Jack Hibbs - What God Says About The Future (01/23/2026)
What God Says About the Future
Grab your Bibles tonight and turn to the 31st chapter of Isaiah—Isaiah chapter 31. And we’re looking at a message tonight entitled «What God Says About the Future.» What God says about the future.
I’m going to encourage you tonight—if you write in your Bibles, by all means do that tonight. Get your pen ready. If you don’t write in your Bible, you’ve got to start tonight. You say, «Is that legal?» It’s totally legal. I think it’s a great idea. «Aren’t I somehow defiling my Bible?» No—because when you fill up this Bible with all your notes, do what I do: you wrap it up, put a rubber band around it, put it on your bookshelf, buy a new Bible, and start again.
You ought to be able to look over the years of owning a Bible—as you’ve walked with Jesus—and you can actually turn to those old pages of the Bible and look and see what God’s been doing in your life, what books of the Bible you’ve studied, date things that happen when God speaks to you.
God Keeps Time by Israel
But tonight’s going to be one of those nights—there’ll be a lot of verses for us to look at, and I trust for good reason. What God says about the future—Isaiah chapter 31. And think of this for a moment as we begin to look at it: if the Lord were to show you and me tonight how He keeps time.
I mean, you and I have a watch, or we have some mode of timekeeping. Most of us today use phones to see what time it is. We would look at a calendar—a calendar is a timepiece if you think about it. It’s not just a clock. Seasons are timepieces. Seasons tell us the changing of time.
Look—we just recently had a time change, and isn’t it bizarre? You get home from work now, and it’s dark, and you feel like going to bed. And then you realize it’s Wednesday night, and you’ve got to go to church. And I’m just talking about me—it’s like, «Wow—this is crazy weird time.»
But how does God keep time? How does God keep His record of time? And according to the Bible, it’s interesting—as you’ll see in a moment—that God keeps time by the nation of Israel. That’s how He keeps time. Isn’t that weird? You ever think of that?
God keeps His prophetic time clock set to the nation of Israel and its relationship to Him. That is a huge statement, but yet when you know the Bible, study the Bible, it is an absolute accurate answer, and it shouldn’t surprise us.
Introduction: Isaiah 9:6
By introduction into this chapter—Isaiah chapter 9:6—by the way, we’re almost into the Christmas season. I knew we were into the Christmas season when, before it was Halloween, Lowe’s and Home Depot were decked out with Christmas junk already. Amazing—we’re in the Christmas season even though it’s not Thanksgiving yet.
And we’re coming to a Christmas verse right here—Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6—as we get introduced to the study of chapter 31. Look at Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6: «For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.» This is the Messiah—this is written 743 years before Jesus was born.
«And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God…» Just pause right there for a moment. This is not the push of this verse, but you’ve got a verse in the Bible that is announcing Mighty God is going to come as a child—for crying out loud. Look at your Bible verse.
You need to—if you have a hard time with the deity of Jesus, or if you belong to a religion that denies that Jesus is eternal—look at that verse: «For unto us a child is born…» Kids are born all the time. What’s special about this kid? «Well, a son is given.»
That statement right there could keep you studying for weeks: a son is given—who gave the son, and why? In the Bible, is the «S» on «son» capitalized, and the «C» on «child» capitalized? Why is that? Why in the original Hebrew language does it demand that in English it speak deity? I just throw that out to you.
«And the government will be upon His shoulder.» You know any kid that’s destined to bear the governments of the nations. «And His name will be called Wonderful…» Now every mom that has a baby calls that kid wonderful—but not like this one. «Counselor”—meaning He’s got all the answers. That’s what the kid thinks about himself later on—that he’s got all the answers—but this kid does have all the answers.
This is none other than Mighty God. And here’s the punchline—as God keeping time—“Everlasting Father.» The Son is not the Father—don’t let that sway you. «Everlasting Father”—the word „everlasting“ in Hebrew means the terminus; it means the duration, the unending one, the timeless one, the eternal one.
And the word „father“ means this: the chief, principal, or governor over time and eternity. Whoever the Son is governs time. Whoever the child that is to be born is—the one that presides. Time begins with Him, and it ends with Him, and He is eternal.
As it were, on one end of His arms He holds the beginning of time, and at the conclusion of time it reaches His other hand, and He is outside of time, being eternal. Radical verse—awesome. God is the one that presides over time, and God has set Israel as His timepiece.
