Whats Next 2005 Series Lessons 7-29

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What’s Next Series Signs of His Coming Matthew 24:3, 8, 33 Please open with me to Matthew 24. The disciples ask Jesus a question that interests all of us, I’m so glad they did. Follow along as they ask in Matthew 24:3, and as Jesus answers them in verse 8 and 33. This week I had some unexpected time to think about the future. I sat on an airplane in Albany, NY for over four hours, and then got stranded another 12 hours in Chicago. I was studying What’s Next. I was examining just how much God has left for us to know about the future. Here is what I found summarized by a series of NUMBERS! I hold in my hand the ONE Book that God wrote—the Bible. That one book has TWO parts—the Old Testament and the New Testament. Those two parts are made up of SIXTY-SIX individual books we call the 39 Old Testament books and the 27 New Testament books. This one book, made up of 66 books has a total of 31,103 verses. Of all the verses in the Bible 8,352 verse are prophetic or spoke to future events. All Biblical predictions about the future in these thousands verses can be grouped into 737 different predictions1. Of these 8,352 verses, 6,312 (or 522 different predictions) have already happened to the letter, JUST LIKE God’s Word said they would. That leaves just about 2,040 verses with 215 specific predictions from God about the end of the world that are in process of being fulfilled. 2 So, the Bible contains many specific events that would signal the end of days for life on planet earth as it has been for the past several thousand years. Each of the prophetic signs Christ and His apostles gave are specific and not vague.

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Bible Prophecies can be divided into EIGHTEEN chronological categories (by the timing of the events). There are only FIVE categories of the eighteen left to be fulfilled. They are: church prophecies, Second Coming prophecies, Millennial prophecies, Final Judgment prophecies, and New Jerusalem prophecies. 2 J. Barton Payne, Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980), pp. 631-675. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 1

Jesus explained to us in Matthew 24, verses 8 and 33-34—that these events would begin at the same time, run concurrently, and crescendo like the pains of a woman giving birth—the closer we get to His Second coming. Matthew 24:8, 33-34 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. The list of Biblical Signs of Christ's Return will not actually be full blown until the Tribulation time. Each of the signs of Christ's Return He said--are trends. These trends are speeding up—the last seconds of the countdown clock of Christ's return are clicking down. Each day the prophetic picture Christ painted grows clearer. Each of these signs were captured by the apostles and prophets between 2,000 and 3,500 years ago. Now they are happening in our lifetime! But, in all of history--ONLY our generation has seen EVERY ONE of these events starting to unfold. All of the yet to be completed prophecies fit within these seven major events. Probably the most exciting of all are the signs of Christ's Second Coming. There are dozens of them. Jesus described many of them in incredible detail. But here is what I want you to see—Jesus said these signs would not suddenly appear. He said that they would rather become a trend that amplified and strengthened until it became overwhelming like “birth pangs”. Before I survey the seven major events and help you get each one clearly in your mind, let me give you just a handful of the precise, clear, specific predictions that Christ's Words in this Book give us. You may be startled. Every one of the signs Christ gave are present in your world today. You are the first generation in all of history to experience these trends, these signs—all at once! What are some of them? We will actually in the days ahead look at these in detail, but here they are in summary. 1. The Sign of Global Travel. Daniel was overwhelmed when he caught a glimpse of the number and speed at which people were moving about the planet. Daniel 12:4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” The Bible says that there would be many involved in travel, and today the transportation industry is one of the largest segments of the global economy. Prior to the industrial revolution, few t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 2

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individuals traveled beyond their community. Until recently, horse, foot, and boat were the only modes of transportation. Yet, in our day millions travel to and fro great distances every year. The Sign of a Global Explosion of Knowledge. Knowledge would increase. This month saw the introduction of a new generation of computer chip. Each generation has basically doubled the processing speed and power. The newest chip called the “Cell” doesn’t double—it multiplies everything that the computer does by sixty times. Daniel 12:4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase (Isaiah 11:9). Specifically, this is referring to an understanding of Bible prophecy, but also an increase in scientific knowledge is implied. The Sign of Global Weather gone wild. Jesus foresaw the time when weather would be so bad that not just a few, but the whole world would be troubled, fearful, and killed by the fear of chaotic weather that would become prevalent. Luke 21:25-26 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Jesus foresaw those seas and the waves roaring in the last days, and compared these trends to birth pangs. Matthew 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. The Greek word odin, often translated as sorrows in Matthew 24:8, literally means birth pangs. Paul explains to us that all of creation is under the curse of sin. Romans 8:21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. While creation awaits the coming of the Liberator Himself, Christ the Lord—just as when delivery draws near, birth pangs always increase in both intensity and frequency--so the universe itself will travail as the time of delivery draws near. Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Of course chaotic weather has always existed, but there are indications that we are witnessing an increase in strange weather. The Sign of Global Telecommunication and Television. God's Word explicitly declares that mankind will be able to see and hear globally. When the world fastest know means of travel was the speed of a horse—God says the whole world will see an event and all at the same time, celebrate that event! Truly global communication was foreseen. Revelation 11:9-10 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. Revelation 17:8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not,

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and yet is. The Bible predicts that the entire world will "see" certain events unfold. The invention of the television and the deployment of global satellite networks during the 20th century allow news to travel the world at the speed of light for the first time ever. Remember that in the Apostle John's day, news traveled at the speed of horseback. The Sign of Global Evangelism. Never before our generation was it possible to even know how many people are on this planet. Never was it possible to see the entire planet, let alone reach it all. Today we can send an email anywhere, bounce a radio or television wave anywhere, travel anywhere and most of all—get the Gospel anywhere on this planet. My little website alone has visitors from over 100 different nations on earth. The Christian gospel would be preached as a warning to all nations. Remember what Jesus said? Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Mark 13:10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. Today, portions or the entire Bible have been translated into over 2,300 languages and dialects covering over 90% of the world's population. The Sign of Global Pestilences. Despite an increase in scientific knowledge, deadly diseases (which the Bible calls "pestilences") would be prevalent. Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. Emerging diseases such as AIDS, Ebola, Hanta virus, Dengue, West Nile, SARS, etc., underscore this fact. Ironically, just a few decades ago, some scientists were forecasting that advances in medicine might soon eradicate deadly diseases. The Sign of Global Tracking and Positioning. There would be technology capable of tracking the world's population and commerce. Revelation 13:16-17 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Visit: Technology Club-Goers in Spain Get Implanted Chips for ID, Payment Purposes (April 14, 2004) Being recognized has never been easier for VIP patrons of the Baja Beach Club in Barcelona, Spain. Like a scene out of a science-fiction movie, all it takes is a syringe-injected microchip implant for the beautiful men and women of the nightclub scene to breeze past a "reader" that recognizes their identity, credit balance and even automatically opens doors to exclusive areas of the club for them. They can buy drinks and food with a wave of their hand and don't need to worry about losing a credit card or wallet. "By simply passing by our reader, the Baja Beach Club will know who you are and what your credit balance is," Conrad K. Chase explains. Chase is director of the Baja Beach Club in Barcelona. "From the moment of their implantation they will also have free entry and access to the VIP area," he said. The Sign of Weapons of Mass Destruction. We all have started saying a word these days—and have no idea how sobering it should be. God says that at the end of the world--Mankind would be capable of destroying all life. Matthew 24:21-22 For then there will be great tribulation, such as

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has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. Consider that when Jesus made this prediction the armaments of His day were swords and spears. But today, with nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, it is possible to wipe out all flesh on planet earth. 9.

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The Sign of the Return of the Wandering Jews to the Promised Land. God promised over 26 centuries ago that at the end of the world--Jews would begin to regather in Israel. Jeremiah 31:7-10 For thus says the Lord: “Sing with gladness for Jacob, And shout among the chief of the nations; Proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘O Lord, save Your people, The remnant of Israel!’ 8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, And gather them from the ends of the earth, Among them the blind and the lame, The woman with child And the one who labors with child, together; A great throng shall return there. 9 They shall come with weeping, And with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, In a straight way in which they shall not stumble; For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn. 10 “Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’ Ezekiel 37:21-22 “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; 22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. Ezekiel 38:8 After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. Since 1948 the world has witnessed the call of God deep within the hearts of 5.4 million Jews who have done everything they could to get to the Promised Land. And more arrive each day! The Sign of Israel Building a Security Wall. God told Ezekiel 150 years after “Israel” had been captured, its cities destroyed, and the population exiled to Assyria by Sargon, that Israel would build walls for security—there had been no “Israel” for 150 years! And, there was no place called Israel for 2,520 years after the Assyrian conquest—until 1948. Listen to what Ezekiel was told to say. There would be a people gathered from across the world to Israel (38:12). They would be called Israel (38:18). But here is the amazing verse (38:11) they would dwell in a land where the walls have been taken down. This has always been spoken of as an illusion to defensive preparations—until 3 years ago. Israel has been building now for three years the most notorious wall in the world, trying to slow the flow of suicide bombers. And that wall will be built, because Ezekiel saw it taken down when Israel accepts the European

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Peace Treaty (through the Antichrist’s rule) and trusts in a false peace as foretold. This series that I am calling “What’s Next?” is a look at the clear and well described events that lay ahead for us who know Jesus, and for planet earth. There are seven major events. I call these seven steps from Now to Eternity! RAPTURE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST TRIBULATION SECOND COMING MILLENNIUM GREAT WHITE THRONE HEAVEN

I THESS. 4 2 CORIN. 5 REV. 6-19 REV. 19 REV. 20 REV. 20 REV. 21-22

BE BE BE BE BE BE BE

READY – Christ is Coming HOLY – Christ will test our lives. THANKFUL – Christ will keep us from the hour. PATIENT – Christ will right all wrongs. FOCUSED – Christ will perfect the earth FAITHFUL – Point people to Christ. INVESTING – Lay up treasure in Heaven.

Rapture: Be Ready--1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Christ's Judgment Bema: Be Holy--2 Corinthians 5:1-10 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Tribulation: Be Thankful—Revelation 6:1-17 t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 6

Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. 3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. 5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” 7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. 9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. 12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Christ's Second Coming: Be Patient--Revelation 19:1-21 After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! 2 For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” 3 Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” 4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” 6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 7

and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” 11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” 19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Millennium: Be Focused—Revelation 20:1-10 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. 7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 8

Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Great White Throne: Be Faithful—Rev20:11-15 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Heaven: Be Investing—Rev21:1-7; 22:1-5 Revelation 21:1-22:21 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. 4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. APPLICATION

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What are you intensely asking (begging) God to be doing through your life that will last forever? Christ said here is something anyone in my family can do! Here is what you do that I love, and I make your investments in these areas last forever. Jesus said: •

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I collect all of your prayers - PRAY! Revelation 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints. (KJV) I multiply sacrificial gifts - GIVE! Mark 12:42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. (KJV) do rest I count souls you lead to me - WIN! Daniel 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. 1 Corinthians 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. (KJV) 1st thes 2.19 I remember humble service - SERVE! Mark 14:3 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. (KJV) do rest I love missionaries that do outreach - GO! Matthew 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. (KJV)

To obey Jesus we must “watch and pray”. That is how we can resist the temptations that lure us. Then we will be ready when our Lord returns. Christ's Throne of Judgment is a part of His overall plan. Remember GOD’S PANORAMA OF AGES? These are the steps from here tonight to Eternity that God's Word has mapped out for all who study His Word. RAPTURE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST TRIBULATION SECOND COMING MILLENNIUM GREAT WHITE THRONE HEAVEN

I THESS. 4 2 CORIN. 5 REV. 6-19 REV. 19 REV. 20 REV. 20 REV. 21-22

BE BE BE BE BE BE BE

READY – Christ is Coming HOLY – Christ will test our lives. THANKFUL – Christ will keep us from the hour. PATIENT – Christ will right all wrongs. FOCUSED – Christ will perfect the earth FAITHFUL – Point people to Christ. INVESTING – Lay up treasure in Heaven.

What does the Judgment Seat of Christ always boil down to? TIME. Time is the only thing we can’t recover, earn more of, get from someone else, or do over again. It is an irreversible river flowing by ceaselessly at sixty seconds per minute, sixty minutes per hour. Are you giving significant, regular, sacrificial time to God?

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050220am Whats Next-01

What’s Next Series-2 Signs of His Coming Matthew 24:3, 8, 33 God left us the greatest book ever written. He watched over every word that is in this book. This book is our guide, our plan for how to live every day of our lives until Christ comes or calls. As we saw this morning, this book is a book or books. I hold in my hand the ONE Book that God wrote—the Bible. That one book has TWO parts—the Old Testament and the New Testament. Those two parts are made up of SIXTY-SIX individual books we call the 39 Old Testament books and the 27 New Testament books. This one book, made up of 66 books has a total of 31,103 verses. Of all the verses in the Bible 8,352 verse are prophetic or spoke to future events. All Biblical predictions about the future in these thousands verses can be grouped into 737 different predictions3. Of these 8,352 verses, 6,312 (or 522 different predictions) have already happened to the letter, JUST LIKE God’s Word said they would. That leaves just about 2,040 verses with 215 specific predictions from God about the end of the world that are in process of being fulfilled. 4 This series that I am calling “What’s Next?” is a look at the clear and well described events that lay ahead for us who know Jesus, and for planet earth. There are seven major events. All remaining prophecies in the Bible are tied to one of these events. These are the seven steps that each of us should have marked in our Bibles and lodged in our hearts. With each of these steps there is an affirmation God wants uis to make for Him. I hope that you will do so with me as we study this evening! I call these seven steps from Now to Eternity! RAPTURE

I THESS. 4

BE READY – Christ is Coming for me

3

Bible Prophecies can be divided into EIGHTEEN chronological categories (by the timing of the events). There are only FIVE categories of the eighteen left to be fulfilled. They are: church prophecies, Second Coming prophecies, Millennial prophecies, Final Judgment prophecies, and New Jerusalem prophecies. 4 J. Barton Payne, Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980), pp. 631-675. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 11

JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST TRIBULATION SECOND COMING MILLENNIUM GREAT WHITE THRONE HEAVEN

2 CORIN. 5 REV. 6-19 REV. 19 REV. 20 REV. 20 REV. 21-22

BE BE BE BE BE BE

HOLY – Christ will test my life. THANKFUL – Christ will keep me from the hour. PATIENT – Christ will right all wrongs. FOCUSED – Christ will perfect the earth FAITHFUL – I will point people to Christ. INVESTING – I will lay up treasure in Heaven.

Rapture: Be Ready--1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 for me!

Christ is Coming

13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. How did Paul minister to them? He gave them the same plan he gave any other sinner. God’s recovery program is sanctification! When Paul proclaimed Christ to those deep in the dungeon of sin, he offered a recovery program. The vice grip of sin could be destroyed and the sin appetite abated. Did Paul see lasting change? Resoundingly the Scriptures say YES! The vivid reality of washed saints, cleansed from the filth of sin’s prison, is the grandest picture the first-century church passed on to us. Excavating the secret of this recovery program takes us to one of the ancient provinces of Rome and the city of Thessalonica

THE CITY Early this century a group of French archaeologists began to excavate the ancient ruins of a city along the coast of the Aegean Sea. As the work progressed they came to the NECROPOLIS or "City of the Dead". Apart from the Necropolis was a separate area - a CEMETERY "sleeping place" KOIMEO. To the amazement of the archeologists was the presence of a unique word seldom if ever used in the ancient world: AMEMPTOS. Across each white marble slab deeply cut was a message that crossed the dust of centuries. There are many illustrations of Christ's deliverance of His own before times of great judgment. Here are just two to ponder. •

The Flood: Noah was kept through the Flood (a picture of the Jews), the world perished in the Flood, and Enoch was evacuated before the Flood (a picture of the church).

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•

The Fiery Furnace: The three Hebrew youth (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) were kept safe through the fire (a picture of the Jews), the soldiers were destroyed in the fire, and Daniel was out of town before the fire (a picture of the Jews) as he was not present at the huge image festival so he had to have been away on the King’s business.

Christ's Judgment Bema: Be Holy--2 Corinthians 5:1-10 will test my life.

Christ

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Tribulation: Be Thankful—Revelation 6:1-17 from that hour!

Christ will keep me

Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. 3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. 5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” 7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. 9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 13

Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. 12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Christ's Second Coming: Be Patient--Revelation 19:1-21 will right all wrongs.

Christ

After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! 2 For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” 3 Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” 4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” 6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” 11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 14

in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” 19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Millennium: Be Focused—Revelation 20:1-10 the earth.

Christ will perfect

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. 7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Great White Throne: Be Faithful—Rev20:11-15 to Jesus.

I will point people

11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 15

who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Heaven: Be Investing—Rev21:1-7; 22:1-5 in Heaven.

I will lay up treasures

Revelation 21:1-22:21 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. 4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. What are you intensely asking (begging) God to be doing through your life that will last forever? Christ said here is something anyone in my family can do! Here is what you do that I love, and I make your investments in these areas last forever. Jesus said: •

• •

I collect all of your prayers - PRAY! Revelation 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints. (KJV) I multiply sacrificial gifts - GIVE! Mark 12:42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. (KJV) do rest I count souls you lead to me - WIN! Daniel 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. 1 Corinthians 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I

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•

•

have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. (KJV) 1st thes 2.19 I remember humble service - SERVE! Mark 14:3 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. (KJV) do rest I love missionaries that do outreach - GO! Matthew 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. (KJV)

To obey Jesus we must “watch and pray”. That is how we can resist the temptations that lure us. Then we will be ready when our Lord returns. Christ's Throne of Judgment is a part of His overall plan. Remember GOD’S PANORAMA OF AGES? These are the steps from here tonight to Eternity that God's Word has mapped out for all who study His Word. RAPTURE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST TRIBULATION SECOND COMING MILLENNIUM GREAT WHITE THRONE HEAVEN

I THESS. 4 2 CORIN. 5 REV. 6-19 REV. 19 REV. 20 REV. 20 REV. 21-22

BE BE BE BE BE BE BE

READY – Christ is Coming for me HOLY – Christ will test my life. THANKFUL – Christ will keep me from the hour. PATIENT – Christ will right all wrongs. FOCUSED – Christ will perfect the earth FAITHFUL – I will point people to Christ. INVESTING – I will lay up treasure in Heaven.

What does the Judgment Seat of Christ always boil down to? TIME. Time is the only thing we can’t recover, earn more of, get from someone else, or do over again. It is an irreversible river flowing by ceaselessly at sixty seconds per minute, sixty minutes per hour. Are you giving significant, regular, sacrificial time to God?

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050227am Whats Next-03

What’s Next Series-3 Pestilences Luke 21:11 Tonight a menacing plague is stalking our planet. Quietly in farms and homes across Asia a global, deadly, unstoppable inflenza pestilence is mutating, strengthening—and trying to find a way out. Last time it got out almost four million people died in 1964. The time before that almost eighty million died in 1918. In fact, 1918 was the greatest disaster America has ever had with almost ½ million dying in just a few weeks time. Now to get this all in perspective, think of the big picture of planet earth. Almost five million people die each month on earth anyway—but Jesus warned of something bigger. Something frightful. He said that a plague, a pestilence, a wall of death is going to stalk the entire planet. He said that if these catastrophic events didn’t stop they would wipe out all human life.

World Vital Events Per Time Unit: 2005 Time unit Births Deaths increase ------------------------------------------------Year 129,908,352 56,622,744 73,285,608 Month 10,825,696 4,718,562 6,107,134 Day 355,913 155,131 200,782 Hour 14,830 6,464 8,366 Minute 247 108 139 Second 4.1 1.8 2.3

Listen to Jesus as we open again to Luke 21:11 where we see that one of the signs of His Coming is when we see the onslaught of global pestilences. Luke 21:11 And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. There have always been diseases, plagues, and pestilences—but never have they been global until the advent of Global Travel. Think about it—most carriers of a plague would die before they got very far up until the 19th century with steam engines. Then with air travel in the 20th century—it is now possible to harbor a plague or pestilence, board a

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flight and land before you get to the final stages and thus expose everyone around you to that plague. Look at what Jesus also said in the same context. Mark and Matthew capture this same message. Only they also record that Jesus said something ominous about how powerful these pestilences will be. Mark 13:20 And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days. Matthew 24:22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. Remember the ominous proportion of this future pestilence being an extinction level event, and remembering the nearly self-limiting nature of ancient travel speeds—no one could live long enough to spread these plagues globally until the 20th century. Now think back to last Sunday night as I was speaking the news of the deadly advent of a global plague began to cross the news lines. It is amazing that instead of talking about what may happen—we are now talking about what IS happening. Listen to the February 28th edition of New Yorker Magazine5 (that is tomorrow’s edition): " The vicious avian flu that has killed dozens of people in Vietnam, Thailand, and elsewhere in the region has caused the deaths of hundreds of millions of animals in nearly a dozen Asian countries in the past two years and could kill millions of people if it becomes capable of spreading efficiently among humans. No such virus has ever spread so quickly over such a wide geographical area, and, unlike most viruses, this one has already affected a more diverse group than any other type of flu, and it has killed many animals previously thought to be resistant." One farmer whose chickens were killed by the virus says, "It's so hard to watch. One day, they're all alive and healthy-the vets were here the week before to check them-and the next day they're dying by the thousand. It happened so quickly. They started shivering, thousands of them at once. And then they started to fall. Every one of them. They just fell over, dead." Scott Dowell, the director of the Centers for Disease Control's Thailand office, tells Specter,

5

Michael Specter, "Nature's Bioterrorist" (p.50), February 28, 2005, issue of The New Yorker.

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"The world just has no idea what it's going to see if this thing comes. When, really. It's when. I don't think we can afford the luxury of the word 'if' anymore.... The clock is ticking. We just don't know what time it is." Robert Webster, a virologist at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, in Memphis, who has been studying avian influenza for decades, is even more stark. "This is the worst flu virus I have ever seen or worked with or read about. We have to prepare as if we were going to war-and the public needs to understand that clearly. This virus is playing its role as a natural bioterrorist. . . . if it does happen, and I fully expect that it will, there will be no place for any of us to hide. Not in the United States or in Europe or in a bunker somewhere. The virus is a very promiscuous and effective killer." Not all politicians have ignored the threat; when Tommy Thompson, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, announced his resignation, last December, he cited an avian- influenza epidemic as one of the greatest dangers the United States faces. The World Health Organization's conservative estimate of the number of deaths that an epidemic would cause is seven million worldwide. Michael Osterholm, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, calculates that a pandemic on the scale of the devastating global influenza epidemic of 1918 would kill at least a hundred and eighty million people today. Specter reports on the efforts of health officials in the United States, Thailand, and other countries to contain the virus as best they can. Developing...6 Here is another headline from the news this week--

Avian Flu World's No. 1 Threat, CDC Head Says Avian flu poses the single biggest threat to the world right now and health officials may not yet have all the tools they need to fight it, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Julie Gerberding said on Monday. "This is a very ominous situation for the globe. I think we can all recognize a similar pattern probably occurred prior to 1918," she said, referring to the 1918 pandemic of influenza, which also passed from birds to people and killed between 20 million and 40 million people globally. The H5N1 avian flu, which first appeared in Hong Kong in 1997 and has since popped up twice, is evolving and can jump directly from birds to people, killing an estimated 72 percent of diagnosed victims, Gerberding said. Officials have documented 45 deaths so far from avian flu.

6

Drudge MAG: Avian Flu, On the Verge of an Epidemic Sun Feb 20 2005 11:30:41 ET.

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Gerberding said influenza was far more infectious than severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS, which swept out of China in 2003, killing 800 people and causing global concern before it was stopped. Health experts have also pointed out influenza kills much faster than diseases such as AIDS, taking tens of millions of lives in the space of weeks or months. People transmit flu before they become ill themselves so it would be almost impossible to stop it by watching or isolating sick people, Gerberding said.7 This assessment, she said, is based on the known history of the flu virus. The avian flu now spreading in Asia is part of what is called the H1 family of flu viruses. It is a pathogen that is notorious in human history. "Each time we see a new H1 antigen emerge, we experience a pandemic of influenza," said Gerberding. In 1918, H1 appeared and [up to 40] millions died worldwide. In 1957, the Asian flu [less than a million deaths] was an H2, and the Hong Kong flu [3-4 million deaths] in 1968 was a H3. There had been small appearances of the H1-type of avian viruses in other years, but nothing like the H5 now rampaging through the birds of Asia. Study already has shown that the virus can infect cats who can then infect other cats, which Gerberding said was "another harbinger" of the possibility of a human pandemic. "The science here is all alerting us that we have a great deal to be concerned about," she said. The CDC chief said her agency is getting ready for a possible pandemic next year.8 Now for those of us who just let everything fly by us, listen--here is what all that means. When the World Health Organization starts comparing a new flu virus to the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, it is something that should cause everyone to sit up and take notice. The 1918 epidemic was the worst epidemic the United States has ever experienced. It was so virulent that it caused the median life expectancy of Americans in 1918 to drop by ten years. More than a half-million Americans died after contracting the virus. World-wide, it was so deadly that it killed between 25 and 40 MILLION people in 1918-1919. The strain was unusual in that it killed young and healthy victims, as 7

Feb 21, 2:07 PM (ET) By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent WASHINGTON (Reuters). http://www.centralchronicle.com/20050223/2302142.htm http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,148270,00.html 8

CDC: Bird Flu Could Become Epidemic, Tuesday, February 22, 2005, http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,148270,00.html t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 21

opposed to more common influenzas which caused the bulk of their mortality among the old and infirm. People without symptoms could be struck suddenly and be rendered too feeble to walk within hours; many would die the next day. Symptoms included a blue tint to the face and coughing up blood. Nobody was safe from the Spanish Flu. The only inhabited place of any real size that wasn't touched by an outbreak of the virus was the island of Marajo at the mouth of the Amazon River. In the case of H5N1, the incubation period after exposure is between two and ten days. It takes less that 12 hours to fly from anywhere in the world to almost anywhere else. A person could become infected in Asia, hop a plane to the States, ride mass transit and eat in restaurants for a week before coming down with any symptoms. Everybody who came in contact with that first person would also have between two and ten days to infect everybody they came in contact with. H5N1 could duplicate the 1918 pandemic in a matter of weeks, rather than months. Now turn to the inspired ending of human history, when the Lord is reeling in the rebellious planet look at Revelation 6 with me. "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." (Revelation 6:8) The rider on the pale horse begins his deadly ride at some point during the Tribulation, and before his ride is over, a quarter of the population of mankind will be dead, from either war, famine or 'the beasts of the earth'. The word translated 'beasts' is 'therion' in Greek, and means a 'venomous beast'. H5N1 is a viral infection that scientists fear has crossed over from the beasts of the earth to human to human transmission. A virus is, in and of itself, a living thing -- a 'venomous beast' by definition. Taken together with the other signs of the soon return of the Lord, we have something of a loose time frame. For two thousand years, that time frame was 'someday, eventually.' For this generation, the ability to kill a quarter of mankind with war, famine and infectious disease fits into a time frame of today, tomorrow, or, as Dr Simor observed, t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 22

"if not this year or the next, the following year", depending on the 'if-then'' factor. . IF Iran doesn't get nuclear weapons, IF the Pakistanis and Indians don't nuke each other, IF North Korea doesn't use its atomic bombs, IF a vaccine is discovered for H5N1, IF terrorists don't get their hands on bio-weapons, IF no global war arises out of our newly articulated policy of spreading democracy into the Third World, and IF the Middle East conflict doesn't spark a global thermonuclear war first, THEN, maybe it might take a little longer. But before all this, "the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." "Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1st Thessalonians 4:16-18) 9 Do you have that hope? Is Christ's forgiveness applied to your life? If not, it can be today. God still stands with open arms saying: Isaiah 45:22 “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. So many people around us could die in the next year—unexpectedly and rapidly, and most of them LOST. They would enter at death the place called by various terms in God's Word--the grave, hades, hell, the pit, and sheol. That is a place that has been feared since the earliest times of life on this planet. It is a dark place of endless night, a dreary place of never hope. Most people think about this place more and more the older we get. There are dozens of verses in the Bible that take us through the door of death and let us tour the afterlife. We have toured heaven several times in our prophetic studies. Tonight I would like to take you on a tour of the grave--the destination of the vast majority of people that you live with, work with, and see around you in daily life. “You and I, everybody you meet, from the mailman to the guy next to you at work, has an eternal destiny. That destiny is either a joyful existence in the presence of God, or a

9

Vol: 40 Issue: 25 - Tuesday, January 25, 2005 - Plain Text, The Beasts of the Earth.

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Christ-less eternity in the place prepared for the devil and his angels. It is a real place.”10 Now let me show you something that may change the whole way you look at death, dying, the grave and the afterlife. The expert witness, the only one who has ever gone to the grave and returned to report on it is Jesus. And no one has more to say and has a greater reliability on this to do with the afterlife than Jesus. As Revelation 1 says—He alone has the keys to death and to the grave! Here is what He has revealed. Jesus told a parable in Luke 12:16-20 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ Now turn a few chapters to Luke 16. Here Jesus tells of Lazarus and the rich man. Luke 16:19-20: “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, Hold on. Look what is missing. Jesus did NOT say, 'Learn the parable of the rich man'. No He speaks in a different way, He said 'there WAS a certain rich man.' Jesus was speaking of a literal event of which He, as God, had knowledge. Now continue reading: Luke 16:22-24 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ Stop again. Jesus is explaining another truth to us here. Before the Cross when their Pardon was paid, the righteous dead, like Abraham, Moses, etc, did NOT go directly to heaven, as do Blood-bought Christians of the Church Age. Instead, they went to Paradise. The grave, sheol, hades was at that time divided in two, one a place of comfort, (Abraham's bosom) the other a place of torment, but both located physically in the grave, or hell as it is called in many places.

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The Omega Letter Intelligence Digest, Vol: 6 Issue: 21 - Friday, February 21, 2003.

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Note also that the rich man can see Lazarus, that he speaks of literal torment and literal flame. Abraham explains the division of hell, and that Lazarus cannot come to him. Now look at the account again as the rich man cries out. Luke 16:27-28 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Stop here again. Note that the rich man remembers his life on earth. As he will for eternity. He remembers his loved ones, and is conscious of their destiny. He begs Abraham to do something, but Abraham simply tells him that Luke 16:29-31 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ” Now note something EXTREMELY revealing about the exchange. Abraham is Abraham. Lazarus the beggar, is Lazarus. But the rich man has no name. He has his memories, he has his awareness of his surroundings, he knows the hopelessness of the situation and the only thing he wants more than a drink of water is to save his five brothers. But HE HAS NO NAME! Why is that so important? Because he doesn't need one. Nobody will ever speak it again. There is no reprieve, no visitors, no hope and no need for a name. To all intents and purposes, he is dead, although eternally aware of it. Eternal, conscious, perpetual, lonely torment, dead forever, yet alive, remembering that one time when you could have escaped the torment. That is what awaits the mailman, or the guy next to you, or your friends or relatives of whom we say, "I'll talk to him when the time is right" or when he says, "I'll think about it. Maybe tomorrow." Then God says, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee." These are the last days. The Rapture is coming, the Tribulation is almost upon us, the King is coming! But He isn't here yet. And there are plenty of people alive today who won't be here then, either. 11 INVESTIGATING THE INEVITABLE: DEATH & HELL In the time it takes me to say this sentence, 18 human beings awoke in eternity because they died on earth.

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The Omega Letter Intelligence Digest, Vol: 6 Issue: 21 - Friday, February 21, 2003.

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And, that was in 10 seconds. Every hour, 6,464 die. That’s 155,131 per day – about fifty-six million a year – and about 108 since I started one minute ago. So what should we remember from this study in God's Word today? Three things:

Life is fragile. Our lives are but a vapor the Lord says. We can be healthy, strong, and full of life today. A tiny virus can make us sick tomorrow, the next day we shiver, and the next day we can fall over dead--just like the countless birds dying in Asia today. Life is fragile!

Death is inevitable. We all have to die, a few of us will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at Christ's Coming—but all lost people and most believers have an appointment with death. It is inevitable. Death is unstoppable and inescapable. With the weather growing more violent, people growing more openly wicked, with warfare becoming more globally lethal, with pestilences stalking the planet like never before—life truly is fragile, and God has said that death is inevitable.

Christ is the only answer. Flu shots can’t help our souls. The UN is not able to stop the growth of evil. The only hope is found in God's Word. The only escape pathway is laid out by Him. Listen to Jesus as he warns us of where people who neglect Him are headed.

