Internet Church Service, Sunday, Sept 1, 2013

This week’s sermon title:
Similarities of being a soldier
and the Art of War; Part 8.

Today’s Sermon Message:
Similarities of being a soldier
and the Art of War; Part 8.
Video & Audio

Please join us as we fellowship in the Word of God, listen to
Christian Music, Pray in Christ’s Name and Praise the Lord
in our Hearts and Minds.

ALL ARE WELCOME!!

# # # # # # # #

from - Romans 8:38-39

Thank you for joining us for today’s worship service. Please enjoy the music before you watch and|or listen to today’s message.

TIP to enlarge the print hold down the “Ctrl” key on your key board, while it is being held down, move your mouse forward until the desired print size is just right for you. To return to normal screen size, reverse the process (some will see a % in the lower right corner of your screen, normal is 100%)

The lyrics have been provided so you can sing along with the artist in your mind and soul; imagine that the artist’s voice is your voice. I’m not a very good singer myself so I often get the lyrics for some of my favorites and sing along in my mind and soul, this way it’s as if I’m doing the singing to the Lord; try it.

Hymn #1

There’s Something About That Name – Lyrics in video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

Hymn #2

Thy Word – Lyrics in video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is— you have trusted in Him for eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to take-in God’s Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge your sins privately to God the Father.

1 John 1:9 says—“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” NKJV (New King James Version)

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is faith alone in Jesus Christ alone:

John 6:47 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life.” NKJV

Notice again what John 6:47 says, “he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life.” It doesn’t say, “will have”; it says, “has.” Therefore, the very moment you believe Jesus Christ’s promise of everlasting life, you have it (it’s really just that simple), and it can never be lost or taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God’s Word, if there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Lectionary

The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. (Heb. 4:12) GNB-UK

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed. (2 Tim. 3:16-17) GNB-UK

Do your best to win full approval in God's sight, as a worker who is not ashamed of his work, one who correctly teaches the message of God's truth. (2 Tim. 2:15) GNB-UK

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Opening Prayer
(Do your best to make it your own – below is a sample prayer)

Heavenly Father, we pray that we will all be richly edified by Your Word today and that You will make what we study today clear to us. We pray that all participants in this service as well as those who review it at a later date will be edified and blessed by today’s message. We pray this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Our guest Pastor-Teacher is:

Robert McLaughlin - Grace Bible Church
and Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

This ministry is non-denominational and is dedicated to teaching the Word of God from the original languages and making it available at no charge throughout the world.

Today's Sermon

Similarities of being a soldier
and the Art of War; Part 8.

(To view the sermon right click the above link then click on open in “new window” or “new tab” and 3 windows will open – 1) audio or video player which should start automatically, 2) slide show, 3) note pad. When finished return to previous window or tab to finish the service with Hymn and Prayer.)

OPTIONAL: On-line Bible – NASB95

If you wish to use it, right click the link and in the drop-down box, left click the "Open Link in New Window"; when the new window opens, reduce the window size of both the on-line bible and the slideshow and configure them to be side-by-side. Also, the window opens to John 3:16, click the word “more” below the verse, you will then see two online bible columns, Use the column on the left as it is set for the NASB95, at the top of the column where you see John 3:16 in the search box, type the book and verse the Pastor asks you to go to a particular Bible verse, e.g., 1tim 5:21, or eph 3:10, etc., then click “Enter” on your key board. You can use the “right column” if you wish for a different bible version but you’ll need to type in the verse you want each time as I directed you for the column on the left side.

Hymn #3

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus – Lyrics in video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

CLOSING PRAYER:
(Again, below is a sample prayer, do your best to make it your own)

Heavenly Father, we pray that the Holy Spirit will make what I’ve learned today clear to me, for I pray this in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s name. Amen

If you have any questions that are pertinent about today’s message, please don’t hesitate to ask, you are welcome to ask them via a private message or by a reply in today’s post. However, sometimes questions can be real short but require a much longer answer in order to give an adequate answer. If I don’t think that the question is able to be answered quickly I’ll reply back telling you that I’ll research it and get to you with the answer (it may even be a few days as I’m a little slower than I used to be). Please don’t let what I’ve just said make you hesitate to ask questions.

I want to thank all of you who have attended this Sunday service as well as those who will view it at a later time or date.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can instantly receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Wkly Bible Study for Dial-Up/Broadband, August 26, 2013

Why the Word of God has never failed, and will never fail.

PLEASE READ FIRST

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: If available on the website you're viewing this on, a few links (i.e., those without an already written scripture quote or brief explanation) are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), they work best using the Firefox browser – pop-ups in Internet Explorer, Chrome & other browsers only appear for a few seconds at best. If you don’t have Firefox (or hover pop-ups aren’t available on the website you’re viewing this on), that’s OK, move your cursor off and on the link until it is read; or left click the link which will open the verse at the online bible; or you can always use your Bible to look up the verses.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life:

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings

STUDY TITLE:

Why the Word of God has never failed, and will never fail.



