Participants: Jim Reinking
Series Code: LDS
Program Code: LDS000006
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00:34 We certainly learned in recent nights
00:36 that we are living in the final days 00:38 of world's history. 00:39 I think that is clear, 00:40 I know that's clear from the word of God 00:42 that Jesus is soon to return to this planet of ours 00:45 with all the angelic host of heaven with Him. 00:49 And as we have discovered His coming 00:52 some people to call it the rapture 00:53 His coming will be an open event 00:56 in which the earth will come to a cataclysmic end. 01:00 But remember for God's people it's our time of escape. 01:06 And as difficult as those times may be we again remind ourselves 01:10 of the promise that Jesus Himself gave us, 01:14 that He will be with us always even to the end. 01:19 And He is going to get us through. 01:22 It is a given for those who love the Lord. 01:25 We're gonna discover tonight 01:27 that the coming of Jesus marks the beginning 01:29 of the millennial period of time. 01:32 And because it does 01:33 just because the subject is such a beautiful one 01:36 let's do a quick review 01:38 of some of the things we discovered last night 01:40 beginning with Revelation 1:7 01:43 where it says, "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, 01:46 and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him." 01:50 Evidently there is gonna be a special resurrection 01:52 for those who crucified our Lord. 01:55 And it says, "And all the tribes of the earth 01:57 will mourn over Him." 01:58 Speaking about those who will be left behind 02:01 when Jesus comes for His people. 02:04 And then you will remember 02:05 we were into 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, 02:08 I just love this passage of scripture, it's so powerful. 02:12 It just really puts it all together 02:13 where it says, "For the Lord Himself 02:15 will descend from heaven with a shout, 02:18 with the voice of the archangel, with the trumpet of God, 02:22 and the dead in Christ shall rise first. 02:25 And then we who are alive 02:27 and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds 02:30 to meet the Lord in the air, 02:32 and thus we shall always be with the Lord." 02:37 I'll just think how wonderful that day is gonna be 02:40 when those who have died in faith 02:43 are going to be resurrected. 02:47 The dead are going to live again. 02:51 And my friend, Jesus makes it all possible 02:58 because of what Jesus has done for us. 03:00 And then I remind you of the promise 03:02 that Jesus Himself gave about His return in John 14 03:06 and looking at verse 2 and 3, 03:08 where it says, "In My Father's house 03:10 are many dwelling places, 03:12 if it were not so, I would have told you 03:14 for I go to prepare a place for you." 03:17 As I mentioned last night there is a place 03:19 for every one of us in heaven. 03:21 Jesus is preparing it for us. 03:24 We have something to look forward to with anticipation. 03:27 And then He said, "If I go and prepare a place for you, 03:30 I will come again and receive you to Myself, 03:34 that where I am, there you may be also." 03:38 So, clearly when Jesus comes back for us, 03:43 where is it that He takes us to? 03:48 He takes us to heaven, 03:50 because its there that He is been preparing places for us. 03:54 And so that's important we will see 03:57 as we go further into our study tonight 03:59 as it relates to the millennium. 04:01 And then we talked about some of the powerful things 04:03 that we're taking a place on the earth 04:05 that the coming of the Son of God. 04:08 Where it says in Revelation 16 and beginning with Verse 18 04:11 "And there were flashes of lightning 04:13 and sounds and peals of thunder 04:16 and there was a great earthquake, 04:17 such as there had not been 04:18 since man came to be upon the earth, 04:21 so great an earthquake" 04:23 it says, I mean this is just hard to fathom 04:26 when you think about this universal earthquake 04:28 that's going to be taking place at the coming of Jesus. 04:33 It's gonna be massive, its-- 04:35 you know, the old earth as I said last night 04:37 its gonna be shaking to and fro at the powerful presence 04:41 of the return of the Son of Man. 04:44 And then verse 20 says "And every island fled away, 04:47 and the mountains were not found." 04:49 The very crust of the earth is gonna be broken up 04:52 at the presence of Jesus when He comes. 04:56 This massive earthquake 04:58 that will take place at His coming 05:01 and so His coming marks the end of the world, it's the end. 05:06 And then we also-- you will remember Matthew 24:37 05:10 where Jesus said, He said, "But as the days of Noah were, 05:15 so shall also the coming of the son of man be." 05:18 And we could notice some of the parallels 05:20 between what happened in those day, 05:22 wickedness, evil, violence was increasing 05:26 greatly upon the earth and God stepped in and He-- 05:32 you know, God said, I'm not gonna let this go on, 05:34 I'm gonna stop it right here, okay. 05:37 In other words, God sets limits 05:39 to how far evil is going to go, right. 05:44 He set limits and praise the Lord He set limits 05:46 because without that if evil really had free reign, 05:51 we really would have 05:52 even greater problems than we have. 05:54 And we see the parallels in our own day. 05:58 And violence and all of these horrible things 06:00 that are happening 06:02 and we will remember that Noah preached his message 06:04 for a 120 years urging people to repent 06:08 and to get in the ark 06:09 and to avert the coming destruction. 06:12 They by in large just laughed at him, 06:15 rain, end of the world. 06:18 And we know what happened to those who were left behind, 06:21 they were destroyed weren't they, in those floods? 06:24 Again God did everything He could 06:27 to persuade them to get in the ark. 06:31 In the same way He is seeking 06:32 to persuade everyone He possibly can 06:35 that through faith in Jesus Christ 06:37 they need to be ready for the coming of Jesus. 06:41 The 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 8 06:44 it says, "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven 06:46 with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 06:49 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God 06:52 and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus." 06:58 My friend, I just assure you 07:00 God just takes no pleasure in this, 07:02 but they have left Him with no alternative. 