Participants: Ivor Myers (Host), James Rafferty (Host), Yvonne Lewis, Jason Bradley
Series Code: SISS
Program Code: SISS000070A
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00:30 Absolutely, I think this is great...
00:32 Revelation chapter 20... we are almost finished, 00:35 Revelation 20... then 21 and 22 00:37 and we've covered most of Revelation 20, if not all of it 00:40 but I think it would be good for us to revisit it 00:43 and just to summarize a little bit here 00:45 and share a new thought that kind of came to us 00:48 in the last, you know, few hours... 00:50 and just before we move into Revelation 21 and 22 00:53 and I think in 22, we're going to summarize... 00:56 we'll just kind of summarize everything we've learned... 00:59 bring it altogether... as well as we can 01:02 and just finish it up so we're almost finished. 01:04 Yvonne: Wow! what an amazing journey. 01:06 James: What's... that many programs or something, it has... 01:08 and we've been learning as we've been going 01:11 we'll talk about that after we have a word of prayer, 01:13 Yvonne, would you like to pray for us? 01:14 Sure, "Father God, this been such a wonderful journey 01:17 and we thank you so much for your Holy Spirit 01:20 that has led us, guided us through this book of Revelation 01:24 we just pray right now that you'll continue to do that 01:28 that we will have new, fresh insights 01:30 and that we will be able to... not just be hearers 01:33 but doers of the Word as well, 01:35 thank you for our teachers... our family... our 3ABN Family... 01:41 Dare to Dream Family, Lord, 01:43 and help us to all, one day, stand on the sea of glass 01:47 and see Your face, 01:48 we thank you Lord, in Jesus' name, amen. " 01:50 "Amen. " 01:51 So, this morning I woke up 01:54 a little bit dissatisfied from yesterday... 01:57 I was thinking about one of the verses we read 02:00 in Revelation chapter 20, 02:01 it's Revelation 20 and verse 10, 02:03 and it says, "And the devil that deceived them 02:05 was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, 02:07 where the beast and the false prophet are, 02:09 and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. " 02:12 "Where the Beast and the False Prophet are... " 02:14 and then I remembered verse 20 02:18 of the previous chapter... chapter 19, 02:21 it says that when Christ comes "the beast was taken, 02:26 and with him the false prophet 02:27 that wrought miracles before him, 02:29 with which he deceived them 02:30 that had received the mark of the beast, 02:32 and them that worshipped his image. 02:34 These were both cast alive 02:35 into a lake burning with fire and brimstone... " 02:37 which is a little different from the rest of the people 02:39 who are slain... but these two entities... 02:44 these two powers are cast alive in the lake of burning fire 02:47 and then in chapter 20... after the thousand years... 02:50 after the resurrection of the wicked 02:52 when all the wicked surround the city, 02:54 this is after the saints have been in heaven with Christ 02:57 for a thousand years and the judgment has taken place 02:58 and the books have been opened, 03:00 they're resurrected, they surround the city 03:02 and the devil himself is taken, he's cast in the lake of fire 03:06 where the Beast and the False Prophet already are 03:08 and for years, I've struggled, people have asked me... 03:11 "Are they... how come they're... 03:12 why does this happen at the second coming" 03:14 and yesterday we talked about... 03:15 well, chapter 19 is kind of taking us 03:18 all the way down past the 1,000 years 03:20 and that was good but this morning I woke up 03:23 and God gave me a blessing, 03:25 I mean it was a blessing because I thought, 03:27 "Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute... " 03:28 and so, I asked Ivor, I said, "Ivor... " 03:29 this morning I said, "Ivor, what is the beast... 03:32 what is the beast?" 03:34 Ivor: It's a System. 03:35 James: It's a System... and what is this False Prophet? 03:38 Ivor: It's a System... James: It's a System... 03:39 because they line up with the beast... 03:41 the Papal System in Revelation 13... 03:43 the False Prophet... 03:44 the second beast that rises up out of the earth 03:46 in Revelation 13... 03:47 they line up with those two entities 03:50 so these Systems are actually thrown into the Lake of Fire, 03:53 they are burned up at the second coming of Jesus... 