For another moment with the heart of thanksgiving,
why don't you lift your hands? Why don't you
make it personal? Why don't you tell them what
you're thankful for? Jesus, thank you for waking
me up this morning. Thank you, God, for food
on my table and clothes on my back. God, thank
you for a family. Thank you, God, for a church.
Thank you, God, that you've given me a hope and
a future. I love you, Lord Jesus. I thank you
today from the bottom of my heart. I so desperately
need you, Lord. I'm nothing without you. Thank
you, Lord, for everything that you have done.
Thank you, Lord, for everything that you are.
I give you thanks tonight. You are worthy, Jesus.
You are worthy, Jesus. I think it's pretty awesome
once you start to magnify the Lord. His presence
comes in every single time. It works every time
it's tried. The presence of God is here today,
and I'm looking forward to everything that God
is going to do during our time together tonight.
In the name of Jesus, the Lord bless you. You
may be seated today. As was mentioned, tonight
we're going to wrap up our series on the book
of Revelation. Tonight is the final lesson, and
the title for this series is The Revelation of
Jesus Christ. Because Jesus truly, he was revealed
in the entire Bible. Even back in the Old Testament,
there are... types, there are shadows, there
are prophecies that point us to Jesus. So when
you come across the New Testament and it's the
first time that you read about Jesus here on
earth, that's not the first time he's mentioned.
That's not the first time that he is revealed.
The entire Bible reveals Jesus and the gospels,
of course, that's his life here on earth. The
things that he literally did, the places he literally
went to, the things that he literally said, and
then the rest of the New Testament, the acts
of the apostles, the history of the church, also
the epistles, those are Paul's and other writers'
attempts to... encourage us to follow Jesus's
example and to obey his commandments. So Jesus
is revealed throughout the entire Bible, including
that final book of the Bible, that book of Revelation,
the book of prophecy. In fact, the title of this
series, they are the first five words of the
book of Revelation, chapter one, verse one, the
revelation of Jesus Christ, because that is the
point of this book of Revelation. It is not to
mystify us. It is to magnify him. It is not to
cause us to be fearful. It is to cause us to
be faithful to him. It's all about him. Verse
1, it continues to tell us that this book is
intended to show unto his servants. things which
must shortly come to pass. The objective of this
book is revelation, not speculation. In fact,
and I mentioned this last week, and you may have
noticed, I have really stuck to revealing Jesus
in this book because he is the source of joy.
He is the only source of peace. He's the only
source of victory. And so we may not know what
the future holds. We may not know everything
about the end times, but if we know Jesus, if
we love him, Jesus, if we serve Jesus, if we
have a relationship with Jesus, well, then everything's
going to be all right because we have prioritized
the most important thing. We have a relationship
with Jesus Christ. But if you're anything like
me, and I'm sure many people are, when you first
think of the book of Revelation, perhaps that
first thought that comes to your mind has to
do with the tribulation. Maybe it has to do with
the Antichrist. Maybe it has to do with the mark
of the beast. In fact, after last week's lesson,
it was not just one or two, I think it was three
or four people had actually asked me if I was
post -trib, meaning that I believe that the church
will be raptured after the entirety of the seven
years of tribulation. They had asked me that,
and it was a fair question, because I had discussed
all of the tribulation that Revelation discusses.
I went over all of that, talking about how we
need to persevere. Again, this is personally
me, but the more that I read and study the book
of Revelation and other end time prophecies in
the Bible, the more uncertain I am that I know
exactly the way it's going to happen. It's a
little beyond my grasp, if I'm being honest with
you. So my point is not that I know when the
church will be raptured. The point of that is
to say that whether we are here for none of the
tribulation, some of the tribulation, all of
the tribulation, we have to endure. We have to
persevere. We have to bring God glory. Also last
week, I had made a brief mention about the Antichrist,
a brief mention about the Mark of the Beast.
There are a lot of other themes, but we really
didn't get into many of those details because
the point of this series is to celebrate that
Jesus overcomes all of it. The point of the book
of Revelation is not speculation, but it does
not mean that speculating, if done responsibly,
is a bad thing. It's not at all. I personally,
me, Mark Fowler, I do not have enough knowledge
about the book of Revelation and other end time
prophecies, nor do I have enough knowledge about
current events and the current power structure
within the world for me, Mark Fowler, to be able
to draw a line between what the Bible says and
what this prophecy might mean and what that prophecy
might mean. That's not what I'm able to do. But
there are plenty of people who do speculate responsibly,
if you will. They know a lot about current events.
