Is this Really the End?
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Intro:
18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
I’ve yet to meet anyone who really LOVES endings. For me, if I am reading a good book, I am kind of sad when I read the last two words, “the End.”
If there is a movie or TV series, no one loves to see it end. It could be a really good South Iron ball game or a Cardinals baseball game, no one likes to see a good thing come to an end.
We do not like endings, UNLESS, it is followed by something good.
Politicians speak of the END of poverty, the end of inequality, and the end of problems.
We would celebrate if we heard that someone came up with the cure that would end cancer, Alzheimers/dementia, diabetes, or other life threatening or altering illnesses.
I have heard people on TV tell us that the world could potentially end in twelve years if major changes are not made. Normally the end of the world evokes feelings of fear, anxiety, and worry.
And we should be concerned about the end of the world, UNLESS we are followers of Christ. Knowing Jesus helps us understand that we want the end to come soon, for that means better days will come!
What does it take for the end to come?
First, the rapture of the church has to take place.
Second, the Antichrist will come into power. With the Antichrist in power, the world will enter seven years of tribulation.
Third, the unholy trinity of the Tribulation will be: Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet.
Fourth, the Jesus will return to this earth at His second coming. He will fight the Battle of the Armageddon.
Fifth, Jesus will thrown the Antichrist and the False Prophet into the Lake of Fire.
Sixth, the world will enter the a thousands years of peace. Jesus will govern as King on earth.
What happens after that? There are few loose ends God will tie up before we see our eternal state with Him. There are three questions I want to answer: [What is the end for the wicked?], [How will the world end?], and [Will we end up in heaven?]
1. What is the end for the wicked?
1. What is the end for the wicked?
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Because of sin, God has to judge humanity. How we live on earth determines when we will be judged.
Each judgment is accompanied by a resurrection.
When the church is resurrected/ raptured before the tribulation we will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Remember, this is where we receive our rewards for our work for God on earth.
When will the wicked be judged? After the Millennial Reign of Christ.
Every wicked/unsaved person from the beginning to the present will rise from their graves. After this resurrection there will be no human bodies left in graves anywhere on earth.
When they are resurrected, they will receive their eternal punishment at the Great White Throne Judgment.
Jesus will look in the book of life and there names will not be there.
Dr. David Jeremiah explains, in John’s day, cities had a register that contained the name of every citizen. If a person committed a serious offense, he could be called before the town tribunal to witness the blotting of his name from the register.
Likewise, those who died in sin, who never accepted Him as their Savior, will not have a place with God for their name has been blotted from the book of life.
What is the end for the wicked?
Because they did not live for the Lord, they will be cast into the Lake of Fire.
2. How will the world end?
2. How will the world end?
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
When God affirmed in that the Earth was Good, He meant it and he has not changed His mind.
Though sin changed the landscape of the world, one author believes, “God doesn’t thrown away His handiwork and start from scratch- instead, He uses the same canvas to repair and make more beautiful the painting marred by the vandal. The vandal doesn’t get the satisfaction of destroying his rival’s masterpiece. On the contrary, God makes an even greater masterpiece out of what His enemy sought to destroy.
When we discuss the end of the world, we need to think in terms of purification and not destruction.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
The earth will be laid bare, removing the impurities and consequences of that came with the fall of mankind. The original earth will be refreshed and renovated.
The earth will uncovered, not destroyed. It will be purified, not burned up.
Peter compares it to the flood. When God sent the flooded, He did not destroy the earth. When the flood waters receded, Noah and his family repopulated the same earth that God created in Genesis.
The world will never end, it will just change in form.
The sea will be removed.
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
The curse will be reversed.
3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.
The earth will be restored.
10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
3. Will we end up in Heaven?
3. Will we end up in Heaven?
3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
We will all go to heaven at the rapture. We will leave heaven at the second coming.
The reason we will not need to return to heaven is because God will come down to earth when the Holy City, New Jerusalem comes down to earth.
What will it be like in the New Jerusalem?
One author describes, “A holy city will be one in which no lie will be uttered, no evil word will ever be spoken. No shady business deals will ever be discussed. No unclean picture will ever be seen, no corruption of life will ever manifest. It will be holy because everyone in it will be holy.
The New Jerusalem will be 1500 miles in length, height, and width.
15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.
A furlong is .1 miles. It is a little more than nine semi trucks parked back to back. Therefore, 12,000 furlongs is 1500 miles.
The Holy City will be a cube. It will be 20 times larger than New Zealand. 10 times larger than Germany and France. Forty times larger than England. It is larger than the nation of India.
To walk one gate of the city would take 75.4 days. It will be huge!
What else will the Holy City have?
It will have twelve gates of pearl.
21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
The foundation of the city will be of precious stones.
19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
The streets will be made of gold.
19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
There will be no temple, sun, or moon, for the Lamb is the Light of the City.
22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.
Revelation 21:22
There will be a tree of life and a river of life.
1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Will we end up in heaven? At the most for seven years. Then heaven will come to earth!
Close:
What do we do with this knowledge of His coming?
4. What do we do until He come?
Yesterday as I did a little more study for tonight’s message, I had to stop before I could much on paper. I had music playing in the background, and an older song came on, the lyrics are:
Yesterday as I did a little more study for tonight’s message, I had to stop before I could much on paper. I had music playing in the background, and an older song came on, the lyrics are:
Won’t we have a time when we get over yonder. Won’t we have a time when we get over yonder? Won’t we have a time when we get over yonder? Oh, won’t we have a time.
We’re going to walk and talk and sing and shout when we get over yonder. Oh, won’t we have a time.
There’ll be shouting on the hills of glory, shouting on the hills, shouting on the hills. When we’ve reached that land from which we’ve heard the story. There’ll be shouting on the hills of God.
I couldn’t help but lift my hands. Before I knew it, I was singing in the Spirit. Next thing I knew I was walking around my office, and I ended up in the sanctuary praying, praising, and spending time in God’s presence!
Because I have noticed something, when we talk, preach, sing, or study about His coming, He comes!
Why?
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
We pray, seek , and draw closer to the Lord, desiring that He will come in power and Spirit to our lives and our church!
Until He comes in the clouds, we pray and believe that He will send His Spirit to us!
We , , and , to the Lord, desiring that He will come in power and Spirit to our lives and our churc!Until He comes in the clouds, we pray and believe that He will send His Spirit to us!
Until He comes in the clouds, we pray and believe that He will send His Spirit to us!
People need to experience all experience has for them!
Revelation 22
16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.