His Perfect Love

Guest (Male): We've seen a rise in anti-semitism in recent years. The hatred expressed toward the Jewish people is alarming. And today, his perfect love will discover why that will only get worse during the tribulation. It's our great pleasure to once again bring you his perfect love with Pastor Matt Vanderven. We're going to continue Pastor Matt's in depth look at the book of Revelation today as we head back to chapter 13. In wartime, it's essential to study your enemy. By doing so, you can sometimes see a pattern emerge and anticipate their next move. That's certainly true of our great enemy, Satan.

The devil is going back to his same old bag of tricks here in the latter half of the tribulation and seeks to destroy the Jewish people. Something he's tried numerous times over the years.

Matt Vanderven: We already read in chapter 12, Satan gets so angry because at that very time he's also what? Removed from heaven. He's no longer able to go to and fro to accuse the the the bride of Christ, right? He can't do that anymore. So, he becomes furious because what's he recognize? He doesn't have anymore what? Time. He only has 3 and 1/2 years because he knows the Bible like we know the Bible. He's brilliant. Sometimes I think we forget that the enemy's brilliant. He knows the scriptures. He hates you. And so, you look at the last 3 and 1/2 years, he knows what's coming, a thousand year millennial reign.

He knows a lake of fire is coming and he knows there's a new heaven and new earth. So, what does he want to do? Like intensely, aggressively. He wants to go after the Jewish people at that time in the great tribulation because they're in Jerusalem and he wants to exterminate them. Have we ever seen anybody on the earth trying to exterminate the Jewish people before? Yes, it's called the Holocaust. It's go back Stalin, you know, you can look throughout human history since the time that we go back to even Genesis 3, the seed. The one that would come and be raised up from that point forward, Jesus Christ, the long awaited, long looking to forward the Messiah.

And since that point, the devil has been literally waiting because there's types of Antichrists. Hitler, others. He's been waiting there going, is it now? Because he doesn't know. Even the angels don't know. Even Jesus said he wasn't aware at the time of his second coming. Only my father, right? Pointing to a Galilean wedding in the understanding of that that the father would go to the son and say, go get your bride. And then the boy would, you know, it's time and the whole town would celebrate. There would be a procession and everybody could see at that point that that the bridegroom was coming for who?

The bride and there would be this whole pomp and circumstance and and we know when that's going to happen see because after the rapture, how many years is it? Specifically days even till Christ comes again. Is your Bible in the book of Revelation tell you that? Mine does too. And is it going to be hidden? No. Is that what's coming as a thief in the night? Jesus Christ's second physical return to earth? Absolutely not. It says lightnings and clouds people are going to be able to see it everywhere. What comes as a thief in the night?

The rapture of the church. Right? Which is why he says some are going to be working, some are some are going to have their oil, some are not, some are going to be ready. Was he talking to the church? Was he talking to the Jewish people who are his children or proclaiming to be his children? Or was he talking to a world that wouldn't understand these things? Or both? See, I think we sometimes forget Jesus Christ was speaking to his bride. He said there's people that are are Christians that are are not ready. They're not living for Christ.

They're really really not. They've self-deceived. And an enemy loves it because we can become so distracted. Please turn back to Revelation. So, in verse two, what is he communicating in this? Okay? So, I I I'm going to be blessed this morning if we can get through two verses. Okay? With the time we have left. There is so much meat on this bone. Now, verse two, the beast which I saw was like a leopard. Okay? So, we got some additional understanding here from Daniel. His feet were like the feet of a bear. We saw that. Okay?

And his mouth was like the mouth of a lion and the dragon gave him his power, his throne and great authority. Okay? So, the description of the beast from the sea again, God's connecting it back to Daniel 7. Now, like a leopard, a bear, a lion. In the vision, God uses images from Daniel's vision to communicate, to identify the nature of the beast that John is seeing. He's doing that for us. And Daniel 7 you know, in Daniel 7 he used these four beasts to describe the course of of a human government at that time.