07:06 But somehow this idea that, you know, 07:08 after the coming of Jesus 07:09 there is got to be another chance 07:11 for all of this folks that are going to be lost. 07:14 But take a look at 2 Corinthians 6:2 07:17 where it says, behold 07:18 "Behold, now is the acceptable time, 07:20 behold, now is 'the day of salvation.'" 07:24 Not some future point, 07:26 it's now that we must make our decision for Jesus. 07:30 My friends, it's gonna be too late 07:32 if we wait until the end comes. 07:35 And then you know we have this idea 07:37 when we see these things happening 07:38 then we're gonna get serious about, 07:40 it will be too late, it will be too late. 07:43 And it also robs the final message 07:46 that God gives to the world, 07:48 they robs it of its urgency. 07:52 Well, you know, you'll have another chance, 07:55 but, my friend, that again is not what we find in the Bible 07:59 Jesus predicted, 08:03 He said, "In this gospel the kingdom shall be preached 08:06 in the whole world for witness to all the nations, 08:09 and then the end shall come." 08:13 And so when it comes 08:14 right down to the final days of world's history 08:17 the gospel will do its work worldwide 08:21 fired by the power of the Holy Spirit. 08:24 It will go to every nation, it will go to all peoples 08:30 and its then, its then that decisions will be made 08:34 for eternity one way or the other. 08:38 Take your Bibles and turn with me 08:39 to Revelation 19 the New Testament page 199, 08:44 Revelation 19 and beginning with verse 11. 08:47 Remember I said earlier that the coming of Jesus 08:50 marks the beginning of the millennium 08:52 and so let me nail that one down. 08:55 Revelation 19 and beginning with verse 11. 08:59 We have a description of the coming of Jesus 09:02 in the typical prophetic symbolic language 09:06 of the Book of Revelation. 09:08 And we are gonna discover that in the next chapter 09:11 we're going to be in it quite a bit tonight 09:14 the next chapter is the chapter on the millennium. 09:16 So contextually we're looking at 09:18 what happens just before the millennium. 09:21 So there it is 09:25 John said, "And I saw heaven opened, 09:27 and behold a white horse, 09:28 and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, 09:32 in righteousness He judges and wages war." 09:36 By the way, again where do that war that conflict began? 09:40 It begin in heaven, we know that from Revelation 12:7-9. 09:44 And the conflict of warfare continues where? 09:48 Here upon this planet, doesn't it? 09:50 We're in the middle of it. 09:52 It is a warfare and a conflict 09:54 over the control of every heart of us. 09:58 And the question again being who will we decide for? 10:02 And so there is this conflict it is spiritual, 10:06 but it's a very real conflict. 10:08 Notice the description of him verse 12, 10:10 "His eyes are a flame of fire, 10:12 and on His head are many diadems, 10:15 and He has a name written on Him 10:17 which no one knows except Himself. 10:20 And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood." 10:23 Again this is a prophetic language. 10:24 "And His name is called The Word of God. 10:27 And the armies which are in heaven, 10:29 clothed in fine linen, white and clean 10:31 were following Him on white horses." 10:34 And so, here in the Book of Revelation 10:36 the coming of Jesus, 10:37 He has described His coming as a concurring king 10:41 with His vast angelic holds this army 10:46 that attends Him on his way. 10:48 And if you read through the following verses 10:51 through the end of the chapter 10:52 again you'll see judgments 10:54 that will be falling upon the earth. 10:56 And those who are left behind it's the end, it's the end. 11:02 The word millennium itself is not in the Bible, 11:05 it really comes from two Latin terms 11:09 that have been put together 11:10 that is the word Latin term "Mille" which means a thousand 11:15 and the word "Annium" which means years. 11:18 Our word annual comes from this Latin term. 11:22 So, when we talk about the millennium 11:23 it just a way of describing 11:26 the thousand year period of time. 11:29 So as we are just about ready to move 11:32 right into the millennium 11:35 what have we discovered happens at the beginning 11:38 of the thousand year period of time. 11:40 Well, this we know because we know 11:42 the coming of Jesus marks the beginning of the millennium. 11:45 First of all we know just as Jesus had promise 11:48 that His people all are swept away to heaven, right. 11:52 They go away to heaven. 11:54 They are not here upon the earth 11:56 during the thousand year period of time. 11:58 And for those who left behind 12:00 the wicked and believe me when we put together 12:03 the mark of the beast 12:04 and how that place out in the end time 12:06 a lot of this will make a lot more sense. 12:09 Why again those who are left behind are slain 12:13 as it says in Paul's writings to the Thessalonians, 12:16 are slain by the brightness of His coming. 12:19 And so with that massive earthquake 12:23 God's people swept away, 12:25 the earth is in a desolated state. 12:29 Let's move on to Revelation Chapter 20. 12:33 You are there aren't you? 12:34 Because we're gonna pick it up. 12:37 In Revelation 20 and beginning with verse-- 12:41 we want to look at verses 1 through 3, verses 1 through 3 12:47 where it says that "I saw an angel 12:49 coming down from heaven, 12:51 holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 12:56 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, 12:59 who is the devil and Satan, 13:01 and bound him for a thousand years. 13:04 And he threw him into the abyss, 13:06 and shut it and sealed it over him, 13:09 so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, 13:12 until the thousand years were completed 13:14 and after these things he must be released for a short time." 13:18 So the first thing we note 13:19 of in regards to the thousand years 13:21 Satan is thrown into the abyss 13:24 he is bound for 1000 years 13:26 and then remember it says 13:28 he will be release for a short time. 13:30 We will pick that up before we are done. 13:32 What is the abyss? 13:34 You know, some how conjecture 13:38 that may be some black hole out there in the universe, 13:41 but its just conjecture 13:42 because there is nothing in the Bible 13:44 that would indicate that. 13:46 My friend, the abyss is this earth in its desolated state 13:52 and Satan is bound here to this, this-- to the planet. 