WEBVTT 00:00:02.859 --> 00:00:04.900 of God and share the truths that they've been 00:00:04.900 --> 00:00:09.140 given. But time after time, they started chasing 00:00:09.140 --> 00:00:11.839 their own empire, starting to chase their own 00:00:11.839 --> 00:00:14.640 palaces, then building the kingdom of God. What 00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:18.019 do I mean by that? Well, the rich kept getting 00:00:18.019 --> 00:00:21.100 richer, and the poor kept getting poorer. The 00:00:21.100 --> 00:00:23.000 rich would oppress their poor, their cousins, 00:00:23.079 --> 00:00:25.699 to maybe start off as their servants, and they 00:00:25.699 --> 00:00:28.000 were paying their servants quite well, but then 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:29.980 later and later, they would pay them worse and 00:00:29.980 --> 00:00:33.060 worse. And God kept telling guys, If you want 00:00:33.060 --> 00:00:34.579 to be my people, I'm calling you to administer 00:00:34.579 --> 00:00:38.939 justice, mercy, and compassion and grow my kingdom. 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:41.500 Stop focusing on your own kingdom and your own 00:00:41.500 --> 00:00:46.200 empires. And in this time, God would send his 00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:48.520 prophets. Prophet by prophet would come and say, 00:00:48.560 --> 00:00:51.320 guys, return back to God because these scary 00:00:51.320 --> 00:00:55.780 dogs outside want to get us. These scary empires 00:00:55.780 --> 00:00:57.219 are coming and they're going to be stronger than 00:00:57.219 --> 00:00:59.939 us. And if we don't have the power of God, they're 00:00:59.939 --> 00:01:03.549 going to take us over. So time by time, different 00:01:03.549 --> 00:01:05.590 people groups would come and they were going 00:01:05.590 --> 00:01:08.209 to come to take over the Israelites. And there 00:01:08.209 --> 00:01:09.969 in fear, the Israelites would turn back to God 00:01:09.969 --> 00:01:13.170 and say, God, we're sorry. We realize we're going 00:01:13.170 --> 00:01:15.489 to be taken over. We don't want this. We want 00:01:15.489 --> 00:01:18.069 to come back to you. We want your help. And God 00:01:18.069 --> 00:01:20.769 in his great compassion, time after time would 00:01:20.769 --> 00:01:22.409 forgive his people and they would come back. 00:01:22.909 --> 00:01:24.730 And by time again, they would fall again. And 00:01:24.730 --> 00:01:29.430 this happened 14 times. 14 times. God sends his 00:01:29.430 --> 00:01:32.489 people. Help when they were going to be overtaken. 00:01:32.810 --> 00:01:35.030 And finally, with the last prophet, Jeremiah 00:01:35.030 --> 00:01:38.230 comes and he says, guys, repent. Stop praying 00:01:38.230 --> 00:01:40.930 to your idols. Stop chasing your own dreams. 00:01:41.390 --> 00:01:43.450 There's people out here that we have to reach 00:01:43.450 --> 00:01:45.209 for the kingdom of God. And when are you going 00:01:45.209 --> 00:01:49.329 to stop chasing your own wealth, causing more 00:01:49.329 --> 00:01:52.390 oppression? But the people didn't want that. 00:01:52.829 --> 00:01:59.329 So finally, Jeremiah gives one of his last. as 00:01:59.329 --> 00:02:01.010 you could say to his people. And if you guys 00:02:01.010 --> 00:02:06.629 want to turn with me to Jeremiah 25, 8 -9. Therefore, 00:02:06.750 --> 00:02:10.310 the Lord Almighty says this. Because you have 00:02:10.310 --> 00:02:13.389 not listened to my words, I will summon all the 00:02:13.389 --> 00:02:18.030 peoples of the north and my servant, Nebuchadnezzar 00:02:18.030 --> 00:02:20.610 of Babylon, declares the Lord. And I will bring 00:02:20.610 --> 00:02:22.729 them against this land and its inhabitants and 00:02:22.729 --> 00:02:25.250 against... all the surrounding nations. I will 00:02:25.250 --> 00:02:27.270 completely destroy them and make them an object 00:02:27.270 --> 00:02:29.729 of horror and scorn and an everlasting ruin. 00:02:30.189 --> 00:02:32.750 This whole country will become a desolate wasteland 00:02:32.750 --> 00:02:35.849 and these nations will serve the king of Babylon 00:02:35.849 --> 00:02:41.629 70 years. And just as Jeremiah had prophesied 00:02:41.629 --> 00:02:45.610 what happens, the king Zedekiah, the last king 00:02:45.610 --> 00:02:50.569 of Israel, it reads in 2 Chronicles 36, 11 through 00:02:50.569 --> 00:02:53.949 14. Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became 00:02:53.949 --> 00:02:56.849 king, and he reigned in Jerusalem 11 years. He 00:02:56.849 --> 00:02:58.990 did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God and 00:02:58.990 --> 00:03:01.569 did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, 00:03:01.770 --> 00:03:05.870 who spoke the word of the Lord. He also rebelled 00:03:05.870 --> 00:03:07.870 against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him 00:03:07.870 --> 00:03:13.889 take an oath in God's name. He became stiff -necked 00:03:13.889 --> 00:03:16.050 and hardened his heart and will not turn to the 00:03:16.050 --> 00:03:18.430 Lord, the God of Israel. Furthermore, All the 00:03:18.430 --> 00:03:20.550 leaders of the priests and the people became 00:03:20.550 --> 00:03:23.830 more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable 00:03:23.830 --> 00:03:26.289 practices of the nations and defiling the temple 00:03:26.289 --> 00:03:28.789 of the Lord, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem. 00:03:29.689 --> 00:03:33.210 And that same year, as Jeremiah gives his last 00:03:33.210 --> 00:03:34.770 sermon, saying, guys, we're going to be taken 00:03:34.770 --> 00:03:37.050 over by Nebuchadnezzar. Surely that happened. 00:03:37.409 --> 00:03:39.750 Nebuchadnezzar came over and took the people 00:03:39.750 --> 00:03:42.169 back to Babylon. And now this becomes like the 00:03:42.169 --> 00:03:43.629 stories that we've grown up with, with Daniel 00:03:43.629 --> 00:03:45.909 and his three friends. This is him. So this is 00:03:45.909 --> 00:03:50.310 Daniel that's taken over. to Babylon, and they're 00:03:50.310 --> 00:03:57.610 there in exile for a long time. Here, as they're 00:03:57.610 --> 00:04:00.409 taken over, King Nebuchadnezzar comes and conquers 00:04:00.409 --> 00:04:02.590 the city and takes all of the people back with 00:04:02.590 --> 00:04:06.650 him. Instead of murdering everyone and causing 00:04:06.650 --> 00:04:09.250 them all to be their slaves, like the Israelites 00:04:09.250 --> 00:04:12.370 have been doing to their own brothers, what does 00:04:12.370 --> 00:04:16.620 King Nebuchadnezzar do? He shows them compassion, 00:04:16.860 --> 00:04:19.240 mercy, and justice, what God had been calling 00:04:19.240 --> 00:04:21.420 his own people to do. And why do I say that? 00:04:21.699 --> 00:04:24.620 We hear the stories of Daniel arriving to Babylon, 00:04:24.740 --> 00:04:28.079 and what's waiting for him? Torture? Feasts! 00:04:28.620 --> 00:04:30.879 The most beautiful places they've been set in, 00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:33.920 the nicest Airbnbs of the town, the best food. 00:04:33.980 --> 00:04:36.079 And yes, maybe their theology is different. The 00:04:36.079 --> 00:04:38.699 feasts were all the food at the feast were given 00:04:38.699 --> 00:04:41.060 to their idols. But it's King Nebuchadnezzar 00:04:41.060 --> 00:04:44.339 that God says, my servant, shows the Israelites, 00:04:44.839 --> 00:04:48.079 the way that they were supposed to live, administering 00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:52.279 compassion, mercy, and justice. And there, 50 00:04:52.279 --> 00:04:56.759 years pass, and many Jews become very high up 00:04:56.759 --> 00:04:58.920 in the government, and there's good relationships 00:04:58.920 --> 00:05:01.639 between the kings. The people are still asking, 00:05:01.819 --> 00:05:04.600 God, this isn't our home. We want to go back, 00:05:04.680 --> 00:05:08.379 and how are we going to get back? So the people 00:05:08.379 --> 00:05:10.939 are there during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar 00:05:10.939 --> 00:05:15.420 II, Amal Murdoch. Naraglisar, Labish -Marduk, 00:05:15.600 --> 00:05:18.480 and finally, Belshazzar. And as most of us know 00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:21.120 the story of Belshazzar, Belshazzar is the king 00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:25.459 of Babylon, the most powerful nation on earth. 00:05:25.779 --> 00:05:28.779 Nothing could overtake Babylon. They were completely 00:05:28.779 --> 00:05:32.680 fortified. Not only were they extremely fortified 00:05:32.680 --> 00:05:35.439 and their military was the strongest, they had 00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:38.639 the most... Beautiful palaces all around. I mean, 00:05:38.660 --> 00:05:40.620 it was gorgeous. We hear about the stories of 00:05:40.620 --> 00:05:43.519 Babylon and the streams and the gardens. They 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:49.420 had everything. So as Belshazzar, the king, knows 00:05:49.420 --> 00:05:51.660 that the Persians are coming to overtake Babylon, 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:56.939 he feasts. He's not scared. What do the Persians 00:05:56.939 --> 00:05:59.160 have against Babylon? I mean, we have the strongest 00:05:59.160 --> 00:06:00.980 city. There's absolutely no way they're going 00:06:00.980 --> 00:06:04.439 to get through the walls. Impossible. So the 00:06:04.439 --> 00:06:06.420 night that he hears that Cyrus the Great and 00:06:06.420 --> 00:06:09.259 Darius are outside his city walls, he feasts. 00:06:09.379 --> 00:06:12.759 He drinks wine. He has a great time. He has women. 00:06:12.819 --> 00:06:15.680 He has food. And he mocks at the face of who 00:06:15.680 --> 00:06:18.480 will ever overtake Babylon. And that night, as 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:20.660 we all know, the handwriting on the wall and 00:06:20.660 --> 00:06:23.560 what happens, Daniel comes in, interprets, Babylon, 00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:25.600 you're going to fall. And what happens that night? 