Paul's Promise of Our Lord's Return, Part 3

Let's pray. Father, we thank you, Lord, for today and a chance to study your word. What a joy it is for us to gather together and spend time looking at the end. The end really is the beginning. It's the beginning of eternity, and we anticipate what that's going to be for all of us, Lord, who know you. And so, Lord, we pray that the things we learned tonight will move us and urge us to share the gospel with maybe somebody we don't know or somebody we do know in our family, a friend of ours. To compel them to believe the gospel, to realize the need for salvation is today, not tomorrow.

And so, Lord, we just pray for our time together this evening that you would open our eyes, that we might behold wonderful things out of your law. We pray in your name. Amen. If someone was to ask you, what does it mean to walk with the Lord, to walk with God, I wonder how you would answer that question. We know about Enoch in Hebrews chapter 11. In Hebrews chapter 11, we know that Enoch walked with God. And so much so, it says he had this testimony that he pleased God. So whatever it means to walk with God.

It means that you're going to end up pleasing God. That's important, right? And so we want to live a life that walks with God that we might please the Lord. But interest, Enoch didn't always walk with the Lord. He didn't walk with the Lord until he was 65. I'm 62. That means three years from now, I could start walking with the Lord, but I'm not going to live another 300 years after that. Because Enoch lived to be 3. But listen to what the Bible says in the book of Genesis, the fifth chapter.

It says, Verse 25, 21 of chapter 5. Enoch lived 65 years and became the father of Methuselah. Then Enoch walked with God. So there's something about the birth of Methuselah that caused Enoch to walk with God. And then it says this. Enoch walked with God 300 years after he became the father of Methuselah. And he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were 3 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. Enoch is one of those unique individuals who never face death.

He walked right up into heaven. God took him home. And Enoch was one who walked with God after the birth of Methuselah. Now that's important because he named his son. A n that would describe what was going to happen. And Methuselah's name means when he dies. It shall be. The question is: when he dies, what shall be? Well, we know that Methuselah lived 969 years. That's a long time. By anybody's measurements, 969 years is a long time to live. So when he dies, it shall be. What shall be when he dies?

We know from historical records that the year that Methuselah died was the year that the global flood happened on this earth. But Enoch for 300 years walked with God. And what he did was he preached about the judgment of God. He preached about the impending judgment of God upon his gener. How do we know that? We know that because of what Jude tells us in Jude 14:1. It says, It was about these men, apostates. That Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied, saying, Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of his holy ones.

to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds, which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against. Him. So we know that Enoch walked with God. We know he walked with God for 300 years. At the birth of his son Methuselah, it caused him to walk with God because evidently God had revealed to him that judgment was coming. And so he'd preach about the impending judgment. And like every great prophet in the Old Testament, they would prophesy about a soon coming judgment.

To verify that the things they also said were going to come to pass years later. And that's exactly what happened with Enoch. Because everybody woke up thinking, is Methuselah still alive? Because if he is, no judgment today. And so for 969 years, they were waiting for judgment to come. And then the day he died, of course, there was a global judgment. Now Enoch prophesied not about the first com, but about the second coming.

The first prophecy given by God to man about God was Genesis 3:1. Concerning the birth of the Messiah and the seed of the woman crushing the serpent's head. But Enoch was given the first prophecy from man to man about God.

And it wasn't about his first coming, it was about his se com when he comes with his mighty angels. To deal out retribution upon all the ungodly. Now, Enoch had no idea how long into the future that was going to happen. But because Enoch walked with God, he tells us something about walking with God and pleasing God. You must be able to communicate about the impending judgment of God. Upon ungodly people, in order to please God and walk with God. You don't preach judgment, God's judgment, upon unrighteous man.

You're not going to please God. Because your message won't be the right message. Enoch did that. Jude tells us exactly what he said. That the Lord God was going to come with all of us holy ones to deal out retribution upon all those who are ungodly. And sure enough, in Paul's epistle in 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, this is that time. This is what Paul is talking about. He's talking about the second coming of the Messiah.

He's talking about God dealing out retribution upon all those who do not know him and do not obey the gospel of God. This is what Jude said about Enoch's prophecy thousands of years ago, is what Paul is emphasizing in 2 Thessalonians 1, verses 6 to 10. And he's talking about two things: rel and retribution. Relief to those who know the Lord. And yet retribution upon all those who do not know the Lord. So let me kind of outline it for you as we work our way through the text this one last time before we move on to chapter one, or the end of chapter one, then into chapter two.

