Biblical Prophecy: God Knows the Future – Sermon Audio 2616

Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, Go, therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Welcome to Go Teach all nations, bringing you Christ's teachings through Australian and international speakers. . And here is today's presenter, Alex Mapika. SPEAKER B Today's sermon is simply entitled, "He Knew." He knew. And before we start, I'm going to take a moment to pray. So if you can take an attitude of prayer to our Heavenly Father. Lord, we want to thank You for Your mercy, Your kindness, and for allowing us to gather in Your house to listen to You. God, I'm just but a vessel, and You know how I feel when I have to speak in front of people, but I pray that You send Your Holy Spirit to be amongst us to guide us and to strengthen us. And we thank you for all you are going to do for us in 2026. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So today's sermon is based on Joel 2:28-29. What a powerful promise that God will communicate with his people through visions, dreams, and prophecy and his word. You see, we are living in a world drowning in information but starving for certainty. Artificial intelligence predicts trends. Economists forecast markets. Fear is gripping nations overnight. There's talk of more pandemics coming. Borders close at any moment. And politicians, to their usual style, they always promise stability. But yet the world is still asking the ancient question: What does the future hold? And Scripture answers with clarity: God knows. God is never surprised or shocked with events that occur in our world. Whatever frightens the world is already framed within his eternal purpose. The Bible that we believe in does not present a God that is passive and an observer of history, but the author of history. The Bible— the God of the Bible knows the end from the beginning. In Isaiah 46:9-10, God declares, I am God declaring the end from the beginning and from the ancient times things that are yet— that are not yet done. That's a very bold statement, that he can declare things from the beginning right up to, to the end. And this is fundamental to our biblical faith. If God did not know the future, he could not govern it. And if he could not govern it, he could not redeem it. God's ability to know The future sets him apart from all other gods, and this is the ultimate test of divinity. Even God himself challenges false gods. In Isaiah 41:23, he says, "Show things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods." As far as I know— I don't know about you— there's not been an idol that has been able to predict the future. No philosopher that has been able to predict the future. No occult system. You see, 2025, there was a lot of talk about what Blavatsky had written was going to come and pass in 2025. But here we are standing in 2026. No occult system has ever successfully told foretold world history with precision. Only the God of heaven stands alone in this criteria. This is the amen moment. Only the God that we believe in can foretell the future. And nowhere in Scripture is this well demonstrated than in Daniel chapter 2. In Daniel chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, dreams a troubling dream, and he calls the wise men of the time to tell both the dream and its interpretation. And as we all know, they could not, and this exposed the bankruptcy of human wisdom. But Daniel, the servant of God, asked God to show him the dream and the interpretation. And God did just that. He told Daniel that the head of gold represented Babylon. The chest and arms of silver represented Medo-Persia. The belly and the thighs represented Greece. Then the legs represented Rome. The feet mixed with clay was the divided Europe. And then Daniel declares something very interesting: "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed." Daniel 2:44. And the vision did not end there. He saw a stone that was cut out without human hands, symbolizing divine origin, that came and crushed these statues. Statue, and it grew bigger and bigger until it had encompassed the whole world, symbolizing the second coming of Jesus, um, and the establishment of his everlasting kingdom. Now, what does this teach us today? God is in control of history. Human power is temporary, and Christ's kingdom is certain. And we are living in the time of defeat, if you didn't know. And listen to this: the next great event in this world is not political but divine. That is the coming of Jesus Christ. And I wholeheartedly believe that we are just at the doors. Ellen White writes, the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, he had been given him not merely for his own sake, but for the instructions of generations to the close of time. In Prophets and Kings, she says, in education, the history which the Great I Am has marked out in his word, uniting link after link In the prophetic chain, from eternity past to eternity in the future tells us where we are today in the procession of the ages. History is moving towards a divinely appointed climax. But there's something fascinating about God, as we will learn from Amos 3:7 and as we have read from Joel 2:28-29. These two verses shows, declares a principle that defines God's relationship with His people. For in Amos, God says, "Surely the Lord will do nothing but revealeth His secrets to His servants the prophets." So God has promised that before anything happens, He is going to tell His people so that we are not caught unaware. What a merciful God. You see, throughout Scripture, God has revealed to His people in various methods, either through dreams, visions, or through prophecy. When Joseph was in Egypt, He had dreams. When Daniel was in Babylon, he had dreams. John the Revelator on Patmos, he received the dreams about the end of time. And most recently, Ellen White received dreams. Born in 1827 in Maine, at the age of 9, she suffered a traumatic injury when she was struck, uh, by a stone. Which left her physically weak, ended her formal education, and caused lifelong health struggles. Humanly speaking, she was the