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We're in chapter 9 and as I was saying before, chapter 6, 7, and 8 were kind of a couple or group of chapters dealing with the old man and new man. Well now we get into chapter 9, 10, and 11 and these chapters are also a group of chapters that really you want to look at together. And these chapters are dealing with the physical nation of Israel and what Paul's thoughts are toward them and what people are thinking about that physical seed of Israel and what the Bible teaches about that from Genesis to Revelation. And so what we'll see is a lot of as it is written, as it is written about this and it's a great three chapters that really give us a lot of information as far as who's really Israel and is it just those that are Jews, is it just those that are physically descending from Abraham. But these chapters, especially chapter 9 and chapter 11 are two chapters that both the Calvinists take way out of context and pull out a lot of weird doctrines but also the Zionists which is kind of hilarious to me because these chapters completely destroy Zionism but when you're a Zionist apparently even the chapters that would be completely against you somehow they turn on its head to be the other way around. Maybe he used chapter 11 to prove some kind of doctrine that God's going to somehow miraculously save all the Jews in the end times. So we'll get to chapter 11, we're not going to touch that today. But know this, before you get to chapter 11 you've got to read chapter 9. That's usually how you read books is you read in order, you don't just jump up to chapter 11. So when you read chapter 9 and then go into chapter 11 you're going to know what they're talking about. You're going to know already what he's talking about when he says always or shall be saved. And we'll get into that in chapter 11. But first we're going to cover this. So it starts off in verse 1 through 5 here is that Paul's basically given his heart. He's saying that he has this heaviness in his heart and it says, and I'll just read it here, it says, I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. Now why does he have this heaviness? Now heaviness is kind of like depression, you know, we think of heavy or depressing something. Heaviness and sorrow in his heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. Now that's a strong statement. Wishing yourself accursed from Christ for his brethren. Basically it's almost, and Moses said this too, blot me out of thy book. Remember Moses kind of said the same thing when he was dealing with his people back then when God wanted to destroy them, all right there when they made that golden calf, and he's basically just saying, you know, almost to the fact of let me go to hell, let them all go to heaven. That's strong. That's a lot of compassion for your kinsmen, right? And so he's saying I could wish myself were accursed. And he noticed what he says about them, and these next two verses are true statements about Israel and about that nation of Israel. It says who are Israelites? So he's talking about them concerning the flesh, those that are Israelites. So these are the physical descendants of Israel that are of the nation. It says to whom pertaineth the adoption, now notice pertaineth is not meaning they have the adoption, it means that that was given for them, pertaineth the adoption and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the law and the service of God and the promises whose are the fathers and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came who is over all God blessed forever, amen. So what he's saying here is that hey, these promises were all made to Israel. That wasn't just to Israel, but remember to the Jew first and also to the Gentile, right? Jesus came of the seed of David, and he came through the line of Israel. And so that's what he's saying here is that all these promises were made to this nation and it all pertains to them, but by and large most of them rejected. He said he came unto his own and his own received him not. And so we know that by and large Israel rejected Christ and had him killed, had him crucified, the multitudes. And I'm not getting into that, we'll get into that another day on proving that it's not just the rulers that rejected Christ, but actually all the people did as well. But what we see here is that Paul, his desire, why does he have heaviness? Because they're not saved. Notice in chapter 10 verse 1, right after we get after this chapter, the next verse it says, brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. So why is his heart heavy? Why is he in heaviness and he's in continual sorrow in the heart? Because his brethren, according to the flesh, are not saved. Think about family members. You have family that's not saved. You can have continual heart and heaviness that continual sorrow in your heart that they're not saved. So he doesn't say, you know, well, they're saved anyway, they're all going to heaven because they're out of the seed of Abraham. Actually he's going to prove quite the opposite of that in the next breath. So notice here that the Jews don't just get a free pass because of their lineage. I don't care what John Hagee says. I don't care that John Hagee thinks that they don't need to hear the gospel. You know, we get accused, since we're not Zionists, that first of all we're anti-Semites. We covered that the last time I was talking about that, on how that's a stupid thing to call somebody. But we get labeled as that and that we hate the Jews. You know, the person that hates the Jews is the one that says, don't give them the gospel. Because the Jews, just like everybody else, if they reject Christ, will go to hell. And that's Paul's desire. His heart's desire is that they might be saved. That they would believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And so Paul wasn't saying they don't need the gospel. He was one of them. And he was, obviously he got saved. But notice as we go on here, so notice that, you know, we're starting off with the fact that he's really depressed because Israel's not saved. Because Israel is in darkness. Because Israel's stumbling at that stumbling stone. And his heart's desire is that they be saved. Remember, he kept washing his hands. He's like, I'm done with you guys. They