1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000 Revelation chapter 20. 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:08,880 Revelation chapter 20. 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:11,160 I don't know how long tonight's going to be. 4 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:12,160 We'll see. 5 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:16,720 But what I'm going to try to do is I'm going to try to get through verses 4 through 6 of 6 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:23,840 Revelation 20 and hopefully maybe be done with this whole mini series within a series 7 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:28,520 on eschatology and then Lord willing next week we can maybe start going verse by verse 8 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:31,040 through Revelation and that's going to be a lot of fun. 9 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:36,640 But just to keep in mind kind of where we're at we're talking about eschatology which is 10 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:42,560 the study of the end times or the final things, the last things, stuff like that. 11 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:47,920 Let's say this is a timeline of history and we're looking at okay well what's going to 12 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:53,800 happen and we've talked about all these different views with the premillennial dispensational 13 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:59,600 view of the secret rapture where Jesus and the church here and then they're up here and 14 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:03,920 then starts the seven year tribulation period. 15 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:10,560 Jesus returns at that point and he sets up the 1000 year kingdom. 16 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:16,160 And so we have spent a lot of time talking about you know well what about the rapture, 17 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:19,700 what about this seven year tribulation period. 18 00:01:19,700 --> 00:01:25,680 And last week this is as far as we got when we were talking about the binding of Satan 19 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:30,880 and if you were here last week good for you and your back so that's awesome. 20 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:35,120 If you weren't here go and listen to that one and try to work out for yourself what 21 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:36,120 that actually means. 22 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:43,400 And so kind of where we're at now is the actual millennium, the 1000 year period that is talked 23 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:46,440 about here in Revelation chapter 20. 24 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:51,080 So if you have your Bibles I want us to start in verse 3 and we're going to read through 25 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:52,080 verse 4. 26 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:55,600 So this is what the Bible says. 27 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:59,120 And threw him into the pit and we're also going to have it up on the screen tonight 28 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:03,200 for anybody who might not have a Bible plus we're going to be looking at a lot of different 29 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:04,200 verses in the Bible. 30 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:06,800 So rather than having you flip it's just going to be up on the screen. 31 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:13,040 So he threw him into the pit and shut it and sealed it over him so that he might not deceive 32 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:17,720 the nations any longer until the 1000 years were ended. 33 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:22,240 After that he must be released for a little while. 34 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:27,960 Then I saw thrones and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. 35 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:32,400 And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for 36 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:37,920 the word of God and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received 37 00:02:37,920 --> 00:02:42,040 its mark on their foreheads or on their hands. 38 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:46,880 And they came to life and reigned with Christ for 1000 years. 39 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:51,680 Now this is the famous passage about the 1000 years. 40 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:52,680 The millennium. 41 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:53,680 Right? 42 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:55,880 And it seems like a pretty straight forward passage. 43 00:02:55,880 --> 00:03:01,840 You read this and the simplest most straight forward understanding of this is what? 44 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:06,520 This is a literal 1000 year period. 45 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:10,240 You read this, hey, 1000 years is going to take place. 46 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:14,000 This is what's going to happen before, after, during, and it's 1000 years. 47 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,760 The most simple reading of that is that it is 1000 years. 48 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:23,480 That's in fact the dispensationalist view is that it is a literal 1000 years. 49 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:28,640 The historic premillennialist says that it is a literal 1000 years. 50 00:03:28,640 --> 00:03:31,120 Even the postmillennialists, they go back and forth. 51 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:32,720 So there's like a split, right? 52 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:39,120 But like some postmillennial will say that the 1000 years is a literal and others will 53 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:40,960 say that it is symbolic. 54 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:44,000 It is only the, I'm not going to spell it out. 55 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:45,720 This is the only letter that you need to know. 56 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:51,960 The amillennialist is the only one who says, well, maybe it's not a literal 1000 years. 57 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:54,080 That's where the name amillennial comes from. 58 00:03:54,080 --> 00:04:01,760 A in Greek is a negation, so it means literally no millennium, which is not exactly their viewpoint, 59 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:03,640 but you get the idea. 60 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:08,480 It's saying that they believe there is not a literal 1000 years, but that this would represent 61 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:11,040 a symbolic number. 62 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:17,480 So they would say it refers to a whole time period, specifically the time between Jesus' 63 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:19,840 ascension and his return. 64 00:04:19,840 --> 00:04:24,880 That entire time period, they would say is the millennium, which would mean if that's 65 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:27,960 true, what are we in now? 66 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:29,320 The millennium, right? 