John Bradshaw - Earth's Final Warning
We are so glad that you have joined us. I am your host, Joseph Ikner. And I welcome you to Answers in Prophecy, brought to us by It Is Written. Today we're gonna be talking about "Earth's Final Warning". It's a message that you definitely want to hear. So, again, I wanna invite you to get your friends and your family to join us for this very special topic that John is gonna bring to us. Again, welcome to Answers in Prophecy.
Welcome back to Answers in Prophecy, brought to us by It Is Written. I am your host, Joseph Ikner. And I'm so glad that our speaker, John Bradshaw, is with us today. How are you?
— I'm doing great. I'm glad to be here. How you doing?
— Man, I'm doing fantastic!
— All right.
— It has been a wonderful day, and I'm excited about what we're gonna talk about tonight.
— Yeah, this is the good stuff. We're getting deep into it right now, that's for sure.
— Yeah, so we're gonna be focusing today on "Earth's Final Warning". What's that all about?
— You know, you look in the Bible, there are plenty of times that warnings came. And by the way, warnings sound a little ominous sometimes.
— Mm-hmm.
— But a warning is an opportunity. You know, t's an appeal.
— Mm-hmm.
— So you could say "warning"; you could say "appeal". God warned the world back on the other side of the Flood. At the same time, He was really appealing to them, right? And God said, "Noah, build a boat, and then invite people to get on the boat". There was room on that ark for, I don't know how many people, but a whole lot more than got on. Only eight got on, and the world, that then was, perished. What a pity! Imagine being on the outside of that ark and feeling a raindrop and saying, "Maybe he was right". And the water is coming down, and the flood is rising, and you realize, "This is not gonna work out well. If only I'd been on that ark".
— Mmm. "If only I had..." Oooh!
— Yeah.
— I'm glad that that was not my experience.
— Yeah, I'm glad, too.
— That's a lot of water to try to drink, boy.
— Absolutely.
— You know, so I think about a warning, too.
— Okay.
— In the book of Judges, one of the great judges of Israel, Samson.
— Oh, the man who might have been, huh?
— Yeah, the man who might have been, who had such great potential and such incredible strength, he was given a warning.
— Yes, he was. "Don't tell them where the source of your strength comes from. Don't tell them". He even...it was made very plain to him that his wife was up to no good.
— Mm-hmm.
— Still told her, still told her.
— Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
— And it ended up badly. Now, he's listed in Hebrews 11 among the faithful,
— Yes.
— But what might he have been? That strength, that ability, that leadership capacity.
— Potential untapped...
— That's right.
— ...because he didn't heed the warning.
— Potential wasted.
— Yeah. Yeah.
— And then we can even think about, well, modern times, not Bible times.
— Modern times. you got one?
— I've got a couple.
— Mmm.
— Several years ago, I was in Guatemala in Central America, just after a volcano called Volcán de Fuego erupted. A town was destroyed. Went to the town, there was no town there. It was under my feet. Oh yeah!
— Literally under your feet?
— Literally under my feet. Here and there, there were roofs sticking up out of the ground, or out of the ash and rock and so forth. I spoke to a lady; this was, she was at a shelter by now, because, of course, all the homes had been destroyed.
— Yeah.
— She told me about personally going door to door. It was her...she volunteered for the government's emergency warning system.
— Okay.
— And she went from house to house to house... "You've gotta get out! You've gotta evacuate! You can see the volcano's erupting. Come on, let's go! Come on, let's go"!
— Yeah.
— Tears streaming down her face as she told me, because thousands of people, in the low thousands, didn't go.
— Wow.
— People that she appealed to. She said, "I'm here to save your life".
— Yeah.
— They didn't listen.
— Did not listen?
— Yeah, they're still in their homes, many of them.
— Wow.
— Yeah, covered over with all that rock and ash. Sad, man, sad. They should be alive.
— That's terrible.
— Yeah, didn't listen to the warning. And I'm not saying that as any kind of judgment. It's just the way it was, you know. Very, very sad. So, when God warns us, which really means appeals to us, we really ought to take that on board.
— Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, how many warnings have been given for fires? How many warnings have been given for the impending hurricanes or tornadoes? How many warnings have been given of storms that were coming, and people just did not heed it, and lives were lost? Well, in today's presentation, John is gonna talk to us about what God has left in His Word: "Earth's Final Warning". It's a warning that we need to heed so our lives will not be destroyed. John is gonna bring us an awesome presentation. I hope that you're ready for it. Call your friends and your family. Get your family in your home. Wherever you are, share this message with someone because it's going to be powerful. John?
