back to indexWed Bible Study - Revelation Lesson 24
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Heavenly Father, we want to thank you again for this evening. 00:00:12.680 |
We ask Lord God that as we study the book of Revelation and the end times that you give 00:00:19.160 |
And even if we don't fully understand all the details, help us Lord God to have a greater 00:00:26.240 |
picture of who you are and your plans that we would have greater security in who you 00:00:31.960 |
We pray that you will bless this time, bless the time of discussion and our fellowship 00:00:36.760 |
that we may be reminded again that why we are here and why we're running this race. 00:00:45.200 |
All right so today at least the beginning part of it we're going to be talking about 00:00:49.600 |
We started out by talking about this in the very beginning. 00:00:53.640 |
The millennial kingdom there's so much written about this particular subject. 00:01:10.000 |
So there's so much written about this period but the actual verses that directly deal with 00:01:21.440 |
So my guess is outside of the cross, okay I haven't actually done the, you know, went 00:01:30.400 |
and researched myself but my guess is outside of the study of the cross there's probably 00:01:34.520 |
more written on this particular subject than any other subject about the end times and 00:01:42.600 |
In the very beginning of the bible study we talked about the different views so I just 00:01:57.400 |
Postmillennialism basically believes that Jesus will return after the thousand year 00:02:07.100 |
So most of them do not believe a literal thousand years but a symbolic period of time. 00:02:13.420 |
So when we say a thousand year reign of Christ they're not actually counting 1,000 years. 00:02:20.440 |
Another aspect that they believe in is, again this is all review, that the church is going 00:02:28.360 |
So they believe that though the faithful event, through the faithful evangelization of the 00:02:31.920 |
world will become more and more like heaven until the final stage of Christ's return will 00:02:39.760 |
So postmillennialism basically is that Christ is going to return after the thousand year 00:02:47.840 |
And that what they're primarily looking for is the world evangelization. 00:02:51.960 |
When the gospel has reached the world, the world is going to be sanctified because of 00:02:57.280 |
So they believe that right before Christ comes the worldly kingdom is going to be more Christian. 00:03:05.760 |
The church is going to experience a tremendous revival right before he comes. 00:03:14.920 |
When do you think postmillennialism views may have been popular in history? 00:03:30.960 |
You don't have to say anything specific, but what periods of time in the last 2,000 years 00:03:36.180 |
would the church have been more leaning toward this particular view? 00:03:48.880 |
Whenever there was a tremendous amount of peace, maybe the Industrial Revolution, maybe 00:03:52.520 |
during the Renaissance, maybe during the peak power of the Catholic Church. 00:03:57.200 |
Whenever they felt like the world was being sanctified and there's no war and things are 00:04:01.840 |
getting better, they say, "Well, see, postmillennials believe that that's what's going to happen 00:04:08.280 |
But after World War I and World War II, this view basically just kind of fell by the wayside. 00:04:14.760 |
Because they thought everything was getting better and all of a sudden they experienced 00:04:17.440 |
World War I and World War II and say, "Well, there goes that theory." 00:04:24.680 |
So today, if you were to go percentage-wise, most people fall under either Amillennialist 00:04:35.760 |
They do not believe or affirm a literal 1,000-year reign of Christ. 00:04:40.920 |
They believe that the binding of Satan happened at the cross. 00:04:45.040 |
Remember how here it says in the beginning, we're going to look at how the angel comes 00:04:50.760 |
They see that as an allegorical statement that Satan was bound when Jesus was crucified 00:04:59.580 |
And that the church is co-reigning with Christ until his second coming, meaning today. 00:05:04.800 |
So from the time of Jesus' crucifixion until the second coming, that's the millennium. 00:05:17.000 |
The difference between post-millennial and Amillennial is that Amillennials do not believe 00:05:21.800 |
that the world will experience increasing peace and prosperity. 00:05:25.200 |
So the Amillennials are not looking for the world to get better and better. 00:05:31.200 |
They also believe that the millennial period started with the church. 00:05:34.800 |
So the post-millennial don't connect the church with the millennialism. 00:05:42.040 |
So the post-millennials believe that at some point, the millennial is going to start. 00:05:48.360 |
And it may not be a literal 1,000 years, but it's going to be a period, a long period of 00:05:52.080 |
time where the church is going to bring about revival on earth and then Christ is going 00:05:58.420 |
Amillennials don't believe that there's going to be an increase in revival. 00:06:02.440 |
Amillennials believe that the millennium basically is the church era. 00:06:06.200 |
Is during the time of Christ until the second coming. 00:06:09.840 |
So that's the major difference between Amillennial and post-millennial. 00:06:13.200 |
