John Hagee - The Fascination of The Future
God's promises are in his prophecies. And in his promises, there is the power. Our God is a promise keeper. Bible prophecy proves beyond any reasonable doubt that God Almighty keeps his promises. His greatest promise other than the resurrection was the rebirth of Israel, may 14, 1948. Jeremiah 29:14 says, "I will be found by you (Israel)", declares the Lord. "I will bring you back from your captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have driven you," saith the Lord. "And I will bring you back to the place from which I caused you to be carried away captive," end of scripture. Where did he call them away? From Jerusalem. God's promise in Ezekiel 20:34, "I will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered in the diaspora".
The rebirth of Israel is the cornerstone of Bible prophecy. Israel is the cornerstone of God's integrity. If God had not brought Israel back together again, the major prophets of the Old Testament would not have been believable. The nation was born in a day. Isaiah 66:8, "Who has heard such a thing? Who could see such a thing? Shall a nation be born in a day"? I'm quoting him. That day was may 14, 1948 when David Ben-Gurion bounded up the steps in Tel Aviv of the Art Museum at 4 P.M., where Jewish leaders and the international press were waiting for his arrival. At exactly 4 o'clock local time, Ben-Gurion stepped to the microphone and announced the birth of the state of Israel.
Listen. Exactly 70 years later to the day, to the hour, and almost the minute, under the direction of ambassador David Friedman, the U.S. Embassy was dedicated in Jerusalem. And I was privileged to give the benediction. In that benediction, as I prayed the words over the public address system, repeated the phrase, "Israel lives, Israel lives, Israel lives," there was a divine anointing that came over that audience. That moment was a direct fulfillment of the promises of God.
Let's compare the life of Joseph and Jesus: and see the past, the present, and the future, and beyond. The names of Joseph and Jesus have the same Hebrew root, meaning salvation. Joseph saved Egypt from starvation, because of his translation of the seven years of abundance and the seven years of poverty. Jesus came to the world and saved the world from sin and Satan. Secondly, Joseph was the favorite son of his father. Jesus was the only begotten son of his father. Joseph was sent by his father with food to his brothers who were in the field a great way off. Jesus was sent by God the Father to this world as the bread of life and living water.
Listen closely. Joseph was rejected by his brothers when he got there. They plotted on how to kill him. Jesus came into his own and his own received him not. Joseph was sold into slavery to the Midianites. Jesus was sold for 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave. Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, a desperate housewife for sure. Jesus was falsely accused by the pharisees as being a heretic, a drunkard, a demonized teacher. Rome said he's an insurrectionist too dangerous to live.
Joseph was sent to prison where he came out on a time certain to stand beside Pharaoh, the most powerful man on the earth. Jesus went to the prison of the grave where he came out on a day certain, the third day, victorious over death, hell, and the grave to stand at the right hand of the most powerful being in the universe, God Almighty. That's where he is right now. Joseph was given a gentile bride. Listen closely. This is your picture. Joseph was given a gentile bride by Pharaoh. And they had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. In their inheritance, they were given an equal share to the land of Israel. Jesus was given a gentile bride at the cross. That gentile bride was you, and you, and you, and me. At the cross, we were adopted. We became sons and daughters of God the Father through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Let me tell you something. Once you fully understand that, it will make you sing a new song. He took our sins and gave us total forgiveness. Your sins are buried in the deepest sea never to be remembered against you anymore. He took our sickness and disease, and gave us divine healing, because he is the great physician. Jesus took our rejection and gave us acceptance. Shout hallelujah, brother. We are children of the Most High God and part of the eternal covenant! Give him praise!
Joseph's brothers came to the land of Egypt three times looking for food. On the third time they came into the land, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers. The fact: the Jewish people have now come into the land of Israel three times. The first time, they came with Joshua across the Jordan river. The second time, they came back from Babylonian captivity. The third time, Israel was reborn may 14, 1948. "A nation shall be born in a day". The point is on the third day into the land, the revelation of who Jesus is, is going to happen. This is the third day. Why did Joseph's brothers believe he was related to them? Think about it. Joseph is looking at them. He is the second most-powerful person on the face of the earth right now, looking at these three ne'er-do-well shepherds, who are begging for a bag of grain. They are his brothers. He's speaking Egyptian to another guy. He's dressed like an Egyptian. He looks like an Egyptian. He has the trappings of power.
How could it possibly be their brother? How could they believe that? The answer is Joseph showed them his circumcision. Egyptians do not circumcise. Only the Jewish people did that. How will the Jewish people recognize Jesus in the future? By the scars of his body. "Then they (the Jewish people) will look upon me whom they have pierced and will grieve as one grieves for his first-born son for seven days". It will be a time of national grief. What did Joseph's brothers do when they knew it was Joseph? They fell on each other's shoulders and they wept and they cried bitterly. That's going to happen again in the near future when Jesus, the King of kings, is recognized by his brethren as being kinsmen redeemer. Why did Joseph send the gentiles out of the room before he revealed himself to his brothers? The answer is, I believe, according to scripture, that God was showing us that the gentile church will be raptured before Jesus reveals himself to the Jewish people.
