The Blessing of the One who Knows What Will Be Fulfilled (Mt. 24:15-31)
People say that knowledge is power, and if we have a lot of knowledge in the world, then it becomes strength. Anybody, whether they are politicians or businessmen, desires to know the future. In order to know the future, people go and look for fortune-tellers or people who may have insight. However, the Bible records things that have been fulfilled in the past, and will continue to be fulfilled in the future. If somebody knows what will happen in the future, then that person has strength. If somebody does not know the future, then they cannot have wisdom.
If there are any of you who are facing a problem you cannot resolve, I hope you will not find the answer in the world, but in the Bible instead. The answer that you find in the world will be physical, but our God in the Bible does not speak so much about the physical and visible problems, but the invisible, spiritual problems. In other words, when the power of God comes into our spirit, then whatever you think is a problem now will one day go away. If you are in a weak spiritual state that has no choice but to do drugs, then there’s nothing that can resolve that problem. If you are in the midst of some mental illness or depression, then no matter what strategy you use, you cannot resolve that problem, and even if you do, it will resurface as another issue. If there are any of you who are wondering if there is a solution for your business in the world, I hope you will also find that answer in the Bible.
1. Fulfilled prophecy
1) Old Testament
(1) Prophet Daniel (Mt. 24:15)
The scripture we read in Matthew 24 is talking about the prophecy that was already fulfilled in the past and will be fulfilled in the future. In Mt. 24:15, there was a prophecy about Israel that would be taken as captives to Babylon in the future, and it was fulfilled in A.D. 70. Jesus Christ used that prophecy from the Prophet Daniel, and used that prophecy from Daniel and said, “This is what will happen to the Israelites in the future.” This was a prophecy that foretold what would happen in 70 A.D. under the Roman general Titus.
(2) Standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ (Mt. 24:15)
The sign is, when you see “standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’” at that time, let those who are in Judea, the time of 70 A.D., let them flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetops go down to take anything out of the house, because they will die; quickly, run away. If there is anybody in the field, do not go back to retrieve your cloak, but quickly, run away.
(3) Let those who are in Judea flee, Dreadful (Mt. 24:16-19)
It will be dreadful in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers because they will not be able to run away as actively. And pray that your flight will not take place in the winter, because in the winter it is too cold to run away, or on the Sabbath, because on the Sabbath they are not allowed to move past a certain distance.
2) Great distress
(1) Unequaled from the beginning of the world, never to be equaled again (Mt. 24:21)
There will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world, and never to be equaled again. “Pastor, instead of telling us things like this, can you tell us more about blessings?” But knowing this is the blessing. Knowing this and knowing how to avoid it is the blessing. These words were fulfilled 70 years after the death of Jesus Christ. At that time, General Titus attacked Jerusalem and the Temple, and placed a pig on the sacrificial altar. Pigs were the animals that the Israelites detested the most. On the sacrificial altar that was meant for the flawless, young lamb to be slaughtered, they placed a pig, which represents greed, money, success, and abundance. This is something that the Prophet Daniel prophesied long ago during the conquering of Babylon, but it was also a prophecy of what will happen to Israel in the future. So, these kinds of situations continue to repeat until the Lord’s second coming.
It is happening even now. Then, why do you think they put a pig on the altar, that represents this dirtiness, or this greed? That did not happen out of nowhere, but for a long time, even as the Israelites were worshiping God in the temple, they had greed in their hearts, and Col. 3:5 says that greed is idolatry. For the people who received baptism today, by Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit now resides within you, and that’s why in 1 Cor. 3:16, we have been called a temple.
When will these great times of distress go away? The Holy Spirit is within us and makes us into a Temple of God, but instead of being completely filled with the Triune God alone, if you are filled with idolatry of your greed or your desires, then these disasters will continuously happen. In Europe, a lot of the churches have completely closed their doors, that’s not because of the strength of the Muslims, but because the Christians are filled with the idolatry and greed of the Bible, God is allowing those churches to close.