World Vital Events Per Time Unit: 2005 Time unit Births Deaths increase ------------------------------------------------Year 129,908,352 56,622,744 73,285,608 Month 10,825,696 4,718,562 6,107,134 Day 355,913 155,131 200,782 Hour 14,830 6,464 8,366 Minute 247 108 139 Second 4.1 1.8 2.3

I believe that we must pause and reflect on the destination of all those travelers from earth. JESUS DID – HE told a story at the height of His popularity. -

2 ENTRANCE GATES – the wide and the small 2 ROADS – broad and narrow 2 DESTINATIONS – destruction and life

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2 GROUPS OF TRAVELERS – many and few 2 LIFESTYLES – the sayers and the doers 2 INEVITABLE ENDS – being throw into fire and entering the kingdom of heaven

LET’S NOTE HIS WORDS – FOR HE WOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS. He created the measureless universe. He calls the numberless stars by name. He has numbered each of the hairs upon our heads, the days of our lives, the words we will give an account to Him for. YES, HE IS QUALIFIED TO SPEAK, AND DOES, WARNING US OF HELL! AND, HE DOES SO 40+ TIMES IN MATTHEW ALONE – LET’S LOOK AT THEM. In fact, get a pen and mark these on paper or in your Bible. WHY? Hell is being lost as a time doctrine. J. Stott has recently moved away from it as are others. If Jesus Christ preached it, so should we. Matthew: 3:7 (John, the Baptist) “Flee from wrath to come” 3:10 (John, the Baptist) “Thrown into fire” 3:12 (John the Baptist) “He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” 5:22 (Christ) “Shall be guilty into the hell of fire” 5:29 (Christ) “Then for your whole body to be thrown into hell” 5:30 (Christ) “To go into Hell” 7:13 (Christ) “Way is broad that leads to destruction” 7:19 (Christ) “And thrown into the fire” 7:23 (Christ) “Depart from me, I never knew you.” 8:12 (Christ) “Cast out into the outer darkness, in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” 8:29 (Demons) “To torment us before the time” 8:15 (Christ) “In the day of judgment, than for that city” 8:28 (Christ) “Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” 11:22-24 (Christ) “More tolerable” (2X) “Descend into Hades” 12:32 (Christ) “Not forgiven…this age or to come” 12:36 (Christ) “Give account in the day of judgement” 12:41-42 (Christ) “At the judgment” 13:30 (Christ) “To burn them up” 13:40 (Christ) “Gathered up and burned with fire” 13:42 (Christ) “Cast them into the furnace of fire” In that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” 13:48 (Christ) “Bad (fish) they threw away” 13:49 (Christ) “Wicked from among righteous” 13:50 (Christ) “Furnace fire….weep and gnash” 15:13-14 (Christ) “Shall be rooted up…fall into a pit 15:18 (Christ) Gates of Hades 15:25 (Christ) Lose His life 15:26 (Christ) Forfeits his soul 15:27 (Christ) Recompense every man 18:8 (Christ) Eternal fire v.9 “Hell of Fire” t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 27

CHRIST’S STORIES DIDN’T ALL HAVE GOOD ENDINGS… MATTHEW 18:34 (Christ) 21:41 (Christ) 21:44 (Christ) 22:7 (Christ) 22:13 (Christ) 23:14 (Christ) 23:15 (Christ) 23:33 (Christ) 24:51 (Christ) 25:30 (Christ) 25:41 (Christ) 25:46 (Christ)

Handed over to torturers… Bring them to wretched end It will crush… Destroyed and set city on fire Bind hand and foot, cast outer darkness Greater condemnation Son of Hell Sentence of Hell Cut him in pieces (scourge) Place with hypocrites – weeping and gnashing Cast out the worthless slave-outer darkness–weeping & gnashing Depart accursed ones into eternal fire prepared for devil and his angels Eternal punishment MARK

1:24 (Demon) Have you come to destroy us? 5:7 (Demon) “Swear to God you won’t torture me” ANYONE ELSE? YES. PAUL 2 Thess. 1-9 Romans 2:9

Eternal Destination Tribulation and Angels

PETER 2 Peter 2:4 Prison and Abyss HEBREWS Heb. 10:31 Fearful thing JOHN Rev. 19:20; 20:10,15 Sea burning with fire and brimstone Rev. 14:11 Smoke torment rises forever JUDE Jude v.6-13Eternal fire, blackness, darkness, forever LET’S SUMMARIZE THE BIBLICAL PRESENTATION OF ETERNAL PUNISHMENT IN HELL IN FOUR POINTS:

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1. IT IS THE PLACE OF ETERNAL, UNENDING PAIN, MISERY AND TORTURE - A darkness so impenetrable than the countless ages of eternity that none of the lost will ever see light or relief – no wonder they are wailing, howling and gnashing teeth. 2. IT IS THE PLACE WHERE BODY AND SOUL ARE TORMENTED. All will be raised, both saved and lost (Jn. 5:28/Dan. 12:2 – some to bless – the rest to horror. The worm dieth not. Mark 9:48 – Eating the conscience and the flesh? Never consumed by the hellish worms that feed upon them and never die. 3. HELL IS THE PLACE WHERE THERE ARE LEVELS OR DEGREES OF TORMENT – All face intense and unending pain. Some will face far greater. HEBREWS 10:28-29 – Says the writer of Hebrews. “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Heb. 10:28-29). Those who willfully reject Jesus Christ and trample, as it were, on the sacrifice He made for them with His own blood will receive much greater punishment than those who had only the light of the Old Covenant. And on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the pagan materialistic cities of Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom than for the Jewish cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum-who not only had the light of the Old Covenant but the opportunity to see and hear the Son of God in person and to witness His miraculous works (Matt. 11:22-23). In the parable of the slaves who awaited their master’s return from the wedding feast, Jesus explains that “that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, shall receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of flogging, will receive but few” (Luke 12:47-48). “Hell will have such severe degrees,” writes John Gretna, “that a sinner, were he able, would give the whole world if his sins could be one less.” The torment of hell will be everlasting. Nothing will be so horrible about hell as its endlessness. Jesus uses the same word to describe the duration of hell as the duration of heaven: “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt. 25:46). People in hell will experience the absence of hope. THE ARGUMENT FROM THE INFINITE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST (C. H. Macintosh) “If anything less than eternal punishment be due to sin, what need was there of an infinite sacrifice to give deliverance from that punishment? Did Jesus shed His precious blood to deliver us from the consequences of our guilt, if those consequences be only temporary? Grant us the truth of an infinite sacrifice, and we argue from thence the truth of eternal punishment.”

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050306AM Whats Next-04 Grave

What’s Next Series-4 One Moment after Death Luke 16:19-31 We are in the midst of our What’s Next Series. We are studying prophetic Scriptures that are coming to pass just as God promised that they would. This morning I want to look at the most frequently fulfilled prophecy of all. The one event that God promised would happen, warned everyone to prepare for—and yet it takes almost everyone off guard and by surprise. That is of course death—and the judgment of God upon all who die in their sins. Every second two people die somewhere on this planet. Have you ever thought what happens just one moment after death? So that we would know and be ready Jesus instructs us in His Word. Open with me to John 8:24. First, Jesus warns that the very worst thing that could happen to anyone is for them to die in their sins. John 8:24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” Next, He lets us know that death does not end life, it just changes the location. There is no cessation of conscious existence. Look with me again at II Corinthians 5:6, 8— 2 Corinthians 5:6, 8 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. This morning we will study the final truth Jesus speaks of most frequently. He lets us know that the dead awaken from the momentary rest of death in a very real, very painful, very different place. The first thing that they experience is the inescapable reality that they will now have to live with the results of their choices. So every second over and over again the prophecy of God's Word happens. People face death alone. People face death in their sins. People face death in horror, pain, and the endless punishment their sins deserve.

That is what many experience—one moment after death. Now listen with me as Jesus told a parable in Luke 12:16-20. Stand with me as I read these verses. Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 30

down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ Pray One of the most vivid recollections of my youth took place in the middle of one dark and rainy night in July of 1966. In the pitch black of that night, I awoke with a start--by the seeming pain of being struck in the face. Something had hit me, and was now sliding down my face and neck. It was absolutely dark, so dark I could feel it. I was cold, clammy and so tightly packed in that it was hard to move! And, then above all that there was a brief flash of fear and fright of the unknown. Where was I? What was happening? Why is it so dark? What hit me and was rolling down my face and neck? Well, as I sat up, my head hit the canvas of the tent, the steady low rumble of my Dad’s snoring form soon fully awakened me. And then as I laid back processing all that, I was struck again. A larger cold drop of water hit my face from directly overhead. It ran down my face, then my chin and down my neck. Then in the dark I understood. I was camping with my dad, it was the middle of the night, and then the awful realization of the inescapable result of a wrong decision I had made….. I settled back into my cold sleeping bag to lay all night under the persistent drip of cold rain water on my face. Why? I had disobeyed—and now I faced the inescapable consequences of my sin. Dad had said repeatedly as we set up our tent before the rain had started, “Don’t touch the tent once we are inside– it will drip”. At ten, my curiosity drove me to test his word. So there in the dark I had waited for him to start his patterned breathing that signaled sleep. Then I did it. I disobeyed him. Just one finger raised in the dark directly over my head was all I did. I touched the tent, and nothing happened—at that moment. So, I went to sleep confident that all was well. Dad was mistaken. I was okay. Until the consequences warned of—became reality that dark night. As the drops of water rained down on me faster and faster all night long, I faced the horrible reality of the results of disobedience. The deserved pain from negligence and willful disobedience is always hardest to face. The inescapable reality most humans will face a moment after they die is that they were not prepared for meeting God. They died in their sins. And all who die in their sins face an inescapable eternal punishment. Now turn with me to Luke 16, as we meet another person who awoke to a horrible reality. THE PERSONS: A nameless lost rich man and a faceless sick beggar – Lazarus. THE PLACE: The grave moments after death. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 31

THE PORTRAIT: A foretaste of heaven and hell – of bliss and horror – of paradise and pain – of righteousness and unrighteousness – of comfort and torment. THE DETAILS: Christ Jesus our Lord here gives a glimpse of the grave thru the door of death!

So many people around us could die this year—unexpectedly and rapidly, and most of them LOST. They would enter at death the place called the grave, hades, hell, the pit, and sheol. That is a place that has been feared since the earliest times of life on this planet. It is a dark place of endless night, a dreary place of never hope. Most people think about this place more and more the older we get. There are dozens of verses in the Bible that take us through the door of death and let us tour the afterlife. We have toured heaven several times in our prophetic studies. This morning I would like to take you on a tour of the grave--the destination of the vast majority of people that you live with, work with, and see around you in daily life. “You and I, everybody you meet, from the mailman to the guy next to you at work, has an eternal destiny. That destiny is either a joyful existence in the presence of God, or a Christ-less eternity in the place prepared for the devil and his angels. It is a real place.”12 Now walk with me again through Luke 16, Jesus tells of Lazarus and the rich man. Luke 16:19-20: “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, •

Hold on. Look what is missing. Jesus did NOT say, 'Learn the parable of the rich man' like we read in Luke 12 and in almost all of His other parables. No, He speaks in a different way, He said 'there WAS a certain rich man.' Jesus was speaking of a literal event of which He, as God, had knowledge. Note also that it doesn’t say that the rich man was particularly bad. He isn’t a notorious sinner—just successful, well fed, well dressed, cautious about strangers, and mortal like us all. His only real problem was that he had those common sins that all people have—and he died in them, with them on him as he died.

Now continue reading: Luke 16:22-24 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’

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The Omega Letter Intelligence Digest, Vol: 6 Issue: 21 - Friday, February 21, 2003.

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Stop again. Here Jesus explains another truth to us. Before the Cross when their Pardon was paid, the righteous dead, like Abraham, Moses, etc, did NOT go directly to heaven, as do Blood-bought Christians of the Church Age. Instead, they went to Paradise. The grave, sheol, hades was at that time divided in two, one a place of comfort, (Abraham's bosom) the other a place of torment, but both located physically in the grave, or hell as it is called in many places. Note also that the rich man can see Lazarus, that he speaks of literal torment and literal flame. Abraham explains the division of hell, and that Lazarus cannot come to him. Now look at the account again as the rich man cries out, Luke 16:27-28 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Stop here again. Note that the rich man remembers his life on earth. As he will for eternity. He remembers his loved ones, and is conscious of their destiny. He begs Abraham to do something, but Abraham simply tells him that Luke 16:29-31 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ” Now note something in God's Word that is EXTREMELY revealing. It is in the names we find recorded. Abraham is Abraham. Lazarus the beggar, is Lazarus. But the rich man has no name. He has his memories, he has his awareness of his surroundings, he knows the hopelessness of the situation and the only thing he wants more than a drink of water is to save his five brothers. But HE HAS NO NAME! Why is that so important? Because he doesn't need one. Nobody will ever speak it again. There is no reprieve, no visitors, no hope and no need for a name. To all intents and purposes, he is dead, although eternally aware of it. He faced eternal, conscious, perpetual, lonely torment, being forever dead, yet alive. He was inescapably remembering the time when he could have escaped the torment. That is what awaits the mailman, or the guy next to you, or your friends or relatives of whom we say, "I'll talk to him when the time is right" or when he says, "I'll think about it. Maybe tomorrow." Then God says, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee." t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 33

These are the last days. The Rapture is coming, the Tribulation is almost upon us, the King is coming! But He isn't here yet. And there are plenty of people alive today who won't be here then, either. 13 NOTE these Laws of Death For Lost & Saved

THE DETAILS: Start in v. 22 as - No less a reporter than the Lord of Truth. Christ Jesus here gives a glimpse of the grave thru the door of death! Note these laws of death for lost and saved. His points were: 1. PERMANENCE v.22 Only the body dies, not the soul; Righteous go to bliss; Lost go to torments v.22 2. CONSCIOUSNESS v. 23 In the grave we are conscious, we can see and remember or recognize people even ones we never met. Intuitive recognition of Abraham who died 20 centuries before rich man and Lazarus. v.23 3. SIGHT: They can see "far off" - long distances and have recognition of those they knew in their lifetime "saw Lazarus" v.23. 4. COMMUNICATION: They can speak v.23 5. SENSATION: They can feel their body’s physical desires are still present v.24 like "Thirst" 6. PAINFULNESS v. 24 In the grave the lost can still experience pain. Note the vivid contrast "that tongue that never lacked on earth calls for that hand that was unheeded at his gate..." 7. MEMORY v. 25 In the grave events from Earthly life may be recalled. Memory seems to be unimpaired. 8. HOPELESSNESS v. 26 In the grave there is no escape. "Great chasm" eternally beyond help "none can pass" 9. HORROR v. 27 In the grave the occupants of the torment want no one else to come it is so bad. Reality of constant torment only drove him to have others flee. [Recent punk rocker said wanted to go to Hell with friends and fun]. 10. ISOLATION: No communication from the lost dead to living allowed, the dead have no influence in spirit world v.27 11. QUALIFICATION: Word of God determines the destiny of all, the rest passes away. v.29 Supernatural not always convince [note Christ's miracle and apostles and prophets only confirmed faith - never produces...] 12. INTUITION v. 29 Abraham seems to know the events after his life 2166 BC, including Moses 1446 BC and the prophets. Abraham knew history after his death [died 20 cent. B.C.] Knew Moses and prophets 600-1200 years after death. 13. FINALITY: No one goes back! v.31 So that is the content of the parable, but I think there is more. If you step back ask yourself, so what made the rich man so bad? Did he harm Lazarus? Did he commit gross moral sin? Was he a murderer, liar, or anything like that? 13

The Omega Letter Intelligence Digest, Vol: 6 Issue: 21 - Friday, February 21, 2003.

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If we look carefully at these 13 verses we see that every word, every phrase is chosen to communicate such depths of meaning. Jesus contasts two characters. First, there is the rich man, usually called Dives, which is the Latin for rich. Each new phrase builds a picture of this man. The point Jesus is making is about the luxury in which he lived. His clothing was purple and fine linen. If you remember our series in Exodus you know that is exactly the elements God chose for the robes of the High Priests. In modern terms those robes would cost about $75,000 to $100,000. Even today a normal person would never be able to afford a wardrobe in which each outfit would require an average person to spend his entire earnings from 6-8 years of full time labor per outfit! But Jesus goes on, this Dives or rich man ate a luxury feast every day. Infact, the Greek word Luke uses denotes a gourmet feeding on exotic and costly dishes. And Jesus emphasizes that he did this every day. Think of Bible times where normal people felt very fortunate to get to eat meat once in the week. And that was only after laboring for the other six days. But Dives not only didn’t have to work it seems, but he also was feasting. This paints a picture by Christ of indolent self-indulgence. When Lazarus waited for the crumbs that fell from Dives’s table it is another insight into the Biblical world.. In Christ's time most people had no knives, forks or napkins. They usually ate food with their hands. But in very wealthy houses, the rich would clean their hands by wiping them on chunks of bread, which would then be discarded by the servants into the trash. Now enters Lazarus. He sat by the trash thankfully getting any chunk of used hand cleaner bread. Consider Lazarus. Because Lazarus is the only character in any of Christ's parables who is given a name we are led to ponder whether this may be a true life account. Lazarus is the Latinization of the Hebrew name Eleazar, which means God is my help. So Eleazar or Lazarus was a totally helpless, sick, and starving beggar, covered with ulcerated sores; and so helpless that he was unable to keep the dogs that roamed the street from bothering him. So life passes for both and the scene in the after life shows a drastic switch in their conditions. Jesus tells us that Lazarus is in the glory of Heaven’s waiting room and Dives is in the torment of Hell’s waiting room. Again I ask, what can we find was the sin of Dives? • • • •

It wasn’t cruelty, the text doesn’t say he ordered Lazarus to be carted away from his gate. It wasn’t hatred, the text doesn’t say he locked his garbage cans. It wasn’t murder, the text doesn’t say he wounded Lazarus as he drove through the gate. It wasn’t violence, the text never implies Dives was harming Lazarus at all.

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The only sin we can see from God's Word is that Dives seems to never have even noticed Lazarus. To Dives the Rich Man, this poor, dying beggar was just another clump of the landscape. To Dives the Rich Man, it was “perfectly natural and inevitable that Lazarus should lie in pain and hunger while he wallowed in luxury. As someone said, It was not what Dives did that got him into heaven; it was what he did not do that got him into hell.” So let me emphasize this, Jesus paints us an unforgettable picture. In it we see a man who could look on the world’s suffering and desperate needs and simply never feel the conviction of God. This Rich Man would look at a fellow human who was starving and deathly ill, and do nothing about it. So Jesus paints the punishment of those who never noticed. When God's Word is not received, Christ's compassion is also absent. But why was the part added that Jesus told about refusing to send a warning to Dive’s family? Could it be Jesus is saying that to those who are exposed to God's Word and yet when they see the pain, sorrow, and dying of this world, and it moves them to no feeling and to no action, nothing will change them? The terrible warning of the sin of Dives is not that he did wrong things, but that he did nothing14. What happened to him? The word of God was never received, it never pierced the heart. When God's Word is received the life begins to change. Self-centeredness begins to die Self-indulgence begins to be disciplined away Self-sacrifice begins to be pursued Compassion, kindness, caring, and love take root and grow.

WHAT’S THE GOOD NEWS? Jesus Christ died for sinners – All who receive Him are forgiven of all their sins – All who are forgiven receive eternal life! Sing – Prayer – “God Forgave My Sins”

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Adapted from Barclay, William, Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Luke (Revised Edition), (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press) 2000, c1975.

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But, is this hell eternal? No, it’s only the doorway – the waiting room! What will the ultimate destination be of the lost? INDESCRIBABLY HORRIBLE – Let me just call off the words used to describe this place – so unimaginable we would doubt its existence had not Christ spoken more of it than any prophet or apostle. More than heaven – Christ spoke of hell – more than love, Christ spoke of eternal destruction – more than the church to come Christ Jesus warned of God’s wrath and judgment and hell.

In the time it takes me to say this sentence, 30 human beings awoke in eternity because they died on earth. And, that was in 10 seconds. Every hour, 6,464 die. That’s 155,131 per day – about fifty-six million a year – and about 108 since I started one minute ago. I believe that we must pause and reflect on the destination of all those travelers from earth. JESUS DID – HE told a story at the height of His popularity. -

2 ENTRANCE GATES – the wide and the small 2 ROADS – broad and narrow 2 DESTINATIONS – destruction and life 2 GROUPS OF TRAVELERS – many and few 2 LIFESTYLES – the sayers and the doers 2 INEVITABLE ENDS – being throw into fire and entering the kingdom of heaven

LET’S NOTE HIS WORDS – FOR HE WOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS. He created the measureless universe. He calls the numberless stars by name. He has numbered each of the hairs upon our heads, the days of our lives, the words we will give an account to Him for. YES, HE IS QUALIFIED TO SPEAK, AND DOES, WARNING US OF HELL! AND, HE DOES SO 40+ TIMES IN MATTHEW ALONE – LET’S LOOK AT THEM. In fact, get a pen and mark these on paper or in your Bible. WHY? Hell is being lost by our generation as a true doctrine. The respected British theologian John Stott has recently moved away from it as are others. But no matter what men do, if Jesus Christ preached it, so should we. Matthew 3:7, 10, 12 (John the Baptist Christ's forerunner said) But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 37

Matthew 5:22, 29-30 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. Matthew 7:13, 19, 23 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matthew 8:12, 28-29 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” Matthew 10:15, 28 Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city! 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 11:22-24 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” Matthew 12:32, 36, 41-42 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. Matthew 13:30, 40, 42, 48-50 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ” 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 38

teeth. 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 15:13-14 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” Matthew 16:18, 25, 27 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Matthew 18:8-9 “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. CHRIST’S STORIES DIDN’T ALL HAVE GOOD ENDINGS… MATTHEW Matthew 18:34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. Matthew 21:41, 44 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” Matthew 22:7, 13 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Matthew 23:14-15, 33 14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. 15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 39

Matthew 24:51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 25:30, 41, 46 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” MARK Mark 1:244 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” Mark 5:7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.” Do any other Apostle write of the horrors of Hell? Yes, Paul, Peter, Jude, James and on and on they go! Romans 2:9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 2 Thessalonians 1:9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; Jude 6-13 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. 12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; 13 raging waves of the sea, t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 40

foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Revelation 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Revelation 19:20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. Revelation 20:10-15 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. LET’S SUMMARIZE THE BIBLICAL PRESENTATION OF ETERNAL PUNISHMENT IN HELL IN FOUR POINTS: 4. IT IS THE PLACE OF ETERNAL, UNENDING PAIN, MISERY AND TORTURE - A darkness so impenetrable than the countless ages of eternity that none of the lost will ever see light or relief – no wonder they are wailing, howling and gnashing teeth. 5. IT IS THE PLACE WHERE BODY AND SOUL ARE TORMENTED. All will be raised, both saved and lost (Jn. 5:28/Dan. 12:2 – some to bless – the rest to horror. The worm dieth not. Mark 9:48 – Eating the conscience and the flesh? Never consumed by the hellish worms that feed upon them and never die. 6. HELL IS THE PLACE WHERE THERE ARE LEVELS OR DEGREES OF TORMENT – All face intense and unending pain. Some will face far greater. HEBREWS 10:28-29 – Says the writer of Hebrews. “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” Those who willfully reject Jesus Christ and trample, as it were, on the sacrifice He made for them with His own blood will receive much greater punishment than those who had only the light of the Old Covenant. And on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the pagan materialistic cities of Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom than for the Jewish cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum-who not only had the light of the Old Covenant but t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 41

the opportunity to see and hear the Son of God in person and to witness His miraculous works (Matt. 11:22-23). In the parable of the slaves who awaited their master’s return from the wedding feast, Jesus explains that “that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, shall receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of flogging, will receive but few” (Luke 12:47-48). “Hell will have such severe degrees,” writes John Gretna, “that a sinner, were he able, would give the whole world if his sins could be one less.” The torment of hell will be everlasting. Nothing will be so horrible about hell as its endlessness. Jesus uses the same word to describe the duration of hell as the duration of heaven: “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt. 25:46). People in hell will experience the absence of hope. THE ARGUMENT FROM THE INFINITE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST (C. H. Macintosh) “If anything less than eternal punishment be due to sin, what need was there of an infinite sacrifice to give deliverance from that punishment? Did Jesus shed His precious blood to deliver us from the consequences of our guilt, if those consequences be only temporary? Grant us the truth of an infinite sacrifice, and we argue from thence the truth of eternal punishment.” And, that’s just one gospel in which Christ describes hell vividly over forty times!

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050306PM WN-05

25 Trends

Twenty Five Trends that are Present When Christ Returns— that are present NOW! What does the world look like when Jesus come back? We can know if we read His messages about His Second Coming. And if we read carefully we see a very clear picture He describes. Most of what Jesus described were events and elements that have always been some where on earth occurring—but He tells us that when these events and elements begin to go global, watch for Him. So what do we see at the end? Here is another look at the enxt few elements of the world when Jesus Returns. I like to call them 25 trends that are present when Christ returns. What are some of them? We will actually in the days ahead look at these in detail, but here they are in summary. We have already seen from the Scriptures the first ten. 11.

When Christ Returns there is-- Global Travel. Daniel was overwhelmed when he caught a glimpse of the number and speed at which people were moving about the planet. Daniel 12:4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” The Bible says that there would be many involved in travel, and today the transportation industry is one of the largest segments of the global economy. Prior to the industrial revolution, few individuals traveled beyond their community. Until recently, horse, foot, and boat were the only modes of transportation. Yet, in our day millions travel to and fro great distances every year.

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When Christ Returns there is-- a Global Explosion of Knowledge. Knowledge would increase. This month saw the introduction of a new generation of computer chip. Each generation has basically doubled the processing speed and power. The newest chip called the “Cell” doesn’t double— it multiplies everything that the computer does by sixty times. Daniel 12:4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase (Isaiah 11:9). Specifically, this is referring to an understanding of Bible prophecy, but also an increase in scientific knowledge is implied.

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When Christ Returns there is-- Global Telecommunication and Television. God's Word explicitly declares that mankind will be able to see and hear globally. When the world fastest know means of travel was the speed of a horse—God says the whole world will see an event and all at the same time, celebrate that event! Truly global communication was foreseen. Revelation 11:9-10 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. Revelation 17:8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. The Bible predicts that the entire world will "see" certain events unfold. The invention of the television and the deployment of global satellite networks during the 20th century allow news to travel the world at the speed of light for the first time ever. Remember that in the Apostle John's day, news traveled at the speed of horseback.

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When Christ Returns there is-- Global Tracking and Positioning. There would be technology capable of tracking the world's population and commerce. Revelation 13:16-17 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Visit: Technology Club-Goers in Spain Get Implanted Chips for ID, Payment Purposes (April 14, 2004) Being recognized has never been easier for VIP patrons of the Baja Beach Club in Barcelona, Spain. Like a scene out of a science-fiction movie, all it takes is a syringe-injected microchip implant for the beautiful men and women of the nightclub scene to breeze past a "reader" that recognizes their identity, credit balance and even automatically opens doors to exclusive areas of the club for them. They can buy drinks and food with a wave of their hand and don't need to worry about losing a credit card or wallet. "By simply passing by our reader, the Baja Beach Club will know who you are and what your credit balance is," Conrad K. Chase explains. Chase is director of the Baja Beach Club in Barcelona. "From the moment of their implantation they will also have free entry and access to the VIP area," he said. When Christ Returns there is-- Global Weather gone wild. Jesus foresaw the time when weather would be so bad that not just a few, but the whole world would be troubled, fearful, and killed by the fear of chaotic weather that would become prevalent. Luke 21:25-26 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Jesus foresaw those seas and the waves roaring in the last days, and

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compared these trends to birth pangs. Matthew 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. The Greek word odin, often translated as sorrows in Matthew 24:8, literally means birth pangs. Paul explains to us that all of creation is under the curse of sin. Romans 8:21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. While creation awaits the coming of the Liberator Himself, Christ the Lord—just as when delivery draws near, birth pangs always increase in both intensity and frequency--so the universe itself will travail as the time of delivery draws near. Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Of course chaotic weather has always existed, but there are indications that we are witnessing an increase in strange weather.

Matthew 24:1-4 1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” 3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. Matthew 24:5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. • When Christ Returns there are-- Many Groups of False Christianity. Religious cults would mushroom (2 Peter 2:1). Matthew 24:5, 11 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Numerous cults have emerged in these last days. Visit: Apologetics Index * Mormonism (carm) * Jehovah's Witnesses (carm) * A Cult is a Cult (the berean call) * Buddhist Prayer Wheel to Top New WTC? (world net daily) •

When Christ Returns there are-- Many would call themselves the Christ. Matthew 24:5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. Jesus was an itinerate preacher who never traveled outside the tiny nation of Israel and He had the audacity to say that many would come in His name, claiming to be the Christ. And yet today,

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multitudes within the New Age Movement, Eastern religions, and the cults call themselves the Christ.

Matthew 24:6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. • When Christ Returns there is-- Warfare around the Globe-Increasing. Many wars would erupt. Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise

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against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. According to Project Ploughshares, there are about 40 armed conflicts in the world today. Visit: Wars & Rumors of Wars (harpazo network) Mark 13:7-8 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. When Christ Returns there is-- Global Weaponry Addiction A global arms race would occur. Joel 3:9-14 Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up. 10 Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ” 11 Assemble and come, all you nations, And gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord. 12 “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow— For their wickedness is great.” 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. Revelation 16:14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Never in history have so many nations stockpiled armaments. Visit: Global Arms Race (harpazo network) When Christ Returns there is-- Global Famines. Despite technological advancements, famines would be common. Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. (Luke 21:11; Revelation 6:5-8). Visit: Famines * Food Crisis Hits Mozambique as Drought Continues (reuters) * Food Runs Out for 6 Million North Koreans (independent) * World Hunger Situation Worsening (cnn) * Egypt Fears Bread Shortage (menl) When Christ Returns there is-- Global Pestilences. Despite an increase in scientific knowledge, deadly diseases (which the Bible calls "pestilences") would be prevalent. Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise

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against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. Emerging diseases such as AIDS, Ebola, Hanta virus, Dengue, West Nile, SARS, etc., underscore this fact. Ironically, just a few decades ago, some scientists were forecasting that advances in medicine might soon eradicate deadly diseases. •

When Christ Returns there is-- a Global Awareness of Quakes. Up to the 20th century, news of an earthquake would takes days, weeks, months, and years to be spread around. And usually the exposure was minimal. Today in most of the world the daily news features any significant quake. Earthquakes occurring in diverse places predicted. Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. Visit: EarthQuakes

Matthew 24:8-9 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. • The Rise of a Global Hatred of the Nation of Israel and the Jewish People. Who would think that there would even be a Jew left. No nation has been hunted more, persecuted more, exiled more, hunted down and exterminated—like the Jews. But still they remain the focus of an undying hatred by huge parts of the global community. The rise of anti-Semitism worldwide anticipated by Hebrew prophets almost 3,000 years ago. Matthew 24:9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. Joel 3:2 I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land. Zechariah 12:2-3 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. In the 1940s, Hitler tried to exterminate every Jew. And in the final 3 ½ years of the Tribulation, Antichrist will turn on the Jews and attempt the same. Visit: AntiSemitism •

When Christ Returns there is-- Global Hatred of True Biblical Christianity. Jesus said Christians would be hated for His name's sake. Matthew 24:9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. Luke 21:17 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. Revelation 6:9-11 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then a white robe was

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given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The banning of the Bible, prayer, the Ten Commandments, nativity scenes, Christmas songs, etc., reflects this trend. Also consider that more Christians were martyed during the past century than during any other period in history. Visit: Persecution (harpazo network)

Matthew 24:10-11 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. • When Christ Returns there is-- False Bible teachers that are money hungry. They would be smooth talkers, have many followers, and slur the Christian faith. Matthew 24:11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. For links: False Prophets 2 Peter 2:1-3 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

Matthew 24:12-13 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. •

When Christ Returns there is—lawlessness that discharges the spiritual zeal of Christ's church. Many would forsake the Ten Commandments as a moral code: blaspheming, committing adultery, disobeying parents, stealing, lying, coveting, etc. Matthew 24:12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Revelation 9:21). Visit: NEW! The Good Test (See How You Measure Up!) (eternal productions) * Ten Commandments Judge Removed (cnn) * Ten Commandments Monument Moved (cnn)

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050313AM Whats Next-06 Jesus And Hell

What’s Next Series-6 Death: Jesus and The Reality of Eternal Hell This morning I would like to remind you of the most horrible doctrines in God's Word— the reality of an eternal Hell for those who do not believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. The amazing thing about Hell is how seldom we hear about it. Jesus spoke more of Hell than Heaven—we speak more of Heaven than Hell. Jesus warned of Hell from the start to the end of His ministry. Jesus preached about the horrors awaiting the unsaved lost ones in public, in private, with saints and with sinners. Jesus spoke much of it—we speak little of it. It was almost 20 years ago I read an article in Moody Monthly that more clearly described Hell than I was even comfortable with. Let me share that with you. That hideous doctrine15 of hell is fading. How often have you thought of it in the past month, for instance? Does it make a difference in your concern for others, in your witness? Is it a constant and proper burden? Our Lord’s words on the subject are unnerving. In Luke 16, He tells us of a rich man who died and went to Hades (the abode of the unsaved dead between death and final judgment). From that story and a few other revelatory facts, we can infer several characteristics of hell. First, it’s a place of great physical pain. The rich man’s initial remark concludes with his most pressing concern: “I am in agony in this flame” (Luke 16:24). We do not make enough of this. We all have experienced pain to some degree. We know it can make a mockery of all life’s goals and beauties. Yet we do not seem to know pain as a hint of hell, a searing foretaste of what will befall those who do not know Christ, a grim reminder of what we will be spared from.

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John Thomas, That Hideous Doctrine, MOODY MAGAZINE, Sept. 1985

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God does not leave us with simply the mute fact of hell’s physical pain. He tells us how real people will respond to that pain. Our Lord is not being macabre; He is simply telling us the truth. First, there will be “weeping” (Luke 13:28). Weeping is not something we get a grip on; it is something that grips us. Recall how you were affected when you last heard someone weep. Remember how you were moved with compassion to want to protect and restore that person? The Lord wants us to know and consider what an upsetting experience it is for the person in hell. Another response will be “wailing” (Matthew 13:42). While weeping attracts our sympathy, wailing frightens and offends us. It is the pitiable bawl of a soul seeking escape, hurt beyond repair, eternally damaged. W wail is sound gone grotesque because of conclusions we can’t live with. A third response will be “gnashing of teeth” (Luke 13:28). Why? Perhaps because of anger or frustration. It may be a defense against crying out or an intense pause when one is too weary to cry any longer. Hell has two other aspects, rarely considered, which are both curious and frightening. On earth we take for granted two physical properties that help keep us physically, mentally, and emotionally stable. The first is light; the second is solid, fixed surfaces. Oddly, these two dependables will not accommodate those in hell. Hell is a place of darkness (Matthew 8:12). Imagine the person who has just entered hell—a neighbor, relative, co-worker, friend. After a roar of physical pain blasts him, he spends his first moments wailing and gnashing his teeth. But after a season, he grows accustomed to the pain, not that it’s become tolerable, but that his capacity for it has enlarged to comprehend it, yet not be consumed by it. Though he hurts, he is now able to think, and he instinctively looks about him. But as he looks, he sees only blackness. In his past life he learned that if he looked long enough, a glow of light somewhere would yield definition to his surroundings. So he blinks and strains to focus his eyes, but his efforts yield only blackness. He turns and strains his eyes in another direction. He waits. He sees nothing but unyielding black ink. It clings to him, smothering and oppressing him. Realizing that the darkness is not going to give way, he nervously begins to feel for something solid to get his bearings. He reaches for walls or rocks or trees or chairs; he stretches his legs to feel the ground and touches nothing. Hell is a “bottomless pit” (Rev. 20:1, 2 KJV); however, the new occupant is slow to learn. In growing panic, he kicks his feet and waves his arms. He stretches and he lunges. But he finds nothing. After more feverish tries, he pauses from exhaustion, t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 50

suspended in black. Suddenly, with a scream he kicks, twists, and lunges until he is again too exhausted to move. He hangs there, alone with his pain. Unable to touch a solid object or see a solitary thing, he begins to weep. His sobs choke through the darkness. They become weak, then lost in hell’s roar. As time passes, he begins to do what the rich man did—he again starts to think. His first thoughts are of hope. You see, he still thinks as he did on earth, where he kept himself alive with hope. When things got bad, he always found a way out. If he felt pain, he took medicine. If he were hungry, he ate food. If he lost love, there was more love to be found. So he casts about in his mind for a plan to apply to the hope building in his chest. Of course, he thinks, Jesus, the God of love, can get me out of this. He cries out with a surge, “Jesus, Jesus! You were right! Help me! Get me out of this!” He waits, breathing hard with desperation. The sound of his voice slips into the darkness and is lost. He tries again, “I believe, Jesus! I believe now! Save me from this!” Again the darkness smothers his words. Our sinner is not unique. Everyone in hell believes. When he wearies of appeals, he does next what anyone would do—assesses his situation and attempts to adapt. But then it hits him—this is forever. Jesus made it very clear. He used the same words for “forever” to describe both heaven and hell. Forever, he thinks, and his mind labors through the blackness until he aches. “Forever!” he whispers in wonder. The idea deepens, widens, and towers over him. The awful truth spreads before him like endless, overlapping slats: When I put in ten thousand centuries of time here, I will not have accomplished on thing. I will not have one second less to spend here. As the rich man pleaded for a drop of water, so, too, our new occupant entertains a similar ambition. In life he learned that even bad things could be tolerated if one could find temporary relief. Perhaps even hell, if one could rest from time to time, would be more tolerable. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 51

He learns, though, that “The smoke of [his] torment goes up forever and ever; and [he has] no rest day and night” (Rev. 14:11 NASB). No rest day and night—think of that. Thoughts of this happening to people we know, people like us, are too terrifying to entertain for long. The idea of allowing someone to endure such torture for eternity violates the sensibilities of even the most severe judge among us. We simply cannot bear it. But our thoughts of hell will never be as unmanageable as its reality. We must take this doctrine of hell, therefore, and make sure we are practically affected by it. A hard look at this doctrine should first change our view of sin. Most believers do not take sin as seriously as God does. We need to realize that in God’s eyes and in His actual plan, sin deserves eternal punishment in hell. We can actually learn, by comparison, to hate sin as God hates it. As the reality of hell violates and offends us, for example, so sin violates and offends God. As we cannot bear to look upon the horrors of hell, so God cannot bear to look upon the horrors of sin. As hell revolts us to the point of hatred for it, so also God finds sin revolting. The comparison is not perfect but it offers a start. Second, the truth of hell should encourage our witness. Can we ever hear a sigh of weariness, see a moment of doubt, or feel pain without being reminded of that place? In all honesty, can we see any unbeliever, watch his petty human activities, realize what he has in store, and not be moved with compassion? It encourages us to witness in word and in deed. That hideous doctrine may grip our souls in dark terror and make us weep, but let us be sure it also prompts us to holiness and compassion. More than heaven--Christ spoke of hell. More than love--Christ spoke of eternal destruction. More than the church to come--Christ Jesus warned of God’s wrath and judgment and hell.

