1 00:00:01,880 --> 00:00:06,600 If you asked the average person to imagine what the end of the 2 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:12,360 world would look like, they may most likely point to 3 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:16,840 catastrophes and natural disasters like tsunamis, 4 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:23,520 earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, meteor strikes, famines, 5 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:28,720 droughts, and other things. And that perspective is not 6 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:32,439 entirely mistaken, because the scriptures themselves tell us 7 00:00:32,439 --> 00:00:38,080 that events like these will in fact unfold in the last hour. 8 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:47,960 However, humanity's last chapter will go beyond these things, and 9 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:53,440 that is precisely what John is going to remind us as he 10 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:58,960 continues to explain to us the seven bowls of God's wrath. 11 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:04,400 You see, what we're prepared to see is that God's judgement in 12 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:08,400 the final days will also reveal itself in and through the 13 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:14,040 political realm as structures of leadership will give way and 14 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:18,960 governments will unravel. You see, last time we were 15 00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:22,840 together, we looked at the first four bowls and they focused on 16 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:29,440 God's wrath through the creative order, the natural world. 17 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:35,680 And we saw these instruments in our universe that God originally 18 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:39,480 designed to be for our good suddenly become means of 19 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:43,080 punishment. Things like springs and rivers 20 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:48,920 and the sun itself began to punished evil doers. 21 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,760 And as unsettling such predictions are, there are still 22 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:57,080 3 bowls left. And we are now going to see a 23 00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:02,600 transition from the natural world into the arena of power 24 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:09,280 structures and kingdoms and rulers and governments. 25 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:13,600 And we're going to read about it first together in Revelation 16, 26 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:19,600 beginning in verse 10 down through verse 16. 27 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:23,280 And we are seeking to better understand how God will carry 28 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:26,040 out His justice against evil before He ultimately claims all 29 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:30,160 things for himself. Revelation 16 verse 10. 30 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:35,200 The 5th Angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, 31 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:38,400 and its Kingdom was plunged Into Darkness. 32 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:43,120 People nod their tongues and anguish and curse the God of 33 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:47,480 heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their 34 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:50,360 deeds. The 6th Angel poured out his 35 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:52,960 bowl on the great river Euphrates, and it's water was 36 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:56,760 dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 37 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:00,920 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of 38 00:03:00,920 --> 00:03:03,920 the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false 39 00:03:03,920 --> 00:03:08,400 prophet 3 unclean spirits like frogs. 40 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:12,800 For they are demonic spirits performing signs, who go abroad 41 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:15,920 to the kings of the whole world to assemble them for the battle 42 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:17,920 on the great day of God the Almighty. 43 00:03:18,920 --> 00:03:23,440 Behold, I'm coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays 44 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:27,440 away, keeping the garments on, that he may not go about naked 45 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:31,280 and be seen exposed. And they assemble them at the 46 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:34,400 place that in Hebrews called Armageddon. 47 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:38,760 Father, we ask, please help us with these words. 48 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:41,640 Help us with these prophecies. Help us with these details. 49 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:46,520 We are asking in prayer. We are aiming, Lord, by Your 50 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:50,120 grace to receive clarity. Oh there is so much rewarding 51 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:53,320 clarity. We need clarity, Lord, so that 52 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:56,480 we can better understand You, Your ways and what You ask of 53 00:03:56,480 --> 00:04:01,440 us, provided by the work of the Holy Spirit through the inspired 54 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:03,760 Word of God. In Jesus name we pray. 55 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:08,400 Amen. You know this very well and I 56 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:12,160 never get tired of saying it. The Bible teaches that one day 57 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:16,079 the Lord Jesus Christ will bodily return to this world, and 58 00:04:16,079 --> 00:04:18,480 he will rule and reign from a throne in Jerusalem. 59 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:22,400 And when he does that, he will influence the globe in 60 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:27,480 righteousness, peace, and justice in an unprecedented, 61 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:32,640 unparalleled, comprehensive way. This is what we look forward to. 62 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:37,360 This is what we long for. And yet the Bible is also clear 63 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:39,800 enough to tell us and prepare us that there's going to be another 64 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:44,440 unique global reign in the days to come, enforced by not Christ 65 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:47,360 but the not a but the Antichrist. 66 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:53,120 And he will spread a satanic deception that will permeate the 67 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:59,360 nations and subjugate them with such severity and evil. 68 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:02,520 But you and I just read it. Hopefully we paid attention and 69 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:05,960 saw it that the Holy Spirit shows us that this future 70 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:14,680 dystopian regime will one day very swiftly come to an end and 71 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:19,120 the beginning of the termination of the reign of the Antichrist 72 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:21,800 will happen when the 5th bowl is poured. 73 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:25,680 Outlook again at verse 10 and notice how this bowl will be 74 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:30,400 poured out on the throne of the beast, telling us that this 75 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:33,800 judgement will be laser focused upon the headquarters of the 76 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:37,760 Antichrist. And the result of this divine 77 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:39,760 intervention is that it will plunge the Kingdom of the 78 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:43,120 Antichrist Into Darkness. And because we know up to this 79 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:45,880 point that the Kingdom of the Antichrist will be 80 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:48,440 international, it will be universal. 