Listen closely. This is how the story ends and you are in it. The story ends as Joseph brings his family of 70. That number is a very significant number, but I'll just stop there. Brings his family of 70 into Egypt to occupy the rich lands of goshen, the very best lands Egypt had. Our story ends in earth's last empire that's going to come to Jerusalem when Jesus is going to gather all of his family from the north, the south, the east, and the west, and bring them there to live in his presence forever and forever and forever. Isn't that quite a story? Give the Lord a shout of praise.
Now let me tell you about this masterpiece of art. So here we are at 2021. The next thing to happen is the rapture followed by the Judgment Seat of Christ. Then we, the church, will go to the marriage supper of the lamb. Those who do not make this are going to meet the antichrist. He's coming here. This is the seven-year tribulation. As soon as we're leaving, you should be grieving if you're not going with us. The antichrist is here. You will take his Mark and his number or have your head cut off. I'll talk about this more in a minute. This is the first three and a half years. This is called the tribulation in scripture. This is called the Great Tribulation because it's far worse than here. Here is a thousand years. When this seven years is over, all of the bride of Christ will come here. And we will rule and reign with Christ a thousand years. At the end of the thousand years, will be the Great White Throne judgment. God will go and bring every person, who is in hell, a place of waiting, and bring you right here.
Here's where the Bible says people will be weeping and wailing and gnashing their teeth. Why? Because they know they're coming to be formally sentenced. "It is appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment". The righteous undergo judgment here. The unrighteous go to judgment here. Why are they weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth? Because they're coming to be formally sentenced to go straight back to the lake of fire. And they're going to spend eternity here, because they didn't receive Jesus Christ. After that thousand years is over, Satan is going to be released from the pit. The earth is going to be burned with fire. Those of you looking for global warming, here it is. And then there's the new heaven and the new earth. God is going to create the Garden of Eden. And we will have completed a 7.000-year trip from the Garden of Eden to here. And eternity will begin and time will be no more. I've just told you about the rapture.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 and 17 says, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout and the trump of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. And we which are alive and remain shall be caught up to be with the Lord in the air". Why do the dead get to rise first? I don't know. It's not in the Bible. The Judgment Seat of Christ is for those who are raptured, Christians only. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:10, "For we (Christians) must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to give an account of the deeds done in our body whether they are good or bad". The next event, believers in heaven will go to the marriage supper of the lamb. Ladies and gentlemen, it is going to be the grandest fiesta you ever go to in all of your life. Seven years of continual joy.
Back on earth, the Great Tribulation begins. The antichrist, right under that number three and a half, makes his appearance. The antichrist will burst onto the stage as the Prince of Peace. The world is going to wander after him, because there's going to be such chaos when the church leaves. When we're gone, the economy is going to crash! And the antichrist is going to be the figure that can say, we can all pull this all together, have a common currency, a one world government, and the time to do it is now. And the world will wander after him. And those of you, who don't receive Jesus Christ, are going to meet him, because he's going to tell you to take his Mark in the right hand or your forehead. And if you don't, he's going to cut your head off. If you take his Mark, you lose your soul. You see how much easier it is just to receive Jesus and go to heaven.
Matthew 24, Jesus said concerning the antichrist, "Let him which is in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop, don't come down to take anything out of your house". Flee to Petra in Jordan where you will be preserved for three and a half years, just as Moses and the children of Israel were preserved for 40 years in the wilderness. The antichrist is not going to pursue the Jewish people, because he's about to be attacked by the Gog/Magog wars of Ezekiel 38, 39. Now, we are at the midpoint of the tribulation. See that dotted line going down the middle. That's where we are. Ezekiel 38, 39 describes a massive army led by Russia, Iran, Libya, and Turkey, and people following them. They have a common denominator. They all hate Israel. God is saying, "Come on. Come on. Bring it down here". And Ezekiel said he's going to kill five out of six of them. There's going to be over a million people in that army.
Why is he going to leave one-sixth? So they can go back to the nations from which they came, and say, "We went up against Israel and the God of Israel destroyed us". Israel lives. The God of Israel is real. Ezekiel 38:18 and 19, God says to his enemies, "My fury shall come up in my face. For in my love and jealousy for the Jewish people, in the fire of my wrath have I spoken". That's God's word to every nation that hates Israel. God gave the promise in Genesis 12, "I will curse those who curse you". Ezekiel 39:2, "God will slaughter five out of six". Now we're at the middle of the tribulation. The antichrist breaks his treaty with Israel and he invades the land of Israel, according to Daniel 9:27. The antichrist is shot in the head and he recovers miraculously, emulating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Satan himself is cast out of heaven and he makes war with Israel, according to Revelation 12:7 through 13.
