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Let's come together to the Book 
of Revelation in chapter 16 as 

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we seek to complete this chapter
together. 

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By God's grace, it is done. 
What comes to mind when you hear

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those words? 
Perhaps for many, they point 

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back to that sacred and 
triumphant moment when Christ 

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declared it is finished on the 
cross, His work being complete 

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there for our salvation. 
And rightly so. 

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But today we're going to be 
reminded that this is not the 

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only time the Lord would 
proclaim a work being complete. 

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We are going to see that He's 
going to share similar things 

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again in a future time, but for 
an entirely different reason. 

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What we're about to consider is 
the Lord declaring something to 

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be done in connection to what 
will occur when an appointed 

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Angel will pour out the 7th and 
final bowl of God's wrath upon 

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the earth. 
And we're going to read it 

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together here in Revelation 16, 
beginning at verse 17 down to 

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the end of the chapter before we
seek to understand God's mind 

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behind it. 
The 7th Angel poured out his 

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bowl into the air, and a loud 
voice came out of the temple 

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from the throne saying, it is 
done, And there were flashes of 

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lightning, rumblings, peals of 
Thunder, and a great earthquake 

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such as there had never been 
since man was on the earth, so 

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great was that earthquake. 
The great city was split into 

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three parts, and the cities of 
the nations fell. 

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And God remembered Babylon the 
Great to make her drain the cup 

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of the wine of the Fury of his 
wrath. 

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And every island fled away, and 
no mountains were to be found. 

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And great hailstones, about 100 
lbs each fell from heaven on 

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people. 
And they cursed God for the 

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plague of the hail, because the 
plague was so severe. 

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Father, again we've come to a 
text where we encounter people 

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cursing you, but we come to 
bless you. 

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We come to honor you and praise 
you and lavish you with our 

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adoration. 
We pray that in this moment we 

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would worship you. 
And our listening and our 

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hearing and our receiving give 
us clarity, give us application,

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and may every truth that is 
unleashed draw our hearts closer

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to Thee. 
We ask these things in Jesus 

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name, Amen. 
So the reason why we read here 

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the Lord saying it is done from 
His heavenly throne is because 

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the 7th bowl of God's wrath that
will be poured out will mark the

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completion of God's judgments 
upon the earth. 

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In other words, everything that 
needs to be done before the 

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return of Jesus Christ to this 
world has been settled. 

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It has been achieved. 
And so the climactic event that 

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we have here essentially 
provides us the details of what 

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will take place in preparation 
for the ushering in of Jesus 

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Christ in his second advent. 
The curtains of the heavens are 

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about to be peeled back and it's
going to be what we find here 

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that's going to see it happen. 
And one of the most interesting 

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things about the verses that we 
just read, this prophecy that 

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John provides, is how in the ESV
the word great appears a total 

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of five times. 
It's emphasized great, great, 

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great, great. 
But what's more intriguing is 

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that if you read the original 
language, the word translated as

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great, which in Greek as Megas, 
appears a total of seven times 

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in this text. 
Look back again here at verse 17

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where it says the 7th Angel 
poured out his bowl into the air

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and a loud voice came out of the
temple. 

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See that word loud in the 
original? 

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It's megas. 
Scroll down here to verse 21. 

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Look at the very last word where
it says here that something is 

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severe. 
It's going to be severe. 

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And that is in reference to the 
plague of this bowl. 

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And again, it's the word megas. 
Does that word sound familiar? 

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It's where we get the word mega.
So clearly this is intentional. 

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This is John repeating this to 
amplify that the events under 

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this judgement will produce mega
things. 

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Massive things are going to take
place when this judgement is 

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executed. 
And for the sake of our time 

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today, I would love for us to 
consider at least three mega 

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things, 3 great things that will
occur as the Holy Spirit 

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highlights them for us under 
this judgement. 

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The first thing that we have to 
consider here, though there are 

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others that we can investigate, 
is that there will be a great 

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earthquake. 
Look again at verse 18. 

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And there were flashes of 
lightning, rumblings, peals of 

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Thunder, and a great earthquake.
Not just an earthquake, a great 

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earthquake, such as there had 
never been since man was on the 

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earth. 
So great was that earthquake. 

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I mean twice. 
You're saying it now. 