81 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:52,520 Then we can safely conclude that this darkness will also engulf 82 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:58,000 the entire world, at least those who serve and follow the beast. 83 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:02,120 Now this is something so important to understand this 84 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:04,720 darkness. It isn't metaphorical. 85 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:08,840 It isn't moral. If we honor the parallels that 86 00:06:08,840 --> 00:06:13,160 John is making, drawing from the events from the Exodus, then we 87 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:16,680 have to understand that this is indeed a literal darkness, in 88 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,080 the same way that there was a literal darkness that plagued 89 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:22,120 Egypt for three days. We can't believe that there was 90 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:24,120 literal darkness then and not in the future. 91 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:27,560 So this in no way is an allegory. 92 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:33,720 This is actual, and beyond the terror and the misery caused by 93 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:38,360 a complete blackout of both natural and artificial light, 94 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:40,480 there's a clear message being conveyed here with this 95 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:45,000 judgement. The Antichrist, who could not 96 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:48,440 save his followers from the wrath of God, remember when God 97 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:51,720 afflicted them with sores, also shows us here that he could not 98 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:55,520 defend his own throne. Think about it. 99 00:06:57,040 --> 00:07:02,440 The power of presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, 100 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:07,280 from our perspective is great. But from heaven's point of view, 101 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:09,880 whenever God wishes, he can turn off the lights of their 102 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:13,360 kingdoms. He can turn off the lights in 103 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:16,240 the minds of these rulers like Nebuchadnezzar, who became like 104 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:22,560 an animal in a second, and he can in fact veil the moon and 105 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:25,920 shut down the power grid as he will do here. 106 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:30,680 It's no wonder that the psalmist says in Psalm 2 when he 107 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:34,760 addresses kings and verse 10. Now therefore, O kings, be wise, 108 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:38,800 be warned. O rulers of the earth, serve the 109 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:42,560 Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. 110 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:50,040 Unfortunately, the Antichrist nor his subjects will take heed 111 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:55,760 to this ancient call. Instead of fearing, instead of 112 00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:59,360 trembling with joy, instead of kissing the sun like Psalm 2 113 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:05,320 verse 12 says, they will gnaw on their tongues and curse God. 114 00:08:05,320 --> 00:08:06,480 You know what the word gnaw means? 115 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:11,160 Chew. They will chew on their tongues 116 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:14,920 and with their lips they will blasphemy God. 117 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:21,240 I'm not sure if you noticed this, but did you catch how the 118 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:27,640 descriptions of the 5th bold judgement resemble Jesus's 119 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:32,360 description of hell on more than one occasion? 120 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:35,440 Christ Jesus said of those who will not enter the Kingdom of 121 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:39,520 heaven, that they will be cast out into what outer darkness? 122 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:43,039 And in that place of darkness there will be weeping and 123 00:08:43,039 --> 00:08:49,680 gnashing of teeth. And then you come here and 124 00:08:49,680 --> 00:08:54,880 realize that these people, the masses at this time of the 125 00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:58,560 tribulation period, are essentially being brought to the 126 00:08:58,560 --> 00:09:05,200 brink of hell. They are so close to the eternal 127 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:07,480 reality. They're just getting a sample 128 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:11,200 and a measure of it on earth. And here's the most astonishing 129 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:13,600 part. They don't repent. 130 00:09:15,680 --> 00:09:18,400 They don't repent. You know, there's some people 131 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:22,400 who come up with some clever arguments or express some 132 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:26,240 disturbances with the ways of God, especially with hell. 133 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:30,760 And some things that people say are like, well, isn't it a 134 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:34,120 little extreme that hell is eternal? 135 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:38,640 Wouldn't God want to give another chance of those who 136 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:44,600 experienced his full fury and realize the mistake of their 137 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:49,080 ways, that if they cried out for mercy in that place, why 138 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:51,120 wouldn't He rescue them? Why wouldn't He deliver them 139 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:53,920 from that place? And here's how I respond. 140 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:56,920 Who says everybody in hell will cry out for mercy? 141 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:00,000 Where did you get that idea from? 142 00:10:03,560 --> 00:10:07,800 Because here you have the world experiencing hell on earth, and 143 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:10,240 instead of crying out for forgiveness, they're cursing 144 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:13,840 God. You think everybody in hell is 145 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:15,120 going to ask God to deliver them? 146 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:18,360 Some will weep and some will nurse their teeth. 147 00:10:19,560 --> 00:10:22,280 You brought me here. I curse you. 148 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:25,680 And they will do so forever and ever and ever. 149 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:33,360 Did you know that the last time the word repent appears in the 150 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:35,040 Bible is in the verses that we just read? 151 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:40,480 The last time the word repent appears in the Bible is in this 152 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:44,520 text, verse 11, and it's not presented to us in a positive 153 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:47,280 sense, rather as a refusal to do so. 154 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:51,400 They did not repent of their deeds. 155 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:54,840 Something interesting happens after this point because twice 156 00:10:54,840 --> 00:11:00,280 already in the section about the bold judgments, John tells us 157 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:05,320 that the people curse God twice already and refused to repent. 158 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:10,360 But look what happens at the 7th bowl, the last one in verse 21, 159 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:16,600 Revelation 16, and great hailstones, about 100 lbs each 160 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,200 fell from heaven on people, and they cursed God for the plague 161 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:22,880 of the hail because the plague was so severe. 162 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:25,520 So the people's cursing continues. 163 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:30,120 But did you notice that there is no mention of repentance, even a 164 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:37,560 refusal to do so? This suggests that after one 165 00:11:37,560 --> 00:11:41,840 bowl following the next, by the time you get to the 7th, the 166 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:44,720 hearts of the people have become irreversibly hardened. 