EPISODE 446 SURVIVAL OF IRAN FREE FALL? WILL THE SHAW OF IRAN RETURN? PRESIDENT MADURO OF VENEZUELA CAPTURED? TWO DAYS OF SEVERE TROUBLE? WHAT DOES THE BIBLE PREDICT AND WHERE ARE WE TODAY IN PROPHECY? WHAT IS THE BIBLE OUTCOME?

I this 'EPISODE 446 SURVIVAL OF IRAN FREE FALL? WILL THE SHAW OF IRAN RETURN? PRESIDENT MADURO OF VENEZUELA CAPTURED? TWO DAYS OF SEVERE TROUBLE? WHAT DOES THE BIBLE PREDICT AND WHERE ARE WE TODAY IN PROPHECY? WHAT IS THE BIBLE OUTCOME?' author and host Elbert Hardy covers the shocking events of the last few days from the perspective of prophecy in our Bibles. The end seems closer than ever before! Hope and help is going to come from our Great God!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

If you've been watching the news lately, it's shocking how many troubles there are in the world. We want to know what the outcome of the whole thing is. What is it based on the Bible? For example, Elam. How did Biblical Elam become today's Iran? And what's happening over there? They don't have any water. The people are rising up and rioting in the streets by the millions, and there's no hope for ever recovering. Where are they going to get the water? They're blaming the government, but the government hasn't managed their water well. They need water severely. People are dying of thirst in the streets. No wonder they're rioting. What about Maduro getting arrested by the United States Army? He was the president of Venezuela. So does that mean that the United States is going to have to take over the reins of government there as well? What's going to happen in the future? And is that in the Bible at all? Where? Good question. And what's going to happen in the future? All of that happened in a couple of days. And that's not all the troubles. We're going to explore this and find out what the Bible predicts about it. This is Albert Hardy for Bible Prophecy Radio. Many people seem to think that this was an illegal move by our president. I'm not sure that it is or was. But what's going to happen to these places, these peoples? And what about Ukraine and Russia and all the troubles that are going on there? What about Pakistan and India which are ready to go nuclear? The world is really heating up in troubles. What does the Bible have to tell us? Where can we go to find any comfort? To start with, I want to go to the forty ninth chapter of Jeremiah where it talks about Elam. And this is going to start in verse thirty-four. This message concerning Elon came to the prophet Jeremiah from the Lord at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, King of Judah. This is what the Lord of Heaven's armies says I will destroy the archers of Elam, the best of their forces. I will bring enemies from all directions, and I will scatter the people of Elam to the four winds. They will be exiled to countries around the world. I myself will go with Elam's enemies to shatter it. In my fierce anger I will bring great disaster upon the people of Elam, says the Lord. That's exactly where we're at today. They're in my opinion, is greater than any trouble they've ever had before in recorded history so far as I can find. Their enemies will chase them with a sword or with the sword until I have destroyed them completely. I will set my throne in Elam, says the Lord, and I will destroy its king and officials, but I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come I the Lord have spoken. I find that a very remarkable prophecy. God Himself is going to take over every single nation and its government will be his. Well, where would we find something like that? Let's take a look at Daniel chapter two. Assuming you're familiar with this story, here's the way it reads in the NLT, and what's going on here, I'll try to cut to the chase. This is Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Nebuchadnezzar, however you pronounce it. His dream. One night, this is verse one, we're just going to briefly touch this. One night during the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had such disturbing dreams that he couldn't sleep. He called his magicians, enchanters and sorcerers and astrologers, and he demanded that they tell him what he what he had dreamed. This is not possible. How can you tell what another person has dreamed? How can anybody? As they stood before the king, he said I have had a dream that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means. Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, Long live the king, tell us the dream and we'll tell you what it means. But the king said to the astrologers, I'm serious about this. If you don't tell me my dream and what it was and what it means, you will be torn limb from limb and your houses turned into heaps of rubble. But if you do tell me what my dream is and what it means, I will give you many wonderful gifts and honors. Just tell me the dream and what it means. And they said, Please, your Majesty, just tell us the dream and we'll tell you what it means. He replied, I know what you're doing, you're trying to stall for time, because you know I'm serious about this when I say if you don't tell me the dream, you're doomed. So you have conspired to tell me lies hoping I will change my mind, but tell me the dream and I'll know you know what it means. The astrologers replied to the king, No one on earth can tell the king his dream, and no king, however great or mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any astrologer, enchanter, or magician. The king's demand was is impossible. No one can except the gods, and they don't live among people. This made the king so furious he ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be executed, and that would include Daniel and his three friends. Because of the king's decree, verse thirteen, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends. When Arioch, the commander of the king's guard, came to kill them, Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion. He asked, Why has the king issued such a harsh decree? So Ariok told him all that had happened, and Daniel went at