1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,440 chapter 19. 2 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:13,120 It's going to be starting in verse 11 this evening. 3 00:00:13,120 --> 00:00:18,020 You remember last week we were finishing up the fall of Babylon that we saw it towards 4 00:00:18,020 --> 00:00:22,720 the end there of chapter, I guess the beginning part of chapter 19 and the marriage supper 5 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:24,360 of the lamb. 6 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:29,960 And so we're coming to this section now starting in verse 11 that talks about when Jesus returns 7 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:31,560 and what that's going to look like. 8 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:37,320 He's going to return to earth on a white horse and he is going to wage war. 9 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:42,080 And as I was studying this section I was thinking about a book I read a while ago. 10 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:47,320 I don't know if any of you have ever read the Art of War by Sun Tzu. 11 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:48,320 No? 12 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:53,640 Okay, well I guess we don't read the same thing. 13 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:57,200 It's basically Sun Tzu, Brian you read it? 14 00:00:57,200 --> 00:00:58,480 Okay, yeah there you go. 15 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:02,320 So it's basically a bunch of military quotes from Sun Tzu. 16 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:07,720 He was a leader and he's got a bunch of quotes about military and leadership strategy. 17 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:12,720 For instance in the book he says appear weak when you are strong and strong when you're 18 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:13,720 weak. 19 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:15,920 I thought that was pretty interesting advice. 20 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:19,800 He also said to know your enemy you must become your enemy. 21 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:24,800 Jesus isn't necessarily going to follow that here but there was one quote that really stuck 22 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:28,440 out to me and I thought it was perfectly fitting for this passage. 23 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:35,760 He said a wise general does not enter battle seeking victory but only enters battle having 24 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:37,760 already achieved it. 25 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:41,760 And I thought that was really interesting because that's the exact picture that we get 26 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:45,080 of Jesus here when he's returning to earth. 27 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:49,240 He's already achieved the victory at the cross. 28 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:54,000 The Bible says that's where he won the victory was at the cross at his resurrection. 29 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:59,920 And so when we see him returning to wage war it's not to win a victory it's to put an 30 00:01:59,920 --> 00:02:06,240 end to the rebellion that's happening in light of the victory of Christ on the cross. 31 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:12,600 And so we get this picture of Jesus as this mighty warrior who's returning and I think 32 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:18,240 it really kind of goes against the common view or at least a common view that gets put 33 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:20,800 forth about Jesus today. 34 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:26,680 If you listen to a lot of sermons or you're in different churches or around certain Christians 35 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:34,720 they'll often present Jesus kind of as this meek, mild, like very gentle, almost weak 36 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:36,400 savior. 37 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:38,400 And the Bible does say that Jesus is meek. 38 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:39,400 He is mild. 39 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:40,400 He is gentle. 40 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:42,400 He is lowly, a bruised reed. 41 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:44,200 He will not break. 42 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:47,720 But the Bible says that he's also a mighty warrior. 43 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:52,960 Yes, he's the lamb who was slain for our sins but we don't need to forget that the lamb 44 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:56,040 of God is also the lion of Judah. 45 00:02:56,040 --> 00:03:00,680 And that's what you're seeing in this passage is all those who don't submit to the lamb 46 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:04,200 they are going to be conquered by the lion. 47 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:08,040 And so when he returns it is as a conquering lion, a mighty warrior. 48 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:11,240 I want you to look at this description in verse 11. 49 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:18,600 It says, then I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse and the one sitting on it is 50 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:24,400 called faithful and true and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 51 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:28,160 So I wish I had my white board tonight because there's going to be a lot of symbolism that 52 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:31,280 we need to break down but we're going to do our best to get through it without a white 53 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:32,280 board. 54 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:35,440 So white is highly symbolic. 55 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:37,400 What do you think white represents? 56 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:38,400 Purity. 57 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:39,400 Yeah. 58 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:43,520 So in the ancient world white would represent purity but also victory. 59 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:46,000 So I think both meanings are intended here. 60 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:52,600 Jesus is the one who is perfectly holy, perfectly pure but he is also the one who is coming 61 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:59,520 having already won the victory and because he is pure and because he is holy he is able 62 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:03,120 to enact a true justice that we see here. 63 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:06,600 That is why he's called faithful and true. 64 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:12,640 So he comes in righteousness to judge and to make war and it's not petty or vindictive. 65 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:17,440 His judgment is the right judgment because he is faithful and true. 66 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:25,240 And we see in Revelation verse 12 here of 19, his eyes are like a flame of fire and on 67 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:31,640 his head are many diadems and he has a name written on him that no one knows but himself. 