One message resounds again and again in Revelation chapter 22, Jesus says; "I am coming soon." He actually says these words three times in this one chapter. For me, it has to mean these words are important and the communicate a sense of urgency to the message of the book of Revelation. You might have heard this before but please let it mean something different today; Jesus is coming soon; it could be today, it could be tomorrow or the next, one thing I am certain of is that it would be soon. Our generation is likely to be the ones to witness it. “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”

Revelation 22:7 NLT.

"“Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

Revelation 22:12‭-‬13 NLT. "He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

Revelation 22:20 NLT.

Revelation chapter 21 concludes with a description of the new city that came down from heaven, the New Jerusalem. The depiction of this city is both literal and figurative. Literally, it is the city where the children of God will dwell when the Church returns to the new earth. Figuratively, it is a description of the wife of the lamb, the Church. The precious stone speak about the purity of this church. Also, finally, God almighty and the lamb becomes their sufficiency. "I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.

Revelation 21:22‭-‬23 NLT. There will be no need for a physical building to worship God anymore, the wife of the lamb are the temple of God.

After the events of the White throne judgment, Revelation 21 tells us that Gid will make everything new including a New Jerusalem coming down from heaven. At this point, there is a new heaven and a new earth, all pain, sorrow and death are gone as those things and their progenitors have been cast into the lake of fire. As this New Jerusalem comes down from heaven, it turns out that the angel was actually referring to the bride of the lamb all along; "So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone—like jasper as clear as crystal. The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. There were three gates on each side—east, north, south, and west. The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

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Revelation 21:10‭-‬14 NLT. Essentially, the bride comprises of believers through the Old and New testament as they are represented by the 12 tribes of Israel from the Old testament, and the 12 foundation stones standing for the 12 apostles in the New testament. The apostle Paul talked about this when he said; "For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

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Galatians 3:26‭-‬29 NLT. Again he said; "For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

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Ephesians 2:14‭-‬16 NLT. The bride of Christ are believers throughout the Old and New testaments.

The word Beautitude is from the Latin word Beatitudo which means "blessedness". Each Beautitude references the current state of happiness or well-being of the one who practices the word of God. Jesus taught the Beautitudes at the sermon on the Mount of Olives in Matthew 5:3-12 NLT. Interestingly, there are 7 beautitudes referenced in the book of Revelation, let's take a look at them; "God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.

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Revelation 1:3 NLT. We are blessed when we read, listen to and obey the messages contained in the book of Revelation. We were meant to understand the words of prophecy contained in it and to use them to prepare. Next, we have; "And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”

Revelation 14:13 NLT. While this particular beautitudes is written to those who are left behind and have missed the rapture, the message cannot be clearer; you are blessed when you stand for your faith even to the point of laying down your life, your reward will be great in heaven. Next beautitude is; “Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”

Revelation 16:15 NLT. We remember that Jesus himself shared this beautitude just before the 7th bowl is poured out, he interrupted the whole revelation to give us this stern warning. You are blessed when you live prepared and ready for Christ's return. Next, there is; "And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”

Revelation 19:9 NLT. It would be a great honour to attend the marriage feast of the lamb with the patriarchs, matriarchs and heroes of the Bible. "Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.

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Revelation 20:6 NLT. I might have missed this one during recording. The first resurrection is for those who lived for Christ until their death and returns with him at his second coming, they will reign with Christ during the Millennium reign of Christ on the earth. Next, we have; “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”

Revelation 22:7 NLT. It is not the hearers of the word that are blessed but those who listen to obey. Finally; "Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.

Revelation 22:14 NLT.

We began looking at Revelation chapter 20 yesterday which is divided into 3 sections; the Millennium reign of Christ on the earth, the final defeat of Satan at the battle of Gog and Magog, and then the final judgment. We looked at the first two yesterday, so we conclude chapter 20 today by looking at the final judgment or what the Bible calls the White Throne judgment.

"And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

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Revelation 20:11‭-‬15 NLT. Let me start by saying everyone who stands before this judgment are likely to spend eternity in the lake of fire. This is because they are being judged on 2 grounds as the books are opened; whether their names are written in the Book of Life and whether according to what each person has done as recorded in the books, they qualify to come into the kingdom. The outcome here is already determined, it's a failure. There is only one way for your name to be written in the Book of Life, you must have accepted Jesus as Lord, saviour and king over your life. These people have all rejected that. Speaking about this Jesus said; “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. “And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son. And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man.

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John 5:24‭-‬27 NLT. You saw it there, those who have accepted Christ cannot be judged for their sins, they have passed from death to life. No Jesus, no name written in the Book of life. On the second count of our deeds and the works done here on earth, again, it's a fail. The prophet Isaiah answered this perfectly when he said; "We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

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Isaiah 64:6 NLT. All our good deeds are at best in God's sight like filthy rags, they will not be enough.