— Thank you very much. Why don't we start again with some questions? I know that as we're talking about prophecies of the Bible and things of the Bible, questions come up left and right. So, I've got my good friend Doug Na'a here again, and he's gonna ask our questions, and I'll do my very best to give you an understandable and biblical answer. Thanks for being here, Doug, really appreciate it. What have we got for questions?
— Hey, John, it's good to be here. Here's our first question: "Now, when the Bible says that 'knowledge shall increase,' men shall run to and fro' in the time of the end, now, is that referring to secular knowledge, or is that referring to biblical knowledge"?
— Yeah. That, you find that in Daniel chapter 12 and verse 4. Really, primarily it's dealing with spiritual knowledge. Many people will say... and I've said many, many times...knowledge shall increase. So, look at what's happened to cell phones and artificial intelligence and all of the rest of it, the internet and so forth. I think that's not illegitimate. I think that's okay, because it certainly is a sign of the times that knowledge has increased in secular things, you know. It's very interesting, isn't it? When I was a kid, my mother would get on the phone, and she would phone the IGA supermarket downtown, and the nice man, whose name I forget, would drive by and deliver the groceries. And we just took that for granted. Now we think it's the best thing in the world if Amazon or somebody delivers your groceries. It's like we've gone back to the future. But now things have just really changed. However, even though that's a sign of the times, primarily, Daniel 12, verse 4 is speaking about an increase in biblical knowledge, spiritual knowledge. And we really ought to be honest and admit that. And you would know that, over the years, spiritual knowledge has increased dramatically. You go back just a few hundred years and there was darkness; the prophecies weren't so well understood, and the Word of God was obscured. Now the Bible is absolutely everywhere. So, knowledge has increased...secular, sure... but spiritual, that's really, I believe, what Daniel was writing about.
— Now, here's our next question: "Now, in Daniel chapter 2, the prophecy there teaches us that Rome will be divided into 10 nations, but the passage doesn't say how many toes there are on the image. Therefore, can we know for sure how many nations there are"?
— You know, that's a really good point. I had somebody many, many years ago try to tell me that that statue in Daniel chapter 2 probably only had three toes on each foot. I'm not sure why it would be, because it was a statue of a man with a head, with a chest and arms, with belly and thighs, and legs and feet. So one would presume 10 toes. But we presume 10 toes, because Daniel 2 doesn't say 10 toes. Is that a fair presumption? Absolutely it is. Because then you go over to Daniel chapter 7... remember that repeat- and-enlarge principle?... the same information is given in Daniel 7 as in Daniel chapter 2, but it is elaborated on. And in Daniel 7, it speaks specifically about 10 horns. Same information given, Daniel 7 reiterates Daniel 2, in fact, elaborates on it, so we can know for sure Daniel 2 is talking about 10 nations coming out of the ruins of the Roman Empire.
— "Now, John, what does it mean to be born again"?
— This is what Jesus said to Nicodemus: "You must be born again". In fact, the marginal reference will say that Jesus said you must be "born from above". This is receiving a new heart. He said to Nicodemus, "You need to be born of water and the Spirit". "Born of water"... that's baptism; "born of the Spirit"... that's conversion. So, when you give your life to Jesus, and He comes into your life and dwells in you and lives His life out of you, you've given your mind to Him, that's born again. Now, some people want to equate "born again" with performance. Let's be careful there. When you're born again, the old you is gonna become the new you, but let's understand that nobody grows overnight into the fully developed Christian. Babies don't turn into adults overnight. Redwood trees don't grow into redwood trees overnight. There's a growth process. So, be very careful. Yeah, you ought to give up the old ways; you wanna give up the old ways. There's a growth process. Being born again is about inviting Jesus into your heart; He gives you a new heart, a new mind, a new life, and then you're gonna continue to grow in the grace of God.
— "Now, John, Jesus warns us, 'Take heed that no one deceives you.' Now, how does a believer in Jesus avoid being deceived when there are so many belief systems out there"?
— I'll give you the answer. In fact, I'll hold the answer right here. You avoid being deceived by believing the Bible. Look, I don't wanna get too close to anybody here and rub anyone's fur entirely the wrong way, but if you look across even the Christian landscape, there are certain things that go on in some churches and you go, "You know, no, that's kooky". Now, we know it's kooky, not because it looks kooky; because the Bible says so. And yet there are churches that believe and practice some things that the Bible goes nowhere near, only other than to condemn. So, accept the Bible as your rule of faith and practice. Don't do it because the pastor of the priest or the minister or the whoever says. Don't do it because your family said. Don't believe because it's the thing to do. What does the Bible say, plainly, plainly? If you stand on that, you're gonna be okay.