In America, there are so many Christians, but why are they suffering? May this be an answer to you today. If you are centered on something else, or you’re filled with something else instead, then these disasters will repeat. Simply put, God must be the very center of our lives, and He must be the very center of our future, but instead, if you are filled with your own thoughts and your own plans, then these things will continue to happen.
(2) For the sake of the elect those days will be shortened (Mt. 24:22)
During these times of distress, those days will be cut short for the sake of the elect. For the sake of those who are elected, God will protect.
(3) Here is the Messiah – Do not believe it (Mt. 24:23)
Even if anyone tells you, “Here is the Christ” or, “There He is,” do not believe it. When you go out into the world and you listen to the words of the people exactly as they are, your spiritual state will be flowing in the direction of the world. Even as you listen to their words, if you are centered on the Triune God, then all those things will be turned into blessings instead. Why is it that Christians are continuously falling in the world? Because the words and the power of the Triune God must be the center of our lives, but instead, we are hooked on the words of people. We always listen to the words of people, “Oh, it’ll work out if you do this,” or, “You shouldn’t do that,” or, “There’s going to be another pandemic in the future,” this is the reason Christians are facing these times. Ultimately, they say, “I’ve tried going to church and it doesn’t make a difference.” They may have gone into a church building, but the center of their heart has not been re-created.
If you want to compare your walk of faith to a car, it is like somebody who is always trying to make the outside of their car look like a luxurious car model, like a Benz, but what God wants to do with us is to completely re-create the engine inside of the vehicle. If you change the inside of the car to be a very powerful engine, it doesn’t matter what the outside looks like, but the longer you use a car without taking care of the inside and only worrying about the outer appearance, the more that car will lose strength.
If there are any of you who are living your walk of faith like this, true repentance means you will turn away from those ways. If you replace the engine with a very powerful engine, it doesn’t matter what the outside looks like; the car will drive very powerfully. Yes, it would be great if the outside of the car also looked very educated and successful, but even on the outside, if there is not as much money, or there is not as much success, if the inside has a lot of power, it doesn’t matter. I hope that everyone here without exception will receive this blessing through today’s worship. Then, when a nonbeliever looks at you, they will know. Nonbelievers will look at you and think, “On the outside, they look the same; they don’t have a lot of money, but there’s something different.” Or, “That person is continuing to get older and older, but on the inside, they have a new engine.” The people besides you, believers and nonbelievers, will recognize that.
If this blessing is upon you today, then nothing will be a problem at all. If there is a car that looks very nice on the outside but the engine is all rusted over, then it will not go forward. If people are afflicted with depression or anxiety or panic attacks or bipolar disorder, then they cannot live their life correctly. May you have the blessing of changing what is inside. Your plans are a cursed plan that must be crucified on the cross. That is why Christ was crucified on the cross with us. When the Lord’s things become my things, then we can be re-created, and it doesn’t matter what kind of situation you’re in, because your engine has changed. That is your walk of faith, then you will have strength. The depression cannot overpower you. Your powerlessness cannot overpower you. Your lack of money may be uncomfortable, but it cannot disturb you. That is the evidence that appears to those who believe in Jesus Christ. What state am I walking in?
3) Told in advance
(1) False messiahs, False prophets (Mt. 24:24)
(2) Great signs, wonders – To deceive (Mt. 24:24)
(3) Do not believe in anything except for the Word (Mt. 24:26)
2. Prophecy that will be fulfilled
1) Sign
(1) Sun, Moon, Stars (Mt. 24:29)
What is the evidence we will see in the end times with the Lord’s second coming? That is from Mt. 24:29 onward, it says, “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
(2) Heavenly bodies will be shaken (Mt. 24:29)
(3) Will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven (Mt. 24:30)
2) Sign
(1) All peoples of earth will mourn (Mt. 24:30)
(2) See the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory
At that time, you will see the Son of Man coming down from heaven, and Mt. 24:30 says, “All nations of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.”
(3) Angels with a loud trumpet call, Gather his elect (Mt. 24:31)
And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and He will gather the elect from the four winds. These are the signs of the Lord’s second coming. Before that point, no matter what anybody says, do not listen to them.