In the time it takes me to say this sentence, 30 human beings awoke in eternity because they died on earth. And, that was in 10 seconds. Every hour, 6,464 die. That’s 155,131 per day – about fifty-six million a year – and about 108 since I started one minute ago. I believe that we must pause and reflect on the destination of all those travelers from earth. JESUS DID – HE preached about Hell at the height of His popularity. Look with me

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at Matthew as Jesus gives the most complete warning in all God's Word about the eternal horrors of Hell. In Matthew Jesus explains that life has: - 2 ENTRANCE GATES – the wide and the small - 2 ROADS – broad and narrow - 2 DESTINATIONS – destruction and life - 2 GROUPS OF TRAVELERS – many and few - 2 LIFESTYLES – the sayers and the doers - 2 INEVITABLE ENDS – being throw into fire and entering the kingdom of heaven Then He specifically warns everyone to flee, to avoid at all costs, to do whatever it takes to not end up in the Lake of Fire. LET’S NOTE HIS WORDS – FOR HE WOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS. He created the measureless universe. He calls the numberless stars by name. He has numbered each of the hairs upon our heads, the days of our lives, the words we will give an account to Him for. YES, HE IS QUALIFIED TO SPEAK, AND DOES, WARNING US OF HELL! AND, HE DOES SO 40+ TIMES IN MATTHEW ALONE – LET’S LOOK AT THEM. In fact, get a pen and mark these on paper or in your Bible. WHY? Hell is being lost by our generation as a true doctrine. The respected British theologian John Stott has recently moved away from it as are others. But no matter what men do, if Jesus Christ preached it, so should we. Matthew 3:7, 10, 12 (John the Baptist Christ's forerunner said) But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 5:22, 29-30 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. Matthew 7:13, 19, 23 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 53

Matthew 8:12, 28-29 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” Matthew 10:15, 28 Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city! 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 11:22-24 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” Matthew 12:32, 36, 41-42 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. Matthew 13:30, 40, 42, 48-50 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ” 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 15:13-14 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” Matthew 16:18, 25, 27 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 54

glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Matthew 18:8-9 “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. CHRIST’S STORIES DIDN’T ALL HAVE GOOD ENDINGS… Matthew 18:34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. Matthew 21:41, 44 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” Matthew 22:7, 13 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Matthew 23:14-15, 33 14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. 15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Matthew 24:51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 25:30, 41, 46 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Do any other Apostle write of the horrors of Hell? Yes, Paul, Peter, Jude, James and on and on they go! Romans 2:9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;

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2 Thessalonians 1:9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; Jude 6-13 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. 12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; 13 raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Revelation 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Revelation 19:20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. Revelation 20:10-15 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. So why did the rich man of Luke 16 go to Hell? t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 56

What happened to him? The word of God was never received, it never pierced the heart. When God's Word is received the life begins to change. Self-centeredness begins to die Self-indulgence begins to be disciplined away Self-sacrifice begins to be pursued Compassion, kindness, caring, and love take root and grow.

WHAT’S THE GOOD NEWS? Jesus Christ died for sinners – All who receive Him are forgiven of all their sins – All who are forgiven receive eternal life! Sing – Prayer – “God Forgave My Sins”

APPENDIX NOTE these Laws of Death For Lost & Saved

THE DETAILS: Start in v. 22 as - No less a reporter than the Lord of Truth. Christ Jesus here gives a glimpse of the grave thru the door of death! Note these laws of death for lost and saved. His points were: 14. PERMANENCE v.22 Only the body dies, not the soul; Righteous go to bliss; Lost go to torments v.22 15. CONSCIOUSNESS v. 23 In the grave we are conscious, we can see and remember or recognize people even ones we never met. Intuitive recognition of Abraham who died 20 centuries before rich man and Lazarus. v.23 16. SIGHT: They can see "far off" - long distances and have recognition of those they knew in their lifetime "saw Lazarus" v.23. 17. COMMUNICATION: They can speak v.23 18. SENSATION: They can feel their body’s physical desires are still present v.24 like "Thirst" 19. PAINFULNESS v. 24 In the grave the lost can still experience pain. Note the vivid contrast "that tongue that never lacked on earth calls for that hand that was unheeded at his gate..." 20. MEMORY v. 25 In the grave events from Earthly life may be recalled. Memory seems to be unimpaired. 21. HOPELESSNESS v. 26 In the grave there is no escape. "Great chasm" eternally beyond help "none can pass"

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22. HORROR v. 27 In the grave the occupants of the torment want no one else to come it is so bad. Reality of constant torment only drove him to have others flee. [Recent punk rocker said wanted to go to Hell with friends and fun]. 23. ISOLATION: No communication from the lost dead to living allowed, the dead have no influence in spirit world v.27 24. QUALIFICATION: Word of God determines the destiny of all, the rest passes away. v.29 Supernatural not always convince [note Christ's miracle and apostles and prophets only confirmed faith - never produces...] 25. INTUITION v. 29 Abraham seems to know the events after his life 2166 BC, including Moses 1446 BC and the prophets. Abraham knew history after his death [died 20 cent. B.C.] Knew Moses and prophets 600-1200 years after death. 26. FINALITY: No one goes back! v.31 So that is the content of the parable, but I think there is more. If you step back ask yourself, so what made the rich man so bad? Did he harm Lazarus? Did he commit gross moral sin? Was he a murderer, liar, or anything like that? If we look carefully at these 13 verses we see that every word, every phrase is chosen to communicate such depths of meaning. Jesus contasts two characters. First, there is the rich man, usually called Dives, which is the Latin for rich. Each new phrase builds a picture of this man. The point Jesus is making is about the luxury in which he lived. His clothing was purple and fine linen. If you remember our series in Exodus you know that is exactly the elements God chose for the robes of the High Priests. In modern terms those robes would cost about $75,000 to $100,000. Even today a normal person would never be able to afford a wardrobe in which each outfit would require an average person to spend his entire earnings from 6-8 years of full time labor per outfit! But Jesus goes on, this Dives or rich man ate a luxury feast every day. Infact, the Greek word Luke uses denotes a gourmet feeding on exotic and costly dishes. And Jesus emphasizes that he did this every day. Think of Bible times where normal people felt very fortunate to get to eat meat once in the week. And that was only after laboring for the other six days. But Dives not only didn’t have to work it seems, but he also was feasting. This paints a picture by Christ of indolent self-indulgence. When Lazarus waited for the crumbs that fell from Dives’s table it is another insight into the Biblical world.. In Christ's time most people had no knives, forks or napkins. They usually ate food with their hands. But in very wealthy houses, the rich would clean their hands by wiping them on chunks of bread, which would then be discarded by the servants into the trash. Now enters Lazarus. He sat by the trash thankfully getting any chunk of used hand cleaner bread. Consider Lazarus. Because Lazarus is the only character in any of Christ's parables who is given a name we are led to ponder whether this may be a true life account. Lazarus is t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 58

the Latinization of the Hebrew name Eleazar, which means God is my help. So Eleazar or Lazarus was a totally helpless, sick, and starving beggar, covered with ulcerated sores; and so helpless that he was unable to keep the dogs that roamed the street from bothering him. So life passes for both and the scene in the after life shows a drastic switch in their conditions. Jesus tells us that Lazarus is in the glory of Heaven’s waiting room and Dives is in the torment of Hell’s waiting room. Again I ask, what can we find was the sin of Dives? • • • •

It wasn’t cruelty, the text doesn’t say he ordered Lazarus to be carted away from his gate. It wasn’t hatred, the text doesn’t say he locked his garbage cans. It wasn’t murder, the text doesn’t say he wounded Lazarus as he drove through the gate. It wasn’t violence, the text never implies Dives was harming Lazarus at all.

The only sin we can see from God's Word is that Dives seems to never have even noticed Lazarus. To Dives the Rich Man, this poor, dying beggar was just another clump of the landscape. To Dives the Rich Man, it was “perfectly natural and inevitable that Lazarus should lie in pain and hunger while he wallowed in luxury. As someone said, It was not what Dives did that got him into heaven; it was what he did not do that got him into hell.” So let me emphasize this, Jesus paints us an unforgettable picture. In it we see a man who could look on the world’s suffering and desperate needs and simply never feel the conviction of God. This Rich Man would look at a fellow human who was starving and deathly ill, and do nothing about it. So Jesus paints the punishment of those who never noticed. When God's Word is not received, Christ's compassion is also absent. But why was the part added that Jesus told about refusing to send a warning to Dive’s family? Could it be Jesus is saying that to those who are exposed to God's Word and yet when they see the pain, sorrow, and dying of this world, and it moves them to no feeling and to no action, nothing will change them? The terrible warning of the sin of Dives is not that he did wrong things, but that he did nothing16.

16 Adapted from Barclay, William, Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Luke (Revised Edition), (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press) 2000, c1975.

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LET’S SUMMARIZE THE BIBLICAL PRESENTATION OF ETERNAL PUNISHMENT IN HELL IN FOUR POINTS: 7. IT IS THE PLACE OF ETERNAL, UNENDING PAIN, MISERY AND TORTURE - A darkness so impenetrable than the countless ages of eternity that none of the lost will ever see light or relief – no wonder they are wailing, howling and gnashing teeth. 8. IT IS THE PLACE WHERE BODY AND SOUL ARE TORMENTED. All will be raised, both saved and lost (Jn. 5:28/Dan. 12:2 – some to bless – the rest to horror. The worm dieth not. Mark 9:48 – Eating the conscience and the flesh? Never consumed by the hellish worms that feed upon them and never die. 9. HELL IS THE PLACE WHERE THERE ARE LEVELS OR DEGREES OF TORMENT – All face intense and unending pain. Some will face far greater. HEBREWS 10:28-29 – Says the writer of Hebrews. “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” Those who willfully reject Jesus Christ and trample, as it were, on the sacrifice He made for them with His own blood will receive much greater punishment than those who had only the light of the Old Covenant. And on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the pagan materialistic cities of Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom than for the Jewish cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum-who not only had the light of the Old Covenant but the opportunity to see and hear the Son of God in person and to witness His miraculous works (Matt. 11:22-23). In the parable of the slaves who awaited their master’s return from the wedding feast, Jesus explains that “that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, shall receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of flogging, will receive but few” (Luke 12:47-48). “Hell will have such severe degrees,” writes John Gretna, “that a sinner, were he able, would give the whole world if his sins could be one less.” The torment of hell will be everlasting. Nothing will be so horrible about hell as its endlessness. Jesus uses the same word to describe the duration of hell as the duration of heaven: “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt. 25:46). People in hell will experience the absence of hope. THE ARGUMENT FROM THE INFINITE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST (C. H. Macintosh) “If anything less than eternal punishment be due to sin, what need was there of an infinite sacrifice to give deliverance from that punishment? Did Jesus shed His precious blood to deliver us from the consequences of our guilt, if those consequences be only temporary? Grant us the truth of an infinite sacrifice, and we argue from thence the truth of eternal punishment.”

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050313PM WN-07

25 Trends

Twenty Five Trends that are Present When Christ Returns— that are present NOW! One of the greatest dangers in studying Biblical Prophecy—is coming to unbiblical conclusions. That has been the constant threat over the centuries since Christ's messages on the side of the Mount of Olives. As we open again to Matthew, and continue to look at the stirring look into the future, as Jesus sees and tells us—not what may happen, but what He sees as it actually happens in the future. Remember that about Bible Prophecy, it is not predictions of what “may” happen. Jesus, Daniel, Peter, Paul, and John in Revelation—actually are seeing the events as they happen and as they will happen in the future. But we must always remember what Jesus told us. Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. Now what doesn’t it mean? It doesn’t mean we pick a date in some month or year and start thinking that is when Christ is Coming. THE FOLLY OF DATE SETTING Look at history. Some of the greatest saints made the mistake of date setting. Martin Luther, John Wesley, Isaac Newton and a host of others all succumbed to date setting in dramatic moments of history. But, to stay Biblical, the only thing we are to do is to say “His Coming is near”—but when we go beyond that and also say a day, an hour, a year—we are being disobedient. Here are some pages from history to help us learn what not to do! An untold number of people have tried to predict the Lord's return by using elaborate timetables. Most date setters do not realize that mankind has not kept an unwavering record of time. Anyone wanting to chart, for example, 100 BC to 2000 AD, would have to contend with the fact that 46 BC was 445 days long, there was no year 0 BC, and in 1582 we switched from Julian Years (360 days) to Gregorian (365 days). Because most prognosticators are not aware of all of these errors, their math is immediately off by several years. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 61

More concerned with the date of Jesus' return than with how Jesus commanded his followers to live until he came, prognosticators went on misreading prophecy: 1000 This year goes down as one of the most pronounced states of hysteria over the return of Christ. All members of society seemed affected by the prediction that Jesus was coming back on Jan 1, 1000 AD. There really weren't any of the events required by the Bible transpiring at that time. The magical number 1000 was primarily the sole reason for the expectation. During December 999 AD, everyone was on their best behavior; worldly goods were sold and given to the poor, swarms of pilgrims headed east to meet the Lord at Jerusalem, buildings went unrepaired, crops were left unplanted, and criminals were set free from jails. The year 999 AD turned into 1000 AD and nothing happened. 1524-1526 Muntzer, a leader of German peasants, announced that the return of Christ was near. After Muntzer and his men destroyed the high and mighty, the Lord would supposedly return. This belief led to an uneven battle against government troops. He was strategically outnumbered. Muntzer claimed to have had a vision from God in which the Lord promised that He would catch the cannonballs of the enemy in the sleeves of His cloak. The prediction within the vision turned out to be false when Muntzer and his followers were mowed down by cannon fire. 1666 For the citizens of London, 1666 was not a banner year. A bubonic plague outbreak killed 100,000 and the Great Fire of London struck the same year. The world seemed at an end to most Londoners. The fact that the year ended with the Beast's number—666-didn't help matters. 1843-1844 William Miller was the founder of an end-times movement that was so prominent it received its own name, Millerism. From his studies of the Bible, Miller determined that the second coming would happen sometime between 1843-1844. A spectacular meteor shower in 1833 gave the movement a good push forward. The buildup of anticipation continued until March 21, 1844, when Miller's one-year timetable ran out. Some followers set another date--Oct 22, 1844. This too failed, collapsing the movement. Unwilling to accept the Great Disappointment that resulted when Oct. 22 passed without Christ's return, some explained that Christ began to cleanse the "heavenly sanctuary" on that date. They thus gave birth to the modern Adventist movement. 1874 Charles Taze Russell, whose public Bible studies formed the foundation of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, said Christ had returned to earth in 1874 and would begin his visible reign in 1914. Jehovah's Witness literature later spoke of "the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world before the generation that saw the events of 1914 passes away." 1914 Charles Russell, after being exposed to the teachings of William Miller, founded his own t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 62

organization that evolved into the Jehovah's Witnesses. In 1914, Russell predicted the return of Jesus Christ. 1984 The Jehovah's Witnesses made sure, in 1984, that no one else would be able to top their record of most wrong doomsday predictions. The Witnesses' record currently holds at nine. The years are: 1874, 1878, 1881, 1910, 1914, 1918, 1925, 1975, and 1984. Lately, the JWs are claiming they're out of the prediction business, but it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. They'll be back. 1988 Contemporary failed speculations include those of Edgar C. Whisenant, who in 1988 listed 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988 (when Christ failed to return, he predicted the rapture for 1989); 1992 A Korean prophet's assertion that the rapture was set for midnight, Oct. 20 or 28, 1992. (In South Korea, 20,000 Christians left school or quit jobs to await the end.) 2060 Sir Isaac Newton, Britain's greatest scientist, spent 50 years and wrote 4,500 pages trying to predict when the end of the world was coming. The most definitive date he set for the apocalypse, which he scribbled on a scrap of paper, was 2060. Well enough of what not to do. When Jesus preached Matthew 24, He is seeing them actually unfold, and describes them for us. The reason we are even studying this is because of His application to the disciples. Do you remember that part? Over and over He says that we must WATCH. He commands us, exhorts us, and reminds us that while we are alive on this planet we must be watchful. What exactly does that mean? Note the verses that follow this message: Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. Matthew 24:43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. Matthew 26:38-41 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” 39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” 40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 63

hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Colossians 4:2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; 1 Thessalonians 5:6, 10 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Revelation 3:2-3 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. What does the world look like when Jesus come back? We can know if we read His messages about His Second Coming. And if we read carefully we see a very clear picture He describes. Most of what Jesus described were events and elements that have always been some where on earth occurring—but He tells us that when these events and elements begin to go global, watch for Him. So what do we see at the end? Here is another look at the enxt few elements of the world when Jesus Returns. I like to call them 25 trends that are present when Christ returns. What are some of them? We will actually in the days ahead look at these in detail, but here they are in summary. We have already seen from the Scriptures the first ten. 16.

When Christ Returns there is-- Global Travel. Daniel was overwhelmed when he caught a glimpse of the number and speed at which people were moving about the planet. Daniel 12:4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” The Bible says that there would be many involved in travel, and today the transportation industry is one of the largest segments of the global economy. Prior to the industrial revolution, few individuals traveled beyond their community. Until recently, horse, foot, and boat were the only modes of transportation. Yet, in our day millions travel to and fro great distances every year.

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When Christ Returns there is-- a Global Explosion of Knowledge. Knowledge would increase. This month saw the introduction of a new generation of computer chip. Each generation has basically doubled the

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processing speed and power. The newest chip called the “Cell” doesn’t double— it multiplies everything that the computer does by sixty times. Daniel 12:4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase (Isaiah 11:9). Specifically, this is referring to an understanding of Bible prophecy, but also an increase in scientific knowledge is implied. 18.

When Christ Returns there is-- Global Telecommunication and Television. God's Word explicitly declares that mankind will be able to see and hear globally. When the world fastest know means of travel was the speed of a horse—God says the whole world will see an event and all at the same time, celebrate that event! Truly global communication was foreseen. Revelation 11:9-10 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. Revelation 17:8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. The Bible predicts that the entire world will "see" certain events unfold. The invention of the television and the deployment of global satellite networks during the 20th century allow news to travel the world at the speed of light for the first time ever. Remember that in the Apostle John's day, news traveled at the speed of horseback.

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When Christ Returns there is-- Global Tracking and Positioning. There would be technology capable of tracking the world's population and commerce. Revelation 13:16-17 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Visit: Technology Club-Goers in Spain Get Implanted Chips for ID, Payment Purposes (April 14, 2004) Being recognized has never been easier for VIP patrons of the Baja Beach Club in Barcelona, Spain. Like a scene out of a science-fiction movie, all it takes is a syringe-injected microchip implant for the beautiful men and women of the nightclub scene to breeze past a "reader" that recognizes their identity, credit balance and even automatically opens doors to exclusive areas of the club for them. They can buy drinks and food with a wave of their hand and don't need to worry about losing a credit card or wallet. "By simply passing by our reader, the Baja Beach Club will know who you are and what your credit balance is," Conrad K. Chase explains. Chase is director of the Baja Beach Club in Barcelona. "From the moment of their implantation they will also have free entry and access to the VIP area," he said. When Christ Returns there is-- Global Weather gone wild. Jesus foresaw the time when weather would be so bad that not just a few, but the whole world would be troubled, fearful, and killed by the fear of chaotic

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weather that would become prevalent. Luke 21:25-26 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Jesus foresaw those seas and the waves roaring in the last days, and compared these trends to birth pangs. Matthew 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. The Greek word odin, often translated as sorrows in Matthew 24:8, literally means birth pangs. Paul explains to us that all of creation is under the curse of sin. Romans 8:21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. While creation awaits the coming of the Liberator Himself, Christ the Lord—just as when delivery draws near, birth pangs always increase in both intensity and frequency--so the universe itself will travail as the time of delivery draws near. Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Of course chaotic weather has always existed, but there are indications that we are witnessing an increase in strange weather.

Matthew 24:1-4 1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” 3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. Matthew 24:5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. • When Christ Returns there are-- Many Groups of False Christianity. Religious cults would mushroom (2 Peter 2:1). Matthew 24:5, 11 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Numerous cults have emerged in these last days. Visit: Apologetics Index * Mormonism (carm) * Jehovah's Witnesses (carm) * A Cult is a Cult (the berean call) * Buddhist Prayer Wheel to Top New WTC? (world net daily)

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When Christ Returns there are-- Many would call themselves the Christ. Matthew 24:5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. Jesus was an itinerate preacher who never traveled outside the tiny nation of Israel and He had the audacity to say that many would come in His name, claiming to be the Christ. And yet today, multitudes within the New Age Movement, Eastern religions, and the cults call themselves the Christ.

Matthew 24:6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. • When Christ Returns there is-- Warfare around the Globe-Increasing. Many wars would erupt. Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise

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against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. According to Project Ploughshares, there are about 40 armed conflicts in the world today. Visit: Wars & Rumors of Wars (harpazo network) Mark 13:7-8 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. When Christ Returns there is-- Global Weaponry Addiction A global arms race would occur. Joel 3:9-14 Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up. 10 Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ” 11 Assemble and come, all you nations, And gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord. 12 “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow— For their wickedness is great.” 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. Revelation 16:14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Never in history have so many nations stockpiled armaments. Visit: Global Arms Race (harpazo network) When Christ Returns there is-- Global Famines. Despite technological advancements, famines would be common. Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. (Luke 21:11; Revelation 6:5-8). Visit: Famines * Food Crisis Hits Mozambique as Drought Continues (reuters) * Food Runs Out for 6 Million North Koreans

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(independent) * World Hunger Situation Worsening (cnn) * Egypt Fears Bread Shortage (menl) When Christ Returns there is-- Global Pestilences. Despite an increase in scientific knowledge, deadly diseases (which the Bible calls "pestilences") would be prevalent. Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. Emerging diseases such as AIDS, Ebola, Hanta virus, Dengue, West Nile, SARS, etc., underscore this fact. Ironically, just a few decades ago, some scientists were forecasting that advances in medicine might soon eradicate deadly diseases.

When Christ Returns there is-- a Global Awareness of Quakes. Up to the 20th century, news of an earthquake would takes days, weeks, months, and years to be spread around. And usually the exposure was minimal. Today in most of the world the daily news features any significant quake. Earthquakes occurring in diverse places predicted. Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. Visit: EarthQuakes

Matthew 24:8-9 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. • The Rise of a Global Hatred of the Nation of Israel and the Jewish People. Who would think that there would even be a Jew left. No nation has been hunted more, persecuted more, exiled more, hunted down and exterminated—like the Jews. But still they remain the focus of an undying hatred by huge parts of the global community. The rise of anti-Semitism worldwide anticipated by Hebrew prophets almost 3,000 years ago. Matthew 24:9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. Joel 3:2 I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land. Zechariah 12:2-3 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. In the 1940s, Hitler tried to exterminate every Jew. And in the final 3 ½ years of the Tribulation, Antichrist will turn on the Jews and attempt the same. Visit: AntiSemitism •

When Christ Returns there is-- Global Hatred of True Biblical Christianity. Jesus said Christians would be hated for His name's sake. Matthew 24:9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. Luke 21:17 And

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you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. Revelation 6:9-11 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The banning of the Bible, prayer, the Ten Commandments, nativity scenes, Christmas songs, etc., reflects this trend. Also consider that more Christians were martyed during the past century than during any other period in history. Visit: Persecution (harpazo network)

Matthew 24:10-11 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. • When Christ Returns there is-- False Bible teachers that are money hungry. They would be smooth talkers, have many followers, and slur the Christian faith. Matthew 24:11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. For links: False Prophets 2 Peter 2:1-3 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

Matthew 24:12-13 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. •

When Christ Returns there is—lawlessness that discharges the spiritual zeal of Christ's church. Many would forsake the Ten Commandments as a moral code: blaspheming, committing adultery, disobeying parents, stealing, lying, coveting, etc. Matthew 24:12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

• Revelation 3:14-21 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 69

or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. •

When Christ Returns there is-- Global Evangelism. Never before our generation was it possible to even know how many people are on this planet. Never was it possible to see the entire planet, let alone reach it all. Today we can send an email anywhere, bounce a radio or television wave anywhere, travel anywhere and most of all—get the Gospel anywhere on this planet. My little website alone has visitors from over 100 different nations on earth. The Christian gospel would be preached as a warning to all nations. Remember what Jesus said? Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Mark 13:10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. Today, portions or the entire Bible have been translated into over 2,300 languages and dialects covering over 90% of the world's population.

Matthew 24:15-21 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

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050320am Palm-Prophetic Exactness

WHAT’S NEXT-08 THE PROPHETIC EXACTNESS OF PALM SUNDAY MATTHEW 21:1-11 One thing you can be sure of—God keeps His Word. You can count on Him, trust Him, and believe His Word. We have been looking at the future for the last few weeks in our Prophetic Series What’s Next. But this morning, as we remember Palm Sunday we are assured that God will keep His Word about the future. How do we know that for certain? Because He has kept His Word so perfectly and exactly in the past! What chapter have we been studying for several weeks now? Matthew 24. As we have looked at doomsday for planet earth in verse after verse of Matthew 24, have you ever wondered what the context of that passage is? When in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ did that incredible prophetic look into the future occur? To find out, please open with me to Palm Sunday in Christ's life in Matthew 21. We find Palm Sunday in all four Gospels (Matthew 21; Mark 11; Luke 19; John 12). But our reading this morning will be Matthew 21:1-11. If you read closely the events of Matthew 21 you find that two days later Jesus is sitting on the side of the Mount of Olives describing the future of the world to His disciples. Sunday was Christ's triumphal entry and two days later was His sober reporting of what was coming. We could say all that this way--Palm Sunday was followed by Doomsday Tuesday. Yes, just two days after this Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem Jesus saw and described the destruction coming in the near and far future. In fact, in each of the synoptic Gospels, as soon as the dust has settled from the Palm branch strewn road to Jerusalem, Christ is talking about things to come. Note what Matthew records after our text this morning. Palm Sunday is Matthew 21:1-11. Look at: 1. Matthew 21:41 They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease [his] vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons." (NKJV)

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2. Matthew 22:13 "Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast [him] into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' (NKJV) 3. Matthew 23:33 "Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? (NKJV) 4. Matthew 24:51 "and will cut him in two and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (NKJV) 5. Matthew 25:30 'And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' (NKJV) The application of Palm Sunday is clear. He repeats it over and over—if you do now bow to me as the Lamb of God for sinner slain, then you face inescapable judgment. I the Christ am returning and will Judge sinners who have not repented and bowed to me! The context of Matthew 24 and the end of the world is Matthew 21 and the Palm Sunday entry of Jesus. Please stand with me as we listen to Christ's Palm Sunday entry in triumph. Matthew 21:1-11. Pray This morning we have remembered one of the greatest days of history, the day Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem as the Passover Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. Palm Sunday is a day of Prophetic Exactness! What God's Word will happen in the future as clearly as it has in the past. Palm Sunday is a day in the life of Christ that mirrors literally scores of prophecies God made in the Bible that are fulfilled with pin point accuracy! We should remind ourselves of just how unique, and how powerful is our God. Why? For just one reason this morning – the prophetic Exactness that God demonstrates though dozens of pinpoint accurate promises He sent in His Word centuries before the events occurred! And as we see all this our hearts should be strengthened to trust even more our great God who wants to direct our paths, wants us to trust and obey Him, and wants us to do His will, not our own! This morning we are looking at the Prophetic Exactness of Christ's Death. In fact there were thirty-three prophecies fulfilled on the single day when the Lord Jesus died. Always remember that one17 of the strong evidences of divine inspiration of the Bible (not found in other religious books of either past or present) consists of its hundreds of fulfilled prophecies. These are not vague or ambiguous (as in various occult writings) but are specific and detailed, often made hundreds or thousands of years in advance of the 17

Much of these points are quoted or adapted from Henry Morris, Creation Trilogy, Many Infallible Proofs Appedices, electronic edition, n.p.

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event. Many are being fulfilled today, thereby indicating the probable soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, the most powerful evidence that God wrote the Bible is the phenomenon of fulfilled prophecy. The Bible is unique among all the religious books of mankind in this respect. Some of them contain a few vague forecasts, but nothing comparable to the vast number of specific prophecies found in the Bible. It is easy, of course, to prophesy that someone will die. Everyone must die sooner or later, and it surely takes no gift of prophetic insight to predict death. There is nothing in all human history, however, comparable to the prophecies associated with the death of Christ. These were not vague and hidden, like those of fortune-tellers, nor were they given only a short time before they were fulfilled, as are those of modern occultists. There are scores, perhaps hundreds, of such prophecies in the Old Testament that focus on the death of the coming Messiah, and many of them are very detailed and specific. All were recorded hundreds of years, some over a thousand years, before they were fulfilled. There are over 90 such Old Testament prophecies which are specifically quoted by New Testament writers in a Messianic sense.

THE PROPHETIC EXACTNESS OF CHRIST'S FINAL NIGHT PROPHETIC EXACTNESS IN THE PALM SUNDAY ENTRY: The time when He would come into Jerusalem to die was prophesied in Daniel 9:24-26, and this was fulfilled exactly 483 years later, as predicted, when He entered Jerusalem for His last week before death, as recorded in Luke 19:37-44. After this, as Daniel (or, rather, the angel Gabriel) had prophesied, He was “cut off, but not for Himself.” Also Zechariah 9:9-10 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. PROPHETIC EXACTNESS IN THE PASSOVER PLOT BETRAYAL: His betrayal by one of His close friends was forecast, and even the price of thirty pieces of silver for His betrayal was given. The shameful mockery of the judicial process which constituted His trial is prophesied. I read Psalm 41:9 Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me. Zechariah 11:12-13 Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not,

Congregation look up Mark 14:10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. Matthew 27:3-10 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces

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refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. 13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter. Actually the statement paraphrases Zech. 11:12, 13. But the Hebrew canon was divided into 3 sections, Law, Writings, and Prophets (cf. Luke 24:44). Jeremiah came first in the order of prophetic books, so the Prophets were sometimes collectively referred to by his name. Isaiah 50:6 I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. Psalm 35:11 Fierce witnesses rise up; They ask me things that I do not know.

of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!” 5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.” 7 And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. 8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, 10 and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.” Matthew 26:67 Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, Matthew 27:26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified. John 18:22 And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, “Do You answer the high priest like that?”

So in every way God's Word promised Christ's suffering was fulfilled—God always keeps His Word! PROPHETIC EXACTNESS OF CHRIST'S CRUCIFIXION: The awful details of His sufferings on the cross are portrayed graphically in the 22nd Psalm, written by David almost 1,100 years before its fulfillment. As I point out the details you follow along in Matthew 27. Here is what we will see. Psalm 22 begins with the cry from the cross in Matthew 27:46: “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Then each of the dreadful details of Christ's suffering is captured—the unnatural darkness, the mocking priests and others at the foot of the cross, the sufferings caused by the crucifixion process are recorded, piercing of His hands and feet, the stripping of His garments, the gambling over His possessions, His awful thirst, and despite the intensity of His sufferings, none of His bones would be broken, is foretold. Psalm 22 is surely one of the most marvelous t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 74

passages in all the Word of God, and will richly repay detailed and prayerful study by each individual Christian. I read Psalm 22:1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? Psalm 22:2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. Also Psalm 22:7-8 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 “He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” Psalm 22:14 I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me.

Congregation look up Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.

Matthew 27:49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.” Mark 15:29 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, Matthew 27:35a Then they crucified Him, John 19:34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. Psalm 22:15 My strength is dried up like a John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that potsherd, And My tongue clings to My all things were now accomplished, that the jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” death. Psalm 69:21 They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave Matthew 27:48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine me vinegar to drink. and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. Psalm 22:16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;

Matthew 27:35a Then they crucified Him,

Psalm 22:17-18 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. 18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.

Matthew 27:35b Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.” John 19:34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

Zechariah 12:10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they

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will look on Me whom they pierced. Psalm 34:20 He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.

John 19:33, 36 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”

So in every way God's Word promised Christ's death was fulfilled—God always keeps His Word! PROPHETIC EXACTNESS IN THE SUBSTITUTIONARY DEATH OF Christ The 53rd chapter of Isaiah (actually beginning at Isaiah 52:13) is also a marvelous chapter devoted to the future death of the Savior, written by Isaiah 750 years before it came to pass. Especially emphasized in this chapter (which is quoted in at least six different places in the New Testament) is the fact that the death of the Messiah would be a substitutionary death, offered up in sacrificial substitution for the sins of others. Turn there with me please, to Isaiah 53. Paul summarizes the Gospel as “He gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20b). This emphasis on substitutionary suffering is repeated over and over in Isaiah 53. It says, for example, that: • v. 4 “He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows”. • v. 5 “He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, chastised for our peace, and striped for our healing”. • v. 6 says “The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” • v. 11 says “He shall bear their iniquities,”. • v. 12 that “He was numbered with the transgressors, and bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Also we can see the PROPHETIC EXACTNESS IN THE DETAILS OF CHRIST'S TRIALS AND DEATH: The details of His trial and death are also given in this chapter. • The abuse He bore at the hands of the soldiers and others is graphically portrayed in 52:14: “His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.” • The serenity He exhibited before His accusers at His trial is predicted in 53:7, “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.” • The verdict of that mock trial is given in verse 8, “He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.” • Then, death with the criminals, and His burial by a rich man, is recorded in verse 9, “And they made His grave with the wicked—But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.”

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o Finally, Christ's resurrection from the grave is promised in verse 10: “He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days.”