It says in verse number 6, For after all, it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you. So note this. Point one will always be this: that the righteousness of God will assure his return. The righteousness of God will assure his return. Why? Because he is just, he is holy. What have we told you before? That the Bible makes it very clear in Psalm 9. That God is known by the judgment He executes. To know God fully, you must understand God's judgments. And therefore, we understand our God and all of his holiness, and all of his splendor, and all of his glory, by virtue of the fact that he's going to come again.

And he's going to deal out retribution upon all those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. But it's the righteousness of God that assures it. Knowing that God is true to his word and he's absolutely holy, this is going to happen. That's why it says over in Acts chapter 17. Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because he has fixed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness.

He's going to righteously judge the world. He is a fixed day. You don't know the day. I don't know the day. But it is a fixed day in which he will judge the world. That's why the command is given. You need to repent. N to turn from your sins. Listen, repentance is not an option, it's essential, it's a command that you obey in order to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. You've got to turn from your sin to the true and living God. And so we understand from Acts 17, from Psalm 9, even the book of Revelation, which is all about God's righteous judgment.

Listen to what he says in Revelation 15, verse number 5. I heard the angel of the water saying, Righteous are you who are and who were, O Holy One, because you judged these things. For they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. They deserve it. And I heard the altar saying, Yes, O Lord, God the Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments. In other words, God. Is very clear to point out that everything he does when it comes to retribution is righteous and holy.

And then over in Revelation chapter 19, these words are spoken. Verse number one: After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven saying, Hallelujah!

Salvation and glory and power belong to our God because his judgments are true and righteous. For he has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and he has avenged the blood of his bonds. On her. Because his judgments are righteous, because his judgments are true, it's his righteousness that guarantees he will come again. And he will deal out retribution upon all those who do not believe in him. That's important. Number two, we talked about this as well, and that is the relief.

The relief from God will achieve all this, or will be achieved. Relief from God will be achieved because He's going to bring relief to those who know Him. There are three kinds of relief in Scripture. There is a foundational relief, there is a future relief, and there is a final. Relief. The first relief or the first rest is foundational because it's salvific.

It's when you come to saving faith. That's why Jesus said in Matthew 11, 28 and 29, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you what? I'll give you rest. You will have to cease striving. There's nothing you can do that's going to make me think any better of you or worse of you. So, come to me. Come unto me, all ye that labor and heavy laden, I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, learn from me, for I am meek and gentle in heart. So there's a foundational rest that's all about salvation.

And then there's a future rest. That future rest is all about the millennial kingdom. It's when Christ sets up his kingdom here on earth, and there is rest for all those who enter into that kingdom and those who have glorified bodies. And then there is a final rest. Revelation 14:1. Blessed are they who die in the Lord, for they rest from their labors. That final rest is in eternity. Revelation 21, verse number 4. where there'll be no more tears and no more crying. Why? Because there's complete and utter bliss, because the right king rules, there is no more sin, and everything is as it should be under the theocracy of the living God.

So there is a foundational rest, which comes with salvation. There is a final rest, or a future rest, and then a final rest. But there's a relief or a rest that God's going to give to those when he returns again because they will enter into his millennial rest. Number three is this, and that is, as you read through the text, for after all, it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief or rest to you.

who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire. That's what Enoch preached on. That's what Paul knew. And so not only does the righteousness of God ass his arrival, but relief from God Will be achieved when he arrives. And number three, the revelation of our Lord will be acknowledged and affirmed by everyone.

In other words, everybody will affirm the fact that he deals out retribution upon the world. Every eye will see him. Everybody will know it's the Lord. He's going to return in all of his glory and all of his splendor. And there'll be no mistaking in this time. When he came the first time, remember his glory was veiled in his flesh.

But when he comes the second time, he'll unleash that glory. He comes in flaming fire, and everyone will see him when he arrives. And he'll come back because he is faithful and true, as Revelation 19 say. And he will enact his judgment with his mighty angels. We've already covered this. Number four, the retribution of God will also be accomplished because that's what it says. He'll be revealed. From heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing that retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Who exper this retribution? Simply those who do not know God. And those who do not obey the gospel of the Lord, which intensifies it. Listen, if you don't know God, it's because you don't obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. If you know God, you obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. You believe in the gospel. You believe in the Lord of the gospel. You embrace the gospel and you live accordingly. But these people don't know God. Now, when we talk about knowing God, we're not talking about knowing, having some kind of intellectual awareness that God exists.