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:29.060 Well, Cyrus the Great, as most of us know, he 00:06:29.060 --> 00:06:32.660 was the general of the Persian Empire. The Persian 00:06:32.660 --> 00:06:36.040 Empire's king was King Darius. And that night, 00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:39.019 I'm sure for a long time they were building this 00:06:39.019 --> 00:06:42.759 strategy. But what happens that night? As Belshazzar 00:06:42.759 --> 00:06:45.980 is there feasting, nobody could ever get me down 00:06:45.980 --> 00:06:48.180 from this kingdom that I've built for myself. 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:54.439 Cyrus the Great has an incredible idea. Babylon. 00:06:54.439 --> 00:06:56.699 Babylon was completely fortified except for one 00:06:56.699 --> 00:06:59.699 place. There was the river Euphrates that ran 00:06:59.699 --> 00:07:02.639 through Babylon. But it wasn't just an open river 00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:04.899 where you could take your kayak down and go into 00:07:04.899 --> 00:07:06.800 Babylon and then go out of it. No, absolutely 00:07:06.800 --> 00:07:09.860 not. There was a massive bridge over, also heavily 00:07:09.860 --> 00:07:12.220 fortified. And on top of that, there were even 00:07:12.220 --> 00:07:15.060 these big claws underneath the bridge. So people, 00:07:15.139 --> 00:07:16.899 you couldn't just swim through and find your 00:07:16.899 --> 00:07:20.490 way into Babylon. And that night, Cyrus the Great, 00:07:20.550 --> 00:07:23.649 in his greatness, truly, decides that they are 00:07:23.649 --> 00:07:26.389 going to build side channels of the Euphrates 00:07:26.389 --> 00:07:29.529 River. So that night, over 100 ,000 of his men 00:07:29.529 --> 00:07:35.209 trade their swords for shovels, and they create 00:07:35.209 --> 00:07:38.069 channels. And in one night, they're able to get 00:07:38.069 --> 00:07:40.689 all of the water of the Euphrates out into different 00:07:40.689 --> 00:07:44.040 channels, and they walk through Babylon. The 00:07:44.040 --> 00:07:46.560 king there, Belshazzar, is completely drunk with 00:07:46.560 --> 00:07:48.939 all of his men, and none of his great generals 00:07:48.939 --> 00:07:52.779 can fight against the Persians. And in one night, 00:07:52.879 --> 00:07:57.339 great Babylon falls. And again, you would think, 00:07:57.399 --> 00:07:59.860 well, with a new kingdom, with a new king coming 00:07:59.860 --> 00:08:01.720 over and taking over Babylon, of course, they're 00:08:01.720 --> 00:08:03.160 going to make everybody their slaves. They're 00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:04.600 probably going to torture most people, treat 00:08:04.600 --> 00:08:08.220 them horribly. But what happens again? God uses, 00:08:08.259 --> 00:08:12.389 again, the Persians. to show the Israelites how 00:08:12.389 --> 00:08:15.069 they are to treat their neighbors with compassion, 00:08:15.329 --> 00:08:18.470 mercy, and justice. Why do I say that? Well, 00:08:18.509 --> 00:08:20.769 we know the stories. Daniel stays in his high 00:08:20.769 --> 00:08:25.310 position with the new Persian Empire. And it's 00:08:25.310 --> 00:08:27.290 here with this new Persian Empire, with Darius 00:08:27.290 --> 00:08:29.589 and with Cyrus the Great, where we hear of the 00:08:29.589 --> 00:08:33.240 story of Daniel in the lion's den. And it was 00:08:33.240 --> 00:08:36.019 there, it was about between two years, because 00:08:36.019 --> 00:08:38.120 Darius, the king of Persia, stays in Babylon 00:08:38.120 --> 00:08:40.519 for two years until he passes away, and that's 00:08:40.519 --> 00:08:45.200 where Cyrus the Great comes into power. So Cyrus 00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:47.220 the Great and Daniel are friends, and some scholars 00:08:47.220 --> 00:08:50.659 say it was Daniel that showed Cyrus the Great 00:08:50.659 --> 00:08:53.340 his true identity. And what do I mean by that? 00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:56.340 Cyrus the Great is not only considered the great, 00:08:56.480 --> 00:08:59.679 but also God calls him Cyrus my shepherd and 00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:03.740 Cyrus my anointed. What? Where does God say that 00:09:03.740 --> 00:09:09.139 about Cyrus? I can just imagine one night Daniel 00:09:09.139 --> 00:09:12.700 and Cyrus are there talking, probably around 00:09:12.700 --> 00:09:15.000 a lot of food and a feast, and they're sharing 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:19.000 wisdom on how to keep going. How can they make 00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:21.940 a great empire together? And Daniel calls them 00:09:21.940 --> 00:09:25.000 out and says, Cyrus, do you know that you have 00:09:25.000 --> 00:09:27.620 an extremely high calling? Do you know that you 00:09:27.620 --> 00:09:31.600 have a God -given anointed calling? And Cyrus 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:35.840 says, I mean, look at me. I'm the ruler of the 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:37.759 greatest kingdom. Of course I have a calling. 