The Tabernacle Today

God’s Wrath is Completed on Earth

Today’s passage reinforces something taught many times in the Bible:

Earth as we’ve known it, degraded by sin, will cease to exist. But earth as it should have been, enlivened by God’s presence, is coming!

The Three Purposes of the Seven Year Tribulation:

1. Judge the satanic system that has filled the earth with sin

2. Re-gather a spiritual Israel that will be ready for Christ’s rule on earth

3. Give everyone on earth several last chances to repent before it’s too late

You might want to picture the judgments of the seals, the trumpet, and the bowls as the bulldozer on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” that removes what should not be there before God makes earth Paradise again.

Read Revelation 15-16 God’s Wrath is Completed on Earth Let’s Pray!

Heaven Rejoices in Anticipation of the Bowls being Poured Out 15:1-8

This great and awesome sign goes with the two signs John had seen in chapter twelve. There he saw the great sign of God’s protection and dealings with Israel. He also saw the sign of the havoc Satan would cause during the last three and a half years of the tribulation.

During the days of the tribulation, many people will turn to Christ and then be killed for their faith. But far from being worse off, they’ll be very much alive in Heaven with God!

Interestingly, Heaven doesn’t seem to struggle with God’s righteous judgment the way we do down here with our sinfully divided hearts!

I hope you understand that the supreme attribute of God is His holiness! Every other attribute of God, including His love, is to be understood in terms of His holiness. The only proper response to His holiness is to glorify Him!

God’s holiness will not allow sinners to go on defiling earth. Heaven is out of the question for those who won’t repent. That only leaves Hell for them, a place that only had to be for the Devil and his demons (Matthew 25:41).

The Bowl Judgments are Poured Out Chapter 16

Some believe these judgments will be spread out over the last three and a half years of the tribulation. We don’t know! My guess is they happen in rapid succession, right at the very end of the tribulation, before Christ comes back.

We are called in this age of grace to love the sinner but hate the sin. I’m afraid too many of us love the sinner AND love the sin. May it never be!

The Euphrates is a key river in the Bible. When God told Abraham and later Moses the boundaries of the Promised Land, He had the Euphrates as the Eastern border, with Babylon being on the other side of it.

Behold, the day of the Lord is coming…For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem…Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations…  -Zechariah 14:1-3

For the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near; As you have done, it shall be done to you; your reprisal shall be upon your own head. -Obadiah 1:15

“The unifying factor in all these passages is that the coming in view results in a loss for those who are not ready.” -John Walvoord, Revelation, p 238

“Every sin will be pardoned by Christ or punished in Hell, but it will never be overlooked. Nobody’s sin is ever overlooked. All sin is dealt with!”  -Adrian Rogers, Unveiling the End Times in Our Times, p 185

Divine Appointments Acts 8:26-40

Back in the 1930’s in the South of Wales there was a man known for being a hopeless drunk. His nickname was “Staffordshire Bill.”

Moments of rejection should not keep us from keeping our eyes open for the activity of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those He is _________. Today we’ll see God bring a Christian and a lost man together in a divine appointment.

Philip accepts a divine assignment V. 26-27a

Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation?   -Hebrews 1:14

The secret of victory in the Christian life is saying ‘______________’ to God the Holy Spirit, one decision at a time.

An Ethiopian Official is being drawn unto _____________________    V. 27b-28

Ambassadors will come from Egypt; Cush will stretch out its hands to God. Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord, to Him who rides in the ancient, highest heavens.  -Psalms 68:31-33

Eunuch – a male servant of a royal household in Bible times. Such servants were often emasculated by castration as a precautionary measure, especially if they served among the wives in a ruler’s harem (2 Kings 9:32).   -Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary

The king was considered as a god and retired from public view, so that active government devolved on the queen mother, who always bore the title of Candice. Her ministers would be eunuchs and among them the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Secretary of the Treasury) would be one of the most important.   –E.H. Trenchard

Philip __________________ a divine appointment V. 29-35

The Ethiopian couldn’t understand the Scripture he was reading, because the scriptures don’t make sense without ______________!

Isaiah 53:7-8 Isaiah 52:13-53:12.

Philip is doing what Jesus Himself had modeled in Luke 24:27.

The Ethiopian believes and ___________________! V. 36-39

He was ready to follow the Lord in believer’s baptism by immersion! Baptism is the ________ act of obedience new believers are called to.

