REVELATION 1:1-3 THINGS WHICH MUST SHORTLY TAKE PLACE2010 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Revelation 1:1-3 Things Which Must Shortly Take Place

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2010.

Now as we begin our journey through the book of Revelation, I do want to just say from the get-go, as we get started here, that as we go through these things, I am going to be pretty limited as far as what I share and the perspectives that I share with you.

I'm not going to spend a lot of time on all of the various interpretations about all of the details and elements of every passage that we look at. There are plenty of good books and resources, and if you want to wrestle with all of those things, then you're more than welcome to do so. But I'm going to be sharing with you, really from the perspective of approaching the Bible as a literal book, that

The Bible says what it means and means what it says. And it uses symbols, it uses illustrations, it uses signs and those types of things to communicate to a message that is real. And the book of Revelation communicates to us some things that are going to take place, some things that are going to happen.

I really don't want us to get caught up and consumed and distracted by some of the details of all of the varieties of opinions and thoughts on different elements of the book of Revelation. Really, the point of the book is that Jesus Christ is coming back soon. And as we go through, I want to stay focused on that point and stay focused on the reality that today could be the day that we will go to meet with Him or that He will return for us.

And so I want to encourage you as we go through these things, if it's interesting to you and you want to dig in further, that you'd feel free to do so. But I also want to share, you know, I'm going to be speaking and sharing from the literal understanding of the Word of God. As we look at the book of Revelation, these are things that are going to take place, that are going to happen just as God said they would.

And so as we begin the book of Revelation this morning, there's four points that I want to share with you. The first we find in verse 1, which is, Revelation is an unveiling. Revelation is an unveiling. We find this here in verse 1 of chapter 1. It says this,

Here, as it begins, John declares to us exactly what this book is all about. He says it is the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Revelation

Revelation, the Word of God.

But if I were to remove the cloth, if I was to uncover it, if I was to reveal what was beneath it, then you could see the details. Then you could see all of the intricacies, all of the details about this pulpit. In the same way, the book of Revelation is removing the cloth. It's an unveiling of the things which are going to take place, but primarily an unveiling of Jesus Christ.

It is meant to be disclosing, not disguising. It's meant to reveal, not to hide. It's meant to bring light and understanding to the things that are to come and to the return of Jesus Christ. In the Greek, it's the word apokalipsis or in Spanish, apokalipsis. And

And it's the idea of uncovering or unveiling, but there's the opposite of that word in the Greek is apocrypha, which maybe you've heard that word before in some of the books that are around. But the apocrypha is something that is hidden, something that is covered, something that is not seen. That's not what the book of Revelation is, and yet that's how many approach the book of Revelation, and that's why I point this out.

The book of Revelation is an unveiling. It's something that's meant to be understood. It's something that's meant to be given to us for us to understand. It's meant to reveal to us more about Jesus Christ and the things that are going to take place as he prepares to return. And sometimes people approach the book of Revelation thinking,

Well, actually, they don't approach it at all because they're fearful of it. They're fearful of what it's talking about. They're fearful of what's written in it. They get freaked out by the things that are talked about or they say, hey, well, you can't really understand it, so I don't read it because it just doesn't make any sense.

Some will go as far as to say, you know, nobody can understand it, it's not worth reading, and so on and so forth. But the book of Revelation is not those things. It's not something hidden, it's something revealed. It's something uncovered. It's the unveiling of Jesus Christ.

Now to be sure, there are signs and symbols throughout the book of Revelation. In fact, here in verse 1, it tells us that He sent and signified this book

by his angel to his servant John. That idea of signified carries with it the idea of signs. In fact, you could pronounce it signified. He signified this book. He put signs and symbols into this book by his angel to his servant John. And so, yes, there are signs and symbols in this book, but they're not meant to hide the meaning. In fact, they're meant to bring further understanding to what is being shared.

As you look at the prophetic works of the Bible, you'll find signs and symbols used throughout all of them. We went through on Wednesday evenings the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah had much typologies, lots of types or symbols or signs throughout the book that bring further revelation and understanding to the prophecies that are given. We went through the book of Jeremiah on Wednesday evenings. Again, lots of signs and symbols throughout the book. Currently, we're going through the book of Ezekiel and we're seeing signs and symbols. It's consistent with the prophetic works of the Scripture.

Signs are helpful for describing things that are beyond our vocabulary. They're helpful for, you know, as Ezekiel is caught up and he sees miraculous visions, much like we'll see John sees here in heaven and the things that are to come. There's a lot of things that he just does not have the vocabulary to describe. And so to compare it to something else or to call it something else is very,

the best way that he is able to communicate what is going on. Signs are also helpful to kind of give us further meaning and insight into the prophecies that are given. And so we will see signs and symbols throughout the book of Revelation. But again, it's not to disguise or hide what is meant, but it's meant to reveal and unveil to us the things that are being said.

David Guzik, a Bible commentator, puts it this way. He says, "...though it is filled with signs, the book of Revelation is accessible to those who have an understanding of the first 65 books of the Bible."

And especially an understanding of the Old Testament. I really like that. He says, look, if you understand the first 65 books, now there's 66 books total. This is the last book. If you have a good grasp on Genesis through Jude, he says, you'll have a good understanding of the signs and symbols that are used in the book of Revelation.

He even emphasizes or says specifically that the Old Testament portion, if you have a good grasp on the Old Testament, then you'll have a good grasp on the signs and symbols that are used in the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation is rooted in the Old Testament. It contains over 500 references to the Old Testament.