00:09:38.620 --> 00:09:43.080 And Daniel says, no, you actually have a higher 00:09:43.080 --> 00:09:45.559 calling than that. You know, I'm a holy man. 00:09:45.860 --> 00:09:48.059 And as this holy man, we have this book called 00:09:48.059 --> 00:09:50.740 the Torah, which guides us with wisdom, and we 00:09:50.740 --> 00:09:54.120 believe that it's God's words. And over 100 years 00:09:54.120 --> 00:09:56.539 ago, your name has been written down in my holy 00:09:56.539 --> 00:10:00.960 books. And your legacy has been written down. 00:10:01.259 --> 00:10:03.720 And he opens to the book of Isaiah and he reads 00:10:03.720 --> 00:10:05.600 it to Cyrus saying, and if you guys want to turn 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:11.600 with me to Isaiah 44, 28. Who says of Cyrus, 00:10:11.980 --> 00:10:16.480 he is my shepherd and will accomplish all that 00:10:16.480 --> 00:10:20.019 I please. He will save Jerusalem, let it be rebuilt, 00:10:20.179 --> 00:10:23.019 and of the temple, let its foundations be laid. 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:26.980 This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to 00:10:26.980 --> 00:10:29.860 Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue 00:10:29.860 --> 00:10:32.340 nations before him and to strip kings of their 00:10:32.340 --> 00:10:34.879 armor to open the gates before him so the gates 00:10:34.879 --> 00:10:37.779 will not be shut. And jumping to verse 13. I 00:10:37.779 --> 00:10:40.279 will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness. I will 00:10:40.279 --> 00:10:43.240 make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my 00:10:43.240 --> 00:10:46.759 city and set my exiles free, but not for a price 00:10:46.759 --> 00:10:51.580 or reward, says the Lord Almighty. And that day. 00:10:52.840 --> 00:10:55.700 The Holy Spirit came over Cyrus and he accepted 00:10:55.700 --> 00:10:57.419 the calling of his life. And the next day there 00:10:57.419 --> 00:11:00.740 was great rejoicing in Israel. Finally, they 00:11:00.740 --> 00:11:03.320 were able to go back. Finally, they would be 00:11:03.320 --> 00:11:05.860 able to enjoy the hills, the rolling hills that 00:11:05.860 --> 00:11:07.580 they had heard about and the streams that their 00:11:07.580 --> 00:11:09.759 grandparents had told them about. Finally, they 00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:11.860 would be able to eat their own food in their 00:11:11.860 --> 00:11:14.019 own city. And finally, they would be able to 00:11:14.019 --> 00:11:16.059 rebuild the temple of God that they so desired. 00:11:17.299 --> 00:11:23.309 So Cyrus sends 100 ,000 Israelites back. to Jerusalem. 00:11:23.649 --> 00:11:26.009 He not only sends them back, well, go as you 00:11:26.009 --> 00:11:29.210 please, he sends them with tons of funds to be 00:11:29.210 --> 00:11:32.190 able to rebuild the walls and rebuild the temple. 00:11:32.809 --> 00:11:34.549 Not only does he send them with tons, but he 00:11:34.549 --> 00:11:37.509 sends with money, but he sends them with military 00:11:37.509 --> 00:11:39.769 force that nobody could attack them and that 00:11:39.769 --> 00:11:41.870 they would be protected to build the city of 00:11:41.870 --> 00:11:44.950 God again. So the Israelites finally get back 00:11:44.950 --> 00:11:48.269 to Israel, to Jerusalem, and they're so excited, 00:11:48.370 --> 00:11:52.490 finally. God's prophecy is being fulfilled. They 00:11:52.490 --> 00:11:55.070 said for 70 years we would be in exile. For 70 00:11:55.070 --> 00:11:57.870 years between the time of the old temple to the 00:11:57.870 --> 00:12:01.870 new temple, it would be rebuilt. So they're back, 00:12:01.970 --> 00:12:04.389 and everybody works together. It's not just the 00:12:04.389 --> 00:12:06.529 blue -collared men. It's the women, the children. 00:12:06.750 --> 00:12:09.009 Everybody's working together to rebuild the temple 00:12:09.009 --> 00:12:13.649 walls and to rebuild the city walls. But slowly 00:12:13.649 --> 00:12:18.259 by slowly, they fall back. just like their ancestors, 00:12:18.679 --> 00:12:21.860 just like their grandparents. The rich kept getting 00:12:21.860 --> 00:12:24.440 richer, and the poor kept getting poorer. They 00:12:24.440 --> 00:12:26.919 cared more about, let me make sure that I have 00:12:26.919 --> 00:12:29.519 a bigger piece of land than my cousin Larry. 