[0:00] Accept our thanks, Father, for this time to share and enjoy together. Thank you for the meal that we've enjoyed. Thank you for the spiritual food that is before us. We pray for a facility of understanding these profound truths and of deriving from them the comfort and security that you intended those who are in Christ to enjoy.
[0:20] We give our time to you with thanksgiving in his name. Amen. Even though we are going to rapidly go through the first five chapters of Revelation, I want to begin with a couple of verses from Peter's epistles, and I'm talking about 2 Peter chapter 1.
[0:47] And we'll just read the verses and I'll do my best to reserve comment. Beginning with verse 16, the Apostle Peter, who of course was an eyewitness of everything that transpired in the earthly ministry of Christ, is writing the words in this epistle to believers for the purpose of stabilizing them, strengthening them, encouraging them, comforting them, etc.
[1:14] And he wants to emphasize the importance of knowing. And I don't know if you are aware of it or not, but we are living in a day of super skepticism when people tend to resent anybody who says they know anything for sure.
[1:33] Because we aren't supposed to know anything for sure. And the truth of the matter is, most things we cannot know for sure.
[1:45] And this is one of the reasons, in fact this is a principal reason, that we have the scriptures at our disposal. This is why God has given us a revelation. In order that we might know and not be in the dark.
[1:58] So, when people look upon anyone who says they know anything with scorn or contempt, in a way they're justified because there's a great deal that we can't know and don't know.
[2:11] In fact, there's far more that we don't know than what we do know. I don't think there's any doubt about that. But to say you cannot know anything for sure is absurd.
[2:24] Matter of fact, it's a self-defeating statement. But logically you can't hold that position. Because the moment someone says, I know for certain that you can't know anything for certain.
[2:34] Well, does that include what you know for certain? You know? So, it's a self-defeating statement. Truth of the matter is, there is a great deal that we cannot know. But God has given us a revelation in order that we will know and can know.
[2:50] And if we can believe him, we can know whatever he has been pleased to reveal. So, Peter writes in his second epistle and he says, For we have not followed cunningly devised fables.
[3:05] We have not followed cunningly devised fables. When we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
[3:25] Now, here he is revealing the fact that Jesus Christ is going to return again. And of course, there are many skeptics today who sincerely doubt that. And we'll see that in another passage coming up in this same epistle.
[3:37] But Peter goes on to assure them that what he is saying has real valid substance behind it. When we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
[3:57] For he received from God the Father honor and glory when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.
[4:09] And this voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also, and I love this verse, we have also a more sure word of prophecy.
[4:24] Whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts. Knowing this first, No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
[4:40] For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved or born along or sustained by the Holy Spirit.
[4:52] And then over to 2 Peter in the same book, over to 2 Peter chapter 3, the apostle said, This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you, In both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, ridiculers, deniers, walking after their own lusts.
[5:29] In other words, each of these who are scoffing and denying, have their own personal agenda, and their own reasons for doing so. Walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming?
[5:45] For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were, from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of.
[5:56] Now that is a tremendous indictment. You know, it is one thing to be ignorant, and we all are, just about different things. Someone said, We're all ignorant, only about different things.
[6:08] And there's nothing particularly wrong with being ignorant. But if you are willingly ignorant, that almost means you're beyond reaching.
[6:19] You're beyond hope. You're beyond help. To be ignorant is one thing. To be willingly ignorant is another. For of this they are willingly ignorant, that by the word of God, the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water, and in the water, whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.
[6:44] But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word, are kept in store, reserved unto fire, against the day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly men.
[6:59] But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord, as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack, concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering, to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
[7:23] But the day of the Lord, now I want you to note that phrase, the day of the Lord, very significant, used throughout scripture, old and new testament. The day of the Lord, will come, as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens, shall pass away, with a great noise, and the elements, shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up.
[7:53] Seeing then, that all these things, shall be dissolved, what manner of persons, ought you to be, in all holy conversation, and godliness, looking for, and hasting, unto the coming, of the day of God, where in the heavens, and by the way, I am equating, the day of God, in verse 12, with the day of the Lord, in verse 10.
[8:17] I'm suggesting, they are referring, to the same period of time. Looking for, and hasting, unto the coming, of the day of God, where in the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements, shall melt, with fervent heat.
[8:34] And if you would look back, to verse 9, for just a moment, I want to emphasize, one word there. The Lord is not willing, not desirous, that any should perish.
[8:46] And by that, Peter means, that God has made provision, for man, that he need not perish, because it is not his will, that any should perish, so he has made a way, of escape for them, but that, all should come, to repentance.
[9:05] Coming to repentance, is a necessity, for avoiding perishing. And this is one of the, great themes of scripture, to repent. There is only one thing, that anybody needs, to repent of.
[9:18] And that is, being wrong. About anything. About anything. Because all the word, repent means is, change your mind.
[9:28] It means, reverse yourself. It means you do a 180. On what basis, do you do that? On what basis, do we reverse ourselves, or change our mind, about anything?
[9:41] The answer is, on the basis, of information. information, when we receive, information, that gives us, enlightenment, and just cause, to change our mind, then, it is a matter, of our will, as to whether or not, we will do it.
[9:59] And we can take, one of two positions. We can say, I have heard, new information, and if you're talking, about the gospel, which means good news, and by the way, information is nothing, but news.