kept stoning him. They kept trying to kill him. And they kept coming after him. And he's like, I'm done with you guys. We went to the Gentiles. And then he'd be like in the synagogue the next day. You know, it's like he couldn't, he was like a, you know, he just couldn't get away from it. He just wanted them to get saved. And so he had a great compassion for them. But his compassion was that they're lost and they need to get saved. And so Paul actually loved the Jews. People like John Hagee and all these Zionists, they actually hate the Jews. Those are the people that hate them. The person, if you're going to let someone die and go to hell, then you can't tell me you love them. If you're going to willingly just, you know, not give them a chance to at least hear the gospel and get saved. So the loving person, though it may not seem that way on the outward appearance when you're telling them they're going to go to hell, that's the loving person. That's the compassionate person. That's the person that's willing to lose friendships and willing to get people to hate them in order to try to save some. And isn't that exactly what it says in Romans chapter 11? I don't want to get into, I don't want to steal my thunder in Romans chapter 11. But that's exactly what Paul's talking about. That he's wanting to provoke them to jealousy that they would, that he might save some of them. So, but as we go here, we see in verse six, and actually, you know, the very end of this chapter really ties in with the beginning of the chapter. So in verse 30, so we're going to kind of jump down to the end of the chapter here because he's kind of answering what he's saying. Why does he have continual sorrow in his heart? Well it says, what shall we say then that the Gentiles, now this isn't a question, he's making a statement that the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. So he's saying, the Gentiles, which didn't have the laws, the promises, or anything like that, they have attained unto the righteousness of God because they sought it out by faith and not by works. It says in verse 31, but Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness, wherefore, because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law, for they stumbled at that stumbling stone. So he's making a point here saying, hey, the Gentiles didn't have all these promises, they didn't have all this stuff, they didn't grow up with it, but they put their faith, by and large, you're looking at Gentiles, by and large, they were believing, they were accepting this. By and large, the Jews weren't, and they were stumbling at the stumbling stone of the fact that they had to do good works to go to heaven. And so that's what we see in mainstream Christianity. It's just like Israel back then, where most people are stumbling at that stumbling stone, and as it goes on it says, as it is written, behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense, and whosoever believes on him shall not be ashamed. So we see that's back in Isaiah, basically saying that you need to believe on him, and he that believes on him shall not be ashamed. And so this is throughout the Bible, 1 Peter talks about this as well, I don't have it written down, but it talks about, unto you therefore which believe he is precious, but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, and it goes on and basically it's the same story, is that you believe, you're saved, if you don't believe you're stumbling at that stumbling stone. And so, but Isaiah talks about this stumbling stone, this rock of offense. So we see in Isaiah chapter 8, if you want to turn to this stumbling stone that we see here, and this is talked about throughout the Bible, this chief cornerstone, this stumbling stone, which is Christ. I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, right? But Isaiah chapter 8 and verse 13, the Bible reads, sanctify the Lord of hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread, and he shall be for a sanctuary, but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a jinn, and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and many among them shall stumble and fall and be broken and be snared and be taken. Isn't this exactly what we're talking about with Israel? And go to Isaiah chapter 28. This is where the exact quote is that we read in Romans 9, 33. Isaiah 28 and verse 16, it says, therefore, thus saith the Lord God, behold I lay in Zion for a foundation of stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation, he that believeth shall not make haste. And then in Psalm 118, if you want to turn there real quick, Psalm 118, I just want you to see these passages in the Old Testament, but this is something that's been prophesied for a long time, and Jesus mentions it too. We'll see that in Matthew chapter 21, and Matthew 21 I think really gives us what we're talking about, and Romans chapter 9 through 11, what we're dealing with, notice this stumbling stone keeps coming up, and so in Psalm 118 and verse 22, this is something Jesus is going to quote. It says, the stone which the builders refused has become the head of the corner. This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Now I'll turn to Matthew 21. I know we're kind of going through a lot of scriptures here, but I've got a lot of stuff I want to show you in this chapter. This chapter is packed with a lot of information, and there's a lot of different things I want to try to cover, but the first thing to notice is that how is this chapter starting off? This chapter is starting off with the fact that he's talking to the physical nation of Israel, and he's talking about them saying, they're not the children of God. They need to get saved. I'm in sorrow of heart. I'm in heaviness because they're not saved, because they're stumbling at the stumbling stone, and notice what it says in Matthew 21. This is after he gives this whole parable that is about them. Notice in verse 42, so Matthew 21 and verse 42, it says, Jesus saith unto them, did you never read in the scriptures the stone which the builders rejected, the same as become the head of the corner? This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof, and whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him the powder, and when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them, but