That's not knowing God. Just because I know that He exists doesn't mean I know Him in the true biblical sense of the word, right? It's not because I gather all this information about God that I'm overwhelmed with all this information because I can, you know, cross all my T's, dot all my I's, and my theology is right. Because, listen.

The people with the most amount of information about God are who? Demons. They're very articulate when it comes to knowing who God is, and yet they don't know Him in an intimate setting. They have all kinds of information about him. They have an intellectual awareness about him, but he hasn't rubbed off on them. And that's what it means to know the Lord. He rubs off on you. He rubs off on you in such a way that everything about your life changes. We'll talk about this on Sunday morning. We'll talk about the gerrassine demoniac.

When he, a man who's demon-possess, whose life is changed by the living God. A man who was in the kingdom of darkness was transferred into the kingdom of God's dear Son, and everything about his life changed so much that everybody around him knew he changed. It was obvious. And so, what happens when you know God? Everything about your life changes. That's why, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new. So, when our Lord returns, he's going to return not because people don't know who he is and they're going to face his retribution, but they don't know him in a biblical sense.

In other words, they've never embraced him. As their Lord and Savior, the Bible says in John 17 that eternal life is knowing God And the Lord Jesus Christ.

Knowing him in an intimate setting. Titus talks about in 1 that there are those who profess to know him, but in deeds they deny him. There are a lot of people who profess to know Christ. They talk a lot about Jesus. They can tell you a lot about when Jesus came and what he did when he was here, but they don't know him. That's why in Matthew 7, when they stand before the Lord and they say, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many marvelous deeds in your name?

And he says, Depart from me, I never knew you. Not only is it important that you know God, it's important that God knows you in an intimate kind of way. But there's going to be a lot of people come Judgment Day that think they know the Lord, but in reality, They don't know him at all. But they think that all the things they did gave them a knowledge of the true and living God. But the lies weren't transformed. That's why he says, Depart from me, you practice lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. You practice sin.

You love to live in your sin. That's why. That's why you don't know me. You see, you can't say that you love the Lord and love your sin, too. Those things are at odds one with another. Now, you are going to sin. That happens. But like the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 7. The things you shouldn't be doing, you're doing, and the things you should be doing, you're not doing. But he recognized he was a wretched man. Because you see, the closer you get to the Lord, the more your sin is revealed, right?

The more you recognize that you're a sinner. And so you need to understand that those who know the Lord. Obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who do not know him don't know him because they refuse to obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. The writer of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 10, said these words, verse number 26. For if we go on sinning will after receiving the knowledge of the truth, in other words, you know the truth. Yet you continue to go on sinning wilfully, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.

Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under the Son of God? has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the spirit of grace. For we know him who said, Vengeance is mine, I will repay And again, the Lord will judge his people. It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. So many people. Who go to church think that's enough.

Think that they've they've put in time for the Lord. But doesn't mean you know the living God. And so, having received the knowledge of the truth, you turn your back on that and walk away from that. You're in danger of facing God's ultimate retribution. Now, there are people who think, and there are some books written on this, about how once you've heard the gospel. And the church is translated into glory that sometime during the tribulation you'll believe the gospel. The answer to that is no, you won't.

If you are a part of a Bible-believing church and you heard the truth, you had the opportunity to respond to that truth and don't do it. We'll talk about this when we get to chapter 2. But in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, it says this: verse 7. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to an end by the appearance of his coming.

That is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish. because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence, so that they will belie. What is false? In other words, part of God's retribution for those who refuse to believe in him before He takes his church home to be with him, is to send them a deluding influence.

So they will truly believe that which is wrong. They'll believe the lies of the Antichrist. That's why Paul said, Today is the day of salvation, not tomorrow. Don't put it off because you need to give your life to the Lord. He's coming in judgment. So let me do this with you.

Let me give you seven judgments. Do you know there are seven judgments in the scriptures that will help you understand the timeline of all that's taken place? Seven judgments. God's going to come. He's going to deal out retribution upon those who do not know Him, those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ. So let me give it to you this way so you're able to understand it.

If you've got your sheet there, I'll be able to show this to you. The first judgment was taken place where?

At Calvary, right? At Calvary. Before the church age began, right here, someplace right there, where Calvary was, at the cross was where judgment. For sin took place. Right? 2 Corinthians:2. He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. In other words, Peter says it this way: 1 Peter 3, verse number 18: The just died for the unjust. So there was a judgment that took place on Mount Calvary. With the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, God placed on our Lord your sin and mine.

He bore the penalty for your sin in mind. So we don't have to pay the price. So there was a judgment. On sin that took place at Calvary. With that is the second judgment.

