Revelation Bible Study Part 28 (The Return, Chapter 19)

[Music] so we are looking at the book of Revelation we are at chapter 19 so if you remember what we've been looking at through chapters 17 18 and last time we looked at the beginning of chapter 19 we looked at what was happening on earth and last time we also looked a little bit of what was happening in heaven as Jesus is actually going to return so tonight we're looking at the main event we're looking at the return of Jesus now last time we looked at all the preparation the prayers as a precursor for a the preparation like a prelude to Jesus returning but if you remember what we've looked at in chapters 17 and 18 of the wrath of God being poured out you'll remember that at the final Bowl judgment when the the armies of Antichrist are going to gather at a place called Armageddon har Megiddo this is actually the point that Jesus returns but obviously you have to describe it in stages otherwise you can't describe everything all in one go and so what John sees is what's happening on earth and what we are going to look at tonight is heavens perspective but it's actually the same event the Battle of Armageddon and the final battle as we've already seen is as Jesus comes but we haven't actually seen Jesus come yet and so tonight that's what we're going to look at so there's this convergence we've already seen that at the end it's it described as the winepress Jesus is going to come and the final judgment is God's wrath God's treads the winepress of the fury of his wrath that's what happens when Jesus returns remember he's going to judge the kingdoms of the beefs Antichrist because they are making war against him they're not just not believing in him I mean there's lots of things I can get my head round with the delusion of atheism I can sort of understand if people have been taught certain things why they think certain things I cannot believe anyone is stupid enough to actually decide they are going to wage war against Jesus Christ that that is too absurd to contemplate nevertheless that is actually what's going to happen people will literally think they can fight him they will fight him but there won't be much of a battle Jesus doesn't actually fight he just speaks and the battle is over but that's what we're going to look at tonight the convergence of these things so we've looked at what was happening on earth through the judgments of God the judgments of God and Jesus is now going to return so we looked at those aspects last time so let's go to Revelation chapter 19 and verse 11 this is where we got to last time revelation 19 and verse 11 so here John now sees something different so I'll read down actually I might not I might just read this first bit and then look at something so after everything he's seen all the Hallelujah Chorus all the prayers he says I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse whose rider is called faithful and true with justice he judges and wages war so let's just stop there so what does John actually see now the first thing is we can miss this he sees heaven standing open right heaven has not been open until this point now in the book of Revelation there are lots of things that are opened can anyone guess how many things are opened there are seven things that are opened in stages or described as being opened in the book of Revelation now if something's open what does that mean it's not closed yeah it means access it means revelation remember the book of Revelation literally the word Apocalypto apocalypse literally means something is opened the unveiling of veil is removed yeah and so what John is now seeing is heaven itself is open everyone can see it so when Jesus it reveals himself now I don't think we fully understand what this means because I think what God does is he tears open the space-time continuum so that we actually see the dimensionality of things as they really are I don't think it means we just see Jesus like in the sky or anything like that or it might it might have aspects of that you remember the story of Elijah and his servant in 2nd Kings where the armies were coming and and he says there's more for us than for them and the servant says what he says Lord all open his eyes and what happened God revealed the spiritual realm and he actually saw the armies of heaven were camped around him that's why he'll I sure wasn't scared now one of the gifts of the Spirit is that the discerning of spirits and many people believe I I believe that actually God God can give people the ability to see into the spiritual realm but here everyone sees it because heaven itself is going to be opened literally you'll see into this other dimension which even scientists know is actually all around us we just can't sense it or contact it in any way so heaven is going to be opened but there are seven things there are stages of things opening in the Bible this is the final stage can we put up that chart please look chart one so if you remember when we started at the beginning of the book of Revelation it started by God speaking to the churches Jesus speaking to the churches about things that are going to be opened so he speaks to the church in Philadelphia revelation 3 verse 7 I think I've put it up there yeah there it is he writes to this church he says and he describes who Jesus is and he says what I open no man can short yeah so right at the beginning of Revelation when God's speaking to the churches God saying look when I open something it's gonna be opened what did Jesus say it's a when I come every eye will see me because he's going to open heaven itself we can't fully grasp this I don't think the church they're fully understood this but we can understand this on a day-to-day level if God's opening something it's open no one can shut it and if got shoots it no one can augment right when God casts people the Fallen Angels into thee into the abyss they can't get out it's short when he opens it they do come out and when he puts them back they do get back there so let's understand the power of God here he is opening and God Connaughton everything and he also said you know what he's bound on earth is bound in heaven what he's loosed on earth is loosed in heaven and he wants us to share in that ability of this opening and closing process now if you go to the next one down now Jesus reveals himself as the one who opens things but then he reveals to this church he says behold I placed before you an open door now they're not the same thing in verse 7 he's revealing that he can open anything and he's going to open heaven at the end here in Revelation 19 but now he's saying to this church look I'm placing before you an open door even for that church I'm opening something for you okay now he wasn't opening all of heaven he was just opening a door there's a big difference between a door and all of heaven yeah but he's opening for this church a door which I believe was into heaven because he then tells them about the he's going to save them from the hour of tribulation that's coming so I think he's revealing to this church that he is opening a door and it is gonna he is going to take them into heaven I do believe that is hinting at the rapture there because this is the best show which in the list of churches you remember the next church was the worst Church Laodicea and what did he say to that church he says the door shut I'm knocking but yeah you're not letting me in and you see throughout the Bible whether the door is open or whether did the door is shut primarily depends on our response of faith to God remembering the song of songs the bridegroom came for the bride and he says you've shut the door and he's all it says he thrust his hand through the latch he's trying to open the door but but the openings on the inside of the door she's got to open it if we don't open the door for God how can he open the door for us we've got to be in agreement with him it's the same with Noah in the ark yeah when when Noah went into the ark God shut the door and God Jesus needs parables he showed that the sign of the open or closed door was a symbol of whether people would be taken to heaven or not you remember the the foolish virgins they were taken in the door was shut the other man in the parable of the door was shot and he was cast outside you're not getting in now you had your chance you rejected me the doors closed when God closes it it's closed but to the churches he says look the doors still open make sure we have access to God before all these things kick in saying with lot in Sodom what did the Angels do when they rescued lot shut the door and the people trying to get he can't get in now I'm going to say a lot and his family I'm not going to save you the door was closed so it's a pattern throughout the Bible the open or closed door but then you'll remember in chapter 4 when John had seen the church age when he had seen all the seven churches then what happened he saw a door open in heaven now the others don't say a door in heaven they just say what's one just a generalization of God opening things the other one is an open door but that could have been specific to their situation but now in Revelation 4 John sees a door literally in heaven opened and he hears the voice come up here and Johnny snatched away her prat sword he is raptured he's caught up into heaven and so the door in heaven is opened but not all of heavens open only John sees this door only the churches saw that door only the faithful saw that door on earth but there was access into heaven even at that stage even now God is opening a piece of heaven for the faithful to be caught into heaven yeah so then we go to Revelation chapter 5 and then Jesus opens all the seals yeah now remember what John said when he saw the scroll and he heard the voice it says no one could open the seals but then he saw the lamb the lamb as if it had been slain he is worthy to open the seals john wept and wept because he realized no one was able to save us there was no one in heaven on earth or under the earth there was no one to redeem the earth there was no one to bring in the inheritance of mankind there was no one to bring salvation and two to cleanse the earth or bring Redemption he recognized all these things but there's one who can open things Jesus can open anything he can even open the doors of tombs he can bring out the dead so Jesus opens the seals okay and I believe the seals as we looked at was the redemption of the inheritance of the earth itself as well as humanity represents all those things we looked at those when we looked at they're the seals so he opens the seals we're going to be saved the earth is going to be redeemed Jesus is going to sort it all out that's not heaven when the seals were opened it's everything that's happening on earth okay so then we moved to Revelation chapter 11 and then in Revelation chapter 11 John says he saw the temple opened the temple opened in heaven now you've got to understand and no one ever so inside the temple because only the high priest was allowed to go inside and some of the other priests were allowed to go into the holy place but not the Holy of Holies but when Jesus died what happened on earth the temple on earth was opened the veil was torn the curtain was torn so on earth heaven was opened yeah but this is