when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude because they took him for a profit. So we see here that he is preaching against them, and this is something that if you read from Matthew 20 on, as we go on, he's basically getting parable after parable after parable how Israel is done as a nation and is going to another nation, meaning the spiritual Israel, the nation of all believers, the holy nation, and so that's what these chapters are talking about and what's interesting is that all this stuff is talking about is dealing with nations. That's what we'll see as we go down this line is we're dealing with nations, and we'll see that with Jacob and Esau, we'll see that with the potter and the clay and the vessels, we'll see that when you get to the branches in chapter 11 that we're dealing with the nation of Israel and the Gentiles and dealing with this basically from the old covenant to the new covenant, what's the big difference? The fact that the physical nation of Israel doesn't mean anything now. It's been taken away from them. The kingdom of God has been taken away from them, giving forth the nation, bringing forth the fruits thereof, and that nation is made up of Jews and Gentiles. It's made up of all believers, and it doesn't matter who you are, and so that's what we're dealing with here, and so as we go on, what we'll see in verse 6 here is that we're dealing with the spiritual Israel versus the physical Israel, and what we'll see in verse 6 is that there's a clear distinction that there's two different Israels. There's no way to get around this, that when you read this verse that there's two different Israels. Notice what it says in verse 6, it says, Not as the word of God hath taken none effect, for they are not all Israel which are of Israel. So the only way to understand that is that those two Israels aren't the same, right? That those two Israels are two different types of Israels, and what you'll notice is that it's talking about a physical Israel, that all Israel, they are not all Israel. Now, you can insert there that they are not all spiritual Israel which are of Israel, meaning that spiritual Israel is not just made up of those that are of Israel, does that make sense? And actually, it's only the remnants of those people that are actually in, truly in Israel, and we already covered one, when we were talking about Nathaniel, remember Jesus said, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. So we know that Jesus made a distinction between everybody that was Israelites and someone that was an Israelite indeed. And so, what we'll see is verse 7 here, it says, Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children. But in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, at this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. So now it's basically given this dichotomy of the flesh and the spirit, right? And go to Galatians chapter 4, Galatians chapter 4, so we know that those that are the seed of Abraham, these are not the children of God. These are not the children of God. Do you see that? Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children, it says, that is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God. I don't understand how people don't understand this. That's kind of hard to wrap around what I just said, but you have all these teachers that want to teach all the Zionist garbage on how God's not done with the Jews. Yeah, God's not done with the Jews if they get saved. You know, I'm not against the Jews, I'm not against any race or any creed or anything like that, but I am against enemies of the Gospel. You know, I'm not for a false religion like Judaism, which is a wicked anti-Christ religion, and so I am not a Judeo-Christian. Mark that down, I am not a Judeo-Christian. I don't want anything to do with that wicked religion of Judaism. And Judaism, what it is today, is just the Pharisees' religion personified. Basically what the Pharisees, what they taught, they basically just kept going with it. What did Jesus say about their traditions and their religion? So why would I want to be anything associated with that Christ-rejecting religion that teaches that Jesus is in Hell in hot excrement and how they blaspheme our Savior? That's another sermon for another day. But the thing is that this is basically an allegory of what we're going to see in Galatians chapter 4. So Galatians chapter 4 and verse 21, so this is, you remember Galatians and Romans are definitely very close together as far as what they're talking about. I feel like I've already taught through the book of Galatians after we get done with this, so I feel like we've hit about every chapter. But Galatians 4 and verse 21 says, Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a free woman. And he who was of the bond woman was born after the flesh, but he of the free woman was by promise, which things are an allegory. For these are the two covenants, the one from the Mount Sinai, which generate the bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answer it to Jerusalem, which now is and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem, which is above, is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice thou, barren that bearers not, break forth and cry, thou that travailest not, for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then, he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit, even so it is now, nevertheless, what set the scripture? Cast out the bond woman and her son, for the son of the bond woman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bond woman, but of the free. So there's a lot to get into with this, but basically you see the allegory of the physical nation of Israel and the spiritual. We see, well we talk about Ishmael and Isaac, right, and it's the allegory of those two. So what he's saying is that you are basically like Ishmael. So those Jews that hate all Ishmaelites, which is kind of hilarious, the Bible actually says that's who they are. They're actually children of, they're children of Agar, they're children of the flesh. They're not the children of the promise. And so that's the allegory is that the children of Israel, the physical nation of Israel are all the children of the flesh, they're not children of God, and they're