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[0:00] Well, thank you for being here today. We appreciate your presence very much for our 19th chapter in the book of the Revelation. And this is 11, 11, 11. So this is our November study.

[0:15] My original goal was to have concluded the Revelation by year's end, but as you can see, we're not going to make it because we still have chapters 20 through 22 to cover. So we'll be into the new year for that. But for today, we're going to be considering chapter 19.

[0:32] And that, of course, is the apex of much of what we've studied because it deals with the second coming and the wrap up of the tribulation period and the conflict of Armageddon.

[0:44] So let's have a word of prayer and we'll begin. Father, for each one able to be here today, we are thankful. And we ask that as the content is considered, that you will use it to stimulate and stir our minds and our thoughts toward an utterly, wonderfully faithful God.

[1:02] We are so grateful that you are our rock and our source of dependence and you are all that you've ever promised to be and more. And we ask that as we engage the material, you will use it to enlighten us and increase our appreciation for who you are and for the outworking of your will in each of our lives and in this entire world.

[1:26] We thank you for it in Christ's name. Amen. What I would like to do to begin with is read several passages from the Old and New Testament that will weigh heavily upon what we're going to be considering in chapter 19.

[1:44] And if you want to follow along in your Bible, you're welcome. But I thought that for time's sake, I would just flag those references in my Bible so I can turn to them quickly and I will just read the passages.

[1:56] They are very germane to this whole 19th chapter, but I don't want to take the time that is necessary for everyone to turn to the reference and find it and then read it because it takes more time that way.

[2:09] So I'll just read them if I may. And if you want to turn to them and you're quick enough on the trigger finding them, be my guest. Or if you're taking notes, that's okay too. But all of these things that we're reading, most of which are from the Old Testament, are collateral to what we are talking about in the Revelation.

[2:28] And we made the point at the outset how intensely Jewish the book of the Revelation is. This is often overlooked by many Bible teachers because they just tend to think that it's the New Testament and it's the culmination of the New Testament.

[2:43] It's prophecy and it's all of those things. But it is very, very Jewish. And if you ignore the Old Testament, you'll never understand the Revelation. So for starters, I want to read a few verses from Psalm 2.

[2:58] And my intent is for you to at least get the general thought of each of these passages on your mind, even if on the back burner, so that when we cover the material in Revelation 19, we won't have to go back to it.

[3:14] But you'll already have a little frame of reference for it. And you can say, I remember that from the Psalms or I remember that from Isaiah, etc. So let me begin, if I may, with Psalm 2. Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing?

[3:32] The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed. This is against the Father and against his Son.

[3:45] And they are saying, these are the nations in an uproar. Now I want to remind you, this is in the second Psalm. It is a prophetic Psalm. And it is talking about what we will be uncovering in Revelation 19.

[3:59] So the psalmist is revealing events 2,000 years before their occurrence. The kings of the earth take their counsel and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us.

[4:21] And what is God's response to that? He who sits in the heavens laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. Then he will speak to them in his anger.

[4:34] Now remember that. He will speak to them in his anger. And terrify them in his fury.

[4:47] But as for me, I have installed my king upon Zion, my holy mountain. I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord. He said to me, thou art my son.

[5:01] Today I have begotten thee. Ask of me, and I will surely give thee the nations as thine inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as thy possession.

[5:17] Now this is the father speaking to the son. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt shatter them like earthenware.

[5:31] This is judgment language. This is retribution language. This is conflict language. This is the language of war. And this is what precisely is going to take place as we'll see it developed in Revelation 19.

[5:48] Then another reference. While we're in the Psalms, Psalm 33, beginning with verse 6. By the word of the Lord, the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

[6:05] This refers to the speaking power of the deity and what happens as a result when God speaks. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap.

[6:19] He lays up the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

[6:30] For he spoke, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood fast. The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations.

[6:44] What's that mean? It means that the nations contrive or conspire a game plan, something that they are going to carry out. This is an international kind of cabal.

[6:56] And they conspire against the Lord's anointed. And the text says, the Lord nullifies or cancels the counsel of the nations.

[7:08] He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever. The plans of his heart from generation to generation.

[7:20] And then, another in the Psalms. And this has to do with the Hallelujah passages. We are going to see the repetition of this word, Hallelujah, in Revelation 19.

