Transcription
The prophet Daniel predicted that there would be four great gentile powers that would rule the world in succession in the future. Let me share the story with you.
Nebuchadnezzar, who was the king of Babylon, a ruthless person, had a dream and he forgot it. He called his astrologers and his magicians together and told them about this forgotten dream. >> [clears throat] >> "The threat to his astrological core is make known to me the dream that I've forgotten and its interpretation or I will cut you in pieces and burn your houses down." That's in the Bible.
The astrologers failed to come up with the dream, much less its interpretation. Nebuchadnezzar sent a decree out to start killing the wise men. The killing began [clears throat] and the captain of the king's guard told Nebuchadnezzar about Daniel. He was a Jewish boy that had been kidnapped by Nebuchadnezzar when he raided Jerusalem, that he had the ability to know the future. So he sent for Daniel and his three friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abedneo. And they prayed for the revelation of the dream and the interpretation. They needed two miracles: "Tell us what this king has forgotten and tell us the interpretation of what he has forgotten."
Daniel went before Nebuchadnezzar and said, "There is a God in heaven who reveals secrets." Daniel said, "This is your dream." And he laid that dream out to him very clearly. He said, "The first was the head of gold, and the second was the kingdom of silver, the Medo-Persian kingdom. The third was the Grecian kingdom under Alexander the Great, made of brass. The legs represent the Roman kingdom. And this is where we are now in the legs in the modern day. The two substances in this image that will not mix are iron and clay." Say that with me: Iron and clay. That's not a very sexy kind of comparison, but it is exactly what God has put there for us to know.
God told Daniel, who told Nebuchadnezzar, "You are the head of gold. The kingdom of silver with the folded arms represents the Medo-Persian Empire because the Medes were greater than the Persians. The kingdom of brass was Alexander the Great. In the next Daniel, he's presented as a leopard with four wings. A leopard is something that's very fast. A leopard is something that's speedy. Alexander the Great introduced to warfare the Blitzkrieg. It wasn't Hitler's idea. Alexander the Great did. The kingdom of iron, the Roman Empire, had the most powerful and domineering influence of the empires that existed in world history. And the Roman Empire prophetically is not over. The Roman Empire crucified Jesus as an insurrectionist too dangerous to live. Notice the image: the longer the Roman Empire existed, the weaker and more corrupt it became. It started out as iron and became corrupted and weak as iron and clay. That's where we are right now. The final form of the gentile world will be divided into 10 toes. Those right there, 10 toes that represent 10 men that the Antichrist will choose after the rapture has taken place. When that happens, the next thing that happens is there is a rock that is cut without hands. This image represents our God. He knows the future. He controls the future. The rock without hands will crush these kingdoms and bring them to nothing."
Just like this. In my 67 years of ministry, I've heard every combination you can possibly imagine. When crafting this sermon, I asked the Lord to show me the mixture of this image, the feet and the clay. It's a mixture that infuriates God. There are two things that's happening in our society right now that represent this, and that's democracy and communism. They do not mix. Democracy is one nation under God where the government power comes from the people and for the people. And you people in Washington need to understand that communism is an atheistic, anti-Semitic government where all property is owned by the state. Listen to that. These two powers are now fighting for the control of the United States of America and the world.
I press this issue of anti-Semitism in the Communist Manifesto. It's an element that is the thing that enrages God. Anti-Semitism is Jew hatred, and it's sweeping America from coast to coast. Synagogues are being firebombed. Jews are being attacked in the streets of America. Jewish students in America's colleges and universities are being attacked. America has been shocked by the Minneapolis shooting at the Catholic church where the shooter killed two innocent children and wounded 17 more. Listen, this bisexual mental monster pinned a picture of Jesus on a target and talked to a demon in the mirror. This man was obviously demon-possessed. He wrote, quote, "Israel must fall. Israel must fall." He wrote that on a magazine. "The communists hate the Jews because they are God's chosen people." It is a spiritual, demonic hatred. Communism is sweeping this nation right now. Christians of America, it's time to stand with Israel and fight communism in its every form. OUR [applause] colleges and universities are being destroyed by anti-Semitism.
What does God ask those in the judgment of the nations? Matthew 25. It says in Matthew 25, "How did you treat the Jewish people?" Those who were anti-Semitic, and I quote the Bible, are going to be placed into an everlasting hell. That's Matthew 25:26. I'm too shy to say that, but that's God saying that. "All of you Jew haters, I'm going to put you in the lake of fire." If God Almighty is not a respecter of persons, and He blesses and rewards the righteous who bless the Jewish people, and He places into an eternal hell all anti-Semites. Where are you in this picture? How do you treat the Jewish people?
God calls Israel His firstborn son. He says the Jewish people are the apple of His eye. That means the pupil of His eye. The Jewish people are the love of His life. Jesus said, "Salvation comes from the Jews." That's a shocking statement. Jesus made it. What does it mean? It means everything that Christians cherish was given to us by the Jewish people. Every word in this book written by Jewish hands. The patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. All of the prophets were Jewish, and not a Baptist in the group. Comes David, the giant killer. Now comes Jesus Christ. After Jesus Christ is St. Paul and the apostles who write all of the Bible. That's what has been given to us.