— "Now, John, what are the implications of the 70-week prophecy that's mentioned in the book of Daniel"?
— Good question. Thanks, Doug. That'll have to be our last question, I think. A couple of implications. One is that if you misunderstand that 70-week prophecy, then you might have a seven-year period in the end of time where you are waiting for things to be fulfilled, when that seven-year period has been fulfilled already in the past. That's really important. So, misunderstanding this is gonna tie you up in knots. And then there's more to the prophecy. We are going to look at that in this presentation. So, as we dive in, we'll find out the more and the more significance. So let's pray together, and as we pray, we'll be confident that God will lead us; then we'll begin.
Our Father in heaven, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for the guidance of Your Holy Spirit. Speak to us now in Answers in Prophecy, and let Your Word be clear. Let Your Spirit move in a very powerful way. Thank You, Lord, for enlightening us and guiding us and blessing us. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
You know that on the day President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, he was not even the main speaker. That honor went to a man named Edward Everett. And Edward Everett spoke that day, November 19, 1863, for more than two hours. Everett was a seriously talented orator. He delivered the eulogy at the funeral of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States. He'd been the secretary of state, if I'm not mistaken, and the president of Harvard University. He was considered to be the finest orator in the land that day when he spoke at Gettysburg for more than two hours. Today, no one remembers what he said. Then Lincoln stepped forward and spoke for two minutes... 271s word or so, depending on how you count them, 10 sentences.
It's fascinating that in the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln actually said, "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here". Well, the world has forgotten what Everett said, but can never forget what Lincoln said. That short speech is considered one of the finest, greatest addresses in all of history. August 28, 1963, almost exactly 100 years later, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the mall in Washington, DC. He was there for the march on Washington for jobs and freedom. With a tip of his hat to President Lincoln, he began by saying, "Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation". He said, "In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our...republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir". He said, "America has given [the Negro] people a bad check, a check which has come back marked 'insufficient funds.' But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt".
He talked about a day when all people would be judged, "not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character". And then, "I have a dream today". That speech, "I Have a Dream," is recognized as one of the most iconic speeches in all of history. Certain moments call for a message. "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall". After the 9/11 attacks, Canada's then-Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, said in a speech he gave, "The world has been attacked. The world must respond". He went on to say, "We have never been a bystander in the struggle for justice in the world. We will stand with the Americans, as our neighbours, as friends, as family. We will stand with our allies. We will do what we must to defeat terrorism". Words well-chosen can inspire a nation. They can also inspire fear.
When Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev said in an address before Western diplomats in Poland in 1956, "We will bury you," the message seemed pretty clear. Some people thought it was a threat of a nuclear attack, although, of course, that didn't happen. A moment needs a message. And God evidently felt that way when He inspired the writing of the Bible. We look in the Bible into the book of Revelation, and we see that God has a message there for our time, a message for this very day. If you were to break down the book of Revelation, very crudely, you could say that roughly the first half of the book is historical. There's an introduction, chapter 1 then the seven churches, which correlate with different time periods from the time of the early church down to this day. The same is true with the trumpets and the seals.
Chapters 11 and 12 likewise cover a long span of history. Revelation 12 covers the time from Satan's rebellion in heaven to Satan's attack on God's people in earth's very last days. Really, the chapter is like a fulcrum on which the first and second part of Revelation pivot or balance. And then when you get to Revelation 13 and so on, there's an intense focus on the events that would take place in the world down here in the close of time. The rise of the beast, the image to the beast, the prohibition on buying and selling, the seven last plagues, the fall of Babylon, the return of Jesus, the millennium, the earth made new. And right in there there's a message. It's a final message to go to the world. And it goes to the entire world. Let's look at it. There's something in particular we want to focus on together. But we're gonna start in Revelation chapter 14 and verse 6: "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth... to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people".
So, let's not miss any of the important details. An angel, a messenger. No, this is not a white-robed, two-winged angel. This is representative of a message going to the world. And notice, the message is for everyone living in the world... "every nation, tribe, tongue, and people". It has to be tremendously important if the entire world is going to hear this message. Clearly, the stakes are high, and the issues are really important. Everyone hears. Now, I'm not suggesting that this is meaning that we're in any way dependent upon technology, but we can see now easily just how simple it would be for any message to be heard by everyone. COVID has proven that. We have 24/7 news. And if you don't have a TV, you're still getting the news. The world has shown in recent times it can very easily coalesce around a certain single issue.