They know a lot about the world structure today.
And they're able to draw a line and say, this
might be what the mark of the beast is. This
might be what the Antichrist is. And, of course,
they're able to draw lines between what they
have studied and read. to our world now and they
can kind of consider that maybe possibly this
is the way it works. And I've heard plenty of
people make good points about how those things
that we read might relate to the politics and
the culture and even the technology of our day
to day. And I think that's all great. I wish
I knew more because I really do think it's very
interesting. But the point still stands. The
point of the book of Revelation. is revelation
in fact it's not speculation and so if anybody
were able to read and study for years and years
and years and they had an idea about something
that they read in the book of revelation and
they are just so certain that this is exactly
the way it's going to happen in our world today
and that process leads them to be fearful then
they're missing the point. In fact, they're doing
themselves harm. If somebody were to speculate
on the book of Revelation and that were to cause
them to be confused, they're missing the point.
That actually does harm. And further, if somebody
were to study the book of Revelation and just
be so certain that this exact thing and the way
it's worded is exactly going to happen this way,
well, that also does harm. If somebody were to
believe, well, what I think is exactly for sure
going to happen, then that's kind of equation.
our opinion with the word of God. That would
be like in the very last chapter of Revelation,
it says that if we were to take away from the
book of Revelation, that's like taking away our
name from the book of life. If we were to add
to the book of Revelation, that's the same thing
as adding the plagues that we read about to ourself.
So that's obviously a pretty bad thing. So that's
not the point of the book of Revelation. One
example of that. Is if somebody were to be so
convinced for sure in the idea that the church.
Will be raptured after the tribulation. Meaning
that they are post -trib. But at the same time
they read the book of Revelation. And they are
so convinced that tribulation is going to happen
exactly this way. And tribulation hasn't even
begun yet. Well that's possible. But for those
two things to be true. For it to be the fact
that the church will not rapture until the end
of tribulation. But also tribulation hasn't begun
yet. Then that means Jesus is not coming back
tomorrow. Which is 100%. 100%. possible. And
in fact, statistically speaking, probable that
Jesus isn't coming back tomorrow. But we would
never want to read the book of Revelation, be
so convinced of that, because if we know for
sure in our minds that Jesus isn't coming back
tomorrow, then we're not going to follow the
principle of the word of God that says we need
to live every day like Jesus is coming back tomorrow.
So speculation is great. Researching, having
ideas, fantastic. But the point of the book of
Revelation is that Jesus would be revealed. The
point of the revelation of Jesus Christ is that
we would live every day like Jesus is coming
back tomorrow. I think it would be a shame for
somebody to spend years of research and have
all these ideas about every element of revelation.
And they're just so convinced that it's going
to happen exactly this way. And that's their
focus. And they're not prepared for the second
coming of Jesus Christ. Because the point of
the book of Revelation is that we would all be
ready for when Jesus splits the eastern skies
and comes back for it. church who has made themselves
ready. That is the point of the revelation of
Jesus Christ. Our objective is to reveal Jesus
in every detail of this book of prophecy because
this is the revelation of Jesus Christ. We've
split up the book of Revelation into three parts
that we've gone over the past three weeks. They're
called prepare, persevere, and prevail. And so
two weeks ago in our first session, we studied
chapters one through five to know how to prepare
and to be ready for the last days. This is chapter
one, verse three. It tells us, blessed is he
that readeth and they that hear the words of
this prophecy and keep those things which are
written therein for the time is at hand. The
time is near. It tells us that we will be blessed
if we'll do those three things. We will read.
hear and keep the words of Jesus Christ. That's
how we prepare. We must see Jesus for who he
is. We must hear what he is saying to his church,
and we must obey his words and commandments.
I'm thankful today that we can gain revelation
and we can receive instruction, but the blessing
can only come if we also surrender completely.