OPTION: If you would prefer to go directly to the Grace Bible Church website to read this study message, all verse reference links are active there (but not hover active) and Enlarged Text is also an available option – right click the above link then left click “Open Link in New Window” or “New Tab”

Terms & Abbreviations used:

PPOG = Predesigned Plan of God
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
OSN = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth

To look up other “terms”, go to:

Alphabetical Listing

BEGIN BIBLE STUDY
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes and references
are from the NASB – New American Standard Bible

We have been noting that in spite of the Jews rejection of their spiritual heritage in ROM 9:4-5, God kept His word. This is because Jesus Christ, who is God in ROM 9:5, controls human history. Jesus Christ controls history in spite of what seems to be happening around you personally, nationally, internationally and historically. We must remember this as we make a Biblical interpretation of history. This is why Peter said in 2PE 3:3-6, Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation." For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice [they deliberately ignore the fact] that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.

It was God's word that brought the earth back from the chaos that was caused by the flood that destroyed the world.

2PE 3:7-11, But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief [this is not the Rapture, this is not the second coming, this is REV 21:1, the time of a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth passed away] in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed or dissolved with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way [the earth and its works], what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct or a dedicated to God life-style and living the spiritual life.

2PE 3:12-14 goes on to say, looking forward with confidence and hastening of the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise [of living in the eternal state] we are looking forward with confidence for new heavens and a new earth, in which perfect righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since we are looking forward with confidence for these things [living the spiritual life in time], be diligent [self-motivated] to be found by Him in peace [a state of inner peace, and tranquility of soul], spotless [execution of the spiritual life with capacity] and blameless [the result of fulfillment of the spiritual life].

If we look at life as it is laid out before us and dealt out to us without seeing it through the Biblical interpretation of history (the fact that Jesus Christ controls history), we will not understand why certain things happen.

2PE 3:14-18, "Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord to be salvation or really deliverance; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." Here is the ability to use the doctrine in your soul to see the Biblical interpretation of history.

If you want to plan for the future, than live for the future. Don't be inconsistent like so many people are. If you want to plan for the future, then you should plan for eternity, because eternity is what the future is all about. We can live for eternity because the Word of God has never failed and never will fail. We noted ten points regarding this subject.

Point 1. The continuation of the universe, all of its creatures, and the state of the atmosphere depends on one fact and one fact only, the essence of God, especially the omnipotence and immutability of Jesus Christ.

COL 1:15-17, And He [The Lord Jesus Christ] is the [exact] image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

HEB 1:3 He upholds all things by the word of His power.

So, the reason why the word of God has never failed and never will fail is because He upholds all things by the word of His power. That means that the continuation of the universe, of the angels, the human race, depend upon The Lord Jesus Christ. That includes every evil member of the human race; they are all here courtesy of the grace of God. They only exist because of the grace of God, and the fact that free will does exist. That is why we should never live in fear (ROM 8:31; PSA 46:1-2).

Point 2. Jesus Christ controls history, not the so called scientific laws which are really Divine laws. It is not science that guarantees that the universe will be around tomorrow, it is The Lord Jesus Christ, only He can make that guarantee.

Point 3. These So-called scientific laws are based on the statistical assumption that the universe, which operates according to a fixed norm, will continue to do so. Science can observe certain laws, but cannot guarantee their continuance. What science is actually observing is the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who not only controls history, but also controls the universe. Because the universe operates according to certain norms and standards, science merely assumes that these norms and standards will continue. However, while science observes these laws, science cannot guarantee them 2PE 3:1-12 ).

Point 4. The Universe with its matter, energy, and operating laws of God will not always exist as it does at the present time (2PE 3:10-12; REV 21:1).

Point 5. Known scientific laws and phenomena, which man has been able to observe, classify, recognize and interpret, depend entirely upon the Faithfulness of God. Every discovery of the pattern of the universe is a treatise on the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, who at the present time is guaranteeing the function of every bona fide scientific law (COL 1:17; HEB 13:8). Therefore, known scientific laws depend entirely on the essence of God, especially the omnipotence plus immutability.

Point 6. It Is by the Word of God which has never failed and will never fail that Jesus Christ holds the universe together (HEB 13:8).