The mixture of iron and clay in the feet, and the image today is where we are in Daniel's image, which is the war of communism and anti-Semitism versus Christians blessing Israel and the Jewish people. I believe that with every ounce of my being. Right now, New York City is courting an anti-Semitic communist. He's the leader. He's trying to be the leader of New York City. The mayor, if he is voted in, the wrath of God is going to be poured out on that city. That's God's promise. That's God's promise. This is not my opinion. This is God's opinion. Genesis 12:4 says, "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you." And when God curses you, you don't have to read about it in the newspaper to know it's a reality. It will be an awesome judgment. Hello, New York. This man is a raving anti-Semite who will bring the judgment of God on your city. That's God's promise recorded in the Bible. When you go vote, remember that it's your choice. [applause]
The mixture of iron and clay in the feet of the image is where we are today in this prophetic proclamation. The fact is that God knows and controls the future. Think about Daniel, a young man snatched off the streets of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, who gets this prophecy that is for that is still being carried out 2,600 years after he gave it. To me, it is one of the most awesome prophecies in the scripture. It again proves that our God is in absolute control. That He knows exactly who, what kings He's going to put up and what kings He's going to put down. That's in this book. Our God knows and controls the future. Every dictator, every president who has ever served in America, God had His hands on that. He puts one leader up and puts another leader down. That's the word of God. >> Hallelujah. >> Thank you, J. >> Listen now. The statue, that statue was 180 ft high and about 20 ft wide. It was a huge statue. It was destroyed by a rock cut without human hands. That rock obviously is Jesus Christ. He is going to come and He is going to destroy earthly rulers and He is going to destroy earthly kingdoms and He is going to be the rock upon which society is built. The rock of Jesus Christ. He is the rock of our salvation. He is the rock of ages. Upon this rock, "Jesus said, 'Have I built my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.'" Cornerstone Church is a rock. That rock determines the stability of society. Build your [screaming] lock right on the rock of ages. Build your marriage on the solid rock. Build your hopes on the solid rock. Build your future on the solid rock. 1 Corinthians 10. That rock is Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. Give Him praise and glory in the house. [applause]
Let me give you several Bible reasons we are living at the end of the age. We are in the feet of Daniel's image. Why is the rapture of the church imminent? What is going to happen to America and the world in the coming Great Tribulation? St. Paul described our generation saying, quote, "But know this, that in the last days, perilous times shall come." Right now, we are on the verge of nuclear warfare. A headline just the other day said, "We are facing the prospect of Armageddon." These are perilous times. 1 Thessalonians 5:3, "When men shall say peace and safety, then come sudden destruction on the earth." Listen to that. When men say peace and safety, then destruction is going to come. We have seen seven peace treaties President Trump has put together since he took office. God bless you, Mr. President, for doing your very best. You deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. [applause] But for those of you who don't have any white in your hair, [clears throat] remember that the Japanese were in Washington D.C. signing a peace treaty when their air force was in fact bombing Pearl Harbor, killing 2,400 Americans. Talking peace and having peace are two different things.
These Bible reasons are in sequence, painting a portrait of the world's immediate future. Fact one: the next prophetic event that will shake the earth to the core will be the rapture of the church. What is the rapture? "When the trump of God shall sound, the dead in Christ shall rise first. And which and those that remain will meet the Lord in the air." Are you ready for that? Are you ready for that? ARE YOU READY FOR THAT? Look at this. Are you ready? Are you ready? [music] Can you imagine that happening to every cemetery in this city, in this nation, in this world? Brother, it's going to be an exciting day when Jesus comes. [applause] >> [applause] >>
Let's go back to Daniel. The signs given to Daniel make marking the end of time. He said there will be a knowledge explosion. Daniel 12:4. The angel Michael is talking to Daniel and he says, "But you, Daniel, shut up the words of the book." Daniel is writing the book. It's in that's the book of Daniel here. He's writing the book. And he says, "Shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end, until the time of the end when men shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be greatly increased." Consider the phrase "to and fro." From the Garden of Eden until early in the 20th century, men rode horses, wagons for transportation. My mother went to church for the first time in a wagon drawn by horses. Then knowledge increased. Came the invention of the automobile by Henry Ford. Then the airplanes by the Wright brothers. Then jets. We put men on Mars and now we're talking about going to uh we've put men on the moon and now we're talking about going to Mars. Nuclear rockets were fired the other day from China that went all the way around the world, all around America and right back to China. And America never knew they were launched. We have something now going on called artificial intelligence, and it is reshaping the world. Consider the knowledge explosion in medicine. From Genesis to the 20th century, medicine didn't have a lot of changes. But now we have heart transplants, brain surgery, organ transplants. Medicine so advanced we've had to redefine death.
