Our God willing as follows. Mr. Daniel Palmer will preach here
next Lord's Day at 10.30 and 2 o'clock. This is a young man
who has very recently been sent into the ministry. May the Lord
give us a spirit of prayer as he comes among us. The pastor will preach here on
Tuesday evening at 7 o'clock. There'll be a prayer meeting
here on Thursday evening at seven o'clock. There'll be a church
meeting here tomorrow evening at seven o'clock. The collections
taken during November amounted to 3,378 pounds and one pence.
Donations to the book fund was 70 pounds. We sincerely thank
you. for your continued support of
this cause of truth. Let us commence our services
today by singing together hymn number 362. The tune is Ascalon
567. How pleased and blessed was I to hear the people cry, come
let us seek our God today. Yes, with a cheerful zeal, We haste to Zion's hill, and
there our vows and honours pay. Hymn 362 to UNESCOLON 567. From east and west was I, To
hear the people cry, God, let us take her home today. Yes, with a dreadful zeal, We
haste to Zion's hill, That there, at Mount Zion's hill, ? Thy good trust hath been made
? ? Ever done with wondrous grace ? ? Ever close of strength embracing
thou ? If the Antribes appear, to pray
and praise and give, the sacred gospel's joyful sound. There came its greatest sign,
As fixed its royal throne. Its sins for reason counted then, He makes us saints because He
makes us innocent. And humble souls rejoice ? Make me certain thy grace ? ?
And joy within me raise ? ? To bless the soul of every breast
? ? O come let us adore Him ? ? Christ
the Lord of hosts ? ? O come let us adore Him ? I shall repeat the vows Between
them sacred vows For them I friendship in breath can Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in the Gospel according to Matthew and chapter
24. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 24. And Jesus went out and departed
from the temple And his disciples came to him for to show him the
buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See
ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, there
shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be
thrown down. And as he sat upon the Mount
of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately saying, Tell
us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of
thy coming and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered
and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For
many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive
many. And you shall hear of wars and
rumors of wars, see that you be not troubled for all these
things must come to pass but the end is not yet for nation
shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom and there
shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in divers places
all these things are the beginning of sorrows then shall they deliver
you up to be afflicted and kill you And ye shall be hated of
all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended
and shall betray one another, shall hate one another. And many
false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And because
iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he
that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. and
this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world
for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come.
And when ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation
spoken of by Daniel the prophet stand in the holy place, whoso
readeth let him understand, then let them which be in Judea flee
into the mountains. Let him which is on the housetop
not come down to take anything out of his house. Neither let
him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And
woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in
those days. But pray that your flight be
not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day. For then shall
be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of
the world to this time. No, not ever shall be. And except those days should
be shortened, there should no flesh be saved. But for the elect's
sake, those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto
you, lo, here is Christ, or lo, there, believe it not, for there
shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show
great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, that
they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore, if they shall say
unto you, Behold, he is in the desert, go not forth. Behold,
he is in the secret chambers, believe it not. For as the lightning
cometh out of the east and shineth unto the west, So shall also
the coming of the Son of Man be. For wheresoever the carcass
is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately
after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened,
and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall
from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven,
And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they
shall see the Son of Man come in the clouds of heaven with
power and great glory. And he shall send his angels
with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together
his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other. Now learn a parable of the fig
tree, when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves,
ye know that summer is nigh. So likewise ye, when ye shall
see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation
shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and
earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away. But
of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of
heaven, but my Father only. For as the days of Noah were,
so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the
days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking
and marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered
into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them
all away. So shall also the coming of the
Son of Man be. Then shall two be in the field,
the one shall be taken and the other left. Two women shall be
grinding at the mill, the one shall be taken and the other
left. Watch therefore, for you know not what hour your Lord
doth come, But know this, that if the good man of the house
had made known in what watch the thief would come, he would
have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken
up. Therefore be ye also ready. For in such an hour as ye think
not, the Son of Man cometh, who then is a faithful and wise servant,
whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them