You must remember this every time you go through something in your life. He's there! He's in control! He's in charge! MAT 28:20 "I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

HEB 13:5 "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,"

Point 7. Why The Lord Jesus Christ is holding the universe together.

a. Jesus Christ is holding the universe together to resolve the angelic conflict in human history and to bring many sons into glory (HEB 2:10).

b. The Lord Jesus Christ is holding the universe together in order to allow grace, which began with the Holy Spirit radiating heat over the ice pack, to run its full course until He destroys the universe by nuclear fission at the end of history.

So man has been able to categorize and classify certain things so that he can apply and utilize these scientific laws. Occasionally these laws have been overruled by the sovereignty of God. For example, the day the sun stood still for Joshua in battle (JOS 10:13-14). The universe will be destroyed someday, but the Word of God will survive the destruction of the universe, as will the believer in resurrection body (HEB 12:26-29).

Point 8. So called scientific laws belong to The Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the One Who sustains the universe.

They demonstrate His faithfulness and His perfect character. These laws can be changed or over ruled by the sovereignty of God as illustrated in (2PE 3:10-12. However, though the universe will change, the Bible will not. You have more stability in the Bible than you have in the universe (1PE 1:23-25; MAT 24:35). The universe is going to change but the Bible will not.

Point 9. So called scientific laws are simply the Faithfulness of Jesus Christ holding the universe together, and at the same time holding back eternity.

This is so the human race will have the opportunity to appropriate the grace of God, and so that ultimately God will be glorified forever.

Point 10. This Doctrine explains the simplicity of miracle working for The Lord Jesus Christ. A miracle is an event that contradicts known scientific laws and is thought to be due to supernatural causes, especially an act of God. The Lord merely stops a scientific law from working and something out of the ordinary happens. For example in LUK 8:25 "He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?"

He controls the sea (JOB 26:10; PSA 33:7).

He controls the storms (PSA 65:7; PSA 107:29).

He controls the wind (PSA 148:8; MAR 4:39).

He controls the rain (GEN 7:4).

He controls the thunder and hail (EXO 9:33).

He tells the snow to come upon the earth (JOB 37:6).

He makes the lightning (JER 10:13).

He is in total control of even every insignificant detail in life.

With all of those principles in mind, what do you have to worry about? What do you have to fear? What do you have to complain about? What do you have to be jealous about? If you do have doubts, it may be because you have rejected the Word of God which has never failed and will never fail, and instead you have chosen to live in self-justification, self-deception, and self-absorption. Your mental attitude is so important because that's where you develop your motivation, and where you do most of your sinning. These mental attitude sins include arrogance, pride, jealousy, implacability, bitterness, vindictiveness, inordinate ambition and inordinate competition, all motivational sins, and sinful thoughts such as fear, guilt, worry, anger, judging, hatred, even murder. These are the sins that can destroy your life.

We need to understand the importance of Biblical interpretation of history. We begin with the fact that because our Lord Jesus Christ controls history, as a part of our Lord's Divine protection of man, He protects the human race from self-destruction. Man is a product of his own decisions. When man and his negative decisions are allowed to proceed to their logical conclusion, it is total destruction of the human race. Because of that fact, our Lord Jesus Christ intervenes at times with Divine judgment. These Divine judgments protect the human race from self-destruction while at the same time clean the human race from elements that would destroy it. This is why certain evil people, and evil nations, are periodically wiped out through war, famine or destruction. According to the Bible, war is a bona-fide part of history (ECC 3:8; NUM 21:14).

Therefore, because Jesus Christ controls history, no nation or race ever experiences a catastrophe unless He chooses, or allows for it to happen. That's why we should never question our Lord's decisions, and what He allows to take place in human history. As far as we are personally concerned as believers, the Bible is the key to historical interpretation. The Biblical interpretation of history must be related to God, the angelic conflict, the unseen world of angels and the visible world of mankind. Bible doctrine is the basis for correct interpretation of history. To see history objectively we must possess the Divine viewpoint obtained from doctrine. We must understand subjects like the angelic conflict, the First Advent, the Cross, the Second Advent, the doctrine of Dispensations, etc. If you can understand these things, you will discover God's will for your life and your place in human history. How many believers actually believe such passages as JOH 15:15 where our Lord said "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you."

You have the privilege of having everything you need to know and understand made available to you. God has chosen you, and He has a will for your life and a place for you in history. You are to discover and recognize God's place for you, and to do so you must be able to correctly interpret history and events that have happened, are happening and will happen in your life. To correctly interpret history one must understand the Church-age, the Royal Family of God, the times of the Gentiles.

There are six basic principles that the Lord has established which guarantee that the human race will never self-destruct, and that mankind will live on this earth until the end of human history.

1) The division of languages after the tower of Babel. This was so the human race would not be confident in man or human power, or human ability. This is something that Satan wants with the new world order, the one world government.

GEN 11:6-9, And the Lord said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.

