Participants: Pr. Lyle Albrecht
Series Code: RIN
Program Code: RIN000019
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00:59 Thank You.
01:01 Good evening and welcome. 01:03 We're going to go to Jerusalem tonight 01:04 if you'll fasten you're seatbelts. 01:07 One for my very favorite journeys. 01:09 I shall never forget my first trip into the city. 01:13 With me was my singing evangelist and as our bus 01:17 began to climb Mt. Zion, he began to sing that wonderful 01:22 song, that thrilling song, The Holy City. 01:25 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem. Lift up your gates and sing. " 01:29 We want to have a little bit of the study of the map 01:32 tonight as we begin. 01:36 On the extreme left, of course, the entirety of the Holy Land 01:39 is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea. 01:41 In your Bible, it's probably referred to as the Great Sea. 01:45 And then, if you'll look up toward the top of the screen, 01:50 there you'll see the Galilee Sea, kidney shaped 01:52 body of water. 01:54 We visited there a few evenings ago. 01:56 We come straight south down the Jordon River and we come 02:00 to the north of the Dead Sea. 02:02 And then we go straight west and we find the city of Jerusalem, 02:06 right there, only about 18 milesfrom the Dead Sea. 02:12 The city of Jerusalem, ladies and gentlemen, 02:14 is a curious mixture of the ancient and the modern, 02:17 the old and the new, and the east and the west. 02:23 And here on the western side of the city of Jerusalem, 02:26 we find town houses and condominiums that are 02:29 as beautiful as those we might find around Central Park 02:32 in New York City. 02:33 But a stone's throw from here, folks are living in conditions 02:37 that date back to the times of Isaiah and Jeremiah. 02:40 And we're going to see all of it as we move around 02:43 through the city this evening. 02:45 Here's a study in contrast for you. 02:47 Going down the highway is a fairly new Mercedes Benz 02:50 automobile and watching it go by is an old Arab on his donkey. 02:55 A Palestinian just watching the traffic go by. 02:59 This is an interesting piece of art. 03:01 It was given to the Israeli government when it was 03:04 formed in 1948 by the British who'd been in charge, of course, 03:09 of Palestine at that time. 03:11 And it is a piece of black marble that is chiseled to tell 03:15 the history of the children of Israel from Abraham's time 03:19 on down to the time they went into the Promise Land 03:22 and beyond that. 03:24 And it's a beautiful, beautiful piece of art, 03:27 marble art that is lovely. 03:29 Now we're looking from the opposite side, the eastern side 03:33 of the city across the Kidron Valley to the eastern gate, 03:37 also known as the Golden Gate. 03:40 And you can see that it's been walled up. 03:42 And we see, moreover, that there is a cemetery in front of it. 03:45 And I want to tell you a little bit about why the gate has 03:48 been closed up and why the cemetery is there. 03:56 In the Old Testament book of Malachi, 03:59 which is the last book of the Old Testament, 04:01 there's a prophecy that said when Messiah would come 04:06 He would be preceded by Elijah, and Elijah would turn the 04:09 hearts of the children to the parents 04:11 and parents to the children. 04:15 When Islam took over this part of the world, 04:20 they decided they would prevent the coming of the Messiah 04:25 by preventing Elijah preceding Him. 04:29 And they believed that Messiah would come through the 04:31 eastern or the Golden Gate on a great triumphal entry. 04:35 And they further believed that Elijah was a priest 04:40 and priests could not go through cemeteries. 04:42 Now this is not a law from the Bible, but it was a regulation 04:46 among the Jewish people at the time of Islam's majority. 04:51 Back around, you know, the 8th century, the early part of the 04:55 8th century, 1720 or 30 and right in through there. 04:59 And so the followers of Islam began to bury their dead, 05:04 after they had enclosed the eastern gate, sealed it off. 05:08 They began a cemetery here that grew over the years 05:12 with the idea that this would prevent the coming of Messiah. 05:16 Well the tragedy, of course, was that Jesus had come and gone, 05:20 you remember, and they didn't recognize Him. 05:24 "Whom do folks say that I am?" 05:25 "Well, some think that You're John the Baptist 05:27 and others think that You're a reincarnation of Elijah. " 05:31 "And He came to His own and His own received Him not. " 05:36 We're going to move in here for a little bit of a close-up 05:38 and I want to point out some of the graves to you. 05:41 When you see a grave with a headstone and a footstone, 05:45 you know that this is a grave of a man or a boy. 05:52 A male person for sure. 05:54 And when you see a grave that has only just a headstone 05:57 or maybe no headstone at all, maybe no stone at all, 06:01 you know that is the grave of a woman or a girl. 06:06 Because there is no equality in life, nor is there 06:09 equality in death. 06:10 It's only the Christian faith, ladies, where you're 06:14 granted equality. 06:15 For the apostle Paul, God through Paul said, 06:17 in Jesus Christ there's neither male nor female, 06:21 Jew or Greek, but all are equals. 06:23 And so we all, men and women, owe Jesus a real debt, don't we. 06:28 Because of His equality, because of His righteousness, 06:30 and His salvation. 06:33 Now I, every time I look at this picture, remember the original 06:38 temptation of Jesus as recorded in Matthew's gospel 06:42 chapters 3 and 4. 06:43 You remember? 06:44 As soon as He was baptized, it says He was lead 06:47 into the wilderness and was tempted by the devil. 06:50 And among those temptations, finds Jesus on the pinnacle 06:54 of the temple and the devil is testing Him and tempting Him 06:58 to jump off, and the devil quotes scripture. 07:01 He knows the Bible well, we're sure of that. 07:03 He said, "go ahead and jump off," and then he quoted 07:06 an old promise, "Angels will bear You up so that You don't 07:10 even mash Your toe when You land. " 07:13 And Jesus responded, you recall, by quoting scripture also. 07:17 And He said we're not to tempt God. 07:19 Now had Jesus jumped from the pinnacle of the temple, 07:22 He would have not only jumped down to the square 07:26 of the temple but He would have jumped clear off to the bottom 07:29 of the Kidron Valley where we're standing to take this picture. 07:33 Another 100 plus feet below the temple square. 07:36 We also believe that it was from somewhere in here, 07:40 maybe over about the extreme right hand of this picture 07:44 on the screen, somewhere in here that Judas 07:47 hanged himself as is described in Acts chapter 1. 07:51 And the Bible, of course, says that the cord with which 07:55 he'd hanged himself broke and his body fell 07:59 on the rocks below, it broke open. 08:02 Now in the center of Temple Square, there is the second 08:05 most holy place in all of the faith of Islam. 08:09 It has two names. 