The Signs of the End Times: Be Watchful and Be Alert

On Saturday October 7th 2023 the nation of Israel was brutally attacked by Hamas terrorists from the Gaza strip. The attack involved thousands of rockets, men launches themselves through the air on hang-gliders, as well as complex breaches of the fences protecting Israel from the Gaza strip. In a few short hours, over 1,400 had lost their lives. 3,400 were injured. 199 people were kidnapped.

We should be praying fervently for Israel, and the people of Israel, as the days, weeks, and months go by. We should grieve with Israel. We should pray for the salvation of the lost in Israel. We should avoid condemning Israel for counter-attacks against Hamas terrorists. We should pray for the safety of all in the danger zone right now. God be with them! 

But when this happened, many wondered if this was a sign of the end times. Did this have a prophetic significance for the book of Revelation and the time the bible calls the last days?

In Mark chapter 13 we find the words of Jesus addressing the topic of the last days. Let’s dive in.

The Lord Jesus has visited the massive temple complex, the site of worship for all Jews in Israel, and he is now leaving the area.

We see his disciples commenting to him about the power and glory and might of Herod’s temple.

In Mark chapter 13, verses 1-2: “As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

2 “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

Forty years later, in 70 AD, the nation of Israel would rebel against the Roman empire and overthrow the occupying forces in the area. But Rome would send fresh armies, and they would besiege Jerusalem. Eventually, as layer after layer of the defenses fell, finally, the defenders would fight on the walls of the temple itself. They would be defeated. And the temple was completely destroyed. As Jesus had prophesied, not one stone would be left on another. All of it would be thrown down.

Jesus said it in 30 AD, then it happened in 70 AD. How could anyone deny that Jesus was God himself in human form? No one else could know such a thing would happen. But it did.

As Jesus walked away from the temple, the disciples followed, and they went and sat on the mount of olives.

Here is what the view from the mount of olives looks like today. But at the time Jesus sat there with his disciples, they would be overlooking the city, and the temple.

So there they are on the mount of olives, overlooking Jerusalem, and Herod’s temple.

Then in verses 3-4: “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

Next we see the response of Jesus. Verses 5-8: "Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.”

First, Jesus tells us to be careful not to be deceived. Many will come in the name of Jesus, claiming to be Christians, but, they will deceive many. When you hear about various wars, do not to be alarmed. Don’t be alarmed. We hear of wars often in our world. I've lived through numerous times of conflicts, the gulf war, the Iraq war, the various engagements taking place in Afghanistan after 9/11. We've all seen many wars. But it was not yet the end. 

Jesus tells us not to be alarmed. Such things must happen. But the end is not yet, it’s still to come.

Earthquakes and famines indicate the beginning of birth pains. When a woman feels “birth pains” we know that she is close to going into labor. But she is not yet in labor. Similarly, when we hear of famine, and war, and earthquakes, those are birth pains, but not the birth itself. They are signs that we are getting close, but not that we are there yet.

So we have a command from Jesus here: Do not be deceived.

Next, we see in verses 9-11: “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.”

Here we see a second command: Be on your guard.

Jesus says that in the time of the early church, they would be persecuted and brought before government leaders. They will be betrayed and taken into custody by governments.

Also, hidden in here, is the message from Jesus saying, “The gospel must be preached to all nations.” That’s a fact as well, the gospel of forgiveness in Christ must go out to all nations everywhere before the final end will come.

And of course we see Jesus say, that the early church would speak by the power of the Holy Spirit to government authorities.



On the screen you’ll see a picture of Joe Kennedy, an assistant high school coach who lost his job because he would pray quietly on the field after football games. Thankfully, the Supreme Court in a 6-3 decision, protected his right to pray, but it was crazy to see him lose his job and come under scrutiny for doing something as simple as praying. He was brought before the authorities for his faith.

In verses 12-13 Jesus mentions family betrayal as well:

It says, “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

You will be hated. This was true for the early church, for Paul as well, they were hated by so many. He had crowds wanting to kill him. The same is true today, people will hate us for our message of the gospel. We will not be popular. We will often be disliked, and gossiped against and mistreated. Our name will be dragged through the mud. I know, I’ve experienced that. It will happen to you too.

Unless you’re a false teacher, then most will love you. Because you only tell them what they want to hear. So, if you want to be liked, just sugar coat everything you say, and twist scripture to show only grace, and no truth. You'll be loved then, by everyone, well, everyone aside from God, who will despise your false teachings. 

Next we see a mention of a time of great struggle, in verses 14-19 it says, “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.”

Here we find something called a double-prophecy, a prophecy with a dual meaning. Because this does speak of the anti-Christ, during the end times, but it also spoke to the early Christian church, that when Israel would be surrounded by it’s enemies in 70 AD, that they should flee the area. In fact history tells us that the Christians did flee the area during the siege, to a city called Pella. We learn of this from of one the early church leaders, Eusebius' in his work “Historia Ecclesiastica.” So the event Jesus was speaking of did reference 70 AD, but we also believe it references a time still to come in the future as well, when the anti-christ will reign from Jerusalem at a rebuilt temple.

It goes even deeper in verses 20-25, which says, “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

24 “But in those days, following that distress,
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’"

Here the Lord Jesus quotes from Isaiah 13:10 and Isaiah 34:4. These are prophecies of the end times, really these scriptures point to the very end of the book of Revelation, when the final bowls of God’s wrath are being poured out on the Earth. It’s a time beyond anything any of us could imagine, as far as chaos and destruction and the judgment of God.

Again Jesus gives us the command: Be on your guard.

We’re commanded as well to watch out for false messiahs, false teachers, we’ve even told they’ll have power to perform false signs and wonders. But we have to cling to the word of God, and resist false signs and wonders. Instead we must believe the truth.

The basic fact is this: Jesus will not be on Earth in the flesh. He will be in heaven. And his return will be seen by all.