The division of languages is actually keeping the human race from arrogance and self-destruction. For there is power in numbers and we would become arrogant if we all worked together and tried to solve all the problems of the world. This answers the question where did the different languages come from? God in His grace is the One who created the different languages not the wisdom of man. Therefore, in understanding the biblical interpretation of history, we see the value of different languages and that is why it is the epitome of arrogance to think that one race is greater than another.

2) To protect the human race from self-destruction, the Lord has established Nationalism. God has divided the people of the earth into various countries (DEU 32:8; Acts 17:18-26). God is the one who gave nations and therefore, in the Biblical interpretation of history, we need to see the value of Nationalism not Internationalism and that's why organizations such as the United Nations are evil. Satan would love to have an organization somewhere in the world that had the ultimate say and ultimate power so that he could be there and control the world. In fact, he will do this with a certain religious organization in Rome (Rev 17-18). Right now he's trying to do it with organizations such as the United Nations. Nationalism is what causes people to seek God not Internationalism. In fact, even in the millennium, nationalism will exist Jesus Christ will rule nations.

3) The concept of client nations to God. Israel was a "holy" nation to God. DEU 7:6 "For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth."

A client nation is a national entity under the patronage of God, assigned the responsibility for the preservation, communication, and fulfillment of the canon of Scripture.

There were five Jewish client nations in the Old Testament:

a. The theocratic kingdom, B.C. 1441-1020, from the Exodus until the prophet Samuel. The theocratic kingdom ended when the Jews wanted to be like other nations.

b. The United Kingdom, from Saul to Rehoboam, B.C. 1020-926.

c. The Northern Kingdom, from Jeroboam to Hoshea, B.C. 926-721. In 721 B.C. the fifth cycle of discipline was administered by the Assyrians under Sargon II.

d. The Southern Kingdom, from Rehoboam to Zedekiah, B.C. 926-586. The fifth cycle of discipline was administered by the Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar.

e. After the Northern and Southern Kingdoms were destroyed, while no Jewish client nation was operational as such, Jews outside of the client nation filled in the gap to Gentile nations as they had been responsible before to do so. Then Judah became a client nation again from B.C. 516 until 70 A.D. No Gentile client nation exists in the Old Testament, only Jewish client nations.

It is negative volition to Bible doctrine that destroys a client nation. When periods of apostasy in Israel or any client nation grows enough, that client nation dies under the fifth cycle of discipline. In every case of Jewish apostasy in a Jewish client nation status both the clergy and the politicians of Israel are indicted along with the negative volition of the people. Bad decisions destroy freedom options and enslave the nation, so that the client nation status is destroyed from within in the first three cycles of discipline.

A very important principle is that a nation that is not prepared for war is not prepared for peace. Mankind always has been and always will be the product of their own volition, not their environment. The doctrine of man's sin nature and total depravity plus the function of Satan's cosmic system requires that people in a client nation periodically will have to make great sacrifices for freedom. Political solutions are useless without spiritual solutions. What makes political solutions great is the invisible hero-ship of a pivot of mature believers.

MAT 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty {again}? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.” You are here to be salt seasoning that brings out the God flavors of this earth.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Internet Church Service, Sunday, Aug 25, 2013

This week’s sermon title:
Similarities of being a soldier
and the Art of War; Part 7.

Today’s Sermon Message:
Similarities of being a soldier
and the Art of War; Part 7.
Video & Audio

Please join us as we fellowship in the Word of God, listen to
Christian Music, Pray in Christ’s Name and Praise the Lord
in our Hearts and Minds.

ALL ARE WELCOME!!

# # # # # # # #

from - Romans 8:38-39

Thank you for joining us for today’s worship service. Please enjoy the music before you watch and|or listen to today’s message.

TIP to enlarge the print hold down the “Ctrl” key on your key board, while it is being held down, move your mouse forward until the desired print size is just right for you. To return to normal screen size, reverse the process (some will see a % in the lower right corner of your screen, normal is 100%)

The lyrics have been provided so you can sing along with the artist in your mind and soul; imagine that the artist’s voice is your voice. I’m not a very good singer myself so I often get the lyrics for some of my favorites and sing along in my mind and soul, this way it’s as if I’m doing the singing to the Lord; try it.

Hymn #1

The Lord’s Prayer – Lyrics in video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

Hymn #2

The Old Rugged Cross – Lyrics in video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is— you have trusted in Him for eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to take-in God’s Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge your sins privately to God the Father.