Matthew 24 and the Fig Tree
The Bible tells us in Matthew chapter 24:30—“Then…» That’s a timestamp statement. If you’re a Bible student, you ought to know that. «Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven…» Jesus says regarding Himself. «And then…» That’s a timestamp. «…all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.»
Verse 31: «And He…» Remember, Jesus is speaking. «…will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.»
Verse 32: «Now…» That’s another timestamp—it’s a timing issue. «…learn this parable from the fig tree…» Timestamp again. «When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when…» A time statement. «…you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors.»
What am I saying? Jesus said in Matthew chapter 24 there are timestamps regarding My return. The number one timestamp regarding My second coming will be when the fig tree puts forth her leaves.
If you’re Jewish sitting on that hillside and you hear Jesus say that, it not only means that the season is changing—that’s the picture—but in the spring all trees put forth their leaves. But Jesus is specific—the fig tree. The fig tree is synonymous with the nation of Israel. Every Jew of that time knew that.
Jesus said near the end of time—when I come back—just before I return, the fig tree will be putting forth her leaves again. That’s a time statement. What does that refer to?
Amos 9:14 — Israel’s Regathering
Amos chapter 9, verse 14—Amos 9:14. I hope you write these things down. I’ve worked hard on this—you need to write this down; you need to know this. Amos 9:14—God says, «I will bring back the captives of My people Israel…»
There you are. «…they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them…» Has that happened? «…they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them, ” says the Lord your God.
God says this—that Israel is the timepiece. So number one, church—as we look at this tonight—it’s a short chapter, but that doesn’t mean we’ll get out of here early—just nine verses. Begins with this: what God says about the future is that the future belongs to Him.
That shouldn’t surprise us, but tonight’s message ought to bring you comfort—the future belongs to God. According to God, He’s written it down in advance.
It Never Pays to Trust in Man
But look at verses 1 to 3—because it never pays to trust in man. The future belongs to God; it never pays to trust in man. And He says in verse 1: „Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel nor seek the Lord!“
Stop right there for a moment. Verse 1—you all know, we remember—that the northern kingdom had been captured by the Assyrian Empire. Isaiah’s prophesying to the south—that’s Benjamin and Judah; that’s where Jerusalem’s at. He’s speaking to them, and King Hezekiah is trembling.
You can read details about that in 2 Kings, starting about chapter 16 through to chapter 19. Hezekiah is terrified—it’s inevitable the Assyrian Empire is coming. And so instead of—listen—instead of the nation going to prayer, fasting, seeking God, knowing the word of God—because the promises were there—they were tempted, the king was tempted, and the nation was tempted to go send a note, as it were, to Egypt and say, „Will you help us against the invading Assyrian Empire?“
So God rebukes them, and God is saying, „Woe to you—don’t trust in men. Man cannot help you.“ A warning He gives to them. God is the governor of time. Do you believe in God tonight? If you believe in God tonight, He’s the governor of time. The Bible teaches that.
Now number one—and this is not the point of the study tonight—if we really walk in that area of faith in God—and I understand how this is; we waffle back and forth at times—but we ought not to be worrying about things. The Christian should be the last person on earth worrying about stuff.
Number one: our God governs time. „But Pastor—if I don’t make a decision really soon, they’re going to…“ Listen—our God governs time. If you’re running out ahead in your life and you’re all panicking out, and you’ve made decisions without God, then you’re probably a Christian in trouble.
Because listen—when you run ahead of the Lord, He won’t keep up with you. He’s got His timing. And you can get all excited, and you can get all pumped up, and you run ahead—and God is still about two miles back behind you. And then you hit a block wall—your nose is all bloody; you’ve got stars ringing around your head; you don’t know what’s going on—and you ask God, „How could You do this to me?“
And He’s been calling to you the whole time: „I told you to wait—I told you to wait on Me—you wouldn’t wait—you made a decision—you ran ahead—you got all excited—now look—you bloodied up your nose—ran right into a wall. I didn’t do it to you—you did it to you.“
The same thing is true when somebody says, „Listen—I tell you what—I’ll do this—I’ll do that for you—or I’ll give you this promise.“ And as humans we’re prone to that—someone says something; we get all excited. „Oh—you know what he said?“ Be careful not to trust in men or to establish alliances.
The Bible tells us in Psalm chapter 1 to be very careful as believers that we do not listen to the counsel of the ungodly. Wait upon the Lord. God governs time.
God Will Not Call Back His Word
He says—God says to the nation—“You should have looked to the Holy One of Israel.» Look at verse 2: «Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster, and will not call back His words…» Wow—when God speaks it, it goes. «…but will arise against the house of evildoers and against the help of those who work iniquity.»