167 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:49,400 So much so that the Holy Spirit even doesn't even tell us that 168 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:53,640 they rejected. Repentance wasn't even a 169 00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:59,640 thought. And the severity of the hardened 170 00:11:59,920 --> 00:12:04,040 hearts of these people will reveal itself further in the 171 00:12:04,040 --> 00:12:08,400 sixth bowl, not only through their words against God and his 172 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:12,760 Christ, but now in their willingness to wage war against 173 00:12:12,760 --> 00:12:16,520 Him. That's what the 6th bowl is 174 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:21,120 about, preparation for battle with God. 175 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:25,640 And that preparation will take in a take place in an area 176 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:29,600 called Armageddon. Look again here, verse 12. 177 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:32,320 The six Angel poured out his bowl on the great river 178 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:35,960 Euphrates and it's water was dried up to prepare the way for 179 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:40,360 the kings from the east. Now we we saw that a lot of 180 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:46,040 rivers have been contaminated already have been damaged having 181 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:49,920 cut off as sources of water. But now one of the rivers out of 182 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:53,600 The Who knows how many in the world are in focus, the great 183 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:55,200 River Euphrates. Why? 184 00:12:56,520 --> 00:12:59,080 What's so important about this? And, well, it's one of the 185 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:02,040 longest and most important rivers in the Middle East, even 186 00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:05,680 to this day. And besides the fact that this 187 00:13:05,680 --> 00:13:09,360 river has been used for the rise and development of many empires 188 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:14,960 and civilizations over history, it is also something that the 189 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:18,080 Bible shows us regarding important past events and 190 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:22,720 clearly future ones. And how we make sense of this is 191 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:26,800 when we recall what God told Abraham in Genesis 1518, that 192 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:30,480 the great river Euphrates will serve as the eastern boundary 193 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:34,000 point of the land promised to Abraham and his descendants. 194 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:40,440 And what you find following that throughout Israel's history is 195 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:45,960 that many of Israel's fiercest enemies cross the Euphrates 196 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:50,240 River in order to seek to besiege them and conquer them. 197 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:55,800 And so this river, biblically speaking, has become a symbol of 198 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:59,880 enemy invasion. And that is precisely what's 199 00:13:59,880 --> 00:14:02,240 being presented here. That association from the Old 200 00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:03,800 Testament continues into the new. 201 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:07,160 Though it is only mentioned twice, Euphrates is only brought 202 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:09,360 up twice in the entire New Testament, both times in 203 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:13,640 Revelation. And so with this background in 204 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:16,640 mind, when you read about this, you have to understand that God 205 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:19,640 himself is setting the stage for a war. 206 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:25,440 God is he is preparing the platform for the kings from the 207 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:28,680 east and the world to make their way toward the land of Israel 208 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:34,600 for battle. That is confirmed in verse 16. 209 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:39,040 And they assemble them at the place that in Hebrew is called 210 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:44,040 Armageddon. It's the only place in all the 211 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:46,000 Bible where Armageddon is mentioned. 212 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:50,480 It translates to Mount Megiddo, and what troubles some 213 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:54,360 interpreters is that there is no mountain identified in such a 214 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:57,000 way. There is no Mount Megiddo, and 215 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:01,160 so what's likely being described here is the hillside surrounding 216 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:05,680 the plain of Megiddo. Because there is a plain called 217 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:10,240 Megiddo, and Megiddo biblically speaking and even in history, 218 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:14,280 has been a region that determined decisive battles. 219 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:19,160 It was Deborah and Barack who overcame Sisera in Judges 220 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:24,240 chapter 5 near Megiddo. It was Pharaoh Nico who 221 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:28,600 destroyed and killed King Josiah in the same plane. 222 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:31,320 And these are just two of many examples. 223 00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:35,000 So then the question that we were left with when facing this 224 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:39,040 truth of the Euphrates and also this place called Armageddon is 225 00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:42,480 what exact battle is going to take place here? 226 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:50,360 And the answer is multi layered, but it definitely includes a 227 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:57,120 global confederacy, an attempt, a desperate final attempt to 228 00:15:57,120 --> 00:15:59,800 eradicate what remains of the Jewish people in the land of 229 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:02,640 Israel. Have we seen this before in the 230 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:04,440 Book of Revelation? You remember the dragon in 231 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:07,760 Revelation 12? After being evicted from heaven, 232 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:11,000 one of his first things that he does is find the woman who 233 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:14,040 symbolizes Israel, who flees into the wilderness and out of 234 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:17,400 his mouth comes a flood of water to try to sweep her away. 235 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:22,840 And as we progress in the timeline of the last days and 236 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:26,520 the judgments of God, we find here that near the end of 237 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:31,440 everything, there is yet another effort to try to do what Satan 238 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:35,680 has been trying to do all along, delete Israel from the world. 239 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:45,640 But at its core, it's driving force behind all that we're 240 00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:49,520 going to see here is actually found in Revelation 17. 241 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:53,080 The core reason for this is what we find in the very next 242 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:54,520 chapter. It's clarified. 243 00:16:54,760 --> 00:17:04,599 Look at Revelation 17, verse 12. And the 10 horns that you saw 244 00:17:04,599 --> 00:17:08,839 are 10 kings who have not yet received royal power, but they 245 00:17:08,839 --> 00:17:12,000 are to receive authority as kings for one hour together with 246 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:14,760 the beast. These are of one mind, and they 247 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:16,839 hand over their power and authority to the beast. 