So, we see the world focusing again, except this time it's a message from God Himself that the whole world is going to hear. That's interesting. In a time when there seems to be far less interest in spiritual things, the world is gonna hear a message from God. There are significant issues in these times in which we live, and only God can adequately address them. Psychology is good, but psychology cannot fix the problems we're facing. Laws are necessary, but laws can't come close. It's like trying to fix cancer with a Bandaid. Protests are part of the fabric of modern society, but protests aren't going to fix the major problems facing the world in earth's last days. World leaders have been trying to broker peace deals since forever. And we don't have peace in this world yet. Although, I noticed that the Bible says that before the end of the world, there'll be people crying out at one point in time, "Peace and safety"! Although the Bible then says "sudden destruction" will come.
Human plans are bound to fail. And that's not me being critical or cynical. We have to do our best. Leaders are elected, and we want them to fix society's problems. We certainly don't want anarchy. Human beings have a right to express themselves. We agree with that. People have being trying to fix things ever since Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden. Then you had people in the book of Genesis building a tower so they could get to heaven. That was at Babel. Now, that didn't work. God established a nation, Israel, but Israel went into captivity. Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD. The League of Nations was established 100 years ago, not long after World War I. Its mission was to maintain world peace. Well, those guys should've been fired. We've got the United Nations now. Its aim is to maintain international peace and security. Ain't anybody calling that a runaway success. And that's because we've got the human heart to deal with. Only the transformation of the human heart can bring about the changes we need in this world.
What's gonna fix racism? Not laws. Racism happens in the heart. I'm not saying laws are bad things, but it's not gonna fix a racist. You're gonna threaten racists? You're gonna imprison them? Even if you locked them all up, you still wouldn't have fixed racism. It would still exist. The death penalty exists in several countries, most notably in the Western world, the United States, but it doesn't lead to any decline in murder rates. You see what I'm saying? So, here in Revelation 14, God calls to the human family. This is God saying, "I have a solution for the problems facing the world". If we listen to God here, we will be in much better shape.
So, the message goes to the entire world. And you'll notice the verse has the angel "saying with a loud voice, 'Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of waters.'" The angel speaks with a "loud voice"... in the Greek language, with a "mega phóné," a megaphone, a loud voice. Loud because God wants everyone to hear what's being said. More than that, God wants everybody to understand what's being said. So, at a time when people are busy doing their own thing like never before, God calls to the world. Have you noticed in recent years there's this thing where people talk about "living your truth"? It's about...and this is what you'll find. People have written about this. It's about discovering who you really are and being that person. Some say living your truth means to live out your joy. Whatever makes you truly happy, do that. And that's "living your truth," embracing yourself as a person, living openly and celebrating who you feel you really are.
You know, I hear that and I think, wait a minute! Now, I get it. I know people wanna be happy. Sure. And you wanna be you. Absolutely. But there's more to this. You want to be who and what God created you to be. This business about living your truth, it's a new agey concept. What if your truth, what if you being you is to love beer and cigarettes? Living your truth would involve you dying of lung cancer in your 60s. No, that's not you living your truth. But what if living your truth is about smoking weed and tattooing your face and living a polyamorous life? Is that you living your truth? Some people would have to say that yes, that's living your truth. God would say, "No, that's not my ideal for you". God has better for us.
This message in earth's last days is designed to arrest Planet Earth and call us above whatever our own truth is so that we can embrace God's truth and live His truth in our lives. You weren't created to be a victim, but to be victorious through Jesus. You weren't put on this earth to be anybody's doormat. You were put here to successfully step into the purpose God has for you. You don't exist so you can be trapped in a prison that someone has built for you. Instead, God wants you to "mount up with wings as eagles". You don't have to be unappreciated. There's Someone who died for you because He loves you, made you purposely so that you could hear His liberating message for the entire world. So, let's look at it: "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of waters".