the temple in heaven the reality of God's presence in heaven and so John now sees that God is opening up the temple he's opening up a part of heaven the temple was where representation the presence of God on earth so it must mean the same thing in heaven the dwelling place of God so God is in Revelation chapter 11 showing look you are having more access to me but it's still not all of heaven it's just a part of the presence of God only the Levites were allowed in but God say no he's bringing us all in he's bringing us all into heaven the temple in heaven obviously the church is the temple of God we've looked at that in the past and so then you go to Revelation 15 so what next is opened the Covenant the the the the covenant law is open the Ark of the Covenant on earth but this is in heaven and so God is now getting more intimate at every stage can you see first that you know just a generalization of things open then a door but not a specific one that we know of then the door in heaven and the seals now the temple now the Ark of the Covenant that the Covenant law of the testimony of the Covenant now if you know the Bible the one thing you could not open under any circumstances was the Ark of the Covenant you know whoever you are whether you're the high priest whether you're just inquisitive a new thing I'll just have a peek you do not under any circumstances open the ark have you seen read of the Lost Ark okay even Indiana Jones is a Jones so he knows this you do not open the R key remember the story at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark I can't believe I'm cooked caught in Steven Spielberg but Steven Spielberg's Jewish he knew the Bible and he knew it so it's a wonderful end to the story because when the Nazis are gonna open the ark what does Indiana Jones do look he tells his girlfriend Marion don't open your eyes and she's win wise like just do what I tell ya do not look inside the Ark we we downloaded that video when we went on holiday Dominica and jemima watched it on loop the last five minutes she loved the Nazis melting as they looked inside the ark you don't look in the Ark it's totally biblical you know you know the story of the ark when it was captured by the Philistines and some of them they looked inside and got killed them you do not look in there but what's happening as we get towards the end god owns the Ark the presence of God in the last days I will pour out my spirit on all flesh because presence was in the ark he was seated above the carribean of the Ark of the Covenant that the mercy seat there but God is opening that but that's not all of heaven so then you get to Revelation chapter 19 what we've just read God is going to open all of heaven you're literally going to see straight into the spiritual realm now is that a good thing well it depends who you are now we rejoice when we read revelation 19 we saw it John sees heaven open and he sees a sight that just blows his mind he sees the Lord coming but remember those on earth say hide us from that we don't want to look at that because they knew it was the coming certainty of judgment and the finality of all things so depending on who you are so the final opening there is the opening of heaven itself the return of Jesus which is what everything has been leading up to remember Jesus says I'm coming and you will see me he said it over and over again so it's all going to be revealed now we should know this because that's what the book of Revelation means everything is going to be revealed so heaven itself is going to be revealed the extra dimension of what we call heavenly the the aspects of what heaven means I don't think we we fully grasp it all but before Jesus can come back this is what has to happen you know Jesus says every eye will see me well think about that you know depending on which way the earth is facing you know if you're in Australia or if you're up in North the northern Arctic near Canada where is Jesus so everyone comes in because not everybody can see the same piece of space at the same time so this is why I believe there's a lot more to this than we can grasp in our three dimensions I think it's it's it's a spiritual unveiling as well as a physical one remember spirituality does not mean non literal or non-physical it just means extra literal and extra physical and so how this all works I don't know but everyone's gonna see him Jesus says you know as lightning is in the east so it'll chill be in the coming of the Son of Man everyone will suddenly see him however that works some people say it's because those on the wrong side of the world will be watching TV well that might be there might be some truth to that but I think it's a lot more emphatic than that I think somehow everyone will see the appearance of Jesus okay so let's go back to revelation 19 then in verse 11 so this is what's happening heaven is going to be opened at this point I see heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse right let's just stop there why a white horse it's interesting you know that the kings of Israel were forbidden from riding horses did you know that yes they were they were to hamstring the horses if you see David a mule or a donkey yeah it would only after Solomon's time that they broke the Levitical prohibition on the kings of Israel riding horses because God knew there's only one person riding horses and that's the Messiah comes into Jerusalem and and that was such a clear thing and I know I've said this before but when general Allenby of the British Army in 1917 entered Jerusalem he got off his horse because the British ambassadors and the the hierarchy says you do not ride a horse into Jerusalem only the Messiah does that and we are not saying that the British general Allenby is the Messiah so get off your horse and he walked in something that a conquering general would never do he walked in because they knew that Jesus enters Jerusalem riding a white horse why a white horse you see in Revelation there's five things that are white fives the number of Grace and so each of these things that are white is showing us that God has given as the fullness of grace he's he's given as the fullness of everything that is represented by white I'm sure you you know what the white things are the clothing for a start Jesus gives us white clothing yeah he's going to sit on judgment on a white throne yeah he says his hair is white yeah white like wool hair is a sign of someone's glory the glory of Jesus is white totally pure totally holy he's coming on a white cloud so he's coming with people that are white he's riding something that's white he sits on something that's white all these things are white he looks white obviously the no racial connotations yeah that's that's a total fabrication my sociologists we're talking about the symbol him is a symbolism of white in the Bible and it says those who believe in him he gives them a white stone what does that mean well there's five white things the number of grace he gives us grace grace to be holy and pure it's not something we can own by ourselves it's something given to us by the grace of God so when he came the first time he came in a donkey be told you're safe he comes riding on PETA fulfilled the prophecies but the second time he comes on a white horse but there's already been someone come on a white horse who was that the Antichrist remember when the seals were open Antichrist fabricates the coming of Jesus he comes on a white horse he pretends he brings the answer to man's problem he's going to sort out the earth and remember the earth accepts him as the Messiah or most of the earth they accept him as the false messiah they think he's the real Messiah no this is the real one and there's no comparison the false messiah has one crown this Jesus has many crowns we don't know how many perhaps hundreds of millions we don't know how many crowns he has because everyone casts their crown at his feet so he has all these crowns okay so I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse whose rider is called faithful and true okay now once again the the the names of Jesus in the in the Bible especially in the book of Revelation are always giving a indication a denotation of his character now he's faithful and he's true okay now guess how many times he's called true in the Bible or the word true occurs in Revelation it is seven well done well you're on Form tonight it's seven times in in Revelation we find this word true now what does true mean Jesus is called faithful and true yeah I don't think we really know what truth is we're so bombarded with people claiming to tell us the truth and we find out it's not we often really get truth to just someone's opinion oh that's just your opinion you can quote the Bible at someone else say well that's just your opinion Jesus is truth if you want to know what truth is you look at Jesus Jesus as I am the way and the truth and the life right Jesus would off say now depending on which Bible you have Oh King James will be verily verily it means truth truth true true on modern translations they say I am telling you the truth but it's actually truth stated twice Jesus saying I'm true true do you understand what truth is when Jesus stood before Pilate and he says everyone on the side of truth listens to me I'm true and Wadi Pilate said what's truth do you know I said that because he's a politician politicians don't know what truth is you know they say one thing and do another they'll give you a vote on one thing and then refuse to ratify it you know oh well you know you've not told the truth you said this you've done that you're not truthful you've not told the truth and and truth is a commodity that is so prized when you realize how hard it is to get it it you know you can't watch the news and get the truth you'll get there you'll get what they want to tell you they might not even tell you some stuff that's happening they're more likely to tell you what their agenda is they actually they actually frame the news they make events happen rather than just reporting on what's happening so we're surrounded by it you can't believe what you read what you're here because this all comes with these political and philosophical agendas the only way to get truth is through Jesus and his words his would you says my word is truth so he's called faithful and true so Jesus says I am coming back is that true how do you know but he doesn't just say true he says faithful and true you see you can say something's true but then not be faithful in delivering it yeah and we're used to that all the time oh yes I I will honor the the Democratic vote just not yet well you're not being faithful when with what you said you said something and you're saying it's true and you're saying it's believe it you believe it and you go but you're not actually doing it so you're not being faithful with what you claim to be the truth well that's not truth and so what God does in Revelation he has an appendage on to truth seven times so that we understand what real truth is so Jesus says I'm coming back is that true is he gonna deliver it yes he's not just saying the truth you see Jesus could say I'm coming back and then six billion years later he still not come back so it's true but it's it's sort of well it's true but it's never actually gonna be