under bondage in Jerusalem, which now is. But Jerusalem, which is above, is the mother of us all, all those that are saved. Remember, New Jerusalem is what we're looking for, and then we're going to be in New Jerusalem eventually, all the saved will walk in New Jerusalem. And so we see this allegory of Sarah and her son Isaac, the son of promise. And so all these things are pictured, remember everything in the Old Testament is a picture of Christ. And so we see this with Isaac, and then it goes on and it's pictured again with his children. So Abraham had Ishmael, right, through Hagar, but that was not what God planned. But then eventually had Isaac out of promise, out of, in Sarah, who was, you know, 90 years old when Abraham was 100 years old. And so it was definitely a miracle. And even at Galatians 6, 16, we talked about this, as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them and mercy upon the Israel of God. So we know that Israel, the Israel in the New Testament, or after Christ died on the cross, is talking about all believers. That's what the Israel is. So they are not all Israel, which are of Israel, because Israel, the spiritual nation of Israel is made up of all believers. And not everybody that's in Israel, that's of the nation of Israel became that seed of promise. And so we see that allegory. So this is strong, this is a strong scripture to prove that the Jews are not saved unless they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. That just because they have a lineage and they can go back in their genealogy all the way back to Abraham, all the way back to Isaac, all the way back to Jacob or whoever they want to, that doesn't mean that they're saved. That's why we're supposed to avoid endless genealogies in the New Testament. If it had anything, if it mattered, then they wouldn't say that. So, but in Romans chapter 9 again, we're going to see, so we were talking about Isaac and Ishmael, Sarah and Hagar, that allegory, remember the two covenants are an allegory. The Old Testament, New Testament. And so the Old Testament, what did that represent? The works of the law that no one could keep. Right? Isn't that what the stumbling block the Israelites have is the Old Testament? And so, but the New Testament is an allegory of grace, of mercy, of faith. So obviously everybody was saved by faith, we've already covered that. But it is an allegory of that. So Romans chapter 9 verse 10. Now this is a passage that a lot of people, a lot of Calvinists have taken out of context to say that basically God damns people from the womb to go to hell. And what we'll see with this is that that's clearly not what the Bible's teaching. So in Romans chapter 9 in verse 10 it says, and not only this, but when Rebekah also had conceived by one, even by her father Isaac, for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election, might stand not of works, but of him that calleth. It was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger, as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. So now what they'll say is, well, when they were in the womb he hated Esau. But you've got to go back to where this is actually talked about. So it's quoting the Old Testament. Actually two places in the Old Testament. First we'll go back to Malachi where it talks about Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. But then it's also going back to when these children were born in Genesis. So go to Malachi chapter 1, and I know we're going through a lot of Bible, but there's a lot of information in this chapter, and I want to try to get through as much as I can. So try to stay with me. I know there's a lot, but there's a lot. This chapter is a packed chapter. So Malachi chapter 1, and we'll start there in verse 2. I have loved you, saith the Lord, yet ye say, wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother, saith the Lord? Yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. So people would probably just stop there, but keep going. Whereas Edom, that's another name for Esau, saith, we are impoverished, but we will return and build to desolate places, thus saith the Lord of hosts, they shall build, but I will throw down, and they shall call them the border of wickedness, and the people against whom the Lord hath indignation forever. And your eyes shall see, and you shall say, the Lord will be magnified from the border of Israel. So notice he's talking about the people, not just Esau, he's talking about the people. And so eventually I'm going to show you this allegory, not in this sermon, but if you read Obadiah, there's an allegory of the children of Israel and the children of Edom, which are the two brothers, Jacob and Esau, and there is an allegory between them as far as the children of God and the children of the devil. Because remember, God hates those that are reprobate, right? And so there is an allegory there, but Esau I believe was a saved man. If you just want my personal belief on what Esau was, I believe Ishmael was saved. So just because they're an allegory of something doesn't mean that that person themself was like the hated one, okay? And so we think of Canaan where he was cursed, but that was talking about the nation of Canaan, you know, with Noah. It doesn't mean Canaan himself, that the person Canaan was actually cursed. I don't know if he got saved, but I'm just saying that a lot of times the Bible is using these as an allegory of explaining something. But Genesis 25, go to Genesis 25, this will really just put it to bed, that we're not talking about the physical people, Jacob and Esau, we're talking about the nations. Because one thing that you need to remember is that when you read the story of Jacob and Esau, nowhere in there would you say that Esau is serving Jacob. Actually it's quite the opposite. We see Jacob fleeing from Esau, we see Jacob giving Esau a whole bunch of stuff. We see basically, remember he keeps calling him, I'm your servant, your servant Jacob, your servant. Remember when he came up to him and groveled to him basically, and kept saying, you know, my Lord, your servant is giving you this. So it's clearly, you know, when you're talking about the physical Jacob and Esau was not this prophecy. Now Genesis chapter 25 verse 21, Genesis 25 verse 21, it says, and Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren, and