We have to do all three things, see, hear, and
obey. Revelation 3 and 20 says that Jesus is
standing at the door and he's knocking. And if
we will hear his voice and we will open that
door, he will come in and have relationship and
communion with him. And so today, that is the
point of this lesson. Even if we know who Jesus
is, even if we know his word, we will still miss
out if we do not obey. We will still miss out
if we do not surrender. We have to open that
door to Jesus Christ. That's how we prepare.
And then last week, we studied Revelation chapter
6 through 18, and we learned how we must persevere
and endure throughout the last days. This is
chapter 12, verse 11, the main point of last
week's lesson. And they overcame him by the blood
of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony,
and they loved not their lives unto the death.
That is how we persevere. It's by the blood of
the Lamb. That's that first point. We are standing
here today only because God made a way. We should
never forget that. We persevere first and foremost
because of the blood of Jesus Christ. We could
never do it by ourselves. We persevere because
we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
Also, we persevere by the word of our testimony.
Now, this does have to do with telling other
people what God has done for us. But the main
meaning, the main point of the word of our testimony
is that we ourselves are a witness to the resurrection
of Jesus Christ. The Holy Ghost inside of us,
the way that we conduct ourselves, the way that
we act, that is a witness to the world that Jesus
lives. That is the word of our testimony. And
lastly, we persevere because of our complete
devotion to Jesus. That's what it takes to persevere.
We choose sacrifice over convenience. We choose,
refuse to give up, even if it costs us everything.
This verse says that we love not our lives, even
to the death. Romans 14 and 12 tells us here
is the patience or the endurance or the perseverance
of the saints. Here are they that keep the commandments
of God and the faith of Jesus. The patience of
the saints, it says. That is what we see when
we obey, when we have. faith when we surrender.
And so the next verse, verse 13. 13 tells us,
Just like the Bible says in 1 Corinthians, your
labor is not in vain in the Lord. Everything
that you do for the kingdom of God, it's not
wasted. It is all for your good and for his glory.
That's how we persevere. Not because of what
we can do, but no, it's because of what God has
already done. not because of who we are it's
because of who Jesus is it's not because we can
figure it all out no it's because we've chosen
to surrender our lives completely to the cause
of Jesus Christ and so tonight we're going to
wrap up our series with part three we're going
to look to Revelation chapters 19 through 22
because we have prepared because we have persevered
Jesus promises us that we will prevail prepare
persevere prevail Back to that main point. If
you do not prepare, you will not persevere. And
if you do not persevere, you will not prevail.
Prepare, persevere, propel. And so that first
part is that if we do not prepare, we will not
persevere. That's why Proverbs 22 and 3 tells
us that a prudent man foresees evil and hideth
himself. In other words, a wise person will foresee
danger and they'll take precautions. But the
simple pass on and they are punished. That means
that a foolish person goes blindly on and they
suffer. the consequences. This verse is telling
us that we must prepare now or we will suffer
later. We have to prepare if we are going to
persevere because there is absolutely nothing
in your flesh that is going to want to persevere
if you are not prepared. When tribulation and
judgment and all these other things we learned
about last week are happening, there's nothing
in our flesh that's going to want to be the only
one to stand for truth if we have not already
prepared in our hearts and in our minds. have
not already decided to obey the word of God and
his commandments. But there's still one more
step, and that's this. If you do not persevere,
you will not prevail. Let's look at Hebrews 10
and 36. It says, For ye have need of patience,
that after ye have done the will of God, you
might receive the promise. The promise is tied
to perseverance. You can only enter into heaven
if you endure on earth. You can only prevail
if you persevere. And as we come to the final
chapters of the revelation of Jesus Christ, our
heart should be full of hope and joy and expectancy.
We have prepared and we have persevered. And
now it's time to celebrate how we prevail. Prevailing
is not just about surviving. Prevailing is conquering.
Prevailing is triumphing. Prevailing is living
fully in the promises of God. The Apostle John,
this is in Revelation 21 and 7, gives us a clear
promise. He writes, He that overcometh shall
inherit all things, and I will be his God, and
he shall be my son. These are the benefits or
the blessings of prevailing. Number one, we have
a reward. Number two, we have relationship. And
number three, we are reigning. Reward, going
back to Revelation 21 and 7 here, is when we
inherit all things. Relationship, this verse
told us that God himself becomes our God and
we are his children. And that last point is that
we will reign, we will share in his kingdom.