meat in due season. Blessed is that servant, whom
his lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing. Verily I say unto
you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But, and
if, that evil servant shall say in his heart, my lord delayeth
his coming, and shall begin to smite his fellow servant, and
to eat and drink with the drunken, the Lord of that servant shall
come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour when
he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder and appoint him
his portion with the hypocrites, there shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own solemn and precious word. and grant unto us the spirit
of real prayer. Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty,
which is an art, an art to come, who livest eternal in the heavens,
the high and lofty one that inhabited eternity, whose name is holy. We have read, O Lord, some very
solemn things in thy holy word. We pray that we may be given
that grace to lay them to heart and to consider our ways in the
light of thy holy word, in the light of the day of judgment,
in the light of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
we may be enabled to take heed, be also ready For at such a time
as ye think not, the Son of man cometh. Prepare me, gracious
God, to stand before thy face. Thy Spirit must the work perform,
and it is all of grace. In Christ's obedience clothe
and wash me in his blood. So shall I lift my head with
joy among the sons of God. all for a gracious preparation,
for divine guidance, for the inward power and teaching of
the Holy Ghost, to open our eyes, our ears, our hearts, to give
us feet to run in the way that thou wouldst have us to go. Lord,
without thee, we can do nothing. Without thy heavenly power, O
Lord, no sweets the gospel can afford, and that we do desire
that we might partake of those sweets of the gospel which are
for poor sinners. We think of those wonderful words
of grace, the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which
was lost. Lord, are there any lost sinners
here in the sanctuary today that feel their great need, that feel
their great sin, that feel to be far off, that feel perhaps
to be so dead spiritually, Oh, we pray that this may be the
time when the living power of the living gospel of the living
Christ may be breathed into their hearts and that the Lord Jesus
may be revealed in all his power and glory as a prince and as
a saviour for to give faith and repentance and remission of sins. Remember us as a church and as
a congregation. Work mightily, powerfully and
effectually among Send out thy light and thy truth. Send out
thy light and thy truth into this village, into the surrounding
villages and hamlets and farmsteads. Precious, precious souls may
be gathered in that thou would bring our sons from far and our
daughters from the ends of the earth. We read in thy word and they
shall come. Lord, we wait to see Zion's offspring
come. We wait to see thy power and
thy glory as thou usest to be in the sanctuary. Arise, arise,
O God of grace, into thy rest descend, thou and the ark of
thy strength, and let thy priests be clothed with salvation, and
thy saints shall shout aloud for joy. Remember all thy servants
as they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion, and set
them free and set them at liberty. And remember our young friend
as he comes among us on the coming week. We pray that thou wouldst
gird him with all sufficient grace, that he may dip his foot
in oil and be made acceptable unto the brethren, and that the
word preached may be in power in the Holy Ghost and with much
assurance. So may it be so with each one
of thy servants, Lord. For we do pray thee, thou great
Lord of the harvest, to yet send true labourers into the harvest
to build the walls of Jerusalem. Remember the little ones and
the children, bless them indeed, show them thy ways, put thy holy
fear in their hearts. Remember the young friends in
all their concerns, bring them to living, vital, saving faith
in Jesus Christ, that they may become true followers of thee
and run in the way of thy holy commandments. Lord, grant that
it may be so. For thy great namesake, let thy
work appear unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children. O Lord, we beseech thee, grant
mighty signs and wonders to follow the preaching of the word. Remember the dear young friends
in all their concerns. Guide and direct them in all
matters. We do humbly beseech thee. Remember
each in the midst of the journey of life. Grant, O Lord, we pray
thee, thy blessing. Grant the deliverance from the
temptations of Satan. Each one of us, Lord, need that.
When the enemy comes in like a flood, May the spirit of the
Lord lift up the standard against it. O most gracious Lord, we
do pray, whether he comes as an angel of light to deceive
or as a roaring lion to devour, we need thee to deliver us from
his power and from his influence. For Lord, we're not ignorant
of his cunning devices. Deliver us from temptation. Deliver
us from sin and its power and its dominion. Bring us into the
glorious liberty of the people of God. And Lord, those that
could be here but have no desire to be here, we pray that thou
wouldst be gracious unto them and give them that desire and
that longing to be found in the sanctuary. We do humbly pray
that, remember the prodigals and cause them to return. Help
us to watch for them, we do humbly pray thee, for thy great name's
sake. Lord God, we pray that thou wouldst
remember our brethren, the deacons, and give them wisdom and grace
in all matters. And remember all of us in the
evening time of life's journey. Prepare us for that great day
when heart and flesh shall fail, and we shall soar through tracks
unknown and see thee on thy judgment throne. Remember us for good,
remember dear Ina, and do richly bless her and undertake for her. As the outward man perishes,
Lord, may the inward man be renewed day by day. And remember, Lord,
those that labour in word and doctrine among the nations of
the earth. We think of those that go forth
from us, thy servant Ian Sadler in that great labour of love
among the nations of the earth in the distribution of holy scripture
and the exposition of it. Sound doctrine, help him Lord,
strengthen him, supply all his need. Remember the Savannah Education
Trust, and that great work they're doing in Ghana, may it redound
to the honour, glory and praise of thy great name. And O Lord
God, we do pray, remember the Mombasa mission and thy servant
there, graciously grant yet signs to follow the preaching of the
word. Remember our nation, O Lord.
