Grace Chapel Bible Ministries
241117 Revelation; a letter from Christ
[Music] Where's the boys? [Music] Football season. Football season. It is that. Gamecock fan over there. That hard gamecock. Well, my brothers, brother-in-laws, both of them, in their deck and they're left on John Johnson. They're all. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] All right, Amanda. [Music] As for God, His way is blameless. The word of the Lord is tried. He is a shield to all who take refuge in him. For who is God the Lord? And who is a rock except our God? The God who girds me with strength and makes my way blameless. He makes my feet like hinds feet and sets me upon my high braces. He trains my hand for battle so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand upholds me, and your gentleness makes me great. You enlarge my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped. I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and I did not turn back until they were consumed. I shattered them so that they were not able to rise. They fell under my feet. For you have guided me with strength for battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, and I destroyed those who hated me. They cried for help, but there was none to say, even to the Lord, but he did not answer them. Then I beat them fine as the dust before the wind. I emptied them out as a mile of the streets. You have delivered me from the contentions of the people. You have placed me as head of the nations. A people who am I have not known served me. As soon as they hear they obey me. Born or submit to me, born or stayed away, and come trembling out of their fortresses. The Lord lives and blessed be hung up. The exalted be the God of my salvation. The God who executes vengeance for me and subdues people under me. He delivers me from my enemies. Surely you lift me above those who rise up against me. You rescue me from your violent man, therefore I will give thanks to you among the nations of the Lord. I will sing praises to your name. He gives great deliverance to his king, and shares love and kindness to his anointed. To David and his descendants forever. You want to jump in and pray? Fasten over to me. Alright, proceed now. It's sovereign and holy Father, we do thank you so much for this gorgeous day. Thank you for your many blessings within it. Thus far. By the way, thank you for your love and kindness, your gentleness. All things are possible with you, Lord, and it is... We thank you for our election, and giving me the opportunity for our country to... A chance to turn back to you with an opportunity, a lot of time for those that have not. Father, we do thank you for this time. In your word, I said you would... Be with us, and give us discerned spirits, and years to hear what you would have us to learn this morning. All these things we do great in Jesus Christ's name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you for coming to him this morning. I think I'll talk to you, but that's okay. We'll be alright. Come now, Father, of every blessing, let us stand. Come now, Father, of every blessing, to ignite a heart of Tuesday, night, grace, the streams of mercy, never ceasing, all for songs of loudest grace. Come now, Father, of every blessing, to ignite a heart of Tuesday, night, grace, the streams of mercy, never ceasing, ♪ This grace gives me some bell is showing ♪ ♪ Sometimes raining comes of gold ♪ ♪ Raise the ground time fixed upon it ♪ ♪ Matter of life we leave me in love ♪ ♪ Here I raise my ever-heaser ♪ ♪ 'Cause they're blind by the mud-lum ♪ ♪ And I hope I'd like a pleasure ♪ ♪ Take me to a ride at home ♪ ♪ Jesus taught me with a stranger ♪ ♪ Wondering from the full of God ♪ ♪ He can rescue me from danger ♪ ♪ Mr. Moses' precious love ♪ ♪ Won't you grace how great a dare ♪ ♪ The daily life goes straight to me ♪ ♪ Better than goodness like a fair ♪ ♪ Mind my one friend, heart to me ♪ ♪ Don't you wander the floor at me ♪ ♪ Throw to me the light I want ♪ ♪ 'Cause my heart don't drink and steal it ♪ ♪ Steal it for life for tomorrow ♪ - Mm. - Let's see. Morning. - Morning, morning. - Morning. - All right. So we're gonna preach today. (laughing) George had a sermon on preaching, teaching the other day. Seems like a long time we've been here. Sometimes things go quick, and sometimes things like it's going slow, but, you know, it seems like it's been forever. We had a service, but anyway. All right, let's go. We are in Revelation, chapter one. We're coming into verse four. Moving right along. And it's something I want to bring up again. Going back as you go back, and you're meditating on there so much that you come to come across and hear and think to yourself and meditation and just put fundities, but fundities. Let's start off. Verse one, "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his bondservants, his slaves, the things which must soon take place, and he sent and communicated by his angel to his bondservant, John, who testified to the Word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ even to all that he saw. Happy, what's the word? Macareas, happy. This is not something that we are just going to be, you know, that God's going to say a dumb blessing or however you think of heaven. This is condition of the soul. There is a response, this is response to what we're hearing. Response to what's being taught. Response to the reader. We mentioned yesterday, it's funny, George, a lot of things you've said today. Richard really ties into what we're studying here. Happiness is a response to the word of God. It's response. And especially here, this is the only book that promises a blessing, a happiness, a promised happiness to one that reads it. Remember the one who is reading this to a congregation. And then to those who are hearing it and that hearing, Akuo, also means understanding. It's not only hearing it, but also understanding it's, J. Vernon McGee would say, make it into two leather. And then thirdly, the one who hears it, what's the third? The one who keeps it or heeds it. The one who heeds it, the one who obeys, the one who, let's just say properly responds. Heeding is the proper response to it. I want to say a little bit more about happiness today. First of all, here is a personal letter. It begins with who it's from. We know it's from Lord Jesus Christ. We