«Now the Egyptians are men…» God’s crying out to His people—it would be like God saying to America today, «Donald Trump is just a man—Congress is just men—Wall Street—it’s just a bunch of men.» Ladies—I’m not meaning men like male—I’m talking mankind, okay? Don’t get offended—I’m talking people. Don’t trust in those things—they’re going to let you down.
«So the Egyptians are men and not God, and their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out His hand, both he who helps will fall, and he who is helped will fall down; they all will perish together.»
What a strong word to us tonight—we are to trust in the Lord, in what He has said. That is a word to us—to take the promises of God, people, and stand firm on them—to stand strong on them.
And so when He says in verse 2, «He will not call back His words…» Isaiah 55:10 and 11—and again, these verses you ought to write next to these margins—are these verses of 1, 2, and 3 in Isaiah 55:10 and 11.
Listen to this regarding God’s word—when God speaks, this is the confidence, Christian, that you can have. Verse 10—Isaiah 55: «For as the rain comes down…» Except in Southern California. «…and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth…» God says—listen. «…it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.»
God’s word—this is encouragement to us. When you witness to people, God’s word will not return void—even if they don’t accept it, His word will not return void. Listen—when you pray for somebody…
I’ve got to tell you—when we pray for people in the foyer or courtyard or wherever—this is my mindset. You know from the Bible that sometimes when the disciples or Jesus prayed for someone, they were healed instantly. And then—have you ever read in your Bible carefully—it says, «And they prayed, and in that same hour the man was made whole.» It means that the man wasn’t healed that instant, but within the hour the man was made whole. Isn’t that weird? What’s that all about? I don’t know.
How about the one where Jesus says, «You know what—go back home—by the time you get back home, your child will be well.» That’s God’s business. But here’s the deal—when you pray because of the promises of God, you can pray in faith, standing firm, and let God answer your request as He sees fit.
You get all goofed up and convoluted when you begin to dictate to God how He ought to answer the prayer. «Hey God—I just prayed this prayer, and so I want You to answer it this way.» Listen—we are called to pray to God, and thus the word says, «Not my will but Thy will be done.» We pray to Him, and we trust Him enough.
A lot of people are not trusting God today, and yet they’re saying that they’re praying. «Pray—pray believing—pray in the promises of God—and leave the outcome to God.» We get prayer messed up. «Okay—okay God—I just prayed this prayer—chop-chop—get it done—do it now.» He’s not Santa Claus, and He’s not your maid—He’s not your butler.
We pray according to the will of God—you leave the results to God. But always we are to pray believing. And I like to pray this way—I pray believing, and praying in obedience to Your word. And if we’ve ever prayed together for a need that you might have, I’ll say, «And Lord—I’m going to thank You in advance for what You’re going to do in my brother or sister’s life.» Why? Because He’s going to do something. What is it? I don’t know—I don’t need to know—He didn’t ask me to know.
But God’s word goes out. God keeps time, friends—and He’s asking us to look to His word. And His word is very clear in the context of our study—Israel is a timepiece.
God Keeps His Promises to Israel
Church—listen—has God given Israel promises? Is He going to keep them? If God doesn’t keep His promises to Israel, He’ll never keep His promise—nor is He obligated to keep any promise that He’s given to you. Think of that.
If He breaks a promise with Israel—which He says, «I’ve made an everlasting covenant with them”—then He’s not obligated to keep any promise to you. But hallelujah—the promises He has made to Jew and Gentile alike—He will not fail.
Oh boy—the prophetic attributes of our God is encouraging—it brings me comfort. It’s all about our God having the future belong to Him.
And so one of the things that helps us not trust in men is to trust in God—because He knows all things. And in 1 Peter 1, verse 20—1 Peter 1:20—listen to this, and I’m going to give you a string of verses here, okay? So get ready.
1 Peter chapter 1:20—“He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest…» Speaking about Christ. «…in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.»
What does that mean? Faith and hope—trust in God—because God speaks, and God fulfills. The Bible speaks that Christ would come, and that Christ did come—and Peter was an eyewitness to that.
Revelation 19:10—John says, «And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that! For I am a fellow servant and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.’»
Jesus Christ—in numerous places and at numerous times in His three-year ministry—often said, «I’ve told you these things in advance—watch for them—because when it happens, you’ll know that I am He.»
Isaiah chapter 46:9—“For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning…» I love that. «…declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done.»
John 14:29—“And now I have told you before it comes…» Jesus says. «…that when it does come to pass, you may believe.»