And that is the judgment of self, the judgment of you and me. It's recorded in 1 Corinthians 11, verse number 31, where Paul said. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. So during the church age, At Calvary, our sin was judged. During the church age, there's a judgment of self. Every time you partake at the Lord's table, right, we ask you to examine your life. Examine your life. To put your life under the microscope. The bread, the cup are reminders of the light that was given, the blood that was shed, so we could be set free from our sin.

And if we judge ourselves correctly, we will not be chastised by God. So, communion becomes very important for you and me. It's a time of self-examination. To see where our lives are. That's why it's important to confess your sin before you eat and drink at the Lord's table, because some people weren't doing that, and they were eating and drinking the Lord's table and they were dying. And some became sick because they did not do it properly. So there's a judgment of self that takes place during the church age.

Because of the Calvary's cross, there was a judgment on sin. There's a third judgment. That third judgment is right here called the judgment seat of Christ.

The judgment seat of Christ. It takes place in glory. All right? So we believe in the translation of the church. It's going to be taken up into glory before the great and terrible day of the Lord, the tribulational period. And that's called. The Bem seat of Christ. Okay? Now, a Bema seat is, that's what in 2 Corinthians 5, verse number 10, in Romans 14, it's called a Bema seat. It's a judgment seat. It's not really a place of penalty at all. It's a place of reward. They would have one in the middle of the theater.

or the Greek Olympic Games, where the winner of the game would ascend the platform. Having ascended the platform, he would receive the victor's wreath. A Step, a victorious wreath. And the Bible says in 1 Corinthians:, it's at that place, at that time, that we receive praise from God.

Praise from God. That's why, 2 Corinthians 5, verse number 10, these words are spoken. For we must all appear before the judgment seat or the Bhima. The judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Now, the word for bad is not evil. Kak or paner, those are words that deal with moral and ethical evil. The word for evil is a word that's used For worthless. In other words, there are things that you and I do that have no eternal value.

Those things are worthless. 1 Corinthians 3, Paul says, those things are burned up. But those things that are precious, those things that are done because they produce, which is gold, is those rewards that have eternal value. And we'll receive the praise of God when we are judged in glory. There is no penalty here. This is not the same as the great white thr judgment. Okay, that's completely different. This is the Bim seat, the Bhim judgment, a place of rewards. So there 's a judgment of sin. Those who have had their sin judged at Calvary are the ones that are characterized by judging themselves all throughout life because they want to live a life that honors the Lord, knowing that one day when they go home to be with Him, they'll receive the rewards that God gives to those.

who have won the victory, who have ran the race, and honored and glorified the name of our Lord. That's three judgments. Judgment number four is simply the judgment of Israel. The judgment of Israel. That takes place at the end of the tribulation when our Lord comes back. Okay, it's recorded in the book of Ezekiel, the 20th chapter, verses 33 to 40. Also in Zach 13, verses 6-7. And eight. All right. It's called the judgment of Israel, where two-thirds are perish and one-third goes into the kingdom.

A third of the Jewish population will go into the kingdom after the tribulational period, based on Zechariah chapter 13.

Verses 7 and 8. We told you in Romans 11 last week that one-third is the all Israel that will be saved because they're the only ones left.

But it's God's judgment upon Israel. So there's a judgment for Israel. That's what happens. At the same time, that takes place, there is a judgment of the nations. That's judgment number five. It's called the sheep-goat judgment, Matthew chapter 25, where our Lord splits the Mount of Olives, and there in the Kid Valley, the Valley of Jehos, the Valley of Decision, we read about that last week, is where Those who did not decide to follow Christ, Christ will render the final decision against them. He'll put the sheep on his right, the goats on his left, the sheep.

Who are the Gentiles, by the way? That's the judgment of the nations. So we have a third of Israel going to the kingdom.

You have Gentiles, which are the sheep, going to the kingdom, because you have Jews and Gentiles both going to the millennial kingdom. And then the goats, they are cast off into eternal punishment. You with me so far? Good. Okay. Then comes the judgment of Satan. And the demons. That happens at the end of the millennial kingdom. Okay? The judgment of Satan and the demons. Hell was created for Satan and his demons, and there will be a judgment there. Jude 6 says, And the angels who kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting change under darkness.

unto the judgment of the great day. And then comes the great white thr judgment. The great white thr judgment is at the end when our Lord in Revelation 20 destroys the heavens and the earth. All that's left. Is a throne. And that throne is where all the unsaved are judged. The books will be opened, right? There'll be a book of life. And then all the rest of the books will be open. The books that record all the deeds of the unsaved. And they'll be measured against the standard of God. And if their names were not found written in the book of life, They were cast into the lake of fire forever and ever.