want to hear that quite a bit through Revelation two and three. Our God and our King, our Redeemer, our High Priest, he sits, listen, he sits at the whole, he's sitting at the right hand of the Father. He is, I remember the disciples. The disciples were, the disciples were sad and lonely. They were, in a sense, depressed at the fact that Jesus was going away, or they knew that he was going away. They couldn't conceive that he was going to be nailed to the cross, but they had understood that he would die, or that he was going away, but he was going to return. This is why they said, "When is your return?" And especially after his resurrection, they said, "Okay, when are these things, is it about time to restore the kingdom to it?" Well, we also understand 2,000 years ago that one that they so dearly love, he's at the right hand of the Father now. He's not here, in that sense. As God, he's on the present. He's everywhere present. But here it is, God, our loved ones, our redeemer, our Savior. The one that we look forward to, he is in heaven waiting, he's waiting. Not only were we waiting for his return, he's waiting to be sent. One thing we must understand, he probably, I would say that to Lord, our God is probably more anxious to be united with us than what we normally are of him. I mean, because he is the God of love. And you can't out love the lover. So let's talk again, let's review about, so the bride's waiting. She runs to the mailbox each day. And he's hoping to receive some correspondence from her beloved bridegroom, because Jesus is our bridegroom, and we are the bride. So there is that promise happiness that comes. To the one that reads it. You think of yourself as the bride. You think about, and this is not probably not in your generation, but in our generation, we were just giddy about getting a letter from our loved one when we were abroad. And here this is, is a letter from our Lord, Savior, Jesus Christ, and one thing I want to look at, when it is going back to the reading on this, let's back up a little bit about the happiness part of this. Remember that there is a promised happiness that comes from reading this book and heeding to it, hearing it, understanding it. There is a happiness. That happiness is, there's some groups of people that will not be happy. And let's put it in, regardless of where you're looking at in different periods of time, there is a certain way people are gonna view this. But let's review it in the sense that there is coming a day that's going to lead up to that great and terrible day of the Lord. That's the return of the Lord. And as we've said, and what we've alluded to earlier, the Lord came in as a lamb. He's not coming in as a lamb next time. He's coming in as a lion. And a great and terrible day of the Lord is on its way. And so coming into it is Daniel 70th week. That is those seven years. That's going to complete the age of Israel. Now, let's look at in that perspective. Those that, there are those that have rejected, there are those, there is the school of thought that the New Testament is only for the Christian. And the Old Testament is for the Jewish Jews. Even the Jews look at that like that. There are those Jews that say, they won't read. They tell their people, don't read the New Testament. Well, guess what? If you don't read the New Testament, what's gonna left out? You're gonna leave out Revelation, which remember, so you're going to miss out on the happiness that comes, especially to that generation that's going to enter into that seven years. They will not be able to properly discern what's going on in those seven years. There is going to be hell breaking out around them. And they're not gonna be able to understand and there certainly will not be happiness. There's also the category of Christians. I said, well, the Old Testament is irrelevant. George will tell you that without the Old Testament, you can't understand Revelation. So therefore, there's no happiness there. All scripture is God breathed. So those that's going in. Now, what kind of happiness, if we, and as I do believe that we will, even as Christians, will be under the pressure of the, at least part of those seven years, that if this is the generation and we're going into it, see, this is God's program. And knowing it brings us a certain level of happiness, even though we're under the pressure, even though we being may endure for the night, a shot of joy comes in the morning, excitement. The things that it's just, and when you're looking at the news, let's just say this week. I know two things this week. I don't know if you've been following a worthy news this week, but two articles, which I thought was really good. Let's bring up this, yeah, we bring this up. Okay, we're out there. Okay, first of all, I don't know if y'all seen this. First of all, and I believe this was Wednesday that I received, this could have been, this could have happened on Tuesday, but the Huckabee rejects the common terms, no West Bank, no settlements, no occupation. Former governor of Arkansas is now the, or have been selected as the ambassador to Israel. Let me see if I bring that up, do I think? Yeah, I can bring that up, there we go. Okay, former governor of Arkansas is now, is now the ambassador of Israel, declares what has always been the truth. The incoming U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee made clear his perspective. There is no such thing as the West Bank, it's Judah and Samaria. There's no such thing as settlements, their communities, their neighborhoods, their city, there are cities. There is no such thing as an occupation. What does this say? All going all the way back to the Roman days, it has been a lie, that land is not Palestine. The Romans gave that the name Palestine as a insult to the Israelis, to the Israel, to Jews. And it's been known as Palestine ever since, it's a lie. What they call, and I don't put a map up here, but what they call on the West Bank, as occupiers and Jews are the occupiers, well, Huckabee stands up and he makes, and I thought, I just about cheered this, that he's a bold statement. Stop believing the lie. This is the land that was promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They are not occupiers. These are, this is their land, and from, remember, we met you last week in 1917. This, they had