Jesus talks about this in verses 26-31: “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it[d] is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

So we see that Jesus will be coming in the clouds, from the sky, with great power. And he will gather his people, the elect, the body of Christ, the church, us.

We must be watchful and careful to observe the times and seasons we live in, because the time is near. So on the one hand be watchful for the time and season of his return.

At the same time, no one knows the day or hour exactly.

Jesus talks about that lastly here, in verses 32-37: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

We find direct commands from Jesus to us: 

1. Be on guard
2. Be alert
3. Keep Watch
4. Watch!

So Jesus is saying that because no one knows the day or hour we should just kind of sit back and do nothing, just say well, nobody knows, so just kinda go to sleep right? Just ignore end times stuff, right? Wrong.

We’re commanded to “be on guard” “be alert” “keep watch” and “watch!” Those are four different ways of saying something similar: Be a faithful servant of God observing the times and seasons, watching for the return of the Master at any moment.

So that is our challenge. We shouldn’t get flustered. We shouldn’t panic, when COVID hits, or when Israel is attacked. We should stand. We should pray. We should keep watch. We should stay awake and stay alert, because Jesus will return.

This is all mindset-wisdom. A Mindset of an active Christian who is active in their faith, actively watching, actively serving day and night, is what Jesus is teaching us here. We should be a soldier at our post, armor on, spiritual weapons ready, praying, seeking God, sharing the gospel, mentoring others, and preparing for the return the Messiah. 

Signs of the End Times: The Parable of the Budding Fig Tree

It was AD 70, 40 years after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and the walls of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel were surrounded by Roman soldiers numbering over 60,000. The walls were crumbling, the Romans were advancing, thousands had already died when various cities in the north and eastern regions had been destroyed by the Romans.

Four years early several different Jewish sects had led radical rebellions against the occupying romans, and scored several victories, overthrowing the Romans and restoring Jewish control over the nation of Israel. But as soon as the news had reached the ears of Nero the emperor of Rome, he dispatched a Roman army to retake the hotly disputed territory.

The Roman force defeated an army of 10,000 Jewish troops which fled in the face of their overwhelming numbers. Now the Roman army had surrounded Jerusalem itself, the holy city, defended by three layers of walls. The Jews made the Romans pay dearly, attacking their soldiers building the siege works. And they made them pay dearly for every inch of ground. When the Roman army attacked through the second level of defenses, the Jews built a tunnel under their siege ramps and set them on fire, bringing them tumbling down.

But finally the Romans had breached all 3 walls, and attacked the last fortress of Jerusalem, the Antonia fortress, built by Herod to protect and control the temple. They breached the Antonia, and they surrounded the Jew’s sacred temple. At this moment Jews, not just soldiers, but men, women, and child, took anything they could use as weapons, and defended the temple, the most sacred symbol of Judaism. But the Romans could not be stopped. They slaughtered the mobs, and burned the temple to the ground, smashing it to pieces.

And ever since then the Jews had lived as exiles among the nations.

All of this chaos and destruction, Jesus knew about long before, 40 years earlier, in a conversation from Luke 21, 5 and 6 which says, “5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6 ‘As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.’”

Jesus the son of God, knew 40 years ahead of time, that the nation of Israel would reject Him as their messiah. He knew what they really wanted, when he came, they wanted a political leader to help them overthrow the roman empire. But that wasn’t the reason that Jesus came. Jesus came to save us not from political powers, but from our own sins, and the penalty for them. The Jews did not recognize the coming of their messiah. Which is why Jesus when he saw Jerusalem, he wept for the city, because they did not recognize his coming.

All of this today, connects with our parable today, from the book of Luke, chapter 21, the parable of the budding fig tree.

It’s a very brief parable, only 3 verses. Yet it’s important enough to be included in Mark, Matthew, and Luke’s gospel. But before we get into it, let’s take a look at the context of the parable, from Luke 21.

So Jesus tells his disciples that the temple will be destroyed, so don’t be too impressed by it’s beauty. Then it says, “ ‘Teacher,’ they asked, ‘when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?

8 He replied: ‘Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, “I am he,” and, “The time is near.” Do not follow them. 9 When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.’”

Here we see Jesus beginning to teach about events that will take place after he is crucified and the early church will face persecution and false teachers. This is also a teaching about the last days of Christians. Then Jesus addresses what will take place for the disciples…

Then he said to them: ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

12 ‘But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 And so you will bear testimony to me. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 Stand firm, and you will win life.

Notice he says, “before this” they will persecute you. Notice that all of these things being described by Jesus are things that happened to people like Peter and Paul in the book of Acts, which documents the activities of the early church.

And he reminds them, I will protect you, to the point that not a hair on your head will perish, yet, God will also make it clear when it’s your time, and some of you will be put to death. Are those two statements in contradiction?

No, I don’t think so. He’s saying that not a hair on your head will perish. Yet he also says some will be put to death. That is how it works in the kingdom of God. Not a single hair on my head can be touched until it’s the appropriate time for me to go. Only until then. Not before. Only when God says.

Next we see Jesus talking about the destruction of Jerusalem, when he says, “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. 22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfilment of all that has been written. 23 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."

Stop at verse 24, and that is speaking about the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. Then, the times of the gentiles would begin, that us. From AD 70 until now, the gospel has spread through the gentile nations.

Then in verses 25-28 Jesus talks about the last days, which are times still ahead of us. He says, ‘There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’

So Jesus tells us there will be all these things happening in the last days, in a time we call the great tribulation during the end times. There will be hurricanes, people will be full of terror. The heavenly bodies will be shaken, so stays in the sky, constellations will change and shift and people will be terrified. During those times, then Jesus will come with power and glory.

Then, Jesus tells our parable today, fitting it into the context of observing the seasons and times that we’re in carefully, and he says, “He told them this parable: ‘Look at the fig-tree and all the trees. 30 When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. 31 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.”