So in every way God's Word promised Christ's death was fulfilled—God always keeps His Word! The Prophetic Exactness of Christ’s Burial The great defining passage on the Gospel is 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Here, the Gospel is defined as the good news that “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” Thus the Gospel involves three main parts—the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ—and further emphasizes his post-resurrection physical appearances in confirmation thereof. So the Gospel we declare affirms that it is absolutely vital for all men to know beyond any doubt that it was the human Jesus who rose from the grave. Therefore, it must be certain that His body was carefully buried after His death, and that this burial was known to all, both friend and foe. Then, on the great morning when He arose from the dead, the emptied tomb would stand forever as the infallible proof of His bodily resurrection. Look at Matthew 27:62-66. PROPHETIC EXACTNESS IN THOSE WHO BURIED CHRIST'S BODY: Matthew 27:62-66 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63 saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard. Such an important ministry as the burial of the body of Jesus could not be entrusted by God to the Roman soldiers, who would merely further defile it and then throw it in with the bodies of other executed criminals, nor to the Jewish authorities who would probably do even worse. Nor would these authorities have permitted it to fall into the hands of His disciples, as they were afraid they would seek to hide it and then claim He had been resurrected (Matthew 27:62-66). 1. GOD PREPARED THOSE WHO HAD AUTHORITY TO BURY CHRIST'S BODY: The solution was for God to have the body buried by one or more of the authorities themselves who were also disciples. For this purpose, God chose two of the members of the governing Jewish body, the Sanhedrin, Joseph and Nicodemus. Thus, they would have access to the necessary information about the time and circumstances of His death, they would also have access to the Roman governor in order to make the required arrangements to acquire the body before the soldiers could dispose of it, and they would have enough wealth of their own to be able to t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 77

make the needed preparations for a suitable resting-place for the body until it could be raised from the dead. 2. GOD PREPARED THOSE WHO WOULD BURY CHRIST'S BODY: Of course, they would have to be prepared ahead of time for this ministry. God therefore somehow touched the heart of Nicodemus, as he listened to John the Baptist, then later to Jesus, and as He saw the miracles which Jesus did. Eventually, he made his way into the presence of Jesus one night, where the Lord spoke to him of the necessity of being born again, even though he was already the greatest “teacher in Israel” (John 3:7, 10). The Scriptures do not tell us the outcome of that interview, except that sometime later Nicodemus defended Jesus on one occasion before the Sanhedrin (John 7:50-51). Similarly, we read that Joseph did not concur in the decision of the Sanhedrin to condemn Jesus (Luke 23:50-51). 3. PROPHETIC EXACTNESS IN THE PLACE PREPARED FOR THE BURIAL OF CHRIST’S BODY: Some such background as this is necessary to understand the otherwise inexplicable prescience of Joseph. Why, for example, should he, a rich man of Arimathaea, buy a burial ground in Jerusalem instead of his own home town? And, especially, why should he purchase it in such a place as this—adjacent to the hill of Golgotha, where day after day there would come the cries of dying criminals and the wails of mourning families? Furthermore, it was a brand new tomb, not one in which others of the family had been buried (John 19:41), one that Joseph himself had hewn out in the rock (Matthew 27:60), perhaps not wishing others even to know about its preparation. 4. PROPHETIC EXACTNESS IN THE PREPARATIONS FOR THE BURIAL OF CHRIST’S BODY: Strange also was the fact that Joseph knew exactly when Jesus died, and was immediately able to rush to Pilate with the request for His body, before others even realized He was dead (Mark 15:43-44). Even stranger was the fact that immediately thereafter came Nicodemus carrying one hundred Roman pounds (or 66 pounds in our terms, the Roman pound was 12 ounces) of ointment for the burial (one does not carry even one hundred Roman pounds very far!). Then, while the women watched from a distance, no doubt in amazement, these two respected members of the Sanhedrin gently lowered the body from the cross, wound it in the linen clothes, applied the spices and ointments, laid the body in the tomb, and then departed. Never, so far as the Biblical record goes, were they ever heard from again, but there can be no doubt that this one act cost them their positions and probably their possessions, and possibly even their lives.

So in every way God's Word promised Christ's burial was fulfilled—God always keeps His Word! So, as we have seen all this, o Is your heart strengthened to trust even more our great God? o Do you want to follow Him who wants to direct our paths? o Will we trust and obey Him who wants us to do His will, not our own! So Palm Sunday affirms the Prophetic Exactness of God's Word. How can we relate that to life in Tulsa in 2005? If God has always kept His Word—and He has, then He will continue to do so. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 78

1. We should live our lives yielding to God’s will--like Christ's! Hebrews 10:7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ ” 2. We should live our lives obeying God’s Will--like Christ's! Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” 3. We should live our lives wanting God’s Will--like Christ's! Look at His life again in Matthew 26:39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

APPENDIX What a precious word of comfort in this dark hour of doom and judgment. Jesus says, don’t be troubled, I will take care of you my own! This is John’s introduction to the second event in God's plan for the future: the Rapture (the parousia or royal return Paul describes in I Thessalonians). Out of the gloom and doom of Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 comes hope . . . let’s look at three promises God gives His church through the Rapture: I. A PROMISED HOMEGOING John 14 A. Though suffering and enduring this world’s wrath is tough, there is a bright future coming. B. Christ is personally preparing a place for us. C. He will return for us, so the Rapture is a promised home going! II. The Rapture is a PROMISED RESCUE Matthew 24 from coming wrath! A. First of all the Scriptures portray a rescue in the lives of Noah, Lot, Enoch and Elijah: 1. Look at Matthew 24:38 "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, (NKJV). What happened to Noah in his day? He was saved from the Flood! 2. Look at Luke 17:24-37 24 "For as the lightning that flashes out of one [part] under heaven shines to the other [part] under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. 25 "But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26 "And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 "They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 "Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 "but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed [them] all. 30 "Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 "In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods [are] in the house, let him not come down to t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 79

III. IV.

take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. 32 "Remember Lot's wife. 33 "Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 "I tell you, in that night there will be two [men] in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 "Two [women] will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. 36 "Two [men] will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left." 37 And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?" So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together." (NKJV) B. Secondly, not only is it portrayed, it is described: 1. 1 Thessalonians 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, [even] Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (NKJV) delivers in greek is rhuo “rescued with power”. God has promised in His power to rescue us! 2. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we who are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (NKJV) Paul said we would be harpadzo “seized hastily and drawn with swift and sudden movement to oneself” kind of like how you pull someone from being hit by a speeding car! C. Finally, it is not only portrayed and described, it is promised as a rescue from coming wrath: 1. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, (NKJV) 2. Revelation 3:10 "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. (NKJV) So the rapture is a PROMISED HOMEGOING in John 14, a PROMISED RESCUE IN Matthew 24 from God's coming wrath, finally it is a PROMISED TRANSFORMATION of our bodies. But that is for tonight. What should our response be? The King has spoken. We should respond in three ways: EXPECTANCE, PATIENCE AND PREPAREDNESS. A. EXPECTANCE 1. We can’t know when it exactly will be! Acts 1:7 And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. (NKJV) 2. We can know it is near because the Lord says Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! (NKJV) 3. We must remember that it is for us to watch Matthew 25:13 "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. (NKJV) 4. God expects from us a patient expectancy of instant readiness for eternity. We must always be ready for the last things first thing each day. Why? Because Jesus said Luke 12:35-36 "Let your waist be girded and [your] lamps burning; 36 "and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that

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when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. (NKJV) B.

PATIENCE

1.

C.

Remember James 5:8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. (NKJV) 2. Beware of calculating and speculating. There are equally great and saintly teachers with very divergent views. Remember it is not for us to know! a) Some sad predictions18: (1) Luther said the world would end in 1556. (2) Famous Bible commentator John Cocceius said it would be in 1667. (3) Amos Comenius said it would be in 1672. (4) Scientist Isaac Newton predicted the Lord would come in 1715. (5) Noted scholar J.A. Bengal taught it would be in 1836. (6) Beyond those are all the contradictions of the Millerites or Seventh Day Adventists, the recent prophecy hounds “88 reasons for 1988” and then 100 for 1989 . . . b) Some sage advice: Eschatology or Bible prophecies about future events should REBUKE DOGMATISM, INDUCE FORBEARANCE AND PROVOKE INQUIRY! Finally Expectance, Patience and lastly PREPAREDNESS. How do we prepare? Try answering these three questions: 1. Do you know Christ personally ? 2. Do you serve Christ constantly ? 3. Do you love Christ completely ?

He is coming again ! Hallelujah!

THE COUNTDOWN TO THE CROSS 179. Jesus heals a blind beggar 180. Jesus brings salvation to Zacchaeus' home 181. Jesus tells the parable of the king's ten servants 182. A woman anoints Jesus with perfume 183. Sunday: Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey 184. Monday: Jesus clears the temple again 185. Jesus explains why he must die 186. Most of the people do not believe in Jesus 187. Jesus summarizes his message 188. Tuesday: Jesus says the disciples can pray for anything 189. Religious leaders challenge Jesus' authority 190. Jesus tells the parable of the two sons 191. Jesus tells the parable of the wicked farmers 192. Jesus tells the parable of the wedding feast 193. Religious leaders question Jesus about paying taxes 194. Religious leaders question Jesus about the resurrection 195. Religious leaders question Jesus about the greatest commandment 196. Religious leaders cannot answer Jesus' question 197. Jesus warns against the religious leaders 198. Jesus condemns the religious leaders 199. Jesus grieves over Jerusalem again

18

Matthew 20:29-34

Mark 10:46-52

26:6-13 21:1-11 21:12-17

14:3-9 11:1-11 11:12-19

Luke 18:35-43 19:1-10 19:11-27 19:28-44 19:45-48

John

12:1-11 12:12-19 12:20-36 12:37-43 12:44-50

21:18-22 21:23-27 21:28-32 21:33-46 22:1-14 22:15-22 22:23-33 22:34-40 22:41-46 23:1-12 23:13-36 23:37-39

11:20-26 11:27-33

20:1-8

12:1-12

20:9-19

12:13-17 12:18-27 12:28-34 12:35-37 12:38-40

20:20-26 20:27-40 20:41-44 20:45-47

Erich Sauer,

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200. 201. 202. 203. 204. 205. 206. 207. 208. 209. 210. 211. 212. 213. 214. 215. 216. 217. 218. 219. 220. 221. 222. 223.

A poor widow gives all she has Jesus tells about the future Jesus tells about his return Jesus tells about remaining watchful Jesus tells the parable of the ten bridesmaids Jesus tells the parable of the loaned money Jesus tells about the final judgment Religious leaders plot to kill Jesus Judas agrees to betray Jesus Disciples prepare for the Passover Jesus washes the disciples' feet Jesus and the disciples have the Last Supper Jesus predicts Peter's denial Jesus is the way to the Father Jesus promises the Holy Spirit Jesus teaches about the vine and the branches Jesus warns about the world's hatred Jesus teaches about the Holy Spirit Jesus teaches about using his name in prayer Jesus prays for himself Jesus prays for his disciples Jesus prays for future believers Jesus again predicts Peter's denial Jesus agonizes in the garden

24:1-25 24:26-35 24:36-51 25:1-13 25:4-30 25:31-46 26:1-5 26:14-16 26:17-19

12:41-44 13:1-23 13:24-31 13:32-37

21:1-4 21:5-24 21:25-33 21:34-38

14:1, 2 14:10, 11 14:12-16

22:1, 2 22:3-6 22:7-13

26:20-30

14:17-26

22:14-30 22:31-38

26:31-35 26:36-46

14:27-31 14:32-42

13:1-20 13:21-30 13:31-38 14:1-14 14:15-31 15:1-17 15:18-16:4 16:5-15 16:16-33 17:1-5 17:6-19 17:20-26

22:39-46

Luke 2:22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord… This morning is parent and child dedication Sunday. You will see in a few moments, parents who want to present their children in dedication back to the Lord. What they are saying is that these children belong to you Lord. We want to publicly acknowledge that. God never holds us responsible for our children turn out—only for how we raised them. Dedication is when parents say— • I will raise your children as my very own. • I will surrender them back to you. • I will have your peace when it is hard and when they are making their own choices that will shape their future lives. • I will always pray for them, always love them, and no matter what happens— • I will have your peace because I gave them to you, raised them for you as best I knew how and could do. As I call these parents up here and lead them in this dedication, why not go over these truths in your own hearts as parents. If you have surrendered your children to the Lord already, then reaffirm in your heart these five simple truths: 1. I will raise your children as my very own. 2. I will surrender them back to you. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 82

3. I will have your peace when it is hard and when they are making their own choices that will shape their future lives. 4. I will always pray for them, always love them, and no matter what happens— 5. I will have your peace because I gave them to you, raised them for you as best I knew how and could do.

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050327AM EASTER MEET RISEN CHRIST

“MEET THE RISEN CHRIST” THE GLORY OF JESUS REVELATION 1:9-18 On the first Easter morning, Mary was looking at the empty tomb and met Jesus. She had come in sorrow and confusion. All the memories of Him flooded her mind. Jesus had loved her, forgiven her, and made her so many promises. But now Jesus seemed to be so far away, all of those things seemed distant to Mary. Mary needed to see Jesus. That is why she was last at the Cross, and first at the Tomb. Mary came needing Him, and now would be first to see the Risen Christ. Only He could strengthen her faith and comfort her heart and that is what He did. But that was 2,000 years ago—and it seems so long ago and so far away. We live so distant at times from the quietness of the garden on Resurrection morning. We live so removed from the gracious assurances that Jesus offered to Mary. But that is only our fault, because the truth of the resurrection is that Jesus is alive. And since He is alive He is doing the same things He did then. Did you catch that? Jesus wants us to know that He is still doing just what He did that morning, and in the days that followed. So much of His ministry was assuring the disciples of what they already knew, and encouraging them to do what He left them here to do. This morning, will you meet again the Risen Christ? And as you meet Him, will you see what He is doing today? That is what He wants for us--to see Him, and even, more believe Him. And then respond to His work in us through His Word. To best see Jesus this morning, turn with me to the only eye witness account with a complete description of the Risen Christ. Over sixty years after Resurrection Sunday another meeting took place. It was also on a Sunday, a Lord’s Day. And in the flawless record of that meeting comes seven perfect descriptions of what Jesus looks like. And from those seven descriptions we find out exactly what He is doing then and now!

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Will you see Jesus anew and afresh with me, and experience all that He wants to do in your life and mine today, and in the days ahead—if we will invite Him to be at work in us. Here we go. Open with me to Revelation 1.9-20. Stand with me, and as I read notice what John saw. Revelation 1:9-20 I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” 12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lamp stands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lamp stands: 1. One like the Son of Man, 2. clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and 3. His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 4. His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and 5. His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and 6. His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But 7. He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. 19 Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. 20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lamp stands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lamp stands which you saw are the seven churches. With each of these seven descriptions John records comes a matching ministry of Christ's while He was on earth. John actually sees Him doing just what He did while He was here. Jesus is the same—yesterday, today, and forever. And how John needed that reminder—and so do we! Pray

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What did John see? Pencil these in your mind, mark them in your Bibles. He saw Jesus and tells us of it. 1. Christ's Risen and Glorified: Humanity v. 13a “like a Son of Man”. So He can truly have compassion upon us. 2. Christ's Risen and Glorified: Priesthood v. 13b-14b “robe, sash, white hair”. So He can truly forgive us. 3. Christ's Risen and Glorified: Omniscience v. 14c “eyes like a flame of fire”. So He can truly see us where we are. 4. Christ's Risen and Glorified: Omnipotence v. 15a “feet like fine brass”. So He can truly protect us. 5. Christ's Risen and Glorified: Omnipresence v. 15b “voice like the sound of many waters”. So He can truly encourage us. 6. Christ's Risen and Glorified: Majesty v. 16b-17a “face like the Sun shining in its strength”. So He can truly be worshipped by us. 7. Christ's Risen and Glorified: Touch v. 16a; 17b-20 “hand upon me”. So He can truly help us.

1. We need to see Christ's Risen and Glorified: Humanity v. 13a “like a Son of Man”. So He can truly have compassion upon us. Every time compassion is used in the New Testament it speaks of Jesus! (12x). First of all, what did Jesus do on earth? He had compassion upon us weak and wandering humans. Mark 6:34 And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. Matthew 20:34 So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him. So what does He do now? He has compassion upon us in all our needs! Hebrews 2:18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. HE IS VISITING US IN HIS CHURCH 1:13 “…and in the midst of the seven lamp stands…[One] like the Son of Man”. Do you know that this church is His? More than you going around and seeing your friends to see how they are doing—Jesus is visiting around, He is checking our hearts to see if we came to church cleaned up and prepared to seek Him. He comes to see if we came spiritually cold or if we came with our “first love” for Him. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 86

• • • •

Anyone felt they could come to Him, He was approachable: woman with blood, leper, dad with dying daughter, sick servant. Are you weak? He understands. Are you afraid? He is acquainted with all we face. Are you alone? He faced the long loneliness of the Garden of Gethsemane, the Wilderness temptation, and the hours of darkness on the Cross—He know what it is like to be alone.

2. We need to see Christ's Risen and Glorified: Priesthood v. 13b-14b clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow,” So He can truly forgive us. First of all, what did Jesus do on earth? He forgave sins! Mark 1:41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Mark 2:1-5 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. 3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” John 8:11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” So what does He do now? He forgives our sins. Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Hebrews 7:24-25 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. • •

Do you feel defiled? He alone can forgive and cleanse. Do you feel the fear of future judgment? He can take that penalty you deserve away forever.

3. We need to see Christ’s Risen and Glorified: Omniscience v. 14c “eyes like a flame of fire”. So He can truly see us where ever we are.

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First of all, what did Jesus do on earth? He always knew where His disciples were and what they needed. Arbel watching (Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:46-48; John 6:15-21) Mark 6:46-48 And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. 47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. 48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. So what does He do now? He knows every detail, every fear, every weakness and can help us! Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

4. We need to see Christ’s Risen and Glorified: Omnipotence v. 15a “His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace”. Those feet of brass speak of strength and power. He reveals that strength to remind us that He can truly protect us. First of all, what did Jesus do on earth? He was always delivering them from danger, and stilling their storms (Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:2325). Mark 6:46-48 And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. 47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. 48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. Luke 8:23-25 But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. 24 And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!” So what does He do now? He ever lives to intercede and help us in every danger we face. 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 88

are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. Hebrews 7:24-25 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

5. We need to see Christ's Risen and Glorified: Omnipresence v 15b “voice like the sound of many waters”. Have you ever noticed that Jesus was always speaking to people at their time of greatest need? His voice can be heard anywhere, for He is everywhere present. So He can truly encourage us. First of all, what did Jesus do on earth? He was always meeting their most desperate needs. John 20:13-16 Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” 14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). John 21:15-17 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. So what does He do now? He is always with us, He promises to never leave our side! He can encourage and help us always, anywhere, and anytime—just invite Him to come to your rescue. Matthew 28:20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

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6. We need to see Christ's Risen and Glorified: Majesty v. 16b-17a “face like the Sun shining in its strength”. One look at Jesus and John crumbles in awe and wonder filled worship at His feet. He is glorious in Majesty and power. He reminds us of that glory so we can truly be worship Him. First of all, what did Jesus do on earth? He was always inviting the worship of those who loved Him. Matthew 14:33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” Mark 6:51 Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. Luke 5:8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” So what does He do now? He is always waiting for us to lavish our love upon Him and worship Him. Luke 24:52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

7. We need to see Christ's Risen and Glorified: Touch v. 16a; 17b-20 “16 He had in His right hand seven stars; He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. 19 Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. 20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lamp stands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lamp stands which you saw are the seven churches.” He holds His church, He guards its message and its messengers. And when John was overwhelmed, Jesus reached down to strengthen him. He can always help us. Just think of Peter as he sank, the Leper as he pleaded for cleansing, and Thomas as he knelt before the Risen Christ. First of all, what did Jesus do on earth? He was always touching those He loved with strength and help.

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Peter at his direst moment full of fear. Matthew 14:30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” The leper at his direst moment full of decay. Luke 5:12 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Thomas at his direst moment full of doubt. John 20:28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” But that was 2,000 years ago—and it seems so long ago and so far away. We live so distant at times from the quietness of the garden on Resurrection morning. But that is only our fault, because the truth of the resurrection is that Jesus is alive. And since He is alive He is doing the same things He did then. Did you catch that? Jesus wants us to know that He is still doing just what He did that morning, and in the days that followed. So much of His ministry was assuring the disciples of what they already knew, and encouraging them to do what He left them here to do. This morning, have you meet again the Risen Christ? Have you seen what He is doing today? That is what He wants for us--to see Him, and even, more believe Him. And then respond to His work in us through His Word. Will you see Jesus anew and afresh with me, and experience all that He wants to do in your life and mine today, and in the days ahead—if we will invite Him to be at work in us. So what does He do now? He is always there to touch us, lift us, encourage us, restore us, and remind us that all that He promised is true. Hebrews 13:5, 8 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What did John see? Pencil these in your mind, mark them in your Bibles. He saw Jesus and tells us of it. 1. See Christ's Risen and Glorified: Humanity v. 13a “like a Son of Man”. So He can truly have compassion upon us. He is like us. 2. See Christ's Risen and Glorified: Priesthood v. 13b-14b “robe, sash, white hair”. So He can truly forgive us. He is able to forgive us completely. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 91

3. See Christ's Risen and Glorified: Omniscience v. 14c “eyes like a flame of fire”. So He can truly see us where we are. 4. See Christ's Risen and Glorified: Omnipotence v. 15a “feet like fine brass”. So He can truly protect us all the way through life to the end.. 5. See Christ's Risen and Glorified: Omnipresence v. 15b “voice like the sound of many waters”. So He can truly encourage us. 6. Christ's Risen and Glorified: Majesty v. 16b-17a “face like the Sun shining in its strength”. So He can truly be worshipped by us. 7. Christ's Risen and Glorified: Touch v. 16a; 17b-20 “hand upon me”. So He can truly help us.

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050327AM EASTER MEET RISEN CHRIST

“MEET THE RISEN CHRIST” THE GLORY OF JESUS REVELATION 1:9-18 Portraits 4-7 On the first Easter morning, Mary was looking at the empty tomb and met Jesus. She had come in sorrow and confusion. All the memories of Him flooded her mind. Jesus had loved her, forgiven her, and made her so many promises. But now Jesus seemed to be so far away, all of those things seemed distant to Mary. Mary needed to see Jesus. That is why she was last at the Cross, and first at the Tomb. Mary came needing Him, and now would be first to see the Risen Christ. Only He could strengthen her faith and comfort her heart and that is what He did. But that was 2,000 years ago—and it seems so long ago and so far away. We live so distant at times from the quietness of the garden on Resurrection morning. We live so removed from the gracious assurances that Jesus offered to Mary. But that is only our fault, because the truth of the resurrection is that Jesus is alive. And since He is alive He is doing the same things He did then. Did you catch that? Jesus wants us to know that He is still doing just what He did that morning, and in the days that followed. So much of His ministry was assuring the disciples of what they already knew, and encouraging them to do what He left them here to do. This morning, will you meet again the Risen Christ? And as you meet Him, will you see what He is doing today? That is what He wants for us--to see Him, and even, more believe Him. And then respond to His work in us through His Word. To best see Jesus this morning, turn with me to the only eye witness account with a complete description of the Risen Christ. Over sixty years after Resurrection Sunday another meeting took place. It was also on a Sunday, a Lord’s Day. And in the flawless record of that meeting comes seven perfect descriptions of what Jesus looks like. And from those seven descriptions we find out exactly what He is doing then and now!

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Will you see Jesus anew and afresh with me, and experience all that He wants to do in your life and mine today, and in the days ahead—if we will invite Him to be at work in us. Here we go. Open with me to Revelation 1.9-20. Stand with me, and as I read notice what John saw. Revelation 1:9-20 I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” 12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lamp stands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lamp stands: 8. One like the Son of Man, 9. clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and 10. His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 11. His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and 12. His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and 13. His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But 14. He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. 19 Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. 20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lamp stands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lamp stands which you saw are the seven churches. With each of these seven descriptions John records comes a matching ministry of Christ's while He was on earth. John actually sees Him doing just what He did while He was here. Jesus is the same—yesterday, today, and forever. And how John needed that reminder—and so do we! Pray

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What did John see? Pencil these in your mind, mark them in your Bibles. He saw Jesus and tells us of it. 8. Christ's Risen and Glorified: Humanity v. 13a “like a Son of Man”. So He can truly have compassion upon us. 9. Christ's Risen and Glorified: Priesthood v. 13b-14b “robe, sash, white hair”. So He can truly forgive us. 10. Christ's Risen and Glorified: Omniscience v. 14c “eyes like a flame of fire”. So He can truly see us where we are. 11. Christ's Risen and Glorified: Omnipotence v. 15a “feet like fine brass”. So He can truly protect us. 12. Christ's Risen and Glorified: Omnipresence v. 15b “voice like the sound of many waters”. So He can truly encourage us. 13. Christ's Risen and Glorified: Majesty v. 16b-17a “face like the Sun shining in its strength”. So He can truly be worshipped by us. 14. Christ's Risen and Glorified: Touch v. 16a; 17b-20 “hand upon me”. So He can truly help us.

1. We need to see Christ's Risen and Glorified: Humanity v. 13a “like a Son of Man”. So He can truly have compassion upon us. Every time compassion is used in the New Testament it speaks of Jesus! (12x). First of all, what did Jesus do on earth? He had compassion upon us weak and wandering humans. Mark 6:34 And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. Matthew 20:34 So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him. So what does He do now? He has compassion upon us in all our needs! Hebrews 2:18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. HE IS VISITING US IN HIS CHURCH 1:13 “…and in the midst of the seven lamp stands…[One] like the Son of Man”. Do you know that this church is His? More than you going around and seeing your friends to see how they are doing—Jesus is visiting around, He is checking our hearts to see if we came to church cleaned up and prepared to seek Him. He comes to see if we came spiritually cold or if we came with our “first love” for Him. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 95

• • • •

Anyone felt they could come to Him, He was approachable: woman with blood, leper, dad with dying daughter, sick servant. Are you weak? He understands. Are you afraid? He is acquainted with all we face. Are you alone? He faced the long loneliness of the Garden of Gethsemane, the Wilderness temptation, and the hours of darkness on the Cross—He know what it is like to be alone.

2. We need to see Christ's Risen and Glorified: Priesthood v. 13b-14b clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow,” So He can truly forgive us. First of all, what did Jesus do on earth? He forgave sins! Mark 1:41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Mark 2:1-5 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. 3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” John 8:11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” So what does He do now? He forgives our sins. Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Hebrews 7:24-25 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. • •

Do you feel defiled? He alone can forgive and cleanse. Do you feel the fear of future judgment? He can take that penalty you deserve away forever.

3. We need to see Christ’s Risen and Glorified: Omniscience v. 14c “eyes like a flame of fire”. So He can truly see us where ever we are.

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First of all, what did Jesus do on earth? He always knew where His disciples were and what they needed. Arbel watching (Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:46-48; John 6:15-21) Mark 6:46-48 And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. 47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. 48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. So what does He do now? He knows every detail, every fear, every weakness and can help us! Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

4. We need to see Christ’s Risen and Glorified: Omnipotence v. 15a “His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace”. Those feet of brass speak of strength and power. He reveals that strength to remind us that He can truly protect us. First of all, what did Jesus do on earth? He was always delivering them from danger, and stilling their storms (Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:2325). Mark 6:46-48 And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. 47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. 48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. Luke 8:23-25 But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. 24 And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!” So what does He do now? He ever lives to intercede and help us in every danger we face. 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 97

are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. Hebrews 7:24-25 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

5. We need to see Christ's Risen and Glorified: Omnipresence v 15b “voice like the sound of many waters”. Have you ever noticed that Jesus was always speaking to people at their time of greatest need? His voice can be heard anywhere, for He is everywhere present. So He can truly encourage us. First of all, what did Jesus do on earth? He was always meeting their most desperate needs. John 20:13-16 Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” 14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). John 21:15-17 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. So what does He do now? He is always with us, He promises to never leave our side! He can encourage and help us always, anywhere, and anytime—just invite Him to come to your rescue. Matthew 28:20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

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6. We need to see Christ's Risen and Glorified: Majesty v. 16b-17a “face like the Sun shining in its strength”. One look at Jesus and John crumbles in awe and wonder filled worship at His feet. He is glorious in Majesty and power. He reminds us of that glory so we can truly be worship Him. First of all, what did Jesus do on earth? He was always inviting the worship of those who loved Him. Matthew 14:33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” Mark 6:51 Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. Luke 5:8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” So what does He do now? He is always waiting for us to lavish our love upon Him and worship Him. Luke 24:52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

7. We need to see Christ's Risen and Glorified: Touch v. 16a; 17b-20 “16 He had in His right hand seven stars; He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. 19 Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. 20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lamp stands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lamp stands which you saw are the seven churches.” He holds His church, He guards its message and its messengers. And when John was overwhelmed, Jesus reached down to strengthen him. He can always help us. Just think of Peter as he sank, the Leper as he pleaded for cleansing, and Thomas as he knelt before the Risen Christ. First of all, what did Jesus do on earth? He was always touching those He loved with strength and help.

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Peter at his direst moment full of fear. Matthew 14:30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” The leper at his direst moment full of decay. Luke 5:12 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Thomas at his direst moment full of doubt. John 20:28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” But that was 2,000 years ago—and it seems so long ago and so far away. We live so distant at times from the quietness of the garden on Resurrection morning. But that is only our fault, because the truth of the resurrection is that Jesus is alive. And since He is alive He is doing the same things He did then. Did you catch that? Jesus wants us to know that He is still doing just what He did that morning, and in the days that followed. So much of His ministry was assuring the disciples of what they already knew, and encouraging them to do what He left them here to do. This morning, have you meet again the Risen Christ? Have you seen what He is doing today? That is what He wants for us--to see Him, and even, more believe Him. And then respond to His work in us through His Word. Will you see Jesus anew and afresh with me, and experience all that He wants to do in your life and mine today, and in the days ahead—if we will invite Him to be at work in us. So what does He do now? He is always there to touch us, lift us, encourage us, restore us, and remind us that all that He promised is true. Hebrews 13:5, 8 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What did John see? Pencil these in your mind, mark them in your Bibles. He saw Jesus and tells us of it. 8. See Christ's Risen and Glorified: Humanity v. 13a “like a Son of Man”. So He can truly have compassion upon us. He is like us. 9. See Christ's Risen and Glorified: Priesthood v. 13b-14b “robe, sash, white hair”. So He can truly forgive us. He is able to forgive us completely. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 100

10. See Christ's Risen and Glorified: Omniscience v. 14c “eyes like a flame of fire”. So He can truly see us where we are. 11. See Christ's Risen and Glorified: Omnipotence v. 15a “feet like fine brass”. So He can truly protect us all the way through life to the end.. 12. See Christ's Risen and Glorified: Omnipresence v. 15b “voice like the sound of many waters”. So He can truly encourage us. 13. Christ's Risen and Glorified: Majesty v. 16b-17a “face like the Sun shining in its strength”. So He can truly be worshipped by us. 14. Christ's Risen and Glorified: Touch v. 16a; 17b-20 “hand upon me”. So He can truly help us.

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050410AM WN-11

Prophetic Hope

Living in Hope! Matthew 24:15-16 Jesus enclosed a snapshot of what life on earth was like--just before the Ground Zero of His Second Coming. We have been looking at those snapshots in Matthew. So please open with me to the greatest sermon on the end of the world ever preached—Matthew 24. Jesus is mapping out the future. He is walking His disciples through a long and complex answer to their simple question in v. 3: Matthew 24:3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” As Jesus proceeds through this answer He gets to an amazing sight, He sees a future Temple rebuilt in Jerusalem. And He sees a future antichrist defiling that temple. Look at that section with me in Matthew 24:15-16. Matthew 24:15-16 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Now, stops for a moment and think with me. What use would this section of the Bible be for us? We are not Jews, we aren’t in the Tribulation, nor do we expect to be. Is it even profitable to study? That is a great way to start this morning—answering that vital question. Here is the reason—Paul actually taught this very passage to a group of new believers on his missionary journeys. Did you know that? Turn there with me to II Thessalonians 2:1-5. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless • the falling away comes first, and • the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, • so that he sits as God • in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. • 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 102

Wow, what a line. Paul told them about those things way back then? What was the context? What good would teaching about the antichrist and the end of Jerusalem and a temple rebuilt and defiled do for anyone? The answer lies in the letter Paul wrote to the Thessalonians believers after he taught them all these things in Matthew 24. He was teaching them the value of thinking about Christ's return. Listen as I summarize the entire book of I Thessalonians. You can turn there as I share this background. The ancient city of Thessalonica was honored city in the Roman Empire. So, archaeologists at the turn of the century wanted to find the Thessalonica of Paul’s day. Today all that’s left of the city of Paul’s day is one archway. That’s the only reminder of the ancient world that Paul preached. So the archaeologists started their mapping and exploration of the ancient boundaries of the city. A group of French archaeologists actually took the Thessalonica dig and staked out the area. They put cross pieces and started digging down and looking. Archaeologists never know what they’re going to bump into so they dig cautiously and carefully. The first thing they found was a cemetery. As they were digging down and their picks and shovels poked on some thing. They started brushing away the dust and soon came up with a marble head stone of a grave. They thought it was very interesting. They recorded it and picked it up and they put it under the tent and as they brushed it off they looked closely and there was one word on the headstone and it was the word amemptos. So the archaeologists said that’s interesting. Amemptos used to live here. They kept excavating and a few days later they hit another gravestone. They brushed it off and looked and it said amemptos. They said wow- 2 people in this town have the same name. So they went back and they dug and as they worked for months they found every single headstone in that cemetery had one word engraved in the marble--amemptos. You say who was it? To find out, open with me to 1 Thessalonians 3:13. This verse contains the central message that the Apostle Paul proclaimed to those people. There was one thing Paul wants them to remember. He says it 3 times in this book and it was the center of the Gospel presentation he gave to these people that were so immersed in sin as all of us are. Here is what he wrote— 13

so that He may establish your hearts amemptos- unashamed life before God in holiness Amemptos means— • I will never have to answer to God for my sins if I am in Jesus. • I will never be judged for my sins if I am in Jesus. • I will never be condemned for my sins if I am in Jesus. • I will never have to pay for my sins if I am in Jesus. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 103

Did you know those people listened to what the Apostle Paul said? And they heard that Gospel message so clearly that when they came to know Jesus Christ there’s one thing they couldn’t forget and that is that they could stand before God amemptos-unashamed of their sinful lives that they had lived before Christ. What kind of lives did they live? You see the Apostle Paul’s writing back to them—he ministered here probably 6 weeks. 3 weeks in the synagogue and 3 weeks out—then he’s driven out of town and he goes to Athens and he goes on and after a few weeks he writes a letter back to them but when he writes back to them he said did you know people from Thessalonica have come to me and told me about our ministry we had there? And this is what they said. Look at 1:910: 9

For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.

Do you know what that says? The people in Thessalonica were formerly idolatrous people— 10

and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. You know what these people learned? That their former lives to their idols, false gods that were dead and weren’t living and weren’t true. They could turn from those past sins and never look back. They could look to Christ and be amemptos--unashamed of their sinful lives. Now you say I don’t have a wicked, sordid, depraved, debauched, life in the past. But you know what? All of us are sinners. So what ever we have done, we can know it is forgiven, it is gone! Jesus paid it all, I will live for Him. I will neither be ashamed of my past nor waste my present and future—but live it for Him. Now look at 1 Thessalonians 3:13 13

so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness…

My past is paid for, and my present is consecrated. Don’t ever come before God and think God I’m ashamed of who I was, I’m ashamed of what I was. Now the Apostle Paul said that the things that I did were shameful things. But Paul never was afraid to come into the presence of a holy God because he knew my sins are gone and shall not be remembered. God in mercy lovingly forgave me. What did he teach these people that helped them come to this conclusion?

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What did he teach them in that city that caused them to have in their cemetery every single grave stone from the first century era—around the time of Paul’s ministry—all inscribed with that word that he preached to them? What was it that constituted this life that could be called blameless?

• •

#1 they weren’t ashamed of their past because they knew it was covered by the blood of Christ. #2 they weren’t’ ashamed of their present conduct because they knew that the way they lived their life was unblameable in the sight of God.