least likely candidate for leadership. But in 1844, thousands of believers were expecting the soon return of Jesus Christ. And when that event did not come to pass, faith collapsed. Leaders abandoned the movement. Many lost hope. But it was at this time that God intervened, and in December 1844, Ellen White received her first vision. And in this vision, she was shown God's people traveling on a narrow path, Christ leading them with the light shining behind them, and those that had rejected this the light falling away. And through this vision, hope was restored. The movement was reaffirmed and believers were redirected to study the scriptures. In her lifetime, Ellen White received around 2,000 visions and dreams, and her ministry spanned for at least 70 years. And she writes, "Little heed is given to the Bible, and the Lord has given a lesser light to lead men and women to the greater light," referring to the Bible. You might ask, why was it necessary for God to speak through Ellen White at that time? Well, people were falling away from the faith. There were a lot of questions. There were a lot of fanatical movements that were coming up. And a lot of scoffers were doing their best to discourage believers. So God had to intervene. And in a special way, He did. He restored the biblical truth. Clarified prophecy, called people to holiness and to prepare for the soon return of Jesus Christ. And what does that mean for us today? You see, 1844 is not that far away from our time, is it? God, the God that spoke through the prophets in the Bible, spoke through Ellen White. And this was meant to show us that God still speaks to his people. And God will do whatever it takes to warn his people, and God will do whatever it takes to prepare his people. God still controls the future, and God will not leave us in darkness. Before judgment, he warns. Before crisis, he reveals. Before upheaval, he speaks, sometimes through the scriptures and sometimes through prophecy. You see, Joel 2:28-29 promises, "Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." This promise did not expire in biblical times. You might have heard of stories of people receiving dreams. You might have received dreams yourselves. Or God might have used other means to communicate with you. Please don't get me wrong. I am not advocating for dreams over the Bible. I am just showing what God uses to communicate with His people. So I am going to take some time to share with you a testimony, a personal testimony that happened to me. That has significantly changed my faith and my understanding of how God operates. You see, back in 2016, I began to have a recurring dream. This was just after we had returned from Zimbabwe from our wedding with my wife. At first, it seemed insignificant. In the dream, I had traveled from Australia back to Zimbabwe, and I had made all the necessary preparations. You know, I had all the right documents. I had the money to travel back and forth. And in the dream, Every time I would wake up and for some reason the dream would end with me stuck in Zimbabwe, unable to return to Australia. At first it started off with few details. I was, I was always alone. And like any person, I dismissed the dream as someone who had gone to bed with a full tummy So I decided not to think much of it, and I discarded the dream. But the dream did not go away. It kept happening over and over, over a period of 3 years. And with each dream, more details were being added to the dream. And again, again, I would have this dream. Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night frightened, thinking, that I was actually stuck in, in Zimbabwe. And as time went on, initially it had started with me being alone in Zimbabwe, then the dream, you know, as time went on, I started having dreams with my family in Zimbabwe, then with my father. And still the same thing would happen every time I wake up. I would be stuck. You know, when you have a dream once or twice, you dismiss it. After some time, you start to think, what is happening? And I started to worry what this meant and what was happening. At first, I thought it was God's way of telling me not to go to Zimbabwe. And like any other person who professes to be wise, I decided, well, the solution is very simple. I am not going to go to Zimbabwe. That's the end of it. But little did I know that that was not the end of it. So the dream continued. Then in 2019, my father invited us to his home in Sydney with my family. And like any good parent, He persuaded me to go back to Zimbabwe with him, and it was for a lot of good reasons. My father had left the country in 2006, and then I came to Australia in 2009. So for a long time, we had not been together in my native country, seeing our relatives together. So to me, it was going to be a really special time spending time with my father, with our relatives, and then, you know, I was quite excited. And without hesitation, we agreed to go with him to Zimbabwe. But at the same time, news started to break out in the world that something was happening. And that there was a deadly virus which was spreading around the world. At first, I was a bit concerned about the virus and traveling, and I expressed my hesitations to my parents. And like every good parent, they always reassure you, and they told me that, look, there's been diseases all over the place. Remember the bird flu, the swine flu, people continue to, to travel. And like any good child, you listen to your parents. They know more. So I was happy with the explanation, and off I traveled with my pregnant wife and our first daughter. But before traveling, we made it a point between me and my wife to be careful as to how we were going to be spending our finances. And we took extra money, but we resolved to live like locals. See, when you go back to your native country, you tend to spend more than you usually do. I don't know, your hand becomes more liberal than normal. So we resolved that we were going to be careful with our money. And that's just what we did. So we didn't use a lot of money. We just used what was necessary. And I'm here to tell