Is this the Jesus of the Bible—you know, the eternal, prophetic God? He controls time so much so—He writes in advance to us and sends it to us in printed form through the prophets—that we might watch time pass, expecting and watching what’s about to happen.
Nobody has what you have on your lap. Nobody—Buddhists don’t have this—Hindus don’t have this. Think of that—the Bible. You want to criticize the Bible? I love—I get—I delight when people attack the Bible. Their mouth is flapping—there’s noise coming out of their face—they’re saying all these accusations against God, and «You can’t trust the Bible, ” and you know what—“It’s all—there’s all kinds of contradictions in the Bible.»
And all you have to do is just go like this: «I happen to have a Bible right here. That’s some pretty amazing things you said here. Why don’t you just find one?» Go ahead—take the rest of your life. No—seriously—take the rest of your life and try to find one. That’s serious—it’s God’s word.
He says not only have I given it, and My word is going to go out—it’s going to accomplish that very thing for which I sent it—but the fact of the matter is I even told you in advance. That is—for those of you who are cynical, which is okay—analytical, which is fine—God is saying, «For those of you who really have a hard time with all this, I’m going to tell you in advance so it’s written down—watch—and when it happens, you’ll have no excuse to not believe in Me.»
The Greatest Prophecy: Genesis 3:15
Prophecy—the greatest prophecy of all in the Bible—it’s true—listen—it’s an eschatological promise. Genesis 3:15 is all about your salvation—that from the woman, from Eve, would come the Messiah of the world—that Christ would come into the world through Eve, the genealogy of Eve the woman—that Christ would go to the cross, die for our sins—the Savior of the world—be resurrected from the dead.
All of this is Old Testament doctrine, ladies and gentlemen. The only way that we know it’s true is because it happened, and it’s recorded in the New Testament. Are you with me? Promised in the old—but we sit back and watch. How do we know it’s true? Because the fulfillments have taken place.
Keep that in mind—that’s how God rules—that’s His plan. Isaiah 45:21—“Declare what is to be—present it—let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago? Who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no God apart from Me—a righteous God and Savior—there is none but Me.
Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.» Someone say amen. Amen—that’s my God—that’s your God—that’s the God of the Bible.
Isaiah 42:9—“Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.» Beautiful.
God’s Plans Cannot Be Thwarted
The next thing we learn in verses 4 to 5 is that what God says about the future is that the future belongs to Him because God’s plans cannot be thwarted. God’s plans cannot be thwarted.
Verse 4 says, «For thus the Lord…» Notice it’s Yahweh. «…has spoken to me: ‘As a lion roars…’» Look how God speaks to the prophet—as a parable or analogy about Himself. «…as a lion roars, and a young lion over his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is summoned against him, he will not be afraid of their voice nor be disturbed by their noise.
So…» Or just like that. «…the Lord of hosts will come down to fight for Mount Zion and for its hill.’» I want all of you to pay close attention to this. «‘Like birds flying about, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem. Defending, He will also deliver it; passing over, He will preserve it.’»
Okay—look—up front—those verses 4—this is amazing. The Lord is saying this: «I have My plan—it’s written down—because I know the future—that’s Me. And just like a lion comes out of the woods or out of the wilderness and attacks your flock, and it’s chewing up one of your lambs, and all the shepherds gather around and they throw rocks and sticks, and they’re yelling and hollering trying to get that little lamb free and drive away the lion…»
God says, «When this happens, I’m going to be just like that lion. You can yell and make all kinds of noise—you will not be able to get Me off.» Just like that. So—look at your Bible—so what is He talking about? What do you mean?
Notice this—the whole mood changes. This is why you have to read Isaiah and the prophets very carefully. He’s rebuking Judah—he’s scolding them and chastising them because of their waywardness. And then right there midstream—verse 4—“So the Lord of hosts will come down to fight…» Look—against Mount Zion? Or for Mount Zion? «…for it.»
And all of a sudden tonight the bridge is gapped—in a sense of nearly a 3,000-year-old prophecy. This week in the news—a man by the name of Riyad Mansour—he’s one of the Palestinian Authority envoys to the United Nations—he says that if the United States Embassy is relocated to Jerusalem in light of what Donald Trump said in the election—which this is not a Trump issue, but this is the news today—listen to this, everybody—regarding international law that was passed in a previous UN resolution and promises—he says he promises to unleash the Palestinians' weapons in the UN as a backlash.