1Thessalonians 1:10 Paul said you have A NEW GOAL—living each day for Christ's coming. Forgetting the past, trusting that it is forgiven, cleansed and gone. Your former goal was living for yourself, accumulating, having pleasure-what every your life’s goal was before it’s changed now. It’s not trying to see how much you can promote yourself. It’s not trying to see how much you can gain power in life. It’s not to see what kind of new and exciting things you can experience – to travel or see or do. Here’s your new goal- Wait for His Son. That’s a new goal in life. Did you know only Christians are waiting for the Son Now, with that in mind, open with me again to the greatest sermon on the end of the world ever preached—Matthew 24. Jesus is mapping out the future. He is walking His disciples through a long and complex answer to their simple question in v. 3: Matthew 24:3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” As Jesus proceeds through this answer He gets to an amazing sight, He sees a future Temple rebuilt in Jerusalem. And He sees a future antichrist defiling that temple. Look at that section with me in Matthew 24:15-16. Matthew 24:15-16 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

When Christ Returns there is-- the Return of the Wandering Jews to the Promised Land. God promised over 26 centuries ago that at the end of the world--Jews would begin to regather in Israel. Open with me to Matthew 24 and notice the “orientation” of this text. Matthew 24:15-16 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 105

Before we look at all the promises that god would regather His Jewish people back to His Land—notice that Jesus spoke of them at the end as—already there and with a Temple! •

•

•

Ezekiel 37:21-22 “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; 22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. Ezekiel 38:8 After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. Jeremiah 31:7-10 For thus says the Lord: “Sing with gladness for Jacob, And shout among the chief of the nations; Proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘O Lord, save Your people, The remnant of Israel!’ 8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, And gather them from the ends of the earth, Among them the blind and the lame, The woman with child And the one who labors with child, together; A great throng shall return there. 9 They shall come with weeping, And with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, In a straight way in which they shall not stumble; For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn. 10 “Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’

Since 1948 the world has witnessed the call of God deep within the hearts of 5.4 million Jews who have done everything they could to get to the Promised Land. And more arrive each day! What is one of the greatest signs of God's Word being true? God predicted over and over again the preservation of His people the Jews. And He especially tells us about their return to their land. We hear that but have you thought about how amazing it really is? Modern man and all his machines is amazing. It seems we can do almost everything— everything except tell the future. The future contains too many variables to accurately predict. Let me brush you up on some ancient history: “Take the restoration of Israel, for example. Israel was destroyed in 702 BC by the Assyrian king, Sargon II, who conquered the kingdom of Israel. It was common practice for a conqueror to uproot and displace the conquered people to another part of the empire, repopulating that place with a conquered people from somewhere else. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 106

The reason for that was to separate a people from their land, which effectively prevented uprisings. The northern Kingdom of Israel was scattered throughout the Assyrian Empire, and was effectively lost to history, leaving only the tiny southern kingdom of Judah. A century later, the Kingdom of Judah was similarly conquered by the Kingdom of Babylon, who also displaced its population, deporting them into captivity in Babylon. To a Jew living in Babylon during the Captivity, it seemed certain that Judah would go the way of Israel and would similarly be lost to history. Yet the prophets of the Captivity, like Daniel and Ezekiel, wrote confidently that in the last days, there would again be a nation called 'Israel' and that its citizens would once again inhabit the same piece of real estate from which they had been displaced, seemingly forever. Yet Ezekiel wrote, "And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country." [Ezekiel 34:13) The Jews would be gathered from the countries, and brought into THEIR OWN LAND, upon the mountains of ISRAEL, and not some other place. Writing of the Gog Magog invasion, God inspired Ezekiel to prophesy; "After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them." [Ezekiel 38:8] In this passage, we find the time frame in which Ezekiel's prophecy would come to pass -- 'after many days, in the latter years'. And again, we find that it is not Judah, but ISRAEL, of whom the prophet prophesied. That they would be 'brought forth from the nations' to a land that had 'always been waste' -- until they returned. For more than 2,500 years, this prophecy remained dormant, until, on May 14, 1948, the survivors of the Holocaust were 'brought forth' under the banner of 'never again' to the 'mountains of Israel' -- which 'had always been waste' as the nation of 'Israel'. In his book, ‘Personal Witness' Abba Eban, one of the founders of Israel, noted that when David Ben-Gurion cabled President Truman to ask the United States to recognize the Jewish state, the Jews still hadn't decided what to call it. Eban noted, 'Some wanted to call it Zion, others Judah . . .what about 'Israel'?' The name was chosen only hours before the state came into existence. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 107

In 1897, the 1st Zionist Congress petitioned the government of Great Britain for a Jewish state in what is today the African country of Uganda. The British told the Jews to petition the Ottoman Empire, who at that time controlled Palestine. The Jews would have settled for Uganda as a Jewish homeland, but the prophets said that the Jewish homeland of the last days would be 'on the mountains of Israel'. And that is exactly what happened. The prophet Daniel, also writing from captivity in Babylon, penned the future history of Israel, [a nation that had not existed for a century] dividing its future into 70 weeks of years. During the 70th and final week, Daniel prophesied the revival of an empire [Rome] that, in Daniel's day, would not see its FIRST incarnation for another 500 years. Today, the nation of Israel exists, composed of a people 'brought forth from the nations' while, for the first time in 2000 years, a European superstate made up of what had once been the territory of the Roman Empire, seeks involvement in a peace process that Daniel said would be confirmed by a leader of a revived Rome. We are indeed living in the 'age of miracles’ but they are miracles of God, against which the miracles of science cannot possibly compete. We in this generation have been given the unspeakable gift of certainty that the Lord is about to return, a warning that time is running out, and a renewed commission to go out into all the earth and make disciples of all nations, before time has run out. No man can know the future, but the God of Creation foretold it --in detail -- so that there could be no misunderstanding. The Lord is about to return. "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” [1st Corinthians 15:1-52] "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” "Wherefore, comfort one another with these words." [1st Thessalonians 4:1618]”19 God is in charge of the future.

19

Jack Kinsella, The Omega Letter Daily Intelligence Digest, Volume 41, Issue 15.

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We can trust God with our future. I can trust God with my future.

Wonderful merciful Savior, Precious redeemer and friend, Who would have thought that a Lamb could Rescue the souls of men? O, You rescue the souls of men! CHORUS You are the One that we praise You are the one we adore You give the healing and grace Our hearts always hunger for O, our hearts always hunger for. Verse 2 Counselor, Comforter, Keeper Spirit we long to embrace You offer hope when our hearts have Hopelessly lost the way Oh, we’ve hopelessly lost the way Almighty, infinite Father Faithfully loving Your own Here in our weakness You find us Falling before Your throne O, we’re falling before Your throne

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050417am Wn-12

Watch Jerusalem

Watch Jerusalem Matthew 24:15-16 When Jesus told His disciples and us about the future he built every word of it around one spot on earth. In theological circles this message (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21) is called the Olivet Discourse. Jesus framed His words about the rest of the history of this planet by the sight of Jerusalem in all its earthly glory spread in front of Him. Look again at Christ's very first words in Matthew 24:2. All that He says about His second coming is introduced by those words. He said keep your eye on Jerusalem. I am ascending from the Mount of Olives (the center of Jerusalem then and now) and I am returning to the Mount of Olives. As we turn to the subject again of Christ's coming and those incredibly detailed snap shots He left us in Matthew 24, we are focusing upon Jerusalem. According to the Lord, the end of the world centers around Jerusalem. The most mentioned place in the Bible is a city called Jerusalem. The center of the world and the prophetic universe is the same city. Jerusalem should be your favorite city. After all, it's the city that God has chosen for Himself in 1 Kings 11:13 However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.” Ancient maps put Jerusalem In the center of the world, and I think they were right. Jerusalem is also God's timepiece. The final events of world history will culminate there with the glorious return of Jesus Christ to the Mount of Olives. Mentioned over 800 times in God's Word20—Jerusalem is a very important place. It was in Jerusalem that God promised Christ's coming as the Lamb of God to Abraham. It was here that David was promised a future son that would have an endless kingdom. It was here God has worked. In: Jerusalem! Three thousand years of lifetimes! Abraham and Isaac upon the altar of Moriah, a stone's throw from here! David, the shepherd-king, watching Bathsheba from a distance. Jeremiah, mourning for the exiles. Jesus, teaching in the Temple. Peter's betrayal. Jesus, walking the Way of Sorrows! Dying with forgiveness on his

20

Jerusalem: 814 times in 766 verses; Zion: 160 times in 160 verses; City of David 46 times in 46 verses.

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lips. Peter, shouting the good news in the streets on Pentecost! He is risen! Call on His name and live forever with Him!21 But today all that is left from Christ's Jerusalem is called the Western Wall. If you go there one of the first things you notice are several large signs that have been affixed near the entrances to Jerusalem's Western Wall plaza. In addition to the usual guidelines regarding modesty and respect for the sanctity of the holy site, the centrality of the Temple Mount to Judaism and the Jewish people is clearly expressed. The signs, ten feet tall, read: "Jewish tradition teaches that the Temple Mount is the focal point of Creation. In the center of the mountain lies the 'Foundation Stone' of the world. Here Adam came into being. Here Abraham, Isaac and Jacob served G-d. The First and Second Temples were built upon this mountain. The Ark of the Covenant was set upon the Foundation Stone itself. Jerusalem was chosen by G-d as the dwelling place of the Divine Presence. David longed to build the Temple, and Solomon his son built the First Temple here about 3,000 years ago. It was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The Second Temple was rebuilt on its ruins 70 years later. It was razed by the Roman legions over 1,900 years ago. The present Western Wall before you is a remnant of the western Temple Mount retaining walls. Jews have prayed in its shadow for hundreds of years, an expression of their faith in the rebuilding of the Temple. The Sages said about it: 'The Divine Presence never moves from the Western Wall.' The Temple Mount continues to be the focus of prayers for Jews all over the world." JERUSALEM should be to each of us a LESSON IN GOD'S KINGSHIP. When you are chosen by God there is no limit to what all He can do with you! When God picked Jerusalem it was unknown and would have ended up like any other of the vanished cities whose ruins dot the globe. But no, He said I put My name here forever! And what has happened? JERUSALEM has become: 1. The SALVATION center of the world SPIRITUALLY. John 4:20-24 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 2. The NERVE center of the world GEOGRAPHICALLY. Ezekiel 5:5 “Thus says the Lord God: ‘This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her.

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Bodie & Brock Thoene, Jerusalem Vigil. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 2001, p. 186.

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3. The GLORY center of the world ULTIMATELY. Isaiah 2:1-5 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. 3 Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore. 5 O house of Jacob, come and let us walk In the light of the Lord. 4. The STORM center of the world PROPHETICALLY. Zechariah 14:1-8 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. 5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, And all the saints with You. 6 It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights will diminish. 7 It shall be one day Which is known to the Lord Neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen That it will be light. 8 And in that day it shall be— That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur. Back up with me to Zechariah 12:2-3. God has promised that at the end of the world Jerusalem would become a source of fear, vexation, and stress for the whole world. Zechariah 12:2-3 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. When were these words spoken? Actually it was 2500 years ago, after Babylon has torn down the city and burned it. While Zechariah wrote Jerusalem lay in ruins and was surrounded by wilderness. Jerusalem remained desolate century after century, especially after the Roman destruction two thousand years ago. “Zechariah's prophecy seemed to be utter madness even after Israel's rebirth in 1948. Yet today, exactly as foretold, a world of nearly 6 billion people has its eyes upon Jerusalem, t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 112

fearful that the next world war, if it breaks out, will be fought over that tiny city. What an incredible fulfillment of prophecy!”22 “Jerusalem is a small city of neither commercial importance nor strategic location. Yet the eyes of the world are upon it as upon no other city. Jerusalem is indeed a "burdensome stone" around the necks of all nations of the world, the most vexing and volatile problem the United Nations faces today.” “There is no ordinary explanation for this! What the Hebrew prophets declared thousands of years ago and what seemed utterly fantastic in their time is being fulfilled in our day. This is only part of the evidence, as we shall see, that the prophesied "last days" are upon us and that our generation will likely see the remainder of Bible prophecy fulfilled.”23 Now, with that in mind, open with me again to the greatest sermon on the end of the world ever preached—Matthew 24. Jesus is mapping out the future. He is walking His disciples through a long and complex answer to their simple question in v. 3: Matthew 24:3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” As Jesus proceeds through this answer He gets to an amazing sight, He sees a future Temple rebuilt in Jerusalem. And He sees a future antichrist defiling that temple. Look at that section with me in Matthew 24:15-16. Matthew 24:15-16 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. When Christ Returns there is-- the Return of the Wandering Jews to the Promised Land. God promised over 26 centuries ago that at the end of the world--Jews would begin to regather in Israel. Open with me to Matthew 24 and notice the “orientation” of this text. Matthew 24:15-16 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Before we look at all the promises that god would regather His Jewish people back to His Land—notice that Jesus spoke of them at the end as—already there and with a Temple! •

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Jeremiah 31:7-10 For thus says the Lord: “Sing with gladness for Jacob, And shout among the chief of the nations; Proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘O Lord, save Your people, The remnant of Israel!’ 8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, And gather them from the ends of the earth, Among them the blind and the lame, The woman with child And the one who labors

Hunt, Dave, A Woman Rides the Beast. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1994, p. 21-26. Hunt, Dave, A Woman Rides the Beast. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1994, p.21-26.

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with child, together; A great throng shall return there. 9 They shall come with weeping, And with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, In a straight way in which they shall not stumble; For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn. 10 “Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’ Ezekiel 37:21-22 “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; 22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. Ezekiel 38:8 After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely.

Since 1948 the world has witnessed the call of God deep within the hearts of 5.4 million Jews who have done everything they could to get to the Promised Land. And more arrive each day! What is one of the greatest signs of God's Word being true? God predicted over and over again the preservation of His people the Jews. And He especially tells us about their return to their land. We hear that but have you thought about how amazing it really is? When Christ Returns there is-- the Third Temple built in Jerusalem. What did Jesus, Daniel, Paul, and the Apostle John all have in common? Each of them saw a future Temple of God standing in Jerusalem at the end of earth’s days. Plans to rebuild the temple in Israel anticipated in many Scriptures. Matthew 24:15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), •

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Daniel 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.” 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Revelation 11:1-2 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple,

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and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. Early this year the rise of a Jewish Sanhedrin after 2,000 years of absence has sent tingles up and down the backs of those who know God's Word. Last week I told you that for the first time in 1,600 years, the Israeli Sanhedrin was re-established. It occurred in Tiberius, the site of the Sanhedrin's last meeting in AD 425. On Jan. 20, 2005 IsraelNN.com reported that the religious authorities believe it was necessary to reestablish the Sanhedrin because only this properly ordained body of sages can authenticate a Messiah when he comes. There is a growing expectation of the long-awaited Messiah to appear among devout Jews. The rebirth of the Jewish state and recapture of Jerusalem has increasingly influenced this conviction. On Feb. 9, just a few weeks after the Sanhedrin's re-establishment, another enormously important development took place. The religious sages began to consider the rebuilding of the Temple and reinstitution of ancient animal sacrifices as prescribed in the Law of Moses.24 When Christ Returns there are--temple sacrifices reinstituted in Israel. Matthew 24:15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), Daniel foresaw the Antichrist ending the daily sacrifices. Therefore, the Jewish sacrificial system must have first been restored in the last days. Currently, the Temple Institute has created all the temple furniture and vessels. There are also several hundred young Jewish men in training for the Levitical priesthood. •

Daniel 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”

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Daniel 12:11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.

To have sacrifices as prescribed in God's Word there must be a Temple. To have a Temple it must be where God told Abraham, David, and Solomon it was to stand. The only problem is, it seems that something else is standing on that spot—a Dome of the Rock mosque. But that isn’t as big a problem as we think of God. The Sanhedrin constituted this year, decided to “determine with certainty exactly where the previous Temple's foundations are. Muslims have not allowed Israeli archeologists to do archeological research on the Temple grounds. As a matter of fact, the Muslim custodians of this area, which they believe is their Third Holiest site, have 24

Hal Lindsey, Posted: February 17, 2005 By Hal Lindsey © 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

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systematically sought to destroy and remove any archeological evidence of Israel ever having a Temple there.” “The Sanhedrin determined that there are only two viable theories as to where the Temple stood. One teaches that the Temple stood on the same basic site on which the Muslim mosque known as the Dome of the Rock was built. “The second theory (which appears to be the most accurate) is that the Temple was built north of the Dome of the Rock. Dr. Asher Kaufman developed this theory, using certain archeological evidences that he found before the Muslim's destroyed them. However, the most important archeological sign is the position of the Eastern Gate. According to ancient accounts of the Temple, its east-west centerline passed through the center of the Eastern Gate. “We have absolute evidence as to where the ancient Eastern Gate stood. The remains of the ancient Eastern Gate are located under the modern Gate that was built on top of its ruins. The east-west centerline from the Eastern Gate. "I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, 'Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.'" (Revelation 11:1-2 NIV). “If you measure the distance from the centerline to the point where the wall of the inner court would stand. There was at least 6 meters clearance from the nearest points of the Dome of the Rock and the Temple inner-court wall. The Apostle John clearly predicts that "the outer court was not to be included in the rebuilt Temple, because it was given to the Gentiles." “So what does all this mean? The Temple can be rebuilt and stand alongside the Dome of the Rock without disturbing it. And since the outer court, also known as the Court of the Gentiles, is given to the Gentiles in this period just before the Messiah comes, it infers that there would be a Gentile building there, i.e., the Dome of the Rock. “The fact that a re-established Sanhedrin is now considering the rebuilding of the Temple after 2,000 years is extremely important to students of Bible prophecy. I believe that we are very near the final climactic events that end with the Second Coming of Christ.25 Keep your eyes on Jerusalem—it is God’s reminder of His faithfulness. God will keep His promises. Jerusalem is a vivid reminder of that.

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Hal Lindsey, Posted: February 17, 2005 By Hal Lindsey © 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

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050424AM WN-13

Final Seige Of Jerusalem Jerusalem

The Final Siege of Jerusalem Matthew 24:15-16 If you read the news with a Biblical mind, you can often hear the whisper of God's Word in the background. Think about the implications of this summary I read this week: Humans can live 40 days without food, 3 days without water, 8 minutes without air, But only 1 second without hope! And what is the Gospel we believe and share? Our hope! DO HOPE OF’S More and more people around the world come to the point of hopelessness—and end their lives. Japan is seeing more and more suicides, Germany is struggling with what was reported this week as a nationwide epidemic by the BBC of London’s headline: “Germany's new 'great depression’ ” Record numbers of Germans are suffering from depression and other mental illnesses, a new report says. Up to 70% of Germans also say they are prepared to seek professional help for psychological problems. Jesus now turns from the snap shot we saw last time--the Jews back in their land (after 2500 years without any nation called Israel), with a Temple in Jerusalem (after 2000 years without a Temple), and offering animal sacrifices (after 2500 years without any animal sacrifices). And in Matthew 24:21-22 He introduces a new topic. Jesus sees at His Return a time when mankind is finally possessing the capability of total annihilation of life on planet earth. Matthew 24:21-22 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. I describe this snapshot as: When Christ Returns to Earth, there are Weapons of Mass Destruction. We all have started saying those words these days—weapons of mass destruction. We often have no idea how sobering that concept should be. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 117

God says that at the end of the world--mankind would be capable of destroying all life. That is what WMDs means—the capability of destroying human life on earth. Consider that when Jesus made this prediction the armaments of His day were swords and spears. There was no possible way that anyone on the planet could have enough swords and bows and arrows and soldiers and time—to kill a fourth, a third, a half, and NEVER all human life. Let me read to you from the news outlets of the world, as they warn of the perilous times we live in. For over 50 year, during what we now call the Cold War—neither of the super powers ever thought that a nuclear exchange was winnable. They knew that unleashing the fires of hell as they were thought of would poison and destroy life for everyone on the planet. History even has recorded that the scientists who developed the Soviet weapons of mass destruction were willing to go into permanent exile in Siberia rather than develop any more fearsome weapons. Listen to one historian General Ion Mihai Pacepa is the highest-ranking intelligence officer ever to have defected from the former Soviet bloc. He writes this summary in the Washington Times 10/2/0326: It is worth remembering that Andrei Sakharov, the father of the Soviet hydrogen bomb, chose to live in a Soviet gulag instead of continuing to develop the power of death. "I wanted to alert the world," Sakharov explained in 1968, "to the grave perils threatening the human race thermonuclear extinction, ecological catastrophe, famine." Even Igor Kurchatov, the KGB academician who headed the Soviet nuclear program from 1943 until his death in 1960, expressed deep qualms of conscience about helping to create weapons of mass destruction. "The rate of growth of atomic explosives is such," he warned in an article written together with several other Soviet nuclear scientists not long before he died, "that in just a few years the stockpile will be large enough to create conditions under which the existence of life on earth will be impossible." But the world is in fare graver peril than when those words were spoken in 1968. And in even more deadly danger since the fall of the Soviet Union. Today we are in the greatest nuclear peril that has ever existed. We have not two superpowers with countries to protect. We now have religious fanatics with everlasting hatred for Israel, America, Jews, and Christians—with the capability to launch and detonate atomic weapons at any time. Here is the status of the current nuclear death-makers now stalking this planet: • Today Russia has a more weapons, that are more powerful, and more deployable, and more indefensible than at any time in the past • Today China can launch atomic weapons that can strike us here in the U.S. 26

http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=10111

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Today the cruel and murderous regime of North Korea, that has starved its own people to pay for weapons--has both nuclear warheads and missiles that could strike parts of the U.S. and Europe. Today the generations of hatred and hostility that has smoldered between Pakistan and India has come to the frightening climax as each side now has atomic tipped missiles that work, deployed against each others cities. Both have stated that an atomic weapon attack on an enemy is a winnable option. The world may witness the first nuclear war since the horrors of Hiroshima and the nightmares of Nagasaki sixty years ago. In months if not weeks, the bitterest enemy of Israel, the home of the dark prince of Persia—Iran, will possess the start of a growing arsenal of thermonuclear death and destruction to place at the top of their missiles. Their version of Islam considers “martyrdom in the cause of Allah” to be the ultimate act of faith.

To be involved in a nuclear exchange that insures a mutual destruction is an acceptable option to the Mad Mullahs of Tehran. Plus if Iran gets nuclear weapons, you can be sure that they will eagerly share them with other fanatical Muslim nations too. But today, with nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, it is possible to wipe out all flesh on planet earth. We talk about these instruments of death and destruction, we see pictures of them, magazines illustrate the effects of them—atomic powered weapons are common to our minds. They were not even dreamed of a century ago. But God's Word anticipates the use of nuclear weapons. Listen to the prophet who wrote his book of prophecies as he looked out over the burned out rubble of Nebuchadnezzar’s destruction of Jerusalem 2,500 years ago. Turn with me to Zechariah 14:1. And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths. Atomic weapons melt (dissolves) its victims - just as Zechariah predicted 2500 years ago. It is widely believed and discussed at the California Institute of Technology that Israel has developed an even more lethal version of the neutron bomb, which in terms of destroying human beings is the ultimate weapon. The enhanced neutron weapon can “absolutely demolish all protein-bearing living things in a predetermined area from one to 100 square miles without destroying buildings and terrain. It also would be preferred over nuclear and thermonuclear weapons because it does not leave the contamination of radio activity. In terms of the prophetic pattern, Israel is rapidly fitting into its final role. Zechariah predicted that all nations would be drawn into the final Great War which begins with a dispute between the Arabs and Israel over Jerusalem”. 27

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Hal Lindsey, The Terminal Generation. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company: 1976, p. 56.

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When the final siege of Jerusalem happens, the outcome will not be what the nations of the earth had planned. God says the destroyers of His people will be themselves destroyed. Listen to Zechariah 12:2-3: “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.” An even more ancient prophecy of this day comes from the pen of the Prophet Joel. Turn there with me to Joel 3 and listen to God describe this same event as all nations are drawn into war over Israel and their armies being destroyed there. Joel 3:1-17 “For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land. 3 They have cast lots for My people, Have given a boy as payment for a harlot, And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink. 4 “Indeed, what have you to do with Me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia? Will you retaliate against Me? But if you retaliate against Me, Swiftly and speedily I will return your retaliation upon your own head; 5 Because you have taken My silver and My gold, And have carried into your temples My prized possessions. 6 Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem You have sold to the Greeks, That you may remove them far from their borders. 7 “Behold, I will raise them Out of the place to which you have sold them, And will return your retaliation upon your own head. 8 I will sell your sons and your daughters Into the hand of the people of Judah, And they will sell them to the Sabeans, To a people far off; For the Lord has spoken.” 9 Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up. 10 Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ” 11 Assemble and come, all you nations, And gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord. 12 “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow—For their wickedness is great.” 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness. 16 The Lord also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel. 17 “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again.” “All of this is fitting into a larger and more familiar pattern – one that students of Bible Prophecy have seen for a long time. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 120

The events of the last three and a half years before Christ returns are spelled out in all their graphic horror in the Bible. This period is called “the Great Tribulation.” Prophecies of this period are strewn all over the Bible and are correlated with the events that surround the Messiah-Jesus’ return to earth.” Isaiah foresaw this as follows: “Behold, the Lord lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants … The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH ARE BURNED, AND FEW MEN ARE LEFT.” (Isaiah 24:1, 5-6 NAS) “Behold, THE DAY OF THE LORD is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light. Thus I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. I WILL MAKE MORTAL MAN SCARCER THAN PURE GOLD AND MANKIND THAN THE GOLD OF OPHIR.” (Isaiah 13:9-12 NAS) “Note that both of these prophecies refer to the final great judgment of the whole world that accompanies the return of Jesus the Messiah. Both point out that earth’s population that survives will be few in number. Both speak of fire devouring the earth and its people. Ezekiel foresees this same period as he describes Russia, the power from the extreme NORTH that leads Iran and a Muslim confederacy against Israel”, “You will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly and a mighty army; and you will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I am sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog … “I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains,” declares the Lord God. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother. With pestilence and with blood I will enter into judgment with him; and I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire and brimstone.” (Ezekiel 38:15-6, 21-22 NAS) “I certainly believe that God can supernaturally rain these things upon men. But I believe that God allows man to destroy himself with weapons of his own invention. The Book of Revelation also describes this same time period.” t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 121

“And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a GREAT SWORD was given to him … When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, ‘Come.’ I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. AUTHORITY WAS GIVEN TO THEM OVER A FOURTH OF THE EARTH, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.” (Rev. 6:4, 7-8) “I believe that the world is now set up for this final chapter before the Messiah comes and destroys this present world order and sets up God’s Kingdom. The real issue is – are you ready?”28 So what is the long term effect upon humans exposed to the reality of living in a world overflowing with WMDs? HOPELESSNESS The first time Jerusalem was destroyed we find what happens to those who keep their eyes on the God of Jerusalem. Even when there seems to be no reason to go on, no reason to hope--Jeremiah had his eyes on the Lord. Lamentations 3:21-25 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. HOPE is what God to those who keep their eyes on the God who has chosen Jerusalem. Jer 29.11 Bill Kalander Hope in the Lord who alone can give you a future and a hope! Humans can live 40 days with no food, 3 days with no water, 8 minutes with no air—but humans can’t live a second without hope! The Hebrew language of the Old Testament is a rich storehouse of words which define hope. There are four Hebrew words that give us valuable insights into the many way God can make us live in hope. Let's examine these four types of hope God offers, and see how words written thousands of years ago leap right into the twenty-first century and our lives. The first Hebrew word that God gives us is describing WAITING HOPE—the word is QAVAH (6960): HOPE THAT RENEWS EXHAUSTED STRENGTH. Turn with me to the most well known verse in the Bible using this special word. Isaiah 40:31. The original idea of this verb was to twist or to stretch something. It was associated with the twisting and stretching of weak strands into a strong rope. From this the word 28

Hal Lindsey, Oracle Commentaries, 3/3/2005, Peril of Forgetting.

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metaphorically developed into the idea of enduring under tension. This concept sprung from the fact that even a weak thread twisted together with a rope became strong. The belief grew that as we hope in the Lord's promises we are woven into His strength and strengthened to withstand the stresses of life. A great promise given by Isaiah illustrates this word: Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. The word translated wait in Isaiah is qavah. The major shade of meaning in this is “waiting in the expectant HOPE and being strengthened thereby.” The margin note renders it “who HOPE in the Lord,” which is more accurate. A sure hope in the future enables a person to have superhuman strength: Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who [HOPE in] the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. This is exactly the same word and hope that the patriarch Jacob testified about at the end of his 147 year long life of troubles, stress, and disasters. Genesis 49:18 I have waited for your salvation, O Lord! King David in writing the Psalms uses this word more frequently than any other biblical writer. This word actually was one of the keys to David's life. He recognized that his human strength was never enough to meet the stresses of life. 29 Psalm 25:3 Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Psalm 25:5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. Psalm 25:21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You. Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! Psalm 37:9, 34 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth. 34 Wait on the Lord, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. Psalm 39:7 “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You. 29

Hal Lindsey, The Terminal Generation. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company: 1976, p. 92-93.

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Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. Psalm 130:5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope (yachal #3176). Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. The second Hebrew word that God gives us is describing TRUSTING HOPE--the word is YACHAL (3176): HOPE THAT PRODUCES GREAT ENDURANCE. Turn with me to the most well known verse in the Bible using this special word. Job 13:15. The root idea of this word is to wait for something. It came to mean an expectant waiting under extreme pressure. The scholar R. B. Girdlestone says, "Yachal occurs several times in the Book of Job and signifies a long patient waiting."30 A study of the usage of this word in the Book of Job gives the most accurate connotations. Job was a man going through extreme trial: he lost his great wealth, all his children, and his health-in rapid succession. He was suffering incredible and constant physical and mental pain. Yet as he thought of why God had permitted all this he says, Job 13:15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. [Here the word yachal means to keep on hoping with endurance under extreme pressure. Job's hope in the Lord enabled him to endure and be stabilized even under adverse conditions. 31] Job 14:14 If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes. Genesis 8:12 So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore. Psalm 31:24 Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 33:18, 22 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, 22 Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, Just as we hope in You. Psalm 38:15 For in You, O Lord, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God. Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His 30

Robert Baker Girdlestone, Synonyms of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1948), p. 104. 31 Hal Lindsey, The Terminal Generation. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company: 1976, p. 92-93.

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countenance. 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. Psalm 71:14 But I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more. Psalm 119:43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I have hoped in Your ordinances. 49 Remember the word to Your servant, Upon which You have caused me to hope. Psalm 119:74 Those who fear You will be glad when they see me, Because I have hoped in Your word. 81 My soul faints for Your salvation, But I hope in Your word. 114 You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word. 147 I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word. Lamentations 3:21, 24 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” The third Hebrew word that God gives us is describing CLINGING HOPE--the word is BATACH (982): HOPE THAT INSPIRES DEEPER TRUST. Turn with me to the most well known verse in the Bible using this special word. Proverbs 3:5. Proverbs 3:5 Trust [literally cling to] the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; Here batach is used in the sense of hope that comes from casting one's total future upon God as a little child and trusting Him for everything. This word is most often translated to trust or to have confidence in someone-usually God. But in some contexts it is definitely used to mean hope, as in the great prophetic Twenty-second Psalm. The Messiah's thoughts while suffering on the cross are predicted here32: "But thou [God] art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me HOPE [batach] when I was upon my mother's breasts" (Psalms 22:9 KJV). Psalm 37:3-5 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. Psalm 40:3 He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust [cling to] the Lord.

32

Hal Lindsey, The Terminal Generation. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company: 1976, p. 95.

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Psalm 56:3-4, 11Whenever I am afraid, I will trust [cling to] You. 4 In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me. 11 In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Psalm 112:7 He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting [clinging to] the Lord. The final of the four Hebrew words for hope that God gives us is describing SHELTERING HOPE--the word is CHASAH (2620): HOPE THAT OFFERS SECURE REFUGE. Turn with me to the most well known verse in the Bible using this special word. Ruth 2:12. Ruth 2:12 The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” This is a beautiful word for hope. Its root meaning is "to seek shelter, refuge or protection in something or someone."33 It is used frequently to portray little animals taking refuge in the cleft of a rock as in Psalm 104:18 The high hills are for the wild goats; The cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers. Figuratively it came to be used of man's taking refuge in God from the spiritual, emotional, and physical dangers of life. On a few occasions this concept is translated HOPE. In Proverbs 14:32 this is used in a unique way: "The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death" ( KJV ).When the one who has been declared righteous by believing in Jesus as his Savior faces death, he will have a hope that is a refuge from the uncertainty and fear presented by his own death. 34 2 Samuel 22:3, 31 The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence. 31 As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. Psalm 7:1 O Lord my God, in You I put my trust; Save me from all those who persecute me; And deliver me, Psalm 11:1 In the Lord I put my trust; How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”? Psalm 16:1 Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. Psalm 31:1 In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness.

33 34

Brown, Driver, and Briggs, p. 875. Hal Lindsey, The Terminal Generation. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company: 1976, p. 97-98.

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Psalm 57:1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by. Psalm 71:1 In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame. Psalm 91:4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

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050501pm Wn-14

Cling-Resting-Sheltering Hope

Living in Hope: by Waiting, Clinging, Resting, Sheltering Matthew 24:21-22 This evening join me as Jesus describes the most hopeless moment in our planets future; the moment when life is heading toward a complete extinction. This moment is somewhere near the end of the Tribulation. That where Jesus takes us in Matthew 24:21-22 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. Hopelessness means the place where they is no more future possible. Hopelessness is when any hopes are extinguished and life goes out like an ember. The dictionary tells us— having no expectation of good or success : DESPAIRING b : not susceptible to remedy or cure c : incapable of redemption or improvement 2 a : giving no ground for hope : DESPERATE b : incapable of solution, management, or accomplishment : IMPOSSIBLE synonym see DESPONDENT - hope·less·ness noun Jesus presents the ultimate hopeless moment for the world. A time so bad there is nothing ahead but oblivion. In the end food will be scarce, unpoisoned water will be difficult to find, the air will be laced with death—but the worst part of this moment is that all hope will be gone. Humans can live 40 days without food, 3 days without water, 8 minutes without air, But only 1 second without hope! I describe this snapshot as: When Christ Returns to Earth, there are Weapons of Mass Destruction. Look at the ending that John recorded from exile on Patmos in Revelation 6. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 128

“And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a GREAT SWORD was given to him … When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, ‘Come.’ I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. AUTHORITY WAS GIVEN TO THEM OVER A FOURTH OF THE EARTH, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.” (Rev. 6:4, 7-8) What did Jesus advise as the best course of action for anyone who witnesses the beginning of these events as described in Matthew 24? Look at what He told us to do. If you keep following Christ's words in Matthew 24 notice what He says in v. 29. Now turn over to Luke 21:28. This is the record of the same message The Olivet Discourse. Note what else Jesus said in verse 28. For us, for them, for anyone living in the end when the world (or their world) plunges into hopelessness… Luke 21:28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” When you see these things—look up Looking up for Christ equals hope. Christ's guide to surviving the worst time ever is— look for Him. And that same method works whatever situation we may face. Hope in the Lord who alone can give you a future and a hope! Humans can live 40 days with no food, 3 days with no water, 8 minutes with no air—but humans can’t live a second without hope! What can cause God’s people to lose hope? To find out, open with me to the Old Testament book of groanings. Or would you know it as the Old Testament book of cryings, or moanings? The title it Lamentations, the wailings of a destroyed nation in ruins and death—that is what that book is titled. The Hebrew language of the Old Testament is a rich storehouse of words which define hope. The Old Testament is filled with examples for us of what the cause and remedy is for seasons of hopelessness. There are four Hebrew words that give us valuable insights into the many ways God can make us live in hope. Let's examine these words and see how words written thousands of years ago leap right into the twenty-first century and our lives. Lamentations 3:21-25 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. This passage reminds us of the first reason God’s people can lose hope. Often it is: t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 129

Waiting hope In Lamentations 3 we find the first of these four. That first Hebrew word that God gives us is describing WAITING HOPE—the word is QAVAH (6960): HOPE THAT RENEWS EXHAUSTED STRENGTH. Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. The original idea of this verb was to twist or to stretch something. It was associated with the twisting and stretching of weak strands into a strong rope. From this the word metaphorically developed into the idea of enduring under tension. This concept sprung from the fact that even a weak thread twisted together with a rope became strong. The belief grew that as we hope in the Lord's promises we are woven into His strength and strengthened to withstand the stresses of life. Now turn with me to the most well known verse in the Bible using this special word. Isaiah 40:31. Here God gives us a great promise given by Isaiah illustrating this word: Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. The word translated wait in Isaiah is qavah. The major shade of meaning in this is “waiting in the expectant HOPE and being strengthened thereby.” The margin note renders it “who HOPE in the Lord,” which is more accurate. A sure hope in the future enables a person to have superhuman strength: Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who [HOPE in] the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. This is exactly the same word and hope that the patriarch Jacob testified about at the end of his 147 year long life of troubles, stress, and disasters. Genesis 49:18 I have waited for your salvation, O Lord! King David in writing the Psalms uses this word more frequently than any other biblical writer. This word actually was one of the keys to David's life. He recognized that his human strength was never enough to meet the stresses of life. 35

35

Hal Lindsey, The Terminal Generation. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company: 1976, p. 92-93.