It’s a very simple, and brief parable. What does it look like on the trees after winter? They are completely bare. They look very empty. You just see cold, wet branches. Every year it shocks me and I think, look at how barren those trees look. They could never sprout green leaves again, look at them, they’re dead. And then to our surprise every year they produce leaves, and grow thick and green and weighed down again. And we know then that spring has come. And we’re excited.

In the same way, we should observe the times we’re in and watch carefully for the signs of the times. Just like back when Jesus told this parable, they could remember the words of Jesus, and say oh yes, Jesus said Jerusalem would be surrounded by armies. And we should try to escape.

Pretty simple, know the times your in. Have discernment in regard to things going on in the world. I can watch for certain indications that Christ is returning soon. I’ll give you a few examples.

1. Knowledge has increased, in the book of Daniel we’re told that knowledge would increase across the planet before the end times. Today we have the internet and knowledge is available at our fingertips 24/7

2. Stirrings of one world government. According to Revelation the anti-Christ will have power over the entire world, so it’s wise to watch for stirrings of one world government. We see certain alliances, like European Union, the United Nations, and other alliances. We’re not there yet though

3. We’re told in Revelation that in the tribulation people will be forced to take a ‘mark’ to show their submission to the anti-Christ. We see increasing ways for people to be marked, whether by a tattoo or a microchip implant

4. Israel became a nation again after WWII, the Bible prophesied that this would happen and in the 1950s it did.

These are just some examples of things to watch for in the world, to discern the times and seasons we’re in.

Jesus then tells his disciples, “‘Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

And all the things he mentions there, that he says will happen, did happen. The temple was destroyed, Israel was taken prisoner and spread to the nations, historians call that the diaspora. That’s why the Nazi’s were so easily able to target and exterminate Jews. They were spread throughout Germany, Poland, Austria, France, Belgium, and all the European nations, and were also viewed with distrust, because though they lived in foreign nations they always held onto their Jewish identity.

Many get confused and say “Jesus said all these things will take place before this generation passes.” Doesn’t that mean he should’ve returned? But Jesus was talking about the things he said would happen in their time, he also talked about the future there, about after the times of the gentiles were over. So no, he was only referring to those things he said would happen presently, not the things mentioned for the distant future.

Then we get one final warning from Jesus here, he says, “34 ‘Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.’”

This was probably mainly a warning for the Jews living at this time, that they should be prepared for very difficult times after he left them.

But I think it’s also an important warning for us as well.

Be careful, each of us here, be careful that we don’t become complacent, lazy, weighed down with “carousing” that sexually acting out, or drunkenness, where we’re always eating and getting drunk, and not focused or sober, and of course the anxieties of life can weigh us down, and then we get focused on worldly things instead of focused on Jesus.

Make sure you’re ready and on watch.

Because he says in verse 35 difficult times will come to all residents of the Earth, not just us, not just the Jews, but to everyone, difficult times come. Make sure you’re on watch, and praying.

Make sure you’re ready for Christ’s return. It will happen sooner than you think. It could be in your life time.

And I’m worried that many in the body of Christ don’t really fear God. They don’t really reverence him. And they won’t be ready. They won’t be ready to stand before Jesus without shame. Because they’re doing shameful things in the shadows and thinking well I have plenty of time to repent later. And then Jesus may just come, and they’ll be ashamed on that day, because Christ will find them in sin, and assign them a place with the unbelievers, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. We think well that couldn’t happen to me. Well, we better be wise and cautious and sober, and praying, fearing and loving God, so we’re ready and able to stand without shame before Christ on the last day. Because he may come sooner than we think.

The Book of Revelation: The Dragon, the 7 Bowls, Babylon, the Millennial Reign, and the New Jerusalem

"The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God
and the authority of His Messiah have now come,
because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown out:
the one who accuses them before our God day and night.
They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives
in the face of death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens,
and you who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and the sea, for the Devil has come down to you with great fury, because he knows he has a short time.” -Revelation 12:10-12

Revelation 12 seems to me to be the center point of the book of Revelation, the first 11 chapters have really dealt with one main theme, the scroll sealed 7 times being opened seal by seal by Jesus. But in Revelation 12 we see this mysterious depiction of war in heaven, particularly focusing on 3 elements, a woman, a child, and a dragon.

It's very mysterious and to understand it we have to first understand that Revelation 12 seems to be set up in a chiastic format. A sort of mirror effect of main point 1, main point 2, main point 3, then main point 2, and main point 1. A sort of rise and fall.

But basically, the entire chapter seems to center on the theme of Satan being cast out of heaven. We don’t have time to get too much into Revelation 12. But it’s very important, really the center piece of the entire book of Revelation. And this great controversy in the universe centers on one creature, the serpent, the dragon, Satan. And his crazed rebellion.

So next in chapter 13 we see the anti-christ, this mockery that Satan has developed to be an opposite to Jesus. Very strange and mysterious. It says,

Revelation 13:1-4 "And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. He had 10 horns and seven heads. On his horns were 10 diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. 2 The beast I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like a bear’s, and his mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 One of his heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but his fatal wound was healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast. 4 They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against him?”

The Mark of the beast is dealt with at the end of Rev 13. It says,

Revelation 13:15-18 “15 He was permitted to give a spirit to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 And he requires everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast’s name or the number of his name."

Buying or selling is restricted by the world government existing at this future date in history. But it seems to be a world-wide religion in which this mysterious "beast" is worshiped by almost all people. But somehow this "mark" gives the beast control of people, where they are no longer eligible for salvation if they take the mark. So it's a choice to do it or not to do it. But they pressure you by eventually saying, you can't even buy or sell anything unless you take it. That's a lot of pressure. No buying? No food. No nothing. 

