[Music] welcome to from his heart with pastor Jeff Shrieve who's in a new series today called revelation the triumph of the Lamb in the book of Revelation during the tribulation we're introduced to two people who will come to earth to preach the Word of God will they make a difference discover the answer in today's message the two witnesses in the tribulation [Music] [Music] [Music] the year was 1979 Billy Graham was doing a crusade in Halifax Nova Scotia he wasn't going to be there for the first night or two of the crusade and so Leighton Ford who worked with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association he was preaching in the crusade before Billy got there and Billy obviously was the big headliner he's Billy Graham the Evangelist so Billy came a day earlier than he was scheduled to speak he wanted to come and come to the crusade incognito and just see what it was like and so he put on a hat and he put on dark glasses and people didn't recognize him and he sat in the back in the crusade he was on the the grass of the stadium the place was filled with people Leighton Ford was preaching he was doing a great job preaching the gospel and when it came to the invitation time Billy noticed the person sitting in front of him was he had been listening intently and he was he could sense he was kind of under conviction and so Billy tapped him on the shoulder not telling him who he was just tapped him on the shoulder and said to him sir if you want to go forward and give your life to Christ I'll go with you and the man looked at Billy and said well no he said I think I'm gonna do that tomorrow cuz that's when the big gun comes to town how ironic it's Billy Graham wanting to go with him but he's waiting for the big gun to preach we're in a series on the book of the revelation and today we're going to look at two big guns in the Tribulation Period we're talking about future things and the Bible speaks of a future day called the tribulation it's seven years in duration and we saw last week that when the Lamb of God the Lord Jesus Christ when he takes the scroll from the hand of the Father who sits on the throne he begins to open the scroll and break the seals and the scroll speaks of the judgments that are coming on planet Earth remember we said to scroll there's different interpretations of the scroll but the scroll is probably the kind of like a last will and testament of the father it some have described it as the title deed of the earth and the Lord is taking back the earth it is overrun with the Antichrist the Prince of the power of the air and the devil and the Lord is going to come and take it back and the way he takes back the earth is he does it through a series of plagues and it culminates in him coming back to the earth putting his feet on the Mount of Olives fighting and defeating the Antichrist and his forces at the Battle of Armageddon and setting up his kingdom but until you get to that place you have the beginning of the tribulation and Jesus said that you will hear of wars and rumors of wars and there'll be famines and there'll be earthquakes but these are just the beginning of Earth birth pangs and so we saw that the first three and a half years as he begins to open the scroll he breaks the first seal it's a rider on a white horse and that rider on a white horse is the Antichrist he has a bull but no arrows and he goes forth conquering and to conquer and then he breaks the second seal and the second seal is war as we said when you go forth conquering and to conquer if somebody who doesn't want to be conquered there's going to be a conflict and there's gonna be war and after war comes the third horse and that war is famine or that plague in that seal is famine and then the fourth seal is death and death and head the Bible says and Hades followed after death death and Hades go together death takes the bodies Hades takes the soul and then after that you have martyrdom the fifth seal and after that the sixth seal is a great earth earthquake and everything seems to be falling apart and the people are hiding in the rocks and sank to the rocks fall on us and hide us from the presence of the one who on the throne and from the presence of the lamb for the great day of their wrath has come and who is able to stand there scared to death and then after the sixth seal you have the opening revelation 8:1 of the seventh seal and this interesting about the judgments of God there are seven seals but the seventh seal contains seven trumpets I think we have a graphic that shows that so these seven seals will in the seventh seal you have seven trumpets of judgment and in the seventh trumpet you have seven bowls of judgment it's just judgment judgment judgment judgment it is severe as we have said in this series you do not want to go through the tribulation the first three and a half years or no day at the beach as you have war and famine and death but when you hit the last three and a half years that's called the Great Tribulation that's where the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 24 if those days hadn't been cut short there would be no one alive everyone would die of the 7 billion people who will be left on the earth all of them would die in that short period of time had not the Lord cut those days short and in this 7-year period of time we don't know exactly when Bible scholars will differ on when this happens I was reading more and where it's me this morning he says Revelation chapter 11 the appearance of two witnesses that happens at the beginning of the tribulation and they go all