Participants: Pr. David Asscherick
Series Code: DP
Program Code: DP000001
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00:15 Before we jump right into the preaching of God's word,
00:19 by our friend Pastor David Asscherick, 00:21 I would like to invite Camille Aragones to the front. 00:25 She is going to be singing a special number for us, 00:28 welcome to the front Camille. 00:31 çMusicÑ 05:27 Now I just want to say right at the outset, in the interest 05:29 of absolute transparency, there are basically four reasons 05:33 that we are conducting this Bible Prophecy Seminar. 05:35 You might be wondering, Why do they do this? 05:37 Why do they take the time and great expense, and great energy, 05:41 and man hours to put this on. 05:42 There are four reasons: Reason number one is this: 05:45 We believe that the time of the end is near. 05:49 I want to be perfectly transparent about that. 05:52 I believe that the world is coming apart at the seams. 05:54 We're going to be presenting abundant evidence to that effect 05:58 but really, do you need someone to demonstrate that 06:00 to you, I mean with the showing of hands tonight, 06:02 how many people believe you know, things seem to be unusual. 06:05 Just raise your hands. 06:06 You know, there does seem to be something going on, 06:09 I believe that as well, so that's the first reason. 06:10 We want to give you absolutely compelling, and 06:13 unequivocal evidence that we are in fact living 06:15 in the time of the end. 06:16 The second reason that we're here: 06:18 Is that we want to show you from a Biblical perspective 06:22 from "what" did I say everyone? 06:24 A Biblical perspective, how this world is going to end. 06:29 There are many people in the world today, that have no hope, 06:32 no confidence, no security. 06:34 They think that the United States Government, 06:35 will give them security, and surely there is a modicum 06:37 of security. 06:38 But they are looking for real, lasting, transcending security. 06:42 The Bible alone, and God alone, 06:46 can give us that kind of security. 06:47 Can somebody say "Amen!" 06:49 You are going to find out throughout the course 06:51 of this presentation, and throughout the course 06:53 of this seminar, I'll invite you to say Amen. 06:55 Now that's sort of religious speak, and so for some, 06:57 of you who maybe are not super religious people, 06:59 you've come in maybe as a seeker. 07:01 I want to let you know that the word Amen, simply means 07:03 I agree with that, or I consent to that. 07:07 So when I say Amen, and you agree with that, 07:09 you say yeah! "Amen. " 07:11 Are we all together on that? 07:12 - Amen! - Amen Good! 07:14 So we want to take a look at what the Bible has to say 07:16 about how this world is actually going to end. 07:18 The third reason that we are conducting this seminar: 07:19 Is that we want you to know how to be ready to meet 07:24 the strange and unusual times that are rapidly coming upon us. 07:27 We live in a very different world since September 11, 07:30 isn't that true, yes or no? 07:32 The post September 11, world is a very different world, 07:35 than the pre September 11 world, 07:37 and what we're going to see from a Biblical picture 07:39 is that this is only the beginning of many things. 07:42 The marvelous, glorious prophecies, particularly 07:45 of the book of Revelation, are coming to pass, 07:47 right before our eyes, and what we're going to see 07:50 as we look at the Bible, it's going to give us confidence. 07:53 Give us "what" everyone? 07:55 - Confidence! 07:56 - Confidence in the coming crisis, and you will 07:57 be able to say I want to be ready. 07:59 The fourth reason we do this is: 08:00 not just so you can be ready, but so you can stay ready. 08:04 Are we all together, that's why we're doing it, 08:07 so if one of those reasons is why you are here, 08:10 then you are in the right place. 08:11 You got an extended schedule tonight when you came in, 08:13 you might have thought, well this will be a nice way 08:15 to spend the evening, and oh that will be a nice thing 08:17 to go out for the evening, and you came in tonight 08:19 and you got that extended schedule, and it shows that 08:21 the meetings are going to last for almost a month. 08:24 Beloved, we are going to be here basically every night 08:28 for a month, we'll take more or less Sunday's and Wednesday's 08:30 off, and we are looking forward to a power packed 08:34 time together, and not because of David Asscherick, 08:37 but because of what God says, 08:38 in this book called "The Bible. " 08:40 Amen! Now that introduces a question, 08:43 and what we are going to do right at the outset, 08:45 is ask the question, is the Bible true? 08:48 Is the Bible true? You have come to a Bible Prophecy Seminar 08:53 and right at the outset we need to understand, 08:55 if we are going to trust the Bible, 08:57 there has to be reasons. 09:00 There has to be what everyone? 09:01 Reasons! 09:03 Reasons, and so many people are asking today, 09:04 and by the way, for those of you who are in that room, 09:05 we apologize that we do not have a screen. 09:07 I've been informed by my production crew, 09:10 here, that we are going to have a screen in that room tomorrow, 09:12 so you will be able to look here and there. 09:14 Don't not come back tomorrow because you couldn't see 09:16 the screen, because tomorrow there will be a screen 09:18 right in that room. 09:19 You take a look at the screen, this was an article that was run 09:22 by US News and World Report. 09:24 Several years ago now in the title of the article, 09:27 the cover story was, is the Bible True? 09:30 and of course that's the very question 09:31 that we're asking tonight. 09:32 I don't know if you can read the subtitle there, 09:34 but it says new discoveries offer surprising support 09:38 for key moments in scripture. 09:40 Many people today are wondering, 09:42 is there something that can be trusted? 09:44 Is there something in which I can place my confidence? 09:47 Is there something that can give me 09:48 real genuine lasting security? 09:52 The answer is "yes," there is abundant evidence. 09:55 In fact our thesis here in the Discover Prophecy Seminar, 09:58 is that there is plenty of evidence to trust this Bible, 10:01 to trust this book, as what it claims to be, 10:04 and that is God's word. 10:05 Now we don't have a lot of time to spend on this, 10:07 but I want to spend a few opening moments 10:10 a few preliminary observations, as to the voluminous evidence 10:14 that supports this book, as a unique and special book. 10:17 It is internally consistent, you'll notice 10:19 the various consistencies that we put up here 10:21 on the screen, this is not part of your notes incidentally. 10:24 It is internally consistent, it is translationally consistent. 10:27 That is to say that the Bible has been accurately translated 10:30 down through the ages, before the time of fax machines, 10:33 and hard drives, and computers, and e-mail, and all 10:36 of the modern technical amenities that we are used to 10:38 today, the Bible has been accurately almost perfectly 10:42 accurately translated down through the centuries. 10:44 Can you say Amen to that? 10:46 Amen! 10:47 Remarkable, the scientific consensus, 10:48 we will spend some time on that, scientific consistency, 10:51 cultural consistency. 10:52 How is it that a book can apply so powerfully, so amazingly, 10:57 so consistently to so many different cultures. 