Adrian Rogers - Living on the Edge of Eternity
Find the last book in the Bible, the book of the Revelation, the last book in the Bible, and then find the first chapter of that last book and hold that book in your hand. And the reason I'm asking you to do that is, I want you to be blessed. This book is the blessing book. Do you want a blessing? Here is a formula for a blessing. Begin in Revelation chapter 1 verse 1, "The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto Him to show unto His servants, things which must shortly come to pass, and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John who bear record of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ and of all things that he saw". Now look in verse 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".
Now look at the first part of verse 3 again, "Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy". Do you want a blessing? God says, "Here is a book that has a blessing". The book of the Revelation is often ignored, sometimes debated, sometimes discounted, but God says, "This is the blessing book". If you want a blessing, God says, "Here it is, read it and heed it, and you're going to have a blessing". Now, I'm going to give you a long introduction, so all that I'm going to be saying is introductory for a while, but it's just kind of important. We're just going to lay some groundwork as we look at these first three verses, and I want you to see first of all what I'm going to call the central person of the book.
Look if you will in Revelation chapter 1 verse 1, "The revelation of Jesus Christ". Now you want to know what this book is about? It is about Jesus Christ. Friend, put it down big and plain and straight, Jesus is the hero of the Bible. Jesus is the hero of the Bible. If you read the Bible and you don't find Jesus, go back and reread it. It is a Him-book, it is about Him. This is the revelation of Jesus Christ. So many people want to study prophecy, and they're more concerned about things than are going to happen than the One who is going to come. Now the word revelation actually is the word we get our word apocalypse from; it's the Greek word apokalypsis. That's a blessing, wasn't it? It's the Greek word apokalypsis. It's the word we get our word apocalypse from, and it literally means an unveiling.
I guess the best way I could describe this to you is, think of a statue in the park. The sculptor has done it; the mayor and all of the city council and everybody is there; and they're going to unveil the statue. It's covered with canvas, the artist pulls the string, and the canvas falls away, and there is the statue. What has been veiled is now unveiled. The book of the Revelation is the unveiling of Jesus Christ. We're going to see Jesus Christ in a different way than we've seen Jesus Christ before. When He came the first time, born into this world through the portals of a virgin's womb, laid in a feeding trough in a stable with flies buzzing, cow manure on the floor, the son of a carpenter according to the flesh, actually He was the son of God, but His earthly stepfather was a carpenter. His mother, a Jewish peasant. All of that glory was veiled. But in the book of the Revelation the veil is drawn back. The first time He came to redeem. When He comes again, He's coming to reign. He came to a crucifixion the first time. He's coming to a coronation the second time. He came to a tree the first time.
Friend, He's coming to a throne the second time. The first time He came, He stood before old Pilate. When He comes again, Pilate is going to stand before the Lord Jesus Christ. He came the first time as a servant. The book of the Revelation shows Him coming as the Sovereign, as the King of kings and the Lord of lords! It is the revelation of Jesus Christ. He is the central person of the book. Later on, in the book of the Revelation, we're going to learn that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Now He's the central person. What is the clear purpose of the book? Look if you will in Revelation chapter 1 verse 1 again, "To show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass".
Look at the word servant. Do you see it? Actually, it's the Greek word duloy, which means bondslave, bondslave. A bondslave was somebody who had been a slave, who had been set free, who willingly went back to his master and said, "I don't want to be free, I want to be your slave. I want to stay with you. I love my master"! That's who we are, friends. We are bondslaves of the Lord Jesus Christ. We say we love our master. Question; are you a slave to Jesus Christ? Be careful how you answer that, because if you say, "No, I am not a slave to Jesus Christ," I can promise you, you will not understand the book of the Revelation. It is a book written to the bondslaves of Jesus Christ. And if you're not a bondslave of Jesus Christ, you have no right to expect to understand this book, because it will be a mystery to you; it is a revelation of Jesus to His servants. But if you are a bondslave to Jesus, you won't be stumbling in the dark.
Now, I want you to notice not only the clear purpose of it, but I want you to notice the comforting promise of it. Look again in Revelation chapter 1 verses 2 and 3; it speaks of John, "Who bear record of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy". What is the comforting promise of the book? You're going to be blessed. You are going to be blessed, not only if you read it, but if you heed it. Notice, "He that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy". It doesn't mean to hear it with your ear. Have you ever spoken to your child and said, "Now do this and this and this," and then say, "Come here, honey. Do you hear me"? "Do you hear me"?