You're looking at me like, "What did you just say?" 00:06:20.920 |
So if you didn't understand that, you can go back and read it and reread it until you 00:06:27.640 |
So if you don't get it, don't worry too much about it. 00:06:31.380 |
At some point, this is going to come up again. 00:06:34.320 |
The view that we have that we started in the beginning was pre-millennialism. 00:06:39.800 |
Amillennials believe, affirm the literal 1,000 year reign of Christ after his return to earth 00:06:45.480 |
and will reign in his physical kingdom during that time. 00:06:48.040 |
And that's the view that we're going to be expounding today. 00:06:51.720 |
This view believes the opposite of Amillennial view in that the worst period of human history, 00:06:59.040 |
So if you can correct that, it's the opposite of post-millennial view in that the worst 00:07:03.940 |
period of human history will be right before Jesus' return to establish his millennial 00:07:08.880 |
So basically, what we've been studying up to this point, right? 00:07:12.880 |
So all the seven judgments, the seal judgment, the trumpet judgments, and then the bowl judgments 00:07:17.080 |
are all going to precede the coming of the millennium. 00:07:20.440 |
So when all those judgments are done, then the millennium begins. 00:07:27.040 |
And then after 1,000 years, he's released, and then the white throne judgment happens. 00:07:31.760 |
So chapter 21 and chapter 22 is a description of new heaven and new earth, the final stage. 00:07:42.080 |
So when do you think premillennial views tend to be popular? 00:07:52.080 |
Whenever you see wars or signs of wars or World War II, World War II. 00:07:56.720 |
After World War I and World War II, the premillennial view had a huge influx of new theologians 00:08:09.640 |
Again, it's the specific teaching of the millennium is in chapter 21 through 6, but you can imagine 00:08:17.280 |
the ramification of whatever view you have, because how we understand the end times is 00:08:23.040 |
hugely impacted on how you view this particular theory. 00:08:26.920 |
Is it a literal 1,000 years reign of Christ, or is the church era the 1,000 year reign 00:08:30.840 |
of Christ, or is the 1,000 year reign of Christ is when the church experiences revival and 00:08:35.520 |
we're going to see more and more revival coming? 00:08:39.400 |
I believe that the third view, the premillennial view, is the most consistent if you take the 00:08:45.640 |
If you allegorize everything in the book of Revelation, obviously it could mean anything, 00:08:50.280 |
but if you were to take it as literal as possible, I think the premillennial view makes the most 00:08:57.000 |
Having said that, that's the theory that we're going to be going with. 00:08:59.560 |
Millennium kingdom in verses 1 through 6 begins. 00:09:03.880 |
It begins by an angel that comes down from heaven. 00:09:09.080 |
So that automatically tells us that this millennial kingdom that we're talking about is not heavenly, 00:09:14.000 |
it's not a spiritual kingdom, it's a literal kingdom, because what he sees is the angel 00:09:23.640 |
The angel has keys to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 00:09:28.640 |
So the chain is referenced clearly, the Romans were known to chain their prisoners to Roman 00:09:34.240 |
guards as an added security against any kind of escape. 00:09:39.440 |
So remember when Paul, when he writes to the Philippians, he talks about his chains, right? 00:09:47.320 |
So the idea of this angel coming down and has the keys to the bottomless pit and the 00:09:52.560 |
great chain automatically kind of gives us a picture of prison, right? 00:09:59.480 |
He's going to imprison Satan for a thousand years. 00:10:04.880 |
The second part I already mentioned, the fact that the angel came down points to the millennial 00:10:11.560 |
So this is not a spiritual kingdom, but this is a physical kingdom. 00:10:39.040 |
Who is powerful enough to go against Satan and actually bind him? 00:10:54.160 |
Archangel Michael is the only figure that we see in the Bible that has that kind of 00:11:06.320 |
Reverend 12, 7-8 says, "Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against 00:11:11.000 |
the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back." 00:11:22.320 |
"But he was defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven." 00:11:25.520 |
Jude chapter 9, "But when the archangel Michael, condemning with the devil, was disputing about 00:11:30.160 |
the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce blasphemous judgment, but said, 'The Lord 00:11:35.720 |
So again, my archangel Michael is the angel, the powerful angel that is revealed to us 00:11:41.360 |
in Scripture as a being that is actually able to fight against Satan, right? 00:11:47.680 |
In fact, in Jude chapter 9, actually warns against not taking Satan serious enough, right? 00:11:55.160 |
See, even archangel Michael himself, he says, "The Lord rebuke you, not by his own authority, 00:12:02.040 |
not by his might, but by the Lord's authority," right? 00:12:05.480 |
So it doesn't say this is archangel Michael, but the Bible only gives us archangel Michael 00:12:10.360 |
as somebody or as a being that has the power to be able to bind Satan. 00:12:28.440 |
The bottomless pit, sometimes called the abyss. 00:12:31.240 |