Now, that phrase, "fear God," isn't intended to convey the idea of terror, of being frightened. Yes, I'd agree that one should have the utmost respect for God, and one shouldn't treat God like He's just one of the boys. There's too much of that. But I'll give you some examples from the Bible. Abraham was said to have feared God when he didn't withhold his son Isaac. God said that Job "fears God and shuns evil". Solomon wrote that we are to "fear God and keep His commandments". Jesus spoke about a judge "who did not fear God nor regard man". Paul addressed a crowd one day and he said, "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen". So, you see, the idea isn't about cowering in fear. This is a deep respect. This is being a servant of God. This is recognizing God as supreme. The message is "fear God", make God supreme in your life. Serve God. You can understand a call like that going out to today's world. People are doing their own thing, their own way. They are what? Living their own truth. But God says He has something better. That is, that we connect our lives with the life of Him who created the world. "Fear God and give glory to him". This is honor God. Serve God. Honor God. "Fear God...give glory to Him". And why? Because "the hour of His judgment is come".
Let's come back to that. We'll come back to that. "And worship Him [that] made heaven and earth, [and] the sea and [the] springs of waters". Now, I'm gonna tell you something. It is absolutely no coincidence that evolutionary theory is so commonly believed and so widely promoted. Now, I don't wanna pick a fight with evolutionists. I know that there are many honest, intelligent, respected people who believe evolution. And I would not wanna call their integrity into question. But evolution simply states... and this is just the way it is... that God did not create the world, that the world is not the result of a planned, instigated intervention on the part of the Majesty of the universe. Evolution states that we just got here, and God had nothing to do with it.
If Creation didn't happen, there's no Adam and Eve, and therefore Jesus isn't the second Adam. There would have to be no sin in the Garden of Eden, and therefore it's very hard to imagine that there would even be such a thing as sin. No sin, no redemption, no Savior from sin. It means that much of the Bible is an absolute hoax. Genesis 1? No, no Creation story. Genesis 2 and 3 are gone as well, meaningless. What about the Sabbath day given as a memorial of Creation? Gone. Which means now the commandments of God are under attack. Jesus believed the Creation story. Revelation stands on the Creation story. Evolution undoes all of that. "Well," you might ask, "what about carbon dating? And what about the fossil record? And what about the earth being billions of years old"?
If your starting point is that there is no God and that the Bible can't possibly inform your views on creation or origins, then of course you're gonna have to believe evolutionary theory. You look at a rock and you say, "It can't have been created 6,000 years ago, because there was no creation". And so, therefore, you're open to whatever theory you like. Why do I believe Creation? One, because it's good science, and two, because it's consistent with the Bible narrative. And yes, it's good science. There are many scientists who don't believe evolution and do believe Creation. And there are tons of reasons why you can believe the Creation account of the Bible. Remember, take it away and you don't have much Bible left.
So, in Revelation 14, you've got the angel messenger saying, "Worship Him who made heaven and earth, and [the] seas and [the] springs of water". It's a call to worship God as the Creator. And that's significant, because the second angel warns against Babylon. We've looked at that. That's a system of falsehood, false teaching, false religion. And God pronounces, for the world to hear, that He is calling people away from compromise and unbiblical teachings so that they can follow Jesus. You don't wanna be led astray. You just don't. You want to know what you believe measures up with the will and the Word of God. The challenge, of course, is that we can become territorial about this. We can be tribal, you know. "Well, I must be right, because this is what I've always believed". What you find is that God is asking us to take an honest look at what we believe.
You know what it's like in these days. You can't get lost anymore because you've got a GPS. No more maps. Remember folding out those great big maps as you drive down the road? GPS will take you straight to the front door of the home you're trying to find, or right to the business you're looking for... unless it doesn't. Have you ever had to call someone? "What's your address again"? Used to happen more a few years ago before GPSs got more accurate. I've had people who've said to me on the phone, "Oh, you followed the GPS, didn't you"? If the guidance you're getting is off, you're gonna end up in the wrong place, wrong destination. And we all have to be careful that we're not being led in the wrong direction. Think about what we hear: "Evolution or creation". You even hear that in some churches. "Jesus was born of a virgin". "Oh, no, no, we don't believe that". Even in church. "There was a global, worldwide flood". Or, "In the days of Noah, there wasn't a global flood. There was no flood," or, "There were regional floods". Except that's not what the Bible says, and it's not what Jesus Himself taught. "The Ten Commandments absolutely should be obeyed," or, "No, no, you don't have to keep the Ten Commandments".
Even though they're written here in the Bible. You hear that in church. "Speaking in tongues, that's speaking known languages," or, "No, it's just speaking whatever comes out of your mouth". And, you know, there's a big difference between the two. And you will find that even believers disagree on this. There's confusion in the world on spiritual things. And that word "Babylon" comes from the word "Babel," which means "confusion". God doesn't want us to be confused. David wrote that God's Word was "a lamp [to his] feet, and a light [to his] path". It provides clear guidance. That's God's will for you. He doesn't want you to be lied to. He doesn't want you to be led astray. And do you know? The devil will lead you astray. He will lie to you. He will confuse you. He'll trick you. The Bible, that's your defense. The Bible, never more relevant than it is today.