Watch—just follow me—no matter what your worldview is—just follow me on this. So the Palestinian UN envoy—if Trump moves embassy to Jerusalem—will make his life miserable. The article goes on to say that he’s going to summon the Muslim nations that are in the United Nations and unleash whatever he’s talking about.
Okay—first of all—in a civilized world where educated people come from—those are threatening words, which only incite or cause people to rise up against you when you talk like that. So whatever comes their way is apparently what they want.
Here’s the point—you live in a nation that is unique among all other nations on the face of the earth. I hope you know that. If you don’t know that, you should figure that out. Do you understand—do you know where the United Nations actually is? It’s in New York.
Do you know who pays for that place? Turn around and look at yourselves—it’s on US soil—it was invented and placed in that place—and you pay for it. Okay—and these guys come along and they say something—that Trump and the Americans are going to be in big trouble for not obeying international law.
Ladies and gentlemen—the United States—this again—I mentioned it on Sunday in one of the messages—the term «American exceptionalism”—if you’ve ever heard that term—this is what it means: that the United States answers to the US Constitution. That’s what it means.
The United States doesn’t answer to international law—that’s why we are the United States and exceptional. Now you may not like that—but I’m just telling you how it is in this country. This is not my opinion.
If the World Court invents something that attacks your freedom—it doesn’t matter—because your freedom is protected by the Constitution because you’re an American. That’s how it works. If you don’t get that—then I don’t know—you never made it out of the seventh grade—seriously. This is basic civics.
Here’s the deal—the Islamic world is asking us not to recognize Jerusalem. Question to you: does the God of the Bible recognize Jerusalem? So you’ve got to pick—who are you going to obey? You’ve got to obey somebody—you’ve got to serve somebody. It might be the devil—it might be the Lord—but you’ve got to serve somebody. Anyway—you’ve got to pick.
Bible—true or false? Bible says God recognizes Jerusalem. „Well—we need to obey international law.“ Guess what—before this funny guy even ever thought about printing this up—before there was ever a United Nations resolution—guess what—there is United States law that said and says currently on the books that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Did you know that’s the law? That’s amazing.
Did you know that? 1995—this UN resolution is irrelevant. What’s my point? Believe it or not—my point is not politics—my point is theology. This guy’s all bent out of shape—and the Muslim nations have been out of shape—because Jerusalem is being recognized right now.
Why does it matter? Because you’re living in a timepiece right now. You’re living in a moment of time that should get you so excited—why? You’re going to learn why.
NBC News—Richard Engel warns moving embassy to Jerusalem may cause an „apocalypse.“ Really? It’s US law—number one. Israel is a sovereign—just like Syria is a sovereign nation, or Lebanon is a sovereign nation—Canada is a sovereign nation. The United States doesn’t tell Canada what and where their capital is going to be. Try that—you’ll be laughed at. Okay—nobody does this.
But this is on the news this week—and it may cause an apocalypse. This secular news is making my theological point. Follow this—Psalm 2, verse 1. Are you guys awake? Are you okay? Is it boring? Okay—Psalm 2, verse 1: „Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed…“ This is the Messiah—His Anointed is Messiah. „…saying, ‘Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.’“
Look at God’s response: „He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision.“ You know what that means? It’s not just confusion—God is going to send the enemies of God to a type of delusional confusion. It’s worse than delusion—it’s worse than confusion—it is insanity. He’s going to just—and they’re going to go nuts.
„Then He shall speak to them in His wrath and distress them in His deep displeasure: ‘Yet…’“ This is God’s word being fulfilled. „‘Yet I have set My King…’“ This is God speaking—who’s God’s King? The Messiah. „…on My holy hill of…“ What? Zion. And Jerusalem are one and the same—it’s one and the same.
So look—isn’t it amazing? You and I are living right now, and the Bible says this—and the UN is saying that—and you’re alive right now to watch it happen. The stage is being set.
Importance of Mount Zion
The first mention in the Bible of Mount Zion is 2 Samuel 5:7—just for historicity. 2 Samuel 5:7 says, „Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).“ He took the Jebusite city Zion and renamed it the City of David. That was over 3,000 years ago.
After David’s conquest—by the way—from that moment on it was recognized as the capital of Israel and was Israel’s possession. The royal palace was built there for the king—the temple was built there—and the monarchy, the seat of the monarchy of Israel’s theocracy, was there.
But here—listen—let’s hang on—let’s do this—let’s do this fast. Why Zion? Why does Zion have to be existing at a time like this? Why is Zion in the last days?