So how many of your Bibles actually says abyss instead of the bottomless pit? 00:12:49.120 |
And it's mentioned seven times in the book of Revelation. 00:12:55.440 |
The bottomless pit or the abyss is distinct from hell. 00:13:11.820 |
Later part of the passage that you all read very thoroughly before you came says that 00:13:17.300 |
he's going to be released and then he's going to be, and what is hell called? 00:13:21.940 |
Lake of fire where he's going to be forever and ever. 00:13:24.440 |
So this abyss where he's being bound is not hell. 00:13:28.060 |
It's this particular place that was created for, to be bound, for the demons to be bound 00:13:40.020 |
He's called the dragon, which describes a beast-like nature of Satan. 00:13:52.260 |
And immediately we get the picture of Satan at the Garden of Eden. 00:13:56.780 |
He was a source of temptation that caused the downfall of all mankind. 00:14:03.360 |
The devil literally means a slander or accuser. 00:14:06.420 |
In Revelation chapter 12, 10, he's an accuser of who? 00:14:12.840 |
So Satan is the prosecutor who stands before God and if you have any sin that has not been 00:14:18.860 |
atoned for, Satan is the one who's prosecuting. 00:14:22.760 |
Basically saying no, he deserves eternal judgment. 00:14:30.120 |
And then Satan, the word itself, ultimately referred to as the adversary, the one who 00:14:36.780 |
And so he's described in 1 Peter 5, 8, "Adversary, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, 00:14:50.420 |
The Bible describes him as an active adversary, like a lion actively seeking someone to devour. 00:14:55.860 |
So his activity is constant and it is vicious. 00:15:05.140 |
Is it wise for us to be thinking too much of demonic things when we know that God is 00:15:11.740 |
I don't know, maybe some of you guys have thought that. 00:15:13.900 |
Maybe like this over spiritualizing things and saying that maybe that's demonic or not 00:15:21.180 |
And I was guilty of that when I first became a Christian because I became a Christian in 00:15:26.620 |
And I remember everything was demonic, right? 00:15:39.740 |
So to me, everything was either from God or from Satan. 00:15:48.220 |
So you can get carried away where it starts to affect you psychologically. 00:15:52.300 |
But it is also a danger to not to think about Satan at all when the Bible describes him 00:15:56.680 |
as a roaring lion seeking someone to devour and to be completely unaware of the schemes 00:16:02.740 |
that he is working in our lives, our thoughts, our hearts, our temptation, right? 00:16:09.180 |
Divisions, hatred, that Satan is constantly working to defile his church. 00:16:17.700 |
And it is just as dangerous or even more dangerous to not to be thinking and not to be aware 00:16:23.260 |
When the Bible says he is a roaring lion, he is an enemy who is constantly seeking to 00:16:29.060 |
devour, not to hurt, not just to deceive, but to devour. 00:16:38.460 |
He said during that thousand years while he is bound, the millennial reign of Christ will 00:16:43.100 |
be marked by unhindered rule without demonic deception of the nation. 00:16:47.900 |
So Satanic work is going to be bound for a thousand years, right? 00:16:52.860 |
Does that mean for a thousand years there is not going to be any sin? 00:17:00.340 |
Will there be sin during the thousand year reign of Christ if Satan is bound? 00:17:27.900 |
I just wanted you to think a little bit, right? 00:17:30.820 |
Yes, there is going to be sin during a thousand years because it says at the end of the thousand 00:17:34.540 |
years there is going to be a white throne judgment, right? 00:17:37.860 |
So there is going to be unbelievers who are going to be born during the thousand years. 00:17:42.460 |
There is going to be sinners who are going to be sinning during the thousand years because 00:17:47.940 |
even though Satan is bound, there is still sin nature in us, right? 00:17:53.660 |
But it's going to be unlike any other period that humans ever experienced because Satanic 00:18:01.580 |
So whatever sinfulness that they are going to experience during the thousand year reign 00:18:08.420 |
There won't be external temptation leading you away from God, right? 00:18:11.980 |
And we can't blame Satan for anything during that period. 00:18:14.620 |
So that's the thousand year reign of Christ where Christ rules. 00:18:18.440 |
Right now, Christ rules through His church imperfectly because of our imperfection. 00:18:23.860 |
But during the thousand year reign of Christ, He is going to physically rule and we won't 00:18:28.740 |
have to ask what is His will because He is going to tell us, right? 00:18:33.500 |
We won't have to search Him out to say, "Oh, I wonder what His glory is like?" 00:18:36.820 |
Because we are going to be able to see Him, right? 00:18:39.100 |
So that's going to be what the thousand year reign of Christ is going to be characterized 00:18:45.540 |
John sees a throne and on these thrones, he sees many people who are going to be sitting 00:18:55.000 |
It doesn't identify who they are, but the Bible does tell us that the apostles are going 00:18:59.700 |
to rule, the saints are going to reign with Him, the resurrected who are martyred are 00:19:05.340 |