67 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:33,440 So that is their interpretation of that. 68 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:39,640 And for some who oppose this literal 1000 year interpretation, there's one objection 69 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:46,880 that would say, well, hey, listen, this is the only passage in the whole Bible that actually 70 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:56,160 refers to a literal 1000 year period, and it occurs in the most highly symbolic, apocalyptic 71 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:58,560 book in the Bible. 72 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:02,120 So therefore we don't have to interpret it literally. 73 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:08,920 Now that objection is technically fair, but also remember the Bible only has to say something 74 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:11,360 once in order for it to be true, right? 75 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:14,760 So in the end of the day, it really doesn't matter if this only occurs in one passage 76 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:16,480 or three passages. 77 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:18,800 As long as the Bible says it once, it's true. 78 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:22,960 I mean, I think there's only one verse that says that Jesus is the way, the truth, and 79 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:26,400 the life, and no one in here would question that, would we? 80 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:29,080 We wouldn't go, well, it only appears once, so I don't know about that. 81 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:30,080 No. 82 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:33,760 If we say something once, it is true, and it needs only say something once. 83 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:39,240 So that objection of the whole, it only occurs in one passage and it's in a highly metaphorical, 84 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:42,640 symbolic book, it's fair, but it's weak. 85 00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:46,880 The question that we need to be asked, and if we're going to determine, okay, is it literal 86 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:54,680 or is it metaphorical symbolic, is do we have any legitimate reason to interpret this in 87 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:58,160 any other way other than literally, right? 88 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:01,240 So the most plain reading is a literal thousand years. 89 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:07,160 We all agree on that, but it does occur in a highly metaphorical, symbolic book, apocalyptic 90 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:08,400 literature. 91 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:13,720 So it is a legitimate question to ask, is there any reason, legitimate reasons, we should 92 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,560 wonder whether or not this should be literal or symbolic. 93 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:19,760 And I think we do have a couple reasons we should consider. 94 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:23,400 First and foremost, and I didn't give you a handout tonight, I just wanted you to write. 95 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:31,640 So Revelation is apocalyptic literature that utilizes highly figurative and symbolic language. 96 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:37,520 So the fact that it occurs in Revelation, the genre itself, gives us a legitimate reason 97 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:42,760 to question whether or not this is a literal thousand years or a symbolic thousand years. 98 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:46,760 The fact that it is occurring in Revelation should already make us go, okay, we need to 99 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:49,480 be asking if this is literal or not. 100 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:55,480 The second thing that we should consider is that numbers all throughout Revelation are 101 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:57,320 used symbolically. 102 00:06:57,320 --> 00:07:01,440 There are a couple of times when numbers are used quite literally, like the seven churches 103 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:02,960 that are in Asia Minor. 104 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:09,040 There were literally seven churches, but all throughout Revelation, numbers are used symbolically. 105 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:13,120 Do you remember when we talked about, towards one of the first studies in Revelation, we 106 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:15,600 talked about the seven spirits of God. 107 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:21,120 And we said, well, that was a symbolic way of referring to the fullness of the Holy Spirit, 108 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:25,280 because seven means fullness, completeness, wholeness, and we don't believe that there 109 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:28,400 are seven Holy Spirits or seven Spirits of God. 110 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:32,840 We believe that is saying, it's a way of referring to the full presence of the Holy 111 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:34,440 Spirit. 112 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:38,640 There's a passage in Revelation in, I believe, chapter 11, which is going to be super fun 113 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:41,160 to talk about that night, looking forward to it. 114 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:45,280 We're talking about the two witnesses that come to earth during a certain time, and they're 115 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:47,880 witnessing and prophesying and do all this kind of stuff. 116 00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:53,320 Well there's good reason to believe that the two there is symbolic, and it's not actually 117 00:07:53,320 --> 00:08:01,280 referring to two people, but there's a lot of Old Testament stuff that goes into that 118 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:02,280 passage. 119 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:06,120 So the number two there is probably metaphorical or symbolic. 120 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:07,720 We read about the four corners of the earth. 121 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:11,640 I don't know if you know this about earth, contrary to flat earth people, but the earth 122 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:12,640 is round. 123 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:16,560 So there aren't technically four corners of the earth. 124 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:19,040 It's just a symbolic way of referring to what? 125 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:20,120 To the whole earth. 126 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:23,480 The four corners of the earth is referring to the whole earth. 127 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:29,720 Even like the number 12 in Revelation is used in symbolic and metaphorical ways. 128 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:34,720 Twelve is often used in its multiples to refer to the people of God, right? 129 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:36,960 There were 12 tribes of Israel. 130 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:39,240 How many disciples did Jesus have? 131 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:40,800 He had 12. 