248 00:17:16,839 --> 00:17:20,119 You see what's happening here? There's this confederacy, 249 00:17:20,119 --> 00:17:23,680 there's this alliance. These kingdoms give all their 250 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:26,560 authority to one man, the beast, the Antichrist. 251 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:28,920 For what reason? Look at verse 14. 252 00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:34,640 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, 253 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:37,840 for He is Lord of Lords and King of kings, and those with him are 254 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:40,960 called and chosen and faithful. It's clear, isn't it? 255 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:46,640 The nations will gather in the land of Israel to ultimately 256 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:52,080 face off against the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in order to stop 257 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:55,760 Him from doing what He promised. And that was to save the Jewish 258 00:17:55,760 --> 00:18:01,280 people and reign from the Holy City and rain from Mount Zion 259 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:05,280 and establish his government, fulfill the promise that God 260 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:08,000 made to David that one of his sons would rule eternally. 261 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:09,920 This is what they are trying to stop. 262 00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:12,400 And maybe you're like me and wondering at this point. 263 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:21,760 Hold on, so you're telling me that the world population has 264 00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:27,320 been afflicted with oozing sores, can't find drinking water 265 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:36,160 no matter where they look, are enduring a heat wave, are 266 00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:41,920 plunged Into Darkness, and the top priority of the world 267 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:46,440 leaders is to take whatever energy and resources they have 268 00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:51,560 left to go to war with God? This is absurd. 269 00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:55,840 This is irrational. This is crazy. 270 00:18:57,800 --> 00:19:01,400 How can this be? And fortunately, we're not left 271 00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:06,800 in the dark, because the Holy Spirit tells us how it is that 272 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:08,880 such a thing will actually take place. 273 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:11,520 Look again at Revelation 16, verse 13. 274 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:16,280 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of 275 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:18,640 the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false 276 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:23,560 prophet, 3 unclean spirits like frogs, for they are demonic 277 00:19:23,560 --> 00:19:26,960 spirits performing signs who go abroad to the kings of the whole 278 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:30,160 world to assemble them for battle on the great day of God 279 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:34,240 the Almighty. Here's one of the clearest 280 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:36,120 references to the unholy Trinity. 281 00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:38,240 You have the dragon who represents Satan. 282 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:40,680 You have the beast who is the Antichrist, and you have the 283 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:44,640 false prophet who is the right hand man of the beast. 284 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:49,760 And notice here that John sees demonic spirits proceeding from 285 00:19:49,760 --> 00:19:55,000 each of them, these vile beings sent out across the world to do 286 00:19:55,000 --> 00:20:00,400 what? Seduce world leaders to work 287 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:07,240 together to meet in the plain of Megiddo at the face off against 288 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:11,040 Jesus Christ, the Messiah of the world and the Messiah of the 289 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:14,920 Jewish people? But how is this actually going 290 00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:18,320 to work you may ask? Notice how the word mouth is 291 00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:23,280 repeated 3 times in verse 13. The mouth of the dragon, the 292 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:26,040 mouth of the beast, the mouth of the false prophet. 293 00:20:26,120 --> 00:20:28,440 So this repetition is obviously intentional, and it's an 294 00:20:28,440 --> 00:20:30,960 emphasis. It's to suggest that the primary 295 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:37,160 means of recruiting the world to come against Jerusalem and her 296 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:40,320 king. You ready for this is through 297 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:49,770 demonically inspired propaganda. And notice that John describes 298 00:20:49,770 --> 00:20:52,930 these spirits as resembling frogs. 299 00:20:56,000 --> 00:21:00,080 I don't know how you feel about frogs, but frogs appear more 300 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:03,120 than once in the Bible. And again, we are honoring what 301 00:21:03,120 --> 00:21:08,440 John is doing by the spirit. He is taking from the details 302 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:10,920 and the events of the Exodus. And we know that one of the 303 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:16,200 plagues that the Egyptians faced was the littering of frogs 304 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:21,200 across their land. And so John by the spirits 305 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:25,880 borrows that specific plague, brings it into this moment in 306 00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:29,960 order to, in symbolic terms, to let us know that in the final of 307 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:33,080 the final days leading up to the return of Christ, there is going 308 00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:35,880 to be a plague. What kind of plague? 309 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:41,960 1 of indoctrination and disinformation, one that will 310 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:47,760 convince the world to rise up against Israel and the God of 311 00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:50,200 Israel. And guess what? 312 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:58,200 It's going to work and they will indeed give themselves to the 313 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:04,320 wishes of the Antichrist. And what will make this message 314 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:10,160 rooted in demonic thoughts will be authenticated because we read 315 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:13,520 that they don't only come from the mouths of the participants 316 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:17,160 of the unholy Trinity, but that they will also perform signs. 317 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:23,040 It makes you wonder if these world leaders are feeling a 318 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:25,960 little hesitant to follow the lead of the Antichrist after all 319 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:28,680 these disappointments. And yet, there will be this 320 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:32,520 final effort on his part to win their allegiance afresh. 321 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:39,800 They'll say, OK, let's do it. Who knows what will be said, but 322 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:42,560 it will succeed. Now, I want us to pause here for 323 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:46,800 a moment and reflect. When people think about demonic 324 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:49,200 activity, they often limit it to visible manifestations like 325 00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:53,640 convulsions or unfiltered vulgarity and perversion. 