13:57 It's interesting as we look at Jeremiah 4 14:00 and begin with verse 23 on the screen. 14:03 We find that Jeremiah envision sees looks upon the earth in-- 14:09 during the millennium period of time 14:11 and this desolation that has taken place upon the earth. 14:15 And He is doing something quite interesting 14:17 that Jesus Himself did in Matthew 24. 14:21 That is Jeremiah was predicting the judgments 14:24 and the desolations that were gonna take place in Jerusalem 14:27 because of the rebelliousness centuries of God's people. 14:33 And then prophetically he uses that imagery 14:38 to describe the final desolations 14:41 that will take place upon the earth. 14:43 He makes a universal application to the end times. 14:47 And so this is what he records, "I looked on the earth, 14:51 and behold, it was formless and void, 14:55 and to the heavens, and they had no light. 14:58 I looked on the mountains," Jeremiah said. 15:01 He is looking at the earth, he is looking at the mountains 15:04 and what did he find? 15:06 Well, "He looked on the mountain, 15:08 and behold, they were quaking, 15:10 and all the hills moved to and fro." 15:13 Does that connect with anything 15:14 that we've studied in regards to the coming of Jesus? 15:17 Absolutely. 15:19 Revelation 16 that massive universal earthquake 15:24 that will engulf the earth at the coming of Jesus. 15:27 That's what he is seeing 15:28 as he is looking down in time envision. 15:31 And he goes on to say, 15:32 "And I looked, and behold, there was no man, 15:34 and all the birds of the heavens had fled." 15:37 The earth was in a depopulated state. 15:40 And, my friend, it has to be 15:41 this period of time that he is looking at 15:43 because it could be no other, 15:46 because we know that God's people are not here 15:49 again Jesus has taken them to heaven to those places 15:52 He has prepared for them. 15:54 And we know the wicked are not here 15:57 because as in the days of Noah they are destroyed. 16:02 So the earth is in the depopulated state. 16:05 And he said, "And I looked, 16:07 and behold, the fruitful land was a wilderness, 16:09 and all its cities were pulled down 16:13 before the Lord, before His fierce anger." 16:16 And so the cities of the nations fall. 16:19 Revelation 16 also speaks of this. 16:22 But how about this matter it says before His fierce anger. 16:27 How do we deal with that when we talk-- 16:30 when we've been talking about a loving God? 16:33 How do we deal the God who is described here-- 16:37 all of this destruction happening 16:38 because of His fierce anger? 16:41 Well, my friend, there really is 16:43 and again we touched on it before 16:44 but I'm gonna come back to it 16:46 because people have been so troubled over this matter 16:48 that God is angry. 16:50 But remember I said the other night 16:51 somebody better be angry about all that the horrible things 16:54 that are happening upon this planet. 16:58 And He is as I indicated God is not just somewhere out 17:04 there in the universe and just kind of marking time 17:07 and just, you know, God is just really wrapped up 17:12 really wrapped up and deeply involved 17:16 with what's happening on this planet, 17:18 the horrible things that are happening 17:20 which means He is wrapped up deeply 17:24 involved with what's happening in your life and my life 17:28 as we're dealing with the horrible things 17:31 that sin has brought to this planet. 17:34 And He is angry 17:35 about what has happened to His children. 17:38 He has got this plan, 17:39 He is gonna save us those who will. 17:43 And in the end He is going to destroy it. 17:47 Sin is a cancer that in the end must be eradicated 17:54 and it's in love, right. 17:57 It's a loving God that brings it to an end, a loving God. 18:00 But I wanted you to notice at the first part of this verse 18:03 it talked about it was looking on the earth 18:06 and it was without form and void. 18:08 That reminds us of another passage 18:10 if we think about it back in Genesis 1:2 18:16 where it speaks of the earth being without form and void. 18:21 This is before the six days of creation. 18:24 You know, some creation scientist have again up, 18:28 you know, they've theories 18:30 that, you know, there was something, 18:32 there was something here when God came to this planet. 18:35 It was in a chaotic state. 18:37 Again the description is that it was without 18:40 form and it was void. 18:43 And they've conjectured 18:46 that may be God in some past ages 18:49 came to this solar system and put the planets into place 18:55 and then in time came back to this planet 18:59 and created life on it. 19:01 So He put the skeleton, the solar system in to place 19:04 in the past and came back to it. 19:06 But whatever the case may be 19:07 the earth was without form and without void 19:11 the same term use over Genesis Chapter 4. 19:14 It's interesting that in the Greek translation 19:16 of the Old Testament 19:19 when they translated this term 19:21 that the earth was without form and void 19:23 in Genesis the word they used 19:25 in the Greek is the word "Abussos." 19:29 That's where our word, 19:31 our English word Abyss comes from, 19:34 it's derived from the Greek. 19:38 And speaking of a place that is chaotic, broken down, 19:43 it's without form and void. 19:45 And they did the same thing when they came to Jeremiah 4, 19:49 when they came to that term 19:50 without form and void the word is Abussos. 19:55 And it's the same word 19:56 that we find here in Revelation 20 19:59 in regards to Satan being bound to the abyss. 20:04 It is this earth in its desolated place. 20:07 And Romans 10 bears this out Romans 10:7 20:10 where the question is asked 20:12 "Who will descend into the abyss?" 20:14 Descending is not going out and up, 20:17 up and out, descending. 20:20 "Who will descent into the abyss? 20:22 That is to bring Christ up from the dead." 20:27 So what is the abyss? 20:32 It's the grave. 20:34 It's the place the abode of death. 20:38 And, my friend, that is what the earth has become. 20:42 We also would ask the question in what sense, 20:44 in what sense is Satan bound to this earth? 20:48 And again I'll remind in the Book of Revelation 20:50 we have prophetic-- we have prophetic terms, 20:53 we have quoted symbolisms and one of the great dangers 20:58 in trying to interpret the Book of Revelation 21:00 are those who want to take a littlest approach 21:05 to the interpretation of the Book of Revelation. 