1 John 1:9 says—“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” NKJV (New King James Version)

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is faith alone in Jesus Christ alone:

John 6:47 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life.” NKJV

Notice again what John 6:47 says, “he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life.” It doesn’t say, “will have”; it says, “has.” Therefore, the very moment you believe Jesus Christ’s promise of everlasting life, you have it (it’s really just that simple), and it can never be lost or taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God’s Word, if there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Lectionary

The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. (Heb. 4:12) GNB-UK

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed. (2 Tim. 3:16-17) GNB-UK

Do your best to win full approval in God's sight, as a worker who is not ashamed of his work, one who correctly teaches the message of God's truth. (2 Tim. 2:15) GNB-UK

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Opening Prayer
(Do your best to make it your own – below is a sample prayer)

Heavenly Father, we pray that we will all be richly edified by Your Word today and that You will make what we study today clear to us. We pray that all participants in this service as well as those who review it at a later date will be edified and blessed by today’s message. We pray this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Our guest Pastor-Teacher is:

Robert McLaughlin - Grace Bible Church
and Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

This ministry is non-denominational and is dedicated to teaching the Word of God from the original languages and making it available at no charge throughout the world.

Today's Sermon

Similarities of being a soldier
and the Art of War; Part 7.

(To view the sermon right click the above link then click on open in “new window” or “new tab” and 3 windows will open – 1) audio or video player which should start automatically, 2) slide show, 3) note pad. When finished return to previous window or tab to finish the service with Hymn and Prayer.)

OPTIONAL: On-line Bible – NASB95

If you wish to use it, right click the link and in the drop-down box, left click the "Open Link in New Window"; when the new window opens, reduce the window size of both the on-line bible and the slideshow and configure them to be side-by-side. Also, the window opens to John 3:16, click the word “more” below the verse, you will then see two online bible columns, Use the column on the left as it is set for the NASB95, at the top of the column where you see John 3:16 in the search box, type the book and verse the Pastor asks you to go to a particular Bible verse, e.g., 1tim 5:21, or eph 3:10, etc., then click “Enter” on your key board. You can use the “right column” if you wish for a different bible version but you’ll need to type in the verse you want each time as I directed you for the column on the left side.

Hymn #3

There is a Redeemer – Lyrics in video
(You can skip the commercial if there is one)

CLOSING PRAYER:
(Again, below is a sample prayer, do your best to make it your own)

Heavenly Father, we pray that the Holy Spirit will make what I’ve learned today clear to me, for I pray this in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s name. Amen

If you have any questions that are pertinent about today’s message, please don’t hesitate to ask, you are welcome to ask them via a private message or by a reply in today’s post. However, sometimes questions can be real short but require a much longer answer in order to give an adequate answer. If I don’t think that the question is able to be answered quickly I’ll reply back telling you that I’ll research it and get to you with the answer (it may even be a few days as I’m a little slower than I used to be). Please don’t let what I’ve just said make you hesitate to ask questions.

I want to thank all of you who have attended this Sunday service as well as those who will view it at a later time or date.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can instantly receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Wkly Bible Study for Dial-Up/Broadband, August 19, 2013

No matter sight says, the Promises of God will never fail.

PLEASE READ FIRST

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: If available on the website you're viewing this on, a few links (i.e., those without an already written scripture quote or brief explanation) are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), they work best using the Firefox browser – pop-ups in Internet Explorer, Chrome & other browsers only appear for a few seconds at best. If you don’t have Firefox (or hover pop-ups aren’t available on the website you’re viewing this on), that’s OK, move your cursor off and on the link until it is read; or left click the link which will open the verse at the online bible; or you can always use your Bible to look up the verses.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life:

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings

STUDY TITLE:

No matter sight says, the Promises of God will never fail.



OPTION: If you would prefer to go directly to the Grace Bible Church website to read this study message, all verse reference links are active there (but not hover active) and Enlarged Text is also an available option – right click the above link then left click “Open Link in New Window” or “New Tab”

Terms & Abbreviations used:

PPOG = Predesigned Plan of God
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
OSN = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth

To look up other “terms”, go to:

Alphabetical Listing

BEGIN BIBLE STUDY
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes and references
are from the NASB – New American Standard Bible

ROM 9:4-5, "Who are Israelites, to whom is the adoption and as sons and the glory [that is the Shekinah glory], and the covenants [or] the unconditional covenants, and the deposit of the law, and the temple service [which means the service of God in the temples] and the promises, From whom [the Jews or Israelites] are the fathers, [the regenerate ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob], in fact, from whom is The Christ, the One who came in the flesh, the One who is God, ruler over all, extolled, praised, eulogized forever, Amen."

Concerning this passage, we have studied the spiritual heritage of Israel. We have seen how the Jews rejected or distorted the unconditional covenants, the gift of the Mosaic Law, the Sabbath, and the Deity of The Lord Jesus Christ. Amazingly, they rejected the Shekinah glory that was there living right before their eyes. They saw The Lord Jesus Christ face to face, heard His message, and saw His miracles. They had the whole picture, and still they had that same negative volition they had in the Old Testament. The message behind that is that you have to have your own self-determination to fulfill such passages as JER 29:13 "And you will seek Me and find {Me,} when you search for Me with all your heart."

