And you hear some things on that. They're helping. One other thing, Luke said, and blessed is he. This is what Luke said. Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. That's what Jesus said in Luke. You blessed. If you don't let yourself be offended, because somebody called you Jesus? A child of the Lord. I can't be defeated. Call me Jesus. Because I know the word says that's what God wants us to be transformed into the image of his just son. He wants us to be changed into Jesus. I ain't gonna get offended at that. Thank you. Thank you for calling me that. Him who made a way out of no way. Whenever I get in trouble, he's there. What I'm gonna get offended at him for. Hate me or you wanna hate me. Listen, let me tell you something. The love of God is stronger than any hate that's gonna come upon us from the world. And we ought to stay focused on that. I don't care how many people come in your face and say, I hate you, I hate you, can't stand you. Get out of my face, you're ugly, I can't stand you, I hate you. I don't care how much they do that, it will not equal the amount of love that the Bible says that God has commended toward us. And even though in the same chapter, you're gonna read the Bible say where iniquity did abound. Oh, but his grace did much more abound. God is for us, and we ought to be for God. Stop trying to please people and stop thinking that what you need spiritually is gonna come from man. Stop thinking that, because it's not. You're wasting your time. Because what we need, God got it. Man ain't got it. Because we all need the same thing. How can I give you something and I'm trying to get the same thing you get? I need Jesus, and you need Jesus. I can't be your Jesus, and you can't be my Jesus. But so many of us looking to get what we think we are empty of, thinking that somebody else can fulfill that emptiness or that void in our lives, in our hearts, in our spirit. And that place has only been designed and reserved for him who is Almighty, him who is the Holy One. Third area I want to talk to before Jesus got to the Great Tribulation. He talked to them about false prophets. Listen at this. As the last days draw nearer, this is my right and then I'm gonna give you some scripture to bag it up. As the last days draw nearer, false prophets and preachers will be exceedingly numerous. Some of us who profess holiness will begin to accept what they're gonna call. This is what they're gonna call what they're doing to you. They're gonna tell me, We got I got a new revelation. I got a new revelation. God done showed me something new, God done show me something different. God ain't about to show nobody nothing that ain't already in his word. Stop falling for that stuff. And if we didn't have it and ears, we wouldn't fall for it. Listen at this. This is what I wrote. Some of us who profess holiness will begin to accept a new revelation, even though it will conflict with the written and revealed word of God. You know ain't what the word says, but because it sounds good, and because false prophets today, they mix God's word with a lot of philosophy, and what sounds good to your ears, and what they think you want to hear. And they give people they're giving people tons of it. You got people get in the pulpit now and preach the word of God, not the word of God, but that's what they're supposed to be preaching the word of God. They can speak a whole hour and a half and they never said nothing. They never read a scripture or quoted the word of God at all. How can you feed me if you ain't gave me no word? But you gave me a lot of philosophy. You gave me a lot of false doctrine and a lot of your opinion when all I really want and all I really need, just give me the word of God. This will build up an opposition to biblical truth. What the devil is trying to do through false preachers and teachers is trying to set up an opposition and give you, let you think that you have a choice between accepting the word of God or this new revelation of what we're talking about in this new day. In order to build up a resistance in you for what the real truth is, to something that sounds like the real truth. This will build up an opposition to biblical truth within the church and among God's people. Those who teach and preach a distorted gospel will move by enabling themselves to deceive and mislead many within the church world. Now, let me tell you what Paul told the church in Galatians, because they had some down there trying to do this. Galatians chapter 1 and verse 9. As we said before, this is Paul, as we said before, so say I now again. I don't told you, I don't told you all this already one time. I'm gonna tell it to you again, is what he's saying. As we said before, so I say now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you, then that ye have received, let him be accursed. Curse on you. Let me now if you research this, being that Galatians, the book of Galatians, and then most of the New Testament was written in the Greek, which meaning a lot of the words, even though they may be spelt like our words today, they take on a Greek