21:08 For instance they would say 21:10 that those chains are actually caves. 21:14 But, my friend, really when you look at the book 21:16 it is coded, it is symbolic, 21:21 it is not to be understood literally. 21:24 I mean, consider how he is been carried out his freedom 21:27 upon this planet with certain parameters 21:29 that God had put into place. 21:31 I mean, he has been tracking us for the moment 21:33 we are born into life to the moment that we leave it. 21:36 He is been hounding us 21:38 with the determination to take us down. 21:41 Again remember he hates us 21:43 because we are the supreme objects of God's love. 21:46 And he knows that when he brings misery 21:48 and when he brings suffering 21:50 and if he could take us down the road of rebellion 21:54 that he can bring pain to the heart of the God. 21:58 I mean he is just down right mean. 22:02 And so that's how he is been, 22:03 you know, what he is being doing upon this earth. 22:05 But you see at the coming of Jesus 22:07 suddenly things change fundamentally. 22:10 Suddenly the people of God are swept away. 22:12 He can't bother them, he cannot trouble them any longer, 22:16 he can tempt them and the wicked they are died. 22:23 And so as it's been said he is bound by circumstances 22:28 and he is bound to this earth in his tessellated state. 22:33 Do you see something of the justice of God 22:35 that Satan and his wicked angels 22:37 are bound to this earth for thousand years 22:40 with all of this destruction? 22:41 And, my friend, it's all because of their rebellion. 22:44 This once was a paradise. 22:46 This is what sin had brought it to. 22:51 It led to destruction. 22:53 And yes for a thousand years 22:55 he will be wandering over the surface 22:57 of this planet this abyss. 23:00 But remember it says "He will be released for a short season." 23:06 I take you next as we move on Revelation 20 23:10 and we're gonna look at verse 4. 23:13 In verse 4 we're going to discover 23:15 what God's people are doing 23:17 during the millennial period of time, 23:19 during the thousand years. 23:20 And this is what we find Revelation 20 23:22 and beginning with verse 4, 23:24 John says "Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, 23:28 and judgment was given to them." 23:30 Now, we want to identify who it is 23:32 that they that is sitting upon these thrones 23:35 to whom judgment was given to them. 23:38 It goes on to identify them actually, 23:40 he said, "And I saw the souls of those 23:42 who had been beheaded 23:43 because of their testimony of Jesus 23:46 and because of the Word of God. 23:48 And those who are not worshiped the beast or his image 23:51 and have now receive the mark 23:52 on their foreheads or on their hand. 23:55 And they came to life." 23:58 Obviously this is talking about God's people, right? 24:01 They came to life, 24:03 that's speaking of the resurrection 24:06 and furthermore it says, 24:07 "And they reigned" they reigned 24:09 "with Christ for a thousand years." 24:13 So, God's people are resurrected and they reign 24:17 and my friend, it identifies 24:19 who it is that's sitting on the thrones. 24:23 Judging this is the millennial judgment 24:27 that we're talking about. 24:28 First Corinthians 6, the New Testament page 132, 132. 24:34 First Corinthians 6 and we are gonna be looking 24:37 at verses 2 and 3. 24:39 Now Paul is writing to church 24:42 that is having a lot of problems, 24:45 lot of difficulties. 24:46 Gross immorality was going on and tolerated in the fellowship. 24:51 They were at each others throats, 24:54 they were in conflict with one another, 24:56 they were actually suing each other 24:58 in the secular courts of the day. 25:00 And so Paul is trying to bring peace 25:03 to the church in Corinth. 25:05 And notice what his appeal is 25:08 about those who were suing their brothers, 25:10 their sisters in the secular courts. 25:13 First Corinthians 6: 2 he says 25:16 "Do you not know 25:17 that the saints will judge the world?" 25:21 Did you know that Bible teaches 25:23 that saints will judge the world? 25:25 Absolutely. 25:27 And he says, further 25:28 "if the world is to be judged by you, 25:29 are you not competent 25:30 to constitute the smallest law courts?" 25:33 Can't you settle these issues among yourselves as Christians? 25:37 If you're gonna be judging the world, 25:39 why would we be judging the world? 25:42 Well, my friend, there is some real good reasons 25:45 why we're involved in this phases of judgment. 25:47 We're gonna discover 25:48 there are three phases of judgment in the end time. 25:50 We're gonna be looking at two of them tonight. 25:55 And so we're taking you 25:57 to the millennial phase of judgment. 26:01 And it involves God's people judging the world. 26:04 You see even in our judicial system 26:07 we have this concept that an individual ought 26:11 to be judged by their peers don't we? 26:15 That's why we have a jury system, 26:17 the idea that we ought to be judged by our peers. 26:20 And, my friend, God has this view 26:22 in His Judicial system 26:24 as it plays out in the end time 26:27 that the world ought to be judged by their peers 26:31 that will be us if we are there by God's grace. 26:36 And you see there are some real reasons 26:39 beyond just the fairness and the justice of God 26:41 that we are involved in this judgment, 26:43 because, you know, somewhere, 26:44 you know, I tried to describe last night 26:46 how wonderful its gonna be 26:47 when Jesus comes to find ourselves, 26:50 you know, being drawn off the earth, 26:52 being drawn into the presence of Jesus 26:55 and all of those angels that are singing 26:57 these wonderful glorious songs 26:59 it's just gonna be such a thrill, 27:01 but I know somewhere in the process 27:04 I'm gonna begin to look around among the redeemed. 27:08 I'm gonna be looking for those that I loved 27:10 and knew best upon this earth. 27:12 I'm gonna be looking for family members, 27:14 I'm gonna be looking for my wife, 27:17 gonna be looking for my two sons, 27:19 David and Kevin, gonna be looking for friends. 27:23 I'm gonna be looking for those 27:24 I've had the privilege of bringing to Jesus Christ. 