326 00:22:55,640 --> 00:22:57,240 Well, the Bible presents something a little bit more 327 00:22:57,240 --> 00:22:59,200 complex when it comes to how demons work. 328 00:22:59,520 --> 00:23:01,840 I want to remind you today through God's Word that demons 329 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:07,600 use words, that there is demonic activity not just in the future, 330 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:13,000 but even now in the realm of government, in the political 331 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:18,880 arena. And more than that, demons very 332 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:23,760 much capitalize on those who use their mouths to shape the 333 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:29,440 opinions of the public. And that is going to be 334 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:31,560 something very prevalent in the last days. 335 00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:33,880 So here's what this means for you. 336 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:37,040 And I be careful what you listen to. 337 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:41,720 Oh, they might have wonderful personalities. 338 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:48,520 They may be witty, they may receive the wider applause, and 339 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:51,680 yet their arguments, their theories, their messages, their 340 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:55,840 podcasts can very well be rooted in demonic deception. 341 00:23:57,000 --> 00:24:02,800 And people are eating it up. I didn't. 342 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:06,760 I didn't come to Christ until 20, the age of 20. 343 00:24:08,120 --> 00:24:10,520 But even before that, I can recollect what the world was 344 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:15,120 like, and I can't think of any time in my lifetime where 345 00:24:15,120 --> 00:24:19,000 theology is being discussed on this level in the secular world. 346 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:25,880 All of a sudden, people are becoming experts in eschatology. 347 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:36,000 Be careful what you're listening to and how it may be influencing 348 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:48,200 you, because demons use people's mouths, and the only way you and 349 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:52,600 I can discern what's true and false is by soaking your mind in 350 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:56,160 the Bible. That sounds cliche, doesn't it? 351 00:24:57,560 --> 00:25:00,200 Well, cliches are important sometimes because even though we 352 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:03,880 know this, we don't practice it, and we have footholds in our 353 00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:08,880 minds and we don't guard these ears and we don't compare what's 354 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:12,320 being said to what's been said by God. 355 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:18,680 And then we begin to sway and shift and doubt. 356 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:23,520 You know, I was reflecting on this on my way here. 357 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:27,800 Actually, Paul said something astounding in Romans 11 verse 358 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:30,480 25. When Romans 11/25 is quoted by 359 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:33,400 by most, they quote the second part and they forget the first 360 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:34,480 part. It's in that verse where we 361 00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:37,240 learn that a partial hardening has come upon Israel until the 362 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:38,680 fullness of the Gentiles come in. 363 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:40,800 You heard of it, right? Do you remember what Paul said 364 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:44,000 before in the same verse? What did he say? 365 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:47,640 Lest you be wise in your own sight. 366 00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:50,760 I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery. 367 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:55,760 And then he says, Brothers, a partial hardening has come upon 368 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:58,080 Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles come in. 369 00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:03,680 But notice what he said. Lest you be wise in your own 370 00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:07,920 sight. What's the context of that one 371 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:11,760 translation says Lest you be wise in your own opinion. 372 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:13,640 Do you think people have opinions about Israel today? 373 00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:17,760 Yeah, even in the church. And guess what? 374 00:26:18,120 --> 00:26:22,640 A lot of those opinions are not based on the clarity that we 375 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:24,560 have about God's plan for this people. 376 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:28,280 They are unaware of the mystery. They're speaking from the place 377 00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:32,880 of ignorance. Have you done your due diligence 378 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:36,440 to study the Bible from cover to cover to come to your 379 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:39,560 conclusion, your conviction, your doctrine of the people of 380 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:44,440 Israel? Are you being informed by the 381 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:46,320 podcast that you're listening to on your way to work? 382 00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:48,240 Is that where you're getting your source of information from? 383 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:52,760 Why do you believe what you believe? 384 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:55,640 Have you gone to the Old Testament? 385 00:26:55,640 --> 00:26:57,440 Have you gone to the New? Have you seen how they 386 00:26:57,440 --> 00:26:58,560 harmonize? Have you seen where things 387 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:01,120 contradict? What do you know about it from 388 00:27:01,120 --> 00:27:04,040 the Bible? You know what the Holy Spirit 389 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:07,440 says to Paul, to Christians, I don't want you to be unaware. 390 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:10,040 In other words, we can't settle with, well, I just don't know. 391 00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:12,280 No, the Bible says, I don't want you to be unaware. 392 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:15,720 The Bible doesn't want you to just say, I don't know. 393 00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:21,680 So clearly, based on Paul's words, as difficult as some of 394 00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:25,120 his teachings are to grasp right away, there is clarity. 395 00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:30,880 There are answers, clear enough answers that when somebody 396 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:34,080 speaks about what we should believe in the Bible concerning 397 00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:36,520 the certain doctrine, we can say hold on, hold on, hold on. 398 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:41,000 That's not right. It may be popular today, but 399 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:46,960 it's not right. So don't settle remaining in the 400 00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:51,960 dark or confused, Paul says. I don't want you to be unaware. 401 00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:57,640 Now here's where this becomes even more comforting for us. 402 00:27:58,360 --> 00:28:01,640 Like many parts of the Book of Revelation, the brewing battle 403 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:04,760 that John is describing here is nothing new. 404 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:11,920 John is completely aligned with the prophets of old, the 405 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:16,120 prophets of old who have told us throughout the centuries that 406 00:28:16,120 --> 00:28:19,880 there is a battle of battles, that there is a final face off 407 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:24,280 between God and the forces of evil, and it will take place in 408 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:29,320 the Holy Land. You know, some people say the 409 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:33,000 land there, that small section that's no bigger than New 410 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:35,080 Jersey, it's not so important. Well, clearly it's important to 411 00:28:35,080 --> 00:28:39,240 God because things are going to happen there. 