Greg Laurie - Turning the World Right-Side Up

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Years ago, I was walking my dog late at night. Well, it wasn't really walking him, I just let him go and do his business, and he was a bit down the street. And all of a sudden, a cat appears, and my dog starts chasing the cat. They go a little further down the street, and suddenly I notice this cat has a white stripe down its back, which means it's not a cat at all, it is a skunk. And I hear this sound, psh. And I already could smell it, it's unbelievable how bad that scent is. My dog starts running toward me full blast. He's terrified. He's taken a direct hit in the face from a skunk. Now, I know what he's gonna do, he's gonna run to our house. So, I'm running ahead of my dog, trying to get to my house. I left the door wide open. I want to get there before he does and shut the door so he doesn't come in my house.

Right as I'm getting to the front door, my dog runs right by me, runs through my house, I open up the back window, and he goes into the back yard, and he's rolling around on the grass. And the scent was so awful that my wife, who's asleep upstairs behind a closed door, she does have a supersonic nose, though, she wakes up. "What is that smell"? And it was just horrible. And my poor dog is trying to get that smell off of him. And you know, when you're hit point blank by a skunk, you're gonna know it. And that sort of reminds me of sin. It just wrecks everything. Our whole world has been infected by the stench of sin, and there's no way to get rid of it. You know, you can run all that you want and try to escape it, but you can't get rid of the effects of sin any more than my dog could get rid of the effects of that direct hit in his face from a skunk. So, we're looking now at the last days. And we're looking at what sin does in the lives of people. Satan is sort of having this heyday, and he's pulling out all the stops, and we're seeing the destruction and the misery that comes as a result. But why are things the way that they are at this time and in the last days?

Number one, things are bad because Satan is allowed to have his way. He's allowed. God allows evil in the world, and this is one of the hardest things to explain. Because things happen that are just not right. And sometimes, we are hard pressed to come up with some kind of an explanation that will satisfy people. But I can tell you this, Satan is described in the Bible as the god of this world, and also as the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience. And so, he is behind the wickedness and the depravity and all the things that are wrong. But the title of this message is "Turning the World Right Side Up". For the world to be turned right side up, the devil needs to be knocked off of his perch. He needs to be dethroned. Listen, the devil may be invisible, and the devil may also be insidious, but he is not invincible. He's going down and he knows it. In fact, one of the reasons things are so bad in the last days is because the devil knows his days are numbered.

Revelation 12:12 says, "The devil has come down to you in great anger, and he knows he has a little time". It's interesting, this phrase "great anger," speaking of the devil, speaks of a violent burst of fury. It's not just someone who's upset. This is a violent, emotional fury that the devil is unleashing. And why is Satan so filled with hate and venom? Why does Satan want our destruction? Why does Satan do all these things? Because he knows Jesus is coming. For us to know Jesus is coming is an incentive to live a godly life and reach people with the gospel, right? When the devil thinks of Jesus coming, he wants to wreak as much havoc as he possibly can. He wants to destroy as many lives as he can. Here's the second reason things are as bad as they are in our world today. The world is bad because God is not completely having his way yet. He's not completely having his way yet. He allows certain things to happen. He is sovereign, which means ultimately in control, but he is allowing the enemy, the devil, Lucifer and Satan, to do what it is he wants to do. But ultimately, the Lord is gonna step in and change everything and bring an end to the evil reign of the devil and his demons. Only God can do this.

Some people think politicians will solve our problems. I feel sorry for you in particular. Or they think the answer is technology or psychology or ecology. But the real truth is, the answer is in theology without apology. And if we don't have theology without apology, we're going to have our own eulogy. We need God to step in. We need God to right all wrongs and turn things right side up. So, let's kind of get this chronologically before we read our text. So, the antichrist is doing his thing. He has established himself as the head of a ten-nation confederacy, and he's led them to war. They faced off with the kings of the east in the battle of Armageddon and all kinds of destruction is unleashed. Now it's God's turn. Now God's gonna step in.

Read Revelation 20, verses 1 to 4 with me right now. John writes, "And then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for 1.000 years. And he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so he should deceive the nations no more until the 1.000 years were finished. But after these things, he was released for a little while. And I saw thrones, and them that sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. And I saw the souls of them that have been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the Word of God who had not worshipped the beast or his image, or received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands, and they lived and reigned with Christ for 1.000 years".

But let's talk for a moment about what our world's gonna be like during the millennium. Number one, when Christ comes and rules on this planet, there will be world peace. Isaiah 2:4 says, "The Lord will settle international disputes, and all the nations will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. All wars will stop and military training will come to an end". When Christ comes and reigns again, there'll be world peace, no more conflict.

Number two, during the millennium, there'll be joy and happiness and no more disabilities. Am I talking to somebody right now with a disability? When Christ comes and reigns, there'll be no more depression, no more wheelchairs, no more blindness or deafness. Isaiah 35 says, "When he comes, he'll open the eyes of the blind. He'll unstop the ears of the deaf, and the lame will leap like a deer. And those who cannot speak will shout and sing". Another feature of this time is people will live really long lives. Isaiah 65:20, says no longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they've lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at 100. I like the sound of that.