Then it says in verse 18: "Here is wisdom: The one who has understanding must calculate the number of the beast, because it is the number of a man. His number is 666.”

I'm not going to speculate on 666. But it's certainly something worth exploring. But it's important to remember. This won't seem like the nightmare that it is. It’s going to seem great. It’s going to seem like utopia, like a paradise. But it’s all a deception.

Revelation 14:1-3 “Then I looked, and there on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with Him were 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 I heard a sound from heaven like the sound of cascading waters and like the rumbling of loud thunder. The sound I heard was also like harpists playing on their harps. 3 They sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders, but no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.”

Immediately in the next chapter, we see the 144,000 before the throne of God. I must assume this means they gave their lives for Jesus in the tribulation, they refused to take the mark, and were eventually martyred for it. In fact Revelation specifically says "beheaded." 

Then we're giving a warning in Revelation 14:10-12, “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is mixed full strength in the cup of His anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb, 11 and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or anyone who receives the mark of his name. 12 This demands the perseverance of the saints, who keep God’s commands and their faith in Jesus.”

Then we see the final 7 bowls of God’s judgment on the Earth. It says, Revelation 15:1, "Then I saw another great and awe-inspiring sign in heaven: seven angels with the seven last plagues, for with them, God’s wrath will be completed."

These final plagues bear similarities to the plagues against Egypt done through Moses by God. They are... 

The First Bowl – severely painful sores on people

The Second Bowl – the seas turn to blood, all life in the seas dies

The Third Bowl- rivers and springs become blood

The Fourth Bowl- the sun begins to burn people with intense heat

The Fifth Bowl – the anti-christ’s kingdom is plunged into darkness

The Sixth Bowl- the river Euphrates dries up to prepare the way for the anti-christ’s armies, gathering all the nations together as one, to attack God and his people, in a place called Armagedon.

The Seventh Bowl- an unthinkable terrible worldwide earthquake takes place and the “great city” is split into 3 parts, Babylon is judged. Hailstones fall, 100lbs in weight.

After this in Revelation 18 we see the fall of Babylon.

Revelation 18:1-3 “After this I saw another angel with great authority coming down from heaven, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 He cried in a mighty voice:

It has fallen,
Babylon the Great has fallen!
She has become a dwelling for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
and a haunt for every unclean and despicable beast.
3 For all the nations have drunk
the wine of her sexual immorality,
which brings wrath.
The kings of the earth
have committed sexual immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth
have grown wealthy from her excessive luxury.”

What is Babylon? Many have speculated about this. Revelation tells us that Babylon is a city that exists on seven hills.  But this also references seven leaders. Many great cities throughout history have existed on seven hills, such as Washington D.C., Jerusalem, Mecca, Tehran, Athens, Bucharest, Istanbul, Smolensk, and Brisbane, just to name a few. 

Mysterious city in Kazakhstan

Mysterious city in Kazakhstan, image 2

We see that Babylon is described as existing on "many waters." This has led some to speculate the USA, because it's surrounded by oceans. Hard to say for certain. 

Babylon is also described as being an exporter of evil. It says in Revelation that the entire world drank of her passionate adulteries, and had received all sorts of shipping products from it of fine wines and clothes, spices, and such. 

In Revelation 19 you see celebration in heaven about all these things, and at last Jesus leads his saints for his return, to totally defeat the anti-christ at Armageddon.

It says about Jesus in Rev 19, “11 Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and He judges and makes war in righteousness. 12 His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on His head. He had a name written that no one knows except Himself. 13 He wore a robe stained with blood, and His name is the Word of God. 14 The armies that were in heaven followed Him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. 15 A sharp sword came from His mouth, so that He might strike the nations with it. He will shepherd them with an iron scepter. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. 16 And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh:

KING OF KINGS
AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Jesus leaders the armies of God, and defeats the anti-christ and his followers.

At the beginning of Revelation 20 we see something theologians call the “millennial reign of Christ.” It says this in Rev 20, “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for 1,000 years. 3 He threw him into the abyss, closed it, and put a seal on it so that he would no longer deceive the nations until the 1,000 years were completed. After that, he must be released for a short time.”

4 Then I saw thrones, and people seated on them who were given authority to judge. I also saw the people who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of God’s word, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not accepted the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with the Messiah for 1,000 years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of the Messiah, and they will reign with Him for 1,000 years.

Satanic Rebellion Crushed

7 When the 1,000 years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 They came up over the surface of the earth and surrounded the encampment of the saints, the beloved city. Then fire came down from heaven and consumed them. 10 The Devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

After this, is the great white throne judgment, where all peoples are judged before God. And finally, in Revelation 21 we see the new heavens and the new Earth, and the New City of God, the New Jerusalem, where we will live forever.

And I’m going to read Revelation 21 for you entirely, it’s one of my favorite chapters in the whole Bible. It says, “21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea no longer existed. 2 I also saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne:

Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity,
and He will live with them.
They will be His people,
and God Himself will be with them
and be their God.
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Death will no longer exist;
grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer,
because the previous things have passed away.

5 Then the One seated on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give water as a gift to the thirsty from the spring of life. 7 The victor will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son. 8 But the cowards, unbelievers, vile, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
The New Jerusalem

9 Then one of the seven angels, who had held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me: “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 He then carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11 arrayed with God’s glory. Her radiance was like a very precious stone, like a jasper stone, bright as crystal. 12 The city had a massive high wall, with 12 gates. Twelve angels were at the gates; the names of the 12 tribes of Israel’s sons were inscribed on the gates. 13 There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. 14 The city wall had 12 foundations, and the 12 names of the Lamb’s 12 apostles were on the foundations.

15 The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out in a square; its length and width are the same. He measured the city with the rod at 12,000 stadia. Its length, width, and height are equal. 17 Then he measured its wall, 144 cubits according to human measurement, which the angel used. 18 The building material of its wall was jasper, and the city was pure gold like clear glass.

