What's That in the Sky?
Questions about the Future • Sermon • Submitted
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11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
Revelation 19:
Throughout history, war has been inevitable. The United States is a nation of war. Beginning with the shot heard around the world at Lexington and Concord, the colonies through over the yoke of British tyranny.
Be in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, WWI, WWII, Vietnam, or recent wars in the Middle East, we love to hear the story of how our nation prevailed in the midst of a battle.
Warfare has changed in within the last century. I watched a documentary on the Roosevelts. Teddy Roosevelt was a war hero from the Spanish American war.
By the time WWI began, President Roosevelt went to Washington D.C. to visit with President Wilson. He offered his services and told him that with a group of rough riders, he could get the problems in Europe under control.
President Wilson thanked for his offer and when Teddy Roosevelt left, Wilson pitied him, knowing warfare had changed. Instead of fighting person to person with guns and swords.
It moved to airplanes, tanks, and large artillery. With each successive war, the machines of warfare have altered, but the outcome has stayed constant; there is a winning side and a losing side.
While we hear of wars and rumors of wars, there is a battle that is soon to take place. Millions will gather in valley to decide the fate of the world.
In this battle, each group will think they will prevail when suddenly, there will appear in the sky the great Captain of our Salvation, riding with the armies of heaven!
When will this battle take place? There are a few things that have to happen first!
First, the rapture of the church has to take place.
Once the rapture occurs, the church will be out of the way and the Antichrist will come into power. With the Antichrist in power, the world will enter seven years of tribulation.
The seven years of tribulation will usher in a time of progressive judgments. The three series of judgments will prepare the world for the coming of the Savior!
Last week we focused on the last half of the Great Tribulation. Life will get increasingly worse as the Antichrist ramps up his power and his assault against Israel.
The unholy trinity of the Tribulation will be: Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet.
However, God will not allow their evil to control the world indefinitely. He will return and bring peace to the world. But before peace, will come war, which will begin with the Second coming.
There are three questions, I want to answer concerning the second coming, [What is the Second coming?] [What will Jesus do at the second coming?] [What is Armageddon?]
Let’s begin
· What will Jesus do at the second coming?
· What is Armageddon?
1. What is the Second Coming?
1. What is the Second Coming?
11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
It is promised all throughout Scripture that Jesus will return! For every promise of Jesus’ first coming, there are eight promises for His second coming.
There are 1845 references to the Second Coming, including 318 in the New Testament. His return is emphasized in seventeen books of the Old Testament and seven out of every ten chapters in the New Testament.
Jesus Himself referred to His coming twenty-one times! The fact is this Jesus WILL come again.
First let’s look at Jesus’ first coming, it was a process. He was born, He grew, He taught, He died, He rose, and He ascended. His first coming covered 33 years on earth.
Likewise, His Second coming will be a process! He will come for the church, release progressive judgments on the earth for seven years, and then conclude the process with His physical return to earth.
The Second Coming happens in two phases. The first phase is the Rapture. The second phase is the Second Coming.
At the Rapture, Jesus comes FOR His Church. At the Second Coming, Jesus comes WITH His church.
Let’s look at the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming:
Rapture, the Saints go to Heaven: Second Coming, the saints return to Earth.
Second Coming, the saints return to Earth.
Rapture, the earth is not judged: Second Coming, earth is judged.
Rapture, could happen at any moment: Second Coming, follows predicted signs.
Rapture, believers only: Second Coming, affects all humanity.
Rapture, Christ comes for His own: Second Coming, Christ comes with His own.
Rapture He comes in the air: Second Coming, He comes to the earth.
Rapture, only His own see Him: Second Coming, every eye shall see Him.
We read of the rapture in
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
We read of the Second Coming in
11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
2. What Will Jesus do at the Second Coming?
2. What Will Jesus do at the Second Coming?
11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS
When Jesus returns at the Second Coming, He will come to defeat the Antichrist and the False Prophet, and institute His Kingdom on Earth.
First, notice that Jesus will come WITH His saints. I always get excited when I read this passage, because I know that I will be among those numbered with Jesus, riding on a white horse coming to earth with Jesus.