the way to the middle point of the tribulation perhaps that's true but the Bible says some interesting things about these two guys these mighty messengers of God so if you have your Bible please turn to Revelation chapter 11 and we'll look at the first thirteen verses says this and there was given me a measuring rod like a staff and someone said rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship in it and leave out the court wishes outside the temple and do not measure it for it has been given to the nations and they will tread underfoot the holy city for 42 months the last half of the tribulation the Gentiles the nations are going to tread over the holy city Jerusalem forty-two months three and a half years or 1260 days the Bible uses those different designations for that last half the Great Tribulation and he says in verse 3 and I will grant authority to my two witnesses and they will prophesy for 1260 days clothed in sackcloth what we glean from that those first two verses is that during the Tribulation Period the Jews are going to be able to rebuild the temple now I was in Israel earlier this year and our guide Pilar a wonderful lady who has put her faith and trust in Jesus she is so excited that the Jews are already working they have a society working for the day that they hope is coming soon where they can rebuild the temple the Jews haven't had a temple since 70 AD when General Titus came in and destroyed the place and Jesus told them that was going to happen when he spoke to the disciples on the Mount of Olives he said they said hey Jesus you see this beautiful temple he said yeah not one stone is gonna be left upon another and that's what happened not one stone was left upon another it was totally destroyed they haven't had a temple in almost 2,000 years but in the day of the tribulation they get to build a temple now you know if you've ever been to Israel or if you've ever done any study about that there's the structure on the Temple Mount right where the Temple of Solomon and then the one Herod built right where that was is called the Dome of the rock it's one of the Muslims most holy sites they said that Muhammad ascended to heaven from that site he didn't but that's what they say and they build this place and when you go to Israel if you go to the Temple Mount there's a lot of tension there because the Jews the Arabs and the Muslims they don't get along well something's gonna happen either an earthquake or some kind of a disaster is gonna come and that Dome of the rock is going to be obliterated and with inner christ's help they don't know he's anti-christ with this one that comes to power he's gonna help the jews sign a treaty with the jews creates this peace accord with the jews and the arab nations and they will be allowed to rebuild their temple and they will be allowed to sacrifice again and the Lord says that in Revelation chapter 11 verses 1 & 2 and in the midst of all that we read about two witnesses and the emphasis in the first 13 chapters from verse 3 to verse 13 is on these two witnesses and so we ask ourselves this question what do we learn from the two witnesses of the tribulation and I want you to see three characteristics of these witnesses so that we can learn three lessons together first characteristic they are clothed with sackcloth clothed with sackcloth look at verse 3 again and I will grant authority to my two witnesses and they will prophesy for 1260 days clothed in sackcloth remember this a prophetic year is 30 days a prophetic month 30 days so if you multiply that out that's three and a half years they're gonna have a three and a half year ministry these two witnesses unnamed we don't know who they are because the Bible doesn't tell us verbatim but they're clothed with sackcloth you say what in the world is sackcloth I have a piece as sackcloth in my hand you if you buy potatoes oftentimes they're in this kind of rough material it's called sackcloth it's what the people especially in the Old Testament would wear for two reasons first of all they would wear it to represent mourning and sorrow if you were mourning the death of a loved one you would often put on sackcloth the Bible tells us in the book of Genesis when Joseph's brother you know they sold him into slavery but they didn't they couldn't tell their dad hey daddy we sold your son Joseph that you love so much the one that you bother the coat of many colors you didn't get us he we got a big plate of jack squat you get him a coat of many colors you know he we sold him into slavery they couldn't say that so they had to deceive their father and they took that coat of many colors and they put blood on it from an animal and they said father here's your son's coat what do you think happened and Jacob thought for sure he's been killed by a wild animal and they said that's his that's his coat and he's been killed and the scripture says in the book of Genesis that Jake Jacob Torres clothes and he put on sackcloth and mourned his son many days he put this on it's a sign of mourning a sign of sorrow and the witnesses come they're wearing this stuff why because during the Tribulation Period it's a time of mourning and it's a time of sorrow it's called the time of Jacob's trouble the time of Jacob's distress Jeremiah 30 verse 7 it's a time of anguish like a woman giving birth like a woman in experiencing the pains of childbirth that's how Jesus described that first three and a half years and so it's this is a good garment to depict that but also it depicts and represents repentance and contrition when people were put in a