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Jesus, when He taught about the 
last days, informed us clearly 

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that some of the birth pains 
leading up to his return will in

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fact be earthquakes. 
There will be literal shakings 

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beneath our feet, but this 
earthquake is the mother of them

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all. 
At this juncture in the 

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Tribulation period, there will 
be a great earthquake, so 

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massive, so significant, that it
will be historical. 

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John tells us plainly that man 
has never experienced anything 

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like this. 
And why that's important to 

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under score is because this is 
yet another confirmation that 

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what we're dealing with here in 
the Book of Revelation is still 

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yet to come. 
This is future, unless of 

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course, you are willing to 
interpret even this 

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allegorically, and some are 
willing to do that. 

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But I propose that that is very 
difficult to support because 

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following this description of 
this earthquake, we are given 

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physical and geographical 
dimensions. 

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So consider some of the impacts 
of this great earthquake. 

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Again, in verse 19, the great 
city was split into three parts 

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and the cities of the nations 
fell. 

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What are we dealing with here? 
Actual global impact, tangible 

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results, ramifications, 
consequences that you can see 

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and feel. 
And that is further confirmed 

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when we examine what else the 
Bible has to say about this very

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earthquake. 
Because it's not just here. 

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In the Book of Revelation, John 
singles out one city. 

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He speaks about all cities. 
But in the beginning of verse 

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19, he brings to our attention 
the great city. 

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Which city is he referring to? 
Some would say Babylon because 

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in the coming chapters following
this, Babylon is referred to as 

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the great city. 
But this can also speak of 

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Jerusalem, and that's probably 
more likely why, because 

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Jerusalem is separate from the 
other cities of the nations. 

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It's distinct, at least in this 
context. 

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And more than that, we know back
in Revelation 11, verse 8, when 

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we studied about the two 
witnesses who will be preaching 

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from the streets of Jerusalem 
that it was also titled as the 

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great city. 
And so the great city in view 

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here is likely Jerusalem. 
There are unique things that 

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happen to it in comparison to 
every other city. 

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It will be split into three 
parts. 

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And I believe this conclusion is
confirmed again when we bring in

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the totality of God's Word to 
shed light what's before us. 

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I invite you to go to the 
prophet Zechariah in chapter 14.

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We looked at this last week when
we consider how significant the 

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city of Jerusalem in the land of
Israel is to our eschatology, 

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how the events of the last days 
will in full unfold. 

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And we're coming back here to 
these verses that we didn't look

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at last week to see how this 
will add more color to our 

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understanding. 
Zechariah chapter 14, one of the

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most significant passages in all
of the Bible, Chapters 12 to 

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chapter 14, don't come to a 
conclusion and how you 

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understand the last days without
the book of Zechariah. 

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That would be a grave mistake. 
And I believe a lot of people 

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who have ideas about what the 
last days will look like are an 

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error because they ignore 
passages like this. 

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Look at verse 3 of Zechariah 14.
Then the Lord will go out and 

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fight against those nations. 
Pause the nations that surround 

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Jerusalem. 
According to the previous verses

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of this very same chapter, He 
will fight against those nations

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as when He fights on a day of 
battle. 

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On that day His feet shall stand
on the Mount of Olives that lies

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before Jerusalem on the east. 
And the Mount of Olives shall be

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split in two from east to West 
by a very wide valley, so that 

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1/2 of the Mount shall move 
northward and the other half 

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southward. 
And you shall flee to the valley

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of my mountains, For the valley 
of the mountains shall reach to 

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Azal, and you shall flee, as you
fled from the earthquake in the 

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days of Uziah, king of Judah. 
Then the Lord my God will come, 

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and all the holy ones with him. 
So again, we discussed, we came 

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to this passage to see how 
Zechariah adds further detail to

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the 6th and 7th bowls of God's 
wrath. 

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But I bring this up to us again 
because I want us to consider 

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the geographical aftermath of 
Jesus Christ returning to fight 

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against his enemies. 
There's so many details here and

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and what we find here in 
relation to our study is that 

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there will be an actual 
earthquake caused by the return 

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of Christ that's inferred by 
verse 5. 

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Look what he says and you shall 
flee as you fled from the 

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earthquake and the days of 
Uzziah, king of Judah. 

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Now notice that this earthquake 
will alter actual terrain in 

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Jerusalem. 
You have the Mount of Olives, 

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they'll be split in two. 
You have this valley that will 

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provide a pathway for the Jewish
people to flee from their 

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oppressors just before the Lord 
judges her enemies. 