He wasn't Yes, he's talking about Antichrist, but he was talking about a human government that would be from Daniel's time really until the ultimate reign of Jesus Christ on the earth which is that thousand year millennial reign. So, Daniel saw all the way up to that point. Now, the first three animals are the lion. Now, in Daniel, that lion is a picture of the Babylonian Empire if you're taking notes. A bear that was well known historically as the Medo-Persian Empire. And a leopard. I I don't think this is a hard reach for any of us here.

The Greeks or what we'd know as the Greek Empire. You think about the Greek Empire with their knowledge, their swiftness, their nimbleness, they're fast, right? A leopard. But this fourth animal, it was dreadful. We read in Daniel, those were his words. In sort of indescribable this beast. He was terrifying. He had these characteristics of the previous beast. Yet, he represented this final world empire that would be under the satanic dictatorship here. This this Antichrist and Satan himself. Now, John presents this beast as an extension of the fourth beast of Daniel 7 I I believe. And he's connecting his empire with his characteristics of the great empires of the past.

So, how are we to you and I this morning, Bereans, going back to Daniel 7, reading much of the book of Daniel if we studied that before, then looking at what we just read in Revelation chapter two? What should we look for in this final world empire and how is God communicating that this to us? Let's put the three together. It's kind of like putting the puzzle together here this morning. So, the final world empire is going to be catlike. Let me use that Let me use that word that way. Have you How many of you have cats?

Go ahead, don't shy. You know how I feel about them. But go ahead, raise your hand. How many of you got cats? All right. For those that don't have cats, you're definitely saved. No. No. No, I 'm kidding. I'm kidding obviously. We all love cats, don't we? No, I 'm not going to lie either. I'm not going to lie either. I'm handling the word of God. Never okay to lie. But in all seriousness, when you have a cat or if you've ever even observed a cat, don't they have incredible reflexes? Are they not nimble? Have you ever Don't do this.

Don't ghost your cat. Have you ever surprised your cat? You walk in and you're like, hey, and he's like, whoa, and he's nimbles all get it, jumps like 5 ft, able to move out of there or like, you know, I've watched dogs, right? Dogs are obviously the human's best friend. The superior. Right? Loving animal. Come on, dog lovers. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. All right. We all love dogs, right? Everybody loves dogs. Some people like cats. I'm trying to be as nice as I can. This is a very difficult passage for me this morning. We're talking about We're talking about a leopard.

But I want you to think about this for a minute. I have seen dogs in like videos where a dog's playing with a cat. The dog doesn't even stand a chance. The cat and the reflexes is so fast that he can swat the dog, not even in a hurtful way or anything, just playing. Swat the dog and the dog's like, whoa, what's He's like, I'm going to go get my kibble. You know, he's done. He's like, this is too fast, right? What is God trying to communicate to us about this final world empire? It's going to have catlike reflexes and alertness of a leopard.

You think about a leopard when it's going to hunt, how it gets down quite and it's very shrewd and it's very fast. How many of you are looking for a government that operates that way? In other words, when we think of government today, do we think of government being nimble, efficient, fast to respond to its citizens and, you know, right on the spot? When we define our governments and governance models that way, maybe some of you do. I haven't met you yet, but most people don't. Most people would say no, you know, they're And And to some benefit there's there's a benefit in that to to some extent to be honest because not overreacting, quick, methodical in approach.

We'll talk about that because as we read this, we're going to see how that's going to be a detriment to this new world empire. But when you think of the government slow, methodical, not moving quick on this. How many of you have heard and even heard politicians, maybe even our existing politicians, say, hey, we need to balance a budget. We need to put things in order. We need to become efficient. We need to become nimble. We need to run the government like we run a business because businesses are private sector. We can be nimble. We can be agile.

And every one of us is like yes and amen. We want that. Well, so does the Antichrist. Did you ever think about that? You didn't. Most of us don't. That's the point. It's not exactly who you're thinking you're looking for or a government you're thinking you're looking at. That's the whole seditious aspect of this is that it's going to appear on the scene very efficient, very good, uh a good thing. It it After all, I mean I I remember when I was when I first graduated with an economics degree, econometrics, my I was a globalist.