132 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:45,920 And then also think about its multiples, there's that famous passage about the 144,000 that 133 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:46,920 were sealed. 134 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:52,400 Well it's a symbolic way of referring to the fullness of God's people, the entirety of 135 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:53,520 his people. 136 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:58,760 So numbers throughout Revelation are used symbolically. 137 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:02,200 Another point is that the number 10 and its multiples, I don't know if you know this about 138 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:05,160 the number 1,000, but it's a multiple of 10. 139 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:12,720 So 10 and its multiples are used throughout Revelation and the Bible to represent and signify 140 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:16,240 like indefiniteness and magnitude and completeness. 141 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:21,560 So something that is so grand that you can't even hardly wrap your mind around it. 142 00:09:21,560 --> 00:09:25,800 So think about this, Revelation chapter 5 verse 11, it'll be on the screen. 143 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:28,040 This is what the Bible says. 144 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:32,920 And I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beast 145 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:34,160 and the elders. 146 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:39,720 And the number of them was 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands of thousands. 147 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:40,720 Right? 148 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:45,680 Okay, so clearly John didn't have time to count the whole multitude. 149 00:09:45,680 --> 00:09:47,880 So he's like, okay, how do we represent this? 150 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:51,400 10,000 and then thousands upon thousands upon thousands. 151 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:52,400 He's saying what? 152 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:55,480 It's a large number of angels that he's seeing here. 153 00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:58,000 It's a large multitude that he's seeing. 154 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:01,760 It's so indefinite and big you just can't even really put a number to it. 155 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:04,360 So let's put a thousand up there and just kind of multiply. 156 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:05,360 Right? 157 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:07,840 And then think about Psalm chapter 50 verse 10. 158 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:09,960 Again, it's going to be on the screen. 159 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:14,320 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. 160 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:15,600 Now here's my question to you. 161 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:16,960 Let's think about this. 162 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:20,520 Does God only own the cattle on a thousand hills? 163 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:24,280 But that 1,000 in first hill, well that's not God's. 164 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:26,320 That belongs to someone else. 165 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:28,440 Is that what the Bible is saying here? 166 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:29,440 No. 167 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:33,840 It's a metaphorical way, a symbolic way of saying it's all mine. 168 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:37,320 The cattle on a thousand hill, everything is mine. 169 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:38,720 So just put a number to it. 170 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:42,360 What's a big number that's going to just grasp this idea of bigness? 171 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:44,520 It's going to be a thousand. 172 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:47,360 So Daniel chapter 7 verse 10. 173 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:54,040 A stream of fire issued and came out from before him and a thousand thousands served 174 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:57,720 him and 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him. 175 00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:00,400 The court sat in judgment and the books were open. 176 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:02,760 So again, you have this large crowd. 177 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:04,400 How do you represent it with a number? 178 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:09,640 A thousand thousands, thousand thousands, 10,000, 10,000, thousand thousand thousand. 179 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:10,840 You get the idea, right? 180 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:14,120 You want to represent something big and grand in the Bible? 181 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:18,520 Put a thousand up there or a multiple of a thousand. 182 00:11:18,520 --> 00:11:21,360 So that's how it's used throughout the Bible. 183 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:25,120 And then this kind of other point, it's very interesting. 184 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:33,160 The Greek word here for 1000 is only used one other time in the entire New Testament. 185 00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:38,600 And the only other time it is used in the entire New Testament occurs in a passage that just 186 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:42,680 incidentally talks about the return of Christ, which is pretty interesting, right? 187 00:11:42,680 --> 00:11:46,560 So 2 Peter chapter 3 verses 7 through 8. 188 00:11:46,560 --> 00:11:52,560 The Bible says, but by the same word, the heavens and the earth now exist or stored 189 00:11:52,560 --> 00:11:57,640 up for fire being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 190 00:11:57,640 --> 00:12:03,320 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand 191 00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:06,640 years and a thousand years as one day. 192 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:07,920 That is pretty interesting. 193 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:12,440 That is literally the only other time in the entire New Testament outside of the book of 194 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:19,200 Revelation that the word thousand appears and it appears in a passage referring to the return 195 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:20,200 of Christ. 196 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:22,320 And what is the Bible saying here? 197 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:25,120 You can't understand God's timing, right? 198 00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:28,840 A day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day. 199 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:32,480 So the big thing is like the small thing and the small thing is like the big thing. 200 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:33,480 What's the Bible saying? 