returned to the land, they had, the British had liberated it from the Turks, the Ottoman Empire, and they were able to enter into, back into Israel as their homeland since '80. So I thought that was really cool. I thought, okay, I'll go back. I said, this is, this is good stuff. This leading to, and this excitement, because I want, I'm excited because it tells me that we're getting closer, or they're getting closer to build their temple. What's that mean to me about building their temple? Listen, these are apostate people. When they build that temple, it's nothing really, they do it in apostasy. They don't believe the Christ, they don't believe Jesus. They want that temple built so they can continue their sacrifices. To get back to what they did before, before AD 70, to bring everything back the way it was. It doesn't mean that they're accepting Christ. It doesn't mean, but, this is Daniel's prophecy, and you're nine. So knowing that, there was great excitement when I read this, okay? And then the very next day, what do we get in our headlines? Very next day, US Income Defense Minister Pete Hexett, Israel's miraculous journey and vision for the rebuilt temple. This is for more of the new, as it were, US incoming defense minister Pete has it. Speaking from Jerusalem, shared a deeply reflected message about Israel's history and extraordinary events that have shaped it. He recounted his visit to the Western Wall and its tunnels, exploring the ancient foundation of the Old City and described the powerful sense of awe he felt in witnessing the miracle before you. Reflecting on pivotal movements, hesits, underscored, 1917 was a miracle. 1917 was when Israel returned to the land. 1948 was a miracle. That's when the United Nations recognized them as the state, it was in May. 1967 was a miracle, that's the six day war when they had taken the land and Israel entered in through the lion's gate. And 2017, the declaration of Jerusalem as the capital was a miracle. He expressed as staring hope for the future, concluding that there's no reason why the miracle of the re-establishment of the temple on the temple mount is not possible. Why am I happy about that? Why am I happy about, why am I giddy? George, why are you giddy about Israel building temple? What worries me is why so many Jews don't own it. To come because they will say one, that if we just go back over there. - But there is an evangelist movement and there's going to look for it. - There's a statement, we've already had the plans drawn. - The plans are drawn, the furniture is built and they're ready, they're looking for the red half. And what's exciting about me is, first of all, there has to be a temple of some type. - It's your progressive revelation, right? I mean, it's just... - It's progressing, yeah. - It's building up the stages being set. - The stages being set. I'm seeing the Lord move. I'm seeing that this soon that we see in Revelation is exciting. If you love the world, as Jesus says, not to, then it don't matter. But for those that are excited about the return of the Lord, these things are like tremors that Jesus is coming back soon. This is where the happiness comes from. Even when we're going through the pressure, even when we're going through the pressure, let's say if indeed we are in that period of time and we're suffering persecution and the church has always suffered persecution. Nonetheless, if we know that we're in that time, there is a tremendous happiness that comes with this, that anticipation. It's like that bride coming back to that bride once again. The bride is looking for the coming of... The bride is looking for a bridegroom. Now, let's go back and review Israel for just a second. Or the Jewish wedding custom. The Jewish wedding custom, remember that you had the two fathers would come together, the father of the bride and the father of the groom, the bride and the groom. And yeah, it was arranged marriage. And they would come together, they would have a meal and they would, they would, what do you call, barter, you know, try to come up to with agreement. There would be the bride price. - Mr. Turner paid me an awful lot to marry Linda. - It was, there was the bride price. - Yeah. - They would settle on the bride price. They would settle on the dowry. They would get all the details done. - And this is not necessarily the, matter of fact, it doesn't says that the bride and the groom even knew each other. - It's just something that don't know me, just how the perspective of people on their daughters in a certain time period, I think about why, not why. Oh, yeah, why? When the angels came in, we offered them his daughters to leave these men alone, but dear to that dog. And I just wondered if there were those that, you know, it's a girl, great. - This is a fortune for me down the road. - I'm gonna, I'm gonna make some money on this. - I just think, I'm sure there were selfish people with that perspective, but it's just, - I'm sure there were. - It's just money. - Never thought of it like that, but of course. - On the other hand, there was a practicality too, because the women had roles that they played within that, in that house. It wasn't just a, it wasn't just receiving money. Oh, I'm gonna, I'm gonna make some money on this girl. - Because they, they had chores. The women had roles that they played in there. And so the money was to compensate the, the bride price was to compensate the loss of the daughter. - Sure, and that would be a proper list. - Yeah, sure. - Loving family, right? - Yeah, she, she's a good cook. That's gonna, that's gonna raise that bride price up a little bit. And then the diary was something that was supposed to be set aside, in case something happens, that the guy dies or whatever and she. So they're, and then, so that, that was a part of the diary. So they, they would make the agreement. They would, and once they made the agreement, they would shake hands, and these two would be, they, they would part for about a year. Now remember going back to Jacob, Jacob, or not Jacob, Isaac. Isaac never laid eyes on Rebecca before. Sometimes you wouldn't even look at your wife until a wedding day. I think that's pretty cool, by the way, you know. - This is how they got mixed up with the Leah. And yeah, because you, you're not sure that's what happened. - So that, you