Israel, Iran, and America in Bible Prophecy (With Greg Laurie)

[Music] [Music] [Music] it's an Oni terr the starving in Somalia already knew it [Music] [Music] no one had expected that something like this was alright well let's grab our Bibles we're back in a revelation series again and I want you to turn to two chapters with me if you would please revelation chapter 1 and Ezekiel chapter 37 and we're gonna look at both of those together and the title of my message is Israel Iran and America in Bible prophecy revelation 1 Ezekiel 37 little note also next week we'll be back in our regular series this is sort of a special message in this series but we'll be looking at Revelation chapter 8 and 9 so you might want to read ahead hurry let's pray together father we know that you're in control and we know that one day Jesus Christ will come again to this earth and there are signs of the times you have given to us and the pages of Scripture things to alert us to the fact that your coming is close near imminent help us now to pay attention to those signs and I pray that everyone listening to this message will be ready to meet you and if they are yet that they will be ready today we commit this time a Bible study to you now in Jesus name Amen so what on earth is happening in the Middle East right now seems like every time you turn around there's another outbreak of violence or the threat of one Iranian president Ahmed in a job has stood before the UN and it's threatened to once again eliminate Israel and then in this most recent speech he spoke of some Islamic Messiah and a new world order what's that all about and then we look at this attack against our embassies around the world specifically in the Middle East and most notably in Libya were American ambassador Chris Stevens was shot in cold blood by terrorists what is this all about I thought the war on terrorism was being won I thought when we took out Osama bin Laden might be the end of it hardly in fact after ambassador Stevens was killed there were people in the streets rioting burning American flags waiting for their tight shot from American media as they chanted together to the camera take a picture Obama were all Osama so that pretty much says it all the message of Osama bin Laden the message of the terrorists is alive and well what about this Arab Spring I thought that was going to turn things around perhaps some kind of a resurgence of not resurgence but a surge of democracy in the that didn't turn out so well either what is the explanation of all over this chaos in this confusion one of the world is happening short answer Bible prophecy is happening in real time before our very eyes the Bible has predicted that things that are happening in this part of the world the Hebrew prophets thousands of years ago foretold the scattering Andry gathering together of the Jewish people into their homeland and scripture specifically tells us that once they were gathered world history ISM we know it would culminate in this part of the world the war to end all wars would take place in this world and the attention of the planet would be directed toward Israel and toward the little city of Jerusalem is that happening right now yes it is and that's what we're studying the book of Revelation together you see God's plan is not to conceal it is to reveal and the fact is is that the word revelation and by the way it's revelation singular not revelations I don't know why people insist on calling this the Book of Revelations revelation means the unveiling so here in this great book God has unveiled so many things for us in fact the book of Revelation is like the ultimate action thriller anyone who loves a great novel has to love this book it has drama suspense mystery horror it tells of rebellion unprecedented economic collapse in the ultimate war of history but yet despite these ominous happenings it also burns and radiates with joy and hope it ends with a happy ending as sin and death are banished forever so the reason we want to learn about the future is to motivate us to live right in the present let me repeat that we learn about the future to motivate us to live right in the present because some would say well it's not important to study Bible prophecy it doesn't matter besides no one can sort it out I've been different I think we must study Bible prophecy and it will help us to know what is happening in our world and it will also help us to live more godly lives some are perplexed by this book and I would not say I have it all worked out or figured out I don't think anyone does but I think much of it can be understood and there is a key to unlocking the book of Revelation Adrian Rogers called it the golden key to the book of Revelation and that golden key is right there on the front door and Revelation chapter 1 verse 19 where Jesus tells John banished to the island of Patmos and this unveiling of the future to write the things that you have seen that things which are and the things that will take place after this a revelation is unique in that it comes with its own outline it tells us about our past present and future first Jesus tells John to write about the things that he has seen and that's what we have looked at in Chapter 1 we have seen in Chapter 1 the resurrected and glorified Jesus with all power on heaven and earth the revealed Jesus who is complete in complete control of what is about to happen so chapter 1 the things that you have seen reveals God is on the throne God's in control don't freak out okay that's a loose paraphrase number 2 John is to write that which will take place after these things now excuse me I left out a part number 2 he used to write about the things which are rather this is a reference to the message of Jesus to the seven churches that we looked at in Revelation chapters 2 to 3 you