08:11 The Dome of the Rock and the Mosque of Omar. 08:16 The Mosque of Omar. 08:19 You remember when we mentioned the other evening, 08:21 some really love Grape Nuts and I mentioned to you 08:24 Peggy is one such? 08:26 And How I've looked through the bowl of Grape Nuts 08:30 and there are no grapes and there are no nuts? 08:32 And every time I see the Mosque of Omar, I'm reminded of 08:34 Grape Nuts, strange association, huh. 08:38 Well I'm from Idaho, that explains most of it. 08:41 But at any event, this is not a mosque in the strictest since. 08:44 It's not the tomb of Omar. 08:46 But it is a very, very sacred place for followers of Islam. 08:50 The Dome of the Rock. 08:52 And by the way, that dome that you see that's covered over with 08:54 gold was placed there, the gold portion was placed there 08:59 by the Hussein family that still today rules just a 09:03 few miles from here. 09:05 King Hussein, the family of Hussein over in Jordon. 09:11 This beautiful, beautiful place was built, again, in the 09:16 7th century and it is built over the presumed site 09:22 of the ascension of the prophet Muhammad into heaven 09:26 on that black Wednesday. 09:27 And we're going to go inside there in just a little bit. 09:31 But before we do that, we walk around to the ascent. 09:35 The Bible talks about the Queen of Sheba 09:38 coming to see Solomon's temple and how greatly impressed 09:41 she was by the staircase. 09:44 And they say this is the staircase, but once made much 09:47 more beautiful with the imported marbles that covered it all. 09:51 We're going to climb that same staircase and make ready to go 09:55 inside, you and I. 09:57 But before we're allowed to go inside we must, here also, 10:01 remove our shoes. 10:03 You remember when we were in Egypt the other night 10:06 at the tomb of Muhammad Ali Pasha and you have to remove 10:11 your shoes before even you can go into the courtyard there. 10:14 Well the same thing holds true here, 10:16 everyone takes off their shoes. 10:18 And out around the entry door, there are probably 10:21 100 to 150 pairs of shoes. 10:25 Now, if you're a follower of Islam, in addition to removing 10:29 your shoes, you go over to the fountain near by 10:33 and you sit down on one of those stone benches, 10:36 open the spicket and wash your feet. 10:38 And it all goes back to the time that Moses was at the 10:41 burning bush and God said, "Remove your shoes. 10:44 You're standing on holy ground. " 10:48 This shrine, this mosque if you please, is designed 10:55 after the order of God's holy temple 10:59 where God said, "I want you to make it holy place 11:03 and most holy place. " 11:05 And so we find the same thing here. 11:07 We're going to go in, you and I, to the holy place. 11:11 And it is as beautiful, I believe, as any building 11:14 perhaps I've ever been in. 11:15 Persian rugs that make you feel you're going to sink 11:19 in to your knees. 11:20 And gorgeous marble and mosaics, the finest stones 11:25 probably, that were available when all of this was built. 11:28 Now for years I had to say, I am sorry I cannot take you 11:32 in to the most holy, or into the inner circle of it all 11:35 because it is so sacred to the folks that they'll not let you 11:40 take a camera in, nor will they sell you a picture of it. 11:44 Well I had to say that for a number of years, 11:46 but a man was called to do some repair on the interior 11:52 of the dome and in his toolbox, he smuggled in a 35mm camera. 11:58 And when no one was looking, evidently, he with his wide 12:02 angle lens, looked right down and shot a picture and 12:06 then got it out and made copies of it and sold those copies 12:09 for 75 dollars each. 12:11 This next picture, ladies and gentlemen, cost me $75, 12:15 but I'd gladly do it again. 12:17 There it is, we're looking right down on the rock. 12:20 On the rock from which the followers of Islam believe that 12:23 Muhammad ascended on the black Wednesday into heaven 12:26 and then, of course, returned and died and was buried 12:29 in Medina in Arabia. 12:31 Moreover, they believe that it was upon this rock that Abraham 12:36 brought his son Ishmael to offer him as a sacrifice. 12:40 But of course, in Christianity and Judaism, we believe that 12:43 it was the son Isaac and not Ishmael. 12:46 But this, then, is what makes it the very holy place that it is. 12:50 Considered to be second most holy only to Medina in Arabia. 12:55 Now, the books that are the best sellers on end time events 13:00 and tribulation times and all, suggest, and some more than 13:05 suggest, almost insist, that this place is going to be 13:08 knocked down so a temple can be rebuilt. 13:11 You've heard that idea, haven't you. 13:12 Going to rebuild a temple. 13:13 And sometimes I read in the Enquirer and certain other 13:17 such rags, and I don't mean that in an unkind way, 13:22 but scandal sheets, that they're already starting to rebuild 13:26 the temple in Jerusalem. 13:27 Well listen to me, ladies and gentlemen. 13:29 If anyone; Jew, Christian, or a combination thereof, 13:33 so much as made one hammer mark upon one of the tiles 13:39 of this place, Armageddon would start that same day. 13:43 You can be sure of it. 13:45 And I don't think that we need to wait until someone starts 13:49 to rebuild a temple before Jesus can come back. 13:52 I think that's not one of the signs at all. 13:55 But it is a very special and very beautiful place. 13:58 Well we want to walk around the old wall of this city. 14:00 At the time of Jesus, and a long while before that, 14:03 it was a walled in city. 14:05 And where you see the tower, ladies and gentlemen, 14:07 that is the Citadel, and today we would liken it to the 14:11 police headquarters. 14:13 Alright. 14:14 That was the lookout tower for the Citadel or the 14:16 police headquarter. 14:17 Our Lord Jesus talked about the sheep and the goats 14:21 being together until the end time. 14:23 And at the end, He would separate them. 14:26 He used illustrations that were so very every day, 14:29 so very practical. 14:30 This is the livestock auction in Jerusalem. 14:33 And here, the sheep and the goats co-mingle, and all of the 14:36 folks that you see here are Palestinians. 14:39 Any time you see someone wearing that kind of headgear, 14:42 you know that they are Arabs born in the Holy Land, 14:46 or Arabs at least. 14:47 And most likely Palestinian born in the Holy Land. 14:51 Sheep and the goats be together until the end time. 14:55 I think it's not an accident that Jesus used 14:57 that illustration. 15:01 Is it an accident that Jesus is referred to as the lamb? 15:05 Not at all. 15:07 The lamb is one of the most gentle of all of the animals 15:12 on God's created earth. 15:14 The lamb follows its master right to the slaughter. 