The greatest prophetic sign, though, was the rebirth of Israel. >> May 14th, 1948. This was the headline that shook the world. It shook the church. Why? Because there were preachers preaching and had preached all their life, "God is finished with the Jewish people. They will never be a nation," and so forth and so on. And we have replaced the Jewish people in the economy of God. It's called replacement theology. AND THEN CAME THIS. BOOM. There's a nation called Israel. Only God could make that happen. [applause] [applause] Hosea 6:1 and 2 says, "Now, this is how this fits in the puzzle. Come, let us, Israel, return to the Lord, for He has torn us." He's talking about the diaspora. He's talking about the Holocaust. But He, God, will heal us. He has stricken us. But He is going to bind us up. Listen. "After two days," quick issue on God's mathematics: a day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as a day. So after two days would be 2,000 years. God bless you. You're awake and alive out there. "On the third day, He will raise us up that we may live in His sight." If we are living in His sight, He's here. So the translation of Hosea's prophecy for 2,000 years or 2 days, the Jewish people will suffer persecution. Hosea then says, "On the third day, He, God, will raise us up and we shall live in His sight. We will see Him with our eyes." This year is 2025. That means for 25 years we have been living in the third day. Jesus is coming back on the third day to live in our sight. We shall see Him as He is, as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. We shall see Him as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. We shall see Him as our blessed hope. We shall see Him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He shall rule the world from Jerusalem for a thousand years. Shout Hallelujah, brother. >> [applause] >>
God chose Ezekiel for the future of Israel. Another sign at the end of the ages: Jerusalem is reunited with Israel. That happened in 1967. In the Six-Day War, Jewish people will tell you the Six-Day War was a series of miracles. How did Israel defeat six countries attacking them in six days? It was because God Almighty was with them. President Trump announced in December the 6th, 2017, that Jerusalem is the eternal and undivided capital of Israel. Donna and I visited President Trump at the White House in his first term. I asked him to recognize Jerusalem and move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He did it. He did it. [applause] [applause] It confirmed the times of the Gentiles were fulfilled according to that verse. Listen. Luke 21:24. "And Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. [clears throat] Then they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with power and great glory. And then these things shall begin. And when these things shall begin to happen, look up, your redemption draweth nigh." He was saying, the rapture is imminent, CHURCH. WE'RE GETTING READY TO LEAVE THIS WORLD. HALLELUJAH. To the Lamb of God. [applause]
Following the rapture of the church is the judgment seat of Christ. Let me take you in the chart to this. The church is raptured, and all of God's believers who have accepted Jesus Christ appear before the judgment seat of Christ. This is not to determine if you're going to heaven. You're in heaven, and you're not going to get kicked out once you get there. You're there. But what you're going to be judged about is what kind of Christian life did you live? You'll give an account. I'll give an account for every sermon. You'll give an account for every Sunday you forsook the Lord's house. I should be preaching this next Sunday. [laughter] Sunday is the Lord's day. It's never been our day. It belongs to the Lord. >> We will give an account for every thought, for every word, every deed, face to face with God Almighty. It's going to be a lot worse than being called into the principal's office.
If you don't make the rapture, here are your options. If you refuse to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, you will die in your sins and you will go straight to hell. I did not say that. God says that in Luke 16:23. "And in hell the rich man lifted up his eyes being in torment and he cried saying, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame.'" Some of you and some of your relatives are going to meet the rich man in hell because they rejected Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It's that simple. If you don't know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, you're not going to heaven. [applause] So what's going to happen to you? You do not accept the Lord. You're not here. When you die, you're going to go here. This is 7 years. And right here is a thousand years. This is the millennium. So 1,007 years later, you're going to be here. And God is going to have the Great White Throne Judgment here. [sighs] And He's going to call you here. And the Bible says, "And there's weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth." Why? Because you are coming here to be formally sentenced. And you know you're going to be returned to the lake of fire forever and forever and forever [clears throat] and forever and forever and forever and forever and forever and forever and forever and forever and forever. You got it? And forever. [applause] The only reason you're appearing before Christ here is to be sentenced at the resurre- at the at the resurrection. There are two resurrections: the resurrection of the righteous, the resurrection of the ungodly. If you don't receive Jesus, heaven says you're ungodly.
Following the judgment seat for Christians comes the marriage supper of the Lamb. When we get to heaven, and God evaluates you, what kind of crown you're going to wear. There are five different crowns you can wear. I don't have a picture of them because it's all an architect's concept, and I don't think his imagination is good enough. There are going to be five different crowns you can wear. And by looking at someone's crown, you can tell what they did and how well they did it. Much like the military insignia, when you see a guy with three stars on his shoulder, you know he's entirely different from the guy that has one stripe on his sleeve. How many of you follow that? Following the judgment seat of Christ, "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory for the marriage of the Lamb has come," and Revelation 19:7, "and His wife, which is the church, has made herself ready, clothed in fine linen, clean and bright." Here it is again: that linen drape you're going to wear. Here it is. "For the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." You'll be able to look at what someone's wearing and know how much they did and how well they did it. Your righteous acts on earth will be reflected in your robe in heaven. Every time you help a brother or sister in Christ, your robe shines brighter. What is your robe going to look like?