situation where they knew judgment was coming because they had been away from the Lord and judgment is coming what would they do they would put on sackcloth and sit in the ashes when Jonah went to Nineveh he preached a message remember he didn't want to go at first but he finally went God took him a little detour through a fish and then it got his attention he's ready to go and so he goes to Nineveh and he preaches a message yep forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown and when the people of Nineveh that wicked city of the Aesir when they heard that message what did they do they repented the king he got off his throne and he put on sackcloth and he sat in the ashes and he proclaimed a fast nobody's going to eat or drink we're gonna cry out to God for mercy it's a sign of repentance it's a sign of contrition and your lowly of heart the scripture says of Daniel when the Lord was getting ready to give him the wonderful vision of the future he said so I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and supplications with fasting sackcloth and ashes the two witnesses the very first thing we learn about them their ministry lasts for 1260 days three and a half years and they're clothed in sackcloth because this is a time for mourning for sorrow for repentance for humility for getting right with God because the end is coming soon let me ask you in your sin do you feel the sorrow from your sin do you feel the anguish in your heart you know how a great way to tell if you're really a Christian or not here's the difference when a non-christian sins he doesn't feel much anguish or sorrow about it when a Christian sins there's tremendous anguish and sorrow white because the Holy Spirit of God lives inside of a Christian and when you sin the Holy Spirit you grieve the spirit and the grieved Holy Spirit will bring conviction into your heart saying you need to get this right I like what Adrian Rogers said one time he said the difference between a Christian and a non-christian the non-christian leaps into sin and he loves it the Christian falls into sin and he loathes it and he wants to get right which one is true for you hey salvation comes when you understand I'm in trouble this is serious business as Isaiah said woe is me for I am undone for I'm a man of unclean lips and I dwell among the peace of unclean lips for my eyes have seen the king the Lord of Hosts Lord saved me I'm a sinner I can't save myself that's when true salvation comes second characteristic of these witnesses they are spirit filled and spirit led now we read in verse 4 because the the curiosity gets perked up and peaked when you're talking about these two witnesses and the question that people have had over the the centuries is who are these guys verse 4 tells us it says these are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth now if you're like me you read that anything that doesn't help me much how does that how does that explain who they are they're the two olive trees and the two lampstands well that is referring to an Old Testament book the book of Zechariah chapter 4 God used those same that same word picture the lampstand and the olive trees he used that when he spoke to Joshua the high priest and zerubabbel the Prince and the priest and the Prince were to get together in Israel to rebuild the temple and to rebuild the political and religious life in Israel because all that got wiped out during the babylon invasion and the babylon captivity and so they get to come back to jerusalem girag was a rubble led a crowd of thousands of Jews and they was fifty thousand back to Israel to rebuild back to Jerusalem and Joshua was there the high priests and they rebuilt and the Lord said to him you guys are like the lampstand you're like the olive tree and see those the olive and the lamp go together why because the lamp burns the oil from the olive and so what the Lord is saying in Zechariah for the famous verse Zechariah for verse six it's not by might nor my power but by my spirit says the Lord of Hosts how are you gonna rebuild Jerusalem how are you gonna rebuild the temple not by your might not by your power by my spirit says the Lord of Hosts and my spirit is going to give the oil and going to give the power for the fire to burn again and so what we learn for about these two witnesses is they're not coming in their own strength they're coming in the Lord's strength they are spirit filled and they are spirit led and their ministry is one of power it's one of plagues and it's one of DejaVu to quote Yogi Berra it's deja vu all over again I mean you you read about them and you think I've heard this before these guys are doing something that I've read before look at verse 5 and if anyone desires to harm them fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies and if anyone would desire to harm them in this manner he must be killed these have the power to shut up the sky in order that rain may not fall during the days of their prophecy and they have the power over the waters to turn them into blood and to smite the earth with every plague as often as they desire well who did that in the Old Testament Moses he was the the guy that God used Vic they call down the plagues upon the Egyptians he turned the water to blood and all the various plagues that came on Egypt led by God led by God's Spirit well Moses did some of these things and then Elijah what was the mark of his ministry well he he said they didn't prayed that there would be no rain and there didn't fall any rain on the earth for three years and six months he was the