10:59 Just here this evening we have people who are from Russia, 11:03 we have people here tonight who are from Jamaica, 11:05 we have people here tonight from a variety of cultures, 11:07 and yet the Bible is a unique book, 11:09 able to speak to Jamaicans, able to speak to people from 11:12 the United States, able to speak to people from Russia, 11:14 and Australia, all over the world different cultures find 11:18 this book to be absolutely encouraging, that is unique 11:21 in human history. 11:23 Can you say Amen! 11:24 Amen! 11:25 Not many books are like that, archeological consistency, 11:27 there has never been a single archeological discovery 11:30 that has controverted even one point of history in the Bible. 11:35 Also historical consistency goes along with that, 11:37 experiential consistency, 11:39 I'll be perfectly transparent with you 11:41 I have found the Bible to be the voice of God to my soul. 11:44 I want to say that again, I have found the Bible to be 11:47 voice of God to my soul. 11:48 I believe this book is a "living book. " 11:51 Is a "what" did I say everyone? 11:52 "A Living Book!" 11:53 The Bible even says that in Hebrews 4:12, The word of God 11:56 is quick and powerful, living and powerful, 11:59 I have had encounters with God through reading, 12:02 and studying this book, it's a supernatural book. 12:04 Can you say Amen? 12:05 Amen! 12:07 Now surely there are other good books out there, 12:08 but this is a unique book, experientially consistent. 12:11 I'm a different person than you, you are a different person 12:12 than the individual sitting next to you, 12:14 and yet we all come with our unique personalities, 12:16 our unique idiosyncrasies, we come to this book, 12:19 and it speaks to each of us in a powerful and 12:22 personally consistent way. 12:23 Are you with me everyone? 12:24 - Yes! 12:26 What we're interested in here of course is this final one, 12:28 and that is prophetic consistency, 12:30 what we are going to see is that Bible prophecy provides 12:34 indisputable evidence that God's word, the Bible, 12:38 is in fact what it claims to be, and that is 12:41 a remarkable revelation from God Himself. 12:45 Now I want you to think about that for a moment. 12:47 If what the Bible says about itself is true, 12:50 if this book is really from God, that would make it 12:54 the most important book in the world, wouldn't it. 12:57 I said that would make it the most important book in the world 13:00 wouldn't it? 13:02 What we're going to see here that there is excellent 13:04 evidentiary, and even objective evidence, comparing 13:07 the great prophecies of the Bible, with 13:09 the outlay of history, and we're going to be able 13:11 to stand back and say objectively this book is 13:14 supernatural, and this book can be trusted. 13:20 I hope you came in here tonight, 13:21 I hope you did not come in tonight as a skeptic, 13:24 but I hope if you did come in tonight, and you are skeptical 13:26 that you will stay with us and see, these are not just 13:29 religious claims. 13:30 Listen, I was not a religious person nine years ago, 13:32 I converted to the Christian faith, 13:34 because I saw that the prophecies of the Bible, 13:37 were so totally consistent with history. 13:39 Are we all together everyone, yes or no? 13:41 I'm not standing up to you tonight, 13:44 and speaking to you tonight as a person who has been 13:46 religious all his life, and 13:47 totally interested in religious things, no! no! no! 13:49 As Nathan said, I'm was a purple haired punk rocker. 13:52 I didn't become a Christian until the age of 23 years old. 13:55 When I became a Christian, I said there's something 13:57 powerful special, about this book, and more importantly 14:01 about the Savior and the God that this book reveals. 14:04 Are we all together? 14:06 So what we want to introduce tonight is the Bible true? 14:09 I want you to know that I believe there are excellent 14:11 reasons to trust the Bible. 14:13 When I say the Bible is true, I'm not just saying, 14:15 well it's true for me, in the same way you might say, 14:17 well that's not true for you, No! No! 14:19 When we say the Bible is true, we are saying that it is true, 14:22 in an objective sense. 14:24 In a what sense everyone? 14:26 What we mean by that is this, even if nobody believed it, 14:30 it would still be true. 14:32 We don't buy into this, well, you know it's true for you 14:34 but it's not true for me, and let's just all get along 14:36 and be happy together, No! No! No! 14:38 It is true in the most emphatic sense of the word, 14:43 True! 14:44 What we are going to discover as we spend some time together 14:48 is that the great prophecies of the Bible, are not difficult 14:51 to understand, I want to under gird that. 14:53 The great prophecies of the Bible 14:55 are not difficult to understand. 14:57 Now I don't want to be overly simplistic here, 14:59 there are some prophecies that are complicated, 15:01 there are some prophecies that do require a degree 15:03 of sophistication and real critical thinking, 15:05 but for the most part Bible prophecy in not difficult 15:10 to understand, in fact that's going be one of the 15:12 major premises of this entire series, is that Bible prophecy 15:16 is very available and very accessible to the common person. 15:21 To the "what" did I say everyone? 15:22 The common person, surely the scholar and the intellectual 15:27 and the erudite can spend time in the scriptures 15:29 and find great and wonderful, marvelous depths there to plumb. 15:32 But our premise here is going to be that even 15:35 the common person, even the so called non-theologically 15:38 educated person, can come to this Word and actually 15:42 understand the prophecies for himself and for herself. 15:46 You might be dubious, you might say that's impossible 15:48 I've re-read the book of Revelation, 15:49 I don't understand anything, I've read the book of Ezekiel, 15:51 I didn't get it, I've read the book of Daniel, I didn't get it. 15:53 You come to these prophecy meetings and I guarantee you. 15:58 Now what did I say everyone? 15:59 - Guarantee! 16:00 And I'm not just whistling Dixie up here, I guarantee you, 16:03 you will be able to understand Bible prophecy for yourself. 16:08 That's one of the reasons that we're going to be giving you 16:10 the study guides night by night, is I don't want you 16:12 just to take my word for it. 16:13 I want to put the tools in your hand, 16:15 so that you can go from this seminar, 16:17 you can go from this presentation, 16:19 you can go from this event, go to your own house, 16:21 your own kitchen table, your own room, your own desk, 16:23 sit down with the Bible, and a few tools that we will put 16:26 into your hand, and you can start to see these 16:28 great prophecies unfold before your own eyes, with your study. 16:32 Does that sound like a good idea, yes or no? 16:34 That way you just don't leave here and say oh, 16:36 Well Pastor so and so said thus and so, No! No! No! 16:39 I want you to have tools in your own hands, 16:41 so you can do your own study, your own thinking 16:45 Your own "what" everyone? 16:46 - "Thinking!" 16:47 And never forget this, if you are not thinking, 16:50 someone is doing your thinking for you. 16:52 We don't want to do your thinking for you here, 16:55 we want to give you the tools that will enable you 16:57 to responsibly. 16:58 What "word" did I say everyone? 17:00 Responsibly and in a Biblical way, 17:04 to understand these great prophecies. 