Greg Laurie - Israel, Iran, and America in Bible Prophecy (01/06/2018)
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Pastor Greg Laurie connects current Middle East chaos to Bible prophecy in Revelation 1 and Ezekiel 37-38. Israel's 1948 rebirth and Jerusalem's focus fulfill ancient predictions as end-times signs. With Iran’s threats and shifting alliances, he sees events building toward Ezekiel’s northern invasion, urging believers to study Revelation for blessing and stay ready for Christ’s return.
Understanding Revelation and Current Events
Who is excited to be in the book of Revelation? Yeah, okay, good. I like that. I like that. Okay, we will turn to two chapters today. Revelation chapter 1. And then if you have one of those fancy Bibles like I have, I have multiple ribbons here. Take one of those ribbons and go over to Ezekiel 37. And we are going to look at both of those together. Revelation 1 and then after that, Ezekiel 37. The title of my message is "Israel, Iran, and America in Bible Prophecy." Let's pray together. Father, we know Your word is true. As we see the predictions of the Hebrew prophets happening before our very eyes. Those predictions being fulfilled. And Lord, as we look at the unrest and the uncertainty in the world, we have a certainty. Because we know You. Help us to make sense out of it. Help us to get a biblical perspective. Even better, help us to have a heavenly perspective as we seek the things that are above. So speak to us from Your word, we would ask. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Okay, so what on earth is happening in the Middle East right now? I mean, it seems like every time you turn around, there is another outbreak of violence, or at least a threat of one. Iranian President Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for the destruction of both the nation Israel and the United States and recently stood before the members of the UN speaking of an Islamic Messiah and a new world order that is coming. Haven't I heard this somewhere before? Of course we all know of that tragic attack against our embassy in Libya by terrorists in a pre-planned attack on the anniversary of 9-11 and the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens. And we know it was pre-planned because of the heavy weaponry they brought in and the fact that they knew where his safe house was that he fled to and then killed him in cold blood.
The Ongoing War on Terror and Arab Spring
But if you thought the war on terrorism was done, wake up. Because after these riots broke out, the crowds were chanting for the benefit of the cameras, take a picture, Obama. We are all Osama. So it doesn't end with the killing of Osama bin Laden. It continues on. And then there is the Arab Spring. And many thought that that was going to change the climate in the Middle East. But instead of being a hopeful sign, we found it is a Trojan horse for Islamic extremism through the so-called Muslim Brotherhood. And I will address that more in a few moments. But why all of this chaos and confusion? What is happening? Here is a simple answer. Bible prophecy is being fulfilled before our very eyes. That is what it is. The Bible predicted these events would unfold. And I might add that the Bible is the only book that dares to predict the future time and time again with complete accuracy.
The Hebrew prophets thousands of years ago foretold the scattering and then the regathering of the Jewish people into their homeland. And they told us that when this happened this would be a sign of the end. In other words, when you see this happen you know that you are living in the last days before Messiah returns. The Bible also told us that the center of the world or I should say rather the attention of the world would be focused on this tiny little city known as Jerusalem in the end days. It would be the epicenter of all that is happening. And surely that is what is taking place before our very eyes. And that is why we are studying the book of Revelation together. Listen. God's objective is not to conceal. It is to reveal. It is not to hide. It is to disclose. And the word revelation means the unveiling. It is to unveil for us what is going on in our world. What is going on in the supernatural world.
The Drama and Hope in Revelation
The book of Revelation in many ways reads like the ultimate action thriller. Anyone who loves a great novel surely will love this book. It contains drama, suspense, mystery, and horror. It tells of rebellion, unprecedented economic collapse, and the ultimate war to end all wars known as Armageddon. Now right now we are experiencing Carmageddon. But Armageddon is a lot worse. If you don't know what I am talking about, Carmageddon is what they call the shutting down of the 405 where they are doing road work. Never mind. Okay. But despite all of these ominous happenings, the book of Revelation also bursts with joy and hope because it ends with a happy ending as sin and death are banished forever.
So the reason we want to learn about the future is to motivate us to live right in the present. Let me repeat that again. We learn about the future to motivate us to live right in the present. Because some would say, well don't waste your time studying Bible prophecy. It's confusing. It won't help you. No. At the end of my message I am going to tell you why we should and must study Bible prophecy but to spice it to say in the beginning we learn about what has happened and what will happen so we can learn more about how we are to live. And some would say, well you can't understand the book of Revelation. Well I beg to differ. I am not saying that I understand every aspect of it. Clearly I don't. But I think that God has given to us a key to understanding it. And that key is found in Revelation 1:19. And effectively it unlocks the whole book for us.
