The Message to the Church

The Message to the Lord's Churches

Book of the Revelation Chapter 1 verses 1 through 11

The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ was written by John the Apostle close to the end of the first century according to the Roman Calendar.

The Book of Revelation is the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ!

It is not about John the Revelator!

Many call this book the Book of the Apocalypse, but we have just studied the Books of Ezekiel, and Daniel, and Zechariah which books give us much information about the apocalypse.

The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is written to the Church, and is about the future and not about the past!

In particular, this book was written to seven churches in Asia which are the church in Ephesus, the church in Pergamos, the church in Smyrna, the church in Sardis, the church in Thyatira, the church in Philadelphia, and the church in Laodicea.

These churches represent not only seven type of churches, but also seven periods, or seven ages of the Church of Christ.

The Number seven will also be a key number as we study this great book of the Bible.

The number seven represents the number of completeness.

Though many people refuse to read the Book of Revelation, this book is intended to be an encouragement to the Church.

We must remember God has a purpose for every piece of Scripture in the Bible!

God has some things to say about our future and the future of the Church, and He wants us to know them!

God wants us to keep our focus on the Lord Jesus Christ, Our Savior, and our Redeemer, and the soon coming King of the Jews.

King to the Jews and Redeemer to the Church. The Church has never needed a King, we have always needed a Savior!

It is God's purpose to lead "whosoever will" to repentance and salvation, and on to a glorious inheritance and redemption given to all the true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As we will see, the Book of Revelation is a book of interpretation of the Old Testament.

The Book of Revelation is a book of final things. We could say a book of destiny.

The Book of Revelation is also God's last words to this world!

Jehovah and His Son now speak to us through a preacher, by the Holy Spirit, and by His written words!

There are no lost books of the Bible, and there will never be a new book added to the Bible!

The Book of Revelation is not just a book of prophecy.

It is a not just a book history.

The Book of Revelation is not just a tiny look into our future, because only Jehovah God knows all our future!

The fact remains that the Book of Revelation can only be understood if we can take the words of the Old Testament Prophets, and the Book of Psalms, and the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ, to be the truth.

The Book of the Revelation is to be studied!

Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

So this what we will attempt to do on certain portions of this Blessed Book of the Revealing of Christ Jesus.

*****Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Rev 1:2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

Immediately we see again that God the Holy Spirit has given these words to the Apostle John, with most of these words coming from Jesus Christ Himself.

We should know that this great Book is given to the Church for a special blessing and certain things that God the Father wants the Church to know!

What is the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ? He spoke only the words that His Father gave to Him to say!

Joh 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

Joh 12:50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

All of us would be much better off if we would just speak the Words that He has given to us in the Scriptures!

We should keep in mind that the Apostle John got a view of all the things that happened in the Book of Revelation, but he saw things that he did not understand, and he described them as best he could.

Besides being with Jesus and spending a lifetime preaching the Word of God, John was still just a fisherman saved by the power of God's Grace.

We have already seen verse three, but let's talk more about it.

*****Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

People are always talking about how to get a blessing from God and here we see how to get some of those blessings.

That word read means a little more than just reading, it means to know which means to study also.

We have it in our power to make our lives better, if we will just read the Word of God and study those Scriptures and then apply them to our lives daily!

We do not need some great institution of learning to teach us, but we do need the Holy Spirit to teach us!

In John's time, the Church was in its beginning stages and the Lord wants us to know the same things that had their beginning in John's day, are still going on today and are much worse, so much of God's wisdom will teach us that the Lord could return at any moment.

Many things had to come to past.

The Church had begun to have a firm foot in the world of that day.

These seven churches were established and are models, good and bad how the Church had begun to influence the entire world.

The Age of the Church was beginning to move around the world, everywhere where people gathered.

These seven churches that will be mentioned, gives all churches the opportunity to change to be a better church and those guidelines come from the Lord Jesus Christ who is the foundation of all the Church.