15:18 And at the time of slaughter, they say, never even cries out. 15:22 The goat, on the other hand, butts his way 15:26 everywhere he goes. 15:28 And I think about that when sometimes I'm visiting with folk 15:31 and trying to encourage them to follow the truths of Jesus 15:34 and they say, "Well I can see it's in the Bible, but... " 15:39 "I can see that it's the Sabbath, but... " 15:42 But... 15:43 And that kind of reminds me of the goats, 15:45 and so we need to remember some of these illustrations of Jesus. 15:49 The city was build upon Mt. Zion. 15:52 Consequently, to get from one elevation to the other, 15:56 there are steps, and everywhere there are steps or stairs, 15:59 you find the children of Abraham engaged in some kind of 16:03 business selling fruits and vegetables, or maybe yard goods 16:07 or some other household item. 16:09 And here, we're climbing up between the folks that are 16:12 selling fruits and vegetables. 16:15 There are very few places in the old city, by the way, 16:17 where you can drive a motor car, even motorcycle for that matter, 16:22 because of the various elevations and the steps. 16:26 The city of Jerusalem gave birth to three major world religions. 16:30 Judaism, Christianity, and then Islam. 16:34 And that's why it's referred to as the Holy City. 16:38 Holy, not only for Christians, but for others as well. 16:40 Now these Palestinians are sitting up against the wall 16:43 and they're selling tobacco. 16:46 This man is selling cigarettes and cigars and his friend 16:50 is sampling the wares and telling how wonderful they are. 16:54 See, he's smoking the tobacco through a water pipe there. 16:57 Some of the younger generation might call it the hookah pipe. 17:01 Doesn't matter what you call it. 17:02 They have a little cassette player there, and guess what. 17:06 They're listening to some music. 17:08 Who do you suppose they're listening to? 17:10 Frank Sinatra. 17:14 It seems to matter not where I go in the world, 17:17 the people listen to the music of the United States. 17:20 Really. 17:22 Our music dominates the peoples of the world to a 17:24 very large degree. 17:25 Now we're on the north side of the city 17:27 and we're looking at the Damascus Gate. 17:29 And every time we think of Damascus, of course, 17:31 we think of the conversion of the apostle Paul. 17:35 He was leaving Jerusalem on his way to Damascus 17:37 to do violence to the Christians when he was knocked from the 17:39 back of his animal and found conversion. 17:42 Is this the gate that Paul came out of? 17:44 No, but rather the one down toward the edge of the screen. 17:48 Let's bring it up, shall we. 17:49 There it is, now in the center of the picture. 17:52 That is the Damascus Gate of the time of the apostle Paul. 17:56 But it's much higher today for the simple reason that 17:59 the city of Jerusalem has been destroyed and rebuilt 18:02 on so many, many, many occasions, 27 at least. 18:06 And every time they rebuild, they rebuild on the ruins 18:08 of the city that was there before it. 18:10 And so, it's gotten higher and higher, and higher still. 18:14 Now we were just at the second most holy place 18:17 for the followers of Islam. 18:18 This is the holy place in Jerusalem for the Jew, 18:22 the Orthodox certainly. 18:24 This is the Wailing Wall that you've heard of. 18:27 This is all that remains of the temple that was placed here 18:32 by David, the materials by David. 18:34 And those stones, perhaps as well. 18:36 And then the construction was overseen by his son, Solomon. 18:40 And here the Orthodox come, write out little prayers, 18:44 fold them until they're no bigger than a thumbnail, 18:47 and then stick them in the cracks between the stones. 18:50 And for the next hour, perhaps, they will bob and weave and 18:54 pray, "How long Lord, how long until Jerusalem is restored?" 18:59 There's a sign here that says, "Respect the sanctity and 19:02 don't take pictures or smoke on the Sabbath. " 19:06 Rules like these, ideas like these caused folks of the 19:10 3rd and 4th centuries, particularly, to begin to 19:13 look down upon the Sabbath. 19:15 If this place is so sacred that you ought not to smoke here 19:20 on Saturday, what makes it okay on Tuesday? 19:24 You see. 19:25 Yea. 19:26 Well, we need to move on. 19:28 This is a gate in the old wall also that has two names. 19:33 It's called the Lions Gate and up on either side, you see 19:37 the stone lions that are carved there. 19:39 Christians, though, more often refer to it 19:42 as St. Stephen's Gate because about where I'm standing 19:46 to shoot this picture, Stephen was stoned to death. 19:50 And he said the same thing, you remember, basically that 19:53 Jesus said on the cross, "Lay not this sin to their charge. 19:56 Father, forgive them, they don't know what they're doing. " 19:59 Well as we move on, we come to the area of Bethany. 20:06 When Jesus was in the area for several days, 20:10 he would go to the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus 20:13 for a good meal and for some good company. 20:17 And at the presumed site of their home, there has been 20:20 a little chapel built. 20:22 We're not going to go inside, but we're going to go up the 20:25 alley toward the tomb of Lazarus. 20:27 And as we do so, we go by the home of an Arab family. 20:31 A few years ago it was a barn, ladies and gentlemen. 20:34 And they have no indoor plumbing, they have 20:37 no bathroom facility. 20:38 They have to use the corner of the yard 20:41 and it smells terribly, but it's the best that they can do. 20:44 We turn around 180 degrees and we're looking right down 20:47 into the tomb of Lazarus where Jesus called, 20:50 "Lazarus, come forth. " 20:54 Jesus said to His disciples, "Go and find a room and 20:59 rent that room. 21:00 And we'll celebrate together the Passover. 21:02 And then Jesus instituted in its place, the Lord's Supper. 21:06 And for hundreds and hundreds of years, they've been saying 21:09 that this is that upper room. 21:11 Can we be certain? No, not at all. 21:14 Is it possible? It is, it is. 21:17 It's the Roman style and it goes back to the time of Jesus, 21:21 say the archaeologists. 21:24 It was here that Judas got up from the table and 21:27 went out to betray Jesus. 21:29 And Jesus, a bit later with the eleven, then left the room, 21:33 went through the eastern or Golden Gate, crossed 21:37 the Kidron Valley, and over into the garden of Gethsemane. 21:42 And He said to His disciples, "Wait here and pray with Me. 21:47 Watch and pray. " 21:50 When you go into this garden, a guide will show you 21:55 an old, old olive tree and tell you that it was right beneath 22:00 that tree that Peter, James, and John slept when they 22:04 should have been praying. 22:07 My son, Terry, was a lay preacher and a really good one. 22:12 And the last sermon that he preached, he took from this 22:15 story and this incident when Jesus came back and He said 22:20 to them, "Sleep on for it's too late now. 22:23 Go ahead and sleep. " 22:25 And my boy preached a sermon, "Will you also sleep on? 22:29 Are we asleep when we see the world caving in all around us?" 22:33 It was a powerful message and it was so good that I'm going to 22:36 preach it one of these days. 22:38 Will you also sleep on? 22:40 Well can we be sure that this is where the disciples were asleep? 