Eschatology Pt. 3

There was a question submitted and I'll uh address that before we get back to the lesson where we're going tonight. The question was this. Um I mentioned about Ucius and how he kind of turned his back on what the church had believed and he wasn't the only one. Um, so the question was, well, how how in the world did we pop out in 1945 as the UPC? Were we all an underground church until then, or what was going on?

It's longer than what we can give a full answer to, but let me give a brief answer to this question. Uh, there were oneness people um and people that were filled with the Holy Ghost. There's a book written by um Morton T. Kelsey and it's called tongue speaking the history and meaning of charismatic experience and he talks about through that through all of church history where we have evidence of that he also wrote a book on healing and uh also a historical piece on that in terms of oneness actually uh acknowledged that there was these oneness people that said they were afraid of their um they were embracing three gods and So um he acknowledged that this is we're talking fourth century um that went on in the fifth century.

There was a council uh where we mostly get a record through people that were mad. They didn't like it being around and they had heresizes lists. So, like there's one heresiology list that I tracked in seminary uh of a guy by the name Noatus and if you get rid of all the clutter that they sometimes when they say stuff about you, some of it's not quite true. He he was a oneless guy and he he gets condemned for centuries.

So why condemn something that's not going on? Uh and so you get you get that kind of thing going. Council the sin on Braga in the fifth sixth century. So we do have some record. Here's the problem. It's not it's not that there's no history, but it's that the history wasn't recorded or that it was done away with. The question is of historioggraphy. And it's not just this question. It's almost any questions in the middle ages.

It's very hard to find history on anything. So um we do have a modern-day history. Martin Luther said the just shall live by faith and then other groups built on that and other groups built on that and then finally in 1900 we had modern-day Pentecostalism for the very first time and so we go back 100 125 years. So that's the short answer. We did exist in 1945 as an organization and we celebrate that. Um but there were Pentecostals all along and uh there were oneness groups before that.

So, um, I'm going to do a slide here. I told you I was going to cover the entire book of Revelation tonight. That was probably a lie, but it was well intended. Um, can we click on the first slide? Here's a question that people ask. It's an important one. Uh, I was trying to memorize the book of Revelation. Um, and I was going chapter after chapter after chapter and it was curse after curse after people getting killed and there were beasts and like I got depressed.

Finally, I got to chapter 19, but it's judgment. So, why judgment? So, I want to answer at least um address that at first before we give go further. Um, let me give you an example. 1950s, there were a lot of children that were dying with leukemia. And so, um, they decided to try chemicals, really poisons. And so, they had about five or six poisons they were giving, uh, these little children. And not only did they still continue to die, but they suffered greatly in the process of dying because of the poisons.

Well, finally there was two guys, two doctors, Emo Friaric and Emo Fry that said, "Well, what if we didn't just give him one poison? What if we gave them all the poisons at the same time?" And people said, "You are crazy. You are terrible people. You are hurting people. Why do you just let Why don't Why don't you just let him die?" But they didn't listen to that and they tried different regimens and different doses and different this and that.

I give the long story short is uh after this was in the 1960s they perfected what is now called chemotherapy and 90% of those babies lived. Sometimes you have to do harm to do good. Sometimes you have to do harm to do good. In the book of Revelation chapter 11 verses 15 to 18, when the uh last trumpet sounds, there's a loud voice in heaven saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever."

Then the 24 elders fall down and begin to worship and they say, "We give you thanks, oh Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who was and who is to come be the nations where you're angry and your wrath has come in the time of the dead that they should be judged. Um that you should reward your servants and the prophets and those who fear your name small and great. Uh and should destroy those who destroy the earth."

destroy those who destroy the earth. Judgment is not it's not uh that God loves hurting people or that God loves things to suffer, but the world is so broken that it has to be cleansed and that's the reason for what we sometimes call uh the great tribulation period. So let's go on. When you read the book of Revelation, it doesn't start the prophecies in the book of Revelation, but they start earlier. Um, I don't know if you've ever heard of this, but if you read this book, you would have heard of this.

