Episode 521
Why Biblical Prophecy Isn't as Scary as You Think
David Cooper, lead pastor of Mount Paran Church and author of "Armageddon Approaching," drops some truth bombs about end-times biblical prophecy that are anything but doom and gloom. We dive deep into how the future isn't just a chaotic mess waiting to happen, but a divinely guided transformation that's all in God's hands. Seriously, we’re chatting about how everyone’s freaking out over the apocalypse, but Cooper's got a fresh perspective that promises hope instead of hysteria. He breaks down what the Bible really says about the end times and why you should focus on today instead of worrying about the unknown. So, if you’re ready to tackle those heavy topics with a side of levity, this convo is the one for you!
David Cooper joins us in a delightful chat that dives into the wild world of biblical prophecy and the end times. This episode is like a spiritual rollercoaster, and trust me, you’re gonna want to buckle up. We kick things off with Cooper's new book, "Armageddon Approaching", which seeks to shatter the sensationalist vibes that usually surround discussions about the apocalypse. Instead of doom and gloom, Cooper offers a refreshing twist, reminding us that the future isn’t about chaos but transformation. He argues that the end of the world isn’t the end of existence but the culmination of God’s plan, turning fears into hopeful anticipation. Cooper’s insights are both enlightening and surprisingly easy to digest, even if you’re just a casual Bible reader.
As we dig deeper, we tackle the absurdity of how society often interprets the end times—cue the eye rolls over the latest doomsday predictions! Cooper brings it back to the basics, emphasizing that the scripture reassures us that the world is in God’s hands. It’s a comforting thought, especially when life feels like we’re stuck in a never-ending traffic jam. Through a mix of humor and sarcasm, we explore the chaos of our current world and how it’s all part of a divine plan. By the end of our convo, you’ll be questioning your own perspectives on faith, fear, and what it really means to live in the light of God’s promises.
We wrap things up with some practical advice from Cooper on how to engage with scripture without feeling overwhelmed. He suggests starting with the big stories—the “mountain peaks” of the Bible—before diving into the more complex stuff. It’s like eating dessert before dinner but in a way that actually makes sense. So, whether you’re a seasoned theologian or a confused bystander, this episode is packed with nuggets of wisdom that could just change your outlook on life and faith. Don't sleep on this one; hit that play button now!
Takeaways:
- David Cooper emphasizes that end-times prophecies are often way less scary than people think.
- The book 'Armageddon Approaching' offers a hopeful perspective on biblical prophecy, challenging common misconceptions.
- Life may seem chaotic, but from God's viewpoint, everything is under control and part of His plan.
- Focusing on current missions rather than worrying about the future is essential for spiritual growth.
Transcript
Foreign.
Speaker A:Welcome back.
Speaker A:My name is Ashley, and this is the Black Sheep Christian Podcast.
Speaker A:And today I am blessed and honored to have David Cooper Welcome Dr. David Cooper.
Speaker A:Excuse me.
Speaker B:Oh, David is fine.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Nice to be with you.
Speaker A:I mean, you have worked so hard for that, doctor.
Speaker A:I mean, I have read just dissertations after dissertation, and that's some serious work to get that doctor.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:It's the hardest degree.
Speaker B:I mean, the easiest.
Speaker B:The hardest is the bachelor's.
Speaker B:The doctors.
Speaker B:The easiest I found.
Speaker B:Oh, wow.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:I think the more people move through education, you're focused on things you like anyway.
Speaker B:The hardest degree to get takes the longest.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's true.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:You're changing my mind over here.
Speaker A:You're changing my mind.
Speaker A:People are trying to encourage me, and I'm like, oh, I'm still on my break from my bachelor's to my master's.
Speaker B:You can do it.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:Well, we're not here to talk about degrees, but we are here to talk about your book, which I read a little bit about it, a little bit with the preview, is available online because it's not out yet.
Speaker A:Armageddon Approaching.
Speaker A:Uncover the hopeful truth about end times, Biblical prophecy.
Speaker A:I do have to say what I was able to read in the preview.
Speaker A:It's really interesting because, like, with those types of books, I'm like, okay, cool.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:I know what the scripture says, but your book, really, the preview, it really gave me some new perspective, and I would like to talk through some of that.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:I think you will get a new perspective if you read it on some things.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:What prompted you to write this subject?
Speaker A:Because there are so many.
Speaker B:Well, I have written a book called Apocalypse that was published by our denomination a number of years ago, which was 11 chapters.
Speaker B:But I went through the book of Revelation and kind of simplified it in themes because it's not nearly as complicated as people may think it is.
Speaker B:But this company that asked me to write the book, a friend of mine is a pastor in St. Louis, it recommended me, and they asked me about, you know, my life ministry, and they checked me out online and my preaching, and I'm also a licensed therapist.
Speaker B:So they were kind of looking at that, like the, you know, the psychology and life and so forth, and.
Speaker B:But they were intrigued that I had a hopeful view of the return of Christ when other people seem to be seeing sensationalist and frightening.
Speaker B:And that was it.
Speaker B:They asked me to write, and so I did.
Speaker B:And I had a lot of new insights.
Speaker B:I believe the Lord showed me some new things.
Speaker B:I talk a lot about current trends, what's going on in the world spiritually.
Speaker B:I don't get into speculation or hype or sensationalism.
Speaker B:What we do know from the scripture, that gives us hope, that becomes the main focus.
Speaker B:It's simple, I think, easy to digest for people.
Speaker A:It is.
Speaker A:It is.
Speaker A:And I'm gonna.
Speaker A:My questions.
Speaker A:I'm going to read what you wrote, and then I'm going to have a question, because I want to read what you wrote.
Speaker A:One, so people can understand the simplicity and the style.
Speaker A:And two, I can't.
Speaker A:I can't do what you do.
Speaker A:I'm not that good.
Speaker A:I'm not there yet.
Speaker A:But in the introduction, there's this one particular sentence that really spoke to me in that portion, and it says, but the Bible assures us that the world lies safely in the hands of God.
Speaker A:Its future destiny is not termination, but transformation.
Speaker A:When God ushers a new heaven and a new earth, and I had to sit and digest that sentence in itself, or those two sentences, why is it so hard for us to accept that?
Speaker A:I mean, the part where you wrote termination, but transformation is really powerful to me.
Speaker B:The term the end of the age is used a lot.
Speaker B:I'll take it.
Speaker B:In Matthew 24:3, when disciples, this right before we went to the cross, he talked about the temple would be destroyed.
Speaker B:And they asked him, what would be the sign of your coming into the end of the age?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Then later he says, he that endures to the end will be saved.