Zechariah 12, verse 1—this is how important it is. Zechariah 12:1—“The burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him…»
Question—is that your God? Right—is that your God? Is your God that big? «Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding nations or peoples when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem.
And it will happen in that day…» That’s a future statement. «…I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth will be gathered against it.»
See—this hasn’t happened yet—things are forming. Next verse—what’s Zion’s role in the future? «Look, Jack—I don’t believe a word that you’re saying—so I want to ask you this question: what would be Zion’s role in the future if this is from God?»
Zechariah 8:3—“Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion…’» Who—who’s going to return where? He’s going to return to Zion. «…and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, the Mountain of the Lord of hosts, the Holy Mountain.’»
That’s not happened yet, friends. If God doesn’t return to physically dwell in Zion—throw your Bible away. If He doesn’t fulfill this prophecy—you don’t have a Savior. If He doesn’t fulfill verse 3 of Zechariah 8—you ain’t got nothing. Are you with me?
Do you see that? God’s word is either true 100% or it’s not true at all. And He says, «I’m coming back.» Does this sound like a New Testament statement? Does it kind of remind you of Someone else who’s coming back?
And He says, «When I come back, I’m going to come to Jerusalem—and He’s going to dwell there for how long? A thousand years.» Zechariah 8:3—He says, «I’m coming back to Zion—I’m returning to Jerusalem—I’m going to live there—and it’s going to be a place of truth when I come back to that place.» This is awesome.
You say, «Well—I don’t know—well, we’ll wait and see.» Slide—this is Mount Zion from the south in 1860—he sketched that, but he’s got beautiful sketchings. But that—see the obviously the hill in the middle—that’s Mount Zion.
The valley to the right—I don’t have my pointer—but you can see it—you see the valley to the right—that’s the Kidron Valley. You see the hill to the right end of the frame—that’s the Mount of Olives. Many of you have been there with us.
Okay—there’s—as you come down—do you remember the last time we had our study in the 30th chapter—I showed you pictures of Gehenna or the valley—what that was known as hell—that would be toward the left side of your screen right there.
But that light-colored area—as you go up—you see how it ascends upward—it’s a hill. The whole thing is a hill. But if you walk with us—if you start down where the City of David is, which is down in the darker section to the right—and you walk—you don’t walk down—you walk up.
And if you keep walking up to the top of your image—if you go all the way to the top—it’s the high ground. Mount Zion is the whole thing. When you go up to the top of it—the high ground—that hill has a name—it’s called Moriah.
This is where Abraham took Isaac—to the top of your page. This is where another Father took His Son—to the top of the page—Moriah—Golgotha. Tonight you are in Calvary Chapel. Calvary—Golgotha is the skull—Golgotha—Calvary—skull. You’re in Skull Chapel tonight—my Skull Chapel.
That’s what—let’s take—listen—this church takes its name from the top of that hill. That’s where Christ was crucified—that’s where Isaac was offered up. How important is it?
Next slide—this is now on the Mount of Olives, and we’re taking a picture—that is the East Gate—and we’re looking across that valley—the Kidron Valley—and you see the wall.
By the way—if you in your mind’s eye take the column—see the column of the gate—and just go down to even where the green area meets the block wall—why? Because archaeological evidence has 100% proven that the gate goes deep down—in the time of Christ.
Listen—at the time of Christ, Jesus didn’t go through that gate—that gate goes down lower—and that’s where the doors were. This is the Golden Gate of today—built on top of the old gate that Christ would have gone through.
Okay—from the Mount of Olives—you’ve got to go to Israel—we’ll walk all that stuff—it’ll blow your mind. Here’s what’s amazing about this—keep this stuff in mind as we—we just need a clock to stop.
Next—next picture—there’s a close-up of that. Do you see the graves—see the tombs that are there? Those who were intentionally put there—those—that’s a Muslim graveyard.
The Muslim warrior Saladin—when he came through here—now listen—when he came through—there are from Asher Kaufman from the Biblical Archaeological Review and researchers such as Lambert Dolphin—points out that it is believed that Saladin ordered the closing up of the gate to prevent the Jewish Messiah from entering it.
Listen—in addition, the placing of Muslim graves in front of the gate was to render the entrance unclean and thereby defiled so that no Jew—not even a Jewish Messiah—would think of entering there. Why did he do that?
He did that because—I’m going to read you a verse—you guys can put this verse up—it’s interesting because it doesn’t exactly apply, but he thought it did. When Saladin saw the Eastern Gate—the Golden Gate—when he came with his Muslim armies into Jerusalem—in some way, shape, or form—he was familiar with Ezekiel 44.