Those are your seven judgments. Always good to keep them in mind. Help you keep perspective. Why? Because you need to see how it all comes together. Now, last week I talked to you about the fact that I really don't believe that there's a battle in Armageddon, but they gather together in the valley of Megiddo. That's in Revelation chapter 16. Now, it never says they fight there. That's why on your notes, we have what's called the Battle of Beauzr. See that right there? The Battle of Beauzra, because that's where the battle is.

How do we know that? Well, most people don't understand this, but you must get it. So turn with me in your Bible to the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah chapter Sixty-three Isaiah chapter sixt three Isaiah 61, our Lord talks about a day of vengeance. Isaiah 62, he talks about the restored kingdom of Israel. But in Isaiah 63, I want you to listen to what it says, okay? Isaiah gets this vision. In verse 1, it says, Who is this who comes from Edom? Now, why do we say this? Why is this important? In Revelation chapter 12. The one chapter in the Bible that gives you the history of the entire world in one chapter, Revelation 12. We know. That Israel flees to a place called the wilderness.

It says it, I believe, two times in Revelation 12. And God feeds them and nourishes them in the wilderness. Now, the wilderness, according to the Old Testament, is always Edom and Moab. Always. Never an exception. So Whenever Revelation 12 happens and Israel flees to the wilderness, they are going to flee to Edom. And we know that because the ancient capital of Edom is Bozra. And Bozra is just a few miles from a place called Petra. Petra is a fortress where Esau, the Edomites, reigned, and the book of Obadiah is about the destruction of Edom, right?

But Edom, Esau, is symbolic of all those people who have rebelled against God because they love immorality and they love idolatry because that's what Esau did. And so, because Petra and Boz are so close together and Israel flees to the wilderness, some people believe that Israel flees to Petra. Maybe they do, maybe they don't. I don't think anybody really knows. Okay? But Isaiah 63 says this, Who is this who comes from Edom with garments of glowing colors from Boz? Why is that important? It's important because Boz, the ancient capital of Edom, was known for the dyeing of garments.

They dyed them different colors. So when Isaiah sees this one coming from Edom, from Bozra, he says this: this one who is majestic in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength. Here's the answer. It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save. So Isaiah asks, Why is your apparel red? And your garments like the one who treads in the winepress. Answer, I have trodden the wine trough alone. And from the peoples there was no man with me. I also trod them in my anger, I trampled them in my wrath, and their life bl is sprinkled on my garments, and I stained all my raiment.

For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption has come. So, in other words, Isaiah sees this one majestic, his garments already dripping in blood. So, it's not Megiddo. They gather at Meg. But they make their way down the Jordan Valley, down into Jordan, to Bozra. Where our Lord descends. But if that's not good enough for you, go to Isaiah chapter 3. Isaiah chapter 3. For it says this in verse number five: For my sword is satiated in heaven. Behold, it will descend for judgment upon Edom, and upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction.

The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is sated with fat. With the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice where? In Bozra. And a great slaughter in the land of Edom. Verse 8. For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense. For the cause of Zion, Zion is a people, Zion is a place, Zion is a mountain, Zion refers to the Jewish nation. He has recompense for his people, but he has a day of vengeance. And when is a day of vengeance?

The day of vengeance is when he deals that retribution upon those who do not know God and don't obey the gospel of God. Now, just in case you're not convinced, book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 49, verse number 13. For I have sworn by myself, declares the LORD, that Bozra will become an object of horror, a reproach, a ruin, and a curse, and all its cities will become perpetual ruins. Verse 17. Edom will become an object of horror. Everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss at all its wounds.

Verse 20, therefore hear the plan of the Lord, which he has planned against Edom, and his purposes which he has purposed against the inhabitants of Timan. Timan is on the same mountain range as Mount Seir, where Boz is located. It says in verse number 22, Behold, he will mount up and swoop like an eagle and spread out his wings against Boz, and the hearts of the mighty men of Edom in that day will be like the heart of a woman. In labor. So again, there's this prophecy. Now we know that there was a prophecy coming against Edom.

And it was fulfilled in the book of Obadiah, as Obadiah would prophesy against the Edomites, when they would hide themselves in the clefts of the rock, speaking of Petra. So we know exactly where that was, where Edom is. And of course, the Nabata went in and destroyed the Edomites. That was in the year 330 B, I believe it was. And then in the year 100 A, Rome came in and destroyed the Nabatae and took over that area. All that to say is that, remember, when you prophesy, you prophesy about a near-coming judgment and an ultimate judgment, the day of vengeance.