The Outline of Revelation
And Jesus tells John to write the things that he has seen, the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. Revelation is the only book of the Bible that comes complete with its own outline. It deals with our past, our present, and our future. So here are the three sections of Revelation. The things that you have seen, the things which are, and the things that will take place after these things. First of all there are the things that you have seen. That is what John effectively describes in Revelation chapter 1. There he sees a resurrected and glorified Jesus in control of everything that is happening on both heaven and earth. The revealed Jesus who is in control of all that is about to unfold.
So those are the things that we have seen. Number two, there are the things which are. That is a reference to the letters to the seven churches in Revelation chapters 2 to 3. And remember we took some time to look at those seven churches. So now we are in this section called After These Things. These are future events starting in Revelation chapter 4 going straight through to Revelation 22. And by the way your homework before next Sunday morning is Revelation 8 and 9. So read ahead because that is where we are going to pick up next week. But we are in that section now that we call After These Things. We are looking forward to what is still yet to happen.
End-Times Chronology Overview
Now let me give you sort of the flyover of the end times chronology as I see it. And then we are going to talk a little bit about the conflict in the Middle East today. In my opinion the next event on the prophetic calendar will be the rapture of the church. I think that could happen at any moment. And as we see all of these other things happening that only remind us that the rapture is even closer. So at any moment in a moment in the twinkling of an eye we would be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Now either right before that or perhaps right after that there will be an invasion of Israel by a force identified in Scripture as Magog along with their allies. I will talk about that more in just a few moments.
But then a time comes upon the earth known as the Great Tribulation Period. It is also known as the 70th week of Daniel. And it basically is the time beginning with the emergence of the Antichrist and ending with the return of Jesus Christ. And we are going to be exploring that in depth in the weeks ahead in our studies in Revelation. But there is a midway point of the seven year Tribulation Period and it is called the Abomination of Desolation. Apparently the Antichrist this charismatic world leader with economic solutions gets the Jews to sign a peace treaty with the Arab nations. There is a calm and a peace for the first part of the Tribulation. It will not be the horrific events we read about later. And that is why many will hail Antichrist as the Messiah. He will bring about a new world order for sure.
Key Events in the Tribulation
But then at the halfway point after the Jewish temple is rebuilt he erects an image of himself and commands people to worship it. That is the abomination of desolation. And after that we see the cataclysmic judgment of God fall upon the earth culminating in men unleashing his significant firepower in the battle of Armageddon. Actually the word Armageddon comes from the root word Megiddo. So it is really a description of where the battle will be fought and the valley of Megiddo is right there in Israel. We have actually visited it when we have gone over on our trips to the Holy Land. So here is the battle of Armageddon raging. The powers that are fighting in it are the combined forces of the Antichrist facing off with the kings of the east. We will talk more about that later. And then Christ himself comes back with us. He returns on a white horse. Right? And we return with him.
Now this starts what the Bible calls the millennial reign of Christ. How long is the millennium? It is a thousand years because the word millennium actually means one thousand. So it is a thousand year reign of Christ. This is what we read in Scripture about the lamb and the lion dwelling together and so forth. And so Satan is bound for a thousand years. He is released for a short time after the millennium and ultimately judged and cast into the lake of fire and then the new Jerusalem comes down to the earth and heaven and earth effectively become one. So we have heaven and earth. The new earth as we call it. So that is what is still ahead.
Israel's Regathering as a Prophetic Sign
But the title of my message as I said today is Israel, Iran, and America in Bible prophecy. So to understand this let's start with the modern state of Israel. As I already mentioned God promised that they would be regathered again in the land in the last days and many times we are told that their regathering is actually a sign that we are in the end times. Jesus foretold the scattering of Israel. You remember that He stood there at the temple that was being rebuilt by Herod and in Matthew 24 His disciples came to Him and said what will be the sign of Your coming and He pointed to the temple and He said you see that temple there? There will not be one stone left upon another. He made a very specific prediction. He said that temple is going to be destroyed. And not only will that temple be destroyed that temple is going to be dismantled. Very specific in detail.