Immediately after the rapture, the seven years of tribulation on earth through the Antichrist will begin. The Antichrist is the son of perdition. He's the chief son of Satan. If you miss the rapture, you're going to take the mark of the Antichrist, 666, or he's going to cut your head off. You see, it's just so much easier for you to receive Jesus and to get your relatives to receive Jesus here, or they are going to go to hell and stay in hell. That's a message America's not hearing. If you don't make it right with Jesus Christ, you're not going to heaven. Period. [applause] >> [applause] >>
The Antichrist will establish a new world order. He'll be an absolute dictator. The Bible says he is the son of Satan. He will make Hitler look like a choir boy. The economies of the world will collapse. Why? Because millions of Christians have just left this country, and we're the only ones paying taxes. >> [applause] >> The Antichrist, the leader of the new world order, will produce a global currency. I asked a banker the other day, "How quickly could America go to a one-currency, one-world currency?" He said, "Over the weekend." We have the technology to do it over the weekend. I was shocked by his answer. He was a banker that rules over 73 different banks. So he knows what he's talking about. The new world order will produce a one-world religion. The seven years of tribulation starts with the Antichrist making a seven-year peace treaty with Israel and the Arab nations, when the Jewish people will be re- when the Jewish temple will be rebuilt in Daniel 9. When I prayed the dedication prayer over the U.S. embassy when it was moved to Jerusalem, an Orthodox rabbi ran up and approached me, shook my hand very enthusiastically and said, "Pastor Hegy, now we can build the temple [laughter] and Messiah will come." He's exactly right.
Next comes the 144,000 Jewish believers. Now, get this picture. The church is in heaven. All of this is now happening on the earth. 144,000 Jewish believers, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes. 12 * 12 is 144. Your year math is getting bigger and better all the time. 144,000. And they're going to be carrying this message to the Jewish people: Messiah is coming. Revelation 7, God is going to send Elijah to the Jewish people. That's promised to them in Malachi 4:5. For the Jewish people who are listening, Elijah is going to come to you. The Gog-Magog war of Ezekiel 38 will happen in the middle of the tribulation. The tribulation is 7 years long. It will be three and a half years. The first thing that the Antichrist will do is make a peace treaty with Israel to stop this fighting. Isn't it spooky that that's what everyone's looking for right now? Think about it.
God will utterly destroy the group of nations led by Russia that start to invade Israel at the 3 and 1/2 year mark. He that keepeth Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. God Almighty is watching every move. Never underestimate God's love for Israel and the Jewish people. Israel is God's firstborn son. How will God destroy Russia and the nations that follow Him, which will be Iran and Turkey and several radical Islamic nations? This is recorded in Ezekiel 38-39. Hello, Russia, Israel is going to be your graveyard. That's where God is going to bury you. Ezekiel is described how God will destroy Russia, Iran, and Turkey, etc. First, there will be a major earthquake that will swallow about a third of that group. Oh, God wouldn't do that. He's already done it. When Moses came down the mount and the children of Israel were worshiping that golden calf, God opened the ground and swallowed them. Bang. >> [clears throat] >> Moses is the leader. Every man's sword will be turned against his brother. This was done when Gideon sounded the trumpets and the enemies of Israel fought themselves and killed themselves. Thirdly, will be hailstones, large hailstones. God has done this. Joshua 10:10, when Israel was fighting for its life in the battle of five kings, God stoned them from heaven. Hailstones because under the law, sinners were stoned to death. God Almighty will kill five out of six that come against Israel. That's Ezekiel 39:2.
39:2. Midpoint of the tribulation, the Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel and invades the land of Israel. He becomes the abomination of desolation because he puts his image up in the temple to be worshiped and he kills a pig on the altar. Daniel carries that abomination. Jesus said to the Jewish people in Matthew 24, "Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation," that's in the chapter I read from you, "spoken by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place," that's the temple. All of Matthew 24 was written for the Jewish people. This chapter is the spine of prophecy given by Jesus Christ, who's God's Son. He's a rabbi.
Following the abomination of the Antichrist in the temple, the Antichrist will be killed. [clears throat] Probably assassinated by someone who was not pleased. He miraculously returns from the dead, emulating the death of Jesus Christ, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The righteous Jewish people flee to Petra. Petra is a rock fortress in Jordan where God will protect them for three and a half years. Moses and the children of Israel for 40, like He did Moses and the children of Israel for 40 years in the wilderness. I've been to Petra. It's a natural rock fortress that can shelter thousands of people.
The Antichrist will then rise from the dead, emulating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Enoch and Elijah will have a ministry to the Jewish people, saying Messiah is coming. Elijah will have the power to call fire from heaven. If someone is getting on his nerves, fire will come out of his mouth and he incinerates them. Would you love to have that gift? I'm just on fire for Jesus. Crunch. Elijah will have awesome supernatural power. His message to the Jewish people: Messiah is coming.
The seven judgments are poured out on the earth in rapid succession. I'm talking about those judgments. These judgments right here. We'll talk about those later. The seven seals, the army of 200 million marching up the river toward Israel. The Wall Street Journal carried just a few days ago the story that strangely, the Euphrates River, that is one of the rivers God created on creation's morning, is mysteriously drying up. It's because the King of the East is going to use that river for the highway to get to Israel to fight the final battle called Armageddon. [clears throat] The battle of Armageddon begins in Revelation 16, in which the King of the East, China, and the armies of the Prince of Darkness, the Antichrist, are going to come and battle, do war over who gets to rule in Jerusalem.