19 The foundations of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone:

the first foundation jasper,
the second sapphire,
the third chalcedony,
the fourth emerald,
20 the fifth sardonyx,
the sixth carnelian,
the seventh chrysolite,
the eighth beryl,
the ninth topaz,
the tenth chrysoprase,
the eleventh jacinth,
the twelfth amethyst.

21 The 12 gates are 12 pearls; each individual gate was made of a single pearl. The broad street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

22 I did not see a sanctuary in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its sanctuary. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God’s glory illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 Each day its gates will never close because it will never be night there. 26 They will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. 27 Nothing profane will ever enter it: no one who does what is vile or false, but only those written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

The Book of Revelation: The Throne Room, the Four Horsemen, & 7 seals of the Scroll

Today we dig into the book of Revelation, one of my favorite books in the whole Bible, though I think I probably say that about every book in the Bible.

Let me ask you this, have you ever wondered: What would heaven be like? I think all of us have probably wondered that at one time or another. Will it be beautiful? Will there be plants and animals? Will we live in houses? Will I be able to fly? And I love Revelation because it gives us some pretty detailed pictures of heaven, but it also gives us a great deal of detail about the last days of planet Earth during a time called the great tribulation.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. We have John, in his old age, living on this island, Patmos, It’s about 50-60 years after Jesus had been crucified and rose from the dead. So John is probably in his eighties or nineties at this point. And he has this vision from God. And that’s why we call it revelation, it’s a revelation, an unveiling of Jesus Christ, in which we hear about how the world will end, and.. begin again.

The vision begins with John seeing Jesus Christ, glorious and powerful, mighty and fearful, in a white robe, walking among 7 lampstands. It says in Revelation 1, “12 I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven gold lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe and with a gold sash wrapped around His chest. 14 His head and hair were white like wool—white as snow—and His eyes like a fiery flame. 15 His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and His voice like the sound of cascading waters. 16 He had seven stars in His right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth, and His face was shining like the sun at midday.

17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. He laid His right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last, 18 and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades. 19 Therefore write what you have seen, what is, and what will take place after this. “

In Revelation chapters 2 and 3 we see 7 distinct messages that Jesus shares with John for the 7 churches that exist at this time in history. Each message is different, giving encouragement and correction for the churches at that time in history. We don’t have time today to get into the messages in each of these mini-letters, but they are really powerful messages. And each of them applies to us in the church today. So I would encourage you, when you get home tonight or over the next few days, read Revelation chapters 2 and 3.

But we’re gonna jump forward to chapter 4, where John gets to see God’s own throne room in heaven. It says in Revelation 4:2-6, “2 Immediately I was in the Spirit, and a throne was set there in heaven. One was seated on the throne, 3 and the One seated looked like jasper and carnelian stone. A rainbow that looked like an emerald surrounded the throne. 4 Around that throne were 24 thrones, and on the thrones sat 24 elders dressed in white clothes, with gold crowns on their heads. 5 Flashes of lightning and rumblings of thunder came from the throne. Seven fiery torches were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. 6 Something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal, was also before the throne. Four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back were in the middle and around the throne.”

So we get to see a picture of what it would be like to be in God’s own throne room. And it’s wild. You’ve got a rainbow ,you’ve got precious stones and elders bowing down, you’ve got angels flying about worshipping god, and four strange creatures covered in eyes worshiping God.

But then this story starts to play out before John, it says in Revelation 5:1-4, “Then I saw in the right hand of the One seated on the throne a scroll with writing on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 I also saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or even to look in it. 4 And I cried and cried because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or even to look in it.”


John is crying his eyes out because no one is able to open this scroll. It must be very important that the scroll be opened. But no one is worthy or able. And it’s a tragedy. But in verse 5 it says:

“5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop crying. Look! The Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has been victorious so that He may open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Jesus Christ steps forward and he is able to open the scroll. Because he has conquered. He paved the way for us to heaven. But what happens when the scroll’s seals are broken? It ushers in the end times, the final events before the end of this world.

Here is where we see in the first four seals that are broken, the four horsemen of the apocalypse unleashed on the Earth. This is God’s judgement on a sinful world being poured out.

It says in Revelation 6:1-8, “Then I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked, and there was a white horse. The horseman on it had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he went out as a victor to conquer.

The Second Seal
3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse went out, a fiery red one, and its horseman was empowered to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And a large sword was given to him.

The Third Seal
5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and there was a black horse. The horseman on it had a set of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius—but do not harm the olive oil and the wine.”

The Fourth Seal
7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 And I looked, and there was a pale green horse. The horseman on it was named Death, and Hades was following after him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill by the sword, by famine, by plague, and by the wild animals of the earth.”

The seals are continuously being opened, here is what it says about the 5th and sixth seals, “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the people slaughtered because of God’s word and the testimony they had. 10 They cried out with a loud voice: “Lord, the One who is holy and true, how long until You judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?” 11 So a white robe was given to each of them, and they were told to rest a little while longer until the number would be completed of their fellow slaves and their brothers, who were going to be killed just as they had been.

The Sixth Seal
12 Then I saw Him open the sixth seal. A violent earthquake occurred; the sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair; the entire moon became like blood; 13 the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a high wind; 14 the sky separated like a scroll being rolled up; and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

15 Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the military commanders, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 because the great day of Their wrath has come! And who is able to stand?”

So we pause after the opening of the sixth seal, and we’ve seen some incredible things happening on the Earth. Earthquakes, war, violence, epidemics, the moon turning to blood, and the wealthy hiding in underground facilities to try to escape the wrath of God.

Now, we turn to Israel. It’s interesting about Israel. The entire end times in Revelation seem to be centered around Israel, and around Israel’s people, the Jews, who rejected Jesus when he came, and them finally turning to Jesus, in these last days. Isn’t that amazing? For all these years the Jews have continued to survive, and after world war II they returned to Israel. But they still for the most part reject Jesus, though some of them do now follow Jesus, you hear about groups like Jews for Jesus and the messianic Jews movement, but overall most Jews still reject Jesus.