68 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:39,320 So the eyes like a flame of fire that's referring to Jesus's penetrating insight and wisdom 69 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:42,360 to judge properly and expose sin. 70 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:49,440 We're reminded of what the Bible says in Hebrews 4.13 where it says, and no creature is hidden 71 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:56,520 from his sight but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an 72 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:57,920 account. 73 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:02,880 So in other words what the Bible is saying here is when Jesus returns the entire world 74 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:06,640 is going to be laid bare before him. 75 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:08,560 There will be no running from Jesus. 76 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:10,360 There will be no hiding from Jesus. 77 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:14,400 I mean the Bible even says that at that time people are going to be begging the rocks 78 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:20,680 in the mountains to fall on them and to hide them from the eyes of Jesus and that will 79 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:22,240 not work. 80 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:30,240 He will expose every sin, every act of unrighteousness, he sees all and every single person is going 81 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:33,400 to have to give an account to God. 82 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:39,160 And that thought alone should be absolutely terrifying to every single person who is not 83 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:40,400 a believer. 84 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:43,680 For the believer it shouldn't terrify us. 85 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:47,720 Now if you did not have Jesus can you see why that would be terrifying? 86 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:52,080 Do you want to have to give an account of your life and all of your sins and every horrible 87 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:55,960 thing you've done to God face to face? 88 00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:56,960 No. 89 00:05:56,960 --> 00:06:04,280 But when you have Jesus who has covered you by his blood then everything that God is going 90 00:06:04,280 --> 00:06:09,440 to hear about your life and your account he's already taken care of at the cross. 91 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:13,880 And so this should not be terrifying for believers but for unbelievers. 92 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:19,760 This should be absolutely horrifying to think that one day they will have to stand before 93 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:26,600 the holy God of the universe and give an account for everything that they've ever done. 94 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:30,960 And notice here it says that he is crowned with many diadems. 95 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:34,320 Now something you're going to notice is kind of interesting here. 96 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:37,680 How many diadems does it say Jesus is wearing? 97 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:39,280 Many, right? 98 00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:40,600 It doesn't give an exact number. 99 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:43,520 And you might be wondering well what's the point of that? 100 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:48,160 And it's interesting because it's kind of contrasting the dragon and the beast. 101 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:51,360 Because earlier in the book of Revelation when it was talking about the dragon and the 102 00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:56,920 beast it said that they were wearing diadems or crowns because they have set themselves 103 00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:00,720 up as a counterfeit Christ with a counterfeit kingdom. 104 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:06,640 And the Bible says that the beast has 10 diadems and the dragon has seven. 105 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:12,840 And the point of that is that they are wearing a limited number of crowns. 106 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:16,800 Meaning their rule and their authority is limited. 107 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:20,920 And I think the reason the Bible does not tell us an exact number when it comes to Jesus 108 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:25,520 is because it's communicating the fact that his rule is unlimited. 109 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:27,880 There is no limit to his authority. 110 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:30,000 There is no limit to his power. 111 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:33,000 He is the rightful ruler of everything. 112 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:36,680 He's not limited in any way nor is his authority. 113 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:41,000 And this is something that many people fail to understand today. 114 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:46,520 I remember having a conversation with one of my very close friends who is an atheist. 115 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:49,080 And we have had many conversations before. 116 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:52,080 We've talked about Jesus and the gospel and I've shared that with him. 117 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:57,080 And I remember on this one occasion I think it was in 2020. 118 00:07:57,080 --> 00:07:59,680 I think it was election season 2020. 119 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:03,280 And he was asking me who I'm voting for and we're having this conversation. 120 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:05,520 And we got on the topic of abortion. 121 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:09,440 And I said well I'll tell you who I'm voting for and the whole reason why is because of 122 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:11,200 the issue of abortion. 123 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:17,400 I don't want a country where abortion is allowed and where it's celebrated and encouraged. 124 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:20,400 I think it is evil and it is sin. 125 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:24,640 And I remember we were talking and he said but Alex not everyone is a Christian and you 126 00:08:24,640 --> 00:08:29,800 can't force your Christian morality on non-Christians. 127 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:33,960 And I remember telling him this isn't an issue of morality. 128 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:36,120 This isn't my perspective on the issue. 129 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:39,240 This is what God says about the issue. 