you that we enjoyed the visit, and as planned, my father left before us after we had visited a few relatives and all of that. Then he eventually returned to Australia earlier than us. But then things started to change, and change really fast. I started getting emails from my travel agency that you might need to start to consider coming back because there is problems with the traveling. Like every good father, I knew that changing my flight dates would involve paying extra. And when these things started happening, we were close to our return date. And I reasoned that, you know what, we are just around the corner, we'll be going back very soon, don't worry about it, why waste money? We'll just save the money, weather it out, and off we go when the time comes. So I hesitated and I didn't go through with it. I ignored those emails. Then things started to escalate and news after news talking about countries grounding flights, borders being closed. I started to panic. Then I decided to change my flights from Qatar to Emirates. In an effort to come back as soon as I can. And, you know, they always say that a poor man pays twice, and that was the case with me. The money that I wanted to save, I ended up paying a lot more. So we did that, and we were just being frantic about everything as the window of opportunity was closing. But I had not connected the dots to the dreams that I was having, I had been having. And the day of departure came, and this is where God started showing his hand. We got to the airport in Zimbabwe and flight cancellations were everywhere. You know how that board looks when people are— things are being canceled. And we started panicking. Then we went to the gate where we were supposed to board our plane. And here's one thing that has stuck with me. One of the— I overheard a conversation between the staff members, and one of them I distinctly remember telling the other guy that 'Cause we were just in front, and I distinctly remember him saying that to the guy who was checking the flights, you know, the tickets, that Emirates had closed its doors. Do not allow these people to board to South Africa. Emirates is shut down. But the other guy who was, you know, stamping the thing insisted that he should let us go. And this is how we left, we left Zimbabwe. Now that decision, humanly speaking, made no sense, but divinely speaking, it saved us. When we arrived in South Africa, my worst fear was confirmed. And like any parent, I started looking for options. Other flights were fully booked. Others were grounded, and we— I remember rushing to the Qantas gate to see if we can get a last-minute seat to come to Australia. And unfortunately, there were no seats on Qantas, and then the remaining options were affordable. You know, when there is a crisis, there is always a businessman who sees an opportunity. And the flights started going up. I think they went up as much as $5,000. Back then, a $5,000 flight was unheard of. But something strange was happening within me during this time in South Africa. I just remained calm. But we also had a very interesting experience with one of the guards in South Africa, the airport guards. You know, when things are going wrong, you try to call everyone and anyone. And I remember spending a lot of time on the phone with my mom. She was on the computer frantically trying to help us find a flight out of South Africa to get us home. And because of the excess uses of our phones, The battery started to die. And this security guard comes into picture. He offered to give us a phone charger. And we accepted. Little did we know we had accepted trouble. The guy started following us around the airport trying to cause panic. I remember there was a guy from— who was going to America. They caused him to panic so much that he left his bags and he rushed to another gate with the promise that they will follow with his bags. And as soon as he left, I heard them say to each other, "Put these bags in the lost and found property." So this guy was following us, me, my wife, and my daughter. And I started to get really concerned. And as time went on, he started demanding payment for the use of the phone charger. You know, South Africa was supposed to be a transit. We didn't have any runs or anything like that. So it became quite an awkward situation. We couldn't pay him, but he was demanding that we pay him. He followed us around for hours. And during that time, we started contacting our relatives in South Africa to see if they could help us. So one of them agreed to come and pick us up, and they lived in Pretoria. And where they lived, it was just 20 minutes from the Australian embassy. We have relatives in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and other places, but the one that agreed to pick us up was just 20 minutes from the embassy. Only later did we realize how precise God had been. And from that day, days turned into weeks, and as we all know, the whole world shut down. And after that, that's when it finally hit that the dream we had come to, to pass. I was stuck. I was stuck with my family. We had everything we needed to travel, the passports, the money, and every reason to return, but yet we could not return. And that moment was It was an eye-opening moment for me when I finally realized what had happened. That after all these years, that one dream had come to pass. And it had been fulfilled to detail. So we stayed in South Africa for 5 weeks. You know how they used to come on the news and explain that, ah, It would take another week, and then just before that week ends, oh, maybe give us another week. And weeks turned into weeks. Then we contacted the Australian Embassy, and because I'm a health worker, they tried everything they could to get me back to Australia to help manage what was happening in the health system. So they offered me all kinds of indirect flights, but there was a catch. Only I could access those flights, and that meant that I had to leave my family in South Africa. And I politely declined. And after about 5 weeks, the government made a decision to send Qantas to South Africa. And