Greg Laurie - Antichrist, Armageddon, and America (06/26/2017)
- Watch
- Donate
- Become Partner
Pastor Greg Laurie warns from Revelation 13 and 16 that we're in crazy times with ISIS, Ebola, and global chaos, but Scripture shows Antichrist will rise as a charismatic fake Jesus bringing false peace before Armageddon. America may fade or vanish from end-times prophecy due to decline, judgment, or a massive revival and rapture—yet Christ returns soon, so get ready now by turning to Him.
Antichrist, Armageddon, and America
Hey everybody. Good to see you. Is this a great worship band or what? Come on. Thanks guys. You can be seated. Hey let's pray. Father as we look at our world that we are living in right now things are just crazy. And we are wondering does Your Word have something to say about all of this? And of course it does. Your book has more than current. It is ahead. And it tells us what is coming. Not only does it explain what is happening now. So we pray that You will help us to see things with a biblical perspective. And help us who do not yet know You to come into a relationship with You. And help those of us who do know You to come into a closer relationship with You before the night is over. And we ask all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Alright. Well, it is good to see all of you. Let's grab our Bibles and turn to the book of Revelation. If you don't know where that is just open your Bible and hang a hard right and you will get there. Last book of the Bible. We are going to look at two chapters together. Revelation 13 and Revelation 16.
But you know, as we look around in our world right now, one wonders, what is going on? I mean, I thought the war on terrorism was supposed to be over. And along comes this terrorist army known as Isis or ISIL. It is on the march. Listen, we have never faced a terrorist army before. Rogue individuals, even nations under the right terrorists, but never an organized military force like we are seeing with Isis. And now we have these random acts of violence from Islamic terrorists happening in our country and in Canada. A police officer being attacked with a hatchet in New York City, or multiple officers I should say. In Canada, a military man shot down, all in the name of Allah.
And then there is Ebola. We were told it would never come to America. As a matter of fact, when we were over there in Dallas during our crusade, they had the first known case of Ebola. Now that it has spread. Now it is in New York City. Could it be elsewhere as well? These are scary times. And here is what the Bible says. In the last days there would be distress of nations with no way out. It is going to get worse eventually.
There is a poll that just came out that said that most Americans believe our country has spun off its axis and is out of control. A whopping 64% believe that things in the United States are out of control right now. So that is why I want to talk to you this evening about Antichrist, Armageddon, and America. Does that sound interesting? Let's start with America.
America's Foundations and Uncertain Future
How many of you are proud to be an American? Raise your hand. Oh, it is okay. I am. I am. Hey, our country has its flaws. Our nation has its shortcomings. But there is no doubt in my mind that this is still the greatest nation on the face of the earth. Our country was founded, of course, in 1776. It was founded with a faith in God and a belief that the Bible was the Word of God. And that became the foundation that our founding fathers built this great nation upon.
Patrick Henry, one of the ratifiers of the United States Constitution, made this statement, and I quote, it cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often, that this great nation was founded, listen, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason, people of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship, care. End quote.
Now, some revisionists will tell you these things are not true. In your classrooms today, when you are taught American history, these things will be minimized and sometimes left out altogether. But these are the facts. Our nation came from humble beginnings. It wasn't long after we became an official nation that we broke out into a civil war that could have been the end of us altogether. But that civil war was ultimately resolved. And we came out of the ashes of it to become the greatest superpower on the face of the earth.
Now imagine for a moment, if you will, a world without America. What if George Washington had been shot in battle and we did not win the war against the British? What if we did not win the civil war? What if this country collapsed under its own weight? What kind of world would we live in today if there was no America? It is a pretty scary prospect.
Because back in the days of World War II, who would have stopped Hitler? If America didn't step in, who would have righted that wrong? Where would our world be today if America did not stand up to the aggression of the Soviet Union with our president standing there at the Berlin Wall saying, Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall. And that wall came down. Where would the world be today if America didn't lead the charge against terrorism after we were attacked on 9-11? And whenever there is a crisis in the world, whenever there is trouble in the world, people expect the United States to step in with humanitarian aid. We are always there helping others.
But why do I say, imagine a world without America? Because friends, there is coming a day when America will not be the reigning superpower. When America will not be the force that we are today. In fact as we look at the last day scenario, it is found in Scripture, it is alarming that we cannot find America. You can find the nation Israel. You can find the nation Iran. You can arguably find Russia. Perhaps even China. But there is no mention made of the United States of America in the end times event.