This is the eternal inheritance for those that
will overcome. Tonight, we will unpack the details
of Revelation 19 through 22, and we will see
how Jesus Christ is revealed in his glory, and
we will learn how prevailing unlocks these three
promises, that we will have reward, relationship,
and that we will reign. Revelation 19 opens with
a heavenly celebration over the fall. of Babylon
that we read about last week in chapter 18. Verse
1 tells us, And after these things I heard a
great voice of much people in heaven saying,
Hallelujah, salvation and glory and honor and
power unto the Lord our God. This verse calls
Jesus the Lord our God. That's singular. This
is Jesus Christ himself revealed as almighty
God. Jesus Christ is the one who alone has the
power to save. and to judge and to reign. This
is the revelation of Jesus Christ. And in this
verse, we read about our reward. If we will endure,
this verse says that we will see justice executed.
We will inherit the blessings of God. This verse
shows that heaven rejoices when the faithful
ones are vindicated and the wicked ones are judged.
Verse 2 we go to now. This verse reinforces the
righteous judgment of God. It tells us that his
judgments are true and righteous. Jesus judges
the sin of the world. Jesus avenges the blood
of his saints. That is relationship. Those that
have endured, those who have remained faithful,
God's servants, God's children, they are avenged.
God sees the blood of his people. He remembers
every tear. He promises reward and vindication.
And so down to verse 5, it says, Praise our God,
all ye servants. Praise our God, all ye that
fear him. Verse 7, let us be glad and rejoice.
Let us give honor to him. All of God's servants
are called to praise him because he and he alone
is worthy. Jesus is our creator and our savior
and our judge and our redeemer. This is the revelation
of Jesus Christ. And so the faithful experience
relationship with the almighty, the faithful
share in his eternal glory. And now we see the
triumphant return of Jesus Christ still in chapter
19. Let's look at verse 11. It says, And I saw
heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And
he that sat upon him was called Faithful and
True. And in righteousness he doth judge and
make war. In this verse, Jesus is revealed as
the Lamb and the Lion. He is revealed as Faithful
and True. He is revealed as Executing Justice
and bringing victory. This is the revelation
of Jesus Christ. Every trial that we endure points
to this moment of triumph. Verse 14, the army
of heaven follows him. They are clothed in fine
linen, white and clean. This is similar to back
in the book of Isaiah chapter 61 and 10. It tells
us that God clothes us with the garments of salvation
and with the robe of righteousness. These are
the saints. This is the church that has persevered.
The saints who have prevailed are promised reward.
We will inherit all things. We're promised relationship.
We are his children. And we're promised that
we will reign. We will share in his authority.
Verse 16 says, And he hath on his vesture and
on his thigh a name written, King of kings and
Lord of lords. Our king is the ultimate ruler.
Those who prevail will reign with him. This is
the revelation of Jesus Christ. So down to verse
20, this verse confirms to us the defeat of both
the prophet, the false prophet, and also the
beast. Jesus has prevailed. And not only that,
Jesus has caused us to prevail. And here we see
our reward. Romans 8 and 17 reminds us that we
are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.
If we prepare and if we persevere, if we suffer
with him, we will be glorified together. We will
inherit all things. We will prevail. And so now
to chapter 20, this verse, chapter rather begins
with the binding of Satan. And this signals to
us that evil is restrained for a period. Verse
3 tells us that Satan is cast into a bottomless
pit and he is bound for a thousand years. This
is the beginning of the reign for the overcomers.
In verse 4, John tells us that he saw thrones
and they sat upon them and judgment was given
unto them. And so who are these people? These
people are the saints. These people are the martyrs.
This verse says that these people are the ones
who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus. They
were the ones who did not worship the beast.
They are the ones who did not take the mark of
the beast. Verse 6 confirms they shall be priests
of God and of Christ and shall reign with him
for a thousand years. Daniel 7 and 18 prophesies
this as well. Daniel prophesied, but the saints
of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess
the kingdom forever and ever. The overcomers
receive reward. That is the first resurrection
and eternal life. Overcomers have relationship.