Hear it, read it and hear it, get it into your heart, and God says you are going to be blessed. Why are you going to be blessed? Well, number one, you're going to understand the mystery of history. Friend, this world does not make sense apart from the book of the Revelation and what God reveals here, because in the book of the Revelation we learn what is the mystery of history. What is God doing? God is moving all things to a purpose and that purpose, put it down, Revelation chapter 11 and verse 15, don't turn to it, write it in the margin, and it says, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ". That is what it is all about.
Friend, one of these days this old war-torn world, this old sin-saturated, sin-soaked, bumbling, stumbling society is going to see Jesus upon the throne, and the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ. And when you read that in the book of the Revelation, friend, that gives you a blessing. Let me tell you something wonderful. Take your Bible and don't do it right now, but read the first two chapters of the Bible and you won't find any devil there. Read the last two chapters of the Bible and you won't find any devil there, isn't that right? That is such a blessing. Revelation 15:15, "The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ". Habakkuk 2 verse 14, "And the Earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as waters that cover the sea".
Now the reason that everything's such a mess today, things are out of place. Think about it. The church is the bride, but the bride belongs with the groom. We're not yet with Him. Jesus is the King; the King belongs on the throne. He's not yet ruling. The devil is a criminal; he belongs in prison. He's not yet there. But friend, one of these days the bride's going to be with the Groom. One of these days the King's going to be on the throne, and one of these days that old devil's going to be in prison. What a day that will be, what a day that will be. You see, that's the reason we get a blessing out of this. We understand the mystery of history. We can make sense to our suffering. We live in a world that is cursed with sin and suffering and pain and moan and groan and death and destruction and tears and tribulation.
What do you say? What do you say to a father who's standing beside the grave of his young wife, holding the hands of his children, looking down into that hole in the ground? What do you say to a child of God, a saint, whose body is being consumed by some greedy malady, and he is suffering unbearable pain? What do you say to a mother whose baby has been torn by death from her bosom? What do you say? I'll tell you what you say, friend, "It's not over yet. This is not God's final plan". That's the reason it's such a blessing when you read the book of the Revelation. Friend, it will give you stability. You know, James said in James chapter 5 verse 8, "Be patient, stablish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh". The only way that you can be stable in this age is to know, friend, that there is a blessed hope, Jesus Christ the Son of God is coming again.
Years ago there used to be a man who walked the tightrope, a circus act. He would get on a tightrope stretched at dizzying heights with no safety net and his name was Blondin. And Blondin would walk that tightrope. And somebody said, "How do you do that? Doesn't it frighten you when you look down"? He says, "I don't look down". He said, "Let me tell you what I do". He said, "You see that other platform over there? Look at it". He said, "You see there's a silver star, you see that big star"? He said, "I keep my eye on that star. I never take my eye from that star". Said, "I don't look down, I keep my eye on that star". Friend, we're to live, keeping our eyes on the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. That's what we're to do. It gives us stability in these times. And then I want you to notice not only the comforting purpose but the certain prophecy of the book.
Look again in Revelation 1 verse 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". Now that's the reason I'm calling this series, "The Edge of Eternity". The time is at hand. Now that was 2,000 years ago and John said, "Hey, it's right at hand". Well was John wrong? No, he was right. Now if you don't learn anything else in this series of sermons on Bible prophecy, I want you to learn this. The time is always at hand. It may not be immediate, but it is always imminent. Now don't miss that. It may not be immediate, it may be immediate, but it is always imminent. People are saying, "Are these the last days, Pastor"?
Friends, the last days began when Jesus ascended. They've always been the last days. We are living in the last days. Put these Scriptures in your margin, First Peter 4 verse 7, "But the end of all things is at hand". First Corinthians 10:11, "Now all these things are written unto them for examples and they are written for our admonition," notice in Paul's day, "upon whom the ends of the world are come". Paul said the ends of the world have come in our day. Philippians 4 verse 5, "Let your moderation be known to all men, the Lord is at hand". That is, the Lord is near! James 5 verse 8, "Be ye also patient, stablish your heart, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh". First John chapter 2 verse 18. The apostle John said, "Little children, it is the last time"!