201 00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:37,920 It's saying here's this large number that you can't even grasp, but don't worry for 202 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:40,920 the Lord, it's like nothing and He's going to return. 203 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:44,160 Don't worry about counting down the days, don't start at a thousand and go, okay, I 204 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:46,800 got this now, and that'll equal one day and blah, blah, blah. 205 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:48,920 It's just a big time, right? 206 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:50,240 Can we get that? 207 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:53,640 It's a big time period that's happening here. 208 00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:58,600 So when you consider all these factors together, I'm not saying one way or the other, whether 209 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:02,640 you should begin to interpret this symbolically or metaphorically or literally. 210 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:04,360 I'm not trying to push you one way. 211 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:08,640 But what I am saying is that there are legitimate reasons, as you can see, to question whether 212 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:14,160 or not we should be interpreting this symbolically rather than literally. 213 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:18,640 And the surmounting evidence of the Bible here and its usage of a thousand kind of starts 214 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:23,120 to lend itself towards that symbolic interpretation. 215 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:29,600 And if that's the case, and a thousand usually signifies the fullness of a large time period, 216 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:34,840 it would make sense for it to represent the entire time between Jesus' ascension and 217 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:36,600 His return, right? 218 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:40,960 If you are a biblical writer inspired by the Holy Spirit and you're trying to say, okay, 219 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:46,720 how can I define that large period of time in which it's going to take that much time 220 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:49,760 for Christ to return, what would I do if you're a biblical writer? 221 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:51,240 What's the number that comes to your mind? 222 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:52,240 A thousand. 223 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:55,360 That's how you represent it throughout the rest of the Bible, right? 224 00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:59,080 We've seen it used that way throughout the rest of the Bible, so you just say a thousand 225 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:00,080 years. 226 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:04,560 A millennium, a large chunk of time that's representing the fullness of that time period 227 00:14:04,560 --> 00:14:08,480 of the church age until Jesus returns. 228 00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:14,320 And notice what it says here that during this one thousand year period, it says that Christ 229 00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:17,080 is ruling and reigning right now. 230 00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:21,000 Did you see that in verse four, Revelation chapter 20 verse four? 231 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:27,120 It said, then I saw thrones and seated on them where those to whom the authority to judge 232 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:28,480 was committed. 233 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:34,320 Also, I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for 234 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:35,960 the word of the Lord. 235 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:40,880 Those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their 236 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:43,040 foreheads or their hands. 237 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:47,760 They came to life and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 238 00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:50,480 So it's a picture of Christ ruling and reigning, right? 239 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:56,200 He's seated on a throne, which means that he's in a place where he is ruling and reigning. 240 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:58,320 A king would rule from a throne. 241 00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:03,820 And then ruling with him are those who are martyred for their faith, as well as all Christians, 242 00:15:03,820 --> 00:15:06,880 because it said it's those who do not align themselves with the beast. 243 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:09,800 They don't receive the mark of the beast. 244 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:13,960 And these rule and reign during the 1000 year time period. 245 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:21,840 Now again, if we're going to just entertain this idea that the 1000 years is happening 246 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:27,200 now, the millennium is happening now during the church age, well then we have to ask another 247 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:28,360 question, right? 248 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:39,240 What's the question we should be asking based on what we just read? 249 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:45,280 That is a great question that we will not talk about tonight. 250 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:47,280 Good for you, but not the question I'm looking for. 251 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:53,680 So it says, during this 1000 year period, Christ is seated on a throne and he's ruling 252 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:56,120 and reigning with all Christians. 253 00:15:56,120 --> 00:16:01,000 And if we're saying it's possible that this is referring to the time period of now, I 254 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:06,160 think the question would be, well, is there any biblical evidence to suggest that Christ 255 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:08,440 is ruling and reigning right now, right? 256 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:09,560 Like wouldn't you want to know that? 257 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:15,560 Are we waiting for some future reign to happen or is Christ ruling and reigning now? 258 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:19,000 So rather than hearing my opinion, let's just go and see what the Bible says. 259 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:23,400 Hebrews chapter one, verses three through four. 260 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:29,600 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. 261 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:33,320 And he upholds the universe by the word of his power. 262 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:39,640 After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, 263 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:44,920 having become much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent 264 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:45,920 than theirs. 265 00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:53,320 So it says, Jesus is seated in the place right next to the father in a throne on high. 266 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:56,440 Ephesians chapter one, verses 20 through 22. 