Remember our leaders, give wisdom, guidance and direction The spirit
of Antichrist, O Lord, is so prevalent in our nation and in
the nations of the earth, is not thy chariot hastening on?
Gracious God, we pray that thou would enlighten those that rule
over us with the gospel of thy grace. Remember our king and
the royal household and grant thy rich blessing to rest there. We do humbly beseech of thee.
Lord God we do pray that thou in thy great mercy would remember
all in trouble or trial or perplexity or sorrow or sadness or bereavement
our Lord undertake for each one have mercy upon each one and
work mightily in the day in which we live work among the churches
of God we do humbly pray thee make bear thine holy arm in the
gospel pull down the strongholds of Satan, set up the kingdom
of the Lord Jesus in the hearts of sinners. We're not worthy,
O Lord, that thou should even hear our prayers. We're such
poor, wretched, needy sinners. We come to confess our sins and
our wanderings and our backslidings. We come to be washed in the precious
blood of the Lamb. Oh, we do thank thee that there
is a fountain open for sin and for uncleanness. Gracious God,
come and speak thy word. Come and bless us with a lively
faith in Jesus Christ. Come and touch one's lips with
a live coal from off the heavenly altar. For Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 352. The tune is Almondberry, 278.
The moon and stars shall lose their light. The sun shall sink
in endless light. Both heaven and earth shall pass
away. The works of nature all decay. Hymn 352. to the tune Almond Berry 278. O'er the ramparts we watched
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs
bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still
there O come, O come, Thou Son of man!
O come, Thou Son of man! ? Celebrate this glorious night
? ? Cherishing the rainbow above us ? ? Celebrate this glorious night ? ? Here at last ? ? Oh, Christ the
Savior ? ? King of kings ? ? From which the world begins ? ? His
worship still is ev'rywhere ? ? And on high above ? ? Give joy now ? ? Peace on earth
? ? Peace on earth ? ? Sing the praises to the Lord ? ? Give
joy now ? ? Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing,
sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing,
sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing,
sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing,
sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing,
sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing,
sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing,
sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing,
sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing,
sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help. I'll direct your attention to
Psalm 9 and we'll read verse 17 for our text. Psalm 9, verse 17. The wicked shall be turned into
hell and all nations that forget God. We read in the previous verse,
the Lord is known by the judgment which he executed. God is a God of judgment. God is a righteous God, a holy
God. We think of those words in Isaiah,
Thus saith the High and Lofty One, that inhabiteth eternity,
whose name is Holy. God knows all things. God sees all things. God understands all things in
its most minute detail. Every minute detail of every
man, woman and child upon this earth is minutely known, perceived
and understood by the Eternal God. We read in the Book of Psalms
here, His understanding is infinite. And that word infinite, it means
without measure. without measure. He knows all
things. There's nothing is hid from His
holy eyes. He is in all places at all times. David here in the book of Psalms,
in Psalm 139, he speaks of the omnipresence of the eternal God. that God is indeed in all places,
in all places. He says if I take the wings of
the morning and go to the outermost parts of the sea, even there,
even there. And I'm sure we do. He found
it a very searching thing. He says, O Lord, this is Psalm
139, O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me, thou knowest
my down-sitting and mine up-rising, thou understandest my thought
afar off. And that is true of every single
one of us. Our thoughts, before we even
speak them, God sees, knows and understands. Thou compassest
my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways,
for there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou
knowest it all together. So when we think then and apply
this solemn doctrine to the day of judgment, there will be no
miscarriages of judgment, of justice, because God knows all
things. God understands all things. We read in the book of Genesis,
Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? And David, he says, Thou hast
beset me behind and before and laid thine hand upon me. Such
knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high. I cannot attain
unto it. What does he mean? He means,
I cannot grasp the fact that God knows everything. I cannot
grasp the fact that God is in all places at all times. There's no where, whether it's
in the heavens above or on the earth beneath, God is everywhere. That is what God is. He's an
infinite being in all places at all times. Such knowledge
is too wonderful for me. It is high. I cannot attain unto
it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit?
Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up
into heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold,
thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall
thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say,
surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light
about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not
from thee, but the night shineth as the day. The darkness and
the light are both alike to thee. You see, my beloved friends,
these things are written in God's holy word for our instruction,
in the way of righteousness and of truth, that we might understand
the truth. Now here in the book of Psalms
there is a constant reference in certain places of the wicked
and of the righteous. My mind in particular, it's probably
most prominent in Psalm 37. And in Psalm 37 we read fret not thyself because of evildoers
neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity for they
shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as a green herb
trust in the Lord and do good so shalt thou dwell in the land
and verily thou shalt be fed you see these exhortations delight
thyself in the Lord commit thy way unto the Lord And He shall
bring forth thy righteousness as the light. Rest in the Lord.
These are divine exhortations to the Lord's people. Wait patiently
for Him. Fret not thyself. We look at
this and we look at that and we look at something else and
we're going to fret and we're going to worry. Fret not thyself. Because of Him who prospers in
His way. because of the man who bringeth
wicked devices to pass. You see, my beloved friends,
these things are written for our instruction. Fret not
thyself. It's a word to the Lord's people
who are called the righteous when they are in the hands of
the wicked. But what we have in our text
is the end of all things. When God comes to judge the world
in righteousness, the day of judgment. Again here in the book
of Psalms we read of the day of judgment. that when the Lord
is coming to judge the earth, and we read in Psalm 98, let the floods clap their hands,
let the hills be joyful together before the Lord, for he cometh
to judge the earth. With righteousness shall he judge
the world and the people with equity. It will be a judgment
of mercy and of grace to the Lord's people. It will be a solemn
judgment of punishment, eternal punishment to all those that
forget God, that desire not the knowledge
of His ways. It says in the last verse of
Psalm 96, before the Lord, for he cometh for he cometh to judge
the earth. You know that double use of the
word for he cometh for he cometh to me there is a solemn warning
there it's speaking of something that is divinely certain for
he cometh for he cometh to judge the earth he shall judge the
world with righteousness and the people with his truth he
will judge the world What a solemn thought, isn't it? And in that
judgment of the world, the wicked. And you know, my beloved friends,
we're all wicked by nature. We're all born in sin and shaped
in iniquity. That's where we are. That's what
we are by nature, born in sin, shaped in iniquity. We sin because we're sinners. The Bible says very clearly,
we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, come short
of his holy righteous law. And it's when we break God's
holy righteous law, we transgress it. And then we sin against God. As the word of God says, sin,
is any transgression of the law of God. We all have sinned. We all have
transgressed God's holy, righteous law. And therefore we are all
turned as wicked. We're wicked sinners. We've sinned
against God. And we continue to sin against
God. But here we have the end of what
it is to be wicked. The wicked shall be turned into
hell and all the nations that forget God. Turned into hell. Hell is that
place of eternal punishment where the worm dies not. and where
the fire is not quenched. In the last verse of the prophet
Isaiah, it speaks there of the looking upon the wicked. It says in there, and they shall
go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed
against me For their worm shall not die, neither shall their
fire be quenched, and they shall be in a boring unto all flesh. The worm dieth not, the fire
not quenched. Hell is a place of eternal fire. It's a place of eternal damnation. The Holy Scriptures do not know
anything of the doctrine of annihilation. You might say, what do you mean?
Well, there are many, many of our fellow creatures, they believe
that when you die, that's it, and it's all finished. You're
just dead. And that's the end of everything.
Annihilation. But the Holy Scripture knows
nothing of annihilation. It knows of two places. It's
very clear, there's a heaven and there's a hell. There is
the heaven where the Lord's people will go through the precious
blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. Because they've been
washed in that precious blood of Jesus, cleansed from all their
sin. And they are clothed upon with
that glorious everlasting robe of the righteousness of Jesus
Christ. And they should go into heaven.