Isaiah 56:3-8

Philip gets carried away V. 39-40

He is taken to Azotus – this was another of the 5 Philistine cites, previously called Ashdod. It’s 20 miles North of Gaza! Philip joins Elijah and Enoch in sky-surfing!

It is well that it was in the South that this man was sought, found and washed clean. Burning with devotion in his breast he deserved to be consecrated to God as, so to speak, the firstfruits of the Gentiles. In him especially was fulfilled that saying of the psalmist, ‘Ethiopia will stretch out its hands to God.’ -Bede (673-735), Ancient Ch. Comm., 97

This passage shows us that God _____________ to use all kinds of Christians to reach all kinds of Non-Christians in all kinds of places!

“The old man’s face was transformed, alight, radiant. He sat up eagerly with outstretched arms and a beautiful smile on his face, as though welcoming his best of friends, and with that he was gone to that land of pure delight where saints immortal reign.”

Angels Among us

Read Revelation 14:6-20 Angels Among us! Let’s Pray!

V. 6-12 Three Missionary Angels announce imminent judgment

First, the “Good News” Angel speaks hope to the world! V. 6-7

Second, the “Bad News” Angel speaks reality to the world! V. 8

Third, the “Decision Time” Angel calls for a final answer! V. 9-12

Once again in verse 12 we see the choice those who want to go to Heaven must make: faith in Jesus, obedience to His commands, and endurance for Him!

Heaven Celebrates the death of God’s people V. 13

V. 14-20 Three More Angels who will Implement Judgment

First, a “Guardian” Angel Appeals (from the Earth’s Temple?)  V. 14-16

That He has a sickle in His hand signifies that the consummation of the age rests in His power. -Oecumenius (6thcentury), Ancient Christian Commentary, p 232

Second, a “Judgment” Angel Appears from the Heavenly Temple  V. 17-20

Third, a “Fire” Angel Appeals (from Earth’s Temple?)  V. 18-20

The Mid-Trib. and Pre-Wrath Rapture view say that up until now in Revelation it’s been a time of tribulation passively allowed by God, but with the bowls it will be a time of God’s wrath being actively poured out.

Now, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being firm doctrinal conviction, I am a 10 in being Pre-Millennial, that there will be a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth we call the Millennium.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I am a 6 or 7 that the rapture will be before the Tribulation. It is an issue we need to be humble about. If we do wind up going through part or all of the tribulation, our focus just needs to be on what it’s supposed to be on anyway – being a faithful and fruitful follower of Jesus Christ!

One day the blood of those who would do Israel harm will flow in the Promised Land.

That’s who I was, but it’s not who I am! Join with me in following Christ and fleeing the wrath to come! There’s a Heaven to gain and a Hell to shun!

If Something’s Not Right, Get It Right!  Acts 8:9-25

God’s Power is _____________________ than Satan’s Power  V. 9-13

Remember that the word believe does not always mean saving faith in the New Testament (John 2:23-25; James 2:19). Apparently Simon was caught up in the excitement of the moment. Having recognized that Philip’s miracles were considerably greater than his own, he followed the evangelist around to learn some new tricks. -Ken Gangel, 123

Places experiencing Revival need good __________________ before and after baptism   V. 14-17

We need to make sure things are right ______________________________-

Explain Narrative and Doctrinal Portions of scripture

There is a basic difference between Narrative and doctrinal literature in the Bible! Narrative tells you what happened; Doctrinal tells you what to believe and do! Beware of those that build doctrines around narrative literature, especially when their doctrinal novelty is not _____________ by the doctrinal portions of Scripture!

John 7:38-39 Eph. 1:13-14 2 Cor. 1:21-22

We need to make sure things are right ______________________________-

This verse does not support the false notion that Christians receive the Holy Spirit subsequent to salvation. This was a transitional period in which confirmation by the apostles was necessary to verify the inclusion of a new group of people into the church. Because of the animosity that existed between Jews and Samaritans, it was essential for the Samaritans to receive the Spirit, in the presence of the leaders of the Jerusalem church, for the purpose of maintaining a unified church. The delay also revealed the Samaritans’ need to come under apostolic authority. The same transitional event occurred when the Gentiles were added to the church (11:44-46; 15:6-12; 19:6).   -John MacArthur

This moment was as much for the ________________ as it was for the Samaritans!