Also, number four, the animal kingdom will be subdued. This is where the wolf and the lamb are together with a little child, and we're all familiar with that, I think. Animals will be completely tame and docile. Isaiah 11:6 says, "The wolf will romp with the lamb. The leopard will sleep with the kid. Calf and lion will eat from the same trough, and a little child will lead them". An amazing time where the animals are subdued, and there will also be universal justice and righteousness. Universal justice and righteousness. No more corrupt lawyers or corrupt judges or frivolous lawsuits. Psalm 72:2 says, "He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy". And listen to this, "The curse that came upon the world because of sin will be lifted completely". Romans 8:19 says, "All creation is waiting for this day when God will remove the curse from the planet". This all happens in the millennium.

Jesus said, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every person". That's in Mark 16. Then over in Matthew 28, we have the other part of what is called the Great Commission, where Jesus says, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. Lo, I am with you even to the end of the age". The Great Commission. Now, in the Greek, it's a command. It's not a suggestion. That's why we don't call it the great suggestion. We are commanded by our Lord to go into all the world and preach the gospel. But well, that's kind of a daunting task, isn't it? So, let's personalize it. Go into all of your world and preach the gospel. Go into your neighborhood, go to your workplace, go into your social media and preach the gospel. Stop ranting so much about politics and talk more about Jesus 'cause there's a world out there that needs to hear the message of the gospel right now.

Here's the thing, to fulfill the great commission means that I share Jesus with people, then it means that I take a younger believer under my wing and help them to get up on their feet spiritually. That's what it means to disciple someone. Listen, older believers need newer believers in their life to mobilize them and to energize them. Younger believers need older believers in their life to stabilize them, so we need each other. Find a younger believer and help them get grounded spiritually. Get out there and do what you can to fulfill the great commission. He's called us to do it, he's ordered us to do it, and it's a joy and it's a privilege to do it. Let's get busy sharing our faith.

There's trouble in paradise. Satan and his minions are released after 1.000 years of incarceration. And people follow them. Now, this just goes to show that people are wicked in their heart. We like to say it's all the fault of the environment or where you're raised, but in reality we have people living in a perfect environment. You say, "Who are these people"? These are the children of the children of the children of those that survive the great tribulation period, their descendants who still have sinful natures. We who have been with Christ are in new bodies. We don't have sinful natures anymore. But these are these people. They actually rebel against God after being ruled by Christ for 1.000 years. Looks like Satan's time of being incarcerated hasn't changed him one bit. He picks up where he last left off and he does what he does best, raises hell. But the Lord finally says, "It's over, no more of this". Verse 10 of Revelation 20, "The devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and false prophet are. They'll be tormented day and night forever and ever".

Okay, let's shift gears. Now, we move from the millennium on earth to the Great White Throne Judgement in heaven. Revelation 20, verse 11, then John writes, "I saw a great white throne and him that 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, standing before God. And books were opened". You might underline that word "books". Notice it's plural. "And another book," singular, "was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works by the things that were written in the books. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades delivered up the dead that were in them, and they were judged, each one, according to his works. Then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire".

Wow, what an ominous scene. This is probably the most serious and sobering passage in all of the Bible. So, here's this great white throne. Why is it white? Because it's pure. And God is gonna judge from this pure throne. And if a person ends up at this judgement, it's too late. There's gonna be no debate over guilt or innocence. There's gonna be a prosecutor, but no defense attorney. There'll be an accuser, but no advocate. There'll be an indictment, but no defense mounted by the accused. The convicting evidence will be presented with no rebuttal or cross examination. There is no jury. There is simply a judge, and that holy judgment will be final and binding for all eternity. Some people say, "When I stand before God, I'll make my case". No, it's too late. There are thousands of chances before death, but if you end up at the Great White Throne Judgement, my friend, it's too late. Who will be at this judgement?

Well, number one, they'll just be out and out sinners. By out and out sinners, I mean people who acknowledge they're a sinner. They own it. They don't make excuses for it. They kind of like being a sinner. These are people that have no interest in God. Maybe they even go out of their way to mock God and make fun of people who believe in Jesus Christ. Yeah, they'll be there at this Great White Throne Judgement. But there's some other people that will be there as well, like self-righteous people. Now, they're different from the outright sinner because the self-righteous person feels because of the things they've done or the good life they've led, they'll be admitted into heaven. They don't think they need God, they don't need Jesus, they don't need forgiveness. They'll be there as well because they ignored the passage that said, "It's not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us". Procrastinators will be there as well.

