In His Grip

The events of Revelation chapters 15 and 16 comprise the fifth of seven parallel sections.  Again, the events that transpire between the ascension of Christ and His second coming are described with different details and with greater intensity in each successive parallel section. In this message, Dr. Betters shows how the seven bowls of wrath and their judgements pronounced here parallel the seven trumpets in Revelation chapters 4 through 7.  But as the last bowl is poured out in the climactic battle of Armageddon, Dr. Betters raises a very important question. Armageddon – so what? How should we, as Christians, live in light of the knowledge of the end times and Christ’s second coming? Listen in and be challenged in how we should live our lives leading up to the second coming.

The fulfillment of Biblical prophecy is so often missed or overlooked.  So much of it has already been fulfilled. Accordingly, we ought not to be surprised by the fulfillment of prophecy of the events regarding the end times either.  The Bible tells us what is going to happen and why it is going to happen. However, it does not tell us exactly when Christ will return. In this message Dr. Betters examines the two harvests that will occur.  Which harvest will you be included in? Are you sure?

In this fourth parallel section of Revelation we learned more of the details and mission of the dragon and two beasts.  Satan and his beasts have steadily been at work since Christ’s ascension. Have you noticed the work and progress of Satan?  Over such a long period of time, many do not see the inroads that Satan has made. In this message Dr. Betters identifies seven significant inroads that Satan has made.

In part one we examined the beast that rose from the sea.  We learned that the beast of sea represents the systems of government that rises up to persecute the church.  Now in part two of this message we turn our attention to the nature of the second beast that rises up from the earth.  The two beasts have different origins but they do not work alone. There is a connection between the two beasts that is complementary.  Listen in as Dr. Betters unfolds the details about the beast that rises up from the earth and its relationship to the beast from the sea.  Dr. Betters will also help us see that these beast are not of the future but have already risen and have been attacking the church for generations and very active today.

In the last message the dragon, also known as Satan, could not destroy the Child of Promise and was cast to the earth.  On earth the dragon pursued the woman, who represents the church of Christ, into the wilderness. In Revelation chapter 13, John’s vision continues with the sighting of two beasts that are minions of the dragon.  The first beast rises up out of the sea and the second beast rises from the land. Each beast has a specific mission and purpose. Join Dr. Betters in this message as he follows the dramatic story and unpacks the details of the first beast and reveals its meaning and purpose.

In Revelation chapter 12, John is given a vision of two great signs that appeared in heaven. The first sign is of a beautiful woman who is clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and wearing a crown of twelve stars.  She is also pregnant and about to give birth. The second sign is of a great fiery red dragon that is standing over the woman awaiting to devour the child as soon as it is born. It may be familiar to understand and identify the fiery red dragon as Satan.  But who is this mysterious woman and child? Listen in as Dr. Betters begins the fourth parallel section of the book of Revelation and reveals the long history throughout the scriptures between this woman, the child, and the dragon.

When you first meet Sue, you sense she is a woman who lives life through a kind and steady grid. Yet still waters run deep and for over thirty plus years Sue and her husband have parented three sons, one of whom was born with Down Syndrome and a brain injury. Joseph will never care for himself in any way. He is totally dependent on his parents for his well being.  In this conversation you will hear the story of a mother who has experienced a life crisis that is painful, sometimes hard to talk about, sometimes experienced in isolation, yet filled with the hope of a woman who leans into her Lord for wisdom and strength. Sue’s love for Joseph shines through as she reaches back into the early years of Joseph’s life and gives us a glimpse into the parenting of a child with special needs and a brain injury that will never get better. She describes how her pastor shepherded her and celebrated Joseph’s birth and life. She talks about preparing for that day when they are no longer physically able to care for Joseph or the possibility that they will die before Joseph. Sue gives us a front row seat of loving and parenting Joseph in a way that will not only encourage other families but also help equip those who love them to walk with them in this often difficult place. This conversation is part of our mini series that offers help and hope to families who have children with disabilities.

We now come to the last message from Dr. Betters on the third parallel section of the book of Revelation.  In chapter 11 of Revelation we learn about the two witnesses to come who are also referred to as the two olive trees, the two lampstands, and the two prophets.  God endows the two witnesses with power and they will prophesy for forty two months on the earth. Some maintain that these two witness are Enoch and Elijah from the Old Testament because scripture records that both of these men never died but were taken directly to God in heaven.  Are the two witnesses specific individuals such as Enoch and Elijah or are they symbolic of something else? Join Dr. Betters as he traces the clues from the scriptures to reveal who these two witnesses really are.

Dr. Betters continues in the third parallel section of the book of Revelation and focuses now on chapters 10 and 11.  In the last message, Dr. Betters covered the meaning of the first six trumpets. As he stated previously, the first four trumpets brought ecological disaster to the earth and the last three trumpets are called the three woes.  We begin in this message where the first six trumpets have been blown and now there is an interlude before the seventh trumpet is sounded. Listen in as Dr. Betters explains the meaning of the interlude, the seven thunders, the bitter-sweet scroll, the measuring of the temple, and the outpouring of the final woe with the sounding of the seventh trumpet.

In this message Dr. Betters begins the third parallel section of the book of Revelation which covers chapters 8 through 11.  As Dr. Betters has explained, each parallel section tells of the events between the first coming of Christ and His second coming with other details and more intensity.  In this parallel section, the primary target of the revelation deals with the unsaved people of the world. Listen in as the seventh seal is opened and we learn about God’s judgment against unsaved mankind for their opposition to His commands.