267 00:16:56,440 --> 00:17:01,520 That's talking about the power that worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead 268 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:06,320 and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. 269 00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:12,440 For above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is 270 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:14,440 named, not only in this age. 271 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:17,280 Did we catch that? 272 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:21,680 Not only in this age now, but in the age to come. 273 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:27,360 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church. 274 00:17:27,360 --> 00:17:32,720 Peter chapter three, verse 22, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God 275 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:38,080 with angels and authorities and powers having been subjected to him. 276 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:40,360 First Corinthians 15. 277 00:17:40,360 --> 00:17:45,120 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 278 00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:49,720 The last enemy to be destroyed is death for God has put all things in subjection under 279 00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:50,720 his feet. 280 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:56,400 But when it says all things are put into subjection, it is plain that he is accepted who put all 281 00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:59,160 things in subjection under him. 282 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:03,240 And then maybe my favorite Psalm in the entire Bible, Psalm 110. 283 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:10,920 The Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool. 284 00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:17,240 The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter rule in the midst of your people 285 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:18,680 or midst of your enemies. 286 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:23,520 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power and holy garments from 287 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:28,200 the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. 288 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:35,560 So is it clear based on what we've just read that Jesus is currently ruling and reigning 289 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:36,560 from heaven? 290 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:37,560 Yes. 291 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:38,560 Yeah. 292 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:41,240 I think we can all agree on that's not even one of the controversial things. 293 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:43,440 Do we need to go back to the binding of Satan? 294 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:45,040 We can get back into that. 295 00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:49,600 But no, it's very clear Jesus is ruling and reigning now from heaven. 296 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:54,120 And it's interesting, it says that he's ruling in the midst of his enemies, the scepter extends 297 00:18:54,120 --> 00:18:58,680 forth from Zion, which is the place of the city of God, the people of God. 298 00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:03,160 And so Jesus is in heaven, ruling in the midst of his enemies. 299 00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:05,080 How is he doing that? 300 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:11,520 How is he exercising his rule and his power in this world? 301 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:12,520 The church. 302 00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:13,520 Exactly right. 303 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:19,320 Jesus is ruling and reigning from heaven, but in the midst of his enemies through us, 304 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:24,840 the church, we are the symbol of God's power in this world because we are indwell by the 305 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:25,920 Holy Spirit of God. 306 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:28,760 We have the power of God literally in us. 307 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:31,120 And so this is what the Bible is saying here. 308 00:19:31,120 --> 00:19:35,080 And it says that the Father is making the enemies of Christ his footstool. 309 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:40,920 And that it's really interesting because this is not how basically if you were going to 310 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:47,200 a university that was how to mascot like the crusaders, you might want to change it because 311 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:50,400 like, don't you think the crusaders got it wrong? 312 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:54,160 They read passages like this and they said, okay, we've got to bring all people into Christ's 313 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:55,320 dominion. 314 00:19:55,320 --> 00:19:59,400 And so we're going to pick up swords and we're going to bring them by force into the church 315 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:01,200 and they're going to join us that way. 316 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:03,200 And notice that's not what the Bible said here, right? 317 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:05,360 Like that's how the kings of old would conquer. 318 00:20:05,360 --> 00:20:09,880 You'd go to a city and there'd be some people there who were your enemy and you'd use power 319 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:11,920 and might to bring them under your authority. 320 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:13,880 Well, that's not what Jesus does. 321 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:19,280 The beautiful thing here is it says that the people will offer themselves freely on the 322 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:21,960 day of his power. 323 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:24,560 And so what this is referring to is conversion. 324 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:29,080 Jesus is not going around saying, hey, I'm forcing you to join my, he's not dragging 325 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:32,280 people into his kingdom kicking and screaming. 326 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:38,000 He's sending forth his people as his ambassadors into the world with the gospel message and 327 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:40,000 dwelled by the spirit of God. 328 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:44,520 And when they preach the gospel and they share the good news about Jesus, the power of God 329 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:47,000 comes upon unbelievers. 330 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:52,480 They're convicted of sin and they see the beauty of the glory of God and the truth of 331 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:53,480 the gospel. 332 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:54,480 And what do they do? 333 00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:56,440 They give themselves freely to Christ. 