The morning star symbolizes the Lord Jesus' coming for His church, appearing in the darkest hour as a precursor to the dawn. It explores three prophetic symbols: the morning star for the church (Revelation 2:24), the Son of Righteousness for Israel (Malachi 4:2), and a smiting stone for Gentile nations (Daniel 2:34-35). The message emphasizes that despite periods of church decline and apostasy, God preserves a remnant who hold fast to Him, awaiting Christ's return. The sermon concludes by highlighting the hope of Christ's imminent return as the ultimate promise for believers, bringing light and salvation.
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Last Lord's Day and during the evenings of this week, we have been looking at some texts in the New Testament and also in the Old concerning the second coming again of the Lord Jesus. Now, just to mention what we have already covered, first of all, three great doctrinal passages. concerning the second coming again of the Lord Jesus. John chapter fourteen, first Corinthians fifteen and then first Thessalonians four. Now that is the basis of the doctrine. And I think we always have to go back to the doctrine to get the foundation of anything that we want to say.
And then after that we have been looking at some of the pictures and symbols concerning the coming again of Christ. And again on Lord's day we were speaking about the Lord himself and three lovely titles of our Lord concerning his coming back again. We get them in the Synoptic Gospels. In the Gospel according to Matthew he is called the bridegroom. And in the Gospel, according to Mark, he's called the master of the house. And then in the Gospel, according to Luke, he's called a noble man who went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.
Three beautiful pictures of our Lord himself concerning his coming back. His return. Now, last night we were looking at three horticultural symbols in relation to the coming. First of all, the vine, and then the fig tree, and then the olive tree. And again tonight, I want to look at three other beautiful symbols concerning the coming again of Christ. One has to do with the church. The second has to do with the people of Israel, and the third has to do with the Gentile nations. Now, the first word is the morning star, a beautiful, beautiful symbol concerning the Lord's coming in relation to the church.
In the New Testament, the word occurs three times. I just want to look at one of them. The second one that we find, first of all, the morning star for the church, and then the Son of Righteousness. with healing in his wings for the nation of Israel on the last page of the Old Testament, and then going back to the Book of Daniel, a stone cut out without hands, a spiting stone that will smite an image. And that image will disintegrate and become as the champ of the summer threshing floors. So here we get three symbols. First of all, the morning star. And then secondly, the sunrise, the sun of righteousness with healing in his wings for the nation of Israel.
And then finally, a smiting stone. that will deal with Gentile world dominion. Now I'd like to read the three passages, not go into a lot of detail or read a lot about the surrounding text. Shall we look please at Revelation chapter two? The book of Revelation chapter two on verse twenty four. Revelation two and verse twenty four. But unto you, I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira. Now notice that term, the rest.
That word means a remnant. Unto you, I say, and unto the remnant in Thyatira. As many as have not this teaching, and who hath not known the depths of Satan as they speak? I will put upon you no other burden, but that which ye have already, hold fast till I come. He that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end. To him will I give power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a potter shall be broken to shivers, even as I received of my father, and I will give him the morning star."
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Now the other two references to the morning star in the New Testament, the first one is in second Peter chapter one. We're not going to read the passage, but there it's called the day star. Until the day star arise in your hearts. It's the same word, the bright and morning star. And then, again, on the last page of the Bible, Revelation twenty-two, there are five double titles of the Lord Jesus. He's first of all called the Alpha and the Omega. That is his grammatical title.
He's the beginning and the end. That is his creatorial title. He's the first and the last. That is his dispensational title. And he's the root and the offspring of David. That is his messianic title. But then finally, the bright and morning star. That is his Advent title concerning the church. So this is the first great symbol that we want to look at tonight, the morning star. Now shall we look at the last page of the Old Testament for a short reference there in relation to Israel? Malachi chapter four. And it might be as well to look at the context in chapter three.