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And we even see a thematic truth
being established here, do we 

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not? 
When God delivered Israel out of

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Egypt, He brought them through a
valley between towering walls of

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water. 
And in this final act of 

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deliverance, they will escape 
through a valley between 

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mountains. 
He's come to save his people. 

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And the reorientation of the 
landscape upon Christ's return 

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is even further fleshed out for 
us. 

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Scroll down to verse 8. 
You see where I'm going with 

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this. 
I hope on that day, the same day

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that Christ returns, living 
water shall flow out from 

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Jerusalem, half of them to the 
Eastern sea, and half of them to

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the Western sea. 
It shall continue in summer as 

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in winter, and the Lord will be 
king over all the earth. 

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On that day the Lord will be 1 
and His name 1. 

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The whole land shall be turned 
into a plain from Giba, the 

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Ramon, South of Jerusalem, but 
Jerusalem shall remain aloft on 

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its side from the gate of 
Benjamin, the place of the 

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former gate, to the corner gate,
and from the Tower of Hannanal 

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to the King's wine presses. 
OK, we can't examine every 

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detail presented here, at least 
for now, but I want us to at 

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least arrive to one simple 
thing. 

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At the very least, can you and I
admit and acknowledge the 

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remarkable detail of what will 
actually take place, the 

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topography that will ensue at 
the return of Christ? 

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I bring this to your attention 
because again, there are some 

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who claim that what Zechariah 
describes, the very verses that 

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you and I just read are, you 
guessed it, allegorical that 

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they've been fulfilled in 
history. 

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Somehow. 
This doesn't save anything of 

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what's to come. 
All of what you just heard can 

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be spiritualized, apparently, 
but the position of these 

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physical changes do not allow 
for such an explanation. 

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It reinforces contrary to the 
growing trend today. 

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May I remind you that the land 
of Israel still has relevance to

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the Christian faith, namely in 
how we understand the return of 

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Jesus Christ and His millennial 
Kingdom. 

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So don't be ashamed of what you 
believe because it's founded in 

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God's Word. 
It's found here in Scripture. 

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And just as there was a real 
earthquake at Calvary when Jesus

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Christ died, there will be an 
earthquake when He comes in 

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majesty and glory. 
One that will bring down every 

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city, one that will change 
Jerusalem itself as Jesus Christ

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prepares the very area, the very
region of His throne where He 

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will rule and reign forever and 
ever. 

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Now before we move on, I'd like 
for us to consider, yes, 

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Zechariah's details here. 
His his prophecy is very helpful

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in helping us understand the 
end, but his attitude about it 

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is what I want to speak about 
momentarily. 

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Something happens early in 
Zechariah's prophecy that moves 

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me and I hope it moves you. 
There's like this interjection, 

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There's this shift in his tone, 
almost in his language and his 

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grammar. 
In fact, look at the last part 

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of verse 5 of Zechariah 14. 
He says then the Lord my God 

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00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:13,640
will come and all the holy ones 
with him. 

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Do you see what's happening? 
As he's describing this 

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00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:21,560
remarkable prophetic sequence of
what's going to happen when 

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Messiah returns to this world, 
he can't help but speak in the 

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personal and he wants. 
It's as though he's so 

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emboldened, he is so moved by 
this manifestation, through this

227
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prophetic vision, that he 
declares his loyalty to this 

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Messiah. 
He is my God. 

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He's not just the Lord. 
He's not just the God of Israel.

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He's not just going to rule over
the entire world. 

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He is my God. 
And I want to suggest to you 

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today that Zechariah's attitude,
his posture, his act of worship 

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00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:02,960
here should be produced in us 
when we study prophecy. 

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00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:06,040
You know why some people study 
prophecy? 

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00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:10,640
So they can get more ammunition 
for debate about who has the 

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00:15:10,640 --> 00:15:14,920
more accurate eschatology and 
framework of understanding the 

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last days. 
OK, you guys argue all you want 

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00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:21,120
and there is time to debate, but
I want to be like this prophet 

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00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:25,840
who in seeing and understanding 
what the Lord will do, causes 

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00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:29,480
him to say, Oh, he's my God. 
I'm unashamed. 

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00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:32,280
This should make you and I 
fearless. 

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00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:34,920
This should cause you to be 
moved. 