[10:12] When you hear the gospel, the good news, you can say, in a response, I never realized, this before. I never understood, that before.
[10:23] I never made, the connection before, how that Christ, died as a sacrifice, for human sin, and he died, in my place. Now that I hear that, and understand that, and make the connection, I choose, to reverse myself, from my position, of self-righteousness, or I'm good enough, the way I am, or I belong to a good church, or a good lodge, or I've never been, a really bad person, or anything like that.
[10:49] You change your mind, about all that nonsense, and you reverse yourself, saying, I need, God's provision, because I cannot, make it on my own.
[11:01] I cannot, become acceptable to God, through anything that I do. And I embrace, what Jesus Christ, did for me. That is repentance, as regards salvation.
[11:14] It is changing your mind, changing your position. Some call it a change of heart. But it is a theme, all throughout scripture. And when Jonah went to Nineveh, and preached to this pagan people, what did he preach?
[11:25] Repent. Repent. Because, Nineveh, in 40 days, is going to be overthrown. And we all know what happened.
[11:36] Sidney repented. Jonah, was regretful of it, because he didn't want him to repent. He, he was a typical, Ninevite hater, I guess you would say.
[11:48] And, God, used the message of Jonah, even though Jonah, was an unwilling prophet. But this word, repent, is completely lost sight of today. I think I might have shared, with you before, today, the average person's concept, of repent, and repentance.
[12:05] You've seen cartoons of it, haven't you? This nerdy, little, ball-headed guy, wearing a white gown, standing around, with a, sandwich sign, or a poster, holding it up, it says, repent, the end is near.
[12:20] And everybody gets a chuckle, out of that. And that's what most people, think about repentance. It is, nonsense. It's, the stuff of cartoons.
[12:30] No, it isn't. No, it isn't. It isn't the stuff of cartoons. If anybody else has a cell phone, this would be an excellent time, to turn them off.
[12:42] And I want you to turn to, that was Jonah calling. That was Jonah. I, I hope he's accomplished his mission. Okay. We're back in Acts chapter 17, and I promise you, we'll get the revelation, right after this.
[12:55] But I want to emphasize, the point that Paul is making here. It is, throughout the Old Testament. And you know, you know what Noah's, what Noah's message was. Same thing.
[13:07] To the people, to repent. And what was the response? Stick it in your ear, Jonah. We don't have anything to repent of. We're nice people, and everything's fine, and we don't know what you're talking about, but just leave us alone, will you?
[13:19] And of course, we know what happened, as a result of the flood, and the fact that, probably some of these people, changed their mind about repentance, as the water, got deeper, and deeper.
[13:32] But there is a cutoff time, that is acceptable for repentance, and a time when you pass that line of demarcation, and no one knows when it is.
[13:43] Someone said, a famous Jewish rabbi, in the Middle Ages said, man should repent, the day before he dies. And one of his students, raised his hand, and said, but master, how does a man know, the day of his death?
[14:00] To which the rabbi replied, he knows not. Therefore, he should repent today, lest he die tomorrow. And here in Acts chapter 17, one of my favorite passages, when the apostle goes to Mars Hill, on the Areopagus, and he proclaims the gospel, to these pagans, and these are the elite, cream of the crop philosophers, this is the same crowd of people, that earlier, centuries ago, gave us Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, these are all following in their train, these are the intellectuals, of Athens, and they are gathered, on this high place, the Acropolis, which you can visit today, as a tourist, and they would, debate, and argue, and philosophize, and theorize, all day long, they just loved a good argument, they just loved to, talk philosophy, and they would, pool their ignorance, but they were the most intelligent people, of that time, and the apostle Paul, confronted them, and he explained to them, exactly what God was about, and what he was going to do, and he begins by saying, when I came into town,
[15:12] I came into the city of Athens, I saw these idols, all over the place, statuary, idols, with the names of the God, that they were worshipping, on the base of them, and Paul said, I saw, idols to Diana, idols to Zeus, idols to Neptune, you name it, all of these pagan deities, I even saw one of them, that had, the inscription below, to the unknown God, what was that all about?
[15:44] Well, these, super intellectual pagans, who were polytheistic, believed that, the gods deserved, obedience, and obeisance, and sacrifice, and you made all of the right sacrifices, to the right gods, if you wanted a good harvest, if you wanted success in love, or whatever, there was a God of this, a God of that, a God of everything, and they even had one, to the unknown God, just in case, there was a God, they hadn't thought of, and overlooked him, he would really get ticked, for being left out, so, if you're out there, whoever you are, this is yours, to the unknown God, Paul said, I even saw one of those, and you know what I want to do?