00:12:29.940 --> 00:12:31.919 Let me make sure that I have a bigger, nicer 00:12:31.919 --> 00:12:34.480 house, so when I invite the family over, they'll 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:36.659 look at me and say, wow. And it started off with, 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:39.740 you know, hiring some servants on their land 00:12:39.740 --> 00:12:44.919 to oppression, to slavery, once again. The Israelites 00:12:44.919 --> 00:12:48.600 that had just lived through that 14 times had 00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:53.580 fallen back to the same thing. And in 16 years, 00:12:53.740 --> 00:12:55.820 the only thing that happened back in Jerusalem 00:12:55.820 --> 00:12:59.399 was the foundation of the temple. The foundation 00:12:59.399 --> 00:13:01.639 of the temple and the altar was built. But there 00:13:01.639 --> 00:13:04.480 was no temple itself built. The only thing built 00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:09.039 was people's own palaces. So the other exiles 00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:11.779 that are still in Babylon cry out to God saying 00:13:11.779 --> 00:13:16.059 the same thing. God, how are you going to fulfill 00:13:16.059 --> 00:13:18.419 your promise of this 70 -year prophecy that this 00:13:18.419 --> 00:13:20.279 temple is going to be rebuilt? Because there's 00:13:20.279 --> 00:13:23.080 only four years left for you to do this. And 00:13:23.080 --> 00:13:24.879 when are you going to do it? Because we're sitting 00:13:24.879 --> 00:13:31.460 here in Babylon. We're ready to go home. So I 00:13:31.460 --> 00:13:33.220 was there finals week asking the same question. 00:13:33.299 --> 00:13:37.700 God, how? How am I going to get over this person? 00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:40.980 How am I going to get over these finals? What's 00:13:40.980 --> 00:13:44.950 your answer for me? And as every morning went, 00:13:45.029 --> 00:13:47.750 I would open my Bible, have my worship, and then 00:13:47.750 --> 00:13:50.409 I would start studying. As I was opening up to 00:13:50.409 --> 00:13:52.929 the book of Luke, which I love because Luke is 00:13:52.929 --> 00:13:55.490 apparently a doctor. He was a physician. And 00:13:55.490 --> 00:13:58.570 most of his stories, if you read through them, 00:13:58.710 --> 00:14:02.049 are healing stories. So a lot of times when you 00:14:02.049 --> 00:14:04.730 were like reading about... It would be, like, 00:14:04.730 --> 00:14:06.669 literally that week I was learning about leprosy, 00:14:06.690 --> 00:14:08.169 and I was like, oh, my goodness, this is so cool. 00:14:08.250 --> 00:14:10.110 Like, I get it. God, you're so cool. So I was 00:14:10.110 --> 00:14:12.350 opening up to Luke, and I just felt the Holy 00:14:12.350 --> 00:14:16.009 Spirit saying, Zechariah 5, Zechariah 5, Zechariah 00:14:16.009 --> 00:14:19.070 5. I was like, what? Zechariah 5? So I opened 00:14:19.070 --> 00:14:21.950 up to the book of Zechariah 5 that morning, and 00:14:21.950 --> 00:14:23.850 I'd like you guys to open up with me, too, and 00:14:23.850 --> 00:14:28.190 we can read it together. I looked again, and 00:14:28.190 --> 00:14:31.629 there before me was a flying scroll. He asked 00:14:31.629 --> 00:14:35.720 me, what do you see? I answered, I see a flying 00:14:35.720 --> 00:14:39.480 scroll, 20 cubits long and 10 cubits wide. And 00:14:39.480 --> 00:14:42.080 he said to me, this is the curse that is going 00:14:42.080 --> 00:14:46.259 out over the whole land. For according to what 00:14:46.259 --> 00:14:48.940 it says on one side, every thief will be banished. 00:14:48.960 --> 00:14:51.620 And to what it says on the other side, everyone 00:14:51.620 --> 00:14:54.629 who swears falsely will be banished. The Lord 00:14:54.629 --> 00:14:57.049 Almighty declares, I will send it out, and it 00:14:57.049 --> 00:14:59.350 will enter the house of the thief and the house 00:14:59.350 --> 00:15:01.990 of anyone who swears falsely by my name. It will 00:15:01.990 --> 00:15:04.169 remain in the house and destroy completely both 00:15:04.169 --> 00:15:07.129 its timbers and its stones. Then the angel who 00:15:07.129 --> 00:15:09.529 was speaking to me came forward and said to me, 00:15:09.610 --> 00:15:13.429 Look up and see what is appearing. I asked, What 00:15:13.429 --> 00:15:16.789 is it? He replied, It's an ephah. And he added, 00:15:17.009 --> 00:15:19.090 This is the iniquity of the people throughout 00:15:19.090 --> 00:15:21.429 the land. Then the cover of lead was raised, 00:15:21.610 --> 00:15:23.730 and there in the ephah sat a woman. He said, 00:15:24.059 --> 00:15:26.259 This is wickedness. And he pushed her back into 00:15:26.259 --> 00:15:29.159 the ephah and pushed its lead cub over onto it. 00:15:29.539 --> 00:15:31.759 Then I looked up, and there before me were two 00:15:31.759 --> 00:15:34.620 women with the wind in their wings. They had 00:15:34.620 --> 00:15:36.320 wings like those of a stork, and they lifted 00:15:36.320 --> 00:15:38.659 up the ephah between heaven and earth. Where 00:15:38.659 --> 00:15:40.179 are they taking the ephah? I asked the angel 00:15:40.179 --> 00:15:42.720 who