So the question is asked, where is Waldo? Where are we? Why are we not mentioned? Well that is what I want to talk to you about.
The Rise of the Antichrist
Because there is coming a world leader on the scene that is going to make Hitler and Stalin look like lightweights in comparison. And the world is going to pledge its loyalty to this man. And he is called the Antichrist. He is going to be sent by Satan. Because when you get down to it, the devil is basically an imitator. Whenever you have the genuine, you will always have the fake. And certainly Satan has effectively flooded the market with his cheap substitutes of the real thing. You have a real Christian, you will have fake Christians. You have real miracles, you will have fake miracles. And the Bible says that in the last days Satan will even have his version of Jesus Christ.
You know, Antichrist, by the way, that prefix anti-does not just mean against Christ. It also means instead of Christ. A world leader is going to emerge on the scene with solutions that have never been heard before. He is going to bring some sense of calm to the global chaos. He is going to bring war to an end. He is going to bring economic stability. But in reality, he is going to be Satan's son. If Satan ever had his son, it will be this man, the Antichrist.
But I don't think Antichrist will be dressed head to toe in black with red eyes and steam rising up with the Darth Vader theme behind him as he dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun. No, I think he will be attractive, charismatic, suave, impressive, intelligent. He will be the greatest peacemaker the world has ever known. They will probably give him the Nobel Peace Prize. He will be the satanic Superman. He will even get the Jews and the Arab nations to sign a peace treaty that they will actually abide by. But the truth is, he will be the most evil man who has ever lived.
You know, many people in America believe Antichrist is already alive somewhere on this earth. In fact a poll revealed that 19% of Americans believe Antichrist is on earth now. I don't know if that is true or not. And in the same poll, half of those who accept biblical prophecy believe that he is alive in this very moment. Well, we will see. I don't know if he is here or not. But we know that he is coming.
Now why should we even give a passing thought to this man that Scripture calls Antichrist or the beast? Because there are a hundred passages that detail the origin, nationality, career, character, kingdom, and final doom of Antichrist. He is discussed in length in Daniel and Revelation as well as 2 Thessalonians. The sheer volume of information about him in Scripture is enough for us to want to understand who he is and what he will do.
But here is what we learn as we study Antichrist and Bible prophecy in general. Listen. We win in the end. We win in the end. Satan will have a few victories if you want to call them that. But in the end the church prevails and Christ returns. But before that there is going to be a time of great wickedness.
Revelation 13: The Beast Emerges
So let's look now at Revelation 13. I am going to read verses 1-9. This is a description of the emergence of Antichrist. Now understand before we read these words that John, being inspired by the Spirit having Jesus come to him on the island of Patmos is describing what he saw. He is using pictures to give us an idea of something else.
Revelation 13:1 And I stood upon the sand 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 name 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 gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Verse 4 of Revelation 13. So they worshipped the dragon who gave authority to the beast and they worshipped the beast saying, Who is like the beast and who is able to make war with him?
Well stop there. I know that sounds like something out of a Godzilla movie. Some weird creature coming out of the sea. Well this is a description of Antichrist. Horns are symbols of power. We are told in Revelation that the dragon is speaking of the devil. So the dragon i.e. Satan gives power and authority to the Antichrist that is the coming world leader.
And by the way that power is the devil's to give. Remember when Jesus was tested by Satan in the wilderness? We read that Satan showed Christ all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And I wonder if he showed him Jerusalem and Rome and maybe he showed him Los Angeles and New York City and Paris and Vegas. I don't know what. But he showed him all the kingdoms of the world. And then Satan says to Christ these are mine and I can give them to whomever I choose and I will give all of this to you right now if you will worship me.
It is interesting. Jesus did not dispute that statement. He did not say that is not true because in fact it was true because as Scripture says Satan is the god of this world. The prince of the power of the air. But Jesus did not give in to this. He did not allow Satan to have his way. But I am simply bringing this up to show you that the devil has this power and he finally finds a taker not in Jesus Christ but in Antichrist.
Now understand another thing. When we talk about the beast that doesn't mean that in appearance he is very unattractive. I think he will be very attractive. Handsome. Probably on the cover of GQ magazine as well as Time magazine. Think the devil wears Prada. That is pretty much the picture. The beast describes his character.
The term anti as I said not only means against but also instead of. Now is he Antichrist against or instead of Christ? The answer is both. He will be a world leader in the place of Christ and he will be in opposition to Christ so he can rule the world instead of Christ. Effectively Antichrist is a fake Jesus.