27:27 And I tell you when we find 27:29 and I think all of us will have an interest to know 27:32 are they to make it, are they're there, 27:35 were they true to Jesus till the end? 27:39 And I tell you when we find some of those 27:40 that we have loved best on this earth 27:42 and we find that they are there, 27:43 you know, we are going 27:44 to wrap our arms around each other 27:47 and together we are going to shout, halleluiah. 27:51 I tell you our joy in being in heaven 27:54 is increased by the fact 27:56 there will be some of those that we've loved here 27:58 that are there with us. 28:01 But you know we all have a choice 28:04 and undoubtedly we're gonna find some 28:06 that we've loved here in this earth who are not there. 28:10 And there is going to be some sadness. 28:12 It's interesting it's not until the end of the thousand years 28:15 that it says that God wipes away our tears. 28:18 I think there will yet be some grief 28:21 for those that we thought would be there 28:23 but we're not there. 28:24 And so there, you know, God doesn't want us 28:26 to go through eternity with these questions, 28:28 but mom I thought she would be there, she-- 28:31 I thought she was a committed Christian. 28:34 What happened to my daughter or my son 28:37 or what happened to mom, what happen to mom and dad? 28:42 You know, I thought they would be there. 28:45 And so the judgment God allows us to see 28:50 what was happening in a way 28:52 that we could not see with the natural eye. 28:55 We will be able to see what was happening 28:57 into the hearts and their minds. 28:59 We will be able to see were they harden their hearts, 29:01 were they turned away, 29:04 because again God doesn't want us to go through eternity 29:07 with these nine questions 29:09 what happened and then when its all said and done, 29:14 when the judgment is finished in the words of Revelation 16:7 29:19 "All of God's people will declare, 29:21 'O Lord God, Almighty, true 29:23 and righteous are Thy judgments.'" 29:29 But do you know there is somebody else 29:30 that were going to be judging during this period of time 29:33 if you still there in 1 Corinthians 6 29:35 it is found in verse 3 29:37 where Paul says "Do you not know that we will judge angels." 29:43 What angels will we be involved in judging? 29:48 Oh, my friend, those evil angels, 29:50 those angels of darkness, those angels of sin 29:55 and rebellion and evil 29:58 that have brought this whole tragedy to this planet. 30:02 And, my friend, do you see any justice in God 30:04 that we ought to be involved in judging the evil angels? 30:10 Absolutely, don't you think so? 30:13 So we are involved in the judgment in judging them, 30:17 is what the Bible indicates. 30:19 So let's take another review, 30:22 let's do another review at this point 30:24 and what we've discovered about 30:25 what happens during the millennium period of time 30:28 and these things are been cleared 30:29 from the Word of God haven't they? 30:30 Number one, we know God's people have been taken to heaven 30:34 just again as Jesus has promised. 30:37 We know just as we have studied 30:38 the saints are involved in judgment 30:41 during the millennial period of time. 30:45 And what else did we discover? 30:47 The earth, the earth is desolated 30:49 it's become an abyss. 30:51 The ungodly, all of them are dead 30:54 except for the wicked angels. 30:56 And Satan is bound to the earth. 30:59 Those are the five things that we know 31:02 with certainty take place 31:05 during the millennium period of time. 31:08 Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 31:11 "Man shall not live on bread alone, 31:13 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." 31:19 And my friend, that is certainly 31:20 inclusive of the Book of Revelation. 31:22 It is not exclusive of the Book of Revelation is it? 31:26 And so that which is reviled God wants us to understand. 31:31 He wants us to understand these end time events 31:34 that how things are going to play out. 31:37 He wants us to understand that He has a plan 31:40 and He wants us to understand 31:42 that everything is going to be set right, 31:45 it's going to be all right at the end. 31:48 It is. 31:50 And so He wants us to have an understanding of that. 31:54 So let's move on to what happens at the end of the millennium. 31:56 Now we look at Revelation 21:2 to begin with 32:01 and where it says, "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, 32:05 coming down out of heaven from God, 32:06 made ready as a bride adorned for her husband." 32:10 And you may remember that every night 32:12 we talked about this passage 32:13 the New Jerusalem is a capital city of the universe, 32:17 it is the city of God. 32:19 And so at the end of the 1,000 years 32:21 here comes the New Jerusalem coming down from God 32:25 out of heaven to this planet. 32:28 God is not done with this earth 32:31 is what we find as we study the scriptures. 32:34 In fact Jesus in the Beatitudes 32:36 made this statement 32:38 "Blesses are the meek for they shall inherit," what? 32:43 "They shall inherit the earth." 32:45 And, my friend, it's not talking about the ungodly, 32:48 they are noted for their neatness, 32:50 this is taking about God's people 32:52 and the promise is we will inherit the earth. 32:55 God created this planet for the human race to inhabit. 33:00 And, my friend, at the end of the millennium God 33:02 will return impart to His original plan. 33:05 We will come back with Him as we will see 33:09 to this planet and we will inhabit it. 33:12 It's gonna change a lot before that happens. 33:15 And we're gonna put that piece together as we continue on. 33:19 But we will inhabit and we will spend. 33:22 the years of eternity on the earth 33:25 Heaven is only for 1,000 years. 33:32 It's only for 1,000 years is what the Bible indicates. 33:36 And then let me take you on to John 5. 33:39 There's another piece we want to add to this 33:41 as we talk about what happens at the end of the millennium. 33:44 The New Testament page 75 John 5 and looking at verses 28 and 29. 33:50 Jesus makes a fascinating statement here 33:53 He doesn't give us a lot of details 33:56 and He doesn't put it all into any kind of sequence, 34:00 He just makes a statement about what's gonna happen. 34:04 So find your place there in John 5 34:06 and we're looking at verses 28 and 29 where Jesus said, 34:10 "Do not marvel at this, 34:11 for an hour is coming 34:14 which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice." 34:19 Notice the phrase "all will hear His voice." 34:24 Okay, and verse 29 says, 34:27 "And will come forth." 