Out of all of the 404 verses that the book of Revelation has, 278 of the verses, that's over 70% of the verses of the book of Revelation, make some type of reference to the Old Testament.

And so we understand here why it's difficult for people to comprehend and understand the book of Revelation because most Christians don't spend a lot of time reading the Old Testament. And yet the things of Revelation are rooted in, grounded in, they come forth out of the Old Testament portion of the Scriptures.

And so we'll be seeing that a lot as we go through these portions in the next couple weeks and months that we'll be referring back to the Old Testament and getting understanding about what is happening and what are the things that are taking place. If you do not have a strong grasp of the Old Testament, then the book of Revelation will be very difficult for you.

And so yes, there's signs and symbols, but they're disclosed, they're revealed to us, the meanings are given so that we can have further insight and understanding into Jesus Christ. This is the revelation, the unveiling of Jesus Christ. Notice that he says it's the revelation of Jesus Christ.

You know, in the book of Revelation, we get pretty excited because it talks about those things that are going to come, the things that are going to happen. You know, the Antichrist being revealed and all of the crazy things that are going to happen during the tribulation period and then the return of Jesus and the thousand year reign and all of those things. We get really excited about, you know, the future events and the

the future things it talks about. But again, let's not get distracted from what the point and the purpose of this book is to reveal to us Jesus Christ. It's to reveal to us who He is, His character, His nature, but also the events that are leading up to His return.

The return of Jesus Christ in Revelation chapter 19 is like the pinnacle of this book. Everything is building up to that point when Jesus Christ returns. That's what it's all about. It's all leading up to the return of Jesus Christ. And so this is a revelation of Jesus, who he is and his soon return.

There again in verse 1, the second part of the sentence or verse says, which God gave him to show his servants. Here we see the objective of the book of Revelation being given to John. This vision that he has. It was given to Jesus by God, the Father, to show his servants.

The point and the purpose of this vision being communicated is that His servants, His children, those who follow God, would know these things. Again, it's not meant to be hidden. It's not meant to be something that is unknowable. This is things that He wants us to know. God wants us to study these things. He wants us to have a grasp on the things that are going to come.

Because we read in 1 John 3 that those who have the hope of meeting with Jesus, those who have a good grasp on these things, they purify themselves just as Jesus is pure. And so these things are meant to be known for us

God wants us to know them because, well, that way we know what's going to happen, that way we're prepared for it, but it also has a purifying effect upon us. It helps us to walk with God uprightly as we understand, as we look forward to His soon return. It is a soon return. He says that God gave Him this to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. Things which must shortly take place.

He says and emphasizes this is going to happen very soon. In fact, in closing the book in chapter 22 verse 6 again, he says the same thing. These things are shortly going to take place. They must shortly take place.

This word shortly, it is also translated quickly. You remember there at the end of the book of Revelation, you've probably heard, come quickly, Lord Jesus, that phrase. That word quickly is the same word as shortly. Shortly, quickly, they're interchangeable.

And the word carries with it the idea of a sudden happening without notice, something that just happens without much warning ahead of time. It's something that happens quickly or suddenly or shortly. Now it is shortly from God's perspective.

It's been 2,000 years almost since this book has been written and we don't consider that a short amount of time. But from God's perspective, it is a short amount of time and so it is accurate that these things must happen shortly because they're going to happen very soon.

If you think about it, go back to grade school. You're sitting there at the desk and the teacher's going on and on and you're looking at the clock and the hands are just taking forever to make it their way all the way around the clock. For the class to be over, just forever. But as you've matured as an adult, you look back and you realize, yeah, that was very short. It wasn't a long period of time. It felt like it. But looking back, you understand, no, it's really not.

In the same way, here we are, we're in the classroom right now, living out, you know, this life. It's been 2,000 years. We feel like, man, it's taking forever for Jesus to come back. But from God's perspective, from the eternal perspective, He looks and He says, it's really, it's short, guys. It's short. It's happening shortly, quickly, suddenly, without notice.

But as we look at this idea of shortly, I want to share kind of an example to give you an idea of what's being communicated here. It's an example I've shared before, but it's a good one, so I'll share it again because I think it gives us some perspective. When Jesus Christ came the first time,

He was born of the Virgin Mary and it altered time. Time began to go a different direction when Jesus Christ came into the world. We even have a distinction, right, in our dates from around the time of Christ, before Christ, and then after Christ. And it separates the way that we

calculate our dates and run our calendar because there's a change, a significant event happened as Jesus Christ, being God, became man. It altered the universe. And so prior to that, if you kind of think of a normal timeline in your head, I'm starting back here and I'm going to be going forward to the end of the stage. And let's just say right off the stage is eternity.

And so if I was following a normal timeline, I'd be heading towards eternity, right? Heading towards the end of the stage. So if I go back in history to Adam and Eve in the garden in the very beginning, I'm at the beginning of the timeline. And things progressed, things continued through Abraham, through Moses, through David and Saul and Solomon and

As you go through Israel's history, through all of the prophets and the destructions, through the 400 years of silence, through John the Baptist, and then Jesus Christ is born. And that brings us right to the edge of eternity, the edge of the last days, the time when God is going to come back and change everything and do a brand new work.

And so as we progress down the timeline, Jesus Christ comes and now time continues, but time is continuing parallel to eternity. Instead of going towards eternity, now time continues to progress. For the last 2,000 years, we're running parallel to eternity so that at any moment, we just step off and we're in eternity.

so that His coming is quick and soon and short and sudden without any notice. So that at any time Jesus Christ could return and these things that we'll read about in the book of Revelation could unfold before our eyes. And so as John shares with us, God gave us this vision

So that we could understand that these are the things that are going to take place. They must take place soon. We can understand and have the urgency upon our hearts knowing that His return is very near. We're right on the edge of eternity. And at any moment, just a little nudge, He'll come back for us and we'll enter into eternity with Him. And these things will begin to unfold.

