Revelation chapter 14, we're going to be looking at the very first part of this chapter, but right now I want you to keep your place there and I want you to flip over to Revelation chapter 7. The title of the sermon tonight is the End Times Witnesses. We're going to talk about the witnesses tonight. You say what witnesses? So that's what we're going to look at this evening, the witnesses of the End Times. The first witnesses that we're going to look at, we just read about in Revelation chapter 14, but there is also detail about these witnesses in Revelation chapter number 7. What I'm talking about here is the 144,000. So very famous people are taught lots of different religions and the Jehovah's Witnesses, of course, talk about the 144,000 all the time. So we're going to study through this and just see if we can figure out what the 144,000 is all about, who they are, what they're doing, where they are, basically the who, why and where of the 144,000.  Revelation chapter 7, we're going to start out in verse number 3. The Bible says, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the scene or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their forehead. So Revelation chapter 7 is preparing for, we're right at this time in Revelation chapter 7, where the three and a half years, or really Daniel's 70th week, is coming to an end. The rapture is right here in front of us and the wrath is starting right after, within an hour of the rapture itself. So the rapture, of course, is found in Revelation chapter 7. We'll look at that in just a couple of minutes, but look at verse number 3, where it says, Hurt not the earth. Now that's talking about the wrath of God beginning. God is going to pour out his wrath for, I'm sorry, we're at the midpoint of the week and I was still at the millennial reign already, alright? So we're kind of backing up in time from this morning and we're at the midpoint of the week where the great tribulation is coming to an end, the rapture is about to happen and right after the rapture happens, the wrath of God is going to begin for the final three and a half years of Daniel's 70th week. But first, in Revelation 7, the Bible says, Hurt not the earth, neither the seed nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And this is going to go into this 144,000. But verse number 3 is super important because that shows you where the 144,000 are going to be. So, you know, who are they? We're going to look at it in just a minute. But right away here we can see that they are sealed and they are going to be on the earth. How do we know that? Because the Bible is saying, seal them and don't hurt the earth until they're sealed. Meaning, we need to be able to differentiate who they are when God is pouring out his wrath upon the earth. We need to know that they are, who the sealed are and who the people are not, that are not sealed. And then, of course, verse number 4. So, that tells us right there that they're on the earth. These 144,000, whoever they are, are going to be on the earth during the wrath of God. Because God makes sure that he seals them, he marks them so they can be differentiated as he's pouring out his, basically his seven trumpets and his seven vials. And look, there's some, there's some crazy wrath there. All right? There's a lot of different plagues that come upon the earth. And God just wants to make sure that he doesn't, he doesn't have any friendly fire incidents here. Okay? So he seals them in their foreheads. All right? And this, I've told you this before, but this is also why I believe the mark of the beast is either in your forehead or in your right hand. Because Satan never really comes up with anything on his own. He just kind of copies what God does and just kind of twists it and changes it slightly. So it says, I heard in verse number 4, and I heard the number of them which were sealed. Again, they were marked so they don't get hurt, making sure we mark them first. And they were sealed in 144,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel. And then, of course, it goes into great detail here in Revelation chapter 7 about all the different tribes. It's talking about the tribes of the children of Israel, the 12 tribes, 144,000, the tribe of Judah, Asser, Simeon, Zebulon. And it's basically 12,000. So 12 times 12,000 is 144,000. All right? And then look at verse number 9. So this is the rapture in Revelation chapter 7 here. And now, how anybody could think that the rapture is anywhere in Revelation other than Revelation chapter 7? It's in Revelation 14, too. But how anyone could think it's in Revelation 4 or Revelation 6 is just so confusing. I'm lucky in my life, or I feel blessed in my life, that I didn't have a lot of false teaching on end times doctrine because really, Lutherans didn't have any idea about end times doctrine. So they just kind of either said, Lutheran pastors that I grew up with said, oh, we can't understand that. Or they just said like that's already happened or whatever. You know, they just kind of like give some answer where they don't have to explain any of this. But the rapture itself, I mean, just look at this in verse number 9. It says, after this, I beheld and lo, a great multitude which no man could number of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes and palms in their hands and cried with a loud voice saying, salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb. So that's obviously the people that were raptured that were taken up to heaven by Jesus Christ out of that great tribulation. So who are these 144,000? If we look at the verses between verse number 4 and verse number 9, it's literally telling you that it's 12,000 of everyone out of each of these 12 tribes of Israel. Now since no one, what tribe they would be of Israel today, and we're talking about saved believers here, we're talking about saved believers here. So even if somebody could claim that they were the tribe of whatever, which you know, most people who are Jewish have no idea what tribe they are today. And they may claim that they know, but nobody knows. Genealogies are long lost, especially for the 10 tribes in the northern kingdom of Israel since they were just kind of taken away and they just kind of all became like the Samaritans, right? They became this mixed people of the Assyrians and the 10 tribes in the northern kingdom. These are clearly Old Testament saints that have died. It's only explanation I've ever heard that makes any sense is that they are Old Testament saints that are resurrected in that first resurrection. And God is giving them a task here, alright? It's the rapture here. Now remember the structure of revelation, okay? Remember the structure of revelation where, you know, Revelation chapter 1 through chapter number 11 is kind of the first, you know, telling of this story. And it's kind of like the Gospels. Then Revelation chapter 12 through verse or through chapter number 22 is parallel to Revelation 1 through 11. And probably the biggest evidence of that is the seven trumpets and the seven vials. How all of those judgments and all of those plagues perfectly match up to each other. But you can also see that in Revelation chapter 7 and verse number 9 where the rapture is there. And then the rapture is also in Revelation chapter 14 that we just read. Talking about that reaping, you know, where the Son of Man comes back and he reaps the earth, alright? So we see Revelation chapter 1 through 11 and then it starts the story over with Revelation chapter 12 through verse or chapter number 22. But go back and another proof of this is go back to Revelation chapter 14 now. Now we get some more detail. It's very similar to the Gospels actually because you get kind of a different telling of the same events. But you get more detail, you get a different perspective in Revelation 12 through 22. And that's we get a different perspective on the 144,000 and we get a little bit more detail in Revelation chapter 14. Look at verse number 1 of Revelation chapter 14. So from Revelation chapter 7 we know that, you know, these are Old Testament saints that are being brought back to the earth, they're being sent to the earth during what? At what time? Right before God starts to pour out his wrath upon the earth. So you say, what would be the point of that? And that's what we're going to talk about tonight. We're going to talk about these witnesses and why God did this. Look at verse number 1 of Revelation 14. And I looked and lo, a lamb stood on Mount Zion and with him in 144,000 having his father's names written in their foreheads. Here they've been sealed. And I heard a voice from heaven as the voice of many waters as the voice of a great thunder. And I heard the voice of the harpers harping with their harps. And they sung as it were a new song before the throne and before the four beasts and the elders. And no man could learn that song but the 144,000 which were redeemed from the earth showing that these are saved people. These are definitely saints. Again, I explained this morning, saints are anyone who is saved. All right. Saints are not some, you know, weird, applique, you know, title that someone gets by some earthly false church. Okay, saints are anybody who has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and is saved. I'm looking at a bunch of saints this evening. All right. So it's Old Testament saints from the tribes of Israel. All right. But now we get more detail. Look at verse number four. And this just really backs up that these must be Old Testament saints. Look at verse number four. It says, these are they which were not defiled. And this is for the Jehovah's Witnesses too. Because not only did the Jehovah's Witnesses, so the Jehovah's Witnesses this false cult, they actually teach that only 144,000 people will go to heaven. All right.  