3) End of the world
(1) This gospel of the kingdom (Mt. 24:14)
(2) As a testimony to all nations (Mt. 24:14)
(3) Preached in the whole world (Mt. 24:14)
And in Mt. 24:14, which we read last week, it says, “When the gospel of the Kingdom has been preached to the whole world, the end will come.” That means the center of this world is the gospel of the Kingdom, in order for this gospel to be testified to all nations. The standard is not teaching the other people the ideology you’ve learned, but to testify of the gospel of the Kingdom. It must be proclaimed to the whole world. The church must not just hold onto the gospel of the Kingdom on its own, but when this gospel is preached to all nations, then the end will come and the Lord is fulfilling these words exactly.
If there are any of you who are wondering, “Why am I so powerless in my business?” or, “As I’m living in America, I lack spiritual strength and I suffer,” or, “The more I try, the more powerlessly I fall.” If there are any of you like this, I hope you will quickly turn. Escape from your own plans and be centered on the gospel of the Kingdom, and we go into the life that testifies of the gospel to all nations. Then, God will begin to work exactly according to His Word. It doesn’t matter what state you may be in, because even right now, God is fulfilling His Word. God does not fulfill my desires; He works according to His promised covenant. The center of this world is not the president or the elite of the Ivy Leagues; it is the gospel of the Kingdom of Christ.
Wherever this gospel went, God gave power to that nation, and when this gospel goes into us with great power, then He will give us power. If I am in the life that testifies of this gospel to all nations, then God will give me power. God’s Word is being fulfilled even now. Yes, it may be good to read a lot of books, but it might block God’s Word. You may think it’s a good thing to have a lot of thoughts, but if you think a lot independently of God’s Word, then your spiritual state will be dragged away. If there are any of you who have received a scar or experienced something within your family, it will go with you for the rest of your life. But if the gospel becomes our center, then we can win. People in the world try to gain more strength to overcome their scars, but the more strength you gain for yourself, the more you will be devoured by Satan, and the only way to overcome the devil is to be centered on the power of Jesus Christ. That is why, “May all go well with you as your spirit is getting along well.” Your studies, your family, everything follows your spiritual state.
3. Covenant that will be fulfilled in this age
God made humans such special creations, God made humans so that we can only be functioning normally when the infinite, unlimited God is inside of us. For animals, God gave them their animalistic nature to live by. It doesn’t matter how close you may feel with your animals, like dogs or cats, they are not created in the image of God, so by nature, they are different. Who am I? I am somebody who is created so that my life is only worth living when I’m filled with the unlimited, all-powerful God. However, instead of being filled with the infinite things of God, if we are centered on money, success, or the things we want of this world, like knowledge, then our life will begin to fall. This prophecy has already been fulfilled, it will be fulfilled in the future, and until the Lord’s second coming, we are living in the middle of this time. If we don’t want to continuously repeat your confusion, what must we do? We need to hold onto what will be fulfilled.
1) Mount Calvary (Ac. 1:1)
(1) It is finished (Jn. 19:30)
We need to hold onto the covenant that Jesus Christ has fulfilled on Mount Calvary before He resurrected. In John 19:30, Jesus said, “It is finished,” and we must hold onto that covenant firmly. Then, what did He finish? “I have a lot of debt to the bank,” is that what He finished? What did Jesus finish? “I have all my problems in life; what exactly did Jesus finish?” There is an invisible problem, but people keep on trying to solve the physical problems. We must solve the invisible problem first.
What exactly is that? It is, “not believing in God.” Ever since we are born, we are born not believing in God, and only believing in the things that we see. That’s what we call, “Original Sin.” I didn’t try to do this, but as soon as I was born, I didn’t know God, so my spiritual state is completely seized by Satan, and Satan takes me towards complete death. Without finishing that problem, nothing can happen. That is why God came to earth in the form of a human to solve that problem for us. He finished the problem humans can never solve. He resurrected and now He is living within me as the Lord of life. When these words begin to touch your heart, that person will come to life.
(2) Master of life (Gal. 2:20)
Especially, the issue is for people who have believed for a long time, because they don’t see this as very valuable; they see something else as more valuable. They say, “That’s just basic, I learned that in elementary school.” Is Christ basic to you? Inside of Christ are hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Christ is the true God, and Christ is living in me as the Lord of life. Through Christ, if I’m centered on the Triune God, then my life will be the life of a conqueror.