We need to make sure things are right _______________________________-

Matthew 28:18-20

Simon the Sorcerer’s _________________________ faith V. 18-24

It is a basic principle in Scripture that wherever God sows His true believers, Satan will eventually sow his counterfeits (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43). -Warren Wiersbe, 348

Simon’s sorcery was energized by Satan and was used to magnify himself, while Philip’s miracles were empowered by God and used to glorify Christ.  -W. W., 348

The church must learn from Simon’s mistake and stand on the side of Peter, refusing to be compromised by money. -African Bible Commentary, 1314

Baptism, communion, membership, office holding, and any other kind of external recognition mean nothing to God who looks directly at the heart condition.    -Ken Gangel, 124

Simon claimed to be united to God. The early church fathers claimed he was one of the founders of Gnosticism, which asserted there were a series of divine emanations reaching up to God. They were called “powers,” and the people believed he was at the top of the ladder. -John MacArthur

This episode only shows how close a person can come to salvation and still not be converted. Simon heard the gospel, saw the miracles, gave a profession of faith in Christ, and was baptized, and yet he was never born again. He was one of Satan’s clever counterfeits, and, had Peter not exposed the wickedness of his heart, Simon would have been accepted as a member of the Samaritan congregation!   -Warren Wiersbe, 349

Marquis Laughlin delivers a dramatic presentation of the book of Revelation!

Marquis Laughlin delivers a dramatic presentation of the book of Revelation!

Joy Bringers Acts 8:1-8

Sandy Creek, NC in 1755 – Shubal & Martha Stearns & Daniel Marshall

If last time we saw that Stephen was the church’s first martyr, today we’ll see that Philip represented the church’s first cross-cultural _________________________!

8:1 is the first use of the word _______________________ in Acts.

The early Christians kept going out for Jesus instead of ___________ out   V. 4

What a magnificent picture of dedicated believers. Picture them as they run for their lives, grasping what few possessions they could take with them when the persecution broke out. See them praying for deliverance but also for courage to be faithful to their Savior and to proclaim his message effectively wherever they went. -Ken Gangel

Philip can also do what Peter can do!   V. 5-7

As an outcast “Hellenistic Jewish Christian” Philip ministers to outcast Samaritans- and they receive his ministry gladly. What a ___________ to the reception Stephen had just gotten in Jerusalem.

Philip brings great __________________ to Samaria V. 8

The people of Samaria who heard the gospel and believed were delivered from physical affliction, demonic control, and most important, from their sins. No wonder there was great joy!   -Warren Wiersbe, 348

Application Question: ______________________________________

Benjamin Merrill – executed in Hillsboro, NC on May 27, 1771.

Timeline of Events in the Life of Paul

Spring 33 AD Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension, Pentecost

October 34 Saul’s conversion

34-37 Paul in Arabia

37 Paul’s first visit to Jerusalem

37-40 Paul in Tarsus

40 Barnabas gets Paul and brings him to Antioch

44 James the Apostle martyred

44-47 Famine in Jerusalem

47-49 Paul’s first missionary journey

50 Jerusalem Council

49-52 Paul’s second missionary journey

53-57 Paul’s third missionary journey

57 Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem

58-59 Paul’s imprisonment at Caesarea

59 Paul’s journey to Rome

60-62 Paul’s house arrest in Rome

67 Paul’s martyrdom

Heaven Celebrates What the Hell-Bound Mock

Every generation faces the call to repent of their sins, trust Jesus, and follow him. That has always led to emotionally difficult moments for believers as they daily make choices based on the ONE BIG CHOICE they have already made to follow Jesus no matter the cost!

As Christians we are called to make daily choices based on the ONE BIG CHOICE we made when we trusted Jesus and committed to follow Him no matter the cost!

Read Revelation 14:1-5

V. 1 The 144,000  - Mission Accomplished!

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in Heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect. -Hebrews 12:22-23

The 144,000 witnesses have finished their exceptionally successful time of witnessing, and they are ready to reign with Christ on earth!

“I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” -Lk. 15:7

“Likewise I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” -Jesus in Luke 15:10

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  -Hebrews 12:1-2

V. 2-5 The 144,000  - Maturity Affirmed!

What traits of the 144,000 are celebrated in Heaven?

1.  Their purity!

Mocked on earth, purity is prized in Heaven!

2. Their passion for Jesus

Mocked on earth, being a Jesus Freak is prized in Heaven!