Well, what are the things that must take place? I want to run through with you a quick overview of the book of Revelation to give you a little bit of a grasp of the things that are shortly going to take place. And there's a flyer in your bulletin with more, well, the same things I'm going to cover so that you can kind of spend time on your own with other scriptures and look into these things.

But I'm just going to go through fairly quickly the book of Revelation and hit some highlights for us so that we understand the things which must shortly take place. The first thing that we'll really talk about as far as future events, we'll find in Revelation chapter 4 verse 1 and we'll talk there about the rapture of the church.

The rapture of the church is a time when Jesus comes to gather his bride, gather his church, and he doesn't actually set foot on earth at that time, but we are caught up to meet with him in the clouds. We're caught up to meet with him in the air, and then it says in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 that we will be forever with the Lord. And so for the church, the

The book of Revelation, it ends pretty quickly. We get out of the picture right there in chapter 4 and the things that happen on earth after we're gone, we're not a part of.

But we'll be in heaven with Jesus at that time. And so the rapture of the church is what we are looking forward to. The rapture of the church for us as believers in Jesus Christ is something that is exciting to us. We're right there on the edge of eternity and Jesus Christ can come back to receive us to himself at any moment, literally any second.

Any moment, any time, in a flash, in a twinkling of an eye, the trumpet will sound and the dead in Christ will rise first and we will be caught up together to meet with the Lord. It's going to be awesome. It's going to be exciting. And you need to know, as far as Bible prophecy is concerned, there is nothing that must take place before the rapture of the church.

When you line up the biblical prophecies and the things that are going to take place, there's nothing that must happen first. In other words, the rapture could happen any time. There's not, well, the rapture can't happen because this needs to be done first or this needs to be accomplished or this other prophecy needs to be fulfilled. Everything is fulfilled.

as far as what needs to take place before the rapture. Now there are some things that can be fulfilled. The timeline doesn't demand that they be fulfilled before or after the rapture of the church, but there's nothing that must be fulfilled. And we'll talk a little bit more about that even as we go further.

So the rapture of the church is the first thing that we'll see, that we'll deal with as far as future events. There in chapter 4, verse 1, we'll talk about how God called him up like a trumpet saying, come up here. And that's what God's going to speak to us. He's going to say, hey guys, get up here. I want to spend some time with you and invite you to the marriage supper of the Lamb and we'll be caught up together to meet with the Lord.

Well, the next chunk of the book of Revelation is really the core and the heart of the book of Revelation. It's chapters 6 through 19, and it describes for us the seven years of tribulation. This is a terrible time. This is a time of great destruction. And I couldn't say this word first service either. Catastrophe? Yes, that one. Ha ha ha!

I still can't say it even in my mind. Catastrophe. There you go. Thank you. Yeah. So, there's going to be terrible things happening. Cataclysmic events. I can say that one. I'm not sure why. But things just like the world has never seen before.

This period will begin, Daniel chapter 9 verse 27 tells us, it will begin with an agreement, with a covenant or a treaty that the Antichrist will make with the nation of Israel. And so that is going to be the beginning. It marks the beginning of this seven-year period like the world has never seen before of destruction and horror and death. It's going to be terrible.

After three and a half years of this agreement, the Antichrist, who is that coming world leader that's going to be on the scene, he's going to break that covenant that he makes with Israel. And we see that throughout the Gospels as well as the book of Daniel. He breaks the covenant. He offers up a sacrifice. He sets up an idol within the temple.

And the Jews at that time realized that he's not really their Christ. It's interesting, if you talk to someone who practices Judaism today, someone who is Jewish, they are looking for their Messiah still. They don't believe that it was Jesus.

And the way that they will know who their Messiah is, is that the Messiah will help them build their temple. And so it's believed that the agreement that the Antichrist will make with them is in regards to the building of the temple. And that will be the sign for those who practice Judaism that that is the Savior, the Christ that the Scripture has promised. In reality, He'll be the Antichrist.

Anti meaning against, but also meaning instead of. He will be offering himself as a replacement of Christ, or a replacement for Christ, to worship him, to follow him instead of Jesus.

And so that happens in the middle of the tribulation period. Then the last three and a half years are even worse than the first three and a half years. Often it's referred to, you know, the first three and a half years are the good years of the tribulation. Understand there's nothing good about them.

It's good in comparison to the last three and a half years when all hell is going to break loose and it's going to be just incredible terror that takes place in the last three and a half years. So kind of relative, you know, in comparison to, I guess you could call them the good years, but it's not like, oh, everybody's going to have a wonderful time. There's going to be wars and famines and death and disease. It's just going to be terrible.

And so we'll look at that in chapters 6 through 19, the seven seals, the seven trumpets, the seven bowls, all dealing with judgment as God is pouring out His wrath upon the earth for rebellion against sin.

Well, this seven-year time of tribulation ends with the return of Jesus Christ. This tribulation period ends with Jesus setting foot on the Mount of Olives, ending the tribulation period, ending the battle of Armageddon that's about to take place as the armies are amassed together there at the valley of Megiddo, Armageddon, and they turn to fight Jesus as he returns, but he wipes them out. It's

It's the battle of Armageddon. We see that in chapter 19 here in the book of Revelation. As Jesus Christ returns, puts an end to the tribulation, puts an end to the battle, puts an end to the antichrist, the false prophet, and the works of the enemy in that way.