Speaker B:He says in verse 14, this gospel, the kingdom, will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations.
Speaker B:And then shall the end come.
Speaker B:The word end in Greek, used all through the New Testament, means the culmination or the finishing or the perfecting or completion of something.
Speaker B:It does not mean the end and the termination of something.
Speaker B:You get to the end of a dissertation, end of a graduate, end of a go.
Speaker B:It means to reach the goal.
Speaker B:So the end of the age is God's goal of history, where God is moving history, where he's taking it in his purpose.
Speaker B:And people have read the end as though the end of your life or you know, the end of a job as something frightening as understanding this.
Speaker B:The end is the completion of God's purpose in the world.
Speaker B:Ephesians 1, verse 9 to 11 says, God made known to us the mystery of his will, that he purposed Christ to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment.
Speaker B:That's the end.
Speaker B:What is God going to do to bring all things together in Heaven and in earth under one head, even Christ.
Speaker B:And he also chose us, that we've been predestined according to the plan of him, the plan of God, who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.
Speaker B:So God is working out everything in history, not causing everything, but working out everything in history to the conformity of history, his will, God, everything together under one head.
Speaker B:Even Christ himself is Lord.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:I'm digesting what.
Speaker A:What stood out to me, God's goal.
Speaker A:And I think for me, I'm speaking for myself.
Speaker A:I forget that because I'm so into my comfort.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:The present situation we live in.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's like.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know when you fly in an airplane and you're about to land.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I live here in Atlanta.
Speaker B:Minute land almost.
Speaker B:And it's fascinating.
Speaker B:When we're coming into Atlanta, I'm looking out the window.
Speaker B:I can see the city, the lay of the city.
Speaker B:I can see the interstates, and I know the kind of the lathe.
Speaker B:It's amazing how organized everything looks to me.
Speaker B:You can see, like, land boundaries and roads.
Speaker B:Like there's a real design to it.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:How peaceful it looks.
Speaker B:And I could get this big view from heaven down, you know.
Speaker B:But when I land on the ground, I get in my car, it's just sheer chaos on the interstate.
Speaker B:I think life is like that.
Speaker B:We live down here in this chaos of life.
Speaker B:But God's vantage point and even the book of Revelation, when John's caught up to heaven, he's looking at world events from God's vantage point.
Speaker B:And you can see that heaven governs the world, that it looks out of control to us because we're in a traffic jam down here in life, but God is in control.
Speaker B:Life looks very different from the perspective of heaven.
Speaker A:Yes, yes, that.
Speaker A:That.
Speaker A:That is a very interesting viewpoint.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Because I also think, like, in the terms of like playing video games, you know.
Speaker A:You know, obviously, I mean, it's very trivial, you know, you know, we're trying to get the particular character somewhere.
Speaker A:But when you are in their viewpoint, they're.
Speaker A:They're not going to know, you know, But.
Speaker A:But we have a different viewpoint of where they need to be and where to go.
Speaker B:Enemies or dodging challenges or whatever it is.
Speaker B:Yeah, like that.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:It is hard that the character is going to get there because you're in control.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You're not a.
Speaker B:The character is going through the conflict, but you're outside, and that's God's sovereignty.
Speaker B:We have all this.
Speaker B:When Jesus talked about his returning.
Speaker B:Even in Matthew 24 you'll hear wars or rumors of wars.
Speaker B:He then said, see that you be not troubled.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:So don't be troubled.
Speaker B:Right, Right.
Speaker B:Famines and earthquakes and pestilence.
Speaker B:He said, all these are the beginning of sorrows.
Speaker B:All these things must take place, but the end is not yet.
Speaker B:So he over and over said, don't be alarmed.
Speaker B: John: Speaker B:I've overcome the world.
Speaker B:I've spoken these things to you that in me you might have peace.
Speaker B:In this world you'll have tribulation.
Speaker B:In him you have peace inside a world of tribulation.
Speaker B:He's overcome the world.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:God's in control of the world is what he means.
Speaker A:Yeah, that does take some reminding.
Speaker B:We need it.
Speaker A:I need to put it like on a.
Speaker A:Not like a vision board but you know, like on a refrigerator every morning when I go, you know, get my breakfast, like he's in control somewhere.
Speaker A:I need to do something.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:He's not making everything happen.
Speaker B:That would make no sense boundaries of it.
Speaker B:He doesn't let things spin out of control historically.
Speaker B:Never does, never has.
Speaker A:Right, Right.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I had another one that I'm going to read and it, I don't really have a question for it.
Speaker A:I just want you to know that it speaks to me that this sentence that you wrote, and this is in the introduction and it says Jesus went on to call the church to focus on her mission today and not worry about the future which belongs to God.
Speaker A:And that's what we're sort of talking about.
Speaker A:And what I found beautiful about this sentence is where you wrote focus on her mission today.
Speaker A:And when it comes to revelation, revelation is such a unknown abstract book and we're all focused even outside of scripture, even our day to day where we're focused on the future.
Speaker A:I'm saving for retirement because I want to be this way.
Speaker A:You know, I'm trying to get to this, but to focus on her mission today.
Speaker A:That that part portion spoke to me.
Speaker B:One of my favorite values to live by principles, truths is what Jesus said in the sermon on the mount, Matthew 6 and 34.
Speaker B:He said, don't worry about tomorrow.
Speaker B:Tomorrow or about itself.
Speaker B:Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So each day has enough opportunity of its own.
Speaker B:It's got enough challenges of its own.
Speaker B:It's got enough privileges of its own.
Speaker B:Don't worry about tomorrow.
Speaker B:Tomorrow will worry about itself.
Speaker B:In other words, it's going to be what it's going to be.
Speaker B:So don't become overly focused.
Speaker B:The word worry in the Greek to divide the mind.
Speaker B:So half the mind is in today and half the mind's in tomorrow.
Speaker B:He says, get your mind in today.
Speaker B:Live the day.
Speaker B:This is the day the Lord has made.
Speaker B:Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Speaker B:This is the day.
Speaker B:And when tomorrow gets here, it's not called tomorrow, it's called today.
Speaker B:There's no such thing as the future, right?
Speaker B:Just like this.
Speaker B:Once they're saying it's the past, is only today the ability to embrace the day and live the day fully.
Speaker B:I teach people to do if they want a healthy life, do something you like every day, no matter what it is.
Speaker B:If you go to the movie, read a book, go walk, go run, whatever it is, do something every day that you personally enjoy.
Speaker B:Live the day.
Speaker B:Don't save up for your vacation.
Speaker B:You should have some vacation every week.
Speaker B:You should balance your life.
