Raised to Reign

[0:00] Good morning. Welcome to our service this morning. We have a very full morning already, which is good.

[0:16] Before I begin to the message, I too have a couple of announcements that I want to clarify. One that didn't make the bulletin is, some of you have heard, David Taves, David Siglinde.

[0:32] They're coming to do a concert here at Mountview on September 11th. It's going to be half English, half Plotich. And so just so you're aware, that's a Wednesday night, and they're kind of doing a tour through southern Alberta, but they're coming to Grand Prairie for one night.

[0:54] And with that, so it's going to be a fundraiser for them. They're hoping to raise some money for David's ministry. They're asking for a bit of billeting.

[1:07] If anyone would want to open their home for two single people, teenagers or late teens, I think, young adults, and one couple with two children.

[1:20] So if you have space to offer, it'll be Tuesday and Wednesday nights, two nights there. Just let me know. And they're also requesting three hotel rooms for two nights.

[1:35] And so if you would choose to maybe help pay for a night or something, come talk to me as well. We can help them out that way instead of them paying for it. So that's September 11th.

[1:48] And then secondly, we have an exciting announcement. And so confirmed last night at our brotherhood meeting, the outcome of our deacon elections is that we have one couple that has confirmed the call of God on them.

[2:06] And that's Julius and Agonita Clausen. And so we welcome them on board as a second deacon couple. Would you guys stand, please, so everybody can see you.

[2:17] Everybody knew Julius up here, but yeah. Give them a hand. Thank you. We plan sometime future to have a commissioning service for them to officially begin their work in the deacon office.

[2:40] So, okay, thank you for that. So why don't we, again, just get up and stretch. And if you want to greet your neighbor, go ahead. We've been sitting for 40 minutes already.

[2:52] So let's just do that, and then we'll settle in for the Word of God here. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[3:03] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[3:36] Thank you. All right.

[4:01] All right. Thank you. What is often the hardest thing that we as mankind face?

[4:18] That's a very big question, right? What's sometimes the hardest thing that we can face? Forgiveness? Forgiveness?

[4:33] Uncertainty? These are both true answers. To give up self, to die?

[4:44] Yep. Temptations? Judgment? Judgment? So far the answers are all correct.

[5:02] Anyone else? Pride? Pride? Fear of man? Obedience to God, right?

[5:17] Yep. And I have an answer that likely we don't normally think about.

[5:29] Sometimes the hardest thing that we face is truth and reality. Just think about that.

[5:47] Truth and reality. And we can go through life in a daze or pretend.

[6:02] But someday truth is going to reveal. And sometimes we're scared to face truth. And reality of that truth.

[6:13] And as we're going through the truth. And as we're going through end times teaching here, it is filled with the reality of truth.

[6:24] And just as God closed the door of the ark and opened the depths for water.

[6:40] And just as we could go on and on. And just as we could go on and on.

[6:52] Just as the prophet Jeremiah preached his whole life to a people. Repent or else the Babylonians are coming.

[7:03] And what did they do? They put him into a dungeon. The king read his scroll and burnt it. Put it in the fire. And then one day there was a knock on the door.

[7:18] The Babylonians were there. And everything God had said was true. Reality. See, we hear truth.

[7:33] But do we recognize it as such? Because God is truth.

[7:46] And all he says will and does come to pass. And so scripture is full of many, many examples.

[7:57] of where people have not believed and yet it came. Just like he said. And so as we go through the end of Revelations now.

[8:10] The truth of all he has said regarding his second coming. John has witnessed in his visions. It came to pass. For us it is yet future.

[8:23] For the world it's yet future. But John saw a glimpse. And it came to pass. And reality will set in.

[8:36] And so that is what we need to face with open eyes, open hearts.

[8:47] And the truth of God is God's word is real. What is the greatest hope for the Christian? Eternity with Christ?

[9:07] You're right. Any other answers? What's the greatest hope? Being led and guided.

[9:21] Paul said without that our faith is futile. Empty. What was he referring to? The resurrection.

[9:33] The greatest hope for the believer is the resurrection. That we will. That we will. Our bodies will come out of the grave.