But here we see in chapter 7 12,000 Jewish people saved from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, and they become witnesses during the end times to Israel and the world, that Jesus is really the savior of the world.

Immediately after this you see a vast amount of people gathered in heaven, those who escaped the great tribulation, some think this could be the rapture event, hard to say for sure but it says, Revelation 7:9-12 “After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were robed in white with palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:


Salvation belongs to our God,
who is seated on the throne,
and to the Lamb!

11 All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures, and they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:

Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and strength
be to our God forever and ever. Amen.””

Ok so, if you recall only 6 of the seals have been opened so far, right? So in Revelation chapter 8, the 7th seal is opened. And when it’s opened it says there was silence in heaven for about a half hour. Big moment. And then 7 angels with seven trumpets come out, and in the next chapters one by one these angels blow their trumpets, and each trumpet blast brings in new judgments and destruction on the Earth.

The first trumpet blasts, and one third of the forests and fields and nature of the Earth are destroyed.

At the 2nd trumpet some sort of asteroid hits the ocean, and killed 1/3rd of the fish and sea creatures and destroyed many ships on the oceans.

The 3rd trumpet sounded, and a star fell from heaven and turned the rivers and lakes and streams poisonous, so that many people died because of the poisonous waters.

The 4th trumpet sounded, and it says, “ …a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day was without light, and the night as well.”

At the 5th trumpet blast, a chasm opened in the Earth, and billions of locusts-like creatures came out of the earth, and they had stingers and would sting people and they’d be in terrible pain for months and months. Terrifying creatures as they’re described in Revelation they have human-like faces and stingers and strong horse-like bodies. Truly terrifying.

At the 6th trumpet blast, you have this army of 200 million soldiers, riding on these creatures, like horses, and they go about and kill 1/3 of humanity.

And it says at the end of chapter 9, that despite all of these judgments, people still did not change their ways and honor God.

It says Rev 9:20-21, “The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which are not able to see, hear, or walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.”

So we see John in the next chapter visiting with an angel who gives him a little scroll and he eats it, and he’s told he’s got more to see.

In Rev chapter 11 where we’re going to conclude today, John sees the two witnesses of God, preaching God’s message in Jerusalem during these end times to the lost masses in Israel, for 1,260 days. But finally they are killed. And the people celebrate when they are killed, but then they rise to life, and a great Earthquake occurs in Jerusalem that kills 7,000 people.

Then we see the last trumpet blast, the 7th trumpet is blown, and we read these words, “15 The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying:

The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom
of our Lord and of His Messiah,
and He will reign forever and ever!”

And the elders sing a song of praise to God. And that’s where we’re going to stop today. Revelation chapter 11, about halfway through this book of God’s wrath in the last days.

So we’ve seen Jesus visiting with John, the letters to the 7 churches, the throne room in heaven, the seven seals being opened, the four horsemen of the apocalypse, the judgments of God, the witnesses of Jesus rising up in Israel, the 7 trumpet blasts of judgment. And that’s where we’ll pause, but there is much more to see!

How should you respond to this revelation? How do you make sense of all of this? This should be a reminder to us that God will bring history to a close one day. So we should be living as true Christians, waiting for the ends times when we’ll come to be with Jesus is paradise forever. And we should tremble at the fate that awaits those who are sinful and reject Jesus as their savior.

Galatians & Thessalonians: Faith in Jesus, Encouragement for Trials, & the End Times

“A duck hunter was with a friend in the wide-open land of southeastern Georgia. Far away on the horizon he noticed a cloud of smoke. Soon he could hear crackling as the wind shifted. He realized the terrible truth; a brushfire was advancing, so fast they couldn't outrun it. Rifling through his pockets, he soon found what he was looking for--a book of matches. He lit a small fire around the two of them. Soon they were standing in a circle of blackened earth, waiting for the fire to come. They didn't have to wait long. They covered their mouths with handkerchiefs and braced themselves. The fire came near--and swept over them. But they were completely unhurt, untouched. Fire would not pass where fire already had passed.

The law is like a brushfire. I cannot escape it. But if I stand in the burned-over place, not a hair of my head will be singed. Christ's death has disarmed it. “

Adapted from Who Will Deliver Us? by Paul F. M. Zahl.

The message of the book of Galatians is very clear: You are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the works of the law.

The letter to the Galatians was at it’s heart, a letter to Christians who were being infiltrated by Jewish Christians who felt that it was important to obey the old testament law of Moses. They were insisting Christians be circumcised, which was part of the law of Moses, and that they would need to follow all the commands of the Old Testament. And from Paul’s letter it appears that some in the church had fallen to this idea.

He wrote to them extremely frustrated saying, “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?”


Let’s take a look at Galatians chapter 3 verses 3 through 6, “Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? 4 Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”-Galatians 3:3-6

So Paul is citing the example of Abraham, that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. And he compares that to us believing that Jesus really is real and our savior, and then it is credited to us as righteousness.

You get the picture from that of it being credited to their account, sort of a transaction.

But what’s interesting is that actually in the book of James it says something very similar: “20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.”

Very interesting, two different letters, two boundary lines. That’s generally how I see it, when two scriptures outline two different perspectives, I’m seeing the outer boundaries of what justification means. It is by faith, and yet the faith is completed and lived out through obedience. One edge is from James the other edge is from Paul, we want to be in between those two points in our understanding.

But returning to Galatians, we see Paul very upset with this group of churches in Galatia. He writes to them in Chapter 5, 4-6, “4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” -Galatians 5:4-6

The book of Galatians is very important and powerful, challenging us to understand that our salvation comes through faith in Christ, not through trying to obey the law of Moses. But I was talking with another pastor recently about a month ago, and we were talking about how the book of Galatians is sometimes abused and misused in our day and age.