03:55 I was like, "Whoa, that just makes sense" 03:58 see, when Christ comes again there's... 04:01 He comes with flaming fire taking vengeance... 04:04 and the wicked are destroyed by the brightness of His coming 04:07 and they're going to be resurrected but they're not... 04:09 they're not given to the flames 04:10 but the Systems are given to the flames 04:12 and so... but Satan isn't... Satan is not given to the flames 04:16 he doesn't join them until after the thousand years. 04:18 And that's why in Jeremiah 4... 04:20 we read it in our last program where it's talking about 04:23 how when Christ comes again, 04:25 the earth is going to be desolate 04:27 but it's not a full end, right. James: Yes, right. 04:30 Ivor: So it's not a full end so what happens is... 04:32 He comes... He comes in fire... 04:34 fire's going to fall on the earth 04:35 but in a symbolic sense, the Beast and the False Prophet 04:39 which are symbols... right... 04:41 they are destroyed... 04:43 there's no more apostate Protestantism as a System 04:46 so even when we go back to Revelation chapter 13 verse 4 04:52 where it talks about "the deadly wound" 04:54 right, that deadly wound... right, verse 3... 04:57 it's a deadly wound, it was the System that was being wounded 05:02 right, it wasn't... everyone in the System 05:05 received the deadly wound... 05:06 the System itself was wounded... 05:07 James: Separated... 05:09 the Civil Power was separated from the Church State. 05:12 Ivor: Right, so it ceased "to be" but it "still was. " 05:15 right, so the same thing with what we're reading here 05:18 is that the beast as a System is destroyed 05:22 by the brightness of His coming. 05:24 James: Hmmm... hmmm... he's given to the flames... 05:25 burned up... and same with the False Prophet... that System, 05:29 but Satan himself is still alive for the 1,000 years 05:32 and he walks the earth looking at and beholding 05:36 the desolation... which is going to be torture to him 05:37 beholding the desolation of all of his work... 05:40 of all his genius. 05:41 Ivor: So, so, when the Bible says that he... 05:45 at the end of the 1,000 years he deceives the whole world 05:50 they're now called "Gog and Magog" 05:53 that's the title that's given to them 05:55 and Gog and Magog... 05:57 we didn't actually cover this in our last program 05:59 but Gog and Magog takes us back to the book of Ezekiel 28 06:03 and he uses these two nations that were basically 06:07 coming against God's people. 06:10 Gog and Magog is just a symbolic term... 06:13 people are like, "Well is Gog... is this Russia and China?" 06:15 "Is it...?" no, Gog and Magog... 06:17 when the Bible says that he went out to gather 06:20 these people from the four quarters of the earth... 06:24 four quarters make one whole, 06:28 so Gog and Magog is simply the symbolic name 06:31 for the whole wicked world, that come against God's people. 06:35 Exactly, so that's who they're facing at the end of time. 06:40 Gog and Magog... no longer... 06:42 the Beast and the False Prophet have been destroyed as a System 06:46 at the second coming of Christ. 06:48 So, I think it's really important here just to pause 06:52 and let our Viewers know that we don't know everything 06:56 and there are questions that you're going to have 06:59 when you read inside the book of Revelation like, 07:01 for example, I've been asked this question for years 07:04 about Revelation chapter 19, "Well how come the beast... 07:07 and... well... how does that work?" 07:09 And I didn't have a good answer 07:10 and even when we came to the program yesterday, 07:12 I was talking with Ivor and I said, 07:13 "Ivor, do you have a good answer for this because I don't really" 07:15 and then this morning it clicks... 07:17 which is a gift from God 07:19 because I don't have a good answer, 07:22 I've never had a good answer, so the Holy Spirit... 07:24 your spending that time with the Lord, and all of a sudden, boom! 07:26 the Holy Spirit just teaches you... 07:27 He's boom... this is... 07:28 but it has to line up with the Scriptures. 