[7:34] When we get there, it's a little different spelling in the English, but it's actually an incorrect spelling. It should be spelled the traditional way, Hallelujah. And Hallelujah literally means, is a Hebrew word, and it means, praise the Lord.

[7:50] Or praise Yahweh. Praise Jehovah. It's got a J-A-H ending on it, and that is indicative of it referring to the deity.

[8:01] So, and by the way, I don't know if you're aware of it or not, but there is one word, and to my knowledge, one word only, that is common to all languages all over the world.

[8:18] It's the same word in Japanese, in Chinese, in Dutch, in Egyptian Coptic, in Russian, in German, in French, in English, every language.

[8:33] The word is the same, and it's pronounced the same, and it is the word, Hallelujah. Isn't that interesting? I remember hearing an anecdote about two different people, and you could tell that they were from different parts of the world just by the garb they were wearing.

[8:52] But they both showed up at the site of the empty tomb where Christ was resurrected one early morning when the sun was about to rise.

[9:02] And these men were completely unable to communicate to each other in their language. And one said to the other, Hallelujah.

[9:14] And the other could respond. So, there at the empty tomb of Christ, they were able to communicate one to another through that single word, and it meant the same thing to both of them.

[9:27] Praise the Lord. So, in Psalm 146, with only five psalms remaining in the book of the Psalter, and you've got to remember that the book of Psalms is the Jewish hymnal.

[9:43] They put all of these psalms to music, and they sang them. And that, by the way, enabled them to more easily memorize them.

[9:53] Because if you can take words and put them to music, it's a lot easier to remember them. And, believe it or not, there were many Jews who had memorized all 150 psalms, letter perfect, and could sing them to a tune.

[10:15] So, Psalm 146 begins this way. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. Psalm 147 begins this way. Praise the Lord, for it is good to sing praises to Him.

[10:29] Psalm 148 begins with, praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens. Praise Him in the heights. Praise Him in all His angels. Praise Him all His hosts.

[10:40] Psalm 149 begins, praise the Lord. Psalm 150 begins, praise the Lord. Praise God in His saints. You get the impression that the Spirit of God communicating His word through the writer of the Psalms is closing out the Psalter with all of these praises.

[11:00] That will be significant when we get into Revelation chapter 19. And then, going over to the prophets. Isaiah 63. Isaiah 63 and verse 1.

[11:17] Bear in mind, this is 700 years before the first coming of Christ. Consequently, if He were to come in our lifetime, it would have been written 2,700 years before the event occurred.

[11:39] And here is what Isaiah says, prophetically speaking. Isaiah 63. Who is this who comes from Edom with garments of glowing colors from Basra?

[12:03] Well, what's that all about? Who cares? What's Edom? Edom is southern Jordan. Edom is the territory of the ancient Edomites.

[12:17] The Edomites are the descendants of Esau. One of the bitterest enemies that Israel has to this day. Basra is one of the principal cities in Edom.

[12:31] This is the specific territory where the city of Petra is located, in that very area. Many are of the opinion, and I agree with them, that when Christ returns, second coming, He is coming to Petra.

[12:49] Coming to Edom. And there is where His people, the remnant of Israel, will be gathered together trying to maintain their survival, while the Antichrist and his minions are trying to eliminate them.

[13:05] Christ is going to return there, to Edom, and march northward, outside the city of Jerusalem, while the Antichrist has massed his forces in the north, in the plains of Esdralen, also known as Har-Mageddon.

[13:26] And he is going to march with these massive armies south, and they are going to converge there in the middle. And that's where this last conflict will take place.

[13:41] And the writer of Isaiah 63 goes on to say, Who is this who comes from Edom? Well, guess. With garments of glowing colors from Basra.

[13:53] This one, who is majestic in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength. It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.

[14:06] Question. Why is your apparel red, and your garments like one who treads in the winepress? Well, if you tread in the winepress, especially if you're wearing white garments, they are going to be splattered with the juice of the grape.

[14:27] And he says, I have trodden the wine trough alone, and from the peoples there was no man with me. I also trod them in my anger, and trampled them in my wrath.

[14:43] This is poetic language, and it is figurative. And of what is it speaking? They're not making grape juice. Those who are being treaded upon in this winepress is humanity.