know, you know, I think, I think we miss a lot when, I think we miss a lot in our, our physical attraction and stuff, you know, of having that special time coming together. But anyway, so they would be apart for a year. The father would go home and he would, he would, or the son would go home back to his parents' house. They would build on to the house. So that, or build a place that, you know, when that time comes, he would bring his wife. Now, and to there, and she would go back to her parents' house. That's where she would stay for the year. And it would be about a year that they would be apart. Okay, she did not know the day or the hour that, she's waiting anxiously for the bridegroom to come to receive her. She don't know the day nor the hour, but she knows the season. It's been about a year. He could be coming at any time. They're excited. The virgins had to be ready. That's the bridemaids. They had to be ready. All this, when you read all this in Matthew and these parables, it's all connected to the wedding feast. She's excited. Look at coming up the Lord as a bride would be waiting for her husband to come. She's excited. He could come at any time. She had to be ready. And again, I'll tell you, and as we agree with, that the Lord, I think the Lord is excited to come as well. And he's anticipating that moment. In the engagement, I never could say, but for a thotheral, lay engagement, a throttle, the engagement, but they were considered married for that year. And the only way that you could and all that is through a divorce, okay? Which was the issue with Mary Joseph? - Yes, exactly. The issue with Mary Joseph, that it was evidence that she was unfaithful since she was pregnant, 'cause that was one of the reasons why they were, they would be separated to test her faithfulness, her loyalty to her engaged husband. And so there was, she was pregnant. What that could only mean one thing until the angel shows up and say, "Hey, don't worry about 'cause what she's carrying is from the Holy Spirit." So there's that happiness there, that is the anticipation of the coming of the bridegroom. - I have made an argument before that all the word comfort would fit in there to get the great comfort. That's part of the happiness. - Yes. - It is translated, comfort, joy. - Yeah. - I think it is translated, got comfort in there. - And absolutely, there's a comfort there is that, and that's where we're getting, when Peter says, "Sanctify the Lord God in your heart "be ready to give an answer for the hope just found in you." Within the pressure, there is that relaxment latitude. As a mature believer, you're growing, as a mature believer, you're developing a peace, a tranquility of soul, a peace that surpasses all understanding and that happiness that comes into happiness, the comfort, Psalm 37, when we look at, don't worry about when evil prospers. You know, they're not gonna be no longer. God's promise is still true. So very well, there is that comfort there of waiting, knowing that he's coming. - Yeah, 'cause you always fear the unknown, right? I mean, that's a natural tendency for us, by nature. 'Cause fear, Caleb causes a big hairy creature that's stepping out to have a meeting for the first time, right? Build a conversation that you're gonna, a hard conversation up that you're gonna have to have with somebody, build all this up, that you're just really, you don't wanna do it. And typically, once you step through that moment, it's not what it was, not what you're talking about here, but it removes that fear when we have the, you know, God's assured with us, he's given us this, that we, it's not, that's a lot of scary stuff, but. - There's a sense of assurance. - Sense or Sherman, cognitive invincibility. If God is for us, who can be against us? - Yeah, Jay says that a lot of work, he was like, "You can't hurt me, Mike. "This is the only God I can hurt me." - Yeah. (laughing) - That brings some, but I can make you hurt. (laughing) All right, but the, so when it comes to the ignorant, speaking of this happiness, and they look at the temple, they look at the things that are going on, we look at progressive revelation, and they simply lift their shoulders up. Okay, who cares, you know, pass the potatoes, you know? No big deal, you know, you know, you Christians are morons, but to those that have an understanding, for those that hear, for those that, that they understand, and for those that, that they respond to the revelation. And that heeding is, again, that heeding is, you can read the revelation. So, well, you know, coming up, going to be another New Year's, people are gonna read through the Bible again, okay, three chapters a day, four chapters a day, and it's not really, you may be reading it, but you're not heeding it. You know, you're not bringing it in, like Steve said, you've got to read slow, but not only that, but you've got to bring it in, think about it, and that's heeding it. - Still a good discipline. I think it's a step forward in the right direction. - Yeah, absolutely, and I'm not downing reading it, but because the Holy Spirit only works, what's it? - But it's broad at that point. It's not deep. - Taking the flyover before you go on in. But, yeah, believe me, I'm not disparaging reading the Bible, absolutely not. But then there is also the coming to understanding, under teaching, learning it, learning what you read. - The Bible is reading it, kind of like metabolizing 'cause-- - Absolutely. - It's like dodges, metabolizing it. - And bring it in, making it a shoe leather. All right, Revelation 1-4. John to the seven churches that are in Asia, grace to you and peace from him who is, who was, and who is to come. And from the seven spirits who are before the throne, we'll only be able, we've already talked about the grace and peace that is the greeting, the standard greeting, to him who is. That's the first talk about who is. Jesus is the great I am. And where do we first hear about the I am? - Bush. - Exactly, from the burning bush. - And that is the, is that not the young boy, the? - Yeah, he's the always. - No vowels. - No vowels. - Is that not-- - No, that's not, that's not, I don't think, I know what you're asking. I'm pretty sure what I want to ask. It's not translate Yahweh when he says I am, but he is the Lord. It's a different words on that. - Okay. - I