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Psalm 25:3 Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Waiting Hope delivers us from being ashamed of hard times. Psalm 25:5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. Waiting Hope makes each days troubles into a lesson from God just for us. Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! Waiting Hope gives us the strength we need so that we do not lose heart. Psalm 37:9, 34 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth. 34 Wait on the Lord, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. Waiting Hope promises us that we have the victory through the Lord. Psalm 39:7 “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You. Hope focuses our lives upon the Lord.

Waiting

Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. Waiting Hope assures us that He is hearing us. Psalm 130:5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope (yachal #3176 trusting hope the next word). Waiting Hope draws us back into God's Word. Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. Waiting Hope invites God’s blessings.

Trusting hope The second Hebrew word that God gives us is describing TRUSTING HOPE--the word is YACHAL (3176): HOPE THAT PRODUCES GREAT ENDURANCE. Turn with me to the most well known verse in the Bible using this special word. Job 13:15. The root idea of this word is to wait for something. It came to mean an expectant waiting under extreme pressure. The scholar R. B. Girdlestone says, "Yachal occurs several times in the Book of Job and signifies a long patient waiting."36 A study of the usage of this word in the Book of Job gives the most accurate connotations. Job was a man going through extreme trial: he lost his great wealth, all his children, and his health-in rapid succession. He was suffering incredible and constant physical and mental pain. Yet as he thought of why God had permitted all this he says,

36

Robert Baker Girdlestone, Synonyms of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1948), p. 104.

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Job 13:15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. [Here the word yachal means to keep on hoping with endurance under extreme pressure. Job's hope in the Lord enabled him to endure and be stabilized even under adverse conditions. 37] Trusting Hope guards us from despair (remember Elijah despaired of life and wanted to die?). Job 14:14 If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes. Trusting Hope anchors our souls as Hebrews 6:19 says—in Heaven. Genesis 8:12 So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore. Trusting Hope keeps believing even when there is no visible thing in life to see that points to a possibility of hope—just like Noah did in the ark. Psalm 31:24 Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord. Trusting Hope strengthens us. Psalm 33:18, 22 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, 22 Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, Just as we hope in You. Trusting Hope invites God’s blessings. Psalm 38:15 For in You, O Lord, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God. Trusting Hope assures us that God hears us. Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance. 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. Trusting Hope gives us a reason to go on, a reason to smile, a reason to bless others with the strength that God alone can give. Psalm 71:14 But I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more. Trusting Hope opens our life to magnify the Lord. Psalm 119:43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I have hoped in Your ordinances. 49 Remember the word to Your servant, Upon which You have caused me to hope. Trusting Hope points us back to God's Word. Psalm 119:74 Those who fear You will be glad when they see me, Because I have hoped in Your word. 81 My soul faints for Your salvation, But I hope in Your word. 114 You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your

37

Hal Lindsey, The Terminal Generation. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company: 1976, p. 92-93.

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word. 147 I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word. Lamentations 3:21, 24 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” Trusting Hope is choosing to remember God even in the midst of our darkest hours.

Clinging hope The third Hebrew word that God gives us is describing CLINGING HOPE--the word is BATACH (982): HOPE THAT INSPIRES DEEPER TRUST. Turn with me to the most well known verse in the Bible using this special word. Proverbs 3:5. Proverbs 3:5 Trust [literally cling to] the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; Here batach is used in the sense of hope that comes from casting one's total future upon God as a little child and trusting Him for everything. This word is most often translated to trust or to have confidence in someone-usually God. But in some contexts it is definitely used to mean hope, as in the great prophetic Twenty-second Psalm. The Messiah's thoughts while suffering on the cross are predicted here38: "But thou [God] art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me HOPE [batach] when I was upon my mother's breasts" (Psalms 22:9 KJV). Psalm 37:3-5 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. Clinging Hope assures us that God is at work. Psalm 40:3 He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust [cling to] the Lord. Clinging Hope puts a song in our heart that flows out of our lives in even hard times. Psalm 56:3-4, 11Whenever I am afraid, I will trust [cling to] You. 4 In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me. 11 In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? . Clinging Hope counteracts and removes our fears. Psalm 112:7 He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting [clinging to] the Lord. Clinging Hope calms us whatever we have coming at us.

38

Hal Lindsey, The Terminal Generation. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company: 1976, p. 95.

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Sheltering hope The final of the four Hebrew words for hope that God gives us is describing SHELTERING HOPE--the word is CHASAH (2620): HOPE THAT OFFERS SECURE REFUGE. Turn with me to the most well known verse in the Bible using this special word. Ruth 2:12. Ruth 2:12 The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” This is a beautiful word for hope. Its root meaning is "to seek shelter, refuge or protection in something or someone."39 It is used frequently to portray little animals taking refuge in the cleft of a rock as in Psalm 104:18 The high hills are for the wild goats; The cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers. Figuratively it came to be used of man's taking refuge in God from the spiritual, emotional, and physical dangers of life. On a few occasions this concept is translated HOPE. In Proverbs 14:32 this is used in a unique way: "The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death" ( KJV ).When the one who has been declared righteous by believing in Jesus as his Savior faces death, he will have a hope that is a refuge from the uncertainty and fear presented by his own death. 40 2 Samuel 22:3, 31 The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence. 31 As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. Psalm 7:1 O Lord my God, in You I put my trust; Save me from all those who persecute me; And deliver me, Psalm 11:1 In the Lord I put my trust; How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”? Psalm 16:1 Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. Psalm 31:1 In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness. Psalm 57:1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by. Psalm 71:1 In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame.

39 40

Brown, Driver, and Briggs, p. 875. Hal Lindsey, The Terminal Generation. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company: 1976, p. 97-98.

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Psalm 91:4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

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050508PM WN-15

Living In Hope

EMP: LIGHTS OUT! Living in Hope Lamentations 3:21-24 For those who try to live in this world without Christ—their world just got a little darker and more hopeless this week! Remember why? Jesus said in Matthew 24, that a day is coming when it will be hard to find anyone alive on this planet. Without Christ's presence within, life will get progressively more hopeless. But with Him, life grows brighter each day—not easier, not smoother, not funner, just brighter as we draw closer to Him. Open with me again to Lamentation 3. We find here the pathway to hope. What happened this week that made life on earth a little more hopeless? It was in my opinion, the release of the report given to the US Senate on terrorism. You may have read the transcript of the testimony that was taken at the US Senate. The May edition of Jane's Missiles and Rockets reports that recent missile tests by Iran may have been part of the development of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) warhead. Jane's cites testimony from the Senate Committee on the Judiciary's Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security from March 8, 2005, by Peter Pry and Lowell Wood. Wood is a member of the Congressional EMP Commission, which released a report on the EMP threat in July 2004. Iran has practiced detonating its Shahab-3 missiles while in mid-air, which has lead some intelligence officials to suspect that Iran is practicing the execution of an EMP attack. Senator Jon Kyl (a Republican Senatot from Arizona), who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security, wrote the following about the EMP threat in the April 15 edition of the Washington Post: "An electromagnetic pulse attack on the American homeland is one of only a few ways that the United States could be defeated by its enemies - terrorist or otherwise. And it is probably the easiest. A single Scud missile, carrying a single nuclear weapon, detonated at the appropriate altitude, would interact with the Earth's atmosphere, producing an electromagnetic pulse radiating down to the surface at the speed of light. Depending on the location and size of the blast, the effect would be to knock out already stressed power grids and other electrical systems across much or even all of the continental United States, for months if not years.

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Few if any people would die right away. But the loss of power would have a cascading effect on all aspects of US society. Communication would be largely impossible. Lack of refrigeration would leave food rotting in warehouses, exacerbated by a lack of transportation as those vehicles still working simply ran out of gas (which is pumped with electricity). The inability to sanitize and distribute water would quickly threaten public health, not to mention the safety of anyone in the path of the inevitable fires, which would rage unchecked. And as we have seen in areas of natural and other disasters, such circumstances often result in a fairly rapid breakdown of social order... American society has grown so dependent on computer and other electrical systems that we have created our own Achilles' heel of vulnerability..." Senator Kyl summed up the situation best when he said, "This threat may sound straight out of Hollywood, but it is very real."41 If this happens in the next two years before we are ready, here is what could result from an EMP attack. “A successful strike would be virtually silent…While there would be no immediate loss of life, the cascading effects would result in millions and millions of indirect casualties. Contaminated water and food, no resupply, six months of darkness and total loss of communications. It would potentially throw us, technologically speaking, back to the 1880’s…In the 1880’s very few lived in the desert [like Las Vegas, Phoenix, LA and other parts of the USA]. It wasn’t survivable. Without working transportation, electricity for air-conditioning and pumps to supply water, the only way out is to walk…An EMP attack’s effects would be felt continent-wide, including Canada and Mexico…Senator Kyl says it could take the US as long as six months to make a minimal recovery. And that’s assuming the Russians, Europeans and Chinese will wait while we are helpless. The Muslim nations certainly do not want us re-assume our place as “the Great Satan superpower.” None of this is an over-exaggeration of the threat posed by such an attack. Neither is it as unlikely or impossible as we would like to believe… Bible prophecy clearly identifies four spheres of global power during the final hours of human history during the Great Tribulation. Ezekiel identifies the Russian/Muslim Alliance. John foretells the … military force of the Kings of the East. The prophet Daniel identifies the Kings of the South as the Muslim nations and a revived form of the old Roman Empire. There is no mention of a fifth global superpower that matches the description of the United States. On the contrary, the Revived Roman Culture of Europe is predicted as the supreme power…The United States is mentioned in Scripture for the last days, but in a very different context than the Tribulation. Writing of the Church Age, the Apostle Paul wrote; “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather 41

K-House eNews or The Week Of May 03, 2005, http://www.khouse.org/

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than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.” (2nd Timothy 3:1-5 NASB) This is a hard truth. It is difficult not to recognize much of modern America’s social culture in Paul’s description.”42 And perhaps we are gone by then. But no matter whether we solve this potential threat, two things are clear: America is unwelcome in the world today, and we are absent in prophecy. So we need to put our hope in what we can’t lose. Humans can live 40 days without food, 3 days without water, 8 minutes without air, But only 1 second without hope! Lamentations 3:21-25 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. HOPE is what God to those who keep their eyes on the God who has chosen Jerusalem. The Hebrew language of the Old Testament is a rich storehouse of words which define hope. There are four Hebrew words that give us valuable insights into the many way God can make us live in hope. Let's examine these words and see how words written thousands of years ago leap right into the twenty-first century and our lives. The first Hebrew word that God gives us is describing WAITING HOPE—the word is QAVAH (6960): HOPE THAT RENEWS EXHAUSTED STRENGTH. And that is exactly the word that God gives us in Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. To better grasp this word, turn with me to the most well known verse in the Bible using this special word which is Isaiah 40:31. This Hebrew verb means to ‘twist and or stretch’. In the Old Testament world it was used of making rope by twisting and stretch many weak strands into a strong rope. Then this concept of rope making became a metaphor for waiting and receiving strength during weak times to endure stretching, twisting, and painful times in life. Just as a weak thread combined with many other weak threads makes a strong rope—so when we are weak, and yet wait for the truth of God's Word to slowly weave strength into our lives, we are strong in the Lord. My many weaknesses woven together through

42

Hal Lindsey, America At War Six Months in the Dark, http://www.hallindseyoracle.com/ 5/4/2005.

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the fabric of life with His promises, makes me strong. That is the marvelous promise Isaiah offers us. Listen to him illustrate this waiting hope. Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. The word translated wait in Isaiah is qavah. When we apply the exegetical meaning of this word it means “waiting in the expectant HOPE and being strengthened thereby.” The NIV renders it “who HOPE in the Lord,” which is more accurate. When we have a sure hope in the future we can do what is impossible to do humanly. We can endure, we can go on, we can wait, we can rest. That is what waiting hope achieves in those who let the Lord weave His truth into their weaknesses. Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait [hupomeno]43 on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. This is exactly the same word and hope that the patriarch Jacob testified about at the end of his 147 year long life of troubles, stress, and disasters. Genesis 49:18 I have waited for your salvation, O Lord! King David in writing the Psalms uses this word more frequently than any other biblical writer. This word actually was one of the keys to David's life. He recognized that his human strength was never enough to meet the stresses of life. 44 Psalm 25:3 Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Psalm 25:5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. Psalm 25:21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You. Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! Psalm 37:9, 34 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth. 34 Wait on the Lord, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. Psalm 39:7 “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.

43 44

Also hupomeno is in Psalm 24.3; 36.9; 68.7. Hal Lindsey, The Terminal Generation. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company: 1976, p. 92-93.

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Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. Psalm 130:5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. Are you allowing God to weave His Word into your weaknesses so that waiting hope will make you strong? I hope so this week and in the weeks ahead. That is why He even allows all these problems, struggles, trials, and unexpected reversals into our lives. To twist and stretch us into waiting hope!

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050515AM WN-16

Living In Trusting Hope

Living in Trusting Hope Matthew 24:21-22 Our God is a God of hope. Living in hope is Christ's plan for our lives today. But when we dig into the prophetic portions of God's Word the future looks very bleak and hopeless. So to balance what is coming--that Jesus so vividly describes, Paul exhorts the New Testament saints to learn to live in the hope that the Old Testament Scriptures can teach. Paul never avoided explaining the prophetic events that were coming. He even teaches through the same passage we are studying (Matthew 24) in his very first epistles (to the Thessalonians). But he always balances those prophecies of doom with comfort and hope to live by. Turn with me to Romans 15:4, and please stand as we read God’s Holy Word to us this Lord’s Day. Romans 15:4, 13 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. 13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray Might have hope, the God of hope, and you may abound in hope! What a grand way to live! The Hebrew language of the Old Testament [the “things were written before were written for our learning” in Romans 15:4] is a rich storehouse of words which define hope. There are four Hebrew words that give us valuable insights into the many ways God can make us live in hope. Let's examine these words and see how words written thousands of years ago leap right into the twenty-first century and our lives. •

There is waiting or recharging hope. Hope that waits until renewal comes. Just like a charger for your phone, a cradle for your PDA—we plug into God’s truth, believe His Word waiting upon the Lord. Then He renews and recharges and refills us with His strength. Have you plugged into God's Word and been still before Him this week on a regular basis and gotten your strength renewed?

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•

There is trusting or enduring hope. Hope that trusts until understanding comes. Are you unsure where you are today as far as God’s plan for your life? Do you ever wonder where God is headed with what He has planned for your future? Do you struggle with His timing and some times feel trapped? Then it is time to let His Word show you what to do while you wait just like Job, Noah, David, and Ezra learned. Have you found the rewards that come as you endure in faith, waiting in hope? This is like getting all packed and sitting on the bench for your flight. You know that when it is time you will go.

•

There is clinging or holding on hope. Hope that reaches out and asks for the Hand of God to hold onto. Hope that clings to the Hand of God as a child holds the hand of their mom in the doctor’s office or their dad in the dark woods at night. Clinging hope that says you are All Powerful, you can carry me through. Have you reached up and taken that Hand that stretches down to you from the heart of God this week? Or are you stumbling through life in the dark, filled with anxiety and pain?

•

There is sheltering or running hope. Hope that flees from danger into the loving arms of God. Hope that runs for the storm shelter when the disasters of life approach. Have you settled in your heart that there is no place safer than in the arms of Jesus? And do you know that He who began the work of salvation also completes it? And have you experienced the One who prays for you on the mountain while you are out in the storm tossed boat—and then comes to get in your boat at just the exact moment that is best, to calm the storm?

Now with all that wondrously promised hope, join me again as Jesus describes the most hopeless moment in our planets future; the moment when life is heading toward a complete extinction. This moment is somewhere near the end of the Tribulation. That where Jesus takes us in Matthew 24:21-22. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. Now turn to the parallel, expanded, and even more chilling version that Christ's disciple John records for us Revelation chapter six. "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 142

the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." (Revelation 6:8) The approach of the Pale Rider may be on the horizon according to the special report delivered at the United Nations March 30th of this year.

Two-thirds of world's resources 'used up'

45

The sound of the pale horse’s hoofbeats are getting louder. The human race is living beyond its means. A report backed by 1,360 scientists from 95 countries - some of them world leaders in their fields, concludes that the human race has used up two-thirds of the world's resources, most of it in just the last sixty years. Robert Watson, the British-born chief scientist at the World Bank and a former scientific adviser to the White House, claims that mankind is using up all of our natural resources. He produced a six-point indictment against the human race, and declares that it will lead to the extinction of all life on earth. 1. LAND OVER-CONSUMPTION: Because of human demand for food, fresh water, timber, fiber and fuel, more land has been claimed for agriculture in the last 60 years than in the 18th and 19th centuries combined. An estimated 24% of the Earth's land surface is now cultivated. 2. WATER OVER-CONSUMPTION: Water withdrawals from lakes and rivers has doubled in the last 40 years. Humans now use between 40% and 50% of all available freshwater running off the land. 3. OCEAN OVER-CONSUMPTION: Since 1980, about 35% of mangroves have been lost, 20% of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed and another 20% badly degraded. 4. FOREST OVER-CONSUMPTION: Deforestation and other changes could increase the risks of malaria and cholera, and open the way for new and so far unknown disease to emerge. 5. RIVER OVER-CONSUMPTION: Flow from rivers has been reduced dramatically. For parts of the year, the Yellow River in China, the Nile in Africa and the Colorado in North America dry up before they reach the ocean. 6. FISH OVER-CONSUMPTION: At least a quarter of all fish stocks are overharvested. In some areas, the catch is now less than a hundredth of that before industrial fishing. An estimated 90% of the total weight of the ocean's large predators tuna, swordfish and sharks - has disappeared in recent years. The study contains what its authors call "a stark warning" for the entire world. The wetlands, forests, savannahs, estuaries, coastal fisheries and other habitats that recycle air, water and nutrients for all living creatures are being irretrievably damaged. In effect, one species is now a hazard to the other 10 million or so on the planet, and to itself.

45

Tim Radford, science editor, The Guardian, Wednesday March 30, 2005, http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,5158523103681,00.html t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 143

The study concludes by saying that we have plundered the oceans bounty, we have destroyed the seabed’s riches, we are running out of sources for food, we are running out of fresh water, and because of all this misuse of nature we are plunging towards the threat of killer plagues and epidemics. Most sobering of all is the timing of all of this over consumption. This study concludes all this damage took place -- not gradually over six thousand years of human existence -but within a single generation! That conclusion reminds me of what Jesus said about the end of days for the planet earth. "So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done." (Mark 13:29-30) “Consider the facts carefully. If the science is correct, then the irreversible process of planetary doom has begun. Undoubtedly, the science will be disputed by other scientists endlessly, but there is a discernible escalation of distress with each new environmental study… this is exactly how Jesus described the situation as it would exist just before His return; A pervasive and growing sense of impending doom -- "upon the earth distress of nations. . . Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:" is how He described it. Bible prophecy has, to the extent it can be proved, been accurate 100% of the time so far -- and there is therefore no logical reason to assume that God has suddenly lost His place and the plan -- as outlined -- won't continue to be fulfilled with equal precision. Like science, Bible prophecy also foretells the impending ecological judgment of the planet, saying that it will come upon a single generation, somewhere in time. Logic demands an explanation, and coincidence won't do. The only other explanation is that it is true. That time is running out. That the Lord is about to return, exactly as the Bible says He will. It is time to choose Whom you will serve. There isn't time to put it off. There really isn't. It doesn't matter how good you are -- or how bad you are -- the same Jesus that knows the future of nations paid the price of your redemption. He has secured a pardon with your name on it, and eliminated any barrier between you and eternal life with Him, if you will but claim it. He is willing to accept you the way you are -- all you need do is ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to change you according to His will. Trust Him. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" (Ephesians 2:8) It's just that simple. He is coming”!46 Living in hope is Christ's plan for your life today. And that is His plan no matter what life may bring today or tomorrow. His hope detaches us from the gloom that can come in 46

Excerpted from the Omega Letter Daily Intelligence Digest, Volume 42, Issue 31 Special Report: ''Behold a Pale Horse'' In Defense of the Faith Sunday, April 03, 2005, Jack Kinsella - Omega Letter Editor

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life. As you turn with me to Matthew 24, listen to what God offers each of us in Christ this morning. The Scriptures offer us four varieties of hope. Do you have them this morning? The Hebrew language of the Old Testament is a rich storehouse of words which define hope. There are four Hebrew words that give us valuable insights into the many way God can make us live in hope. Let's examine these words and see how words written thousands of years ago leap right into the twenty-first century and our lives. Lamentations 3:21-25 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. The first Hebrew word that God gives us is describing WAITING HOPE—the word is QAVAH (6960): HOPE THAT RENEWS US WHEN OUR STRENGTH IS EXHAUSTED. And that is exactly the word that God gives us in Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. To better grasp this word, turn with me to the most well known verse in the Bible using this special word which is Isaiah 40:31. •

There is waiting or recharging hope. Hope that waits until renewal comes. Just like a charger for your phone, a cradle for your PDA—we plug into God’s truth, believe His Word waiting upon the Lord. Then He renews and recharges and refills us with His strength. Have you plugged into God's Word and been still before Him this week on a regular basis and gotten your strength renewed?

Just as a weak thread combined with many other weak threads makes a strong rope—so when we are weak, and yet wait for the truth of God's Word to slowly weave strength into our lives, we are strong in the Lord. My many weaknesses woven together through the fabric of life with His promises, makes me strong. That is the marvelous promise Isaiah offers us. Listen to him illustrate this waiting hope. Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Are you allowing God to weave His Word into your weaknesses so that waiting hope will make you strong? I hope so this week and in the weeks ahead. That is why He even allows all these problems, struggles, trials, and unexpected reversals into our lives. To twist and stretch us into waiting hope!

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The second Hebrew word that God gives us is describing TRUSTING HOPE--the word is YACHAL (3176): HOPE THAT PRODUCES IN US THE ENDURANCE TO GO ON. This is trusting or enduring hope. Hope that trusts until understanding comes. This is waiting when you can’t see what is ahead. Hope that makes you wait for God when you can’t see where you are going! Are you unsure where you are today as far as God’s plan for your life? Do you ever wonder where God is headed with what He has planned for your future? Do you struggle with His timing and some times feel trapped? Then it is time to let His Word show you what to do while you wait just like Job, Noah, David, and Ezra learned. Have you found the rewards that come as you endure in faith, waiting in hope? This is like getting all packed and sitting on the bench for your flight. You know that when it is time you will go. Sandstorm in Morocco. In 1979 I was serving on a team in northern Africa delivering Bibles in Moslem countries. I was one of two designated drivers. Only two of us on the team had international drivers licenses. That meant I drove several thousand kilometers in a very short period of time over some of the worst roads in the world that are found in Africa. One night while everyone was asleep in the cargo van loaded with Bibles I was driving all night to our next stop. A sand storm blew up. I saw less and less of the road. Praying, wondering, and finally stopping when I just couldn’t tell where to go. I just sat there and fell asleep at the wheel and waited for morning. The first thing that greeted me as it began to dawn into the new day was the beautiful ocean spread out in front of me. I had gone straight when the road curved in the dark, and was just meters from the water’s edge. It is wise in life to wait when you do not know where you are headed and So how can we apply this second type of hope that the Lord offers us—to our everyday lives? I think it would be most helpful to turn to the most well known verse in the Bible using this special word. That verse is in Job 13:15. Job 13:15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. The root idea of this word yachal is to wait for something. Old Testament Hebrew scholars say that it means ‘an expectant waiting under extreme pressure’. The scholar

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R. B. Girdlestone says, "Yachal occurs several times in the Book of Job and signifies a long patient waiting."47 When you study this word all the way through Job you can get the true picture of trusting hope. As you look at these words--Job was going through problems in the extreme. He lost all of his wealth, all of his children, all of his health, and most of his marriage— and all of that came at warp speed, totally unexpectedly. He was agonizing in pain, and writhing in emotional duress. But through it all he trusts God. Job 13:15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. This is trusting hope. This is hope that produces in us great endurance. Job’s trusting hope anchored his soul and spirit through life’s most severe storms. Job 14:14 If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes. This word is even captured by Noah’s trusting hope, locked up in an ark that had no way out except when ever God decided to open the door. Remember that God shut them in. Listen to Noah in Genesis 8:12 So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore. For a moment think about trusting hope in Noah’s life. If you follow the manner of God’s dealing with Noah—the full strength of his faith can be seen. • • • •

God invited Noah into the ark (Genesis 7:1). God closed the door Himself. It doesn’t seem that there was any other way to get out of the ark other than jumping ship. They were closed in unless the jumped 45 feet. (Genesis 7:16) Noah waited with no messages from God for 314 days, that is 45 weeks of silence (Genesis 7:11; 8:13) God opened the door when it was His time Genesis 8:15).

The only way to survive inside the ark was by trusting faith. God planned the ark. God invited them in and shut the door. God was with them inside the ark. God sent the storm. And stayed with them inside the ark and all the way through the storm. Then when God knew it was time—God let them out of the ark. But they had two choices— stay with God’s plan or abandon ship.

47

Robert Baker Girdlestone, Synonyms of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1948), p. 104.

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Now fast forward to your own life. If you are saved, God designed your boat (that is your way that you travel through life). He invites you into His plan, when you respond He shuts you in until the ride is over. He sends severe storms, stays with us through the storm, and calms the storms, and when it is His perfect time—opens the door and lets us out. We can either stay with the plan or jump ship. The only way to last inside the boat of life is to live in trusting hope. What an example Noah can be to us who are going through storms, trials, adversities, disasters, upheavals, and struggles in life. Now turn to David in Psalm 31. As no stranger to heart aches, pains, problems, and fears—David explains what anchored his soul was his similar trusting hope48. Psalm 31:24 Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 33:18, 22 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, 22 Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, Just as we hope in You. Psalm 38:15 For in You, O Lord, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God. Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance. 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. Psalm 71:14 But I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more. •

•

48

There is waiting or recharging hope. Hope that waits until renewal comes. Just like a charger for your phone, a cradle for your PDA—we plug into God’s truth, believe His Word waiting upon the Lord. Then He renews and recharges and refills us with His strength. Have you plugged into God's Word and been still before Him this week on a regular basis and gotten your strength renewed? There is trusting or enduring hope. Hope that trusts until understanding comes. Are you unsure where you are today as far as God’s plan for your life? Do you ever wonder where God is headed with what He has planned for your future? Do you struggle with His timing and some times feel trapped? Then it is time to let His Word show you what to do while you wait just like Job, Noah, David, and Ezra learned. Have you found the rewards that come as you endure in faith, waiting in hope? This is like getting all packed and sitting on the bench for your flight. You know that when it is time you will go.

Yachal is translated often in the LXX by the Greek word elpidzo and elpis. Like in Psalm 119:43, 74, 81, 114, 147.

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•

•

There is clinging or holding on hope. Hope that reaches out and asks for the Hand of God to hold onto. Hope that clings to the Hand of God as a child holds the hand of their mom in the doctor’s office or their dad in the dark woods at night. Clinging hope that says you are All Powerful, you can carry me through. Have you reached up and taken that Hand that stretches down to you from the heart of God this week? Or are you stumbling through life in the dark, filled with anxiety and pain? There is sheltering or running hope. Hope that flees from danger into the loving arms of God. Hope that runs for the storm shelter when the disasters of life approach. Have you settled in your heart that there is no place safer than in the arms of Jesus? And do you know that He who began the work of salvation also completes it? And have you experienced the One who prays for you on the mountain while you are out in the storm tossed boat—and then comes to get in your boat at just the exact moment that is best, to calm the storm?

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050522AM WN-17 Anchored By Hope

ASTEROID DEAD AHEAD Anchored by Hope Matthew 24:29 For those of us who believe the Bible, the weeks since Christmas have been thrilling. Jesus said that the generation that sees His plan unfold for the end of days--will witness His second coming. That promise has kept the church throughout the centuries in the Word, on their knees, and ready to go at any moment. But are we really close enough to think that we are the final generation? Open with me again to Matthew 24, this time to verse 32. Matthew 24:32-35 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. So, are we witnessing His plan for the End of Days unfolding? • We have already seen that the global travel Daniel said had to happen is here, as well as the explosion of knowledge. • Then John said that there had to be global commerce that was based on buying and selling with a personal number—and that is also here. • Then Jesus said that Israel had to be back in their land—and they are. But in Matthew 24, Jesus says that a series of specific signs will begin. When those specific signs occur, they signal the onslaught of birth pangs. Have the pains that signal the end of days started? I am not sure, let’s just list a few of the facts—not since the birth of Israel in 1948; not since the birth of United Europe, the World Council of Churches, the computer and the United Nations also in that same year of 1948. How about what has happened just since Christmas nearly five months ago? Nearly everyone on Earth has witnessed the second biggest quake ever recorded, the government has warned that we are witnessing the biggest solar storm measurable, and now we are move aware than ever that the biggest threat to global safety may be hurtling through space towards our world right now.

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Does that list mean anything? To sort it all out look back at verse 29 in Matthew 24. Let’s read that passage together this morning, and you listen as I emphasize three parts of Christ's warning. Matthew 24:29-32 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 1. When Christ Returns there are Solar Instabilities. Matthew 24:29a “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. In the past year astronomers have witnessed the greatest solar activities ever recorded. The largest and most powerful solar eruptions have dazzled their instruments and made scientists wonder what is in store for the earth in days ahead. And this past Sunday, we had the highest level solar storm (G-5 in solar terms like an F-5 tornado) sighted by the NOAA. God says that a day is coming when the sun would scorch the inhabitants of the earth. May 15, 2005 — Forecasters at the NOAA Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colo., observed a geomagnetic storm on Sunday, May 15, which they classified as an extreme event, measuring G-5—the highest level—on the NOAA Space Weather Scales. "This event registered a 9 on the K-Index, which measures the maximum deviation of the Earth's magnetic field in a given three-hour period," said Gayle Nelson, lead operations specialist at NOAA Space Environment Center. "The scale ranges from 0 to 9, with 9 being the highest. This was a significant event."49

Revelation 16:8-9 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory. Though this prophecy is clearly a divine judgment on unrepentant mankind, it is interesting that an event of great enough proportions to alter the earth’s atmosphere could take place due to nuclear war. The clouds of dust and debris in the upper atmosphere could facilitate this judgment. There would be “signs in the sun” as the sky was partially darkened for weeks or months. This could also refer to the increase in sunspots and solar flares.

49

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2005/s2437.htm

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Luke 21:25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 2. When Christ Returns there are Global Fears of Asteroid or Comet Strike and an ensuing devastation. Matthew 24:29b “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Movies are made of a thought that no one ever had until our generation. We have become aware of those objects hurtling through space faster than bullets and headed our way! John saw something hit the earth during the Tribulation. Revelation 8:10-11 Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter. 3. When Christ Returns there are Cosmic Quakes. Great signs from heaven predicted. Matthew 24:29c “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Both natural and supernatural phenomena in the earth and sky appear to be increasing. Luke 21:11 And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. Now, just think of the middle event of Matthew’s record of Christ's sermon; the part about stars falling from the heavens. God's Word records that an event like this happens during the tribulation years, for planet earth. Something from space (a comet, a meteorite, or something else) hits the earth and poisons 1/3 of the drinking water we learned last week is already in short supply. The result is that “many” people die from this water poisoning. Did you know that astronomers50 have concluded that a giant space rock strikes this planet and leaves a huge crater about every 150 years? Here in the USA we have made a national monument out of a one mile wide, six hundred foot deep meteor crater in Arizona.. How big was that rock that left a mile wide scar? A couple of months ago on my way to Los Angeles I sat on the window seat and watched that crater go by. How big was that meteorite? Just 20 meters (or 66 feet) wide. By the way, that one hit since the 50

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mystery_monday_040412.html

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time of the flood since we can still see it. Right? The flood erased the mountains, valleys, and craters across the planet when everything erupted, flooded, swirled and left a mile deep layer of flood sedimentation across the entire planet. But what about something the size of the asteroid that dug out Meteor Crater in Arizona? That 600-foot-deep (180-meter) hole in the ground, popular now with tourists, is less than 50,000 years old and was created by a space rock so small that another one like it might not be noticed until it hits. What if that sized rock hits Newark, New Jersey, 10 miles (16 kilometers) from Manhattan as the crow flies? Not as much damage as you would think. Other than Newark, NYC would be spared and only feel a moderate earthquake of magnitude 4.7 rattles the region. New York City has handled such temblors in the past and largely endures. No significant ejecta hits Manhattan, and winds reach an insignificant 3.7 mph. Now try a bigger rock from space. An asteroid the size of two football fields, even if stony in nature, is another story. It carves a crater in New Jersey that's 2 miles wide (3.4 kilometers). The resulting earthquake is magnitude 6.4, enough to frighten the pants off New York City emergency planners. A rock this size hits the planet about every few thousand years. But what about a “star”, an asteroid that is bright, flies earthward and gets as bright as the sun--flaming downward through the atmosphere as it burns away at superheated entry velocity of miles per second? Well if a small say “9.3-mile-wide (15-kilometer) asteroid -- the estimated size of the suspected dinosaur killer – drops onto on San Francisco. The Bay Area doesn't do so well. The resulting crater, at 113 miles (181 kilometers) wide, pretty much tells the story. The entire metropolis vanishes faster than you can say where you left your heart. What isn't consumed is knocked over in an earthquake of magnitude 10.2, bigger than any in recorded history. Heat from a scorching fireball would turn much of the state, and parts of others, into toast. The quick end to the Bay Area turns out to be a blessing compared to what Los Angeles residents face. About 10 seconds after impact, radiation from the fireball sears Southern California, igniting clothing and even plywood. Within two minutes the ground under Hollywood begins to shake. Weak brick structures crumble. Concrete irrigation ditches are damaged. Frame houses not properly bolted to their foundations are knocked off. Even tree branches fall. And then it gets nasty. 'Bad things happen' t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 153

Six minutes after impact, much of earth that used to be under San Francisco has soared high into the atmosphere and begins to fall on the City of Angels (and just about everywhere else). Ultimately, a blanket of ejected material nearly 18 feet (5.5 meters) deep is deposited in and around LA. Within a half-hour of the initial cosmic impact, on comes a 66-mph (30 meters per second) wind to rake what's left of Los Angeles. "If you're close to the site of a major impact, some pretty bad things happen," said Jay Melosh, an expert in impact cratering at the University of Arizona. Denver [and then Tulsa], about a third [to half] of the way over, is coated with nearly a foot of ejected material, called ejecta. Winds reach 22 mph. New York City residents are spared enough that they can at first sit comfortably and watch all this on TV (to the extent there are any video feeds). Still, about 13 minutes after impact, windows and doors rattle in the East. After about 21 minutes, stuff shot out from the world's largest new crater starts to rain down on the East, depositing a half-inch blanket across the city. About 3-1/2 hours later an 8-mph wind arrives.” 51 So much for speculation, let’s look at the actual event. After a lifetime of studying the book of Revelation, and reading as many books and commentaries as possible--I am still not sure as to whether the following prophecy is the record of a first-century man's description of an atomic bomb, a super powerful demonic creature’s attack, or if it's about a comet, an asteroid, or meteorite slamming into the earth. But listen to what the Apostle John observed: Revelation 8:10-11 Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter. “Whatever this is, it poisons a third of the Earth's fresh water supply, which is the reason it sounds more like the effect of nuclear radiation fallout. But there are some recent discoveries that indicate another possibility. In February 2004, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., introduced HR 4544, known as the George E. Brown Jr. Near-Earth Object Survey Act. The bill mandates the allocation of $40 million to survey every near-Earth object 100 meters across or larger”. 52 May 2004 three months later, a University of Hawaii astronomer David Tholen and a team from Arizona University discovered a new near earth object (space rock) and took photos until storm clouds blocked the skies.