remember starting with the Church of Ephesus and ending with the Church of Laodicea those are the things which are and now we're looking at the future the things that will take place after these things these are the events spoken of in Revelation chapters 4 to 22 so summing it up we see the Lord person we see the Lord's people and we see the Lord's program chapter one is the revelation of the glorified Christ chapters two to three we have basically the entire scope of church history chapters four to five we see the church taken up to heaven in Chapter six to nineteen we have the Great Tribulation Period in chapter 20 we see the Millennium finally in chapters 21 to 22 we have the new heaven and the new earth now sort of to pull back and get the big picture of the prophetic scenario Alex try to sort it out what is the next event on the prophetic calendar is that the second coming of Jesus no because that happens at the end of the great tribulation period during the Battle of Armageddon alright so what is the next event on the prophetic calendar it is my opinion that the next event is the rapture of the church now you know the difference between the rapture and the Second Coming right and the rapture he comes for his church and the second coming he comes with his church and the rapture were caught up to meet the Lord in heaven and the second coming he comes back from heaven with us what goes up must come down and I believe that this event the rapture coming from the word wrap Torres I could happen at any moment the Bible says it will happen in a moment in the twinkling of an eye two will be in the field one will be taken when we be left so this could happen at any time and I hope that we're all ready for that and if we aren't I'll tell you how to be at the end of this message so that would probably happen soon then what well somewhere either right before or right after the rapture it seems to me that a large force from the north of Israel identified in Ezekiel 37 38 and 39 as may God will move against her along with her allies and we'll talk about that more in a few moments and what then a carriage matter world leader emerges on the scene a man with economic solutions a man with a peace treaty that will be signed by both the Israelis and the Arabs a man that will presumably help the Jewish people rebuild their temple again a man that will be hailed by some as the very Messiah as the Christ but the Bible instead calls him the Antichrist and remember that prefix anti doesn't just mean against which he is but it also means instead of in many ways Antichrist will be masquerading as a messiah and will be thought of as a messiah by some so for the first three and a half years of the tribulation period also known as the 70th week of Daniel there is this global peace it seems like it's a good thing but then there's that halfway mark that is called the abomination of desolation this is after the Antichrist erect an image of himself and the rebuilt temple there in Jerusalem and commands people to worship it and this is the point at which the cataclysmic judgment of God falls upon the earth and we're gonna be looking at that more in our next look at Revelation and then this culminates in the final battle to be fought the Battle of Armageddon now I'm not talking about Carmageddon you've probably heard about that that's a shutting down of the 405 this is Armageddon and Armageddon will happen in Israel you say well how do you know that because the word Armageddon is taken from the root word harm again or the word Megiddo so basically the Battle of Armageddon is a description of where the battle will be fought in the valley of Megiddo right there in Israel so as this battle is raging Christ comes back again the Sasori returns as king of kings and Lord of lords and armies are riding with them in heaven as he returns on the White Horse air horse won right then we come back to this earth and the Millenium begins how long millennium it's a thousand years in fact the word millennium means 1000 so it's a thousand year reign of Christ this is the time we read up where the lamb is with the lion and so for the beautiful time Satan is found during the millennium reign of Christ and then Satan is released for a short time and he hasn't banished to the lake of fire then the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven to earth so heaven and earth effectively become one and we'll talk about this later but it's important to point out because sometimes people will say well I'm just gonna die in Kolding heaven and live in heaven forever actually that's not true because one day heaven and earth will become one you're gonna come back to the earth again in a glorified body so this is all that is yet I had in the big picture of the prophetic scenario so let's come back to today where are we at right now well I want to focus in on Israel Iran in America and the light of Bible prophecy let's begin excuse me with a mother modern State of Israel now the Bible predicted that the Jewish people would be dispersed to the four corners of the earth and regathered again in fact our Lord in Matthew chapter 24 gave a very specific prediction he said that the temple that was being rebuilt by Herod was going to be not only destroyed but dismantled stone by stone so here's the question did that prediction reach fulfillment well the answer is absolutely yes because in 70 AD all historians agree the tightest and the Roman legions marched into Jerusalem slaughtered thousands of Jewish people and dismantled the temple why did they dismantle it because there was gold in the temple it caught fire and they had to dismantle it to get the melting gold out fulfilling to Atty the prophecy of Christ at this point the Jews were scattered to the four corners of the earth fast forward now many many years the