You really shouldn't say it that way because they'll tell you no. They don't even think they're going to heaven. Right. So they're part of this false religion that doesn't even teach them that they're going to heaven unless, unless you've been lucky enough to meet one of the 144,000. Because I have met a couple of different people who say that they're actually part of the 144,000 and they do think that they're going to heaven. The irony is, I can't remember when I did a sermon a couple of years ago on the Jehovah's Witnesses. And I believe they filled up the quota like 100 years ago or something. So it's like no one has a chance, right. So at least if you're going to, you know, start a false religion, you know, make the, make the, you know, the hotel bigger for success, right. But anyway, so the Jehovah's Witnesses, though, this is the problem is really interesting if you find someone that thinks they're part of the 144,000 and as a woman, all right, because it's super interesting because if you go to Revelation 14.4, how good it says? Not only are they of the tribe of, you know, the specific tribes, but look what it says here. These are they which are not defiled with women, for they are virgins, for they are they which follow the lamb, which with or so ever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the lamb, meaning they were set, they're set aside after the rapture, they're being set aside for specific purpose. But the Bible basically says these are male virgins. All right, so I mean that pretty much disqualifies probably any Jehovah's Witnesses, Jehovah's Witness that you talk to, you know, out there that thinks that they're part of the 144,000. But I mean, I'm kind of saying this tongue in cheek, it's not going to help to show this to them in the Bible, because if they cared what the Bible said, they would not be Jehovah's Witnesses in the first place. All right, so verse number five, and it says in their mouth was found no guile, for there without fault, we have for the throne of God. So what do we know? Who are they? They're of the specific tribes, they're male virgins, they're Old Testament saints. Look at verse number six. The next question we're going to ask is this, they're being sent to the earth, they're sealed and they're sent to the earth right before God pours out his wrath. What is their purpose? Why would God do this? Why send them there? Verse number six answers that question for us. This angel in verse number six and verse number seven, I kind of have a bracket around those two, around those two verses, and it's kind of like the marching orders for the 144,000. Look at what it says in verse six, and it says, I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people. Saying with a loud voice, fear God and give glory to him for the hour of his judgment has come and worship him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of water. This angel is basically telling you what the 144,000 are going to be doing. They're going to be telling people to fear God, they're going to be carrying the gospel, the everlasting gospel during the time of the wrath of God. I mean, it makes perfect sense. I mean, here comes the wrath, like within minutes of what we're talking about here and God sends these witnesses down to the earth to carry the gospel. The gospel is still important during the wrath of God. And that's why I love how the Bible calls it here, the everlasting gospel, meaning as long as there is breath and on the earth, the gospel is important. So then we have the rapture, we have the seven trumpets, the seven vials for three and a half years. Think of it. This just wrath, these plagues being poured out. I don't want to give away the plagues, but it's bad. It's bad. The plagues in Revelation are terrible. I'm glad we won't be there to be part of it, but God's pouring out his wrath for three and a half years. It's not like it's going on for two weeks, but God makes sure that he has these 144,000 there to catch the repentance of people. What do I mean by that? I mean, to catch, I mean, I'm thinking that after the rapture, that after, you know, the wrath of God, after the first plague, after the second, you know, vile and trumpet, and after the third and fourth, I'm guessing that there's going to be people all along the way that are like, hey, we're on the wrong side of this thing. They're going to change their mind about where they're at. I mean, I imagine that there's going to be a lot of people right after the rapture, after Jesus comes and takes the saints to heaven with him. They're going to change their mind after just that one thing before the wrath even begins. But that's why the 144,000 are sent to the earth. They're going to have that job of preaching the gospel during the wrath of God.  Turn to Revelation chapter 11. Turn to Revelation chapter 11. Talk about, you know, exciting soul winning.    They're just being tormented by all these plagues and earthquakes and the waters turning to, I mean, just crazy stuff happening. And you know, the earth's being burnt up and they're soul winning during that time. They're not hurt. They're protected by the Lord and they're soul winning during that time. But there's even more. God even provides more witnesses during the wrath of God. Look at Revelation chapter 11 and look at verse number three. Now let's talk about the two witnesses. Let's talk about the two witnesses of Revelation. Look at Revelation chapter 11. And I want to kind of show you tonight, you know, of course we have the 144,000 in Revelation 7 and Revelation chapter 14. But in Revelation chapter 11, you know, the Lord points out these two special witnesses that are going to be in Jerusalem. And I want to show you how those two witnesses kind of play together with the 144,000 during what? During the wrath of God. All right, look at Revelation chapter 11, verse number three. Look what the Bible says here. It says, And I will give power unto my two witnesses and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and three score days clothed in sackcloth.  It's almost three and a half years. And we're going to see that it's not really three and a half years because something happens to them, you know, towards the end of the three and a half years. But pretty much the entire section of God's wrath, that three and a half years, these two witnesses will be on the earth. Look at verse number one. Actually, go back to verse number one. They're going to be there. They're going to be there in Jerusalem and they're going to be explaining the why, what, and the who of God's wrath. Look at verse number one. It says, And there was given to me a reed like unto a rod. And the angel stood saying, Rise, measure the temple of God and the altar and them that worship therein. But the court, which is without the temple, leave out and measure it not for it is given unto the Gentiles and the holy city shall be tread under foot forty and two months. That's exactly three and a half years, forty and two months.  And God says I'll get power to my two witnesses. Now look at verse number four. It tells us, you know, what these witnesses are going to be doing in Jerusalem. These are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.  And if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. So these guys are going to be in the holy city in Jerusalem and they're going to be, you know, preaching the word of God. They're going to be explaining, you know, you know why this is happening. I mean, they're basically going to be doing what every prophet in the Old Testament did. Just warning that, you know, of course they're going to be doing it when God's literally pouring out his wrath. All right. And people are not going to like them. You know, shocker, right? Big surprise. People aren't going to like when the man of God is standing there preaching the word of God and they're going to want to be, they're going to want to kill them.  God's going to protect them. Look at verse number six. These have power to shut heaven that it rained not in the days of their prophecy and have power over waters to turn them to blood and to smite the earth with all plagues as often as they will. So look, it's not just the revelation plagues. These guys can do whatever they want. God's giving them power to stop rain when it says shut heaven. It means, you know, cause of famine, basically. All right. Look at verse number seven. It says, when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast, this is the beast that ascended out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them and shall overcome them and kill them. The antichrist is going to kill them and their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt. That's just like that spiritual Babylon. That's that same type of language. Where also our Lord was crucified. So we're talking about Jerusalem here. And they of the people and kindreds, they are of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half. So everyone's going to see this.  So at this point they're pretty hated these these guys.  They finally, you know, the beast, the antichrist is finally able to kill them and everyone's happy about it. Look at verse number 10. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them and make merry and shall send gifts to one another because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. So these guys, I mean, they're going to have just, there's going to be this massive party because these guys are dead. I mean, just think, these people are people that have burned up against the Lord even during God's wrath. These are the people that are going to party over the prophets dead bodies. They heard a great voice from heaven saying, oh and after three days and a half, sorry, verse number 11, the spirit of life from God entered into them and they stood up upon their feet and great fear fell upon them which saw them. I mean it's interesting that they're, you know, they were kind of in the grave for about the same time as Jesus was in the grave but they're going to be resurrected from the dead and, you know, great fear. I mean, everyone's going to be afraid of them. I mean, you think? And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, come up hither and they ascend up to heaven in a cloud and their enemies be held them.  These guys are going to be preaching against these people.  You have to picture this scene where these two witnesses, these two prophets, the Bible says, are preaching against this city and against the people of the earth for three and a half years. They are preaching like, this is why this is happening to you. You turned against the Lord.  This is the wrath of God. That's what they're going to be saying. Everyone, but think about it. I'm sure some people will get saved. So when you look at the two witnesses and the 144,000, it's kind of like, you know, bad cop, good cop. You know, the two witnesses are like, this is what you deserve and this is God's wrath. All this and some people are going to repent and get right. And they're going to, you know, turn to the Lord and that's where the 144,000 they go and they preach the gospel and they pick up the pieces. But look at this in verse number 11 where, you know, these in verse number 10, these people are just partying over their dead bodies and then they literally come back to life. They literally, this is so similar to the story of the miracles of Jesus. How could you not believe the reprobate doctrine? Look, these people just saw God raise dead people from the grave to life. And do they believe? No, they don't believe. They don't believe they bur up more against the Lord. And so what you have to understand is like they did the same thing to Jesus. Jesus went and did all these miracles. He literally raised Lazarus from the dead and the Pharisees, they didn't say, oh man, he raised Lazarus from the dead.   