22:44 No. 22:45 Is it possible? Yes. 22:47 And the reason that it's possible is, the olive tree is 22:50 one of the oldest living things in all of the world. 22:52 And those who know about such things can count the rings 22:57 and say that these trees date back to the time of Jesus. 23:01 Not all, but some of them date back to the time of Jesus. 23:04 Well, where Jesus agonized and where He sweat great drops 23:08 of blood, they've again built a little church. 23:11 And it's called, The Church of the Agony. 23:13 And we go inside and up in the area of the altar 23:16 there is above it, a tapestry that shows Jesus agonizing 23:20 upon a rock and praying, "If possible, let this cup 23:24 pass from me. " 23:26 And they say, then, that it was here that Judas came 23:29 leading the temple priest and the Roman soldiers who 23:31 arrested Jesus and then dragged Him over to the Sanhedrin 23:34 where He stood trial before the Jews, 23:36 and then was turned over to Pilate. 23:40 We're now going to go to the court of Pontius Pilate. 23:43 And while we can't be sure that was the tree or that 23:46 was the place, I think when it comes to believing that 23:50 this is the place of Pilate's judgment, there is good 23:53 historical and archaeological reason behind it. 23:57 I think that we can be at least 95% certain 24:00 that this is the place of Pilate's judgment hall. 24:04 In the flooring, there are games carved into the stone. 24:09 Not unlike tic tac toe where the Roman soldiers would play 24:13 and pass the time until the final verdict. 24:16 Then it says, Jesus bearing His cross began to drag it 24:20 up Via Dolorosa. 24:22 It was not so named at the time of Christ, but it's 24:25 named that today. 24:26 The road to the cross. 24:30 It was part of the punishment of the man crucified that he 24:33 drag his cross, not the shortest route, but the longest distance 24:38 so the largest number of folks could abuse him 24:42 and throw rocks at him and try to spit upon him 24:46 and maybe slap him as he dragged the cross. 24:49 Christian people today come here and they follow that same route, 24:54 some of them like this lady carrying a small cross. 24:57 But some young men, I have seen, carrying crosses, 25:00 dragging crosses that are made out of timbers as large 25:04 as railroad ties. 25:07 You end, on Via Dolorosa, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. 25:14 And at this point, I need to say to you that there are two places 25:17 where it's said that Jesus was buried, and this is one of them. 25:20 And we're going to go inside and a priest will take you 25:25 to a certain place where there's a little altar. 25:27 And with a lighted candle, he will show you a hole 25:30 beneath that altar and tell you that it was there that the 25:34 cross of Jesus was raised. 25:36 And you may spend as much time here as you like. 25:39 And it is very ornate. 25:41 And then you follow another priest into a basement area 25:46 and he tells you that this is where Jesus was buried. 25:50 Now I need to be honest to say to you that scholars who have 25:54 spent a lifetime studying the place of the crucifixion 25:57 and the burial are largely in agreement that this 26:00 was the place. 26:01 And while your mind may say, "Alright, I can 26:04 deal with that, okay. " 26:05 Your heart wants to believe something else. 26:08 And now I'll share with you what the heart wants, 26:11 what the feelings want to believe. 26:14 We're now going to Gordon's Calvary. 26:16 There was a British officer, an army officer, who spent 26:23 a lot of time here and he'd gone into the 26:25 Church of the Holy Sepulchre and studied it all and he said, 26:28 "I don't believe that's the place. " 26:30 For the Bible says in John's gospel, in the place where 26:33 He was crucified there was the skull, the shape of a skull; 26:38 Skull Hill or Golgotha. 26:41 And so he began to look around through the environs of the city 26:45 and over where today the bus depot is, he found in the 26:49 hillside, the shape of a skull. 26:52 Now it doesn't take a lot of imagination. 26:54 I will outline it here with the pointer, 26:56 right in the very center of the picture. 26:58 Here we go two eyes, you see here? 27:01 And a nasal cavity and like a mouth cavity down here. 27:07 The place of the skull. 27:10 Now he said, if this is the place then near here there 27:13 must have been a garden. 27:15 And in the garden, a wine press. 27:16 For the old prophet said He would tread the 27:19 wine press alone. 27:21 And so they began to dig in the area and surely enough 27:24 they found the evidence of a garden including a wine press. 27:28 And then he said if this is the place, then over against 27:31 the mountain there must have been a tomb. 27:34 And they began to excavate and surely enough they found a tomb. 27:39 And originally, all of this was the opening for the tomb 27:43 and these blocks have enclosed most of it. 27:46 And now there's a simple little door here. 27:48 But in front of it, there is that trench that was dug 27:52 where a great stone would be rolled in place 27:54 to enclose the whole thing. 27:58 And your heart wants to think that this is the place 28:01 because it's still natural, it's like it may have been 28:04 at the time of Jesus. 28:06 And there aren't the candles and the incense and all of the 28:09 other things that are manmade. 28:12 Inside that tomb, there is a little shelf where a body 28:16 would be placed and a little niche that was carved 28:19 where a head would rest. 28:21 But on the backside of the door that now closes the tomb, 28:25 there is a hand lettered sign, a quotation from a holy angel 28:31 who said, "He is not here, for Jesus has risen. " 28:37 Thank you for traveling with me tonight. 28:41 And now to our subject, "The Millennium. " 28:44 If we were to give a subtitle, it might well be 28:47 something like this, "The day the devil loses his job. " 28:51 Would you please open your Bibles with me to 28:54 Revelation chapter 20. 28:58 And tonight as we begin, we're going to be reminded once more 29:01 that the book of Revelation is largely symbolic. 29:05 Not to be taken so terribly literally in most places. 29:09 But to understand the symbolism, it's vital to 29:12 the terminal generation. 29:14 Alright. 29:15 While you're turning, I just might explain. 29:18 I've often been asked, "Why did God speak through prophecy? 29:21 Was it just to satisfy our curiosity?" 29:24 Of course not. 29:25 No, but rather it was to give us faith and hope. 29:30 For you see, many of the prophecies have already 29:32 been fulfilled. 29:33 Daniel chapter 2 being one of them. 29:36 And many others that we have studied together, 29:38 they've already been fulfilled in exact and precise detail. 29:41 And that gives us faith and hope that those that are still 29:44 in the future, such as this one, will also be fulfilled 29:47 with the same kind of detail. 