34:28 All we hear His voice and all will come forth 34:31 and what do we call that in a word 34:33 when they come forth? The resurrection. 34:37 Yes, it's the resurrection. But all. 34:42 And He goes on to say 34:43 "Those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life." 34:46 Who would that be talking about? 34:48 Oh, my friend, that's not talking about the ungodly 34:50 they are noted for their good deeds, are they? 34:54 This has to be talking about God's people 34:57 and resurrection of life. 34:58 And then He goes on to say Jesus says 34:59 "Those who committed the evil deeds." 35:02 Now we know that has to be the ungodly 35:05 to a resurrection of judgment 35:07 or for the purpose of judgment. 35:10 Yes, even the wicked are going to be resurrected 35:14 is what the Bible indicates. 35:17 Which means which resurrection 35:23 will we come up in? 35:26 That is a relevant question, isn't it? 35:28 I'll come back to that, 35:29 but I want to tie this into Revelation 20. 35:33 So we go back to the New Testament page 199 35:35 and beginning with verse 4. 35:37 Jesus makes a simple statement here. 35:40 He doesn't get into a lot of detail, 35:42 He doesn't tells when the resurrection of life is, 35:45 but comparing scripture with scripture 35:47 we know the resurrection of God's people 35:49 takes place at the coming of Jesus 1 Thessalonians 4:16 35:53 among other texts that we could quote. 35:55 When He talks about the resurrection the wicked, 35:57 again He doesn't tell us 35:58 when we have to look at other scriptures 36:01 that will give us insights 36:03 to when the wicked will be resurrected. 36:07 And again we find that Revelation 20:4-6. 36:11 By the way in Acts 24:15 the Bible says 36:16 "There shall certainly be 36:18 a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked." 36:24 So, we're seeing a number of passages of scripture 36:27 that speak of the resurrection both the of God's people 36:30 and of the wicked. 36:33 And in the context of the millennium 36:36 we find it here verses 4 through 6, 36:38 I know we read verse 4, 36:40 but we have to follow the flow 36:42 of what John is describing here 36:45 so let me reread verse 4 36:47 so we can that. 36:49 John said, "Then I saw thrones, 36:51 and they sat upon them, 36:52 and judgment was given unto them 36:53 and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded 36:56 because of their testimony of Jesus 36:58 and because of the Word of God, 37:01 and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, 37:03 and had not received the mark on their forehead 37:06 and on their hand and they came to life 37:09 and reigned with Christ for a thousand years." 37:11 Currently its God's people, 37:12 it's a resurrection on the life for life 37:16 and that resurrection begins 37:18 at the beginning of the 1,000 years. 37:21 That's clear, isn't it? 37:23 That's clear. 37:25 Then he goes on in verse 5 37:27 it's as if he is answering the unspoken question 37:31 but what happens to the rest of the dead? 37:34 It's really a parenthetical thought 37:35 because his focus is really 37:37 on the resurrection of God's people through this passage. 37:40 But he does answer that question verse 5 37:42 "The rest of the dead." 37:44 And who would the rest of the dead be? 37:46 Wicked. 37:47 It would be the wicked, it would be the ungodly, 37:49 "The rest of the dead did not come to life 37:51 until the thousand years were completed" 37:56 is what the Bible indicates. 37:58 And so there is a 1,000 year period of time 38:02 that separates the two resurrections. 38:05 And by the way and I agree 38:07 when it comes to the translation here 38:10 of Revelation 20:5 they actually put parenthesis around it 38:16 to show that it's a parenthetical thought. 38:19 "The rest of the dead did not come to life 38:21 until the 1,000 years were ended." 38:23 And that parenthetical thought. 38:25 And it's a good translation of that particular verse. 38:28 And then John continues 38:30 with his discussion of the first resurrection. 38:33 So let's read that, got a part of verse 5 38:36 "This is the first resurrection. 38:37 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection 38:41 over these the second death has no power, 38:44 but they will be priests of God and of Christ, 38:47 and will reign with him for a thousand years." 38:52 Okay, so we have a 1,000 year period of time 38:57 that separates the two resurrections. 39:01 Again God's people are resurrected 39:03 at the beginning of the 1,000 years 39:05 at the coming of Jesus 39:07 and the wicked are resurrected at the end of the 1,000 years. 39:12 And why are they resurrected? 39:14 Remember what Jesus said, 39:17 for judgment the resurrection of judgment. 39:21 Again in our judicial system 39:22 we have this idea 39:26 that judgment should precede sentencing, 39:32 right. 39:34 And so it is with God 39:35 and so they're going to have their day in court 39:40 is really what we see indicated here. 39:42 But remember I shared with you 39:43 in the early part of Revelation 20 39:45 that Satan would be lose for a short time 39:48 as the wicked are resurrected in the end. 39:51 It is at that point that Satan is lose among them. 39:54 We're gonna read that verse in just a moment. 39:57 But I want to come back to the idea, 39:59 the question being in which of the two resurrections 40:03 are we going to come up in? 40:06 Wouldn't it be horrible to be resurrected? 40:11 And to look around 40:14 and find all of the evil inhabitants of this earth, 40:20 that they're, I mean to see Stalin and Hitler 40:22 and some of the-- 40:23 I mean, you know, some of these mass killers 40:26 and to have the authorization 40:30 who came up in the wrong resurrection. 40:34 That would be pretty terrible, wouldn't it? 40:36 But again our decision that we make now 40:40 and determine by the grace of Jesus now 40:43 will determine where we will be there then. 40:46 And, my friend, by faith in Jesus 40:48 we really we need not worry ourselves about our fate 40:53 because it has been determined 40:55 through the blood of Jesus Christ. 40:57 Look at Revelation 20:7 40:58 as we talk about the fact that Satan will be lose, 41:01 he will be lose for a short time, 41:03 it says, "When the 1,000 years are completed, 41:05 Satan will be released from his prison." 