have to get-- - But that I am, self-existent one, right? - Yeah, self-existent one, exactly. He is the, thank you, I didn't think about it in that term, but yes, he is the self-existent one. And-- - That's the question, you know, somebody says, well, can you exist on your own power? - Yeah, we need sustenance, we need air, we need all that, but God doesn't need, and God doesn't need, I hope, to exist. Two greatest words, I'll say it again, the two greatest words in the Bible. Two sets of words, as I am, and I will. When spoken by God, and God says I am, he's speaking about his beat. God, again, attributes, give me an attribute, this is, God says I am, what is his attributes? Omniscient, he's all knowing. - Omnipresent. - Omnipresent, he's everywhere present at all times. Love. - Omnipotent. - Omnipotent, omnipotent, all-powerful. Love, he's a mutable, righteous, justice. And these are not, these are not attribute, listen. When we talk about the attributes of God, first of all, all of them together makes God. We think about them as one, each one. And God doesn't rise, the God doesn't rise up to this level. These are not attributes he rises up to. We aspire to be loving, we aspire to, for wisdom, we aspire to, God doesn't aspire. These are what God is, this is him. He is righteous, he is love, he is omniscient. He's omnipresent. And they are God, it turned out. He is co-equal and God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and God the Father, they are co-equal, co-eternal. And they are exactly what you said, they are co-existent. So he is the I am. And when God speaks, when he says I will, it constitutes a covenant. And God who cannot lie does not go back on his covenant. So let me hear this. - I'm sorry. - I'm sorry. - That's alright. So the I will is his covenant, which cannot be broken. - Yeah. - Jesus, go ahead. - I was gonna say the end of the end with a comment for a moment if you wanted. - Sure, go ahead. - It's something I was thinking about back up to the Macarius, is he who reads and knows who hear. And then you mentioned these gentlemen from Worthy. I just think it's an inversion. - Interesting perspective. I talk about it a lot, but I think it's the Noah's Ark or whatever it was on prime. And I went through the evidence of it. They have this cartoon, which I love, and I keep having-- - I remember, I remember that. That's that fourth for a part section, right? - Yeah, but there's the part when it starts to be there. And there's, you see the people, I love the illustration 'cause it's so, it's not even great illustration, but you can't see the people start to fade away. - Yeah, there's the one person that's looking at the Ark. Like, you know, OK, it's in the kind of that. It kind of wants to lean that way, but that goes on. So I say all that, because we read this, we see history unfolding with Israel. Things are happening with Israel through the world with Israel. I mean, people are just-- You see, the spirit's just pulling. And it just gives-- - No, no, not a few minutes. - We're seeing God's hand. - But what did George say? You see God's hand moving history. - Yeah. - But-- - No problem. - And there's the world that, like Jesus said, we should make the world those. There are those that will see it. They love the world, they see it and they brush it off. - Yeah, it's just-- - I trust your children. - Yeah, wait, wait, wait, I don't give it. But then there are those others that are on the hill looking at the Ark thinking, what is it with this little sliver of land? What's the big deal? I mean, it'd make-- There's such a big deal made out of these Jews. You know, when this little-- You know, but I really feel just, as history moved forward, that there are going to be those that will turn to Christ. Just out of this year, I have to stand before. What's going on in the world and just start to piece it together that maybe there is-- Maybe there is truth to that Bible that I was talking to me about, you know. I don't know. - I often think of Israel as being a revelatory, if they could just open their eyes and recognize these people and the miracle it is that them even being in the land is phenomenal. And the more we talk about it, and you could say, yeah, yeah, I've heard it before. OK, old news, go on to something else, Pastor. OK, people talk about it all the time. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But there are people who never heard about it. There are people who don't even understand who the Israel is and what they are in relation. There are those people that want to dismiss the Old Testament all together. And that includes their history and that includes the prophecy that's centered around the people. That also includes the loss of hope that these people have of receiving the gospel. Well, you know, Linda would tell me something. And then a week later, I'm frustrated because I didn't know that. Well, I told you, she told me, but I didn't hear it because I didn't want to hear, didn't try to hear it. I wasn't concentrating on it. And I look at these people. Boy, their punishment is going to be something many times of the Vinto. There are-- and they are truly stiff-necked people. They truly are. And like I said, they are the apostates are going to build that temple because they've rejected Christ. But the temple is going to be rejected. But there are going to be those that they are still God's people and through Abraham, through Abraham, they will-- God is true to His promise. They will-- remember we talked about Genesis 15, that this covenant is unconditional. And I've often said also, if we could just see a video clip of what these people were doing to their children and passing through the flame, we'd be saying, Lord, why don't-- why are these still your people? Why are you not just crushing them like a bug? I mean, they were sacrificing these hideous things that they were doing because God's work is stronger than man's failure. And when we come into Daniel 70th week, they're going to be overjoyed at the coming of the Lord. When they're though, one's going to be saying, peace, peace, where there is no peace until the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. And there's going to be a small remnant. There's always a small remnant that's going to carry on. These people are going-- they're unbelievers. As