was speaking to me. And he replied, to the 00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:44.980 country of Babylonia, to build a house for it. 00:15:45.019 --> 00:15:46.899 When the house is ready, the ephah will be set 00:15:46.899 --> 00:15:50.960 there in its place. What, God? Why do you want 00:15:50.960 --> 00:15:54.509 me to read Zechariah 5? So I pulled out a silly 00:15:54.509 --> 00:15:56.389 little conclusion. I was like, well, this curse 00:15:56.389 --> 00:15:58.370 is going out for liars and for thieves, and I 00:15:58.370 --> 00:16:00.929 don't feel like I'm either of those. But if there's 00:16:00.929 --> 00:16:02.929 not truth in my life, God, reveal to me truth 00:16:02.929 --> 00:16:05.210 and help me be a truthful person. And from the 00:16:05.210 --> 00:16:08.470 second part of this prophecy, help me not have 00:16:08.470 --> 00:16:11.470 any iniquity and evilness in me. But I was like, 00:16:11.570 --> 00:16:14.830 okay. So I prayed that prayer, and I kept on 00:16:14.830 --> 00:16:16.690 with my day. The next morning, I was like, okay, 00:16:16.750 --> 00:16:18.549 back to Luke, back to something more normal. 00:16:19.029 --> 00:16:21.509 And as I was opening up to Luke, God says again, 00:16:21.710 --> 00:16:25.250 Zechariah 5. Zechariah 5. And I'm like, what? 00:16:25.570 --> 00:16:27.610 This cannot be. So I opened up to Zechariah 5 00:16:27.610 --> 00:16:28.669 and I was like, well, I'll just read Zechariah 00:16:28.669 --> 00:16:30.549 6. Because yesterday I didn't get anything out 00:16:30.549 --> 00:16:32.090 of Zechariah 5, so I might as well just read 00:16:32.090 --> 00:16:35.509 the next one, right? So I read Zechariah 6. And 00:16:35.509 --> 00:16:37.169 God, the whole time as I'm reading Zechariah 00:16:37.169 --> 00:16:39.690 6, he's like, Zechariah 5, Zechariah 5, Zechariah 00:16:39.690 --> 00:16:44.190 5. And I'm like, okay, God, Zechariah 5. So I 00:16:44.190 --> 00:16:46.710 reread it again. And truthfully, I came to the 00:16:46.710 --> 00:16:49.440 same conclusion. God. Make me more of a truthful 00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:51.820 person. Keep evil away from me. Help me not to 00:16:51.820 --> 00:16:53.379 be an evil person. I don't feel like I'm quote 00:16:53.379 --> 00:16:56.299 -unquote evil, but, like, help me be more like 00:16:56.299 --> 00:16:59.139 you and your character. I close the Bible. I 00:16:59.139 --> 00:17:01.740 have the same prayer, and I move on with my day. 00:17:01.840 --> 00:17:05.180 And now the third time. The third morning, I'm 00:17:05.180 --> 00:17:08.519 opening up again to Luke, and God says, Florence, 00:17:08.740 --> 00:17:15.119 I'm not joking. Zechariah 5. And at this point, 00:17:15.140 --> 00:17:19.470 I'm like, okay, God. obviously there's a lot 00:17:19.470 --> 00:17:21.349 that I'm missing here and I need you to reveal 00:17:21.349 --> 00:17:25.890 to me what you're trying to tell me. Zechariah 00:17:25.890 --> 00:17:27.509 was a prophet for the Israelites during this 00:17:27.509 --> 00:17:29.269 time period where they were finishing up the 00:17:29.269 --> 00:17:31.809 temple and it wasn't being finished up. And I 00:17:31.809 --> 00:17:33.809 believe the answer that he had for them and what 00:17:33.809 --> 00:17:36.990 he had for me and what he has for us today as 00:17:36.990 --> 00:17:40.410 God's end time people is crucial to understand. 00:17:40.930 --> 00:17:43.210 So we're going to break it down a little bit. 00:17:46.279 --> 00:17:48.299 If you're anything like me, I'm a very visual 00:17:48.299 --> 00:17:50.720 person. So we're going to kind of break down 00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:53.279 these two prophecies. There's Zechariah 1 to 00:17:53.279 --> 00:17:56.359 5, 1 to 4, and then 5 to the end of the chapter. 00:17:56.759 --> 00:18:01.220 So what we see is a massive flying scroll in 00:18:01.220 --> 00:18:04.380 the air, 10 by 20 cubits. And on the scroll, 00:18:04.460 --> 00:18:06.319 there's a curse for two people. There's a curse 00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:08.619 for the liars and the thieves. And then what's 00:18:08.619 --> 00:18:09.839 going to happen to the liars and the thieves? 00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:12.019 Well, the scroll is going to enter their house 00:18:12.019 --> 00:18:14.980 and completely destroy it. So there's a destruction 00:18:14.980 --> 00:18:18.190 of home. For liars and thieves. And then the 00:18:18.190 --> 00:18:22.190 second part, the second prophecy, is that there's 00:18:22.190 --> 00:18:24.809 this ephah. This ephah is another word for a 00:18:24.809 --> 00:18:27.029 basket. And what was used back in the day, it 00:18:27.029 --> 00:18:28.910 was a measuring basket. So if you're going to 00:18:28.910 --> 00:18:30.869 go and trade, I don't know, you're going to trade 00:18:30.869 --> 00:18:34.250 some corn for some rice. They would put it inside 00:18:34.250 --> 00:18:36.730 of this measuring