[14:59] Rebellious, sinful humanity that is going to meet its end at the second coming of Christ. I trod them in my anger, and trampled them in my wrath.

[15:11] And their life blood is sprinkled on my garments, and I stained all my raiment.

[15:21] Folks, this is not going to be a pretty passage. But you've got to understand something. As repulsive, and revulsive, and bloody, as it is, what all of this has to do with is the final payback for human sin.

[15:48] If you think this is ugly, it is human sin, and rebellion, that has brought this on, and resulted in it. John.

[15:58] Is that where they get that line in that song, he is trampling out the... Vintage? Vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yep.

[16:09] And that's all about judgment. That battle hymn of the Republic. And he continues and says, I stained all my garment, verse 4, for the day of vengeance was in my heart.

[16:25] Remember when our Lord arrived in his hometown of Nazareth, and he stood up and read from the Scripture that passage in Isaiah about the acceptable year of the Lord.

[16:39] He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. And then he closed the book, and he didn't finish the sentence. And the sentence goes on in Isaiah and says, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God.

[16:58] That he purposely omitted. He didn't include it. Because that was not in the agenda for the first coming. Not vengeance, but redemption.

[17:10] Salvation. He came as a lamb the first time. This time, he could finish the statement, and the day of vengeance of our God.

[17:22] You know that passage in Romans, I believe it is, where we are to do good to those who do evil to us, and not to repay evil for evil, for vengeance is mine.

[17:38] I will repay, saith the Lord. And the reason for that is because God is the only one capable of exacting vengeance in a perfectly just and righteous way.

[17:52] That's why he has to be in charge of it, and that's why he hasn't delegated it to us, because we can't be that righteous and that good. So the text goes on. The day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption has come.

[18:08] And I looked, and there was no one to help. And I was astonished, and there was no one to uphold. So my own arm brought salvation to me, and my wrath upheld me.

[18:20] And I trod down the peoples in my anger, and made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their life blood on the earth.

[18:33] This is all prophetic. None of this has any record of ever having transpired at any time. And when Isaiah wrote it, it was futuristic, it's going to be fulfilled in the passage we'll be looking at in Revelation 19.

[18:48] It is all about anger, the justice, and vengeance of God. And then, in Habakkuk, Habakkuk chapter 3, this is a rather obscure book, and it doesn't get much attention, but it's a loaded book.

[19:14] Listen to this. Verse 3, Habakkuk chapter 3, God comes from Teman. T-E-M-A-N.

[19:25] Where's that? Edom. One of the principal cities of ancient Edom. And the Holy One from Mount Paran. Where is Mount Paran?

[19:36] You can look on your map today. You'll find it in a biblical map. It's in Edom. His splendor covers the heavens, and the earth is full of His praise.

[19:46] His radiance is like the sunlight. He has rays flashing from His hand, and there is hiding of His power. Before Him goes pestilence, and plague comes after Him.

[19:59] He stood and surveyed the earth. He looked and startled the nations. Now, none of this has been fulfilled. And the tendency for many Bible scholars is to just dismiss this as poetry.

[20:14] Well, what is it actually talking about? Well, it isn't talking about anything. It's just fancy words and poetry. That's nonsense. God doesn't mince words, and He doesn't deal in trivialities.

[20:26] This content is meaningful. And just because we don't recognize any time historically when this has happened doesn't mean that it isn't going to. That's what makes it prophecy.

[20:37] And these are called prophetic passages. There is the hiding of His presence. Before Him goes pestilence, and plague comes after Him. He stood and surveyed the earth.

[20:48] He looked and startled the nations. The nations are going to be startled, scared, angered, and warlike against this one.

[21:05] The ancient hills collapsed. His ways are everlasting. I saw the tents of Kushan under distress. The tent curtains of the land of Midian were trembling.

[21:18] Midian is the area to which Moses flew when he slew the Egyptian, ran over to the land of Midian, and there he took a wife and eventually went from Midian back to Egypt.

[21:29] Do you recall that? That's southern Arabia today. And they are, of course, immediately to the east of Basra and Teman and the areas that we're talking about.

[21:46] And verse 8, Did the Lord range against the rivers? Or was thine anger against the rivers? Or was thy wrath against the sea? Thou didst ride on thy horses, on thy chariots of salvation.