How many of you have a Facebook page? Here is your hand up. I think people who are on Facebook have way too much time on their hands. But to the point I have a Facebook page too and I will post things periodically. Now one thing that concerns me is every now and then someone will start an account up. They will swipe the photos off my account and say they are me. So it is a fake Greg Laurie page. So people will actually come to me on my Facebook page and say, Greg, why are you soliciting me for funds for orphans in Africa? And I will say I am not doing that actually. And wherever these people are they start up, shut the account down, start it up again. It is very hard to control or monitor. They will ask people to give money. So on my Facebook page it says, Greg does not solicit funds from anybody. But still people will fall for that.
And so here we have the Antichrist. He is really a fake Jesus. By the way it reminds me of a story of a guy that bought his wife a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas. And this buddy said, a diamond ring? I thought she wanted one of those cool four-wheel drive vehicles. And the guy said, where am I going to find a fake Jeep? Get it? So this is Satan's ultimate masterpiece. His crowning counterfeit a forged replica of Jesus.
Antichrist's Agenda and Deception
Now what is the agenda of the beast or Antichrist? Number one he is coming to deify Satan. He is coming to deify Satan. Verse four. So they worshipped the dragon who gave authority to the beast and they worshipped the beast saying, Who is like the beast who is able to make war with him? So the dragon, as I mentioned, is Satan himself. And here we are seeing the devil get what he always wanted. He wanted to be worshipped.
Did you know that Satan used to be a beautiful high-ranking angel? If Lucifer himself were to appear to us here tonight, God forbid, but if he were he would not be red. He would not have horns and pointed ears and a pointed tail and hooves and a little pitchfork and a goatee. Now I will tell you what. If he appeared to us right now he would be a magnificent, mind-blowing, angelic being because that is who he used to be and he still is an angelic being. But the difference is now he is a fallen angel instead of a holy angel.
And going clear back to eternity and heaven, the first sin that ever was committed was not on the earth by our first parents Adam and Eve when they ate the forbidden fruit the first sin that was ever committed actually took place in heaven when Satan said according to Isaiah 14 I will ascend to heaven I will set my throne above God's stars I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north I will be like God. And he was thrown out of heaven and no longer had that executive privilege. He wants worship. So he is coming to deify Satan. That is what Antichrist will do. That is what the devil has always wanted worship.
Number two. He is coming to defy and take the place of Jesus. He is coming to defy and take the place of Jesus of verse 5 of Revelation 13. He was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies and given authority to continue for 42 months and he opened his mouth and blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name his tabernacle and those that dwell in heaven. So he is opposing Jesus offering himself in the place of Jesus.
Number three. He is coming to kill Christians. He is coming to kill Christians. Verse 7. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them and authority was given to him over every tribe tongue and nation. Sadly in the tribulation period many will be martyred for their faith.
Now listen. This is very important. Sometimes people mistakenly think that the Holy Spirit is going to be taken off of the earth during the tribulation period. But that is not true. What is going to happen is before the tribulation period begins that will last for seven years. Inaugurated by the emergence of Antichrist and concluded by the return of Jesus Christ before that is going to happen all true believers in Jesus Christ will be caught up in a moment in the twinkling of an eye to meet the Lord in the air.
And to the point I don't even think Antichrist can be revealed until the church is first removed. You say, but why do you say that? Because Scripture says he who now restrains will continue to do so until he is taken out of the way then will that wicked one be revealed whom the Lord will destroy with the brightness of His coming.
You see the restraining force in the world right now is Christians indwelt by the Holy Spirit. I mean who speaks up against evil? Who speaks up for what is right? Who speaks out against what is wrong? Generally Christians. But there is coming a day when we will be caught up to meet the Lord and then Antichrist can just emerge on the scene and do His thing.
But again He is coming to take the place of Jesus and to kill Christians. And we already see this happening in our world today. Christians are being persecuted by aggressive Muslims in certain parts of the world. Communists are killing Christians. There are Christians in prison today in countries like North Korea and Iran because of their proclamation of the Gospel.
Now let me say something that might surprise you a little bit. We talk about who the Antichrist might be. Instead of worrying about who Antichrist is ask yourself this question. are you Antichrist? Let me explain. I am not asking you to ask yourself if you are the Antichrist. I am asking you to ask yourself if you are anti-Christ.
You say I don't get this Greg. Listen to what is said in 1 John 2:18 Dear children the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming and many such Antichrists have appeared from this we know the end of the world has come these people left our churches because they never belonged with us otherwise they would have stayed with us when they left us and proved they did not belong with us.