delivered no he's faithful it's gonna be delivered on time when he said he was going to happen now that might not be our timing but it is going to be delivered because Jesus is faithful remember when Jesus was leaving his disciples he said I tell you the truth I am going away I tell you the truth I'm coming back again and I'm coming to take you to be with me is he faithful in delivering that oh yes he's faithful and true you know even even a man who proposed to a woman if he proposed marriage you if he was a half-decent man at least he's gonna follow through on his proposal well Jesus proposed marriage to his church he said I'm coming to get you and I'm taking you to the wedding banquet he's not just telling the truth he's faithful totally faithful okay so he's true but he's also these other things so there we've just seen in Revelation 19 faithfulness added to truth but there's also other things he adds the truth seven times in the book of Revelation so can we go to the next chart please Luke so the church that we just looked at the best church the best church the church at Philadelphia just bring the next one down please revelation 3 verse 7 so this was the best Church and how did he speak to this church he didn't just say behold I put before you an open door he didn't just say I what I opened Norman's can shoot he says he I am the one who is holy and true so here God attaches holiness to truth so he doesn't just tell the truth he is holy I the LORD am holy be ye holy for I am holy God's not actually telling you to do something there that you can't do he's saying because I'm holy I'm going to impute my holiness into you so you will be holy you will live a holy life that's true but it's also real it's not a theological understanding holiness is a practical outworking and this is something many Christians don't have today this is why they don't grasp holiness they can say the Bible's true and then not live a holy life no no if you believe the Bible's true you live a holy life Jesus didn't just tell you things he gives you his holiness his purity what is holiness I've no idea is God you know when you step into the holy presence of God you know when the holiness of God it's it's the it's just the difference of everything that God is his love his purity it's all the attributes of God summed up in that word holiness you know the glory that Chabad the Kadesh that the the wonderful presence of God so this is what it is and he's talking to the church at Philadelphia here because they're suffering persecution and trial and he's saying you're gonna make it because I'm giving you my holiness and without holiness no one can see God well then none of us can see God yes but he's give us his holiness this is truth yeah truth God is holy jesus is the holy one and also the truth okay the next thing in Revelation 13 verse 14 he uses the word faithful again now we've already just seen that in in Revelation chapter 19 where the rider is called faithful and true now he reveals himself to the best church as holy and true but who's he talking to in revelation 3:14 he's talking to the worst church he doesn't call himself holy and true to the worst Church to the worst Church he calls himself faithful and true why well because they weren't being faithful and what's jesus showing them he's saying look they claim to believe the truth the church at Laodicea yeah we believe the truth yeah but they weren't being faithful with it they certainly weren't being holy and you see Jesus saying look I'm faithful even when you are not you might not be faithful but I am I'm gonna keep my word I'm knocking at the door I want to take you to be with me but you're not being faithful and we read that in the New Testament even if we are faithless he will remain faithful because he cannot deny himself right faithfulness is who God is he doesn't just tell the truth he will always be faithful in delivering I says to the church at Laodicea I am the faithful witness you see they weren't being faithful witnesses they were just living for themselves there wouldn't be witnesses at all they were just living their own selfish lives but Jesus says I'm gonna be a faithful witness you'll find out everything I said was true and I was faithful in delivering it okay next one Revelation chapter 6 and verse 10 now here he uses the word holy again he links holy to true man we're looking at this word true Jesus is the true one but he links it to different attributes so that we can grasp what truth is when you get close to God what do the Caribbean and the angels what do people say holy holy holy they don't say truth truth truth they know it's true but now they appreciate God's holiness so a greater revelation of his holiness as you go through revelation the next one in Revelation chapter 15 so God here reveals Jesus as true once again but here it says just and true just are his ways different Bible translations might use a different word you see sometimes we know what God says is true but we don't appreciate the way he goes about things just are your ways we read their righteous ayah always in some versions you see as a pastor I come across this all the time you'll people will say this to me what you said was true but you shouldn't have done it like that or what you said was true but you didn't have to do it that way oh I don't disagree with what you said but I disagree with the way you did it okay I get that all the time you'll get that all the time as well if you want to speak the truth whenever you speak the truth will be someone say you didn't do it right you won't be able to accuse God of that people will well I know God's telling the truth but I don't like the way he did it well tough because God is not just true he's just and just and righteous are his ways it said the way God does it is the best way to do it now if we had been now we can think that once again just as a you know an abstract thought but just imagine if you were following Jesus every day on earth think of some of the stuff he did I mean youyou may very well have been tempted to go mmm did we really need a wit in church today Lord I know what you said was true but did you really have to go up to that bloke and kick his table over did you really have to throw all that money on the floor did you really have to open those cages and let that man's dogs appear I mean a whip a Mac come on he's got a whip he walks into church with a whip second Indiana Jones a reference tonight right I'm sure there were some of his followers going well I know what Jesus said is true but I'm sure there was a better way of doing it than that and you can say that for a lot of you know some of his preaching I'm like I'm sure you didn't have to be I mean you really offended them by speaking like that couldn't you just set it a little bit nicer no not only does he tell the truth his ways are just and what Jesus is coming to do when he's bringing truth on earth in Revelation 19 he's doing it the best way it can be done it's no good mankind and secular humanism saying well I can't accept a God that will bring judgment well he is because he has to because it's the only way of saving the planet there is no other way at this point for God to do this it's the only way he can save the planet it's the only way he can save people he's not just doing the truth he's doing it the best way he can okay just his ways how he does things is the right way for it to be done okay next one Revelation chapter 16 righteous and true now again different Bible translations might use a different word King James might use a slightly different word but here it says his his judgments are righteous and true you see once again when someone is passing judgment we can very easily sit and judge that person saying they have no right to judge in fact people do that all the time well you have no right to judge because you know you don't understand that situation or you've got faults in your own life and so we're very good at claiming that judgment is wrong but God's judgment is always righteous he's not just telling the truth he is pressing judgment and it is righteous it is the right thing to do and because of the emphasis of grace remember Jesus came to bring grace and truth right we emphasize Grace and we push truth to one side as though well we've just got to show them grace yeah but you've got to stand the truth as well otherwise grace just becomes license to sin it's always perfectly balanced and so when God is bringing judgment here he's not just bringing the truth he's doing it in a righteous way it's the only option left we've got to understand that judgment is sometimes the best thing to do it's the only way of trying to save someone pass judgment on it and let it be sorted out okay next one in Revelation 19 just before where we've got to we told here that God's judgment is true you see what's happening in Revelation 19 war has started now was never good well is it you know that I think there are times in history think of an axis you know was there any other option what could you do Hitler what appears in mark give him another country give him our Jews to burn what could you physically do there was no option we had to go to war we had to fight that evil because otherwise the entire earth would have just been taken over by this the evil of Nazism and the judgment here in Revelation 19 they're saying true our your judgments because God is saying there's gonna be a war now and sometimes we can once again overemphasize the niceness of things and say well war is never good well actually it depends how evil evil is there comes a point where you have to attack evil otherwise it will kill everybody it will destroy everybody and God's judgment of this final conflict that comes here in Revelation 19 is going to happen and here he's passing judgment on the Babylonian system that is killing people destroying people persecuting people worshipping Satan himself and gods saying right I'm coming to sort this out there's going to be a big fight and that is a truthful thing and a right judgment God has to do it it's not an arbitrary opinion it is truth that God passes his judgment and he condemns Babylon there as we've already read previously and then we get to Revelation 19:11 which is what we've just read Jesus the rider on the white horse is called faithful and true again so he uses the word faithful again and it says with justice he wages war remember Jesus has said this is going to happen it's not just truth he's going to be faithful in delivering it it's going to happen so there we've got the seven aspects of truth in Revelation all linked to something tangible something real something practical something that we must lay hold of not just truth as an abstract thought but truth as a living reality that God is going to fulfill so he's going to bring he's going to bring this war that's why the rider is coming so how many times you think war is mentioned in Revelation six who said six no it's seven it is seven yeah it's seven it's always seven we'll I said when it's not so is seven except when it's another number it's nearly always seven unless it's pointing to another aspect but it is it is seven now again why is it 7:00 if sevens perfection well we tend to think of war as bad and primarily human war is always bad but you've got to remember it