[21:59] Thy bow was made bare. The rods of chastisement were sworn. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers. The mountains saw thee and quaked.

[22:10] The downpour of waters swept by. The deep uttered forth its voice. It lifted high its hands. Sun and moon stood in their places.

[22:21] They went away at the light of thine arrows, at the radiance of thy gleaming spear. This is all conflict, war language. What is going to be taking place then?

[22:32] Indignation. In indignation, thou didst march through the earth. This means, as I've often said, that when Jesus Christ comes again, he will not be in a good mood.

[22:49] This is indignant. Angered. He is coming with wrath and vengeance. Katie bar the door. The nations of this earth are not going to have a chance.

[23:00] In indignation, thou didst march through the earth. In anger, in anger, thou didst trample the nations.

[23:14] When has this ever happened? It's never happened. Nothing like this has ever come close to happening. In anger, God will trample the nations. Thou didst go forth for the salvation of thy people.

[23:32] Who were they? The remnant of Israel. For the salvation of thine anointed, thou didst strike the head of the house of evil.

[23:46] What is that? That's the Antichrist. And what he establishes during the tribulation period. Thou didst pierce with his own spears the head of his throngs.

[23:58] They stormed in to scatter us. Their exaltation was like those who devour the oppressed in secret. Thou didst tread on the sea with thy horses on the surge of many waters.

[24:12] This is going to be something, I tell you. And let's get into the New Testament now for a couple of passages. The first one is from Matthew 24, 27-31.

[24:25] We're familiar with this. This is in the Olivet Discourse. And it is Matthew's treatment under the Spirit of God of the latter day. And beginning with chapter 24 and verse 27.

[24:39] For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. And listen to this. That is repulsive, isn't it?

[25:01] It's talking about the availability of dead bodies being feasted upon by vultures.

[25:11] That's pretty repugnant. Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, the powers of the heaven will be shaken, and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory, and he will send forth his angels.

[25:45] Bear these thoughts in mind. He will send forth his angels with a great trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds.

[25:55] That is, the remnant of Israel, the Jews who have been persecuted during the tribulation period, wherever they have been scattered in the earth, the angels will gather them together from one end of the sky unto the other.

[26:09] And hastening on to another reference before we work to our passage, 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 6.

[26:21] For after all, it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you.

[26:32] And he is talking on behalf of persecuted believers, and he is saying, the time is coming when you will be vindicated, and those who have persecuted you will be punished.

[26:46] And to give relief to you who are afflicted, and to us as well, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

[27:10] And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power when he comes to be glorified in his saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed.

[27:32] For our testimony to you was believed. And then, one final reference, in Jude chapter, well, Jude only has one chapter, verses 14 and 15.

[27:47] This is just a tiny little one-page epistle tucked away near the back of the New Testament right before you get the revelation. And Jude verses 14 and 15 says this, And about these also, Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

[28:32] You kind of get the impression that this is an ungodly, motley crew, don't you? That's exactly what it is. And all of this retribution, all of this vengeance, all of this judgment is coming down on the heads of those who have rebelled against the Lord.

[28:49] And this is the product of it. And then, while we're on our way to Revelation 19, look, if you will, at chapter 1 and verse 16.

[29:00] This is right as we got into the book, and scarcely out of the introduction, but I want you to pick up on this phrase that is used here. As John describes what he is seeing, this Alpha and Omega, this one standing in the midst of the candles, candlesticks, and John says in verse 16, And in his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in its strength.

[29:38] Now, with all of this backdrop in mind, let us go to Revelation 19 and see what we have here. All of the passages that we have just shared with you from the Old and New Testament have a direct bearing on what we are reading in Revelation 19.

[29:55] After these things I heard, as it were, a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven saying, and by the way, we have come to this phrase a number of times, after these things, after these things, and John is instructed to write what he sees, to write it down, and he is seeing and hearing these events unfold before him.

[30:28] And he says, I heard a great voice of much people in heaven. You'll note your New English Bible says, I heard what sounded like the roar of a vast throng in heaven, and they were shouting.

[30:44] Now, I get the impression that these noises, what they are shouting, these huge throngs, it has to sound incredibly thunderous, just decibels, so loud and so powerful that it would ordinarily just be overwhelming.

