Address—Steve Stewart
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Could we start the meeting this afternoon by singing 312 and 313 in succession 312 and 313?
Lead on Almighty.
And Grand Slam to the world.
Where somebody for all the holy grains?
Right.
Like to read one verse before we ask the Lord's help this meeting? Psalm 62.
And verse 11.
Psalm 6211.
God has spoken.
Once, twice have I heard this, that power belongeth unto God.
Twice have I heard this.
Once with our ears, but then again with our hearts. Power belongeth unto God. I'd like to, with the Lord's help.
Look at the subject of government.
I'd like to look at why there is government.
The ways of God.
In the dispensational ways, in this present world, in connection with government and with calling.
The place that we have as Christians in connection with government.
And then government and its future.
My heart's been somewhat burdened lately as to the involvement of Christians in the political realm.
A place that I don't think we can find any.
Any foundation in Scripture to support that we should be involved in that arena.
I'd like to start with romance and the 13th chapter.
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Where we get?
Instructions for us as believers in connection.
With government in this world.
Romans 13 verse one. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers or authorities, authorities higher than us.
For there is no power authority, but of God. The powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God, and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation or judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil.
Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power?
Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same, for he is a minister of God to thee for good.
But if I'll do that which is evil, be afraid, for he beareth not the sword in vain. For he is a minister of God, a revenger, to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For this cause pay tribute also.
For they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render, therefore to all their dues tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom fear.
To whom fear honor, To whom honor?
Three times in this portion we find that.
God ordained authority. God ordained government in this world is his minister, his servant.
Power belongs to God. Man has no power in himself.
It comes from God, He gives it to whom He will, and He has established authority or power in this world for a particular purpose. And three times God ordained government has called His minister, first of all to thee, for us, for good. He has us in view.
In connection with the government that he is established in this world, he has our blessing in view.
Also.
A revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. He's a minister of God.
To restrain evil in this world.
That's his job.
And thirdly.
He's a servant of God. He has an office that is given to him of God to collect taxes.
We've talked about an inheritance.
All created things are inheritance.
And he's a minister to collect taxes to maintain our inheritance until the day comes that we possess it with the Lord. So we can thank the Lord for that and not complain.
Does that mean he does a good job with it?
That's another thing.
Power is one thing, but it's execution and use is another, and it involves the gravest responsibility before God who has given it.
Why is there government? Well, we've had three things that are given to us.
But if we turn back to Genesis and look at the dispensational ways of God, we'll see.
The chief reason there, in his dispensational ways, that he established such authority in this earth. Let's turn back to Genesis 8.
The dispensational ways of God unfold in this present world. There's three worlds in second Peter 3. The world that then was overflowed with blood, the world that now is reserved in store with fire against the day of wrath and judgment. And there's a new heavens and new earth. The dispensational ways of God unfold in this present world, properly speaking.
In the first dispensation was given the first administration.
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From God in order dealing with man, order dealing of God with man on the earth in Genesis Chapter 9. But the reason for it is given in chapter 8, chapter 8 and verse 21 upon the sacrifice that Noah offered. It says the Lord smelled a sweet savour. And the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground anymore for man's sake, for the imagination of man's heart.
Evil from his youth. Neither will I against might anymore. Everything living as I have done. God says, as it were. As Noah steps out on that new earth. We're going to begin again, but we're going to begin upon a new understanding, and that is that man's evil through and through.
Only thoughts of his heart are evil from his youth. I'm not going to start again on the principles of the antediluvian world, because it just ended in violence and corruption. I'm not going to let man go unrestrained. Chapter 9. He institutes that restraint.
Chapter 9 and verse 6 Whoso shutteth man's blood by man, shall his blood be shed, For in the image of God made he man. And you be fruitful, and multiply, and bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
This draws our thoughts back to the very first sin that we read of in the Word of God after the fall, and that was the murder of Cain or murder of Abel by Cain.
And God says to Noah.
That was an unwarrantable assumption of what only belongs to me because the life is in the blood. Life belongs to God. Man is not allowed to take it.
And if he does, this is the punishment. His life is to be taken. But I'm not going to do it. You're going to do it. And he put into man's hands the responsibility to restrain his fellow man and to execute judgment.