going to be reigning with Him, the Old Testament saints are going to be reigning with Him. 00:19:08.460 |
So we have a list of people that the Bible talks about that will reign with Him. 00:19:12.080 |
So we don't know exactly if that's who He's talking about, but the first thing He sees 00:19:17.460 |
is when He sees the millennial kingdom, we see clear political structure in the millennium. 00:19:28.540 |
So it's not like you get into the millennium and there's no structure. 00:19:31.300 |
It's just kind of like, "Well, Jesus is ruling so everybody does whatever you want." 00:19:34.780 |
He says, "There's going to be a political system." 00:19:37.120 |
Now what kind of political system is it going to be? 00:19:55.780 |
Okay, that's not the word I was thinking about, but that sounds more right. 00:20:04.140 |
Okay, all right, I'm not going to say what I was thinking because I think I'm wrong. 00:20:18.100 |
The souls that were beheaded are going to be resurrected and that's what He sees, and 00:20:22.260 |
they're going to be resurrected to reign with Christ. 00:20:26.540 |
And these are the souls that were martyred, specifically they were beheaded for four things 00:20:36.980 |
They were testifying about Christ, and again, the hatred toward Christ and the things of 00:20:47.860 |
But it's not specifically just testimony about Jesus. 00:20:50.700 |
Remember, again, this is just my theory, is that I think liberal theology is going to 00:20:58.420 |
I think every religion is going to be forced to come to the middle where universalism is 00:21:03.980 |
So, it's not going to be just any testimony about Jesus. 00:21:06.420 |
It's the true testimony, the true gospel for preaching the Word of God. 00:21:14.020 |
So, it's not just because they're Christians. 00:21:20.620 |
And as you guys know, there are parts of the world, like even in North Korea, if you keep 00:21:26.060 |
it to yourself and you never open your mouth to share the gospel, you may be able to live 00:21:33.000 |
Like in India, the reason why they hate Christians is because Christians actively evangelize. 00:21:37.300 |
So, the pastors that we are supporting, they're constantly living in danger because they're 00:21:41.760 |
taking the gospel to villages that don't have churches. 00:21:45.180 |
But if they kept it to themselves, no one would know. 00:21:48.220 |
It's just, okay, you're a Christian, you just kind of live your own life. 00:21:50.500 |
So, he says that the persecution and the martyrdom is coming because of the testimony of Jesus, 00:21:56.020 |
and secondly, because of the active evangelization. 00:21:59.660 |
Third, for not worshiping the beast or its image, not compromising. 00:22:07.420 |
And then fourthly, for not receiving the mark of the beast on their foreheads. 00:22:13.500 |
Remember, when we were studying this, what is the mark of the beast associated with? 00:22:19.500 |
Yeah, the number of men, right, 666, but what is the consequence of not getting the mark 00:22:32.980 |
It says that there's going to be economic pressure to get the mark of the beast. 00:22:46.460 |
So, the people who don't get the mark of the beast are going to have a hard time buying 00:22:51.300 |
In other words, you're not going to be able to take care of your family, right? 00:22:55.100 |
So, these are the things that got these people martyred, and as a result of that, they're 00:22:59.700 |
resurrected and they're going to be co-reigning with Christ, right? 00:23:03.820 |
And they said that they are preserved from the second death because the first death that 00:23:08.220 |
they experienced was a death of martyrdom, that at the end of the millennium, they will 00:23:14.660 |
be preserved from the second death because of their faithful witness to Christ, right? 00:23:23.300 |
So, living at all costs is not the greatest goal of a Christian, right? 00:23:31.740 |
The greatest goal of a Christian is not to experience the second death. 00:23:41.260 |
In verses 7 through 10, the millennial kingdom ends. 00:23:46.100 |
Satan is released for a short time at the end of the millennium, right? 00:23:58.500 |
Before the final judgment comes, he's going to allow Satan to, again, just like he did 00:24:02.780 |
before the millennium, Satan's activity is to basically purify the church, right? 00:24:11.820 |
Satan's activity is those who choose to harden their hearts, Satan deceives them even further, 00:24:19.380 |
Those who refuse to worship God, Satan lets them go even further out. 00:24:25.780 |
He'll take whatever sin that we have and he'll allow it to take it full course, and that's 00:24:30.580 |
the activity of Satan, that he's going to deceive those who are already being deceived. 00:24:37.060 |
Those who are already being tempted, Satan's activity is to take them to its full course. 00:24:42.300 |
And so, at the end of the millennium, Satan is being released for this exact same purpose. 00:24:47.700 |
Before the final judgment comes, Satan is going to allow it to be active again so that 00:24:53.580 |
anyone who, during the millennium, who are rebelling against God, he will allow it to 00:24:57.380 |
take its full course so that when God's judgment comes, right, there is no one who's going 00:25:13.740 |
Satan will be given permission to deceive the nations again for a period. 00:25:19.400 |