29:51 Jesus has spoken through predictive prophecy 29:54 for the purpose, among others, of giving us peace. 29:58 "My peace give I unto you. Not like the world gives. " 30:02 "My peace. " 30:03 And so we're going to find peace as we study again this evening. 30:07 I'm going to begin at the very first verse of Revelation 30:09 chapter 20 and ask you to follow very, very carefully 30:12 while I read. 30:14 Revelation chapter 20 and beginning at the first verse. 30:18 "I saw an angel come down from heaven having the key to the 30:20 bottomless pit and he had a great chain in his hand. 30:24 He took hold of the dragon, the old serpent called 30:27 the Devil and Satan and he bound him for a thousand years. 30:32 He put him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and 30:34 placed a seal upon him so that he should deceive the nations 30:37 no more until the thousand years were fulfilled. 30:40 And then he would be loosed a little season. 30:45 And then I saw thrones and they, the saints, sat upon them 30:48 and judgment was given unto them, 30:50 and those who'd been beheaded for the witness of Jesus 30:53 and the word of God because they had not worshipped the beast or 30:56 his image or received the mark either in their foreheads 31:00 or in their hands. 31:01 And these lived and reigned with Christ for one thousand years. " 31:08 Now I want you to leave a bookmark here at Revelation 20 31:11 and go back with me to that little letter of 1 John, 31:15 those three little letters, you remember, before the Revelation. 31:18 We want to notice the first one and the third chapter. 31:22 1 John chapter 3, and I'm going to read for us verse 8. 31:28 And I ask you to follow along very carefully, if you will. 31:33 1 John chapter 3 and verse 8. 31:36 "He that commiteth sin is of the devil, 31:41 for the devil sinneth from the beginning. 31:44 It was for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, 31:47 that He might... " 31:48 Now you tell me what it says next. 31:51 "... that He might destroy the... 31:53 ...works of the devil. " 31:54 There it is. 31:56 This is the day, then, that the devil loses his job. 31:59 This study of the millennium, the first day of the millennium, 32:02 ladies and gentlemen, is the day that the devil 32:04 loses his job. 32:05 Now it's fair to ask, then, "What is the devils work?" 32:09 What is his Job? 32:11 Well, devil, the old enemy, is in charge of rape and riot and 32:17 murder and mayhem. 32:18 He's in charge of all kinds of bad weather and tsunami's and 32:21 earthquakes and terrible storms that come against 32:26 innocent people. 32:27 He's behind every bit of that. 32:29 He's behind the abusing of little children and the 32:31 battering of wives. 32:32 That's his work and that's his job. 32:34 But one day, by the grace of God, one day soon I hope, 32:38 it's going to forever come to an end. 32:40 And the work of the devil is going to be destroyed, 32:44 forever destroyed. 32:45 Now, we've raised a valid question. 32:49 When does the millennium begin? 32:51 And God doesn't give us a date, I think for good reason. 32:54 But He does give us an event. 32:56 An event that initiates, triggers, the 1000 year period. 33:00 So back to Revelation chapter 20 we go, and we take up 33:04 the reading then down at verse 6. 33:08 Revelation chapter 20 verse 6. 33:10 Here's the event that initiates the 1000 years. 33:16 Revelation 20 verse 6. 33:17 "Blessed and holy is he that has part in the 1st resurrection. " 33:24 There it is, my dears. 33:25 Underline that, if not in your Bibles, certainly in your minds 33:28 and in your notes. 33:29 "Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection. 33:33 On such the second death has no part, or no power. " 33:39 Every man ever blessed of God, every holy person, 33:42 is going to be made alive at this time in order to live 33:46 and reign with Christ during the 1000 years. 33:49 "Blessed and holy is he that has part in the 1st resurrection. " 33:53 And by the way, it goes on to say that during this 33:56 period of time, they're going to act as priests. 33:59 And I want to leave at this juncture, then, 34:01 a thought in your mind. 34:02 The job of a priest was never condemnatory. 34:08 The prophet had to sometimes spank the people a little bit 34:12 for God and give them a little bit of a tongue lashing. 34:15 But never the priest. 34:16 The priest was always the intercessor, he was always the 34:19 people's attorney. 34:20 When the folks were in trouble, he pled their case. 34:23 So I want you to remember that. 34:25 During the 1000 years, the saints of God are going to 34:28 act as priests. 34:29 They're going to be given a work of judgment 34:31 and they're going to act as priests. 34:34 Now, it is a matter of simple logic that if there is a 34:39 first resurrection, of necessity there must be at least a 34:43 second resurrection. 34:45 Okay, again leave a bookmark at Revelation chapter 20 34:48 and go with me now, though, to Acts chapter 24. 34:52 Acts chapter 24 find the apostle Paul ministering and preaching, 34:57 and we're going to read at verse 15. 35:01 Acts chapter 24 and verse 15. 35:04 "Have hope toward God," says Paul, "which they themselves 35:08 also allow, for there shall be a resurrection of the dead, 35:12 both of the just and the unjust. " 35:16 Now I want you to note a couple of things here folks. 35:19 I want you to notice that there are two resurrections. 35:23 And I want you to notice the order in which they happen. 35:26 The resurrection of the saints firstly, 35:28 and the resurrection of the lost or the unsaved secondly. 35:33 So we've had it from John in Revelation chapter 20, 35:36 now we have it from the apostle Paul in Acts chapter 24. 35:40 From here, we're going to go to John chapter 5. 35:44 Whom could we better ask about resurrections and their 35:46 number and their order than our Lord Jesus Himself. 35:49 The Bible says of Jesus that He is the 35:51 first fruit of resurrection. 35:53 That means that He is the paradigm, that He is 35:56 the supreme example. 35:58 And so, at John chapter 5 we're going to notice 36:02 verses 28 and 29. 36:04 Here's Jesus speaking, John chapter 5 verses 28 and 29. 36:09 Jesus said, "Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in which 36:13 all that are in the grave shall hear His voice 36:15 and they shall come forth. 36:16 They that have done good, in the resurrection of... " 36:18 Now help me please. 36:20 "... the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, 36:23 in the resurrection of damnation. " 36:27 And so here we have from Jesus Himself the teaching 36:30 of two resurrections. 36:31 And the first one is for the saints and the second one 36:35 is for the unsaved. 36:37 Now, I want you in your minds to go with me, 36:40 we need not turn there again, but I want you in your minds 36:44 because we've memorized these verse, 36:45 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 16-18. 36:50 You remember when we talked about the anti-christ, we said 36:52 these are the verses that save us from anti-christ. 