If evil raises its head, and so it's given in principle every detail of long government, not given here, but it's given in principle to Noah, that man is responsible to restrain man, and God gives him that authority.
The very next thing that happens.
And that with that man to whom government was instituted in principle, is that he fails to govern himself. And at the beginning of every dispensation of God, there is some sin that characterizes the general failure of that dispensation.
He failed to govern himself and he corrupted himself.
And it says in verse 21 he drank of the wine and was drunken, and he was uncovered within his tent.
Well, we know the story.
Ham Caesar's father. He thinks it's funny, he mocks. He despises his father.
And he tries to get his brothers to go along with him in that.
They refuse, they honor their father and they go in backwards in that tent with a blanket and cover him.
No awakes out of his drunkenness, realizes what has happened and he says.
Verse 25 Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of shaman. Canaan shall be a servant. Canaan was Ham's son.
It would seem that perhaps I don't know how old he was, but it was Noah's grandson who first noticed.
Listen told his father.
Who then LED?
The sin of despising that man in whom God had invested authority and power. Not only was he his father, but he stood there as God's minister.
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And holding the sword of government.
Gonna come back here to Genesis in a minute. Just turn to Jude.
A curse came upon Ham's family, Canaan in particular.
And blessing for Sham and Japheth.
Let's look at Jude.
Chapter Earth. Excuse me, verse 8.
Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion and speak evil of dignities.
Verse 10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not.
Rather, how careful.
We need to be with our lips.
In connection with God ordained government in this world.
It failed from the beginning.
It's still failing today. Nonetheless, power belongeth unto God, and He put them in their place. And we are not to speak evil of dignity.
If we do and despise dominion, despise those that God has set in authority, we take our place with the filthy dreamers that crept in unawares into professing Christianity. We don't want to stand there.
In professing Christianity, there's a tremendous.
Backing of the current administration.
And coupled with it are some of the most vile things that could be said about the previous.
About a man whom God put in the highest office in this world for eight years.
Who bore the responsibility before God as to that office?
And Christians don't blush to speak evilly of that man.
That's irregardless of his failures or what he was promoting.
Irregardless. And the woman who was his vice president.
As they chant in their rallies, Lock her up, Christian voices are there.
Despising Dominion.
Oh, they take their place.
So those that crept in unawares.
In Genesis says time went on.
We know the next thing that took place was they built that tower and the plains of Shinar.
God came down in judgment upon them, and he separated the peoples by language.
Divided them into nations.
And so thus far in this new world, we have government ordained, we have certainly we know marriage and is from God and we have God telling Noah to be fruitful, multiply. God is families are his institution and now government is as well or or nations are as well. Yes, it was in judgment.
But he did it. He.
Is the one who created the nations.
And he had it with a particular object in mind.
I'm gonna just read from Deuteronomy chapter 32.
And verse 8 when the most High divided to the nations their inheritance.
When he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel, for the Lord's portion is His people. Jacob is a lot of his inheritance. He was going to have a particular people and a particular place that he had for them in this earth.
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Interestingly enough, that land that he purposed for that nation was seized upon by the very one who came under the curse, Canaan. Mr. Darby says he seized the jewel of the Orient.
But God displaced him in time and brought his people into that land.
So we have families.
Extended family. We have nations, we have government.
Things that are ordained by God.
Set up by God.
There's a problem.
Sin can come in any of those things.
And it did.
And so God brings another principle in, and he calls a man named Abram. And the God of glory appeared to our father Abram when he was in Mesopotamia, Stephen said. And he said, get out, get out, and he called him out of Father's house.
Immediate family, Kindred, extended family and nation.
He didn't say reform your father's house. We know they were idolaters. We read that in Joshua 24.
He didn't say reform your extended family. He didn't say reform the nation that you belong to. He said get out, and he got out and he came into that land of promise. The Canaanite dwelt there. He went through the length and breadth of the land. He left everything just as it was.
Was his inheritance, but he left everything just as it was. God didn't call him out of moral corruption. Yes, there was moral corruption. He called him out of those things that he had instituted himself.
And He brings the principle of calling in, that there might be a principle that would act upon us, that we would not be bound to the very things He is instituted when sin comes in.