the Lord was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived, and the children struggled together within her, and she said, if it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord, and the Lord said unto her, two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels, and the one people shall be stronger than the other people, and the elder shall serve the younger. So clearly, he just went back to where this is quoted from, he's not talking about two physical people, he's talking about the nations that are going to come of these two physical people. And so these nations, so who does he hate? The children of Edom, the nation of Edom. So what we're going to see throughout chapter 9 and going into chapter 11 is that he's not talking about people specifically, although there's a lot of people in those nations, right? But he's talking about the nation as a whole, right? There's a big difference between how God rejected the nation as a whole of Israel, but did he reject everybody? No, because we see in chapter 11, he's like, he didn't cast away his people whom he did foreknow, because I'm an Israelite. Paul is saying, hey, I'm an Israelite, I was a tribe of Benjamin, so obviously he didn't cast off me, he's basically saying, he didn't cast off everybody, but that's what he's saying is that as a whole, he hated the nation of Edom. And so, and just to show you the names of Edom, if you're still in Genesis, in that chapter 25 there, go down to verse 30, we'll see where Esau gets the name Edom. And what's interesting about these two names, because they're completely opposite, Jacob have I love, but Esau have I hated, notice the names are actually, the names Israel and Edom are actually quite opposite. So in Genesis 25, verse 30, it says, and Esau said to Jacob, feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage, for I am faint, therefore was his name called Edom. Why was his name called Edom? Because he was faint. Notice in Genesis 32, in verse 28, this is where Jacob's going to get his name. So Esau got his name Edom because he was faint. Genesis 32, verse 28, and he said, thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel, for as a prince hast thou power with God, and with men, and hast prevailed. Notice the two names, Israel, power, Edom, faint, complete opposites. Love and hate, complete opposites. So obviously their names meant something, their names that were given to them, so they weren't born with those names, but those names were given to them because of what they represented, Israel and Edom. And so Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated is talking about the nations, those nations. He loved Israel and chose Israel from the womb, that nation of Israel that he knew was going to come out of Jacob, and he knew the nation that was going to come out of Edom, and Israel was going to be served by Edom. So Edom was going to serve Israel, but it didn't happen this way later. Does that make sense? The nation of Edom served the nation of Israel. And so the people, not just those two human beings. So I believe Esau was saved, and I don't have time to go into that, but it's just an allegory of these two people. And so we're going to keep going here in Romans chapter 9, Romans chapter 9 and verse 14. So this is one, actually I've heard that, what I was showing you there with the two nations in the womb, I've heard that not too long ago. And so that one wasn't something new to me, but actually when I was studying this potter in the clay is where I found something interesting in Jeremiah where that's actually quoted from, and how it's talking about nations too. And so it's interesting that even with this case, because this is where you get into Calvinism stuff, remember that Jacob was loved from the womb, and Esau was hated from the womb, therefore Esau was damned to go to hell from the very womb. Now we know that that's just ridiculous, God's not willing that Anishah perish. So we just put that at the bed, that he's not talking about those physical people, but he was talking about the nations that were going to come out of those two guys. So Romans chapter 9 verse 14, it says, What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose, have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. And so as we look at this, we see that he's now talking about Pharaoh, and he's giving Pharaoh as an example here, because we are talking about that dichotomy of the children of God and the children of the devil. Now the children of the devil, how did they get to become the children of the devil? Well they hardened their hearts, they hardened their hearts until God hardened their hearts. And that's what happens with Pharaoh. In Exodus chapter 7 verse 13, it says, And he hardened Pharaoh's heart. He is God. And he hardened Pharaoh's heart, that he hearkened not unto him, as the Lord had said. In Exodus chapter 9 verse 16 it says, And very deed, for this cause have I raised thee up, for it to show in thee my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. So the question you may ask yourself is that, why would God harden someone's heart? Why would God make a reprobate? Why wouldn't he just kill them? Well Pharaoh's a good example of what he does with one. Because he actually fits Pharaoh and he puts him in this position in order to show his glory throughout the whole world. You know that that Red Sea was talked about throughout the whole world. The Red Sea parting and all the plagues that were done in Egypt, that was spoken throughout the whole world. So it was this great, miraculous thing that God did, but he used Pharaoh basically as a pawn to do that. Does that make sense? And so now Pharaoh, I believe God wanted Pharaoh to be saved to begin with. But obviously he held the truth in unrighteousness, he knew God and glorified him not as God. You know, remember he saw all this stuff and he just kept hardening his heart. And so he sees all this stuff and he's like, who is the Lord that I should obey him? So he basically knew God but glorified him not as God, didn't want to retain him in his knowledge and therefore God gave him over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient. And so that's just a typical Romans 1 application of a reprobate and he hardened his heart and