So God allows this deception, this deceptive work to take place. 00:25:26.740 |
So again, you know, when we think about this spiritual struggle that we see in Revelations 00:25:32.540 |
and all throughout the Bible, the way that the book of Revelation reveals it to us is 00:25:36.340 |
not here's the good and here's the bad and they're fighting and somehow the good overpowers 00:25:42.460 |
the bad and then they eventually are going to conquer and have victory. 00:25:46.580 |
The way that the book of Revelation reveals it to us is God is completely sovereign. 00:25:50.340 |
There is a battle taking place, but the only reason why there's even a battle happening 00:25:58.260 |
Couldn't God have bound Satan before the thousand-year reign of Christ? 00:26:10.300 |
He is allowing it to fulfill his purpose, right? 00:26:14.820 |
So the picture that we see in the final conflict in the book of Revelation is a God who is 00:26:19.260 |
completely sovereign, who is basically allowing Satan to do the work that he is doing, right? 00:26:28.020 |
To divide between the goat and the sheep, the wheat and the tares, right? 00:26:33.520 |
Those who desire to worship the creation rather than the Creator, God will allow Satan to 00:26:37.740 |
deceive them and continue to take them down that path, right? 00:26:41.300 |
So he says he's going to be released for a period of time and then Gog and Magog, you 00:26:49.460 |
They are mentioned in Ezekiel 38 and 39, but most theologians don't believe that this is 00:26:56.580 |
The title Gog is often used in Scripture to describe general title of enemies of God's 00:27:05.300 |
So again, their names are mentioned before, but whenever Gog and Magog is mentioned, it's 00:27:11.300 |
describing enemies of God, those who are in conflict against his people. 00:27:15.900 |
So specifically in Numbers 24, 8, Gog is used to describe the human leader of satanic force. 00:27:25.340 |
And then Magog is often understood as historical people who fight against God's people, and 00:27:30.820 |
they are mentioned in Genesis chapter 10, verse 2. 00:27:33.420 |
So just kind of as a reference to what he's saying here is Gog and Magog, who represents 00:27:40.740 |
enemies of God, who is in rebellion, at the end, what do they do? 00:27:43.860 |
They gather forces, and is this a big, small group or big group? 00:27:51.100 |
God is going to allow a final rebellion and Satan to deceive and regather their people. 00:27:57.100 |
Maybe he said, you know, the Armageddon, they tried and they failed. 00:28:01.360 |
So God is going to allow them and maybe they're going to, he's going to allow them to deceive 00:28:04.980 |
and he's going to deceive a lot of people because this army that is described that Gog 00:28:10.420 |
and Magog puts together is not a small number. 00:28:14.060 |
A large number of people are also at the very end going to be deceived and rebel against 00:28:21.900 |
But it's not much of a battle because as soon as they describe that, right, it just says, 00:28:32.220 |
so in verse 9, "And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the 00:28:37.420 |
camp of the saints and beloved city," okay, and that's it. 00:28:44.100 |
And then the very next, it says, "But fire came down from heaven and consumed them." 00:28:50.220 |
So Gog and Magog get together, they get deceived and gather this huge army, they surround the 00:28:57.100 |
city of God, fire comes down, the end, right? 00:29:01.480 |
So God basically allowing the deception to happen, but it's not this long, drawn-out 00:29:06.700 |
He just allows it so that the sinners and the rebellious will stand with who they are, 00:29:16.260 |
He walks in this council of the wicked, stand in the way of sinners, will sit in the seat 00:29:21.420 |
And so he's allowing sin to take its course and those two, they're going to choose, I 00:29:29.300 |
And then as soon as they stand with them, fire comes down and they're consumed, they're 00:29:36.740 |
The devil will be thrown into the fire to be tormented forever and ever. 00:29:46.900 |
So this is why the abyss and the bottomless pit is not talking about hell because he describes 00:29:53.860 |
It is not a temporary binding, but eternal torment. 00:30:00.220 |
Matthew 28 or 28 to 29, do you remember when the demons saw Jesus? 00:30:06.140 |
And when he came to the other side to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed 00:30:10.660 |
men met him, coming out of the tomb so fierce that no one could pass that way. 00:30:15.340 |
And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, O son of God? 00:30:18.260 |
Have you come here to torment us before the time?" 00:30:21.020 |
So the demons already know that this is coming. 00:30:30.720 |
So during the time that they have, they're going to do whatever they can to rebel against 00:30:36.160 |
God and get as many people to rebel against him as possible because they already know. 00:30:41.940 |
This didn't look like this when I was doing the PowerPoint. 00:30:45.060 |
Mark 1, 23 to 26, "And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 00:30:51.220 |
and he cried out, 'What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? 00:30:57.460 |
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be silent and come out of him.' 00:31:00.660 |