The church will have been in heaven for seven years. Prior to His return, we will have the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Revelation 19:
6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”
Then Jesus will announce that it is time. We will get on our white horse and follow Him. Jude saw this day in:
Jude
14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
Think about that, the seventh from Adam prophesied of a time when the Lord would return!
Jesus will return to the Mount of Olives.
He left from the Mount of Olives in and He will return there. The Prophet Zechariah spoke of it in:
4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.
14 Judah also will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations Shall be gathered together: Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.
When He does this it will cause the Mount of Olives to split open, making a path toward the battle of the Armageddon.
To summarize, at the Second Coming, Jesus will: return with His saints, come to earth, and head to the battle of the Armageddon.
3. What is Armageddon?
3. What is Armageddon?
12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
15 “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”
16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.
Toward the end of the Tribulation, the Antichrist and the False Prophet will work together to cause people to worship Satan. The Antichrist will create the treaty with Israel, but he will break the treaty.
The armies of the world will grow weary with the Antichrist and his ways and it will lead to this epic battle.
Where will the battle take place? The Valley of Megiddo.
In 1799, Napoleon looked over Megiddo and declared, “All the armies of the world could maneuver their forces on this vast plain. There is no place in the world more suited for war than this. It is the most natural battle ground on the whole earth.”
As the armies head to the Valley of Megiddo for the Battle of the Armageddon, something will shock them. They will look and see something in the sky.
The supernatural sight will be Jesus returning with His people! Imagine how large the armies of the heaven will look and how large the armies of earth will look in this valley.
There will be a battle, but it will not last forever, it will be over relatively quickly!
Jesus’ eyes will be as a flame of fire.
He will be able to see through the Antichrist and the False Prophet.
Jesus’ will wear many crowns.
He will show that He is the King of king and Lord and lords.
Jesus will have a sword proceed from his mouth.
We know that Jesus will fight the battle. Instantaneously he will kill armies of the world who have taken the Mark of the Beast and were consumed with evil and wickedness.
1 After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”
19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.
Revelation 19:27-21
7-21
At the Battle of the Armageddon, the birds of the air will eat the flesh of those who were left behind and followed the Antichrist.
Jesus will take the False Prophet and the Antichrist and through them into the Lake of Fire alive.
Notice that word ALIVE. They will be tormented in hell because of their gross sins against God and humanity.
Throughout the book of the Revelation, we have seen the [world ruined by man], [the world ruled by Satan], but after Armageddon, we see, [The world reclaimed by Christ.]
Why does this have to happen? Because Jesus has to deal with the sins of humanity and he has to restore the earth by eradicating evil!
Armageddon is more than a place it is an event.
It is the event where Jesus begins the process of restoring earth back to the original design God had at creation.
Close:
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
To say that this part of the story of overly comforting is two-fold.
It is comforting to know God has everything under control.
It is not comforting to know there are those who are not ready.
Therefore as Christians, we have to do all we can to pray for our lost loved ones and tell them about the importance of being ready for Jesus return!
Today Jesus is asking each of us, are we ready to ride with Him?
He has fire in His eyes, And a sword in His hand
And He's riding a white horse, Across this land
And He's calling out to you and me
Will you ride with me
And we say yes
We'll ride with you We say yes Lord
We will stand up and fight
We will ride
With the armies of Heaven We're gonna be dressed in white
We say yes Lord
We will ride
We say yes Lord
We will stand up and fight
We will ride
With the armies of Heaven
We're gonna be dressed in white
We say yes Lord
We will ride
He has a crown on His head
And He's carrying a sceptor In His hand
And He's leading the armies
And He's calling out to you and me
Will you ride with Me
Will you ride with Me
We say yes Lord
We'll ride
That fire in His eyes
Is His love for His bride
And He's longing that she will be with Him
Right by His side
That fire in His eyes
Is His burning desire
That His bride be with Him
Right by His side
And He's calling out to us right now
Will you ride with Me
Yes Lord, yes Lord, yes Lord, yes Lord
Let’s get ready for this great day that is coming. If Jesus returned tonight, in seven years those who are left behind will ask, what’s that in the sky?
The answer, Jesus and all the saints of all the ages!