130 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:43,320 And so it's not me trying to force my Christian morality on people. 131 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:49,600 This is what the God of the universe who created all things says is evil and sinful in his 132 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:55,560 sight and that applies to all people whether they are believers or not. 133 00:08:55,560 --> 00:08:56,800 And he said but I'm not a believer. 134 00:08:56,800 --> 00:09:00,640 I don't believe in God so why should that have any bearing on my life? 135 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:05,320 And I said because whether you believe in God or not is irrelevant when it comes to 136 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:07,760 his word and his power. 137 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:11,840 God is the authority whether you recognize him as the authority or not. 138 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:14,320 I like the way one preacher said it. 139 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:18,360 He said that Jesus you do not make Jesus Lord of your life. 140 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:22,400 Jesus is already Lord whether you acknowledge that or not. 141 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:27,000 And that's what's being communicated here when it says that he wears these many diadems 142 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:28,280 that he's the king of kings. 143 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:29,960 He's the Lord of lords. 144 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:36,920 His rule is not limited and it's certainly not contingent upon unbelievers in our world 145 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:39,840 recognizing his existence. 146 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:45,600 So whether they recognize it or not Jesus is the authority over their lives. 147 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:51,640 And we're told that he has a name written on him that no one knows but himself. 148 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:54,600 Now anybody want to take a crack at this? 149 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:56,360 What does this mean? 150 00:09:56,360 --> 00:10:01,720 He has a name written on him that no one knows but himself. 151 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:04,720 What does that mean? 152 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:08,440 He's the only one that's perfect. 153 00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:09,760 We have one guess. 154 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:11,600 Anybody else? 155 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:12,920 Okay. 156 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:18,240 Probably never meant to understand what it was. 157 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:19,240 Yeah. 158 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:25,320 So I think a lot of it is tied to first century culture because in the first century if you 159 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:30,480 knew a person's name it kind of gave you an idea of everything you needed to know about 160 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:31,480 them. 161 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:37,760 So in the first century if you found out someone's name was Caesar you're automatically thinking 162 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:38,760 a lot about them. 163 00:10:38,760 --> 00:10:43,200 That tells you pretty much everything you need to know about that person just because 164 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:45,960 you know that their name is Caesar. 165 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:48,760 In the same way it's still kind of true today. 166 00:10:48,760 --> 00:10:51,280 My mom's not here so she's not going to get offended by this. 167 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:53,280 Her maiden name is Smith. 168 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:57,880 In America if your name is Smith it's considered pretty basic. 169 00:10:57,880 --> 00:10:59,480 It's just the most common name. 170 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:03,960 That's why you've got like John Smith or John Doe stuff like that. 171 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:09,680 Smith is basic but in America let's say your last name is something like Kennedy. 172 00:11:09,680 --> 00:11:12,080 That carries some weight does it not? 173 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:14,320 Automatically you're starting to think about presidential connections. 174 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:18,160 You're starting to think about all sorts of higher up connections and that tells you a 175 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:20,080 lot about that person. 176 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:24,760 Or if you're living in the UK and your last name is Windsor people automatically start 177 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:26,360 thinking royalty. 178 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:27,880 So this is the idea. 179 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:32,600 Things have a way of communicating pretty much everything you need to know about a person 180 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:34,080 in a lot of ways. 181 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:39,160 And the fact that the Bible says that Jesus has a name on him that no one knows. 182 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:43,040 I think it communicates Jesus's immensity. 183 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:49,920 That you can never know everything there is to know about Jesus. 184 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:52,400 We will never plumb the depths of Christ. 185 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:55,200 I think one of the coolest things about eternity. 186 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:59,040 And I'll talk to some of my family members about this because I had one of my family 187 00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:01,840 members ask me is heaven going to be boring? 188 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:05,880 I was like why on earth why would heaven be boring? 189 00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:09,840 And she said well she had this idea that we're all going to go to heaven and we're going 190 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:14,720 to be sitting around on a bunch of clouds and we're just going to be singing 24 seven 191 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:16,560 nonstop and that is heaven. 192 00:12:16,560 --> 00:12:20,240 And she goes listen I love Jesus but honestly that sounds miserable to me. 193 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:23,000 I was like yeah that sounds miserable to me too. 194 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:24,000 Praise the Lord. 195 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:25,360 That's what it's going to be like. 196 00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:28,480 There's going to be a new heavens and a new earth and we're going to be working and building 197 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:32,000 and creating and like all these really cool things. 