See you can be anti-Christ meaning you claim to be a Christian but you don't walk with the Lord. You know sometimes we see people that come to church we think they are fellow believers then they disappear and they even turn against the Christian faith. And we say well did they lose their salvation? No. The real question is were they ever Christians to begin with? John says these people are actually anti-Christ. Do you see? Is that you? Are you allowing someone or something to take the place of God in your life? Are you opposing Him in some way? Or have you cut yourself off from other believers and turned your back on God? If so you are effectively anti-Christ.
Number four. The Antichrist the beast now is coming to dominate the globe. It is coming to dominate the globe. Look at verse 7. Authority was given to Him over every tribe tongue and nation.
Here is something that may surprise you. This tribulation period that will last seven years that is coming upon the earth will not start with war. It will start with peace. And this is what is going to be very deceptive about it. Because Scripture says through peace Antichrist will deceive many.
You see this coming world leader the beast the Antichrist will come at economically difficult times. There will be war in different parts of the world. And through some brilliant political moves along with this incredible charisma he will do what no other person has ever done. He will solidify the world's economic system and bring world peace. So the tribulation does not start violently. It starts peacefully.
And not only that he will help the Jews rebuild their temple. And because of that some will even hail him as the very Messiah. But after the temple is rebuilt Scripture says Antichrist will erect an image of himself in it and command people to worship it. And this is what Scripture calls the abomination of desolation.
He is saying Greg I am not getting all the stuff you are laying on me. That is okay. I am just trying to give you a flyover. Maybe you don't understand every aspect of this. But I am just telling you the tribulation period starts one way and it will turn another way.
Now imagine for a moment a man who is able to get the Jews in their homeland to sign a peace treaty with the nations that they are always in conflict with and living by it. Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, both Bushes helped to broker peace treaties that were quickly broken. I am not sure what President Obama is doing in the Middle East right now. But we just see that we need to pray for our president and pray for those who are in authority because this is something that can't be done by man. But yet Scripture says pray for the peace of Jerusalem. But ultimately Antichrist will come and temporarily succeed. But it is not real peace. It is not lasting peace. It is a ruse. When he will come in and establish himself and ultimately show his true colors.
This is not unlike what Adolf Hitler did. You know when he emerged on the scene in Germany the country was in chaos. Economic meltdown. The threat of communism was right at the door. Along comes Hitler with his words about Aryan pride in the great fatherland of Germany returning to their former days of glory. The people buy into it. Hitler comes into power and then he reveals himself for what he always was. A bloodthirsty dictator. But initially he came in with overtures of peace and economic solutions to a troubled country. This is how Antichrist will come on the scene. At first he will look like a good guy but it will only be a matter of time until people will realize he is a really bad guy. That is the Antichrist.
Revelation 16: The Battle of Armageddon
Now let's talk about Armageddon. Go to Revelation 16. Fast forward three chapters. Armageddon. Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates. I am in verse 12. And as water was dried up so the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. You might underline that phrase kings from the east. We will come back to it.
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon. Of course that is Satan. And the mouth of the beast. That is Antichrist. And out of the mouth of the false prophet that will be a religious leader working in cahoots with Antichrist. They are the spirits of demons performing signs which go out into the kings of the earth and of the whole world and gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty.
Behold I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments lest they walk naked and they see a shame. And they gather them together in a place that is called in Hebrew Armageddon.
Interesting word. Armageddon. It is a frightening word. An ominous word. When General Douglas MacArthur stood on the deck of the USS Missouri and Tokyo Harbor signing a peace agreement with Japan and effectively bringing World War II to a close he made this statement and I quote we have had our last chance if we do not devise some greater and more equitable system. Armageddon will be at the door end quote.
Soon after he was inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States Ronald Reagan was astounded by the complexities in the Middle East and on Friday May 15 1981 Reagan scribbled in his diary quote sometimes I wonder if we are destined to witness Armageddon three weeks later on June 7th he heard Israel had attacked the Iraqi nuclear reactor that afternoon President Reagan wrote quote God word of Israel bombing the Iraqi nuclear reactor I swear Armageddon is near end quote now look it is one thing when some person says this but when a president says it it is a different thing I wonder what MacArthur and President Reagan would think if they could see the world we are living in today.