Did that happen? Yes it did. In 70 AD Titus and the Roman legions came into Jerusalem began to slaughter people and when they came to the temple because they wanted to get the gold in it they set it on fire and they dismantled it stone by stone fulfilling to a T the prediction of the Lord Jesus. But this is when Israel effectively scattered to the four corners of the earth. So the Bible predicted the temple would be destroyed. That happened. The Bible predicted the temple would be dismantled. That too happened. The Bible predicts that the Jews would be scattered. That also happened. But on May 14, 1948 a modern day miracle happened before our eyes. And really a miracle that set into motion the prophetic clock. Because Israel returned to their homeland and against all odds became a nation again.
The Miracle of Modern Israel
Never has a nation been able to maintain its national identity even three to five hundred years after being removed from its homeland until Israel. So she left her homeland. She came back to her homeland again. David Jeremiah in his book What in the World is going on writes this and I quote "Never has a decimated ancient people managed to retain their individual identity through almost twenty centuries and reestablish their nation in the original homeland. This event was specifically prophesied and happened exactly as foretold. It was clearly a miraculous act of God." End quote. And that is true. So here now we have this very specific prophecy fulfilled. Israel is back in their land again. But they did not have control of Jerusalem. And Jerusalem plays a key role in the whole prophetic puzzle. But we know that after they regained control of their land Jerusalem was under the control of the Jordanians. But during the Six Day War 1967 when Israel was attacked they were able to actually expand their territory and they captured the old city reunifying Jerusalem.
So now the city of Jerusalem was under Jewish control for the first time in over 2,000 years. And yet Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Right? That is always the sticking point with many Arab leaders worldwide insisting that Jerusalem and the entire West Bank are rightfully Palestinian territory and it must ultimately be given back as a condition of peace. So I have to just tell you right now that is never going to happen. And I don't think it ever should happen. And I will tell you why. God gave the land to Israel. In Genesis 15:18 to Abraham God said to your descendants I will give this land from the rivers of Egypt to the great river Euphrates. So thank you very much. I am going to stand with God on this one. God said this is your land and Jerusalem is her capital.
Jerusalem as the World's Burden
So here they are established in their land. Jerusalem is their capital and yet Jerusalem is the sticking point in so many of the events happening in the world today. So let's go back and recheck a few things. Let's see what prophecies have been fulfilled. Israel would be scattered. That happened. Israel would be regathered. That too happened. Israel would regain Jerusalem. That has also happened. Israel will be isolated. That is pretty much the case happening right now. Israel will be attacked by a large force from the north and effectively attacked from every side. Has that happened yet? No. But all the other things have happened. So we are still waiting for this final conflict to unfold. The Bible tells us the final conflict of man will center around Jerusalem and the Middle East. Not in Paris, not in Rome, not in London, but Jerusalem.
And so here they are in their land. You know I found it interesting in the Democratic Convention how Jerusalem became a hot-button issue. Remember? Somehow the acknowledgement of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was omitted from the Democratic platform along with a mention of God. And so the White House insisted that be put back into the party platform again. And I don't know if you saw this on TV, but they put it up to a vote. And when they asked the people to vote, I heard a lot of boos out there. Yet they said two-thirds approved it. But here is what I found interesting about that. Was the fact that Jerusalem is right there front and center. I mean all the things going on in the world today and the big issue is once again Jerusalem. But isn't that what God said would happen? A scripture says that Jerusalem would be an intoxicating drink, a heavy stone, and a burden for all of the world.
In Zechariah 12:2-3 God says "I will make Jerusalem and Judah like an intoxicating drink to all the nearby nations that send their armies to besiege Jerusalem. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone, a burden for the world. None of the nations who try to lift it will succeed." And John Walvoord, a respected expert on Bible prophecy made this statement and I quote "the prophecies about Jerusalem make it clear that the holy city will be at the center of the world events in the end times. The conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs will focus more and more attention on Jerusalem. And in all of these situations Jerusalem is a city to watch as the city of prophetic destiny prepares to act out her final role." End quote. So here we are with all the attention of the world focused on Jerusalem.
Ezekiel's Vision of Dry Bones and Invasion
Now let's go back to Ezekiel and try to put this whole thing together. Because Ezekiel 37 38 and 39 talk about the regathering of the Jews and then the attack that will come to her in the last days. First the regathering. Ezekiel 37 I'm reading from the New Living Translation for this section. "The Lord took hold of me and I was carried away by the Spirit to a valley filled with bones. He led me around the old dry bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground. Then He asked me, Son of man, can these bones become living people again? Oh sovereign Lord, I replied, you alone know the answer to that. Then He said, speak to these bones and say, dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says. I am going to breathe into you and make you live again. I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will breathe into you and you will come to life and you will know that I am the Lord."