Now that was two thousand years ago! And all of these verses are saying Jesus is very near. His coming is very near. Now some people have the idea that there are certain prophecies that have to be fulfilled before Jesus can come. That is not so. His coming is always imminent. Suppose you'd never seen the ocean or you wanted to go to the ocean, the Atlantic or the Pacific, and let's say you live a thousand miles from the ocean and you're driving to the ocean, driving to the ocean, driving to the ocean, driving to the ocean, driving, driving, driving. Well, let's let this platform represent the land and that parquet tile there, that wood, represent the ocean. All right, there you are, you're driving, the ocean is not near, the ocean is not near, the ocean is not near, the ocean is not near, and finally you're at the ocean.
Now some people have the idea that that's what the second coming of Jesus is like. We're way over here, and the second coming of Jesus Christ is off over there somewhere, and we're just maybe trying to get to it. Oh, no, no, no, no. Friend, we're right on the edge, we're just walking along the seashore. We are living on the edge of eternity. From the time that Jesus came the first time till He comes again, we are on the edge of eternity! We are living on the edge. The time is at hand. Any time Jesus may come. 2,000 years ago the apostle John wrote in verse 3, "The time is at hand". Now, how are we going to understand the book of the Revelation? Well, thank God there's a golden key that opens this book to us, and its verse 19. Look at it.
Now the apostle John is on the Alcatraz of his day or the Devil's Island of his day; it's the Island of Patmos. He's there for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they thought that they were going to somehow shut him up and hide him away. The biggest blessing that ever came to this world was old John going to Patmos, because it's there that God gave him the book of the Revelation. And there was John there and he's there in the spirit on the Lord's day and look if you will in Revelation 1 verse 19. Here is the commission that God gave to John. Here was John's assignment. It's so clear. "Write the things which thou hast seen and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter".
Like a homiletician, three points. That's the commission to write the book. That is the golden key that unlocks the whole book of the Revelation. It's very plain. That's what he was told to write. "Write the things which thou hast seen, the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter". Now, if you look at the book of the Revelation, we're not going to talk about those first two things, "The things which thou hast seen and the things which are," but we're going to move on to the third category, "the things which shall be hereafter". But let me just touch on those first two categories. Write first of all, "The things that thou hast seen". Revelation 1:19. John had just seen a vision of Jesus.
As I've said, he saw a vision of the glorified Christ, the conquering Christ. In the book of the Revelation, Jesus Christ is not pictured as Savior but as Judge. We're now dealing with a crucified, risen, ascended, glorified and coming Lord, and the vision that John had, "Of one, His countenance is like the sun, His eyes are like fire, His voice is like the sound of many waters". You read that in Revelation chapter 1 verses 12 through 18. I tell you, John was the one described in the Bible who laid his head upon Jesus' bosom. He didn't lay his head upon this Jesus' bosom. He fell on his feet like a dead man! When he saw the risen, glorified, ascended Son of God, His face like the shining sun, His eyes like flaming fire, His voice like many waters. There are a lot of people who want to come to church on Sunday morning and they want to sit with folded hands and hear a discourse about the humble Christ walking the shores of Galilee.
Friend, there's another Jesus. There's the King, there's the Lord, there's the Sovereign. There's the One whose right it is to redeem and rule, and that Jesus is coming again. "John, write what you've seen! Pull back the veil. Unveil the glorified Christ". That's the first section. Then He said in Revelation 1:19, "Write the things which are". On that He says, "Deal with the present time. Not only what you've seen, but the things which are". That's the Church Age. The Church Age began with Pentecost; it will end with the coming of Jesus for His church.
We are living in the time of the things which are, and in chapters 2 and 3 of the book of the Revelation, he deals with the things that are. There're seven churches that are mentioned in chapters 2 and 3, and we're not going to try to delineate the messages to those seven churches, but there's one refrain that keeps coming through and through and through. Seven times, in Revelation 2 verse 11, he mentions this and six other times. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches". Listen, He's saying, "Put your ears on". Are you hearing? "He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches". Now, the Holy Spirit is speaking. The question is, do we have ears to hear? You know, some people will come here this morning and they won't hear. It will not be because the Spirit is not speaking, they just won't hear. "He that hath ears let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches".