[31:08] But, the thing that you need to keep in mind, even though this is very, very loud and very dramatic, it also has to be very distinct, very intelligible, very audible.

[31:23] Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to appreciate the message as to what's being said. But this is just an overpowering presence of voice of audibility unlike anything, well, take all of the teenagers and put all of their boom boxes together and you won't begin to hold a candle to what this sounds like and it is still audible.

[31:49] They are hearing it. And he says, they are shouting Hallelujah. This is the first of four Hallelujahs and each one is given for a different reason.

[32:04] It is Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah. and each time there is justification given for their offering their praise unto the Lord.

[32:15] The first one is because of redemption. It is praise the Lord or Hallelujah because salvation and glory and honor and power are unto the Lord our God.

[32:31] So, this is a Hallelujah or a praise the Lord for his redemption. and the second Hallelujah is found in verse 2.

[32:45] We've got a Hallelujah here for true and righteous are his judgments for he hath judged the great whore and we saw that in Revelation chapter 17 and 18 particularly chapter 17 Mystery Babylon the mother of harlots and he has judged the great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication and you realize that the world's greatest dilemma the world's greatest difficulty the world's greatest problem is corruption.

[33:23] It is the injection of something that does not belong into something that is pure and righteous and this corruption can be political corruption it can be monetary corruption it can be any kind of corruption corruption is that which sullies or contaminates or defiles and that all started back in Genesis chapter 3 so now this corruption is coming to an end and then the third Hallelujah is in verse 3 and again they said Hallelujah and her smoke rose up forever and ever and the four and twenty elders and the four beasts and I never have succeeded in identifying these I still don't know for sure who they are but they fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne saying Amen Hallelujah and a voice came out of the throne saying

[34:24] Praise our God all ye his servants and ye that fear him both small and great and I heard as it were the voice or the sound of a great multitude and as the voice of many waters and as the voice of mighty thunderings saying Hallelujah for the Lord God omnipotent reigns and this is the righteous reigns begins and this is another cause for saying praise the Lord all of these things depict a different justification for their breaking forth into the Hallelujah and the praising of the Lord and this sound like the voice of many waters how many of you have been to Niagara Falls oh yeah several of you have you you recall how you could hear it from a distance before you ever got there

[35:29] I've often wondered what people thought who'd never seen it never knew what was there you know but they're just walking in that direction and they keep hearing this noise and it gets louder and louder as they get closer and closer to it and you come to it and wow there it is it's just incredible the sound of many rushing waters really makes an impression on you and it doesn't say that it is rushing waters but it says it sounds like rushing waters and it's obviously very attention getting let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him for the marriage of the lamb is come and his wife has made herself ready there is debate among scholars as to exactly who all is comprised of the wife in the old testament we have jehovah being described as the husband of israel and he took her as a bride and of course she was unfaithful in the new testament we have christ as the bridegroom and he's depicted that way in matthew chapter 26 and john is referred john the baptizer is referred to as a friend of the bridegroom but here this bride is going to be given in marriage to the lamb and we know the lamb of course is christ and the wife has made herself ready when a girl is engaged today she very often has what you call a hope chest and she starts collecting things that she anticipates that she will need as a bride and as a new wife and back in biblical days many times the bride the bride to be would make her own wedding garment her own gown or whatever it is she was going to be married in and she had to go through certain procedures in order to prepare herself and make herself ready to be given to her groom and we can even identify with that today everybody knows how hectic it is in the little dressing room where the bride is a half an hour before the wedding is supposed to start and she's going over her makeup and she's looking at her hair and she's checking her dress and her mother is there with her going over all of these things and there's a lot of details to be cared for and she's usually nervous as a cat and she is making herself ready well here believers are making themselves ready and as best as I can determine and I'm not telling you to take this to the bank but I don't know where else to put it