basket. And they would say, 00:18:36.750 --> 00:18:38.390 okay, this is how much you're bringing. You can 00:18:38.390 --> 00:18:42.009 trade this much of whatever. So it was a measuring 00:18:42.009 --> 00:18:46.089 basket of judgment. and what was inside of it 00:18:46.089 --> 00:18:48.029 was evilness. There was this evil woman found 00:18:48.029 --> 00:18:50.569 inside that it was said it was evil, and it was 00:18:50.569 --> 00:18:52.829 being carried off to Babylon. And what would 00:18:52.829 --> 00:18:54.869 happen? This basket was going to be carried off 00:18:54.869 --> 00:18:58.630 to Babylon where a house would be built. So in 00:18:58.630 --> 00:19:01.130 one story, there's the destruction of a home 00:19:01.130 --> 00:19:04.109 of evilness, and in the second story, there's 00:19:04.109 --> 00:19:07.769 the construction of a home to store evilness. 00:19:09.869 --> 00:19:15.880 So what? Well, a flying scroll. If you've grown 00:19:15.880 --> 00:19:17.759 up in Adventist, if you hear something flying 00:19:17.759 --> 00:19:21.140 in the sky, it might ring a bell to you, the 00:19:21.140 --> 00:19:23.299 three angels' message, and there was a message 00:19:23.299 --> 00:19:25.359 of angels that were flying in the sky, and the 00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:27.559 three angels' message has three parts. The first 00:19:27.559 --> 00:19:33.119 part, guys, judgment has come. Judgment has come, 00:19:33.240 --> 00:19:36.480 and there's an invitation back to worship the 00:19:36.480 --> 00:19:40.660 creator God. This judgment, part of this basket. 00:19:41.799 --> 00:19:45.259 that weighs evil. And God says, guys, judgment's 00:19:45.259 --> 00:19:49.180 coming. But before it comes, there's one last 00:19:49.180 --> 00:19:52.599 invitation to follow the creator God. And just 00:19:52.599 --> 00:19:54.279 like this remnant message that the Israelites 00:19:54.279 --> 00:19:56.940 were given to keep inviting people into the kingdom 00:19:56.940 --> 00:19:59.740 of God, we're given the same message to invite 00:19:59.740 --> 00:20:03.420 people into the kingdom of God. So the first 00:20:03.420 --> 00:20:06.880 one, judgment is coming and a call back to worship 00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:09.039 the creator God. And the second angel's message. 00:20:10.269 --> 00:20:14.170 Babylon is fallen. Get out of Babylon. This basket 00:20:14.170 --> 00:20:17.269 that's being sent to Babylon with evilness. Well, 00:20:17.309 --> 00:20:18.809 in the first prophecy, it says it's going to 00:20:18.809 --> 00:20:21.170 be completely destroyed. Any house with evilness 00:20:21.170 --> 00:20:22.710 is going to be destroyed. And what does God say? 00:20:22.849 --> 00:20:25.109 Get the heck out of there. There's forgiveness. 00:20:26.609 --> 00:20:30.490 10 by 20 cubits. Why would the Bible say 10 by 00:20:30.490 --> 00:20:32.769 20 cubits of this flying scroll? I mean, yeah, 00:20:32.829 --> 00:20:34.769 they could say it's a massive scroll or just 00:20:34.769 --> 00:20:37.609 a scroll or a small scroll, but 10 by 20. Well, 00:20:37.630 --> 00:20:40.049 there's two references of 10 by 20, and it took 00:20:40.049 --> 00:20:44.829 me forever to finally find them. The first measurement 00:20:44.829 --> 00:20:48.849 of this reference is from the holy place. And 00:20:48.849 --> 00:20:52.529 inside of the tabernacle, there was the outer 00:20:52.529 --> 00:20:55.029 courts, there was the holy place, and there was 00:20:55.029 --> 00:20:56.650 the most holy place. And in the outer courts 00:20:56.650 --> 00:21:00.049 is where... the sacrifices were done, where people 00:21:00.049 --> 00:21:01.769 would come and confess their sins, say, God, 00:21:01.789 --> 00:21:04.009 this is not who I want to be anymore. I'm really 00:21:04.009 --> 00:21:06.130 sorry. Would you forgive me? And they would come, 00:21:06.170 --> 00:21:09.490 and they would kill a lamb, and then in the holy 00:21:09.490 --> 00:21:12.650 place is where God would forgive them. And then 00:21:12.650 --> 00:21:15.069 in the most holy place is where sin was finally 00:21:15.069 --> 00:21:22.210 eradicated forevermore. So God is telling them, 00:21:22.349 --> 00:21:25.170 judgment's coming. Babylon is going to fall, 00:21:25.210 --> 00:21:27.799 and if you find yourself in Babylon, You're gone 00:21:27.799 --> 00:21:31.319 for. But in the holy place, there's forgiveness. 00:21:32.440 --> 00:21:36.359 All you have to do is accept it. The second reference 00:21:36.359 --> 00:21:40.440 of 10 by 20 is in Solomon's court. And in the 00:21:40.440 --> 00:21:43.960 tabernacle of God, there was, in the temple of 00:21:43.960 --> 00:21:47.319 God, sorry, in the temple, there were the four 00:21:47.319 --> 00:21:49.200 entrances and there were four different courts. 