definition. So let me give you the Greek definition of the word accursed, as it was meant when Paul wrote this. The word accursed in the Greek means that one lies under the curse of God, is doomed to destruction, and will receive God's wrath and damnation. That's what the Greek definition of this curse, what Paul was talking about. This is the curse gonna be on you. The curse of the wrath of God. Why? Because you try to change God's word. Meaning, God take offense today because that means you're trying to change me. And I'm God, I change not. So since you're gonna try to change me, your lies shall be cursed. Because you don't come up here trying to change God. Ain't nothing that got to do with God, especially not his word. But you know you got people in this world today not caring that they're offending God, not caring that they're telling folks a lie because they're of the devil. Well, like Paul said, and I say it too, let them be accursed. The curse of God be on you. If you try to change the word, why would anybody need to come and bring you something that's not the word of God when God's word has already been laid out before us, cut and dry? Not to be added to, not to be taken away, not to be changed at all, for no reason. This is what Paul told Timothy. He said, For the time will come, and we're in that time right now. Listen what he told Timothy. First, this 2 Timothy, chapter 4. 2 Timothy, chapter chapter 4, for you got the Bible. Verses 3 and 4. 2 Timothy, chapter 4, and verse 3. He said, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. In other words, the time comes when people ain't gonna want to hear the truth. People gonna go to sleep when you do, when the worst time for the word of God, they get sleepy, they get bored. Because that spirit that's in them don't want to hear the truth, nor does that spirit in them want to endure the doctrine of the gospel that's about to be preached and heard in your ears. He said, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrines, but after their own lust shall they heed to themselves. Other words, they're gonna seek out their own preachers and pastors and teachers. Teachers having itching ears. They seek it out somebody to scratch that itch in their ear. What that means is they seek it out somebody who's saying and preaching what they want to hear. And so many people will church hop until they find somebody that's saying stuff along the same lines that they've been thinking in their own mind and in their own spirit. Because they interest it, they want to hear philosophy, they want to hear prosperity, they want to hear somebody not talking about their sin. They don't want to hear nobody talking about fornicating and committing adultery. They don't want to hear that so they find and seek out somebody that don't preach against those things. But tell them the stuff that they like to hear, make them laugh, get up there and entertain and joke around and make them feel that they are right. Verse 4 said, and they shall turn away their ears. Listen, this is this now. It's sad to me. But the truth is it is what it is. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth. They're gonna know they're hearing the truth, but they're gonna turn their ears away from it. Oh, that ain't what I want to hear. Because the truth standing them, the truth makes them uncomfortable. Because the truth finds you where you at and expose you. They will turn their ears from the truth. And see, that's why a lot of false, the devil is sending a lot of false pastors and preachers on the scene because he's setting up these people to give them what they want to hear, especially if it's not the truth. They're glad to turn you away from the truth. They're glad to give you something that's false. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned. When they turn from the truth, listen, they're gonna be turned to. The Bible says unto fables. And you know what a fable is a lie. Now you have the truth, but you don't sever let the devil turn you to that you now you believe lies. See the reason why Jesus said in St. John chapter 8, verse 44, you are the father, you of your father, the devil. Because the devil is a liar. The Bible, he's a liar and the father of them. And if you don't start allowing yourself to be turned to want to hear lies, all you're doing is just let the world know who your father is, the devil. So don't no child of God like no lies. Children of God want to hear the truth. Even if it hurts, tell me the truth, Pastor. Just tell me the truth. Let the word speak. If it hit me, just hit. But I refuse to allow myself to get comfortable listening to lies and philosophy and fables. But that's what's gonna be going on in the last days. It's coming. In the last days, members of the church shall turn their ears away from the truth. Those who turn from the truth will want preaching and teaching that demands less than the true gospel. They will not seek pastors according to the standards of God's word, but will seek those who conform to their own self-seeking and worldly desires. They will seek out preachers with the