[9:44] To be reunited with our spirit. Into a new body. To reign with Christ. Forever and ever. This too. Will become reality.

[9:56] And our loved ones who have gone on before are waiting for that as well. As their souls are with the Lord.

[10:10] Waiting to be reunited in a new body. And so this morning as we continue in Revelations 20.

[10:22] Jesus has come back to earth with the armies in heaven. He has fought his enemies. And he is establishing his throne for the thousand years.

[10:38] And so reality will have set in for many that refuse to believe. It all came to pass.

[10:49] Just like he said it would. And so we want to look this morning at the verses that were read for us. In Revelations 20, 4 and 5, 6.

[11:03] So after the Antichrist and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire.

[11:16] Satan is bound and put into the bottomless pit and sealed. He can't get out for a thousand years. And he says, Tribulation.

[11:51] Tribulation saints who were martyred for their faith are coming alive here in the resurrection.

[12:03] And they too, along with the church, with the bride, which will then be the wife of Christ, they too will reign with Jesus for a thousand years.

[12:14] And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.

[12:25] This is the first resurrection. How many of us have believed or perhaps still believe that all the resurrections and judgments will happen at once?

[12:45] I've been there. But here we see there's time gaps in the different resurrections.

[13:01] And the rest of the dead did not live until a thousand years were passed. And so let's turn to John chapter 5. That's a key verse that's often been quoted in saying, you know, Jesus is going to come back.

[13:17] Boom. The resurrection's the end. Like it's all going to happen at once. So let's read John 5, verse 28 and 29.

[13:35] John chapter 5, 28. Very simple.

[14:00] Very simple. The days are coming when the graves will be opened and we will come forth to heaven or to hell.

[14:14] Very simple black and white verse. And yet, taken in the context of all Scripture, we know it doesn't all happen at once.

[14:24] And there's different resurrections and judgments as well. So as we look at that this morning, I've titled the message, Raised to Reign.

[14:38] So we'll be reigning with Christ. And I want to start in Daniel chapter 12. Turn with me to Daniel chapter 12.

[14:54] And we're going to read some interesting verses, the last three verses, starting in verse 11.

[15:14] You know, let's back up.

[15:24] Let's read the first three verses for context. And then we'll skip to the end. So Daniel 12, verse 1. At that time, Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people.

[15:39] The sons of your people. So it's talking about the Jews. And there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.

[15:51] Even to that time. And at that time, your people shall be delivered. And everyone who is written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting content.

[16:13] Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.

[16:24] So Daniel is getting introduced here saying, when that dark time of trouble, the Jacob's trouble, the tribulation period comes, there will be a resurrection for your people.

[16:42] And so we're going to look at the different resurrections this morning. But before we do that, let's skip to verse 11. And from the time that the daily sacrifices is taken away and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be 1,290 days.

[17:05] So we talked about the abomination of desolation being set up in the temple. The image of the Antichrist forced worship.

[17:19] And that had happened at the mid of the tribulation period. Three and a half years in, three and a half years left to go. Now how long is three and a half years in months?

[17:33] 42 months. 42 months. And how about in days? 1,260 days.

[17:45] And that's repeated to us in the book of Revelations as well. And here he says, there shall be 1,290 days.

[17:59] 30 days more. And then the next verse. Blessed is he who waits and comes to 1,335 days.

[18:15] 75 days more. So Jesus will come back to earth at 1,260 days after the mid-tribulation period.

[18:26] And here Daniel is told by God, blessed is he who waits and comes, who lives or survives to 1,335 days.

[18:45] 75 days past the return of Christ. And then there's no explanation. And he says to Daniel, but you go your way till the end, for you shall rest and will rise to your inheritance at the end of the days.

[19:07] Daniel, I'm showing you this, but you are going to die and you're going to rest and be resurrected when this time comes.

[19:20] So we may ponder why this prophecy of extra days. We can speculate because we're not told.

[19:33] But the most plausible answer seems to be that it is the time period where Jesus establishes his reign.

[19:46] Where all the resurrections and the judgments will happen of the people that are alive at that time. And he's going to establish his system of rule and worship and then at the end of that time officially Jesus will be ruling with a rod of iron.