And the unclean spirit convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice came out of him." 00:31:05.380 |
You notice how immediately when the demons are confronted with Christ, they see torture? 00:31:11.100 |
They know who he is, and they know who they are. 00:31:14.300 |
So as soon as these rebellious creatures stand before a holy God, they know judgment is coming. 00:31:20.220 |
So what is described here should not take them by surprise. 00:31:23.620 |
This is exactly, they know exactly where they're headed, and they're trying to take as many 00:31:35.620 |
So the great white throne judgment, which is the final judgment that all of this was 00:31:46.340 |
Throne is mentioned over 50 times in the book of Revelation, but this one in particular 00:31:57.460 |
This points to the autocratic nature of Christ's kingdom. 00:32:05.100 |
It is white as it represents holiness and purity. 00:32:15.660 |
Basically this is the throne of judgment of Jesus. 00:32:20.660 |
And the scripture says, as soon as Jesus comes, the earth and sky, they fled away. 00:32:30.860 |
All that we knew, heaven and earth, they fly away, they disappear. 00:33:03.780 |
This is again prophesied in Matthew 24, 35, heaven and earth will pass away, but my words 00:33:09.580 |
So Jesus kept saying over and over, when the end comes, the heaven and earth, they will 00:33:16.140 |
When the millennium ends, right, at the white throne judgment, after the white throne judgment, 00:33:22.180 |
heaven and earth, as we know it, are going to pass. 00:33:27.180 |
In 1 John 2, 17, and the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does 00:33:34.200 |
So everything that you and I know, heaven and earth, is going to pass. 00:33:41.580 |
If you read ahead in chapter 21, new heaven and new earth is going to replace what we 00:33:53.400 |
And that's the description of heaven that we're going to be looking at in chapter 21 00:33:57.500 |
So remember the fall, right, the fall, and then judgment comes, and what do we call, 00:34:06.380 |
we have creation, right, and then the fall, and then what do we call salvation? 00:34:19.060 |
And so at the very end, when the judgment comes, God's going to judge the white throne 00:34:24.380 |
judgment, and then all of heaven and earth, as we know it, disappear, they fade away, 00:34:28.980 |
and a new heaven and new earth is going to come, and he's going to recreate what was 00:34:34.500 |
And heaven in the second 2.0, heaven 2.0, or new creation 2.0 is going to be much better. 00:34:41.020 |
And again, that's the description that we're going to see in chapter 21 and 22. 00:34:57.740 |
So that are judged according to what they had done, and this is in reference to those 00:35:04.300 |
who are going to be judged at the white throne judgment. 00:35:14.340 |
The white throne judgment is for the non-Christians. 00:35:17.500 |
So when they say that they are being judged according to what they had done, is hell going 00:35:28.420 |
There are different degrees of rewards for Christians, but there are also different degrees 00:35:35.820 |
It says they're going to be judged according to what they had done, so they're not going 00:35:40.780 |
Greater the sin, the greater the judgment is going to be. 00:35:47.460 |
In John 5.29, it describes this judgment as the resurrection of judgment. 00:35:53.700 |
They're being resurrected for the purpose of judgment. 00:36:00.220 |
And death and Hades are also thrown into the lake of fire forever, meaning that there will 00:36:08.300 |
All of that is going to be thrown into the lake of fire forever. 00:36:12.420 |
And that judgment is called the second death. 00:36:18.500 |
So the white throne judgment is the final judgment of all mankind who refuse to believe 00:36:30.540 |
The end of human history, as we know it, heaven and earth as we know it, ends with chapter 00:36:36.700 |
And then chapter 21 and 22 is going to be a description of the new heaven and new earth, 00:36:42.380 |
which we'll look at in the next couple weeks. 00:36:45.260 |
I want to share a couple verses before I break you guys up into your small groups. 00:37:06.820 |
So if he stayed there long, maybe a few more Sundays than that. 00:37:09.740 |
So we're looking at maybe a month or two months. 00:37:15.340 |
He was being chased out by the Judaizers or the Jews, right? 00:37:20.380 |
Anybody know where he runs to from Thessalonica? 00:37:27.200 |
The Berean Community Church, that's where he runs to. 00:37:38.860 |
But he was only there for a short period of time. 00:37:41.180 |
But during that short period of time, imagine if I had three or four weeks and I was going 00:37:46.820 |
to teach the essentials, like how many of you who would go to China for two to three 00:37:51.260 |
weeks and you have two to three weeks to teach them about the gospel, who Jesus is, are going 00:37:59.220 |
The man of lawlessness, how he's being withheld, right? 00:38:02.520 |
We don't normally think of that as an essential thing that we need to teach, but obviously 00:38:06.700 |
Because Paul says, "Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you that 00:38:12.100 |
these things, and you know that what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his 00:38:18.500 |
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. 00:38:20.900 |
Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way." 00:38:26.260 |