Now, these people are different from your average sinner or even your self-righteous person. The procrastinator is a person you tell about Jesus and they'll say something along the lines of, "Well, you know what, I really am interested in that. I'm gonna look into that. And yeah, I'll go to church with you sometime. Or I'll watch Harvest at home maybe someday. And I think it's good that you've seemed to have found something that has helped you. And I'm open to this, but I'm busy and I don't have time right now". They'll be there too because they procrastinated for too long. Guess who else will be there? Unsaved church members. Just because you go to church, it doesn't necessarily mean you're a Christian. And there are people that attend churches, there are people that have their name on the membership roll of a church, but they are not followers of Jesus. They're living a double life because they're not really Christians at all. They'll be there at the Great White Throne Judgement. The final confrontation between God and man is there to demonstrate why this is happening.

Jesus explains it in John 3:18, "He that believes in me is not condemned, but he who does not believe in me is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son". Listen, I know this isn't popular, I know this will offend someone, but I'm gonna say it because it's in the Bible. There is only one way to come into a relationship with God the Father, and that is through Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. And no man comes to the Father but by me". So, if you reject that, if you say no to Christ who suffered and died in your place on the cross and say, "I don't want your forgiveness. I don't care about your sacrifice," you'll end up in this judgement 'cause there's only one way to get to heaven, and it's by having Christ come and live inside of you.

As I've said many times, heaven is not for good people, heaven is for forgiven people. Have you been forgiven of your sin? If not, I'll tell you how to be in a few moments. And I'll tell you how you can be sure your name is written in the book of life. So, stay with me because I'm almost done. Isn't it interesting how we read here that books are opened, plural, and a book is opened, singular, which is the book of life. So, what is written in these books? Well, I don't think I can say with certainty. But I think I can offer an educated guess based on other passages of the Bible. I think one of these books may be the book of God's law. The book of God's law. By that, I mean it's the Ten Commandments.

The Bible tells us in Romans 3:19, "The commandments were given that every mouth may be stopped and all the world would be guilty before God". The Ten Commandments open my eyes and they shut my mouth. Because I might say, "Well, I lived a good life and I was a good person". Okay, really? Here's the Ten Commandments. Every one of us have broken these commandments. Let me ask you a question, have you ever lied? Have you ever stolen? Have you ever taken the Lord's name in vein? Have you ever coveted something that belonged to someone else? You'd say, "Well, of course". Okay, then you've broken a commandment. And the Bible says, "If you offend in one point of the law, you're guilty of all of it". So, we might say, "Well, I'm good, I lived a good life". And God will say, "Open up this book". And it's a book of the law showing that I have broken these commandments.

Perhaps another book would be a record of everything I've said and done. Everything I've said and done. Ecclesiastes 12:14, says, "God will judge us for everything we do, including every hidden thing, good or bad". Think about that, everything you've done is recorded in heaven. Every word you spoke, every thought you had, every text you sent, everything is recorded in heaven. And Matthew 12:36 says, "Every idle word a man speaks he'll have to give an account of on the day of judgement". Maybe another one of these books would show that you didn't even live up to your own standards. Because sometimes, people will say, "Well, I'm not into organized religion. I have my own beliefs that I live by". Really? When you say you're not into organized religion, can I be so bold as to suggest what you're really saying is, "I don't want to hear about Jesus Christ or the Bible"? Or what is organized religion? Is that what you call it? I call it a relationship with Jesus Christ.

But anyway, I have my own rules that I live by. I suggest you don't even live up to your own standards. You'll set a standard, "This is wrong and I'll never do this thing". Then you do that thing, "Well, maybe it's not as wrong as I thought. This other thing is bad, I'll never do that". Then you do that. Well, you keep adjusting it according to bad choices you make. See, all these books are open to show you really brought this on yourself. Maybe another book is a record of every time you heard the gospel and rejected it. Because someone might say, "Well, wait, wait, no one ever told me about Jesus. No one ever told me he died on the cross for my sin". No, hold it, check this out. And maybe there's a film reel with highlights of your life, all the times you heard the gospel.

Here you are as a little kid in Sunday school, and the teacher's telling you Jesus loves you, and you're cutting off the pigtail of the girl sitting in front of you. Here you are as a young man, and someone engages you on the street to talk about Christ, and you push them away. Here you are flipping the channels, or you're on a YouTube just looking at different things, and you hear some bald guy telling you you need Jesus. And you say, "I don't want to watch that right now. I want to go watch a cat video instead".

See, you heard the gospel and you're held responsible to what you've heard. You know more than you think you know. Knowledge brings responsibility. The question will be, is your name written in the book of life? One day, every person on earth will meet Jesus Christ. He's inescapable and he's unavoidable. And if you don't meet him as Savior, you will one day meet him as judge. Because Philippians 2 says, "At the name of Jesus Christ, every knee will bow of those in heaven and those on the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father". Every person, world leaders, presidents, prime ministers, kings, queens, movie stars, rock stars, billionaires, unknown people, everyone will stand before God. And know this, the road to hell is paved with excuses. If you end up in hell, you have no one to blame but yourself. Hell is a prison in which the doors are first locked from the inside by us, and then are locked from the outside by God.