Shameless plug. I'll probably do a couple more commercials uh before it's over. I call this double fulfillment. And it could actually be triple or quadruple where the same prophecy can be applied in two or three or four different ways. Two things can be true at once. So I'm starting with that to set this up. So click to the next slide and I want to talk to you about Daniel. A lot of um old testament texts are uh fulfilled in the book of revelation.

But the most uh quoted book and the one upon which the book of revelation is most indebted to is the book of of Daniel. Um the book of uh Daniel is um it it has a lot of ways to um talk about judgment and it there are a number of bad guys in there that are represented. Uh in chapter 11 there's a long prophecy about a bad guy that will appear. We know this king of the north and this king of the south and this king of the north, this king of the north.

We track through a couple hundred years until we get to this guy. The name of the guy is actually Antiochus Epiphies. There will be no quiz on this. Antiochus Epiphanies. And that he literally uh he's the guy uh that polluted the temple and uh caused heathen worship to be there for three and a half years. He's the one whose actions created the cause. says, it says that he'll do this, he'll do this, and do this. And then all of a sudden, it says something kind of different.

In verse 20, 36 of Daniel 11 says, "The king shall do according to his own will. He shall exalt and magnify himself above every god. Um shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods and shall prosper till um the wrath has been accomplished. Um, for what has been determined shall be done. And the next verse is really important. Verse 37. He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of the women nor regard any god.

For he shall exalt himself above them all. Thank you. Now, uh here's an interesting thing. The Apostle Paul quotes that verse only now it's not about Antiochus. Now it's about another guy that will come. A guy that will come in the future. A a man we call the antichrist. In 2 Thessalonians he uses um the term law man of sin or man of lawlessness. Let me uh read it for you. Uh 2 Thessalonians 2:es 3 and 4.

Let no one deceive you by any means, for that day will not come. Thus the falling of the way comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of predition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Really claiming in Antiochus Epiphanies, Epiphanies mean says God manifested. He this guy is saying no I'm God the antichrist.

So in the book of revelation chapter 6 to chapters 19 are this great time of judgment which we call is called the great tribulation. And the key person that is the uh primary mover between all the evil that is being judged is this um antichrist. Um all right. So I want to set this up. So I'm going to go to a very famous passage of scripture. Um okay. So let me just say a little bit more.

The Antichrist doesn't only appear in Daniel chapter 11. He appears in Daniel chapter 7. Uh you've got the the four kingdoms in Daniel chapter 2, you know, the head of gold and all that going down. And then that's overlayered with chapter 7 and you've got this terrible beast and then there's uh then ultimately there's this horn that appears and it's clear uh that when that guy appears that's the judgment of the world and that's when the ancient of days comes and smooshes him and he's a bug.

Um that's Dave Norse version. All right. So um now let's go to the next famous passage. It's found in Daniel chapter 9 24- 27. It's called Daniel's 70 weeks. Daniel 70 weeks. You may have heard of that. Uh so I just want to talk to you about this. So Daniel chapter 9 24. 70 weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, to anoint the most holy.

Know therefore and understand that for the time of the going forth of command to restore and build Jerusalem uh until Messiah the prince there shall be 7 weeks and 62 weeks the street shall be built again and the wall even in troubles times. And after 62 weeks Messiah shall be cut off but not for himself. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, and the end of it shall be with the flood until the end of the war.

Desolations are determined. Then verse 27, then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. But in the middle of the week, he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering, and on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate even until the consummation which is determined. Uh, and King James says it's poured out on the desolate. It really should be poured down on the desillator. Again, squash them like a bug. That's what's going to happen at the end.