Holocaust happens and Hitler is seeking to eradicate the Jewish people from the face of the earth and thankfully the united states of america in england and our allies stopped the Nazi war machine and what happens in the aftermath of the Holocaust is nothing short of amazing the Jewish people begin to return to their homeland again and a May 14th 1948 a modern miracle happens the State of Israel is officially declared here is a nation that has been dispersed for hundreds of years and there we gathered again this has never happened again historically David Jeremiah in this book corn in the world is going on writes quote never as a decimated ancient people managed to retain their individual identity through almost twenty centuries and re-establish their nation in their original homeland this event was specifically prophesied and it happened exactly as foretold it was a miraculous act of God and quote and that's true this was a super sign that started the prophetic clock ticking so Israel is back in their land again but there was still a problem they did not have control of Jerusalem and Jerusalem plays a key role in the end time scenario even though they had declared their state could Jordan was still controlling the Old City of Jerusalem including the Temple Mount in most of the historic sites but then the six-day war broke out excuse me in 1967 in which Israel was attacked no one expected her to survive not only did she survived the attack she won the war and gained back a lot of the things that she had lost including the old city so this city of Jerusalem is under Jewish control for the first time in over two thousand years yet to this present day Jerusalem remains at the heart of the israeli-palestinian conflict with Arab leaders worldwide insisting that Jerusalem and the entire West Bank are rightfully Palestinian territory and must ultimately give be given back as a condition of peace well listen I'm gonna go with God on this one God gave Jerusalem to Israel it's her city Genesis 15:18 God said to Abraham to your descendants I will give this land from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates he gave that land to Israel and they're not gonna give up the city of Jerusalem as Tim LaHaye said quote the smell of the Holocaust is still too fresh in their memories and so all of this it is happening is just as the Bible predicted so let's put it all together let's go over a chronology of events Israel would be scattered has that happened yes Israel would be regathered after she was scattered has that happen again yes Israel will regain the city of Jerusalem has anything happened yes Israel will be isolated from the other nations of the world and will effectively stand alone has that happened not quite but we're getting there and finally Israel will be attacked does that happen not yet not on the scale that the Bible predicts that is still in the future perhaps in the near future but it's interesting to me how to ruse Allah still is the big thing did you notice in the Democratic convention how the city of Jerusalem came up apparently in their platform they had neglected to say that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and there was also a mention of God that they had left out and so the White House said they wanted that put back in again but according to their protocol they had to vote on it and so they had the vote there in the floor and when it was put up to a vote I heard a lot of people booing it but yet they said two-thirds voted for it which is an exaggeration for sure and but here's what I found interesting is that they're talking about Jerusalem why is Jerusalem such a big deal why are we talking about Los Angeles are Paris or Rome or or some other Majors capital in another part of the world why this tiny little city I'll tell you why because God said Jerusalem in the last days will play a key role scripture says she would be an intoxicating drink a heavy stone a burden for the whole world zechariah 12 God says I'll make Jerusalem and Judah like an intoxicating drink to all the nearby nations it's in their armies to besieged Jerusalem on that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone a burden for the world none of the nations who try to lift it will succeed I mean think about this this little city of Jerusalem the tiny nation of Israel okay so with this in mind now let's read what the Bible says about the regather eeen of the Jews and then what's gonna happen let's go over to Ezekiel 37 you mark that right okay let's look at it Ezekiel 37 starting verse 1 for this section I'm reading from the New Living Translation Ezekiel says the Lord took hold of me I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones he led me around among the old dry bones that covered the valley floor they were scattered everywhere across the ground then he asked me son of man can these bones become living people again o Sovereign Lord I replied you alone know the answer to that and he said speak to the bones and say dry bones listen to the word of the Lord this is what the sovereign Lord says look I'm gonna breathe into you and make you live again and I'll put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin I'll breathe into you and you will come to life and you'll know that I am the Lord will stop there now I've spoken to dead audiences before but this takes the cake imagine this the Lord tells the Prophet to go to a valley of dry bones this would be like God calling you to go to a cemetery go to the cemetery and preach to the tomb stones and say you're all gonna live again so what does this mean what do these bones represent well the interpretation is run in verses 11 to 14 of Ezekiel 37 then he said son of man these bones represent the people of Israel they're saying we become old dry bones all hope is gone now give