36:54 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 beginning with verse 16. 36:59 "For the Lord Himself... " 37:00 Why don't you say it with me, you know the verses. 37:02 Come on, say it with me. 37:03 "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven 37:07 with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, 37:10 and the trump of God. 37:11 And the dead in Christ rise first. " 37:15 There it is again. 37:17 "Then we which are alive and remain, the generation alive 37:20 and ready to meet Jesus are caught up together with them 37:23 to meet our Lord... " 37:25 The three words that save us from anti-christ. 37:26 We meet Him where, in Rome, in Jerusalem? 37:28 Where do we meet Him? 37:30 "In the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 37:32 Wherefore, comfort one another with these words. " 37:36 So many have the mistaken notion that when Jesus comes back 37:39 and the millennium begins that He's going to rule here on 37:43 planet earth and a lot of folks are going to get a second 37:45 chance to be saved. 37:47 But that's not the case. 37:48 Our Lord Jesus is not going to touch a foot down to this sin 37:51 cursed earth for another 1000 years after the second coming. 37:56 "Blessed and holy is he that has part in the 1st resurrection. " 37:59 "Marvel not at this, for all that are in the grave 38:02 shall hear His voice. 38:03 Those that have done good, in the resurrection of eternity. 38:06 And those that have done evil, to the resurrection 38:08 of damnation. " 38:10 "Blessed and holy is he that has part in the 1st resurrection. " 38:16 Our Lord Jesus is not coming back, my dears, 38:18 to preach the gospel. 38:20 But rather, He's only going to come back after the gospel 38:23 has gone to the whole world, as He instructed the disciples 38:26 in His last words. 38:27 "Go into the whole world and preach the gospel 38:29 and as soon as the job is done, then I will come again. " 38:33 You see, He's not coming to preach the gospel, but only 38:37 after the gospel has been preached and everyone has 38:40 had the opportunity to make up his mind. 38:43 When my boy died, a wise Christian man, not a preacher, 38:47 but just a real wise Christian man, a man very close to Jesus 38:51 I believe, said this to me. 38:53 He said, "Lyle, God gives each of His children 38:58 all the time they need to make the choices 39:02 either right or wrong. " 39:11 Now follow this idea very carefully, ladies and gentlemen, 39:14 if you will please. 39:15 When Jesus comes back in His second coming, 39:19 with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, 39:22 there are going to be four classes of people on this earth. 39:29 Only just four. 39:32 And today, we're divided in so many ways and so 39:34 many different directions. 39:35 We have white and we have black, 39:37 and we have rich and we have poor, 39:39 we have educated and uneducated. 39:41 And you could go on down a long list. 39:43 But when Jesus comes back, there are only going 39:45 be four classes. 39:47 And I'm going to go down them just now with you. 39:50 There are going to be the righteous dead. 39:52 That means those who have died and gone into the grave 39:56 with their faith in Jesus Christ. 39:59 There are also going to be the righteous living. 40:03 Those who are alive and ready to meet Jesus, 40:05 caught up together with the righteous dead who's graves 40:07 have been opened. 40:08 And then there are going to be the wicked dead. 40:12 Those who have died with no faith in Jesus. 40:15 They've gone into a Christless, Godless grave. 40:19 And finally, number four. 40:20 There are going to be the wicked living. 40:23 The terminal generation that has not given its heart to Jesus, 40:26 that has not listened to the appeal of the Holy Spirit. 40:32 "Blessed and holy is he that has part in the 1st resurrection. " 40:36 That means then, by the abundance of evidence 40:39 that the unsaved, the lost are raised again at the... 40:44 are raised, rather I should have said, at the 40:47 second resurrection. 40:48 Now, it's not enough for me to just suggest it. 40:51 Let's go back to Revelation chapter 20 and we're 40:55 going to read it together. 40:56 Revelation chapter 20, this time at verse 5. 41:00 Revelation chapter 20 and now verse 5. 41:06 "The rest of the dead... " 41:07 Well let's pause there for just a moment 41:09 and refresh our memories. 41:10 In verse 4, we find the saints of God of all ages. 41:14 It says, "Blessed and holy are they," 41:16 of course down at verse 6. 41:17 But it says, "They sit upon thrones and the work of 41:20 judgment is given unto them. 41:21 And I saw the souls of those who had been martyred 41:24 for the witness of Jesus and those who'd refused to worship 41:27 the beast or his image. " 41:28 Oh and by the way, by the way. 41:32 If this passage was all that I had to know that there isn't 41:37 a second chance to get saved, to know that the beast 41:41 and all of the rest, the mark of the beast, comes before the 41:43 second coming of Jesus, if this was all the information I had, 41:47 this would be enough. 41:48 It's abundantly clear in this passage that before Jesus 41:52 comes back, His children have gotten victory over the beast 41:56 and refused the mark of the beast. 41:58 And they're made alive in order to be with Christ 42:01 during the 1000 years. 42:03 And then verse 5, "But the rest of the dead... " 42:05 That, of course, means the unsaved. 42:07 "The rest of the dead lived not until the 1000 years 42:11 are finished. " 42:12 Now, there is a little addendum to that verse 42:15 that has caused a problem in many minds 42:18 because it says, "This is the first resurrection. " 42:22 And I'm going to lift the cloud from your mind 42:25 if it's been a problem in yours. 42:27 Here it is. 42:28 In my Bible, for the sake of my own understanding, 42:32 until it was abundantly clear to me, as I'd study a lot of other 42:36 places, in my Bible, I put the first half of verse 5 42:40 in brackets or parenthesis. 42:42 Alright? 42:44 Okay? 42:46 The first half, "The rest of the dead, the unsaved lived not 42:49 again until the 1000 years are finished. " 42:50 That's in brackets. 42:52 And some of the newer translations, by the way, 42:54 put it in just the reverse order so that you don't need 42:57 to put the brackets there. 42:58 Not even in your mind. 43:00 Alright? 43:01 The unsaved, those that aren't sitting upon thrones, 43:05 don't live again until the 1000 years are over. 43:07 Brackets. 43:08 Now you remove the brackets and the final phrase is, 43:11 "These are of the first resurrection. " 43:14 That is a reference back to verse 4 where the saints 43:17 are seated on the thrones. 43:19 Do you have that now, do you have it in your minds? 