is going to end in a war there is going to be a battle god has said this very clearly all the way through the Bible and here Jesus makes the emphatic so let's go back to revelation 19 and verse 16 Salah verse 11 Revelation 19 and verse 11 so I saw seven had said heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse whose rider is called faithful and true with justice he judges and wages war he doesn't wage war in any old way he does it with justice and with correct judgment so what is happening in Revelation 2 look at these wars 7 times the word was mentioned here can we go to the next chart please Luke so war in Revelation so first aspect of the war in Revelation revelation 12 verse 7 it says there is war in heaven ok Satan the dragon fights against Michael and his angels Satan the dragon and his angels fight against Michael and his angels so the first time we see war wars already occurred in heaven yeah before war on earth has happened there's always be there's already been a rebellion in heaven you remember we've looked at the three rebellions there's the rebellion of Satan against God there's the rebellion against the fallen angels against God and then there's rebellion again kind when this rebellion there's always going to be a war always that's what rebellion is and so because these rebellions happen there will be was Satan rebelled against God in heaven so there's going to be a war in heaven now who does Satan the dragon fight it's about Michael the Archangel he doesn't fight Jesus don't think for one minute that Satan against Jesus would be a fair fight Jesus does not have to fight Satan Jesus is God Satan is a created being he can't even stand in the presence of Jesus unless Jesus lets him when Jesus comes Satan the Beast the false prophet are destroyed when Jesus opens his mouth Jesus doesn't fight I know it's a war and I know there's gonna be a battle and if this thing happening but don't think some people think like it's Satan against Jesus as like a boxing match there will be no contest Jesus is God right Michael fights against it's an angelic battle ok the angels of righteousness against Satan and his angels don't think it's God fighting Satan God doesn't have to fight anybody he just speaks and everything vanishes he just speaks and everything's created don't diminish God's power by thinking he has type of fisticuffs with a dragon he doesn't it's Michael and that's on that's in heaven ok next one the next time war is mentioned now this is a war but this one is on earth ok so the war starts in heaven but Satan's cast to earth so now he brings war on earth ok so now the dragon wages war against the woman so what's happening now Satan has to persecute those who belong to Jesus all those who believe in Jesus now we looked when we looked at this in Revelation chapter 12 it's not the church the church has already been caught - caught - the Lord at this time this is the believers on earth primarily Israel remember what happened in Genesis chapter 3 back in the garden when Satan tempted the woman to rebel God said I place my between your seed and her seed they will continually be at war Satan's war is always on the promise of God he hates the church he hates Israel he hates women now if you don't know the history of mankind you do not know there's been a war on women Satan strategies to destroy women to manipulate them to control them to put them down because they know life is birth through women right men can't birth life women birth life and so his plan has always been to destroy woman and he uses religion he uses culture he uses politics he uses all these things to try and destroy the woman because he knew that the Messiah would be born of a woman not born of a man born of a woman and so everything the woman represents and we've looked at that over time that's why Jesus always lifted up women yeah it rebuked men but he wouldn't let women be revealed have you ever noticed that because Jesus knows the real essence of the war he knows the woman represents his church so even when a woman should have been stoned to death Jesus says no you're not he lifted her he told her not to sin but he says I don't condemn you because he knew there was a war on women right even when the disciples were were criticizing Mary for pouring out they you know the the ointment the the perfume on Jesus what did Jesus say leave her alone she has done a beautiful thing for me Jesus would not wage a war on the women because he knew what the women represented Satan's the opposite he wants the women to be oppressed and put down because he hates women because they are a picture of God's people the church and that's why false religions will also always oppress women make them cover up give them no rights they're not even fit to drive they can't do anything they can't vote they're not allowed to read they know all these restrictions on women it comes from the Satanic emnity that was a that was their right in the garden Satan's war is on women but it's it's the dragon so it's that it's the symbolism of what this means as well that the woman represents the Bride of Christ Israel as well and the dragon obviously the symbol of Satan okay that's a second well what's the third war the third war is in Revelation 13 and verse 4 and this is where the Beast attacks all the nations of the world he conquers the world so he literally wants to be the dictator the the ruler of the world and so he wages war on earth these these are on earth and he controls the world through warfare he becomes the superpower of the day if you like just like the Antichrist empires throughout history have always sought to control every nation whether it was Rome whether it was Babylon whether it was Persia whether it was Greece whether it was Egypt whether it was the Assyrian Empire as all these empires in the Bible they wage war to create domination over God's people Antichrist will be the same he will it will be done through coercion and power so the next one the next war the fourth one this is the Beast again obviously these are all Satan you know Satan the dragon the Beast they're just different manifestation of Satan's system so the Beast here wages war against Israel so once he controls the nations he is going to get the nations to attack Israel okay now if you can't see that now I don't know what planning Iran the nation's increasingly are focusing their powers more and more more of them each year that passes against Israel why because the war has always been against Israel the the essence of Satan's hatred is anti-semitism there there has never been at a year in human history where anti-semitism is not expressing itself in some way there's no other nation that is hated anyway you could add all the nations together they're not hated like Israel hated because it's a spiritual reality it's Satan working through whatever nation whatever religion whatever system here it's a world system we've got to attack Israel it's the essence of anti-semitism and if you tolerate anti-semitism they'll hate the church as well it's the same spirit anti-semitism is the same as Christian hatred people who hate the Jews will also end up hid in the church if they don't already because it's the same satanic spirit so war against Israel I don't know why they do because they always lose because God said Israel's always going to exist but even towards the end when the climax reaches its fullness of these wars there's going to be an all-out assault of all the nations of the world against Israel that's when Jesus is going to return ok so the next one which we've already looked at these there's the ten horns of the beast wage war against the lamb now the ten horns as we saw are the ten nations the ten primary nations the Antichrist is going to gather to wage war against the lamb itself so once he's got anti-semitism established he then can bring direct anti-christian because the lamb is obviously Jesus the Messiah he can even persecute believers in Jesus even if they're not Jewish or belong to Israel so he's going to get the nations of the world to literally wage war against any form of Christianity so the world is going to make it illegal to be a Christian then we can see that now in many nations there in fact the biggest nations of the world are already doing this right now China the biggest nation in the world it's illegal to be a Christian you know you the government will persecute you and do all kinds of horrendous things I don't even think we know the totality of what China is doing to believers that is part of the Antichrist system okay so we've got these now the next one is where we've already got to in Revelation chapter 11 okay so once this has reached its climax the the war in heaven the war on earth against the woman from the dragon against Israel against all the nations against Christians himself Jesus now wages war but it is a retaliation and defense he's not attacking because he wants to invade and annihilate and control he now has no option if the earth is going to exist he has to wage war against Antichrist remember Jesus says unless I cut short those days no one would survive Antichrist will literally destroy every living living organism on the planet there would be no earth so Jesus has to come and bring war to stop that happening but by this point the whole world man's you know humanistic secular system of hatred and atheism and hatred of Israel hatred of Christianity has reached such a point Jesus actually has to come and we're too are against the whole world because the whole world wants to destroy him and the concept of him in the minds of mankind as well as destroy the planet itself so Jesus has to do this and then in Revelation 19 the next one revelation 19 there's the war mentioned again but this time it's not just Jesus it's the armies of heaven itself and we'll look at those in a moment and that final war what we call the Battle of Armageddon when Jesus returns is against between all the children of Satan the kings of the earth and the children of God the armies of heaven once again it's the battle there is won by Jesus speaking but he still has an army with him because the army means more than just military might it's obviously his bride his family who with him okay so he brings his people with him there it's interesting when Jesus stood before Pilate and Pilate was saying you are a king then and Jesus says yes I am a king for this reason I was born he says but my kingdom is not now my kingdom comes from another place he says if my kingdom was now my followers would fight but it's not now but when he does come his followers will fight now I don't think this is with physical military weapons I think it's with the truth with the light with the glory of God with the reality of hewed who Jesus is I don't think it's physically as you know firing missiles are having guns even in fact when you see the armies of heaven riding with Jesus it is a full description of them and the one thing you notice is they're not armed so it's I don't think it's the symbolism there is militaristic but I don't think it physically means we're going to be killing people at all I think it's following Jesus as the captain of the heavenly hosts so let's go back to Revelation chapter 19 verse 11 then you are still with me we're still in one verse aren't we