They dismissed it. Why? Because they could not believe. They could not. I mean, it's not that they could not believe Jesus was God. They could not trust in him. They could not put their trust in him. They didn't want him. They, they what? It's different from not knowing. There's a lot of people in the middle that don't know. There's a lot of people in the middle that maybe they've been, you know, taught a false religion and they don't know the truth of the Bible. But these people know the truth and they reject it. It's, it's a different thing. It's a different thing altogether. Look at verse number 13. And the same hour was a great earthquake in the 10th part of the city fell and in the earthquake were slain of men 7000 and the remnant were frightened and gave glory to the God of heaven. So yeah, some people are going to get saved. Some people are going to get saved through all of these miracles and the wrath of God that's being poured out. But the two witnesses work hand in hand with the 144,000 because they are there with the harsh message and the 144,000 are there with the everlasting gospel. So the question is, and I think the key to who they are is in verse number six, if you go back up to verse number six, who are they? I mean, this is a big, you know, debate and many people ask me this and I don't even know if I've really ever answered this question.  I guess is really the answer. But I mean, the smart money says it's Moses and Elijah.  That would be weird. But anyway, I mean, I've never actually heard that combination. But I mean, if you think it's somebody else, it's really no big deal. But I mean, just the biblical context lends you to believe it's Moses and Elijah, really from verse number six and really verse number six is kind of the key because when you look at Moses and Elijah turned to Exodus chapter seven. So Moses, of course, turned water to blood, you know, in the plagues in Egypt. If you look at Moses in Exodus chapter seven, look at verse number 20. This is why, you know, just the kind of the mainstream biblical knowledge will say it's Moses and Elijah. Moses and Aaron did so in verse number 20, as the Lord commanded, and he lift up the rod and smote the waters that were in the river and in the sight of Pharaoh and the sight of his servants, all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. So of course, Moses did similar miracles to what the two witnesses are going to do. And of course, Elijah really fits because Elijah, I mean, in 1 Kings chapter 17, in just the very first verse, basically Elijah like shuts up heaven. He does exactly what these two witnesses are going to do and he causes this great famine that makes Ahab just hate him. You know, and Ahab is hunting him and looking for him. And of course, 1 Kings chapter 18, the famous, you know, showdown with the prophets of Baal is when basically it rains, you know, when he basically, he comes and he shows himself to Ahab and then goes and kills all the prophets of Baal. But what does Elijah do? You know, when he calls, when he has this big showdown with the prophets of Baal, he literally calls down fire from heaven. He calls down fire from heaven and burns up the sacrifice that they just soaked in water and built the, you know, the big trench with the water. And then of course, in 2 Kings chapter 1, Elijah literally burns up all of Ahaziah's captains, you know, the 50 men that they just kept sending. He just burns them up, just burns them up, just burns them up, very similar to these witnesses here. All right. So, you know, some say it's Enoch and Elijah because Enoch and Elijah were both, you know, taken up to heaven.  So it's probably, you know, Moses and Elijah. That's where the common knowledge is really not too important to me who they actually are. It's kind of like, I'll let you know when we see it from heaven or, you know, when we're watching this whole thing. But it's more important, not so much who they are, more important is what their role is. More important is what their role is than who they actually are. It's really interesting because the two witnesses are really kind of a one, two punch when it comes to the wrath of God. You've got these guys and it's also interesting that when you look at the two witnesses in combination with the 144,000, it is very similar to our soul-winning presentation of the Gospel. Because our soul-winning presentation, when you think about it, it's a one, two punch. It's a one, two punch. I mean, you're not giving people the Gospel for the first five minutes, six, seven, eight minutes of the Gospel presentation. You're not really telling them nice things.  What are you telling them?  You know, for all it's sinned and comes short of the glory of God. You're kind of given the bad news. That's what these two witnesses are doing and that's why everybody hates them. Because they're in Jerusalem when this terrible time is coming down. It's kind of like, you know, Jeremiah. He was given this message that people just didn't want to hear.  You probably didn't want to hear the sermon this morning. Because, you know, that doesn't really jive with what you think is reality. So, you know, when we step to someone's front door and start giving them the gospel, we're kind of like those two witnesses for the first few minutes. We're sitting there and we're saying like, hey, man, here's the situation you're in. The wrath of God abideth on you.  That is the way it is. Some people don't like to hear that. The humble person, though, will get to the 144,000. The humble person will get to the point where you can go, OK, now, do you think God loves you? Do you think God wants that to happen to you?  You've got to tell them because they've got to know they deserve it. They've got to know they deserve it. Otherwise, what's the point? What are they being saved from? Nothing. So they need to know that this is why God sends the two witnesses and the 144,000. They work together. You've got the two witnesses out there, just this is why this is happening to you. Can you imagine? It's like a country being invaded, like Jeremiah. The country is being threatened by this empire that's just encroaching on their borders, being threatened. And he's like, yeah, they're going to win. I mean, imagine he's not popular.  You all deserve this. You know, most people are going to be like, ah, we should fight this and we're against this and trying to save everything and come up with their own solution.  You all deserve it. And the people that listen to them are the ones that are going to get saved through that everlasting gospel. The people that burr up, they're going to be the ones that are at the battles that we talked about this morning. They're going to be the ones that show up to the battle of Armageddon. They're going to be the ones or the people like them are going to be the ones that show up to the battle of Gog and Magog. And you know, Jesus is just going to take care of business in both instances. Because why? Because it doesn't matter what they see. They can't believe. They're just, they're done.  And God's just going to take care of it at that point. So look, all that to say this, this is not a super complicated message tonight. But witnesses, let me just, now we see these two witnesses. We see the 144,000 witnesses. You're like, that's kind of neat. But you know what? That's kind of like the way God has always been. That's been God's philosophy. That's why the explanation of the 144,000 being Old Testament saints, you know, I think the first person I heard it from was Pastor Anderson. It makes the most sense, but it also fits with how God operates. Because God operates even today with what? With witnesses. He expects witnesses. Turn to Malachi chapter three. Turn to Malachi chapter three. It's not, it's not a new philosophy. But guess what? God doesn't change. In Malachi chapter three in verse number six, the Bible says this. It says for I am the Lord, I change not. So it makes sense that we see a philosophy in the end times. That's the same philosophy that we saw in the Old Testament. That's the same philosophy that we see today. Turn to Ezekiel chapter 22. Turn to Ezekiel chapter 22. God has always operated this way. God has always relied on witnesses to pass his word along. Look at verse number 26 of Ezekiel chapter 22.  It says her priests have violated my law and have profaned my holy things. They have put no difference between the holy and the profane. Neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths and I have profaned among them. It's talking about, you know, his people haven't separated. Same message as the New Testament. Her princes in the midst they're over like wolves ravening the prey to shed blood. There's that violence we talked about and to destroy souls to get dishonest gain. Those false prophets just like the Pharisees that are just, what? They're making merchandise of people. Second Peter chapter two. It's all the same thing and God is the same philosophy towards it. And her prophets have dogged them with untempered mortar seeing vanity and divining lies unto them saying, Thus saith the Lord God when the Lord had not spoken. So he's just talking about false prophets making merchandise of people just as Paul and Peter and all the apostles were warning everybody about in the New Testament. It's all the same. The people of the land have used oppression, exercised robbery, vexed the poor and the needy. Yet they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. And look at verse number 30. This is God's philosophy right here. He says, And I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge.  I'm looking for a man to stand up. This is what I talked about this morning. I'm looking for a man to stand up and actually say what my word is and actually tell the truth. But in this case, and stand in the gap for me in the land that I should not destroy it. But I found none. Look at this for a minute. And this gives you some optimism about America right here. Because here he's saying for one guy, and I can't find one. I'm looking for one guy to stand in the gap. And I believe, just as I said this morning, that America probably has the most saved people on planet Earth. This nation right here. So we do have some people in America that are standing in the gap today. I talked to a conservative person, a conservative person about several weeks ago. And they started, they're not from California and they started lambasting California.  