Can your problems overcome God? Can your mental illness overcome the God that is inside of you? No matter what problem you see in your life, whether it’s problems with finances or with your children, can it overcome the Triune God? That’s what it means, “It is finished,” and if you hold to the covenant, God will work, but we’ve lost hold of it. When we lose hold of that covenant, just like the Israelites brought the object of their greed and ambition into the temple, we are filled with idolatry within. As evidence that our spiritual state is continuing to collapse, we are bound to receive mental illness. We study and work so diligently, but we are in the midst of suffering we cannot even express.
A little while ago, there was the son of a missionary who passed away from a drug overdose, and every day, there are 200 people who die from drug overdose. But when somebody does drugs, what state are they in? Do you think people do drugs when they see the future of their life, and they have the strength to overcome all problems? Even if somebody has money and they have success, their inner problems are not being solved. That’s when they do drugs. Nobody is born wanting to do drugs; they lived their life and they have no other choice.
There was a statistic that said, every day, 200 people die of drug overdoses. If there are that many people who are dying of drug overdose, then there are also people who are committing suicide, and if you think this is irrelevant to you, that’s a big problem because one day, it will go into you, regardless of you. Right now, you might be okay, but one day, when you lose strength, you’ll be seized by that and have no choice but to be dragged around by it. That is why, I hope you will believe in the covenant the Lord has given you, that He has finished everything. When you believe in this, just like David who was chased to death for years, that problem was irrelevant to him. Joseph was almost killed by his older brothers and ultimately sold as a slave to Egypt, but it didn’t matter to him. It’s not that these problems will not happen, but even if they do happen, they should not affect your life.
(3) Triune God – With
“The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not be in want.” “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, the reason I will fear no evil is because the LORD is with me.” Every person who holds onto this covenant has victory. Even right now, the answer to America is the Triune God being my Lord, and we must entrust everything to Him, because I am no longer my Lord; it’s changed. He has finished all the problems of my past, present, and future and is with me. Then, He explained something else that would be fulfilled.
2) Mount of Olives
(1) God’s kingdom (Ac. 1:3)
On the Mount of Olives, He explained the Kingdom of God. In Mt. 6, Jesus told His people to pray for God’s Kingdom to be established, but if you don’t know what that means, you keep asking God, “Give me this,” or, “Do that.” but if you know the meaning of God’s Kingdom, there’s no need to pray for anything else.
(2) Background of the throne – Power to transcend time and space
Yes, there is a Kingdom of God that we will go to after we die, but it is also on this earth. May the power of the Kingdom of God that transcends time and space be in me, and may the Kingdom of God be established in every field where I go, then the Kingdom of Satan will be broken down.
(3) Satan’s kingdom – Conquer
What must we do first? We must do the spiritual things first. But if you’re spiritually ignorant, you are working so hard, but you are suffering spiritually. Let’s say physically, you get into a business partnership, where you split profits 50-50, and later on, they swindle you out of all of the money. That’s what happens physically and spiritually.
So, the Kingdom of God, God has given us the mission of establishing God’s Kingdom to the ends of the earth. In Mt. 6:33, Jesus says, “But first, seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness.” Whatever you’re worrying about now will simply follow after. When the Word of God goes into you accurately and correctly, you will receive answers, and things will take place, but there are some people who have lived their walk of faith for a very long time, but the Word of God is not accurate for them; it is vague, then what happens? It’s not okay. Just like in Gen. 3:5, when the Word of God becomes weak inside of us, Satan goes into us through deception.
Without a doubt, they promised God that they would not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but they began to shake and the devil plowed in. 1 Peter 5:8 says that the devil is like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. How can we establish God’s Kingdom? Only when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. You will receive power, you will receive the power to become a witness until the ends of the earth. God will continuously give you that power until the gospel of the Kingdom has been preached to all nations. Very first, He will give you spiritual strength, it’s called the filling of the Holy Spirit. When you receive the filling of the Holy Spirit, you might speak in tongues and you might not, but if you keep saying you have to speak in tongues to receive the filling of the Holy Spirit, that’s a headache. Without a doubt, Jesus said, “When the filling of the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive spiritual strength and become a witness until the ends of the earth.”