51 Catastrophe Calculator: Estimate Asteroid Impact Effects Online, By Robert Roy Britt, Senior Science Writer; posted: 06:30 am ET, 12 April 2004 http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mystery_monday_040412.html 52 Hal Lindey, Asteroid Hit? Oracle Commentaries 4/17/2005 Doomsday 2029?

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Six months after that, around Thanksgiving of 2004, some Australian astronomers spotted the object, found it to be an asteroid, and named it 2004 MN4. A month of calculations later led the astronomers to announce to the world on Christmas Eve that this asteroid was on a direct hit trajectory with the earth. “They figured that it would impact with the Earth on Friday the 13th in April 2029. But what they concluded was that Asteroid 2004 MN4 was a "regional" hazard – only enough to flatten Texas or a couple of European countries with an impact equivalent to 10,000 megatons of dynamite – more than all the nuclear weapons in the world combined.” 53 Of course that announcement was covered by holiday events and buried by the event 2 days later. On December 26, 2004, two days after that amazing prediction, our planet was struck by the Sumatran-Andaman earthquake. A quake so massive that scientists are still analyzing what happened. Here is the latest report from 5.19.05 (this past Thursday). (CNN) -- Dramatic new data from the December 26, 2004, Sumatran-Andaman earthquake that generated deadly tsunamis show the event created the longest fault rupture and the longest duration of faulting ever observed, according to three reports by an international group of seismologists published Thursday in the journal "Science." 1. DURATION: "Normally, a small earthquake might last less than a second; a moderate sized earthquake might last a few seconds. This earthquake lasted between 500 and 600 seconds (at least 10 minutes)," said Charles Ammon, associate professor of geosciences at Penn State University. [longest quake ever known] 2. POWER: The quake released an amount of energy equal to a 100 giga-ton bomb, according to Roger Bilham, professor of geological sciences at the University of Colorado. And that power lasted longer than any quake ever recorded. [most power unleashed ever recorded] 3. EFFECT: The quake, centered in the Indian Ocean, also created the biggest gash in the Earth's seabed ever observed, nearly 800 miles. That's as long as a drive from northern California into southern Canada. Scientists estimated the average slippage (ground movement up and down) along the entire length of the fault was at least 5 meters (16.5 feet) -- with some places being moved nearly 20 meters (50 feet). 4. DEADLINESS: This quake ranks second as only the deaths of the event of 1556 China quake, surpasses the 300,000 casualties of the Christmas 2004 quake. [second deadliest quake ever known]

5. MAGNITUDE: Scientists have also upgraded the magnitude of the quake from 9.0 to

between 9.1 and 9.3, a dramatically more powerful event.54 [so that the Christmas quake of 2004 is the second largest quake to ever hit our planet that we know of, only surpassed by the 1960 Chilean quake] .

So we have lived through the second biggest, second deadliest, longest, and most powerful quake ever felt and measured by man. We have been warned that a rock is headed closer than any has ever been—and will be the first asteroid visible with the 53

Hal Lindey, Asteroid Hit? Oracle Commentaries 4/17/2005 Doomsday 2029? Temblor big enough to 'vibrate the whole planet ' By Marsha Walton CNN; http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/05/19/sumatra.quake/index.html 54

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naked eye from earth. And this past Sunday, we had the highest level solar storm (G-5 in solar terms like an F-5 tornado) sighted by the NOAA. Then on December 28th, two days after the Indian Ocean earthquake literally rocked the world, astronomers announced they had refined their calculations and said that 2004 MN4 probably wouldn't impact with the Earth, but would miss the planet by between 15,000 and 25,000 miles – 10 times closer than our moon, and, in astronomical terms, barely a hair's breadth. While the 2029 impact is calculated to miss our planet, Brian Marsden, director of the Minor Planet Center at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, says that is still only a guess. "You don't know what the gravitational effect of the Earth will be," he said. "In 2029, the [close encounter with] Earth will increase the size of the orbit, and the object could get into a resonance with the Earth," he added. "You could get orbit matchups every five years or nine years, or something in between." In other words, a collision with 2004 MN4 remains a definite "maybe." When Jesus was asked, "What will be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the age?" He ran down the now-familiar list of earthquakes and famines and wars and pestilences – all of which, He said, would come upon the Earth like "birth pangs" – increasing in frequency and intensity as the time grew near. He also said: There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the Earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. – Luke 21:24-26, NKJV After that, Jesus said, "At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." In the meantime, He told those who would witness the signs of His return, "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." One thing is certain: For the first time man now has the ability to track smaller asteroids that could wreak enormous destruction on this planet. This is bringing increasing anxiety about threats from the heavens not known before. This is exactly what Jesus predicted would happen in the last days. The prophetic signs of Christ's soon coming just keep multiplying. Are you ready to meet Him? 55 This is why we need waiting, trusting, clinging, anchoring hope! 55

Hal Lindey, Asteroid Hit? Oracle Commentaries 4/17/2005 Doomsday 2029?

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How do we get ready? Live in hope of Christ's return. Trust Him with your future. Wait upon Him to guide your daily life. Avoid whatever grieves Him. Resist fearing anything but God. Which leads us to one of the most fascinating studies I have ever engaged in—this study of Biblical Hope. To find out, open with me to the Old Testament book of groanings. Or would you know it as the Old Testament book of cryings, or moanings? The title it Lamentations, the wailings of a destroyed nation in ruins and death—that is what that book is titled. The Hebrew language of the Old Testament is a rich storehouse of words which define hope. The Old Testament is filled with examples for us of what the cause and remedy is for seasons of hopelessness. There are four Hebrew words that give us valuable insights into the many ways God can make us live in hope. Let's examine these words and see how words written thousands of years ago leap right into the twenty-first century and our lives. Lamentations 3:21-25 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. This passage reminds us of the first reason God’s people can lose hope. Often it is:

Waiting hope In Lamentations 3 we find the first of these four. That first Hebrew word that God gives us is describing WAITING HOPE—the word is QAVAH (6960): HOPE THAT RENEWS EXHAUSTED STRENGTH. Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. The original idea of this verb was to twist or to stretch something. It was associated with the twisting and stretching of weak strands into a strong rope. From this the word metaphorically developed into the idea of enduring under tension. This concept sprung from the fact that even a weak thread twisted together with a rope became strong. The belief grew that as we hope in the Lord's promises we are woven into His strength and strengthened to withstand the stresses of life. Now turn with me to the most well known verse in the Bible using this special word. Isaiah 40:31. Here God gives us a great promise given by Isaiah illustrating this word:

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Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. The word translated wait in Isaiah is qavah. The major shade of meaning in this is “waiting in the expectant HOPE and being strengthened thereby.” The margin note renders it “who HOPE in the Lord,” which is more accurate. A sure hope in the future enables a person to have superhuman strength: Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who [HOPE in] the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. This is exactly the same word and hope that the patriarch Jacob testified about at the end of his 147 year long life of troubles, stress, and disasters. Genesis 49:18 I have waited for your salvation, O Lord! King David in writing the Psalms uses this word more frequently than any other biblical writer. This word actually was one of the keys to David's life. He recognized that his human strength was never enough to meet the stresses of life. 56 Psalm 25:3 Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Waiting Hope delivers us from being ashamed of hard times. Psalm 25:5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. Waiting Hope makes each days troubles into a lesson from God just for us. Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! Waiting Hope gives us the strength we need so that we do not lose heart. Psalm 37:9, 34 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth. 34 Wait on the Lord, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. Waiting Hope promises us that we have the victory through the Lord. Psalm 39:7 “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You. Hope focuses our lives upon the Lord.

Waiting

Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. Waiting Hope assures us that He is hearing us.

56

Hal Lindsey, The Terminal Generation. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company: 1976, p. 92-93.

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Psalm 130:5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope (yachal #3176 trusting hope the next word). Waiting Hope draws us back into God's Word. Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. Waiting Hope invites God’s blessings.

Trusting hope The second Hebrew word that God gives us is describing TRUSTING HOPE--the word is YACHAL (3176): HOPE THAT PRODUCES GREAT ENDURANCE. Turn with me to the most well known verse in the Bible using this special word. Job 13:15. The root idea of this word is to wait for something. It came to mean an expectant waiting under extreme pressure. The scholar R. B. Girdlestone says, "Yachal occurs several times in the Book of Job and signifies a long patient waiting."57 A study of the usage of this word in the Book of Job gives the most accurate connotations. Job was a man going through extreme trial: he lost his great wealth, all his children, and his health-in rapid succession. He was suffering incredible and constant physical and mental pain. Yet as he thought of why God had permitted all this he says, Job 13:15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. [Here the word yachal means to keep on hoping with endurance under extreme pressure. Job's hope in the Lord enabled him to endure and be stabilized even under adverse conditions. 58] Trusting Hope guards us from despair (remember Elijah despaired of life and wanted to die?). Job 14:14 If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes. Trusting Hope anchors our souls as Hebrews 6:19 says—in Heaven. Genesis 8:12 So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore. Trusting Hope keeps believing even when there is no visible thing in life to see that points to a possibility of hope—just like Noah did in the ark. Psalm 31:24 Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord. Trusting Hope strengthens us. Psalm 33:18, 22 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, 22 Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, Just as we hope in You. Trusting Hope invites God’s blessings.

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Robert Baker Girdlestone, Synonyms of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1948), p. 104. 58 Hal Lindsey, The Terminal Generation. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company: 1976, p. 92-93.

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Psalm 38:15 For in You, O Lord, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God. Trusting Hope assures us that God hears us. Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance. 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. Trusting Hope gives us a reason to go on, a reason to smile, a reason to bless others with the strength that God alone can give. Psalm 71:14 But I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more. Trusting Hope opens our life to magnify the Lord. Psalm 119:43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I have hoped in Your ordinances. 49 Remember the word to Your servant, Upon which You have caused me to hope. Trusting Hope points us back to God's Word. Psalm 119:74 Those who fear You will be glad when they see me, Because I have hoped in Your word. 81 My soul faints for Your salvation, But I hope in Your word. 114 You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word. 147 I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word. Lamentations 3:21, 24 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” Trusting Hope is choosing to remember God even in the midst of our darkest hours.

Clinging hope The third Hebrew word that God gives us is describing CLINGING HOPE--the word is BATACH (982): HOPE THAT INSPIRES DEEPER TRUST. Turn with me to the most well known verse in the Bible using this special word. Proverbs 3:5. Proverbs 3:5 Trust [literally cling to] the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; Here batach is used in the sense of hope that comes from casting one's total future upon God as a little child and trusting Him for everything. This word is most often translated to trust or to have confidence in someone-usually God. But in some contexts it is definitely used to mean hope, as in the great prophetic Twenty-second Psalm. The Messiah's thoughts while suffering on the cross are predicted here59: 59

Hal Lindsey, The Terminal Generation. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company: 1976, p. 95.

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"But thou [God] art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me HOPE [batach] when I was upon my mother's breasts" (Psalms 22:9 KJV). Psalm 37:3-5 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. Clinging Hope assures us that God is at work. Psalm 40:3 He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust [cling to] the Lord. Clinging Hope puts a song in our heart that flows out of our lives in even hard times. Psalm 56:3-4, 11Whenever I am afraid, I will trust [cling to] You. 4 In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me. 11 In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? . Clinging Hope counteracts and removes our fears. Psalm 112:7 He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting [clinging to] the Lord. Clinging Hope calms us whatever we have coming at us.

Sheltering hope The final of the four Hebrew words for hope that God gives us is describing SHELTERING HOPE--the word is CHASAH (2620): HOPE THAT OFFERS SECURE REFUGE. Turn with me to the most well known verse in the Bible using this special word. Ruth 2:12. Ruth 2:12 The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” This is a beautiful word for hope. Its root meaning is "to seek shelter, refuge or protection in something or someone."60 It is used frequently to portray little animals taking refuge in the cleft of a rock as in Psalm 104:18 The high hills are for the wild goats; The cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers. Figuratively it came to be used of man's taking refuge in God from the spiritual, emotional, and physical dangers of life. On a few occasions this concept is translated HOPE. In Proverbs 14:32 this is used in a unique way: "The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death" ( KJV ).When the one who has been declared righteous by believing in Jesus as his Savior faces death, he will have a hope that is a refuge from the uncertainty and fear presented by his own death. 61

60 61

Brown, Driver, and Briggs, p. 875. Hal Lindsey, The Terminal Generation. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company: 1976, p. 97-98.

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2 Samuel 22:3, 31 The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence. 31 As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. Psalm 7:1 O Lord my God, in You I put my trust; Save me from all those who persecute me; And deliver me, Psalm 11:1 In the Lord I put my trust; How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”? Psalm 16:1 Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. Psalm 31:1 In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness. Psalm 57:1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by. Psalm 71:1 In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame. Psalm 91:4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

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More on NEOs In 2002, an asteroid the size of a football field passed extremely close to Earth, remaining undetected until days later. 2004 MN4 (also written 2004 MN4) is a Near-Earth asteroid that caused a brief period of concern in late 2004. Initial observations of the asteroid revealed a relatively large probability that 2004 MN4 would strike the Earth in 2029. However, additional observations provided improved predictions that essentially eliminated the possibility of an impact on Earth or the Moon. Nevertheless, it is expected that it will come close enough that on April 13, 2029 (Friday the 13th) it will become as bright as magnitude 3.3 (easily visible to the naked eye). This close approach will be visible from Europe, Africa, and western Asia. No other closely approaching objects in recorded history have been visible to the naked eye. 2004 MN4 remains at level one on the Torino scale because of very low but nonzero probabilities of impact on approaches in 2035, 2036 and 2037. However, the approach in 2029 will substantially alter the object's orbit, and the precise details of its future orbit or any future close approaches will only be known after that has happened.62 The 2004 MN4 is big enough to cause planet Earth the damage of regional scale. If it hits the planet, the impact will be comparable to the blast of a 1,000-megaton bomb. The asteroid was discovered in June of 2004; the calculation of its orbit will be completed in December of the current year. Astronomers calculated at first that chances for the asteroid to hit planet Earth on 13 April 2029 would be estimated at 1 to 38. Additional computations showed, however, that Earth will avoid the collision with the asteroid, although it will fly very close to the planet: the asteroid's trajectory will be lower than the altitude of television satellites. People will be able to observe the celestial body as a fast-moving luminous dot.63

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_MN4 http://news.pravda.ru/science/2005/04/19/74917.html ; http://english.pravda.ru/science/19/94/377/15322_asteroid.html

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050522PM WN-18 Anchored By Clinging Hope.Hupomeno

Anchored by Clinging Hope Matthew 24:13 Lamentations 3:21-25 Isaiah 40:31 For those of us who believe the Bible, the weeks since Christmas have been thrilling. Jesus said that the generation that sees His plan unfold for the end of days--will witness His second coming. That promise has kept the church throughout the centuries in the Word, on their knees, and ready to go at any moment. But are we really close enough to think that we are the final generation? In the past five months--we have lived through the second biggest, second deadliest, longest, and most powerful quake ever felt and measured by man. We have been warned that a rock is headed closer than any has ever been—and will be the first asteroid visible with the naked eye from earth. And this past Sunday, we had the highest level solar storm (G-5 in solar terms like an F-5 tornado) sighted by the NOAA. One thing is certain: For the first time man now has the ability to track smaller asteroids that could wreak enormous destruction on this planet. This is bringing increasing anxiety about threats from the heavens not known before. This is exactly what Jesus predicted would happen in the last days. The prophetic signs of Christ's soon coming just keep multiplying. Are you ready to meet Him? 64 This is why we need waiting, trusting, clinging, anchoring hope! How do we get ready? Live in hope of Christ's return. Trust Him with your future. Wait upon Him to guide your daily life. Avoid whatever grieves Him. Resist fearing anything but God. Which leads us to one of the most fascinating studies I have ever engaged in—this study of Biblical Hope. Look back at Matthew 24 again with me, only this time look at verse 13. I want to show you something amazing. Jesus says that something will characterize those who are really His children. No matter what happens before or during the tribulation—His true children endure. Matthew 24:13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

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Hal Lindey, Asteroid Hit? Oracle Commentaries 4/17/2005 Doomsday 2029?

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That word endure [hupomeno] is a very interesting word. Only 18 times in the New Testament it describes the response of a genuine believer. Why not follow this trail through the New Testament and see what I mean. • • • • • • •

•

Matthew 10:22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. Matthew 24:13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. Mark 13:13 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. Romans 12:12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 1 Corinthians 13:7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 2 Timothy 2:10, 12 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. Hebrews 12:2-3, 6-7 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? James 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Now comes the fascinating part—this word is used in the Old Testament that Jesus and His apostles studied. It is the very word we have been studying the last two weeks. How do I know that? If Jesus went to Mardels this week to buy a Bible, what version would He buy? Have you ever thought that? We can find the answer to that question in the Bible you hold tonight. The grouping and ordering of the books in the Old Testament Hebrew Bible is different from what Christians have in their Bibles because the Christian Bible adopted the order in the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. The Septuagint, the first translation of the Hebrew Bible, was made in the third century B.C. by Jewish scribes, descendents of those trained in Ezra’s Great Synagogue of Jerusalem who were very well versed in Hebrew and Greek. This translation became very popular among Jews in the first two centuries before Christ because many Jews in those days did not understand Hebrew. Their ancestors had left Israel centuries before, and generation after generation gradually lost the ability to read the Scriptures in Hebrew. Many of the Jews in Jesus’ day used the Septuagint as their Bible. Quite t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 165

naturally, the early Christians also used the Septuagint in their meetings and for personal reading; and many of the New Testament apostles quoted it when they wrote the Gospels and Epistles in Greek. The order of the books in the Septuagint is the same order in our Bibles today.65 Jesus and the Apostles66 studied, memorized, used, quoted, and read most often from the Bible of their day which was called the LXX (Septuagint). Since Matthew wrote primarily to convince the Jews that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed their promised Messiah, it follows as a matter of course that his Gospel is saturated with the Hebrew Scriptures. When Jesus quotes the Old Testament in Matthew He uses the Hebrew text 10% and the Greek LXX 90% of the time67. The Septuagint (LXX) was the Hebrew Old Testament translated into Greek. After his conquest of the Babylonian Empire, Alexander the Great promoted the Greek language throughout the known world, and thus almost everyone - including the Jews - spoke Greek. Hebrew fell into disuse, being reserved primarily for ceremonial purposes (like the use of Latin among Roman Catholics). In order to make the Jewish Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) available to the average Jewish reader, a project was undertaken under the sponsorship of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 BC.) to translate the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. Seventy scholars were commissioned to complete this work and their result is known as the "Septuagint" ("70") translation. (This is often abbreviated "LXX".)68 According to Jewish legend, in ca. 250 B.C., Ptolemy Philadelphus brought together 72 scholars who translated the Old Testament into Greek in 72 days. Thus, the Latin word for 70, “Septuagint” (LXX), was the name attached to this translation. Probably translated over the period from 250 B.C. to 125 B.C. in Alexandria, Egypt, the Septuagint was the most important and widely used Greek translation of the Old Testament.69 The first Hebrew word that God gives us is describing WAITING HOPE—the word is QAVAH (6960): HOPE THAT RENEWS EXHAUSTED STRENGTH. To better grasp this word, turn with me to the most well known verse in the Bible using this special word which is Isaiah 40:29-31. Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait [hupomeno LXX; Strongs #5278

65

Comfort, Philip W., The Complete Guide to Bible Versions, (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1991. When Jesus faced off with the liberal, unbelieving religious leaders of His day in Matthew 22:32, He made His point about the resurrection by quoting the LXX of Exodus 3:6 verbatim. That means He knew it, memorized it, and used it at the climactic moments of His ministry. In Mark 7:6 Jesus quoted Isaiah 29:13 word for word from the LXX. In Mark 12:10-11 He quotes Psalm 118:22-23 verbatim from the LXX. In Luke He quotes almost exclusively from the LXX. Paul also uses the LXX as does Peter and Hebrews almost always quotes the LXX. 67 Phillips, John. Exploring the Gospels, Matthew. Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers Inc., 1999, p14 . “There are 129 Old Testament references (53 direct citations and 76 allusions) taken from 25 of the 39 books. Of the 129 references, 89 were made by the Lord Himself (35 citations and 54 allusions). Matthew drew from every part of the Jewish Bible: the Law, the prophets, and the Writings. Some of the citations were taken from the Hebrew text (12 total, Guthrie, NTI), but most were taken from the Septuagint (117 total), the Greek version of the Old Testament.” 68 Missler, Unexpected King, online. 69 John F. MacArthur, Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible, (Dallas: Word Publishing) 1997. 66

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endure] on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. This Hebrew verb means to ‘twist and or stretch’. In the Old Testament world it was used of making rope by twisting and stretch many weak strands into a strong rope. Then this concept of rope making became a metaphor for waiting and receiving strength during weak times to endure stretching, twisting, and painful times in life. Those who trust God enough to take His help as He weaves His Word into our weaknesses--so that His waiting hope will make us strong. That is why He even allows all these problems, struggles, trials, and unexpected reversals into our lives. To twist and stretch us into waiting hope! The second Hebrew word that God gives us is describing TRUSTING/ENDURING HOPE--the word is YACHAL (3176): HOPE THAT PRODUCES GREAT ENDURANCE. For an even clearer picture, lets go back to where we started in Lamentations. Meet Jeremiah. With life in shambles, friends all dead, smoke and the stench of destruction all around everything he ever held dear—Jeremiah writes the poem that explains the pathway of hope. Lamentations 3:21-25 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope [hupomeno]. 22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait [hupomeno] for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. So when Jesus describes what one looks like that is genuine He says that when troubles come, they go to God and find help.

This hope lasts even When Troubles Come in Overwhelming Waves Jeremiah’s woes were unimaginable to our relatively peaceful lives. He lived through the death throes of the nation of Judah. o From an earthly perspective Jeremiah’s life was a failure. During his lifetime he watched the decay of God’s chosen people, the horrible destruction of Jerusalem and the deportation of the nation to Babylon. We can hope even when we feel like our life is a failure. o He preached for 40 years and saw no visible result among those he served. Instead those countrymen he warned for God sought to kill him if he wouldn’t stop preaching doom (Jeremiah 11:19-23). He had virtually no converts to show for a lifetime of ministry. We can hope even when we see no results for all we try to do for God. Jeremiah 11:19-23 But I was like a docile lamb brought to the slaughter; and I did not know that they had devised schemes against me, saying, “Let t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 167

us destroy the tree with its fruit, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.” 20 But, O Lord of hosts, You who judge righteously, Testing the mind and the heart, Let me see Your vengeance on them, For to You I have revealed my cause. 21 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth who seek your life, saying, ‘Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, lest you die by our hand’— 22 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine; 23 and there shall be no remnant of them, for I will bring catastrophe on the men of Anathoth, even the year of their punishment.’ ” o He had no one to find joy and comfort with as his own family and friends were involved in plots against his (12:6). He never had the joy of a godly home because God never allowed him to marry, and thus he suffered incredibly agonizing loneliness (16:2). We can hope even when we are alone. Jeremiah 12:6 For even your brothers, the house of your father, Even they have dealt treacherously with you; Yes, they have called a multitude after you. Do not believe them, Even though they speak smooth words to you. Jeremiah 16:2 “You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place.” o He lived under a constant threat of death, as there were plots to kill him in secret so no one would find him (18:20-23). We can hope even when we are close to death. Jeremiah 18:20-23 Shall evil be repaid for good? For they have dug a pit for my life. Remember that I stood before You To speak good for them, To turn away Your wrath from them. 21 Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, And pour out their blood By the force of the sword; Let their wives become widows And bereaved of their children. Let their men be put to death, Their young men be slain By the sword in battle. 22 Let a cry be heard from their houses, When You bring a troop suddenly upon them; For they have dug a pit to take me, And hidden snares for my feet. 23 Yet, Lord, You know all their counsel Which is against me, to slay me. Provide no atonement for their iniquity, Nor blot out their sin from Your sight; But let them be overthrown before You. Deal thus with them In the time of Your anger. o He lived with physical pain while he was beaten severely and then bound in wooden stocks (20:1-2). We can hope even when we are filled with pain. Jeremiah 20:1-2 Now Pashhur the son of Immer, the priest who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. 2 Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 168

the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord. o He lived with emotional pain as his friends spied on him deceitfully and for revenge (20:10). We can hope even when we are sad and disheartened. Jeremiah 20:10 For I heard many mocking: “Fear on every side!” “Report,” they say, “and we will report it!” All my acquaintances watched for my stumbling, saying, “Perhaps he can be induced; Then we will prevail against him, And we will take our revenge on him.” o He was consumed with sorrow and shame and even cursed the day he was born (20:14-18). We can hope even when we are sorrowing. Jeremiah 20:14-18 Cursed be the day in which I was born! Let the day not be blessed in which my mother bore me! 15 Let the man be cursed Who brought news to my father, saying, “A male child has been born to you!” Making him very glad. 16 And let that man be like the cities Which the Lord— overthrew, and did not relent; Let him hear the cry in the morning And the shouting at noon, 17 Because he did not kill me from the womb, That my mother might have been my grave, And her womb always enlarged with me. 18 Why did I come forth from the womb to see labor and sorrow, That my days should be consumed with shame? o His life ended with no relief as he was falsely accused of being a traitor to his own country (37:13-14). Jeremiah was arrested, beaten, thrown into a dungeon, and starved many days (37:15-21). If an Ethiopian Gentile had not interceded on his behalf he would have died there. We can hope even when we find no relief. Jeremiah 37:13-14 And when he was in the Gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard was there whose name was Irijah the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are defecting to the Chaldeans!” 14 Then Jeremiah said, “False! I am not defecting to the Chaldeans.” But he did not listen to him. So Irijah seized Jeremiah and brought him to the princes. Jeremiah 37:15-21 Therefore the princes were angry with Jeremiah, and they struck him and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe. For they had made that the prison. 16 When Jeremiah entered the dungeon and the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days, 17 then Zedekiah the king sent and took him out. The king asked him secretly in his house, and said, “Is there any word from the Lord?” And Jeremiah said, “There is.” Then he said, “You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon!” 18 Moreover Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What offense have I committed against you, against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison? 19 Where now are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 169

against this land?’ 20 Therefore please hear now, O my lord the king. Please, let my petition be accepted before you, and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.” 21 Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah to the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread from the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city was gone. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison. o In the end, tradition tells us he was exiled to Egypt. While faithfully preaching God's Word to the exiles he was stoned to death by his own people. We can hope even when all these things happen and here is how: Lamentations 3:21-25 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope [hupomeno]. 22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait [hupomeno] for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. So when Jesus describes what one looks like that is genuine He says that when troubles come, they go to God and find help. So, overwhelming waves of troubles can make us lose hope. What else can cause us to lose hope? Often it is:

When it Hurts to even continue Living Have you ever felt life was too painful to even go on? Jeremiah did, and in the Old Testament without all the benefits and blessings we have this evening in this church age—he lived through all that pain and had ending hope. Look through Lamentations 3, what are the pains in life that God uses, manages, allows and most of all—pains that HE can handle. And then watch as this list builds until a crescendo and that spills into overflowing hope: 1. Overflowing hope helps me face the PAIN OF BROKEN PHYSICAL HEALTH: Lamentations 3:4 He has aged my flesh and my skin, And broken my bones. 2. Overflowing hope helps me face the PAIN OF DEEP EMOTIONAL STRAIN: Lamentations 3:5 He has besieged me And surrounded me with bitterness and woe. 3. Overflowing hope helps me face the PAIN OF PERIODS OF DARK DEPRESSION: Lamentations 3:6 He has set me in dark places Like the dead of long ago. 4. Overflowing hope helps me face the PAIN OF DESPERATION AND BURDEN OF BEING TRAPPED: Lamentations 3:7 He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out; He has made my chain heavy. 5. Overflowing hope helps me face the PAIN OF FEELING OUT OF TOUCH, DISTANT FROM GOD AND LEFT BEHIND IN LIFE: Lamentations 3:8 Even when I cry and shout, He shuts out my prayer.

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6. Overflowing hope helps me face the PAIN OF FRUSTRATION AND CONFUSION: Lamentations 3:9 He has blocked my ways with hewn stone; He has made my paths crooked. 7. Overflowing hope helps me face the PAIN OF ANXIETY AND SADNESS: Lamentations 3:17 You have moved my soul far from peace; I have forgotten prosperity. 8. Overflowing hope helps me face the PAIN OF PHYSICAL WEAKNESS AND HOPELESSNESS: Lamentations 3:18 And I said, “My strength and my hope Have perished from the Lord.” 9. Overflowing hope helps me face the PAIN OF BITTER AFFLICTION AND AIMLESSNESS: Lamentations 3:19 Remember my affliction and roaming, The wormwood and the gall. So when Jesus describes what one looks like that is genuine He says that when troubles come, they go to God and find help. What a God we serve. And like He offers in Lamentations, allow God to be what you need to make it through life on hopeless earth. What ever lies ahead in the world speeding towards the end of days—God offers us hope. Lamentations 3:21-25 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope [hupomeno]. 22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” 25 The Lord is good to those who wait [hupomeno] for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. What ever comes into your life this week, this month, or this year—God offers hope. Let Him weave your weaknesses like fragile fibers in with the countless strands of His promises in the Scriptures and stretch and twist you into waiting hope. And then when the troubles only increase, let Him bring you a fresh portion of His hope and goodness as we wait, hupomeno, enduringly hope in HIM!

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050529am Wn-19

Shipwrecked

Shipwrecked Christ our Refuge Matthew 24:24 One of the most feared activities of the ancient world was sailing in a ship across the Mediterranean Sea. Why? Because shipwrecks were so common back then. Many who sailed never returned. The families of would be travelers and sailors most often went with them to the docks and offered farewell sacrifices to the gods; hoping that if pacified safety would be theirs. The numerous National Geographic documentaries on all the wrecks dotting the Mediterranean sea floor, are a mute testimony to the true danger of shipwrecks to the ancients. Most ships hugged the coasts and made a hop scotch travel around the seas. The responses of biblical seafarers says it all, listen to them: • The disciples in the various storms on the Sea of Galilee: (“we are perishing” Matthew 8:25; “waves beat…boat filling” Mark 4:37); • The sailors with Jonah: Jonah 1:4-5 But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep. • Those aboard Paul’s boat as it ship wrecked: Acts 27:15-33 So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive. 17 When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands, they struck sail and so were driven. 18 And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. 20 Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up. 27 Now when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven up and down in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors sensed that they were drawing near some land. 29 Then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come. 33 And as day was about to dawn, Paul implored them all to take food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have waited and continued without food, and eaten nothing. All of these capture very clearly the fear that the ancients had of being ship wrecked. Think of the implications of being in a doomed boat. Shipwreck—when what you counted on to get you safely to the other shore--fails you! t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 172

To “ship wreck” meant that the ship you trusted to take you across the dangerous waters had failed you and you were not going to make it. If you lose your ship in the midst of the sea there is usually no hope, no place to go—and certain death. Paul uses the word nauageo ‘ship wreck’ when he describes his own experiences with three failed boats in his travels. 2 Corinthians 11:25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; Amazingly, Paul uses the same word to describe those who thrust away sound doctrine and try to sail on their own and without Christ's way, truth and life. 1 Timothy 1:19-20 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, 20 of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. The most dangerous shipwreck is not the one that merely endangers your body. Jesus warns that false teaching can sink your soul as well—and Paul names some headed towards destruction. What can cause a soul to be shipwrecked? False teachers and belief in a false Christ. That was one of Christ's constant warnings. When Christ Returns there is-- Global False teaching, and Deceptive signs and wonders. Please open with me to the next section of Matthew 24. Matthew 24:24 For false christs [pseudo-christs] and false prophets [pseudoprophets] will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Jesus notes two topics—first pseudo-christs the warm up acts for the Coming World Leader - commonly known as the Antichrist – who has 33 titles in the Old Testament and 13 in the New Testament; and secondly pseudo-prophets the purveyors of false teaching. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, This morning we are going to consider the dangers of those false prophets or teachers. How do we spot them? What do false teachers look like? One of the clearest descriptions comes to us from Peter. Open with me to 2 Peter 2. First notice what Peter says in 2 Peter 2:1—he ties the former false prophets with the current false teachers. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 173

2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. Then Peter launches into an extended description of these false teachers we need to beware of and avoid at all costs. 2 Peter 2:12-17 But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, 13 and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. 15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet. 17 These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Note the following identifying marks of those who are false, unreal, and not of God. •

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UNGODLY (v. 12a): they are described as being “like natural brute beasts”. There is no god-likeness in them. They do not have God as their father, rather they are of their father the devil—so they act like him—killing spiritual life, stealing spiritual truth, and destroying spiritual power. UNRESTRAINED (v. 12b): they are described as those who “speak evil of the things they do not understand”. Before they even hear or understand something they are so unrestrained that they just blurt out disagreement and evil. UNENLIGHTENED (v. 12c): they are described as “they do not understand”. The things of God are foolishness to them. They can’t understand, won’t understand, and do not want to seek and find the truth. They do not love the truth—they hate it and go away from it. UNRIGHTEOUS (v. 13a): they are described as “receive the wages of unrighteousness”. They earn the judgment of God because they work at being unrighteous. They work at not being like God, they don’t want Him or His ways— but they work at the opposite. UNASHAMED (v. 13b): they are described as “as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime”. They aren’t ashamed of sin—they love it. They don’t run from sin—they run at it. They don’t grieve over their sin—they revel in it, brag about it, show it off and try to entice others into their sin. UNFORGIVEN (v. 13c): they are described as “They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you” They look like a black spot on a while cloth in God’s sight when they get around believers. God sees us clothed in Christ's righteousness, we are washed and forgiven. They are lost and unforgiven—they ooze uncleansed sins. They are spots of contamination

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•

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when near the chaste, pure and white bride of Jesus. They flaunt their sins in the face of holiness. They mock and scoff and laugh at the ways of God’s servants. But note they “feast with you” they come to be around God’s people, share in worship, sit side by side with the saints but are never changed, never cleansed, never forgiven, never filled with the Holy Spirit of God. UNREPENTANT (v. 14a): they are described as “having eyes full of adultery”. They never turn away only toward their sin. They seek evil to the max, they go for it and live it up in the ways of this work. There is no change of heart, mind, or direction. No remorse, no regret, no retreat from sin. They keep their tanks filled with sins of their pleasing. The word full is the same as in John 21:11 when Jesus made the nets of the disciples to bulge near breaking with an overflowing catch of fish—these sinners are bursting with evil desires, their eyes and minds bulge to overflow with sin. UNSATISFIED (v. 14b): they are described as “and that cannot cease from sin”. They are addicted to sin. They are drawn by the cords of the flesh and can’t seem to stop. In one form or another they are constantly seeking and finding their own way. And as God says, they have less and less return on their sin so they have to chase it harder each day. They get emptier and they get more and more unsatisfied by their sin—so they have to seek out, invent, and try more and more ways to satisfy their cravings—until it is too late to ever stop. UNDISCIPLINED (v. 14c): they are described as “enticing unstable souls”. They can’t keep to themselves. Sin loves company. They want to feel better by being sure others are doing what they are doing so they entice others to share in their sins. They are emissaries of the devil by leading other blind ones into the deep ditches of their sins. UNHEEDING (15-16): they are described as “They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet”. No one can stop them, they won’t listen. They can’t hear. They shut out the truth, they resist conviction, and they get more and more unresponsive and hardened towards the things of God. UNREAL (v. 17a): they are described as “These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest”. They look promising but are empty. They are driven and just crash on the rocks. Nothing lasts in their lives, nothing is useful for God or others—they just waste life in a flaming bonfire of their own vanities. UNSAVED (v. 17b): they are described as “for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” The place of the devil they earn for them selves. The abode of the damned they seek through life and finally find it. The light is forsaken and fled from instead of sin. The reservations in heaven are unwanted, unsought, and unfound—hell is their destination forever.