They've washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, therefore
are they before the throne of God. My dear beloved friends,
have we washed our robes in the blood of the Lamb? Have we been
brought to living faith in Jesus Christ? Have we been made aware
of our lost condition? And have we fled for refuge unto
the only place of refuge, the glorious person, of our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ. You know, we have so many times
in the Word of God when we have warnings given to us concerning
the end of all things being at hand. My mind, it just goes to
the Prophet Isaiah in chapter 63. And there we read of the
end of all things being at hand. And at the beginning of that
chapter, who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments
from Bosra, this that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in
the greatness of his strength, I that speak in righteousness,
mighty to save. You might say, well, that's Jesus
Christ. Amen. It is Jesus Christ but many seem
to misunderstand this passage of Holy Scripture and they interpret
it that it's when Christ first came. When he came to suffer,
bleed and die for the sins of his people. But it doesn't portray
that at all. It is when Christ comes a second
time without sin unto salvation. The end of the world. The disciples
in that passage we read in Matthew They said, when shall the end
of the world be? When shall the coming of the
Son of Man be, and the end of the world? And here in Isaiah
63, that is exactly what is set before us. Wherefore art thou
red in thine apparel? This is Christ. And thy garments
like him that treadeth in the wine-flat. This is Christ coming
to judge the world. I have trodden the winepress
alone, and of the people there was none with me. I will tread
them in mine anger. This is not Christ coming to
redeem his people. This is Christ coming to judge
the wicked. I will tread them in mine anger
and trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled
upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. That's
what the blood is on his garments, the blood of the wicked. the
day of vengeance is in mine heart and then the same day and the
year of my redeemed is come and we find this in many places in
the word of God he goes on I looked and there was none to help I
wondered that there was none to uphold therefore mine own
arm brought salvation unto me, and my fury upheld me, and I
will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk
in my fury. I will bring down their strength
to the earth. And that's when the wicked shall
be turned into hell, and all nations that forget God. You know, in the last chapter
of the Old Testament, fourth chapter of Malachi, We have the
same solemn truth in the first two verses of that fourth chapter. For behold, the day cometh that
shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that
do wickedly shall be stubborn, and the day that cometh shall
burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave
them neither root nor branch. What does it mean? In the book
of Job it says, a tree when it's cut down, at the scent of water
it will grow again. And we all witness that. A stump
of a tree and the rain comes and it begins to sprout branches. But here it says, it shall burn
them up root and branch. There'll be no stump left in
the ground. There's no hope of any recovery, that's what it
means. And all that do wickedly shall be stubborn. And the day
that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that
it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But then immediately
in the second verse, but unto you that fear my name, it's the
same day. Just what we've read in Isaiah,
the day of vengeance has come and the year of my redeeming,
it's the same day. It's the day of judgment when
Christ comes to gather his people unto himself and to cast the
wicked into hell. But unto you that fear my name
shall the Son of Righteousness, that's Christ, the Son of Righteousness,
God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has
shined into our hearts with the light of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ, the Son of Righteousness, arise. like the sun rising, the dawning
of another day. And when the believer dies, that'll
be like the sun rising, the dawning of another day, when the son
of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings and
he shall go forth and grab his clasp at the storm. And you shall
tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles
of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord. solemn days are coming my beloved
friends, they are. We just think and I felt very
much drawn to read that 24th of Matthew and that those things
that are set before us there in the 24th of Matthew, it speaks
of the end time. It says in verse 21, then shall
be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of
the world. Now my beloved friends, you think
of the great tribulations that have been upon the earth. You
think of the coming of the flood in the days of Noah, what a day
of tribulation that was. You think of the last two world
wars and what a day of tribulation that was when tens and tens of
thousands of people were launched from time into eternity. But
this day that is being spoken of is far greater than all those
put together, for then shall be great tribulation, such as
was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor
ever shall be. A day of great tribulation. He speaks also of the deceptions
that will happen in those days. He says in verse 23, then, if
any man shall say unto you, lo, here is Christ, or there, believe
it not. For there shall arise false Christs
and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders
insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before
the Lord has warned us before behold I have told you before
and these things are written in the word of God for our warning
for our instruction behold I have told you before wherefore if
thou shalt say unto you he is behold he is in the desert go
not forth Behold he's in the secret chambers, believe it not.
For as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even
unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man
be. The coming of the Son of Man.