198 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:38,040 But one of the coolest things about eternity is that every single day if there are what 199 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:43,520 we consider days in eternity we are going to learn something new about God. 200 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:47,720 And every single day it is going to amaze us. 201 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:50,960 And it's going to be something that we never knew about God before. 202 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:57,360 And we are never going to run out of things to learn about God for all of eternity. 203 00:12:57,360 --> 00:12:58,480 And that is forever. 204 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:01,600 We can't even grasp the idea of eternity in our minds. 205 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:04,640 I don't know if you've thought about it too long but it starts turning my stomach to think 206 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:05,640 about eternity. 207 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:08,600 So I have to tell myself not to do that. 208 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:13,800 But we can't even grasp eternity and yet for every single second and day of eternity we 209 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:20,240 can learn something new about God and we will still never fully know everything there is 210 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:22,520 to know about him. 211 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:28,120 And so the fact that he's got a name no one knows is communicating his immensity. 212 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:34,920 And you look at verse 13 it says that he is clothed in a robe dipped in blood and the 213 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:38,720 name by which he is called is the word of God. 214 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:43,840 Now there are two theories about this blood. 215 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:47,360 Whose blood do you think this is? 216 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:48,360 Our blood? 217 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:49,360 Okay. 218 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:50,360 Jesus's blood? 219 00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:51,360 Okay. 220 00:13:51,360 --> 00:14:02,760 So pretty much the two main theories are it's either Jesus's blood from the cross or it's 221 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:09,120 the blood of the enemies who are rebelling against him that he is slain here as he brings 222 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:10,880 war to the earth. 223 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:16,680 And I think both are possible but I do think it's more likely that it's a reminder of his 224 00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:19,440 sacrifice for our sins. 225 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:24,480 It's his blood that was spilled for us because it reminds us of Revelation 12 11 where it 226 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:29,600 says, talking of the saints that they have conquered him by what? 227 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:35,040 By the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony for they love not their lives 228 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:36,800 even unto death. 229 00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:42,120 And so conquering in victory happens by the blood of the lamb. 230 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:46,880 The saints conquer the enemy by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony, 231 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:51,000 sin, death and Satan are defeated by the blood of the lamb. 232 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:57,240 And so the fact that Jesus already has this blood on him as he's riding into battle, it 233 00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:01,240 is a reminder of where the victory was actually won. 234 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:04,040 I like the way one writer said it. 235 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:09,520 He said the blood on his robe will always be a reminder of where the victory was actually 236 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:12,120 won on the cross. 237 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:18,520 And so he rides into battle bearing the marks of the victory that he's already won for his 238 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:23,960 people reminding all of the enemies and all those who are rebelling against him that this 239 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:25,080 is already won. 240 00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:26,640 This is already over. 241 00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:29,760 He's just kind of cleaning up the mess afterward. 242 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:32,120 And he's called the word of God here. 243 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:38,160 And this obviously reminds us of John 11 where it says in the beginning was the word and 244 00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:43,240 the word was with God and the word was God. 245 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:50,840 And John 114 it says in the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen his glory, 246 00:15:50,840 --> 00:15:57,200 glory as of the only son from the Father full of grace in truth. 247 00:15:57,200 --> 00:16:03,960 And so it's important in Hebrew thought a word was not a lifeless sound, but in Hebrew 248 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:09,760 thought a word was thought to be an active agent that accomplished the intentions of 249 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:11,760 the one who spoke the word. 250 00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:16,360 And so you can think about all sorts of ways that this applies to Jesus since he is the 251 00:16:16,360 --> 00:16:22,360 eternal word or the Greek is the logos, the eternal logos of God. 252 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:24,120 Think back to creation. 253 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:29,920 When the Father spoke everything into existence, who brought it into existence? 254 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:32,880 It was Jesus, the word, right? 255 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:38,840 The Bible says in John chapter one that everything that was created was created by Jesus. 256 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:44,520 So the Father spoke the word of God and then Jesus as the eternal word accomplished what 257 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:46,600 the Father intended to accomplish. 258 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:48,440 He created all things. 259 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:54,080 You think about salvation and Jesus accomplished the salvation that the Father declared before 260 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:55,080 him. 261 00:16:55,080 --> 00:17:01,640 The Father told him to go and be the propitiation for the sins of his people and Jesus went 262 00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:02,680 and accomplished that. 263 00:17:02,680 --> 00:17:06,400 He brought all of God's intentions and purposes to pass. 264 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:10,440 And so whatever God speaks, Jesus makes it a reality. 