41:09 The wicked are resurrected 41:11 and you read the next few verses, 41:13 he goes out and he organizes them into this vast army. 41:19 Remember the holy city 41:21 God and his people have come back down to this planet 41:25 and Satan is determined 41:27 they're gonna go up against the city, 41:29 they're gonna seek to take it. 41:31 It shows that he is a rebel down to the very end, 41:34 he is unrepentant and the wicked with him. 41:39 And, my friend, it's hopeless they cannot possibly prevail. 41:45 That as I've said earlier that is the insanity of sin 41:51 that they think that they could go up 41:52 against the all powerful God. 41:56 It's absolute insanity. 41:59 And then the judgment takes place 42:01 as we look at verses 11 through 13. 42:03 Let's look at it. 42:04 "Then I saw a great white throne 42:06 and Him who sat upon it, 42:09 from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, 42:11 and no place was found for them. 42:13 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, 42:16 standing before the throne." 42:18 That indicates judgment or resurrection for judgment. 42:23 "And I saw the dead, great and small, 42:25 stand before throne." Again resurrection. 42:28 "And the books were opened and another book was opened, 42:31 which is the book of life and the dead were judged 42:34 when the things which were written in the books, 42:36 according to their deeds." 42:39 Now again John is seeking to communicate to us 42:42 in language that we can understand. 42:44 Let me tell you 42:45 these are much more sophisticated records 42:48 that you and I can begin to comprehend. 42:50 And so they are brought up 42:52 and they are standing before the throne, 42:54 this is the judgment that we usually think of, 42:57 it is the final judgment, the final judgment. 43:03 Verse 13 adds "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it." 43:06 That's resurrection. "And death and Hades." 43:10 That word Hades means the grave. 43:13 "Death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them." 43:16 That is resurrection. 43:18 "And they were judged every one of them 43:19 according to their deeds." 43:23 By the way that question came in on a card last night. 43:26 Why is the judgment, why are we does the Bible say 43:29 we're judged by our deeds? 43:32 And I'd like to answer that because clearly our deeds reveal 43:37 who possesses the heart. 43:41 And, my friend, if Jesus possesses our hearts 43:44 the testimony of our lives will be that Jesus is there. 43:50 Jesus is in control 43:53 but for the wicked their deeds bare witness to the fact 43:56 that they have given themselves over to evil. 44:00 That's what it reveals. 44:03 And then we move on into verses 14 and 15 44:06 where it says, it says "Then death and Hades." 44:10 That is the grave. 44:11 "Were thrown into the lake of fire. 44:14 This is the second death, the lake of fire. 44:16 And if anyone's name was not found 44:18 written in the book of life, 44:19 he was thrown into the lake of fire." 44:24 And, my friend, this second death is eternal. 44:28 There is no resurrection for the second death. 44:31 It is the final end of it. 44:35 And, my friend, again we see embedded in God's word 44:38 and particularly in the Book of Revelation here, 44:41 the plan that God has put into place 44:44 how He is going to bring this about, 44:47 how He is gonna bring it to an end? 44:50 And so sin and sinners and rebellion 44:56 will be destroyed in the lake of fire. 44:59 And then the very next verse Revelation 21:1 45:02 it says, "Then I saw a new heaven 45:06 and a new earth for the first heaven 45:08 and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea." 45:13 Did you pick that up? 45:15 What happened to the first heaven 45:16 and the first earth? 45:18 And by the way which heaven is He talking about? 45:22 Remember our opening night 45:23 I mentioned the Bible speaks of three heavens. 45:25 Let me go back through that again. 45:27 Usually when we think of heaven 45:29 we are thinking about the place where God is 45:31 and where God's people will be taken, right? 45:33 That is heaven. 45:36 But the Bible also speaks of the heavens 45:39 as in the story of universe that be in the heavens. 45:44 And the third heaven is the firmament 45:49 that is the earth and its atmosphere. 45:53 That's also spoken of as the heavens. 45:55 Which of the three do you think this is talking about 45:58 when it says 46:01 there is a new heaven and a new earth? 46:06 Is this planet with its atmosphere, right? 46:11 And do we need the atmosphere to be restored? 46:15 Was one of the big issues that we are dealing with today? 46:18 We are talking about green house of facts and all the rest of it, 46:22 you know, we're worried about 46:23 what was happening to our atmosphere. 46:25 But, my friend, God is going to make it 46:28 over a new is what the Bible tells us. 46:31 But also pick up the fact that it says the first heaven 46:36 and the first earth, what happened to it? 46:40 This earth? It passed away. 46:46 So God makes a complete new beginning. 46:49 The old earth passes away and God creates 46:53 a new heaven and a new earth. 46:58 And by the way there are no great oceans 47:01 on this new earth as there is on this planet. 47:04 You know, three fifths of the land mass 47:07 upon this planet are under the great oceans. 47:10 That's not gonna be in the earth 47:14 that God is going to create. 47:18 And, my friend, that means 47:19 there is going to be plenty of room 47:22 for all of God's people. 47:24 You know, historically 47:26 my imagination at least has been fired 47:29 by the great explorers of the past, 47:31 you know, Marco Polo as he made his way over to China 47:36 and Columbus as he discovered the new world 47:40 and, you know, we're going to have 47:42 the privilege of exploring 47:44 and discovering the wonders and the beauty 47:48 that God has created in the new earth. 47:53 And we are going to inhabit this place 47:56 and it's gonna be absolutely beautiful, 47:58 its paradise restored. 48:00 It truly is paradise restored. 48:02 He makes a new heaven 48:04 and a new earth is what the Bible indicates. 48:07 And then let's read verses 2 and 3 again. 48:09 "And I saw the holy city, 48:10 New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 48:13 made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 48:17 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 48:20 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, 48:23 and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, 48:28 and God Himself will be among them.'" 48:31 So not only does 48:32 the New Jerusalem come down from heaven 48:34 God Himself comes down from heaven 48:39 and will spend the ages of eternity with His people. 