We will stop there for a moment. Now I have spoken to dead audiences before but this takes the cake. That would be like being called to go preach in a cemetery. Go preach to the tombstones. The people are going to come out of their graves and live again. Oh that doesn't seem likely. But that is the picture we have before us. Now here is the interpretation of what we have just read. Drop down to verse 11 of Ezekiel 37. "Then he said, son of man these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying we become old dry bones and all hope is gone. Now give them this message from the Lord. Oh my people I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. I will bring you back to the land of Israel. When this happens oh my people you will know that I am the Lord. I will put my spirit in you. You will live and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I am the Lord. You will see I have done everything just as I promised I the Lord have spoken."
So this has happened. Here is Israel regathered together as a nation. Now here is where it gets interesting. After Ezekiel 37 is Ezekiel 38. Isn't that a profound insight? We want to get the chronology here. God telling us what has happened and what is yet to happen. Because 38 of Ezekiel tells us that after the Jews are regathered together in their land there is going to be a large force from her north that will invade her along with allies coming from every direction. And this will happen in the last days.
The Magog Invasion and Its Allies
Let's go over to Ezekiel 38 verse 1 I am reading now from the New King James Version "Son of man set your face against Gog of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him." Now Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them. So the allies of Magog who is not identified are identified. Drop down to verse 8. "A long time from now you will be called into action. In the latter days, that is the last days, you will swoop down on the land of Israel which will be lying in peace after her recovery from war, after the return of her people from many lands. You and all of your allies, a vast and awesome horde, will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud." Verse 10. "This is what the Lord says. At that time evil thoughts will come to your mind. You will devise a wicked scheme. You will say, Israel is an unprotected land with unwalled villages. I will march against her and destroy these people who live in such confidence."
We will stop there. Now some would say, well this can't be what is happening at present because Israel is not living in confidence. But I would beg to differ. I don't think the Jewish people in the nation Israel has ever been more confident. I mean this would have been an unthinkable phrase in the early 40s when Jewish people, men, women, and children were being slaughtered by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi killing machine in a so called Final Solution. But thanks to the United States of America and England and our allies we were able to defeat the Nazis. And this really is what prompted in many ways the return of the Jewish people to their homeland again. And it was in the aftermath of World War II, in the aftermath of the Holocaust that the modern state of Israel was formed.
Israel's Modern Strength and Iran's Threats
But they immediately were attacked after they declared themselves a nation. Then there was the Six Day War in which they were attacked. Then there was the Yom Kippur War once again in which they were attacked. And in every one of these wars, despite the fact that their military was quite small, they were able to not only defend themselves but to even expand their territory. Well listen. The Israel of today is a lot different than the Israel of 1948. Israel today has one of the most effective military forces on the face of the earth. They are renowned for their intelligence and for their military prowess, etc. And thanks to the United States being her staunch ally, Israel has been able to build her arsenal up. And it is a well-known fact, though she has never admitted it officially, that Israel has significant nuclear capability.
And that is why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come out and given a very stern warning to Iran that these weapons they are building, this has to stop. And you may have seen him before the United Nations recently with his almost cartoon-like drawing of a bomb, in which he was trying to illustrate to people how close Iran is to actually completing this nuclear program and having a fully functional weapon that they have threatened to use many times. Now some would say, oh no, they are developing these things for peaceful purposes and they would never use it. Listen, if you were a Jewish person who survived the Holocaust and you listened to a tyrant say, we want to destroy you, you would probably take that threat pretty seriously. And they do. But this is even worse than Adolf Hitler. Because Adolf Hitler didn't have nukes. If he did, the world would be a different place today. But the leader of Iran will soon, if something doesn't happen, to stop him. And Israel has every right to defend themselves against this.