in order to show his power. Now going on there, but actually what I was going to show you is that there is a difference though between Pharaoh, what he did with Pharaoh, and what he did with Paul. So go to 1 Timothy chapter 1. So 1 Timothy chapter 1. So with Pharaoh he hardened his heart and basically, Pharaoh hardened his heart, God hardened it to where he wasn't going to believe. And that's the thing with reprobates, they're ever learning, ever able to come to the knowledge of the truth, reprobate concerning the faith, they just won't believe. And so believing is what saves anybody and if a reprobate would believe, then they'd be saved. If a homosexual, if a queer, if a pedophile would believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, they have to be saved or the Bible is a lie, but they won't. But in this case with Paul, in 1 Timothy 1 verse 12 it says, And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious, but I obtained mercy. Remember, he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardeneth. Well with Paul, he had mercy and notice why, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. So Paul, remember he says this is a faithful saying that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief, you ever wonder why he says he is the chief of all sinners? Because I believe Paul was as close as you could be to be in a reprobate, to get to that point and God showed his mercy, his great mercy to where Paul was like just at the cusp. I mean he was having Christians being put to death, right? And so God had mercy on him because he did it in unbelief. He wasn't doing it knowingly, right? There's a difference between knowing the truth and holding it in unrighteousness and just being ignorant of it and doing something crazy like that. Does that make sense? And so he did it ignorantly in unbelief and he obtained mercy because of that. So God had mercy on whom he will have mercy and have compassion on whom he will have compassion, but whom he will he hardeneth. And so, but we're talking about unbelievers at that point, right? But it doesn't mean that they didn't ever have a chance and that's where the Calvinists come in and say, well, you know, Pharaoh was damned from the day he was born, you know? It's like that doesn't fit any scripture plus it doesn't fit even in this passage because we saw that with Esau it was talking about nations, it wasn't talking about the physical person and so Pharaoh could have got saved. He had plenty of reason to get saved, but he chose not to and then God obviously hardened his heart. But the clay, as we get on here, because this is a famous passage with the potter, God is the potter, we're the clay. But in verse 19 it says, that will say then unto me, why doth he yet find fault for who hath resisted his will? Nay, but O man, who art thou that repliest against God, shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor? What if God willing to show his wrath and to make his power known endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory? Even us whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also the Gentiles. So we see that he's saying the same thing that he was with Pharaoh, right? He put him in that position in order to show his glory. But go to Jeremiah chapter 18, and I'm going to turn there too. Jeremiah chapter 18, and this is where this is mentioned, there's other places where it talks about the potter and the clay like in Isaiah, but in Jeremiah 18 here is really what we're talking about in this chapter. So whenever you're looking through the Bible, and I know I've mentioned this before, but if you're looking at a passage that's quoted from the Old Testament, it's always good to go back to that to see the whole context of what that was talking about. It's always kind of a marker. And sometimes the Bible will only give you like one word or a couple words like Gog and Magog in Revelation 20, and he doesn't really tell you why he says it, but if you understand the battle of Gog and Magog and Ezekiel, then you know it's a little place marker to say, hey, go back to this. It's like a little reference mark saying, okay, you need to go back to Ezekiel 38 and 39 because he doesn't want to write the whole thing out again in Revelation. So we see here in Jeremiah 18, starting there in verse 4, and it says in the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter. So he made it again another vessel as seemed good to the potter to make it. Notice, first of all, that the clay was marred. The vessel that he had made was marred, right? So he made it right to begin with, but then it was marred in the hand of the potter, so he made it again another vessel as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as the potter, said the Lord? Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. At what instance I shall speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom to pluck up and to pull down to destroy it. If that nation against whom I have pronounced turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instance I shall speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom to build and to plant it, if it do evil in my sight that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them. So notice, what's he talking about with this potter and this clay? He's talking about nations. What are we talking about in this chapter? The nation of Israel. And especially in chapter 11, we're talking about the nation of Israel basically being broken off. The nation of Israel is broken off. But he's basically, and it even says in there, you know, don't boast yourself against the branches, you know, because if you don't continue in this manner and belief, you know, and all this stuff, then you'll be broken off too. If America doesn't continue in being a Christian nation, God's going to break us off from being a Christian nation. So and throughout history it's been like different nations that have been Christian and it's been broken off here, broken off there. England was. Now it's not. Now we are. And it's possible that we can be broken off as well. And so anyway, it's not talking about physical people necessarily, although Pharaoh can definitely be in that group, you know, as being a physical vessel that he fitted to wrath. But notice he made it, but then it was