okay so with justice he judges and wages war so he's bringing that war his eyes are like blazing fire and on his head are many crowns remember Antichrist has a crown but Jesus is the king of kings and the Lord of lords he has a name written on him that no one knows but him self right ultimately we don't know everything about God we know lots of names about him his attributes that he's revealed to us but when he comes his eyes are blazing like fire and know he will reveal himself in a way that no one's ever seen before we don't know him like this remember according to Hebrew understanding your name denotes your character reveals who you really are so when it says no one knows his name it means he's revealing himself in a way now that no one's ever seen no one's ever seen that he is they in fact Hebrews today will call him Hashem the name they don't pronounce his name they think he's too irreverent because he is the name the name above all names he's they the ischium his name that no one knows if you go to the next verse he's dressed in a robe dipped in blood and his name is the word of God so it's just told us we don't know what his name is but then it tells us actually we do know what his name is because we've got the Word of God so we know who he is we know what his name is because we've read the Word of God so that's what his name is his he's dressed in a robe dipped in blood now there's two applications of this and no one's fully sure which one it is it's dipped in blood because he comes to earth and the war there's so much blood it's it's his garments are splattered with blood cuz he's caught in there from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah his garments splattered with blood as he treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God all it's referring to his own blood because he remember his own garments when they whipped him and pulled the flesh of him so it was he was covered in blood then they put his clothes back on him so his own clothes were covered in his own blood representing the atonement that he brought for us all so either of those or both of those could be true okay so the armies of heaven were following him riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen okay so what what I want us to look at now can we go to the next slide please Luke what I just want us to look at is how does all this happen how does all this happen you see when Jesus returns some people think there's just going to be a flash in the sky and then suddenly everything's put right and that's not what the Bible shows us the Bible shows us there is a very clear process a very clear process through which Jesus is going to return and this process covers lots of different aspects now let me give you an example to try and explain what I'm talking about when Jesus came the first time yeah where did he come from he came from heaven okay but he came from heaven to earth via the first time and the second time he's going to come from heaven to earth yeah so if you were on earth at the time of Jesus coming and you knew that Messiah was going to arrive where would you go to meet him it's not a trick question Bethlehem yeah why would you go to Bethlehem but before he came how would you know he was coming to Bethlehem because it's prophesied but you Bethlehem man by no means least in the tribe of Judah out of you will come the ruler who is from of old so it was prophesied he was coming to Bethlehem yeah so you knew that when Jesus came the Messiah came you knew that it was coming to Bethlehem yeah okay so the Bible also said he will be called a Nazarene where did he actually come from Nazareth now make your mind up because Nazareth is nowhere near Bethlehem they are total opposite ends of the country so if you wanted to meet Messiah would you go to Bethlehem or would you go to Nazareth it depends yeah you see it's you see but in the Jewish mind it's just like always he's in Bethlehem well actually he's also in Nazareth okay yes so he's gonna be called the Nazarene so right okay he's going to be in two places he's gonna mean two places at once well no he's going to move from Bethlehem and so if you miss that bit you'll have to go get him at Nazareth yeah okay he's still with me right it also says out of Egypt I have called my son so hold on a minute is he metal ahem easy Nazareth or is in Egypt did he live in Egypt yes now I'm getting really confused now because not only is Bethany I'm nowhere near Nazareth Egypt's a totally different country so if you're waiting for the Messiah you might not even be in the right country so can you see there's all but these are all prophecies this is not just what Jesus did he didn't just come to Bethlehem and then go to Nazareth and then go live in Egypt or he went to Egypt before he went to Nazareth can you see he came the first time he came he actually went to different places right and it was all prophesied in advance so unless you grasp the whole of the Prophet says you might not really understand when he came the first time where he was or what he was doing or what he was going to do yeah now what about the prophecy or you Galilee of the Gentiles the land of naphtha lion Zebulon out over you a light has dawned hold on is he going to Galilee as well because Nazareth's actually west of Galilee so is he in Bethlehem is in Egypt is in Nazareth or is he on lake of galilee yeah he's in Galilee as well well he's all over the place then yeah now hold on a minute he comes to bring salvation to Jerusalem Jerusalem is not in Galilee or Nazareth or Egypt or Bethlehem so can you see all the prophecies of Jesus first coming were all sort of contradictory because they all said different things but they're all true because Jesus came and delivered a process of salvation his life yet he would be born in Bethlehem yes he would go to Egypt yes he would go to Nazareth yes he would go to Capernaum on the lake of Galilee and bring salvation yes he would go to Jerusalem and preach into his miracles that he would die there he would be resurrected so they're all true but unless you grasp all of them you're gonna get very confused even when he came the first time about what what he'd come for yeah now when he comes the second time there's similar things happening sometimes we just think again there's gonna be a flash in the sky and suddenly but in the Millennium and everything's perfect that's not what the Bible says when Jesus returns there is going to be a process of his return where he is going to strategically fulfill prophecies that have already been given and he's going to bring salvation over the whole earth but he's going to do it according to a predetermined pre-designed prophetically inspired process that he's already given us in advance so he told them you will see me coming on the clouds with great glory he said that even at his first coming he repeated that actually many times every eye will see me even at his trial you remember when they said I you the Blessed One of God What did he say yes and you will see me coming with my father's glory with the Angels and with great plower you will see me come in on the crowds remember Jesus is giving them a very clear statement of truth of what he's going to do so every eye is definitely going to see him but there is still going to be a process of how that happens now the first thing we know as he returns is that the armies are going to be gathered at Armageddon yeah we've already read that in Revelation 16 but it's prophesied all the way through the Old Testament okay the nations of the world are going to gather at Megiddo har Megiddo the mountains of Megiddo okay that is not where Jesus is coming to right Jesus isn't going to Megiddo that's where the armies of the nations are going to gather to invade Israel it's not the objective of Jesus although there is going to be a battle there that's not where Jesus is going now I suppose one of the best examples would be d-day and the Second World War yeah where was d-day it was the invasion of the beaches of Normandy so Winston Churchill and General Eisenhower and President Roosevelt what they wanted they wanted a beach in Normandy no they didn't want to Beach in Normandy they wanted to conquer Berlin the beaches of Normandy were where the the gathering point was of the armies right that was not that objective that was just their immediate objective their plan was to conquer Germany har Megiddo mageddon is the gathering point of the nations but the nations have got another objective and Jesus has got another objective yeah that's just the assembly point and that's why when you read in Psalm 2 God says why do the the nation's rage and and rage against the Holy One I am setting my king on my holy hill that's God's objective to where Jesus is coming now the next thing we need to understand aspects of the return of Jesus he's going to deal with Babylon now we looked at what Babylon what meant and represented over and over again all its systems of culture and government and religion and everything it represents but you've got to understand he's going to deal with the whole world he's not just coming to Israel he's gonna saw out the whole world and we see this in fact let's go there Isaiah 13 and verse womp can we go there Isaiah 13 and verse 1 so he's going to deal with Babylon this has been prophesied in all the prophets a prophesy against Babylon that Isaiah son of amos saw raised a banner on a bare hilltop shout to them back into them to enter the gates of the nur walls I have commanded those I prepared for battle I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath those who rejoice in my triumph let's go down two more verses listen and noise on the mountains like that of a great multitude is the Isaiah is prophesying about what's going to happen when Jesus returns this is what this prophecy is you read the whole context it makes it clear an uproar amongst the kingdoms like nations massing together the Lord Almighty is mustering an army for war this is what we read in Revelation 19 Isaiah is prophesying in advance they come from faraway lands from the ends of the heavens the Lord and the weapons of his wrath to destroy the whole country he's talking about the return of Jesus Christ with the armies of heaven and he's going to if you read the whole context of Isaiah there which we we don't have time to do he's going to destroy Babylon he's not just going to destroy the armies he's bringing down man's Antichrist Kingdom that's what he's going to do jeremiah says the same thing especially in chapter 50 and we've already looked at that in revelation 17 and 18 Babylon is going to fall ok let's go back to the chart so there's going to be the Battle of Armageddon there's going to be the destruction of Babylon and man's systems and all that represents that we've looked at in the past but the next one which I'm sure we already know he's coming to Jerusalem that's the primary objective that's the bullseye on God's timetable but it's also the bullseye on Satan's plans that's why the united nation does not want the jews to have jerusalem because when the Jews have Jerusalem Jesus can come back and they don't want Jesus to come back now I'm sure the officials in the United Nations don't know why they think that they're just following along with the Satanic system but