[16:24] I want to proclaim to you, a God, that you do not know, he is the unknown God, to you, and he went on, and proclaimed to them, Jesus Christ, and he says, I pass by, behold your devotions, I found an altar, with this inscription, to the unknown God, whom therefore, you ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you, God, that made the world, and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples, made with hands, neither is worshiped with men's hands, as though he needed anything, since he giveth to all, life and breadth, and all things, and hath made of one blood, all nations of men, for to dwell in all the face of the earth, and has determined the times, before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation, that they should seek the Lord, if happily they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us, for in him, we live and move, and have our being, as certain also, of your own poets have said, for we are also his offspring, for as much then, as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think, that the Godhead, is likened to gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art, and men's device, and the times of this ignorance,
[17:44] God winked at, but now, listen to this, verse 30, but now, commands all men, everywhere, to repent, this is pretty inclusive, all men, everywhere, who does that omit, no one I know of, and ladies, he isn't talking just about males, you know that, he's talking about mankind, humanity, and the reason, we are all called to repentance, that is to change our mind, change our position, the reason we are called upon to do that, is because God has made provision, and, verse 31, because God has appointed a day, in which, he will judge the world, in righteousness, by that man, whom he hath ordained, he is going to judge, the world, by, the righteousness of Christ, what's the standard for judgment, the righteousness of Christ, you may look pretty good, compared to the person next to you, but how do you look, when you're measured alongside Jesus Christ,
[19:16] I don't know about you, but I do not reach his ankles, that's the standard of judgment, that's God's perfection, he will judge the world, in righteousness, by that man, whom he hath ordained, whereof, he hath given assurance, unto all men, that he hath raised him, from the dead, and do you know what the response was, same as it is today, go on and read, and when they heard of the resurrection, of the dead, some, mocked, you've got to be kidding, resurrection, that's the most ridiculous thing, I've ever heard of, you know anybody, who's been resurrected, you ever see a corpse, walking around, you ever see anybody, come back from the dead, I haven't, and here this guy's talking about, the resurrection of the dead, what a bunch of baloney, there are people today, who feel the same way, but then, there are others who say, now wait, just a moment, just because, that is not within, the purview, of our experience, just because, we cannot say, that we have actually, seen someone, come back from the dead, does not necessarily, in and of itself, prove, that that cannot happen, all it means, is that we haven't seen it happen, so maybe, we ought to look into this, a little further, they are,
[20:50] Berean type people, they want, to know, the truth, some people, want to know, the truth, provided, it agrees, with what they already believe, so they won't have to change anything, which means, so they won't have to repent, or reverse themselves, because, do you know what the pain, of repentance is, do you know, what causes pain, emotional pain, and repentance, you have got, to admit, you really screwed up, you've been wrong, all along, here you thought, you were so smart, and had it so all together, you know what, you didn't know anything, compared to what, you could know, you've been wrong, you've missed it all together, you with your, superior intellect, and wisdom, and ability, you were wrong, you were wrong, now I don't know about you, but I have got, this thing called,
[21:51] I know about you men, because you've got, the same one I've got, it's called the male ego, and it is incredible, it, it's pride, knows, no bounds, we will go to, whatever length, we have to, in order to preserve, that ego, and when you say, I, am, wrong, oh, gets me right here, it is not cool, to be wrong, it is cool, only to be right, and have it all together, but repentance, requires us to say, admit, when we discover, that we've been wrong, to be big enough, to admit it, that is not, an easy thing to do, I've often called that, the hard part, of the gospel, the easy part, of the gospel, is to embrace, Jesus Christ, as your savior, that's the easy part, the hard part, of the gospel, is to recognize, you have a need, to do that, that's the hard part, because, we are Americans, and our motto is, can do, self-sufficient,
[22:57] I can handle it, I can do it, resourceful, independent, all the rest, that pumps up my ego, makes me feel good, gives me an element, of pride, and then somebody, comes along and says, Wiseman, you don't realize it, but you're really nothing, and you've got this all wrong, and here you thought, you had it all together, macho this, and macho that, you have no idea, how wrong you've been, what are you going to do about it, usually what we'll do about it, is we'll fight against it, we'll deny it, we'll defend it, that's part of the ego thing, now ladies, you have an ego too, but I am convinced, after 50 years, of marital counseling, the female ego, cannot begin to compare, with the male ego, we outstrip them guys, by far, so this repentance thing, is really, what revelation, is all about, it is a revelation, of Jesus Christ, so that, people can get, a true glimpse, of him, this Lord of glory, and, do something about it, what, repent, change their mind, there is a whole, series of plagues, that is coming upon humanity, and we're going to see that, we've seen part of it already, in the seals, that were opened, and next will be, the trumpets, that are opened, seven seals, and then seven trumpets, and then seven bowls of wrath, all of these, are wreaking, divine judgment, upon an unbelieving world, with the one end, in mind, of the repentance, of the inhabitants, on the earth, and many will, repent, many will, but most, will not, so I want you to turn, to the material, that you've been given, or, to revelation chapter one, if you're already, if you've already, been given that material, and, what the revelation, is telling us, is first of all, that history, history is going somewhere, it is lineal, there is, there was, a beginning, and the beginning, is, understandably, in the beginning,