There's some people, there's some real Christians standing in the gap in California. As a matter of fact, it's the state, no offense to Arizona, but it's the state where I know the most people that are standing in the gap. And I kind of got a little hot under the collar. But don't stand there in Virginia or stand there in Tennessee or some red state or whatever it is. And tell me about standing in the gap because we're doing something here. There are people standing in the gap in California, in Arizona, in Texas, in Washington, all over the country. There's people standing in the gap. There's people doing stuff. And that's some optimism about America right there because the Bible says in God, not just Genesis 19, but right here, he says I'm looking for one man and I won't destroy it. We got way more than one here. We got way more than one in the United States of America. There's some positive news for you tonight. So God has always relied on saved believers to stand in the gap, to be what? To be those witnesses that will speak his word, that will go out and preach the gospel. Look folks, there is a lot of people preaching the gospel in the United States of America. There's a lot of churches that are still and there's a revival of soul winning happening in this country. And that's what God wants to see.   As we stand here in California, fighting the fight, you know what I think about that anyway. I think it's a cowardly philosophy to be like, oh, there's liberals there. Let's get out of there. I mean, what, what? How tough is that? You know, I was like, oh, there's people that don't agree with us here. They didn't hide in a cave. Let's go and hide in Alaska where nobody else wants to live. You know, population four or whatever. So look, no matter the nation, God needs witnesses. He always needs a man. Turn to Ephesians chapter two. And you know what this really, the second thing, so the first thing that the two witnesses and the 144,000 demonstrate is that God has always operated this way. It's just proof of him just continuing the same philosophy of using man to deliver his word, especially the gospel. Okay. But the second thing that shows is this. Think about it. God is pouring out his wrath now. His wrath is, his indignation is full. You know, God is, he's like, he's had it at this point. During when the wrath of God after the rapture, God's like, I've had it. Here comes the wrath. He seals them and he sends them down. But look at Ephesians chapter two. Look at verse number four. The second thing that it really shows with the two witnesses and the 144,000 is it shows God's just undying mercy.  If they didn't get it by this point, just forget about them. Even during his wrath, he has mercy. Look at Ephesians chapter two. Look at verse number four. It says, Who is rich in mercy? For his great love, wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace, year saved.  It's just more of that same philosophy.  Well, I mean, we didn't get right. Nobody got right when Jesus came here.  It's not like he's waiting for the nation of Israel or God's people to like get, you know, as right as they possibly can. Then he's gonna send Jesus. No, he sent Jesus when they were an absolute man in an absolute disaster. While we were yet sinners and he's gonna send the witnesses, the 144,000 and the two prophets in Jerusalem his wrath, even in his fury. He has mercy. Even in his, the execution of his wrath, he has mercy. But still at that point, he tells people to do it. He has bodies, saved believers that go do it. Look at Romans chapter 10 in verse number 14. I know you know this verse very well. But the point is, it's always, it's designed this way. It is designed to work this way. Romans 10, 14. It's talking about how people will get saved. You know what? It's talking about how people will get saved here. It's talking about the mechanics of salvation. How does salvation actually work? Okay, I get it. Somebody has to trust on Jesus. All right? Somebody has to trust on, take the trust of themself, trust on Jesus and they're sealed for eternity. They're sealed by the Holy Spirit.  There's nothing they could ever do to lose their salvation. We get that. But what are the mechanics of it? The mechanics of it are right here. Also then they call on him and who they have not believed. So it's kind of like showing you the process backwards here. You know, it's basically saying, once people have believed on Jesus, they will call on him. And how so they believe in him of who they have not heard. The only way that they'll believe the Gospel is if someone tells them the Gospel. Because the Bible is a spiritual book. The Bible says it is spiritually discerned. A saved person has to go with the Bible and show the Gospel to someone.  I've tried it. I've tried it. I mean, somebody asked me the other day out soul winning, how many times did you read the Bible before you were saved? I'm like, none. I'm like, I couldn't get through it. I tried. I read Genesis one a bunch of times. But it just, especially the New Testament, I can still remember the confusion of it. I don't know if you can, I don't know if any of you have the similar experience, but when I was saved, I would try to read the New Testament, the Bible was a mystery to me. I really wanted to know what it said. I wanted to know. And so I would try to read my New King James that I had since I was a kid. I tried to read that, especially the New Testament, many times. I was very, very confused. And look, we need to remember that when we talk to people and we give the Gospel to people, it's very simple. It's very simple to us. But you have to remember, and this is by the way, why you will hear so many people that you give the Gospel to, they will say to you, well, when you explain it like that, it's really simple. It is simple. But just thinking about it, not, I mean, because I, I couldn't get through it because I would just be like, that sounds like worst-baked salvation. That doesn't, and what is it, and what in the world? And I just, I couldn't understand it, so I would stop. So the answer was never, that I never read the Bible cover to cover, not even close before I was saved. So whenever people tell me, like whenever people aren't saved and they're like, oh, I've read the Bible 10 times or whatever, I'm just like, okay, whatever.  I really, I don't believe it when people tell me that, right? The Bible is one of those books. It's like the only book that people will claim to know everything about and they've not read one page. I don't know any other book where people do that, but the Bible is definitely one that many, many people claim that, all right? But the point I'm trying to get at is this. It says, look at verse 15, it says, and how shall they preach except they be sent? You see that? What does God do with 144,000? He sends them to preach. As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, showing that they need to be sent and they need to go. Just like us, just like the Old Testament, just like Ezekiel 22, where God was looking for the man to stand up and preach his words, and it says, and bring glad tidings of good things. You know what that is? That's the good news. That's the gospel right there, that glad tidings of good things. So yeah, we might be the two witnesses at first, the two prophets. We might be Ezekiel or Elijah and Moses for the first eight minutes, but after that, we've got glad tidings of good things for you. So we're kind of, we encompass that entire thing. But the point I'm trying to get at is the witnesses, the preachers, they've always been baked into the cake. They've always been necessary for the gospel because that's how God designed it to be. That's how God designed the earth to get the gospel is through men, through people, all right? So you say, why during the wrath? Why during the wrath? Think of the wrath. I kind of mentioned this already, but you know, some people, there's a lot of people out there. So we got the people who are saved and you got the people who just hate the Lord, but most people are in the middle there. The vast majority of people are in the middle and those are the ones that we're trying to what? As Paul said, we're trying to persuade them, right? We're trying to persuade them of the truth. You think about people that are not interested in the gospel. Somebody said at Men's Preaching Night on Friday, it seems like in one of the sermons, this was another, I love Men's Preaching Night because there's so many different kind of angles coming at things and I really appreciate how different people view different. I mean, we're not talking about different doctrines, just things people pick up out of the Bible. And one of the guys said this, he said, it seems like sometimes that we're more concerned for people's souls than they are. And I'm like, exactly. You know, I mean, we all walk away from those doors where we meet that guy or that gal and they're just really nice people and they're just, they have no concern for their own soul.  Why am I the only one that cares about that person's soul? Why don't they care about their own soul or the soul of their families? But you know what, some people are just too comfortable. They're too comfortable in their life. They're too comfortable in their life. And you know what, the wrath of God, you say, why have the witnesses in the wrath of God? Because a lot of people are gonna be made uncomfortable in the wrath of God. A lot of unsaved people who are just too comfortable to care about their own soul are gonna be very uncomfortable during those three and a half years.  You know, there's a lot of people that, you know, a good prayer, if you have somebody that you love or a loved one in your life that's not saved and maybe they're just too comfortable, they're too proud, they think they've got everything figured out, I think we probably all know somebody like that. A good prayer is that, you know what, maybe God just make them a little bit uncomfortable. Make them uncomfortable enough to where they'll listen to your word. That's a good prayer. You say, I should pray for bad things? No, pray for people to get uncomfortable or get their pride removed from them, whatever God has to do, you know, ask God to intervene to humble somebody so they could be saved. That's a good prayer. But that's what's gonna happen to a lot of people during the wrath of God. A lot of people that pride is gonna knock down, you know, when things are too good for them to care about heaven or hell, things aren't gonna be good for anybody during that time. All right, so when circumstances change, a lot of times people will go, I know so many people that have heard the gospel that got the gospel multiple times before they got saved. The guy standing right here didn't get saved the first time. The guy standing right here went to faithful word Baptist church and somebody turned around and started, you know, giving him the gospel and the guy standing right here argued with that guy and didn't get saved the first time. But it made me uncomfortable and it made me think about, you know, the cognitive dissonance that I had and how I wasn't really making sense with some of the beliefs that I had. But it was somebody that told me, it was a witness. Somebody turned around and witnessed. This is why God sends witnesses. And as he's gonna send him during the wrath is as those pushes happen, that's when, you know, that uncomfort comes and that's when there's gonna be people that wouldn't have received it before that will now receive it. And God sends the witnesses to pick up the grain. And that's why, you know, Pastor Anderson years ago I heard a sermon and he talked about the first resurrection and the second resurrection. What we're talking about with the 144,000 and the witnesses, we're talking about people that are gonna be in the second resurrection. We're talking about people after the rapture that are gonna be part of that second resurrection. He talked about it, you know, from a perspective of a harvest, you know, the first resurrection being that main harvest and then the second resurrection being what? The gleaning.  And that's what the 144,000 are gonna be doing. And that's what the two witnesses are gonna be doing. They're gonna be picking up the gleaning which are that second resurrection. What's power heads?