they die, they are going to hell. But there's a small remnant of believers that will enter into the millennial reign. Let's just say, the millennial reign of Christ. And do you think it's like those that are like the believers of the Old Testament, how they-- those that go with the millennium, that they know the promise of his coming? Because you've got the Old Testament. They know that-- of his coming, they follow his mandates. They follow his commandments. They follow, and they reject the antichrist. So those that are faithful, those people, God's people, those are the ones that will enter into the millennium. Going into Israel, and they should be the happy ones going in, because they have a chance. Going into that seven years, at some point, at some point, Israel is going to-- they are going to make a covenant. They're going to enter into what the Scripture calls a covenant of death. They will enter into a covenant with the antichrist. There's some talk of-- who is the antichrist? We don't know, but there's going to be some talk. Something's going to happen to where it's going to open up, where they can build, where there is going to be a agreement. A covenant is agreement. That they can build the temple on that mount. There's going to be some watch-- watch this. There will be some type of agreement between the Muslims in Israel, and I guess the Christians over-- and the government authorities or whatever. And they're going to be able to build that temple. They're going to enter into an agreement. Again, these are apostate Jews. They're not Christians. They're not believers. But then, there's going to be some that are devout. And we're talking about leadership right there. There's going to be those devout leaders you're talking about. They're devout. They believe in Yahweh. They're believing in the first coming, not the second. They're believing in the first. They have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, and their hope, what this people in this generation will respond. There's going to be some that will respond, because Jesus said in the Olivet Discourse, when you see these things happen. And don't run back in the house and get your coat. Don't-- don't-- you know, if you're out in the field, go to get out of here. When you see the desolation of abomination, set up in a temple, set the image up in a temple. When you see that come, when he-- he stops the sacrifices. And he sets up the image in there and says, worship that image, just like Antiochus-- no, not Antiochus. The Epiph-- yeah, Antiochus, Epiphanes back in Maccabean days. When you see that, run, run. And there's going to be those Jews in that period of time, their eyes are going to be open. They didn't make-- they didn't make the covenant with death, but their leaders did. And there's going to be others that will receive the mark and all that. They will give their allegiance to this man. But there's going to be a few. And there are going to be those that's going to escape. These are the ones that's going to mourn. They are going to recognize that Jesus is the Messiah. He's the one whom they reject it. This is what repentance is, ladies and gentlemen. This is for the believer, and for believers, how are we saved by believing upon the Lord Jesus Christ? But these people are going to have to repent in the sense of-- and repentance, normally you hear gospel is that, well, you've got to repent of your sin, and feel sorry to God, and all-- you're a non-believer. What we say, apple tree produces apples, orange tree produces oranges, a sinful tree produces orange. It don't matter how you feel about your sin in this sense. It's what you know about the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance isn't going to change your mind about your sin. It's changing your mind about your position in Christ. And there are going to be those Jews that's going to change their mind. And that's where they're going more. They're going to change their view on who this Jesus is, whom they rejected all their lives, whom they fell into Judaism, rejected the New Testament, rejected this Christ. But they're going to know that Jesus Christ is the very one that's coming back. And this-- the great and terrible day of the Lord that is pronounced in the Old Testament, Joel 2, and others don't realize it's upon them. You know, about this thing. I believe that every single person that goes to heaven is going to be rewarded differently. Every single person that goes to hell is going to be honest differently. The Jew who does not accept Christ has got to receive the worst punishment ever because they were God's chosen, and they were given every opportunity. How could you come this close? But they chose not to. How could you come this close? I had pondered a little bit. They believed in Yahweh. They believed in Yahweh. They were devout. They were on that. And I had to struggle with that a little bit, because they still believed in Yahweh. I had to work this out. I mentioned it the other week. Are they really saved? Can they be saved? No, they can't, because they're still looking at the laws-- I was saying this morning, you take part next thing you know, you projected it on. They're still looking at the law to save them. Yeah. So we come back. We come back. So he is. So here it is that he says I am. He is. And we saw that X is 313 and 14. Moses at the burning bush. He is the self-existing one. And mostly in the gospel of John, you see a bunch of I.M.s. And there is the-- I did a sermon on that one. On all of them. I'm the way to the line. Just always the road. I am the bread. Life, I am. There was the-- remember, we've been over it with Abraham when he was confronting the Pharisees. And Pharisees said, you're not even 50 years old, he says, before Abraham, I am. Now when you see that-- Yeah. --and we've taught that, usually like the New America standard, I don't know about the ESV or the ESV says or other translation. But usually you'll see it in there. And remember, when you see italicize, it means that the word was added. The translators, I mean, the interpreters of the translation, they did an injustice to the Bible when they say, I am he. No, they shouldn't know. They should have just left it as I am. Because you lose the meaning when you add the pronoun he on it. No, I am. He says-- and you look at it, it's