[25:20] God created, the heavens and the earth, that's the beginning, there is an ending, and that is, the revelation, in Genesis, we have, the beginning, of creation, that God was able, to pronounce, good, very good, in chapter three, we see, the introduction, of human sin, into the arena, and the world, is forever changing, by the way, I don't know, if you are aware, or not, if you've ever thought of this, but, I would like you, to consider this, the Bible, is the only, document, that exists, that authoritatively, explains, why, the world, is, as it is today, and how it got that way, and it is also, the only document, that explains, where it's going, when we arrive, where will we be, what will have occurred, you will not find, that information, in any science book, it does not exist, now, frankly,
[26:28] I think, we are deeply, indebted, to science, science is wonderful, the tragedy, of science, is that, modern man, has been worshipping, at the altar, of science, particularly, for the last, two or three generations, and that is, misguided zeal, because, if you know, anything about, science at all, you know, science, is never, finished, never claims to be, science, is all about, discovery, exploration, unfolding, deciding, understanding, the job, is never done, the scientist, the scientist, just goes on, and on, and on, if Isaac Newton, could be here today, and see what has been learned, since, he propounded, his theories, he would be absolutely, amazed, but on the other hand, he probably wouldn't, because, he would say, well, I know, I know that, we discovered a lot of things, in my day, and I knew there were, a whole lot of things, left to discover too, and we are discovering them, so, science can give us, a lot of answers, but never with finality, and if you want, if you want, demonstration of that, just pick up, just pick up, a textbook, on, medical science, that is, 30 or 40 years old, why it is so outdated, doctors today, would throw rocks at that, you know, it wouldn't have anything, to do with it, they would say, well, this is old stuff, we've learned so much, since then, the revelation, is provided by God, to give us, closure, on a fallen planet, and his creative work, with it, there is no other record, that exists in humanity, that can do that, or that was ever designed, to do that, it is, it is provided, for the exclusive purpose, of giving mankind, a revelation, of his glorified son, and of, the wrath of God, that is coming upon the earth, for the rejection, of his son, so revelation, revelation, and the book, of the revelation, and by the way, there is no plural, on that, although there are, a lot of things, disclosed in it, in a plural form, but primarily, it is, a revelation, singular, of,
[29:03] Jesus Christ, and the author, of the book, is the Holy Spirit, he authored, 65 other, best sellers, they begin with, Genesis, end with revelation, 66 books in all, the spirit of God, is the author, of all of them, numerous, human individuals, were used, to be the penman, but they were not, the author, they were the writer, God is the author, and in the case, of the revelation, John is the writer, and John is probably, the youngest, of all the 12 apostles, whom our Lord chose, he seems to be, the junior apostle, far as we know, he is the only one, that did not die, a violent death, but he probably died, in exile, on the isle of Patmos, very likely, in his late 80's, possibly even, in his 90's, most scholars, date the penning, of the revelation, somewhere around, 90 to 95, AD, which is very possible, and it means, at that time,
[30:07] John the beloved, was probably, in his 80's, because Jesus, started his earthly ministry, when he was 30, John the apostle, who was a brother, of James, probably younger, than Jesus, probably the youngest, of all, likelihood is, he was in his 20's, at the time, and if this is, in the 90's, then he's probably, in his 70's, or 80's, somewhere in that area, he's on the island, of Patmos, and let's begin, just running through, Revelation chapter 1 here, and I want to, open this for Q&A, which will be a, a trick too, verse 1 says, the revelation, of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, and, we need to understand, that, this is, a revelation, a revealing, a disclosure, that God the father, gave, to God the son, for him to give, to his servants, and that's exactly, what verse 1 is saying, to show unto his servants, things which must, shortly come to pass, and,
[31:14] I could, elaborate on that word, shortly, because when John wrote this, it was 2000 years ago, and it's very hard, to consider 2000 years, as being shortly, but we've explained, in the past, that, the word in the Greek here, means, things which must come to pass, with great rapidity, that's the idea, and what John is saying, is that, when the events, that are transpiring, in the revelation, begin to occur, they are going to happen, in rapid fire succession, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, one after another, the world will not, even be able, to recuperate, from one calamity, until another, is upon them, that's the message, that is being given here, with the seals, with the trumpets, and with the bowls, and, we are told that, in verse 3, blessed is he, that means, spiritually well advantaged, or fortunate, is he that readeth, and they that hear the words, of this prophecy, so, the revelation, is not given, to conceal anything, and it is not given, to confuse, anything, it is given, to reveal, to disclose,
[32:25] God wants us, to know these things, and the thing, that I think, tends to throw, most people, is that there is, a great deal, of symbolism, in the book of revelation, which makes it, somewhat difficult, to get a handle on, but all I want to tell you, about the symbolism, is this, much of the revelation, is symbolic, but, the symbols, always speak, of a, physical reality, the symbols, are always, pointing to something, that is real, and significant, but it is, couched in a, symbolic way, and John expresses, that to us, so there is, a special blessing, provided for those, who read, and those who hear, or heed, the words, of this prophecy, and in chapters, two and three, well let's finish, this with chapter one here, the disclosure, of the person of Christ, and we are told, that he is identified, in verse five, as the first begotten, of the dead, and the prince, of the kings, of the earth, unto him, that loved us, and washed us, from our sins, in his own blood, has made us, kings and priests, unto God, and his father, to him be glory, and dominion, forever and ever, behold, he comes, with clouds, and every eye, shall see him, and they also, which pierced him, and this is in reference, to Israel, and all kindreds, of the earth, shall wail, because of him, think of that, when Jesus Christ, returns, and he is returning, he promised he would, scoffers come, in the last days, where is the promise, of his coming, been 2000 years, since he left, and he hasn't, come back yet, doesn't that prove, that he isn't coming, no, it just proves, that the time, for his coming, hasn't arrived, and as I pointed out, to you before, from the time, that Jesus Christ, was promised, in the first coming, as the Messiah, born in Bethlehem, how long, how long, had Israel, waited, for the arrival, of their Messiah, from the time, he was promised, in Genesis chapter 3, 4,000 years, 4,000 years, from the time,