Well, at that time, as Jesus returns to the earth, the saints who were raptured will be coming back with him. And in Revelation chapter 20, it describes to us a thousand year reign of Jesus Christ. He is going to establish a kingdom here on this earth for a thousand years. He will be physically, literally ruling and reigning from Jerusalem. We, the church, the

Being brought back with him, we'll be ruling and reigning with him on the earth. And for a thousand years, things are going to be pretty good. The earth is going to be renewed and restored. The enemy, the devil, is going to be bound for a thousand years for that time period. He's going to be bound in the abyss or the bottomless pit. And so he will not be able to wreak havoc like he does today. And so it's going to be a time of peace and forced righteousness. Righteousness.

Not everybody will want to follow God, but everybody will have to follow God during that time.

Well, at the end of the thousand years, we also see in Revelation chapter 20, there's a final rebellion of Satan. He's released from the bottomless pit at the end of that thousand years for a short time, and he leads one final rebellion. Those that didn't really want to follow God, but they were forced to in that time, they're going to side with Satan. They're going to come against Jerusalem and try to do a final attack on Jesus.

And of course, they're going to be thwarted. They're going to be put to death. And that really brings us to the end of history as we know it. Then everything stops. It's game over. And now we're just counting the money to see who won. In Revelation chapter 20, right after that final rebellion, you have the great white throne judgment. And that's when everyone, small, great, the dead, those who did not believe in Jesus Christ,

Those who are not right with God, they will stand before God for their final judgment. It's also at that time that the devil and his angels are cast into the lake of fire.

In Revelation chapter 20 verse 15, it says, anyone not found written in the book of life is cast into the lake of fire. And so those who rejected Jesus Christ as Savior will be at that time sentenced to eternity away from God, eternal torment, eternal separation in the lake of fire. And that is the great white throne judgment. Those who believe in Jesus Christ, they're not going through that judgment. But it's for those who have not received the work of God through Jesus.

Revelation chapter 21 introduces to us the new Jerusalem and eternity. At that time, there's a new heaven and a new earth.

And John says in chapter 2 of Revelation 21 that he sees the holy city coming down out of heaven. Jerusalem will be coming down out of heaven. There's going to be just a brand new work of God. And I'm sure many more things that we can't even imagine or begin to think about that God has in store for us at that time. And so that takes us into eternity. Now these are the things which must shortly take place. In eternity.

Any moment now, these things could just begin to unfold and then it's going to happen quickly. And you can't escape it. It's just going to start to unfold. The rapture of the church, boom, the church is gone. The tribulation period is going to take place. It's going to happen fast. There's going to be no escaping it. Jesus Christ is going to return. Again, that's the point and the climax of this book. It's all about Jesus.

And so as we understand these are the things that are going to take place, it emphasizes for us a need to be ready, a need to be prepared. We need to be ready to meet with Jesus at any moment because it's going to happen. It must shortly take place at any moment.

Either you're going to go be with Jesus because you physically die here in this earth and you'll be with Jesus or Jesus is going to come and catch us up to meet with him. We're going to be caught up together with him as he comes for the rapture of the church. And so these are the things, again, that must shortly take place.

And so Revelation, this book, is an unveiling. It's meant to reveal to us these things that are going to happen so that we are prepared, so that we're ready when He returns for us.

Point number two this morning, found in verse two, Revelation was seen by John. Look at verse two here in chapter one with me. It says, "...who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ to all things that he saw." Speaking about John, it says that he bore witness to the word of God.

What actually happened here in this book, what happened and is being recorded for us is John's eyewitness testimony. He saw these things take place. God transported him supernaturally into heaven, into the future to watch these things. They happened before his eyes. He saw them.

Now that's important because, you know, sometimes we have some strange dreams. I had a strange dream the other day. I was cooking some steaks. And some of you guys heard this dream already. But I was cooking some steaks and I don't know why this is on my mind, but I was cooking them and on the stove, I just put the steaks, you know, no pot, no skillet, no nothing. I just right on the, those great things, you know, that are on top of the stove. I just had them right on top of there. And, um,

And then as I'm cooking the steaks, I actually climb up on top of the stove and there's two steaks that I'm cooking and I put one foot on each steak. And so I'm standing on top of the steaks, you know, while they're cooking. And then of course they need to be turned over. So then I put them between my toes to flip them over and then I stand back on top of them again in order to finish cooking them.

Quite a weird dream. I don't know why I was dreaming this dream. But I share it with you to say, look, that's not what's happening here with John. It's not just some crazy dream because he had too many hot dogs the day before. It's not just some weird thing that, you know, off the wall, you know, he didn't just like come up with these things or some strange imagination of his. This is something he saw.

This is an eyewitness account. It's an eyewitness testimony. Much like the Gospels were an eyewitness account of those who walked with Jesus, this is an eyewitness account of one who is transported into eternity to see these things unfold, to see these things take place. And that's important to understand because these are actual events. These things will really happen. Some of them sound, you know, really hard to believe,

But you need to know that these things will actually take place. John bore witness. He saw them take place. He saw them unfold before his eyes. And so Revelation was seen by John. Point number three, Revelation is a blessed book. Look at verse three. "'Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written in it, for the time is near.'"

There's a blessing that's pronounced for those who get involved in this book in three specific ways. He said, blessed is he who reads, blessed are those who hear, and blessed are they who keep these things. This is the only book of the Bible that has this specific blessing declared. Now you will be blessed if you will spend time in any book of the Bible, reading, studying, meditating, allowing God to speak to you, you'll be blessed.

