Monthly Archives: May 2017

STUDY SHEETS for Sunday – May 21, 2017

REVELATION MESSAGE 27 – Armageddon
Revelation 19:11-21

What does it mean if you are alive on earth after the battle of Armageddon?

First, it means that you were left behind at the rapture and entered the period of the tribulation. The rapture occurs just before the seven year period of the tribulation begins when Jesus Christ descends from heaven and calls those who believe in him at that moment in time to meet him in the air. So those people—the believers—are gone.

But not you. You remain on the earth and live through the Tribulation period. The question is: What have you been doing for the last seven years?

You have survived seven years of unprecedented trouble on the earth—various diseases of epidemic proportions; natural disasters such as violent hail storms, fires, earthquakes and the sun scorching people to death with fierce heat; death unleashed on 1/4 of the earth by murders, famine, pestilence and wild animal attacks. Fires that burned up 1/3 of the trees and grass on earth and supernatural, cosmic disturbances with the sun, moon and stars that polluted the rivers and oceans.

You have survived demon beasts that looked like locusts and were supernaturally given the power to sting like scorpions; you have escaped horses with heads like lions which spewed fire and smoke and sulphur and killed 1/3 of the human population.

You have had family and friends betray you, or possibly you were the betrayer.

You have survived the outbreak of wars that have covered the entire globe, and you have avoided being killed in attacks from supernatural beings, both good and evil.

You have witnessed gruesome murders and demon worship. You have observed the governments of the world joining together to build a global unity that could never before have been imagined. You have seen the most powerful empire in the history of the world arise within seven years, and you saw that same world system destroyed in a day.

You have probably seen the gospel of God flying across the sky by an angel as a banner of hope for those who would repent. You have observed angels, good and evil, battling in the sky and battling on the land below.

And last of all, if you are alive after the battle of Armageddon, you have survived the greatest armed conflict the world has ever experienced where the armies of earth gathered to fight against Jesus Christ, King of kings, and Lord of lords. You survived this battle only because you were not there. There were no survivors. The fight was over in an instant as the true King of this planet devastated the forces of evil.

So now you wait and wonder. What next?

Two very different groups of people are still on earth after the battle of Armageddon. The contrast in what happens to each group is extreme and dramatic. At some point during all of the turmoil of those seven horrible, terrifying, anguishing years, you made a decision that sealed your eternal destiny, and that decision determined which group you are now in.

What is the difference in the two groups? The people in one group cursed God. The people in the other group repented and held to the testimony of Jesus. You accepted God or rejected God.

If you never repented, then you will be removed from the earth at this time in what the Bible calls the judgment of the sheep and the goats. During that judgment Christ removes the “God-cursers” and casts them into hell. You are now forever separated from God except for a brief appearance before his Great White Throne where you will receive your final sentence to the lake of fire.
If you turned to God in belief during these seven years and kept the testimony of Jesus Christ, then you will remain on earth. King Jesus will by now have arrived on the Mount of Olives to initiate his thousand year reign—his millennial kingdom.

You will be astounded at the changes that you experience at this time. You will indeed be overwhelmed in wonder and amazement, pure joy and exultation. Just 24 hours earlier darkness shrouded the planet, but now the path of the righteous shines brightly, very brightly. You believed, and you had hope, but the darkness was so pervasive. But that is now gone … forever … and King Jesus is literally here, right now, today, and he welcomes you to his kingdom.

Your new king will waste no time in setting things in order. He will dispatch his servant leaders (his heavenly army) across the globe to begin the necessary restoration for the new era. You will be cared for in every way—physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually—by his servants.

These servant leaders form your new government under King Jesus. Yesterday you contended with corrupt politicians and evil empires, but today you will begin instruction in the ways of the righteous rule of God. Welcome to the rule of King Jesus.

  • The Judgment of the Sheep & the Goats:
    (Matthew 25:31–34, 41 ESV) When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
    (Matthew 7:22–23 ESV) On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” 23 And then will I declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

 

  • The Rapture of the Church:
    (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 ESV) For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

AUDIO for Sunday AM – May 14, 2017

REVELATION MESSAGE 26 – The Wedding Celebration of the Lamb
Revelation 19:1-10

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STUDY SHEETS for Sunday – May 14, 2017

REVELATION MESSAGE 26 – The Wedding Celebration of the Lamb
Revelation 19:1-10

AUDIO for Sunday – May 7, 2017

The Evil Empire of all evil empires …

  • Of all the evil kings, dictators and oppressive regimes throughout the history of Earth that have dominated and afflicted the people under their rule, it seems that the reign of the dragon, the anti-christ and the false prophet during the period of the tribulation will be the worst by far—“the Evil Empire of all evil empires.”
  • The picture of this evil empire could be perceived as one of a well-oiled machine, marching on with common goals and an inspired purpose, single-mindedly forging its way to world dominance, discarding lesser foes left and right, moving along with a strong, measured tread toward ultimate victory and accomplishment. Powerful. Devastating. Defiant. And seemingly unstoppable.
  • And I can see that. I can see how a person could very easily draw that picture in his or her mind as he or she studied the events described in Revelation during the last days of Earth. But that person would have the wrong picture, an incorrect understanding of what was happening, and there is probably no better example of that than what we will observe in the account of the destruction of Babylon in our text today.
  • The religious and political leaders who brought Babylon to prominence did so by making a deal with the devil. Literally. They forged an unholy alliance with the unholy trinity because they thought this would advance their agenda, that they would get what they wanted.
  • But that’s not how it works when you make a deal with the devil. Did they not know who they were dealing with? Did they not know that the devil is a liar, the father of lies and there is no truth in him? And how could they not know? How could these powerful, seasoned leaders expect anything but disaster when making a deal with a liar and a deceiver? How could they be so foolish?
  • It’s really very simple and straightforward involving a fundamental dynamic or principle in the transmission and reception of truth; a biblical principle that most people never grasp. If you refuse the truth, then you will believe the lie. As you turn away from the truth, you are prepare your heart for the lie. You are now deceived. You will still call it the truth but that is only because you are a blind person walking in darkness.
  • The Apostle Paul describes it this way to the Thessalonians.
    • (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 NLT) This man [the anti-christ] will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.
  • The religious and political leaders of Babylon made a deal with the devil that would bring them almost instant success. Babylon would become the crown jewel of the new world system in less than seven years, enjoying unrivaled religious, political and commercial prosperity.
  • They got what they wanted … until … until they were no longer useful to the devil. Imagine that. He had lied to them and deceived them. Should they have been surprised? “Oh, my, we made a deal with the devil, and he deceived us!” It’s what he does.
  • They are now a threat, so he destroys them as they no longer fit in his plans. And that is where we are in this morning’s text. The alliance has fallen apart and anarchy threatens the existence of the new world system. The devil’s desperation grows as his hope to be worshiped as the god of this world is slipping away, and he lashes out with a vengeance.

REVELATION MESSAGE 25 – Alas, Babylon!
Revelation 17-18

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STUDY SHEETS for Sunday – May 7, 2017

REVELATION MESSAGE 25 – Alas, Babylon!
Revelation 17-18