334 00:20:56,440 --> 00:21:02,080 They lay down their lives and willingly join his kingdom because they have been won by 335 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:03,800 his grace, right? 336 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:08,840 So in this beautiful picture of how Jesus is not being a crusader dragging people into 337 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:14,280 his kingdom, but he is ruling in the midst of his enemies through his church by sending 338 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:16,160 his church on a mission. 339 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:20,200 And notice what the Bible says here in verses five through six. 340 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:24,520 It says that during this period, the believers who are ruling with him are those who are 341 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:29,240 martyred for their faith, those who died are now in heaven with Christ and even believers 342 00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:30,240 here on earth. 343 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:35,840 And it talks about the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years 344 00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:37,200 were ended. 345 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:39,320 This is the first resurrection. 346 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:44,000 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection. 347 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:49,080 Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ 348 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:52,280 and they will reign with him for a thousand years. 349 00:21:52,280 --> 00:21:57,480 So unbelievers who died, they are not resurrected during this time, right? 350 00:21:57,480 --> 00:21:58,480 That's not what the Bible says here. 351 00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:03,040 It says that they remain dead until a time for judgment. 352 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:07,560 Their resurrection will come when Christ returns and we go to the final judgment, but the first 353 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:11,840 resurrection that's spoken of here is a spiritual resurrection, right? 354 00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:13,520 Do you see that? 355 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:17,920 Why would we think that this resurrection that's being referred to here is spiritual 356 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:23,920 rather than a physical bodily resurrection? 357 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:39,920 Okay, partially. 358 00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:49,720 Yes, right. 359 00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:55,560 So I guess we can, we'll kind of jump ahead, although I don't really want to jump ahead 360 00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:57,840 that much, but because it's complicated, right? 361 00:22:57,840 --> 00:23:02,640 So if you're a dispensationalist, they, again, this isn't every single dispensationalist, 362 00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:04,680 I'm just going to give this caveat every time. 363 00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:07,240 I'm speaking in generalities because there are new aunt's views. 364 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:08,240 I respect that. 365 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:09,440 You can have your new aunt's view. 366 00:23:09,440 --> 00:23:14,240 But most dispensationalists would believe in about four different resurrections. 367 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:22,120 So at the time of the rapture, you would have pretty much all believers of the church are 368 00:23:22,120 --> 00:23:24,040 resurrected at that time. 369 00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:30,040 That's a physical bodily resurrection according to most dispensationalists. 370 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:36,600 And then when Christ returns, this would be the whole church, those who've died. 371 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:42,760 And then at the return of Christ to begin the millennium, you have a resurrection of 372 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:45,360 Old Testament saints. 373 00:23:45,360 --> 00:23:49,560 The Old Testament saints are raised up at that time. 374 00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:55,720 And then here at the end of, and also you have another resurrection here, those who 375 00:23:55,720 --> 00:24:01,680 died during the tribulation, who became believers during that time, they're also resurrected. 376 00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:07,360 And then at the end of the millennium, you have the resurrection of unbelievers who are 377 00:24:07,360 --> 00:24:08,360 resurrected at that time. 378 00:24:08,360 --> 00:24:13,880 You have these four different resurrections that are happening according to the dispensationalist 379 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:14,880 view. 380 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:19,800 And my question is, why should we believe that the resurrection that's being talked about 381 00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:28,800 here is spiritual rather than a physical bodily resurrection? 382 00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:32,800 Okay. 383 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:43,600 Yeah, there are a number of things that go into this. 384 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:47,640 You can ask the question, do we believe that believers who are in heaven right now have 385 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:49,640 a physical body? 386 00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:56,480 That's a question to consider, right? 387 00:24:56,480 --> 00:24:59,000 Do they have a physical body? 388 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:03,800 Does the imperishable inherit the imperishable? 389 00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:06,440 Uh-huh. 390 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:08,440 Do they have them now? 391 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:09,440 Okay. 392 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:11,200 Yeah, that's all. 393 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:13,560 We're all friends here. 394 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:15,400 We're just asking questions. 395 00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:17,080 We're just talking. 396 00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:21,160 First Corinthians chapter 15, verses 22 to 24. 397 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:31,320 For as in Adam, all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive, but each in his own 398 00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:37,920 order Christ the first fruits, then it is coming. 399 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:43,680 Those who belong to Christ then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom to God, the 400 00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:49,640 father, after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 401 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:53,600 How do we feel better equipped to answer the question? 402 00:25:53,600 --> 00:26:00,240 Why should we possibly believe that the resurrection being talked about in Revelation 20 is spiritual 403 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:02,680 rather than physical? 404 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:04,880 I think it just gave us the answer here. 405 00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:08,080 Okay, yeah, but what else? 406 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:10,000 Just look at the timing, right? 