Now he didn’t understand that that’s not exactly the gate—there’s going to be another gate—but watch this. Ezekiel says, «Then He brought me…» Ezekiel. «…back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces toward the east, but it was shut.»
So Ezekiel sees the future. «And the Lord said to me, ‘This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut.’»
Now scholars just go back and forth on this—because Jesus would have gone through that gate on the day of His ascension. So is that what the verse is referring to—close up the gate—the gate is going to eventually be closed because the Messiah went through here?
Saladin comes along and closes it up—doesn’t know that he’s fulfilling Scripture—but listen—he’s concerned because «We don’t want to have a Jewish Messiah come back.» And Ezekiel says He’s going to come through here—because that verse goes on: «As for the Prince, because He is the Prince, He may sit in it to eat bread before the Lord. He shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.»
So his thought was, «Forget this—I’m going to close it up—and to make sure it never happens, I’m going to put Muslim graves in front of it—and no Jew—because a Jew can’t walk through a graveyard—it’s defiled—we just fixed the second coming of Christ. He’s not gonna—He can’t come back.»
I mean—that’s a smart move. The only problem is—the Jewish Messiah raises the dead. That’s not a problem—He can do anything He wants to do.
This I know for sure—the Bible tells us that when the Messiah comes in the great second coming at the end of the tribulation period—He’s going to blow through the Eastern Gate. Isn’t it amazing that that is the oldest gate—when you go to Jerusalem today—it’s the oldest gate—it’s the most intact—and it’s the only one sealed? Though it’s the only one sealed—all the other gates are open.
How amazing is God’s word—absolutely awesome.
Reason for God’s Wrath
What does God say is the reason for this wrath—this anger—when He comes back? Why is Jerusalem such a big deal? Why is Zion?
«For behold, in those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem…» He already did that. «…I will gather all the nations…» He has not done this yet. «…and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.» You saw that valley a moment ago—it also goes by the name of Kidron.
«And I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom the nations of the world have scattered among the nations. They have also divided up Jerusalem—they have cast lots or they’ve gambled with My people.»
Wow—there has to be a Mount Zion, ladies and gentlemen, before Christ can return. You think Satan knows this? That’s why any recognition of Jerusalem—any recognition of the nation of Israel—is an offense to Satan. He’s always trying to thwart God’s plans.
«Ha—God said, ‘You shall not eat of the tree of the garden.’» He’s always slithering around, changing words. Think it’s exciting.
Zechariah 12, verse 1—Zechariah 12:1—“Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses torn up, pillaged, and the women ravaged. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.»
Then the Lord—by the way—that happened in 70 AD—but look at verse 3: «Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle.»
What an interesting verse—“In that day His feet…» See—this hasn’t happened yet. «…in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west…» That’s not happened yet—it’s going to happen.
There has to be a Mount Zion—there has to be a Jerusalem—Zion is going to be where His throne is established.
Matthew 24:29—Jesus said, «Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven…» Can you imagine? «…and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.
Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth…» See—this is not the Rapture—this is the second coming. «…all the tribes of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect…» That’s all believers—Gentile and Jews that survive at that moment. «…from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other—or that is the earth—all under the earth, upon the earth.»
Isaiah 40:9—“O Zion, you who bring good tidings, get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, you who bring good tidings, lift up your voice with strength—lift it up, be not afraid. Say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God! ’
Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand…» Notice where He’s coming—He’s coming to Zion. «…and His arm shall rule for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.»
You guys okay? We’re almost done. Zechariah 2—Zechariah 2:10—“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst, ” says the Lord.
«Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people…» That’s awesome—the Gentile nations will become My people. «…and I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me…» That’s the Messiah—that’s Christ speaking.
«…and the Lord will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land and will again choose Jerusalem. Be silent, all you United Nation members, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation.»
This is serious stuff. I hope you appreciate your Bible. Your Bible is not old—your Bible is waiting for tomorrow’s news to arrive.
Return to Him
And then verses 6-9—the future belongs to God because to trust in Him is to never fail. He says in verse 6: «Return to Him against whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted.» It’s an interesting statement—“return to Him.» He’s calling all people to return to Him.
«For in that day every man shall throw away his idols of silver and his idols of gold—sin which your own hands have made for yourselves.»
Now He reverts—look—“Then Assyria shall fall by the sword, not of man; and a sword, not of mankind, shall devour him…» This is God’s doing. «…but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall become forced labor.