Speaker B:And the idea that this because we plan tomorrow doesn't mean that it's going to determine tomorrow.
Speaker B:Just because we plan it doesn't mean it's going to happen.
Speaker B:That way we get disappointed with it.
Speaker B:Well, I planned it, therefore it should have happened, right?
Speaker B:You save up this money, then you get there, the money's not there, or government changes, or economics change, or situations change, or you thought you were going to live to be 95 like your great great grandmother and your mother.
Speaker B:Next thing you know, you find out that's a negative view.
Speaker B:But you.
Speaker B:Nobody really knows.
Speaker B:The planning of today doesn't guarantee anything.
Speaker B:It's okay to make plans and have goals, but that should be kind of general.
Speaker B:But you got to live the day, enjoy the day, right?
Speaker B:Right before Jesus left, this world.
Speaker B:Acts, chapter one.
Speaker B:They're standing on the Mount of Olives.
Speaker B:And the disciples asked him, lord, are you at this time?
Speaker B:Time.
Speaker B:That's what we're focused on here.
Speaker B:Past, present, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?
Speaker B:He said, it is not for you to know.
Speaker B:It is not for you to know the times or dates.
Speaker B:The Father is set by his own authority.
Speaker B:But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.
Speaker B:And you will be my witnesses all the world.
Speaker B:He said, it's not for you to know the times or days, but this is what you need to know.
Speaker B:You'll receive power and you'll be witnesses of me in all the world.
Speaker B:In other words, focus on your mission.
Speaker B:Let God manage the future.
Speaker A:That's digesting.
Speaker B:Destiny is a big concept today.
Speaker B:Destiny.
Speaker B:Sum total of the decisions a person makes in his or her life.
Speaker B:The decisions we're making today is right in our desk.
Speaker B:It's not predetermined.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Guaranteed.
Speaker B:Our decisions determine our destiny.
Speaker B:It's what we do today.
Speaker B:So people say, I want a good future.
Speaker B:Well.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Do the best you can do today.
Speaker B:What you're doing today is going to eventually turn into your future.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:It's not going to show up one day accidentally say, your destinies are up.
Speaker B:You're kind of building it day by day, you know, slowly.
Speaker A:That is very true.
Speaker A:And, and, and, and when you think about it, we are only made for today.
Speaker A:We're not made for yesterday or tomorrow.
Speaker B:It doesn't exist.
Speaker B:There's no such thing as time.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:There's only eternity.
Speaker B:There's only existence.
Speaker B:God is eternal.
Speaker B:Time is a measurement that we use, I think, to mark our lives, to organize lives.
Speaker B:But theoretically, you and I are living today.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:And somewhere around the world today, it's probably called Thursday or Saturday.
Speaker B:You think about that.
Speaker B:So which way is it?
Speaker B:Well, it's not, it's just a word we use to describe.
Speaker B:Yeah, we're sharing.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:And because we are bound by time.
Speaker B:We'Re eternal.
Speaker B:So how can we be bound by time?
Speaker B:We're an eternal soul.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Oh, I'm thinking of the physical, the natural.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Everything physical is in a state of decay since Eden.
Speaker B:That's, that's pretty clear in science.
Speaker B:Everything's decaying.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:But matter just is.
Speaker B:Matter doesn't, is destroyed.
Speaker B:It gets just displaced.
Speaker B:It's not, it doesn't even.
Speaker B:It decays.
Speaker B:But then it reforms the atomic particles in another form.
Speaker B:Destroyed, is displaced and it reorganizes in a different way.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:That sounds like some theology.
Speaker B:Love it.
Speaker B:I wrote a little book called Science Description.
Speaker B:I'll talk about this.
Speaker B:The universe, 13.8 billion years ago, they say in the original primal atom, the matter.
Speaker B:The people say, well, matter come from.
Speaker B:And both sides say, well, the matter has always existed.
Speaker B:Matter is eternal.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So that matter gets displaced.
Speaker B:You know, you can look at water can be steam or water.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Still the same chemical property.
Speaker B:So, yeah, we are, we are temporary.
Speaker B:Our bodies are temporary, but in the matter eventually deteriorates.
Speaker B:It goes into the dust.
Speaker B:But the matter is, even the physical body is always here.
Speaker B:The water evaporates because 75% of the body is water.
Speaker B:The water evaporates and all that's left is the dust.
Speaker B:But the dust is still here.
Speaker B:The dust remains.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:So it, it, it in and of itself is eternal in that sense that it takes a different form, it decomposes back to its base elements, but it never actually disappears.
Speaker B:Think about that.
Speaker B:Everybody's.
Speaker B:Whoever lived, their physical remains are somewhere in the world in some form.
Speaker B:Fire doesn't destroy matter, it displaces it.
Speaker B:So even the body, if you think of it that way, is eternal.
Speaker B:Although it's in it, it's not as organized as it is right now.
Speaker A:Yeah, I was looking out the window like, yeah, like, just.
Speaker A:Just, like, try to, like, feel it, be like.
Speaker A:Yeah, it is.
Speaker A:It's just a different.
Speaker A:I. I guess, you know, I guess even with this, like, things just feel so done, so final.
Speaker A:It just doesn't move.
Speaker A:It just doesn't, you know, forget how.
Speaker A:Oh, in what way?
Speaker A:Look at you, asking questions.
Speaker B:On the podcast for an hour.
Speaker B:I'm tired of talking.
Speaker B:You're a lot of fun.
Speaker A:I am.
Speaker A:Oh, thank you.
Speaker A:I. I'm enjoying this.
Speaker A:This conversation because I.
Speaker A:It's doing this podcast.
Speaker A:Part of it is something that God asked me to do again.
Speaker A:And, well, I did, and then I stopped.
Speaker A:But that's a whole other conversation for another day, you know, but it is about ex.
Speaker A:Learning things that are beyond my understanding.
Speaker A:And so when you say.
Speaker A:Because when I.
Speaker A:When you speak about how things feel so final and so done, I guess my mind is still in the natural.
Speaker A:Is still what the rules of this natural world is.
Speaker A:Even though as a child of God, I know that there are things beyond me.
Speaker A:But another thing too, is I keep limiting what God has allowed for me to do, if that makes sense.
Speaker A:So when I think about things being done and final.
Speaker A:Technically, no, things aren't done and final God.
Speaker B:They're not that you say they are and you believe they are and you live as though are.
Speaker B:Then you limit your Right.
Speaker B:That's what Jesus is always challenging us to.
Speaker B:Greater levels of faith to get out of that sense of finality or the box we're in or the field.
Speaker B:We have these limitations.
Speaker B:We can't accomplish things.
