What's Next for America? | Pastor Mark Finley

Millions throughout the United States believe that it was only by the grace of God that former president Trump was protected he had just turned his head seconds before the shots were fired and so there are millions that are thanking God that he was not assassinated now the question is how do we respond to all this as Christians and what does this mean in the light of Bible prophecy does it have any significance whatsoever in Prophecy the first thing I want to notice is this that as Christians we condemn all forms of violence whatever side of

the political aisle we are on and here on Hope lives 365 we're not political pundits we're not news commentators you we commentate on the news if indeed it has a relationship to Bible prophecy but that that's not our primary purpose he here on Hope lives 365 when we see news events We compare them to Bible prophecy but first of all we're Christians we're committed to Christ and so when an event like this happens our hearts are filled with compassion we care for people we care for people deeply and when people suffer senseless needless violence and

brutality our hearts are pained secondly when we see something like this we certainly pray we pray for those who have been injured we pray for their families now as I reflected on this vicious assassination attempt that stunned the nation I thought about violence in our society where are we in society does this have any relationship to Bible prophecy now if the assassination of President Trump was an isolated instant my thoughts would be considerably different I mean think about it there have been attempted assassinations and assassinations of our presidents in the past for decades centuries Abraham

Lincoln was assassinated by John wil's Booth when Lincoln was attending a theater in and a play production in Washington DC then you think about the fact that John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas shot as he rode in his open air limousine we think about the fact that his brother as well Robert Kennedy was assassinated you think about the assassination of the attempted assassination fortunately he survived on Ronald Reagan so throughout American history there have been assassinations American Presidents there have been assassinations of politicians there have been attempted assassinations multiple times in history but here's

what makes this different here's what gives us a much larger picture here it's part of a pattern shootings gun violence senseless killings mass murders have become prevalent in our society you say Mark what do you mean by that look in the first six months of 2024 we have had get this now we've had 261 mass shootings that's one for every single day what is a mass shooting a mass shooting is defined by the FBI as a shooting in at least when at least four people were shot or wounded or killed now does Bible prophecy have

anything to say about this where are we in the Stream of time Matthew chapter 24 and here in Matthew chapter 24 Jesus give signs of his soon coming you'll remember that Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives and as he sat there he looked across the kiddan valley and he saw the light gleaming off the temple at Jerusalem and Jesus said not one stone is going to be left upon another in that Temple he was speaking about the cataclysmic destruction of the temple and speaking about the fact that Titus and the Roman armies would

come down destroy devastate Jerusalem his disciples thought that he might be speaking about the end of the world because an event as cataclysmic destruction of the temple must be the end in their thinking Jesus mely Blended two events he talked about the destruction of Jerusalem but he talked about signs that will be on a much larger grander scale before his coming and so Jesus said take heed Matthew 24 verse4 take heed no one deceives you man didn't come in my name saying I'm Christ he talks about there will be Wars rumors of wars earthquakes fires

floods but what I want you to see is come down to verse 12 Matthew 24:12 because lawlessness will abound the love of many will wax cold but he who endures to the end shall be saved notice what it says lawlessness lawlessness would abound what does the word abound mean abound means Leap Forward abound means something that indeed is prevalent abound is something that is an epidemic all through Society listen to this amazing statement by Ellen White Ministry of healing page 1042 Ellen White puts it this way we are living in the midst of an epidemic

of crime if that statement ever were true before it's true today at which thought F God-fearing men and women stand aast that statement was exactly fulfilled in what we see happen on Saturday night July 13 I when I read the statement could it be any clearer the indifference to human suffering when Matthew KRS was up there he didn't care who he shot it says the brutal fish destruction of human life he didn't care he's killing innocent people in fact Jesus in that passage in Matthew chapter 24 Likens our time to the time of Noah you

find it in Matthew chapter 24 verse 27 where scripture puts it this way but as the days of Noah were so also will the coming of s the son of man be but as the days of Noah were so also will the coming of the son of man be what was it like in the days of Noah you go back to Genesis 6 what a description of our day if God destroyed the world with a flood in the days of Noah because of its corruption and violence could it be that the handwriting is on the

wall could it be like in Daniel's day where the handwriting wrote Thou Art weighed in the balances and found wanting God has numbered thy kingdom and finished it could it be that soon Jesus will say that the accumulated figures of sin have reached a certain level and it's time time its closing time what was it like in the days of Noah Genesis chapter 6 verse 5 then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was evil Contin continually what is it