Verse sixteen. Then they that feared the Lord speak often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and the book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, said the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels, and I will spare them. as a man spurneth his own son that serveth him. Then shall he return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. Then chapter four. For behold the day cometh that shall burn like an oven, and all the proud Yea, and all that do wickedly shall be stalled, and the day that come shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch, but unto you that fear my name, shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and ye shall go forth and grow up like calves of the stalled, and ye shall tread on the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet, in the day that I shall do this, said the Lord of hosts.
Remember the law of Moses, my servant, which I commanded unto heaven Horeb, for all Israel, with the statutes and ordinances. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord, and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children. and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. First of all, the morning star, that is to the church. But here it is a promise given to Israel that on a coming day the Son of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings. Now a very important passage please in the book of Daniel chapter two.
and will read from verse thirty-one. One would love to read a larger portion, but for the sake of time, verse thirty-one, Thou, O King, sawest and behold a great image. This great image whose brightness was excellent before thee, and the form of it was terrible. This image's head was a fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawst until a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
Then were the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, broken the pieces together. and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floor, and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them, and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. A most important passage in connection to the future of Gentile world dominion. Now, these are the three things that we want to consider for a short time here tonight, and each of them are most important and very, very beautiful. For the first days, the morning star. And again, let me repeat, it only occurs three times in the New Testament, and it has to do with the bright hope of the coming again of the Lord Jesus for his church.
I think most of us here tonight have heard the seven churches of Asia expounded. It would take time to go into that in detail. But just mention, let me mention the context where we find the passage. You know, there's always a danger of lifting a passage out of its context and taking it as a stepping stone to go right around the world and leave the passage itself. And I think that anything that we want to discuss, we must discuss it in relation to its context. Now there are seven churches here. And we believe that these seven churches really existed in the time of John and the last decade of the first century. But at the same time when John is sending a message dictated by the Holy Spirit of God to these churches, we believe it gives an outline of the whole of the period in which the church is on earth.
Now, there are seven of them altogether, and there is a progression in them. The first four I just want to mention. Thyatira, the one that we have read from, is the fourth one. In Ephesus we get the Apostolic Church. There's a very, very lovely picture here of the Lord Jesus walking in the midst of seven golden lampstands representing these churches. And he's passing judgment on the condition of each one. And in Ephesus we get an outline here of the apostolic church. And especially towards the end of that period. We read here that the Lord and speaking to them.
after a very lovely commendation. Then he said, I have against thee that thou hast left thy first love. You know, that should speak to our hearts today. Thou hast left thy first love. It was quite a serious condition. And he said, unless they go back to the former love that they had... in the early days that the candlestick, their testimony would be removed. I have against thee that thou have blessed thy first love. You know, that could be applied to each one of us here tonight. That love that we have for the Lord Jesus. In those early days when we first came to know him, I wonder if we have left it.
Oh, it would be a wonderful thing if we all of us got back to that first love that we had when we first trusted the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the second one is the afflicted church. In Smyrna, I believe that we get here an outline of a period in church testimony when the church was under very fierce persecution. All that we read about in this church is of affliction and persecution and martyrdom. It's those early days of Christianity. Some years ago I was over in Rome and there were two things I wanted to see. The first thing I wanted to see was the Colosseum.
And when I went to that building and stepped inside, there was an Italian lady who was conducting us. She said, gentlemen, remove your hats. She said, I almost feel like asking you to take off your shoes. She said, the ground that you're standing on was saturated with human blood. And she said, in the early days of Christianity, there were many, many of God's dear saints that were martyred. right on this spot. It's still in existence today. It sent a thrill down my spine when I stood there and looked at that building and thought that many, many had lost their lives there. Those were the days of affliction.
It was the afflicted church. Ephesus, the apostolic church, but Smyrna, the afflicted church. After looking at the Colosseum, I thought I'd like to go to the catacombs. I'm going into the catacombs, about six hundred miles of underground passages honeycombing the city of Rome in six different layers. Some of them never had been explored. It was there that the remains of those that had been martyred in the arena in the Coliseum where they were buried. I walked down those corridors with a Roman Catholic monk, and they explained to me just what had happened in those early days.