In this video, we provide the solution to question number 13 for the practice final exam from math 1050 This graph right here. You see on the screen. This is the graph of the equation x equals y squared So this is a parabola concave to the right-hand side there and we're asking some questions about symmetry What are the following statements are true? Statement I the graph is symmetric with respect to the white to the x-axis Notice if you reflected across the x-axis you actually get the original graph back This graph is symmetric with respect to the x-axis now I should mention that functions don't do this in general, but this graph does not pass the vertical line test So this is not our function in the usual sense Does the graph of the function is it's symmetric with respect to the y-axis well If we reflected this thing across the y-axis, we'd actually get a parabola that concave to the left That gives you something different. So 2 is not a true statement And then finally the graph is symmetric with respect to the origin Well, if you take a half spin around the origin you actually get the picture we had on the screen just a moment ago You end up with a parabola that's concave to the left. So no this graph is not Symmetric with respect to the origin. So the only one that's true was be that it is symmetric with respect to the x-axis So we choose option a


Hello my YouTube family, welcome to another NARC Survivor Live video, this live video is very special because in my five and a half years of making videos I've never spoken about this topic before and this is a brand new concept that I have been thinking about over the last few weeks and it is actually very true, you may think that they got the best of you as though they just drained you of everything you had, they took the best part of you when actually it is the opposite, they got the worst of you, you had so much more to offer, you could have been so much more to them, because remember they want that narcissistic supply, they want attention, validation, they want you to help support their false image, give them money or resources and you may have given them some of that, you may have provided supply to them but that was on their terms and under their conditions and of course that put us at a disadvantage, it put us at a weak point, I mean just imagine if we were in charge of everything in that relationship, imagine what we could have been for them, we could have been so much more, then we could have given the best of ourselves to them, so they actually got the worst of us because they had to be the boss, they had to be in charge, they had to hold an authoritative position over us to where we were like their slaves, we were working for them and we had the power, we had the strength to do all of this for them, but imagine if we were the ones who were in charge, then we could have done so much more, we could have given them so much more and I know this from my own experience in past relationships, well the narcissist always had to be the boss, they had to be in charge and they didn't really get that much out of it, I mean they got something out of it but they could have had a hundred times more, if they had just listened to me it would have gone so much better for them, so really they do get the worst of us, get the best of them because remember they come into it with a false character that they believe is perfect, so they give us the best of them as soon as they come around us, whenever they deem to be most attractive, desirable, powerful about themselves, that's what they give to us from the very beginning, but by doing that by having this power over us they don't get to see just how great we really are, they don't get to see what we could do, they only experience people at their worst, they have to break you down, they manipulate and control you and that's when they get you, they use a false character, they don't experience you directly, they can't connect to you, they have to break you down first before they can even get involved with you, so how could they ever have the best of you, that's what they have to do, they have to make you miserable and then they can feel like they own you as though you're their possession, but they can't feel like you're their possession when you have freedom, when you're able to do whatever you want to do, when things are on your terms and under your conditions, then they can only review you as a narcissistic extension, they feel like they're losing control of you, so then they've got to pull on the wings, they've got to pull you back in and immediately by doing that they're weakening you, they're getting far less than what they could be getting out of you, because they have to be in control, they have to push you down, they have to suck the life out of you, so they don't get to enjoy you at your best when you're happy and full of life, they don't get to have a piece of art, they don't get to partaking that, they only get to experience you when you're down, when you're at your worst, that's all that they get to experience from you, they don't ever get the best parts of their victims or targets from all of this manipulation and control as having to have this authoritative possession over you instead of just letting you run free like a child, you're free to roam the earth and develop into the type of person that you want to be but you can then just develop your own identity instead of getting that what could have been the best part of you for them, all they get is the garbage, they get the worst parts of you, they get the worst side of you rather than anything real but believe it or not that's actually what they want, they're willing to settle for that because otherwise they look at it like well if you're free to govern yourself, to be autonomous then why would you stick around with them when you can do so much better, you can be so much more but just look at it like then you wouldn't want anything to do of them because then you would realize that you're so much better than them and that they're just holding you down, they're holding you back, this is another reason why when they get around people like us they have to manipulate and control us not only so that we don't see who they actually are because they're hiding behind a false character but the other reason is also so that we don't see just how great we are because they're keeping us down through the use of their manipulation and control they're holding this position of authority over us it's almost like they've got us tied down, we can't move, we can't roam freely, we can't do what we want to do, we can't be who we want to be, we can't be better, we can't be more, this is why as soon as you get away from them everything gets so much better for you and I've experienced that in my own life, as soon as you get away from their control then you're able to transition from this caterpillar to a cocoon and then into a beautiful butterfly and that's what they fear the most, they fear that when you transition from that cocoon into a beautiful butterfly that you're just going to fly far away from them I realize then that they're actually no good for you, they're just holding you down, they're holding you back, they're preventing you from being the best version of yourself because that's the only way that they can keep you, that's the only way that they can contain you as their source of supply, so all they ever get is fake, they don't get the real parts of you, they don't get the best version of you and they never will they had the worst of you, just look at everything you went through with them, you experienced so much abuse and manipulation, you really think that was the best of you, of course not, it could be so much more than that, just imagine what you could have been, what you could have given to them without that manipulation, without the control, without all of the abuse, without everything that was keeping you down, that was restricting you, preventing you from being the person that you were meant to be and then they could have got the best part of you, if they let you do that, if they didn't have so much control over you, if they didn't restrict you, if they let you to just roam free, have your freedom, make your own decisions, think for yourself, but they were willing to settle for the worst of you, they were willing to do that and the reason why is because they look at it like if they give you space and let you grow, then you're going to realize just how great you are, this amazing person that you are and then you're going to realize that they're just holding you back, they're weighing you down and then all that's left for you to do, once you become the best version of yourself then you need to find a suitable mate who's more on your level, someone who's as good as you, someone who can reciprocate what you're giving out, what you were giving to them and that's what they fear, but then also what you were giving to them, there may have been a lot to them, but you were capable of so much more, you could have done so much more for them, but then would you have done so much more for them, if you woke up and you realized