marred. So you think of the fact that he made men good and upright, but you know, we're the ones that thought out evil inventions. So as we go on here, you know, I'm trying to move a little quicker here because I do want to try to get through this chapter. So in verse 25, so now there's a bunch of these quotes that are coming from the Old Testament. It's basically saying the same thing, that Israel is, you know, most of Israel is not saved. It's only the remnant. And it's always been that way, that only a remnant of people in Israel were ever saved at any given time. Romans chapter 11 says the same exact thing, you know, with Elijah and the 7,000 that didn't bow the knee. But in Romans chapter 9, verse 25, it says, As he saith also in Osi, now that's Hosea, or some people will say Hosea, however you want to say it, I will call them my people which were not my people, and her beloved which was not beloved, and it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said unto them, ye are not my people, there shall they be called the children of the living God. So what you'll find is this is actually in Hosea 1 and chapter 2. So at the ends of chapter 1 and at the end of chapter 2, you'll see these two quotations that they're kind of putting together here. And so in Hosea chapter 1 and verse 10 it says, Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered, and it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said unto them, ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, ye are the sons of the living God. Hosea chapter 2 verse 23, And I will sow her unto me in the earth, and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy, and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people, and they shall say, Thou art my God. So we see this prophecy fulfilled from Hosea about the fact that the Gentiles, the kingdom of God is going to be taken away from Israel and given to the nation, bringing forth the fruits thereof. And Gentile, if you look up the word Gentile, when you cross reference verses that are quoted out of the Old Testament, you'll see that Gentile is replaced with nations in the Old Testament. So what does Gentile even mean? It means nation. But a lot of times in the context, it's talking about heathen nations, right? It's talking about nations that are not godly, right? And so that's why you'll see heathen sometimes instead of Gentiles, you'll see heathen. But that's what, you know, when it would say nations in those passages in the Old Testament, it's talking about nations that are not Israel, right? And so, but we see that that's teaching the same thing. And so what we'll see is that all these verses are coming down the line basically teaching that Israel was not always saved. There was never a case where all Israel was saved physically. It was always the fact that there was a remnant. But in Romans chapter 9 verse 27, we get into Isaiah. So this was, so that in verse 25 was Hosea and verse 25 and 26 was Hosea. But Romans chapter 9 verse 27, we get into Isaiah and the Bible reads, Isaiah also crieth concerning Israel, though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved, for he will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. So we see the same thing. Remember in Hosea it says the same exact thing. Though Israel be as the sand that is on the seashore, you know, and it goes on. But then it says a remnant shall be saved. Now in Isaiah, if you go back to Isaiah chapter 10, we're going to look at where this is quoted at. And this is something that I actually saw, not with the remnant will be saved, but more so with that short work. What's that short work talking about? The Lord's going to do a short work and cut it short, you know. But Isaiah chapter 10 and verse 20, it says, and it shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob shall no more again stay upon him that smote them, but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel in truth. The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob unto the mighty God. For though thy people shall be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return. The consumption, the creed, shall overflow with righteousness. For the Lord God of hosts shall make a consumption even determined in the midst of all the land. Now what I really want you to see there, obviously we're talking about the remnant. So it's talking about the remnant shall return and the remnant shall be saved in the New Testament. It quotes it that way. But this consumption, notice it talks about this consumption that's going to be in the midst of all the earth that's determined. Go to Isaiah 28 and I believe that this is that work, that short work, it's talking about this consumption that's going to happen. Remember he's going to consume them with an ague and it goes on and all that stuff in Deuteronomy. But I believe this is actually talking about when he's going to pour out his wrath on this earth. And so we know that there's a lot that goes on with the desolation of Jerusalem in the end times and how he's going to pour and we're going to get into that in a little bit. But we're almost done, I know. We're getting close on time here. But Isaiah 28 and verse 21, it says, For the Lord shall rise up as in Mount Harazim. He shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work, and bring to pass his act, his strange act. Now therefore, be ye not mockers lest your bands be made strong, for I have heard from the Lord God of hosts a consumption even determined upon the whole earth. Sound familiar with Isaiah chapter 10? And that goes exactly with that short work. It says in Romans 9, For he will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. Think about that. There's not a very long period of time that he's going to be pouring out his wrath, and so I believe that's the consumption. Go to Daniel chapter 9. Daniel chapter 9, and notice he kept saying that that's determined, that's determined. The reason that this is coming to my mind is because obviously I was studying Daniel. And there's this idea of that that is determined shall be done, that that is determined shall be poured upon the desolate, and that's what I'm going to show you. And I believe this is actually talking about in the end times when God's going to pour out his wrath. And so Daniel chapter 9 verse 