Then there's a third angel. This angel says, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation". That's strong medicine. But that's because God knows the world is sick right now and needs the spiritual healing that that medicine would bring. We find that in the Word of God. And let me say this: What this message tells you is that the whole world is gonna be led in the wrong direction, except those who rely completely on the grace of God, except those who surrender fully to Jesus, except those who allow Jesus to be their righteousness, those who allow Jesus to live His life in them.
As Paul wrote to the Galatians, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me". Let's pause here for a moment. Did you see that? You see what God wants for you? God wants to bless your life and give you hope and assurance. God wants you to know that He can move into the brokenness of your life and put it all back together. God wants you to know that He can move into your emotional weakness. Whatever about you is fragile, whatever about you has been broken down, God says, "I can move right into that part of your life and put you back together, make you better than you've been before, make you strong, give you confidence". God says, "I can do that for you". And you know why? That word there in Galatians 2:20, "crucified," the old you is put to death when you come to faith in Jesus. A new you exists, and Jesus lives His life in the new you. That's what God is calling you to, to surrender to the presence of the Creator of the world.
Imagine your life with Jesus living His life in you. Imagine that life. Have you ever been hopeless, ever? Ever been hopeless? Imagine if the Creator of the universe came alongside of you, would you be hopeless now? Have you ever had a situation, you say, "This is just too crazy. It's too bad. Things are falling apart. It's too big. I can't handle it"? Do you think God could handle it? And this is what He's offering you. He's saying, "Just let me into your life. I'll make everything just like it ought to be". But we look back to that first angel who calls us to "fear God," give glory to God, honor God, and worship the Creator Jesus, because...what did we read? "The hour of His judgment has come". Back in Daniel we see a fascinating picture of the judgment in progress. In Daniel chapter 7, there's the rise and fall of nations: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome. Rome divides into 10 nations. A small nation rises up and comes into power. It would be a blasphemous power. It would persecute God's people.
And the Bible then says in Daniel chapter 7, "I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire". You have the nations rise, judgment, then the sweeping away of the kingdoms of the world, and then Jesus returning to the world. So, when is this judgment? To show you that, I want to look with you at another time prophecy, Daniel and chapter 8 this time. Daniel chapter 8. In Daniel 8, Daniel has another dream. In this dream, he sees a ram, which the passage tells us is the kingdom of Medo-Persia. Babylon doesn't feature now because Babylon has already been conquered by this time. Then Daniel sees a goat, which he says is Greece, and then the little horn, which is gonna ultimately influence the world. Then a voice asks, "How long will this vision be"? And the answer is given: "For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary [will] be cleansed".
That's Daniel chapter 8 and verse 14. In the Old Testament, the cleansing of the sanctuary was a judgment day, the once-in-a-year judgment of the people of God. And we're told it's going to be at the end of 2,300 days. Now, you already know what a day represents in Bible prophecy. So, let's keep that in mind. Daniel did not know what this meant, but he says, "I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, 'Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.' So he came near where I stood, and when he came, I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, 'Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.'" And again: "And he said, 'Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be.'"
So, whatever this is, it's for the time of the end. It's for the latter days of the world's history. "'And the vision of the evenings and mornings which was told is true; therefore seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future.' And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king's business. I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it". It's in the next chapter that we find the 70-weeks prophecy we looked at last time. It starts off by saying, "Seventy weeks are determined for your people". That word "determines," it means, in the Hebrew, "cut off". Seventy weeks are "cut off" something. Now, we found out last night that this prophecy begins in the year 457 BC. That's where we start measuring. And why is that? Because as Gabriel said, "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seventy weeks and sixty-two weeks".
Remember that command? When was it given? 457 BC. By whom was it given? By the Medo-Persian ruler Artaxerxes. So, start there, and start measuring. We found last time that the 70 weeks, the 490 years, reach down to 34 AD. The first 69 weeks reach to the Messiah, when Jesus would be anointed as Messiah at the fulfillment of the 69 weeks. That was at His baptism. Now, remember, a day equals a year. Seven days in a week...seven years; 69 weeks, that's 483 years. It reaches down to the time Jesus was anointed as the Messiah at His baptism, 27 AD. Another week was given to the Jewish people to come to repentance. And that stretched to 34 AD. At that time the gospel was to be taken to the whole world. It was no longer just Jews who could be saved, but the gospel commission was now, "Go to Jews and gentiles". That's why Paul wrote to the Galatians, and he said there was no longer Jews nor Greeks, "for you are all one in Christ Jesus".