[20:12] So this morning I want to look at the aspect of the resurrections. as was introduced to us in in Revelations chapter 20.

[20:29] So there's there's a number of resurrections that are mentioned in Scripture but let's turn back to Revelations 20. And verse 5 after he says those that were beheaded and so on are raised to life to reign with Christ for a thousand years but the rest of the dead did not live again until a thousand years were finished.

[21:00] This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection.

[21:14] Over such the second death has no power but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him for a thousand years.

[21:24] We have a first resurrection and a second resurrection. These are blessed and will reign with Christ and we're not told yet about the second as it's coming a bit later.

[21:40] So as we look at the resurrections let's turn to 1 Corinthians 15 and just see the words of Jesus.

[21:55] 1 Corinthians 15 and starting in verse 22 for as in Adam all die even so in Christ all shall be made alive but each one in his own order Christ the first fruits after were those who are Christ's at his coming.

[22:37] So Jesus lays out and then comes the end. He lays out that he will be the first fruits from the dead because till the resurrection Satan had power over death to kill us.

[22:56] Jesus conquered that by allowing himself to be killed and to come out of the grave and telling Satan you lost.

[23:07] You did not have victory over me. Conquering death. So the resurrection is proof that God has life. That we have life in God and we too will be resurrected.

[23:24] So as we believe Jesus came out of the grave and lives today. So we believe we too will come out of the grave.

[23:35] Now he says those that follow the first fruits are the believers. Now who is the first group to come out of the grave?

[23:55] Who are the first people to come out of the grave after Jesus? Believers? And it's one that's a little bit hard to understand.

[24:10] Matthew, I believe it's chapter 27, when Jesus died, the curtain ripped in two from top to bottom, right?

[24:21] there was a great earthquake. It says graves were opened. And then on the third day after Jesus arose, it says and many came out of those graves, it's talking about believers, and appeared in the holy city.

[24:44] the first people to come out of the grave, the very day that Jesus did. And then the Bible is silent on what happened to these resurrected believers.

[25:01] We're not told, I, I believe God took them to heaven. they didn't die again and were buried again because they came out of the grave after the resurrection.

[25:19] But Scripture does not specifically tell us. So those would be the first people to come out of the grave right on Easter morning, almost 2,000 years ago.

[25:33] And then secondly, we have two individuals in chapter 11 of Revelations. Who are they?

[25:47] The two witnesses. And they lay dead on the streets for three days and then they arose and they were received back to heaven.

[25:59] They literally resurrected and ascended to heaven in sight of the whole world. These two men. Whether they are Elijah and Moses, like many speculate, but whoever they are, these are also of the fruit that follows the first fruit.

[26:23] And then we come to the church. As 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 13 onward give us a description.

[26:37] We've talked about that. We often refer to it as a rapture where Jesus will come in the clouds and the believers who are alive on this earth at that time will rise.

[26:54] But before they do that, what will happen? the dead, the dead in Christ.

[27:06] And so all our loved ones who died before us in the Lord will precede us. It's all going to happen, it says, in a blink of an eye, but they will meet the Lord in the air, and those who are alive on this earth in Christ will follow.

[27:29] And they will be transformed, changed, as they meet Jesus into everlasting, eternal bodies.

[27:44] The resurrection. You know, we have a bit of a description of Jesus coming out of the grave. We have descriptions of him eating, of him being in a body that was physical.

[28:03] He showed Thomas the nail prints on his hands and feet, and the hole in his side from the spear. He ate fish and honeycomb by the lake.

[28:18] We have those testimonies in Scripture. And yet then, there in the upper room and concrete, brick, boom, Jesus is in their midst.

[28:35] Now, that is beyond my ability to grasp. Because flesh cannot go through concrete. Can it?

[28:45] Can it? be resurrected. And so, we do not understand, but we know it was real. And we will be resurrected with heavenly bodies like that of Christ.

[29:05] This is something to look forward to. This is something all of us will look forward to. to be resurrected in heavenly bodies.

[29:22] And so, that is the church being taken off of this earth. So, we have so far all the Old Testament saints have died and are not mentioned.