Uh, all right. This would probably, if I were teaching a class in uh, this this would be at least one or two class periods, but you're going to get the thumbnail sketch of this. So um let me just explain what this is. There's 70 weeks. These are weeks of years and it starts from the we know when it starts because uh it's recorded in Nehemiah when the the record is given you can go back and you can you can build rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

You can do that. We know to the day and the month. That's pretty interesting that you can know that in church uh history and in history of the Old Testament. There's a guy by the name of Robert Anderson, just a incredible scholar from the 1800s. Uh his work has been uh followed up on, but it has not been surpassed. Um I got the book, you can get it uh it's called The Coming Prince. You can get it on Amazon.

I don't get any royalties if you do. uh and he tracks this 69 weeks uh and he tracks when would it would be and what year would it be accomplished and this is his argument and I buy his argument and by the way it's in this book just so you know just just so you know so his argument is this that if you track the way the Jewish months are and they had every so often they had had another month and if you track the years and if you track the change in the calendar and if you take it all 69 weeks is 483 years and when it's all said it comes to the very year that Jesus is crucified the year very year that Jesus is crucified I'll say it further it comes to the month that he's crucified in fact according to this author it comes to the day of Palm Sunday when Jesus rides in in Jerusalem on a donkey and they said, "Hosana, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

And then according to Daniel, Messiah the prince is cut off but not for himself. Um there's a whole history of the book of Daniel. The Jews hated it. They believed this to be messianic until the Christians started saying it was messianic. Then they go, "It's not." And they had it in the prophets and they moved it out of the prophets to the writings because they didn't want Daniel to have the authority that would say that Jesus is the Messiah.

Isn't that incredible? Amen. Well, uh, flip to the next slide and I'll try to explain this which takes people hours to understand. But you will understand it in about seven minutes or else you won't because I'm going on after that. Just remember what I said about double fulfillment. Okay? So the same thing can happen more than one time. So you've got your 483 years. It gets you to Jesus. He's crucified. And then here's what it says after that.

I'll take you through uh what this is. And this isn't original with me. Um, this is um certain scholarship and I've quoted a bunch of people who uh buy this. So I'm not it's not original with me. So then it says in the next verse after 62 weeks Messiah shall be cut off notself. And then it says the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary and the end of it shall be with the flood until the end of the war desolations are determined.

Okay. Okay. So, let me just tell you what this is. You can believe it or you don't have to believe it, but it's true. So, you should believe it. It's turning from Jesus now. And the people the prince has come is the Romans. Besides Antiochus being a bad guy, there were a lot of bad guys in the Old Testament. Nebuchadnezzar was a bad guy, but one of the key bad guys is Titus. He's the guy in 70 AD who destroyed the temple with uh and and then um you have finally in 132 the ultimate destruction of city itself, the depolitization of Judah and so on and so forth.

So most scholars will agree that this verse jumps from Jesus to the Romans. Okay, read the book and see. All right. And then in verse 27, it jumps again. In verse 27, it start talking about that same character from Daniel 11 who's going to exalt himself above every god. that same character from Daniel chapter 7, the same character where um once it's identified in Daniel chapter 11, what's next is final judgment and the resurrection of the dead and the judgment of the dead.

So it's that didn't happen in the time of Antagus Epiphanies. That's not what happened at all in that Makabian revolt. I mean, people didn't raise from the dead or whatever. It jumped ahead to the end of time. So, here again, it's jumping to the end of time. How do you know this? Because of the verses in the front that when this happens, when this is fulfilled, all righteousness will be fulfilled. It'll be the end of iniquity.

It'll finish the transgression. It'll make an end of sins after the 70th week is completed. When the tribulation, when the chemotherapy is done, that'll be the end of sin. Okay. So, verse 27, this has to do with that man. He shall bring um this is what he says. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. He is uh actually and you can uh other prophets will confirm this. He is confirming a covenant with Israel and he's promised them peace and he's confirmed it for a week which is seven years.