this message from the sovereign Lord O my people I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again I'll bring you back to the land of Israel when that happens on my people you will know that I am the Lord I'll put my spirit in you and you will live and return onto your own land then you will know that I am the Lord you see I've done everything just as I have promised I the LORD have spoken all right this prophecy has been fulfilled Israel has been regathered together again in their land but here's an interesting thing after Ezekiel 37 comes a zekiel 38 that's a profound insight isn't it but Ezekiel 37 foretells the regather ination Israel Ezekiel 38 speaks of an attack against Israel Ezekiel 38 speaks of a large nation to the north of the newly established Jewish homeland along with a number of allies invading Israel from every direction clearly this is going to happen after the regather eeen of the jews to their homeland so it is in our future perhaps our near future and multiple times scripture emphasizes this will happen in the latter days or in the last day so this is still in the future Ezekiel 38 go over there now verse 1 I'm reading from the New King James Version son of man set your face against GOG and the land of Magog the Prince of Rosh Meshach and tubal and prophesy against him and say that says the Lord God behold I am against you O GOG the Prince of rosh Meshach and tubal I will turn you around I'll put hooks in your jaws I'll lead you out with your army horses horsemen all splendidly clothed a great company with buckler's and shields all of them handling swords especially notice verse five of Ezekiel 38 here are the allies of Magog Persia Ethiopia and Libya are with them all of them with shield and helmet now drop down to verse eight a long time from now you will be called into action in the latter days or the last days you'll swoop down on the land of Israel which will be lying in peace after her recovering from war and after the return of her people from many lands you and your allies a vast and awesome horde will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud here's what the Lord says at the time evil thoughts will come to your mind you'll devise a wicked scheme you'll say Israel is an unprotected land filled with unwalled villages on march against ur and destroy these people who live in such confidence stop there now that's an interesting statement they live in such competence is that true some would say this can't be the present day because Israel doesn't live in such confidence this must be a future day I would beg to differ because I think the fact of the matter is Israel does live in a certain degree of confidence today like they've never known before historically can you imagine a statement like that being made right after the Holocaust hardly can you imagine that statement being made even after they were established as a nation or even after the 67 war not really because they should have lost those wars they were vastly outnumbered by superior military forces etc but against all odds they prevail but the Israel of today is a far different Israel than that of the 67 or even the 73 war today Israel has one of the most powerful and effective military forces in the face of the earth now they're not the largest but they are really good Israel is known for their military prowess for their military intelligence and of course for quite a long time now they have had nuclear weaponry and have never felt more confident not as why Israeli Prime mr. Benjamin Netanyahu has stood before the United Nations and is telling Iran to back off and he's making it very clear that if necessary is Israel will exercise a military option to take out this nuclear reactors now some will say well who cares about what you know machmood whack-job says you know he's just another crazy tyrant out there well if you were a Jew who survived the Holocaust you might see it a little differently imagine that being off Hitler had nuclear weaponry what he would have done with that this is a man that makes threats and the man who has the ability to carry out those threats so Israel justly takes this very seriously and they threatened to defend their self and they should defend themselves now here's the question who exactly is May Gog and these allies have marched with her mention in Ezekiel 38 excuse me let's start with me GOG no me god I'm gonna have to take a drink of water here excuse me me GOG was the second son of Japheth that didn't do any good at all did it make OGG was the second son of Japheth who according to the ancient historian Josephus settled north of the Black Sea so that is the original Magog to Willem II check where the 5th and 6th sons of Jacob whose descendants settled south of the Black Sea these tribes intermarried and becoming known as Magog all of them are to the north of Israel in fact in Ezekiel 39 - God says the gog i'll turn you and drive you toward the mountains of israel bringing you from the distant north though if you take any map today go to the north of israel you're gonna find Russia of course and you're gonna find those nations that used to be a part of the Soviet Union Kazakh Stan you Becca Stan possibly even Afghanistan and of course Stan the man no not Stanley ma'am but all the stands now what are these nations have in common they're all dominated by Islam with a combined population of 60 million so where does Russia come in well many scholars believe that rosh mentioned in Ezekiel 38 - is modern-day Russia certainly these countries are in the geographical area to the north of Israel I think you can make a pretty good case for this there is one well-known Hebrew scholar clear back in 1827 and identified rosh as modern day Russia it gets very interesting when you read about the allies that march with may gog or Ross