17:06 Prophecy is not just something that religious people 17:08 are interested in, that is why magazines 17:10 like Newsweek can run covers like this 17:12 Prophecy, notice the subtitle here, 17:14 What the Bible says about the End of the World 17:17 and so we're not just talking about something here that 17:19 is of interest to religious people. 17:22 Perhaps no book in the course of human history, 17:24 and certainly in modern times, has more fascinated 17:27 different cultures, and different peoples, 17:29 religious and irreligious alike, than the book of Revelation. 17:33 Why don't you take out your study guide, 17:34 and we're going to begin by reading that first paragraph 17:38 there that's on you study guide, 17:39 it's just a brief introduction to this marvelous book, 17:42 The Book of Revelation. 17:43 Now just by a showing of hands, how many people of here 17:46 have read the entire book of Revelation through, 17:48 just raise your hands nice and high, "Excellent, Good. " 17:51 Notice what it says here on your study guide. 17:53 The book of Revelation contained in the Holy Bible, 17:56 is a remarkable book indeed. 17:58 it's fantastic imagery, and poetic language, 18:02 have fascinated people for generations, 18:04 even today nearly 2,000 years after it was written. 18:09 It inspires and intrigues the mind, the root word 18:13 of Revelation is what everyone? 18:14 To reveal, to reveal is to uncover, to disclose, 18:20 or to make plain. 18:21 This title is consistent with the Greek title of the book, 18:25 which is APOKALYPSIS which sounds to us like the word 18:27 apocalypse which also means to unveil or to uncover. 18:32 The very title of the book suggests that 18:34 it can be understood. 18:35 How very unusual then, that many Christians today, 18:39 both laity and clergy alike, suggest that it is a quote 18:42 " closed book" which cannot be understood or comprehended. 18:45 Strange indeed! 18:46 Is there anyone here tonight who has ever heard that before? 18:48 The Book of Revelation cannot be understood, 18:50 raise your hand if you have heard that before. 18:52 Ok! Oh that's a book that can't be understood, 18:55 that's a closed book. 18:56 I want you to think about that for just a moment, 18:58 It's a closed mind, that's exactly right. 19:01 Why would God write 65 books in the Bible, 19:04 there are 66 books in the Bible, 19:05 39 books in the Old Testament, 27 books in the New Testament, 19:07 but think about it logically, why would God write 65 books 19:11 which can be understood, only to make the last book, 19:14 a book which could not be understood, 19:15 and then give the title of that book, the uncovering, 19:18 or the revealing. 19:19 Does that make any sense to anyone in here? 19:22 - NO 19:23 God is..., an incidentally the very reason that 19:25 the Book of Revelation, is the last book of the Bible, 19:27 is that you need everything else before it, 19:29 in order to understand it. 19:31 In fact that's what we're going to discover this evening. 19:34 Notice the next paragraph, the Book of Revelation 19:36 is a prophetic book, meaning that it's primary content 19:39 is what everyone? 19:41 - Prophecy! 19:42 Prophecy! Of course, never the less it must be noted at the 19:44 outset, that according to the first three verses of Revelation 19:47 the primary purpose of the book is to reveal Jesus Christ, 19:52 it is a Revelation of Him. 19:53 Open your Bibles with me to the Book of Revelation, 19:56 I hope you have your Bibles tonight, 19:57 you will be needing them every night. 19:58 Some of the text we will give you on the screen, 20:02 but many of them, we will want you to turn to 20:04 right in your own Bibles, now you can find that, 20:06 it's easy to find, it's the last book of the Bible. 20:08 Go to the far end of your Bible, the far cover, 20:12 the right cover there, and you will find 20:13 the Book of Revelation. 20:15 Revelation chapter 1, and I want you to notice 20:19 the very first 1st verse, and 20:20 we'll look at the 3rd verse as well. 20:21 Revelation Chapter 1 and Verse 1, 20:25 it says the Revelation of "who" everyone? 20:30 - Jesus Christ! 20:31 Many people have this idea that the Book of Revelation 20:34 is all about beasts, and dragons, and cryptic imagery, 20:38 and smoking alters, and all kinds of fantastic 20:42 almost mystical imagery and all of that is in there, 20:45 but right at the outset we are told 20:48 that the book of Revelation is about "who?" 20:51 - Jesus Christ! 20:52 - Jesus Christ, that's exactly right, 20:53 we'll talk more about that in a moment. 20:54 Which God gave Him to show His servants, 20:57 things which must shortly take place. 21:01 What we are going to discover through all of Revelation, 21:03 is that there is a sense of urgency. 21:06 A sense of "what" everyone? - Urgency! 21:09 That permeates this book through all of it's 22 chapters, 21:12 here in the first verse it says, things that must shortly 21:15 take place, it's saying don't be lazy, don't be lackadaisical, 21:19 don't be lethargic, there's something that's happening, 21:21 it's going to happen soon. 21:23 It says, which must shortly take place, and He sent 21:26 and signified it by His angel to His servant John. 21:30 My Bible uses the word "signified," 21:34 how many of your Bibles tonight say He signified it, 21:36 raise your hands, Ok! 21:37 What is the root word of signified? 21:39 Sign, that's exactly right. 21:41 One of the reasons that some people find Revelation 21:44 difficult to understand, is that it is written in 21:46 signs and symbols. 21:49 Written in "what" everyone? 21:50 - Signs and symbols. 21:52 Well, don't let that be a surprise to you, 21:54 it says right in the first verse of the first chapter 21:56 of this book, that when God gave it to John, 21:59 through His angel, He gave it in symbolic language, 22:03 He sent and signified it. 22:06 Now jump down to verse three. 22:08 "Blessed is he... The word Blessed means happy. 22:11 Blessed is he who reads, and those who hear the words 22:19 of this prophecy and keep those things which are written in it 22:23 for the time is near," there's that sense of urgency again. 22:25 The time is near, don't be lazy, don't be lackadaisical, 22:29 don't put it off, the time is near. 22:31 Notice the three fold blessing, Blessed are those who hear, 22:35 Blessed are those who read, and Blessed are those who 22:37 keep a book that no one can understand. 22:40 Does that make any sense? 22:43 God is saying, oh you know I gave you the 65, 22:45 but I gave you that last book that you can't understand 22:47 but if you could understand it you would be happy, 22:49 but nanny, nanny, boo, boo, it doesn't make any sense. 22:51 The Book of Revelation can be understood, 22:55 and we're going to see tonight that it is not even that 22:56 difficult if we have the proper tools. 23:00 The proper "what" everyone? 23:02 - Tools! 23:03 The other day I was trying to hang up a picture at my house, 23:05 and I needed a hammer, but the hammer seemed like it was 23:08 so far away, after all, it was all the way in the garage, 23:11 and so I was looking around for something, 23:14 and I found a shoe, ha! ha! ha! you ever done this before? 23:18 How come the garage seemed so far away sometimes? 23:21 Well you know I'll just use the shoe, you pick up the shoe 23:24 and of course you know it doesn't dawn on you at the time, 23:25 but the shoe has a rubber sole, and you hold the nail up there 23:29 and it just doesn't seem to be working, and you are getting 23:30 black scuff marks on the wall, and you are really making 23:34 hanging up a picture, look like a difficult thing. 23:36 Why does it seem so difficult? 23:39 You have the wrong tools. 23:42 If you have the right tools, is that difficult? 