Ship wrecked lives follow the false teaching of false teachers and the false hopes of false christs. This morning this is a warning to Christ's church. Are you following a lifestyle or a teacher/model/ or hero who is: • •

UNGODLY UNRESTRAINED

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• • • • • • • • • •

UNENLIGHTENED UNRIGHTEOUS UNASHAMED UNFORGIVEN UNREPENTANT UNSATISFIED UNDISCIPLINED UNHEEDING UNREAL UNSAVED

Then if you are—you are headed for the reef, you will shipwreck, you will be dashed upon the rocks. Or are you seeking the way of God. The way of God can be found by looking at the opposite of all these qualities of a false teacher and a false Christ. God’s way is: •

GODLY seeking, RESTRAINED from within by the Holy Spirit, ENLIGHTENED by God in our mind and spirit, RIGHTEOUS by God’s grace, ASHAMED of sinning, FORGIVEN of all sins, REPENTANT of all known sins in the life, SATISFIED continually by Christ, DISCIPLINED by the work of God’s grace, HEEDING God's Word , REAL and not fake, SAVED and sure of it!

How can we avoid shipwreck? By being tied to Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus Anchors our souls in Heaven. Hebrews 6:11-12, 18-20 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. NKJV •

•

Christ is our Refuge: v. 18b “we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us” Salvation is laying hold of Jesus. Just like the disciples knelt at His feet and held on for joy when they saw Him risen (Matthew 28:9); and just as the lame man clung for joy to Peter and John after they healed him (Acts 3:11)—so we who believe and are stricken with our sinfulness, flee to Jesus as the only refuge from sin. When Paul knew they were planning to stone him (Acts 14:6) he fled to escape. So we believe Christ's promise and flee to Him our Refuge, to escape the dread consequences of our sins. Christ anchors our soul in Heaven. v. 19 “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the

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veil” We have continual access to God’s presence, not just once a year through a fallen mortal man, but always—at every moment—through our Divine and Immortal Great High Priest, Jesus Christ. Christ anchors our soul: v. 20 “where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”. Jesus is our prodromos who has gone to prepare a place for us. Philip Mauro suggests that the picture here is that of the forerunner used in ancient times to help a vessel enter the harbor safely. He would jump from the ship, wade to the harbor, and fasten the strong rope of the ship to a rock along the shore. Then, by means of a winch, the vessel was brought in. Just so, our forerunner has gone to heaven, where He stands ready to guide us safely into the Holy of Holies. We are fastened to a rock that cannot be moved. Let the storms tear our sails to shreds; let the floors creak; let the gusts of wind attempt to blow us off course; let the tides overwhelm us; we shall arrive safely into the port. Each day we are pulled a notch closer to the harbor by the One who proved He is more powerful than death. We have an anchor that keeps the soul Steadfast and sure while the billows roll, Fastened to the Rock which cannot move, Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love.

As our High Priest, Jesus serves as our anchor, who forever keeps our souls from drifting away from God—and becoming shipwrecked. As a believers, our relationship with Christ anchors us to God. The most sacred spot in the temple that God had the Jews construct was called the holy of holies. This room was separated by a curtain from the rest of the temple. Inside this inner room stood a box called the ark of the covenant, signifying the very presence of God. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest of Israel entered the Holy of Holies and made an annual atonement for the sins of his people. But on the cross, Christ made atonement once for all time and for all people by His sacrifice. As believers God sees us as already secured forever by Christ and placed in the Holy of Holies in Heaven. “Once Jesus entered the heavenly holy of holies, He did not leave, as did the Jewish high priests. Rather, “He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (1:3). And Jesus remains there forever as the Guardian of our souls. Such absolute security is almost incomprehensible. Not only are our souls anchored within the impregnable, inviolable heavenly sanctuary, but our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, stands guard over them as well! How can the Christian’s security be described as anything but eternal? Truly we can entrust our souls with God and the Savior He provided.” 70

70John MacArthur, Saved Without A Doubt, (Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books) 1992. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 177

A century ago, this passage prompted a song. That song captures what Christ's work for us has done. Let me read you these words. Examine your heart tyhis morning. Is this what you have? Is Jesus Christ your soul’s anchor? "Will Your Anchor Hold?"71 Will your anchor hold in the storms of life, When the clouds unfold their wings of strife? When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain, Will your anchor drift or firm remain? Refrain: We have an anchor that keeps the soul Steadfast and sure while the billows roll; Fastened to the rock which cannot move, Grounded firm and deep in the Saviours love. Will your anchor hold in the straits of fear, When the breakers roar and the reef is near? While the surges rave and the wild winds blow, Shall the angry waves then your bark o'erflow?. Will your anchor hold in the floods of death, When the waters cold chill your latest breath? On the rising tide you can never fail, While your anchor holds within the veil. It is safely moored, 'twill the storm withstand, For 'tis well secured by the Savio's hand; And the cables, passed from His heart to mine, Can defy that blast, thro' strength divine. Refrain: Will your eyes behold through the morning light, The city of gold and the harbour bright? Will you anchor safe by the heavenly shore When life's storms are past for evermore?

71 Words: Priscilla Jane Owens, 1882 (at age 53). Born in July, 1829 Priscilla Jane Owens, American public school teacher, was born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 5 December 1907, Baltimore, Maryland). She spent here entire life in Baltimore, where she taught for forty-nine years. A member of the Union Square Methodist Episcopal Church, she had particular interest in the work of the Sunday school. She published several articles and poems during her lifetime, including the hymn texts "We Have an Anchor" and "Jesus Saves" (a.k.a. "We Have Heard the Joyful Sound").

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Ship wrecked lives follow the false teaching of false teachers and the false hopes of false christs. This morning this is a warning to Christ's church. Are you following a lifestyle or a teacher/model/ or hero who is: • • • • • • • • • • • •

UNGODLY UNRESTRAINED UNENLIGHTENED UNRIGHTEOUS UNASHAMED UNFORGIVEN UNREPENTANT UNSATISFIED UNDISCIPLINED UNHEEDING UNREAL UNSAVED

Then if you are—you are headed for the reef, you will shipwreck, you will be dashed upon the rocks. Or are you seeking the way of God. The way of God can be found by looking at the opposite of all these qualities of a false teacher and a false Christ. God’s way is: GODLY seeking, RESTRAINED from within by the Holy Spirit, ENLIGHTENED by God in our mind and spirit, RIGHTEOUS by God’s grace, ASHAMED of sinning, FORGIVEN of all sins, REPENTANT of all known sins in the life, SATISFIED continually by Christ, DISCIPLINED by the work of God’s grace, HEEDING God's Word , REAL and not fake, SAVED and sure of it! How can we avoid shipwreck? By being tied to Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus, our forerunner has gone to heaven, where He stands ready to guide us safely into the Holy of Holies. We are fastened to Christ our rock that cannot be moved. Let the storms tear our sails to shreds; let the floors creak; let the gusts of wind attempt to blow us off course; let the tides overwhelm us; we shall arrive safely into the port. Each day we are pulled a notch closer to the harbor by the One who proved He is more powerful than death.

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050605PM WN-20 Hitler.Christ.Ultimate Angel And Antichrist

The Ultimate Angel Hitler, Christ and the antichrist Matthew 24:24 As the end of the world approaches, so does earth’s darkest hour. Hell will open and the pit will vomit out it’s demon hordes to run wildly throughout humanity. Other beasts from the abyss will wreak death and destruction globally. And Satan himself invades the earth and conquers it all at last. At the helm, the visible leader of the world will be the long promised man of sin, the lawless one, the beast, the Coming World Leader - commonly known as the Antichrist – who has 33 titles in the Old Testament and 13 in the New Testament. But behind him, the real power will be the god of this world, the dragon, old Lucifer, the lying serpent of Eden. The Bible clearly teaches (1 Timothy 4:1-3) that we can expect this invasion from the pit in the last days. During the final days, most people will be led astray by evil spirits and occult teachings. The shadows of these times are already darkening the world. Nothing but the restraining presence of God the Holy Spirit is holding back the floodgates of this time of evil. As we saw when we studied Genesis, advanced demonism was the mark of Noah’s day; it is becoming an increasingly evident characteristic of the age in which we live72. The only place of safety is to have the security that the REAL Christ gives. As we open to Matthew 24:15 again, we are opening to what I consider one of the saddest doctrines in the Bible--the teaching in God's Word about the antichrist. Matthew 24:15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), Matthew 24:24 For false christs [pseudo-christs] and false prophets [pseudoprophets] will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Daniel 7:21-25 “I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, 25 He shall speak pompous words against 72 John Phillips, Exploring The Future—A Comprehensive Guide to Bible Prophecy, Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers, 1984, pp. 227-228.

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the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,

Completely Confusing Times are Coming When Christ Returns there are powerful, pervasive, and universal lies backed by the most believable signs and wonders ever witnessed on planet earth. What will life on earth be like during these dark times? Turn back to Revelation 12 and 13 to see. Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 13:7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. When Jesus came to earth He was God in human flesh. As the Christ He was the expression of all the promises of God. And to think that the Christ in all His grace and beauty came to earth, stayed for 30 plus years, was rejected as false and fake, and almost no one followed Him, is bad enough. But to know that Satan is going to send to earth the expression of all of mankind’s desires in the person of the antichrist, and in a very short time almost all of the earth will follow him! Imagine a leader as winsome as Reagan, as fearless as Alexander the Great, as mesmerizing as Hitler, as beloved by his people as George Washington, as great a leader as Moses, as unstoppable and Ghengis Khan, and as spiritually charismatic as David—all in ONE man. Then imagine him displaying supernatural power openly, in public and seen by way of the electronic media—by all of the earth! It will appear that he is from Heaven. He will claim to be god. He will do miracles that everyone can see and believe in-- and will offer himself to the world as their Christ. There is a day soon coming when most of the people of earth will want to follow this ultimate super-man. That is the saddest commentary on the fallen heart of humanity there could ever be. Wanting always the wrong choice. Pray t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 181

We have had several warm up acts by Satan for this future main event of the final antichrist. Most clearly we can see the way Satan works, in the life and accomplishments of Adolph Hitler. Hitler showed the world what one man can lift a nation from the depths of economic ruin to the heights of power in a very short time (1933-1939) and then that one man can lead the world into the deadliest war of all times (1939-1945). In six years Hitler came uncomfortably close to conquering the world. Hitler was a vivid example of Satan indwelling and completely harnessing one man.

Hitler was an Antichrist People who had personal contact with Hitler often spoke of the strange hypnotic power he was able to exert. In 1943, 100,000 young people in brown shirts filled the Olympic stadium in Munich, Germany, the largest stadium in the world at that time. They formed with their bodies a sign for a fanatical man standing behind the podium. The message read, “Hitler, we are yours.”73 At the monument to Hitler’s evil, the death camp Auschwitz, are the words of Hitler’s vision of a generation of young people without a conscience. These words are aptly hung on a wall, grimly reminding the visitor of the hell unleashed when this goal was realized. I freed Germany from the stupid and degrading fallacies of conscience and morality. ...We will train young people before whom the world will tremble. I want young people capable of violence-imperious, relentless and cruel. On display for all to behold are thousands of pounds of women's hair, retrieved and marketed as a commodity by the Nazi exterminators, architects of the final solution that sent multitudes to the gas ovens. The incredible reminders cast an overwhelming pall of somberness upon the visitor74. But how did Satan find and use Hitler? Now open with me to Isaiah 14:12-15.

Satan was the Original antichrist Lucifer was the original antichrist. Isaiah 14 reveals that he wanted the power of God and the worship of God for himself. He demanded equality with the Lord God Almighty. In fact, according to Ezekiel 28, he was "the anointed cherub (angel)." He was "full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty." His response to his endowment by God was one of pride and rebellion. God rejected his power play and promised his doom in Hell in the future. But, until that time Lucifer or Satan is on the prowl, seeking likely candidates he can lead into occult

73

Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church—Growth Without Compromising Your Message and Mission, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995, p. 357. 74 Ravi Zacharias, Can Man Live Without God. Dallas, Texas: Word Publishing, 1994, p. 23. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 182

worship. Rebellion gives Satan an open invitation to establish a beach-head in the rebels life. Understand, occult involvement is actually worship of his infernal majesty, Satan.

Satan Looks for Rebels Lucifer was the original rebel. He is looking for rebels to enlist for his own selfish purposes. Rebellion against authority makes a person a prime target for satanic attack. A prime example of the rebellion-occult connection is Adolph Hitler. Hitler's early life could be characterized by one word, "failure." He eeked out a meager existence by living on his dead mothers limited savings and an Orphan's Pension which came from his fathers service in the Customs Department. His attempt at higher education was thwarted. He wanted to be an artist and so applied at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. They refused to accept him because his sketches were not up to the standards they required. Next, he applied to the School of Architecture and was refused. Author Treavor Ravenscroft says "...unable to make friends, Hitler became day by day a more solitary and embittered figure." To make a long story short, Hitler was angry at God and society because of his plight in life, therefore he rebelled against God and society. In his quest for power to change his plight young Hitler turned to the occult. He began by spending all his free time in the Hofberg Library in Vienna, Austria reading books on the history of the occult and Eastern religions. The occult seemed to offer the power Adolph was searching for. One of the primary characteristics of those who get involved in the occult is rebellion against authority. This rebellion is usually evident in one or more of the following three areas--rebellion against parents, rebellion against society, and rebellion against Christianity. Why do many of those who rebel against parents, society and Christianity often end up involved in the occult? Those who know the Bible can tell you. According to I Samuel 15:23a rebellion and occult involvement are linked. The verse says, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…”

Beware of Giving Place to the Devil Listen to Paul’s stern warning in Ephesians 4:27, “nor give place to the devil.” Everywhere and always demons have lurked in the dark for the moment when a person becomes weak, when they arbitrarily abandons his human situation in the world order founded by God for him…after the first voluntary downward step he is compelled to the second and third with rapidly increasing speed…man is unprotected against evil without the living God; he is like a boat without oars, exposed to the tempest, or like a baby without a mother, or like a cloud which dissolves”75 75

Dr. Merrill F. Unger, Biblical Demonology, pp. 197-198.

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Hitler Opened his Life to Satan What was the discovery that changed Hitler’s life and drew him deeply into the occult? In that Austrian library there is a ancient spear, believed by many, to be the one used to pierce the side of Christ. "One day when Adolph Hitler was in his early twenties, he overheard a tour group guide point out the spear to a group of guests and say, 'This spear is shrouded in mystery; whoever unlocks its secrets will rule the world.' Later Hitler said that those words had changed his whole life."76 He spent hours staring at the spear that had pierced the side of Christ. He believed the spear was possessed by secret occult powers and invited those powers to invade his soul. Here is the eye witness account of Dr. Walter Stein a librarian who stood beside young Hitler as he gazed at the spear, "Adolph Hitler stood...like a man in a trance, a man over whom some dreadful magic spell had been cast...He was swaying on his feet as though caught up in some totally inexplicable euphoria...His whole [facial appearance] physiognomy and stance appeared transformed as if some mighty Spirit now inhabited his very soul, creating within and around him a kind of evil transformation of its own nature and power.77" Deitrich Eckart, one of the seven founders of the Nazi part, initiated Hitler into occultism. Hitler then became a member of the powerful Thule Group in Germany, an occult society that included judges, lawyers, doctors, university professors, industrialists, surgeons, military men, and members of the nobility. The members of this secret society were Satanists who practiced the black arts and communicated with demons. Eckart was the reigning high priest. Hitler was the promised messiah whose coming the mediums had foretold. Initiation into the deeper mysteries of this powerful and widespread fellowship of occultists included committing atrocities as part of the ritual magic. Horrible rites opened Hitler’s soul to possession by powerful demons. The whole story has been told in a remarkable book, The Spear of Destiny, in which much about Hitler and the Nazis, usually left untouched by more conventional histories, is explained78.

Satan, Demons and Supernatural Power The demons that controlled the demented soul of Adolph Hitler lured him and Germany into World War II and then abandoned both him and his country to their fate. Hitler and his fellow conspirators came close to succeeding. They failed because the time was not yet ripe in the counsels of God for the forces of Satan to triumph. However, the whole

76

Erwin Lutzer, pastor of Moody Church in Chicago says this in his book The Antichrist's New Age Roots, p. Trevor Ravenscroft records the eye witness account of Dr. Walter Stein in his book, The Spear of Destiny, G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York. 78 John Phillips, Exploring The Future—A Comprehensive Guide to Bible Prophecy, Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers, 1984, pp. 227-228. 77

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Nazi era was a dress rehearsal for the coming of the beast and the consequent baptism of unregenerate mankind into just such a religion.79

Hitler, like Satan—was a Destroyer Hitler found that Satan lived up to the titles given him in Revelation 9:11 "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apolllyon." The translation of both words is "destroyer". Hitler was used by Satan to destroy six million plus of God's chosen people. Multiplied thousands more were destroyed in war. Then in mockery of Hitler himself, Satan motivated him to commit suicide, destroying himself.

Rebellion Attracts Satan Always remember that rebellion against your parents, rebellion against God or rebellion against authority is Dangerous with a capital "D." It is an open invitation to Satan to destroy your life! Christ, on the other hand offers you an abundant life. If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, I would urge you to receive him today. When you call upon Christ to save you from your sins, God delivers you from the power of darkness and brings you into the wonderful kingdom of His Son80. Why does Satan promote false teaching and doctrine? As we saw this morning—only the REAL Christ can sign God’s Name across your life.

The ONLY Protection from this Ultimate Angel is The Signature of God When you call upon Christ in repentant faith, God saves you. Salvation is the greatest work of God in the universe. Some years ago a man in a penitentiary studied a Moody correspondence course. He found Christ. In answer to one of the questions which gave him an opportunity to express where he stood in relation to his newfound faith, he wrote down: “I am a new man in an old body.” It was a most perceptive remark. For that is what salvation is. But it will go even further than that saved prisoner realized. One day he will be a new man in a new body. I like to call the work of salvation the signature of God. When God writes Himself--across our lives. Listen to this summary of what happens to each of us who come by faith to God through Christ.

79

John Phillips, Exploring The Future—A Comprehensive Guide to Bible Prophecy, Neptune, New Jersey: Loizeaux Brothers, 1984, pp. 227-228. 80 Sources used, quoted, and adapted: Gerald Suster, Hitler: The Occult Messiah; Adolph Hitler's Occult Connections, Copyright © 1992, David L. Brown. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 185

Write these in your Bible, believe them, live them, share them as you act on the reality of God’s Signature across your life! REGENERATION: When God Changes my Heart. Ezekiel 36:26-27 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. CONVERSION: When God Changes my Life. Matthew 18:3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. REPENTANCE: When God Changes my Mind. Matthew 3:8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, ADOPTION: When God Changes my Family. Romans 8:14-17 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. SANCTIFICATION: When God Changes my Behavior. Hebrews 10:14-16 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” JUSTIFICATION: When God Changes my State. Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, What does it mean to be “justified”? In popular, everyday language the word can be paraphrased: "just as if I'd never sinned" Some years ago a wealthy Englishman bought a Rolls Royce car and took it to France on his vacation. It broke down. At great expense the factory flew out a mechanic and not only repaired the car but entertained the customer in the best available hotel. When he arrived home he expected to receive a large bill but none came. Eventually he wrote, asking for his account to be rendered. He received this reply: "Dear Sir, We have no record of anything ever having gone wrong with your car." That is exactly what it means to be justified. It means that God has no record of anything ever having gone wrong in our lives. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 186

GLORIFICATION: When God Changes my Place. John 17:24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world81.

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Phillips, 100 New Testament Outlines, #100.

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050612am Wn-21 Spot False Teachers.Anchored Souls.Fundamentals

How to Spot a False Teacher Anchored to Christ The Fundamentals Matthew 24:24

As the end of the physical world approaches, so does earth’s darkest spiritual hour. Satan knows that God has plans to save “a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands…” (Revelation 7:9). So to try to thwart God’s harvest of precious souls and to prevent the world from coming to Christ, Satan has deployed legions of liars. False sign posts—all pointing people away from Christ. This is not new to our generation. False teachers have been a part of the landscape from the start. Things were so bad one hundred years ago, that the greatest Bible teachers of that generation banded together to put up the flag of truth. What those men did is now a common form of mockery in the world. They sat down and declared what were the nonnegotiables of the faith. But as we open to Matthew 24 again, we are opening to what I consider one of the saddest doctrines in the Bible--the teaching in God's Word about the antichrist, and Satan’s all out, final assault upon the Gospel. When Christ Returns there is a powerful, pervasive, and universal leader who speaks eternally damnable lies--backed by the most believable signs and wonders ever witnessed on planet earth. Please open with me to the next section of Matthew 24. Matthew 24:15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), Matthew 24:24 For false christs [pseudo-christs] and false prophets [pseudoprophets] will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. At the end of days, Satan sends to earth the expression of all of mankind’s desires in the person of the antichrist. In a very short time almost all of the earth will follow him! t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 188

That is the saddest commentary on the fallen heart of humanity there could ever be. Wanting always the wrong choice. The antichrist like Satan—comes to kill, steal, and destroy. Christ, on the other hand came to offer an abundant life. If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, I would urge you to receive him today. When you call upon Christ to save you from your sins, God delivers you from the power of darkness and their eternally damnable lies--and brings you into the wonderful kingdom of His Son. Today, just as during the Tribulation years, there will be only two types of people on the planet—truth lovers and truth haters. Open now to 2 Thessalonians 2, and stand with me to see that dark hour. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Pray

The Fundamentals of the Faith At the end of days, truth is under attack and lies will abound. That is why Jesus said watch out for false teachers and counterfeit religion. When faced with a similar situation at the turn of the century, evangelicals produced a work called the FUNDAMENTALS in 1909-1915. The writers read like a Who’s Who of Christianity of the day: R.A. Torrey [of Biola], B.B. Warfield [of Westminster Seminary], J.C. Ryle [devotional writer], G. Campbell Morgan [an expositor pastor], C.I. Scofield [of the study Bible], James M. Gray [MBI], A.T. Pierson [devotional writer]and so on.

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These men distilled down the fundamental beliefs that distinguish a true believer from a false or counterfeit one. They boiled down all theology into seven essentials. They then presented and explained these seven doctines in a muti-volume set of books called “The Fundamentals”. Here is their list of the seven essentials. 1. INSPIRATION: The Inspiration and Reliable Historicity of the Bible. 2. CREATION: The error of Evolutionism and Darwinism. 3. DOCTRINE: The naming of the cults errors [Jehovah Witness, Mormonism, Christian Science, Spiritism]. 4. DEPRAVITY: The reality of sin. 5. SUBSTITUTION: Biblical salvation by faith through the grace of God. 6. IMPUTATION: The errors of Roman Catholicism. 7. CHRISTOLOGY: The Deity, the work, and the personal visible Return of Christ.

How to Spot a False Teacher These men were making a “most wanted” poster for believers—showing who the enemy was of the truth. So how do we spot these false teachers? What do these signposts pointing people in the wrong direction believe and teach? What is the message promoted by Satan’s legion of liars? Often it is not what they say—but what they don’t say that identifies them! What do false teachers deny? How do you spot a false teacher? There are clear signs of an apostate or false teacher: 1. THEY DENY CHRIST IS THE ONLY WAY. 1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2. THEY DENY OUR LIBERTY IN CHRIST. 1 Timothy 4:3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 3. THEY DENY DIVINE POWER. 2 Timothy 3:4-5 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 4. THEY DENY BIBLICAL TRUTH. 2 Timothy 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 5. THEY DENY THE NECESSITY OF SOUND DOCTRINE. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 6. THEY DENY THE DEITY OF CHRIST. 2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them -- bringing swift destruction on themselves. (NIV)

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7. THEY DENY THE REALITY OF CHRIST COMING AGAIN. 2 Peter 3:3-4 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” 8. THEY DENY THE NECESSITY OF PERSONAL HOLINESS. Jude 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. 9. THEY DENY THE NECESSITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Jude 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.

The World Detached from Truth--Shipwrecks Love of the truth as we saw earlier in 2nd Thessalonians 2, is the proof of salvation. Lost ones never receive a love of the truth so they never seek out and find Christ's offer of salvation. To not love the truth leads to “ship wreck”; it meant that the ship you trusted to take you across the dangerous waters had failed you and you were not going to make it. If you lose your ship in the midst of the sea there is usually no hope, no place to go—and certain death. Think of the implications of being in a doomed boat. Not believing the truth about God means that all who count on a lie to get them safely to the other shore—are lost forever! Remember that Paul uses this word to describe those who thrust away sound doctrine and try to sail on their own and without Christ's way, truth and life. 1 Timothy 1:19-20 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, 20 of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. What can cause a soul to be shipwrecked? False teachers and belief in a false Christ. That was one of Christ's constant warnings. The most dangerous shipwreck is not the one that merely endangers your body. Jesus warns that false teaching can sink your soul as well. So how do we stay safe as these dark days cast their shadow across society, media, culture, and every other realm of daily life? Only one way—check the anchor of your soul. When the world darkens, culture crumbles, and truth dies—you know the end of the world is near. It is then that Jesus warned that the church would fill up with fruitless counterfeits.

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When that happens it is time for believers to brace for the storm that we know is coming. The waves will only increase. Spiritual darkness will only deepen as deceptions grow. These are days when we who know and love the Lord Jesus should reach into our hearts and grab onto our anchor line and feel it strongly holding us securely—tugging us homeward.

Jesus is our Anchor Hebrews 6:11-12, 18-20 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance (plerophoreo – to overflowingly wear or hold or possess or have) of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. NKJV

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050612PM WN-22 Anchored To Christ

Anchored to Christ Matthew 24:24 Open with me to Revelation 7. Satan knows that God has plans to save “a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands…” (Revelation 7:9). So to try to thwart God’s harvest of precious souls and to prevent the world from coming to Christ, Satan has deployed legions of liars. False sign posts—all pointing people away from Christ. False teachers have been a part of Satan’s plan from the start.

The World Detached from Truth--Shipwrecks Love of the truth as we saw earlier in 2nd Thessalonians 2, is the proof of salvation. Lost ones never receive a love of the truth so they never seek out and find Christ's offer of salvation. To not love the truth leads to “ship wreck”; it meant that the ship you trusted to take you across the dangerous waters had failed you and you were not going to make it. If you lose your ship in the midst of the sea there is usually no hope, no place to go—and certain death. Think of the implications of being in a doomed boat. Not believing the truth about God means that all who count on a lie to get them safely to the other shore—are lost forever! Remember that Paul uses this word to describe those who thrust away sound doctrine and try to sail on their own and without Christ's way, truth and life. 1 Timothy 1:19-20 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, 20 of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. What can cause a soul to be shipwrecked? False teachers and belief in a false Christ. That was one of Christ's constant warnings. The most dangerous shipwreck is not the one that merely endangers your body. Jesus warns that false teaching can sink your soul as well.

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So how do we stay safe as these dark days cast their shadow across society, media, culture, and every other realm of daily life? Only one way—check the anchor of your soul. When the world darkens, culture crumbles, and truth dies—you know the end of the world is near. It is then that Jesus warned that the church would fill up with fruitless counterfeits. When that happens it is time for believers to brace for the storm that we know is coming. The waves will only increase. Spiritual darkness will only deepen as deceptions grow. These are days when we who know and love the Lord Jesus should reach into our hearts and grab onto our anchor line and feel it strongly holding us securely—tugging us homeward. Please open again with me to Hebrews 6.

Jesus is our Anchor Hebrews 6:11-12, 18-20 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance (plerophoreo – to overflowingly wear or hold or possess or have) of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. NKJV Pray 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Flee to Christ as your Refuge. v. 18b Trust Christ as the anchor of your soul. v. 19a Know that Christ anchors your soul in Heaven. v. 19b Invite Christ to pull your soul towards Heaven. v. 20a Rest in Christ's endless care for your soul. v. 20b Understand that God sees us already safely in Heaven. Worship Christ who anchors your soul!

Flee to Christ as your Refuge. v. 18b “we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us” Salvation is laying hold of Jesus. Just like the disciples knelt at His feet and held on for joy when they saw Him risen (Matthew 28:9); and just as the lame man clung for joy to Peter and John after they healed him (Acts 3:11)—so we who believe and are stricken with our sinfulness, flee to Jesus as the only refuge from sin. When Paul knew they were planning to stone him (Acts 14:6) he fled to escape. So we believe Christ's promise and flee to Him our Refuge, to escape the dread consequences of our sins. t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 194

Trust Christ as the anchor of your soul. v. 19a “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…” We have continual access to God’s presence, not just once a year through a fallen mortal man, but always—at every moment— through our Divine and Immortal Great High Priest, Jesus Christ. Know that Christ anchors your soul in Heaven. v. 19b “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil”. We are fastened to a rock that cannot be moved. Let the storms tear our sails to shreds; let the floors creak; let the gusts of wind attempt to blow us off course; let the tides overwhelm us; we shall arrive safely into the port. As our High Priest, Jesus serves as our anchor, who forever keeps our souls from drifting away from God—and becoming shipwrecked. Invite Christ to pull your soul towards Heaven. v. 20a “where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”. Jesus is our prodromos who has gone to prepare a place for us. Philip Mauro suggests that the picture here is that of the forerunner used in ancient times to help a vessel enter the harbor safely. He would jump from the ship, swim into the harbor, wade ashore, and fasten the strong rope of the ship to a rock along the shore. Then, by means of a winch, the vessel was brought in. Rest in Christ's endless care for your soul. v. 20b “where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”. Just so, Jesus our forerunner has gone to heaven, where He stands ready to guide us safely into the Holy of Holies. Each day we are pulled a notch closer to the harbor by the One who proved He is more powerful than death. Each day we can feel the security of that anchor. Each day we can listen to the voice of our Savior and know through His Word that He holds us, He guides us, and He will stay with us until we reach our home safe at last. Understand that God sees us already safely in Heaven. Hebrews 1:3 “who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high”. As believers, our relationship with Christ anchors us to God. The most sacred spot in the temple that God had the Jews construct was called the holy of holies. This room was separated by a curtain from the rest of the temple. Inside this inner room stood a box called the ark of the covenant, signifying the very presence of God. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest of Israel entered the Holy of Holies and made an annual atonement for the sins of his people. But on the cross, Christ made atonement once for all time and for all people by His sacrifice. As believers God sees us as already secured forever by Christ and placed in the Holy of Holies in Heaven. “Once Jesus entered the heavenly holy of holies, He did not leave, as did the Jewish high priests. Rather, “He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (1:3). And Jesus remains there forever as the Guardian of our souls. Such absolute security is almost incomprehensible. Not only are our souls anchored within the impregnable, t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 195

inviolable heavenly sanctuary, but our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, stands guard over them as well! How can the Christian’s security be described as anything but eternal? Truly we can entrust our souls with God and the Savior He provided.” 82 Worship Christ who anchors your soul! The Christian life at the end of days is so much like navigating a typhoon in and old wooden boat. Trying to enter a rocky coastal harbor during that type of storm would be hopelessly impossible. The waves would be raging, the rocks would be obscured by the darkness and foam of the seas, the tides would be tugging and the waves swirling our boat all around. But through the dark storm we would see the light of the safe harbor and on the boat we would feel the strong tug of the rope that held us safely to shore and tugged us bit by bit into that safe haven in spite of the fury of the storm! A century ago, this passage in Hebrews 6 prompted a song. That song captures what Christ's work for us has done. Let me read you these words. Examine your heart this morning. Is this what you have? Is Jesus Christ your soul’s anchor? "Will Your Anchor Hold?"83 Will your anchor hold in the storms of life, When the clouds unfold their wings of strife? When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain, Will your anchor drift or firm remain? Refrain: We have an anchor that keeps the soul Steadfast and sure while the billows roll; Fastened to the rock which cannot move, Grounded firm and deep in the Saviours love. Will your anchor hold in the straits of fear, When the breakers roar and the reef is near? While the surges rave and the wild winds blow, Shall the angry waves then your bark o'erflow?. Will your anchor hold in the floods of death, When the waters cold chill your latest breath? On the rising tide you can never fail, While your anchor holds within the veil. It is safely moored, 'twill the storm withstand, For 'tis well secured by the Savio's hand; And the cables, passed from His heart to mine, Can defy that blast, thro' strength divine. 82 John MacArthur, Saved Without A Doubt, (Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books) 1992. 83 Words: Priscilla Jane Owens, 1882 (at age 53). Born in July, 1829 Priscilla Jane Owens, American public school teacher, was born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 5 December 1907, Baltimore, Maryland). She spent here entire life in Baltimore, where she taught for forty-nine years. A member of the Union Square Methodist Episcopal Church, she had particular interest in the work of the Sunday school. She published several articles and poems during her lifetime, including the hymn texts "We Have an Anchor" and "Jesus Saves" (a.k.a. "We Have Heard the Joyful Sound"). t:\cd-27 wns whats next-2005\study guides\whats next 2005 series lessons 7-29 .doc Saturday, December 03, 2005 Page 196

Refrain: Will your eyes behold through the morning light, The city of gold and the harbour bright? Will you anchor safe by the heavenly shore When life's storms are past for evermore?

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