I because much of those in the financial Manhattan, I went to school in New York City area. And so, most of us were thinking on the global stage even back in the '80s and and I can remember thinking about how you know, our our monetary policy affected different things, goods, trades, you know, the all these kinds of things, how it all worked together. And most of us were pushing for a economic system that would benefit because we were doing it for what we would say a greater good. We would say, well, you know, there's people around the world that are impoverished, that that don't even have money for meals and and and they're struggling and there's not food or there's not clean water and there's all these other things which which is true.

And so, we thought, well, but if we had if we had a a currency or we had a way to sort of level the playing field for all countries, wouldn't that be great? Because then you wouldn't have people that would be destitute. You wouldn't have people that are that are homeless or hungry. And And it really does appeal to most of our hearts. I mean I I I hope it appeals to every one of your hearts compassionately that you wouldn't want to see anybody without food, clothing, a home or some type of shelter, something, right?

All of us would think that way. I I believe we do. I think as Christians we do as well. But sometimes I We We say that's for the greater good, but how we implement that is what we have to watch. That's what becomes insidious. And so, there's going to be a catlike alertness, a nimbleness. Well, what do I mean by being nimble? Well, what if I told you today that all of the technology Some of you know my background. I used to be a technologist for 14 years before I retired and came into ministry. What if I told you the technology exists in pretty much every city and government around the entire world that I could literally go in with software and I could turn on or turn off services?

What if I told you it's already there? Most of you I think would believe me. What if Let's make it Remember I told you I would come back to this in regards to our our Commonwealth, our state here we live in? Not too long ago, a few months back, there was a law that was on the books. And it's been there for oh my, I don't know if it's 20 30 years more, longer than that. And that law that was on the books was really to help those that maybe were the less fortunate. Maybe you got a little bit behind in your electricity bill and they wouldn't just naturally come and shut it off.

They would give you time or work out a payment plan. Or maybe uh maybe you had a real hard time or something was going on. Before they were going to shut you off, they were required by law to come and put a post on your door that says, hey, if you don't contact us in two weeks, three weeks, whatever it was, we're going to shut off your electricity. Or if you had a medical device that you needed, maybe to help with COPD or breathing or something like that, you you plug it in and oxygen tank and it helps you know, it helps you helps you breathe that way, right?

Uh what if I told you just in the last few months that there was a law that was coming up to review and even with our current state house and Senate, it didn't get approved. And the law is no longer on the books. And what that effectively means right now in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is that a utility provider after 30 days past due no longer has to come to your door and notify you by putting a placard up. What if I told you that the exemption for physicians that used to be there that stated that a physician if they signed a waiver saying that you had a medical device that was required for breathing, they couldn't shut your power off.

Now, that got turned down to a 30 day one time use note from a physician that they can write off simple script that says, I can tell you this person needs oxygen that can get submitted to the utility company. By the way, usually your power's off by then. But I can submit it to the utility company. They have to act on that but only for 1 30 day session. After that 30 days, if you can't work it out with them financially And oh, by the way, what that means is is some kind of uh payment plan and then on top of that you have to pay a fee or what they'll call a um you have to put down sort of a deposit because now you are able to no longer pay.

So, in good common logic and sense, if you couldn't pay the bill to begin with, we're not only going to charge you the bill but then we're going to ask you for two months more that you don't have it at that rate at that moment at the time before we'll even turn you back on. And oh, by the way, because we like you and appreciate your service, we're going to hit you with a surcharge too. No, I understand. They're in business to make money. They're utility. Somehow I that we thought they were for the greater good.

Simple humans. Simple people. They're a business like any other business. They sell and they exchange and trade time and money and resources like everybody else. We've been living in such a time in history where we were protected because we did put human rights or things above that has expired in this Commonwealth. No longer if a doctor writes a note, it's for 30 days. After that 30 note is done, 30 days note is done from the physician. The utility company at that point can legally shut off the electricity and there's no recourse from that elderly or that person that needs oxygen to breathe.