It's a higher.
Caller, it's a higher authority.
While God had separated the sons of Adam, he had a nation in mind, and in time we go on through the Scriptures.
And that family of Abrams grows, and then Hosea, and the 11Th chapter we get a beautiful verse.
Hosea 11 and verse one.
When Israel was a child then I loved him and called my son out of Egypt.
Israel was called by God as a nation, as Abram had been as an individual those many years before. That's what Paul calls in Romans 9, the adoption. They had a place of sonship nationally before God. He called his son out of Egypt. That was the birth of that nation, the Exodus.
They were called by God.
Not only that, if we turn back a little to Jeremiah in the third chapter.
In verse 17 we read this. At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord, the throne of Jehovah.
And if we were to look at First Chronicles 29 at the coronation of Solomon, we would read these words then.
Solomon on the throne of Jehovah in the stead of his father David. Yes, David's throne was the throne of the Lord in this earth.
And so now we take these two principles, these two dispensations.
Government and calling, and they are brought together now in one nation.
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Called by God the seed of His government in this world.
Turn over to Scripture in Second Samuel.
Chapter 23.
Second Samuel 23.
Verse two in the spirit of the Lord, spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said the rock of Israel spake to me. He that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God, and he shall be as the light of the morning when the sun rises, even a morning without clouds, as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.
Although my house be not so with God.
Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things ensure, for this is all my salvation and all my desire, although he maketh not to grow. But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands, but the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear, and they shall be utterly burned with fire.
In the same place, David.
Was the benchmark king.
But he was a failure as much as Noah.
And really, the history of the kings of Israel and Judah are nothing but a history.
To show that the 1St man cannot hold the scepter in righteousness. He can't and David acknowledges that.
And he looks on to someone who's going to come and be just.
And rule in the fear of God.
And bring blessing as a consequence.
And restrain the sons of Belial. Restrain evil in this world.
He looks on to that day Great David's greater son.
Well, if we were to turn to Isaiah One, we would find that that favored nation failed in their calling.
And they served idols.
They failed in government and they did not execute just government in that land even.
And God cast them out of that land. The Shekinah glory left the temple in Ezekiel, went out of Jerusalem, went up the side of the mountain. The Lord follows the same pattern in Matthew 23 and 24. Out of the temple, out of Jerusalem, up the side of the Mount of Olives. And they'll come back at that same place that He left, just like the Shekinah glory.
No longer.
The throne of Jehovah.
And they were cast out of that land.
Let's turn to Daniel chapter 2.
Daniel Chapter.
Two and verse 38.
Daniel speaking to Nebuchadnezzar. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
We know the story. Nebuchadnezzar had the dream of that tremendous metal image. He was quite awestruck by it, later tried to copy it, build his own.
The plains of Dura.
And Daniel gives them the interpretation of the dream that he had as to that mighty tremendous metal image, that it was the success of Gentile empires, and he was the beginning of that succession of empires. And we find that the sort of government.
No longer resides within Israel as a nation, but it's transferred to Gentile powers and Nebuchadnezzar is head of that. The sword is put into his hand and there's a succession of empires that are going to follow after him from the Babylonian to.
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The Medo, Persian to the Grecian to the Roman.
And the Gentile powers held the sword of government.
Nebuchadnezzar says.
Maybe it's not exactly Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel chapter 4.
If the context here.
And another vision.
It says.
Verse 17. This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones, to the intent, that the living may know that the most High rule within the Kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over at the basest of men.
Nebuchadnezzar got lifted up in pride of his position and power and independent in his thoughts as to receiving that from God, and God was going to have to cut him down until he knew that the power he had came from God, because power belongeth to God.
And so he was cut down. But he hears this. He sets up over the Kingdom of men the basis.
Oh man, the lowest of the low. Why are you surprised, dear Christian?
When you see the basis of man sitting on the Thrones of power in this world.
Why does it give us any right to resist that power? Absolutely not.
Absolutely not. Not Only we should know, more than all others that he sets over the Kingdom of men, the basest of men. We should know. We shouldn't expect anything different.
But we're so surprised at times how thankful we can be if He sets a righteous man in that place. They're responsible to God to rule justly.