07:32 See, I can't just say, "Well, this is how it is... " 07:34 No, I know that because in the Bible 07:37 especially when it describes the second coming of Christ 07:40 over and over again, it says in 2nd Peter chapter 3 07:42 and 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2, 07:44 it says that when Christ comes He's coming with a flaming fire, 07:48 the fire is going to consume the earth, 07:50 the fire is... so I know that's going to happen 07:52 and so, taking that to Revelation, 07:54 "Oh, they're given to the flames they're given to the fire... 07:57 they're destroyed and what are they?" 07:59 They're Systems that are destroyed when Christ comes 08:01 but Satan isn't destroyed, he's chained up 08:04 that's why he doesn't join them until after the 1,000 years 08:07 now, Revelation 19 verse 20 08:09 and Revelation 20 verse 10 make perfect sense... 08:14 they mesh together. 08:16 I think it's really important for our Viewers to understand 08:19 that when we came into this, 08:22 we came in like, "Okay, we... we got it... 08:25 well, at least we know what we're going to say... " 08:27 and through the programs we've come to a place 08:30 where we're like, "Ah... " 08:32 so we've been learning ourselves... 08:33 that's what we want our Viewers to understand 08:37 when you go to the book it's a learning process 08:41 and the more you study, the more you learn, 08:44 the more you're able to connect these pieces and 08:46 that's the most important thing... 08:48 so even if you're going through the Program 08:49 and you're like, "You know what? 08:50 I'm still not getting this particular point... 08:53 or that particular point," keep going over it, 08:56 it might take months, it might take years, 08:59 we've been doing this for years and we're still like, 09:02 "Ah... " the more we do it, it's the clearer it becomes 09:05 and so, just sharing a real moment like this 09:09 where we're like, "Yeah, you know what? 09:11 we have kind of struggled with this... " 09:13 I think, you know, would encourage our Viewers. 09:16 Yvonne: Absolutely! 09:18 Ivor: Yeah, it's okay to struggle. 09:19 Jason: It's comforting because I'm sitting here like, 09:21 "Man! these guys got it... " 09:22 and so it's comforting to know that there are things 09:27 that you guys are still figuring out too. 09:29 Yvonne: And it's also good to know 09:31 that the Holy Spirit just keeps He keeps giving... 09:34 if you hang in there and try to learn this, 09:38 He will give you fresh manna, 09:40 fresh manna. 09:42 Ivor: So, I think we should get into this ending 09:46 of Revelation chapter 20 which speaks about 09:49 the wicked being cast into the Lake of Fire 09:52 so let's go to Revelation 20 and verse 13 and 14, 09:59 actually let's read verse 13 through to 15. 10:03 Okay, "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; 10:07 and death and hell delivered up the dead 10:09 which were in them: and they were judged 10:11 every man according to their works. 10:12 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. 10:15 This is the second death. 10:17 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life 10:20 was cast into the lake of fire. 10:21 Hmmm... 10:23 So this is the quote, 10:27 the final act of God and some- where in the book of Isaiah 10:32 it calls this act, "His strange act. " 10:36 Yvonne: Yes. James: Isaiah 29... 10:37 Ivor: Isaiah 29... He's... you know, the Bible says, 10:40 "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked 10:42 turn yourselves and live. " 10:44 This is not something that God enjoys to do 10:48 in fact, there's a story in the Bible 10:53 that talks about a king named David 10:58 and how he had a son named Absalom 11:01 you remember Absalom was beautiful 11:04 but there was something else... 11:07 so here you have the story of a father and his son... 11:11 and his son is... the one that... he made the son 11:16 but this son turns against the one who made him 11:21 and what does he do? 11:23 He's standing at the gates, right, 11:24 if you read the story... 11:25 he stands at the gates and he's trying to... 11:28 he's trying to form a... this rebellion. 11:30 James: And draw the people to him. 11:31 Ivor: And draw the people to him. 11:32 "Man, I would be a better Leader and the one who leads you. " 11:35 James: "I'll answer your questions, 11:37 I'll take care of everything. " 11:38 Ivor: "I'll take care... " exactly. 11:40 And Man, what a picture! 11:41 This one who was beautiful, 11:42 it says, Absalom was just amazing to look at... 11:45 stunning to look at. 11:47 Hey Man! that reminds me of another story, Lucifer... 