And that's why the book of Amos speaks about Bo in Edom. The book of Abak speaks about Bozra in Edom. The book of Hagg, Boz, Edom. Why? Because it permeates Old Testament judgment. God has set aside Israel to flee to the wilderness. We know the wilderness is Edom. We know that because of the Old Testament. So, when you read about God's impending day of vengeance and his judgment upon man, we know there's going to be a battle in Boz because we know from Revelation 14: how far does the blood splatter flow?

200 miles, 1 stadii, 1 miles from Bos, the ancient capital of Edom. To the Valley of Megiddo. So we know how far it is. That's why the great Euphrates has to dry up. So the kings of the east can gather in Meg, make their way down the Jordan Valley, make their way down to Bozra, that vicinity, that arena, that area. And so when Isaiah sees the Lord coming, having already trampled the winepress alone, all you got to do is read the book of Revelation. He treads the wine press alone, there's no one to go with him.

We know that the battle has already began, so much so that when he sees him, his garments are already stained. In blood. Those aren't the blood of Calvary. His garments were stayed at Calvary. This is a day of vengeance type of bloodshed. So, you need to understand that as you begin to put the judgments together and what's going to happen, because all this plays very important into Bible prophecy and what's going to happen at the end. Everybody talks about the Battle of Armageddon. There is no battle in Armag.

Read the book of Revelation. It says the kings of the East gather in the valley of Megiddo. To fight the great day of God, to fight the king. They've gathered there to fight. Doesn mean they're going to fight there. Because when Isaiah sees the majestic one coming, his garments are already stained in blood. That's why we call it the Battle of Boz-Rah. So it's very important to understand that. So the Bible goes on. If you go back to 1 Thessalonians or 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, it says, These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction.

Eternal destruction. Ionios, okay? It's the word that means forever. Eternal. Same words used of God, and we know that God's eternal, right? Same words used of the Holy Spirit, He's eternal. Same words used of the eternal gospe In Revelation 14, because it is an eternal gospel, it never ends. It speaks of the fact that there's an eternal covenant. It speaks of the fact that everything about Ionios means it lasts forever. These will pay eternal destruction. We don't believe in annihilationism. That when it's all said and done, everybody's just going to be ultimately annihilated.

Well, isn that what it says? Eternal destruction? No, the word destruction means worthless or meaningless. It's a word that doesn't mean a cessation of existence, a lath. It means that you have experi a life of absol meaningless. Why? Look what it says. It says they will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. Now you read that, and the very first thought that comes to your mind is that there's going to be a place where people are actually outside the presence of God.

Until you read the book of Revelation, 14th chapter. And in Revelation chapter 14, these words are written. It says, If anyone worships the beast, verse 9, in his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, He also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of his anger. And he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels. And in the presence of the Lamb. Wait a minute. I thought Paul said they're going to suffer eternal destruction outside the presence of God.

That's what he said. That's what he said. But I read Revelation 14, it says that these people who experienced the fierce wrath of God experienced it in the presence of his holy angels. And in the pres of the Lamb. Listen, when Paul speaks of it. He speaks of it in terms of the inability to receive any kind of blessing, any kind of grace, any kind of mercy, any kind of help from the living God. Because there's always time to receive that until you're dead, right? When John sees it in Revelation 14, he's talking about God's presence because God is Omnipresent.

Is he not? If there's a place where God isn't, he can't be omnipresent. But because he is everywhere at all times, all at the same time His sovereignty and omnip puts him everywhere because he is the one to make sure that everything lasts forever. It's eternal damnation, it's eternal punishment. But they're outside from the presence of God in terms of his blessing, in terms of its opportunity to be able to receive any kind of gift from the living God. And it says this: when he comes to be glorified in the saints on that day and to be marveled at among all who have believed, for our testimony to you was belie.

Listen, do you know that there is going to be a reward that will be awe-inspiring? You know what that reward is? Full revelation of the glory of God in his saints. Romans 8 talks about the fullness, how all creation groans for saints to be glorified. Do you know that we give glory to God today, right? We live for the glory and honor of God. Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God, 1 Corinthians 10:3. But there's coming a day when the Lord returns with his holy ones. And we, with glorified bodies, with glorified bodies, having come back with him, will enter into the Millennial kingdom.