Prophet who would call down fire now when it says in verse five or verse four if anyone desires to harm them fire proceeds out in their mouth and devours their enemies you can get the picture that these guys are like fire-breathing dragons but that's not what they are it's not that you get close to them and all a sudden it's you know it's this breath that just comes out and just curls your toes it's not like that it's what Elijah did in second Kings chapter one where they came to arrest him and the captain came with his fifty soldiers and Elijah was there sitting on a hill and the captain said thus says the king you come down you men of God and Elisha said if I'm a man of God let fire come down and consume you and your fifty soldiers and fire came down and consumed him and his fifty soldiers it's not the fire that comes out of his mouth it's the word fire and the judgment that he pronounces and God sends the fire and destroys those who would try to harm them there's much speculation as to to who these two witnesses are they may just be too Jewish guys that God chooses in those days you know there are 144,000 Jews who are sealed with the mark of God we read that in Revelation chapter 7 and God sets apart these 144,000 they're like 144,000 Apostle Paul's and they go out into the world and they preach the gospel the everlasting gospel of Jesus and salvation but these two I think are different from the 144,000 they're given this special job some say well I think it sounds like Elijah and Enoch you know because Enoch in Genesis chapter 5 he never died Enoch walked with God and he was not because for God took him he left this world not through the grave he was taken out Elisha never died he left this world in a whirlwind and remember he dropped his mantle and the mantle fell on Elijah his his underling well those two guys never died so some people say I think the two witnesses are the two guys who never died Enoch Elijah but enacted there's not a lot that said about Enoch like there is about Moses and when Jesus was on in his earthly ministry when he was on the Mount of Transfiguration and he peeled back the veil of his humanity and he let Peter and James and John see his glory and see his deity two men appeared with him Moses and Elijah Moses represents the law Elijah represents the prophets they were with Jesus as he was getting ready to go to the cross and I personally believe that's who were reading about it's God sends Moses and God sends Elijah Malachi the last book of the Old Testament chapter 4 verse 5 the Lord says this behold I will send Elijah the Prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord I think Elijah comes and I think Moses is here and their ministry is so much like the ministry that they had when they were on the earth and their ministry although it's filled with power and filled with plagues and it's filled with things that we've seen and heard before the main thing about the miracles that they do and the miracles our judgment miracles and plagues nobody likes those and when we're not talking about feeding the 5,000 we're talking about you know casting a plague on the 5,000 the thing that they do all of it just as Jesus miracles all of them were for one main purpose to point the way that Jesus is the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but through him and so their ministry is to turn men to the Savior that's what they're designed to do for three-and-a-half years they are preaching and they are doing miraculous works designed to turn men to this Savior there is Grace even in Wrath during the tribulation as the seals are being open there's wrath coming from God and it says at the end of Revelations chap the people recognized it saying to the mountains fall on us and hide us from the presence of him who sits on the throne and from the lamp for the day of their wrath has come and who is able to stand the Tribulation Period is God pouring out his wrath and in the midst of Wrath you have these two mighty messengers of God that are pointing the way to Jesus and the world is going to hate them have you noticed how our world is beginning to really even here in America beginning to really hate a Christian who stands up to be counted and says there is no other way Jesus is the only way the world you we're starting to feel a lot of persecution coming to the church in this day it's going to be turned up to a whole new level and so these guys people are going to want to kill them but they can't kill them and they don't want to hear the message because it's a convicting message remember in Acts chapter 7 when Stephen got up to preach and he preached and he called those Jewish religious leaders out and he said you are the guys who keep resisting the Holy Spirit and they were cut to the quick and what did they do they held their hands over their ears they didn't want to hear and they rushed on him with one Accord and they stoned him to death that's what's going to take place in Jerusalem as these two guys are preaching people are gonna be like I'm going to kill you but they can't why because as they rush to get them fire comes down from heaven and kills them nobody can harm these guys as they preach their message telling people to turn to the Savior you know it's kind of like Elijah when he preached in Israel Israel was turning to the bales and Elisha called the big showdown on Mount Carmel whose God we're gonna see who is God and he said to the people how long will you hesitate between two opinions if God is God follow him but if bail is God follow him and they had their big showdown