I just want us to understand that's the kind of nimbleness that exists. You heard me talking about Italy because you know, I had to go in and register for stuff as a dual citizen. I mentioned how they have the new credit score, the new credit ID, social ID. And you go in and and they can see everything. And And it's nimbles all get out. I mean you want a service, I can log in. I can get my passport uh appointment. I can get these things like that. I can get this service, that service. Sure, it's great.

And people that don't have water, clean water or food, you know, I can make uh additional changes. Wouldn't we all vote, you know, to reform our social services that those that don't have food, no matter what time or day or night? If they need common things like bread, milk, rice, something like that to be able to be able to go to any store at that time, especially if there is a situation that's occurred that's not their fault. And they need to get food. By all means we would all say yes. And if there was a card that you could have that would be real time and you could go and uh we're talking about now reforming the SNAP benefits just to make it relevant to the time.

It's what you're hearing currently being done at a federal level. Uh I just want you it's happening now. It's actually in Congress. It's it's it's real time happening as we're speaking. I mean in other words in the days we're living. And that they're looking at how we can do that. And the benefit of that and most of us would say would be that we can get services to people that need real services real time quicker without having to wait for a snail mail or a check or something to get to somebody that needs food today, who's got a family, a wife, a uh a mother, a father who needs their children to eat now, not next week when they get the check, not waiting for the bureaucracy of the government, but the ability to be able to get food and and what they need right now.

We all agree with that. We'd say yes and amen. That's good. We would also agree that there's some reform that needs to be done there though because we know that there are several people that may be taking advantage of a system like that that have the capacity or capability to work but maybe just don't choose to. We would all agree that that would be wrong. If if you didn't have a medical or you're doing the best, maybe you work one, two jobs and you're still not making ends meet, that's very real. That's a very real reality today.

And you And And you need support, of course. But if you're saying, well, you know, I I'm holding out for middle management. And And And you'd be surprised because when you look at and you we have an office right over here in Cumberland County, you can contact them and they'll give you data on this. How many people will not renew or not look to uh part of their benefits that they receive from an employer? How many will say, well, I haven't found a job because I'm I'm qualified for a middle man. So, I will not take anything lower because it's not economically viable for me to do that.

We've actually created a system that we incentivized that actually. There was a time during COVID that it made more sense for somebody to stay home and not work and get paid than to go to work and make less. This is a system that we've uh when it's not in balance or governance doesn't look correct. Not where you wherever you come in on that, that's your political views. But I think most of us would say, hey, right now we understand at a federal level everybody said we got to balance the budget. Our debt is out of control.

We have trillions and trillions of dollars in debt. And every one of us are saying, yeah, that's a reality. You can't pay what you don't have. I mean you can't get as the old saying, can't get blood from a stone, right? We We all know the saying, any of us that have been around, it's a fact. So, as part of this reform because it's the greater good of course, we're going to balance a budget. How about that? And as part of balancing that budget, we're going to implement technology that we're going to be able to help those that don't have clean water, need food, need provisions and you can get it real time.

And every one of us is saying, yes, we feel good about that. We are good Christians. We are good citizens. But at the same time, the powers that be and the services that we're enabling also give individual corporations and or for profit institutions the ability to come in and go no. You don't have electric today. No. You're late. You didn't even get a warning. You didn't even get an email that you're 30 days past late because the snail mail or whatever happened. Next thing you know, somebody knocks on your door even if they're kind. They're sitting out there with a laptop.

They come to the door. They say you're elect I know this to be a true. I've heard I've heard this They come up and knock on the door. I'm sorry, we're going to turn your electric off. What are you talking about? I don't even know I'm late. Let me go in. Hang on, I'm logging online. Stop turning out. I'm going to click the button. I clicked the button, man. I clicked the button. Doesn't matter you click the button because I clicked the button too. Your electric's now off. Now, you have to pay two months deposit.

Now, you have to pay a 15 or $30 fee to get it turned on. So, what went from a $300 bill is now a $900 bill. And if you don't pay me the $900 bill, you're not going to have electric. And if you don't have electric, all the food you just bought for groceries that week in your fridge are going to go bad. Any thing that you had in your freezer is gone. Are you understanding me who's really in control? Who's really exercising their power in that moment? We, the people. I just don't think the whole world is uh prepared for what's coming and is already here.