It's a seven-year covenant. And throughout Daniel, you'll have this um it'll say it in different ways. 1390 days. It'll say time and times and half a time. There's about four or five different ways it says this where you have the the covenant be made and then guess what? He's setting himself up as God and he's going to break that covenant. He's going to claim to be a God himself. Okay? So, he'll confirm the covenant for many for a week, but in the middle of the week, he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.

And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate even until the consummation which is determined is poured out on the desolator. All right. So you have the 69 weeks that you see the cross there that gets you to Jesus. And then you have the middle guy that's Titus a statuary of Titus. And then the last guy notice that the shadow of him is a devil. I just thought that was pretty cool, so I put it in there.

All right, so let's go to the next slide. Uh Luke asked a question about if I could explain Revelation 1:1. So I pause in this presentation to do just that before we go over the book of Revelation entirely. the re revelation of Jesus Christ which God um gave to him to show to his servants the things which must shortly take place. Uh and he sent signified by his angel to his servant John. Uh John is the author of the book and you you'll often see a angel mediating this book to him but ultimately it comes from Jesus Christ himself.

The word revelation is the word apocalypse. Sometimes you'll see that the book of revelation is called the apocalypse. It means revelation. So this is uh one of those dual meanings for revelation. It's the revelation that Jesus Christ is giving and it's also what the point of the book is about. It's the revelation of who Jesus Christ is and how he's redeeming the world, how he's curing the leukemia of the world. Okay. So let's go to the next slide.

Now in Daniel chapter 12 in the Septuagent when it uh talks about what's happening first I'll read in English and then I'll I'll tell you what the the key word is there. Uh at that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who's found written in the book.

And just so you know that this is actual end times, listen to verse two. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament. And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. But let's go back to um verse one. It says, "There shall be a time of trouble such as there never was since there was a nation."

Now the Old Testament was translated into Greek, it's called the Septuagent. And when it was translated into Greek, uh the Greek term here is meganon, which is equivalent to great tribulation. Okay. So where do we get the idea initially of great tribulation? We get it from the book of Daniel. And some people say, well maybe that was under Antiochus. No, no, no. Well, maybe it was this or that thing. No, no, no. Because Jesus spoke about this very thing.

When you go to Matthew 24, Jesus is speaking on the Mount of Olives about the end times. And this is what he says. Um he says in chapter 24 21 and 22 he said that there's going to be a great tribulation such as never been since the world was until this time uh nor ever shall be great tribulation same words in the Greek uh verse 22 listen to this unless those days were shortened no flesh would be saved but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.

All right? So, Daniel said it, Jesus said it. Now, go with me to the book of Revelation, and we'll see the same very same words. Um, there's a great uh group of people uh from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. And they're standing before the throne. They have white robes. And the elder says, "Who is these? Who are these people?" And John says, "Well, you know, uh," and he said, "These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation and it washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb."

So what's said in Daniel is said in Matthew 24, which is said in the book of Revelation. So this we know that the tribulation period, the great tribulation period is uh seven years long. And we know this because some of the same stuff is said in Daniel as said in Revelation, I'll give power to my two witnesses that prophesy um 1,260 days. Um they'll trample the holy city underfoot for 42 months. um the uh the woman will be taken away into the wilderness and nourished by God for a time and times and half a time.

It's recalling the language of Daniel. So we know that this is going to be a a set of plagues that has it's it's also called the day of the Lord. Yam Yahweh. Now you say, "I thought the day of the Lord was when the Babylonians came in and destroyed the temple." It was. Well, I thought the day of the Lord was when the Syrians came in. It was. I thought the day of the Lord was when when they had this other group.

It was. Uh, well, you said the day of the Lord is this. Remember, a double fulfillment. Could be this. Could be this. And then there's the ultimate day of the Lord. Amen. All right. Um, so click to the next slide here and I want to talk to you. Anyone ever had someone yell at them? I a couple of you had, I guess. Um, I have. And and and particularly if um they have power and authority and they can do something about their anger and Well, when you talk about wrath in the Bible, it's the very same thing as the um great tribulation.