Whatever remained of those that had been martyred was picked up and taken down to the catacombs, and there they were interred. in the catacomb. I came to a plank in the wall in the catacomb and there was a name of a girl eighteen years of age who had given her life for Christ. I stood and I looked at it, the name on the day that she died, the day that she was martyred. And below that there was just one word. And it thrilled me. The word that was written in the old Latin language was Felicissimo. Anyone who understands Portuguese or Latin or Spanish, they know that the word for happy is felis.
But the superlative form of the word is felicissimo, supremely happy. Can you think of anything more beautiful on the tomb of a martyr? A dear girl that gave her life for Christ eighteen years ago. Eighteen years old. And when I looked at it, I must say I was absolutely thrilled. That was Smyrna, the martyr days of the church, the days of suffering, the days of affliction. But then when we come into Pergamos, we find a change. Constantine, the Roman Emperor, he became a nominal Christian. And the church instead of being persecuted, it was patronized.
And there were many, many people introduced into the church at that time that never had been born again. There were brought in multitudes, but many of them never had any practical experience of coming in contact with Christ, never had been born again. And the result was that the testimony of the church, it started to deteriorate. You know, persecution. Never does the work any harm. We have proven that again and again in our own experience. All it does is purify the church. But Pergamos, it was an affiliated church. The world had penetrated the church and consequently there was a consequent deterioration in that bright testimony that we find at the beginning.
First of all, the Apostolic Church. Then the afflicted church, and then the affiliated church. But when we come to Fiatira, there we get the apostate church. Now, there's no time tonight to go into the details of what we find at the beginning of what is said about this church. But at that time, I believe it indicated what was happening in the dark, dark Middle Ages, the Middle Ages of the church. Again, one would love to dip into church history for a little while and explain or go into some detail of what was happening in those a thousand years when the hope of the Lord's coming was lost.
Now, on Lord's Day, we did mention that, but there was one thousand years from about five hundred AD to fifteen hundred AD when the hope of the Lord's coming was completely lost. And at that time, All kinds of heretical teaching infiltrated into the church, and consequently it came down, down, down. We read here about Jezebel teaching. I believe that that word Jezebel is a metaphorical term. that's used in connection with what was happening in the church of those dark, dark times. But the point is this, that right at the end of this church, there are two things introduced for the first time, and the first is a remnant.
On to you, I say, and on to the rest, and fire at her. Those that have not this teaching... who have not known the depth of Satan. And then we read, That which ye have already, Hold fast till I come. Now there are two things introduced at Phyatir in that dark period. And the first is a remnant, a remnant testimony. No matter how dark the age is, God always has godly souls that have faithful and true to the word of God and to the person of Christ, Unto you, I say, and unto the rest, unto the remnant in fire tire. Those that have not this teaching and have not known the depth of Satan, I will put upon you another burden that which I have already whole fast till I come.
So the two things that are introduced at the end of that church is, first of all, a godly remnant. And then secondly, the hope of the Lord's coming. The Lord's coming here is mentioned for the first time in these seven churches. And then there's a beautiful word given here to the overcomer. That godly remnant in Thyatira in that dark, dark age, the promise of the morning star. I will give unto him the morning star. And to me that is supremely beautiful. I wonder how many here tonight have ever seen the morning star. Are you interested? Many, many years ago in Africa, when our children were growing up, we used to sit on the steps outside our home in the dry season where there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
And you could almost feel you could reach up and touch the stars. You know, there's no neon lights there, or any pollution, or any smog of any kind. But looking up above your head, you can see all those beautiful constellations, but they're generally lying on our back, because we were south of the equator. But we got some books at that time, and while our children were small, not only did we learn about the constellations and the different stars in the heavens, but we learned it ourselves, and then we tried to teach it to the children. And I'll never forget the very first time I saw the morning star. So it's a Portuguese officer, an administrator.