Then comes the heavens are opened. Revelation 19. And a white horse. And He that sits on that horse is called Faithful and True. And in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns. And He has a name written that no one knows, but He Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood. People say this is not Jesus because that would never happen. Jesus has just knocked off everybody that's in the battle of Armageddon. The blood has flowed to the bridle of a horse for hundreds of miles. This is Jesus Christ with blood on His garment because He has destroyed the enemies of Israel. He has destroyed them and the armies which are in heaven. Out of His mouth goes a two-edged sword, and with it He shall cause the world to bow at His feet. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness of Almighty God. And He has, I'm reading the Bible, and He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah. The King is coming. The King is coming. The King is coming. [applause]
I close with this. An oversimplification. [music] Israel has been born. The next exciting thing is the rapture of the church. >> [music] >> It could happen before we get home today. Nothing has to be fulfilled. Before that happens, [music] those who have received and acknowledged and worshiped Jesus Christ are going to heaven. [music] Right here. Happy day. Happy day. [music] Then read this: The marriage supper of the Lamb. Lamb. [music] That's a 7-year Mexican fiesta. And then Christ will return to earth [music] to set up His eternal kingdom. This is seven years of celebration. [music] This is seven years of pure hell. [music] Those who have received Jesus will here receive crowns of life. Those of you who refuse to see [music] Jesus, receive Jesus, are going to go here. And you're going to stay here, 7 years [music] before you are released to come to the Great White Throne for final judgment. [music] Only return to the lake of fire. When I ask you, [music] "Do you know Jesus?" I'm really not playing games. You're going to live forever somewhere. [music] Search your soul. Are you really ready to [music] stand before the Son of God and give an account for your which we climb into heavenly places? Dreams are the mountain peaks upon which we stand and cast division into the promised land that God has given to us. Dreams are the stuff of which life is made. But again, what is your dream? All great dreams are born in the theater of your mind. Beethoven used to wander in the woods to get his music. In the theater of his mind, he heard the great symphonies of the world before he put them to paper. James Watt invented the steam engine. He cranked it up and he shouted to his friends, "Today you see it with your physical eye. But long ago I saw it in my mind's eye." That's a dream. Columbus dreamed [clears throat] and America was born. Edison dreamed and the night disappeared. America's founding fathers dreamed of a great democracy where all men could be considered equal under the law. They created the Declaration of Independence for a life, a life of liberty and peace and happiness. And America was born July the 4th, 1776. In the [applause]
Right now in America, the dream of the founding fathers is under attack. >> On this God in God in Country Sunday, let's just take a snapshot of America today. Our public schools are being flooded with CRT teaching, which is nothing but communism 101. It's racial hatred. It has no place in America and it should stop instantly. [applause] The answer is to crush the teachers' union with a school choice option in the state of Texas. Our [applause] students in America do not read as well as students in third-world countries. It's not because we're not spending a ton of money. It's because of the inadequacy of our program that needs to be changed. We are right now as a nation defunding the police, and we have a massive crime wave that goes together. Policemen, 14 policemen were shot this week in the United States of America. THAT'S SHAMEFUL and it needs to stop. [applause] >> [applause] >> Seniors are being burned to the ground by anarchists. Our economy is being intentionally destroyed by President Biden, who is shutting down the gas and oil industry and creating a major crisis in America. America deserves better THAN JOE BIDEN. >> [applause] [applause] >> HELLO AMERICA. We're approaching our midterm elections. This is the time for your voice to be heard. I urge the millions of you who are listening to this telecast to go vote the Bible and vote this socialist government out of Washington D.C. [applause] The FBI and the Justice Department have become politicized. Our southern borders are flooded with criminals, the cartel drug members, sex traffickers, and terrorists from various countries flooding into this nation. That is a policy of madness. The American dream is under attack by liberal activist judges who are now saying, "In God We Trust" is unconstitutional. "In God We Trust" is our national motto. "In God We Trust" is on our currency. "In God We Trust" was sown on the flag of the Mayflower when the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620. "In God We Trust" is not some Christian right-wing political slogan we've adopted because Christian men and women founded this nation. That's the reason it's there. It is certainly >> [applause] >> If the idea of God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home. Because America will never be ANYTHING BUT one nation under God. [applause] >> [applause] >> If the stars and STRIPES offend you, don't burn it. Please leave our country as soon as possible. [cheering] [applause] America is a dream come true. It's a dream that has been preserved by the blood of our sons and daughters on the field of battle. God bless every man and woman in uniform who have dedicated their lives to defending life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. [applause] Our First Amendment gives every citizen the right to express his opinion, and we will allow you that opportunity to do so. But after you're finished complaining, whining, and griping about our flag and our country and our God, may I take ask you to take advantage of the other American freedom, and that's to leave this country of time of your choice. Goodbye and good rhythms. [applause] >> [applause] >>
Now consider the great dreamers of the Bible. Acts 2:17 says, "Your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams." God gave Daniel the dream that Nebuchadnezzar forgot. And the world had the parade of prophecy from Nebuchadnezzar until this moment. That is the most profound prophecy in all of scripture. Bible believers do not have to worry about the future because based on that dream, we know the future. God gave Joseph a dream. He took Mary and Jesus and they fled into Egypt to save their lives. Peter dreamed. He was on the rooftop of Simon the tanner and he saw a sheet that was let from heaven. Peter looked at it and said, "What's in there is filthy." That was a prayer shawl actually, and it contained Gentiles. And Peter, being an Orthodox Jew, saw it as being unclean. And God said, "Don't you call unclean what I have cleansed." God sent him to the house of Cornelius, a Roman centurion, and he preached to them the gospel of Jesus Christ, and everyone in that family came to know Christ and were filled with the Holy Spirit. Why did God choose Cornelius to be the first Gentile in the world, in the history of the world, to hear the gospel? Acts 10:22 gives you the answer. Cornelius was a Roman centurion, a just man who was a good who had a good reputation among the Jewish people. I ask the pastors of America now, does your church have a good reputation among the Jewish people? Have you ever done anything to [clears throat] try to bless Israel or the Jewish people? I can tell you for 40 years, I believe God has blessed this church because we've done everything in our power to bless Israel and the Jewish people, and we will continue to until the end of time. [applause]