48:44 It is heaven on earth. 48:46 Now don't ask me what happens to heaven, 48:48 I mean, may be there will be some kind of museum 48:51 there, you know, this was once the place 48:54 where God ruled the universe. 48:58 This is the way it once was. 49:02 But, my friend, it is not the way 49:03 that it'll be from this point forward, 49:06 because this will become in essence 49:09 the center of the universe, 49:10 because God Himself is here 49:13 and we will know Him face to face. 49:15 My friend, that is going to the joy 49:17 and the glory of the new earth. 49:20 It's not just that's its paradise, 49:23 it's not just that the curse of sin 49:25 has been eliminated and praise the Lord for that. 49:29 Did you see the one that we have come to love 49:32 and adore is the one that will spend eternity with us 49:37 and we will know Him. 49:39 And, my friend, let me tell you 49:40 it is like we really haven't, 49:42 really discovered what life is really like 49:45 until we are in the presence of a living God. 49:50 The life giver, the sustainer of life, 49:54 the one that is loved us with an everlasting love. 49:58 And there is gonna be joy 50:00 overwhelming for all of God's people. 50:04 What a beautiful, wonderful feature 50:06 that God has prepared for His people. 50:08 I want to move on into verse 4. 50:11 It says "And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes 50:15 and there will be no longer be any death, 50:18 there will no longer be any mourning, 50:20 or crying, or pain, 50:23 the first things have passed away." 50:26 God makes a final end of it 50:29 as He starts a new with His people. 50:33 My friend, can you imagine that kind of an existence? 50:36 No more grief, no more sorrow, no more pain, no more dying, 50:42 all of that is going to be behind us 50:47 and we'll spend eternity again in this beautiful place 50:50 that God has prepared for those that love Him. 50:52 Let's take a quick review 50:53 of what happens at the end of the millennium. 50:55 Number one, we note 50:56 that the New Jerusalem descends to earth from heaven. 51:01 That's the first thing we'll take note. 51:02 The ungodly are resurrected. 51:05 They go up against the New Jerusalem 51:06 they seek to attack the New Jerusalem 51:08 that's coming down from God out of heaven. 51:10 They go up against the encampment of the saints 51:13 is the way its termed there. 51:15 Final judgment takes place 51:18 as we saw in the later part of Revelation Chapter 20. 51:21 And then what else, what else happens? 51:23 Well, evil and rebellion are destroyed. 51:29 Can you say an amen to that? 51:30 Amen. It's done. 51:32 It's over. 51:34 Evil and rebellion are destroyed and the earth is recreated. 51:38 Really that is not quiet awkward to use 51:41 that word recreated for a new heaven 51:44 and new earth has created. 51:46 I got to tell you the story. 51:48 It was the end of the Korean War. 51:50 End of the Korean War 51:52 and so our forces were began into disengage 51:55 and they were making their way back to United States. 52:01 A force of some 3,500 soldiers 52:03 with 50 of their officers packed all of their gear 52:07 and flew to the West Coast, they were heading home. 52:12 And the officers for some on no reason 52:14 were not able to continue by plane 52:16 to the North East part of our country 52:19 where they came from 52:21 and but they were put on trains. 52:24 You know, how trains, 52:25 you know, that was one of the main 52:28 ways of transportation back then, you know. 52:31 Air travel was not all that common as it is today. 52:35 So here they are 50 of them 52:37 on this train making their way back to the North East. 52:40 A pastor by the name of Pastor Paddick 52:43 happened to be on that train 52:44 and sat down right next to one those officers. 52:47 He thought this was going to be a wonderful opportunity 52:50 to get a first hand report of what happened over in Korea. 52:54 And so he was playing this officer 52:57 with question after question 52:59 about what happened in Korea, 53:01 but the officer just didn't wasn't engaged with him 53:04 just his mind seemed to be somewhere else 53:07 and finally the pastor gave up 53:10 and just begin to ask him, 53:11 you know, where are you headed? 53:12 He said, I'm headed home. 53:14 And he said, tell me about your home. 53:16 Tell me where you came from. 53:17 And so at that he became very animated. 53:21 He said, you know, 53:22 one of the things he said to him, 53:23 I was proud to serve to my country, 53:25 but now I'm ready to go home. 53:28 And you see he was looking forward, 53:31 he was looking forward to that reunion with his family. 53:35 And, my friend, so it is going to be with God's people 53:38 when it's done and over with. 53:40 We're not going to be looking back 53:43 we are looking forward 53:46 to that which God has prepared for those that loved Him. 53:51 And so I end with these words 53:53 as recorded here, verses 5 through 7, 53:55 "And He who sits on the throne 53:56 said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' 53:59 And He said, 'Write, for these words are faithful and true.' 54:03 And then He said to me, 'It is done. 54:05 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. 54:08 I will give to the one who thirsts 54:11 from the spring of the water of life without cost. 54:14 He who overcomes will inherit these things, 54:17 and I will be his God and he will be My son.'" 54:24 My friend, it will be over. 54:27 And again we have the privilege of being there. 54:31 Let's pray. 54:32 Father in heaven, how grateful we are 54:34 to be again to be reminded through Your word 54:40 of what you have planned out for those that love You. 54:45 And to know that we have the privilege 54:47 of being a part of this wonderful future 54:50 that You speak of here in Your word. 54:52 How grateful we are that Jesus was willing to pay 54:56 the price at Calvary to save us from our sins, 54:59 to bring us forgiveness and cleansing, 55:02 so that we can be a part of all of that 55:06 which you have planned. 55:08 And, Lord, I just pray for each one of us, 55:10 that the struggles of life that we find ourselves in 55:14 I pray that by faith You will take us 55:17 step by step until that glorious day 55:21 when You come to take us home, 55:23 hasten that day is my prayer in Jesus name, amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17