We will rule and reign in glorified bodies, one like our Lord's after his resurrection. And everybody who is a believer. Remember, there's a judgment of Israel and a judgment of the nations. The sheep go into the kingdom, Israel goes into the kingdom, the sheep of the Gentiles. And all those who believe will marvel at the beauty of the glory of God that radiates through the believer who has a glorified body. What a great thing that's going to be. We'll have bodies like our Lord's. We can transport ourselves from one place to another.

We can go through walls and go through doors, and it's going to be just the greatest thing in the world. We'll have perfect bodies, and we'll rule and reign with our Lord forever. So, I got nine minutes. One time, in this couple of weeks, I'm going to tell you why I don't believe in a post-tribulational rapture. Okay? I'm not going to give that to you tonight. Why I can't be post-trib. That is, there's a rapture of the church. At the end of the tribulation period, okay? Why am I a pre-tribulational rapturist?

Why do I believe the church is going to be translated before the great and terrible day of the Lord? I'm going to give you one verse, okay? Explain that verse to you. So set aside all your preconceived ideas. Just think it through with me. All you do is listen, okay? And I'm going to give you one phrase. One verse, one phrase. The phrase is not in the verse, and the verse is not the phrase. So let me give you the verse, okay?

The Verse is recorded in the book of Revelation. Revelation chapter 3. Now listen very carefully. When you interpret the book of Revelation, the book of Revelation interprets Revelation for you most of the time. In other words, when you read the book of Revelation, you might not see or understand something right away, but if you just keep reading, it will tell you. How to interpret it. All right? Revelation 3, verse number 10: there's a promise given to the church of Philadelphia. Now, remember, there are seven churches in chapter 2 and chapter 3, seven churches.

Seven literal churches, historical churches, they actually did exist. They all received a letter, okay, from the Holy Spirit. And it's recorded in Revelation 2 and 3. Five of those churches were told to repent, right? But those churches that are literal historical churches. Are also churches that are symbolic of every church that's ever existed in the history of the church age. Every church that's ever existed falls into these ones of seven categories. And if you read them through and study them, which we have done, you'll see that it's absolutely true.

But in Revelation 3, verse number 10, here's the promise that's given to the church of Philadelphia. Which is to that church, but because all the churches are representative of all the churches that have ever existed in the church age, that promise is applied to you and me. It says, Because you have kept the word of my perseverance, I will also keep you from the hour of testing, the hour which is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on The earth. Okay? In that verse is the phrase tere ek keep you from It doesn't mean he's going to keep you through it, okay?

Keep you through the tribulation. That would be tere-dia. It doesn't mean he's going to keep you in the tribulation, protect you in it, because that would be ter en. But because it's tere ek, it means to keep you from it. So there's going to become an hour of tribulation that's going to encompass the entire world. There's only been one tribulation that's encompassed the entire world, and that was the flood in the book of Genesis. But there's coming the hour of testing that encompasses the entire world.

And that, listen, that hour of testing is for a particular group of people. Very important to see this. It says, those who dwell upon the earth, kat punt. A phrase used ten times in the book of Revelation, every time it's used, it always refers to the unbeliever in the book of Revelation. Always. So the hour of tribulation is going to come upon the whole world, and the whole world is defined by those who are earth dwellers. It's a permanent phrase. It's not a temporary transitional phrase. Kat Kuntas means: I have put my roots down, the world is mine, and I am committed to the Ways of the world.

And so that phrase is used to describe every unbeliever in the Old Testament. So the hour of tribulation that comes upon the whole world. If the church is translated out, everybody here will be an unbeliever. If the church is in here, we got a problem. That would make us unbelievers. Because you and I are not earth dwellers. Our citizenship is where? It's in heaven, right? So that verse, just by itself, should give you an idea that something's going to happen that doesn't involve the church. So chapters 2 and 3, the church is on earth.

But on top of that, chapter 4, John is in heaven, gets a vision of heaven. Chapters 4 and 5. Chapters 6 through 18, the church is never mentioned. Never mentioned. Well why? Well because who are the elders in the book of Revelation? Whoever the 24 elders are will tell you whether or not you're a pre-tribulational rapturist or a post-tribulational rapturist. So it says in Revelation 4, these words, verse number 4: Around the throne were 2 thrones, and upon the thrones I saw 2 elders. sitting clothed in white garments and golden crowns on their heads.

Verse No. ten The twenty four elders will fall down before him who sits on the throne and will worship him. Verse number 8 of chapter 5. When he had taken the book, the four living creatures, and the 2 elders, fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song saying, Worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals Let me stop right there.