1Co_3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

It is really without understanding how there can be so many denominations and so many differences between Bible believing Churches.

I understand the many churches that will not accept all the truth of God, but I do not understand all those who say they believe all the Bible.

We can narrow all the Bible believing Churches down to these seven churches mentioned in these Scriptures.

We can also see that every church member has this time to decide just which church group they want to be in, after they hear what Jesus has to say.

*****Rev 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

We begin to see the number seven and this is the number for completeness.

The number seven is also a symbol of blessedness.

A symbol of Holiness.

A symbol of Rest and a symbol of perfection!

What does the Lord wish for every church? He wants them all to remember they are all established by His "Grace".

We sometimes forget just what "Grace" means!

Grace is the undeserved favor of God!

Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

2Ti 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

What comes with the "Grace" of God? Peace

Our salvation originates by the "Grace of God"!

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

The very first benefit of God's Grace is "peace"!

What does that word "peace", as written in the Scriptures, really mean?

It does mean quietness and tranquility, but it also means happiness in life and prosperity.

These are the things God wishes for each one of us, if we lay our heart to the truth of the Scriptures.

Most everyone of us will settle on the word prosperity and associate it with money, but this just takes away from what God means.

When God uses the word prosperity, He means to patiently wait on the riches that come to all those who make the Lord first in our lives.

If not, then prosperity becomes no more than an idol!

Who is that which is, which was, and which is to come?

Isa 41:4 Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

He is the Great "I AM"!

Exo 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

And His Son is exactly like Him!

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Heb 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 on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

1) In the past, the Lord Jesus is the one person who led a perfect life. He was the only One who could pay our sin debt.

He is the One who conquered sin and death!

2) In the present, our Lord and Savior is the spiritual leader of the Church. He sits at the right hand of God because God the Father has given to Him all power. He rules in Heaven and He controls all of nature here on earth. He walks in the midst of seven golden candlesticks holding the seven stars in His right hand.

3) In the future, as true Christians we must never doubt our future because it is Christ Jesus who holds our future in His hands. He promises that we will meet Him face to face and live with Him forever and it is He whose will for us is to be His family.

Jesus likes it up close and personal!

What are those seven Spirits before the throne of God? Let's just look at what God says.

1) Rev 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

There are seven Spirits before the throne.

2) Rev 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who has those seven Spirits.

3) Rev 4:5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

Those seven Spirits are seven lamps of fire burning before the throne.

4) Rev 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

Those seven Spirits are seven horns and seven eyes.

So these are the things we know about those seven Spirits. The only thing we can say is, these are seven Spirits God uses in the work of His church on this earth.

And Jesus Himself is the "faithful witness"!

*****Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Jesus Christ is our Savior, our only Savior, and the only Savior for this entire world!

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

I know that this causes many in the world problems, but it does not change the truth!

There will never be another Savior in any age!

1) Jesus Christ is that "faithful witness" sent by our Heavenly Father! He is the one person we can all depend upon! We can trust everything that Jesus tells us and that He teaches us. He will never lead us astray! He came down from Heaven!

Joh 8:14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.

Joh 8:15 Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.

2) Jesus Christ is the only person who arose from the dead and will never ever die again. The Bible speaks of others who were risen from the dead, but they also died again. Only the Church will be like our Lord and will one day rise from the dead so that those bodies can be glorified as that one of the Lord!

1Co 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

1Co 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

3) Jesus Christ is the Prince that is over all the rulers of this earth! When Jesus arose and went back to Heaven, He was exalted to be the right hand of God. He is the prince who holds all the power of God in His hands!

Psa 89:27 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.

We must not fear what any man says, it is Jesus Christ who has Supreme Power over this earth, and He will return when He is ready!

Psa 24:1 The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Jesus is delaying His return to give everyone at least one opportunity to be saved by faith!

4) Jesus Christ is our Redeemer! He loves us! He washed away our sins with His own blood! We have been washed in the sinless, perfect, blood of our Savior!

We cannot make Jesus love us any less than He loves us now!