gifts of oritation, those that talk good. The ability to entertain and messages that reassure them that they can remain a Christian while living unholy lives. And a lot of churches won't deny. You deceiving yourself. Just what Jesus told you not to do. You deceiving yourself to think you're all right where you is. Paul went back and told the church in Corinth again in the second letter. Somebody please put your phone on mute. I don't know who it is, but we're hearing you the noise in your home. Check your phone, make sure it's on mute. Second Corinthians chapter 11, verse 13 said, For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. You got a lot of leaders, a lot of those that are over people in positions where they should be teaching and giving folks the word. Are false apostles, false priests, they deceitful workers, and they have transformed themselves into the world, they have made themselves appear to be to you, and our eyes make themselves appear to be something that they're not. And that's what true deception is to make to believe to be something that you're not. Verse 14. And then he said, No marvel, this Paul told the church of Corinth, no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. Now, some of y'all might say, well, Pastor, how in the world the devil being the devil, Satan, how can he transform himself into an angel of light? Or make himself look like he's an angel of light, but he ain't. Okay, so I'm glad you asked that. I'll tell you. Because he used to be one. Satan ain't always been Satan. Satan was created as an angel, pure angel, less like all the rest of them. He used to be just like Michael, Gabriel, he used to be like Raphael, Uriel. Another angel was Aziel. I don't have time to go to no angel's name, but it's a plenty of angels. Lucifer was his name, though, before it came Satan and the devil. He can make himself appear to be like what he used to be, long enough to deceive the people of God. Because he used to be one. And if he used to be one and had that power, he can give that same deceptive manner, them same deceptive ways to those who serve him and give them the power to deceive. When it comes to deceiving mankind, when it comes to deceiving the people in the church. Oh, but if we get in the word of God, that the spirit of discernment will open our eyes to them spirits. We'll open our eyes to that deception. And we'll call it out and as it is. But we'll see it as it is. Hallelujah. For a few minutes, go with me right quick, y'all. Go with me right quick to the book of 2 Peter. Let's go to 2 Peter in your Bible. I can't read all of this because in your study time, that's what I want you to do. That whole chapter of 2 Peter. The second chapter, 2 Peter chapter 2. It's that whole chapter. Peter, he's getting down on the false prophet. And I don't have time to read that whole chapter because it's 22 verses. And I ain't sitting up here and just read the whole 22 verses for you. I'm gonna read some of it, but I'm gonna let you do the rest of it when you're doing your study time. Second Peter chapter 2. Just let me get a little of it. Let me read about three or four verses. This is Peter talking to the church. Second Peter chapter 2. He said, But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privately shall bring in damnable hearers, even denying the Lord that brought them. How are you gonna deny the Lord that saved you? How are you gonna deny the Lord that brought you out of darkness and it brought you where you at today? But it's gonna happen. Sad but true. But Peter is trying to stir us up to be aware and on guard against these things, denying the Lord that brought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction. If you choose to go down this road and let yourself be deceived and reject the Lord Jesus Christ, you bring it upon yourself swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious way. This is what Peter's saying. Many are gonna be Jesus just told us, many are gonna be deceived. Peter is saying, many gonna be deceived. Paul is saying, many are gonna be deceived, and follow after their pernicious way. Now, Paul uses a big word here, but I'm gonna hit you. I'll hit you. I'll show you what he's talking about. I got you. Pernicious way. That's when somebody deceiving you, but they're trying to do it so smooth, gradual. The Bible calls it subto. But all the while they know it's having a harmful effect on your life. Some of y'all know, y'all been around smooth talkers. They smooth, but they have to something. But they they they're willing to wait and patiently do it subtly. Now they'll come on too strong, but they just trying to be smooth. That's what you call pernicious. Y'all remember in the Bible, let me let me say something. In the let me just read some Bible. Because, see, with that perniciousness, you can also use the word subtle. I'm gonna show you what I first come in. I first come in contact with this word if I go all the way back to Genesis. Well, the word of God says this. Now the serpent, this is Genesis chapter 3, verse 1. Now the serpent was more subtle, than that