In HEB 11:6 that the Lord is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

In MAR 12:30 we are to be those who “love the Lord their God with all their heart, and with all their soul, and with all their mind, and with all their strength.”

The Jews ignored their entire spiritual heritage, and the same thing is true today. In the Church-age, in spite of all that God has done, and how He has revealed the mystery doctrine of the Church-age, the average believer knows nothing about it.

ROM 9:6 "But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;"

This verse begins with the phrase hoion de hoti, translated however,this is not to imply. Then we have the phrase logos tou theou, whichis translated the word of God. So ROM 9:6 begins, "However, this is not to imply as though the word of God has failed." The principle behind this is very important. The entire Old Testament is the spiritual heritage of Israel. It contains many of the unconditional covenants, the promises to Israel regarding the future of that race, and that nation. The entire Old Testament, when put together properly, adds up to something very wonderful for Israel, and that is that Israel has a future, something that is great in time; something that exceeds greatness in eternity. It spells out a nation forever, a people of God forever, a people under a theocracy forever, that includes both the Millennial reign of Christ and all of eternity.

Throughout human history, and even before, Satan has opposed the purpose and the plan of God. Here is the original sin committed long before man sinned, it is what Satan said in ISA 14:13 "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north." The stars of God refers to the angels (JOB 38:7; JUD 1:13; REV 12:3-4), sitting on the mount of the assembly in the recesses of the north refers to rulership over the entire earth. Satan continues in ISA 14:14 "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." Clouds are used to represent the Divine presence of God or His glory (EXO 16:10; PSA 104:3). Satan wants the glory which belongs to God alone. Satan, as the god of this age, has carried on his work to try and defeat the purpose and the plan of God, and therefore Satan is anti-Semitic and anti-Christian. When The Lord Jesus Christ, a Jew, rules all the nations with a rod of iron; this will be the Millennial age, an age when Divine righteousness is expressed to mankind as never before. The Millennial age will also be God's final test toward fallen humanity under the most ideal circumstances and perfect environment. All outward sources of temptation must be removed so that man will demonstrate what he is apart from satanic influence; the result is that man is totally corrupt regardless of environment. Therefore, Satan is removed or bound and mankind is placed in a fantastic environment for 1,000 years. Millennialism is the teaching that there will be a period of 1,000 years when The Lord Jesus Christ will rule this earth as king. This age will see the fulfillment of all the covenants that God made with Israel. It is also evident that there can be no perfect environment apart from the personal manifestation of The Lord Jesus Christ. The whole age depends on His return to the earth as promised.

Because of His presence the curse is abolished, death is overcome, the evils pertaining to fallen man and fallen nature are removed, and great blessings are obtained. Everything will be controlled by The Lord Jesus Christ. During the Millennium all nations come before the Lord and worship Him as God (PSA 86:9; Z|EC 14:16-19).

DAN 7:24-27, "As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. But the court will sit {for judgment,} and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of {all} the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom {will be} an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him."

The phrase "greatness of all the kingdoms" will characterize the Millennial age:

1) There will be world peace. National and individual peace will be the fruit of the Messiah's reign (ISA 2:4; ISA 11:6-9; ISA 60:18; ISA 61:7).

2) It will be a fantastic time of inner happiness and joy (ISA 9:3-4, JER 30:18-19, ZEP 3:14-17).

3) The kingdom will be characterized by glory (ISA 24:3; ISA 4:2; ISA 60:1-9).

4:It will be a kingdom manifested by Holiness (ISA 1:26-27; JER 31:23).

5) The King will personally minister to every need so that there will be the fullness of comfort (ISA 12:1-2; JER 31:23-25; ZEH 9:11-12).

6) There will be the administration of perfect justice (ISA 9:7; JER 23:5; JER 31:29-30).

7) There will be the most fantastic teaching ministry of God the Holy Spirit (ISA 11:1-2; ISA 41:19-20; HAB 2:14).

8) There will be direct instruction from The Lord Jesus Christ as the King of kings (ISA 29:17-24; ISA 3:14-15; MIC 4:2).

9) The original curse placed upon creation in GEN 2:17-19 will be removed. There will be abundant productivity to the earth, even the animal creation will be changed, ISA 11:6-9; ISA 35:9; ISA 65:25.

10) Sickness will be removed. The ministry of the King as the healer will be seen throughout the Millennium so that sickness and even death will be removed, the exception being death in dealing with criminal sin or capital punishment (ISA 33:24; JER 30:17; EZE 34:16).