So during that short period of time, that this was the core thing that Paul taught this 00:38:37.380 |
He thought that this was essential enough that along with the core doctrines that this 00:38:40.700 |
is what he taught about lawlessness, for them to be aware that the adversary devil, the 00:38:53.180 |
Because that's, again, that's what he taught. 00:38:55.180 |
He said, "Remember when I was there that this is what I taught you. 00:38:59.100 |
And then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath 00:39:02.860 |
of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 00:39:06.780 |
The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and 00:39:10.680 |
wonders and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refuse 00:39:17.820 |
Therefore God send them a strong delusion so that they may believe what is false in 00:39:21.580 |
order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 00:39:28.500 |
So all of this, everything that we're talking about here was prophesied by Christ, you know, 00:39:33.540 |
the satanic activity and what was going to happen and how Christ is going to come and 00:39:39.700 |
And that during a short period of time he thought that this was important enough that 00:39:44.640 |
And he says, "Remember I told you repeatedly that this was going to happen," right? 00:39:49.400 |
To warn them that there's a spiritual battle going on, right? 00:39:54.460 |
So when these things happen, when you see satanic activity happen, remember I told you. 00:39:59.560 |
I told you that this was going to happen, that you must be aware, right? 00:40:03.760 |
So again, I think as we're studying through the book of Revelation, again, one of the 00:40:08.840 |
main reasons why I wanted to study this book is for the same reason. 00:40:12.960 |
Is that the danger of living where you and I live is that we don't recognize a spiritual 00:40:20.440 |
We tend to think that this is happening in North Korea or in the Middle East or in India. 00:40:30.300 |
No one is knocking on the door to drag me to prison. 00:40:32.840 |
I don't have to worry about the safety of my children. 00:40:35.940 |
And so we naturally think, our knee-jerk reaction is, we are safe. 00:40:42.120 |
We are being attacked differently than the Middle Easterners. 00:40:48.720 |
And actually even more dangerous when you are being attacked and you do not know. 00:40:54.480 |
Where your spiritual life is being destroyed and you're walking away from your faith and 00:41:03.640 |
Your hearts and your mind is being messed with and you don't even know that that's a 00:41:09.840 |
And so I'm hoping and I'm praying that us meditating and thinking about things at least 00:41:17.080 |
actively think about the spiritual battle that's going on because we are not fighting 00:41:23.640 |
This is not just because we're studying Revelation. 00:41:25.800 |
We are told, reminded over and over again all throughout scripture. 00:41:29.240 |
And final verse, ah, I copied the wrong verse. 00:41:41.120 |
2 Corinthians 5.18 says, "All this is from God who through Christ reconciled us to himself 00:41:54.920 |
That is in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses 00:41:58.900 |
against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 00:42:03.760 |
Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. 00:42:07.920 |
We implore you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God." 00:42:11.640 |
You see a sense of urgency with Paul as he is telling the Corinthians church that we 00:42:20.480 |
What you and I have been reading and especially at the end part of Revelation chapter 20, 00:42:27.440 |
When we get to that point, there is no second chance. 00:42:29.680 |
There is no other judgments coming because that's the final judgment. 00:42:33.680 |
So the warning in the book of Revelation is before that day comes, as long as it's called 00:42:37.960 |
today, right, as long as God is being gracious, the whole reason why it says in Peter why 00:42:43.880 |
Christ didn't come is to give us an opportunity to take the message of reconciliation so that 00:42:54.440 |
So when the judgment comes that they would not be judged. 00:42:57.500 |
So that we would live our lives and dedicate everything that we have, our time, energy, 00:43:02.120 |
money, our resources, our youth, to warn and to inform as many people as possible before 00:43:11.400 |
So that when that day of judgment comes, that we can at least say I've done my part in telling 00:43:20.120 |
I think the biggest regret that any Christian is going to have when Christ comes and all 00:43:25.280 |
the people that you could have told that you didn't, not the places that you didn't get 00:43:30.280 |
to go, not the food that you didn't taste, but the greatest, by far your greatest regret 00:43:35.920 |
is going to be every single person that you didn't make the gospel clear to. 00:43:40.720 |
You and I don't have the power to save people. 00:43:46.680 |
God calls us to make the message of reconciliation clear, clear. 00:43:51.600 |
So if the people in your life reject Christ because they know the gospel and they don't 00:43:58.840 |
want it, and they don't want you sharing with them, right? 00:44:03.840 |
There's nothing you can do about that because that's a power of God. 00:44:07.120 |