But this book has a specific declaration. God wants you to know you will be blessed if you spend time in the book of Revelation. He wants us to know the things that are written in this. Again, it's not meant to be hidden from us. It's meant for us to spend time in, to read, to understand. He says you'll be blessed. He who reads, notice that it's singular. It's talking about a person, an individual on their own.

Reading through the book of Revelation. Have you ever read through the book of Revelation on your own? Just you and the Lord, you spending time with God. Listen, John says, well actually God says, you'll be blessed if you read through this book. The person who reads through this book will be blessed. They'll receive blessing from God as they spend time with Him in this prophecy. Understanding those things which will shortly take place.

Also those who hear the words. Now as we go through the book of Revelation like we always do on Sunday mornings, I have you stand in the beginning and you read along with me. The reason for that is there is a blessing that goes along with you reading the scriptures yourself.

And then as I'm teaching through the passage, I will read the verse again. Why? Well, because I want the Word of God to be going out. That's what's powerful. That's what's living and active. And that is what has the promised blessing.

You know, my crazy dream that I had, there's no promised blessing with that, okay? So you don't have to remember that. It was just an illustration, okay? But the Word of God, I read it again because there's a promised blessing that goes along with that. And those who hear the book of Revelation read to them, they will be blessed. And you want your family to be blessed? Read to them the book of Revelation. You want to be blessed? Read on your own. Spend some time studying, meditating through the book of Revelation.

But also, the third one is important as well. He says, those who keep those things which are written in it. It's not just meant to be read to be, you know, kind of an intellectual exercise, but it's meant to be kept. It's meant to impact our actions and change our lives. It's not just for informational purposes like you would watch a documentary or something like that, but it's meant to understanding the things that are going to take place.

understanding who Jesus is and that he is coming again, it's meant to impact and to change our lifestyles. And so our activities are based upon, our decisions are made understanding Jesus.

What is going to take place? It's meant to change us. And so we're to keep it. We're to put it into practice. To keep also means to guard and to hold on to. So it's not that it goes in one ear and out the other, but that we hold on to these things, that we grasp these truths. God wants you to have a good, solid understanding of the book of Revelation. And if you do, and if you allow it to change your life, there's a blessing that's promised in it for you.

And so I'm looking forward as we go on in the book of Revelation on Sunday mornings, I'm looking forward to watching God's blessings be poured out. I'm looking for His blessings to be unfolding and revealed in our lives as we commit to spending time studying this book that He promised. He said, Blessed is he who reads, those who hear, and those who keep those things which are written in it.

And so number three is that Revelation is a blessed book. A lot of people stay away from the book of Revelation. They're fearful of it. They're freaked out by it. But there is a blessing in it. So spend time. Join with us. On your own as well. Spend time in the book of Revelation. Well, the fourth point for this morning, also found in verse three, is that the time is near. There at the end of verse three, he says, for the time is near. Notice the for. He's telling us the reason for the blessing.

The reason why he is blessed who reads this book...

The reason why He is blessed or those are blessed who hear the words of this prophecy, the reason why we're blessed if we keep the things which are written in it is because the time is near. This is the reason for the blessing because the time is near. The time is at hand. Again, we're at the edge of eternity and these things can unfold at any moment, at any instant.

These things are about to happen and that's why there's a blessing attached to them because we can live according to them right now. Knowing and understanding what is about to happen helps us to live uprightly, helps us to walk with God, keeps us close to God, gives us an urgency and also helps us to share the gospel with the world around us. Knowing what is going to take place on this earth.

During that tribulation period and the things that follow. The time is near. Now how near are we? I described it as being on the edge of eternity. How far to the edge are we? How far are we off the edge? How close are we to these things happening? I want to share with you some different things that are going on in the world right now. Just briefly, not getting into a lot of detail. But...

Just to give you a snapshot or a quick overview, a quick understanding of where we are in regards to this time being near.

In Matthew chapter 24, the disciples asked Jesus, "What are going to be the signs of your return? What's going to happen before you come back? What's that going to be like? How can we know when you're close to returning?" And Jesus goes through in verses 3 through 8 and even the rest of chapter 24 to give some signs, to give some evidence that will be revealing how close the time is.

And he described it as, well, like birth pains. Now, a lot of the things that Jesus mentions, we've had throughout history. You know, they just continue. Things like wars and rumors of wars. You know, that's always been the case. But as Jesus gives us kind of those insights onto those things that will be happening, he also says that it's going to be like birth pains. Now, birth pains, when they first start, well, they're few and far between.

There's a lot of time between them. They're not that painful from a guy's perspective. But as you get closer to the birth, they become more frequent and they become more intense.

And as you get closer and closer, more frequent and more intense. In the same way, as you look at these evidences that Jesus shares here about the time being near, we can look at history and we can look at the things that are going on right now and we can see, we can recognize that things are speeding up. These things are being seen closer and closer together and the intensity is going up greatly.

And so we understand we're coming closer and closer to Jesus Christ. Things are intensifying as we get closer and it gives us an indication of, well, the time is near. And so I want to hit on a couple of things just to give you an idea of how close we are to the return of Jesus Christ. The first thing, just briefly, Israel itself as a nation is a huge indication that the time is near.