11) All of the deformed are healed as well, if they were deformed at the time of the second advent they will experience a total healing (ISA 29:17-19; JER 31:8; MIC 4:6-7).

12) There will also be a supernatural work of preservation in the Millennial age through the King (ISA 41:8-14; EZE 34:27; JOE 3:16-17).

13) There will be no social, political, or religious oppression (ISA 14:3-6; ISA 42:6-7; ZEC 9:11-12).

14) There will not be the tragedies of mental illness or of infant deaths (ISA 65:20).

15) The earth's population will soar and there will be sex. Children will be born to the believers who began the Millennium and will have a sin nature and therefore need salvation (JER 30:20; JER 31:29; EZE 47:22; ZEC 10:8).

16) There will exist a perfect economic system (e.g. no unions) in which the needs of men are abundantly provided for (ISA 62:9; ISA 65:21-23; JER 31:5 ).

17) There will be an increase of solar and lunar light. The increased light probably is a major cause of the increased productivity of the earth (ISA 4:5; ISA 30:26; ISA 60:19-20; ZEC 2:5).

18) There will be a unified language. The language barriers will be removed so that there can be free social intercourse (ZEC 3:9). All the world will unite in the worship of God and God's presence will be experienced as never before.

So again, the Millennium will be 1,000 years of perfect environment and prosperity, however, the Millennium will demonstrate three things: First, that it is very difficult to survive and be truly happy and content without capacity. Very few people ever have happiness in prosperity unless they have the capacity for happiness. Secondly, mankind cannot be satisfied without a personal relationship with The Lord Jesus Christ. Thirdly, believers can use Bible doctrine and remain faithful even in prosperity. Very few believers ever survive their first prosperity test, they usually lose their concentration on Bible doctrine. As a result, there will be many unbelievers during the Millennial age who will despise believers and join Satan at the end of the 1,000 years.
REV 20:710, And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

After 1,000 years of perfect environment, Satan will be let loose to lead millions in the greatest revolution in human history. Man has 1,000 years of perfect environment and he revolts against it and that simply shows that environment is not the solution to man's problems. Environment is not even the basis for happiness. It is the individual's soul that counts, not the environment.

The Edenic dispensation under the age, or dispensation, of the Gentiles failed no matter what the Lord did. The antediluvian age under the dispensation of the Gentiles failed no matter what the Lord did (operation flood). The postdiluvian age under the dispensation of the Gentiles in which mankind once again failed by building the Tower of Babel, it failed no matter what the Lord did. The dispensation of Israel and the Jews totally failed no matter what the Lord did. Then in the first Christocentric dispensation we saw how The Lord Jesus Christ came unto His own, but His own did not receive Him, they failed no matter what the Lord did. So, the Church-age began and the Word of God teaches that even in that dispensation most believers reject The Lord Jesus Christ no matter what He does for them. So, another dispensation, the Tribulation, begins with God using crisis evangelism to warn people, but they still reject The Lord Jesus Christ no matter what the Lord does. Finally, perfect environment is given for 1,000 years, and still mankind will not respond to the Lord, again illustrating that without a relationship with The Lord Jesus Christ, mankind is an implacable, frustrated, miserable, ungrateful, or hard-hearted.

JOB 14:4 says, "Who can make the clean out of the unclean? No one!"

ROM 3:10 as it is written, "There is none righteous, not even one; "There is none good, not one."

ECC 7:20 Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who {continually} does good and who never sins. You might want to remember that the next you judge somebody.

Back in ROM 9:6 However, this is not to imply as though the word of God has failed.

In spite of all the attacks made upon the Word of God by Satan, and the kingdom of darkness manipulating and using people, the Word of God will not fail. MAT 24:35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away."

1PE 1:25 "But the word of the Lord abides forever. And this is the word which was preached to you."

ROM 9:6 However, this is not to imply as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel.

The problem was that the Jews were suffering from what might be categorized as terminal self-righteousness. They were using the Mosaic Law as the means of salvation, and therefore had rejected all Bible doctrine. As a result of this they had come to this great point of discouragement, where they say, the word of God has failed. Israel's present discipline and the failure of the individual Jew, does not, and cannot neutralize the promises of God or the plan of God as revealed in His Word. The failure of any individual, any nation, does not in any way cancel anything in the Word of God. No individual or no nation is that important to history.