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00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:37,520
This should cause you to bend 
your knee and say this is what 

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00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:40,600
the Lord will do. 
And as we put these pieces 

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00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:43,120
together, as we realize 
Zechariah 14 talks about the 

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00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:45,680
Lord planting his feet on the 
Mount of Olives. 

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00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:49,000
And then we connect with Acts 
chapter 1, where Jesus looks at 

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00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:52,440
his own and he ascends on high. 
And the angels promise him that,

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00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:54,680
promise them that he will return
the same way that he went up. 

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00:15:54,680 --> 00:15:57,320
Oh, it's going to be the feet of
Jesus that are kind of common on

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00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:02,640
the Mount of Olives. 
That's my God, who's given us 

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00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:04,880
the playbook. 
So clearly for us to understand 

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00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:08,840
exactly what's going to come to 
pass, there's going to be a real

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00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:11,600
earthquake and it's going to 
fulfill prophecy. 

255
00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:16,080
But Jerusalem is not the only 
city featured in this prophecy. 

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00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:20,840
Come back to Revelation 16 and 
look at verse 19 once again. 

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00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:25,160
And the latter part says the 
great city was split into three 

258
00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:26,920
parts, and the cities of the 
nations fell. 

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00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:30,960
And God remembered Babylon the 
Great to make her drain the cup 

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00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:32,840
of the wine of the fury of his 
wrath. 

261
00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:40,200
So another city is highlighted 
by John and it's Babylon the 

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00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:43,560
Great. 
And we're given a preview of her

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00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:48,280
annihilation, her destruction. 
And so important to God is the 

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downfall of Babylon the Great, 
this future system that chapters

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00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:59,200
17 and 18 are dedicated to 
telling us how and what's going 

266
00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:03,400
to happen to Babylon. 
That's stunning to me. 

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00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:09,599
This is important to God. 
What is Babylon the Great? 

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00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:13,280
We've talked about this briefly 
in the past, and we'll look at 

269
00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:14,880
it in greater detail, as I just 
said. 

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00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:17,400
But for now, you can know this 
for certain. 

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It is actually a literal future 
city that is going to be the 

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00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:30,040
global hub of evil in the world 
during the tribulation period. 

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00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:35,240
In case you doubt that, go to 
Revelation 18 and just peek for 

274
00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:40,000
a second and look at verse 9, 
Revelation 18, verse 9. 

275
00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:45,760
And the kings of the earth who 
committed sexual immorality and 

276
00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:50,280
lived in luxury with her will 
weep and wail over her when they

277
00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:54,960
see the smoke of her burning. 
They will stand far off in fear 

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00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:59,920
of her torment and say, alas, 
alas, you great city, you mighty

279
00:17:59,920 --> 00:18:02,920
city, Babylon. 
For in a single hour your 

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00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:07,600
judgement has come. 
More to come about Babylon. 

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00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:10,440
But for now, for the sake of our
meditation, today I want to 

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00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:12,680
highlight one thing from our 
main text. 

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00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:19,320
God remembered Babylon. 
God remembered Babylon. 

284
00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:25,880
That's not to suggest that he's 
forgetful or that he loses sight

285
00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:29,520
of certain things or things 
escape his knowledge. 

286
00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:33,480
On the contrary, this reinforces
that nothing evades him. 

287
00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:40,400
Nothing is ever lost. 
He holds everything and everyone

288
00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:46,480
into account, whether it's our 
humble service or the sin of the

289
00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:49,680
unrepentant. 
And unfortunately, many 

290
00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:54,000
interpret God's silence and his 
lack of immediate response to 

291
00:18:54,120 --> 00:19:03,760
ignorance, indifference, 
approval, or even non existence.

292
00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:10,440
But John reminds us that God 
remembers, even if he acts 

293
00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:12,840
later. 
And here's how that might be 

294
00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:14,920
helpful for you and I as the 
people of God. 

295
00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:20,080
There's many things that God's 
knowledge can aid us in. 

296
00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:22,360
And here's one simple thought 
for you to consider. 

297
00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:25,280
There is not a single injustice 
that's been committed against 

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00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:27,720
you that will be forgotten by 
God. 

299
00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:34,320
Not one. 
Go back to Revelation 18, verse 

300
00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:37,800
20. 
Why did God judge Babylon, this 

301
00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:42,480
massive global international 
system that will export so much 

302
00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:45,640
filth and persecution? 
Revelation 1820 gives us one 

303
00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:48,840
reason. 
Rejoice over, O heaven and you, 

304
00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:52,000
Saints and apostles and 
prophets, for God has given 

305
00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:56,880
judgement for you, against her, 
for my people. 