11:51 and so, look at this, when Absalom is doing this 11:54 getting these people to rebel against his father, 11:58 and his father is still like, 12:00 "No, don't destroy him, don't, don't, don't don't... " 12:02 and his soldiers are like, "We don't get this, 12:05 why do you want to... 12:06 we know he's your son but why do you...? 12:08 Well anyway, what happens is they end up killing Absalom 12:11 and David responds, 12:14 David's response is just mind-boggling 12:19 at least to his soldiers. 12:21 James: They can't comprehend it. 12:23 Ivor: They can't comprehend why... 12:25 "Why are you weeping over your son... 12:27 he was trying to... take you out. " 12:29 And I believe in that picture we kind of get a glimpse 12:33 of the heart of God towards the wicked. 12:35 Hmmm... hmmm... 12:36 You know, these people are trying to take Him out... 12:38 this is... God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked 12:42 and I think... even as He looks at the one that he created, 12:46 you know what I'm saying... 12:48 this was you who are closest in my presence 12:52 there's something in the heart of God that's like... 12:55 just like David... you know what I mean? 13:00 And so, first of all what we need to understand 13:03 is that this destruction of the wicked is not God like... 13:06 "Yes, ah ha! the moment I've been waiting for" 13:09 that's not who God is, that's not how He operates, 13:13 God is love and so as we begin to consider this idea 13:17 of God destroying the wicked in fire, 13:19 you know, one of the questions that people ask most often is... 13:23 "Okay, why does He do this? 13:25 because this is just... this sounds horrendous" 13:28 but there's something I want us to understand... so... 13:31 this Lake of Fire... what is it? 13:33 When we find this out, 13:35 it totally changes our picture of who God is. 13:38 In fact, to me... this is the greatest picture of love 13:41 that I find almost anywhere in the Bible. 13:44 Hebrews chapter 12, 13:46 let's go to Hebrews chapter 12 very quickly. 13:48 and verse 29. 13:50 Hebrews 12 verse 29, let's have someone read that. 13:55 "For our God is a consuming fire. " 13:58 Okay, the Bible says, 14:00 "Our God... is a consuming fire. " 14:03 there is something quite amazing about that verse, 14:06 can I have someone else go to Song of Solomon... 14:10 Song of Solomon... chapter 8 and verses 6 through 8. 14:13 So, God is a fire... why is God a fire? 14:16 That's what we're about to find out in this next verse 14:19 so, Song of Solomon chapter 8... 14:23 pause... 14:26 verses 6... actually verses 6 and 7. 14:35 "Set me as a seal upon thine heart, 14:40 as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; 14:44 jealousy is cruel as the grave: 14:48 the coals thereof are coals of fire, 14:50 which has a most vehement flame. " 14:52 Ivor: Okay, so, "many waters... " 14:54 James: "Many waters cannot quench love, 14:56 neither can the floods drown it: 14:57 if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, 15:00 it would utterly be condemned. " 15:01 Ivor: So, check this out, 15:03 in the Bible, fire is a symbol of what? 15:06 Love. 15:08 Why does God manifest Himself as fire? 15:11 Because He's love. 15:12 Fire is heaven's "love language" 15:15 the reason why God appears as fire 15:18 is not because He's like, "Hey, I want to scare people away" 15:21 no, this is heaven, this is a symbol of love in heaven. 15:25 You've ever been in love? 15:27 Yeah, and it's interesting because people say, 15:33 "Oh, we got to rekindle the flame... " 15:36 Ivor: That's right... that's right. 15:38 Yvonne: Wow! James: Holy Spirit... fire... 15:41 presence of God in the burning bush... fire... 15:43 "I'm going to baptize you with fire... " 15:45 When you look at a fire... now, I love to camp... 15:48 I love to camp... so I go out camping on a lake 15:51 and at night time, we build a fire 15:54 and I can sit in front of that fire for hours... 15:57 when you look at a fire, it's warmth... 16:00 it's mesmerizing... it's just... it draws you... 16:03 you just look at the flame burning 16:04 and that's why in Revelation it says, 16:06 "His eyes are as the eyes of fire... " 16:08 burning like a fire... not because it's bad... 16:11 Ivor: That sounds scary, like, "I don't want to look... " 16:13 but what He's saying is, 16:15 "Man! the passion that I have for you... 16:17 I want you to see it in my eyes. " 16:20 James: And it's comforting... it's drawing... 