One time he sent for me. It was practically a command. He lived about two hundred miles away. and he told me that he wanted to see me. I started off on an old bicycle. It was the only means of transport that we had at the time, and I arrived. And I transacted my business with the administrator, and then he showed me a place to sleep. About three o'clock in the morning, there was a scout came in and told me something that meant that I had to get home in a hurry. I'm not going to go into the circumstances why that was so. But it was an emergency. And at three o'clock in the morning, I got up. Got the bicycle and I started off her home.
And I'd only gone about ten miles when the bicycle broke down and I had to abandon it at the roadside and I started a walk. I walked the whole of that night and all of the next day. And in the evening of the next day I came to a river where I found some of our men, some of our African men. They were sleeping in a grass hut. And I went in and asked them if any of them would volunteer to come with me to come through the night to get home. Oh, they said, lie down here and have a bite to sleep, have a bite to eat and sleep. And then in the morning and daylight will start up. I said, no, we have to get going. And there was a young man lying beside a fire and he picked up his axe.
And he said, Tatu Yeno, let's get going. And putting his axe over his shoulder and with a bow and arrow, he started off. We went down to a river, crossed the river on the dugout and across the other side. No road, nothing but a nine-inch path. And we walked the whole night. About three o'clock in the morning, I saw something come up over the horizon. I thought it maybe was a, it looked just exactly like a motorcycle. It was a very bright light and it was just coming up over the horizon. But there were no motor vehicles in that part of the country at all. And I was holding onto the young man's belt. It was pitch dark.
And we were just staggering along the path. And I said to him, just what is that? And he put his head over his shoulder and he said, that's the Motumbu. I said, the Motumbu, what is that? I had never heard the word before. Kutumbuka means to jump. And the Mutumbu is the jumping one. I said, what is it? Oh, he said, it's that star. It just comes up before the dawn. And he said, if you watch it, you'll see it come up. And when it comes to a certain point, on that very place you'll see the sunrise come. And then we went on, and on, and on. It was the first time I saw the morning star. And when the sun did come up, we were standing on the top of a precipice.
And looking right away down the valley, I could see a coil of smoke coming up among the trees down there in the jungle, and that's a little place that I called home. And all that I had in this world was concentrated in that spot. And I looked down the valley, and I saw it home in the sunrise. And we started off again and about three o'clock in the afternoon we got there. I had walked about a hundred and ten miles without stopping and without any foot. And when I got there I found that all my difficulty, my problem, the thing that had been to stir me was a lay.
And I pulled off my shoes and laid down, and I slept for twenty-four hours right round the clock. Do you think I'll ever forget the morning star? I'll never forget it. you know sleepy heads who sleep in their bed to six o'clock in the morning you'll never see the morning star if you want to see it you'll have to set your clock and get up about three o'clock in the morning and it's what it's the it's the planet Venus generally the planet Venus and it's the brightest object in the heavens after the after the moon sometimes it's so bright Actually, it'll cast a shadow on the earth, and it's the beautiful, beautiful, beautiful type of the coming of the Lord Jesus for you and for me, the morning star.
It comes up at the darkest star of the night, the sleepiest star of the night. The coldest hour of the night, the morning star, it comes out. But always, when it does come up, it is the precursor of the dawn, the precursor of the sunrise. You know, what a lovely, lovely picture this is of the coming of our Blessed Lord. We get it here in this church. It's certainly with the darkest hour of the church night. In those dark Middle Ages, the promise that's given to Thyatira hears, I will give him the morning star. You know, when we turn over to Second Peter, Chapter One, we find there again, this is a beautiful promise.
It would be interesting to look at the context where we find it there. No time to do that. except to say this. There are three lights there amid the darkness of apostasy. The second epistle of Peter is all about the dark, dark period, the end of the church period. And if I were to read Second Peter, chapter two, There's a very, very black picture on it describes the age in which we are living today. It'd be interesting to look at it. But Peter tells us there are three lights, some of the darkness. He said, these lights, they shine as a light in a dark place. The first is the prophetic word, God's prophetic word.