that goes through the mind of a mass killer that enables him to be so brutal to have to commit such senseless violence now listen verse 11 this is the days of Noah the Earth was corrupt before God and the Earth was filled with violence are we living in a violent society today is the earth once again filled with violence I am not talking about an isolated assassination attempt as horrible as horrific as Despicable as that is but I'm talking about a pattern a pattern of violence I'm talking about senseless killings I'm talking about brutality in

this Society in an amazing statement in the ninth volume of the testimonies page 11 Ellen White says men possessed with demons are taking the lives of men women and little children men have become infatuated with Vice and every species of evil prevails men possessed with demons are walking our land how is it that the devil prepares for this demon possession how is it that the devil desensitizes us without at times are even knowing it to evil and to brutality how could it be for example that Paul's prediction to Young Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 3

and verse one would be fulfilled H H how might this happen notice 2 Timothy 3:1 says but know this in the last days perilous time will come in the last days what kind of times will come perilous other translations say on the last days dangerous times will come how does the devil condition the mind to create senseless murder and dehumanization of peoples I'm going to suggest to you this morning today tonight whatever you're watching this I'm going to suggest to you that there's a reason for this and this is what the devil's doing the devil

is desensitizing us to human value and human worth through mass media through social media through mass media with games for our kids with uh mass killings on TV the average American child has already seen 14,000 murders on television the average kid today teenager saturating their mind with violent games you say oh that doesn't make a difference that doesn't impact people let me share with you a couple studies okay on Friday July 22 in 2016 a gunman kills nine people in a mall in Munich Germany I'm reading from the news report the 18-year-old shooter was subsequently

characterized by the media as being under psychiatric care and harboring at least two obsessions so this kid who kills them in the mall in Germany has two obsessions what are they one was an obsession with mass shootings in including that of Andre brieing who ultimately killed 77 people in Norway in 2011 and another was an obsession with video games so this kid has this obsession with video games look Los Angeles California news report stated that the gunman was an avid player of firstperson shooter video games including Counter Strike while another headline from CNN declared Munich

gunman a fan of violent video games Rampage Rampage Killers had planned attack for a year now this high-profile incident was hardly the first link to popular culture and violent crime notably in the aftermath of the 1999 cabine shooting media sources implicated and leader and later said that music video games and and Gothic aspect may maybe they're they're cause factors look other recent instances have echoed that certain similar CLA claims that popular culture has a nefarious that's an evil influence on its consumers what does Scripture say in 2 Corinthians chapter 3:18 by beholding we become changed

so parents be aware of what your kids are watching you say Well they're not going to become masculin no they may not be but they are being desensitized to human values they are looking Inward and becoming more depressed more discouraged because of all of that now what does all of this have to do with Satan's master plan Satan wants to take control of the minds of men and women in a violent society and he's using violent media TV and movies as part of his plan to destabilize Society to create Havoc hysteria and chaos once that

happens it'll be part of a master plan why would this be part of Satan's master plan why would Satan be attempting to use violence brutality senseless killings as part of a master plan to destabilize society and bring Society into chaos why would he for example be ramping up crime in our streets and smash and grab robberies why would he be ramping up the whole idea of lawlessness in society and why would he be ramping up emphasis on drug culture and alcohol and violent what what would be behind all that is there some kind of sinister

Master strategy this scheme is part of a mind conditioning process to lead people to be so disturbed by these horrible despicable crimes and violence in our society that this is what happens they fall for a counter religious revival they put pressure on their legislators to reign in this violence what's this going to lead to when Society is falling apart when there's chaos throughout Society it will lead to a false religious revival which will lead to this pendum to swing the other way to a totalitarian authoritarian law in order society and don't we hear that cry

today a cry to return to law a cry for Law and Order simply because out of this confusion the devil desires a Grassroots movement to call for Law and Order that ultimately leads to the Restriction of religious Liberties and a mighty false Revival accompanied by false signs and false Miracles under the Antichrist look 2 Thessalonians chap 2: 8 to10 2 Thessalonians chap 2 verse 8 to 10 notice what we read here about the devil's strategy in the last days of Earth's history 2 Thessalonians 2 we're looking there at verses 8 to 10 what is the