[38:19] I think this is a kind of marriage ceremony and a marriage supper of the lamb it appears that the marriage is going to take place in heaven but the supper the marriage supper is going to take place on earth as best as I can understand this and what is involved is the making the bride making herself ready how is she going to do that this is where I place the bima seat the award throne of Christ this is where believers are going to be evaluated for the deeds done in the body whether they are good or evil whether they are gold silver and precious stone or wood hay and stubble and some believers are going to be rewarded handsomely some are just going to be there and that's it and there won't be any reward because they did not earn a reward we do not earn salvation but we do earn rewards based on our behavior and what we do with our salvation and I want you to look at the next verse verse 8 verse 7 let us be glad and rejoice give honor to him that is to the lamb for the marriage of the lamb has come and his wife has made herself ready and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen clean and white and everybody knows white is the color of purity and this is the color that the bride wants to wear because she is presenting herself as a chaste virgin indicated by the whiteness of her garment unspotted to her husband to be and Paul talks about that in

[40:22] Ephesians 5 that he might present to himself a bride unblemished spotless and pure and the word that is used here for clean is the word in the Greek katharon from which we get the word catheter and a catheter is designed to remove impurities from the body and to allow life to go on and it has to do and it's the same word also from which we get the word catharsis and it means a cleansing or a flushing and this is precisely what is going to happen this is how this fine linen is going to be clean and white for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints and this is not really a good translation it should have a plural ending on it the fine linen is the righteousnesses of saints it is a plural and the new english bible right below that says now the fine linen signifies the righteous deeds of god's people these are deeds done in the body whether they are good or whether they are evil whether they're gold silver precious stone wood hay or stubble and that's what's going to be evaluated there at the bema seat and he said unto me right blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the lamb and he said to me these are the true sayings of god and i fell at his feet to worship him and he said unto me see thou do it not now john had done this before and it was rebuked about it i am in other words don't worship me because i am thy fellow servant and of thy brethren that have the testimony of jesus worship god for the testimony of jesus is the spirit of prophecy now all of this takes place as best as i can understand it while the tribulation period is occurring on earth this is what is happening in heaven this is of course after the rapture of the church all believers are gathered together the only ones left on earth are those who were not believers when the rapture took place many of whom will have become believers during the tribulation period including many who are jews and and then having cared for all of this heavenly business and what is transpiring in heaven with the body of

[43:07] Christ having been raptured things there have been brought to a completion and now it is time to visit the earth the armies have already amassed they are staging on the plain of Ezra and God says he is going to bring all the nations of the earth together against Israel at this time and John says in verse 11 and I saw heaven opened now earlier John says and I saw a door in heaven opened this isn't a door in heaven this is heaven opening the whole thing is opening and it is going to be an incredible panorama I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse now what are horses doing in heaven

[44:07] I haven't a clue are these white Arabian stallions what are they are they Kentucky thoroughbreds how did they get there I haven't a clue my suspicion is these are simply supernatural horses they are horses not like horses we have seen here but they are identifiable as horses and behold a white horse and he that sat upon him was called faithful and true and in righteousness he doth judge and make war you know beginning with Vietnam and the conflict there one of the criticisms that was leveled against our intervention in Vietnam and the basis for which many of the protesters protested against it was you remember they called it an unjust war remember that and some are saying the same thing about

[45:16] Iraq and Afghanistan particularly some of the pacifists and some of those who didn't want to go to war and ran off to Canada they hid behind the excuse this is an unjust war well I can assure you one thing the deity does not engage in an unjust war and that's made quite clear in righteousness he does judge and make war his eyes were as a flame of fire and on his head were many crowns I can't imagine what that looked like I don't know if these are crowns pile on top of crowns how many there are that just says that there are many and he had a name written that no man knew but he himself and he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood he's wearing a blood spattered garment and his name is called the word of

[46:28] God this is the same one who said let there be light there was light he spoke the worlds into existence he spoke light into existence he spoke animals into existence his word is capable of performing whatever his will is and the armies this is plural does this include angels I don't know these armies are going to include you and me we're going to be there these are all the believers who have been raptured who have presented themselves and made themselves ready and that has been cared for and now it is time to return to business on earth and they are following him upon white horses clothed in fine linen white and clean and out of his mouth goes a sharp sword we saw that in chapter 1 and verse 16 remember what is this sharp sword it is simply a metaphor that is being used here it is a weapon of offense and it is that which is going to smite the enemy and what will this sword consist of this is his spoken word