27, this is the famous 70th week, which we've got on the wall over there. Daniel 9 verse 27, it says, And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week, and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. Go to Daniel chapter 11 verse 36. Daniel chapter 11 verse 36. You're like, I thought we were only going to do end time stuff on Sunday night. Well, I thought this was interesting anyway. So Daniel chapter 11 verse 36, it says, And the king shall do according to his will, and he shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished for that that is determined shall be done. So I believe that's that short work that's determined on the whole earth. That's just a bull nugget, you know, if you want. I just thought that was interesting, you know, because I was kind of studying this out. I was studying Romans and, you know, studying Daniel and all that together, and that determined and the consumption and the consummation and all that stuff just seems to really fit with it. And remember, remember, this is unprecedented that he would say, I'm going to bat that come with one that's going to baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Remember, the fire is talking about how he's going to, he's going to burn the chaff, and that's talking about when he's going to baptize this world of fire. So it's not unprecedented that that would all be mixed in there. So anyway, one last thing, and this is actually just a little, a little note here. So in verse 29, the last verse we're going to cover here. It says, and as Isaiah said before, except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodomah and been made like unto Gomorrah. You may ask yourself, what in the world is Sabaoth, the Lord of, you know, when I first started reading the Bible, and you don't have to confess to me if you thought this too, but I thought it meant Sabbath, okay, when I was reading it, I was like, he's the Lord of, well, I mean, Jesus did say that the Son of Man is the Lord also of the Sabbath, right? So when I was reading it, I'm like, he's the Lord of the Sabbath, they're just spelling it different, right? But no, actually that's not what it means, because there's actually two places in the New Testament where it says Sabaoth. It's in this place right here, but also in James chapter five, talks about the Lord of Sabaoth. So in Isaiah chapter one, it gives you, basically when you cross reference where this is quoted from, in Isaiah chapter one, verse nine, it says, except the Lord of hosts had left us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. So what's Sabaoth mean? Hosts. So that's why cross referencing is good sometimes, but I definitely thought it meant Sabbath for a long time until I, you know, figured that out. But anyway, that's just a little nugget of truth there for you, that it's talking about the Lord of hosts. And so you don't have to go back to the Greek, you don't have to go back to the Hebrew to figure that out. Why are the King James Bibles so miraculous? Why are the English Bibles so miraculous? Because it's got stuff like that where, you know, you're quoting from one place and then you've got parallel passages. You can figure out definitions of words just by doing that. And if you have to, sometimes the words only mentioned once in the Bible and, you know, you just got to look up what the word means. But there's plenty of words where if you just go to the parallel passage, you'll probably figure out what it means. So anyway, I thought that was cool. But yeah, so note that this chapter, it doesn't just end with this thought here, because it goes straight in. Remember, we were going straight into, I showed you chapter 10, verse 1, because it was pertinent to the fact of why he was in heaviness. Why was he in the sorrow of heart? Because his heart's desire is that Israel would be saved. And so it's going to keep going with this thought, and chapter 11 keeps going with this thought. And then chapter 12 is going to kind of go off. Once we get past chapter 11, what you're going to see is each chapter is kind of its own little thing, talking about different subjects as we get down the line. But these chapters are great chapters to really just show us the difference between back in the Old Testament where you had Israel that was a nation that was God's chosen people to basically preach the gospel to the world, whereas now the kingdom of God has been taken from them and given forth to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. So all believers are now that nation to bring the gospel to the world. And basically, in that nation, you could have physical nations that are basically that hub. Right now, America is that hub. No one would deny that, that America is still the hub for Christianity. No other nation is preaching the gospel as much as America, but it wasn't always that way. America is only, what, 200-some years old, and so before that, you had England. Before that, you had other nations that were doing it. Back in the Bible times, who was doing it? Asia Minor, you know, like those places where these churches were at. Remember the seven churches in Asia is where Revelation was written to. So back then, that was your Christian hub. So it's moved throughout time, and the branches have been broken off and grafted in in other areas and physical nations, but it's always been the spiritual Israel that makes up whatever that nation would be as far as the Christian nations. So great chapter. We got through it. So let's end with a word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for today, and Lord, we just pray that you be with us as we go home, and Lord, just give us safety on the roads, and Lord, again, there's just a lot to be praying for as far as those that will be traveling, the crannles that will be traveling for a couple weeks, and Lord, as others that are traveling in to maybe be in with family for Thanksgiving or for hunting season, just pray that you keep us safe in all those efforts and everything that we do there, but Lord, we do pray that you help us to bring glory to your name, help us to be vessels of honor, help us to be a nation here in America that you would love and that we could preach the gospel to every creature, and Lord, we just love you, and pray all this in Jesus Christ's name, amen.