Galatians is unfortunately sometimes used as Christians to claim that any challenge to live in purity in Christ, to live out sanctification, and to practice holy living is simply “legalism.”

Now legalism is the concern of the letter that Paul writes here, but legalism based on attempting to obey the law to be justified.

But Paul rightly indicates in numerous places in Galatians that one who understands that Jesus Christ is their savior alone, should be living the most pure and holy life in response to that. Paul very expertly balances Christian freedom in Christ, with total obedience to the Holy Spirit.

Let’s take a look at a big chunk of Galatians chapter 5, and listen in these words for commands to holy living.

Galatians 5:13-26 says, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Walk by the Spirit not by the flesh.

These are the acts of the flesh that you must avoid at all costs.

These are the fruits of the Spirit that you ought to practice.

If that wasn’t enough we get another explicit command in Galatians, the flagship book often misinterpreted to mean “you can do whatever you want in Christ” and it says this, Galatians 6:7-9 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

The book of Galatians teaches grace through faith in Christ, yet it also teaches a radical obedience to Christ, a practice of denying ourselves and taking up our crosses daily, this is the book in which Paul famously wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, the life I live now I live by faith in the son of God who loves me and gave himself for me.”

Praise God. Let’s turn to 1st and 2nd Thessalonians today. These were very early letters of Paul, the earliest letters of Paul that we have on record, from about 52 AD. Galatians is actually a bit later, around 55 AD. These are letters written to a church under severe persecution, which was common for the early church during this time.

They are being persecuted, killed, and tortured by the authorities in Italy, and this causes many of them to worry and fret about the return of Jesus. So these two letters get into end times topics quite a bit. Very interesting. Some of the believers in Thessalonica are seeing such severe suffering that they worry that perhaps Jesus has already come and they’ve been left behind. But Paul encourages them to continue to have faith in Jesus and realize that day has not come yet. Thankfully the church is Thessalonica is flourishing since Paul planted it. And through the persecution they only continue to flourish.

The first three chapters contain encouragement for the Thessalonians, a report from Timothy from his visit, a challenge to live sexually moral lives, and then in chapter 4 we hear a bit about the end times, which is what I want to focus in on today.

It says in 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18, “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

The Lord reminds us that it hasn’t already happened. There will come a day when Jesus returns, and the dead in Christ will rise, and if we happen to be alive at that time, we will rise as well.

Then in chapter 5 we hear about this dreadful moment when all humanity will be judged, call the “Day of the Lord.” It says, “Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

Second Thessalonians is a short letter, only 3 chapters, and Paul is dealing with false teachers who are once again leading the Thessalonians astray about the end times. In fact Paul signs this letter with his own signature because false letters are being circulated as well.

But once again in 2nd Thessalonians we see Paul addressing concerns about the end times, and particularly the day of the Lord.

2nd Thessalonians chapter 2:1-4 says ,”Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.”

So apparently this anti-Christ figure will gather all religions under one tent, a sort of universalism, and claim to be the god of all. And he will demand to be worshiped. Truly shocking. But we see the seeds of it in the world today, don’t we?

Then it says in verse 7-8 “7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.”

Some think that the one holding back the lawlessness in the world is the Holy Spirit, some say it’s the body of Christ itself holding it back, and when we’re taken away, that is the rapture event. But in any case, the anti-Christ will have his time, and then Jesus will defeat him by simply speaking.

To conclude the letter, Paul deals with reports that some of the believer in Thessalonica are becoming idle and disruptive.

“In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching[a] you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” -2 Thessalonians 3:6-10

Some of the believers began to use the concept that the day of the Lord had already come to be lazy and stop working, and they started just living off the church’s generosity. Bad idea. Paul writes, if you don’t work, you don’t eat.

In conclusion today, we see the Lord sharing with us about how to understand our salvation in Christ, as grace through faith in Jesus. And we see God commanding us to stand firm during trials and difficulties, and to have a biblical understanding of the end times.

The Body of Christ Today: Fighting a Delaying Action in Severe Testing

It feels like the battle of Hoth out here.  We as the body of Christ are fighting a delaying action against the enemy, who appear to be advancing on all fronts.  I feel the desperation. I sense the walls closing in.  The last year has burned like a cold fire in my heart. The battles have been many. The trials have been difficult. The refinery of the Lord burns brilliantly. That is as it should be. 

The last year has revealed to me who I truly am, and I do not like what I see. But what that means is, the Lord is removing the impurities, and turning me to pure gold. Is he doing the same for you?  If so, be pleased. 

The battle seems to have turned against us in the west.  Many of us believe it is only a matter of time until we are defeated. The enemy has the power of hell on it's side and hell's time is nearing, that time we all dread. 

But we continue fighting. We continue to fight our delaying action.  The world has fallen to the mass madness, for the most part, though there do remain pockets of resistance here and there.  The indoctrination to secular progressivism has been rather complete, but there are still some hold outs. The largest hold out region seems to be the United States, most of Europe has already fallen to the madness. But a heroic resistance still remains. 

Does it feel like the people around you are increasingly brainwashed by the media and the academic establishment? The world seems more and more radicalized and programmed by those who control the flow of information. That is the battle of our age. The battle for the mind's of humanity. Yet we keep fighting. We keep hoping. We keep sharing the truth. Will it be enough?

It would take a miracle, but we all hope for one as we gather around our campfires, wearied and jaded. But we haven't given up.  We're still hoping for a better future. We're still desperately holding up our torches into the fading light.

Yes, we've been through the wringer. We look back at past series of traumatic events; they make us wince. Wince because of the destruction and hopelessness around us, but double-wince because of our own sins and failures in the midst of critical moments in history. What a sad state we are in, yet what incredible hope remains in our infinite God. 

