In His Grip

From Dr. Chuck Betters' series Birth of the Body: Pentecost
This Episode: Luke 24 & Acts 1

We now come to the last message in this study on the book of Revelation.  Dr. Betters begins this message by taking us on brief journey of the ground we’ve covered by summarizing some of the major themes and key highlights of the book.  He then moves into the final passage of Revelation and challenges us with the question, “Utopia, so what?” Since utopia is true, how should we then live and how should our energies and motivations be directed in building the church for God’s glory?  Join with us in this last message as Dr. Betters helps to answer these important questions.

We live in a world that seeks utopia and it is all too eager to tell us how to find it.   Almost all world religions speak of some euphoric utopia at life’s end. Seeking utopia is a part of our human nature.  God has planted this thirst in our hearts for utopia and He has also shown us how to reach it. We now come to the last chapters in the book of Revelation.  Satan has been defeated and the apostle John is given a vision of the true utopia for those who have trusted in Christ as their Lord and Savior. The utopia or final state for believers is the creation of a new heaven and a new earth spent with God for an eternity.  Listen in as Dr. Betters helps to unpack the symbols used by John to describe this final state and get a glimpse of the ultimate utopia to come.

We see great evil in the world all around us.  How can we say that we are now living in the apocalyptic period of a thousand years in which Satan is bound?  In this message, Dr. Betters finishes his trek through the scripture showing us when and how Satan has been bound and then we move into the final scene of judgement before the great white throne.  Here we will learn about the meaning of the Book of Life and the differences between the first death, first resurrection, second death, and second resurrection.

From age 12 through the age of 18, Doug began to experiment with any and all drugs, from ecstasy to crystal meth, that he could get his hands on. Over the course of the next few years, oxycodone became the dominant Idol that consumed him and eventually transitioned into a full blown heroin addiction. Doug shares his journey into drug addiction including  how being raised “in the church” left him so empty that he searched and found acceptance in the fans of a band called Insane Clown Posse. Their message of sex, drugs and violence filled the empty hole in his heart. In this far reaching conversation, Doug touches on how parents should respond to the manipulation of the drug addict, whether coming off of drugs cold turkey as he did is always the best way, why addicts are willing to destroy their lives and loved ones for that fix, and why addicts often go back to drugs after rehab. Doug offers hope, not only to the person addicted to drugs but to the people who love them.

Doug Clarke is a husband and father and works for Jublilee Ministries where he is the Aftercare/New Path Manager.

When will the binding of Satan for a thousand years occur?  Or has the binding of Satan already occurred? We now come to the seventh parallel section of our study in chapter 20 of the book of Revelation.  Join Dr. Betters in this message as he explains from scripture the timing of when Satan is bound and the method or sense in which he is bound.

As we get older, we become more aware just how fragile life is.  We become more attuned to our mortality. The aches and pains we experience as we grow older are signals that are bodies will not last forever and must die. The bible tells us that the children of God will receive a resurrection body after they go to heaven.  This will be a special kind of body that will be perfect and never die. That alone should be something to get very excited about. Every ache and pain ought to make us crave being with God in heaven. In this message, Dr. Betters explains what this resurrection body will be like.  But more importantly, Dr. Betters asks if you know for sure you are a child of God. Do you know for certain that if you were to die right now you would go to heaven? Listen in as Dr. Betters describes what scripture tells us about these resurrection bodies and how you can know for certain you will receive one when you stand before God after you die.

Do you remember before you were married how you longed for the day of your wedding?  Perhaps you are single and looking forward to that day now. Oh how wonderful the feeling!  In Revelation chapter 19, we come to what many believe is the majestic climax of the book. This chapter speaks of the marriage supper of The Lamb.  This is the day that all Christians should look forward to experiencing. This is the day of hope and the day of glory. We find language, symbolism, and rich metaphors related to marriage woven throughout scripture.  In the Bible, Christ is the groom and His church is the bride. However, weddings during biblical times were much different than the weddings of today. We often miss the significance of wedding customs during biblical times and the parallels to what God has done for us in preparation of the Great Wedding to come.  Listen in as Dr. Betters describes the glorious scene in heaven of that day and unpacks the details and significance of the marriage supper of the Lamb.

You really cannot understand Revelation chapter 17 and the references to Babylon the Great and the rise and fall of The Mother of all Prostitutes unless you have a grasp for their history in the context of the Old Testament.  When the Apostle John writes this portion of his vision he presumes that his readers are familiar with the backdrop of Babylon. Join Dr. Betters as he unpacks the history and influences of Babylon and its founder Nimrod and how the final Babylon will rise from the abyss to try and lure the Church.

In this free flowing conversation Stephanie Hubach’s joy in parenting son, twenty-five year old Tim, who has Down Syndrome shines through. Steph talks about how Tim’s birth affected and strengthened her marriage, recognizing the need for consistent discipline, intentionally teaching Tim practical social skills to prepare him for the workplace, giving herself permission to take care of herself so that she could be strong and able to relentlessly pour into Tim’s life, and the priceless gift of Tim to their family. Steph admits to a chronic grief that can pop up even in the middle of joyful fun with Tim. Steph speaks directly to those parents struggling to see any joy in their own parenting of a child with special needs and encourages them to freely determine the best way for them to function as a family.