And when it came to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and I know of this happening, I was shocked to realize that this has already begun to happen to our citizens in this state. That something like that can happen without even posting a note on the door and saying, hey, did you know you're 30 days late? I mean you're 30 days late. You don't even know I mean we're not saying 60 90. You're 30 days late. You know you sent the check. Somehow it didn't get there, whatever or And you didn't even get a notice. You didn't Well, I sent you three notices.

How did you send them? By the same snail mail that I didn't get the bill to begin You get what I'm saying? Like at least we used to have the decency where you had to post something on the door and say, you have to contact us. You have two weeks. Make this right. Work out a plan. Didn't it say that in the end in the last days that the hearts would grow cold and wax cold? And I thought about the gentleman that has to come out and hit the button because he comes to your door and he knocks on your door and he gives you a paper and says, I'm shutting it off.

And then he has to go and hit that button. I couldn't do that. Right or wrong? I couldn't do that. It would be too difficult for me. But when we think of a catlike alertness of a leopard and nimbleness, it's everything that you and I would vote for today. We'd vote for a government. We would vote for technology out of the greater good to help those that don't have food, that don't have water, clean water, that don't have access, that we could put a system in to help those individuals that really need real time help because we could be responsive instead of a bureaucratic government that takes forever to balance a budget and do all these things.

So, while you and I are saying yay and amen, they're saying exactly. And now I got you because now you're on the grid. Now, you're in my system and I can go in and the next step is like what Italy's doing or other countries, I'm now going to assign you the social score. So, you think you want to go to your bank? You think you want to go into a supermarket? Hey, you didn't pay your electricity bill. Well, that's okay. Guess what? We're in South Central Pennsylvania. We got generators or we know somebody that's got a generator because we're farming people.

So, we know somebody. So, I go get the generator. I go pull that bad boy up. I go ahead and wire it because almost every one of us knows how to work on somebody's house. So, I go ahead and I hook the generator in. I turn that thing on. I put a little gas in. I run it for about 6 hours. And then what do I do? Then I go to go to the gas station. I go to put my card. We We You guys go in and pay cash now at the gas station every time, right?

When you pay at the pump. You don't do that anymore? You don't You don't take cash and walk in and ever pay at the pump because of the convenience you get from just going by. Some of you might say a couple of you do but most of you don't, do you? You just either hit the thing, put your card in or whatever because of the convenience. You've been indoctrinated. So, guess what happens next? Now, you turn around and you you go to tap the thing to turn the gas on, uh the pump, the gas. And guess what?

And No. Not You didn't pay that electricity bill. Why should we let you turn around and get gas and you're like You have money. You should be paying the bill you owe, not the money for gas and to get a generator going. I mean you can do that? Yes. You see how it's going to affect every aspect.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Pastor Matt Vanderven on his perfect love. You can hear the study from Revelation again when you visit his perfect love.org. That's his perfect love.org. We've expanded our podcast too. Look for us on oneplace.com and most of the major podcast platforms. The Calvary Chapel Harrisburg mobile app is another great way to listen to Pastor Matt's messages shortly after they're delivered. We can help you get started when you visit his perfect love.org. We're thankful for the listeners that come alongside of us with their prayers and financial support. If you're interested in supporting this radio ministry, there's a place to do that at his perfect love.org.

Together we can reach people with the love and truth of God in these last days. Pastor Matt loves to hear from his listeners, even just a quick hello telling him where you hear the program and how you're blessed by it means a lot. Email us there at the website his perfect love.org. And whether you live in or around Mechanicsburg, PA or will be visiting the area soon, we'd love to have you join us for a service at Calvary Chapel Harrisburg Westshore. Sunday morning services begin at 8:30 and 10:30. We have a midweek service too, Wednesdays at 7 p.m.

You'll find us at 28 North Locust Point Road in Mechanicsburg, PA. Go to ccharrisburg.org for more information. Well, that'll do it for today but come back next time when Pastor Matt will again study the book of Revelation with us here on his perfect love. His perfect love is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Harrisburg Westshore.