That is the first light. That is something we have on our hand. Then he speaks about the day star. That's something we have on our heart. And then he speaks of the sunrise until the day dawn, the sunrise. And that is something on the horizon. So these are three lights. that he speaks off there concerning the second coming again of Christ. And then on the last page of the Bible, those five great double titles of our Blessed Lord, I believe that in concentrated form, We get there all the great truths concerning the personal work of the Savior Himself in those great double titles.
The Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, the Root and the Offspring of David. on the bright and morning star. And right on the center, the lovely human hymn, I, Jesus. How beautiful that is, the morning star. You know, I have it right here in my heart. The hope of the Lord's coming is the morning star. Thank God he's coming and he's coming soon. And while the world may not know anything about it, thank God it is the precursor off the dawn of the sunrise. Now that brings us to the second simile, the second little pipe that we get here in the Old Testament concerning the nation of Israel.
When we look at Malachi, the Book of Malachi, again we get a very dark picture. It has been called the Book of the Third Generation. You know, it's about ninety years since the people of Israel have been brought back from Babylon, brought back again to their land. The temple had been re-erected on Ezra and Nehemiah gives a wonderful picture of the revival that took place at that time. when under God's hand, his gracious sovereign hand, they had been brought back again to the land and planted in the land, and God had given a wonderful revival. It's Ezra and Nehemiah who described that.
And then again in the book of Haggai, We get an exhortation to build and to go ahead with the testimony that had been re-erected in the land. And I don't know a more beautiful prophetical book in the Old Testament than the Book of Zechariah. A delightful book. No time to look at it tonight or to outline it. But then it ends up with Malachi. It's the book of the third generation on it. There's a dark, dark picture. You know, God is speaking to his people and he mentions seven things to them in rebuke. There are seven rebukes in it on everything that he has to say to them to come back with an arrogant and an insolent reply.
He speaks of his love. He speaks of his grace and mercy. He's speaking to the priest. He's speaking to the people. And they say, wherein hast thou loved us? And that insolent, arrogant reply, everything that God has said to them, he gets that reply. But that here at the end, again, you get a remnant. Unto you that fear my name. Unto you that fear my name. Shall the Son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings? And there's a delightful little picture there in the chapter that we read. That was just before chapter four about those that thought upon his name and that were loyal to his name.
And I said, they shall be mine on that day when I make up my jewels. And then we get the promise. to Israel of a coming day when the Son of Righteousness should arise with healing in his wing. Last night we were speaking a little bit about Israel. There was no time to go into detail about it. But my beloved brethren here tonight, ancestors, I believe we're living in one of the most exciting days of human history. It's right at the very end, I believe, of the church dispensation, and certainly at the dark day in which we live. I don't need to tell you that. Practically every phase of society, no matter where you look, It's all dark, dark, dark.
Violence and corruption on every hand. Thank God that is a remnant. And I'm not going to speak in any pessimistic way at all here tonight. But in spite of all the darkness that we fear on, thank God for a godly remnant. Those that we know and love, there are some of them here tonight. And you know, it warms my heart. to think of those that are loyal and faithful and true to Holy Scripture. We thank God for that. But in Israel's day, at the end, we do find there too that there's a godly remnant among them. And to them, he said, that the Son of righteousness will arise with healing in his wing.
As we see what's happening over in Israel at the present time, we feel that things are happening very, very rapidly to a climax. Israel is back in the land. We mentioned last night four very, very important days and four outstanding men. And it gives a little outline of what is happening in the nation of Israel at the present time. First of all, Theodore Herzl, he wrote his book concerning Zionism. And the hope was revived among Jews right around the world of going back to a homeland. At that time was under the heel of the Turk.
First of all, it was in the hope of Israel started to be revived. The second was in when General Allenby, after a whirlwind campaign starting off at El Cantara in Egypt and over into Gaza and up through into the land, the Turks was in the land at the time and they had been there for centuries. But in that campaign, General Allenby... who was a born-again believer at the very great privilege of liberating the land at that time. My father was a soldier and a member of Allenby's army.