St. Paul dreamed a dream and he states in Acts 26, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision." John the Revelator dreamed a dream. It was of Christ's second coming, not the rapture, the second coming that happened seven years later. John the Revelator says, "And I saw the heavens 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. His eyes were the flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns, and He has on His thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords." I tell you with great joy, SOON AND VERY SOON, THE KING OF GLORY IS RETURNING TO THIS EARTH TO RULE AND REIGN FOR A THOUSAND YEARS OF PEACE. GIVE THE LORD A SHOUT OF PRAISE in the house of God. [applause]
But the point is this: the Bible is filled with dreamers. But what's your dream? What's your dream? [clears throat] Joseph had two dreams. He dreamed and it infuriated his brothers. And when they saw him coming later with food to help them, [clears throat] they said, "Behold, the dreamer cometh." And they said it in mockery. Joseph's first dream was on earth as 11 sheaves bowing in the field. 13 years later, Joseph's brothers came to Egypt and bowed down to his brothers because his little brother had become the second most powerful man in the world. They did not recognize him for who he was. But this was Joseph. Dreams do come true. It took 13 years, but dreams do not have an expiration date.
This picture is another example of the exact comparisons of Joseph and Jesus. Just as Joseph became royalty in Egypt, so is Jesus Christ royalty in heaven and on earth. The first time Jesus came, He was a baby in Bethlehem's manger. But the next time He comes, He will be King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah. >> [applause] >> He will not wear one crown. He will wear many crowns, meaning He is Lord of all. The first time Jesus came, He was a lamb, the Lamb of God led to the slaughter. The next time He comes, He's going to be the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and He's going to rule the world with a roar of iron. Give the Lord a shout of praise in the house. [applause] The first time He came, He came riding on a donkey. The next time He comes, John the Revelator says He will be riding a milk-white stallion in the clouds of heaven, followed by the angels and the archangels to rule and reign this earth forever and forever and forever. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God. [applause] The first time He came, He was nailed to a cross. He was spit upon. He was mocked. The next time He comes, He's going to sit on the throne of His Father, King David, in Jerusalem, and of His kingdom, there will be no end. Not ever. [applause] The first time He came, people mocked Him. They put the sign "King of the Jews" over His head on the cross. HE WILL FULFILL JOSEPH'S dream of earthly sheaves bowing before Joseph because the Bible says of Jesus, "Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." Atheists, the day is going to come when you are going to bow. Pagan kings, the day is going to come when you will bow. Leaders of the world, the day is going to come when the God that you're mocking now will send you to the fires of hell because of your rejection of the gospel. That day is coming. [applause and cheering] He is the conqueror from Calvary. He is the mighty God. He is the everlasting Father. HE'S THE PRINCE OF PEACE. AND OF HIS KINGDOM THERE SHALL BE no end. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God. [applause]
Joseph's second dream was in the heavens: the sun, the moon, and the stars bowed down to him. The message is that Christ is Lord in the heavenlies. He is adored by angels. He is feared by powers and principalities. He has crushed the head of that old serpent, the devil, at the cross. Demons tremble at the mention of the name of Jesus. The Bible says the heavens declare the glory of God. The Bible says that God calls the stars by name. He's the shepherd of the stars. He has measured the heavens with the span of His hand. He uses the earth as His footstool. HE HOLDS THE SEVEN seas of the earth in the palms of His hand. Your imagination cannot fathom the magnitude and the majesty of KING JESUS. OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God. [applause]
Here's why Joseph's dream could have become a living nightmare: He came from a dysfunctional family. His grandfather Abraham was dishonest. Abraham put his wife in another man's tent. Told him told her to spend the night there. Told him, "Tell him you're my sister." Tell him, "Tell him you're my sister." Let me tell you, if that woman had been a Mexican, you'd never heard of Abraham. [applause] That would have been a Mexican barbecue right there. Jacob's father, Jacob, was deceitful. He was a heel-catcher. He stole the birthright from his brother, Esau. Jacob fled in terror from Esau because Esau was going to kill him. He fell hopelessly in love with Rachel, the daughter of Laban. Jacob was deceived by Laban, his father-in-law, to work 14 years for Rachel's hand in marriage. The point: what you do to others, God will see to it that that happens to you. Jacob deceived his father, so he was deceived by his father-in-law, and it cost him 14 years of his life. I repeat: WHAT YOU DO TO OTHERS, God will see to it, it happens to you. [applause]
Look at this dysfunctional family closer. Jacob's son murdered every male in Shechem. Think about that. Their sister Dinah went to town and was raped by a young man. [clears throat] Maybe it wasn't rape, but it was a sexual encounter. The young man came to Jacob and asked for her hand in marriage. Jacob said, "Okay." They had a covenant lunch, and everyone thought all was well. But those boys went into town and circumcised every man in town. I would like to know how they got that accomplished, but they did it. The next day, when those men were too sore to fight, they went in and killed every man in that town. FROM THOSE BOYS, THE MAFIA could learn. That's a dysfunctional family. Joseph's family tree had rapists and liars and murderers on every branch. The point is, as a pastor, I'm concerned about Christians who concentrate on their past and blame their family relationships for their present behavior. St. Paul gives you a clue to survival: "Forgetting those things which are behind." Say that with me: Forgetting those things which are behind. IT'S OVER. IT'S OVER. MOVE ON. >> [applause] >> YESTERDAY IS HISTORY. >> It's gone forever. Tomorrow is a mystery. >> Today is called the present. Therefore, you should use it as a present to fulfill your dream. Now, >> [applause] >> Quit trying to understand your sin. Forsake your sin. Confess your sin and forsake your sin. Quit trying to justify your sin. Quit [snorts] trying to explain your sin. Everybody in this room has a sob story. Some of yours are better than others because you've rehearsed it longer. >> Quit trying to please people who don't like you. >> Forget them and move on. >> Walk away from your past. Dream the impossible dream. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE TO THOSE WHO DREAM.