412 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:44,840 I usually don't do this, but I'm just going to read to you verse 413 00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:48,480 after verse after verse. Put it in your pocket. 414 00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:55,600 And if you're wrestling with these verses, know that God can 415 00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:57,920 give you clarity and answers about them. 416 00:28:59,080 --> 00:29:01,080 And we will look at these Old Testament prophecies in the 417 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:03,080 weeks to come, especially next week. 418 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:04,640 But just listen. Just take it in. 419 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:07,040 Don't allow yourself to go into autopilot mode and get 420 00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:10,120 distracted. Lean in and listen to what this 421 00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:12,040 is, ancient prophecy I'm reading. 422 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:13,680 I'm not reading the newspaper to you. 423 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:17,880 Ancient prophecy that's been preserved by God for our 424 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:22,040 instruction and our inspiration. Listen to what the prophet Joel 425 00:29:22,040 --> 00:29:24,680 says in Joel chapter 3, verse one to three. 426 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:28,240 For behold, in those days and at that time when I restore the 427 00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:31,920 fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations 428 00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:34,120 and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. 429 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:38,760 Jehoshaphat means the Lord judges, and I will enter into 430 00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:41,680 judgment with them there on behalf of my people and 431 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:44,840 MyHeritage. Israel, because they have 432 00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:48,080 scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land. 433 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:52,200 Whose lands? It it's God's everybody's. 434 00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:54,120 Oh, it's belongs to them. No, it belongs to them. 435 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:55,600 Oh, that's what happened at this point. 436 00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:58,200 OK, figure it out. Well, my Bible says it's all 437 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:00,720 gods, and he gets to do what he wants with it. 438 00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:07,200 They have divided up my land, so I'm going to enter into judgment 439 00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:11,160 with them. We think. 440 00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:13,320 Well, you're talking about land in the Old Testament. 441 00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:15,400 We're in the New Testament. Land shows up in the New 442 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:19,160 Testament too. We just looked at Euphrates and 443 00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:21,720 we looked at Armageddon. So clearly land is still 444 00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:24,400 relevant unless you want to make this all symbolic. 445 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:26,600 Armageddon means this and it happened in 19. 446 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:29,680 This. Is it past or is it future? 447 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:34,440 Hopefully you've been here long enough to know there's a case 448 00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:40,120 for the future. View Zechariah 12 verse 2. 449 00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:45,800 Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to 450 00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:50,000 all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also 451 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:53,680 be against Judah on that day. Pause. 452 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:57,200 Zechariah loves to use that phrase on that day, and when he 453 00:30:57,200 --> 00:31:00,480 uses it, especially from chapter 12 down to chapter 14, it speaks 454 00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:04,720 about the final day. On that day verse 3 says I will 455 00:31:04,720 --> 00:31:08,240 make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. 456 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:13,240 All who lift it will surely hurt themselves and all the nations 457 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:15,200 of the earth will gather against it. 458 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:17,120 Do you think when God says all, he means all? 459 00:31:21,680 --> 00:31:23,560 On that day? Verse 4 declares the Lord. 460 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:27,480 I will strike every horse with panic, and it's rider with 461 00:31:27,480 --> 00:31:31,200 madness, but for the sake of the House of Judah I will keep my 462 00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:34,640 eyes open when I strike every horse of the peoples with 463 00:31:34,640 --> 00:31:38,560 blindness. Zechariah 14 Verse one. 464 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:42,640 Behold, the day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken 465 00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:44,560 from you will be divided in your midst. 466 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:47,480 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to 467 00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:51,200 battle, and the city shall be taken, and the houses plundered, 468 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:53,840 and woman raped. Half of the city shall go out 469 00:31:53,840 --> 00:31:57,000 into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from 470 00:31:57,000 --> 00:31:59,200 the city. Then the Lord will go out and 471 00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:02,280 fight against those nations as when He fights on a day of 472 00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:07,600 battle over and over and over again. 473 00:32:07,600 --> 00:32:12,480 The prophets predicted a face off between God and the rest of 474 00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:14,720 the world. Who will come up against the 475 00:32:14,720 --> 00:32:20,560 holy city to try to eradicate God's promises through the 476 00:32:20,560 --> 00:32:24,320 Jewish people and to try to stop the Son of God from entering 477 00:32:24,320 --> 00:32:28,400 into the world to fulfill what He said to David and to us? 478 00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:32,480 And if there's any take away, there's a lot that was said. 479 00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:34,800 We'll hopefully explore these more in detail next week. 480 00:32:34,960 --> 00:32:38,240 But if there's any key take away from what you just heard now, it 481 00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:41,200 is that God himself is going to orchestrate these events. 482 00:32:42,040 --> 00:32:45,320 How many times do we read? I will, I will, I will, I will. 483 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:51,080 He's going to lay it all out. He's going to move the pieces at 484 00:32:51,080 --> 00:32:53,240 the right time. It will be fulfilled. 485 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:55,760 And that should comfort you. You're saying how? 486 00:32:56,160 --> 00:33:01,480 Because in Revelation 16, we see demons at work, we see unclean 487 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:05,960 spirits persuading and drawing the nations in. 488 00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:09,560 But in the background, according to the Old Testament and even in 489 00:33:09,560 --> 00:33:13,680 the New, we see that it is God who ultimately manages it all. 490 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:17,720 He is sovereign even over demons. 491 00:33:18,520 --> 00:33:21,040 He is sovereign over kings. And he will allow them to do 492 00:33:21,040 --> 00:33:23,360 what they want to do, thinking that they're actually going to 493 00:33:23,360 --> 00:33:26,360 be victorious, when in fact, it's going to be a trap. 494 00:33:27,360 --> 00:33:28,960 So you can imagine how they're going to think, oh, there's the 495 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:31,640 the river Euphrates drying up. This is our chance. 496 00:33:33,120 --> 00:33:36,800 Let's make our way. Not realizing that they're 497 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:38,000 walking through their own judgement. 498 00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:42,160 Have you ever thought this? I've thought it. 499 00:33:42,920 --> 00:33:44,280 Doesn't the devil read the Bible? 