[34:51] God promised, a Messiah, until Bethlehem, so we have waited, only half as long, as Israel has, for their Messiah, we've waited, only half as long, for him to return, and he is, coming again, he is, identified, as coming, in the clouds, will be seen, by those, who pierced him, all kindreds, of the earth, shall wail, because of him, why, because he's, coming, in judgment, he's coming, at the conclusion, of the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls, he's coming, at the conclusion, of Armageddon, he's coming, at the conclusion, of the time, of tribulation, when the earth, is going to be, saturated, with unbelievers, who have, dug their heels in, defied God, shaken their fist, at God, even though, they know, the wrath, that has come, upon the earth, is from him, they are still, in a defiant mode, and when Jesus Christ, shows up, those people, are going to, wail, they are not, going to be, glad to see, someone has said,
[36:02] Jesus is coming again, and he will not, be in a good mood, he came the first time, to save, and deliver, when he comes again, he is coming, as the judge, of all the earth, of all the earth, it is not, going to be, a pretty scene, he is identified, as the alpha, and omega, these are simply, the first, and the last letters, of the Greek alphabet, in which this document, was written, we would say, Jesus Christ, is everything, from A to Z, that's the equivalent, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the almighty, and in verse 10, John says, he was in the spirit, on the Lord's day, I told you about, that phrase earlier, keep it in mind, the Lord's day, is the time, of judgment, it is the seven, year period, of tribulation, that is coming, upon the earth, that Matthew 24, and 25, are all about, and Christ gave, his most lengthy, prophetic, discourse, in that, all of that discourse, in Matthew 24, and 25, and it was shortly, before he left, so John says, he was in the spirit, on the Lord's day, simply means, that he was transferred, forward, into the future,
[37:24] God is giving him, a picture, of everything, that's going to transpire, and God tells John, what you see, write, in a book, and this is the book, this revelation, is what John wrote, on that, isle of Patmos, this is the content, this is what it is all about, and John, addresses these, letters, to the seven churches, in chapter two, and chapter three, and we spent, some time on these, when we went through them, originally, content, CDs are available, for any who want them, but I'm just going to have, to skip through these, if I may, and the very first one, where am I here, if I had it to do over again, I would not have had, these things copied, on both sides, it gets confusing, the very first church, that is addressed, beginning in chapter two, is Ephesus, and by the way,
[38:33] I have not seen these, but I know, I know Lamar has, has been, has been, to Asia Minor, which is modern Turkey, and has seen, some of these, actual ruins, and Ephesus, of some of the most, magnificent ones, I've seen pictures of, never seen it in person, but they are available, and these churches, were located, in Asia Minor, and I am of the opinion, that they were, actual historical churches, that existed at the time, and that John, is addressing them, but it becomes difficult, trying to figure out, exactly how they play, into it today, and I suggested, a possibility, I don't know, if this is correct, or not, this is the way, I think it is, but I'm not dogmatic, about it, I'm not willing, to die on that hill, but I do think, that these seven churches, are descriptions, or pictures, of all different, kinds of churches, that have existed, and that exist today, which means, Grace Bible Church, is described, by one of these churches, if that's the case, then, every church, that has ever existed, fits into, a mold, of one of these, seven churches, and they are everything, from apostate, to on fire, for the Lord, and something in between, and, there is no reason, why church, cannot be, two or three, different kinds, of churches, as it, degrades, or as it improves, a church, could be, an Ephesian church, or a Philadelphia church, and change to a church, of Smyrna, or whatever, because of the description, that is given here, if that's the case, then there is, applicability, to all churches, of all times, and all geographical locations,
[40:23] I just don't know, if it's true or not, so I throw it out, for you to consider, but in chapters, two and three, we have these churches, and they are addressed, to the angels, of the churches, and some think, that those are pastors, but I think, that they are a bona fide angel, just like, the word says, angelos, messengers, so, if we may, let's go right on, to chapter four, and we'll just, leave you, to review the material, that we've already covered, on the churches, if you're interested, chapter four, mentions the four, and twenty elders, and again, I wish I could give you, some real insight here, but I cannot identify, these twenty four elders, I just don't know, for sure who they are, except I will say this, a couple of things, I'm sure of, one is, I'm sure, that they are human beings, they are not angels, they are human beings, and what I base that on, is because, they describe themselves, as having been redeemed, angels have never been redeemed, they are not subject, to redemption, only humans are, so, because these are identified, as redeemed, they have to be human, some say, it refers to the twelve apostles, the original twelve apostles, and it may,
[41:43] I don't know, and, some think, that it has reference, to the original twelve tribes, of Israel, and it may do that too, I don't know, but at any rate, we are, we are confident, that they are human beings, and they are, sitting, clothed in white raiment, in verse four, of chapter four, they had their heads, upon their heads, crowns of gold, and out of the throne, proceeded lightnings, and thunderings, and voices, these things, always seem to accompany, a time, of significant judgment, in the old testament, where it is reported, that there are thunderings, and lightnings, it is a manifestation, of God, going into action, and, I don't know exactly, why thunderings, and lightnings, are used, except for, our frame of reference, our frame of reference, as human beings, do you know, of anything, louder, or more majestic, or more fearsome, than a huge, clap of thunder, do you know, of anything, more dazzling, or more, energy loaded, than a flash of lightning,