who they actually were and when you're the best version of yourself, I mean that's not really a good deal is it, to be stuck with someone like that who hasn't even worked on themselves, they're not on your level, then you're going to want to go and find someone who is more on your level, that's why they've got to keep you down, but by doing that they only get the worst of you, it's not possible for a narcissist to get the best, because knowing in the right mind, once you take away that manipulation and control, no one's going to want to be around someone like that, a narcissist who they are and they're the false character, they haven't even worked on themselves and in some ways it's like the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast, only it's kind of the opposite, but then the Beast turns into this handsome man, his prince at the end of the movie, so I mean maybe if you look at the Beast, as though he was a victim of narcissistic abuse, I mean who knows, maybe he was, you don't really know that part of the story, but then it did seem as though yes, actually the Beast, the Beast and the Beauty and the Beast, he was pretty much, he was like a victim of a smear campaign of everyone in the town, he was a target of gang stalking, but then he met Belle, this beautiful girl, they fell in love and then, then he turned from this Beast into a handsome prince, so yeah that kind of aligns with what I'm speaking about with you in some ways, if you look at the the narcissists or the people of that town who are attacking the Beast, they only got the worst of him, all they got was the Beast, and yet that girl Belle comes to Browns, she meets him, falls in love with him and then she gets the best of him, even though yeah I know it's kind of superficial, it's more just about his physical appearance, but that's kind of what it's like, yeah these narcissists I think they enjoy that as well, they do enjoy getting the worst side of us, because remember they're toxic, they're dysfunctional, they love chaos and drama, they love the fights, they love the arguments, they enjoy all of that, they can't thrive in a functional environment, so even if they loosened the reins on you and they gave you back control of your life, what good would that be for them, so you can grow and become healthy and then they're still desiring to argue and fight with you, they're just going to want to pull you back into it because they can't grow, they can't be better, all they get is a tiny slice of the pie, they get the crumbs, not the loaf and the crumbs don't taste as good as the loaf, this is why when they leave they always come back, but after that they hoover a victim seven times before it's finally all over, because they intuitively know you're so much better without them, when they're gone you're the best part of yourself, when they're not there, so they go and then you have time to regenerate and rebuild and then that's when they come back seeking a piece of the action, but you can't ever be the best of yourself under their authority and control, it doesn't work that way, and this is more than just a theory that I'm giving you in this video, I've experienced this myself for my own life, I've seen it so many times where it's like if they just backed off and let me do what I need to do, let me have the power, let me have the authority, the control of myself and my own life, then I could do everything, I could make things so much better for them, but then they can't stand losing your attention, they hate it when your focus is on something else, but if they could then you could focus on other things, you could focus on your work, your business, making money, you could give them everything, but they just don't let you, because they've got to have that supply, they've got to have someone who is their doormat, someone who's at their back and call, but by doing that all they get is the worst of you, and it really is a stupid decision that they make, they're so arrogant and delusional, I mean I've had clients who are psychotherapists, even a lawyer, and they get around people like that, I'm just a psychotherapist as an example, maybe when she was in her job, when she's working, she's very confident about what she does, when she's dealing with her clients, she feels like she knows everything that she needs to know to perform that job well, and then when she gets around the narcissist, she's no longer that psychotherapist, and it's like your mind goes blank, you don't know who you are, you don't know what you're capable of, you don't feel like you're good enough, they're arrogance and having to be superior, it's a big problem in every relationship that they get into, they can't let the other person be right, they can't let them be who they are, and yet they've got to target the best of the best, they target people who are confident, successful, hard-working, many of them are doctors and lawyers, they get around those people just to target their self-esteem, just to make them feel like they're not good enough, just to make them feel small, and by doing that they get the worst of them, they get far less than what they actually have to give, so they ruin it for themselves, and that's how I myself, I mean it's how I've become the man that I am today, by accepting that other people are actually above me in some ways, I will always be a student in everything that I do, and I believe that it's the right way to be, because that's how we learn, that's how we grow, that's how we become better, so of course when I began researching narcissistic abuse over six years ago, I got on YouTube, I was reading articles and reports, and I had to accept at that point, I'm a beginner, a novice, I don't know anything, I'm just learning, I had to accept that, I had to accept that other YouTubers, bloggers, writers, they know more than I do, and that I had to learn from them, that I also watch videos on how to communicate effectively, so that I could then become the man that you see today, that's just how it has to be done, what narcissists do is they see something and it's like all right, and that today, without putting in any of the work, so then all they have is a false character, but believe it or not, when they're giving you that false character, you're getting the best of what they have to give, because if they didn't give you that, then instead, what would you get? You just get a narcissistic injury, their rage, I mean that's the worst that they have to give, their narcissistic rage, it doesn't get any worse than that, but when they're giving you the false character and they're manipulating you, that's really the best that they've got to give, and even then it's not even real, but yeah, they never get the best of us, all they get is the worst of what we have to give, but essentially, it's like a horse and cart, like you're sitting in the cart, the horse is taking you to where you need to go, maybe the horse is a bit tired that day, doesn't really like being under control, and you're just whipping it trying to get it to go, and it's like, if you just leave that horse alone for a few days, give it some time to eat, get some sleep, and they just let it roam around by itself, you'd be surprised what it can do, you'd be surprised how fast it can go, and it's the same thing with us, even though they target the best of the best and they think they've got a good deal with us, they had the worst deal because they were the ones who had to be in control, we could have been far greater than that, we could have given them a hundred times more, so they settled for less, I mean when you look at it, they got duped, they got deceived more than we did, well at the same time we didn't do anything to them, because they deceived themselves, they deceived themselves, it could have gone so much better for them, but then as I said earlier, could it have, because kind of like, let's say you have a pet, it says you know I've got a pet, so I've got my cat, Marla, just as an example, let's say you have a cat, and you never play with a cat, you never give it any attention, you never feed it, it's always hungry, never gets any food, and it's just bored, just sleeping in the house all the time, what do you think would happen, if one day you left the door open, you forgot to close the door, do you think that cat would still be in that house, or would have run away, you probably never see it again, and why, because it knows it can get better treatment elsewhere, and even if it's not so much that someone else might come and take care of it, it knows that it can just run off and go anywhere, it can just go off anywhere in this world, and take better care of itself, and that's just understand this, this is why they have to have so much control over us, to where they become obsessed and they're watching you every move, they're stalking, they're harassing you, they start spear campaigns to control you, because it's the same thing, like I mentioned in that cat analogy, you leave a cat in the house, you never give it any food, you never play with it, it's bored, it's hungry, of course if you forget to close the door, it's going to run away and you will never see it again, it's never going to come back to you, but what do you think would happen, and I've seen this myself, and it's one of those things it really is, it really made me smile, and I remember these moments to this day, really just touches my heart, this connection that we have as man with animals with our pets, but yeah of course you know, you can probably imagine the way I am with my cats, I love to give her that freedom, when I travel I like to let her roam free, I would often get villas or ground floor apartments if I could, just so she could go outside, and that was actually one of the main reasons why I began traveling, I had this dream in my mind, yes we'll be in another country, a hot tropical country, on the ground floor where Nala can run out and explore, because back in the UK I had an apartment on the floor, she couldn't go anywhere, again just like with my cat Nala, I've always taken excellent care of her, given her plenty of food, always the best food, grain free, and high meat content, and I play with her a lot, I give her everything she needs, and of course there has been times where the doors left open, she gets excited, or sometimes I'm in the car, and I just let her out a little bit, she ran off far away, sometimes she's been gone for hours, I remember one time in Scotland the window was left open and this was on the second floor, which was really high up, but somehow she jumped out, slid down the wall, probably in the middle of the night, and I didn't see her for over 24 hours, of course every time that she ran off, she