He was present when they surrounded the city. And my father told me some things that never has been published concerning some of the events that happened in those days when Allenby surrounded the city of Jerusalem. When he had surrounded it, he hated to open up the city with his heavy artillery. And he sent back to El Cantara, his headquarters in Egypt, asking for orders whether he should bombard the city. Didn't want to do it. And his commander-in-chief over in Egypt sent the message over to Lloyd George, that at that time was the prime minister over in England.
Lloyd George, he didn't want to take the responsibility of giving Allen Bay orders to open up with his artillery on the city. And he passed it on to King George V, who was on the throne at that time. I believe that King George was a Christian. I have no doubt about it. And not only that, but I believe that Allenby was a truly born-again believer. And Allenby, he was on his knees in his tent praying to God for wisdom what to do. And King George, he wrote a telegram to Allenby with these words. He said, Man, consult your master. The King of England, he didn't want to give orders to open up and bombard the city.
And while Allenby was on his knees, There was a corporal outside, on sentry duty, outside his tent, and I saw a little party coming out of one of the gates with a white flag, and they offered the surrender of the city without firing a shot. And by the way, that white flag was the sheet off a bed. And it was given by a lady called Mrs. Stafford. And she was a member of the family of the man who wrote that beautiful hymn. You know, how does it go? It is well with my soul. and went in and the city was occupied without firing a shot.
And you know what went on from there. So that was nineteen seventeen. And then the nineteen forty eight, on the fourteenth of May nineteen forty eight, David Ben-Gurion, he stood up and he declared the independence of the State of Israel And for the first time in two thousand years, Israel became a sovereign state. And after a few days, recognized by the rest of the world, that too was a most important date in history. And then the next thing, in the month of June, we find Moshe Diane. A man who knew the word of God, he was responsible for that tremendous campaign six days in which all the enemies that surrounded Jerusalem, surrounded Israel at that time were liquidated.
It was the greatest military victory in history that took place in six days. when all their enemies were liquidated and everything was settled. At that time, Israel had occupied the city of Jerusalem for the first time in two thousand years. You know, we're living in an exciting day. I don't know what the next day it is going to be. I do hope it's the bright and morning star. I believe it could happen. The Lord said, when you see the fig tree put on its green leaves, know that the time is nigh, even at the doors. And I believe that the next event on the prophetic program is the coming again of our Blessed Lord.
Do you have that hope of us coming back again? It's the bright and morning star coming to bring peace to the world. And thank God, fulfill the prophetic scriptures. But as far as Israel is concerned, they're going to have the Son of Righteousness arise. But you remember what I said in Isaiah chapter twenty one. The question is asked there. Watchmen, what of the night? Watchmen, what of the night? And the answer to that question is, the morning cometh, but also the night. You know, Israel back in the land has had some tremendous victories, and I believe that God has preserved them.
They're back in unbelief. It's perfectly true that they're still with a blind upon their mind and their heart. That blind that was judicially placed upon the people when they crucified their Messiah, the judicial murder of the Messiah, the blind dropped on their mind and heart. And for almost two thousand years they were scattered to Earth's remotest farm, but they're back again. Back again in unbelief. And just a little while ago a statement was made that there never will be another Holocaust. The man who has just resigned as the Prime Minister of Israel, he made that statement. He said, they had a Holocaust in the last war when six million Jews were annihilated in the gas chambers of Europe.
And he said, there never will be another one. The dear man is mistaken. The morning cometh, but also the night. There's going to be a dark, dark night for poor Israel. My Bible is true, and I know it is. It's going to take place after the church is gone. We won't be here when it happens. But the Bible describes in detail three series of judgments that will take place. First onto the seals, then onto the trumpets, then onto the bulls. It will be a period of seven years. Israel beckon the land. Restored, I believe, in God's governmental dealing with his people. Beckon on the leaf.
But there will pass through a period that's called the time of Jacob's trouble. Jeremiah chapter thirty. And there will be another Holocaust. And we believe at that time, if it wasn't for God's mercy, they would be completely annihilated. But God will preserve them. He will have a remnant at that time. And the one hundred and forty-four thousand described in the book of Revelation in two different contexts, we believe that that remnant, God will preserve. And there will be God's testimony during those dark, dark tribulation days. The morning cometh, but also the night. that dark period when they will suffer terribly.