23:45 Not at all. 23:47 What we're going to discover tonight..., in fact tonight 23:48 we're going to put two tools in your hand, 23:50 that will transform the way you understand 23:53 the Book of Revelation. 23:54 But before we get there, 23:55 we must ask two important questions. 23:57 Now we're right on your study guide. 23:58 Two important questions: Number one. 24:07 Well the first one is actually quite simple. 24:09 What is Prophecy? The answer is this: 24:18 That's what the word prophecy means, you can look it up 24:21 in your dictionary, the word prophecy is to foretell, 24:24 To predict something. 24:26 Our second question was: Where can I find true and reliable 24:29 Prophecy, and what are those two words right there everyone? 24:32 The Bible, that's exactly right, now you are not following along 24:35 with me any more because you are busy writing on your sheets 24:37 and that just fine, you are welcome to do that. 24:39 Now let me just give you a quick Biblical picture. 24:42 Two texts, one from the Old Testament, one from the 24:45 New Testament, that sort of paint the picture 24:47 of what prophecy is. 24:49 Isaiah 46:9, 10, Old Testament verse, notice what God says: 25:11 Notice what God is saying here in chapter 46 verses 9 and 10, 25:15 God says I am God, no one else is God, 25:17 and I'll prove to you that I am God. 25:18 I know the future and I can declare the future. 25:22 I know what is going to happen before it comes to pass. 25:27 Notice a New Testament verse, these are the words of Jesus 25:30 Himself, in John chapter 14:29, Jesus said notice this. 25:33 It just makes such good sense. 25:36 And now I have told you... What's that word everyone? 25:39 before it takes place, so that when it does take place 25:42 you may "what", believe, that just makes good sense 25:49 what Jesus is saying. 25:50 Jesus says listen! I'll tell you in advance what is going 25:52 to happen, so that when it does come to happen, 25:55 just like I've said, you can believe in the credibility 25:58 of what I am saying, if that makes sense 25:59 I want you to say "Amen. " 26:00 If someone could accurately, and consistently, and unequivocally, 26:05 and unarguably tell the future, that person would by nature 26:08 be supernatural, and you would be interested in what else 26:11 they had to say. 26:12 Jesus says listen, I will tell you in advance, 26:13 what is going to happen, so that when it does happen, 26:16 just as I've said, you can believe that everything else 26:19 that I say is true. 26:20 So prophecy is a foretelling of events. 26:24 Other religious books surprisingly, or perhaps 26:28 I should say not surprisingly, do not contain 26:31 predictive prophecy. 26:32 We could look at the writings of Confucius, 26:36 and we find there, no prophecy. 26:38 We can look to the writings of Buddha and about Buddhism, 26:42 and there we find no predictive prophecy. 26:45 We can even look to the Qur'an, and we find in the Qur'an, 26:48 no predictive prophecy. 26:51 Yet a remarkable statistic about the Bible, is that a full 30% 26:57 of the Bible is prophecy. 26:58 How much everyone? 26:59 30%, I want you to think about that for just a moment 27:02 we're not poking fun here, we're not being pejorative here 27:05 we're just stating the facts. 27:07 In order to declare the future by definition, 27:13 what would you first have to know? 27:14 You would have to know the future, doesn't that make sense 27:17 everyone yes or no? 27:18 Now think about that, in order to declare the future 27:21 you must first, know the future. 27:24 So why might it be the case that other religious books 27:28 do not contain predictive prophecy, perhaps 27:31 because the authors of those books, don't know the future. 27:37 That's exactly right, that is exactly right. 27:41 There are two classifications of prophecy in the Bible, 27:44 Classical prophecy, number one, and number two Apocalyptic 27:49 prophecy, we've already talked about that word 27:51 apocalyptic, it comes from the Greek work Apokalupsis 27:54 which means to unveil to uncover or to disclose, 27:57 that is the title of the Book of Revelation. 27:59 The Apokalupsis, two kinds of prophecy in the Bible 28:03 and it's going to be helpful for us to understand, 28:05 that these two kinds of prophecy will significantly 28:09 and dramatically inform how we understand the prophecies 28:12 of the Bible. 28:14 Are we all together so far, so good yes or no? 28:15 Classical prophecy was directed primarily at the nation 28:20 of ancient Israel, most of the commonly known Biblical 28:25 prophets fall into this category. 28:27 Prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, 28:30 the vast majority of Biblical prophets would fall into that 28:33 categorization of classical prophecy. 28:36 There are certainly apoplectic themes is some 28:38 of those books, but broadly 28:40 these are the classical prophets. 28:42 There are only two books however, in the entire Bible 28:45 that are in their entirety apocalyptic, and those two books 28:50 are the Old Testament book of Daniel and the New Testament 28:54 book of "what" everyone? Revelation! 28:56 I want to show you something absolutely fascinating. 28:59 Open your Bible with me to the Book of Matthew. 29:01 That's the first book of the New Testament. 29:04 Matthew chapter 24, and if you are sitting next to someone 29:07 who looks like they are having a little difficulty finding it, 29:08 then be a good friend, be a brother, be a sister, 29:11 lean over and help them to find it. 29:12 Matthew chapter 24, the first Book of the New Testament, 29:16 right between Malachi, and Mark. 29:17 Matthew chapter 24, I'll give you plenty of time to get there, 29:23 It's important for me, that you see it. 29:24 Matthew chapter 24, now in two nights, not tomorrow night, 29:28 but the following night, we will spend the entire night 29:30 in Matthew chapter 24, looking at one of the most 29:32 remarkable prophecies in all of the Bible. 29:35 Look at Matthew 24,and verse 15, verse 15 Jesus speaking, 29:42 If you have the words in red in your Bible, 29:44 then you will notice that these words are in red, 29:46 that means that Jesus is speaking. 29:47 Jesus says in verse 15, therefore, when you shall see 29:52 the abonominations of desolation spoken of by "who" 29:55 everyone? Daniel the prophet. 29:58 You say well, I'm already confused, 29:59 what's the abomination of desolation? 30:00 Don't worry, that's not what we are here for, 30:02 We'll spend plenty of time on that abomination of desolation. 30:04 What I want you to see is the second part of that verse. 30:07 Verse 15, therefore when you shall see, 30:09 the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet 30:13 standing in the Holy Place, who so reads, let him "what" 30:18 understand. 30:20 Isn't that interesting, Jesus here is speaking to the people 30:24 of His day, and incidentally, it's about the second coming, 30:27 it's about the end of time, and right in the middle of it 30:29 He says, by the way, you should understand 30:32 the book of Daniel. 30:34 In an end time context Jesus says, understand 30:37 the book of Daniel, well we've already read in the book of 30:40 Revelation, Blessed is he that reads, and keeps and hears. 30:43 In fact, these are the only two books that I'm personally 30:47 aware of in all of the New Testament, where Jesus 30:50 explicitly says, understand this book. 30:54 The book of Daniel and the book of Revelation, 30:56 we're going to discover in our Bible prophecy seminar, 30:58 that these two books are like sisters, brothers, 31:02 it is basically impossible to understand one, 31:04 without the other. 