265 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:13,840 He brings it about in this world. 266 00:17:13,840 --> 00:17:18,680 And I think it's very interesting to think of Isaiah 55.11 here, because we all know 267 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:21,880 this passage in this verse very well. 268 00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:27,960 In Isaiah 55.11 it says, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth. 269 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:34,400 It shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and shall 270 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:37,880 succeed in the thing for which I sent it. 271 00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:42,400 Now it's interesting that we typically only apply that or think of it in terms of teaching 272 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:43,400 and preaching, right? 273 00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:48,600 When a pastor is preaching, you say, hey, that was a horrible sermon, but God's word 274 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:49,880 will not return void. 275 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:54,800 So he's going to do something with that terrible sermon you just preached or a Bible lesson. 276 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:56,960 You say, hey, the word of God's not going to return void. 277 00:17:56,960 --> 00:17:59,280 There's something is going to be done here. 278 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:02,960 But how fitting is it to apply this to Jesus? 279 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:08,120 Since he is the eternal word of God, I think it's perfectly appropriate to apply this to 280 00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:13,880 Jesus and say that everything Jesus does, it will be accomplished. 281 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:18,640 He will never return void on anything that he sets his intentions to. 282 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:24,800 He will always bring about God's purposes and he will succeed in everything that he 283 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:25,800 attempts. 284 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:30,960 That's what we see here is he's engaging in this battle at the end and you look at verses 285 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:33,440 14 and 16. 286 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:39,280 And it says in the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, we're following 287 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:41,400 him on white horses. 288 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:46,560 And from his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations and he will 289 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:51,520 rule them with a rod of iron and he will tread the wine press, the wine press of the 290 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:57,200 fury of the wrath of God, the Almighty and on his robe and on his thigh he has a name 291 00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:00,520 written King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 292 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:02,320 All right, so here's the question. 293 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:09,320 Does Jesus when he returns is he literally going to have a sword protruding and coming 294 00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:11,520 out of his mouth? 295 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,360 No, he could. 296 00:19:14,360 --> 00:19:15,360 Okay. 297 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:17,800 I like these varied answers. 298 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:20,000 Yeah, one says no and the other is like, I don't know. 299 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:21,000 I could see it. 300 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:22,000 Maybe he does. 301 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:25,760 I don't think it's a literal sword that's coming out of his mouth. 302 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:28,640 I don't know exactly how that would work. 303 00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:32,480 It's important to remember as we're reading Revelation, you have to keep in mind the genre, 304 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:33,480 right? 305 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:35,480 So this is apocalyptic literature. 306 00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:42,080 So it's going to use highly symbolic language, metaphors, pictures to convey certain meanings. 307 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:48,880 And so when you're looking at this, it's talking about Jesus's authority as he speaks. 308 00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:54,280 And that's what the word and the sword here is communicating that he by his word that 309 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:59,360 comes out of his mouth is going to execute justice and exercise authority. 310 00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:05,560 I mean, for instance, we remember Hebrews 412 that says, for the word of God is living 311 00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:12,800 and active sharper than any two-edged sword piercing to the division of soul and of spirit 312 00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:18,120 of joints and of marrow and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 313 00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:23,160 So, so rather than just say, hey, when Jesus returns, he's going to speak with authority 314 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:25,040 and execute justice. 315 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:30,200 The way that John portrays that and the vision that God has given him is that Jesus is coming 316 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:32,800 back and he's got a sword coming out of his mouth. 317 00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:35,960 But the message that's being conveyed is he has authority. 318 00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:40,840 He will speak his authority into this world and execute justice. 319 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:46,800 And I mean, this is even what Paul was talking about in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 8. 320 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:52,440 He says, and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with 321 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:58,720 the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 322 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:03,520 So it's not saying that Jesus's breath is so deadly that he's going to breathe on people 323 00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:04,520 and they die. 324 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:05,520 Could mean that. 325 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:10,960 But I think it's more likely that when he returns, he's going to speak with authority 326 00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:16,560 and his words of authority are going to end the man of lawlessness and his rebellion against 327 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:18,280 God and his kingdom. 