407 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:11,280 Each in their own order. 408 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:15,800 Christ is raised first, then when are other people raised? 409 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:21,360 Early resurrection, verse 23. 410 00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:22,640 That is coming, right? 411 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:27,320 So then you have to ask, okay, well, if you're a dispensationalist, is this his coming? 412 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:31,840 And we would then agree that that's possible and this could be referring to that. 413 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:32,840 This is his coming. 414 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:41,440 There's a physical resurrection there, but then notice the very first word of verse 24. 415 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:43,520 And then after. 416 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:45,720 Comes the end. 417 00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:47,720 But this isn't the end, right? 418 00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:51,040 Like it would be way down here somewhere. 419 00:26:51,040 --> 00:26:53,880 And so what many dispensationalists will do is they'll put a gap there. 420 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:58,960 It's kind of like the gap theory in Genesis, but it's also, there's a gap theory in 1 Corinthians. 421 00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:04,160 They'll say that then there's a big gap there and this is the gap. 422 00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:05,960 Here to here. 423 00:27:05,960 --> 00:27:13,360 Jesus comes, this is his coming, and there's a resurrection, and then comes the end. 424 00:27:13,360 --> 00:27:16,040 But this is pretty quick in succession, is it not? 425 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:20,080 Like the way that you were reading this, and this is an epistle, this is not apocalyptic 426 00:27:20,080 --> 00:27:22,840 literature, this isn't metaphorical or symbolic. 427 00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:25,720 This is straightforward, Paul's writing to the Corinthians. 428 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:29,480 He's very logical, very literal, and he says, okay, you want to break down of how it's going 429 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:30,480 to go? 430 00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:31,480 Here's how it is. 431 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:32,600 Your hope is in Christ. 432 00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:34,000 He was raised from the dead. 433 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:35,280 You're going to be raised from the dead. 434 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:36,280 When? 435 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:37,280 At his coming. 436 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:38,280 And then what? 437 00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:39,280 Then comes the end. 438 00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:41,080 Do you see how quick in succession that is? 439 00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:47,400 He's showing us that this resurrection is going to happen at Jesus' coming, his second 440 00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:50,480 coming, when all things are coming to an end. 441 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:52,680 Then comes the end, and what happens immediately after that? 442 00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:54,840 The kingdom is delivered to the Father. 443 00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:56,360 It's not something else. 444 00:27:56,360 --> 00:27:57,480 It's not a tribulation. 445 00:27:57,480 --> 00:27:59,160 It's not a thousand year period. 446 00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:01,400 It is the end. 447 00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:04,280 But what's being referred to here is not the end, right? 448 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:07,720 This is referring to what happens during that thousand years. 449 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:13,440 And so this is a spiritual resurrection, when believers die, they go to be with Christ, right? 450 00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:14,440 Absent from the body. 451 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:15,440 You're at home with the Lord. 452 00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:17,120 You're in the presence of Jesus. 453 00:28:17,120 --> 00:28:19,640 You're not a physical entity at that point. 454 00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:22,160 You're some sort of spiritual being. 455 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:27,120 But you are alive, and you are with Christ, and it says, blessed is the one who partakes 456 00:28:27,120 --> 00:28:30,000 in that first resurrection. 457 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:32,120 The second death has no power over them. 458 00:28:32,120 --> 00:28:35,440 You are going to be with Christ during that time. 459 00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:41,680 It also means that those who are alive now, in one way, we have also experienced a spiritual 460 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:43,180 resurrection, right? 461 00:28:43,180 --> 00:28:45,080 We were dead, but now what? 462 00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:46,240 We're alive in Christ. 463 00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:48,760 We have been raised to new life in Christ. 464 00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:53,720 And so that is the guarantee that when we die our physical death, I'm still going to 465 00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:54,720 be with Christ. 466 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:57,800 I'm going to be alive with Him, and I don't have to worry about that. 467 00:28:57,800 --> 00:29:01,440 And praise the Lord, it says the second death has no power. 468 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:08,040 So the first resurrection is a spiritual resurrection, and then the second resurrection 469 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:12,680 is a physical one, where we get our resurrection bodies that we'll have for all of eternity 470 00:29:12,680 --> 00:29:14,480 in glory with God. 471 00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:21,880 And converse that, the first death is a physical death, and the second death is a spiritual 472 00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:22,880 death. 473 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:29,280 And praise the Lord, again, that we will not experience that second death. 474 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:35,040 And so, again, just to end this very quickly, Joseph mentioned something about the priesthood. 475 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:39,200 Just something to note here, that language that they'll be priests of God and Christ, 476 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:43,880 that is the exact language that is used of Christians living now. 477 00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:50,400 The Bible says that we are a royal priesthood, and even Revelation chapter 1, verses 5 and 478 00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:56,480 6, it says, and from Jesus, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of 479 00:29:56,480 --> 00:30:02,840 the kings on earth, to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and 480 00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:09,600 made us a kingdom priest to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. 