we have Ethiopia which would be the modern-day Sudan you have Libya I don't think Libya is hard to figure out Libya is Libya Persia well that's modern Iran a march 21st 1935 Persia was the official name of the country we now call Iran what do all these countries have in common they're all Islamic cultures and decidedly anti-israel now let's consider rosh joining forces with these allies here's the question is there an alliance today between Russia and Iran well let me backtrack for a moment and say what if we asked this question a hundred years ago the answer would have been no what if he asked that question 50 years ago the answer would have been no what if we asked that question 20 years ago the answer would have been no what have we asked that question 10 years ago the answer would have been perhaps what have we asked the question today the answer is absolutely yes Russia signed a billion dollar deal to some Nestle missiles and other weapons to Iran over a thousand Iranian nuclear scientists have been trained in Russia by senior Russian scientists this alliance was prophesied 2,500 years ago and only recently happened another sign of the times indeed the stage is set the common denominator among all of these nations to the north of Israel is they hate Israel that is clear again coming back to mock mud Ahmed in a job the leader of Iran he made this statement and I quote is it possible for us to witness a world without America in Zion ISM you best know that this slogan and goal are altogether attainable and can be achieved the regime that is occupying Jerusalem must be wiped off the map in quote again occupying Jerusalem there's Jerusalem again the burdensome stone the intoxicating cup now where did this guy even come from this leader of Iran well he is a disciple of the Ayatollah Khomeini remember him he was the Muslim cleric who launched a successful 1979 revolution driving out the Shah and turning I ran into a strict Muslim estate auch Medina job has repeatedly called for an end of the United States and of Israel who he refers to as the uncivilized cyanus but he believes in a person who is coming an Islamic Messiah called the 12th Imam and I think much to the shock of Beni he spoke specifically about this Islamic Messiah in his recent message before the United Nations here's what he said and I'm quoting all I has promised us a man of kindness a man who loves people who loves absolute justice a man who is a perfect human being and is named Imam al-mahdi a man who will come in the company of Jesus Christ peace be upon him and the righteous so this Islamic Messiah this 12th Imam according to their beliefs will bring about in Islamic Kingdom but first the judeo-christian civilization must be destroyed for this 12th Imam to come there must first be chaos as Benjamin Netanyahu recently told world leaders and I quote Iran's apocalyptic leader believe that a medieval holy man will reappear in the wake of a devastating holy war thereby ensuing that their brand of radical Islam will rule the earth that's not just what they believe that is what is guiding their policies and their actions end quote so with this in mind understanding that because of their beliefs they're trying to create this state of confusion do you understand that economic sanctions against Iran will never work they want chaos they're definitely upping their game they're definitely trying to pick a fight they're trying to mix it up could this be what brings about the scenario of Ezekiel 38 and 39 no one can say with certainty but this much we must acknowledge it certainly could be and we see how things are lining up but wait a second what about the Arab Spring you know the conventional wisdom was that these Arab countries are having a movement toward democracy but really it's a movement toward more radical Islam not unlike what Iran has today everyone rejoiced when Muammar Qaddafi was removed from office but what has taken this place the Muslim Brotherhood and the Muslim Brotherhood believe in creating an Islamic Republic in opposing Sharia law on the part of on the people of Libya as part of the Islamic caliphate and they have a deep hatred for Israel and the United States now Hosny Mubarak was the former leader of Egypt he was ousted many thought that was a good thing but who and what has taken his place well he has been replaced by President Mohammed Morsi who is a leader of the Islamic Brotherhood what are his beliefs we made this statement in a speech recently at Cairo University quote the Quran is our constitution the Prophet is our leader jihad is our path and death in the name of Allah is our goal and quote is that clear enough this is a country by the way that the United States provides 1.5 billion to and foreign aid annually so that brings up the United States what are we doing what's our position well up to this point we have been a staunch ally of the nation Israel Israel is the only real democracy in the Middle East but that is not the only reason we should support her the reason we should support the nation Israel is because they've been placed there by God and the Jewish people are still God's chosen people listen the United States needs Israel even more than Israel needs the United States they say well why great I'll tell you why why don't we need them because God made a promise to Abraham and his descendants many years ago in Genesis 12:3 he said I will bless him to bless you and I will curse those that curse you you look back historically at any nation that has tried to wipe out Israel and look what happened to them look at Spain look at Germany look at Egypt look at the other nations they've all failed but what is America done we have supported Israel when they declared their statehood in May 14th 1948 the United States of America to our credit was the first to congratulate