31:06 Daniel and Revelation, go together, 31:09 go "what" everyone? 31:10 Together, and not coincidentally these are the very two books 31:13 that Jesus said that you better understand it 31:15 You better understand the book of Daniel, 31:17 and you better understand the book of Revelation. 31:19 Not coincidentally, those are the two books that are 31:23 apoplectic in nature, two classifications of prophecy. 31:28 So the burning question that we have this evening is this, 31:31 How can we correctly interpret Bible prophecy? 31:35 How can we correctly interpret end-time prophecy? 31:39 We don't to just know what one man thinks, 31:42 can someone say Amen to that? 31:43 We want to have the tools to arrive at correct conclusions 31:47 our self. 31:49 Well in order to correctly understand Bible prophecy 31:51 we're going to need two essential keys. 31:55 Two essential keys. 31:57 If you are following along, we are on the second page, 32:00 under the correct interpretation. 32:03 Correct interpretation on the second page. 32:05 Let's read that introductory paragraph, 32:08 second page where it says correct interpretation. 32:11 This brings us to the question of interpretation. 32:14 How can we correctly interpret apocalyptic, 32:17 or end time prophecy, that's our burning question, 32:18 that we had just here a moment ago. 32:20 As we'll discover the Bible holds the keys to unlock 32:24 the message of it's own prophetic books, 32:26 especially Revelation. 32:28 It is simply a matter of discovering the keys, 32:31 and then "what" everyone? Using them. 32:34 How many of you have heard of this book the Bible Code Book? 32:38 Oh yeah! the Bible Code Book, it's all a great big mystery. 32:42 Let me tell you something, that is what the Devil 32:45 would love you to believe, oh it's a great big mystery 32:48 Takes a real Genius to understand it, No! No! No! 32:50 You want to see the Bible Code Book, 32:51 I've actually got it over here, let me grab it, "here," 32:54 Oh! There it is! There's the Bible Code Book right there. 32:56 The Bible is it's own interpreter, 33:00 let's say that together. 33:02 The Bible is it's own interpreter, 33:06 you don't need a PhD., a ThD., or any of that, 33:08 you surely don't need some esoteric, do-do-do-do-do, 33:11 Code Book, God speaks in natural normal language. 33:17 I'm not here to make fun or put anybody down, 33:19 but the point is this. 33:20 Whenever you see something that says, 33:21 oh it's all so mysterious, it's all so mystical. 33:24 You should immediately be concerned, 33:26 is God not intelligent enough to communicate with us 33:28 in normal every day language? 33:30 Can you say Amen to that? 33:31 Surely He can do that, and he has done it. 33:34 What we're going to discover tonight, is that there are two 33:36 very simple keys to understanding 33:38 the book of Revelation, and here they are: 33:40 Key number one: 33:41 The Book of Revelation rests upon the broad foundation 33:48 of Old Testament history, imagery, and prophecy. 33:51 That's what you would write in on the line right there, 33:54 Old Testament History Imagery and Prophecy. 33:57 The second key is this: 33:59 Jesus Christ is the focus of end-time prophecy, especially 34:05 the Book of Revelation 34:06 and we've already seen that in the first three verses of 34:07 Book of Revelation chapter one. 34:08 Those are the two keys that are absolutely essential, 34:11 as we begin tonight. 34:12 Number one, we need a sure foundation, 34:14 and number two, we need a sharp focus. 34:16 The sure foundation of the Book of Revelation, 34:19 is the Old Testament. 34:20 The sharp focus of the Book of Revelation is Jesus Christ. 34:24 Are there beasts in Revelation, sure there are, 34:26 are there dragons in Revelation, sure there are, 34:29 is there mystical imagery in Revelation, sure there is, 34:32 but those are not the focus of Revelation, 34:34 those are all props on the stage, 34:37 Jesus is the focus, does that make sense? 34:39 I want you to say Amen. 34:41 So tonight we're going to apply these two keys, 34:43 and in applying these two keys... 34:45 Let's spend a moment here on the first key, 34:47 that the Old Testament is the foundation, 34:50 and it's imagery, and it's history, 34:53 and all of its illustrations help us to understand, 34:57 the Book of Revelation. 34:59 The Book of Revelation contains: 35:09 Trying to understand the Book of Revelation without 35:13 knowing the Old Testament context, 35:15 is like trying to understand the English language 35:17 without knowing the alphabet. 35:19 It's an exercise in impossibility, 35:23 if you are going to go buy the Detroit News, 35:25 or you are going to buy the Free Press, 35:27 and pick those papers up, and in one hand have the 35:30 Detroit News, and in one hand have the Book of Revelation, 35:31 and think you are going to understand 35:33 the Book of Revelation, based on these events, 35:34 that is an exercise doomed to failure. 35:38 There are all kinds of religious figures, that are saying, 35:40 oh yeah, Russia is the Great Dragon of Revelation 12, 35:44 and oh, Russia, Russia, Russia, and every time 35:46 they open the Book of Revelation 35:47 Russia was all over it, until Communism basically evaporated 35:52 right before our very eyes, and hm, hm, hm, hm, hm, 35:55 got to go back and think that one through again. 35:57 because their interpretation wasn't based 35:59 on the Old Testament foundation. 36:01 It was based on a man made foundation 36:03 of current news events, and this is fanaticism, 36:06 this is sensationalism, and this does not lead to a responsible, 36:10 What word everyone? 36:11 - Responsible! - A responsible understanding 36:14 of the book itself. 36:15 If we want to responsibly understand this book, 36:17 hey, if you are looking for sensationalism 36:18 then you came to the wrong place, if you are looking for 36:20 responsible Bible interpretation for responsible tools, 36:24 that you can apply yourself, you came to the right place. 36:26 404 verses in the Book of Revelation, 36:30 more that 270 are taken directly from the Old Testament 36:33 Let me give you five quick examples you've got there 36:36 in your study guide, five quick examples 36:38 of how this works. 36:39 I'll just give you five examples of how it would be basically 36:42 impossible to understand the Book of Revelation, 36:44 without the Old Testament context. 36:47 Key number one: The Old Testament is the foundation 36:49 Bible example number one. 36:51 Ancient Israel's economy centered around the sanctuary 36:55 and it's sacrifices, the lamb was the most prominent 36:59 of the sacrificial animals, you find that all throughout 37:01 Exodus, all throughout Leviticus, particularly, 37:03 the lamb, the lamb, the lamb, the sanctuary, 37:05 and the sacrifices. 37:07 When we come to the Book of Revelation, 37:10 we find that Jesus Christ is referred to as the lamb 37:14 26 times. 37:17 John the Baptist said in John chapter one verse 29 there, 37:20 he said: Behold the lamb of God which takes away 37:25 the sins of the world. 37:26 So if we are going to understand what John the revelator means 37:30 in the Book of Revelation, when he uses the word 26 times. 37:33 Incidentally, the word lamb only occurs 29 times, 37:36 in the whole of the New Testament, think about that, 37:38 29 times in all the New Testament, 37:40 and 26 of them are in the Book of Revelation. 