Seven times He repeats that. That's the Church Age, that's the age we're living in now. "John, write the things which you've seen". What did he see? The glorified Christ; "John, write the things which are". What did he see? Seven churches, seven is the perfect number. These churches represent all churches of all times from the biblical times to these present times. And I wish I had time to delineate that, but I don't because I want to get to the third and final thing. He said in Revelation 1:19, "And write the things which shall be," not may be, but shall be, hereafter. It's very certain. No ifs, ands, and buts. No maybe, no perhaps, no happenstance, no surmising's; things that shall be.
Now, it's that third thing that we're going to think about this morning. Hey, folks, all this is introduction, okay, all introduction. Put it up in one little category, going to have a big front porch and a small house, but it's all introduction. I'm just trying to get you set for understanding this book, this blessing book. I want you to see what this book is about and I want you to see God's outline of the book. And then he mentions the last section of this book which begins with chapter 4 and goes all the way through chapter 22, "The things that shall be hereafter". Now what I'm going to do in the next section of this message, I'm going to mention those things in chronological order. We're going to come back in this series, "On the Edge of Eternity," and we're going to talk about these things, so if you say, "Pastor, what about this or what about that"? Or, "I don't understand this," or, "I don't understand that".
Well, just hang on, because we're going to come back. But what I want to do now is to give you the big picture. I want to give you what I understand to be a panorama of prophecy, the mountain peaks of prophecy. Are you ready? Let's go. Number one, first event that's going to happen in the things that shall be hereafter is the rapture and the translation of the saints, the rapture and the translation of the saints. Look in Revelation chapter 4, now, and verse 1, "And after this I looked and behold," I love it, "and behold, a door was opened in Heaven and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet, talking with me, which said, 'Come up hither and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.'" Isn't it obvious we're into the third part? He said, "Write the things that shall be hereafter".
Here we begin the third part. And so John, in a vision, is caught up into Heaven. He hears a voice, he hears a trumpet; he is caught up into glory. Now, this is the rapture of the church being typified. The word rapture is the Greek word harpazo. Now rapture is Latin; English, caught away; Greek, harpazo, they all refer to the same thing. And it just simply means to snatch away. At any moment, folks, the trumpet's going to sound and we're going to be leaving here. You say, "Pastor, that sounds so supernatural". You've got it. First Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 16 through 18, put it in your margin. "For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout and 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".
Now remember we're on the edge of eternity. That could happen today. My advice for you; get right or get left. He's coming. If you're Heaven-born, you'll be Heaven-bound when He comes. That's the rapture. All right, that's number one. Number two, the second great event is the tribulation and the regimentation of this world. When the saints are taken out, the antichrist will come, and he's going to turn this world into a vast concentration camp. Now the Bible calls this time, "The day of God's wrath".
Now I'm only going to dip in and try to give you a sampling of some verses, but look in chapter 6 beginning in verse 12 through verse 17, "And I beheld when he'd 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 and the stars of Heaven fell unto the earth," now he's talking here about asteroids, "and even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind and the Heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together. And every mountain and island were moved out of their places and the kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief captains and the mighty men and every bondman and every free man," that is the high, the low, the high muckety mucks, the big shots, the little shots, everyone, look at it, "every free man hid themselves in the dens and the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne,'" now here is one of the most pregnant statements in all of the Bible, "'and from the wrath of the Lamb,'" friend, don't miss that, "the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of His wrath is come, and who is able to stand"?
Now He is the Lamb of God full of mercy, but He's also the God of wrath and judgment and justice. And there seems to be a battle between God's mercy and God's wrath, and the raging waters of God's wrath are furiously pounding against the dam of His mercy. One of these days that dam will burst and the great day of His wrath will come. Who shall be able to stand? The book of the Revelation says, "In that day men will desire to die, they'll seek death and cannot find it". What we call death today would be a welcome release, but you cannot crawl up into the grave and pull the dirt up over your face and hide from God. They go in to the dens and the rocks. The songwriter wrote about it, "Oh, what a weeping and wailing, when the lost are told of their fate they cry for the rocks and the mountains, they pray, but their prayers are too late".