That's true, but don't be surprised he sets up over the Kingdom of men, the basest of men at times.
In this chapter we see Nebuchadnezzar pictured as a tree, and he's cut down.
But the stump of the roots is left in the earth.
Like to apply it this way, you know that's a succession of kingdoms came to an end.
Around AD 460, somewhere in there follow the Roman Empire.
But the stump of the roots is left in the earth.
Till the day comes when this world learns what Nebuchadnezzar needed to learn, that the Most High rule in the kingdoms of man and the stump of the roots is still there today, and they bear not the sword in vain.
It's going to revive you. Cut a tree down that's, uh, in vigor and full of SAP. You'll find that pretty soon there's springs that spring out and grow up. Pretty soon you can have a tree again.
It's going to flourish again someday.
But we know the man that's gonna bring that to pass.
What about?
Calling.
The sword transferred to the Gentiles did the call of God, No.
In Romans 11 we read the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance.
God is not changed his mind.
As to the call of his earthly people.
And the time came.
When that promised king that David looked for was born.
Where is he that is born king of the Jews?
He came.
But they put them on a cross.
And they put that title over, and this is Jesus the king of the Jews. And Israel's hopes were dashed, as was brought out earlier.
They were dashed.
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And that Kingdom that he would have established was postponed.
He hasn't changed his mind.
The gifts and calling of God are without repentance, but it is postponed until another day.
And then what unfolded?
All that deep secret that was in the heart of God came out, that mystery that was hidden, gone from ages and from generations.
The truth of Christ in the church and the Spirit of God came down on Pentecost, and that church was formed.
And brought into existence, united to Christ in heaven.
And we read in Hebrews, Holy brother.
Partakers of the heavenly calling.
We read in second Peter, God has called us by glory and virtue, the same God of glory that called Abram long ago.
Has called you and I.
Into fellowship with him, we read in Colossians were called in one body.
This is the time of the calling of the church. Oh, did Israel's call get transferred to us? No, the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. And if Israel's call could get transferred to the church, then we stand in danger of losing it ourselves, where we failed every bit as much as the church as Israel had.
But the gifts and the call of God are without repentance.
We have been called by God.
But the sword of government remains firmly with the Gentile powers. It was never given to the church. Sad to say, there are those and some dear believers and men of God. Zwingli is one that comes to mind. Who took the sword? Luther said of him. They that take the sword will perish by the sword. And so he did in the battlefield.
It didn't belong to him.
The Lord said to Peter, Put up thy sword.
Put up Lysol.
You and I have not been given the responsibility to restrain evil in this world.
Why, then, do Christians protest at abortion clinics? What are they trying to do, get sinners to stop sinning?
And all of the other protests that they get involved with trying to stop sinners from sinning. Who's been given that responsibility? God ordained. Government's been given the sword to restrain evil, not the church.
We've got no place being involved in that.
We have been put in here as we find in Matthew 5. Ye are the salt of the earth. You have the light of the world as we walk in the truth of God.
As we walk through this world in obedience to Him.
We are going to have a preservative effect upon this world, and so it has been.
The more the Saints of God walk in the truth of God, and the closer they stay to the Lord, the more this world feels the preservative effect of us being salt. But salt can lose its savor.
And what are you gonna make it into salt with? If it isn't salt anymore, you nothing. It's worthless.
As we walk in the light of His Word, we're dispensers of divine light in this world.
That's the place we have been given. God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts.
To give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ. We have this treasure in earthen vessels, but it's for the shining out.
And Paul goes on to say, we are we then are ambassadors for Christ.
And we have a message that has been given to us in a ministry of grace and glory, and that message, as we beseech you, be reconciled to God.
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That's our job.
Not to get sinners to stop sinning, but to bring them to Christ. What do you expect from a Sinner but sin?
You're not gonna get anything else. They need a new life. They need a savior. They need to be reconciled to God.
Anything else is an empty remedy. The government can restrain sinners from sinning and they get out of prison and they go right back to their sins.
First, Timothy gives us some other help in connection with.
Our place and respect of government.
First Timothy, chapter 2.
First one. I exhort therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge.
Of the truth.