328 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:22,400 And then it's really interesting here that John says he's going to rule them with a rod 329 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:29,360 of iron because this is literally a word for word fulfillment of Psalm chapter 2. 330 00:21:29,360 --> 00:21:31,000 Psalm chapter 2 beginning in verse 7. 331 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:37,920 It says, I will tell of the decree, the Lord said to me, you are my son. 332 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:40,200 Today I have begotten you. 333 00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:45,820 Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your possession. 334 00:21:45,820 --> 00:21:52,720 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. 335 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:55,960 Now therefore, O kings, be wise. 336 00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:57,660 So here's what's happening. 337 00:21:57,660 --> 00:22:00,160 God says I've appointed my son. 338 00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:01,760 He's going to rule the nations. 339 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:04,040 He's going to rule them with a rod of iron. 340 00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:08,560 Therefore here's what you need to do about that in light of what's happening. 341 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:12,040 Be wise, be warned, O rulers of the earth. 342 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:15,760 Guard the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. 343 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:21,440 Kiss the son lest he be angry with you and you perish in the way. 344 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:28,360 For his wrath is quickly kindled and blessed are all those who take refuge in him. 345 00:22:28,360 --> 00:22:34,840 So God gave man this revelation and the nations did not listen to him. 346 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:36,760 They did not heed the warning. 347 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:38,240 They were not wise. 348 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:40,100 They did not submit to him. 349 00:22:40,100 --> 00:22:45,000 They did not kiss the son when he was in their midst. 350 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:51,240 They had the opportunity to pledge their allegiance to Jesus, to follow him, to recognize him 351 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:54,840 for who he was and instead they crucified him. 352 00:22:54,840 --> 00:23:00,080 And so the wrath of God is kindled against them and the Bible is saying when the day 353 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:06,560 of the Lord comes and he returns on his white horse in judgment, it's going to be too late 354 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:09,840 to kiss the son then. 355 00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:13,920 Really in that moment when they see Jesus coming, they're going to want to kiss the 356 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:16,040 son at that moment. 357 00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:17,840 They're going to realize that they were wrong. 358 00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:21,880 They're going to realize that everything Christians have been warning them about is actually 359 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:26,200 true and it's going to be too late at that point. 360 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:31,040 And it just strikes me about how sad this world we live in actually is. 361 00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:37,160 I mean, I can't tell you how many unbelieving friends and family members I have who live 362 00:23:37,160 --> 00:23:40,040 like there will never be a judgment. 363 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:41,920 They do whatever they want. 364 00:23:41,920 --> 00:23:43,840 They live however they want. 365 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:45,160 There is no sorrow. 366 00:23:45,160 --> 00:23:46,880 There is no repentance. 367 00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:48,800 There's no turning their life to God. 368 00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:52,200 They live like there's never going to be a judgment. 369 00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:56,240 And that same atheist friend that I mentioned to you earlier and in another conversation 370 00:23:56,240 --> 00:24:02,720 with him, he said to me, if there is a God and he is so loving and forgiving, then I'm 371 00:24:02,720 --> 00:24:10,400 sure he's going to forgive me in the end and let me into heaven if such a place exists. 372 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:14,160 And I said, well, here's the big mistake with what you just said. 373 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:21,080 God is loving and God is merciful and God is willing to forgive. 374 00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:28,160 But that also doesn't take away from God's just nature and the fact that God is righteous 375 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:30,320 and that he is true and just. 376 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:34,880 And this is one of the biggest problems I think we have in evangelicalism today is we 377 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:37,600 are especially popular Christianity today. 378 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:43,440 We like to pit God's mercy against God's just nature. 379 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:46,760 And we say because he's merciful, he's just going to overlook everything. 380 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:49,120 He's going to forgive everyone in the end. 381 00:24:49,120 --> 00:24:50,120 Everyone's going to go to heaven. 382 00:24:50,120 --> 00:24:54,840 I mean, this is the Rob Bell whole approach that he took the pastor Rob Bell. 383 00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:57,940 He wrote this book called Love Wins in the promo. 384 00:24:57,940 --> 00:25:03,040 He said, you know, a person had approached him and said something about Gandhi being 385 00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:04,560 in hell. 386 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:08,240 And Rob Bell said to him, what makes you think Gandhi's in hell? 387 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:12,920 And the guy said, well, because he wasn't a Christian and this pastor said to his church 388 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:17,320 member who was raising this question, he said, yeah, but God is loving and I believe that 389 00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:19,400 love wins in the end. 390 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:24,200 And so he wrote this whole book that basically was talking about how God is ultimately going 391 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:28,960 to love everyone so much and forgive everyone so much in the end, no matter if you're a 392 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:31,240 Christian or not, everyone goes to heaven. 393 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:33,040 No one goes to hell. 394 00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:36,640 And my thing is, that's not the God of the Bible. 