43:21 Alright, we're ready then to go on. 43:26 Our Lord Jesus, to His best buddies in an upper room, said, 43:31 "I go to prepare a place for you. 43:33 And if I go, I will come again to receive you unto Myself, 43:36 that where I am, there you may be also. " 43:41 "I'm going to have to go now, but I'm going to 43:43 come back and get you. " 43:47 "In My Father's house are many mansions. " 43:53 Ladies and gentlemen, the Bible is a book 43:57 comprised of 66 separate books that were all written 44:02 by Orientals. 44:04 Now that causes some doubt in some minds because 44:06 traditionally, we think of the Orient as being Japan and China 44:10 and somewhere way out there in the Far East. 44:13 But the Orient begins on the eastern shores of the 44:17 Mediterranean sea. 44:18 And that's why we talk about the Holy Land as the Middle East 44:22 or the Near East, you see. 44:25 The Bible is written by Orientals. 44:28 And my purpose for saying that to you is 44:31 to point out that Orientals in some ways think differently 44:35 from Occidentals, or we Westerners. 44:38 And in many ways, they have different customs. 44:41 For instance, in the Middle East, in the Orient, 44:45 the Far East for that matter, when there is a marriage 44:48 the marriage supper, the celebration supper, 44:50 is without exception held in the home of the bridegroom. 44:55 Not the bride, but in the home of the bridegroom. 44:57 And I've noticed that here in the United States 45:00 that often that special meal is, if not held in the home 45:04 of the bridegroom, it is paid for by the grooms family. 45:08 You've noticed that to if you have a little boy that's 45:11 grown up and gotten married, haven't you. 45:12 Alright. 45:14 And so, that's what Jesus is talking about here 45:16 "I'm going to go and prepare the supper, 45:19 I'm going to prepare the mansions, and I'm going to 45:22 come back and take you to the Father's house 45:24 for the marriage supper of the Lamb. " 45:27 And we, you and I, all have the privilege of being there 45:31 and being a part of it. 45:34 Now, 45:38 I must make a statement again that I feel of great importance. 45:46 It does matter, ladies and gentlemen, what you believe 45:49 in this area of the millennium. 45:51 I believe that it can be a matter of life and death. 45:55 So many have this mistaken notion that there is 45:58 a second chance. 46:00 That Jesus comes and maybe secretly snatches away 46:02 the saints and then a little bit later He'll come back 46:05 and everybody gets another chance. 46:07 No, the Bible is abundantly clear. 46:10 And I'm only going to reference a couple of verses 46:12 for the want of time. 46:13 But in Revelation chapter 22 verses 11 and 12, 46:16 there Jesus just before He comes in the second coming 46:19 shouts out to the universe, "He that is filthy, 46:22 let him remain filthy. 46:24 He that is righteous, let him remain righteous. 46:29 He that is holy, let him stay holy. " 46:32 In other words, at that time, probation for all of 46:35 mankind closes and Jesus comes on the rescue mission. 46:39 That's why the apostle Paul, when he'd preach, would say, 46:42 "Behold, today if you hear His voice, 46:44 today don't harden your hearts. " 46:46 For this is our chance, ladies and gentlemen, 46:49 this is our one and only chance to do what is right. 46:54 And that's why I urge you, and that's why I've taken the time 46:57 just now to enforce again in your minds the importance 47:00 of following the truth that you understand. 47:02 When Jesus comes back again, I don't believe He's going to ask 47:05 what church you belong to. 47:06 He is going to ask, "Did you follow the truths 47:09 that I sent to you? 47:10 Did you do it?" 47:19 Now, ladies and gentlemen, I want to talk to you 47:23 a little bit about the reason behind the millennium 47:30 and the things that happen at its end. 47:39 In Revelation chapter 21, and we've spent a lot of time 47:43 studying those first 5 or 6 verses. 47:46 Revelation chapter 21 begins the story of what happens 47:51 at the end of the millennium, which is chapter 20. 47:54 And those who've made the break there have done the right thing, 47:57 theologically of course. 48:00 Chapter 21 verse 1, John, at the end of the 1000 years said, 48:05 "I saw a new heaven and a new earth. 48:07 The first heaven and the first earth are passed away, 48:09 there was no more sea. 48:10 And I saw the New Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down 48:13 from God out of heaven prepared as a bride 48:15 adorned for her husband. " 48:18 And there's no more sorrow, no more suffering, no more pain. 48:22 So now watch. 48:23 At the end of the thousand years, the holy city 48:26 comes down from God out of heaven. 48:28 The saints of all time are inside the city. 48:32 For those that were dead when Jesus came back 48:35 in His second coming have been made alive. 48:37 They've heard the call of the life-giver, 48:39 they've come out of their graves. 48:41 And those that were alive and saved and anxious to meet Jesus 48:45 are caught up together, raptured if you please, 48:48 to meet the Lord in the air and they've gone to the 48:49 Father's house for 1000 years. 48:52 On the other hand, the unsaved who were dead when Jesus 48:57 came back, the wicked dead didn't hear the call 49:00 of the life-giver. 49:01 They didn't hear the voice of Jesus, they have slept on. 49:06 They've remain dead. 49:07 The rest of the dead lived not again until the 49:09 1000 years are over. 49:10 That leaves us just one segment of the four classes that we 49:14 mentioned at the outset. 49:16 And that is the wicked living. 49:19 What happens to them? 49:21 In 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 8, it's abundantly clear. 49:25 And you "A" students will note it down. 49:27 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 8, it's very clear there 49:31 that they are destroyed by the brightness of His coming. 49:36 And so, the wicked that are alive when Jesus comes in the 49:39 second coming are killed by the brightness of His coming. 49:43 And that, then, leaves on planet earth, whom? 49:48 Who's here? 49:50 No one to tempt, no one to deceive. 49:51 You see, from the very beginning of his being cast out of heaven, 49:55 the devil has been doing two things. 49:57 He's been running around tempting the saints 49:59 and deceiving the lost. 50:00 Tempting the saints, deceiving the lost. 50:02 But during the 1000 years, both classes are gone. 50:06 The saints, those who were dead and heard the voice of the 50:08 life-giver, they were raised. 50:10 And those that were alive and ready were caught up together 50:12 with them to meet the Lord in the air. 50:13 They're taken to the Father's house for the 1000 years. 50:15 And the unsaved that were dead, didn't hear the voice of the 50:19 life-giver, they stay dead. 50:22 And those that were alive and unsaved were destroyed by the 50:25 brightness of His coming. 50:26 And now the earth becomes a great cemetery. 50:29 It says in the Greek, the abussos. 50:31 And some translations say it just that way, the abyss. 50:34 And that simply means, a desolate place. 50:38 And the old prophet would say, "I looked, and low I saw 50:41 no man and the place, the earth, was made desolate. " 50:46 Jeremiah 25 verse 33 for those of you "A" students. 