That's something we've been given to do, to pray.
For those that are in authority.
Oh, I see a lot.
A lot of encouragement floating around the Internet put out by Christians to pray for the current administration and president.
Where were they for the eight years before that?
It's a it's a little lopsided.
Says pray for all of them.
He put them in their place.
We need to pray for them that they would do their job.
Because if they do their job and restrain evil, we're going to live quiet, peaceable lives.
Do we just pray for the ones that we think are favorable to Christianity and speak evil of the rest? That's not for Christian.
Need to pray for all of them.
If a rebellion arose in this land and the current administration was overthrown.
And a new one took its place that was antagonistic to Christianity.
Go back to Romans 8 and Romans 13. The powers that be are deemed of God, not just the ones that were yesterday, the powers that be right now.
Are ordained of God.
It would be our place to submit.
Now another principle comes in.
And we read in Acts chapter 4 that Peter says should judge E whether we should obey?
God or man?
We're never to be in a place where we don't submit.
But it may be we need to submit to God above man. We're never to be in the place where we disobey.
But it may be we need to obey God rather than man.
Thankful for that principle, but it can involve a tremendous cost.
But it's there. Otherwise, we're to submit, we're to acknowledge that those authorities are from God, and we're to pray for them.
Nero was in power.
When this was written.
Christian human torches lit his gardens.
Paul said where to pray for all that earn authority, kings and so on. That's our place as believers. Intercession. What a happy place. What a better place than protest and resistance and struggle.
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That's where we fit in.
A brother some years ago just been saved and was struggling with where we fit in.
And.
He came to Brother Bruce Conrad and I'll mention his name because I think it helps, you know, Brother Bruce came to Bruce struggling with these things. And he, he put a piece of paper on the desk and he took a pen and he wrote something like the left and the right and drew a line between them and handed them and says, where do we fit on this line?
Bruce took the pen. He threw it. That's where we fit, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling. We don't fit on that line. We're not left or right or centrist.
Or Green Party or anything else.
We're called from above heavenly men by birth, who once were but the citizens of earth.
Turn a little over and Timothy.
Chapter 6.
Here's our fight.
Verse 12 Fight the good fight of faith.
They hold on eternal life, wherein to thou art also called, and hast professed the good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, Who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession, or the good confession, that thou keep this commandment without spot unrebukable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That commandment was found in the first chapter where Paul gives his mandate to Timothy that he was to remain in Ephesus to make sure that nothing else but the truth of God was taught in Ephesus, and he adjores him and in connection with the Lord Jesus Christ and his good confession before Pilate. So let's turn back to John's gospel.
Where we can find that good confession?
John's Gospel, chapter 18. The Lord had been brought by the Jews and accused to Pilate.
That he had made himself king and was endangering Caesar's interests, and Pilate was responsible to maintain Caesar's interests in that land.
And so he had a concern.
And he says to the Lord.
And verse 33 Art thou the king of the Jews?
Jesus answered him, Sayeth how this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? Pilate answered, Am IA Jew. I know nation and chief priests have delivered thee unto me. What hast thou done? Jesus answered, My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom or of this world, then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews. But now is my Kingdom not from thence.
Satisfied question asked Are Caesar's interests in jeopardy?
Not by a man whose Kingdom isn't of this world. What does Caesar care about a Kingdom that's out of this world? They don't care anything about that.
No fighting servants.
Nothing to worry about there.
This little interchange with Pilot, you might say, is in two sections. First, his concern for Caesar's interests.
But the second part.
This pilot demands.
Do you know?
Caesar's interests were secure. There's something about this man. There's something about this man.
And now he comes as pilot demand, not the governor.
And he says, you know, I just think of him getting close to the Lord, just looking at him. Art thou a king, then?
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Thou sayest that I am king. To this end was I born.
For unto us a child is born.
And unto us his Son is given, and the government shall be.
Upon his shoulder.
Yes, for this end he was born.
Came.
Who they are about to put upon a cross.
But then he says something else, and I think this is the good confession.
For this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.
Everyone that is of the truth here with my voice.
All Timothy.
If you maintain the truth that I've been given from an ascended Christ among the Saints of God axis.