When you receive spiritual strength, you receive wisdom from heaven; it is not a wisdom that comes from graduating Harvard. The wisdom you get from graduating Harvard cannot overcome Satan. It must be the wisdom from God in heaven to overcome Satan. With that wisdom, I hope you will run that business and live in America. The next power that comes is physical power. Being sick or diseased is not a sin, that might happen. But if every member of the church is always sick, who goes to Africa? Yes, you may receive grace by being sick, but God desires to give you physical health to proclaim this covenant. Next, the things you love the most, money and finances, God promises to give you financial power. Why is that? Because you need to have finances to proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth, to all 237 nations. When the Holy Spirit fills you, these powers will follow. These things must follow you, you shouldn’t chase after them. Because you keep chasing after the world, you are falling into Satan, but if you follow after God, those things will follow you.
3) Mark’s upper room
(1) Holy Spirit – Within me, field (Ac. 1:8)
(2) Authority – To the ends of the earth (Ac. 1:8)
(3) My past, present, future – Witness who saves (Ac. 1:8)
(4) 237 Nations, Healing, Future Generation – Temple
The fifth and final power you receive will be the blessings of meeting with people. Animals like dogs or cats are not the issue; the problem is people. If you kill a person, you’re put into prison as a murderer, so just because you hate someone doesn’t mean you can kill them, why is that? It just means it is not a blessing of meeting. God must give you people to meet that will be a blessing. For people who are running their business, you must have this blessing of meeting. For students who are studying, you must have the blessings of meeting. For young adults who are preparing for marriage, you have to have the blessing of meeting. But we’re only meeting people based on our standards and our experiences, and it doesn’t work. Only when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive the filling of power and become a witness of Jesus until the ends of the earth. That Holy Spirit in me. May the Holy Spirit completely overtake my spirit, thoughts, emotions, and body.
Fortune-tellers receive power because an evil spirit takes over them. When the Holy Spirit of God is upon us, then we receive power. When the Holy Spirit of God begins to work upon my fields, then His works are revealed, why is that? Because the gospel must be testified until the ends of the earth.
“Paul, do not be afraid, you must stand trial before Caesar.” God never said, “I will quiet the storm because you’ve done so much work for me,” but God says, “I will quiet the storm before you must testify of me before Caesar.” There are 237 nations that are registered under the UN, and when saving those 237 nations and the 5,000 unreached tribes is the center of our hearts, then we will receive those answers.
In Mark 16, Jesus Christ told us to testify of this gospel to all peoples and to heal them. These signs will follow those who believe; you will place your hands on people, demons will be cast out, and people will be healed. Yes, we do need to go to a hospital to receive help, but there are some things that hospitals cannot do. There are diseases that doctors cannot solve, and this is what the Lord promised. There are the blessings of healing for those who believe in the gospel. Nothing else will ever heal that. Even if you receive prayer from someone else, it’s not going to work. Until you are filled with faith inside, you cannot have this.
It is revealed based on the state of your spirit. When I’m fully able to believe in the gospel that everything is finished on the cross, then healing takes place. What kind of healing takes place? The fundamental healing takes place. Yes, you can take medication for your depression, but if that person is not fundamentally healed, they will have another problem. When the source of strength is in you, then no depression can exert influence on you. Your suicidal thoughts cannot influence you.
Those thoughts that make you want to drink or gamble or do drugs cannot overpower you, and God promises to give you that blessing of healing. We must receive that healing and testify of that to the field. If President Biden could do this, then we could’ve just asked him to do it, but he cannot. He is somebody who takes care of the country’s administration, but he cannot do this work. That is why this was entrusted to the Christians.