the God who answered by fire that was God and when the end of the showdown came bail couldn't answer by fire cuz bails not God God answered by fire and the people saw when the fire of God fell they said the Lord he is God the Lord he is God but now people during the Tribulation Period they're not that prone to say the Lord he is God the Lord he is God even though all these miracles miracles of judgment are taking place something to remember about God and the fact that there's grace even in Wrath Exodus chapter 18 verse 32 the Lord says this for I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies declares the Lord therefore repent and live God doesn't want to destroy people God doesn't want to pour out wrath God wants to save God is a savior we sang about the Lord Jesus today about he he's a savior and he's a king and the Lord would much rather see people turn to him repent and live so that he doesn't have to wipe them out in judgment you know when we think about these guys being spirit filled and spirit led now they're different from you and me they're different from anybody else in this this time of tribulation but the principles still apply god wants you to be spirit filled in spirit led he wants me to be spirit filled and spirit led just for there they're called the two witnesses we're called to be witnesses jesus said you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be my witnesses we witness in two ways by our life and by our lips it's not your life without your lips it's not your lips without your life it's those things together the way you live the way you conduct yourself the way you treat people and what comes of your mouth as you tell people about Jesus whose mighty to save those two things so we shine for Christ we share the story of the good news of Jesus Christ we share about his love and we shared the bad news that unless you receive Christ you're gonna die and go to hell forever why because you're a sinner before a holy God that's why because all of us are where Isaiah was we just don't recognize it woe is me for I am undone for I'm a man of unclean lips and I dwell among the people of unclean lips for my eyes have seen the king the Lord of Hosts everyone you meet outside of Christ he's in serious trouble she's in serious trouble but so many of them don't see it and they think they're okay but they're not okay and unless you repent Jesus said you will all likewise perish hey what do we see about these guys their clothes were clothed with sack fall they are spirit filled and spirit led and thirdly they fulfill their mission they fulfill their mission and their ministry I like what it says in verse 7 and when they have finished their testimony people are trying to kill them people hate what they have to say but they can't hurt them because the fire that falls because God protects them and God protected them all the way until the end of their 1260 days until the end of their three and a half years and then God allowed them to be harmed listen the man the woman the boy the girl who is sold out to the Lord Jesus you are in destructible until God says you've completed what I wanted you to do we can be confident you know you sometimes you'll have people that are going in the mission field and they'll go in very dangerous places and it can be really hard for mom and dad when son or daughter says I want to go to the mission field into a very difficult place in in a Muslim country but listen if God calls that boy that girl then you can know that they are going to be indestructible as long as they're doing what God wants them to do and when God's done with what he wants them to do he'll take them home so you don't need to fear you fulfill your mission they did but then what happens look again in verse seven and when they have finished their testimony the Beast first time we read that word in the book of the revelation the Beast that comes up out of the abyss the Beast is the Antichrist will make war with them and overcome them and kill them and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt where also their Lord was crucified now we might not get it if it just said mystically was called Sodom and Egypt we say I don't know where that is where their Lord was crucified we know where that was that was Jerusalem and so they're going to be killed in Jerusalem and it says and those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three-and-a-half days and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb the Beast the Antichrist is going to wage war with them and defeat them God will allow the Antichrist to defeat them and the people will oh and aha over the Antichrist we're going to talk next week about him Revelation chapter thirteen and the refrain concerning the Antichrist is this as the people worship Him who is like the Beast and who is able to wage war with him man he took out the two witnesses the ones that no one could mess with he killed them and so the Antichrist kills them but they don't allow them to be buried they let them just lay in the streets you know we've seen some videos from Isis and other terrorist groups what do they do they take our soldiers or some American and they have their dead bodies there they're desecrating the dead body and they they don't bury them they'll they'll burn them before the cameras or something like that but they they want to mock and ridicule and laughs and all those terrible things into a Jew the ultimate dis would be desecrating the body taking a dead body and not giving it the proper burial well here you have the two witnesses three and