devil's strategy verse we're going to start with verse seven for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work the mystery of lawlessness what does the devil do he tries to create lawlessness he disobeyed God in Heaven he led Adam and Eve to disobey he creates this lawlessness all through Society this corruption this brutality for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work verse eight and then the Lawless one see he is the one that Ste stabilizes he is the one that creates Rebellion against law and the Lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord shall

consume with the breath of his mouth destroy with the brightness of his coming the coming of the what Lawless one verse 9 is according to the working of Satan this the Antichrist with all power signs and lying wonders with all unrighteous deception among those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved for this reason God's going to send them a strong delusion that they should believe a lie let's unpack that the Lawless one destabilizes Society there's chaos and confusion everywhere in soci Society Satan begins to work

what did it say in 2 Thessalonians 2 false signs false wonders those that did not receive the love of the truth are are taken in they receive this false they are deluded and as they are deluded what do they do they say we need a common day of rest and worship and this common day of rest and worship comes from where from the people look here is a statement in the book great controversy by Ellen White you find it there in great controversy page 592 political corruption is destroying love and Justice and regard for truth

and even in free America rulers and legislators in order to secure public favor will yield to the popular demand for a law enforcing Sunday observance so legislators politicians it's not some dictator arises not some authoritarian right but what do these politicians do because they want votes they yield to what the popular demand why because we're in a time of chaos and we need to get back to Law and Order for a law enforcing Sunday observance I continue to read Liberty of conscience which has caused so great a sacrifice will no longer be respected in the

soon coming conflict we shall see exemplified the prophet's words in Ellen White quotes Revelation 12:17 the dragon was wroth with the woman and when to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the Commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ where are we in the Stream of time as we look out over our world we see unprecedented natural disasters we see typhoon tornado Cyclone hurricane flood as we look out over our world we see instability among nations the Middle East Africa Europe as we look out over our world what do

we see we see an economies of the world they're on a slender thread but when we look out over our world in the light of this assassination attempt that thank God did not succeed on former president Trump what do we see we see a pattern of brutality we see a pattern of violence we see a pattern in Media today and when you look at media and I hope you don't look at it very much what do you see you see brutality in video games you see violence in video games you see brutality on television you

see brutality in the media and you combine that with the media's emphasis Hollywood's emphasis and I speak straightly to you you combine that with Hollywood's emphasis on spiritualism and what's going to happen according to prophecy there will be a total absolute reaction against all of this and the Pendulum will swing from Ultra liberalism to ultra conservatism it will swing from the left to the right legislators will yield to the people's desire for Law and Order in society and as the result of that will force a decree for a common day of rest In Worship where

people can rest it'll be a family day as proposed where do we stand at all this what is God's call to your heart and mind if there ever was a time that our hearts must be anchored in Christ it is today when Jesus concludes his sermon on Last Day Events he says he speaks in Luke 21:25 he speaks about on Earth distress of Nations then he says in verse 26 of Luke 21 men's Hearts will be failing them for fear in the expectation of those things that are coming on the earth what is it that

drives them what is it that motivates them what is it that impresses the average person their heart is failing with fear so they put pressure on the legislators to do something about it to bring Law and Order back to our society but what does Scripture say then they will see the son of man coming in the clouds with power and great Glory verse 28 when these things begin to happen look up lift up your heads your Redemption draws nigh when these things do what begin to happen if there ever was a time that our hearts

ought to be right with God it's now if there ever was a time that we should sing deep within our soul nothing between my soul and my savior not of this world's elusive dream nothing preventing the least of his favor keep the way clear nothing between is there something between your heart and your savior this is a time that God is leading us to repentance this is a time that God is leading us to confession this is a time that God is leading us with brokenheartedness to know Christ not in some superficial way but deeply

know Christ and have him in shrined in the Throne of our hearts if there ever was a time to tell the story it's today if there ever was a time to share a piece of literature to share a book to give a Bible study if there ever was a time to be involved in Mission and soul winning we're living on the verge of the kingdom and that time is today would you like to commit your life to Jesus once again and commit your life to the thing that really matters preparing for the coming of Christ

somebody said the two most important days in your life are the day that you were born and the day you discover why you were born you were born for a purpose at this moment in Earth's history to be a powerful witness for Christ in this generation would you like to make that decision right now dear Lord we praise you and we thank you for the opportunity to know truth to understand Bible prophecy and to prepare for what's coming upon the world as an overwhelming surprise oh my father we commit Our Lives to you may there

be nothing between us and our savior fill our hearts with your love and with a commitment to share your grace with the world in Jesus name amen