In Matthew 24, verses 32 through 34, Jesus talks about Israel as a fig tree. And as you see the fig tree come back together, you see Israel come back as a nation, then you know that the time is near. Now Israel is a miraculous, miraculous nation. Because never before in history has a nation been removed from their homeland. In 70 A.D.,

Well, it happened a couple of times. But in 70 AD, they were removed from their homeland. Jerusalem was demolished. Jews were scattered all over the world, even through the Holocaust, scattered even farther. They're all over the world. They had no homeland for almost 2,000 years.

But back in May of 1948, they were gathered back together and re-established as a nation. That has never ever happened before in history. That people could be without a nation, without a homeland for such a long time and maintain their identity, maintain their culture, maintain their religion. Usually what would happen as a nation is conquered, the people are spread out

then they begin to assimilate with the nations wherever they are. They begin to just become part of that nation. And their culture is not maintained. They merge it with the culture of the people that they're amongst. Their language becomes the language of whom they're amongst. And so on and so forth. But Israel, God protected. Israel, God preserved. And over almost 2,000 years after they were dispersed...

From their homeland, they were brought back and reestablished as a nation. That's a huge, huge marker and indication that we are living in the last days. Well, another thing that we see happening is Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39 and the attack that is described there on Israel. Now, we understand that the Middle East has been tense for a long time.

But I don't know if you are staying current on the events that are happening. Things recently have gone up quite a few notches as far as intensity is concerned. There's some things that are happening and I want to share with you briefly just some articles and read to you a couple of things and some headlines that talk about the intensity and where we're at as far as the Middle East is concerned and the things that are going on.

Last week I was able to be part of the Calvary Chapel Senior Pastors Conference that happens every year in Marietta. And this year, like he often does, Pastor Chuck introduced a man by the name of Amir. And he shared with us some updates and some things that are going on right now in the nation of Israel.

Amir, many of you have heard of him, probably if you've watched some prophecy conferences, you've heard him teach and share. He is not an American, he's an Israeli. And he was part of the Israeli army for a time. In fact, he was the youngest man ever to become a captain within the Israeli army. Incredibly smart. He's part of the things that are going on there. And so he has some insight. He's a believer though. And he is...

has close relationship with Calvary Chapel, and so we get to hear him share often. And so he has an awesome perspective, being an Israeli, being part of what's going on over there, as well as being a believer, he's able to share some amazing insights into the things that are going on. And so I want to read to you just a little bit, a little snippet of what he was sharing with us there at the conference last week. He was talking about

If you remember, it's like two weeks ago now, where they were bringing the boat into the Gaza Strip, right? And then, you know, there was the attack, and it was called a slaughter, and, you know, Israel's being beaten up in the media about all the things that were going on. But just as a side note, just in general, if you take what you hear in the news and read in the newspapers and things like that about Israel, if you invert the details, then you'll probably have the truth, right?

We're told exactly the opposite many times of what is actually happening. And so here's what he shares about that situation that took place. He says,

After this happened, orders were given to the soldiers to use weapons to save lives. Every person killed was holding a weapon and had used that weapon in the conflict. He says the media did not let the facts distract them from their reports. They called it a slaughter. This was all about deception. The world was being deceived. And so what he shares is as the first Israeli soldiers got on top or got onto the boat and

they were armed with paint guns. They didn't have actually lethal weapons on them. But they were attacked by those who were on the boat. In fact, we find out they're terrorists that were on the boat. They weren't, you know, just a simple peace mission. But they're these terrorists. They have weapons and they kidnap these soldiers that board the boat. And so the next wave, as Israel soldiers get onto the boat, now they understand what's going on, who they're dealing with. And so they're prepared. And so they bring actual weapons.

Now, he describes and he explains, everyone who is killed in that attack...

were people that had weapons and had used them in the conflict. And so these were people that were attacking. They were defending themselves. They were rescuing those who had been kidnapped already, who went on with paint guns. And so it was not a slaughter as described or as some would have us to understand, but it was a decisive and precise move actually, an important one.

He goes on to say that Israeli troops are ready for more flotillas to come. He said they're not going to allow boats to go directly into Gaza unchecked. The last time a boat was intercepted to Gaza, it was filled with weapons and explosives. And Israel is willing to let all aid go into Gaza after it checks for weapons and bombs. He also pointed out that nobody is actually hungry in Gaza, but that a false image is being portrayed.

He goes on to explain that thousands of missiles have come into Israel from Gaza, so they have no choice but to screen what goes on, especially since Hamas has been in control. And so we understand that things are tense, things are tough for Israel. They're in the Gaza Strip, they've got a lot of opposition, and that's why they have to monitor and check these ships as they come.

So that's one thing, right? So that's one element. That's a little tiny aspect, right? But things also are beginning to intensify as well because I'm sure you've heard about something he was sharing about with us as well. Israel found a huge reservoir of natural gas right off the coast of Israel in the Mediterranean Sea.

Now this is important. Now you bring money into it. So it's not just religion and ideology anymore, but now there's financial incentive for nations to wipe Israel off the map. Well, he went on to explain that they also found another natural gas reservoir that was actually bigger than the original one that they found in the Mediterranean Sea.

He also went on to share that signs of oil are being discovered or being found in central Israel. And so there's evidence perhaps that there is actually oil in Israel as well. And so he describes it as that they are being set up as a desirable target for plunder.

Israel, now that they have some natural gas resources, possibly some oil reserves, is going to be very, very desirable for the nations around them. Now, I want to read to you just some headlines that kind of come in the aftermath of these things. Again, not going in details, but just giving a little snapshot of what is taking place.

Here's the first headline. Next, Hezbollah war may be over Israel's gas and oil fields. So Hezbollah is saying, hey, these oil fields, these natural gas reserves, they belong to us. You don't deserve them, Israel. You're not going to get them. And so there's speculation that they may go to war over that. Next headline, Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah gear up to provoke summer war.