[42:59] I have seen, some numbers, on, how many, volts of electricity, and how many cities, it could power, for however length, of time, if they could only, harness, the energy, in a bolt of lightning, is staggering, and God is, putting himself, on display, with these flashings, of lightning, and thunder, I dare say, he would have, everybody's attention, and out of the throne, proceeded lightnings, and thunderings, and voices, and there were, seven lamps of fire, burning before the throne, and this of course, is the throne of deity, which are the seven spirits, of God, and we've got, seven spirits, and there are, seven lamp stands, and several different sevens, seven throughout the Bible, is the number of completion, it is the number of God, and it is not, coincidental, that the heavens, and the earth, were created in six days, God rested on the seven, we are in a seven day cycle, all over the world, it is seven days, and by the way, there is no, historical, record, that we can establish, for the, for the existence, of a seven day week, are you aware of that, all over the world, and down through human history, we have had different calendars, we've had Julian calendars, and we've had,
[44:18] Gregorian calendars, and we've changed the calendars around, and they've done that in Europe, they've done it in Asia, but there's one thing, that they have never changed, anywhere in the whole world, and that is, the seven day week, and I think that, that harkens back to Genesis, chapter one, God established it, and it is still in force, but I want you to note, the burden, of this, once Christ is identified, we are told, that in chapter four, beginning with verse, eight, we've got, the beast, that I described in verse seven, and by the way, I want you to note, the simile, that is used, the figure of speech, the simile, so many times, in verse seven, it says, the first beast, was like a lion, didn't say it's a lion, it says it's like a lion, I think, it simply means, that John is saying, from my frame of reference, this is the closest, I can come to describing this thing, it looks like a lion, and the beast, the term beast, tends to throw us, because,
[45:22] I don't know about you, but when I hear the word beast, I think of something, grossly, ugly, detestable, looking, gruesome, and I think, that a better rendering, than beast, is, living creatures, that's the way, it's rendered in the Greek, they are, living creatures, they are not angels, per se, they are not human, they are, specially, created, living creatures, that have come, from the creative hand of God, they are not grotesque, or anything like that, they are just not human, and they are not angelic, and they are, just amazing, and the four beasts, each of them, had six wings about them, they were full of eyes within, this means, they have mobility, that is unlimited, and being full of eyes within, means that there is nothing, that escapes their vision, and we can't imagine, anything like this, we just cannot picture, something like this, I often wondered, what Steven Spielberg, with his special effects, in Hollywood, would come up with, with something like this, it's just, strange, beyond description, but let me tell you, we would look upon, these living creatures, as being super strange, they probably would feel, the same way about us, they probably feel, that they are normal, and we are strange, so it's all a matter of, what you are used to, you know, these beasts, and the four and twenty elders, in verse 10, fall down, before him, that sat on the throne, and worship him, that lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns, before the throne, and here is what they are saying, thou art worthy, oh Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power, you are deserving, you are entitled to this, why, because, thou, hast created, all things, and for thy pleasure, they are, and were created, why, why, did God, create, anything, one of my pet peeves, are these, syrupy, sentimental, well-meaning Christians, who say,
[47:34] God was lonely, so he made, human beings, and he created people, because he was lonely, that's such, boy, you talk about having, a high estimation, of yourself, if that's why, God created people, he could have done, a lot better, he didn't create us, because he was lonely.
[47:56] He created this because he wanted to do it. It pleased him. You understand that's all the reason that God needs is that he wants to do something.
[48:08] We aren't told why other than the fact that it pleased him. He decided that he wanted to do it. So he did it. And he didn't need any justification or rationale. He did not create.
[48:20] God has never created anything out of need. Because God is completely self-serving. God is self-contained. He does not have to go outside himself to meet any need he has.
[48:34] All of his needs are met within his own person. That is just so different from us when we realize that you will not draw your next breath without reaching outside of yourself to get something that you need or your next drink of water.
[48:53] We are all dependent. God is not dependent. So here, God is honored on the basis of creation. And then in chapter 5, we have this scroll that is written.
[49:04] And this is just an incredible, incredible thing. So on the right hand of him that sat on the throne, a scroll, a book, written within and on the back side.
[49:15] This scroll was all rolled up. We don't know how long it was. It was probably several feet long. Just a big, long, continuous scroll. And it was rolled up.
[49:26] And it would be rolled up a little bit, like so. The scroll, perhaps 20 feet long, it would be rolled up like this. And then here on the edge would be a seal that would close it.
[49:40] Then it would be rolled some more. And then there's another seal. And then rolled some more. And then another seal. And rolled some more. And another seal. Seven times.
[49:51] So that each time a seal was ripped or torn open, it would reveal a little bit more content. And then you break the next seal and you open it and that reveals some more content.
[50:09] All through for seven openings of the seals. And the content is revealed. John says that this seven sealed scroll was handed from the throne with the question who is able to open the seals and to disclose what is therein.
[50:35] And no one came forth. And John says that he wept. He began weeping. And I'll tell you why. This scroll represented the title deed of the earth.
[50:52] This was ownership of the earth. Ownership of the earth was given to man in the original creation. And man forfeited that so that that which was given to man for his having dominion over it and exercising power and authority over it, he forfeited that.