Speaker B:It's not some idealism or some delusion that we can, quote, accomplish everything.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:But it is to.
Speaker B:He's always challenging people, challenging us as his people, to think on a higher level and to believe for what seems to be impossible to us.
Speaker B:I love the story of the feeding of the 5,000.
Speaker B:It's the only miracle in all four Gospels, which makes it the most important and the crowd miracle in all four gospels.
Speaker A:Oh, okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Yes, yes.
Speaker A:Because they're all in.
Speaker A:All of them.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Sorry, I'm Catching up.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:The crowds out there out in northern Galilee, and they've been out for a while, and he's been teaching on the kingdom of God.
Speaker B:And the disciples say, send the people away to the town so they can get something to eat.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:He says, you give them something to eat.
Speaker B:Five thousand people, he says, you give them something to eat.
Speaker B:He challenges them to think.
Speaker B:They don't know what to say.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:The most natural of it.
Speaker B:We don't have enough money.
Speaker B:We don't have enough food.
Speaker B:And then he says, go and see.
Speaker B:Every time they say we've reached the limit, he challenges it.
Speaker B:Send them away.
Speaker B:He says, you give them something to eat.
Speaker B:They said, that's impossible.
Speaker B:He said, go and see.
Speaker B:And then they find the young boy with the five loaves and two fish, and they bring it to him and they give it to him, and he says, that's enough.
Speaker B:Then he gets thanks for it and breaks it, Right?
Speaker B:But he.
Speaker B:He forced them to use every ounce of faith and energy and work they had.
Speaker B:He could have made that.
Speaker B:He could have made anything appear, but he didn't.
Speaker B:But he challenged them.
Speaker B:And we say, lord, I can't deal with this problem.
Speaker B:Send this away.
Speaker B:He said, take care of it.
Speaker B:Say, I can't take care of it.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:Let's see what you have.
Speaker B:You have more resources, more talent, more ability than you think you have.
Speaker B:And you say, you go back, come and say, oh, Lord, I can do this.
Speaker B:And God says, that's enough.
Speaker B:I'll take what you've got because you're willing to give it to me, and I'll anoint it and multiply.
Speaker A:I didn't, you know, as much as many times as I. I never thought of it that way.
Speaker A:It's so funny.
Speaker A:God does this all the time, at least with me.
Speaker A:Like, I read something and then it just doesn't.
Speaker A:It just doesn't register until much landing.
Speaker A:I'm like, why did I miss that?
Speaker A:Because all this time when I have been carrying around with the knowledge of that story, even though knowing that he had them go out and look for some food, I never thought of it, of him challenging them.
Speaker A:And to do that, I've always felt that it was him that did.
Speaker A:Even though it is him, I always felt like, yeah, disciples found some food and then he made it, you know, he, you know, was able to feed all those people.
Speaker A:But I. I never.
Speaker A:Up until now, I. I didn't see it that way, that he was challenging the disciples.
Speaker B:Well, that's what you were saying.
Speaker B:You said There's a little.
Speaker B:I feel limited.
Speaker B:I feel like things are final.
Speaker B:So they felt that that day was over.
Speaker B:They felt the finality.
Speaker B:Is it we.
Speaker B:This is over today.
Speaker B:We.
Speaker B:But it wasn't over.
Speaker B:It became the greatest miracle ever performed.
Speaker B:Because he pushed them to stop making excuses.
Speaker B:He made them think and look again.
Speaker A:Yeah, excuses.
Speaker A:I'm great at that.
Speaker A:With God.
Speaker A:We're.
Speaker A:We're working on that.
Speaker A:We're working on that.
Speaker A:Oh, in chapter one, the.
Speaker A:The prophetic signs.
Speaker A:I was struggling with that word for a minute.
Speaker A:The prophetic signs.
Speaker A:This one that you wrote, while nearly everyone can tell time in the natural realm, not everyone can tell time spiritually.
Speaker A:And I had to.
Speaker A:I really paused this.
Speaker A:This area.
Speaker A:I really paused the longest.
Speaker A:And I think you probably.
Speaker A:Probably you already said it with.
Speaker A:Because I said it.
Speaker A:This reminds me of Matthew 24, 35, 37, which you already spoke about how heaven pass away.
Speaker A:My words will not pass away.
Speaker A:But no one knows the day or the hour.
Speaker A:No, not even the angels in heaven.
Speaker A:The Son does not know.
Speaker A:Only the Father knows.
Speaker A:But that verse came to me when reading about not everyone can tell spiritual time.
Speaker A:And I really had to think of pause.
Speaker A:And I was like, what is spiritual time?
Speaker A:Like?
Speaker A:Like.
Speaker B:Like understanding what God is doing in the present and what God is doing in and through us, and what God is desiring us to do.
Speaker B:In Matthew 16:1 3, Jesus told the Pharisees, you can discern the weather, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.
Speaker B:And at the end of his life, as he went, had tore the cross and he left Jerusalem.
Speaker B:It says that he wept.
Speaker B:He wept.
Speaker B: Luke: Speaker B:And he said to the people, you missed the day of God's coming to you.
Speaker B:You missed the day of God's coming to you.
Speaker B:God visits you.
Speaker B:But since you had your mind made up about what the Messiah is, you miss the day.
Speaker B:Think about.
Speaker B:You missed the day God visited you.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And he wept.
Speaker B:They could not discern him as the Messiah.
Speaker B:They had their mind so made up and they were so angry that he threatened their religious tradition of legalism.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:They couldn't accept the miracles.
Speaker B:They could.
Speaker B:When Lazarus was raised from the dead, they tried to kill Lazarus to cover the evidence of the miracle.
Speaker B:So when people had their minds made up with such anger and rage toward God or their constant to God, they couldn't even see what was happening.
Speaker B:Many people followed Jesus.
Speaker B:Many people believed in Jesus.
Speaker B:Nicodemus, the Pharisee, was a secret disciple of Jesus Joseph of Arimathea.
Speaker B:But for some of them, Those leaders are so entrenched, they were enraged.
Speaker B:It's sad, but they couldn't discern the signs of the times.
Speaker B:They couldn't see what was going on in the world.
Speaker B:And sometimes we have God in a box and we just miss what's going on.
Speaker B:So that's, that's discerning the times.
Speaker B:First Chronicles 12 and 32 says, the men of Issachar understood the times and knew what Israel was to do.
Speaker B:The ability to understand even what's going on in the world, like the church.
Speaker B:If we're going to relate to the world, we've got to understand what's going on.
Speaker B:We've got to understand where people are coming from.
Speaker B:For example, I stand up and preach and say climate change is a hoax.