a half years these guys are some kind of messenger some kind of prophets but they're just dumped in the street people come from everywhere to see these guys why because they were tormenting the whole earth the scripture says they hated them they wanted them gone and the Beast kills them and so they are so glad and the people will rejoice and celebrate their deaths look at verse 10 and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry they're gonna have a big party and they will send gifts to one another because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth I mean they were cast mounted down plagues any time they desired and so there was great torment that word torment is the same word that's used in Revelation 20 verse 10 that talks about Hell and the torment in hell these people were having hell on earth from these two witnesses and so when they die they throw a party and they celebrate and it's like Christmastime they give gifts to one another now you remember the movie The Wizard of Oz has anyone in here other than Quinn stanphill never seen the movie The Wizard of Oz I'd encourage you to watch it it's a it's a classic from 1939 I think but you remember in The Wizard of odds the house Dorothy's house falls down on the Wicked Witch of the West and they see the little people they start singing the little munchkins ding dong the witch is dead which old witch the Wicked Witch ding dong the wicked witch is dead that's the same kind of you ding-dong the witnesses are dead which witnesses those two guys that tormented us they're dead and they're so excited and they're singing and they're having a party and Jerusalem is filled with people that are enjoying themselves the people rejoice and celebrate but the Lord gets the last laugh the Lord will be glorified and it says in verse 11 and after these and after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God came into them and they stood on their feet and great fear fell upon those who were beholding them and they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them come up here and they went up into heaven in the cloud and their enemies beheld them and in that hour there was a great earthquake and a tenth of the city fell and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven you know what God does for these two witnesses he gives them a very mini rapture you know Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind Jesus went up to heaven and a cloud and here these guys are dead and everybody's celebrating ding dong the witnesses are dead and then all of a sudden in the midst of the celebration and it's seen all over because it'll be on every news program and everyone's viral video everyone in the world will see it then all of a sudden the life comes back the breath of God comes into them they begin to start moving and the rigor mortis goes away and their blood starts pumping again and all of a sudden they stand to their feet and people are scared to death and the Lord says come up here and they're taken to heaven the people hear the voice and they see them go up to heaven and it says in verse 12 and their enemies beheld them that word means tucán sitter to acknowledge and here's what God is saying I believe from this rapture of the two witnesses the Lord is saying this there came a rapture of my church before all this started and you guys explained it away see when the rapture hits we don't know when that's coming it could come at any moment when that hits and hundreds of millions are gone from this earth just like that all the earth is thrown into chaos you can't take out 400 million people and there be no ripple effect they're gonna be ripple effects and and families are going to be torn apart and and people are going to have the question what happened where did they go and no doubt the Antichrist will come up with something that sounds so good and so plausible something that sounds like this those people were taken away in judgment God was judging them why because they're holding us back from progress those people who believe this old book those people who say there's only one way to heaven they were taken away they were taken out but God is saying and you're gonna see it and behold it yourself because I'm raising up my two witnesses and I'm telling him a voice from heaven come up here and I'm taking them to heaven they're not going down to hell and it is going to be an amazing thing and the people are going to be scared to death from a party to a panic from great festivities to great fear and all that happens just like that and then there's a great earthquake verse 13 and in that hour there was a great earthquake and a tenth of the city of Jerusalem fell and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake you know I read that and I thought well that's not very many because it says when the fourth seal was broken death and Hades followed after death that 1/4 of the died so forth of the earth we said that was like 1.75 billion people well that's a bunch seven thousands not very many why does it say that because it says this and it says seven thousand people and the word in the Greek means named men known people seven thousand people who were named who were known because it's going to be a big party the celebrities are gonna come in and the dignitaries are gonna come in people that the world knows those seven thousand died in the earthquake and when that happens there is tremendous fear that's trust into the hearts of the people and they give glory to God now I don't know if they repent it says over and over in Revelation