[0:00] Good morning. Welcome to the service this morning. It's a beautiful day to worship as we've really been blessed with a warm summer and just the goodness of God.
[0:22] So this morning we want to continue in the series that we've been going through and especially zeroing in on the return of Christ, part three.
[0:36] So it's three sermons in a row all on the return of Christ. And so in the first message of that we looked at that the church would get married to Christ and that we would return with Him.
[0:56] And last Sunday we looked at the part two, that it'll be a physical return, literally, and that Jesus will return like He went up in the clouds and He came down on the, or left the Mount of Olives, He'll come back down on the Mount of Olives.
[1:15] And so today we're going to actually look more at the Battle of Armageddon as He prepares the way for the millennium. And so before we do that, I want to reiterate or go back to our concept, our teaching on the millennium.
[1:39] Now what does the word millennium mean? So this is kind of review. What does that big word mean? A thousand years.
[1:52] So millennial literally means a thousand. So we talk about the millennium. It speaks of a thousand years. And a bit later this morning, we're going to look at, we're going to look ahead a bit into chapter 20.
[2:08] And six times we'll see that the scriptures speak of specifically a thousand year period.
[2:19] So when we talk about the millennium, it's in reference to a thousand year period. And where are we at in relationship to the thousand years?
[2:35] And there's basically, well, scripture teaches one way, but mankind and scholars have come up with three different, kind of three different theories potentially.
[2:51] And I just thought I would again mention those because it's important that we stand and know on what we stand.
[3:03] And so the first one that we're going to look at is post-millennial. And so these views are from where we are today.
[3:14] When will the millennium happen? And so anyone know what post-millennial means? What does the word post mean?
[3:31] After. After. And so the thought here is that the return of Christ, Jesus Christ physically coming back to earth, will happen after the millennial kingdom.
[3:51] So there's a lot of verses left unexplained with this kind of theory. For our text this morning said that Jesus will come and reign with a rod of iron.
[4:07] And yet the post-millennial position, Jesus will not be here physically. But the teaching is that he will be here spiritually and that the church is actually reigning today.
[4:24] Not necessarily a thousand years but for the millennium. And we're making the world a better place. Preparing it for the return of Christ.
[4:37] That's the teaching of post-millennialism. So I want you to be aware of it.
[4:48] Many of you have heard this before. This falls in line with many teachings by the Arabs and the Muslims and so on. As they believe they need to rid the world of evil for the Messiah to be ushered in.
[5:08] And in their definition, the evil means that Israel and the West, America, have to leave earth.
[5:21] They have to be destroyed. That's their definition. And so after that, the Messiah, which is a different one than the real one, but will be able to return.
[5:34] So that's their teaching. And so post-millennialists in the church are, from my understanding, are off on their theology.
[5:49] This affects how I read the Bible and understand it. So it's very important that we look at this right. But the most popular or common view is the pre-millennial, pre-meaning before.
[6:12] And so that's where we're at, or that's where I'm at, and I believe the Scriptures are at. And that teaches that the millennium is a literal period of a thousand years, and that Jesus will come back at the beginning of it, and He will prepare this earth for a reign of peace and righteousness for a thousand years.
[6:41] And that the church will reign with Him, being glorified in Him. And this is what I've been teaching.
[6:55] And I trust, as I'm going through this, that we're sharing enough Scripture that we are grounded, or that we can grasp this.
[7:06] It's not Pastor Wayne saying these things on top of his head, that we're looking into the Bible and seeing it. That's the only way we can be grounded.
[7:21] And maybe more so than ever before, we need to be grounded. We need to know what the Scriptures teach and to believe that.
[7:35] The third view is amillennial. And what does that mean? So we have post and pre and now amillennial.
[7:50] Absence doesn't exist, right? And it's the same, and I think I did this last time, but theist means God exists.
[8:04] Atheist, put an A in front of it, means no God. Millennium, there's a thousand year time. Amillennial doesn't exist.