Speaker B:Well, everybody under 30 just stopped listening.
Speaker B:They already believe climate change is real at some level.
Speaker B:And it doesn't matter what I think about climate change.
Speaker B:The fact of the matter is there are ecological disturbances that take place and people can argue the science of it, but it has people alarmed.
Speaker B:So I need to understand that people are alarmed every time there's a storm.
Speaker B:And now because of technology, we know about every storm in the world.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:We used to never know, so we didn't feel as worried about it.
Speaker B:So I've got to understand the world I'm living in.
Speaker B:It doesn't matter if it's accurate or not.
Speaker B:It doesn't matter what these are people's views.
Speaker B:So if I'm going to relate to them, to communicate with them, I've got to understand what's going on in the world today so that I can bring the hope of Christ to them.
Speaker B:And many people become irrelevant in their life and ministry because they don't understand the times.
Speaker B:They're going, well, that's not true.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:That's a hoax.
Speaker B:That's not real.
Speaker B:Doesn't matter.
Speaker B:This is where people are.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:What they think.
Speaker B:So can we go to them and engage them in a conversation and understand the times in which we live?
Speaker A:Yeah, some nuggets.
Speaker A:I'm just, I'm just digesting.
Speaker A:I'm growing over here.
Speaker B:It's also discerning time in your our lives.
Speaker B:Like what is God sees and where am I?
Speaker B:What, what is God doing in my life?
Speaker B:Am I at peace?
Speaker B:Is God making me restless because he wants me to move?
Speaker B:Am I sensitive to what God is doing in my life as a person?
Speaker B:I think that's another part of discernment.
Speaker B:Maybe that Moses failed because he didn't bring the people into the promised land.
Speaker B:But the fact of the matter is, it was not God's calling to bring the people to the promised land.
Speaker B:It was God's calling to get them out of Egypt.
Speaker A:Whoa, okay.
Speaker B:And when he was 120, God spoke to him and said, go anoint Joshua.
Speaker B:Yeah, that becomes the last act.
Speaker B:And he does that in front of the people.
Speaker B:And then he goes into the desert and he dies alone.
Speaker B:His time is over.
Speaker B:He didn't keep.
Speaker B:He didn't get there, say, no, no, God, give me 20 more years.
Speaker B:I'm ready to take him in.
Speaker B:The ability to know sometimes when something's complete or there's a new season is another part of spiritual discernment in our lives.
Speaker B:Yeah, we hold on, we should let go and we delay when we should begin.
Speaker B:We're so afraid, we don't get started.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Because our security is in what we're doing instead of in the calling of God.
Speaker B:So discerning spiritual discernment also has to do idea.
Speaker B:Am I aware of in my relationship with God?
Speaker B:How is God speaking to me?
Speaker B:Am I.
Speaker B:Am I willing to accept, you know, the new calling and what God has for me, you know, classic stories, is Esther in Persia.
Speaker B:I wrote a whole book on her life.
Speaker B:God revealed her story to me four or five years ago.
Speaker B:It's called Destiny.
Speaker B:It's not alone, but it's worth reading.
Speaker B:When she thought her destiny was to be the queen of Persia, that's not her destiny.
Speaker B:Anybody could be a queen.
Speaker B:And when Mordecai said, there is a.
Speaker B:A plot to annihilate us, right?
Speaker B:He said, you've got to go to the king, she didn't want to go.
Speaker B:She told.
Speaker B:She said, well, I'm not going to get involved.
Speaker B:Think about that.
Speaker B:Because she thought her destiny was to be in a palace.
Speaker B:She thought, well, if I got a comfortable life here, you know, if I go approach the king and he doesn't like it, I could be disfavored, lose my position.
Speaker B:Think about that.
Speaker B:And he said, who knows whether you've come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
Speaker B:And he said, if you don't intervene, God will raise up another.
Speaker B:None of us is indispensable.
Speaker B:And then she said, he had to go.
Speaker B:He had to go back to her.
Speaker B:And she didn't even see him.
Speaker B:He had to give him a note to a messenger.
Speaker B:That's her uncle.
Speaker B:She's an exile of war.
Speaker B:She was a child in that Babylonian war.
Speaker B:She's a victim of war, exiled to a foreign land.
Speaker B:And somehow the becomes A queen.
Speaker B:And nobody even knew she was a Jew.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:And then he said, who knows?
Speaker B:But that you've come to the kingdom for such a time as this.
Speaker B:In other words, you didn't come to the kingdom to be a queen.
Speaker B:And that was not Esther's destiny.
Speaker B:And she prayed three days and fasted.
Speaker B:Remember that at every.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Her destiny was to be the intercessor to save her people.
Speaker B:Our position is not our destiny.
Speaker B:And sometimes we get in a position, we think that's our destiny, and it's time to go to a different place.
Speaker B:We say, no, no, my security is in my position.
Speaker B:Your job is not your destiny.
Speaker B:Your position is not your destiny.
Speaker B:Your destiny is always higher.
Speaker B:Esther was not destined to be the queen.
Speaker B:She was destined to save her people.
Speaker B:She was destined to be an intercessor.
Speaker B:He almost missed the whole point.
Speaker B:She missed the time.
Speaker B:That was the strategic time.
Speaker B:That's what she needed to be there for that one time.
Speaker B:She didn't need to be there for anything else.
Speaker B:She didn't do anything else in Persia but be a beautiful queen, which is great.
Speaker B:But she missed, almost missed the one thing, the one reason God put her there, because she couldn't deserve the time.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's powerful.
Speaker A:In.
Speaker A:In many ways, I never really questioned.
Speaker A:Questioned.
Speaker A:I'm going back to you.
Speaker A:The.
Speaker A:The first with Moses, I never.
Speaker A:When I read that, I never question for him.
Speaker A:Like, I. I never, like, oh, why didn't you?
Speaker A:Because he questioned God.
Speaker A:When he was called, you know, get my people.
Speaker A:He was like, I can't talk.
Speaker A:I murdered somebody.
Speaker B:He's 14.
Speaker A:He questioned the beginning.
Speaker B:Okay, Aaron.
Speaker B:Aaron will speak for you.
Speaker B:Like, God's negotiating with him.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But he never questioned at all.
Speaker B:He does not want the job.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And you know what?
Speaker A:When you think about it, I. I can't blame Moses.
Speaker A:I mean, you're.
Speaker A:You're in a peaceful place.
Speaker A:You're in your 80s.
Speaker A:Like, why you want to travel all over again to see your brother after your brother's family tried to kill your family in the first time?
Speaker A:That's how you got to the palace the second time.