37:43 What John is saying is go back and figure out what that means 37:47 the lamb, go back and take a look at it in it's Old Testament 37:50 context, it doesn't mean a literal lamb, 37:52 it's pointing to something significant. 37:55 To try to understand the Book of Revelation without 37:58 the Old Testament context, is "impossible. " 38:01 It's "what" everyone? 38:02 Impossible! 38:04 The second one here: When we come to Daniel chapter 7 38:09 and we're going to study this prophecy in just a few nights. 38:11 It's absolutely amazing, I love this painting, 38:14 a good friend of mine Eric Pletcher, painted this, 38:15 I just love this. 38:17 We find there these incredible images, 38:20 I mean just out of this world images, a lion with eagles wings 38:24 and a bear that's raised up on one side 38:26 with three ribs in his mouth, a four headed leopard, 38:28 of all things, with four wings, and a beast that was so 38:32 horrific, so terrible that Daniel 38:33 couldn't even describe it, and he sees these unusual beasts 38:37 coming up out of the water. 38:38 You are saying what does all that mean, hang in here, 38:39 we are going to study that, we're going to spend quite a bit 38:41 of time on that, as a matter of fact. 38:43 But here's something interesting when we come to Revelation 38:45 chapter 13, we find this beast called the Antichrist beast. 38:49 Oh, oh did he say it, the Antichrist, sure we said it 38:52 nothing mysterious about it, in fact if you look at your 38:54 extended schedule there. 38:55 We have a message entitled, The Actual, Definite, 38:58 Certain, Unavoidable, Identity of the Antichrist. 39:00 We will show you from the Bible, from the "what" everyone? 39:04 - Bible! - From the Bible, 39:05 who this actually is. 39:06 The point is this, when you come to Revelation chapter 13 39:10 and you encounter this beast, I mean this thing is a 39:12 hideous looking beast. 39:13 John says, listen carefully, he has the mouth of a lion, 39:16 he has the body of a leopard. 39:19 He has the feet of a bear, and he has ten horns. 39:22 Guess where that imagery comes from, just guess! 39:25 It comes from the Old Testament, 39:29 and guess what book it comes from. 39:31 - Daniel! - You are exactly right. 39:32 Try to understand who this beast is, 39:34 without first understanding what those beasts represent in Daniel 39:37 it's going to be impossible. 39:40 Now you can pick up your Detroit News and say well 39:42 I think that that is North Korea, yeah that is North Korea 39:47 right there, and that interpretation will last 39:48 for about five or six years until North Korea 39:51 passes off the scene, and we hope that that situation 39:54 is alleviated in a positive way. 39:56 Notice this one here Bible example number 3: 39:58 According to Daniel and Isaiah, in the Old Testament, 40:02 ancient Babylon fell after a man named Cyrus diverted the river 40:07 Euphrates into an field and this allowed the armies to come in 40:12 and Babylon fell. 40:14 That's history, that's how Babylon fell, 40:17 and we'll spend some more time talking about that. 40:18 What's remarkable is when you come to the Book of Revelation, 40:21 you find in Revelation, the great river Euphrates 40:25 in Revelation 16, is depicted as drying up, 40:27 and immediately after the drying up of the river Euphrates, 40:30 in Revelation 17, Babylon falls. 40:33 Whoa! where did John get that idea from? 40:36 Where did John get that imagery from? 40:38 It comes directly from the Old Testament. 40:40 You want to understand that prophecy, we better go back 40:43 and understand the prophecy that it is based upon, 40:46 is this making sense everyone, yes or no? 40:48 You might be saying, well wait a minute, I don't understand 40:50 those Old Testament things either. 40:52 Well, that's why you come to a Bible prophecy seminar, Amen! 40:54 Exactly! 40:56 Example number four: We'll give you just five of these. 40:59 In the Book of Exodus, that's the second book of the Bible, 41:02 Israel was delivered from Egyptian bondage 41:05 by divine intervention in the form of ten plagues. 41:08 Maybe you saw the movie with Charlton Hesston, right! 41:10 "The Ten Commandments," God delivered His people 41:14 in the form of ten plagues, well guess what we find 41:18 in the Book of Revelation. 41:19 In the Book of Revelation, God's last day people 41:22 are delivered again by divine intervention in the form of 41:26 the seven last plagues. 41:28 Say whoa! where did that imagery come from? 41:31 It comes directly from the Old Testament. 41:33 The fifth example here: Actually this is still part of 41:38 example number four, pardon me, according to Exodus 15, 41:41 the pinnacle of Israel's deliverance came 41:44 when God brought them through the Red Sea. 41:46 Remember that story, God lead them through the Red Sea. 41:49 It was the pinnacle of Israel's exodus experience, 41:52 and according to Revelation 15, the pinnacle of deliverance 41:56 for God's last day people comes, when they stand 41:59 on the Sea of Glass. 42:01 The imagery is so similar, it's almost synonymous. 42:06 Here is our fifth Biblical example. 42:08 According to the Book of Genesis, 42:10 the center of the Garden of Eden was the tree of life. 42:17 According To Revelation, the center of the New Jerusalem 42:21 is "guess what," the tree of life. 42:24 In fact we're going to be spending some pretty 42:25 significant time on that very theme. 42:28 Two essential keys, absolutely essential. 42:31 Number one: The Book of Revelation 42:33 say it with me, rests upon the broad foundation of 42:36 Old Testament history, imagery, and prophecy. 42:39 Tonight we have given you just five examples, 42:41 we could literally give you 50 examples if time allowed. 42:44 What I want you to see here is that if we're going to 42:47 understand the Book of Revelation, 42:48 it's at the end of the Bible for a reason. 42:51 Many people come right to the Book of Revelation, 42:53 and they try to read it and they don't understand it. 42:55 That's a little bit like picking up a Calculus text book, 42:57 and trying to understand it when you don't understand 42:59 simple arithmetic. 43:00 If you go through the process of understanding Revelation, 43:04 listen to these words, on it's own terms. 43:07 What did I say everyone? 43:09 On it's own terms, it really is not very difficult, 43:13 in fact you have got a key in your hand tonight, 43:15 the first one we've already talked about, 43:16 that will already open up the Book of Revelation 43:19 before you, in ways that you never knew possible. 43:21 It's not a scary book, it's not a mystical book, 43:23 It's an awesome book, it's an amazing book, 43:25 and it's an understandable book that brings glory 43:28 to Jesus Christ. 43:30 Number two: That brings us to our second key. 43:33 Jesus Christ is the "what" everyone? 43:36 Focus of end time prophecy, especially 43:40 the Book of Revelation, these two keys are essential 43:42 to unlocking prophecies doors. 43:44 We have a sure foundation in key number one, 43:47 and we have a sharp focus in key number two. 43:49 What I would like to do now is take you through 43:53 the Book of Revelation very quickly. 43:57 In fact as we survey the Book of Revelation, 43:59 I want you to note with me carefully the preeminence 44:03 of Jesus Christ. 44:04 He is clearly the central figure of this amazing book, 44:08 in fact what we are going to do is take a whirlwind tour 44:11 this evening, of the Book of Revelation, 44:13 and I mean whirl wind, it's going to last about 10 minutes. 