It's it's or in Greek. Um so, let me go to the book of Revelation uh chapter 6. Yes, that print has shrunk down to 8 point font. So, give me uh 6:15 through 18. I'll do that. Uh so, the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, uh they are experiencing the sky being rolled back like a scroll and the stars falling to earth and so on and so forth.

Uh and so they hid themselves in the caves and the rocks and the mountains and said to the mountain rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb. For the great day of his wrath has come and who is able to stand." By the way, in the book of Revelation, whenever the lamb and God are mentioned, it's always with a singular verb.

And this is pointed out by scholars particularly that the end of times the wrath of lamb is not different than the wrath of God. This is the same as the great tribulation. Well, um so here's the good news. I've got good news for you. I've had bad news so far. He's like, "This is a depressing Bible study. The most I've had in a long time, huh?" Well, I'm here to depress you. That's what my job is.

It's really good. But this is where I make a turn. Praise God. We're making a turn. Hallelujah. And there's a promise and it's given in more than one way for the church that God has not designed us to go through wrath. God has not designed us to go through wrath. Now, people interpreted this different ways, and I interpret it a certain way, and I'm sure I'm right. But I'm going to tell you the way that I interpret it.

I'll give you some scriptures. This is not one scripture. This is all over the New Testament. So here's Paul. He's writing to the Thessalonians. And he's he's telling about how they were uh saved from idols. And then he says in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 to wait for his son from heaven whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. That sounds pretty straightforward. He's delivering us from the wrath to come.

I'm starting to feel better now. How about Romans chapter 5? For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, a preventure for a good man won't even dare to die. But God demonstrates his love for us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And then verse uh nine, much more than having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Well, I got another one for you. You thought I only had two, but I have more.

This one is in the book of Colossians. It's chapter 3. And this is why we should um the Bible says to them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Uh that's why we need to have a heaven word uh view to them that look for him. He'll appear the second time without sin and salvation. So Colossians says uh put to death your members which are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness which is idolatry.

Because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the church. Is that there? No, sorry, misprint. Comes upon the sons of disobedient in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. How about this? Ephesians chapter 5. For this you know that no fornicator or unclean person or covetous man who is an idoltor has in any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. For because of these things, let no man deceive you of any means.

Because of these things, um the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. There's a sequence in uh 1 Thessalonians that's pretty cool. Uh go to 1 Thessalonians 4:13. 4:13 to 18 is the rapture of the church. Chapter 5 is the tribulation period. Notice the sequence. Uh, I don't want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who fall asleep, lest you sorrow as those who have no hope. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive and remains be caught up together with the Lord, and so to in the air to be with the Lord, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. And then verse 18, comfort one another with these words. And then 51 is the day of the Lord. 51 is between the times and seasons. I won't take you through all the verses, but when you get to when you get to First Thessalonians 5:9, this here's the promise.

For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. These are these are some good promises. One of my favorite is Revelation 3:10. This is to the church of Philadelphia and it's a promise of victory. Because you have kept my command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of trial, which will come upon the whole world who test those who dwell on the earth. That's the tribulation.

So there there seems to be now there are some people that says well you know I think you kind of got it wrong that maybe uh the first year are peace and then then that's wrath or um we go through the whole thing and God has this magic umbrella to keep us from the wrath and maybe that's the case but the main if the uh the simple reading of the text would seem seem to indicate otherwise.

All right. So now I'm going to fulfill my promise and I am going to take you through the book of Revelation in the shortest Bible study on Revelation that you've ever had. But first click I want to talk to you about the beast. Um the we get introduced to the beast first in Revelation just kind of out of nowhere in uh Revelation 11. Well, actually I think we get introduced in chapter 6, but I digress. Um but by name in Revelation 11 and uh you've got these two witnesses.