Now here is something you need to know that is very important. Armageddon is really the name of a place. We use it to describe the final battle. And there will be many battles toward the end of the tribulation period. But the real thing to understand is Armageddon is from the root word Megiddo. And it is speaking of the Valley of Megiddo. So the Scripture is telling us that the end time events are going to happen in the Middle East. And the focal point will be Jerusalem. And the final battles will be fought in what is known as the Valley of Megiddo.
By the way many battles have been fought in that valley already. King Saul was slain in the Valley of Megiddo and at war with the Philistines in 1 Samuel 31. Also we know that Deborah fought in that place as well. But why is the Valley of Megiddo the location of the final conflict? One of the greatest military figures from the history of the world gives us an answer. In 1799 Napoleon stood at Megiddo and made this amazing statement, quote, All the armies of the world could maneuver their forces on this vast plain. There is no place in the world more suited for war than this. It is the most natural battleground on the face of the whole earth. End quote. The Valley of Megiddo.
And it is clear that there is a demonically inspired outbreak of war and general chaos. Look at verse 13. Unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. So these are demon powers filling Antichrist, filling the false prophet, and filling the kings of the east.
And this is very important. Because whenever there is a terrorist attack, when something is horrific as a person being beheaded on camera is shown, when someone attacks someone with a hatchet, or someone kills somebody, all the commentators say, there is just no explanation. How could anyone do such a horrible thing? We just cannot understand it. Hey, I have an explanation. There is a devil. And there is evil. And sometimes the devil gets hold of people and gets them to do the most twisted, demonic things imaginable.
So this is a time that is coming upon the earth where literally all hell is going to break loose. Where these demon powers possess these kings of the east that are marching. Satanically energized individuals marching across the river Euphrates.
Now here is an interesting thing. The river Euphrates. Who cares about it? Well Isis cares about it. Because I just read in the paper the other day that Isis militants seek control of the Euphrates River. The article said, quote, Isis insurgents have made it known that they intend to spread their control along the Euphrates River and Iraq and Syria as well as dominate oil fields of both countries. End quote. Isn't that interesting? Here we are reading in the book of Revelation about the kings of the east coming up to the dried up river Euphrates. And along comes Isis saying they want this territory.
Now I am not suggesting that Isis is the kings of the east because this particular force that is still yet to come is bigger than any army we have ever seen before. Revelation 9:16 says there is 200 million of them. Now who can field an army of 200 million people? Are you ready for the answer? Finland. No I am kidding. Not Finland. China could do it.
Interestingly when John recorded these words there was not 200 million people on the face of the earth yet he is very specific in talking about this massive force coming down through the dried up river Euphrates. And the only nation that could do it in the moment though that could change in time is China. They have a population well over one billion. In contrast compared to the United States we have around 318 million people in our country. China announced in 1997 it could raise an army of 352 million soldiers. That means they could send 200 soldiers to invade the Middle East and still have 152 million soldiers in reserve to defend China.
Not only that but China is emerging as an economic superpower. And it is only a matter of time until they will overtake the United States unless something dramatic happens. Now I am not saying for sure China is the kings of the east. In fact I don't know. But I know this much. There is a force known as the kings of the east. They will march to the river Euphrates. And they will face off with the forces of the Antichrist and the valley of Megiddo. And these will be the final battles that will bring the tribulation period to an end when Christ comes back again and the second coming to establish His reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Where Is America in Bible Prophecy?
All right. So this message is called Antichrist, Armageddon, and America. So where is America in all of this? Why are we not found? I mean you can find Israel. They are clearly described in Ezekiel 37, 38, and 39 as being scattered, returning to their homeland, rebuilding their nation. Then there is a large force coming from the north of Israel called Magog that could be Russia. And then we have one of the allies marching with Magog identified as Persia which is simply the name of what we call today modern Iran. And maybe China is mentioned. But there is no passage you can point to in Scripture with any certainty that would seem to describe the United States.
So why are we not in this end time scenario? Let me offer some possibilities. Number one. The US may not be mentioned because our country is decimated in a nuclear attack. I pray this is not the case. I don't have any reason to believe this is the case. But I don't think we could rule it out as a complete impossibility. There are approximately 17,000 nuclear warheads in the world today. North Korea is working to develop them. Of course Iran is working to develop them. Iran has been very upfront about their intentions, haven't they? They said they want to destroy the great Satan and the little Satan when they get their nuclear weapons. Who are they talking about? The great Satan, that is America. The little Satan, that is Israel. Okay, there you have it. But yet we believe them and give them more time. Iran. I don't understand that at all.