[8:16] That's the third view that some adopt, that there is no such thing. There never will be. And when the Bible speaks or eludes to it, it's just spiritualized.
[8:31] It means something different. And so that's a viewpoint out there as well. And so when we think about these things or look at Scripture from these viewpoints, we have to be able to understand and explain the Bible.
[8:56] We cannot at random say, it means that when it doesn't match or it conflicts with all the other Scriptures. So we have to look at it realistically, and it has to make sense to us because God will reveal it to us.
[9:14] So a little bit of background. This affects our thinking going forward as we look at the return of Christ. So by the way, in our traditional Mennonite teaching, especially traditional as in old colony routes or background, our teaching is amillennial.
[9:46] There is no millennium. And if you study the Mennonite catechism, it comes out very clearly.
[9:57] There is no thousand-year reign. And maybe many of you growing up were just taught that one day the world is going to become a bad place or even worse, and then one day God will return and He will judge and we will be with Him forever.
[10:21] End of story. That's what I grew up with. It's amillennial. So I'm not knocking it, but we have to remember that in Daniel chapter 12, as God was revealing visions to Daniel, and Daniel was overwhelmed with what God was showing him, he said, Daniel, shut up these words.
[10:52] They're not for you, but they will be revealed in the last days. And as we are in the last days today, we're seeing this all pulled together.
[11:11] It's becoming more and more revealed to us what was hidden to Daniel and many, many generations after. They did not understand.
[11:24] So I'm not being hard on our ancestors, but rather we're pointing to the truth of Scripture. And so very, very important that we realize it that way.
[11:38] So with that, the return of Christ, as was read for us again in chapter 19, verse 15, and so the armies of heaven followed him in white and clean linen, and then in verse 15, out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should strike the nations.
[12:04] So Christ depicted as having a sharp sword. Now Jesus is also portrayed as the Word of God, right?
[12:18] And John chapter 1, verse 1 says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
[12:34] And so Jesus is portrayed as being the Word of God. And so he has a sharp sword that he should strike the nations, and then he will rule, he himself will rule them with a rod of iron.
[12:53] So he's jumping ahead now for the millennium. He's going to return, he's going to strike the nations, and then he's going to rule with a rod of iron.
[13:04] Meaning there's going to be a rule of righteousness and obedience to him. The following phrase, He himself will rule them with a rod of iron.
[13:20] He himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. So he will tread the winepress of the fierceness and the wrath of Almighty God.
[13:35] This is talking about judgment of the nations upon his return. And we had looked at chapter 14, a picture ahead of the angel dipping his sickle into the earth to harvest it.
[13:52] And they'd be put into the winepress and trodden. And so it's a picture of judgment. And so, Lord willing, the next time I speak in two weeks, we're going to look at the judgments of God.
[14:06] The resurrections and the judgments. And we're going to look more closely at that. But there's going to be a time of judgment here as he gathers the nations and judges them and divides them.
[14:21] So this is part of his return here on earth to establish his kingdom. Now, we as Gentiles may ponder on this whole kingdom concept.
[14:42] It's in Scripture. It's permeated through Scripture. The coming kingdom. But you ask any Jew, whether they believe in the Messiah or not, they believe in a coming kingdom.
[15:01] It's ingrained in them that there will be a literal kingdom where God will rule. They had that part clear before Jesus came.
[15:15] And that's partly what took them for a loop that it wouldn't be Jesus himself. So part of this battle of Armageddon, Armageddon, it'll be it'll be in the in the in the valley of Megiddo or basically the Jordan Valley is where this battle is going to be.
[15:41] It's going to be huge. A few of the past judgments that we looked at is in Revelation 16 the river Euphrates would dry up preparing the way for the kings of the east.
[15:57] And in Revelation 9 in the trumpet judgments there was a a a army of 200 million prepared at the at the Euphrates ready to cross over on the sixth trumpet judgment.