16:21 and it's... you can just look in... 16:22 what I'm talking about right? Yvonne: Yeah. 16:24 James: You look into a fire and you're just... 16:25 "Oooh... " because... I've made... 16:27 it's scary because we have a stove... 16:29 a wood stove in our house, 16:30 when I get up in the morning, I start a fire 16:32 and my problem is, 16:34 I can be sitting there looking at that fire... 16:35 I'm like, "No, I need to be doing my devotions... 16:37 I need to be... " you know... 16:38 because I'm just caught up looking at the fire. 16:40 Ivor: So fire... when you're in love... 16:44 you feel the fire in your heart, 16:46 right, so, I want you to think about this... 16:49 the Bible describes heaven as a city of fire 16:52 right, so there's a sea of glass mingled with... fire 16:56 who wants to stand on the sea of glass mingled with fire 16:58 James: Yeah, see... 17:00 Ivor: Wait... wait a minute, you know what I'm saying? 17:02 If you want to stand on the sea of glass mingled with fire, 17:04 you'd better be... "fire proof" 17:07 you'd better be able to stand in the fire and not be... what? 17:11 All: Burned... Ivor: not be consumed... 17:13 God says, "I will allow you to sit in my throne" 17:16 guess what? God's throne is a throne of fire 17:19 his wheels... as burning fire, his angels as ministering flames 17:23 so, heaven is this city of fire, why? 17:26 Because it's all love... it's love. 17:28 So, check this out, when God created Adam and Eve, 17:32 they had no sin on them, 17:34 they were able to stand in His burning presence 17:38 without being afraid... 17:39 they, you know, but when they sinned... 17:43 guess what? They became afraid of the fire. 17:46 So, when He comes to them in the garden... 17:49 what are they doing? 17:50 they're hiding themselves, why? 17:52 Because they're afraid of the fire. 17:54 So God's plan now 17:56 God is like... "Okay, we've got to find some way 17:59 to get mankind to the place 18:01 where he can again stand in my presence 18:04 and not be... what? Consumed. 18:06 So the burning bush... 18:08 Moses was like, "Wait a minute... 18:11 how is it that this bush burns but is not consumed?" 18:14 God was like, "Hey, Moses, I just want to let you know 18:17 this... this symbol of the burning bush... 18:19 I want you to understand that 18:21 this is my alternate goal for man. 18:22 I want man to be able to stand in my presence again 18:26 and not be afraid of the fire. " 18:27 James: When he came down from the mountain, 18:29 they couldn't even look at his face. 18:30 Ivor: They couldn't even look at his face. 18:31 James: They're like, "Awww... awww... " 18:33 Yvonne: That's right, that's right. 18:34 James: That's not God... that's someone 18:35 who's been in His presence. Yvonne: Right. 18:37 Ivor: Remember Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 18:38 what happened to them? 18:40 James: That's what I was thinking about this whole time. 18:41 Ivor: Then they were cast... 18:43 James: Don't take too much... I'm coming back for that. 18:45 Ivor: Yeah, look, they were cast into this fiery furnace 18:51 and what happened? 18:52 What happened to the guys that threw them in? 18:54 Yvonne: They got consumed. 18:56 Ivor: They weren't... what? Fire proof... 18:59 Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego... 19:01 they were thrown into the fire 19:03 and it has no power over them... why? 19:05 Because the Son of God was in there with them. 19:09 So, when we take all this back to 19:13 what happens with the wicked at the end of time, 19:16 God is saying, "Listen, you can't... 19:19 I will not allow you into heaven 19:23 because I love you too much, 19:25 because if I let you into heaven, 19:28 you would be tormented forever. 19:32 You would be running from... it would be eternal torture" 19:37 what God is telling us is that it's not the wicked 19:43 that burn forever, 19:44 it's the righteous that burn forever. 19:49 Yvonne: Wow! I see... 19:51 Ivor: Look at Isaiah 33... 19:53 James: That's the one I was thinking of. 19:54 Ivor: Go check it out. Yvonne: Wow! 19:56 James: Isaiah 33... Yvonne: 33 what verse? 20:01 Ivor: Verse... ah... um... 14... I think. 20:07 James: I got it marked right here... it's verse 14. 