They can they can turn the water to blood. They can do all kinds of crazy things. Uh and then uh if anyone wants to harm, fire proceeds out of their mouth. If their enemies, I'd say they're pretty formidable. Uh it looks like God is doing something to reach people even during the great tribulation period. Pretty amazing. Verse seven, when they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottles pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.

Like where did that come from? It's a beast just comes right there. It's introduction. Well, we get a fuller introduction in Revelation 13. Verse one. Then I stood on the sand of the sea and I saw a beast rising up out of the sea having seven heads and 10 horns on his horns 10 crowns. On his heads a blasphemous knee. The beast which I saw is like a leopard. His feet were like a feet of a bear.

His mouth like the mouth of lion. And the dragon gave him power thrown great authority. And I saw one of his heads had been mortally wounded and the deadly wound was healed. and all the world marvel and follow the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave power to the beast and they worshiped the beast uh saying who is like him who's able to make war with him. I'm going to skip ahead uh to verse 11.

Uh this is the scary part uh Revelation 13 11-8 because not only is there a beast, there's also a sidekick uh who's called the false prophet and other names. Then I saw a beast coming out of the uh earth and he had two horns like a lamb. In other words, he looked religious. He sounded religious but he spoke like a dragon. And then in verse 12 it says he exercises all the authority of the first beast and his princes and causes uh the earth and those who dwell on the uh earth to worship the first beast who delin was healed.

He performs great signs so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth instead of men. And then in verse 14 it says he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which was granted to do telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and live. Verse 15. And okay, he was granted great power to give breath to the image of the beast that the image of the beast should both uh speak and cause as many as who would now worship the image of the beast to be killed.

And he causes all small and great, rich and poor, free and slave to receive a mark on the right hand on their foreheads. And that no man may buy or sell except the one who has the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here's wisdom. Let him who is understanding calculate the number of the beast. Oh dear, it's 8:19. I was just rattling away and it got to be 8:19. I will get to the next slide and you will know about Revelation at least as much as I know.

Okay, here's wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast for his number of men his number is 666. Next slide, please. We are switching. We are smooshing through Revelation. All right, here it is. This is Dave Norse and how you should read Revelation. If you read it any other way, you're absolutely wrong. So just remember that. Actually, if if you read every verse in Revelation like I do, somebody's not thinking. So you can have your own interpretation.

And I'm I'm totally fine with you. But what I'm telling you here is the interpretation that all modernday Pentecostals believed. Every one of them. I'll say that again. When Pentecostalism first was outpoured at the beginning of the 20th century, this is what they believed. Does that mean it's right? No. But it it should at least give you pause to start saying other crazy things. Um, and you know, it could be that we've learned stuff since then.

So, that might be too. I will I will I will make space for that. Here's Dave Norris's interpretation. Revelation 1 through3 is the church in the present time. Uh Revelation 4 and 5 is is the church in heaven. Uh Revelation 6 through uh 18 I guess I just didn't include 19. There is um okay so there's three major sets of plagues in uh chapter six. Uh there's the um seals are undone. There's seven of them. Seven is what's called an intercolation where there's a ceiling of the 144,000.

Eight picks it up again. And then we move to the next major set of uh where they sound a trumpet and bad things happen. In the first set of plagues, a fourth of the people are killed. In the second set of plagues, a third of the people are killed. Like third of the trees, third uh third of the water and so on and so forth. When you get to finally chapter 16, and then it's all over.

Then all the waters being turned in blood and so on. That's the bowls. Okay. So that's uh um 6 through 18 and some of that tells the story in between. Chapter 19 is uh the second coming of Christ. Now, this is important. A lot of the prophecies in the Bible, they in one sentence will talk about Jesus when he first came. And in the second sense, he'll talk about judgment. This is the same true with second coming.