You'll be partaking in the good confession of our Lord Jesus Christ before Pilate. He came to bear witness of the truth.
You and I have been put here for this same reason.
The Church is the pillar and the ground of the truth.
Philippians.
Chapter 3.
Verse 18 For many of whom I have told you often, and now tell you, even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. For our conversation is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
There were those who were minding earthly things, that is, they were seeking to bring.
The earthly religion of Judaism into Christianity in order to make it more palatable and to avoid persecution.
Avoid the sufferings that came.
With bearing the cross.
I minded earthly things. Oh, why is it that Christians are fighting to have a Christian government, are protesting to stop sinners from sinning? Because they want to live without anything to bother them?
They wanna go on and on and on and on until, well, I die and go to heaven.
In a land where there's nothing to oppose or to offend me in any way.
Oh, brethren, it's mine, the earthly things.
We don't look for salvation here.
We look for a Savior from heaven.
He's our man.
Isaiah 32.
Verse One. Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness.
And Princess shall rule in judgment, and a man shall be as in hiding place from the wind, and a covert from The Tempest, as rivers of water in the dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
Verse 16 Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. In the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation and ensure dwellings and in quiet resting places.
He's our man.
He's coming.
He's gonna set everything right.
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It's gonna be like a morning without clouds.
And he must ring.
Until everything is brought under his feet.
Till everything is brought into subjection to God.
And he only can do it.
He's the one that we look for.
Ezekiel.
Chapter 21, it says I will overturn it, overturn it, overturn it.
It shall be no more till he come whose right it is.
And I will give it him. It's his by right. He's the lion of the tribe of Judah. He alone can open that book with its seven seals and bring to pass all the councils of God.
In Thessalonians, time is getting down there and Thessalonians and, uh, second, second Thessalonians, second chapter.
We find that there is.
One who restrains evil in this world.
Unnamed.
And, uh, perhaps it's a little different than some have had, uh, thought of it, but I'd like to bring out what I think is the truth of this little portion. There is a mystery of iniquity that works, but there is that which withholdeth in verse six. That he might, the man of sin might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work. Only he who now letteth will let until he be taken.
Out of the way.
God is going to, by the power of the Spirit of God, sustain God ordained government in this world until the church is gone.
When the apple of his eye, when the object of his affections, has been taken out of this world, the time for judgment is going to come, and not before. Not till Lot, so to speak, was taken out of Sodom did judgment fall on that place, and the man of sin is going to be revealed. But what is restraining him now? What has always restrained sin in this world since that new earth?
Began that Noah stepped down on God ordained government.
Sustained by the power of the Spirit of God.
And in the 1St 3 1/2 years with tribulation you see the Spirit of God removing his power supporting Aubrey institution that man is dependent upon in the whole thing crumbles into a horrific mass of confusion and revelation. 17 we read that then the beast comes out of the pit.
And the first time in this world there is going to be a government.
That is not ordained by God. The Lord said to Pilate. He could have no power against me, except it had been given to you from above. But that beast is going to get his power from underneath.
And the Lord is going to come.
And he's gonna destroy him and his Kingdom and establish his own.
Well, in first Peter, second Peter, three we read of the world that is yet to come, and new heavens and new earth says wherein righteousness not reigns, dwells, because there's no evil to put down, there's no evil to restrain.
In that new heaven, the newer it's all gone.
It's every trace is gone. Righteousness will dwell, but there's going to be no government to restrain. Just like the world before the flood, there was no government, there were no nations, all were one language. And the new heavens and new earth, there's no government, there's no nations, all one language.
Now is the time of the unfolding of His dispensation, but we look forward to that day of God and everything will be brought into accordance with Him. Could we say 115?
115.
01:00:02
Head of the church.
By breakfast.
So he said to the West main, is there anything?
Oh my God.
So patience.
0123.
Oh my God, I was right down.
And rest all the reason.
Agreement and so on. The nation needs to grow. I, I, I, I, I, I I don't know. I don't know how to do that. You know, right now, umm, they're gonna have anything we're gonna do with Raymond.
Ah.
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah and now.
Our God and our Father, we come in like precious words to thy help by the power of the Spirit of God and its application to our hearts.
Once I was spoken, help us to.