We cannot make Jesus love us any more than He loves us now because His love is a perfect love!

We have been "loosed" from sin!

The chains and bondage of sin have been broken and we can never be trapped by our sin ever again!

We will one day stand before God in sinless perfection because of what His Son has done for us!

1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

1Pe 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

5) He hath made us to be kings and priests to our God! During the Millennial Reign of Christ, some in the Church will be kings. Some will be priests. All of us will be used in some manner and it will be a wonderful time to serve the Lord!

In fact we may do these things with Christ throughout eternity!

1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

1Co 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

We will have open access to our Heavenly Father not only now, but forever!

*****Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

What is the theme of the Book of Revelation? The return of Jesus Christ! The entire Bible is about the first and the second coming of our Lord and Savior!

1) The Lord Jesus will first come with the clouds to "Redeem" those that He has purchased with His blood.

1Th 4:16 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:

1Th 4:17 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.

Mat 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

2) Next, every eye will see Him. It will not matter where you are located upon this earth, you will see the Lord Jesus when He returns!

The glory of the Lord is so bright that even the sun will be as a candle to His brightness! His glory will surround this earth and His Church will be with Him also in glorified bodies but not as bright as our Savior and, we will never be as bright as our Savior!

All the angels of Heaven will also be with Him and the Angels will be in their full glory!

Every eye that remains upon this earth will witness the glory of our Savior!

All those who have rebelled against the Lord Jesus will wail at His coming!

They will then know that all the things said about Jesus in the Scriptures, by His witnesses, by His true preachers, will all have been the truth!

Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Mat 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Who is this regal Redeemer and Judge?

*****Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

It is the "Almighty God" who returns to this little speck of dust called earth, just before foolish humans attempt to destroy the Jews and in doing so would have destroyed the entire earth.

It is a fact that, all the major powers upon this planet have weapons aimed at each other just waiting on someone to be the first to fire weapons of mass destruction! How foolish!

It just takes one accident and the world would be at war and destroy this planet we call earth.

Just recently the Air Force found certain men who smoke marijuana who also were in control of missile silos containing nuclear warheads.

It takes one accident by any one person and these weapons could be fired and war would begin!

Jesus Christ is the "Alpha". Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet.

Jesus is the beginning because He is the very One who caused the beginning of all creation!

Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

All things find their purpose, their meaning, and their significance in Him, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ is the "Omega". Omega is the very last letter of the Greek alphabet.

Jesus Christ began all things and He is the only One who can end all things!

No matter how chaotic our world seems to be, all things are still under the control of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is not the cause of our problems, but He is certainly the answer to all our problems!

We are a foolish people to not place all our trust in the Lord!

Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Jesus Christ is the glue that binds all His creation together to Him!

Jesus Christ is the Lord of all creation!

He is the Lord who is, and came to die.

He is the Lord who was, and He died and then He arose.

He is the Lord, who will return and to restore all things.

He is God eternal!

He is God unchangeable!

If Jesus came today, He would be the same person He has always been!

He will always be that person described to us in the Holy Ghost inspired Word of Jehovah God!

Isa 41:4 Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

Isa 41:5 The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.

Isa 43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

Isa 43:11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

Isa 43:12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.

Isa 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

Isa 44:7 And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them.

Isa 44:8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

The Apostle John, A Christian, a "Born Again" child of God, a man chosen by Jesus Christ to be an Apostle, and also chosen to be a live witness of all the things in the Book of the Reveling of the Lord Jesus Christ.

*****Rev 1:9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The first vision of the Apostle John is a vision of Christ Jesus.

It is this first vision that proclaims that that this message is for the Church, beginning with those seven churches in Asia.

Jesus the Christ wants all the Church to know that this message comes directly from Him!

John was on the Isle of Patmos.

It is said that it was the Emperor Domitian that banned John to this tiny island where there would be no one to preach the Gospel.

This Island is only about 40 miles from the City of Ephesus but an old man like John would never have made that distance alone.