So here are these nations that are developing them, that are hell bent on our destruction. But then you talk about rogue terrorist groups that could possibly get hold of a nuclear weapon. So it could happen. I pray it doesn't happen. But we can never rule it out.
I agree with what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said not long ago and I quote, Make no mistake about it. Isis must be defeated. But to defeat Isis and leave Iran as a threshold nuclear power is to win the battle and lose the war. I think it is a mistake to trust Iran. If I were the President of the United States the first thing I would do is say, You release Saeed Abedini from your prison. Or you will have full sanctions on you again. And that is why tonight I am announcing my intention to run for exercise. I am going to run for exercise. What did you think I was going to say? Are you kidding? What a joke that would be.
That is number one. Maybe we are just wiped out. I hope not. I pray not. I don't think so. But I have to put it out there.
Number two. This is a very plausible scenario. We simply decline as a world power. You know nations rise and fall don't they? The Bible says the nations of the world to God are like a drop in the bucket. As Mark Hitchcock points out in his excellent book His American Bible Prophecy. He says the might of Babylon lasted 86 years. The powerful Persian Empire did a little better 208 years. The glory of Greece was eclipsed after 268 years. Mighty Rome ruled for nine centuries. And the United States of America is 238 years old and counting. But every nation's days are numbered.
As the dollar gets weaker and the Euro and other currencies stronger. As China and others become economic powerhouses you could see how this could happen. And also the Bible says righteousness exalts a nation. But sin is a reproach to the people. Our country has gone out of its way to effectively thumb its nose at God. You see it every day in things that happen. Reminding us how badly we have lost our way. We redefine the family. We persecute Christians. We abort babies as a form of birth control.
Yet here is what I find interesting. Whenever a crisis hit where does America turn? They always turn to God. Remember what happened in the wake of 9-11? I remember that this church was so full the next Sunday. And most churches were by the way. There were prayer vigils on street corners. We were devastated. I went to New York City immediately after 9-11. I walked the ruins of the World Trade Center. The smoke was still coming out of the ground. There was shrapnel in the buildings around it. And we were there seeking to do ministry. And I will tell you the whole city was transformed. I have never seen New York like that. But you go to New York today. It is back to business as usual. They have forgotten the devastation of what happened when we were attacked on that day.
Remember when Congress spontaneously broke into the song, God Bless America, on the steps of the Capitol building. It made some of us wonder, oh, could a revival be coming? Unfortunately that was short lived. I love that song, God Bless America by the way. Originally written by Irving Berlin in 1938. And it was a prayer. Here is a part of the song we don't usually hear. When the storm clouds gather far across the sea, let us swear allegiance to a land that is free. Let us be grateful for a land so fair as we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. God, bless America, land that I love. Stand beside her and guide her to the night with a light from above, from the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans, white with foam. God bless America, my home sweet home.
That is what America needs. We need help from that light from above. We need God to intervene in our nation. And by the way I have hope for America.
Hope Through Revival and the Rapture
And that brings me to my final scenario. America is not mentioned in Bible prophecy because we have a massive spiritual awakening. Now let me explain why that would matter. That is not to say a revival would eliminate us as a world power. But if one were to sweep our land. Think about this. So many people would come to Christ and believe in Jesus. And when the rapture of the church takes place millions and millions of people would suddenly disappear.
Now listen. How many Christians are in America today? I have no idea. There are approximately 318 million Americans. Many polls that are taken will reveal that half of Americans will say they are Christians. But are they? I think it is doubtful looking at our nation today. So let's be conservative. Let's say one third. Let's even trim that down a little bit more. Less than one third of Americans are Christians. So that would mean a hundred million people in our nation actually are followers of Jesus Christ.
Can you imagine the impact it would have on our nation of a hundred million people suddenly disappear. People who are involved in industry, government, the military, business, agriculture, education, medicine suddenly disappearing from the face of the earth. The press in Hollywood would be largely unaffected. But other industries would be. You missed the joke. Too bad.
Can you see how it would have a crippling effect on our entire infrastructure as a nation. And can you see how this would allow the super players of the end times to emerge. The anti-Christ, confederation of ten nations, the kings of the east, and so forth. So it can happen.
But here is what I am praying for America. That we will have one more great spiritual awakening. The Revolution was a struggle for the creation of America. The Civil War was a struggle for the preservation of America. World War II was a struggle for the protection of America. Our struggle is for the restoration of America. We pray that God will help us come back to those roots that we originally had and that we would turn to the true and living God and ask Him once again, God bless America. That is the hope for our nation. And that is what I pray for.