They are priests with God. They are serving in
his presence. Overcomers reign. They exercise
divine authority. This reminds me of Matthew
25 and 21, familiar passage of scripture at the
end of a parable. Jesus says, well done, good
and faithful servant. Thou hath been faithful
over a few things. I will make thee a ruler over
many things. If we will prepare, if we will persevere,
God promises us that we will prevail. Back to
Revelation chapter 20. This is verse 7. This
verse describes the release of Satan and final
rebellion. Verse 10 tells us that the outcome
of this war is decisive. Satan is thrown into
a lake of fire and those who did not persevere,
those who did not prepare, those who were not
ready, face judgment. And this chapter, chapter
20, is a reminder that prevailing is active.
It is intentional. It is not passive at all.
It's going to take everything that you have to
prepare and to persevere. That's how you prevail.
If we are going to prevail, we must stay faithful
in the trials of life. If we are going to prevail,
we must rely on Jesus alone. Jesus is the way,
the truth, and the life. This is the revelation
of Jesus. Christ. So next I want to take us to
Revelation. This is chapter 21. And in verse
1, John sees a new heaven and a new earth. All
that was broken before, all that was messed up
before is restored. Verse 2 shows that the new
Jerusalem is coming down from God. Verse 3 promises
us relationship. It says, relationship it is
fellowship without interruption it is fellowship
without separation it is fellowship without sin
prevailing brings eternal communion with Jesus
this is the revelation of Jesus Christ Verse
4 gives us plenty of reasons to rejoice. It says,
And God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow. This is our reward, a new creation without
pain, without tears, without sorrow. And that
leads us to verse 7. This is our main verse for
tonight. He that overcomes shall inherit all
things, and I will be his God, and he shall be
my son. So let's break that down for a moment.
Our reward is when we inherit all things. That's
every promise, every blessing, every gift of
heaven. Our reward is that we have an inheritance.
But also we have relationship because that verse
said that God is our father and we are his children.
We have an opportunity to be in his presence.
We have an opportunity to have his spirit on
the inside of us. We have a relationship with
Jesus Christ. It also promises us that we will
reign. We will share in his authority. We are
co -heirs with Christ. We are ruling in his kingdom.
This is like what Paul says in Ephesians 2 and
6. He says he hath raised us up together and
made us sit together in heavenly places in Jesus
Christ. And so the rest of this chapter describes
the glory of heaven. This is exciting. Verse
18 tells us that the walls are jasper. Verse
21 tells us that the gates are pearl. It also
says that the streets are gold. Verse 23, heaven
does not need the sun and the moon like we do
here on earth. Why? It's because the glory of
God lights it up. The lamb is the light. Every
detail points to this reward awaiting them that
will endure. If we prepare, if we will persevere,
God promises us that we will prevail. And now
to that last chapter, chapter 22. This chapter
opens with verse 1, the river of life. It says
that it is as clear as crystal. It proceeds out
of the throne of God. Verse 2 tells us about
the tree of life. It says that it grows 12 types
of fruit and it produces all 12 months in the
year. Verse 7. again reminds us, Behold, I come
quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings
of the prophecy of this book. Prevailing requires
obedience to God's word. If you will remain faithful,
you are promised reward. You are also promised
relationship. You are also promised that you
will reign. If you will remain faithful, that
is your promise. Verse 12 tells us, Jesus says,
My reward is with me to give every man according
to his work. Revelation 19. through 22, it paints
a glorious picture of Jesus Christ as the Almighty
God. It tells us that He is the King of kings.
It tells us that He is the Lord of lords. This
is the revelation of Jesus Christ. That is the
point of the book of Revelation, that it would
reveal to us that the Mighty God is Jesus and
it's all in Him. That it would reveal to us that
the only thing we need is a relationship with
Jesus Christ. No matter how dark the world gets,
If we have a relationship with Jesus Christ,
we can prepare, we can persevere, and we are
promised that we will prevail. That's promised
to everyone. that endures. Every verse in this
book of Revelation emphasizes that prevailing
is not optional. It is only to those who will
endure. It is only to those that will do the
hard thing. It's only to those that will make
up in their mind they're going to do the right
thing. Even if they're the only one, that's what
it takes. It takes us preparing and persevering
and prevailing. Reward and relationship and reign
are intertwined into every judgment and every
triumph and every revelation. That is the benefit
of prevailing, that we would have our reward,
that we would have relationship with God, and
that we would reign and share in his authority.