once to see the king, and requested more time to tell the king what the dream was and what it meant. So he went home and told his three friends, and that would be Hananiah, Mishel, and Azariah, better known in their language as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He urged them eighteen to ask the God of heaven to show them by his mercy to tell them the secret so they could not be executed with the otherwise men of Babylon. That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praise the God of heaven. We'll drop down to verse twenty four. Then Daniel went to see Ariak, the king whom the king had ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon. He said, Don't kill the wise men, take me to the king and I will tell him the meaning of his dream. So Ariok gets excited and he quickly took Daniel to the king and said, I have found one of the captives from Judah who will tell the king the dream and what it means. So the king said to Daniel, Is this true? Can you tell me what my dream was and what it meant? Daniel replied, There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune tellers who can reveal the king's secret, but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets. And he know he has shown to the King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. So now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed. While your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets has shown you what's going to happen, and it's not because I'm wiser than anyone else or that I know the secrets of dreams, but God wants you to understand what was in your heart. In your vision, your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge shining statue of a man. It was frightening. The head of the statue was made of fine gold. Its chest and arms were made of silver. Its belly and thighs were bronze, and its legs were iron, and its feet were a combination of iron and baked clay. As you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands. It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. The whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Then the wind blew them away without leaving a trace like chaff on a threshing floor. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth. That was the dream, and now we will tell you, the king what it means. Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world, and has put even the wild animals and birds under your control. You are that head of gold. But after your kingdom comes to an end, another kingdom inferior to yours will rise to take your place. After that kingdom has fallen a third one, represented by bronze, will rise to rule the world. Following that kingdom there will be a fourth one, strong as iron. That kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes. The feet and toes you saw were a combination of iron and baked clay, showing that this kingdom will be divided. Like iron mixed with clay it will have some strength, like iron, but while some parts of it will be as strong as iron and other parts will be weak as clay, this mixture of iron and clay shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage, but they will not hold together just as iron and clay do not mix. And get this, verse forty four. During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms, all the kingdoms of the world, in other words, into nothingness, and it will stand forever. That's the meaning of the rock cut from a mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain. Then the king, verse forty six, King Nebuchadnezzar threw himself down before Daniel and worshipped him, and commanded his people to offer sacrifices and burn sweet incense before him. The king said to Daniel, Truly your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you've been able to reveal this secret. So then the king appointed Daniel to a high position and gave him many valuable gifts, and he became the ruler over the province of Babylon, as well as chief over all the wise men. Flip over with me, if you would, to Revelation chapter eleven, and we'll start in verse fifteen. Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying actually shouting The world is now become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever. Let's read that again. The world is now become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever. That's what Daniel was just saying. This is not just for one thousand years, this is forever. The twenty four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshipped him, and they said, We give thanks to you, O Lord, God Almighty, the one who is and always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign. The nations plural were filled with wrath, but now the time of your wrath has come. You think human trouble is bad? Well just wait. It is time to judge the dead and reward your servants, the prophets, as well as your holy people, all who fear your name from the least to the greatest. It is time to destroy all those all who have caused destruction on the earth. Is he predicting World War three here? Quite possibly. Then in heaven the temple of God was open, and the Ark of the Covenant could be seen inside the temple. You want to know where it is today? Well, the temple may be in the heavens with God. He may have drawn it up with him. Lightning flashed and thunder crashed and roared, and there was a terrible earthquake and hailstorm. And that's the end of chapter eleven of Revelation. In Second Timothy chapter three, starting in verse one, we read this You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times, for people will love only themselves and their money. They will boast and be proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They're going to cast away God in other words. Oh yeah. They will be unloving and unforgiving. They will slander others and have no self control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends and be reckless, be puffed up with pride and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that. And it goes on. They are the kind who work their way into people's houses and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. And let's see, let's drop down verse eight. These teachers oppose the truth just as Janice and Jambris oppose. Moses. When those guys were trying to teach them to worship idols, they have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith. Get that? A counterfeit faith. It's not even biblical, not even real, but it's counterfeit. They won't get away with this for long. Someday everyone will recognize what fools they are. But you, verse ten, Timothy, certainly know what I teach and how I live and what my purpose in life is. We all have a purpose in life, and that is to get to know the one and only true God. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance. You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, but the Lord rescued me from it all. Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Jesus Christ will suffer persecution. Is that what we find in Matthew twenty four, for example? We might flip over there if we have time. But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and themselves be deceived, but you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know that they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy scriptures from childhood, some of us, and they have given you the wisdom to receive that salvation that comes through trusting Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we're wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to every good work. We'll stop right there. That's the end of chapter three of 2 Timothy. So in Matthew 24, verse 4, Jesus told his disciples, Don't let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name claiming I am the Messiah. They will deceive many. Talk about a counterfeit worship form, and you will hear of wars and threats of wars. But don't panic, these are only the beginning. Nation will go to war against nation. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world, but all this is only the first of the birth pains with more to come. Then you'll be arrested, persecuted, and killed. What happened to the rapture idea? It's not here. No, you will be hated all over the world because you are my followers, and many will turn away from me and betray each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere. That's where we're at in prophecy also. The love of many will grow cold, but the one who endures, like Paul did, endures through persecution, they will be saved. And this good news about the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will come and hear it, and then the end will come. Jesus Himself is that rock that was cut without hands, predicted by Daniel, and he's the one that will take over the reigns of government over the entirety of the world. So let's continue. Verse 15. The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about the sacrilegious object that will cause desecration standing in the holy place. Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. He must run, get out of there. A person out I added that part. A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. Verse 19, Matthew twenty four. How terrible it'll be for pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days. And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath, for there will be greater anguish then than at any time since the world began, and it'll never be that great again. In fact, that time of calamity, unless it is shortened, not a single person will live. But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones. Then if anyone tells you, here's the Messiah, or there he is, don't believe it. Dropping down to verse 26. So if someone tells you, look, the Messiah's out in the desert, don't bother to go and look. For as the lightning, this is verse 27, flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. Just as the gathering of vultures shows there's a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate the end is near. Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then at last, in other words, not first, then at last the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning all over the earth among all the people. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Then this is the rapture verse, verse thirty one. Then he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world from the farthest ends of heaven and earth. This will be the first resurrection, and that's when we'll all be gathered together as one with Jesus. Now let's flip over to Hebrews eleven. I want to read something here that might give you some real encouragement. Starting in verse let's go to thirty-three. By these by faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put on or put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. In other words, they would be set free if they would turn from God. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. This is verse thirty six. Some were jeered at, their backs were cut open with whips, others were chained in prisons, some died by stoning, some were sawed in half like Isaiah, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats destitute and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith. None of them received all that God had promised. None of them. For God had something better in mind for us, that's you and me, so that they would not reach perfection without us. We're all coming up in the resurrection. If we're still alive at that time, we'll all be together with them at one point in time. That's when He, Jesus, will receive us to be with Him forever and rule and reign with Him. Well, this is Albert Hardy for Bible Prophecy Radio. There's a lot to this. We need to study it and learn. I need to too. I'm no better than you. You can go to my website. It's a free website. There's nothing for sale there. I'm not trying to get your money. It's itellwhy.com. You can read my books there and watch the videos and learn about Jesus there. So until next time, this is Albert Hardy closing out episode 446, Bible Prophecy Radio. Thank you for tuning in today.