I read in my Bible that under one of the judgments at that time, one third of the world's population will be wiped out. And under another one, we read about a quarter of the survivors will be wiped out. Now, I believe that that could only be in nuclear war. I don't believe that the church will be here when that happens, but it will take place. And Israel will be the center of the tribulation at that time. They will be back on the land. But they'll go through a dark, dark period. The morning cometh, but also the night, the night of dark, deep sorrow. But thank God the morning is coming.
The sunrise is coming for Israel. And thank God when Christ comes back again, the second time in glory. He will be the one that will deal with the Gentile nations, and He will be the one that will deliver His people at that time and appear to them. And there will be a complete repentance of the nation and a nation will be born in a day. Now that brings us to the third picture. And begin in Daniel chapter two and also in chapter seven. What will happen at that time? You know, the book of Daniel is one of the most remarkable books on the Bible. On anybody that has any doubt whatever.
about the complete authority and inspiration of Holy Scripture. All you need to do is to study the Book of Daniel. Those prophecies that were made so long ago have been largely fulfilled. This only remains a small portion. A fragment of the book of Daniel to be fulfilled, but a large part of it has been completely fulfilled according to what is written in that book. We read about Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king, he had a vision. And I saw that image set up. on the plains of Dura. And he saw that image. It had a head of gold. The shoulders and the breast were made of silver.
The torso was made of brass. And the legs were made of iron. And the feet were a mixture of iron and clay. And then he saw a stone cut out without hands. It smoked that image upon its feet, and it measured its length upon the ground, and it disintegrated, and became as the chaff of the summer thashing floors. And then that stone that had smitten the image, it became a great mountain, and it filled the whole earth. That was a dream that he had. And the only man that was able to interpret the dream was Daniel." He was called in and he told Nebuchadnezzar, now he said, you are that head of Gaul, the Babylonian Empire.
And then he described the shoulders made of silver. He said that was the meat of Persian Empire. And then the torso of brass. That was the Grecian Empire. And then we read of the flies of the image was made of iron. That was the Roman Empire. It hadn't appeared at that time, but it later did. But then we read that the feet of the image was made of clay mixed with iron. Now, what is clay? Clay speaks of democracy. What is Arne? Arne speaks of totalitarian government. I believe that at the end there will be a combination of nations surrounding the nation of Israel.
And again, to go into detail about this would occupy a lot of time. But just to mention what I believe is the situation at the end when the appearing of Christ comes, when He will appear. First of all, Israel will be in the land and will be surrounded by a combination of powers. ready to wipe them out and to annihilate them. Now, the first that's mentioned in Holy Scripture is what is called the revival of the Roman Empire. That is, on the ground of the Roman Empire in Europe, that there will be a power. It will be a democratic power. We see that happening today. It's called the European Economic Community.
Not only is it political, but it's military. And I believe it has a religious aspect as well. That is happening under our eyes today. People in this country largely are not aware of it. We are very much occupied with our own things and what is happening in the Pentagon. But over on the continent of Europe today, there are ten nations. that have banded together in one of the most powerful political combinations to be found anywhere in the world and that will become more important. That, I believe, is the first great political entity at the end. Secondly, there is Russia under satellites, in the far reaches of the North.
You know, in my day, and it has happened in my day since nineteen seventeen, That power that had no importance at all up until that point has become one of the most powerful political entities in the world. I don't need to tell you that. And it is their object to surpass the United States in its political and military strength. And we believe people who know the facts, they say they already have succeeded in doing that. And they're increasing in their military power at the present time. That is the second one. the northeastern confederacy. And then is the king of the north. I do not believe that Russia is the king of the north.
In Isaiah chapter twenty-eight, the king of the north was the Assyrian to the immediate north of Israel. There's a combination of power there. Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the fertile crescent. And from that