[16:16] And we had looked at that a bit. You know, 200 million is the number given. How many people does Canada have? I'm not sure if we're at 40 million yet.
[16:33] 35 to 40 in between. Canada times five gathered at the Euphrates as an army to come against Christ.
[16:47] This is the magnitude of Armageddon. Of this of this battle that will take place as they come against Israel. So very very huge in its magnitude.
[17:07] So turn with me to Zechariah 14 and we're going to reread some of that and read a bit further than last time. Zechariah 14. Zechariah 14. Zechariah 14.
[17:47] So just it kind of brings it together. It's a good chapter for that. I know we read the first five verses last Sunday.
[17:59] It says, Behold, the day of the Lord is coming and your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem.
[18:10] The city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
[18:23] And then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as he fights in the day of battle. And in that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which faces Jerusalem on the east.
[18:36] And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west, making a large valley. half of the mountain shall move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
[18:48] And then you shall flee through my mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to a sail. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah.
[19:00] Thus the Lord my God will come and all the saints with you. It shall come to pass in that day there will be no light, the lights will diminish.
[19:11] it shall be one day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but at evening time it shall happen, then that it will be light.
[19:23] And that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea, and both summer and winter it shall occur.
[19:36] And the Lord shall be king over all the earth, and that day it shall be. The Lord is one and his name. And the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimen, south of Jerusalem.
[19:53] Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin's gate to the place of the first gate and the corner gate and from the tower of Hanel to the king's winepresses.
[20:07] The people shall dwell in it and no longer shall there be utter destruction but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. And we know that today Israel is waiting for this day, this description where peace will come upon the earth and they will no longer have to live as on guard.
[20:35] Verse 12, shall be the plague with which the Lord shall strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem. Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet.
[20:49] Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths. It shall come to pass in that day that a great panic from the Lord will be among them.
[21:03] Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor and raise his hand against his neighbor's hand. Judah also will fight at Jerusalem and the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be gathered together, gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.
[21:21] Such shall be the plague on the horse and the mule, on the camel and the donkey, and all the cattle that will be in those camps. So shall this plague be.
[21:34] And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King of the Lord of hosts and to keep the feasts of tabernacles.
[21:48] And so we'll stop there. Verse 16 again going into the millennium, that reign of righteousness. But we look at the battle of Armageddon as the world seeks to destroy Israel.
[22:07] And it's a picture that we are already beginning to see very clearly today as the world is gathering to fight.
[22:23] And right now they are being restrained. Iran being backed up by Russia. China is kind of backing off still.
[22:38] The U.S. is half-heartedly supporting Israel and yet maybe more so to save face for themselves than because they care about Israel.
[22:51] But we see it developing where Israel will be defenseless as the world will unite against them.
[23:03] And then the Lord will return and he will destroy those armies. The picture, the description in verse 12, is it gruesome?
[23:20] What's the right word to use here? It says that their flesh will dissolve. They will literally melt down the armies.
[23:31] in Revelation 19, he will destroy them by the word of his mouth, or by the sword of his mouth.
[23:43] And here it says they will dissolve. So we as the armies of heaven that follow will not have to fight. But we will see his enemies disintegrate before him.
[24:01] And from a human perspective, I think it's gruesome. It's not going to be a pretty picture. And yet the whole world will know the Lord has returned.
[24:18] And so there will be no strength in these armies. Verse 13 also alludes to that God will turn the armies from within against each other.
[24:30] And there will be a great panic from the Lord among them. In verse 13, everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor and raise his hand against his neighbor's hand. You know, when we read in the Old Testament, in some of the battles of nations, Assyria and so on, that came against Israel and they prayed to the God of heaven to fight for them, and in a few accounts, God turned the army against each other.
[25:00] And they literally ended up self-destructing. Instead of fighting together, they killed one another. By the hundreds of thousands. In the Old Testament, we have stories like that.
[25:13] Well, here it sounds like some of that will be here too. And literally, they will destroy one another. So these are all descriptions of this battle, this conflict that will happen.