Patmos is just a rocky, barren, isolated island about 10 miles long and six miles wide.

John was banished simply because he would not quit being a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ!

It is said that John was liberated only when Domitian died.

The truth is that, in our darkest hours, it is then that we realize that we are not alone at all.

John was the last of the Apostles and the only one who God called home only after he had lived to a ripe old age.

All the other Apostles were murdered and all for the same reason, they would never reject the Lord Jesus Christ!

John says he was our brother in Christ and our companion to all believers.

The Apostle John was a believer just we are believers today, but he was a far better witness than all of us are.

John was a witness seven days of the week. The only time he was not speaking of Jesus was when he was eating and sleeping, and he asked the Lord always to bless His food!

We are brothers to each other, and we are brothers and sisters to the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are no in-betweens. There can be no true queer nor any lesbian Christians!

Of what tribulation does John speak?

The Apostle Paul writes that this tribulation, is the things that cause us trouble as we live for the Lord. Not the seven years of tribulation!

Act 14:21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,

Act 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

It was while John was upon the Isle of Patmos that John witnessed and wrote the Book of Revelation.

We might say that John would not slow down enough to write this Great book of the Bible, so John needed a place of solitude.

John was never alone, but it was a special day that Sunday when Jesus came calling in the Spirit.

*****Rev 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

Rev 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

Many still question why we worship on Sunday rather that Saturday. The Apostle Paul and the Apostle John make it very clear that we observe and gather on the Lord's Day and it was on Sunday when the Lord walk out of the tomb risen from the dead.

We would be wrong to assemble on any other day, but the truth is we are to worship the Lord every day!

What was John to write? The things that he saw.

We must remember, John lived in the First Century. The things John saw would be from our time or on into the future, and he could only describe them from his historical point of view.

What did John hear on this day? A voice but a voice as of a great speaker. A speaker that spoke with authority.

In fact it was the Lord Jesus Christ. The Alpha and the Omega and the First and the Last!

We have today our English translation of everything that John saw on this vision into the future and into our future.

We should understand that these seven churches in the First Century give us a picture of entire group of churches in that period.

We should understand that this is the same picture we have of the Church today. There are still those seven images of the Church.

Another thing we can understand is that there are seven Church Periods or Church Ages and it is easy to see we are in that Laodicean Age today.

The Church Age is coming to an end!

The Church must continuously discipline itself, to remain a Church built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ!

Some say there are two Bibles.

One is the Bible that is written on paper and the other is the Bible written upon our heart and these two must match!

But the truth is Christianity in human life is far better than cold ink!

Heb 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

This is the beginning of lute-warmness, when we do not walk the language of God in our hearts!

When we walk in our own thoughts and ways and not according to the Word of God, we begin to place ourselves into one of these church groups and we then need to hear what the Lord has to say here in the Book of Revelation, the Revealing of the Lord Jesus Christ!

It is not in our lesson plan but verse 12 says the Church is like a candle stick and a bright and shining candlestick is worthy of the Lord but one that is dim, or is flickering, or is partially out, or is out, is not worthy of the Lord!

Mat_5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Your light will not shine unless you are in a steady walk with the Lord according to His Word and His Ways!

Let's remember these things as we get started in this great Book of the Bible.

It is in this Book where we find those wonderful words of our Savior, It Is Done!

Amen

Let's Pray!

The Day of the Lord

The Wonderful Kingdom

Book of Zechariah Chapter 14

In Chapter 14 of Zechariah we will see the prophecy of Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 expanded. There is coming a time when most all the nations of this world will gather against the tiny nation of Israel. It will seem that all the prophesies of the Scriptures have failed. It will seem that Jerusalem the City of Peace, that has never seen peace, will be no more. It will seem that the Word of God has been a lie. It will seem that all hope is lost.

It will have been 7 years since the Antichrist came onto the scene and he has spent the last 3 and 1/2 years destroying everything and everyone who has challenged him.