306
00:19:56,880 --> 00:20:01,720
I'm going to judge Babylon. 
It's amazing. 

307
00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:05,480
One of the temptations that 
appeared throughout the Bible 

308
00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:08,320
concerning the people of God. 
Not the evil, not the wicked, 

309
00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:11,600
those who belong to God. 
Is that they would want to 

310
00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:16,280
avenge themselves. 
They would seek out revenge. 

311
00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:18,680
If you don't think that's 
possible, then make sense of 

312
00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:22,920
Paul's writings, like what he 
says in Romans 12 verse 19. 

313
00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:24,800
Brothers, never avenge 
yourselves. 

314
00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:28,680
Never avenge yourselves, but 
leave it to the wrath of God. 

315
00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:32,120
You know what that really means.
Make room for the wrath of God. 

316
00:20:32,520 --> 00:20:35,680
Give place to it. 
In other words, get out of the 

317
00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:41,520
way when somebody wrongs you. 
And I am fully aware that in the

318
00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:46,840
room with people with this size,
some of you have been greatly 

319
00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:50,320
wounded, not just by those who 
hate Christians, not just by 

320
00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:53,840
unbelievers, but those who 
profess Christ, who have bruised

321
00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:56,600
you significantly because of 
their sin, their betrayal. 

322
00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:00,760
And I want to simply provide 
this remedy. 

323
00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:04,400
Leave room for God's wrath. 
He remembers. 

324
00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:07,240
He will not forget, even if it 
doesn't seem to be acting now. 

325
00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:11,840
There is a time coming, as long 
as they remain stubborn in their

326
00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:16,040
sin. 
And perhaps you regularly 

327
00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:18,360
comfort yourself with the 
thought of how you can get even 

328
00:21:18,360 --> 00:21:20,400
with them. 
How I can pay them back. 

329
00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:23,920
Here's the problem with that. 
At least one of them. 

330
00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:27,640
As one person pointed out, when 
we seek to repay evil with evil,

331
00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:38,320
we often do it with interest. 
We tend to go overboard, we tend

332
00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:42,400
to go beyond, and we make a 
bigger mess for ourselves and 

333
00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:45,120
for others. 
So I want to encourage you with 

334
00:21:45,120 --> 00:21:47,240
one simple truth from the 
Scripture and revelation. 

335
00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:53,040
Find your comfort in the reality
that God remembers. 

336
00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:58,000
He sees it all. 
Every word of gossip, every 

337
00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:04,400
slander, every physical abuse, 
every unfaithful act done by the

338
00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:07,560
closest people to you, God 
remembers. 

339
00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:11,520
And if those who hurt you are 
children of His, He will 

340
00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:14,400
discipline them. 
And if those who hurt you are 

341
00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:17,360
enemies of Him, He will deal 
with them. 

342
00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:23,240
God remembered Babylon, and 
we're going to see exactly 

343
00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:25,160
what's going to happen to her in
the coming days. 

344
00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:29,360
But we come to the final great 
thing for us to look at in this 

345
00:22:29,360 --> 00:22:32,120
passage, and that is in verse 20
to verse 21. 

346
00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:35,560
Let's read it again, shall we? 
And every island fled away and 

347
00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:39,120
no mountains were to be found. 
And great hailstones, about 100 

348
00:22:39,120 --> 00:22:40,760
lbs each, fell from heaven on 
people. 

349
00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:43,720
And they cursed God for the 
plague of the hail because the 

350
00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:47,200
plague was so severe. 
So we heard this already, that 

351
00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:50,360
the final effect of this 
earthquake that will take place 

352
00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:52,800
is that it's going to set the 
stage for the millennial reign 

353
00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:55,520
of Christ. 
And the extent of the damage 

354
00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:58,680
that it will cause goes beyond 
just cities falling and 

355
00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:00,560
crumbling. 
We actually read here that 

356
00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:05,120
islands, islands will flee and 
that everything else will be 

357
00:23:05,120 --> 00:23:07,560
made a plane. 
Mountains will literally vanish.

358
00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:13,520
They will be brought low. 
And the way we're supposed to 

359
00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:16,520
understand this is that there is
a shaking coming. 