44:15 If you go walking through a forest, 44:18 you can look at the trees, you can look at the bark, 44:21 you can look at the flowers, you can spend time looking at 44:24 all of the details and the nuances of the forest. 44:27 It's a very different experience than if you fly over the forest. 44:31 If you "what" everyone? 44:33 When you fly over the forest, you get an airplane view. 44:36 You can see the lay of the land, it's very helpful to understand 44:41 the lay of the land, before you go walking into the innermost 44:44 details of it all. 44:46 Does that make sense everyone? 44:47 So instead of just starting right into Revelation 44:49 chapter one and saying verse one, verse two, verse three, 44:52 verse four, and start wading our way through, 44:54 we're going to start loosing people 44:56 What we're going to do tonight is we're going to fly over 44:59 the Book of Revelation in kind of an airplane fashion, 45:01 and we're going to look down and say, 45:03 so that's what the book is all about. 45:04 Let's walk through it together. 45:07 In Revelation chapter one a man by the name of John, 45:10 he was the last living apostle, he was stranded on an island 45:15 a penal colony called Patmos, P- A-T-M-O-S, 45:19 24 miles out into the Aegean Sea, he was Christ's 45:24 last living apostle, he was there, he was separated from 45:26 his family, he was separated from his friends, 45:28 he was separated from everything that was familiar 45:31 to him, and there he was all alone, dejected perhaps, 45:34 and forlorn, just wandering, all of his friends gone, 45:37 all of his family gone. 45:38 He's been exiled to this island because of the Word of God, 45:41 the Bible says, and he's sitting there, and Jesus appears to him 45:45 on that island. 45:46 There's an older man, perhaps 45:48 80 or 90 years old at the time. 45:49 Most scholars believe that the 45:51 Book of Revelation was written some time around 96 A.D. 45:54 and here's John an old man, and his weathered hand, 45:57 and his weathered face on that island, his friends all gone, 46:00 his fellow disciples all gone, separated from all that was 46:04 familiar and common to him, and "BOOM," 46:06 Jesus appears to him. 46:10 He says John I have appeared to you for a reason, 46:13 I'm going to show you things that everybody 46:17 is going to wonder about right down to the very end of time. 46:20 People are going to read what I'm going to show you 46:23 and John just basically sat back and got to watch 46:26 the most amazing movie to ever transpire, 46:30 directed by Jesus Christ. 46:32 All of these visions began to flash before John, 46:36 in cinematic fashion, and he guides him right through 46:40 these remarkable visions. 46:42 The visions that we are going to be spending time on, 46:44 night, by night, by night, looking as John looked 46:48 at these amazing images. 46:49 Looking as John looked at these mysterious and unusual signs 46:54 and symbols. 46:55 There's John looking up into heaven, 46:56 and what's the first thing he sees in Revelation chapter one? 46:58 He sees the risen Christ, it's the first thing he sees 47:02 the risen Christ, and the Bible says He was walking among 47:06 seven golden candlesticks, and He had seven stars in His hand, 47:10 His feet burned like fire, and were bronze, He had white hair, 47:13 and He speaks to John, and He says John don't be afraid, 47:16 I am the Alpha and the Omega, I am Him who was, and who is, 47:22 and who is to come, I'm Him who was dead, and who was risen. 47:25 John looked up, and he saw the glorified face 47:30 of his best friend in the world, Jesus. 47:32 The Man that he had spent three and a half years 47:34 of his life with, and he looks up and he sees Jesus in Glory 47:37 that's Revelation chapter one. 47:38 Revelation chapter two, and three we find Jesus saying John, 47:42 I've got my churches Ephesus and Smyrna, Pergamum, 47:46 Thyatira's, Sardis, I've got my churches Laodecia, 47:49 I need you to send letter of encouragement, 47:52 letters of rebuke, letters of inspiration, 47:55 to my churches John. 47:56 Write these letters down and send them out. 47:58 Jesus in Revelation two and three is depicted 48:01 as the tender shepherd, keeping watch over His dear churches 48:05 keeping watch over those that were close to Him 48:08 He said John before we get into the visions, 48:10 I need you to send out some urgent letters 48:12 to my special churches, give them encouragement, 48:15 give them inspiration, and some of them give them rebuke, 48:18 and council. 48:19 In Revelation chapter four, we are transported to what is my 48:22 personal favorite vision in all of Revelation, 48:25 Revelation four and five, John sees a throne 48:28 and he looks at that throne and he is amazed at the throne, 48:31 and one sat on the throne, and as the story develops you know 48:35 that that's God on the throne. 48:37 John looks around and there is a scroll, 48:41 in our modern time we bind books like this, 48:45 this is what is called the Kodak's form, 48:47 but in those times, there were scrolls and 48:50 John sees this scroll, and it's sealed with seven seals 48:53 and John has a sense that 48:55 whatever is in that scroll is important. 48:57 He doesn't know what it is, but it's important 48:58 and then the cry is "Who can open the scroll" 49:02 it's been sealed. 49:04 They would seal in ancient times scrolls with wax or with pitch 49:09 so that they couldn't be opened when a message was sent 49:11 from one dignitary to another by a messenger, 49:13 and they would know if it had been opened. 49:15 John sees this marvelous scroll with seven seals, 49:19 and he's looking and no one was found in all of Heaven 49:22 to open it. 49:23 John begins to cry, he begins to weep, because he has a sense 49:29 that whatever is in that scroll, that the destiny of humanity 49:32 hinges on what is in that scroll and he begins to weep. 49:35 Then an angel turns to John and says don't cry. 49:38 The lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed to open the scroll 49:45 and loose it's seals. 49:47 Then John looks in Revelation chapter five, and he sees a lamb 49:51 as if it had been slain, so in Revelation four and five 49:54 you have the lamb slain, and the lion of the tribe of Judah 49:57 and Jesus comes in, the "Risen Christ" 50:00 and He takes that scroll from the hand of Him 50:02 who was sitting on the throne. 50:03 That's God the Father and He sits down on the throne. 50:07 Powerful imagery, the coronation service of Christ 50:13 taking place there, Christ taking His rightful place 50:16 there on the throne. 50:19 Revelation six and seven, is the opening of those seals. 50:24 Every time Jesus peels back a seal there is a vision. 50:28 Every time Jesus takes off one on the seals, 50:31 there is a special vision that correlates to that seal. 50:35 Revelation six and seven, you can see the flow of it, 50:38 It makes perfectly good chronological sense. 50:41 It's not to say the Book of Revelation is entirely 50:44 chronological, in fact it's not entirely chronological 50:47 that's one of the reasons that people have trouble with 50:48 the Book of Revelation. 50:49 The Book of Revelation is not written chronologically 50:52 it is written thematically, it's based on themes 50:54 more than chronology, and we'll spend time on that. 50:56 Revelation six and seven, Jesus the glorified Christ 50:59 begins to peel back those seals and vision, after vision, 51:02 after vision comes and then we get to Revelation eight 51:05 and nine, and the trumpets begin to blow. 51:08 The trumpets of judgment, ta tada da, ta tada da 51:11 the great shofar is sounding, what did you think of that? 51:13 I can play the trumpet, but I didn't want to scare you. 51:15 The trumpet sounds and these horrific judgments 51:21 begin to fall. 51:22 So what are those judgments, and what are those trumpets. 