I'm pretty sure I've pointed out to you before that in almost
every single reference to Christ come in a second time. He's always
referred to as the Son of Man. One hymn writer says, see the
judge our nature wearing. The Son of God, the Son of Man.
One highlights his divinity, the other highlights his humanity.
The Son of Man. The glorious person of God manifest
in the flesh. And that is the desire of the
psalmist, isn't it? Let thy hand be upon the man
of thy right hand, the son of man, whom thou madest strong
for thyself. This glorious person of Jesus
Christ, of God, manifest in the flesh. And then it goes on in
what we read together in verse 29, Matthew 24. Immediately after
the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and
the moon shall not give a light and the stars shall fall from
heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken then
shall appear the sign of the son of man in heaven and then
shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the
son of man coming in the clouds and with power and great glory
it says in another place every eye shall see him Every eye shall
see Him. You know, if I read it correctly,
and I believe I do, that as Christ comes, this world will be dissolved. All these things shall be dissolved.
All material things shall be dissolved. And Christ will appear
in power and great glory. And one of the great comforts
here, in verse 31, And he shall send his angels, the very first
act of Christ, when he comes to judge the world in righteousness.
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet,
and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds,
from one end of heaven to the other. The Lord's people will
be saved, redeemed, and delivered in that great day. And what is
their deliverance will be the utter condemnation of the wicked. All in the same day, the day
of vengeance is in my heart, the year of my redeemed is come. The Lord's redeemed will go into
eternal glory. Then it says in verse 36, but
of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of
heaven. but my Father only. Don't listen
to people that believe they can predict the end of the world
and exactly the time it's going to come. Nobody knows. Only God
in heaven. But as the days of Noah were,
so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. It'll be suddenly. It'll be without warning. For
as they were eating before the flood, in the day before the
flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until
the flood came and took them all away, so shall also the coming
of the Son of Man be. And then in verse 42, watch therefore,
all my beloved friends, Think of those words of Christ here,
Behold I've told you before, watch therefore, for you know
not what hour your Lord doth come. You know not what hour,
therefore be you also ready, for in such an hour as you think
not the Son of Man cometh. see and it says in verse 48 but
and if that evil servant shall say in his heart my lord delayeth
his coming and shall begin to smite his fellow servants who
eat and drink with the drunken the lord of that servant shall
come in a day when he looketh not for him and in an hour that
he is not aware of and shall cut him asunder and appoint him
his portion with the hypocrites and and there shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth You know, our destination after
death is eternal and it cannot change. We either go to eternal life
in Christ or we go to eternal damnation with the devil and
his angels. And from the Word of God, that
is the only two places that are revealed in the Word of God. And there are only two types
of people revealed in the Word of God. Of course, there are
other nuances in that. If you look at the first part
of Matthew chapter 25, it speaks of the ten virgins, which are
all professing Christians, all members of a church, they all
had lamps, which means they made a profession of Christ and went
forth to meet the bridegroom, they all went forth to meet him,
five of them were wise and five were foolish. Where do you and
I stand? Have we been made wise unto salvation? Moses said, oh that thou wert
wise and wouldst consider thy latter end. We've been made wise
unto salvation. We've been brought as a poor,
wretched, needy, helpless, hopeless sinner to the feet of Jesus and
brought to trust alone in his precious name, blood and righteousness,
so that you see him as the way, the truth and the life. You know
him as the way, the truth and the life. Jesus is the way to
God. Jesus is the way to bliss. And
if Paul says that I may know him in the power of his resurrection,
do you know him in the power of his resurrection? Because here it says five of
these virgins were wise and five were foolish. They that were
foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them. What does
it mean They took no oil with them. Oil represents grace, even
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. And they did not have it. Have
you got it? That's the vital thing. They
thought they were ready, but they weren't ready. They weren't
ready. They that were foolish took their
lamps and took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their
vessels. with their lamps. The wise had
been truly born again of the Holy Ghost and the Holy Ghost
dwelt in their hearts and brought them to living faith in Jesus
Christ and raised them up to a hope in his precious name.