Revelation chapter 20 is divided into 3 sections; we see the Millennium reign of Christ on the earth, the final defeat of Satan at the battle of Gog and Magog, and then the final judgment. Let's address the first two today. The Millennia reign begins at the end of the 7 years of tribulations and as Christ comes to establish himself as King of kings and Lord of lords on the earth. We already saw that the antichrist and false prophet are cast into the lake of fire at the end of the tribulations in Revelation chapter 19. Before the start of this 1,000 years reign where believers will also reign with Christ, satan will be bound in chains and cast into the bottomless pit. "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years. The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while.

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Revelation 20:1‭-‬3 NLT. Satan's influence will be cut off from the earth but there will be people still living on the earth who survived through the tribulation and who will still not have accepted the lordship of Christ. It is these group of people that after the Millennium reign gathers with satan for the battle of Gog and Magog. The strange thing is, prophesying some 4,000 years before this event holds, the prophet Ezekiel, amazingly said; "A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel. You and all your allies—a vast and awesome army—will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.

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Ezekiel 38:8‭-‬9 NLT. He continues; “Therefore, son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: When my people are living in peace in their land, then you will rouse yourself. You will come from your homeland in the distant north with your vast cavalry and your mighty army, and you will attack my people Israel, covering their land like a cloud. At that time in the distant future, I will bring you against my land as everyone watches, and my holiness will be displayed by what happens to you, Gog. Then all the nations will know that I am the Lord.

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Ezekiel 38:14‭-‬16 NLT. This event is what John is seeing in Revelation chapter 20; "When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore. And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them. Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

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Revelation 20:7‭-‬10 NLT. The lake of fire is the final destination of the devil, the antichrist, the false prophet and all who reject Christ.

This morning, I do a deep dive into the subject of the rapture; what it is about? When will it occur? And why does it occur? Let me say upfront that there are many fallacies and myths on the rapture but no one disagrees with it's purpose if it is true; to take the Church out of the earth before the days of tribulations begins. Speaking about that day, Jesus said; “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

Luke 21:34‭-‬36 NLT. He says that day will come like a thief in the night; unexpectedly. He also says the day will be like a trap, it will be sudden, like a snap, that is much different from his Second where the sign of his return appears in the sky and all will see it; “Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

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Matthew 24:29‭-‬30 NLT. This is Jesus' Second coming. Ultimately, whether you believe the day of rapture or not, the question is whether you will be ready; will you watch and pray? Will you live as wise and not as foolish in a world that is bent on tripping you up? Listen to today's podcast on how to live ready.

Revelation chapter 19 is divided into 2 part, the first part shows us this massive choir singing and worshipping God in heaven just as the Marriage Feast of the lamb takes place. Here, we are told that you will need to be invited to this feast and that all who do are given a special pass; "Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: “Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”

Revelation 19:6‭-‬9 NLT. What are the implications of this? The judgment of the brides has already taken place, that is why they have been given pure white linens and why they've qualified to be at this feast. Secondly, if the time scale is right, then Jesus' return or second coming is preceded by this marriage feast. The second part of Revelation 19 talks about Jesus' second coming and the battle of Armageddon; "Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all Lords. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.” Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.

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Revelation 19:11‭-‬21 NLT.

This morning, I answered some of the questions I have received since we began reading and studying the book of Revelation. Why have we undertaking this seemingly difficult read? My answer is simple; it is so that we can get ready. In Jesus' words, it is so that we can keep watch because the time is near. “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.

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Matthew 24:40‭-‬42 NLT. We don't want to be the ones LEFT BEHIND. Secondly, unlike the book of Daniel that was handed over to us secret and sealed (Daniel 12:9), the words of the book of Revelation were given to us UNSEALED, we were supposed to understand the words of the book and heed its warning; 7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.” 10 Then he instructed me, “Do not seal up the prophetic words in this book, for the time is near.

Revelation 22:7‭, ‬10 NLT. I hope our time together has helped you not only understand the words of the book of Revelation, I hope that you are fired up to get ready. Please get ready, it will be anytime now.

Revelation chapter 18 is the fulfillment of the destruction of the city of Babylon that had been predicted in both the proleptic message of the angel declared in Revelation 14:8 NLT; "Then another angel followed him through the sky, shouting, “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen—because she made all the nations of the world drink the wine of her passionate immorality.” and the pouring out of the judgment of the 7th bowl in Revelation 16:19 NLT; "The great city of Babylon split into three sections, and the cities of many nations fell into heaps of rubble. So God remembered all of Babylon’s sins, and he made her drink the cup that was filled with the wine of his fierce wrath." The city of Babylon, the sit of the government of the antichrist will finally be destroyed suddenly.