then it became clear. So when Qantas was deployed back to South Africa to pick people in the southern region of Africa, guess where the meeting point was? The Australian embassy. That's where we were supposed to all meet and from there be escorted back to the airport to board Qantas. And then I started seeing God's hand. You know, like I had mentioned, we had offers from other relatives to live far away from the embassy. But in God's timing, we stayed with a relative who was just 20 minutes from where we were supposed to be. Remember I told you the story about the incident in Zimbabwe? You see, yet we've been stuck in Zimbabwe, yet that guy had not been used by God to let us go to South Africa, we would not have been able to come to Australia after 5 weeks because Zimbabwe offered no such supports. So had we been stuck in Zimbabwe, the outcome would have been very different. And up to today, I can remember God's invisible hand guiding us. Now, most of you might ask, why did God give me that vision for 3 years? The honest answer is, I don't know. Am I better than you? No. Am I a prophet? Definitely not. My wife can tell you that. Am I a saint? No. But why did God reveal this to me? Well, in hindsight, one thing is for sure: God knew that COVID-19 was coming. And God forewarned me 3 years before the event came to pass. An even more powerful experience in that thing is As soon as the dream was fulfilled, the dream stopped and never returned. And in typical biblical style, as how God was giving visions to people, if you look at Daniel, the first Daniel chapter 2, it has got some details. Daniel chapter 7 adding details too, and so on. My same experience. Now, God did not tell me this to frighten me, but to prepare, protect, and strengthen my faith. My only regret is that I have not shared this testimony enough. And here is what God was trying to say. The same God that revealed empires to Daniel, the same God who warned Noah of the flood, The same God who spoke through Ellen White and the same God who promised that he will speak to his people in the end times through visions and dreams blessed me with that vision. And that experience has become an anchor for my faith. When the world shakes, I remember that God is in control. When fear and uncertainty looms in the world, I know for sure that this has not taken God by surprise, for God knows the end from the beginning. And it is my prayer that if this testimony strengthens even one person's faith, then it has fulfilled its promise. For surely the Lord God will do nothing but revealeth his secrets. And the God who knows tomorrow is inviting us to trust him. You see, we live in a world where people trust in different things. Where is your faith anchored? Is it anchored in predictions? Is it anchored in tarot cards or any of those things? As for me, my faith is anchored in God. And brothers and sisters, here is my appeal to you today. The world again is trembling. Voices are rising from everywhere. Some are predicting economic collapse. You might have seen on the news. Some are predicting and forecasting world wars. And within the faith, some are declaring deaths, times, and catastrophe, speaking with fear, urgency, and speculation. But God's people have never been called to speculate. We have been called to stand. The question before us today is not what will happen in 2026. The question is, who are you trusting as you walk in 2026? Because history tells us something sacred: fear has never prepared people. Dates have never solved— have never served any soul. Speculations and predictions based on human wisdom has never produced faith. Only trust in God's revealed word has. As we watch the headlines, let's remember where our faith is anchored. As things unfold in this world, let's remember the God that is the author and finisher of our faith. Paul say— Peter says, 2 Peter 1:19, we also have a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye all do well that ye take heed, as a light that shineth in a dark place. We are called to anchor our faith on the sure word of prophecy, not the loud voices in the world, not any new theory that is, uh, a trend, or no viral prediction going around social media, but in the sure word of God. New goals without surrender are fragile plans. New beginnings without Christ are recycled failures. But a life anchored in God's word, that life cannot be moved. So today, God is not asking us to fear the future. He is asking us to trust Him with it. If God could be so gracious to warn me of an event that took place 3 years after the first dream, that same God is still talking today. And if He could talk to me, the least of all the brethren, He can surely talk to His people. And guide his people and see us through. So the question is, will you trust him? Not only with what will happen in this world, but with your lives. If the future belongs to God, then the safest place to stand is with God. Not in speculation, but in obedience. Not in fear, but in faith. Not in human wisdom, but in the sure word of prophecy. May we be a people not asking what will happen, but declaring, I know whom I have believed. May God bless the reading of his word, and may God strengthen us with the reassurance that God knows the end from the beginning, and God will see us through. No matter what happens this year, God has gone before us. God knows what will happen in your future, and God will anchor you. All you have to do is hold on, trust in God, and we shall not be moved. Lord Jesus, we believe in thee. And we put our trust in Thee. As we go, God, we pray that You be with us. Strengthen our faith. Reveal Yourself unto us, Jehovah. And help us to know and be able to declare, "We know Whom we have believed in." This message was made available by the Dora Creek Seventh-day Adventist Church. For more resources like this, visit doracreek.church. SPEAKER A This program has been brought to you by 3ABN Australia Radio. To listen to our Australian programs on demand, visit both of our YouTube channels, 3ABN Australia Radio and Creation Conversations, or search for us on your favourite podcast directory.