There's there's different facets to it. He's coming for his church and he's coming with his church. Again, this is my understanding. And this is the battle of Armageddon. Revelation chapter 20. Satan is bound for a thousand years and then in verse 11 to 15 there's the final judgment. Uh and then uh you have chapter 21 and 22 is eternity. So uh I've got a lot to say about that, but maybe you can ask me a question right now.

Can we get another microphone going on? Um um I've got time for maybe one or two questions of things that I said might be confusing. Say, can you explain this or whatever? Or you don't have to. I'll give you a 30 second option here and then I'll go at it again. We have a question. Thank you for asking a question because otherwise I would be embarrassed. So, a lot of what it seems like in the timeline is the rapture will happen before the tribulation, but then you've got 1,260 days where they can wear out the saints and 42 months.

Okay. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. So, it's a lot to take in. And why did I even try to do it on this one night? No, I mean, but Okay. So, here here's the here's the thing. Even so, I believe that uh Revelation chapter 4:1 is a picture of the church in heaven. If I had time, I'd tell you about the elders and why I believe that and all of that. Um, but I do think the tribulation important is because there will be people coming to God in the tribulation and there will be people reading the Bible and there will be witnesses that are telling the Jewish people in particular that u Jesus is your Messiah.

And I believe that revel Romans 11 will be fulfilled in that time. So um sometimes we read the Old Testament that's a nice story but it's not me. And we can read uh Revelation say it's nice story but not me. But God's doing something. It's the end of God's programmatic plan. Thank you for asking that question. He made me feel better. I'll take one more or no more. Yes, we have another one. Yes. Um, so when you say the second coming of Christ, are you talking about after he came and died for us?

Like I see the rapture and the second coming. Yeah. Yeah. That's a great question. So I'm not I'm not talking about the first time. Well, I am. So the first time Jesus came, he died on the cross for us, gave us the Holy Ghost. The second time he's he's coming, he's coming in two parts. The first time so that we won't be a part of the wrath. And the next time, Revelation 19, to destroy all the leukemia on the earth and to cleanse it and start it all over.

That's one uh the second coming in two parts. First for the church and then with the church. Thank you. That's a great question. Um All right. So, so that's it. That's all you're getting tonight cuz my time's up. So, I'm going to talk to your pastor and see what he wants me to do next week. I've got uh um different stuff I can talk about. I was going to talk about what happens when you die and uh judgment seat of Christ and kind of rewards.

I do believe there's special rewards for people who are faithful. Uh let me just say one more time. Um when the rapture of the church is shared in first Thessalonians, it didn't say, "So go to bed and worry." It didn't say, "So let's all be anxious." It said, "Comfort one another with these words." God's not going to trick you. Man, I wish I hadn't taken the mark of the beast, but I I signed up for it.

accidentally. That's not that's not going to happen. Okay? And and God's not going to like, "Oh, yeah. You thought you're ready for the rapture, but I fooled you. You're not. It's not like that. His grace is going to take us. He's going to be with you." You know, there are people even today before the rapture, there's more martyrs in the world than uh for Christian martyrs than ever before. But the amazing thing is whatever anyone has to go through, God gives the grace for them to do it.

So I'm not saying here you're not going to ever have any trouble or there will be no difficulties for you. But whatever happens in this world, whatever happens in this government, whatever happens, God is with you. Just like he told the disciples, you don't have to worry. You're going to say, "I'm going to be with you in every circumstance." And so I want to call God's peace on your life and on your heart as we close this.

Let's pray. In the name of Jesus, I thank you for your word. Yes, there's some scary things coming, but you are a God that is greater than anything that's going on in this world. You're greater than the Antichrist. You're than greater than any of the the things that this world seems to come against the church with. You're a holy God. And in the midst of difficult times, Lord, you're bringing revival. You're you're bringing souls to yourself, Lord.

Even in the worst of times, Lord, where the grace of where sin abounds, the grace of God can much more abound. We trust you for that and thank you in Jesus name. Amen.