The torah-observant Jews will flee to Petra, according to Matthew 24:16 through 20, where they will be protected for three and a half years by the hand of God. Elijah and Enoch, the two witnesses, began their three and a half years of ministry in Israel. I wish I could just... I'm going to be watching it from heaven, but Malachi 4:5, Elijah and Enoch have supernatural power. They will be wearing sack cloth, so they won't be looking like the average television preacher. They will be wearing sack cloth. And if anyone tries to hurt them, fire will come out of their mouth, and they will cremate that person right where they stand. What a gift. Wow!
There are 21 global tragedies that happen in that seven-year period, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven vials. That's 21 sermons in 60 seconds. Just one of them where it's called the Great Tribulation toward the end of the tribulation, God is going to allow the angels to come to earth and to destroy one-third of the earth's population in one day. The only thing that matches the love of God is the wrath of God. And when you outlive his grace and mercy, brother, he takes you to the woodshed and you will never forget it.
At the end of the tribulation, the seven bowls of judgment are poured out. The Battle of Armageddon begins right there at this edge right here. There's an army of 200 million people there. Jesus Christ and the bride of Christ will be coming from heaven to here at the end of that period of time. That army is right there. And Jesus Christ is going to wipe every one of them out. Elijah and Enoch are killed by the antichrist. Now follow this. And the world is so glad, they give gifts to each other like it's Christmas, these two men of God that have served the Lord. Why? Because all of these people in the world have the antichrist's tattoo in the hand or their forehead. And they've done so many mighty miracles that there have been conversions of lots of people. And they lie dead in the streets of Jerusalem for three and a half days.
And then the Bible says the spirit of life enters their bodies. And they hear a voice from heaven, saying, "Come up here". And they are raptured into heaven. And they are seen by everyone on the face of the earth. We are on the naked edge of the rapture of the church, ladies and gentlemen. Christ is about to return. And when we come back, he's going to put his foot on the Mount of Olives. There will be a 75-day interval, according to Daniel 12:12, between Jesus' arrival on the Mount of Olives and his official opening of the City of Jerusalem. What's he doing? The Bible doesn't say exactly, but this is what's going to happen. The antichrist and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire. The antichrist's image is removed from the temple in Jerusalem. The righteous Jews are regathered from Petra, Matthew 24:31. Gentiles, who took the mark of the beast, are judged and cast into hell. And that will be some of you, who do not receive Jesus Christ.
Righteous Jews from the Old Testament and New Testament, the saints, are rejected and they are rewarded. This is in Daniel 12:1 through 3, Isaiah 26:19, Revelation 20:4. It's very important for you to have those verses of scripture. Hello, preachers! Daniel 12 is not to the church: it is to the Jewish people. The church was not born until acts 2:4! The millennial kingdom is constructed. Its beauty defies the imagination. One thousand years of perfect peace. I mean there's no wars, no crime, no injustice. The lion is laying down with the lamb. There are people, who are born, who have never heard the voice of Satan tempt them.
You see, you have to choose to serve Jesus. They will have been born in a millennial kingdom where everything was run by the Word of God. And like Adam and Eve in the original garden, when the prince of darkness seduces them, they are going follow him. And they will attack the City of Jerusalem. And God will again wipe them out, just wipe them out. The Great White Throne judgment will come for those who have rejected the Lord in this generation, and they will be returned to the lake of fire. We will all go to heaven. And the earth is going to be burned by fire. And then God is going to make a new heaven and a new earth. And the 7.000-year trip from Genesis 1:1 to the last jot and tittle of the Book of Revelation balance like a fine balance. And time shall be no more. Forever and forever and forever and forever and forever and forever, we're going to be with the Lord.
Can we stand? The greatest question with all of this information is, have you received Jesus? Is Jesus the Lord of your life? Are you just singing about Jesus or have you really made him the Lord of your life? Angels rejoice, not over a super bowl, but over one person who comes to Jesus Christ. Why? They know the length of eternity. I don't and you don't have the brain power to grasp eternity, something that never ends. Your 70 years on life, the Bible says, is as a puff of smoke. Poof. But in eternity, it will be forever. While you bow your heads, let me ask this question. Those of you who are here and those of you who are watching by television, is Jesus the Lord of your life? Have you received him as your personal Savior? I want you to pray this prayer with me. You're watching by television, God can reach down and touch you on the couch where you're sitting. Pray this prayer:
Heavenly Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I ask you to forgive me of all of my sin. Cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Today, I make Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Lord of my life. And from this day forward, I will follow him and only him. I will live by the dictates of the Word of God. Because of the blood of Jesus, I am going to heaven, and my name is being written in the lamb's book of life. Jesus is the Lord of my life. Amen.