He has most all the world behind him and he has decided he will be the true king of the world and he has set his eyes upon Jerusalem and his plan now to destroy the Jews.

The Scriptures say this is the time of Jacob's Trouble:

Jer 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

Jer 30:8 For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:

Jer 30:9 But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.

It will be that day that none have ever seen, the world at war but the enemy of the world will be one tiny nation, Israel, who has defied the Antichrist.

What is Armageddon?

Rev 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

Rev 16:16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

The one thing that much of the world has forgotten is that the Scriptures cannot lie, and there is a God, and He is the Lord Jesus Christ. The true and Living God!

How does our Lord explain it?

*****Zec 14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

Zec 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

We know that there have already been many wars and many battles fought before this day comes.

Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Mat 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

Mat 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

Mat 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Mat 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

Mat 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

Mat 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Mat 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

Mat 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

Mat 24:17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

Mat 24:18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

Mat 24:19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

Mat 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Mat 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

All these things have taken place. The "elect", the Church has been saved from these days. The Lord promised we would not see His wrath upon us.

It is in these final days of the Great Tribulation and just when it looks like the Antichrist will be the winner, the world will meet the Lord Jesus Christ, but He will not be that humble Shepherd, He will come as King.

It is the Lord who gathered all these nations against Jerusalem.

In order for Jerusalem to be saved, all the people would have forgotten their own power, and will call upon the Lord!

2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Just as the City of Peace is falling to the enemy. Just as the enemy is stealing all they can from the Jews. Just as the women and children are falling into the hands of the enemy. Just when half the city falls into the hands of the enemy.

The Lords says half of the city will not be cut off from safety.

Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

Rev 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Now I cannot explain all these things, but I do know that just when all seems lost, that is when the Lord can do His best!

*****Zec 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

What do we know for sure?

The Lord will visibly appear and fight against all the nations that go against Israel and Jerusalem!

Our Lord does many things in this world, He is in control of all things that surround us, and He is not seen.

On this day the Lord God, when He steps out of Heaven, He will be seen and when He is seen, then He is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember He said they look upon the One they had pierced as proof.

He is the "Word of God in person"

He is King of all kings.

He is Lord of all lords.

He is also the Mightiest of all warriors!

Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

He will fight as He did against the Egyptians as He protected His children and opened the Red Sea.

He will fight as He did when He led Joshua through Canaan Land. This time there will be no covenants made and there will be none that escape to intermingle with those that survive.

Rev 14:14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

Rev 14:15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

Rev 14:16 And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

And when He arrives, He will first stand on the Mount of Olives, for He was not afraid to tell the enemy the exact spot He would return.

*****Zec 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Zec 14:5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

Remember at this time the people of Israel and Jerusalem are in peril thinking it is finally over and the world has succeeded in destroying them forever, but this will never happen because Jehovah, the Lord, made a sure covenant with them.

They had to be broken and humbled until they finally called on the Lord with sincerity!

2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Remember in Chapter 12 the Lord had poured out the Holy Spirit upon Jerusalem and Judah.

What do we know? We know the Lord has already observed the happenings around Israel, because His eye is always upon His children!

The Lord always knows what we endure!

The Lord knows when we are in peril, but He may leave us in that peril long enough to learn whatever lesson we needed to learn!

The Lord will make a way for deliverance!

The Church has always known that the Lord will return to this place.

Act 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Act 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Act 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

Act 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Some believe that there will be an earthquake on the Mount of Olives because the Muslim made a great cemetery in the pathway of the Lord and would not defile Himself walking on the dead.

Some believe the entire area will be broken up because of all the Saints that left in the Rapture.

What we know for sure is, that this sinful, bloody earth will melt before the feet of Jesus!

What we know for sure is, that the Lord will part this mountain just as He did the Red Sea in order for the children of Israel to escape!

Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Azal means they will escape to a place that is very near. A place of safety while the Lord deals with the enemy. This could be Edom.