500 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:47,960 He does. He knows more than most 501 00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:52,400 Christians, actually. I'm sure he read Revelation 16. 502 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:55,480 Has that ever dawned on him like this is going to happen? 503 00:33:56,120 --> 00:33:58,280 This is my faith. Even though I possess a man 504 00:33:58,280 --> 00:34:00,880 known as Antichrist and convince the world to come against 505 00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:05,640 Christ, it's not going to work. Pride is a powerful thing. 506 00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:10,400 Pride is very powerful. And Satan is so filled with 507 00:34:10,400 --> 00:34:12,320 arrogance that he actually thinks, even though this has 508 00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:18,880 been inscribed from eternity past, that he can change it and 509 00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:21,800 he can convince those kings. If we work together, we can 510 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:27,199 actually do this. We can win the world back to us. 511 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:30,199 We can stop the anointed one from coming. 512 00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:32,440 They've already acknowledged that God was the one who's 513 00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:34,400 behind all these plagues. It's not like they're a bunch of 514 00:34:34,400 --> 00:34:39,400 atheists going to Jerusalem. They know that God is behind us, 515 00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:41,840 and Satan's going to convince them we can actually win. 516 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:47,280 Pride is scary. Lord, keep us humble. 517 00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:54,080 And what this battle is actually going to look like is described 518 00:34:54,320 --> 00:34:59,080 for us in Revelation 19. Revelation 16 is just a 519 00:34:59,080 --> 00:35:02,480 preparation. Revelation 19 is when Christ 520 00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:04,520 actually comes. And what we're going to learn 521 00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:06,920 there is that this isn't really going to be much of A battle. 522 00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:12,560 It's going to be over in a moment. 523 00:35:14,840 --> 00:35:16,720 And I won't go to that chapter just yet. 524 00:35:17,320 --> 00:35:20,040 It'll surely be the climax of our study of this book. 525 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:21,800 But here's how we're going to end. 526 00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:25,160 You know, we're approaching the the completion of the bold 527 00:35:25,160 --> 00:35:28,680 judgments. And there's a pattern in the 528 00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:31,360 series of judgments that we've seen before in the former ones, 529 00:35:31,360 --> 00:35:34,760 you remember the seal judgments that were broken, the trumpet 530 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:38,160 judgments that were blasted in each set. 531 00:35:38,160 --> 00:35:42,320 Whenever we come to the 6th item on the list, there is an 532 00:35:42,320 --> 00:35:46,120 interlude. There is a pause, there is a 533 00:35:46,120 --> 00:35:50,800 break, and the purpose of that break is to offer inspiration 534 00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:54,640 and encouragement and hope as we are reading about this gloom and 535 00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:58,480 doom. And we come now to this last set 536 00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:00,000 of judgment. And what do we find? 537 00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:02,920 Yet another interval in verse 15. 538 00:36:02,920 --> 00:36:05,440 And if you have a red letter edition, then you will know that 539 00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:07,640 these are the words of Jesus. And even if you don't, you know 540 00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:11,400 it's Jesus based on the content. Behold, I am coming like a 541 00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:14,240 thief. Blessed is the one who stays 542 00:36:14,240 --> 00:36:18,200 away, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked 543 00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:24,640 and be seen exposed. So consistent with the former 544 00:36:24,640 --> 00:36:30,280 judgments, but a lot more brief. Did you notice when we looked at 545 00:36:30,280 --> 00:36:33,480 the seal and the trumpet judgments at point number six 546 00:36:33,480 --> 00:36:36,760 for each of them, those bricks were much longer, sometimes 547 00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:40,320 chapters long. Why is this reduced to a 548 00:36:40,320 --> 00:36:45,040 sentence? Because these judgements are 549 00:36:45,040 --> 00:36:49,800 moving quite rapidly. Everything is happening in such 550 00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:53,440 quick succession, One after one after one. 551 00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:57,000 They overlap, and so the encouragement must be short. 552 00:36:57,000 --> 00:36:59,040 Do you know why? Because Christ is coming back 553 00:36:59,040 --> 00:37:05,720 soon anyway. And here's what this means for 554 00:37:05,720 --> 00:37:11,360 you and I. The summary of this beatitude is 555 00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:13,440 simple. Be ready. 556 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:20,720 Jesus says, I've told you in advance in detail of how I'm 557 00:37:20,720 --> 00:37:22,520 going to return and what's going to happen. 558 00:37:23,080 --> 00:37:25,640 And your response is to be ready. 559 00:37:28,360 --> 00:37:32,640 One of the practical benefits of studying prophecy is that it is 560 00:37:32,640 --> 00:37:37,120 designed to position us to remain in a continual state of 561 00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:43,200 preparedness. And yes, this, this call in 562 00:37:43,200 --> 00:37:47,120 verse 15 in great part is for those who are living at the time 563 00:37:47,120 --> 00:37:50,720 of the great judgments of God through the bowl judgments, 564 00:37:51,280 --> 00:37:57,720 however they apply to us. It's as though Christ interrupts 565 00:37:58,480 --> 00:38:01,240 and he speaks to the reader, his children, his disciples, his 566 00:38:01,240 --> 00:38:05,320 service, and he says be ready, stay clothed. 567 00:38:06,760 --> 00:38:08,800 Clothing here speaks of righteousness, it speaks of 568 00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:13,240 deeds, it speaks of character. Be mindful of my return. 569 00:38:13,880 --> 00:38:18,200 Don't lose sight of it. Is it possible to not think 570 00:38:18,200 --> 00:38:21,480 about Jesus returning? Absolutely. 571 00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:24,280 There's so much going on in this world and I'm fully aware that 572 00:38:24,280 --> 00:38:25,760 there's so much going on in your world. 573 00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:29,000 And perhaps you're there thinking, preacher, if you only 574 00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:31,720 knew what my house looks like. I have so much work to do. 575 00:38:32,400 --> 00:38:34,080 If you only knew what my mornings look like. 576 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:37,200 I love my children, but it's a workout every morning. 577 00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:39,400 If you only know what it's like to go to the store. 578 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:41,760 If you only what it's like. I have so much going on and here 579 00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:44,200 you are telling me to think about Jesus coming back. 580 00:38:45,160 --> 00:38:47,400 Yes, you go to a church called Maranatha. 