Satan knows the Jews cannot have Jerusalem well guess what they've already got it so Jesus can come back there's got to be a temple to be built first so if you go to Zechariah 12 and verse 2 let's go there so this is the process that Jesus is going to follow now I think I put it in the right order but it's debatable whether this is the exact order so there's going to be Armageddon he's going to deal with Babylon all this is as he returns now he says this this is Zachariah prophesying what's going to happen when the Lord comes the day of the Lord I am going to make Jerusalem a cook that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling Judah will be to be seized as well as Jerusalem the armies are gonna invade Israel the armies are gonna invade Jerusalem on that day when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations all who try to move it will injure them cells so the armies of Antichrist are going to attack Jerusalem not just Israel and Jesus is going to return at that point remember Jesus said this on the Olivet discourse when you see Jerusalem surrounded lift up your heads your redemption is drawing nigh when you see all these things begin to take place now jump to Zechariah 14 Zachariah 14 and verse 1 so Zakaria the very apocalyptic book talking about the return of Jesus a day of the Lord is coming Jerusalem when your possessions will be plundered and divided up with in your very walls Jerusalem will it will appear Jerusalem has been totally captured there's no hope for it I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it this has never happened there's never been a time with all the nations of the world of attack Jerusalem it happens at the return of Jesus Christ the city will be captured their houses ransacked the women raped half of the city will go into exile but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city one more verse then the Lord when when Jerusalem's attacked so there's Armageddon does the nations of the world now these all might be events very close together but they are still a sequence of events the Lord will go out and fight against these nations as he fights on a day of battle so he's coming to Jerusalem yes he's gonna win the Battle of Armageddon yes he's going to deal with Babylon remember we read all the nations of the world collapse such is the power of this conflict but he's coming to Jerusalem okay let's go back to the chart I could read all Zechariah it's all very prophetic let's go to the next one now this is one that a lot of Christians miss when he comes and he does the first three as we understand there is a continual prophecy in the Old Testament of God going to Basra so what does that mean do you even know where Basra it Basra is Basra is today southern Jordan in biblical times it would have been in the the territory of Edom Esau remember what we looked at when we looked at Antichrist attacking Israel there was one nation the Antichrist couldn't attack well there were actually three nations Amon Moab Edom today that is all one nation it's the nation of Jordan Basra is in Jordan remember Jesus says when you see the armies those who are faithful flee to the mountains of Jordan now in the first century that's exactly what the Christians did when the Romans came those who believed were when they saw the Romans coming they fled to Jordan what is modern-day Jordan that's what exactly what's going to happen at the second coming the faithful remnant escaped from Jerusalem and go to what is today modern Jordan Moab Amman and Edom in biblical times now if we go to Isaiah 63 in verse one can we go there now Jeremiah talks about this Micah talks about it as well but a lot of people in their understanding of n times and eschatology sort of missed this bit out but Jesus is going to do this now if you think about it if when the armies of Antichrist attack Israel and come to Armageddon and Babylon takes control and the attack Jerusalem those who are faithful who have become believers and are believing what Jesus says they're not going to stay there are they they're going to run like Jesus told them get out to the mountains yeah and remember it's in the Jewish context prayer this does not happen on the Sabbath yeah well why would he say that if it was just the church because we'd go anyway on the step with the Jew there's no transport for Jews on the Sabbath it's referring primarily to the Jewish people okay so they run to this place Jordan some people identify basra with the modern day term petra now if you know Petra Petra is an abandoned city in southern Jordan and they reckon you can fit between one and two million people where now there is no way in for a vehicle to pet the only way in is through a very narrow if you've seen a lot of films they always use petrol is the backdrop because it's such a spectacular it's in one of the Indiana Jones movies third reference there to Indiana Jones I think it's the Last Crusade they go to Petra and there's no way in it said through a narrow canyon even in the Bible it was called the stronghold of Edom you you're safe in the rocks the mountains there's no way in so they flee they're an antichrist can't get them okay Basra means sheep fold sheep pen because Petra is like a sheep thought there's only one little narrow way in and no other way out so you can't get to it now when Jesus returns this prophecy as I say Micah mentions it Jeremiah mentions it here Isiah mentions it they say when he returns that they give this description who is this coming from Edom from Basra with garments stained crimson who is this robed in splendor striding forward in the greatness of his strength it is I proclaiming victory mighty to save why are your garments red like those of one treading the winepress now what have we just read Jesus garments are stained red and he treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God that we read in previous chapters so this is clearly talking about the return of Jesus the second coming let's just read down I have trodden the winepress alone remember this is the same language that revelations using word-for-word from the nation's there was no one with me who's he's fighting against other nations none of the other nations are going to help him save Israel from the nation's no one was with me I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my rough their blood splattered my garments and I stained all my clothing it was for me the day of vengeance the year for me to redeem had come why is he going to Basra because that's where the faithful remnant to hiding they think they're gonna get annihilated but no Jesus coming to save them so he's not just coming to say of Israel and Jerusalem and that he actually goes to the place and if you read Micah's prophecies or Jeremiah's prophecies in Jeremiah 49 and in Micah chapter 2 he says he spreads his wings and comes to Basra so it's almost as if when he returns he goes and gets the faithful first he brings destruction on the armies I'm not sure about the exact order theologians argue about that so let's go to the next verse chapter 5 I look but there was no one to help I was appalled that no one gave support he sees the Lamb no one else him open the seals he did it by himself no one helps him to redeem his people he does it by himself no one helps him so my own arm achieve salvation for me and my own rough sustained me i trampled the nation's in my anger and my and in my rough i made them drunk and poured their blood on the ground so the only way that prophecy fits into anything is the second coming because it's exactly the same language about the nations of the world declaring war on God and Jesus coming to Basra to save his people that are still there faithfully believing in him yeah now what's interesting Basra and Armageddon there if you measure the distance Basra is in the deep south of the Dead Sea and Armageddon is north plain of jezreel open near the mountains of Carmel and does anyone know the distance between those two places it's 1,600 stadia and he says when Jesus returns the blood of the Horus to the horses bridles for 1,600 stadia that's the exact distance so it would appear that he's going between those two places from Armageddon in the north through Israel Jerusalem as well and down to Basra to redeem the faithful remnant who are still believing in him okay let's go back to the chart so the next one remember these are aspects of the return how long this takes I don't know perhaps this you remember the day of the Lord is unlike any other day but the time period of how all this takes I don't know so the next thing to understand is obviously he's coming to save Israel now we don't need to turn to this because we should all know this oh well let's just go there Zechariah 12 verse 10 it's easier to read it than me just try and do exposition on it so if we can go there Zechariah 12 verse 10 I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication they will look on me the one they have pierced well how can they do that in other words at this time Israel's eyes are opened to see who their Messiah really is the one they crucified it's not his first coming it's the second coming they will look at me the one day of Pearce and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for the firstborn son on that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of head a dream on on the plains of Megiddo so it talks about Megiddo there so the Jews see what's happening and realize it all comes together he is the Messiah the one we've rejected for 2,000 years for two days on the third day we will recognize him let's just read down two more verses so it's affecting all Israel the land will mourn each clan by itself with their wives by themselves the clans of the house of David and their wives the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives and it lists there all the clans of Israel they weep and mourn because they realize Jesus was the Messiah all along but they repent and what does the Bible tell us very clearly in the New Testament in Romans the full number of the Gentiles has come in and till until the Jews have the veil removed and they recognize who their Messiah is then the end comes so remembered the Israel repents and accepts Jesus as Messiah especially in Jerusalem and so dices why Jesus now brings the whole redemption process to a conclusion let's go back to the chart them so he's doing all these things when he returns so I think you know there's a process a logical format that he's following the next one which is when we all sort of know he then comes to the Mount of Olives okay Zechariah 14 verse 3 let's go there Zechariah 14 and verse 3 why does he come to the Mount of Olives because it's already been prophesied that's what's going to happen okay so Zechariah has already said the Lord will go out and fight against these nations on the day of his battle on that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west forming a great valley with half of the mountain moving north and half of the mountain moving south so we know Jesus comes to the Mount of Olives why does he do that because it's been prophesied that that's what he's going to do but also when he came the first time where did he come down he came down the Mount of Olives when some of them proclaimed him as king you know and