Identifying Magog and the Northern Alliance
Okay now, we have this large force moving on Israel, identified as Magog. Who is Magog? Well historically Magog was the second son of Japheth, who according to the Jewish historian Josephus settled north of the Black Sea. Tubal and Meshech, who are also mentioned, were the fifth and sixth sons of Japheth, whose descendants also settled south of the Black Sea. These tribes intermarried, and ultimately became known as Magog, they settled to the north of Israel. So in Ezekiel 39:2 God says to Gog, "I will turn you and drive you toward the mountains of Israel, bringing you from the distant north." Now if you look to the north of Israel today, you of course will find Russia. And you will find the former underbelly of the Soviet Union, Pakistan, Uzbekistan. I can't even pronounce them all. All the stands. A whole bunch of them. Formerly part of the Soviet Union. And Afghanistan may be a part of this as well.
But the significant thing is, and this is a fairly recent development, all of these nations are dominated by Islam. With a combined population of 60 million people. Now, Rosh is also mentioned in Ezekiel 38:2. This is believed by many scholars to be modern day Russia. William Gesenius, a respected Hebrew scholar, actually identified Rosh as Russia as far back as 1827. Now as we look at the allies that march with Magog, they are of great interest. We have Ethiopia. And the Ethiopia of these days would be modern day Sudan today. Libya is Libya. Persia would be modern Iran. These are all Islamic cultures and they are decidedly anti-Israel. Now you say, well why do you say Persia is modern Iran? Because up to March 21, 1935, Persia was the official name of the country that we now call Iran.
Russia-Iran Alliance and Ahmadinejad's Vision
Now think of this. How things have all come together in this last days scenario. Not until the past 2500 years has Russia formed a military alliance with Persia until now. Russia recently signed a billion dollar deal to sell missiles and other weapons to Iran. And there are 1000 Iranian nuclear scientists that have been trained in Russia by senior Russian scientists. This alliance that did not exist 100 years ago, even 50 years ago, even 20 years ago, has now come together exactly as Ezekiel says. Now here is what you might be thinking. Well Greg, now come on. I have heard this before. In fact, what if this isn't it? Well look, nobody can say with absolute 100% certainty that Magog is Russia, and this is how it is going to happen. So whenever I offer these things I say, look at it in the light of Bible prophecy. If this is it, it is it. If it isn't, it isn't. It is all in the hands of God.
So if Magog is absolutely Russia, and these are the allies that march with her, this much I know. This is going to happen in time. And what I am saying is it can happen in real time, and more specifically I am saying it can happen in our time. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from Iran is threatened repeatedly to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. He recently made this statement. And I quote, "Is it possible for us to witness a world without America and Zionism? Well you best know that this slogan and this goal are altogether attainable, and it can be achieved. The regime that is currently occupying Jerusalem will be wiped off the map." Interesting he zeroes in on Jerusalem, isn't it?
Now who is this guy, the leader of Iran today? Well he is a disciple of the Ayatollah Khomeini. Remember him? He was the Muslim cleric that launched the successful revolution in Iran in 1979, driving out the shah and turning Iran into a strict Muslim state. And Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for the end of Israel in the U.S. who he refers to as the uncivilized Zionists. And in their place he speaks of an Islamic Messiah, also known as the 12th Imam. Now you think I am making this up. He believes that a Messiah is coming. An Islamic Messiah that will rule the world. But before this can happen there must first be mass chaos.
The Muslim Brotherhood and America's Role
Here is an exact quote from Ahmadinejad as he stood before the United Nations only days ago. "Allah has promised us a man of kindness. A man who loves people and loves absolute justice. A man who is a perfect human being and is named Imam Al Mahdi. A man who will come in the company of Jesus Christ. Peace be upon him and the righteous." So now he is identifying this 12th Imam and he is speaking of an Islamic kingdom. But before Al Mahdi can arrive on the scene there must be chaos. Benjamin Netanyahu the Prime Minister of Israel recently told world leaders, and I quote, "Iran's apocalyptic leaders believe that a medieval holy man will appear in the wake of a devastating holy war, thereby assuring that their brand of radical Islam will rule the earth. That is not just what they believe. That is what is actually guiding their policies and their actions."