20:08 Ivor: Yes, you want to read it. 20:10 Yvonne: Sure, "The sinners in Zion are afraid; 20:12 fearfulness has seized the hypocrites. 20:14 Who among us shall dwell with a devouring fire? 20:17 Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? 20:20 He who walks righteously... " 20:22 Ivor: Okay, wait... wait... wait... wait... wait... 20:24 Yvonne: Wow! 20:25 Ivor: What? hold on... hold on... 20:27 wait a minute... hold on... 20:30 James: "In the presence of the holy angels 20:32 and in the presence of the Lamb. " 20:33 Ivor: Wait a minute... I thought it's the wicked 20:35 that are going to dwell with everlasting burnings. 20:37 Wait, what? The Bible just said, what? 20:39 That it's the righteous? 20:41 James: It doesn't say that yet because you said, 20:44 "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait... " 20:48 so far the question is being asked... 20:50 now Yvonne is going to tell us who... 20:52 Yvonne: "He who walks righteously 20:54 and speaks uprightly, 20:55 he who despises the gain of oppressions, 20:58 who gestures with his hands refusing bribes, 21:01 who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed 21:03 and shuts his eyes from seeing evil; 21:06 he will dwell on high: 21:09 his place of defense would be the fortress of rocks: 21:12 bread will be given him; his waters will be sure. " 21:15 Ivor: So it's the righteous who stand in the presence of... 21:19 James: Verse 17 though... 21:20 Yvonne: "Your eye will see the king in his beauty: 21:24 they will see the land that is very far off. " 21:27 James: The King in His beauty is dwelling 21:28 in the everlasting flames. Ivor: Exactly... 21:30 James: the King in His beauty 21:31 is dwelling in the everlasting flames. 21:33 they will see the land that is very far off. 21:35 Ivor: In... I believe it's Isaiah, I'm sorry... Ezekiel 21:39 where Ezekiel catches a vision of God, 21:42 and he says, "Fire was coming forth from Him... " 21:46 a stream of fire, right, so, for the righteous, 21:50 oh man! this is beautiful, right, 21:54 but the wicked... they were not prepared for fire... why? 21:58 This is the reason why God wants to baptize us with fire 22:01 because if He baptizes us with fire, now... 22:04 yeah, we're ready for fire when He comes. 22:07 So I always give this example, when my son was little, 22:12 Joshua, he wanted to dress just like me. 22:16 Anytime he looked like me... he dressed like me, 22:19 he lost his mind... lost... 22:22 "Dad, you're wearing jeans and I'm wearing jeans, 22:25 you've got on a T-shirt and I've got on a T-shirt... " 22:29 and he would just be like... I mean... 22:31 he would just... he wanted to look just like his dad, right, 22:35 so guess what? 22:36 Jesus baptizes with fire 22:40 because He wants us to look like the Father. 22:44 Yvonne: Come on now, come on now. 22:45 Ivor: So when Jesus comes in the clouds, 22:47 and we see Him... we'll be like... 22:50 fire... fire... 22:56 James: Hmmm... hmmm... Yvonne: Wow! 22:57 Ivor: God is trying to get us on fire now, 23:00 so that we can stand in His presence then. 23:03 So when the wicked... remember at the end of the millennium, 23:06 when the wicked see the righteous standing 23:09 in the city of glory, 23:11 they're going to be like, "Wait a minute... 23:13 how is it that they stand in that... and are not... " what? 23:18 James: Consumed. Ivor: Consumed. 23:19 And God is going to have to explain to them, 23:22 "Listen, if I were to let you into heaven, 23:24 it would be eternal torment for you. " 23:26 And so, you know what He does? 23:28 I like to say it this way, 23:30 "With His great big arms of fire, 23:32 He embraces the wicked one final time... " 23:36 and in that embrace, the wicked will feel... 23:39 this is not God saying, "I hate you... " 23:42 This is God saying, 23:44 "This is what heaven would be like 23:47 if you were in my presence" 23:49 and so the wicked will feel the fire... it's real... 23:53 they will feel... they will pay for their sins... 23:56 however long that may be, we can talk about that 24:00 but in that punishment, they will feel, 24:02 "Yes, yes, I get it now, 24:04 if I were to enter that place, forever, 24:07 this is what I would experience, 'Lord put me out... please... '" 24:10 and He does the merciful thing 24:11 after they have suffered for their sins, 24:15 He allows them to become ashes. 