00:21:49.400 --> 00:21:51.500 And so one of the courts is called Solomon's 00:21:51.500 --> 00:21:55.779 porch. And here we have the... Famous story of 00:21:55.779 --> 00:21:57.839 Jesus. If you can see what I'm doing, you probably 00:21:57.839 --> 00:21:59.900 already know what Jesus is about to do in Solomon's 00:21:59.900 --> 00:22:02.240 court. He comes and he flips over the tables. 00:22:02.539 --> 00:22:06.519 Why? Because there was injustice in his house. 00:22:09.000 --> 00:22:11.319 There was oppression. The rich getting richer 00:22:11.319 --> 00:22:13.619 and the poor getting poorer. What was happening 00:22:13.619 --> 00:22:15.900 in Solomon's court? Where people would be spending 00:22:15.900 --> 00:22:20.150 all year long. to get enough money to buy a poor 00:22:20.150 --> 00:22:21.930 little lamb to be able to sacrifice the lamb. 00:22:22.049 --> 00:22:24.109 And what are they doing? They're making it so 00:22:24.109 --> 00:22:26.809 expensive, saying, you have to pay for this forgiveness. 00:22:27.130 --> 00:22:28.789 God isn't just going to forgive you if you don't 00:22:28.789 --> 00:22:32.970 pay for it. So Jesus walks in, and he flips over 00:22:32.970 --> 00:22:34.750 the tables. He says, you're making my house of 00:22:34.750 --> 00:22:42.029 prayer into a den of thieves. He's calling out 00:22:42.029 --> 00:22:45.670 injustice. He's calling his people to walk with 00:22:45.670 --> 00:22:53.269 mercy and compassion. So this was his message 00:22:53.269 --> 00:22:55.589 for the people of Israel. There was four years 00:22:55.589 --> 00:22:58.849 left for this temple to be done. And in 16 years, 00:22:58.930 --> 00:23:01.849 they had just put the foundations down. The foundations 00:23:01.849 --> 00:23:03.470 and the little altar. There was nothing else. 00:23:03.769 --> 00:23:05.529 And they're asking God, when is this going to 00:23:05.529 --> 00:23:08.910 happen? And how is this going to happen? And 00:23:08.910 --> 00:23:13.029 God says, when you do justice, love mercy and 00:23:13.029 --> 00:23:15.410 walk humbly with your God. And when you start 00:23:15.410 --> 00:23:17.970 building the kingdom of God and focusing more 00:23:17.970 --> 00:23:20.509 on building my temple and my kingdom, then your 00:23:20.509 --> 00:23:26.589 temple and your palace is in your wealth. The 00:23:26.589 --> 00:23:29.849 foundation's already built, guys. And maybe our 00:23:29.849 --> 00:23:34.509 temples, our kingdoms are going to look a little 00:23:34.509 --> 00:23:36.170 different for them back there. I think for my 00:23:36.170 --> 00:23:40.500 generation, it's more of our image. Are we building 00:23:40.500 --> 00:23:42.039 our image? Are we building the kingdom of God? 00:23:42.079 --> 00:23:44.000 Are we building our social media empire so people 00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:47.440 can see us in one light? Are we using the tools 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:49.619 that God has given us to build his kingdom and 00:23:49.619 --> 00:23:52.200 focus on building his kingdom and his temple? 00:23:52.920 --> 00:23:56.720 Maybe for the past generation, it's investing 00:23:56.720 --> 00:24:00.519 in more toys. Big boy toys I'm talking about, 00:24:00.640 --> 00:24:04.460 not just little Legos. But building your toys, 00:24:04.500 --> 00:24:06.339 building your empire. And maybe even for the 00:24:06.339 --> 00:24:09.519 past generation before them, It's building this 00:24:09.519 --> 00:24:14.240 empire of wealth, big palatial homes, keeping 00:24:14.240 --> 00:24:17.240 on to all of our funds. Maybe if the end of the 00:24:17.240 --> 00:24:19.839 world comes, I'll have all my cash in hand under 00:24:19.839 --> 00:24:23.920 my mattress. And God is saying, guys, the foundation 00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:28.299 is built. And in four short years, we can finish 00:24:28.299 --> 00:24:33.019 this temple. Are you focusing on building my 00:24:33.019 --> 00:24:35.940 temple, my kingdom, or are you focused on building 00:24:35.940 --> 00:24:42.700 your kingdom? Dear Heavenly Father, I just pray 00:24:42.700 --> 00:24:46.420 that you convict us, you convict me. God, we 00:24:46.420 --> 00:24:48.259 believe that we're part of this last day generation 00:24:48.259 --> 00:24:52.200 where you want to come so soon. God, and I believe 00:24:52.200 --> 00:24:55.079 that just like them, you're telling us the foundation 00:24:55.079 --> 00:24:58.039 is built. And as long as you focus on building 00:24:58.039 --> 00:25:01.480 your own empire, your own palace, it'll never 00:25:01.480 --> 00:25:04.200 get done. But God, you want to use us and we 00:25:04.200 --> 00:25:06.799 want to be used by you. So I just pray that. 00:25:07.200 --> 00:25:09.460 You convict us on how we can use what you've 00:25:09.460 --> 00:25:13.160 given us to build your kingdom. May we be faithful 00:25:13.160 --> 00:25:17.460 and may we be more created in the image of God 00:25:17.460 --> 00:25:20.039 and his character and having a heart of compassion 00:25:20.039 --> 00:25:22.559 and justice and mercy for the people around us. 00:25:22.619 --> 00:25:23.599 In the name of Jesus, amen.