50:49 Jeremiah 25:33 50:51 He said, the day of the Lord, the earth was desolate 50:56 from one end to the other. 50:58 "They were not," the dead he said, "were not lamented 51:01 nor were they gathered or buried. " 51:02 Why not? 51:03 Because there was no one left here to bury them 51:05 or to cry over them. 51:07 You see? 51:08 The unsaved are all dead and the saints are all gone to the 51:12 Father's house for the 1000 years. 51:15 And then, at the end of the 1000 years, the holy city 51:17 comes down and there comes the resurrection of the unsaved. 51:21 Revelation 20 verse 5, "The rest of the dead live not again 51:24 until the 1000 years are over. " 51:26 The third thing that happens now automatically, 51:29 the chains that have bound the devil, not literal chains 51:32 of course, but symbolic, chains of circumstances 51:34 as someone has rightly said, are now removed. 51:37 For both classes are here again. 51:39 The saints of all ages are inside the city. 51:42 And the unsaved are made alive again. 51:45 And we're going to go to chapter 20 again to read what happens. 51:49 Revelation chapter 20, we're going to take up the 51:52 reading now at verse 7. 51:54 Chapter 20 of Revelation and verse 7. 52:05 "When the 1000 years were over, Satan was loosed out of 52:08 his prison and he went out to deceive the nations which were 52:11 in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, 52:13 to gather them to battle, the number of whom 52:16 is like the sand of the sea. 52:18 And they went upon the breadth of the earth and they circled 52:21 the camp of the saints about and that beloved city. 52:23 And then fire came down and devoured them. " 52:27 Burned them up. 52:28 And there, ladies and gentlemen, is hellfire. 52:30 There it is. 52:31 There's no one burning in hell tonight. 52:34 That then brings us to the reason for the 1000 years. 52:39 It's not just a happy round figure God pulls out of a hat. 52:43 But rather, there is purpose for it. 52:46 I want you to imagine with me that it's resurrection morning. 52:52 The first resurrection. 52:54 And the graves are opening, the graves of the saved. 52:56 Here and there and everywhere. 52:58 And out comes a mother and there's her husband. 53:01 And she throws here arms around him, "Danny, I knew you were 53:04 saved too, I knew it. " 53:06 And then their daughter runs to throw her arms around 53:08 both mom and dad. 53:09 "Mary, oh what a day. What a day. 53:13 We filled our lungs with the breath of eternal life. 53:16 Oh, thank you Jesus. 53:18 Son, Johnny, son?" 53:22 But John's grave didn't open. 53:26 And now you know how mother feels. 53:30 "I can't leave you, son. 53:33 Wake up, Johnny. 53:34 It's time to be caught up to meet Jesus. 53:37 Get up. " 53:44 And I believe, there are going to be some tears shed during 53:46 that time, for the promise of God to wipe away every tear 53:50 is found in chapter 21 at the end of the millennium. 53:55 And now I see an angel with a big book come to John's mother. 54:01 And I can see him saying, "Mother, come with me to a 54:05 quiet place, we've got to talk. " 54:07 And this is John's guardian angel, but he's also 54:11 the recording angel assigned to John the moment of his birth. 54:17 And he and the mother sit down in a quiet place 54:19 and the angel opens the book and asks mother, 54:22 "Do you remember this day, do you remember?" 54:24 "Oh of course, he was such a sweet pink little thing. 54:27 Looked just like his daddy. I'll always remember, yes. " 54:30 "But do you remember this day, mom?" 54:32 "Oh yes, I don't know what got into him. 54:35 His dad begged him not to. Yes, I remember that. " 54:40 "But mother, you didn't know this. " 54:42 "Oh, not my boy. " 54:50 "Mother, you didn't know about this, did you?" 54:57 What do you suppose it is, what do you suppose it is, 55:00 my dears, that dries the tears of the saints? 55:03 A magical surgery performed on tear ducts? 55:06 No, but rather God, out of His great heart of love, 55:10 has set aside 1000 years to answer every question. 55:15 Revelation 20 is abundantly clear that the books were opened 55:18 and the unsaved, during the millennium, were judged 55:22 out of the record of those books. 55:25 And at the end of that study, the priestly work of folks 55:30 pleading the case of another, little mother, "Oh, my boy John, 55:34 he should be alive. 55:35 Johnny should be alive. " 55:38 And at the end of the study, at the last page of the record 55:43 of John's life, the mother is going to say to Jesus, 55:46 to the Father, and to the guardian angel, 55:48 "I understand now, John would have never fit in here. 55:52 He would have been so out of place here. 55:53 God was right by leaving him out of the kingdom. " 56:01 Don't refuse the pardon of Jesus, my dears. 56:04 There's going to be some folks in heaven who wouldn't 56:06 be comfortable there. 56:07 They'd be out of place there because they don't 56:10 want the pardon. 56:11 They're going to refuse it. 56:20 And after the records have been studied 56:23 and the saints have given their permission, 56:27 then there comes the second resurrection, 56:30 the resurrection of the unsaved, 56:34 and the final obliteration or the cleansing of planet earth. 56:38 The final fire. 56:39 Can you imagine what it would be to hear the voice of 56:43 the life-giver, the call that wakens the dead? 56:46 Can you imagine what it would be to come out of the grave 56:49 only to discover that you're 1000 years too late. 56:56 Said a poet, "I dreamed that the great judgment morning 57:00 had dawned and the trumpet had blown. 57:03 And I dreamed that the nations had gathered for judgment 57:07 before the white throne. 57:09 At the throne, there stood a bright shining angel. 57:13 He stood on the land and the sea 57:15 and swore with his hand raised toward heaven that time 57:19 was no longer to be. 57:21 And, oh, what a weeping and wailing as the lost were 57:25 told of their fate. 57:26 And they cried for the rocks and the mountains and they prayed. 57:30 But their prayer was too late. " 57:34 Now let us pray. 57:37 Lord, tonight as we study Your millennium, we see Your love 57:40 and Your mercy. 57:42 Not willing that any should perish but that all 57:46 should accept Your righteousness and Your grace. 57:49 We're quite sure, Lord, that You've extended, 57:52 beyond reason, probation. 57:55 We're so thankful that these, night after night after night, 57:57 have been making the positive choices, 57:59 choosing Your truths and following them. 58:02 And then, Lord, at the same time, we want ask 58:05 that You hasten the day of Your coming. 58:07 We need You so. 58:10 Please hurry back for us. 58:13 Please come to open the graves of our loved ones 58:17 and catch us up together with them to meet You in the air. 58:20 And so shall we ever be with You, dear Lord. 58:23 In Jesus' name we praise you, then. 58:26 Amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17