her and welcome her and we have stood by her and I believe one of the reasons that God has blessed our country is because of our continued support for the nation Israel but we're backing away from that it would appear these days and ultimately America will back away from Israel and there will be no great ally behind Israel because as we look at the scenario of Ezekiel 38 and 39 she stands alone when she's attacked by Magog and her allies and why because God is going to intervene for her and he wants to get all the glory and credit Ezekiel 38 18 this is what will happen when GOG attacks on land of Israel God says my heart anger will be aroused declares the sovereign Lord and we read about God decimating the armies of Magog and our allies and there are so many weapons there that it takes seven years to burn them God then promises to pour his spirit out on Israel again in Ezekiel 39 29 that means that after Israel's attack there's no way they can protect herself against all these hordes that are coming from every direction God intervenes wipes out the majority of the army of Magog and our allies and God pours this spirit on in Israel and there's a national revival and thousands and thousands of Jews turned to Yeshua is Hamas Xie they embraced Jesus as a messiah today in the world most Jewish people do not believe in Jesus I think I can safely say thankfully more and more coming to faith in Christ but by and large most did not believe why is that well the Bible tells us in Romans 11:25 I want you to understand this dear friends the Jews of hard hearts but the well this will last only until the complete number of Gentiles come to Christ and so basically right now there's a blindness on the part of most Jewish people when it comes to this subject of Jesus but once the blinders are lifted if you will there many are gonna believe but here's the thing this will happen after the full gathering of the Gentiles be come in what is that talking about well you see God established a covenant with this but they turned against him so God brought us most of us were non-jews we were grafted into the promises of Israel you see we've been beneficiaries but God is gonna work among the non-jews among the Gentiles and when the last one believes then God will pour his spirit out in Israel so you put this all together a national revival coming in the nation Israel the opening of the eyes of Jewish people globally to see Jesus as a messiah this is all going to happen but before this can happen that last person needs to believe that means there could be a person right now that once they believe in Jesus and put their faith in Him and follow him could be the last one the Lord is waiting for before we all leave this place and go to heaven maybe it's even that guy walking out I don't know but look here's the thing can you imagine if you knew who that last person was if you were sitting next to them and you knew this is the one you'd be like believe in Jesus you know it's gonna happen in God's timing and in God's Way and then the rapture comes so why are we studying Revelation what's good about it well a couple things that bring to your attention number one there's a blessing attached to the person who studies and keeps the words of this book you know no other book in the Bible has a promise like that no book except revelation that's why I'm mystified by why some people would not want to study this book what you don't want to be blessed how many even want to be blessed raise our Burien oh yeah okay good that's what we're studying it we want the unveiling we want to see what's happening look at verse three of chapter 1 again revelation blessed is he that reads and hears and keeps the words of this prophecy and keeps the things that are written in it for the time is near so if you want to get the blessing here's what you're first need to do number one you need to read it just technically read it the word translated read is to read out loud read out loud the book of Revelation understand the book of Revelation but it doesn't stop there number two you must hear the words of the prophecy you know sometimes you can hear someone say something and not hear them at all let me put it another way sometimes your wife talks to you and you don't pay attention your wife says honey I think we need to spend more money on redecorating you hear her saying blah blah blah blah blah she says honey can I have the remote control and you hear her saying blah blah blah stay here you know you know you don't listen and it's possible to listen and not listen right you tuned something now here's what God is saying don't just read it listen to it pay attention to it if you are merely to read the book of Revelation there's a great work of literature a religious writing you won't necessarily get that much out of it but if the Holy Spirit opened your eyes in your heart in your mind to what God is saying it can make all the difference in the world and number three this blessing this promise of those who keep the things that are written in it it's not enough to just read it it's not even enough to just hear it you must apply the truths in your life what does that mean well Lord if I believe Jesus is coming back and it doesn't affect the way that I live I have missed the point you know I've met people they're like I don't know how I would describe them Bible prophecy aficionados you know they just love to argue the fine points of prophecy and that's alright if you want to do that but I met people that can quote chapter and verse and give you a good overview of the proper chronology of events of the end times who are not living a godly life into that person I say you're missing the whole point if it doesn't impact you in the way that you live you've missed what Jesus is trying to say he didn't say when these things