He shall cross over to his stronghold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the banner, ” says the Lord, whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
Wow—I want to end with this—verse 6—three words: „Return to Him.“
I’m going to ask the worship team to come out right now. I want to ask you something right now. This may have been more of a map or a road trip of a lesson tonight—all to stress the fact that God is governing the future.
And you look at the news tonight—and you’ve got nations upset because Zion is being discussed. Ladies and gentlemen—and God says, „I’m coming back to Zion.“ You’ve got people debating issues and threatening you as a nation because of Zion.
Ladies and gentlemen—if you’re a believer in here tonight, you should be excited. If you’re not a believer in here tonight, you should be in awe—not because of anything I’ve said, but because of the verses I’ve given you tonight.
You’re living in the 21st century—and here we are watching the news and reading our Bibles about Zion—about Jerusalem.
But this is what I want to say tonight—tonight maybe some of you as believers you need to return. That verse says, „Return to Him.“
As we sing this song right now tonight—I’m going to let the Lord minister to you—but remain seated. But if God is speaking to you tonight—the believer—to rededicate your life to the Lord—as you see fit—just rise to your feet to stand, and you’d be saying, „I’m a Christian, but I’m rededicating my life.“
Because I’ve got news for you—when I see the news like this week that we’re watching on TV—and I open up my Bible—and I cover thousands of years of verses—and I turn on my TV—and this is what’s on it—it caused me this week to say, „Lord—are we okay, You and I? I’m serious—Lord—are we okay? If there’s anything wrong, can You let me know? I don’t want anything messing us up—I want to be ready.“
Let’s dim the lights—let’s sing this song—and at the end of the song I’ll come back out. But if you—Christian tonight—would want to rededicate your life—you just stand as we sing this song.
Listen—I’m going to ask you—you’ve stood before the Lord, Christian—I’m standing with you, by the way, tonight. And so I’m going to ask you to take your seat.
Maybe you’re here tonight and you’re not a Christian. And I—listen—I want to just even hesitate in saying „Christian“ because that’s such a wasted term these days. If you’re not a follower of Jesus Christ tonight—if God really has no personal relationship with you—you have not allowed that in your life—maybe you’re a cult member, or maybe you’re an atheist, or maybe you are very religious—but you’ve never personally met this God of Zion.
I want to tell you tonight that this very same Bible that you saw—I hope—tonight with such accuracy of modern-day news—God’s revealed ancient word and His promise fulfillment—that same reliable word says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That includes you, my friend.
The Bible says all of us are condemned because of sin. But God sent His Son—Christ—He gave that Son of Isaiah 9:6 to be offered up on the cross. Jesus willingly went to the cross to die in your place and mine—to take your punishment. He is your sacrificial Lamb.
But you must accept Him. Jesus said, „If you do not acknowledge Me before people, I will not be able to acknowledge you before My Father which is in heaven. But if you acknowledge Me, then I will acknowledge you.“
Jesus did all that at the cross—that brutal, ugly, wicked, terrible Roman rugged cross—the eternal God who made the wood and the people who built that cross put Himself on that cross willingly for you.
You can accept this offer or reject it. But if you’re accepting this offer tonight—you would say, „I recognize Jesus Christ tonight as Lord and Savior—that He died for me and He rose again from the dead for me—and I’m now exchanging my life—I’m giving Him my life—and I’m receiving that new life from Him.
And from this moment on I’m going to walk with Jesus. I don’t know how to do this—I don’t quite even know what I’m doing exactly—but these things I know are true—and I’m going to give God my life—and I want to live a new life in a whole new world.“
Now if that’s you tonight—without fanfare—without nobody looking around—it’s no one’s business—I’ll look across the sanctuary—if that’s you tonight—you stand to accept Christ tonight.
If that’s your decision—to stand to your feet. God bless you. Anyone else? God bless you—and you—yes—God bless you guys.
If you’re not yet standing and you feel like someone’s pointing at you—all of us who stood earlier know—we know exactly what that feels like. That’s how He got us too.
If you feel like you’re being called out in a crowd—that’s Him—that’s actually the God of Zion in this room pointing you out. He wants you to decide on Him. Isn’t that amazing? It’s all personal though—isn’t that fantastic? It’s personal—it’s between you and Him right now. I can only invite you to meet Him.
Awesome—God bless you. Those of you who are standing—just repeat this to Him:
Prayer
Lord, I give You my life. I ask You to forgive me now. Jesus, I’m standing in acknowledgement of You. Save me from myself—save me from my sin—save me from hell—save me from this world. I tonight am becoming a follower of Jesus.