51:25 It's Christ that is issuing these things, 51:28 Christ is at the center of it, are there judgments? 51:30 Sure there are, but it is Christ who is issuing them, 51:32 it's Christ who is at the center and the judgments flow out. 51:37 In Revelation chapter 10, we find this angel who looks 51:40 exactly like Christ in Revelation chapter one. 51:43 Many Bible expositors believe it is Jesus, a messenger 51:46 and He returns and He puts one foot on the sea, 51:49 and He puts one foot on the land and He lifts His hand to heaven 51:52 and swears that there will be time or delay no longer. 51:55 He has a little scroll in His hand, a remarkable, 51:58 remarkable prophecy. 52:00 Revelation chapter eleven, we find these two witnesses. 52:04 Two witnesses that could call down fire from heaven, 52:09 and a witness that could cause plagues to fall, 52:11 and then the witnesses are slain. 52:12 Who are they witnesses of? 52:15 Jesus Christ! 52:17 These things do not exist in a vacuum, even the witnesses 52:20 were testifying of Christ and their slaying. 52:23 And then Revelation 12 and 13, is the undisputed climax 52:28 of the Book of Revelation. 52:29 Here we find Jesus Christ, the Risen Christ, 52:32 the Glorified Christ, in direct conflict and combat 52:37 with the enemy. 52:38 In Revelation chapter 12 is the conflict with the dragon, 52:41 verse nine says, that dragon that deceives the whole world 52:44 is the Devil and Satan. 52:45 Here we find Jesus locked in almost hand to hand 52:49 combat with His arch enemy. 52:51 Well, who is this dragon? Who is this Devil? 52:53 Where did he come from? 52:54 You got to keep coming to the meetings, 52:55 that's exactly what we're going to talk about. 52:57 Revelation 13, this beast that we've already talked about, 52:59 The body of a leopard, the feet of a bear, the mouth of a lion, 53:02 and these ten horns, and Jesus in direct conflict, 53:05 the people of God, in direct conflict with these 53:07 satanic, anti-Christian powers. 53:10 Revelation 14, we see these three angels streaking 53:14 through the midnight heavens. 53:15 Three very special important messages: 53:17 The first message is fear God and give Glory to Him, 53:20 for the hour of His judgment is come. 53:22 And these angels have special messages that point us to, 53:26 guess who everyone? Jesus Christ! 53:28 That's exactly right. 53:29 Revelation 14, ends with the second coming of Jesus Christ, 53:33 Powerful, unimaginable, unfathomable glory that will be. 53:36 Revelation 15 all the way through 19, Jesus in chapter 19 53:41 is depicted as riding on a great white stallion. 53:44 The Bible says He has on His vesture a name King of Kings, 53:48 and say it with me Lord of Lords, 53:51 He is the Word of God, He's clothed in a garment 53:53 dipped in blood, and He returns victorious over His enemies. 53:57 That imagery comes directly from an ancient practice. 54:01 When one army had been defeated, the general of the 54:04 victorious army would get on a white stallion, 54:06 and he would ride victoriously across the battlefield 54:09 on that white stallion. 54:10 That's exactly what we find in Revelation 15, 16, 17, 18, 54:14 and 19, is Christ gets the victory over His 54:16 self styled opposers. 54:18 Revelation 20, Christ takes that nail scarred hand, 54:21 and lays it directly on the hand of Satan, and binds him, 54:26 and throws him into a pit. 54:27 Her we find Christ in direct conflict with His arch-enemy 54:32 and that is awesome, I can not wait to get to Revelation 20. 54:36 Revelation 21: The best of all, we see the New Jerusalem, 54:41 the Bible says there will be no more pain, no more sorrow, 54:44 no more death, no more disease, no more terrorism, 54:47 someone say Amen! 54:48 - Amen! 54:49 What's the focus of the New Jerusalem? 54:51 It's not a city, it's not gold streets, it's not gold walls, 54:55 it's who's in that city, that is "Jesus!" 54:59 All the way through the Book of Revelation, 55:03 the whole focus is Jesus. 55:06 From Revelation one to Revelation 22, 55:09 we can understand this book. 55:12 We can understand Bible prophecy, 55:15 but we're going to need two keys. 55:16 Number one, we're going to need the key that says 55:18 the Old Testament, is the foundation 55:22 of the Book of Revelation. 55:23 Number two: We're going to need the key that says, 55:26 the focus of this book is not dragons, the focus of this book 55:29 is not the anti-Christ, the focus of this book is not 55:31 all of this mystical imagery. 55:33 The focus of this book is who? Say it with me now. 55:35 Jesus Christ! 55:38 Can you say Amen? 55:40 - Amen! - Alright! 55:42 Is your appetite wetted? 55:43 Alright, Well we're done for tonight. 55:46 Ha! ha! ha! ha! We're going to close with 55:48 a word of prayer, we're going to turn you loose, 55:50 tomorrow night, I'm going to let you know something, 55:51 I'm going to make you a promise. 55:52 We want to be very sensitive to your time, are you busy? 55:57 Anybody here busy? Hey, I'm busy. 56:00 Here's what's going to happen, I want to let you know, 56:02 I'm not whistling Dixie up here. 56:03 These meetings are going to start at 7:00 sharp. 56:06 Seven sharp, so don't think, well I'll show up at 7:10, 56:10 you show up at 7:10, you miss the first ten minutes 56:11 of the meetings. 56:12 You show up at 7:00 sharp, this meeting is going to last 56:15 about 55 minutes, and you can walk out of here most nights 56:19 by eight o'clock. 56:20 Sound like a good idea? 56:21 So can still get home and eat your meal, and see the game, 56:25 whatever you want, but beloved, we are going to be here 56:28 responsibly, carefully, studying God's Holy Word. 56:33 I want to give you a personal invitation to be with us 56:35 as many nights as you can, and I'll let you know. 56:38 I don't gain anything from you being here except the fellowship 56:42 of good Christian brothers, and sisters. 56:43 But you will gain a lot from being here, do whatever you can, 56:47 change your schedule, manipulate your schedule, 56:50 adjust your schedule, if you cannot make it on certain nights 56:53 no problem, we'll have audio CD's available 56:55 every single night for a nominal fee, 56:56 again that money doesn't go to me, that money goes to 56:59 defray the expenses of this event. 57:01 You are all invited as my personal guests, to come, 57:03 to bring family members, to bring friends, 57:05 and to go on a journey with us as we discover prophecy. 57:11 Let's pray together, Father in Heaven, 57:13 we have just spent a few moments together tonight 57:16 trying to unlock a few of the mysteries of Revelation, 57:20 and Father we have seen tonight it is not some mysterious book, 57:23 incomprehensibly difficult, to understand no!, no!, no!, 57:26 In fact tonight with just two keys in our hands, we've already 57:29 begun to unlock some of the 57:31 marvelous mysteries of this book. 57:32 Father, I want to pray for every person here, unique people, 57:36 special people, people that you love. 57:38 Father there are people here tonight with challenges, 57:40 there's people here with frustrations, 57:42 people here with needs, Father minister to every person 57:45 that is here and their families, and Father bring them back 57:48 not to my Glory but to your Glory in the name of Jesus, 57:52 let everyone say, "Amen. 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Revised 2014-12-17