[47:57] I don't believe that in the metaphor and in the picture it is depicted as a sword proceeding from his mouth a blade probably two edged with a hilt and a handle that's the metaphor that's the picture but what does it signify what is it actually saying it is saying the spoken word the word of God is alive and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword piercing even the dividing the thunder of soul and spirit and the joints and marrow it is simply the spoken audible word of Christ and we are going to be with him I don't know you're not even going to have to take a course in horsemanship I don't know if this thing is going to have saddles on it if we're going to have reins I don't understand any of that but I know that it's going to be a reality and we are coming and out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that with it he should smite the nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron and he treads the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of almighty

[49:13] God and you know what you and I are not going to do anything other than just come we're not going to be in the conflict we're not going to be fighting we're going to be there but there's only going to be one combatant just one and that's our general in chief and it will be simply his spoken word I don't know what he's going to say but it will be the equivalent of drop dead and they will they will fall before him the place will be littered with corpses the likes of which you and I cannot imagine we've seen body counts of mayhem of explosions of everything from atomic bombs to you name it and we have seen piles and piles of human carnage so indescribable that people who saw it could never get it out of their minds this is going to be worse than that out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that with it he should smite the nation this is the same one who when the soldiers came in the middle of the night led by

[50:42] Judas Iscariot to take him prisoner and they said whom seek ye and they said Jesus of Nazareth and he said I am and the text says they all fell down backwards they fell over themselves they stumbled they were driven backwards simply at the spoken word and this is the one who will speak the word here and he treads the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of almighty God it is as if it is as if he is in this giant wine press tramping out the vintage of grapes except the grapes constitute humanity and it will be a blood letting the likes of which we cannot imagine if you think this is too horrible for words let me tell you something this is precisely what man's sin deserves and is brought upon himself as ugly and gruesome as this scene is that's how

[52:00] God views human sin and rebellion and this is the only proper answer to it he has on his vesture and on his thigh a name written king of kings and lord of lords and I saw an angel standing in the sun or in the blazing light of the sun and the angel cried with a loud voice saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven come and gather yourselves together under the supper of the great God you know these vultures birds that prey on carrion you realize they are also God's gift to humanity because they clean the environment they really do serve I mean we look at it as you know really abhorred and really gross to feed on carrion dead carcasses and stuff like that but it's all a matter of relativity and if you were a vulture you would think you were enjoying gourmet dining when you feast on that possum laying there on the side of the road or the rotting carcass of a horse or a zebra or something like that but that's only because you're a human and you look at it that way but if you were a vulture you wouldn't look at it that way you would look at it as my this is a wonderful feast and you know something that's precisely what it will be gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great

[53:32] God that you may eat the flesh of kings and the all men both free and bond both small and great and I saw the beast the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse and against his army and may I just inject something here and there be no contest this will not be a long protracted struggle this will not be something that will go on for days or weeks it will be rather instantaneous and the beast verse 20 was taken this is the antichrist and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that worshipped his image these both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone and the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse which sword proceeded out of his mouth and all the fowls were filled with their flesh wow what a picture what a picture and what is the greatest evidence that we have that this second coming will take place exactly as it is prophesied here the greatest reason we have for believing that is because the first coming took place exactly as it was prophesied 2000 years ago and

[55:44] God is not in the habit of not fulfilling his prophetic promises very very solemn passage very sobering passage and one one that you just really cannot at least I cannot get my brain around the magnitude of this and the depth of it and the horrendous nature of it but I want to remind you once again that all of this is a predictable kind of consequence that is justified because of the evil of human sin and this is what it comes to questions or comments Marvis a couple of questions in this that we just recently here talked about I guess I never

[56:44] I didn't think about like Jesus coming and he spoke and they were dead but it wasn't all of them that actually somehow whatever he does they're not just going to fall over dead there's going to be blood everywhere oh yeah there is it's going to be over a span of 200 miles and the army is going to number a couple of hundred million people we just can't imagine I don't know I don't know exactly at all how that is going to take place but I do know we have every reason to believe every reason to believe that every single unbeliever will be summarily executed at this time there will be no unbelievers that will enter into the kingdom of heaven on earth there will be glorified saints and there will be millions and millions of those and we will have returned with him we will have glorified bodies but there will also be during the tribulation period there will be huge numbers of people who will come to faith in