always came back, and why does she come back, because she already knows what to expect when she does come back, she knows that I'm going to be there to give her a hug, give her her food, take care of her, play with her, and that's probably why I am the way that I am, that's why I'm not so controlling, because I already know the value of what I have, so I don't need to control my cat, I can't let her go, knowing that she will come back, and also of course in some ways I do think that, you know it's like if you do think that you can do better out there, you think that you can take care of yourself, then you do have that freedom, you do have that choice to do that, but she never does, she always comes back, of course at the same time we have to manage the risk as well, because if I'm staying near a road, of course I don't just let her run around then, because I've seen, I remember the other day I saw a cat, a dead cat on the side of the road, and its head was split, and I just thought to myself I couldn't imagine if that was my cat, it would break me, so of course yes sometimes there does need to be some authority, some control, but the difference, you know there is a clear difference between that and narcissism, and here it is, narcissistic authority hinders you, and healthy authority helps you, that is the clear difference, one will make you better and the other will make you worse, so it's really that simple, but yeah I'm going back to, you know I love my cat Nala, going back to Nala, I get the best of my cats, I really do, I get all of her love, her affection, when I'm with Nala I can tell that she really loves me, she cares about me, I've asked because I don't control her, and because I reciprocate I give her what she needs, and they also give her that freedom as well when I can, as long as it doesn't put her in danger, because again that's love, I mean of course, you know like with our kids if we just let them go play on a busy road, yeah you're not controlling them, you've given them that freedom, but is that love, I think that's a lack of care, that's neglect, fair enough if you let them go out to play in a safe place, where you know they're not at a high risk of harm, then yeah that's love, so of course we do need to factor in the risk of danger and harm, that is important as well, but with narcissists it's just all about control, keeping us down, limiting us, it's not just about our safety, if anything it's to protect their supply, to protect their ego, it's just all about them, and this is how they only get the worst of us, they never get the best of us, but then again do they really want that because it's like do they want that loving kind caring affection outside of us, not really, I don't think they care about that, they realised in the beginning that that's who we are, and they mirrored that back to us, they gave us a reflection of ourselves, but then later on they take that away, because that's not really them, that's not really what they like or what they're about, so they get the worst of us, and in some ways they like that, I mean they don't care about intimacy, love or connection, so why would they care about that, but then when it comes to superficial things like maybe if you had more energy, more time to work hard and make money, then yeah they're missing out on that, I mean that's all that it really gives, money and resources, you could have given them more of that, so they get the worst of that, they could have had so much more, so that's what they're missing, that's what they're losing, and also their supply, because they do quite clearly want your attention, your validation, but how much of that can you give when they're keeping you down, they're depleting you of your energy every day, you could have given them so much more attention, so much more validation, but then again is that really satisfying for them, because they like to force it out of you, they're like rapists, they like it when you don't want to do something, and then they can manipulate you into doing it, or force you into doing it, that's what they like, that's just how it is with narcissists, when you want them, they don't want you, and that's typically how the cycle of abuse goes, it always runs that way with narcissists, that's what separates them from the rest of us, because in the beginning, when they're pursuing you, they're chasing you, they're love bombing and manipulating you, why are they doing all of that, it's because they know that you don't really want them, so they've got to prove themselves to you, they've got to love bomb you to lure you in, and then as soon as they know they've got you, they've got you wrapped around their finger, they've got you attached to emotionally invested, that's when they pull away and you see who they really are, because when you want them, they don't want you, and then when you really want them, and not just want them, you need them, because they've drained the life out of you and you can't even survive on your own, that's where they just look at you like you're garbage, that's where they discard you, and then you spend some time away from them, you regain your energy, your vitality, and then it's that exact moment, it's like they can sense it, they've got a predatory six cents, they can feel it when your energy shifts, and it's like all right I'm done longing and going in for them, I'm done wishing that they would be here for me, that they would come back, and now I'm just going to focus on myself, I'm going to focus on what I need to do to make myself and my life better, as soon as you have that epiphany, that realization, that's when they come back, that exact moment when you no longer want them, and it's always going to be that way, it was like that at the very beginning, when they love bombed you, you didn't really want them, you didn't really notice them, they wanted you, and then as soon as you wanted them, they devalued you, and that made you want them even more, you tried even harder, you were willing to do anything to please them, and then they discarded you, and then you forgot about them, you tried to make things better for yourself, and then they come back, and the cycle goes on and on, when I have made seven times before the final discard, and typically it is the victim who has the final discard, because they're going to keep coming back, as long as they feel like you don't want them, they will always be there, and that's when they become obsessed, that's when they stalk and harass you, because they see it, they realize that you don't want them, that's why they're constantly coming back with the false character, that's why they smear you, that's why they do all of those things, it's when they realize that you don't want them, and they feel rejected by you, because you've got to look at it like this, just think about this right, why would someone stalk and harass you, why would they be obsessively watching you from behind the scenes, stalking your social media, why would they start a spear campaign against you, why would they need to do any of that, if they know that you want them, that doesn't make any sense, they do it because they know you don't want them, but you may not have realized that yet because you may still be holding on to the false character, but that's why they do it, because they feel rejected by you, all of these things that come after the discard, the stalking, the harassment, the smear campaigns, that's all because they feel rejected by you, because they feel like you don't want them, I mean otherwise they would just come back, they wouldn't need to do any of that, they do it because they know you don't want them, and you may not realize it because you're holding on to the false character, what you don't know is that even if they do come back with a false character, it's not going to last for long, you may see through it straight away, so they know there's just no point in even giving that to you, and instead just relying on the stalking, the monitoring, the smear campaigns, because at least then they can be in control of that, what they can't be in control of is your direct perceptions of them when they're around you, they can't control that, but they can control you at a distance when they're not in your immediate vicinity, so that's why they do that, they get what they get is the worst of you and they accept it, other than maybe money, resources, attention, validation, not made for straight thumb, and they may feel they lost there, they got a bad deal, they settled for less, at some level they may see that, but then they may also be in denial and just push it away because they don't want to think about that, because what can they really do about it, they've got to keep you under their manipulation and control, they've got to have that authority over you, because they do not want that to be the other way around, they do not want you to have a clear mind where you know exactly who you are, you realise how great you are and you can become the best version of yourself, why, just so that you can then look down on them, because that's how they're seeing it and that's why they don't ever want that to happen, they don't ever want it to get to that point, but I think there's also a message from this for us as well, for how we can have a healthy relationship, what I really look at is my relationship that I've had with my cat, who I've had for almost seven years now, which is the longest relationship I've ever had outside of family, so a good relationship is one where you reciprocate, you take care of the other person's needs, you give them freedom to be themselves, like with my cats, I don't even groom her, I don't even cut her claws because she doesn't like that, so I let her be a cat, the cat that she wants to be, and when I can I give her space, so I let her go outside of road free, but also I keep in mind if we're near roads that could be dangerous, if there's cars, because of course I don't want her to get hurt, so yeah I think there's a message out of this for us as well, when we're in a healthy relationship to give the other person that freedom that they need, and yeah I get it, you may have anxiety, you may feel abandonment, you may worry, you know, what if this person, they have that freedom to become everything that they want to be, and what if they start feeling like they're too good for us, I thought they can find better, well just like with my cat, I've experienced that many times, where I let her go out, and of course I thought to myself, you know, what if she feels like she can do better on her own, and I just looked at it like, you know, that's what love is, love is freedom, acceptance, letting go, if a person thinks they can go off and do