Now, if the 70 weeks that pointed to Jesus as the Messiah was cut off from something, what was it cut off from? It was cut off the 2,300 days, which, of course, must be 2,300 years. Let's start in 457 BC, pull out the measuring tape, 2,300 years... where do we land? We land in the year 1844. Now, what's significant about that? No, no, nothing happened on earth that shook the planet. Something happened in heaven. What was that? The cleansing of the sanctuary began. Judgment began. Which means there's a judgment going on in heaven right now. Are we sure about that? Yes. The angel Gabriel told Daniel that the sanctuary would be cleansed at the end of this 2,300-day-year period. The cleansing of the sanctuary in the Old Testament was the day of judgment for God's people. So, there will be a judgment day for God's people down at the close of time. And this time it's not a 24-hour period. The judgment continues until it's over and Jesus returns.
So, what's going on in this judgment? God is forgiving sins and preparing a people who will be ready to meet Jesus when Jesus returns. That's the idea of judgment. Remember what Daniel wrote in Daniel 7? "The judgment was set, and the books were opened". Evidently there are records kept in heaven. And we'll be judged, individually and personally, based on those records, records that have been kept of our lives. Are you thinking? Let me ask you: How confident would you be knowing that God is gonna judge you? How squeaky clean do you consider your life to be? Interesting thought, isn't it? There's a work of judgment going on in heaven. You know that there was a sanctuary on earth, and there's one in heaven. And the plan of salvation is being conducted there just as verily as it was being worked out here. You remember when Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn in two? This was God saying the services of the earthly temple are no longer of any consequence. That's over. No more lambs, no more lambs as sacrifices. Because the true Lamb has been offered out there on an old rugged cross.
And so now we aren't concerned with an earthly temple, nor are we concerned with an earthly priesthood. Because there's a heavenly temple and a heavenly Priest. Revelation 11:19 says, "And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail". The temple of God was opened in heaven. I wanna show you something in the book of Hebrews. We start in Hebrews chapter 9: "Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the holiest of all". But I want to look with you at something that he goes on to say; this is also Hebrews chapter 9. He picks it up in verse 11: "But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption".
Did you notice what it said? There was an earthly sanctuary. Right. It had the candlestick and the showbread and all of that. But then Jesus came, and He has a greater and more perfect tabernacle. And Jesus doesn't come with animal blood, but with His own blood. You see, the book of Hebrews talks about this for chapters. And it's written to the Hebrews, to Jews... or former Jews, religiously speaking... and the writer was explaining to them that the old Jewish temple, customs, and rights, and sacrifices are no longer what's important. In fact, they're obsolete. God is saying that what's important is what's going on in heaven, where Jesus is, as our High Priest. A priest is a mediator, the one who acts as the go-between between us and God, the one who ministers the sacrifice that he himself made. In the Old Testament times, you might have brought a lamb or a goat, or even a turtle dove, to be offered at the sanctuary as a sacrifice. The priest would then minister the blood in the sanctuary. An offering would be made for sin.
Now there's no earthly sanctuary. You don't take a lamb to the temple and slit its throat. Instead, Jesus died as the true lamb. Do you remember what John the Baptist said? He saw Jesus, and he said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world"! John the Baptist got it. He knew Jesus died as the lamb, and went to heaven, where He is now our...where He is now your...High Priest. Hebrews chapter 8: "Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man". The Bible is assuring us that in this judgment we are represented by a High Priest we can trust, One who knows what it is to be tempted, a High Priest who knows, from experience, what the battle with sin is like. Jesus can empathize because He's been in your shoes. He knows what it's like to have a long day. He knows what it's like to be tired and worn out. He knows what it's like to have people against Him. He knows what it's like to be presented with the opportunity to sin, and then deny that and choose to surrender to God instead.
It says this in Hebrews 4: "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need". Did you see that? Profound! There's a judgment going on in heaven. Paul wrote that "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad". 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 10. Solomon wrote that "God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil". That's in Ecclesiastes and chapter 12.