They're preparing for a war for this summer, 2010.

The article describes Hezbollah as having far more rockets and missiles than most governments in the world. And so there in the north, in the area of Lebanon where the Hezbollah are, they're preparing, they're amassing weapons in order to prepare for war. It goes on to say that dragging Israel and its homeland into war in the summer of 2010 would serve as a political and military interest of Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah well.

And so there's a great threat now for war. Now we've seen these things, but now you add the oil reserves, you add those types of things into the mix, and things begin to intensify. Not only that,

But also recently, June 8th, Joel Rosenberg reports that Russia, Iran, and Turkey met in order to discuss how to form a closer alliance. This whole thing with the boat has issued a radical change for the nation of Turkey, where publicly, at least, they were allies with Israel, they supported Israel. Now there's a huge change that's being taking place.

Now Turkey is allying themselves with Iran, with Russia, and speaking out against Israel. Now this is really important when it comes to Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39, because the nation of Turkey, the area of Turkey rather, is mentioned as part of those who come against Israel for this attack on the nation.

And so now Turkey is, well, the pieces are being set in place. The stage is being set. At one time they were allies, but now right before our eyes, in the last weeks, we're seeing things change and the stage being set corresponding with what the scripture says is going to happen.

Joel Rosenberg again, he says, as more details emerge, it is increasingly clear that a Turkish group with ties to Hamas and other terrorist groups organized, funded, staffed, and provoked the confrontation with the Israeli Navy. Now the Turkish government is using the premeditated violence as a pretext to build a movement to condemn Israel.

Sadly, Turkey is steadily turning against Israel, consistent with Ezekiel 38 and 39 prophecies. Next headline, Former U.S. General warns of preemptive chemical attacks against Israel by Hezbollah, possibly this summer. Again, this is a big theme that's going on right now. This former U.S. General says...

Iran knows that Israel wants to strike and take out their capability for nuclear weapons. And so maybe Iran will strike first using Hezbollah. According to this major general, Iran is planning a preemptive attack and a submarine in Beirut unloaded suspicious cargo that signaled the potential presence of chemical weapons.

and this news comes on the heels of Israel distributing gas masks to its 7.5 million citizens.

He goes on to say, Israel again may be standing alone this summer from potential attacks by Iran's agents. But this time, possible chemical attacks from scuds that could reach Jerusalem and Tel Aviv raise the stakes to a completely new level. Israel has been under attack before. They've had rockets fired on them by Hezbollah, by Hamas in the north and in the south. That's all happened before. But again, it's gone up a notch.

They're able to reach Jerusalem, they're able to reach Tel Aviv, they potentially have chemical weapons. Things are intensifying. They were desirable before, now there's oil and gas.

They were desirable before, they were attacked before, now they've stepped up the weapons. Iran is continuing to work on their nuclear weapons program and is said to have enough material or enough resources to manufacture two nuclear warheads. And so things are progressing, things are intensifying.

Here's another headline. Egyptian official says Israel may strike Iran next month. The Egyptian government believes July will be a decisive month that may see an Israeli army strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, according to a senior Egyptian security official.

Again, things are intensifying. Things are speeding up. Things are becoming very clear. The Bible is revealing itself to us through the history of the world, through the events that are taking place. I think this is the final one for this. The final thing is Saudi Arabia gives clear skies to attack Iranian nuclear sites. So, Iranians,

Iran, not a fan of, I'm sorry, Saudi Arabia, not a fan of Iran either, says to Israel, you can go through our airspace to go on your attack against Iran. It cuts off a considerable amount of distance for them, and so it's a very convenient route for them to be able to go to refuel and then to go up and attack the nuclear sites in Iran. And so they've conducted tests, they've prepared themselves appropriately,

They've given Israel the all clear for the attack. And so it's very possible. Again, these things, we've seen crises like this before. And God may be patient. He may wait. And this might not be the end, but it also could be. We're seeing these things and the stage set like it's never been set before. And so we need to be ready. The time is near is what God said.

Couple more things. No one can buy or sell without the mark. Revelation chapter 13, verse 17 talks about that. I'm not going to get into that, but there are those, you know, it's long been thought that the mark of the beast will possibly be some type of microchip that is inserted as a matter of, you know, taking sides with the Antichrist. And so, just pointing out, just sharing with you briefly, that technology is there. It's in...

animals all over. They're working on making it, having it, letting it have medical uses so it kind of records all your medical history, keeps all your data, but also possibly, you know, has some sensors and stuff to, you know, monitor how you're doing and let the doctors know if something's going wrong, that type of thing. In Mexico, they've already actually begun to use this at the Attorney General's office.

The staff there actually have chips implanted into them and it's used for security so that's how they get through. That's how they have access to the Attorney General's office so that drug lords and other crooks and criminals can't get in and so that chip is used as a security measure and so on and so forth. The FDA has approved it. Over 900 hospitals

have signed up and said, hey, we want to be ready for, we'll be part of, you know, having your medical information in that chip and we want to be ready to receive it and so on and so forth. And so there's just a lot happening. Again, that's not necessarily, you know, exactly the way the mark of the beast will be fulfilled, but it's a great possibility and we see it's all right there, it's in place, nothing else needs to happen, the technology is already there existing.

Daniel chapter 12 verse 4 talks about an increase in speed and knowledge as the last days come. There's going to be an increasing amount of things to know. And studies recently suggest that the amount of human knowledge is doubling every eight years. Consider that. Every eight years.