Speaker A:Then you understood what the people were going through.
Speaker A:You killed somebody, got scared.
Speaker A:I would question, too.
Speaker B:People think ministry is easy.
Speaker B:Should read that story.
Speaker B:The call of God is not always easy.
Speaker A:Right, Right.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's very fascinating.
Speaker A:I never.
Speaker A:When I think about that, that particular time, I never questioned or never had thoughts about why he didn't question the end, even though he questioned the beginning.
Speaker A:But probably by that time, he He.
Speaker A:His relationship with God grew.
Speaker A:What.
Speaker A:What's the point of questioning that with.
Speaker B:God on Mount Sinai?
Speaker B: Exodus: Speaker B:Not a whole lot of questions to ask.
Speaker B:If you can know God.
Speaker B:Think about that.
Speaker B:Show me your glory.
Speaker B:God hides you in a rock and he passes by and he sees the backside of God.
Speaker B:Yeah, not a lot of questions I would have at that point.
Speaker A:No, I wouldn't either.
Speaker A:I mean, what.
Speaker A:What can anybody say when you literally see the face of God?
Speaker A:Not too many people can see that.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Especially at that point, supposedly, you know, to see his face, we would.
Speaker A:We wouldn't be healthy.
Speaker A:It's supposed to be strong.
Speaker A:It's supposed to be boom.
Speaker A:Is supposed to be hot.
Speaker A:It's supposed to be everything that our bodies can't.
Speaker A:Are not designed for.
Speaker A:So, yeah, that.
Speaker A:That's powerful.
Speaker A:That's powerful in many ways.
Speaker B:So that's what it means a lot of things.
Speaker B:Discern time spiritually, what God is doing, what's going on in the world around me, what's God doing to me, what season am I in.
Speaker B:Yeah, all of those things.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And it really speaks about what.
Speaker A:What.
Speaker A:What we even talked about before, like what today is what we need to be focusing on.
Speaker B:Live the day what we have.
Speaker B:Control what you can't control and leave the rest to God.
Speaker B:Yeah, everybody live by that.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Try to control what I can't control.
Speaker B:Leave the rest of God.
Speaker B:It's the only way to have any sanity in this world.
Speaker A:Listen, the.
Speaker A:The number of anxiety that's happening out.
Speaker B:There, that was going to happen, right?
Speaker B: Luke: Speaker B:People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world.
Speaker B:For the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
Speaker B:But then he said, you see these things take place.
Speaker B:Stand up, lift up your head.
Speaker B:Your redemption is drawing near.
Speaker B:Yeah, the world is terrified.
Speaker A:I got a drink on that, so take a sip of water.
Speaker A:So what the book is about Armageddon approaching.
Speaker A:Uncover the hopeful truth about end times and biblical prophecy.
Speaker A:This is a thought that I had, which, when the book comes out, it will probably be one of the first Armageddon.
Speaker A:But books that I probably end up picking up and reading.
Speaker A:And I say that because of the different point of view of it.
Speaker A:And with this.
Speaker A:This was my thought after I finished the preview of it.
Speaker A:And I said, with what?
Speaker A:With what I read.
Speaker A:And I said, the rapture brings anxiety and peace at the same time.
Speaker A:And to prepare, the message is to read the Word.
Speaker A:Now, this is for baby Christians.
Speaker A:It's funny because I'm gonna stop right here before I'm gonna.
Speaker A:I'm gonna talk a little bit, give you.
Speaker A:Give you some time to rest, to talk.
Speaker A:The other day, it was so funny because the other day, because I was gonna ask a question for the baby Christians out there, and I remember I was sitting in the car with my daughter.
Speaker A:A thought came to my mind.
Speaker A:And, you know, this is me just trying to measure my growth at that point with me and my relationship with the Lord.
Speaker A:You know, we always talk about, you know, being a baby, drinking milk, you know, before you eat food, you know, those.
Speaker A:There's sermons.
Speaker A:And it was a thought.
Speaker A:And I said out loud with my daughter in the car, and I said, you know, I think I'm a. I'm a baby Christian.
Speaker A:And my daughter's eyes were big, and my daughter was like, well, if you're a baby, then I'm in the womb, so.
Speaker A:And so then I looked at my daughter, and I was like, okay, okay, I'll graduate to a dollar just so you can be out for a little bit.
Speaker A:But for the baby Christians out there, after reading this, you know, we always tell people, read the Word.
Speaker A:Read the Word.
Speaker A:You know, that's.
Speaker A:That's what you need to have a relationship with.
Speaker A:With Christ.
Speaker A:But I find when we.
Speaker A:I find when the message to read the Word, there are those who are having difficulty just even beginning to read the Word in the first place.
Speaker A:For those who find this difficult, like what baby steps or bait or maybe even womb steps, you know, after what my daughter can.
Speaker A:Can they do today?
Speaker B:Look at the Bible like a mountain range of peaks and valleys.
Speaker B:You pick out the mountain peaks, the big stories, and read those first.
Speaker B:Like the creation story, where we all start from.
Speaker B:And don't sit there and analyze it and try to study it, just read it.
Speaker B:Read the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20.
Speaker B:Those are important.
Speaker B:Read the 23rd Psalm.
Speaker B:Read the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus, Matthew 5, 6, 7.
Speaker B:That's the greatest composite of his teachings.
Speaker B:Read First Corinthians 13, the love chapter, or Hebrews 11, the faith chapter.
Speaker B:Pick out the mountain peaks.
Speaker B:Read those first.
Speaker B:Then go back and read some of the really big stories that everybody knows, like Joan and the whale.
Speaker B:That's a great story.
Speaker B:Or David killing Goliath.
Speaker B:That's a great story of victory.
Speaker B:Or Abraham's vision and calling in Genesis, or even when he took his son to Moriah.
Speaker B:Genesis 22, about how God provided the story of Joseph in prison is a Great little story to read.
Speaker B:I'd go back and pick out the.
Speaker B:The highlights, the mountain peaks, and read those first.
Speaker B:When I was a little boy, my mother had a children's Bible.
Speaker B:And I do remember sometimes you like reading to me.
Speaker B:I remember.
Speaker B:I have these memories of, you know, night, sitting there with my pajamas on.
Speaker B:This children's Bible, it's got a.
Speaker B:On one side, it's got a picture.
Speaker B:It's kind of an older book, I guess, been around for a while.
Speaker B:Like a.
Speaker B:It was a painting of some of these stories like David and Goliath.
Speaker B:And then there's a short version of that story written on this page.
Speaker B:Kind of big letters, right.
Speaker B:It didn't look like a kid's Bible, like a cartoon.