Revelation 22, this is verse 17. This is the
very... Last invitation from God to us, his church,
and the entire Bible. After this, it's just the
conclusion of the book. This is the last time
we hear the words of God to his church. It says,
and the spirit and the bride say, come. And let
him that heareth say, come. And let him that
is a thirst, come. And whosoever will, let him
take the water of life freely. That's the last
thing that Jesus says to his church. The spirit
is saying come. The bride or the church is saying
come. If there is a thirst in your soul, that
thirst itself is saying come. That desperation,
that hunger, that desire to be in relationship
with God, that is intended to draw you closer
to Jesus. That in and of itself is telling you
come. You do not have to earn this. You absolutely
do not. This is not by your own good works. You
do not have to deserve this. You do not have
to wait even another moment. The water of life
is free. But it's up to you. You must come. God
is inviting us to the water of life. God is inviting
us to reward and to relationship and to reign
with him. But it's still up to us to heed his
call and to come. If you are weary, and in our
world today, there are plenty of things that
distract us and plenty of things that tire us.
But if you're weary, come. If you're dry, if
it's been a while since you've taken from the
water of life, if it's been a while since you've
had a real relationship with Jesus Christ, come.
If you are fighting battles in your mind, the
world that we're in, it confuses us, it distracts
us. But regardless of what you're up against,
you have an opportunity tonight to come. If you
are hungry for more of God, if you are thirsty
for more of God, if you are desperate for a real
relationship with Jesus Christ, you have the
same opportunity as everyone else. The Bible
simply says, come. If you want to be ready when
Jesus returns. All you have to do is come. All
you have to do is accept his call. All you have
to do is take a step closer to him, and he will
come running to you. Everyone in this room, no
matter where you are, no matter what you're up
against, we all have the same opportunity, and
that's simply to hear what the Spirit says, to
hear what the bride says. To everyone that can
hear, we all have the same opportunity. Everyone
who is thirsty, we all have the same opportunity.
That opportunity is to come. The invitation is
not complicated. We can come and we can repent.
We can come and we can be washed. We can be restored.
We can be renewed. We can be filled. God is reaching
for each of us right now. God is calling our
names right now. We do not have to leave this
place differently than the way we came. We all
have the same opportunity, and that is to simply
come. I ask you to stand all across this room
tonight. The Spirit says come. The church says
come. And your own thirsty soul is saying come.
You can step out from where you are. You can
be completely unashamed in His presence. You
can be strengthened and blessed by the might
of the Lord. You do not have to do this your
own way. If you are prepared, you can persevere.
If you persevere, you can prevail. It is something
that each and every person can do, but it takes
surrendering to the Lord Jesus Christ. It takes
heeding the call of God and coming with open
arms and with an open heart and an open mind
to anything and everything that God will do.
We can all heed the call of God tonight and we
can all come because I truly believe that anyone,
regardless of where they find themselves in their
life, you are just one touch of the Holy Ghost
away from being exactly where you need to be
because God is a God that restores. God is a
God that makes a way and there's no such thing
as too far gone. There's no such thing as somebody
that's messed up too much that their window has
closed. God in this place tonight is telling
each and every one of us, come. I want relationship
with you. I have reward from you. You can reign
with me, but how do you do that? You have to
surrender and you have to come. I'm opening these
altars to us tonight. I wonder if you'll come
today with an open heart and with an open mind,
ready to receive from the Lord. I wonder today
if you'll just surrender to God. From the very
bottom of your heart, would you just surrender
to God every aspect of your life? You do not
have to leave here today the same way that you
came. God is telling each and every one of us,
what you need is right here. All you have to
do is take a step. All you have to do is surrender.
All you have to do is come. If you are thirsty,
all you have to do is come. If you are desperate,
if you have a desire, if you know that you so
desperately need God, all you have to do is come.
All you have to do is let your guard down. All
you have to do is set aside your defenses and
open up yourself to what God wants to do. Let's
heed that call of the Lord today. Let's accept
that invitation from the Holy Ghost today. Let's
come. Let's draw closer to God. Let's surrender
to His will and to His purpose. In the name of
Jesus.