That's what made them wise. They knew themselves as sinners
and they knew Christ as the only Savior of sinners. while the bridegroom tarried
the bridegroom is Christ the time of his coming is the end
of the world while the bridegroom tarried they all slumbered and
slept and at midnight there was a cry made behold the bridegroom
cometh go ye out to meet him this is what it means in what
we've just read in verse 44 in chapter 24 be ye also ready be
ye also ready For at such a time as ye think not, the Son of Man
cometh. He does. Then all those virgins arose
and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish said unto the wise,
Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. And the wise
answered, saying, Not so, lest there be not enough for us and
you. But go ye rather to them that
sell. Buy for yourselves. And while
they went to buy, the bridegroom and they that were ready went
in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. And that
door, my beloved friends, was shut eternally. To the wise virgins,
they were shut eternally into everlasting glory, to be with
Christ, which is far better. But to the foolish virgins, they
were shut out of eternal glory, forever and ever, and the door
was shut. Afterwards came also the other
virgin saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said,
Verily, I say unto you, I know you not. What does he mean, I
know you not? They weren't given to him by
the Father, so he didn't know them by that eternal gift the
Father to the Son. They were not born again of the
Spirit, so therefore He didn't know them, He didn't dwell in
their hearts. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
I know you not. Watch therefore, for you know
neither the day nor the hour were in the son of man cometh,
the wicked shall be turned into hell and all nations that forget
God. Now we mentioned before how there
are but two types of people and this is illustrated in the 25th
chapter of Matthew and from verse 31 when the son of man shall
come in his glory again it's the end of the world It's Christ
coming to judge the world in righteousness and again you notice
he's called the Son of Man. When the Son of Man shall come
in his glory. We read it again and again in
Holy Scripture that the Son of Man will come in his glory. Are
you ready? Are you ready? Be ye also ready
for that coming of the Son of Man. and all the holy angels
with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. He sits
upon the throne of judgment, and before him shall be gathered
all nations, and he shall separate them one from another. It's the great king and head
of the church, the king of glory, he shall separate them one from
another. As a shepherd divided his sheep
from the goats, And he shall set the sheep on his right hand
and the goats on the left. Then shall the king say unto
them on his right hand, come you blessed of my father. What
a beautiful word, isn't it? Come, you blessed of my father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world. An inheritance incorruptible.
and that faded not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept
by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed
in the last day. Such a blessed word, isn't it?
Come, ye blessed of my Father. Then, in verse 41, Then shall
he say also unto them on the left hand, that is the goats,
depart from me. Who are the goats? The wicked.
And in our text, the wicked shall be turned into hell and all nations
that forget God. Depart from me ye cursed into
everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. These, verse 46, and these shall
go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal
life. Oh, my dear beloved friends,
where do you stand? Where do I stand? Are we truly
born again of the Spirit? Have we been brought as a poor,
wretched sinner to humble faith in Jesus Christ, to become a
follower of Him and of those who through faith and patience
inherit the promises. You know in the book of the Revelation
there is a continual setting before us of the Day of Judgment. The end of all things. The end
of all things. You think of our text and the
wicked shall be turned into hell and all nations that forget God
and we see Christ coming in judgment in Revelation 19 and there in
Revelation 19 we read in verse 11 and I saw heaven opened and
behold a white horse and he that sat upon him was called faithful
and true and in righteousness doth he judge and make war that's
Christ coming to judgment His eyes were as a flame of fire.