Speaker B:It looked more like a adult Bible.
Speaker B:It was real simple.
Speaker B:It's one page story.
Speaker B:I think that every Christian should get a children's Bible and read it first with the big stories in it, with a picture and a simple synopsis of the story to understand the store, the big store, the mountain peaks.
Speaker B:Don't trudge through the valley of every line and every word because the books are written at different times with different points and different focus.
Speaker B:And later you kind of understand, okay, from reading Leviticus, that's a little different than the Psalms, you know.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Leviticus is a pre.
Speaker B:A book for the priest to try to do their ministry of the people.
Speaker B:It's got all kind of weird details in it.
Speaker B:The Psalms, well, those are songs they sang.
Speaker B:It's important I know what type of book it is, and people can get to that and read like a little introduction to.
Speaker B:Before you read a book in the Bible, read the little introduction in the front of it to know who these people were and kind of when it was written and what's going on.
Speaker B:People are lost because they just.
Speaker B:They get thrown into ninth grade algebra and they're in first grade.
Speaker B:Ninth grade algebra was traumatic for me.
Speaker B:So, you know, we got to start with one plus one equals two and how to make the plus sign and the minus sign.
Speaker B:You got to start with the basics.
Speaker B:And people are lost in the Bible because they're trying to absorb everything at once.
Speaker B:The Bible's not a complicated book, but it moves through history, moves through time, and people need to get the.
Speaker B:The main points first, the big stories first.
Speaker B:Knowledge moves from general to specific.
Speaker B:The further we go in education, things get more and more specific.
Speaker B:Like in psychology, you take psych 101.
Speaker B:Then you take personality theory, behavioral statistics.
Speaker B:In any discipline, you start with the general overview of the subject.
Speaker B:So I would tell people, just get a general understanding of the book, how the book's laid out, the Bible, the books of the Bible, and then look at the mountain peaks, the big stories, and read those first.
Speaker B:Just read the story and don't read everything around it.
Speaker B:Just read that one story right now.
Speaker B:In my devotions every morning, I take one chapter randomly in each book and I have.
Speaker B:I just pick one from Genesis and I got so much out of it.
Speaker B:And then I read one in Exodus randomly.
Speaker B:And so that's another way to read is.
Speaker B:And this.
Speaker B:I had a thought when you were talking about my book Apocalypse for you.
Speaker B:If you start.
Speaker B:If you're reading chapter one, you think, I've had enough, just stop reading it.
Speaker B:Go to chapter two.
Speaker B:Always read the opening of every chapter because it has more excitement than anything.
Speaker B:Most people never finish a book.
Speaker B:So I, I may read a book or just look at the chapters to think.
Speaker B:I think I want to read about that one.
Speaker B:Don't read it, Leonard, in a linear way.
Speaker B:And don't read the Bible in a linear way.
Speaker B:You, you can go back to that.
Speaker B:Go back and think about what you're interested in and you connect with.
Speaker A:That is a very good one.
Speaker A:And I.
Speaker A:That, that's very good.
Speaker A:It's interesting because I'm reading a completely different book with a Bible study group and you know, you.
Speaker A:1, 2, 3.
Speaker A:And I got to a point in the book where it just didn't speak to me like, but it spoke to somebody else.
Speaker A:But we're in different spaces at that time.
Speaker A:And so that's a very good point.
Speaker A:As far as, you know, don't be so linear.
Speaker B:Once we get frustrated and disinterested, then we stop.
Speaker B:Yeah, you're interested in, in any kind of book, but especially the word of God.
Speaker B:Get out of that one.
Speaker B:That's fine.
Speaker B:Go read these big stories first.
Speaker B:You gotta keep reading those ones you like.
Speaker B:Keep reading those.
Speaker B:God will speak through that.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:When you say a children's book, I'm trying to remember because I bought for my daughter.
Speaker A:That was really good.
Speaker A:Oh, the action Bible.
Speaker A:I had to remind myself that was a good one for.
Speaker A:As a recommendation as a child.
Speaker A:Children's book for adult to read.
Speaker A:The action Bible is a really good one because of the pictures.
Speaker B:Getting a children's Bible, not a book for adults, a book for children.
Speaker B:Jesus said Matthew 18:3, unless you repent or change and become like little children, you'll never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Speaker B:You got to access the Bible as a child because that's what we are as a child.
Speaker B:Children's Bible with the big stories that.
Speaker B:Not everything, just the big stories.
Speaker B:Stories.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:The simple synopsis and go, oh, I get it.
Speaker B:I understand what the story about.
Speaker B:Then when you go back and read the full story, you kind of already know what the story is about.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:And not only that, but I am.
Speaker A:As a taller Christian, I am getting to a point where God is quite interesting in how he writes and how he speaks to us, because I'm getting to a point where I am.
Speaker A:What's.
Speaker A:What's the term?
Speaker A:Not.
Speaker A:Not just his voice, because people say his voice, but his style, I think would be a better word for it.
Speaker A:I'm beginning to understand his style.
Speaker A:Style.
Speaker A:And with his style.
Speaker A:Because with style, it encompasses everything.
Speaker A:Not only his.
Speaker A:How he speaks, but the way he speaks and the way he presents his message.
Speaker A:But I'm beginning to really understand his style to be able to discern when it's him.
Speaker A:I still kind of fall.
Speaker B:I like that concept.
Speaker B:I got to think about that myself.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Maybe Taylor's a style for us where we can understand in different ways.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:I gave you something new.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:With.
Speaker A:With the style.
Speaker A:Because it's kind of.
Speaker A:Because when I think about what I find beautiful about God is this big, powerful being, if that's even a word for him.
Speaker A:But yet he uses so little.
Speaker A:You know, he's.
Speaker A:His voice isn't bolsterous, but it's soft.
Speaker A:You know, the words that he chooses is not these big sentences.
Speaker A:They're just there, like, especially with Moses.
Speaker A:And Moses is like, who.
Speaker A:Who are you?
Speaker A:And God's like, I am.
Speaker A:That I am.
Speaker A:And I sent me like, it's very direct, simple, direct.
Speaker A:And you're like, okay.
Speaker A:I can't dispute about that.
Speaker A:You know, is how the way he approaches us is.
Speaker A:Is beautiful in itself.
Speaker B:Well, he's got to stoop down to our level.
Speaker A:Oh, man.
Speaker A:Oh, that's true.
Speaker B:That's in David's last words in 2nd Samuel 22, his final words.
Speaker B:He says he's talking about his walk.
Speaker B:He says he stooped down to make me great.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:That's amazing that David the psalmist said he got stooped down to make him great.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I was thinking of a father playing with his kids.