[58:04] Christ but they will not have glorified bodies yet they will be believers and they will survive many of them will be martyred during the tribulation but many of them will survive the tribulation and they will not be part of those who are killed during this onslaught when Christ returns they will in bodies just like yours and mine enter into the kingdom and they will begat children and they will continue on and their children will be born to them and a thousand years will go by and there will be an enormous population and at the end of that time Satan will be loosed and those who have been procreated as a result of those believers who went into that there will be numbers of them who will not be believers at that time because each one will have that decision to make for themselves and they will be recruited by the Antichrist they will be recruited by Satan and they will follow him that's the next chapter upcoming in

[59:05] Revelation yeah and then it says that after I get the impression I'm asking I guess is this how it is after all these people die and the beast was taken so he it's after they die that the Antichrist and the false prophet and who was it the false prophet that wrote the miracles before him with which he received them they will then be thrown into the lake of fire but there's there still I got the impression that there might there's still some people because it talks about those that were deceived by the mark of the beast maybe I've got my conference mixed up here the he bone though it's just that he deceived the mark of the beast they were already killed right yeah yeah yeah

[60:13] I believe so other thoughts anybody did all these that are dead there they do to the lake of fire or they just gone period and nothing I don't know but it seems that way yeah it seems that way and at the end of chapter 20 of Revelation it makes it quite clear and this is this is upcoming next next week and I don't know I may not I may not want to do this not next week but next month it just doesn't seem like a very edifying Christmas message so I may just hold this off until the first of the year but anyway verse 13 of chapter 20 says the sea gave up the dead gave up the dead which were in them they were judged every one of them according to their deeds death and

[61:14] Hades were thrown into the lake of fire this is the second death the lake of fire and if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life he was thrown into the lake of fire so that seems to be a pretty obvious end for those who are not written in the book of life very very sobering passage to say the least anyone else yes when he comes with all of the crowns on his head I never understood that but I'm wondering now because I didn't have my time frame straight because of how revelation is not chronological is that all the crowns that he's wearing are those the crowns that the saints will lay at his feet possibly I don't know I don't know how many crowns you can wear and keep them on your head I don't understand that I just don't I don't know but you get the impression that there are multiple crowns any other thoughts anybody

[62:21] I am really struck again by how how woven together the old testament is with the new and don't ever think in terms of divorcing them because there is a real integration there that has to be recognized and everything in the word of God is connected to everything in the word of God it is one one connective whole and we do it a great disservice if we divorce any part of the book from the rest of it is all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable profitable for different things but it's all profitable people yes Marie the people that believe in annihilation do they sort of get that from verse 15 that the people would burn up and that would be the end that there's no eternity forever yes

[63:26] I think so and that's a very popular thing if I were not a believer I would certainly prefer annihilation because if you are annihilated that means not only is there no punishment but there is no memory there is no existence you just cease to be in any form you would in effect revert to what you were before you were conceived which was nothing you just would be nothing and that would be a pleasant thought for someone who is an unbeliever and we just can't contemplate the idea of somebody burning how could anybody be in a lake of fire and not be burned up well I don't know I know one thing there are different kinds of fires and God is capable of making any kind of fire that he wants interesting thing that

[64:28] Satan eventually as we move on through Revelation we will see that Satan himself is cast into the lake of fire and the text says where the beast and the false prophet are it doesn't say where the beast and the false prophet were but are no longer but they're still there and that's a thousand years later so in order for heaven in order for heaven to have the reality and meaning that is assigned to it hell must of necessity exist because one of the things that makes heaven heaven is the existence of hell and one of the things that makes hell hell is the existence of heaven there is that undeniable contrast so let's have a word of prayer father we see through all of this as horrible and as terrible as the description is we see it as nothing more in reality than true and righteous are your judgments we with our skewed opinions and ideas would look upon this and say it is too much it is overkill but we have such a finite way of understanding and such limited perception for everything that we examine you are the only one who truly sees issues as they really are and you consequently are the only one who is able to really assess a worthy and a righteous judgment and we are so glad that you do thank you for being the god that you are and thank you for being pleased to allow us just a small glimpse of that which lies ahead and thank you most of all for the redemption that we have in Christ

[66:35]  Jesus that even while we were dead in sin you loved us and you gave yourself for us we bless you for that wonderful truth in Christ's name amen you