Look at his eyes in Solomon's song. His eyes are as the eyes
of dove by rivers of waters fitly set. Those loving, kind, gracious
eyes of our precious Redeemer. But when he comes to judgment,
to judge the world in righteousness, his eyes were as a flame of fire. And on his head were many crowns
and he had a name written that no man knew but he himself. And
he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood. You see, you
can see now here when you get these clear revelations of Christ,
why it's called the revelation of Jesus Christ. Because that's
what it is. It reveals his person. He was clothed with a vesture
dipped in blood. And his name is called the Word
of God. The armies which were in heaven
followed him upon white horses, clothed with fine linen, white
and clean, That's the saints. And out of his mouth goeth a
sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations, and
he shall rule them with a rod of iron. And he treadeth the
winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. We've
just read of that in Isaiah 63. And he hath on his vesture and
on his thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. I saw an angel standing in the
sun and he cried with a loud voice saying, to all the fowls
that fly in the midst of heaven, come and gather yourselves together
under the supper of the great God. You see, what a solemn day. Look at verse 19, I saw the beasts
and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together
to make war against him that sat on the horse, that's Christ,
and against his army. And the beast was taken with
him, the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which
he deceived them that received the mark of the beast, and them
that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into
a lake of fire, burning with fire, burning with brimstone. And the remnant was slain with
the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded
out of his mouth, and all the fowls were filled with their
flesh. Out of his mouth, it's the judgment
that he gives. It's a sword coming out of his
mouth. His name shall be called the Word of God. It continues in the following
chapter, chapter 20 in the Revelation. From verse 11, a clear revelation
of Christ and he coming in power and great glory and I saw a great
white throne and him that sat on it from his face the earth
and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for
them and I saw the dead small and great stand before God. That's
what we read of in Matthew 25 isn't it? I saw the dead small
and great stand before God And the books were opened, and another
book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were
judged out of those things which were written in the books, according
to their works. And the sea, this shows us there's
no hiding place. And the sea gave up the dead
which were in it. And death and hell delivered
up the dead which were in them. And they were judged, every man,
according to their works. And death and hell were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death. This
is the second death. That's when Christ condemns the
wicked to hell. It's an eternal death. It's the
second death and it's eternal death. Now it says here about the first
resurrection, just look at verse 6 in Revelation 20. Blessed and
holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. You might
say, what is the first resurrection? The new birth. Ye must be born
again. Except a man be born of water
and of the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Blessed and holy is he that hath
part in the first resurrection. My beloved friends, have you,
have I, been born again of the Holy Ghost? On such, the second
death hath no power. No, they're completely delivered
from it. But they shall be priests of
God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. And death and hell were cast
into the lake of fire, verse 14. This is the second death,
and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire. My dear, beloved friends, we
think of that verse of John Kent, how stands the case, my soul
with thee, for heaven are thy credentials clear, is Jesus'
blood thine only plea, is he thy great forerunner there. Whither
the forerunner for us is entered, Christ, entered into heaven. For such an high priest have
we who is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. And such
that are in Christ are redeemed, are delivered from the curse,
from condemnation. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them that are in Christ Jesus. Everybody else is under condemnation,
under God's holy law, under its righteous judgments. The only deliverance from the
curse of the law is Jesus Christ. I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. Jesus is the way to God. Jesus is the way to bliss. In
this way the saints have trod down from Adam's day to this. This is the way. It's to follow
Him. It's to serve Him in your day
and in your generation, casting all your care upon him, for he
careth for you." Oh, that the Lord would deeply impress these
solemn truths upon us. The wicked shall be turned into
hell, and all nations that forget God. The Lord Jesus Christ, he
speaks, doesn't he, in the Gospel of Luke about the rich man and
Lazarus. The rich man died, Lazarus laid
at his gate full of sores and great poverty and he fared sumptuously
every day. He died and he was straight into
hell. Lazarus died and he went into
Abram's bosom, that's the bosom of the covenant. the rich man said send Lazarus
to put his finger in water if I might be but delivered from
this terrible thirst these burnings and Christ makes it very clear
there is no way from heaven to hell and there is no way from
hell to heaven that is eternally fixed. There is a great gulf
fixed, is what the word of God says. My beloved friends, oh
that the Lord would impress upon us these solemn certain truths
of our most holy faith, for his name's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 666, the tune is Great Jubilee, 543. With great and awful power, Jesus
the judge shall come to bid his foes depart and take his children
home. How will the wicked quake in
fear when they before him must appear. Hymn 666, tune Great
Jubilee 543. ? He's a good old man ? ? He's
as good as you can come ? ? To him it's easy now ? ? When he's
still and mild ? In faith and faith, can they
be? For him must appear, when they
beg for him most of all. He can set the church on fire,
or when we take a pride, Be to all men kind and straight, But
gives me love and pride. Billions with boundless hope
to find them Welcome on the call to life ever new ? Alleluia ? ? Oh, so gorgeous
I am ? ? Oh, Lord God, how in heaven ? O come, let us adore
Him O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come,
let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore
Him O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come,
let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore
Him O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come,
let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come, let
us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come, let
us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come, let
us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come,
let us adore Him O come, let us Then what wilt thou do? Then what wilt thou do? Christians, lift up your heads
To see, O death, Jesus' Son His righteousness to give The Saviour
? As they come ? ? Yes, you shall
? ? All His glory see ? ? And from the sacred rent be free
? ? And from the sacred rent be free ? Now may the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship
of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each. Amen.