[25:28] Now turning back to Revelations 19, if you want to read a few more passages, for time's sake, I won't read them, but Joel, the book of Joel, chapter 3, if you want to read the book of Joel, chapter 3, is a description of Armageddon.
[26:04] Isaiah chapter 34. The whole chapter is on the return of Christ and that battle. Isaiah 34.
[26:17] Isaiah 63, 1-6. It's another passage. And if you need those references after the service this morning, come and see me and I'll give them again.
[26:32] And there are more, but these are three very clear ones. Very, very clear and descriptive of that. So as the Lord destroys these armies, he has also prepared a number of verses here, starting in verse 17.
[26:54] He's prepared the birds for a feast. Now that too is not a pretty picture. I would use the word gruesome again.
[27:05] And I saw an angel standing in the sun and he cried with a loud voice saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, come and gather together for the supper of the great God.
[27:19] This is not the marriage feast of the Lamb. This is a supper of the slain. It's a supper for the birds of the air, for vultures. vultures. You know, in my personal economy, vultures are the grossest of birds.
[27:40] They eat flesh. They eat anything that's dead. God has created them. They're good for highway cleanup, whatever purposes.
[27:52] I'm not saying that God made a mistake there, but they're not an attractive bird, like other songbirds and so on. Vultures are vulgar.
[28:04] But here God is preparing vultures to come to the great feast of the king. And it's the destruction of the armies. Verse 18, that you may eat of the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.
[28:33] And so these birds are called to the feast to eat the kill, the spoil of the war. And when I was in Israel, we were in Israel, we were told there by our guide that for some unknown reason there is an increase in the population of vultures in Israel from a non-believing man.
[29:08] I cannot verify that. I've heard that more often from other teachers as well. Apparently there is an increase in the bird population and the vultures in Israel.
[29:23] We have a description here that literally will take place. Verse 19, And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army.
[29:42] And then the beast was captured and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image.
[29:54] these two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone and the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of him who sat on the horse and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
[30:13] So the picture that we get here as Jesus and his wife, us, as we face the armies, the enemies and as he fights them with the word of his mouth, the first thing that Jesus will do is capture the beast and the false prophet.
[30:40] And the beast we had identified in chapter 13 as the Antichrist, the dragon is Satan, but here it's one down, it's the Antichrist and the false prophet are captured and we are told they are put cast alive into the lake of fire.
[31:06] What is the lake of fire? It's the eternal state of hell.
[31:20] It's the fire. And so when we believe that when a non-believer dies today, as someone who had opportunity to repent and didn't, when they pass on, they go into hell, into torment, a temporary torment.
[31:43] torment. And, but there is a permanent place of torment called the lake of fire. And the end of chapter 20, and we're going to look at that future, it says that that hell, death and Hades, will be cast into the lake of fire.
[32:05] So the temporary state of hell will be taken and put into the lake of fire, the permanent. So the beast, the antichrist and his false prophet are the first two to go into everlasting hellfire.
[32:25] Matthew 25 tells us this place was created for the devil and his angels. Not for you and me.
[32:40] created for Satan who went against God and his followers. But we will be told that all of death, all those who refuse to bow to Jesus Christ will join what God created for Satan.
[33:05] again, that makes us realize we are either on God's side or we are on Satan's side.
[33:19] There is no middle ground. It's one or the other. We'll be in heaven with him forever or we'll be in hell with Satan forever.
[33:30] forever. And we have chosen our God. Very, very real. These two individuals will taste it firsthand at this point.
[33:45] And with that, as they are captured and put into hellfire, then Jesus will destroy the armies and the birds will come and eat. Christ. So that's the picture of Armageddon that we have here.
[34:13] I want to touch into chapter 20 a little bit as it leads into millennial teaching. Chapter 20, verse 1, Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the keys to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
[34:34] He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal on him.