[51:14] man and Satan took it up. Satan is the god of this age, 2 Corinthians 4. He is the prince of the power of the air.
[51:26] Man forfeited what God entrusted to him. And if God does not take action to redeem the fallen world corrupted and ruled over by Satan, then it remains forever in his power.
[51:42] that's why John was weeping. There is no hope and no help for the earth if there is no one who is worthy to exercise dominion over this deed and take back the control of the earth.
[51:58] And John says he was weeping. And then he was told weep not for the lion of the tribe of Judah hath prevailed and he is eligible to take the scroll.
[52:10] We know the lion of the tribe of Judah is none other than Jesus Christ and he came for the sole purpose of reversing the curse and healing the rupture that occurred between creature and creator in the fall.
[52:25] That's why Jesus Christ died on the cross to redeem mankind. And now he is coming forth as a lamb slain before the foundation of the world.
[52:39] And John says I looked and beheld a lamb as though it were slain. And this lamb is a symbol of the person of Jesus Christ the lamb of God without spot and without blemish that takes away the sin of the world.
[52:55] And he takes the scroll and is eligible to open the seals and when he does it reveals what is going to transpire on the earth. And let me tell you something.
[53:06] The content of those seven seals is God's wrath and judgment on an unbelieving world.
[53:16] God's long suffering has been held back. God's long suffering has caused his wrath to be held back for all of this time. But finally it culminates in an end.
[53:30] and when the seals are broken that is the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel. The time of judgment upon the earth. And it is going to be cataclysmic like you cannot imagine.
[53:43] Church will not be here. We left in the rapture. And what is taking place here on earth has to do with those who are left behind. And it is going to be indescribable.
[53:57] Jesus with this I close. Jesus Christ himself described this time as it will be tribulation such as the world has never seen and will never see again.
[54:12] That from the lips of the Son of God. That you can take to the bank. Questions or comments? Anyone? Yes.
[54:23] I just read something I was not aware of before regarding number seven. And that was that seven is a number that regulates every period of incubation and gestation in insects, birds, animals, and land.
[54:36] It does. It does. Remember that special tape that we have by Dr. Wilson? Dr. Walter Wilson? He talks about that. He breaks it down. Everything is X number of weeks. So many weeks for birds.
[54:47] So many weeks for this. So many weeks for that. And everything is down to weeks. And it is for humans too. 39 weeks. Gestation. 39 weeks. Everything is in periods of seven. You're absolutely right.
[54:58] Good observation. Seven is a number of completion. It's a number of finality. And you'll find throughout the revelation the number seven used repeatedly and the number twelve used repeatedly as well.
[55:11] Other comments? Shelley? I was thinking the other day with this spill that everyone's talking about. The BP spill.
[55:22] The waters in a few times will be poisoned. We might do it ourselves. You know that's entirely possible. When it comes to contamination we have incredible capabilities.
[55:37] Don't we? We can really mess things up. I don't know that that's what's going to happen. But it's entirely possible because as we've already seen when we were dealing with the seals that were open and we'll be even more clear when we go to the trumpet judgments which is coming up in chapter eight.
[55:56] there is going to be one third of all marine life one third of all marine life is going to be eliminated in one fell swoop.
[56:11] And it appears that it is going to be some kind of a tremendously toxic chemical of some kind perhaps that is going to contaminate a huge amount of water so that marine life will not be able to exist in it.
[56:31] And it's going to be it's going to be just cataclysmic unlike anything we've ever seen. Other thoughts or comments? Anyone? I'm sorry?
[56:44] Are we told of how the scroll got rolled up and where it started? No. There's no indication given as to the origin of the scroll other than the fact that it was just there.
[56:58] But it is tremendously symbolic because and the thing I want to emphasize about symbols that are found all throughout the revelation and this you can take to the bank.
[57:09] Every time you come to some kind of a symbol it is never about nothing. It always has significance.
[57:20] It always points to something that is real. And part of the difficulty we have is in John's humanity and trying to describe what he is seeing when he is looking at things for which he has no frame of reference.
[57:39] He has never seen the things that he is going to see there. So he has difficulty putting into words what he is seeing. He has difficulty expressing it. And yet God has been pleased to allow this to be reduced to human language.
[57:54] And I am convinced that God is convinced that the information is adequate. He has not left us lacking. contrary to what Bertrand Russell said when a reporter asked the famed philosopher and worldwide atheist suppose you're wrong about the existence of God and suppose the time comes when you stand before this maker and he says Bertrand Russell why did you not believe?
[58:31] what would you tell him? And he said I would say to the almighty you didn't give me enough evidence. But according to Revelation and according to Romans chapter 1 the evidence is adequate.
[58:48] Man is without excuse. Yes Carolyn? Mark do you think that you talked about the male ego earlier do you think that has something to do with the fact that God gave man the authority of the handship and a man feels responsibility for what God has given him to do in terms of that responsibility?
[59:10] That's entirely possible. That could very well come into play. In a negative kind of way this transfers in a man's mind of hey I'm in charge.
[59:21] I'm the boss here. What I say goes that's male ego talking. You know that's male ego. And it's epidemic.
[59:33] Yes. Here you go. I would refer to anyone who says that God hasn't given us enough information. He has given us in our frailty that humanness we would not understand what he was telling us to be human trying to explain everything.