So I'm 32 years old. That's four times the amount of knowledge in the world has doubled since I was born. That's pretty incredible. That's pretty intense. And that's just continuing to increase even more as we go forward with technology.

Finally, Matthew chapter 24, verse 7 also talks about earthquakes. Jesus says there's going to be earthquakes in various places. And we do see an intensity, an intensifying of earthquakes. I just threw up some statistics here for you really quickly. Oops, too far.

If you look, I'm not going to go through all the details, but just look at the total there, total magnitude 6 to 9.9 over the past three decades, increasing every year. Now, if you include the ones under 6.0, you know, it gets into the hundreds of thousands. There's just a huge amount of earthquakes that are taking place all over. And we've seen that, you know, just the...

the desolation, you know, the tragic tsunamis and those types of things that are being caused by these earthquakes that are happening around the world. If you want a fun little exercise, if you've got, you know, an iPhone or iPod Touch, download the free earthquake app and...

and you get notified every time there's an earthquake and it's like several times a day, it's beeping, it only does it over a certain threshold of magnitude, but all the time you just get updated. So it's very annoying because that's how many earthquakes are going on around the world, just constantly and continually. You see a big jump in the amount of deaths, right? 58,000 from 1980 to 1989 from earthquakes.

In 1990 to 1999, it almost doubles to 114,000. But then you jump into 2000 to 2009. Of course, we had some pretty big ones, a huge tsunami. You see 471,000.

Now, going forward in 2010, there's already been, I didn't put these on the board, but there's already been over 200,000 deaths just in this year from earthquakes. And so we're well on our way to do another record decade of the earthquakes that are taking place.

And so as we look at these things, again, the point is that the time is near. We're very close. We're right on the edge. All the signs are pointing to Jesus has the green light. He can come back at any moment, at any time. The stage is set. The world is ready. Things are in place. He is coming again. And we need to be ready. And so we look at the book of Revelation. We understand it's an unveiling. God is revealing to us what is taking place.

He's revealing to us the things that will happen so that we can be prepared, so that we can be looking up, knowing that our redemption draws nigh. Now, as we finish up this morning, there's something else I want to share with you, and that is that last week as I was at the conference,

The Lord really spoke to my heart about the gospel message and the importance of it and the need for us as we look forward to the things that are going to come to pass, the need for us to have an urgency on our hearts to share the gospel to the world around us. The time is near. Are you ready? And are the people around you ready?

And so the Lord really spoke to me as far as our services on Sunday mornings are concerned, that it's important for me to be an example for you to be sharing the gospel. And so I committed to the Lord that on Sunday mornings at all of our services, I will be sharing the gospel message

as an example to you so that you have a good understanding of the gospel message, that you'll be prepared to share it with those around you as God gives you opportunity, but also to give opportunity to those that God may bring, to be able to receive forgiveness that's found in Jesus Christ and to receive the offer and the hope of eternity that God has given to us.

And so as we consider the things that are coming, the things that are going to take place, as believers, we look forward to it. We know the rapture of the church is going to take place. We're going to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. But if you do not have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, you don't have that hope. In fact, the things of the book of Revelation should be quite terrifying to you because those are the things that you will live through

or die through if you do not get right with God.

In Romans chapter 3 verse 23, it tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Every one of us falls short. We don't measure up. You know, God doesn't grade on a curve. He doesn't compare you to someone else and say, well, you're pretty good compared to that person. We like to do that. But God sets the standard at perfection. And if you don't measure up to perfection, you're not worthy of eternity with Him. You're not worthy to enter into heaven.

And the Bible tells us we've all sinned. None of us measure up. None of us meet that mark. None of us are perfect. And so what God did, Romans chapter 5 verse 8 and 9 tells us that what God did was God sent His Son to die on the cross in our place because He loved us so much. He demonstrated that love by going to the cross on our behalf and receiving the punishment that was due to us. Receiving the penalty for our failure to...

meet the mark for our sin. Christ died because He loves us and He wants to spend eternity with us. And so it tells us in Romans chapter 10, verse 9 and 10, that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. He gives us the opportunity of salvation. He gives us the opportunity of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Through confessing

The Lord Jesus with our mouth and believing in Him with our hearts. The idea here of confess means to agree with God. It's an agreement with God about sin. It carries with it the idea of repenting from sin. We were walking against God in rebellion to God.

But now we're making a change and we're going to walk to God. We're going to walk with God. We're going to draw near to God. It's turning away from our sinful practices and turning towards a right relationship with God.

And so this morning, I want to give you this opportunity. If you would like to make this confession, if you would like to say, yes, I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins and I want to confess Him with my mouth. I want to confess that He is Lord and receive His offer of forgiveness. If you want to turn from sin and be forgiven and have the hope of eternity, then I would ask you right now, just stand up right where you are.

Stand up if you want to receive the offer of forgiveness that Jesus has for you. Anybody? Okay. I hope that means we're all ready because the time is near. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, as we close this time together and look forward to the things that we'll be studying in the future about you and your return, I pray, Lord, that you would stir in our hearts an urgency. Lord, we need to walk rightly with you. We need to draw near to you. And Lord, the world around us needs to hear the message of hope, of forgiveness, of peace.

that you offer to us. And so, Lord, place this urgency upon us. Help us to understand, to remember, and to hold fast to the reality that the time is near. And Lord, I pray that you would use us to share with others your good news, your offer of peace, forgiveness, and salvation that's found in Jesus Christ. Lord, we love you. We thank you for your goodness towards us. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.