581 00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:57,040 And may I suggest something that you meditating on the return of 582 00:38:57,040 --> 00:39:00,600 Christ has greater implications of how you think about this 583 00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:06,600 world than you think that thinking about being ready for 584 00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:10,440 Christ will actually help you filter how you perceive all the 585 00:39:10,440 --> 00:39:15,400 things that you think are so overbearing and troubling and 586 00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:19,120 distracting. This isn't me. 587 00:39:19,720 --> 00:39:27,280 This is Jesus saying be ready. Blessed is the one who stays 588 00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:28,360 awake. Meaning what? 589 00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:34,000 You're aware, you're constantly aware Christ is coming back. 590 00:39:34,480 --> 00:39:37,600 That's what it means to be awake if you're not thinking about 591 00:39:37,600 --> 00:39:38,760 that. I'm not saying it has to be 592 00:39:38,760 --> 00:39:41,000 uninterrupted thoughts. I'm saying though it has to be 593 00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:45,000 regular. If it's not, may I say this in 594 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:50,360 love? Wake up, You're asleep, you're 595 00:39:50,360 --> 00:39:53,480 asleep, you're a child of God, yes, but you're taking a very 596 00:39:53,480 --> 00:40:00,360 long nap, spiritually speaking. And because of that, you are so 597 00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:04,120 consumed with this life. I'm not saying that we have to 598 00:40:04,120 --> 00:40:06,720 be so heavily minded that we don't do anything practical in 599 00:40:06,720 --> 00:40:07,920 this life or enjoy anything in this life. 600 00:40:07,920 --> 00:40:11,080 You know this very well. At the same time, you are called 601 00:40:11,080 --> 00:40:16,840 to be heavily minded and it will change absolutely everything 602 00:40:16,840 --> 00:40:20,640 about who you are the more you ingrain that in your meditation 603 00:40:20,640 --> 00:40:25,280 and your thinking. Think about it. 604 00:40:25,560 --> 00:40:29,320 Remind yourself of it when you turn on the news, which I 605 00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:36,920 suggest you don't, to be honest. But if you do, how much do you 606 00:40:36,920 --> 00:40:40,360 think about prophecy? I'm not saying take headlines 607 00:40:40,360 --> 00:40:41,960 and make them and force them into the Bible. 608 00:40:42,200 --> 00:40:44,320 I'm saying the simple thought, Lord, I thank you that you're 609 00:40:44,320 --> 00:40:46,640 coming back. You're going to clean up all 610 00:40:46,640 --> 00:40:53,840 this mess. Is that a hope in you or is your 611 00:40:53,840 --> 00:40:56,200 hope in a candidate? God help you if it is. 612 00:40:59,120 --> 00:41:01,200 Well, if I'm not careful, I can keep going on here. 613 00:41:06,040 --> 00:41:08,360 Here's my question Now for the person who's in this place who 614 00:41:08,360 --> 00:41:13,520 may not be a Christian, do you have the absolute assurance that 615 00:41:13,520 --> 00:41:16,000 when Jesus Christ comes back, you'll be ready to face him? 616 00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:20,600 You know, if there's any kind of preaching that we need in these 617 00:41:20,600 --> 00:41:25,280 days, is this kind of preaching taking advantage of every church 618 00:41:25,280 --> 00:41:27,920 service to remind people that Christ is coming back. 619 00:41:28,640 --> 00:41:30,680 The world itself is acknowledging that everything is 620 00:41:30,680 --> 00:41:32,440 falling apart. Why aren't preachers taking 621 00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:37,720 advantage of it and telling the people who are coming in with 622 00:41:37,720 --> 00:41:39,760 all their troubles and all their worries and more than that, 623 00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:43,600 maybe with a dead spirit. Hey, listen, there's a bigger 624 00:41:43,600 --> 00:41:47,360 picture going on here. Do you realize that what's 625 00:41:47,360 --> 00:41:50,040 happening on the news, on the media, there are spiritual 626 00:41:50,040 --> 00:41:55,200 forces behind it. Propaganda is real and it's 627 00:41:55,200 --> 00:41:57,720 powerful. It is not just something that 628 00:41:57,720 --> 00:42:00,480 people in power do, it's something that belches out of 629 00:42:00,480 --> 00:42:07,680 hell and your soul hangs in the balance. 630 00:42:08,360 --> 00:42:11,880 All of what's going on, if we really think about it, boils 631 00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:15,360 down to this. To ensure that your soul doesn't 632 00:42:15,360 --> 00:42:23,400 get saved, that Satan can deceive you and distract you and 633 00:42:23,400 --> 00:42:26,640 disorient you enough where you don't think about the most 634 00:42:26,640 --> 00:42:29,320 important decision in your life. And it is this. 635 00:42:29,400 --> 00:42:33,560 What will I do with Jesus? What will I do with the Son of 636 00:42:33,560 --> 00:42:39,040 God who died for me? What will I do when all of this 637 00:42:39,040 --> 00:42:44,520 comes to an end? And it is my great privilege, 638 00:42:44,520 --> 00:42:48,480 and I do it in fear and trembling, to let you know that 639 00:42:48,480 --> 00:42:50,960 the best thing you can do, the only thing you can do if you 640 00:42:50,960 --> 00:42:53,680 want to save your soul, is give it to Jesus. 641 00:42:56,200 --> 00:43:08,000 You're a Sinner, and so am I. But you can be saved today if 642 00:43:08,000 --> 00:43:09,440 you understand what Christ has done for you. 643 00:43:09,440 --> 00:43:11,760 He died for you. We're reading Revelation, but 644 00:43:11,760 --> 00:43:16,720 you have to understand that Christ did something before He 645 00:43:16,720 --> 00:43:19,120 does all of this, and that's die on the cross. 646 00:43:19,640 --> 00:43:24,160 He died a real death. He hung up, Tortured, yes, 647 00:43:24,400 --> 00:43:29,000 beaten, yes, But more than that, taking on your sin, your sin, 648 00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:31,480 everything that you've done, He took it upon himself. 649 00:43:31,840 --> 00:43:39,360 And God dropped his wrath on him instead of you, and He absorbed 650 00:43:39,520 --> 00:43:42,800 every ounce of punishment that you and I deserve. 651 00:43:42,840 --> 00:43:44,600 Every single thing that you've done. 652 00:43:45,760 --> 00:43:49,680 He is received on your behalf in terms of retribution and divine 653 00:43:49,680 --> 00:43:54,840 justice. And He wants you to believe 654 00:43:54,840 --> 00:43:58,120 that. And not just believe that as a 655 00:43:58,120 --> 00:44:02,680 historical truth, but to accept it as a gift from Him that 656 00:44:02,680 --> 00:44:07,120 liberates you and makes you a child of God. 657 00:44:08,200 --> 00:44:11,800 You see, believing what Christ has done will turn you from an 658 00:44:11,800 --> 00:44:20,920 enemy into a child of God, a rebel into a redeemed, a 659 00:44:20,920 --> 00:44:25,360 follower of the Antichrist spirit to a lover of the true 660 00:44:25,360 --> 00:44:28,200 Christ. So my invitation is simple 661 00:44:28,200 --> 00:44:33,320 today, and I mean it with all of my heart, receive Jesus Christ 662 00:44:33,320 --> 00:44:36,760 today. Give your heart to Him in this 663 00:44:36,760 --> 00:44:40,720 moment while the songs are being sung, bow yourself before him 664 00:44:40,720 --> 00:44:44,840 and say, Oh God, please save me. I came into this place and I 665 00:44:44,840 --> 00:44:47,560 realized that this book is much more relevant than I imagined. 666 00:44:47,920 --> 00:44:50,400 It gives commentary and all the chaos in the world. 667 00:44:50,560 --> 00:44:53,240 I understand that this is true. And if these prophecies are 668 00:44:53,240 --> 00:44:54,960 true, then surely what you did for me is true. 669 00:44:56,960 --> 00:45:00,920 You're the truth. And so I give myself to the 670 00:45:00,920 --> 00:45:04,680 truth. If you really give yourself to 671 00:45:04,720 --> 00:45:07,360 Jesus Christ today, you will know that you are saved. 672 00:45:07,640 --> 00:45:09,040 You will know saying, how will I know? 673 00:45:09,280 --> 00:45:11,400 The Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit that we are 674 00:45:11,400 --> 00:45:13,320 children of God. Hallelujah. 675 00:45:15,480 --> 00:45:19,200 And it is my hope, especially as we go through this series, that 676 00:45:19,200 --> 00:45:21,520 there will be not one person who would leave one message in 677 00:45:21,520 --> 00:45:29,320 Revelation unsaved. May Christ be glorified though. 678 00:45:29,320 --> 00:45:44,360 We thank you for the service. Thank you that your word is so 679 00:45:44,360 --> 00:45:47,560 relevant. It's so applicable. 680 00:45:48,160 --> 00:45:54,480 It has answers for every age and Lord, we find ourselves in a 681 00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:59,760 culture where people are saying a lot of things. 682 00:46:00,880 --> 00:46:05,960 More than ever. We have platforms in every 683 00:46:05,960 --> 00:46:11,240 direction that we look. So many ideas and proposals and 684 00:46:11,240 --> 00:46:16,920 documentaries and debates and interviews. 685 00:46:18,760 --> 00:46:20,600 We need your help to discern at all. 686 00:46:22,120 --> 00:46:28,840 Not to despair, but to be ready. So, Lord, we pray that leaving 687 00:46:28,840 --> 00:46:34,240 this place, there will be this aggressive hunger for the word 688 00:46:34,240 --> 00:46:39,800 of God to coat our minds, to protect our hearts. 689 00:46:42,520 --> 00:46:44,560 Lord, if we're going to be knowledgeable and anything, may 690 00:46:44,560 --> 00:46:50,600 it not be in politics, may not be in socioeconomic ideas, may 691 00:46:50,600 --> 00:46:59,320 be in the Scriptures, the word of God, Only you can, only you 692 00:46:59,320 --> 00:47:02,680 can create that desire in our hearts and we pray that you 693 00:47:02,680 --> 00:47:04,800 would use this service to do just that. 694 00:47:07,920 --> 00:47:11,640 We magnify your name today in Jesus name, Amen, Amen. 695 00:47:11,680 --> 00:47:14,320 Let's stand church. Let's worship the Lord.