That's the second thing, the great tribulation and the regimentation of the world; the antichrist is going to turn the world into a vast concentration camp with all the inmates numbered. You'll not be able to buy or sell without taking the mark of the beast. And that's the way he will control this world. Many clichés are only clichés, but one makes a lot of sense. It says this, "The more machines act like men, the more men will act like machines". There's coming a day when that will happen. Now here's the third event. Now we're just giving these in order going through the book. Number three; Armageddon and the destruction of the beast. Now we said there's coming a man, Satan's superman, the man of sin, the beast, who will hold sway over the earth and regiment the whole world by economy and miracles, but there's finally coming a battle called, The Battle of Armageddon.
Now let me describe that beast who's going to be ruling over the world. Look if you will in Revelation chapter 13 verses 1 through 3. The apostle John says, "And I stood upon the sands of the sea and saw a beast rise up out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns and upon his horns ten crowns and upon his heads the names of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard and his feet were as the feet of a bear and his mouth as the mouth of a lion and the dragon," by the way, the dragon is the devil himself, "gave him his power and his seat," that means his throne, "and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death and his deadly wound was healed, and all the world wondered after the beast".
Now you say, "Pastor, what does all that mean"? Well, we're going to bring a message on this beast, so just say there's coming one and all of these symbols are rich with meaning. But during this time when this world ruler rises during the tribulation period, demon spirits are going to infest the world. And demon spirits are going to be working on the kings of the earth to gather them and draw them to a battle called, The Battle of Armageddon. Look in chapter 16 beginning in verse 13 through verse 16, John says, "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet".
Friend, that is the unholy trinity, the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. "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. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame". And now watch this, verse 16, "And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue, Armageddon". Unclean, vile spirits like frogs out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet are going to all the kings, the satraps, the rulers of this world, to gather them to this particular battle called, The Battle of Armageddon.
Well, what's going to transpire there? Here is the beast. He has virtual control over all of the world. He gathers all of the contingents of this world's armies there in that vast valley, the Megiddo valley, the valley of Armageddon, I've been there many times. And they're bivouacked there; they're camped there, ready to surround Jerusalem. It looks like it will be the last time for God's ancient people, it looks like now Israel, the nation itself, is finally going to be destroyed, decimated. But watch what happens.
Revelation 19 now, beginning in verse 11 to verse 16, "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. His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns and He had a name written that no man knew but Himself, and He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and His name is called the Word of God. And the armies which were in Heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, and out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword that with it He should smite the nations, and He shall rule them with a rod of iron and He treadeth the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords".
And then read in Revelation 19 verse 19 to 21, "And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against Him that set on the horse and against His army. And the beast was taken and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him with which he had deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone and the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that set upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth and all the fowls were filled with their flesh".
The battle is set, here is the antichrist, here are his armies, they have come to make war on Heaven's King. They are going to make war against Him! Jesus, followed with the armies of Heaven, coming this time not for His church, coming this time with His church after the seven years of the tribulation. Here's antichrist, this braggart, belching up blasphemies, ready to make war with Him. And the battle ensues and it's over with two words. And Jesus says, "Drop dead". He destroys them with the sword that goes out of His mouth. His word, the same word that spoke them into existence, will speak them into oblivion. The Battle of Armageddon.
Next, the millennium and the glorification of the Savior. Revelation 20, begin in verse 1 and we'll read through verse 6. Old John is writing as fast as he can. He's there, said, "John, write the things which shall be hereafter". "Yes, Lord," da, da, da, da, da, da. Here's what he's seeing now, "And I saw an angel come down from Heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and the great chain in his hand and he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent which is the devil and Satan and bound him a thousand years," Latin, a millennium, "and cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal on him that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones and they sat upon them and judgment was given unto them," that's us, folks.
"And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years, but the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath no power, but they shall be preached of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years".
You say, "Pastor, do you really believe that Jesus is going to rule and reign here upon this earth"? Look up here. Yes. Yes. Now think about it. How many times have you prayed, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth even as it is in Heaven"? Matthew 6:10. Would Jesus have taught us to pray that had it not been meant to come to pass? Did not the Lord Jesus Christ say in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:5, "Blessed are the meek for they shall" what? "Inherit the earth". Don't get the idea that that Jesus is going to be thwarted. Read the Old Testament prophecies. And the Bible prophesies over and over again that the Messiah, the Son of David, will rule from Jerusalem. I believe that with all of my heart. There's coming a thousand golden years when the lamb and the lion lie down together and the lamb won't be inside the lion.