360
00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:18,800
That's elaborated in the 
prophets and what we're going to

361
00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:22,040
read in the coming chapters. 
But there will be some who will 

362
00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:27,120
escape the earthquake, who will 
not be directly impacted by it. 

363
00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:31,520
However, they will not be able 
to escape God's wrath at this 

364
00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:35,880
juncture because verse 21 says 
and great hailstones, about 100 

365
00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:37,600
lbs each fell from heaven on 
people. 

366
00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:41,160
So the final great thing we're 
looking at is a great plague, a 

367
00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:44,200
great plague. 
Hailstones happened today. 

368
00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:49,440
History records some massive 
hailstones that have really hurt

369
00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:52,680
people, damaged property. 
The Bible records hailstones and

370
00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:54,600
what we have here is something 
unlike we've ever seen. 

371
00:23:54,960 --> 00:23:59,560
Imagine a hailstone flinging 
from the sky around 100 lbs 

372
00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:02,880
each. 
That's God. 

373
00:24:03,840 --> 00:24:08,600
Those are God sized hailstones. 
But why hailstones? 

374
00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:09,880
That was my question. 
Why hailstones? 

375
00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:12,040
I mean, there's so many other 
things that we've seen in terms 

376
00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:14,600
of God's judgment, even his 
implementation of nature. 

377
00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:16,160
So why this? 
Well, here's what you discover 

378
00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:20,320
in your study of God's Word. 
Hailstones are frequently used 

379
00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:22,720
in scenes of God defending his 
people. 

380
00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:28,280
So in Joshua chapter 10, when 
that nation and that generation 

381
00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:31,360
entered into the Promised land 
early in their conquest, they 

382
00:24:31,360 --> 00:24:34,120
went to war with many kings. 
And in the chapter where the sun

383
00:24:34,120 --> 00:24:39,080
stands still, we read that God 
sent great hailstones and flung 

384
00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:41,360
them in the direction of those 
who oppose God's work. 

385
00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:44,720
And again, in keeping with the 
theme of the Exodus, John seems 

386
00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:47,360
to recall and bring to our 
memory one of the plagues in 

387
00:24:47,360 --> 00:24:50,440
Egypt. 
Hailstones, the 7th plague more 

388
00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:54,440
specifically. 
In fact, you know what God told 

389
00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:57,400
Job? 
That one of His weapons of 

390
00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:00,280
choice, the top ones at least 
are hailstones. 

391
00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:04,600
Now you don't believe me, baby, 
Let me read it to you. 

392
00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:10,360
From Job 38, verse 22 to verse 
23, Job 38, verse 22 to verse 23

393
00:25:10,360 --> 00:25:12,760
reads. 
Have you entered the storehouses

394
00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:17,200
of the snow or have you seen the
storehouses of the hail, which I

395
00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:20,600
have reserved for the time of 
trouble, for the day of battle 

396
00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:26,640
and war. 
So with this in mind, when we 

397
00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:28,440
come to this seventh bull, we 
realize something. 

398
00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:33,560
God is going to war with the 
final generation of the wicked 

399
00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:36,800
just before Christ comes to 
earth. 

400
00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:45,160
But it doesn't end here. 
It ends here with the chapter. 

401
00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:47,560
It ends here, yes, with a 
description of what takes place 

402
00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:48,800
in the 7th bowl. 
But then there's this 

403
00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:50,840
parenthesis. 
There's there's this break in 

404
00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:54,760
chapter 17 and 18 and you can 
make a case at the sequence of 

405
00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:57,520
what we've just looked at 
continues where in Revelation 

406
00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:00,400
19, verse one. 
So we're going to have a break 

407
00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:02,400
here in the next two chapters of
what's going to happen to 

408
00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:06,080
Babylon more specifically. 
And then it's as though John 

409
00:26:06,120 --> 00:26:09,840
presses the play button again in
chapters 19, verse 11. 

410
00:26:09,840 --> 00:26:12,000
Just look at it because it's 
going to give you a preview of 

411
00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,760
something glorious. 
Revelation 19, verse 11. 

412
00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:18,920
Then I saw heaven open and 
behold, a White Horse. 

413
00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:22,480
You know who this is, right? 
The one sinning on it. 

414
00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:24,200
It's called, it's called 
faithful and true. 

415
00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:27,200
And in righteousness He judges 
and makes war. 

416
00:26:29,720 --> 00:26:32,320
I'm not sure how you've ever 
imagined Jesus Christ returning 

417
00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:34,280
physically because He will come 
bodily. 