It is a fact, earthquakes cause a panic and while those enemies of the Jews are confused, those true Israelites the Lord will save, will escape to safety!

In the days of Uzziah there was such an earthquake it was the cause of much panic!

Amo 1:1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.

We know that this is true because the words of each true prophet of the Lord spoke only the truth!

And we already know that the Lord will never leave us, so at the Rapture when all the Saints went to meet the Lord in the cloud, we then returned with Him.

*****Zec 14:6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:

Zec 14:7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.

We live in a world where nature is thought of as something that just exist just as we do. Evolution teaches that we are a product of evolution over billions of years.

They first used millions of years, now billions of years, it’s just a matter of time before they use Trillions of years.

This theory is used about mankind and the animal world, but nothing is ever said about nature evolving!

Why? Because all this is nonsense and we have a Creator and our Creator holds the power of all His creation and the power over all of nature.

I do believe our nature was put in place to operate without much assistance, but all I know for sure is that the Lord can manipulate all of nature as His will sees fit.

On this day of earthquakes, probably volcanos and all the other such things of nature that we think are terrible, the Sun may be shining, but it cannot shine through, it will not be totally dark, but it will be dark enough to hinder sight.

After the daytime hours are passed and the evening comes it will be light.

How does the Lord explain this?

Isa 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

Isa 13:11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

Isa 13:12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.

Isa 13:13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, "and the earth shall remove out of her place", in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

I cannot imagine what will go on in this world when the orbit of the Earth has changed!

Already some earthquakes have caused the tilt of the earth to change. I suppose that this does not affect our climate because it is never mentioned as a reason.

The Lord says:

Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Joe 3:15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.

Joe 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; "and the heavens and the earth shall shake": but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

What did Jesus say about this day and Jesus was speaking to the Jews?

Luk 21:25 "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring";

What are some of the results of the earth shaking?

Luk 21:26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Luk 21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

How did John the Apostle write about this day, and remember the Church is already with the Lord?

Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, "there was a great earthquake"; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

Rev 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

Rev 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

If the earth has moved out of its orbit, there will be so many things going on that we cannot imagine but the Lord will still be in control!

It will be this very day that life to this planet will be restored!

It may be that a nuclear holocaust has destroyed all that we know now.

Again the Lord Jesus has everything under control!

*****Zec 14:8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.

Zec 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

The "River of Life" that we studied from our lesson in Ezekiel Chapter 47 and have mentioned it many times in other lessons.

So here it is again the "Living Waters", the "River of Life", will flow out of Jerusalem to heal our earth to as it was in the time of Adam.

We know that we will still have the seasons and summer will still be hot and winter will still be cold and hotter or colder depending upon your location on this remade earth.

Joe 3:18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim.

Joe 3:19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.

Joe 3:20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

Joe 3:21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.

And the Lord Jesus Christ will be King of the entire earth!

Psa 22:27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

Psa 22:28 For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations.

Psa 22:29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

Psa 22:30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

Psa 22:31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Everything in this world will change when King Jesus sits on His throne in Jerusalem!

*****Zec 14:10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses.

Zec 14:11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.

All the land of Judah, which will be a type the whole earth, shall be filled with the knowledge of God!

All high places, all uneven places, all rocky ground, and all barren grounds, will be level as a plain and changed into fruitful vineyards and all crops will be abundant.

One man wrote "it will all be as a valley of abnormal fertility".

Only Jerusalem will be lifted up, while all the world around it will also be as a garden.

Psa 125:2 As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.

Jer 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

The name Jerusalem means the city of peace and Jerusalem will finally become that City of Peace!

Jerusalem has always been a divided city, but it will now be unified because of the Lord!

Many other peoples have claimed Jerusalem, but it will now truly be the City of God!

To the Lord, Jerusalem is the Holy City!

Psa 135:21 Blessed be the LORD out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.

Psa 46:4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

Psa 46:5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

God says, do you remember what I did to Egypt?

What does radiation do to those who are exposed to it?