better somewhere else without you, then let them do that, of course when we're dealing with children, if they're under 18, and you know using your discernment, you know that if they go somewhere, it's going to be bad for them, they're going to be worse off, and your parents, well it's kind of a good duty then to step in and take charge of that situation, but when you're dealing with another adult, you know, it's just the way it is today, even when you know that your partner may be going off into a worse situation, what can you do about it these days, there's not much you can do, I mean there used to be a time many decades ago, it's like, let's say I'm married and I have a wife, and she wants to go out to the club with the girls, she wants to get drunk, and who knows what could happen to her there being around all of these drunk sloppy guys, she might get into trouble, she could get raped, she could get attacked, anything could happen, I mean there would be a time decades ago where you could step in and be like, no, I have the authority of this household, I'm not going to let you go, you're my wife, these days you can't do that, you don't have the power anymore, if you do that then she could say that you're the narcissist, she could accuse you of coercive control, and she could call the police and get you locked up as sad as that sounds, and I think this is something that many of us men experience, and maybe some of the women who are watching this as well, but I'm just talking about from my own perspective here, it's sad because at the same time it's like if you love someone, give them that freedom, just accept it, let them go, let them do what they want to do, but then it's like, hold on, I know that this is bad for them, I know that this is wrong, but then you can't step in to help, so even though that would be love, because as I said before, you know, while you want to give your kids their freedom, you're not just going to let them play on a busy road where they could get run over, so love in that situation is when they say, oh I want to go play on this road, you say no, that's love, setting that boundary is love, you can't set that boundary with your partners these days, so in some ways because of all of this authority, the courts and the police, and while I do appreciate sometimes it may protect real victims, but as we know the courts do tend to favour narcissists, and they also step in the middle of the love that we could otherwise have for our partners and also our children as well in some situations where otherwise we would be able to set that boundary and say no, not because we're mean, but because we love them, just like with that analogy of the kids playing on the road, you're not going to tell them no just to be mean, just be cruel, something to do with that, it's because you know if they're playing a busy road, something could happen, they could get hurt, setting that boundary so you know that's love, so sometimes love is giving that freedom and letting go, sometimes love is saying no, and not letting them go, but sadly these days we're not allowed to do that, and the crazy thing is if you try to do that these days with your partners, sometimes even your own children, you could be accused of being a narcissist yourself, you could be accused of assaults, maybe even rape, and you could get into a lot of trouble just for trying to love them, just for telling them no, I'm not going to let you go to that club tonight, but there's all of these drunk people and you could get attacked, you could get raped, no I'm going to keep you in here and I'm going to lock the door so that you can't get out, if you do that you could get into a lot of trouble these days, you could go to jail, but then that's the thing because if your partner really loves you and understands you, then you would think that she would submit, she would listen, she would see your point of view that yeah, I mean for a start it's kind of weird if you're married and you go into a club alone with your friends, I mean that's just my personal perspective, we all have our own ideas on what's okay and what's not, for me that wouldn't be okay, but yeah it's interesting when we look at it from this perspective it's kind of funny, I mean it's not always the case, you know sometimes people are actually a danger, as I've experienced myself they're very possessive and controlling, even violent and you know you would hope that the police would be there to protect you then, but then in some situations, I mean it's not where do we draw the line because I guess in some ways if someone's doing that, you know like if it's your wife that's just trying to go out to a club and it could be dangerous, there's all these drunk people and she's supposed to be married to you, you probably shouldn't have married someone like that to begin with, so if that happens maybe the best thing to do is just to let them go and then just start making your exit plan, figure out how you're going to leave because you shouldn't have to control someone to that point, if someone's going to go out and go to a club and cheat on you, you shouldn't have to keep them in the house, you shouldn't have to lock the door, they should have enough sense as an adult, I mean fair enough if it's a child, sometimes you do have to use force because you know they're not fully mature and they are impulsive, they do just think about what they want to do in that moment, we shouldn't have to control other adults to that degree, but that's what narcissists do, they will control every aspect of your life, I forget about going to the club or anything like that, I mean just simple things, just like holes in interest that you may have, you can't even be yourself around them, you can't do what you want to do, but because of that they get the worst of you, they never get to see who you actually are, they never get to see what you're best, all they get is the crumbs, so they lose out on that attention, validation, money and resources that they could have had, but then also at some point you may have realised that you're too good for them, that you're going to leave them and find someone who is more on your level, because narcissists are lazy, they don't want to do the work, but I can understand if someone actually is doing the work, are they trying something, maybe they're not where they want to be right now, as long as they're trying something, and I've been that person as well, where it's like I've been with people who weren't on my level, but then I tried to help them, I tried to put them in a better place, I tried to help them to start a business, but then those were the narcissists that I dealt with as well, but then again not everyone is like that, there are people out there who are doing their best and unfortunately for whatever reason it's just not paying off, they're not where they want to be, and if you can still accept them, if you still have that love, then I think that's okay, there's always going to be these exceptions, there are, but most often as I said yesterday in my live video, it is better to be with someone on your level, when you're around these fake ass narcissists, that's how they get in, they get around people who are better than them, and they're not trying to do anything, they're not trying to change, they're lazy, they don't want to put in the work, they don't want to do what you would be willing to do for them if you were in their position, and that's how you know you should stay far away from them, because it's like it's not that they can't do something, it's also that they're not even willing to try, or they don't have the energy to even put in that work and do it, and then that's how we get stuck, we get left behind, that's how they keep us down, because you're the one who's running endlessly on that hamster wheel, doing everything that you can for them, and then what are they giving back to you, nothing, so you get depleted in your energy, then you're the one who gets the short end of the stick, while at the same time you've got the best of them, you're at their fullest character, that's as good as it gets, because other than that all you're gonna get is the narcissistic rage, but then they got the worst of you, they get the smallest amount of attention, validation, money, energy, and resources from you, because you could have been so much more to them, and that's why as soon as you leave them, things do start to get better for you, as I've noticed for myself and my own experience, but yeah I realized this as well, when you're around them, when you're around a narcissist, maybe not immediately but after a short amount of time, you're going to deteriorate, I mean you give it a false character to begin with, so you're never even being yourself around them, because you're interacted with something that's not even real, so immediately they've got to pull you into their fake world, so when you're around a narcissist you can never be yourself, you can never be real, not only ever impose a false character upon you, if you're only ever going to be your worst self, whenever you go around them, as soon as you get away from them, you can go on that journey to become in the best version of yourself, that begins as soon as you leave them, as soon as you leave that's when you begin to heal, a new concept, my first time really speaking about this and going deep into it, I've never really spoken about this before in my videos over the past five and a half years, they stand on it, I do believe that it's true, when you're around a narcissist, you're only ever going to be not yourself, the worst of yourself, they will never, never get the best of you, while you see not only the best of them at the very beginning, even though that's fake and it's not really them, but then also as it moves to the devaluation, you then see the narcissistic rage, which is the worst version of them, but then that's actually who they really are as well, I hope you all found this new concept helpful, because I know a lot of you, you feel a lot of shame, you feel bad about yourself, you feel like you were robbed, you lost it all, you gave the best of yourself to this person, you were cheated, deceived, no actually they deceived themselves by not letting you be you, they got the worst of you, and that's all you really need to know, they didn't get the best of you, they never get the best of you, and you can move on and save that for someone else, save it for someone who deserves it, give the best of yourself to someone who will give the best of themselves to you, anyway thank you all for joining me on another Narc Survivor Live video, if you found this video helpful hit that 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