The insertion of the Church-age, and the administration of the fifth cycle of discipline to the nation of Judah, this still does not mean that Israel has no future. However, because of those two events, most Jews gave up. The apostle Paul anticipated the fact that because of the end of the age of Israel, the insertion of the Church-age, which to the unbeliever Jew is known as the times of the Gentiles, that many Jews would give up on the Old Testament promises. In the Old Testament, the Jews were always the client nation to God, with the exception of a few periods of decline when, for example, the Jews would be out under the fifth cycle of disciple and God would temporarily use a Gentile nation. The times of the Gentiles means the Jews are excluded from being a client nation. Recognizing that after the Church is removed by the rapture, and the Tribulation begins, it is prophesied that there will be a Jewish nation in Palestine in the Tribulation. No Jewish nation can be a client nation during the times of the Gentiles. The Jews were the client nation in the past, and they will be a client nation in the future, in fact forever, but in the mean time, the Gentiles have their day. This became very discouraging to the Jews because it appeared as though, by calling out a Royal Family, the Church, that God is not going to keep His word and not going to fulfill His promises to the Jews, as a nation, as well as individuals. This why Satan promotes anti-Semitism. This why we are told that in the last days Israel is going to be a nation targeted for destruction by other nations, such as Iraq and Iran.

The insertion of the Church-age has complicated the problem for the Jews. In fact, the Jews are so discouraged that they need to be reminded of what is already written in the Old Testament, especially in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah dwells on the future of Israel, in spite of the fact that they would be disciplined, and they would be removed from the scene of history as a client nation to God. So, in ROM 9:6, the Jews have lost track of these things, and therefore the nation has been discouraged, and the glorious future is brought into focus at this point. God always keeps His word, and Jesus Christ controls history. Jesus Christ, in His great wisdom, sees fit to remove Israel from the scene, and during the time of the calling out of the Royal Family to make it the times of the Gentiles, and to have Gentile nations as the client nation to God. God knows exactly what He is doing.

Now, the average Jew would respond and say the Word of God has been invalidated or canceled. That would mean that there are passages in the Old Testament that have no meaning to us, and therefore, we are all through. Because that would mean that God doesn't keep His Word.

Let's take one of the most important promises in the Word of God for us, the promise that we will be raised from the dead. 1CO 15:12-15, Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we witnessed against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.

Therefore if God doesn't keep His word, as the majority of the Jews alleged, than why even live like we do? (even though we are still better off living this way). This is the obvious thinking and attitude of people who are not familiar with doctrine, and the Jews, as a whole had rejected doctrine, and therefore did not understand what was happening in history. Therefore they became very discouraged.

Jesus Christ controls history in spite of what you and I may think we are seeing. In spite of what's happening around you personally, nationally, internationally and historically. That's why you have to interpret history as a spiritual believer and begin to note the proper interpretation of history or how a mature believer can recognize Divine guidance in their life. Bringing together all the principles of doctrine and correctly interpreting contemporary history gives the believer a new lease on life, and a positive attitude, even toward your failures of the past. Once again, the grace, patience, longsuffering and compassion of God is revealed by giving one of His children another chance. You now to have the opportunity to go forward, even if you have been going backward for a while. HOS 14:4 I will heal their apostasy, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from them. This time you should be a much wiser, and a much more stabilized believer. You have been forgiven and released from your sins and failures, and you can have an impact on history in some way. In the Biblical interpretation of history, it is normal to relate yourself to what is going on in history, especially in the light of the fact that you believe that Jesus Christ controls history. You have the ability to use Bible doctrine in your soul to face the reality of contemporary events. You have to interpret history as a spiritual believer and begin to note the biblical interpretation of history and how a you recognize and understand the historical trends of the time in which you are living. Let’s close with the following 8 principles:

1) Even though history is the record of man's thoughts, decisions, actions and motivations, it is Jesus Christ who controls history.

2) This is the first dispensation in which Jesus Christ controls history as a man, the God-man, from His Hypostatic Union.

3) In Human history, there are two sources of judgment: the sovereign decisions of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the erroneous decisions of mankind as they follow Satan and the kingdom of darkness in their sin of independence from God.

4) People individually and collectively are the products of their own decisions. Decisions create environment, environment does not create decisions. There are no tragedies in history, just historical disasters. So-called historical disasters are not tragedies since individuals, nations, and empires are the products of their own self-determination.

5) The pattern of historical disaster begins with economic depression, moves to moral and immoral degeneracy, and ends in military disaster. Perhaps that is why we do not see the USA as a major role player in the last days, that and of course the Rapture.

6) God selects the most evil nation to administer the fifth cycle of discipline to a degenerate client nation. Evil one destroys evil two. Evil is always attracted to evil to destroy evil.

7) Individual subjectivity destroys national objectivity. Arrogant people result in arrogant nations. Arrogant people or arrogant nations never see their own inconsistencies, only the inconsistencies of others. Jealous people and envious nations never see their own sins and production of evil, only the sins and evil of others.

8) This is why Christ taught the doctrine of perpetual warfare until He returns. The only way to prevent war is to be so well prepared that no one will attack.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.