beginning up and argue about it he said when these things beginning happen look up for your redemption is drawing near that's it [Applause] look we might disagree on some fine points you're in there I'm Bible prophecy and and I respect your right to be wrong but no serious I have friends that we might debate sub-points that's fine but we can't debate at this point Jesus Christ is coming back soon we can't debate that point so let's not be a side track with minutiae and miss what God is saying you got to hear it first you have to read it then you have to hear it then you have to keep the words that are written in it first John 3:3 says all people who have this confidence in Christ that he's coming will keep themselves pure as Christ this fear are you keeping yourself pure and by that the Bible is saying you seek to live a godly life that doesn't mean you live flawlessly or perfectly no one does but it means you make every effort every day to walk as closely with the Lord as you possibly can is that a description of you or are you living a compromised life where are you living in two worlds the Bible gives many warnings about that servant that says all my Lord is delaying his coming and begins to eat and drink and get drunk and do wicked things and the Lord warns that that person will not be ready when he returns don't forget Jesus said one will be taken and the other will be left to menapii in the field one is taken the other is left some will be left and the ones that will be left are the ones that are not right with God they're pretending to be a Christian they're playing some religious game and let me tell you something the only person they're really full enos himself you can't fool God any of the time you can fool some of the people some of the time but you can't fool God any of the time he knows and you know if you're right with him so I'm going to close with an invitation an invitation to be ready to meet the Lord an invitation where you would say I want to be sure that when Christ comes I'll be one of those ones that will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and also an invitation to some of you who have been living in a compromised life to make a recommitment to Jesus so you're certain you are ready so if you need to respond to this invitation respond now as we close them prayer let's all pray father we've heard your word today see the signs of the times all around us and I pray for everyone hearing this message wherever they are help them to be right with you and if they're not right with you help them to come to you now we would ask because we know Lord Jesus before you come back wearing many crowns you first came to this earth and wore a crown of thorns we went to the cross and died for our sin and people need to come to you now and receive the forgiveness that you provided through the cross help them to do that we pray when our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we're praying how many of you would say today Gregg I'm not sure if I'm ready for the Lord's return quite honestly I don't have this confidence that if Christ came back today or tonight or tomorrow I would be one of those ones caught up to meet him in the air I want to be ready I don't have the confidence that if I were to die I would go to heaven but I want that confidence pray for me if you want Jesus Christ to come into your life if you want to be forgiven of your sin if you want to know that when you die you will go to heaven if you want to be ready for the Lord's return will you lift your hand up right now wherever you are help your hand up I can see it god bless you I bless you now I can't see you there outside in the amphitheater or in the court building or at Arvest Orange County but I want you to lift your hand as well because this is between you and God you want Christ to come into your life lift your hand up let me pray for you god bless all of you god bless each one well their heads are still bowed maybe some of you would say hey man I'm living a compromised life and I know it and I don't want to live this way anymore I want to make a recommitment to Jesus today pray for me if that's your desire would you lift your hand up let me pray for you today slipped a hand there god bless each one of you all right now I'm gonna ask all of you that have lifted your hand if you would please stand to your feet and I'm gonna lead you in a prayer of commitment just stand to your feet every one of you that raised your hand stand to your feet even if you did not raise your hand stand up right now wherever you are outside of the amphitheater stand to your feet up in the court building stand up harvest Orange County harvest Orange crest just stand to your feet right now I'm gonna lead you in this prayer and I'm gonna have you pray it out loud anybody else stand now one final moment god bless you anybody else stand now one final moment stand now god bless you god bless all of you god bless yes now you that are standing I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me again as I pray this prayer pray it out loud after me right now pray with me now Lord Jesus I know I'm a sinner but you died on the cross and shed your blood for every sin I have ever committed I turn from that sin now I put my faith in you make me ready for your return thank you for loving me and accepting me and forgiving me in Jesus name I pray amen amen you

Channel: Pastor Greg Laurie

Views: 207,634

Rating: 4.5937634 out of 5

Keywords: harvest greg laurie, revelation, end times, iran, middle east, nuclear weapons, ahgmadenijad, embassy, terrorism, jesus, bible, israel iran and america in bible prophecy, all about bible prophecy, bible prophecy sermons, israel in bible prophecy

Id: 4NHru4gdYBI

Length: 49min 55sec (2995 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 03 2012