395 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:39,840 And not only that, that's dishonoring to God. 396 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:41,640 That's belittling to God. 397 00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:46,080 It's saying that he is not a righteous God, that he does not care about justice, that 398 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:47,880 sin does not matter to him. 399 00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:53,200 And if that is true, then it means that Jesus Christ was crucified in vain. 400 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:57,560 And ultimately God's just going to wipe his hand and just wash away every sin that's ever 401 00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:01,880 been committed to overlook everything and just let everyone into heaven. 402 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:04,480 Then it means that Jesus died in vain. 403 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:10,600 And one of my strongest beliefs as a Christian is that the Father will not allow his son 404 00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:13,280 to suffer in vain. 405 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:19,880 And not even one drop of the Savior's blood will be shed in vain. 406 00:26:19,880 --> 00:26:24,040 That the Lamb of God will receive the reward of his sufferings. 407 00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:29,200 And so, yeah, God is loving, he is merciful, but he is also just and he will bring about 408 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:32,360 justice in the end. 409 00:26:32,360 --> 00:26:37,800 And then you notice here in verse 17, it says, then I saw an angel standing in the sun. 410 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:43,360 And with a loud voice, he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, come gather 411 00:26:43,360 --> 00:26:48,720 for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh 412 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:54,240 of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders and the flesh of all men, both free 413 00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:57,400 and slave, both great and small. 414 00:26:57,400 --> 00:26:59,800 So this is a pretty grotesque verse, right? 415 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:04,400 You got a lot of flesh eating here and you can get called up and like, why is it talking 416 00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:07,840 about all these different kinds of flesh and why is there eating? 417 00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:11,400 The meaning is very simple if you think about it in context, right? 418 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:17,320 So in the verses before this, it was talking about the marriage supper of the Lamb. 419 00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:21,320 Because there's this great feast, this banquet that's happening. 420 00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:26,600 And the meaning of this is basically saying that every single person on earth will take 421 00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:32,440 part in either one of two eschatological meals in the end. 422 00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:39,280 You will either be eating with Jesus at the marriage supper of the Lamb, or you will be 423 00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:44,240 eaten by Jesus at the marriage supper of the Lamb. 424 00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:47,920 And so this isn't saying that we're actually going to be eating the flesh of all these 425 00:27:47,920 --> 00:27:51,200 different people and all these different classes of people. 426 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:52,400 That's not what it's saying. 427 00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:57,240 It's saying that we are going to share in the spoils of Jesus' victory. 428 00:27:57,240 --> 00:28:02,960 So the marriage supper is a celebration of Christ's victory here on earth in our union 429 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:04,360 with Christ. 430 00:28:04,360 --> 00:28:07,680 And so that is saying this is the reward of his suffering. 431 00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:12,680 And we, as his people, get to share in the spoils of that victory. 432 00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:17,040 And so we will get to take part in that meal, but no, you will not have to eat the flesh 433 00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:18,040 of anything else. 434 00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:24,160 In verse 19, I saw the beast in the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to 435 00:28:24,160 --> 00:28:28,600 make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. 436 00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:33,280 And the beast was captured and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done 437 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:38,480 the signs by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped 438 00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:39,840 this image. 439 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:44,920 These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 440 00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:48,400 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting 441 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:49,600 on the horse. 442 00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:53,360 And all the birds were gorged with their flesh. 443 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:57,520 So if you look here, it kind of feels like we skipped a lot of the action, right? 444 00:28:57,520 --> 00:28:59,200 Because you get this big setup. 445 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:01,320 Here's Jesus on the white horse. 446 00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:04,240 Here's all of his army with their white horses. 447 00:29:04,240 --> 00:29:05,920 Here's the rebellious army. 448 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:10,080 And then it just says, and then the beast and the false prophet, they're thrown into 449 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:11,080 the lake of fire. 450 00:29:11,080 --> 00:29:13,280 So you're kind of like, well, where's the action? 451 00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:14,520 Where did the fighting take place? 452 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:16,400 We kind of missed out on that. 453 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:20,920 And I think the reason it's not mentioned here is it just speaks to how quickly Jesus 454 00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:23,160 is going to put an end to this rebellion. 455 00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:26,320 That there's not going to be some big grand battle. 456 00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:30,240 Like this isn't a movie where everything's leading up to this final battle and it's a 457 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:31,240 really close one. 458 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:34,240 You don't know who's going to win, but Jesus just barely squeaks it out. 459 00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:37,160 Now, this is saying when Jesus returns, that's it. 460 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:40,040 Like the battle's done as soon as he enters it. 461 00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:45,520 And so they are immediately defeated and they're thrown alive into the lake of fire so that 462 00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:49,120 they can actually experience their eternal torment. 