Okay, so let us figure this out now. Here is the belief that when their Messiah comes he will rule and bring about a new world order. But then this can only happen if there is chaos. So we wonder why do the Iranians keep pressing for this bomb? Why do they keep threatening Israel because they are trying to create chaos? That is why economic sanctions will never work against Iran. They just won't. But what about the Arab Spring? We are all kind of hoping that that was going to change everything over in the Middle East. You know these younger people turning toward democracy. I never really bought that theory or believed that the Arab Spring was going to bring about this democracy that people had hoped for. Well the problem is, this is, is they are turning to radical Islam. And the Arab Spring has turned out to be nothing more than a bridge to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Now when I first heard about the Muslim Brotherhood, I would read quotes that they are more moderate. But as I began to research this I found this is not the case at all. For instance, the Muslim Brotherhood is committed to creating an Islamic Republic and imposing Sharia law on the people of Libya as part of the Islamic Caliphate. In fact the new leader of Egypt, who took the place of Hosni Mubarak, Mohammed Morsi, gave this speech at Cairo University in May. Here is what his belief is. "The Koran is our constitution. The Prophet is our leader. Jihad is our path. And death in the name of Allah is our goal." End quote. Does that sound moderate to you? And we provide 1.5 billion of foreign aid to them annually.
Blessing for Studying Revelation
So where is the United States? Are we standing with Israel as we ought to? It doesn't appear so. And I think this is a huge mistake. Because not only does Israel need us, but we need Israel. You say, well why do we need Israel? Because God said in Genesis 12:3, "I will bless those that bless you. I will curse those that curse you." You will find that every nation that has raised their hand to destroy Israel and the Jewish people has been dealt with severely by God. But because the United States in many ways has been the only continuing staunch ally of Israel, I believe it is one of the reasons God has blessed our country. And I believe we should continue to stand with Israel.
But this force attacks. Magog closes in. But then something fascinating happens. And what happens is God intervenes, according to Ezekiel 38:18. And He destroys the invading army. And then He pours His Spirit out upon the house of Israel again. So Israel turns to God. They turn to Jesus. They turn to Yeshua as their Messiah. So great days are coming in that regard. But here is what is really fascinating. Because Scripture tells us that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the full gathering of the Gentiles be come in. And this is a verse that is simply saying right now there is effectively a blindness on the part of most Jewish people when it comes to believing in Jesus Christ. I think we are safe to say that a very small percentage of Jews are followers of Jesus. There are some. And their numbers are growing, thank God. And they will grow more in the future. But right now there is a blindness that has come upon them. And we are in the time of the Gentiles.
God worked with the Jewish people. They rejected Him. He turned to the Gentiles, the non-Jews. That is most of us. We have been grafted into the promises of Israel. But this blindness will continue on until the full gathering of the Gentiles be come in. In other words, when that last Gentile, when that last person believes in Jesus and we are raptured to meet the Lord in the air, then this event can happen. Now seeing how close we are to a potential attack against Israel, putting it together with what God says about pouring His Spirit out upon Israel, which will happen in the immediate aftermath of this attack, you see that this just reminds us that the rapture could come at any moment.
Okay, so now let's come back to Revelation again. So why are we studying the book of Revelation? Well I want you to go back to chapter 1. Revelation 1. Because there is a special promise given in it. That promise is that there is a blessing to those that keep the words of this book. Revelation 1:3 "Blessed is he who reads, those who hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written in it, for the time is near." So why are we studying the book of Revelation? Because God promises a blessing. You know there is no other book of the Bible that comes with a detached blessing. So Revelation is unique in two regards. It has its own outline, and it has a special blessing. So that is where we are studying it together.
How to Receive the Blessing of Revelation
So how do we receive this blessing? Number one, we have to read. Blessed is he that reads it. And that phrase read can be translated read out loud. So we want to read the book. But it doesn't stop there. You must then hear the words of the prophecy. Jesus would often say, He that has ears to hear, let him listen. If you simply read the book of Revelation as a great work of literature, or religious writing, you won't get that much out of it. But if the Holy Spirit opens your spiritual eyes and ears to see what God is saying, it can make all the difference in the world. And then thirdly, the blessing of Revelation is promised to those that keep the words that are written in it. In other words, applying these truths to your own life. So it is not just enough to read it. You must keep it. And I believe if we really understand it, and keep it as we ought to, it will cause us to want to live a more godly life.
So look, all of these things are reminding us that Jesus Christ is coming back. Now, what should we do in light of that? Well, we should be living right before Him. 1 Peter 4:7 says, "The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear-headed and disciplined for prayer." I need to be clear-headed. And I need to be living a godly life. And I need to be ready. Because He could come at any moment. And so I close in asking you, are you ready today? What if Jesus Christ were to come back? What if you went home tonight, and there was a breaking news report that there was an attack against Israel because of a repeated threat to take out Iran? Or what if Israel strikes Iran, and then Iran comes back with their allies to hit back? You could see how this scenario could unfold in real time so quickly.