481 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:13,000 So again, this is not something we are waiting on in the future. 482 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:16,880 We're not one day going to become a kingdom of priests to God. 483 00:30:16,880 --> 00:30:18,640 The Bible says we are now. 484 00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:23,120 If you're a believer, you're part of that royal priesthood. 485 00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:26,680 So I think next week we'll touch on the mark of the beast. 486 00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:27,680 That's a good point. 487 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:30,640 I didn't even really think about getting into that, but we will. 488 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:34,240 We'll dive into that, but I just wanted to end with five little things real quick. 489 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:37,280 I know you're like, oh, five things, and it's Alex. 490 00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:38,280 It's not, I'm just going to read them. 491 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:39,280 That's all I'm going to do. 492 00:30:39,280 --> 00:30:40,280 Okay? 493 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:43,080 And I won't even say hardly anything else, because here's what I know. 494 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:47,560 I know when we get into this type of stuff, and we're looking at all these different views, 495 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:50,480 and we're considering, okay, what's most biblical? 496 00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:51,960 There's a lot of disagreement, right? 497 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:56,040 And we've been exposed to a lot of new stuff like last week, and a lot of stuff we haven't 498 00:30:56,040 --> 00:30:57,040 considered. 499 00:30:57,040 --> 00:31:01,760 Many of us have never even considered whether or not this is literal or symbolic, and whether 500 00:31:01,760 --> 00:31:04,040 or not there are good reasons for thinking that. 501 00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:10,280 But here are five takeaways that no matter what your view is, we can all agree on as 502 00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:12,200 Christians, and I think it's a good reminder. 503 00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:18,400 So number one is that Jesus is ruling and reigning now. 504 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:20,280 No one disagrees with that. 505 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:23,600 He's ruling and reigning now, and listen, that's a comfort for us. 506 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:28,520 It means that no matter what happens to us in this life, Jesus is sovereign, and he is 507 00:31:28,520 --> 00:31:29,800 over everything. 508 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:31,640 He's ruling and reigning. 509 00:31:31,640 --> 00:31:36,960 Secondly, the other thing we can agree on is that Jesus' kingdom will prevail, and the 510 00:31:36,960 --> 00:31:39,960 Father will steadily defeat the enemies of Christ. 511 00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:43,520 So no matter what it looks like in the world, when you see all the sin, you see all the 512 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:49,000 war, you see all the UFOs being shot down in America right now, and you're wondering 513 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:53,280 what in the world is going on, there's a comfort here that no matter what happens to the kingdoms 514 00:31:53,280 --> 00:31:55,840 of man, the kingdom of God will prevail. 515 00:31:55,840 --> 00:31:59,160 He will have the victory in dominion. 516 00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:05,400 The third thing is that believers are a kingdom of priest to God with a mission from God to 517 00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:10,640 go and make disciples of the nations to expand Christ's kingdom to the ends of the earth. 518 00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:11,640 That's who we are now. 519 00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:14,640 That's not something you have to wait on in the future and say, one day I'm going to 520 00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:15,640 do that. 521 00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:16,640 That's who you are now. 522 00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:20,080 You're a priest of God on a mission. 523 00:32:20,080 --> 00:32:25,120 Just as Adam and Eve, God told them to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth. 524 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:30,760 Well we have that same command today as Christians, but the way that we are fruitful and multiply 525 00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:34,600 is by making disciples, and we fill the earth with disciples. 526 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:39,240 And so it's a cool little connection there where we have this mission from God. 527 00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:44,280 The fourth thing is that believers will never experience the second death. 528 00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:47,560 Christ will raise us up and we will be with him forever. 529 00:32:47,560 --> 00:32:53,240 And so it's terrifying as the first death might be and everybody, even if you're not 530 00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:57,360 afraid of death, most people are afraid of dying. 531 00:32:57,360 --> 00:33:03,840 And there's not much you can do to avoid that except say, come Lord Jesus, come quickly. 532 00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:08,920 And that is terrifying, but the second death is even worse and it lasts forever for all 533 00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:10,160 of eternity. 534 00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:14,320 And one of the greatest comforts of a Christian is that that has no power over us, that we 535 00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:15,760 will never experience that. 536 00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:17,360 We'll be with Christ. 537 00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:23,080 And then fifth, and this may be the best one of all, is that Jesus is coming back before 538 00:33:23,080 --> 00:33:28,280 the millennium, after the millennium, sometime else if there is such a thing, you know, I 539 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:31,960 don't know if there is, but we don't know when, we don't know the day, we don't know 540 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:37,360 the hour, but every Christian should rejoice and can agree that Jesus is returning and 541 00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:39,080 he's coming back for his bride. 542 00:33:39,080 --> 00:33:40,080 And that's us. 543 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:46,080 And that is good news, which means every Christian should be praying, come Lord Jesus, come quickly. 544 00:33:46,080 --> 00:33:47,080 Amen. 545 00:33:47,080 --> 00:33:48,080 All right. 546 00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:49,760 So next week we'll get into some other stuff. 547 00:33:49,760 --> 00:34:11,240 We didn't go that far over, but hey Michael, how about a word of wisdom?