Secondly, Joseph's dream could have easily become a nightmare because he had a passive father. A passive father is a destruction to developing children. Simply stated, fathers, you get involved in your children's life and you stay involved in your children's life until they get married and leave your house. [applause] And then you break their plate. That's another sermon. When Jacob was coming back face to face to face Esau, remember now he had stolen the birthright from Esau, and Esau is now chasing him. Jacob sent his wife out to face Esau because he was too gutless to go out there. COWARD. CAESAR MILK TOAST. EXTRAORDINARILY. Are you a passive father? Passive fathers destroy their children by refusing to discipline them. You get involved in THEIR LIFE. NO IS A LEGITIMATE ANSWER TO SOMETHING THEY SAY. >> [applause] [applause] >> Get involved in their life to give them a course correction immediately when they're making a mistake that you know is a mistake. Passive fathers create insecurity and they frustrate your children, produce an insecure child. Father, Father, you have, have you talked to your teenage children about the game plan for their lives? Why not? Especially when they get to be teenagers, why don't you guide them? Don't let the schoolhouse guide them. That child belongs to you. You guide them. >> [applause] >> David was a passive father. He raised Absalom to be a brat. When Absalom got to be a man, he raised an army of 20,000 that killed thousands of Israeli soldiers. That brat wanted his father's head. He didn't want his throne. He wanted to kill his father. That brat had sex with David's wife on the rooftop to publicly humiliate him. The Bible says a child left to its own will bring its father shame. THAT'S TRUE IN THE 21ST CENTURY AS WELL AS that century. [applause] I can just see it on your faces. Well, I don't think God would approve of that. Let me tell you something. God is not a passive father. [applause] >> He's not some benign creature sitting in the heavens saying, "Oh, I wish they wouldn't do that." Hebrews 12:5 is a snapshot of God. [gasps] "You are my sons if you endure chastening." That means discipline. But if you refuse chastening, chastening, you are illegitimate. There's a street word I'd like to put in there, but they'd cut it off the television. If you refuse chastening, YOU ARE ILLEGITIMATE AND YOU ARE NOT my sons." I don't think you can say it any clearer than that. God's point is people who refuse to discipline, who refuse God's discipline, are not God's children. You will not be a leader, nor should you be a leader if you can't follow the Lord.
The Bible gives seven requirements for your dreams to come true. Step one is define the dream. Write it down. Write it down clearly. That's not my idea. That's God's idea. Habakkuk 2:2 says, "Write the vision and make it plain upon tablets." That means it is clearly expressed and you know what you're trying to do. The fact is that people with goals succeed because they know where they are going. If
You're going nowhere. Any road will take you there.
When Don and I attended a conference at Oral Roberts University many years ago, when uh the pastor from Pastor Cho from South Korea was preaching, Pastor Cho had a church of over a million people. That's a large congregation. But he was a great man of God, and he preached on this text: "Write the vision down." And I said to Diana, "We're going to do that." And that's in that service before we left the building. I opened my Bible and wrote down everything I wanted God to do in my adult life. They were so far beyond belief that at that time we laughed while we wrote it. But all 10 of those things have come true.
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One of the main reasons people do not reach their goal is because it's not clearly defined. Every football field has a goal line because 11 people on the offense huddle and make a specific plan to get the ball past that goal line. Every player has an exact assignment. So what is your goal? What is your dream? What is your plan to achieve that dream? If you plan to fail, if you plan fail to plan, you can plan to fail.
Divine dreams require patience. The Bible says, "For the vision is yet for appointed time, though it t." Say it with me: "Though it t." Wait for it because it will surely come. Joseph's dream took 13 years. Wait for it. David's dream took 12 years from the time Samuel anointed him to be king until he became king. What happened in those 12 years? In those 12 years, he was running. He was running for his life because Paul was try Saul was trying to kill him. David's dream took 12 years. Wait for it. Be patient. I don't like the word patient. I don't even like to say it, but that's how it is. Be patient.