said Hosanna to the son of David what was he doing coming down the Mount of Olives on our Israel trips we've walked down the Mount of Olives down the the path that Jesus walked down but what did he say he wept over Jerusalem at his first coming and says if you had known the time of your visitation if you'd known who it was that's really here but now it is hidden from your eyes you will never see me again until you are ready to say baruch haba b'shem adonai 'blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord so when they say that when they confess who Jesus is he comes where does he come to the very place they rejected him to the Mount of Olives and what did the angel say when Jesus ascended where did he ascend to heaven from from the Mount of Olives and the angel said the same Jesus who you saw sand will come back in exactly the same way to the Mount of Olives and that's when the earthquake happens and the mountain splits and the topography of Jerusalem and the world as we know it really starts to change that's why geography in the end times does it make sense to us because the earth itself is going to be shaken in a very different way let's go back to the chart go to the last one them so there's also what's called the valley of yasha font your Hacha font now this is basically the Kidron Valley at the bottom of the Mount of Olives the prophecies of Joel we don't need to turn to it but but God says he's going to bring all the nations into judgment in this valley now the Kidron Valley is a very long valley and God is going to judge them now Jehoshaphat means Yahweh judges so that's why it's called the valley of Jehoshaphat and when the earthquake happens this valley appears to get a lot wider and God is going to judge all the nations on how they treated Israel or believers in general as well and he's going to bring judgment on everybody everyone is going to give an account of what they have done that's why in Matthew's Gospel in Matthew chapter 20 yeah 25 he says when the Son of Man comes in all his glory he will divide the nation's as a shepherd divides the sheep and the goats and what will be the criteria of how he judges remember he's already taking the church what will be the judgment criteria whatever you did to the least of these my brethren you did to me who would Jesus brethren the Jews we often miss apply that statement as though anybody's the Brethren of Jesus now I know there's a spiritual application there and if you love a child you love in Jesus I accept that but literally the application would be how of the nations of the world treated the Jews because the sheep and goat judgments of Matthew 25 are actually judgment on nations whether whether they've been friends of Israel or not that's really what Jesus is talking about primarily there is a spill of spiritual application to us all I accept that but that's what he's going to do bring all the nations into judgment and I think that's probably the closing act of his return all the other aspects will have been fulfilled and then he's going to bring that judgment now this could be quite a long period of time I don't think that'll all be done in a couple of hours I think that will all be a process that everyone will be watching okay then let's go back to Revelation chapter 19 then Revelation chapter 19 and verse 13 he is dressed in a robe dipped in blood and his name is the word of God the armies of heaven were following him riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen white and clean let's just read a couple more verses coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nation's a sharp two-edged so the Gladius two-edged sword he will rule them with an iron scepter he treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God remember what we've just read in Isaiah so that this is the only way it fits in with the prophetic fulfillment for a fury of the wrath of God Almighty on his robe and on his thigh he has this name written king of kings and Lord of lords now we might miss the imagery there when you're riding a horse you will have your banner hanging on your from your saddle over your thigh so that's what it means his banner on his it doesn't mean it's written he's got a tattoo on his leg that's not what it means it means it means he carries his name his banner of king of kings and Lord of lords the Lord is our banner remember yeah when this see is one of the names of God king of kings and Lord of lords so we know he's coming this just read one more verse I suppose no will not will not read that let's go back so who is with him let's stick to what we've just read okay before we hypothesize or who we think it is who's coming with him we're given a description and they're called the armies of heaven right but there are there is a huge multitude perhaps that no one can count coming with him yeah so who are these other riders because we saw of is pretty important to know who they are because if we don't know who they are it can throw our whole theology out of kilter if we don't understand who these people are so if we just look at the description that we have of who these people are it will give us some very clear understanding of what our role is in all this remember some people believe that the church is still on earth through this whole process and so Jesus is coming back to save the church was not going to be much Church left actually by this point but as we've already seen through our previous teachings that isn't what I believe the book of Revelation is is saying at all I think it's pretty clear in Revelation 19 and 14 just go to verse 14 who these people are just from the descriptions we've already been given the armies of heaven were following him riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen white and clean so here we go to the next chart the last chart we'll look at tonight who are these are the riders is the church coming with him why's the church already on earth what's happened to the church is the church Church is still in heaven is the church gone to heaven at all what's happening now we've got a brief description of who these riders are okay so the first thing to understand is they're following him yeah following him now does that prove it's the church well no except if you go to revelation 17 and verse 14 go to revelation 17 and verse 14 what we've already read in two previous chapters revelation 17 verse 14 so when the Battle of Armageddon begins yeah they're waging war against the lamb the war against the lamb that we've already looked at but the lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of Lord and King of Kings as we've just read when he returns he's called king of kings and Lord of lords steer the way around because this is looking into the future in nineteen it's coming the other way and with him will be he's called chosen and faithful followers right so we already know who they are they are his called chosen and faithful followers well who's that the church the believers so the believers are already coming as not already but are coming with him yeah because we've already been told that we've already been told that when he comes in two chapters before this when he actually comes we're told that the people who were with him they called or so they're not angels angels are called chosen you've been chosen in Christ Jesus says you ain't called me I called you I chose you right he's talking about believers and the faithful followers I mean that's what the believers were called the followers of Jesus Christ remain faithful so clearly just from the three descriptions we've got they're the people following Jesus are his believers the church yeah some people dis they don't link the descriptions in Revelation together I think oh it's just all the angels no no no no that's not what he says it's those who were called who are chosen and his faithful followers those are the ones following with him and this is the time when the armies come you remember when he was on earth the first time when the Romans came to get him and Peter got out his sword and said Lord shall we strike with our swords no it's not the time for the endtime battle Peter did what he wanted anyway because that's what Peter was like cut off someone's ear so Jesus had to heal he came to heal the first time the second time he comes with his followers it is for a battle yeah so let's go back to the chart go to the next one that'll help us understand who these people riding with him are so the other riders they're called the army of heaven coming to fight with their Lord and I remember we've already looked at this so I'm not turned to it when Jesus stood before Pilate he says if my kingdom was of this earth if my kingdom was coming now my followers would fight but now my kingdom comes from another place Jesus says my kingdom coming from another place at another time right but then they will fight so the army of heaven Jesus said we're his followers his people Peter got it the wrong way around and wanted to fight and get cemani but no the battle comes at the end so the army of heaven our Jesus followers if you piece together what Jesus said so the next one which is a simple one really and this is sort of circumstantial but nevertheless it's it's still clear they are seated when they're coming with him now the Bible tells us we are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms so it's Christians who are seated now they're seated on Thrones remember last time we looked at the elders and how we said after the last chapter the elders are never mentioned again could it be because they're not on Thrones any more than on horses now you know that's that's conjecture but nevertheless there we're told that in Revelation 19 that they are seated on horses and the only people seated in that sense the faithful followers of Jesus Christ the elders representing the church were seated and we are told we are seated with Christ so as he seated on white horses the church is seated on white horses I would have make a total argument from that one verse but it does still back up the clarity of what we've been told here in Revelation chapter 19 let's look at the next one now this is clearly for me one of the the easiest ways to prove who these people are they are clothed in what white garments and we are told clearly throughout the scripture that these are the garments of salvation yeah I've used Isaiah 60:1 there let's go there Isaiah 61 and verse 10 because it helps us understand now obviously I wrote a book about the garments of God how when God saves someone he clothes them always from Adam and Eve in the garden demon-possessed people the the prodigal son they're always clothed in the best garment when God saves them and Isaiah says he's looking forward to nor this time of redemption I D like greatly in the Lord my soul rejoices in my god for he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness now what are we told about these garments in Revelation they are the righteous deeds of the Saints so not only are they saved they're wearing their righteousness so it has to be the Christians it has to be the church because they're the only ones clothed in that they're only only the church is clothed in salvation angels aren't only the church he's clothed in salvation and notice also what Isaiah says they're