Has your love grown cold? You must not let it grow cold, somehow, someway. You must keep your lamps burning, like the five wise virgins, who stored up extra oil. Do not let your love grow cold, somehow, someway, in Christ, all things are possible. Don't give up.

These are the times that try men's souls.  So we must take refuge in the Lord.  The Lord is my strong tower. I will not be shaken. Though he wounds, he also binds (Job 5:18). 

It is never fun when the Lord rebukes us, and corrects us, but when we come out the other side, weeks, months later, we find ourselves stronger, spiritual muscles bulging.  That is our lot for our time on Earth, correction, growth, carrying of our crosses, and following Jesus. It is infinitely worth it. 

The love of God, and His presence in this room with me is worth it. To know the creator of the universe, and be reconciled to Him is everything. I don't have to run anymore. I don't have to scream anymore. I don't have to dump pills into my stomach hoping to wipe away the sorrow for a few hours. I don't have to throw myself into empty encounter after empty encounter desperately seeking pleasure. I don't have to walk out on highways wishing for death anymore. I've found life everlasting. 

And riding my bike, at midnight, in the darkness across the Shiawassee river, under the dark skies, I realized that though these times are so very dark, the truth is, these burdens are light and temporary.  Light and temporary. Light and temporary.

The man twisting in agony right now, his sins popping before his eyes, one by one, minute by awful minute, hour by unbearable hour, seeing the memories of every time he had a chance to receive Jesus as savior, and yet refused, before his eyes, in pain, skin burning, mouth dry as the desert, laughed at and mocked by demons surrounding him, his agony will never end, in a week, it will continue, a month, a year, a thousand years, a million years, it will never end. These present difficulties are nothing compared to the glory that is to be revealed. And it's nothing compared to the hell that we've escaped, assuming we continue in our belief to the end (Matthew 24:13). 

Don't give up brothers and sisters. Hold fast to the Lord.  Seek His face on a daily basis. Follow Him. Do His will and not your own.  Share the gospel everywhere. Fight tooth and nail.  Yes, we are fighting a delaying action right now.  We're slowly retreating. We're like the rebels on Hoth, with the AT-ATs closing in, barely holding them off as the transports escape off the surface one by one into hyperspace.  We may be like Luke Skywalker on Cloud City, fighting a losing battle to Darth Vader, but after our great fall, comes a great rise.  We may now be fighting a retreating action, but in the future we may yet find ourselves gathering around Sullust for our counter-attack, our last great victory, before the calling away. 

Be zealous now, and live a lifestyle of repentance. Take an inventory of your ways. Live out your faith on a daily basis. For these are the last days friends. Imagine it brothers and sisters! Of all the people in history, we get to be the ones who live to see the last great harvest, and the calling away of the church. Who would've thought it would be us?

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines over you.[a] For look, darkness covers the earth, and total darkness the peoples; but the Lord will shine over you, and His glory will appear over you. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your radiance. 4 Raise your eyes and look around: they all gather and come to you; your sons will come from far away, and your daughters will be carried on the hip. 5 Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will tremble and rejoice,[b] because the riches of the sea will become yours and the wealth of the nations will come to you." -Isaiah 60:1-5 HCSB

A Message for the End Times Remnant: The Last Great Awakening

Return of Jesus, cc 2.0

Welcome to the wilderness. Temptations on one side, false teachers on the other. The true message is Jesus Christ as revealed in the gospels, repent and believe! Join our ranks, the ranks of the holy remnant in a post-Christian world.

The United States, Europe, the western world has slipped into moral chaos: Relativism, atheism, post-modernism, the sexual revolution, and today, the curtailing of free speech. The two towers of propaganda and censorship rise above the cities of the Earth. Christianity is under assault. Yet the message continues to go out everyday. Keep spreading it far and wide!

All must repent and believe in Jesus Christ before it's too late! The return of Christ is so near! Heaven and hell stand before us in the valley of decision! Who will answer? Who will decide?

This may not be the message you wanted. But it is the truth. This is your message, the vital message, and if you won't carry it, who will?

We will carry it. We the few, the remnant, the believing church of Philadelphia in the time of the lukewarm church of Laodicea. We must repent of double-mindedness now, so when the last great awakening comes, we are able to take the message to all for the billion soul harvest! Will you be ready? Are you becoming rapidly who you were always meant to be?

This is what we must be: The Holy church in the wilderness. The undefiled remnant. We're the new counter-culture revolutionaries. We're the ones willing to live the true Christian message. And we're going to live it boldly.

Just like John the Baptist in the wilderness making the way for the coming messiah...

Just like the Acts church missionaries blazing inroads and trails into the depths of the ancient Roman empire.

Just like the Apostle Paul who endured whips, floggings, shipwrecks, and constantly threats for the name of Christ.

Just like the disciples of Jesus who each gave their life for the savior, and John who saw the end in the Revelation of Christ.

Today our world is a wilderness of sin, and we're on the outskirts, fighting for the true message, teaching the radical gospel by the words of the Bible.

On one side stands the sinful society who casts the God of the Bible aside, and on the other side the self righteous lukewarm sin-filled churches of the world. We are the remnant gathered in the wilderness to call out the true message, the vital cross of Jesus Christ received by grace through faith, and lived out through tireless love, holiness, discipleship, and evangelism.

Escape the matrix of this world! Join the resistance!

If you're reading this message: You are the resistance.

You are the evangelist, the prophet, the teacher; you are the messenger! No one else will do it for you Christian. You must be the soldier of Christ, wherever and whenever you go. Time is running short. Christ's return is imminent. The souls of countless billions hang in the balances. You can do this. You will do this. For all things can be done in the power of Christ for his glory. Believe it can be done. Believe it will be done. Believe it is already accomplished. Pray hard, work hard, and remember: What you do today, will echo forever in eternity.


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