24:18 James: Hmmm... hmmm... Yvonne: Hmmm... 24:21 James: And Isaiah 28 brings this out... 24:23 that's a verse that we don't have a lot of time to go into... 24:27 but that's a verse that will help our Viewers 24:28 to understand what it means 24:30 when it says in Revelation 20 it says in verse 13, 24:33 "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; 24:36 and death and hell... " 24:38 that word "hell" means Hades or the grave... 24:39 Ivor: It's not a burning place. 24:42 James: Right, "delivered up the dead which were in them... " 24:43 and then they're cast into this Lake of Fire 24:45 which you just described... 24:46 "They were judged... " 24:47 and that word "judged" means punished... in the Greek, 24:49 they were punished every man according to their works 24:51 because, according to Isaiah 28 and it would start here with 24:57 verse 14 and you'd read all the way through 25:01 to verse 21... which describes this as a "strange act," 25:05 according to Isaiah 28, the foundation stone is Jesus 25:09 and everyone is... their agreement with death 25:13 and the grave is annulled, 25:14 they are resurrected from the grave... Isaiah 28 is saying 25:16 and they see this report and the report is 25:19 the Plan of Salvation, the books are opened, 25:21 the Lamb's Book of Life is opened, 25:23 and their record is opened and according to Romans chapter 2, 25:25 they'd been treasuring up wrath against this day of wrath 25:28 in the righteous revelation of the judgment of God 25:31 so God gives this righteous revelation of His love, 25:33 which embraces him 25:35 because the cross is an embrace of the whole world in love 25:39 but that embrace has been rejected 25:42 and they feel uncomfortable and it burns... it hurts... 25:45 and so, this embrace hurts 25:47 because in contrast to this embrace 25:50 that God reveals to them through the Plan of Salvation 25:52 that includes everyone, 25:54 they see their works, 25:55 they see their unrighteousness, they see their rejection... 25:58 and so, that contrast is just tearing them up... 26:03 it's torturing them... they can't believe that they... 26:05 why didn't they? How come? 26:07 And yet, at the same time they don't want... they can't... 26:10 and they recognize this as Ivor said, 26:11 I love the way you said that, 26:13 they recognize that God is indeed being merciful 26:16 in ending their lives 26:18 because they would be tortured for eternity 26:22 if they were to be in that City. 26:23 Ivor: Yeah, it's important to make this point, 26:25 that it's the fire that is everlasting... not the wicked... 26:29 James: Not the punishment. 26:30 Ivor: In other words, the wicked don't... yeah... 26:32 the wicked don't... 26:34 what's everlasting is the fire 26:36 so when we read all those verses about everlasting fire, 26:39 it's not "everlasting wicked" it's "everlasting fire" 26:42 God is the "everlasting fire. " 26:43 James: God is immortal. Ivor: God is immortal. 26:45 The Lake of Fire is the presence of God 26:49 consuming the earth. 26:50 so the wicked aren't... they're not "fire proof" 26:53 they get burnt up to ashes. 26:55 The righteous are "fire proof" so who wants to burn forever? 26:58 Ivor: Raises his right hand. 27:02 Right, they that turn many to righteousness shall do what? 27:04 "Shine as the stars forever. " 27:08 Hmmm... hmmm... Yes... 27:09 Yvonne: Ah! this is beautiful... 27:11 James: It is... it's a beautiful picture 27:13 and I love this whole idea of the fire representing God 27:16 and God is love and that is unselfish love 27:18 and so, there's a manifestation on unselfishness 27:21 that repels the wicked... but draws the righteous 27:23 because we bathe ourselves in it, 27:25 we finally come to the place, in our lives, in our choices 27:28 and the way we live, the way we eat... 27:30 things we watch... everything we do, 27:32 is unselfish love toward God... 27:34 it's unselfish worship toward God. 27:36 Ivor: We got to get on fire, now. 27:38 James: Yeah, amen, so that wraps up Revelation chapter 20 27:43 and again, I just want to emphasize 27:44 that this is a powerful chapter because it reveals punishment 27:48 but it reveals... and justice... 27:49 but it reveals it in the context of God's love 27:52 and that's the bottom line 27:54 for everything we've studied here... 27:55 is the love of God, so praise God. |
Revised 2017-05-24