Speaker B:When you were talking like the father, like, you know, the.
Speaker B:The strong boys.
Speaker B:But when your kids, you just get down on the floor with them and play with the toys and the choo choo train.
Speaker B:Yeah, like that.
Speaker A:Yeah, that.
Speaker A:That's a true statement.
Speaker A:He's probably like, you're not on my.
Speaker B:Level.
Speaker A:When I speak about him.
Speaker A:Like, he's soft, he's great.
Speaker A:Be like, yeah, you're not at my level.
Speaker A:You'll get there one day.
Speaker A:One day.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:I don't get it.
Speaker B:His presence.
Speaker B:But I think you're right.
Speaker B:He does speak to us individually in ways we can understand him and relate to him.
Speaker B:There's no doubt about that.
Speaker A:Yeah, most definitely.
Speaker B:The names of God in the Old Testament, people gave to God.
Speaker B:God didn't give them.
Speaker B:He didn't the name Yahweh or Jehovah and others.
Speaker B:But, you know, Hagar called him El Royal, the God who sees me.
Speaker B:When she was out in the desert the first time and ran away from home and her little boy was.
Speaker B:They had no water, and the angel Lord appeared and speaking for God, said, God sees you, then showed her an oasis.
Speaker B:And she named God El Roy, the God who sees me.
Speaker B:And David, the Lord is my shepherd, because that was his experience.
Speaker B:He's a shepherd.
Speaker B:And so he used that to kind of.
Speaker B:For him, that was what he could conceptualize of God.
Speaker A:Yeah, he can't.
Speaker A:Well, he was.
Speaker A:He used to be a shepherd.
Speaker A:That was his very first job.
Speaker B:He could think of God in that way.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Amazing.
Speaker A:Oh, goodness.
Speaker A:I just want to take this time to thank you for just being able to reach out to me.
Speaker A:I am blessed and I am grateful for the time that we have had.
Speaker A:You have given me, me personally, you have given me.
Speaker A:You have contributed to my growth there.
Speaker A:After this is over, I am going to be sitting in our conversation for some time because that's who I am as a person.
Speaker A:That's just who I am as a person.
Speaker A:After a movie is over, you know, when the credits roll, like, I have to sit in it, you know, to really, you know, go through what the characters went through and think about.
Speaker A:Because stories have lessons and stories reveal who we are as people and where in our environment that we're living in.
Speaker A:And so I am very grateful for what you have given me today.
Speaker A:And I just want to let you know that our conversation, I. I greatly enjoyed.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:So did I.
Speaker B:It's enriched my life.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:Keep that smile.
Speaker A:Oh, thank you.
Speaker B:Enjoy the day, right?
Speaker B:Live the day.
Speaker B:Enjoy it.
Speaker A:Yes, yes.
Speaker A:I mean, this time, what I mean, talking about the natural and the spiritual, this time that we have here on Earth is very short and sweet.
Speaker A:And one thing that is.
Speaker A:That does speak about in Revelation is what we want, will, and won't remember, and that is we will remember the good things.
Speaker A:Which is, which is really the goal, part of the goal and being with our Father.
Speaker A:And so to be able to enjoy this blessed time that God gives us and to be able to see him and to remember these beautiful moments.
Speaker A:It.
Speaker A:It's sad that there are those who are walking on earth who are not able to seize that opportunity to be able to take in just the little things that, that God gives us.
Speaker B:I've enjoyed the time.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So one more time I'm gonna say the title for those.
Speaker A:It will be now you can pre order on Amazon today.
Speaker A:When will it be out?
Speaker A:I don't remember seeing a date.
Speaker B:About a week from now.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:It's also on audio book on audio, on Apple and music and so forth.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Oh, okay.
Speaker A:So there is no excuse I could be going to work and listening to a good chapter.
Speaker B:Some sophisticated actor, I think read it.
Speaker B:But that's my understanding.
Speaker B:We have an audiobook, so listen to it.
Speaker A:Oh, nice.
Speaker A:So Armageddon approaching.
Speaker A:Uncover the hopeful truth about end times Biblical prophecy.
Speaker A:And I think this is a beautiful read.
Speaker A:And I say that because as what we talked about today, today this is the only thing that, that, that we have that God has given us.
Speaker A:And it's an opportunity for us to be able to fulfill the purpose that God has sets for us.
Speaker A:So, and, and then who?
Speaker A:As, as, as scary as it sounds, really what God.
Speaker A:All God wants us is to be with them.
Speaker A:When you think about it, in the end, that 66 book, all he wants to do is spend time with him.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And so we got to get as many people.
Speaker A:Because God wants to spend time with you too.
Speaker B:Help as many as we can.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Because it's going to be awesome.
Speaker A:I don't know what we're going to be doing up there, but you know, if anything, I don't know what we're going to be doing.
Speaker A:But I would love to eat as much cake as I want, eat as much pie as I want Mac and cheese, you know, go to the lake and you know, get some fish with Jesus, you know, wouldn't that be cool?
Speaker A:Be just like, yeah, I'm gonna go fishing and be like, let me get my pole, I'm coming too.
Speaker B:I'm gonna eat varsity onion rings and coconut cake every day.
Speaker A:I'm gonna pray that for you.
Speaker A:Because that sounds good too.
Speaker B:It's incredible.
Speaker A:I gotta be like, yo, I'm going over to David's place and be like, David the king.
Speaker A:No, no, I'll see him next week.
Speaker A:I'm gonna go to the other day, then I'm gonna go to his place.
Speaker A:He's got some good food over there.
Speaker B:He'll be eating Mediterranean food, which I don't.
Speaker A:That's not your thing?
Speaker A:You bring your own plate when you go over?
Speaker B:Way better down here.
Speaker A:You said, we eat better down here.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:I was traveling somewhere up north somewhere.
Speaker B:They said, well, y' all have that Southern hospitality.
Speaker B:I said, is that true?
Speaker B:They said, absolutely.
Speaker B:Y' all have the best food.
Speaker B:So I figured maybe they're right about it.
Speaker B:Maybe we do.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:I hope one day to try Mediterranean food here on Earth, but if not, I'll have that moment in heaven.
Speaker B:Be like David and Greece.
Speaker B:You can have all of it you want.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:I'd be like David, the other David said, And just watch you guys battle it out.
Speaker B:My thing too much, you know?
Speaker A:We're gonna be having some serious fun.
Speaker B:We are.
Speaker B:Heaven's real.
Speaker A:Heaven is real.
Speaker A:Heaven is real.
Speaker A:All right, guys.
Speaker A:Until next time.
Speaker A:Later.