italicized. And he said, before Abraham, I am. They picked up stones and got ready to stone him. Why? Because he had just admitted that he was God. And he claimed in that God. I love the-- I love John 18-4 when it came when Jesus was in the garden. He knew where I was going. He's in the garden. Go ahead and explain, Michael. Well, they asked him what he was. They come to arrest him, right? Yeah. And did they not all-- Jesus says, who do you seek? Who do you seek? He said, Jesus of Nazareth, or I guess. Go ahead. John 18-4. Go ahead and read it. So Jesus, no way all the things that were coming upon him went forth and said to them, who do you seek? They answered him, Jesus, the Nazarene. He said to them, I am. And Judas also, who was betraying him, was standing with them. So when he said to them, I am. Then he drew back and fell to the ground. They lost all muscle control. They were, I'd say, probably even with their pants. But just at that, at that, you could imagine that, it demonstrated his control. You know those when they were beating him mercifully. They did not recognize that the guards did not recognize those who nailed him to the cross did not recognize the Pharisees certainly and the scribes did recognize. That their very heartbeat was being sustained by this very one that they were persecuting. You know who was saved on that, I bet? We don't have-- it's conjecture. But when Simon cut the ear off of the one, and Jesus healed him, two things. Simon would have probably gotten executed for attacking the soldier, a Roman soldier. So now there's no evidence. No evidence. That is good. For Simon to be held against. And the soldier felt the pain of the ear being removed. Had to. And then all of a sudden, for it to be. I mean, it's conjecture. But for him to-- Jesus touched him. There's something to respond to, including the miracle. I need to find out about this. Yeah, it's going to be-- I wonder if Malcolm's got saved? Don't know. When Christ put it back on-- Oh, is that his name? Malcolm's. Yeah, I'm sorry, I didn't renew his name. But see, that one-- I'd like to thank the video. I think he kind of stepped away from a guard detachment at that time. Let's follow you if you guys see-- Not only was he blown back. Well, I guess that was a depiction I've seen. When he says, I am. But I like that day to day. They lost all, like, something exited him. Oh, muscle control. Well, what was it that happened to their bodies? That made them just-- yeah, that might be a good question to ask. What caused them might be? But he is-- and he says, from those two words, I am. So a point of application. Our faith is not based on our ability to bleed but upon the integrity of the object, of our belief. That is who and what we believe in. We can believe in many things. But that belief, no matter how strongly we can believe it, will never carry a person onto victory if the object of that faith is not worthy. So whatever you believe in, it's just like man. Of course, it is a man who puts his trust in man. You put your faith in this man. You believed in this man. If it's not Jesus, it's worthless. And point of doctrine, the merit of one's faith lies in the object of one's faith, not in one's effort in believing. We go to Hebrews, chapter 11, chapter 11, verse 6, and without faith, man, I'll give this one to you. Verse 6. [INAUDIBLE] OK. [INAUDIBLE] Yeah. And without faith, faith, it is impossible to please him. For he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. There is that he is. That we have a-- see, we're not believing in faith. There's faith in this faith. Faith has to have an object. Faith is just believing upon belief itself that everything's going to get squared away. But so without faith, it is impossible to believe him. Once again, our attributes come back in. For he who comes to God must believe that he is, that he exists, that he is the self-existing one. All right, I think we've got enough time to hit the-- I was now. Anything else for he is, Bart? I can talk afterwards. All right. You mentioned God say it. Go ahead and say it. What left them? Go back to the garden. You remember when the woman touched his rope? Very good. Yes. And something left him. And we talked about how the miracles that he performed there was something that was taken from him every time he would exercise this. Like it depleted him. And it's interesting, because I think about the miracles and it depleting him. But then I guess I'm going in the opposite direction. I wonder if when he proclaims, I am, that it just sucked everything out of everybody around him. He's all power, haven't we? And it's us. I think it's our conjecture. Let me know what you find out. It's-- if you find out anymore on there. I've never thought to ask. I've just considered that the very sustainer pulled back what he was sustaining. And they lost all muscle control. I don't know. That would be a pretty brave man to continue to do what they were doing after that situation. All right, verse four, John to the seven churches that are in Asia, "Grace to you and peace from him, who is and who was." Now, "was" seems to be a note of a past reality. Is that fair to say, past reality? You know, something that was. Something that was that was no longer. But this is not the case. We-- Jesus is eternal. He's not only the son of a man who came in flesh and is now sitting at the right-handed father, incidentally, spirits don't sit. So therefore, we have the humanity of Christ was somewhere-- is currently somewhere in the universe, sitting, interesting note. But he's coming again in the flesh. But he is also eternal God. Of course, we know John 1-1 very well, don't we? In the beginning, was the word. Word was with God. And the word was with God. You see, Jesus is-- and what's the word for the word? Logos. Logos means message, statement, word. Jesus is the message. He is the message of God. He is the human message. And these messages, this is how God so loved the world, that with all the rejection of the messages throughout the ages, he's got one more try. If they don't get this, if they don't get it this time, then there is no hope, because Jesus is the only hope. He was with God. He was God, which means that he's eternal. Never was a time when he did not exist. And so here he is, speaks of his attributes. He was always there. We see him as a man and as John says in 1 John 1, that what we've seen with our eyes, what we've touched with our hands. And then this one was in the beginning with God. This one was in the beginning of God. Nothing can be its own source. Nothing can be its own of its own cause. There has to be a cause before everything. And Jesus is the cause of all things. Colossians, somebody gave me Colossians 1.15. It was just thinking about it. Colossians 1.15? I think I'm into existence without him. Right. Is that where we're going? Yes, exactly where we're going. Read that one for me. You're reading that. Good. No, it wasn't. I was thinking about it. I want to say it. Take it back. 1. 