[34:52] So he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. So the next vision that John has after Armageddon, after the destruction of the armies, is that Jesus takes hold of his arch enemy, his foe, Satan himself.
[35:13] and he captures him and binds him up and places him in the bottomless pit and puts a seal over it that he cannot come out for a thousand years.
[35:31] Now, in my books, why not throw him in with the false prophet and the antichrist right away? we don't fully understand that because we will read later that at the end of the thousand years, he's released for a short time and he will again deceive the nations and gather them against Jerusalem.
[35:58] And we'll discuss that in a future message as well. But as we look at this, in verse two, Satan is bound for a thousand years.
[36:16] Literally. He's cast into the bottomless pit and then again that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished.
[36:31] So if the thousand years are not literal, what do you do with these verses? We have to make application.
[36:48] They're here for a reason. And in all of prophecy, in the Old Testament, in the first coming of Christ, every prophecy was fulfilled literally.
[37:01] Just like Jesus said. Or like God said. And so for us to think that this might mean something totally different, we're defying God himself.
[37:14] And we're deceiving ourselves. Because this is the word of God. I'm going to read through verse seven.
[37:26] And you'll see more references. If you want, highlight them in your scriptures or underline them, the references to a thousand years.
[37:37] Verse four, we're going to go into that in the next message of resurrection of those who were beheaded, but they too will live and reign with Jesus for a thousand years.
[38:15] The rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. So now we know there's more than one resurrection, just from that verse alone.
[38:27] blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection, over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
[38:44] And then verse seven, now when the thousand years had expired, Satan will be released from his prison. So six times we have references literally to a thousand years.
[38:56] and so just forming that teaching and so in preparation for the next message as we look at that.
[39:17] Are we making the world a better place? yes, no?
[39:31] Yes, sometimes. As a nation, no. Is the church influencing?
[39:48] Absolutely we are. But are we gaining control of the world? no. No. To think that we are would be like sticking your head in the sand.
[40:01] We are not. And it would actually be going against Scripture. And it's not our purpose to control the physical world at this point.
[40:14] We will reign with Christ in the next kingdom. them. Now, are you, am I, making the world a better place?
[40:26] that's maybe the deeper question. Is the reign of Christ in my life evident?
[40:45] And that's what God wants from us. And as we, no matter what's ahead today, the Lord wants obedience from me as I live for the Holy Spirit by His direction.
[41:07] I often have thought back to the Old Testament where they did not receive the Spirit of God. And they were called to walk in obedience to the guidelines God had set out before them.
[41:25] And you know what? They failed. They failed miserably, many of them, most of them, all of them to some degree.
[41:37] So as Christians, we have God's Spirit, God Himself in, He says, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit to guide us through this life.
[41:50] life. And just to make application to the return of Christ, is my life shining for God?
[42:07] As He has given me and each one of us choice in obedience to His presence. how are we doing?
[42:30] It's God's power, His strength, to work through us, but it's me needing to yield.
[42:40] And as we face, as we face the end, it may come in our lifetime, it may not, I'm not a prediction guy, because the Scripture says we shouldn't, yet we see it coming together, but as we see it coming together, are we the flavor of Christ that others are being one, that are attracted.
[43:13] This is our purpose. And so as we leave here this morning, let's go with that thought. Is my life the flavor of Christ?
[43:27] Let's pray. Lord, there's so much in your word. as you've given us prophecy, an outline of it.
[43:46] We don't have many details of what will happen, and yet you've given us enough so we have a picture. We know what to expect.
[43:59] And then, Father, we marvel at your plan. It's beyond human comprehension of what you're going to do. But Lord, we are here today.
[44:16] Strengthen us inwardly to walk with you. Prepare us to stand on truth as evil seems to be raining more and more.
[44:33] Lord, that we will be grounded in your word. Holy Spirit, may you have your way in me and each one of your children.
[44:49] We praise you, Father, for your plan, for your goodness to us. In Jesus' name, amen.