But if we do not turn from our sin, you can be certain of this, judgment will come. It will come in full force. You know Rome, one of the most powerful nations to ever rule the earth, effectively collapse under their own weight. This historian, Will Durant, who wrote in his book on Rome's history, Caesar and Christ, these words, quote, A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has first been destroyed from within. The essential cause of Rome's decline lay in her people and morals, end quote. They collapse from the inside. And that is the greatest enemy America needs to face today. Not Isis. Not Russia. Not China. Not North Korea. We need to fear our own nation coming apart on the inside as we turn away from God.
And God wants to intervene in our nation. And I believe He can send a great revival. A Roman satirist named Juvenal, said of Rome in AD 100. This is fascinating. This commentary on Rome in AD 100. The people, all they care about at this time are two things. Bread and circuses. In other words, He was talking about how the nation was collapsing and all people wanted bread and circuses. Remember the big games there and the Colosseum where the gladiators would fight and all that. Rome effectively said, Hey, what can you do? Let's just be entertained, man. Give us some free bread and put on a show.
Things haven't changed much, have they? We are entertaining ourselves to death. We are distracted by all the things that are going on and we are missing the big picture of what is happening in our country right now. So let's pray that God intervenes in our nation again.
Because listen to this. Antichrist is coming. Antichrist is coming. Now you know we are coming toward the end of this year and Christmas will be upon us soon. You know they just want to hang those Christmas decorations as quickly as they can on those department stores. They want you to start spending that money. They are just waiting. You know it is going to come out the moment Halloween is over. Boom! Everything is going to be Christmas. Right? So when I see Christmas decorations you know what that says? Christmas is coming. It also says large bills are coming. But here is something else it says. Thanksgiving is coming. See if Christmas is close then Thanksgiving is closer.
So as I look at this world right now I say Antichrist is coming. But listen to this. If Antichrist is close. The coming of Jesus Christ for His church is even closer. Even closer. The Bible says when you see these things begin to happen look up for your redemption is drawing near.
So in my opinion here is the next event on the prophetic calendar. It is not the emergence of Antichrist. It is not the tribulation period. It is not the battle of Armageddon. It is not the attack of Magog on Israel. In my opinion the next event on the prophetic calendar is when the Lord comes for His church and calls us to heaven. And that could come at any time.
So what does this mean? It means you will just be out and about going about your business. In a moment in the twinkling of an eye you will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Now the twinkling of an eye is even faster than the blinking of an eye. I am going to blink my eye to demonstrate. Ready? Blink. That is pretty fast, wasn't it? Twinkling is even faster. So you can't even measure it in time.
Imagine you are just out and about and suddenly before you can even process the passing of time you are reunited with loved ones who have preceded you to heaven. For those of us that have loved ones that are in heaven like I do, this is a great source of comfort. And this is why Paul said after he stated these words in 1 Thessalonians 4, therefore comfort one another with these words.
But in a moment I am caught up in the presence of my loved ones who have preceded me and I am seeing Christ face to face. That is when Antichrist emerges. That is when the tribulation period begins. That is when all of these events we have been reading about will begin to transpire. But they won't start until this event happens.
Are You Ready for Christ's Return?
So here is my closing thoughts for you. Are you ready for the Lord's return? If Christ were to come back tonight, and He could. Would you be ready to meet Him? Jesus said two will be in a field. One will be taken and the other left. Two will be in a bed. One will be taken and the other left. That shows that when the rapture happens it is going to be a global event. Some are out working in a field. Some are asleep at night in their bed. All around the world.
Years ago, I was laying in bed with my wife. It is okay, we are married. And we were talking about the Lord's return. And Kathy was saying, Greg, it is so exciting to imagine we could just be laying here and all of a sudden just like in a blink we would be in heaven. Greg, imagine what it would be like. And as she is talking, you know, I am a bit of a prankster. So as she was talking, I climbed out of the bed. And I was laying on the floor. Greg, just with me, you know, like the Bible says, two in a bed, one is taken in. Greg, Greg, Greg! I am laying on the floor laughing. Don't try this at home. I am a professional. Idiot. Okay, so now that is a joke. Probably a bad one. But the rapture is not a joke. It will happen.
You say, well, I will just come to Christ then. Really? How fast are you? I will just pray the prayer. I will pray, Jesus, come into my life. It is happening. All right, Jesus. No, you have to be really fast. Okay. Taking too long. Too long. Too long. No. No. It is a twinkling of an eye. And then you will be left.