1.15. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation for by him all things were created in the heavens and on earth visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things and in him all things hold together. He is also. Okay. We'll go. Yeah. Exactly. All things hold together. He is the sustainer of all things. And like I said, we, nothing is of its own cause. Isn't it amazing how this is just tying in with what happens to you isn't it? Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. And I'll tell you what happens to you and Richard and the other. All things demand a creator. All things have to demand a cause if you travel along the highway and you come across the hill and you see a town that has just been devastated. You know, it just didn't happen. Something caused it to happen. Just didn't happen. Our, our very life, it's, it's really, I've got, got a book over there on the shelf. I've read it before at Geisler. I don't have enough faith to be an atheist. I mean, and that in itself is it bottles of mine. It takes more, it takes more to believe, to believe that we were created out of nothing. And to, to believe that there is a God, to understand that there is a creator that created us. I remember the one of my professors was talking about, you see a watch, you know, there's a watchmaker. You see the world, it's got to be a world maker. I just thought that was good. That was one of those theories that approved some God that came in in the 1800s that spread all over the world. I didn't, I didn't interrupt you today when you were talking about miracles. And I was thinking about a watchmaker there. Okay, a watchmaker designs a watch to function a certain way. Can a watchmaker design a watch to go backwards? If he chooses to do so, you know, God, in miracles, he functions outside of his design. He created it, if he created it, he can make it work any way he wants to. He has it. It's to work, he's designed it to work a certain way, but if God chose to, they work a different way just to get our attention, he most certainly can. So with that, we're going to close it out. We'll pick up with the six propositions on Tuesday night. And, and then we'll finish out with, and he is to come. So I'll mention watchmaker and the, and then you mentioned Geisler and that was in the systematic theology book saying that this reality we see, if it was just by chance, is like saying that a print, printing press could explore and create the dictionary. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, a lot of good. Or tornado went through a junkyard and a airplane came out to fully assemble. I mean, how could you really, a rational mind, you can't, and one thing I've learned in, learned in life, in my own, in my own application, I've always thought everybody was smarter than me. And so there are people who are out there like that, that they're not, they're not the experts. And if you're not the experts, then you're an ignoramorous. You have to rely on the experts. It's like, and the experts say that, and this is even churches, the experts say to you that women, I've got a diploma on my wall that says I'm a children's minister, don't try this at home. You know, when you are your children, ministers. So they go to school, the school is our public education, they're dubbed with. These are people that know we're sending our children to people who know. And they are stupid, especially when they say that, you know, they start passing evolution on as being a science, and we have a tendency to believe that because it's science. That's science, you know, but once again, I'm not an expert, I don't know, when you have the Bible here, God has given us a sense, so we're not. So if we, if we have that much doubt in our own knowledge and our capability of understanding them, you know, we're going to accept everything, well, I don't understand. That is a face structure though. Well, I don't understand. I haven't been here billions of years ago to see this thing crawled out. So how do I know it didn't? Faith. What's that? Faith. Faith. Faith. Faith. You have faith. You have faith there, which don't make no, which I cannot even buy, which does goes beyond every sense. Well, is it that they have faith or that they're just in such suppression of the truth that they'll leave the lie? That's what Romans once says. All right. Let's close it out and we will. Good conversation. Good guy. Yeah. Very much so. Let's close it out with a compound to every, no, did we do that already? Higher ground. I'll get it back up here. It's already up there. Let me see when it's. That's not there. Maybe you can harm it. Oh, he's getting some. Oh, he's getting some. He's getting some. He's getting some. He's getting some. Oh, I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. A little problem with that. A little bit. A little bit. A little. All right, higher ground and George, if you will, close it out with us after. Okay. Here we go. Let's go. That's not going. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] I think thank you. Thank you for being in your house. Worship, praise you. Honor you. Give you the glory. God, go with us. We go through this week. Have us to use something that we learned today to tell others about our wrists and savor. We don't have to tell them we can show them. We can live, God just be with us. We go through it and bless each person here. Since in Jesus' name we pray, amen, amen, amen, amen. Amen, amen, amen. That was Brenda Williams that called. She left her a loss to her glasses. And she asked if that was colored back. I think she loves to...
from the one who is and was and who is to come