But if there's anybody in your life that you talk to even in a semi-regular basis, if you 00:44:12.800 |
ask them, "Do you know what the gospel is?" they don't know. 00:44:19.440 |
For us to be in this room week after week, Sunday after Sunday, to be in this room, to 00:44:23.480 |
hear the gospel, and then to be regularly in contact with people who don't know this 00:44:36.080 |
We can't say that we believe that if we are in this room constantly gathered together 00:44:40.120 |
talking about sharing our prayer request and encouraging one another and doing all these 00:44:44.880 |
things and then there's people in our lives that we have regular contact with and you 00:44:49.120 |
ask them, "Do you know that there is condemnation if you die without Christ?" 00:45:00.400 |
So as we continue to study, we have a few more weeks to study through the book of Revelation, 00:45:06.280 |
that we would think carefully and meditate seriously about what it is that you and I 00:45:10.680 |
believe, that we're not reading a fairy tale. 00:45:19.840 |
These are the memory verses that you're studying, that without the blood of Christ covering 00:45:24.920 |
their sins, the lake of fire is what is waiting them. 00:45:31.280 |
We get so caught up when non-Christians get sick and pray for their healing, but that's 00:45:42.120 |
It's not the real problem that they didn't get to live 80 years instead of 10 years or 00:45:49.840 |
The real problem is that there's a second death waiting for them if they do not believe 00:45:55.480 |
the gospel of Jesus Christ, if they are not atoned for for their sins. 00:46:00.960 |
So I don't know, and I think all of you will agree with me, there's nothing more urgent 00:46:06.240 |
to the church than the salvation of the lost. 00:46:18.160 |
Our tears are not the greatest problems in our life because our tears are going to be 00:46:23.200 |
All our loneliness are going to be wiped away. 00:46:25.040 |
All the problems that you and I have during this lifetime are going to be nothing because 00:46:29.280 |
we know no matter how bad this world gets that when Christ comes, all that is going 00:46:35.400 |
So no matter what problem consumes us in light of who Christ is, in light of eternity, it 00:46:46.680 |
The real problem around us are the non-Christians, even the rich Christians, even the healthy 00:46:59.160 |
Their problem is a million times more worse than whatever it is that we're struggling 00:47:05.040 |
So my hope and prayer is that as we continue to study and meditate that there will be a 00:47:10.280 |
sense of spiritual urgency of the truth that we profess and sing every single day. 00:47:16.680 |
So the three questions I asked you to discuss, one is how often do you think about sharing 00:47:24.040 |
Why do you think so many Christians make so little effort in sharing the gospel with the 00:47:29.800 |
Are there anyone close to you in your life that you are not sure if they really understand 00:47:35.040 |
So this is the difference between have they heard the gospel? 00:47:39.960 |
If you go out on the street and you ask people, "Have you heard the gospel?" 00:47:45.220 |
This question is do they actually understand the gospel? 00:47:48.860 |
So our responsibility is to make sure they understand it, not simply that they heard 00:47:55.980 |
Does everybody in your life, whether they accept it or not, at least understand what 00:48:08.900 |
But they don't really know what it is that you believe. 00:48:13.380 |
Three, take some time to pray together for the lost in your life and also make a practical 00:48:17.460 |
application to share the gospel with them in the near future. 00:48:20.540 |
So the most practical thing is not to simply feel guilty. 00:48:24.820 |
We can leave this room saying, "Yeah, I should, but thank God I'm saved by grace." 00:48:36.780 |
We're not going to become evangelists like the greatest evangelists overnight, but at 00:48:46.340 |
Identify who those people are, pray for them, and practically when and how will you share 00:48:52.100 |
the gospel with them and make a practical application. 00:48:55.300 |
Hopefully you'll be able to do that in your small group. 00:48:58.300 |
Let me pray for us and then I'll release you to your group. 00:49:04.140 |
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your living word that judges the thoughts and intentions 00:49:10.700 |
You know how easily we are entangled, Lord God, with our own thoughts, with our own pity 00:49:20.300 |
Lord, we know and we profess that we have everything in you. 00:49:26.420 |
We know, Father God, that eternity is coming where we will be in your presence to know 00:49:31.900 |
your glory for eternity, Lord God, to be affected by the cross and what you've done. 00:49:39.500 |
But meanwhile, while we're here, help us to live soberly. 00:49:43.540 |
Help us, Lord God, to think soberly of the people who do not know you yet, whose sins, 00:49:48.780 |
Lord God, are binding them, are reigning over their lives. 00:49:58.940 |
Help us to remember where we were before we met you so that we would actively pursue them, 00:50:05.540 |
Help us, Lord, to live with perspective, perspective of who you are, perspective of 00:50:12.500 |
I pray that you would bless our small group time, that you would cause us, Lord God, to