[29:38] and then at the resurrection of Christ, the first fruits, and then a few believers on Easter morning, and then the two witnesses, and then next is mentioned the church is going to be gathered, and then we get to Revelation 20, where the tribulation saints are going to be resurrected and have new bodies.

[30:04] And they will also live and reign with Christ for a thousand years. So, we have four, five different groups of timing of the believers being resurrected.

[30:23] And then Daniel chapter 12 comes in where he says, your people will be resurrected. And so, that too is a reference to when Jesus comes back, during those days, those 75 days, somewhere there will be a resurrection of the Old Testament believers.

[30:47] And they too will reign with Christ. So, those are the resurrections of the believers. They are the first resurrection.

[31:00] resurrection. And he says, blessed are they who are part of the first resurrection, for they will reign with Christ. Who's left after all these groups have been resurrected?

[31:14] the lost. All those who have lived in rebellion against God. Old Testament, New Testament, tribulation period, they are part of the second resurrection, which happens at the end of chapter 20 after the thousand years.

[31:46] And it's called the great white throne judgment. Brothers and sisters, none of us, none of us want to be part of the second.

[32:05] For it is a resurrection unto condemnation. eternal hellfire.

[32:25] Reality. Truth. It may seem far away to us, but it isn't.

[32:37] even if the Lord grants you old age to die in your old age, it's not far away.

[32:53] Today is the day of salvation to face reality and truth and recognize and recognize that I will stand before God regardless of what I think now.

[33:18] It is coming. We're going to talk about the judgments next Sunday, Lord willing.

[33:29] I had prepared to go both, but for time's sake, we're going to save the different judgments for next Sunday. But I want to use an illustration.

[33:44] And so without offending, during VBS, I'd ask my class to memorize some scripture verses.

[34:01] And I told them we had, the first day we had three verses and whoever memorizes them, there will be a prize the next day.

[34:12] And so we practiced through the day and we wrote them out and we recited them and the next day came and they were looking around, where's the prizes?

[34:28] And so we waited until the end of the day and as the last class, some were a little bit worried. And the questions, started to arise, surely, surely there will be a prize for all of us.

[34:52] And I said, well, what did I say for those that memorize? And, well, our teacher wouldn't be that unfair, was comments I heard, as to just give some students a prize.

[35:09] And, you know, I used that to explain to them that when we meet God, there is going to be no sweet talking. It's going to be reality.

[35:25] We as humans fail and give in and are actually unjust, but God isn't. He can't be.

[35:37] God will be and as we went through that, it sank in me very deep that when we come before God, it's going to be final.

[35:51] There will be no begging, arguing. We will know the truth. That was a reality that just hit me deeper, and with that illustration.

[36:06] And so, let's take that seriously. Today is the day to turn to God with our sin, acknowledging that we are sinners, that we need Him to take over our lives.

[36:27] it is the only ticket to the first resurrection, salvation in Jesus Christ.

[36:41] It is sure, it is just as sure as Jesus came out of the grave. And so, with that, let's encourage one another.

[37:02] Many, and I trust most of us are in the faith, but if we know of individuals that aren't, let's come alongside.

[37:16] Remind them. And if there's anyone present this morning that's unsure, let's not wait, let's do it today.

[37:31] Let's make our peace with God, so we can face this time without that fear. And because God has a wonderful plan for everyone that will submit to Him.

[37:49] May the Lord's well be done in our lives. Let's pray. Lord, we often say that death is so final.

[38:08] When a person dies, there's no turning back to bring them back to life. And that is because, Lord, life is in your hands.

[38:19] peace. But as we've talked about the end, meeting you, that will be so final.

[38:33] And the decision needs to be made here during our lifetime on earth. Father, clarify that in everyone's heart, that we would understand and grasp that.

[38:49] And to turn to you with all of our strength, with all of our heart, our mind, our soul, and to just say, Lord, here am I.

[39:01] save me. Use me as your child. We thank you for that grace, but pray, Lord, for brokenness to those who haven't experienced it, that they would be able to fall to their knees before you.

[39:27] To your honor and glory in Jesus' name. Amen.