463 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:55,880 And so this is actually pretty much the last extensive judgment passage we get in Revelation. 464 00:29:55,880 --> 00:30:00,080 There's going to be another short one after we talk about the millennium, which is going 465 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:01,120 to be next week. 466 00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:05,520 So make sure that you come back next week because we're going to be talking about different 467 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:09,200 views of the millennium and what that looks like. 468 00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:13,560 And we're all going to be brothers and sisters in Christ and we're all going to get along 469 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:17,000 and there's going to be no fighting or yelling or name calling. 470 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:18,000 Everybody agree to that? 471 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:19,000 Yeah? 472 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:20,000 We good on those terms? 473 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:23,200 At the end of the day, we can say we all believe in Jesus. 474 00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:26,560 We believe he's coming back and we believe we're going to be with him forever. 475 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:27,800 Yes, we all agree. 476 00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:30,080 Yeah, so we can agree with that. 477 00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:36,600 So what I'm going to do next week is I'm going to present you with four different views of 478 00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:39,920 the end times, especially the millennium and the kingdom. 479 00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:42,000 I'll try to be as unbiased as I can. 480 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:44,200 I will present them as fairly as I can. 481 00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:47,040 I never want to misrepresent someone else's view. 482 00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:52,120 And I'm going to let you decide which view you think is most biblical and you want to 483 00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:57,760 hold to and you can be a Christian and hold to any one of these four views. 484 00:30:57,760 --> 00:31:01,240 So nobody say, hey, they don't hold to my view, they're not really a Christian. 485 00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:02,400 That's not how it works. 486 00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:04,360 It's eschatology, okay? 487 00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:07,000 Has nothing to do with your salvation. 488 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:08,000 And I'll let you decide. 489 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:14,160 Do you want just a quick general here are the four views nice and simple or do you want 490 00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:18,840 me to actually explain each one and give a little detail? 491 00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:20,560 Do what now? 492 00:31:20,560 --> 00:31:22,520 How many months do we have? 493 00:31:22,520 --> 00:31:24,080 You tell me, brother. 494 00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:25,080 I'm here. 495 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:26,080 All right. 496 00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:27,080 So what do you want? 497 00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:30,920 Do you want an overview like Cliff notes version or do you actually want some details? 498 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:34,120 Here's why they believe this. 499 00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:35,120 We want some details. 500 00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:36,120 Okay. 501 00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:37,120 All right. 502 00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:38,120 Well, yeah. 503 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:39,120 All right. 504 00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:40,120 It sounds like most people want details. 505 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:41,120 Okay. 506 00:31:41,120 --> 00:31:42,120 Yeah. 507 00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:43,120 Yeah. 508 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:44,600 Well, the overview is Jesus is coming back. 509 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:47,440 And if you're a believer, you get to be with him forever. 510 00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:51,880 The details of when that happens, what that looks like and when the millennium takes place, 511 00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:53,280 we'll get into that next week. 512 00:31:53,280 --> 00:31:59,320 But this passage is ultimately pointing us to our hope in the return of Christ. 513 00:31:59,320 --> 00:32:04,280 And I just want to just very briefly as we conclude, say that we don't really talk about 514 00:32:04,280 --> 00:32:05,280 hope enough. 515 00:32:05,280 --> 00:32:07,680 We talk about love and forgiveness. 516 00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:14,560 But I've noticed this really bad trend of Christians who will say things like, I really 517 00:32:14,560 --> 00:32:19,880 hope Jesus doesn't return before I get married. 518 00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:22,640 I really hope Jesus done return before I have kids. 519 00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:26,680 I really hope Jesus done return before I can go visit this place or I can do this thing. 520 00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:31,320 And it's like the return of Jesus is an inconvenience to them. 521 00:32:31,320 --> 00:32:35,640 And I just want to say as a believer, the return of Jesus is literally the greatest thing 522 00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:38,000 that could ever happen for us. 523 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:44,640 Having our savior return and renew the world, restore his people, bring about the new heavens 524 00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:47,880 and the new, that is literally the greatest thing that could ever happen. 525 00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:52,560 And so we should not be praying for Jesus to delay in his return. 526 00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:55,960 Instead we need to be praying exactly how John does at the end of Revelation. 527 00:32:55,960 --> 00:33:00,080 In Revelation 22, he says, come Lord Jesus. 528 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:03,320 And I would say, come Lord Jesus, come quickly. 529 00:33:03,320 --> 00:33:06,720 I think that should be the prayer of every single Christian because our hope is in his 530 00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:07,720 return. 531 00:33:07,720 --> 00:33:18,560 All right, Gene, hit us with a word of wisdom this week.