Okay, so 24: Who are the 24 elders? Very important. The 24 elders I will submit to you can be no one else other than the church. You say, well, how does that work? 24 elders, the church? The number 24 is representative. It's representative of the priestly order in the book of Leviticus. 24 was the priestly order. And also the singers in the book of Leviticus. And the number 24 was representative of the entire nation because they fit under the order of priesthood and they fit under the singers of Israel.

So 24 became a number of representation. So if that's the case, 2 elders would be representation of something, of someone. The question is, who? Well, it tells us that these elders are sitting clothed in white garments. They sit on thrones and they have crowns on their heads. Because they're in white raiment, they sit on thrones, they have crowns on their head, it can only be one person, the church. Because only the church is promised crowns, only the church is promised white raiment, and only the church is promised to sit on the throne.

With our Lord in glory. But it gets better. There are five th different manuscripts in Greek in the New Testament. 5,500. How do I know that? I counted them all before I came down this evening. That's not true. 5, Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Okay? That doesn't mean that's all books. It's just portions of it, fragments of it, but there's 5,500 different manuscripts. Now With that in mind, okay, understand this. There are 250 manuscripts that deal specifically with the book of Revelation.

So the 5,500 Greek manuscripts, there are 250 that deal with the book of Revel. Of the 250, there are 24, only 24. That deal with Revelation's new song, Revelation 5, verses, yeah, verses 5, verses 8 to 10. Okay? 24 of them. Of the 24, 23 of them all read this way. Are you ready? Worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals, for you were slain and purchased us. Twenty-three of the twenty have the word us there. Purchased us. Who's us? For God, with your blood, men from every tribe, tongue, and people, and nation, you have made, ready for this?

Us. To be a kingdom and priest to our God, and we will reign upon the earth. There are Ten thousand man in Latin. Ten thousand manuscripts in Latin. All of them read us in them. In other words, the us Is the church. Revelation 1. He has purchased us, he has made us what? A kingdom of what? Priests. 24 is the number of what? Representation. The priestly order in the book of Leviticus. I'm sorry, book of 1 Chronicles. 1 Chronicles 24 and 25. So there's a Levitical order of priesthood. That's represented by the number 24.

We are a priesthood of believers, and therefore, we now have been purchased by his blood. Which would tell us that we then are in heaven on thrones wearing crowns in white raiment Can't be angels because in Revel 7, the 24 elders are separated from the angels. They 're not the four living creatures because they're separated from the four living creatures. So, who are the 24 elders in the book of Revelation? The only answer can be is that they're the church of Jesus Christ. And in Revelation 4 and 5, they're in heaven.

In Revel 6 to 18 is a tribulational period upon the earth. Now, is that everything? Oh no. I'm just getting started when it comes to understanding why I am a pre-tribulational rapt. You might not be. I'm not even here to convince you. I just want you to hear all the evidence. I want you to hear the manuscript evidence. I want you to hear the textual evidence. I want you to hear the Greek evidence. I want you to he All the evidence, because you put all the evidence together. There's coming a dying, a t upon the whole world that's des for those who dwell upon the earth.

It's not designed for you and me. And that's why it's called the time of Jacob's trouble. Because Israel is among those who do not believe. Unless, of course, you're a converted Jew. If you're a converted Jew, you part of the church age. But only people during the tribulation that go into the tribulation are unbelievers. Now, there will be people saved in the tribulation. 144,000 Jews will be saved because the two witnesses, one like Elijah, one like Enoch, one like Moses, however you want to. Define that in the book of Revel.

So there will be 144,000 Jews that are saved. They become evangelists and they begin to preach, and Gentiles will be saved as well during the tribulational period. But the point is, is that where will we be? I believe we'll be in heaven. Why? Because Revelation 19 has what? The marriage supp of the Lamb. I'm sorry, Mary suffered the Lamb in heaven. Revelation 19. Before, before we come back with the Lord to this earth. Revelation is pretty much chronological in order. Not pretty much, it is chronological in order.

There are times it goes back to bring you up to speed, but it's chronologically in order. So it begins to explain things to you in a very systematic kind of way. Hope that helps. Let me pray with you.

Father, thank you, Lord, for tonight. A chance to be in your word, a chance to study it together. Lord, increase our knowledge that we might know more about you. And follow your word. May we be reminded that, Lord, you're coming again as Enoch walked with God for 300 years, preaching a message of impending judgment. May we warn people of the coming wrath of God. They might repent and believe. In Jesus' name, amen.