word is subtle, or you can say pernicious, but subtle. He was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, has God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? See, Eve, when you go all the way back to Genesis, the devil has always been trying to distort the truth of God's word. That's all he was doing with Eve. God has spoken the truth, but he in turn wants to question that in her mind to bring doubt, to distort the truth, and his spirit is yet trying to deceive and distort the truth and the gospel in the hearts and minds of people today, which is setting the stage before the great tribulation and bringing about a lack of faith and unbelief in these last days. Subtle. Now I ain't got time to go into it, but the Bible points out that the serpent was more sober than all the beasts of the field. See, the serpent was a beast that first had legs. But a lot of us, we don't understand that. But you find that when God tried to tell you when he brought the curse, when he had, oh I please wish somebody put their phone on mute. Please, I don't want this to be disturbed. I don't want this to be hinder somebody else from receiving the truth of God's word. Check your phone, please. Just put it on me, and we won't hear the background noise on your phone. Please. The serpent had legs. And we don't know a serpent with legs because but see, we find that when God took his leg, when he said, On your belly thou wilt go. When he was cursing the man, the woman, and the serpent, he said, on your belly you will go. And that day changed the whole physical structure of the serpent on that day. But that's a whole nother text. That's a whole nother text. Back to 2 Peter chapter 2. And many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. People are going to start talking bad about the truth so strongly that it's going to cause some people to wonder if the truth is really the truth. But listen, brother, says, don't let nobody deceive you. The truth is always gonna be the truth. Listen, when these false prophets and these false teachers speak against the truth, they are speaking against Jesus himself because he is the truth. And the devil has an alt against Jesus. He has an alt against the Lord. But he is trying to distort the truth about him in our hearts and minds and in our spirits. And he's gonna push real hard in these last days because the Bible says he know that his time ain't long. So he's gonna push hard against the truth. Hard to cause you to be an unbeliever. And the reason why it's gonna be so easy for him to do that in these last days is because the world is believing in everything else but the Lord. Just watch the news. Let's look at society. We believe in everything. But we when it comes to let somebody say believe in the Lord, we say, Yeah, okay, I know, I know the Lord, but believing in everything else but Jesus. But I'm here to encourage you. Hold on to what you believe in the Lord, hold on to him. Verse 3. I'm not still in 2 Peter 2. Verse 3, and through covetousness shall they with fame words make merchandise of you. Preachers, and somebody churches, all they're doing is trying to make merchandise out of the people. To make themselves to be a fat cat and pimps. And they're making merchandise out of God's people because God's people refuse to accept the truth and see these devils and deceivers for who they really are. While at the same time, they made merchandise out of you, just using you, is what the word is telling you. Make merchandise to you whose judgment now of a long time lingers not. And the damnation, some of it, in other words, they're gonna get what they got coming to them. It's coming to them. In your study time, I'm asking somebody, I know I can't make y'all do nothing, but I'm asking your study time. Read 2 Peter chapter 2, the whole chapter, and you will get even a more understanding of what uh I'm trying to tell you about the last days and these false prophets. Let me go back to let's go back to Matthew the 24th chapter. And I will give you a stopping point where we're gonna begin on next time. Matthew 24. Matthew 24. I was springboarding from verse 11. Let me read verse 11 through verse 14. Matthew 24 and 11. And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure until the end, the same shall be saved. You got to go all the way, y'all. And I'm trying to help us get all the way. If y'all just stick with this word, we're gonna have through the help of the good Lord, I'm gonna show you how to endure to the end. Verse 14. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come. Now, verse 15 is where we're gonna start on next time we have Bible study. This verse 15 is gonna go into the scriptures that's leading up to the great tribulation. We're gonna talk about on next time the great tribulation. Now that we done got the things that are gonna come to pass before the great tribulation, which was what? Being deceived, being offended, and the false prophet. Now, next time we're ready. The Tuesday after third Sunday, our next Bible study period. We're gonna go in depth on the great tribulation. Lord say the same.