418
00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:37,160
But one of the things that will 
go before Him before He does 

419
00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:39,320
come with His Saints are 
hailstones. 

420
00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:46,160
And in fact, did you realize 
back in chapter 16, verse 17, 

421
00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:49,520
how the 7th Angel poured out his
bowl into where the air? 

422
00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:56,040
We've seen these divine heavenly
saucers being poured out upon 

423
00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:59,600
what? 
The earth, the sea, springs and 

424
00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:02,560
rivers, even the sun itself. 
But now we read that it comes 

425
00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:05,080
upon and into the very 
atmosphere. 

426
00:27:06,120 --> 00:27:08,600
Why is that? 
You know what I thought 

427
00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:10,120
initially? 
Because what's left? 

428
00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:16,080
But it's more than that. 
If we have in mind that this is 

429
00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:19,960
going to swing open the gates of
heaven, so to speak, for Christ 

430
00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:24,280
to actually come, then there 
seems to be some kind of 

431
00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:28,880
cleansing agent with this bowl 
as it's being poured out into 

432
00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:31,760
the air. 
Remember what Ephesians 2 tells 

433
00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:35,400
us about Satan, that he's the 
Prince of the power of what the 

434
00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:38,720
air. 
And we can almost say it's as 

435
00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:43,760
though God through this is, is 
removing and purging that domain

436
00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:47,400
of his influence as the Son of 
God is ready to enter through 

437
00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:53,440
the heavens and he will. 
It is done. 

438
00:27:56,760 --> 00:27:59,960
We're studying about this future
declaration of finality and 

439
00:27:59,960 --> 00:28:05,000
victory, but we've also come 
this Sunday to reflect on it is 

440
00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:10,640
finished. 
If you believe in the truth of 

441
00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:12,520
it is finished, you don't have 
to worry about that. 

442
00:28:12,520 --> 00:28:18,160
It is done in this chapter. 
If you understand the magnitude,

443
00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:20,600
if you understand the soul 
saving grace that comes with 

444
00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:25,560
those 3 words that Jesus said 
with His cracked lips and 

445
00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:33,440
bruised body and hanging flesh, 
then you have no reason to fear 

446
00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:38,320
the wrath of God. 
If you have not put your soul 

447
00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:42,680
into that truth, if you have not
surrendered the fate of your 

448
00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:49,080
eternal future into the truth of
the Gospel, then you have every 

449
00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:51,840
reason to tremble throughout the
series in the Book of 

450
00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:58,160
Revelation. 
But we are not those who 

451
00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:02,240
tremble. 
We tremble, yes, in joy. 

452
00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:06,160
We we tremble in awe, but we 
tremble knowing also the great 

453
00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:12,960
friggins that God has given us. 
I'm clean, I'm saved, I'm safe 

454
00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:16,200
forever. 
That is what we are going to 

455
00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:22,360
savor this afternoon, the fact 
that Jesus Christ helps us, yes,

456
00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:28,120
but more importantly saves us 
from the wrath of a holy God. 

457
00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:32,720
Let's prepare our hearts to 
celebrate that truth 

458
00:29:49,570 --> 00:29:53,810
with all that we've heard. 
Lord, we now turn our attention 

459
00:29:53,810 --> 00:30:01,840
to the truth that brings us here
to begin with the gospel, the 

460
00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:08,400
saving love of Jesus Christ. 
Lord, we pray that you would 

461
00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:14,480
help us remember the great price
you paid, that we freely 

462
00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:18,840
receive, so that we can be free,
yes, for eternity, but free from

463
00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:25,480
sin now, free from the power and
dominion of all trespasses. 

464
00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:30,280
All iniquity, all rebellion can 
be broken off of our lives, and 

465
00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:32,360
it has been because of the power
of the blood. 

466
00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:38,520
Lord, give us reverence, give us
a fear of you in this moment, 

467
00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:42,600
and at the same time, may we 
rejoice in knowing what is our 

468
00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:44,640
inheritance because of the great
price you paid. 

469
00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:48,000
We ask these things in Jesus 
name, Amen. 

470
00:30:48,480 --> 00:30:50,040
Amen. 
Let's stand. 

471
00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:52,720
We're going to sing and reflect 
on these truths and we will 

472
00:30:52,720 --> 00:30:53,720
partake in a moment.