Then Jesus said, “Raise my lambs,” or “Raise the future generations.” Know the future disasters that will come in advance and give this strength to the next generation. There is a very big difference between the age we grew up in, and the age that these young children who were baptized today will grow up in. In 2 Timothy, it says there will be great times of suffering in the end times, and it will get worse for the future generations. All of the culture of America that is centered on the individual, we must change that to be centered on the gospel. When kids go to school, they are imprinted with the very strong ideology of individualism. When these children get older, they will only accept the Word of God “If I agree with it; if I don’t agree with it, I reject it,” because they are their own god. The reason they are their own god is because, ever since they were young and in elementary school, they were imprinted with the individualism ideology.
We have made everyone Americanized. Instead of raising kids to be centered on Christ, the gospel, and God, we are raising them to be centered on themselves, so of course, they will crumble. We must hold onto this mission and give the gospel to the children ever since they are young, and God will work upon the church or the Temple that is doing these works. If you look at these children without your eyes open, the case is too severe; it’s hard to see because ever since they are very young, they are growing up, centered on themselves. If I’m uncomfortable, I don’t care what’s true or not; it’s all uncomfortable. If I don’t agree with something, then I don’t want to look at it. If this is not to my benefit, then I’m going to go another way. That is an ideology Satan has planted into the children of America ever since they are young, through the culture. If it is aligned with the Word of God, I follow. If this is the Word of God, even if it is a loss to me, I follow. If this is the Word of God, even if it is uncomfortable for me, I will follow. This is how you must be to overcome America, and if you know this and really look at them, it is very urgent and severe.
Conclusion
1. Concentrate on the covenant – 24
I’m very sorry to talk about such severe things with you today but when I look at things with the eyes of the Bible God has given to me, it is more than urgent. So, ever since these children are very young, they must be centered on the words of the gospel, so they can concentrate on God’s covenant. If you’re concentrating on something that is wrong, we call that, “Obsession.” You shouldn’t concentrate on or be obsessed with money, work, or people, you need to concentrate on God. When you’re obsessed about something wrong, that’s what we call “Addiction.”
2. Answer – Business, Academics, Work – 25
However, if you are concentrated on the Triune God and He is with you as your Lord and life, then you will receive God’s answers in every aspect of your life. The person who is able to concentrate on God 24 hours a day. Without a doubt, that person will have victory and they will change their field. Simply put, the student who is able to concentrate on God while they are studying, or the businessperson who is able to concentrate on God while they are doing their business; that is the one who has victory.
3. Witness – Eternity
We must raise the children until they can do that. For the adults, it may be too late, because while you’re listening, you might say, “Okay,” but as soon as you leave, you go back to your old nature of not praying. Even so, if you understand, even so, if the grace of God comes upon you, I believe He will work upon you, just as He changed an 80 year old. Then the answers are bound to come in your business, work, and studies. If God’s answers are coming into my business and my studies, then I can focus on people and save them. May you receive these blessings throughout the week.
Message Prayer
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Offering Prayer and Newcomer Blessing
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Announcements
1. Online zoom early morning prayer (Mon.-Fri. 5:30, Sat. 6AM) – Raise the bartizan of prayer
2. RCA 2024 – Los Angeles
3. Winter Retreat, 12/26 (Tues.) – 28 (Thurs.)
4. 12/2 (Sat.) Ascension to heaven worship for Missionary Seunghan Kim.
5. 12/2 (Sat.) 3:30pm – Southern California YA Evangelism School
6. Offering can be given to the church venmo: @Antiochmissionchurch
Closing Prayer and Benediction
God, we thank You. We give praise to the Lord Who has finished all of our problems on the cross and has resurrected and is with us now. We pray the Triune God will be upon us with the power of the Throne, and we pray that everywhere we go, the power of the throne and the angels will follow us to break down the kingdom of Satan.May our work and our studies be used to fulfill the word of the Lord.
We have returned our materials as offering. We pray that this may be a precious and blessed offering to do temple construction, save the next generation, and the church. We pray that You will restore the economy of light that is the blessing that is hidden in those who have given their offering in faith.
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unending love of God, and the indwelling, working, guidance, and fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be upon all the heads of the people of God, the people of all nations, and the remnants, and the future generations who will take care of the next age, who desire to save America and the world, knowing the future that will be fulfilled, be with them from now until forevermore always, amen.