I saw a cartoon the other day in the paper that kind of expresses my my feeling about things. It shows a young boy kneeling beside his bed. His hands are neatly folded under his chin. He's looking up toward heaven and he says, "Dear God, last night I asked you for something very special. So what's the hold up?"
[laughter]
I like that.
Thirdly, divine dreams are often birthed from uncommon pain. Divine dreams are often birthed because of uncommon pain. Abraham Lincoln stood on the docks at New Orleans and he saw a black family being sold into slavery. A son was being ripped from the arms of his mother. A man was being separated from his children. Abraham Lincoln dug his fingernails into his hands until they until they bled and he dreamed of the day the curse of slavery could be abolished in America. That dream drove him through a nervous breakdown. Through 10 political defeats, he became president and signed the 13th amendment for ever ending slavery in America. God blessed that man.
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His dream came true. It was birthed in pain and it was and it was sustained by divine persistence. For dream divine dreams come from God, not other people. Others have opinions, but your direction should be based on the word of God.
Five divine dreams are sustained by the favor of God. Esther received favor from the king because God sent her there. Ruth received favor from Boaz, and Oed was born that became the great great great grandfather of King David and Jesus Christ. When you have favor, you can do what other people cannot do. Favor is worth all the gold and silver and wealth of the world. When you have God's favor, you can achieve what other people cannot achieve. You are not a Caesar milktoast blob of protoplasm stumbling along in the darkness hoping something good will happen sometime. You are led by the torch of truth to pl to produce a blazing trail of uncomp of uncompromising accomplishment because you are a champion for Christ. You can be the light of the world. You can be the message that people are looking for. You can be the example the nation IS SEARCHING FOR. YOU CAN SAVE someone the embarrassment of destroying their lives. If you will d IF YOU WILL PRACTICE YOUR DREAM, GOD will make your dream come true.
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Listen, uncommon dreams require uncommon accomplishment. I'm going to say it this way: Uncommon dreams require uncommon preparation. Joseph was 13 years in preparing. Moses was 40 years on the backside of the wilderness preparing to go back to Mo back to Egypt to face the place of his failure. Jesus prepared for 30 years for a ministry that lasted for three and a half years. But that three and a half years changed the world forever. So, let me make an application to the young people who are here. Do you want to be a doctor, a lawyer, a heart surgeon? You're going to have to make uncommon preparation. When the others graduate from college and they're out running to the beach, you're going to be pounding the books year after year after year after year because someday people are going to trust their lives to your preparation. It's a noble calling. Do you want to be president of the United States? You have uncommon preparation for that. Many things are running through my mind. I'm not going to say them, but
[laughter]
I'll stop right there. Don't give up on your dream.
[clears throat]
Don't give up on your dream. Stay the course. Climb the stairways to the stars. Don't be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams. Don't be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.
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I say this in closing. To achieve your dream,
[clears throat]
it takes a team to achieve a dream. Team M. Together, everyone achieves more. Say that with me: Together, everyone achieves more. Team, the Bible says, "Two are better than one." You might want to look at your husband right now, lady. This is an Ecclesiastes 4. Two are better than one. For if they fall, one will lift the other up. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. It takes a team to achieve the dream.
[clears throat]
It takes a team to achieve the dream. Cornerstone Church is a team of people anointed by God to fulfill a divine mission. For 64 years, I've been preaching the gospel and teaching the word of God over radio and television to America and the nations of the world. And what a wonderful journey it's been.
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In addition to that, I am the founder and chairman of Christians United for Israel, a pro-Israel organization with over 11 million plus members
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and a staff of leaders that blankets the nation. I write books. I communicate with political and spiritual leaders in America and around the world. How can I do that?
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I can do this because my son Matthew is
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now carrying a great deal of the burden of this church. This is the greatest lead pastor in America right there.
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This remodeling program we're going through.
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He's the dreamer that made that possible. He's the dreamer that put that jackhammer outside my office this week, pounding until I had a migraine headache.
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God bless you for that.
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Every division of our church has a gifted leader. It take me 20 minutes to go through that. But we have an organizational structure that make a Forbes 500 company jealous. And all of it is led by people
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who are willing to help each other fulfill the great commission of carrying all the gospel to all of the world. We're not here to compete with each other. We're
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here to complete one another.
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We don't work for each other. We work with each other for the glory of God.
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The test of a true leader is taking the vision from me to we.
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And I want to tell you, this church has got to be one of the greatest
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churches in the United States of America for the way you bless
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the world.
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Dare to dream the impossible dream. Have the desire to do something bigger than yourself. Have the persistence to stay the course. Have you given up on your dream today? I want you to let it be reborn. Try again. Moses did.
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God almighty did. When he wanted to start a wonderful world, he started with Adam and Eve and they fumbled the ball. Then he came and he start tried Noah and
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his generation. They were so bad God repented that he ever made a man and he drowned everybody on the earth. And then he found a man named Abraham.
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He said, "I know this guy will stay the course. He's got some rough edges, but I know he will teach his
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children in the way of God." God had to start over. If you tried and failed,
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don't be afraid to admit it. Failure is a great teacher. Just get a hold of your dream and recognize that you and God are
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going to get it done. You're going to get it done. Give him praise and glory in the house.
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