There's coming a time, dear friend, when the desert will blossom as a rose, and the fields of the trees will clap their hands and the Earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as waters that cover the sea! What a day that will be! We will rule with the Lord Jesus Christ here upon this Earth. And then next, there's coming the final judgment and the condemnation of the sinners, when all of this is coming to a climax.
We read here, Revelation chapter 20 verse 11 to 15, "And 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, and I saw the dead, small and great," the big shot and the little shot, "stand before God and the books were opened. And another book was opened which is the Book of Life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works, and the sea gave up the dead which were in it and death and Hell delivered up the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to their works, and death and Hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire".
Is your name in the Book of Life? I'm telling you, friend, if it is not, one of these days you're going to stand before the unavoidable, inescapable Jesus Christ. You have a date with deity. Here's a great white throne, and the dead are raised to stand before Him and to be judged. You cursed Him behind His back; I wonder if you're going to curse Him to His face. If you do not meet the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, you're going to meet Him as Sovereign, but you have a date with deity. I wish I had more time for that, but it's coming the final judgment, and God is going to wait until all of history is finished, until the last period is put upon the last sentence upon the last paragraph upon the last chapter upon the last book, when all the deeds are done, and then, when your influence has gone on down through the centuries, then, at the last, there will come judgment.
Then there's the final thing, and I wish I had more time for this, but there's coming the eternal state and the destination of the species. Old Darwin talked about the origin of the species, friend, you'd better be concerned about the destination of the species. Where is it going to end? Look if you will in Revelation 21 verses 6 and 8, "And He said unto me, 'It is done.'" That's it, finished. "I'm Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things". I love that. When old Noah went into that ark, he probably spent everything he had to build that ark. He went in a pauper, but when he came out, you know what? He owned the world. Revelation 21 verses 7 and 8, "He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son," watch this, "but the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death".
When God made you, God created you to be a living soul, and your soul will no more cease to exist than God Himself could cease to exist. You're made in God's image and you will be in existence somewhere. Now, you ask the average person if he's going to Heaven, he'll say, "Well, I hope so". But he doesn't know Jesus. Friend, if you think that you can go to Heaven without being born again, you're woefully ignorant of two things. Number one, you don't know how sinful you are, and number two, you don't know how holy He is. There's only one way to get to Heaven. You're going to either spend eternity in Heaven or Hell, and it all depends on what you do with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now go to the end of the book and let me show you quickly the last invitation in the Bible. Revelation 22 verse 17, look at it. Here it is, "And the Spirit and the bride say," what's that next word? "'Come.' And let him that heareth say, 'Come.' And let him that is athirst, 'Come.'"
Now listen to me, "And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely"! Freely! You want to be saved? Come! People talking about who are the elect and who are not the elect. Let me tell you something, mister. If you're thirsty, just come on. Come on. "Whosoever will, let him come and take of the water of life freely". And then let me give you not only the last invitation, but the last prayer in the Bible. Revelation 22 verse 20, "He which testifieth these things saith," now watch it, Jesus is the one testifying, watch it. "He which testifieth these things saith, 'Surely I come quickly.'" You know what old John said? He's saying what Adrian is saying today. "Even so, Lord Jesus, come". Come. Come! Lord Jesus. My heart is burning and yearning for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Now, friend, the rapture of the church could be before the final benediction today. If you're thirsty, God's word to you is just, "Come". Come! Come to Jesus. Let's pray.
Father, I pray today that men, women, boys, and girls will say an everlasting, "Yes" to Jesus.
And friend, if you want to be saved, would you pray this prayer? Pray it from your heart:
Dear God, I am a sinner, and my sin deserves judgment, but I want mercy. Jesus, You died to save me, and You promised to save me if I would trust You. I do trust You, Jesus, with all of my heart. Come into my heart, forgive my sin, cleanse me and save me and help me this morning openly and publicly to acknowledge You as my Lord and Savior. In Your name I pray, Amen.