Now people will still come to Christ in the tribulation period. But I already talked about Antichrist is going to kill Christians. It is going to be a hard time. People will come to faith. And I think a lot of our friends and family members will come to faith after they realize the words we shared were true. But let's not be one of those ones that finds out what the tribulation is like. Let's be ready.
Here is what it comes down to. Get right or get left. What do you mean? I mean get right with God. Here is what you need to know. You are a sinner. I am a sinner. We have all broken God's commandments. We all fall short of His glory. But God loved you so much that 2,000 years ago He sent His Son Jesus Christ who is fully God and fully man to go to a Roman cross and die for your sin.
You say, Well what effect does His death on a Roman cross 2,000 years ago have to do with me? Everything. Because no matter how good of a life you try to live you will never be good enough to get to heaven. Because you fall short. And we all do. One sin is enough to keep us out of heaven. But Jesus who was uniquely qualified to satisfy the righteous demands of the Father died in your place. He died for you. And then He rose again from the dead. And He is alive. And He is here with us right now.
And He is standing at the door of your life. And He is knocking. And He is saying, If you will hear My voice and open the door I will come in. Listen, would you like to have your sin forgiven? Would you like to know with certainty that when you die you will go to heaven? Would you like to be confident that when the Lord comes for His people you will be caught up to meet Him with all those that believe? Then you need to say yes to Jesus Christ.
And in a moment we are going to pray. And I am going to give you an opportunity to get right with God. And if you have never made this commitment make it now. You say, Well I will do it tomorrow or maybe next week. Well look, you may do that. But what if there wasn't a tomorrow for you? What if this were the last night you would ever hear the gospel? Because the Bible says there will come that last night, that last meal, that last statement, and then eternity. Oh man, let's get this settled right now.
Why don't you believe in Jesus? And then you are ready for whatever comes our way. Let's all pray. Father, thank You for Your Word to us. Thank You for loving us so much that You sent Jesus to the cross. And Lord Jesus, thank You for coming and dying on that cross for our sin. And now we pray for those that do not yet know You. We pray that Your Holy Spirit will convict and convince them of their sin and help them to come to You right now.
Now when our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we are praying, how many of you would say tonight, Greg, I want to be right with God. I want to go to heaven when I die. I want to be ready for His return. I am ready to say yes to Jesus right now. If that is your desire, if you want Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sin, if you want to go to heaven when you die, if you want to be ready for the Lord's return wherever you are, I want you to lift your hand up and I am going to pray for you. Lift your hand up where I can see it please. God bless you. Lift your hand up. I will pray for you wherever you are. God bless you. Up there in the balcony, God bless you too. You guys outside watching on the big screen, lift your hand up there too if you need to make this commitment to Christ.
Maybe some of you made a commitment to the Lord, but you have fallen away. Maybe you were never a believer at all. But listen. You need to come back to Him. Would you return to Christ tonight? Maybe you were raised in the church. If you want to come back to the Lord, would you raise your hand up? Let me pray for you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless all of you.
Now Father, thank You for every one of these that have taken this little step of faith. Now help them to take the next one and begin to follow You. From this night forward we pray. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Hey, listen very carefully. Everyone that Jesus calls, He calls openly and publicly. And in a moment our worship group is going to lead us in a song of invitation. I am going to ask if you raise your hand with me during that last moment of prayer. Saying that you wanted Christ in your life. Or saying that you wanted to come back to Him. I am going to ask that when this song begins, you would get up out of your seat, walk down these aisles, and stand in front of this platform. And when you all get here, I am going to lead you in a prayer of commitment.
You guys that are outside there in the courtyard watching the screen, you need to come around to the back of the sanctuary. We will open the doors for you. So you come and make your commitment as well. You here in the sanctuary, you get up and come. Now you say, but Greg, why do I need to walk down an aisle? Well, Jesus said, if you will acknowledge me before people, I will acknowledge you before the Father and the angels in heaven. But He added, if you deny me before people, I will deny you before the Father and His angels. This is a way to acknowledge Him. This is a way to make that public stand.
Again, if you raise your hand, even if you did not, you want your sin forgiven, you want your guilt taken away, you want to be sure that you'll go to heaven when you die, you want to be ready for the Lord's return. Right now, get up out of your seat, walk down these aisles, stand up here in the front, and we'll all pray together. Get up and start coming right now. Down the stairs of the balcony, come on down. Outside in the courtyard, come around to the back. You here in the sanctuary, come and stand right here.