*****Zec 14:12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

In Japan the first thing people noticed was an "intense ball of fire" according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The atomic blast in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 killed 140,000 people; tens of thousands died instantly, while the rest succumbed to injuries or illness in the weeks, months and years afterwards.

The atomic bomb had a yield of 15 kilo tons, equal to 15,000 tons of TNT, yet was 3,300 times less powerful than the biggest hydrogen bomb tested by the Soviet Union in 1961.

Temperatures at the epicenter of the blast reached an estimated 7,000 degrees Celsius (12,600 Fahrenheit), which caused fatal burns within a radius of about three kilometers (five miles).

ICRC experts say there were cases of temporary or permanent blindness due to the intense flash of light, and subsequent related damage such as cataracts.

A whirlwind of heat generated by the explosion also ignited thousands of fires that burned several square kilometers (miles) of the largely wooden city. A firestorm that consumed all available oxygen caused more deaths by suffocation.

It has been estimated that burn-and fire-related casualties, accounted for more than half of the immediate deaths in Hiroshima.

Verse 12 describes what happened to 185,000 people instantly in Japan when one atomic bomb was used.

But there is more.

*****Zec 14:13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.

These enemies will be struck with so much delusion and pain, and confusion, that they will not know who their enemy is, and who is their friend and they will destroy each other.

In these cases it says the Lord will cause these things, but in fact, He will not be the cause. The Lord always takes the blame, but these will be people destroying people. These armies will turn on each other!

Whether by accident or on purpose, some military commander will do the wrong thing and what follows will be mayhem.

All these things will be similar to the things that happened to Egypt and the things Jehovah did in the battles in the time of Joshua, and we could add the things that happened to the enemies of Israel in the war in 1948 and the war of 1967.

The world never learns from mistakes of those who came before them!

Remember the Lord has already poured out the Holy Spirit upon His people and here is an example from the Scriptures:

2Ch 20:21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.

2Ch 20:22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

2Ch 20:23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.

2Ch 20:24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

2Ch 20:25 And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

*****Zec 14:14 And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.

When you go against the Lord, it will cost more than you want to pay! Judah will rally to defend their capitol city Jerusalem.

Judah will gather all the spoil and return it to Jerusalem to offer it to King Jesus.

The military of Israel will go to battle this day and they will by the "Supernatural" things of the Lord, destroy their enemies.

All those nations who came against Israel and the Lord will give the wealth of those nations to Israel, just as they had given control of it to the Antichrist!

And the Lord is not done yet.

Not only are all the military men and women confused, their equipment will fail them when they try to use it on Israel!

*****Zec 14:15 And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.

The same plague, probably radiation, will also make the equipment of all those militaries useless against Israel!

None of the equipment of the enemy used in warfare will operate on this day as they try to attack Jerusalem!

We must again remember the truth of God!

Rom 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

Rom 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

We will never make peace with this sinful and evil world.

Evil and good cannot stand on the same ground.

Right and wrong cannot ever agree.

Immorality and Godly righteousness will never agree!

On this day it will be the vengeance of the Lord in full view!

*****Zec 14:16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

Here we see the "Mercy" of the Lord, because there will be some that will be saved for whatever reason that we will not know until that day!

Everyone who survives this "Day of the Lord" will go yearly to worship King Jesus, who will sit upon His throne upon this world for 1000 years.

Everyone who is born into this world, since creation and even today, have it within them to seek out their Creator, but the lies of this world cause them confusion and delivers most of them to Hell.

In the days King Jesus sits upon His throne all those babies will grow up without the influence of Satan, and without those lies, because that old world will not exist anymore.

All the world will know Jesus as the Messiah who came to be King, and He will teach all that there is still a better place called the New Heaven and the New Jerusalem that will be in the future of all who will believe.

Faith will still be the key to everlasting life!

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

But in the end, there will still be some who would rather stay on this world than go with the Lord to an even better place, the New Heaven and the New Jerusalem!

Amen

Let's Pray!