The Dominoes of Prophecy and Final Invitation
Here is what we do now. The prophetic events given to us in Scripture are like a bunch of dominoes closely stacked together. Remember in our last message when we knocked the dominoes over? By the way, I think that only worked in the first service. All the other services, they stopped midway, and so we never did get that right. But I think you guys had the one proper demonstration of it. But I put a bunch of dominoes together and just knocked the first one down and they all fell after that rapid succession. And that is how the prophetic events are effectively stacked up. They are like a unit of events with a beginning, middle, and end. And once the first one happens, then comes the second, then comes the third, then comes the fourth. And so we are kind of right before the first domino falling. Once the first domino falls, be it the rapture of the church, or the invasion of Israel, then everything happens in rapid succession right up to the end of the scenario we have been talking about to the return of Jesus Christ.
Once the first domino falls, it is effectively seven years or so. Once the tribulation begins, it is seven years until this whole thing is wrapped up. Now when that domino will fall, I do not know. But as I said earlier, the next event, I believe, is the coming of the Lord. So let's make sure we are ready to meet Him. The Bible says that He is coming for those who are watching and waiting. Are you ready for His return? If He were to come back today, would you be one of the ones who would be caught up to meet the Lord in the air? Or would you be one of the ones who would be left? Well that is really up to you. You make that decision. Because before Jesus would return, wearing many crowns, He first came to this earth and wore a crown of thorns. And went to the cross and died for our sin. And absorbed the wrath of God for each of us to call of our sin upon Himself. And then rose again from the dead. And now He stands at the door of each of our lives and He knocks. And says, If we will hear His voice and open the door, He will come in.
If you have not asked Him in yet, do it now. Do it now. Let's pray. Father, thank You for clarity from Scripture about all that's happening in our world. Thank You that in a world that seems hopeless, we have hope, not in political solutions, not in technological solutions, but in spiritual solutions. Our hope is in You. You're in control. Nothing is happening right now that surprises You. And You're going to bring things to an expected end. But Lord, we want to be ready to meet You because before we know it, that trumpet could sound and we could be hurtled into the presence of God. But there will be those that will not be ready. And Lord, I pray that if there are any of them among us now, that You will help them to come to their senses and believe in You and come to Jesus.
All our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we are praying. If you are not sure if you are ready for the coming of the Lord, if you can't say with absolute certainty, you know that you will go to heaven when you die, or if Christ were to return, you would be one of those ones caught up to meet Him in the air. If you want to say yes to Jesus, if you want to be ready to meet Him, why don't you raise your hand up right now and let me pray for you, wherever you are sitting. You want Christ to come into your life. I will pray for you today. Just lift your hand up. Let me pray for you. God bless you. God bless you. Lift your hand up. God bless you. God bless you up in the balcony. God bless you as well. Anybody else? Let me pray for you. Raise your hand up. God bless you. God has spoken to you today. You want to be ready for His return. God bless you over there. God bless you there in the back. In the very back, God bless you too. Up on the balcony, God bless you. Over in the corner, God bless.
You know there might be some of you that are living a compromised life. You are doing things you know you should not be doing. But you want to repent of that. You want to make that recommitment to Jesus. If you are one of those folks, why don't you raise your hand right now and let me pray for you. You need to make that recommitment to Christ. God bless each one. Anybody else? Raise your hand up now. God bless. Alright now all of you that have raised your hand, if you would please, I want you to stand to your feet. Now I am going to lead you in a prayer of commitment or recommitment. Again, you that have raised your hand, just stand up. Stand to your feet. Stand up. Come on. Stand up. Stand up. Even if you did not raise your hand but you want to make this commitment or recommitment, just stand up wherever you are. Stand up. Don't be embarrassed. Stand up. God bless you. Anybody else? Stand now. God bless you. God bless you. Anybody else? One final moment. Stand now. If you are going to stand. God bless. Stand up. Alright now you that are standing I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me. This is a prayer of asking Christ to forgive you of your sin. Again as I pray, pray this out loud after me. Pray this now. Now, Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. But You died on the cross for my sin. And You rose again from the dead. And You are coming back again. Lord, come into my life. Make me ready for Your return. I want to be watching and waiting. I want to be ready. Thank You for calling me. Thank You for accepting me. And Thank You for forgiving me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.