especially in chapter 16 when the bowls come out the bowls of judgment that they did not repent they're annoying their tongues in pain and they curse God and blaspheme God they don't repent so maybe they're just giving God glory but they're not really giving God their hearts or maybe it could be some there in Jerusalem say this is of God I'm gonna follow Jesus maybe that happens but you know in a service like this as we preach and we talk about judgment that's coming deservedly so on sin and as we said last week the fire fell on Jesus on the cross at Calvary and if you will put your faith where God puts his son you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ the fire won't fall on you because it fell on Jesus but if you don't the fire is gonna fall on you so here you are and you say well what do I do so I want to speak to two groups just in closing first group you're not you've never given your heart and life to Jesus you're just kind of thinking about this stuff or you ever you have a knowledge of God in your head you've denied the power thereof it's not real in your heart that's the way I was for years and years I believed all these things about Jesus but it was in my head I believed in Jesus like I believed in George Washington no one in this room denies that George Washington was a father of our country first president United States he lived he's real how many of you trusting George Washington for anything none of us we don't trust him train he's just a guy in history guy in the book that's the way a lot of people believe about Jesus he's just a guy who lived in history you're not trusting him for anything much less eternal life I see this is a wake-up call for you what are you going to do because if you reject if you reject if you reject you say well gets saved during the tribulation you might you might and let me tell you something for most people during the tribulation you will pay with your blood to put your faith and trust in Christ you come in just a moment when I give the invitation you come to give your heart to Christ we will cheer you in that day they won't cheer you they will chop your head off they don't cheer you they chase you so that they can execute you it's serious business during the tribulation and so here you are and you say well I'm not sure about my relationship with Jesus as one man told me when Tim Lee was here he said what he said that cinched it for me he said I was 90% sure that I was saved and Tim Lee said from this platform if you're 90% sure you're saved you're a hundred percent lost you don't want to go into eternity 90% sure you want to be a hundred percent sure that you beget in your heart giving your heart and life to Christ and so my friend said man when he said that I knew I needed to pray and get things right and he went home to tell his mom and he led her to the Lord that's awesome so that's the first group you're not saved you need to be and this is not meant to scare believers the book of the revelation is not meant to scare believers but it's meant to scare believers because if you can read this knowing that this is going to happen and not be scared you have room to rent upstairs unfurnished I mean this is not something to laugh about this is something that's going to be serious and horrible so what's the second group of people the second group of people is the group where you know you're saved you know that Jesus is real in your heart but you're you're not sold out to it I mean you're just singing the Doobie Brothers Jesus is just alright with me listen Jesus said he's not interested in being just alright with you he is God he wants you to sell out to him to shine to share the be the witness that he wants you to be he wants you to be filled with his spirit jesus said apart from me you can do nothing so you need to abide in me so my life will flow through you because if you don't do that live a surrendered life to me I can't use you and God wants to use you that's amazing thing when you think about it God wants to use you little oh you little old me we have nothing to offer God accept surrender and that's all he needs the best ability is simple availability it's just saying Jesus Here I am use me send me I want to shine and I want to share til you come again our friend the Lord is coming soon and now is the time if you're not ready to get yourself ready simply pray this prayer from your heart Lord Jesus I need you I know that I'm a sinner and I'm lost I can't save myself but Jesus I believe that you died on the cross for my sins that you rose again from the dead and that you are Lord of all and right now Jesus I ask you to come into my heart forgive me of all my sins be my Lord and Savior I surrender all to you my friend if you'll pray that kind of prayer and mean it the Lord will come in and your life will never be the same I'd love to hear from you to know that you're watching to know that God is using this broadcast to make a difference in your life to know that you just prayed that prayer with me to receive Christ as Savior and Lord please take the time to call that toll-free number on your screen write me email me let me know what's going on and how we can pray for you you really are important to God and you're important to us and we're here for you thank you for watching from his heart today the viewer-supported broadcast ministry of dr. Jeff shreem who believes that no matter how badly you may have messed up in life God still loves you and he has a wonderful plan for your life find out more about that plan go to from his heart dot o-r-g [Music] you