clothed that the bridegroom adorns his head like a priest as a bride adorns herself with a jewel they're clothed like a bride yeah so they clubbed in this white linen so if we go back to the chart in Revelation 19 and verse 7 now we've already been told this is what happens when people just read bits of the Bible without reading it all at once go back to Revelation 19 verse 7 which we looked at last time revelation 19 and verse 7 so this is just before Jesus returns yeah this is the singing hallelujah and preparing for the return let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory for the wedding of the lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready fine linen bright and clean was given her to wear the fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God's holy people or saints depending on which translation you have so we're already told that will recognize the bride when she comes with Jesus because of what she's wearing and it tells us what she's wearing and so now in Revelation 19 further on it uses exactly the same description for the people riding the armies of heaven so it's got to be the same people it can't be anybody else well God's really confusing us and this is only several verses in front of so he's told us this is the bride so it's the bride coming with him because the description is exactly the same yeah so it's the bride who is coming with him she's already been identified it's God's holy people the bride his army his people the Saints the ones who belong to Jesus who he has already taken to him ok let's go back to the chart so why do so many people think it's just the angels coming with him well there's good reason for that because Jesus do say that when he comes he will bring the Holy Angels with him so the angels do come with him but the problem really is our defect in what's called angelology we often have a wrong understanding of what an angel actually is and this is throughout all Christianity the obvious one is everyone thinks angels have got wings despite the fact that nowhere in the bible does any angel ever have wings but every Christmas card and then you know Gabriel turns up with these huge wings and the first thing I'd say is you're not an angel you've got wings but we've got it so embedded in our psyche that we just you know we've got all these pictures from the Renaissance and all this beautiful art but angels don't have wings not in the Bible Caribbean have wings no angels but what actually is an angel okay there's two words for angel the Greek word is anger loss where we get our word angel from the Hebrew word is a Malak so the book of Malachi actually means a angel written by an angel did an angel read right Malachi well yes but not an angel that we think of it was a person can a person be an angel yes yeah in the literal sense because angel is a coverall term with you know angels are ministering spirits they are messengers that God sends from heaven to earth or other places now let me just explain this to you can God be an angel yes yes yeah many times in the Old Testament you read this phrase the angel of the Lord right but it's not it's not a separate being it's God himself because you will find that when people met the angel of the Lord they then say I've just seen God face to face and when Joshua came to fight the Battle of Jericho remember Moses had already been told I send my angel ahead of you to prepare the way when he got to Jericho he meets the angel of the Lord and what does he do worship Him it's Jesus Jesus it's the christophany or a theophany it's a preincarnate representation of Jesus appearing but it's called the the angel the Malak or the Angeles in the Septuagint the the angel of the the Lord but it's God and you'll you'll notice in the New Testament that the resurrection and different places sometimes people describe is seeing men and sometimes the describe is seeing angels well which is it well people thought angels were men anyway you know a lot in Sodom and Gomorrah they they said the man they didn't call them angels the Bible says they were angels but they they thought men so so that word Angelo's or Malik is a coverall term for a heavenly messenger angel is really more of a you could say a job description of something someone that comes from heaven let me give you another example Satan Lucifer he was a cherub a kerub we've seen that from the prophecies of Isaiah Ezekiel yeah so he's not an angel but the Bible says that Satan can transform himself into an angel of light so he can be an angel but he's not in his essence is it is a living creature is one of the throne guardians of God originally so can you see angel is a very generic term it covers a lot of things so when Jesus says I'm coming with all my holy angels it's a coverall term with for everything in heaven an angel can be used in that way it really can and and so that's why there can sometimes be confusion when you think of just an angel as just one specific thing now the angels that fell in Genesis chapter 6 aren't called angels they called sons of God vinayill of em and they're not even called that by most of the Jewish writings of the time in fact Daniel when he sees one he calls he calls them he calls him a watcher and you'll find that phrase used in in books like The Book of Enoch and a lot of Dead Sea Scrolls at the time it was a term of one of the divine council of God who came to earth they were called the Watchers the holy one but but then also called angels as well but so they're a different being who actually knows how many different types of beings that are in heaven when you think of the biodiversity on earth who knows what there is in heaven so angel can be a generic term now Jesus says when we he takes us to heaven he says we are like the angels yeah we being neither given in marriage or taken in marriage so people are described as angels as well so don't be thrown off by that term angels it's a it's a much broader term than people can think it is okay and so the final one and who's Jesus bringing with him well Jude's already told us of the prophecy of Enoch let's go there Jude chapter 1 and verse 14 now this is the first written prophecy of a prophet in the Bible 6,000 years ago the first written prophecy because it's written by Enoch Enoch was raptured yeah so the first person who was raptured described who was coming back when the Messiah came back right so if he was raptured he knows what he's talking about right what did he see Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied saying see the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands I that's a Hebraic term for an innumerable number thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone and convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him Jude here is actually quoting from the Book of Enoch and Enoch saying look although I am raptured I see the second coming not the rapture he's already been raptured I see the return and I see him coming with this multitude of his holy ones now who are his holy ones now in the Old Testament a holy one as I've already mentioned it the term is used a holy one it describes someone coming from heaven an angel in the Old Testament the Holy Ones in the New Testament it describes Christians we are God's holy ones we are the ones who come out of heaven we are his Saints yeah so when you add all these up you soon realize these people coming with him can only be one category of people it's the only one that makes any sense it's the same in the Old Testament the sons of God the benaiah Elohim referred to the angelic it referred the angelic order of beings those in heaven not in the New Testament in the New Testament who are the children of God you we this is what Paul's trying to get over do you not know you will judge angels do you not know you were called to be God's children so these are the holy ones the holy ones is his church his bride those clothed as it is his bride it's the only category that fits okay and this is one of the greatest arguments for people who say you know no one goes to Jesus until his second coming that doesn't make any sense because when he comes he brings his church with him he's not coming to save his church he takes his church and brings his church back when he establishes the kingdom focused around Israel and this is all the way through the Bible can we go to work 1 Thessalonians 3 and verse 13 let's go to the King James just to change the terminology just so because different words are sometimes used but it's the same meaning it's just different translations sometimes used wholly once sometimes you Saints but it's the same category of people 1 Thessalonians 3 verse 13 so to the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God even our father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with not for with all his Saints now no one would think saints or angels know he's coming with his Saints not for he says he's already taking us since he took them way back when he when he we caught up to meet the Lord in the air good go to 2 Thessalonians verse 1 2 Thessalonians 2nd Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 10 just to make this emphatically clear when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints to be admired in all them that believe because our testimony among you was believed in that day so he's not only coming with his Saints and it's Paul writing to the same people he's going to be glorified in his Saints right who's who's his glory his bride people we've been told that very clearly in Corinthians and man's glory is his bride yeah so I just put the chart up then just to clarify this because this is one of the the biggest arguments that people argue against the rapture or against the snatching away of the church to be with God these other people coming with Jesus can only be the church okay there is followers there seated with him there is army there the one clothed as the church is clothed with salvation and their righteousness they're clothed as the bride in the white linen so it's got to be the church yes angels as well because that's a generic term covering all the divine council angelic being type order and the Holy Ones the Saints so I hope we can see from that that when Jesus comes he's bringing his church with him he's coming to do the other stuff we've looked at Jerusalem Armageddon Israel Babylon Mount of Olives Basra to bring the judgment of God at that final stage but he when he brings that judgment is not judging his church that is not a judgment the church comes under that is judgment on the nations of how they have blaspheme God by denying what God has clearly said in the Bible okay well god bless you we'll finish there you

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Keywords: End, Times, Pastor, Dave, Jones, Bethel, Community, Church, Royston, Barnsley, Revelation, Bible, Study, Preach, Judgement, Fire, Wrath, God, Jesus, Christ, Devil, Satan, Anti, Antichrist, Second, Coming, Signs, Days, Trumpets, Angels, Apocalypse, Maranatha, World, Final days, Prophecy, Prediction, Wars, Repent, Israel, Scripture, Word, Heaven, Hell, Holy, Spirit, Father, Eschatology, Theology, Future, Tribulation, Hallelujah, Chorus

Id: oeGlJKSlLLU

Length: 111min 47sec (6707 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 16 2019