3. Their lives were lived to make a difference

Mocked on earth, leading others to Jesus is prized in Heaven!

That garden of the Lord’s brothers and sisters includes, yes it includes, it certainly includes not only the roses of martyrs but also the lilies of virgins, and the ivy of married people and the violet of widows. There is absolutely no kind of human beings, dearly beloved, who need to despair of their vocation.

-Augustine, Ancient Christian Commentary, p 219

The First Martyrs Day Acts 7:54 – 8:4

Around A.D. 163…Felicitatas and her 7 sons.

No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you.  -John 15:13-14

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. -Acts 1:8

The word for ____________________ in the Greek is the word we get martyr from.

No Christian’s goal is to die for the faith. All Christians should have as their goal to be ____________________ in our witness for the Lord. And when we are faithful in our witness for the Lord, some of us will wind up dying for the faith.

Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.   -Revelation 2:10

Matthew 10:28, 32-33

Stephen’s faithful witness leads to his death 7:54-60

Christ’s fascinating __________________ from Heaven 7:56

The gospel’s continuous __________________ on earth 8:1-4

7:58 lets us know that as Stephen was being stoned they laid their

Acts 9:1-2

For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I persecuted God’s church to an extreme degree and tried to destroy it.  -Galatians 1:13

The persecution wound up sending witnessing teams out in a way the church had not yet done _________________________!

For this I suffer, to the point of being bound like a criminal; but God’s message is not bound!   -2 Tim. 2:9

The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.   -Tertullian (155-255)

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.”  -Colossians 1:24

Jesus suffered to actualize salvation for those who will repent and believe; we suffer to give people ________________ to that saving message.

Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy. Though one goes along weeping, carrying the bag of seed, he will surely come back with shouts of joy, carrying his sheaves.  -Psalm 126:5-6

Felicitatas  and her 7 sons…

Januarius; Felix and Philip; Sylvanus; Alexander, Vitalis, and Martialis.

The Unholy Trinity

During this Sermon (timestamp 29:08), a video was shown. To view this video, click on this YouTube link:

https://youtu.be/wF2JaU7KMwk

Today we will see the human instruments Satan will work through to accomplish his diabolical plans. Taken together the 3 of them form an “unholy trinity,” Satan’s twisted counterfeit of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Read Revelation 13:1-18 The Unholy Trinity  Let’s Pray!

The Background and Behavior of the Beast  V. 1-8

This Beast is called the Antichrist in John’s letters. Daniel called him the little horn, the prince that shall come, and the abomination of desolation. Paul called him the man of sin and the son of perdition (damnation).

The Beast John saw in verses 1-4 clearly brings to mind the images of future kingdoms presented in the book of Daniel.

The antichrist will start the Tribulation with rule over the remnants of the Roman Empire but by the midpoint will rule the entire world.

The Accomplice of the Beast   V. 11-18

Later this second beast will be called the False Prophet- Rev. 16:13, 19:20, 20:10.

True Christians of whatever denomination embrace Jesus’ insistence that to go to Heaven a person must be ‘born again’ and take as their authority the Bible as the Word of God, seeking to obey its commands.

False Christians reject the idea of having to be born again and take as their authority their own collective judgment, often stating the Bible is merely a collection of writings by flawed men who could not understand our day.

No matter how religious he dresses, when the False Prophet opens his mouth, Satan’s lies will come out!

During the Tribulation the false prophet will lead a Christ-less Christianity to join other global religions in supporting the Antichrist’s godless global agenda.

Verses 16-17 show that during that time in the Tribulation if you don’t worship the beast, you won’t even be able to buy anything or make a living.

Paul’s Thessalonian letters and this book of Revelation make clear that those who turn to Christ during that final seven years will be able to understand who the Antichrist is and will understand what he is doing when he implements this one world marking system. It will be clear to them that they need to resist.

One writer has remarked that this famous number has been made to yield almost all the historical names of the past eighteen centuries. A sound interpretation is to see the number as an emphatic form of six, which symbolically is the number of fallen man.  -Irving Jensen 113

Beauty and the Beast   V. 8-10

There will be many Jews and others who turn to Christ Jesus during this time. They will face awful circumstances, but they will be beautiful in God’s eyes!

When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them. -Deut. 4:30-31

“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell… Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in Heaven. But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in Heaven.   -Matthew 10:28, 32-33