Now, that does not mean that you cannot have the assurance of salvation. This does not mean that you have to wait until after this judgment before you can know that you have eternal life. Oh, no! You accept Jesus as your Savior, yield your heart to Him, and you have the gift of eternal life. In the judgment, God is gonna review your life and mine and see if we truly gave Him our hearts. He's going to look at what our decisions were, and then He'll honor our decisions. The judgment is really like an audit. If you chose Jesus, the judgment simply reveals that. It says you accepted salvation. Done! If you really didn't, or if you changed your mind and walked away from God, God will look at the judgment in the judgment, and He will say, "No, this person didn't really accept me. So I will honor her decision. I will honor his decision". In the judgment God is reviewing choices that we have made. And He honors those choices. There's nothing to fear.
If you've accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the judgment is great news. You can wander into it, rush into it, knowing that when God judges me, it's okay. Because instead of seeing a long list of sins, He is going to see that I have been cleansed and washed and made new in the blood of Jesus. That is, Jesus died for me, and by His blood, which He shed on the cross, through faith in that blood, through faith in the sacrifices Jesus made, for me, I know that I have the gift of eternal life. I hope you know that you have the gift of eternal life. You know, you can know, and you could settle it right now. I'd like to give you the opportunity to make a decision for Jesus. So that when we're done in just a few minutes, you can breathe easy, knowing that everything is right between you and God. You can know that you have accepted what Jesus did for you, that God acknowledges that and honors that and considers you to be His own, His child, His saved child.
Would you do something for me? Would you send me a text message? Here's the number I would like you to text. It's area code 423, and it's 264-2575. You're gonna text me at that number. You're saying, "John, what am I gonna text you? If that's your number, that's great, but what message do you want me to text you"? By the way, don't push this on Facebook if you're watching the Facebook Live, or wherever you're watching right now. You wanna text me this with your phone. Okay. The number: 423-264-2575. "Well, what do you want me to text you, John"? Here it is. It's the word "act". A-C-T, "act". Text that one word to that number, and you'll get a text right back from me. And that text will be a link. Now, click on the link. And when you do, you're gonna see a form in front of you. And you'll see the first line that says, "I understand Jesus represents me in the judgment".
For almost 200 years, judgment has been going on in heaven. How long will it go? Don't know. I'm glad it continues to go on, though, because if it had quit, you know, not that many years ago, I'd be a lost man. If it quit a few more years ago, I'd never have been born. So, I'm glad that God keeps this thing going. I'm glad. How long will it go? I don't know. You think it can go too much longer? I doubt that very much. But what you want to know is that Jesus represents you in the judgment. He's your High Priest. So, you wanna mark number 1: "I understand Jesus represents me in the judgment". Number 2: I want to follow the teachings of the Bible. If that's your desire, just mark right there. Nothing specific. But if you can say in your heart, "I want the Bible to be my guide," then mark there number 2. God sees that. God sees that.
Number 3: "I want to give my entire life to Jesus". Is that your desire? If you've done so already, thank God for you. You may check there just to reiterate your decision. If you've never made that decision, I'm praying for you in my heart as I speak. I'm praying that God would move in your heart to make a decision for Jesus, so you can have His peace, His purity, His righteousness, His forgiveness, His grace, His mercy, His everything, His presence in your life. And you can live His truth, as Jesus, "the Way, the Truth, and the Life," lives in you. If you have a request for prayer, if there's something on your heart that you'd like somebody else to pray for, my Answers in Prophecy team would love to pray for you. So, go ahead, if you care to...you don't have to... and let us know how we can pray for you. And then fill out the rest of the form so we can pray for you and, if we need to, we can get in touch with you.
And I wanna remind you that I don't wanna just see you make a decision and then go on your merry way. Really wanna get close to you and encourage you and send you a message of encouragement and support. 423-264-2575. You're gonna send me a text message. You just got your phone. "What do I do"? That's the number? Text me the word "act". I'll send you a link. Click the link. A form will come up. "I understand"...number 1... "Jesus represents me in the judgment". "I wanna follow the teachings of the Bible". "I want to give my entire life to Jesus". Let us know if you want us to pray for you. We'll be glad to do that. And let us know how we can get in contact with you if we need to do that. And let me pray with you now. Come on, let's pray now.
Our Father in heaven, I thank You that we have a great High Priest, a merciful Savior who says, "Come to me, and I will give you rest". We've done that tonight. We've made decisions for You. And now, Lord God, seal those decisions. Take hold of every heart, and then keep us by Your grace until that wonderful day that Jesus returns to take us home. And let that day come soon, we pray, in Jesus' name, amen.