[59:54] True. That's true. That's true. No doubt about it. You know one of the things that intrigues me about humanity and I this is just Mars meanderings but I've given a lot of thought to this.
[60:08] That doesn't make it true but I think that one of the reasons maybe the biggest reason that God has created us as human beings the way he has with the intellectual and comprehensive abilities that we have with the capacity for appreciation that we have that no other creature God made has well possibly some of the angels they understand some things that we don't understand we understand some things they don't understand too but I really do think that God has created us with an incredible ability to appreciate himself now that may sound very egotistical on the part of God and if God created everything for his own glory doesn't that pose a rather selfish scheme of the universe
[61:17] God is only interested in displaying his own glory but on the other hand he is entirely entitled to it it isn't that God is seeking something that he's not worthy of or does not deserve to quote that famous philosopher that we're all so familiar with Muhammad Ali it ain't bragging if you can do it well with God it ain't bragging if you can do it he can do it he is worthy and he has created in us he has put on your shoulders the most incredibly complex mechanism in the universe that we know of that is the human brain you are absolutely incomprehensible in your ability to comprehend you can appreciate and understand and know things that no other life form can why do we have that capability it is
[62:22] I think so we can appreciate and understand and know and relate to the God who made us what an incredible listen it is a tremendously serious business to be a human being yes what about kind of reaching out this is a thought that I have a lot and that's the existence in other parts of the universe of life yeah what what is your understanding of that well I have an understanding of it but I admittedly it is flawed because I can't document it can't prove it I am of the opinion and this is just a wise man opinion so that I would send up a red flag and you ought to be warned I really do not believe there are any humans or life forms on any other planets at all now I realize that might make us and our planet look very egotistic and self centered you know but and it is let me make this clear it isn't that God could not had he chosen to do so create all kinds of life on all kinds of planets on all kinds of solar systems no question he could do that all he has to do is will it he doesn't even have to work up a sweat he just wills it and it's done but there is a principle that I think is very very compelling and science particularly creation science call it the anthropic principle and the anthropic principle conveys the idea that planet earth to the extent of our knowledge planet earth is the only body in all of the universe that we can detect as inhabitable and that the anthropic principle simply comes from the idea of anthropology and anthropos which means man which means that the earth was made for man and for man exclusively and not other planets etc and that so many things scientifically demonstrate that life is able to be sustained here and no place else you know they're always in constant search for water on other places you know other planets always looking for water because if there is water then there is the possibility of human life existing or some kind of life form existing and I think the Bible
[65:04] I think the Bible makes it quite clear because contrary to science which is never finished never done never complete always exploring always opening always always including more and more and more the Bible isn't that way it isn't an ongoing revelation it is a complete revelation it's finished it's done forever your word is settled in heaven we have a complete authoritative revelation and it I think very clearly describes the earth as being man's habitation and everything from the size of the earth the shape of the earth the distance of the earth from the sun all of these things come into play and it appears and it's interesting it's interesting even some of the most devout atheists will admit that the earth and everything about it appears to have been designed specifically with man in mind but that's only in appearance not in reality it's just random it just happened but we say no it is fine tuned by design yes the thing that causes me to have a bill theory is that we are around our star we have this group of planets that we have assessed that this is the only one that's habitable because of water but why is water the only element that could support life and since there are billions of stars why would our star be the only one with planets surrounding it and why would this be the only planet that could be in that was it's a very legitimate question
[67:02] Bill very provocative I wish I had a better answer for you but I don't and water is essential to life as we know it but we've got to be realistic and admit there is so much we don't know and the minute we start thinking we are so smart is when we usually get our comeuppance and they're just like I said there's more we don't know about than what we do how many of you here saw the video indescribable and how great is our God some of you saw I'll tell you if you want something that will just boggle your mind it talks about this is one of the most amazing things you who saw know what I'm talking about and I don't want to hold you I've already held you beyond so if anybody needs to leave you will not be rude just get up and leave but this video reveals content and pictures brought back by the
[68:06] Hubble just absolutely blow you away because once they got once they got the spacecraft outside our Earth's atmosphere and all of the gases and everything that that cloud the pictures they got absolutely incredible pictures from the Hubble and they are in this video two of these videos are indescribable and how great is our God you ought to see those I mean they are Louis Giglio does them in the Passion series and they are absolutely outstanding you've never seen anything in outer space like this it's just and I happen to have some with me yes if the Lord was born he lived and he died on Earth and the Bible was complete there's no reference to anything else why would it even be in question well I think man is by his just by his nature he is inquisitive he is adventurous he is explorative we want to go to outer space we want
[69:13] I don't care what there is where we want to know something about it it's our natural curiosity we're not taking care of where we're at well that's beside the point now you quit preaching to go on to meddling did I see another hand somebody yes I either saw on a video or read somewhere that it takes a universe of this size to have one earth I you know that it we need that because of a universe that is I don't understand I don't know I don't understand it either I cannot address any of this stuff scientifically but I just know and and and and this video is so well named how great is our God and let me tell you something if you see this whatever your estimation of God is however great you think he is he's going to be a whole lot bigger when you get your scenes if you see it and I hope you will
[70:17] I must really terminate this but thank you all for being here I really appreciate it and we covered a lot of material but none of it as well as I would have liked so next time we'll continue with we'll be in further along in the revelation and by the way