Revelation - Part 4 - Lecture 14

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Kay Arthur

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Rev Pt 4: Lecture 14:
What Happens When Jesus Christ Comes Back?
kay Arthur

Click following for literal chapter by chapter chart summary of:
Revelation 4-10
Revelation 11-16
Revelation 17-19
Revelation 20-22

We know that all the nations are gathered together at HAR-MAGEDON (see note Revelation 16:6), Babylon is destroyed, these armies see that destruction and they march on up to Jerusalem capturing the holy city, ravaging the women, plundering the houses, full of "their own selves". They think that this is ''their day"! But Christ leaves heaven with His ARMY, which includes His holy angels and the Bride of Christ (in fine linen garments), and comes to earth. The Bride (the Church) has already met Christ in the air prior to returning to earth, otherwise we would have to meet Him in the air, turn around and come back to earth and have no time for the JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST (this is what some would call a "post-tribulation rapture").

When Christ returns, He comes FIRST TO EDOM south of the Dead Sea (Isaiah 63:1 WHO is this WHO comes from Edom, with garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, this ONE who is majestic in HIS apparel, marching in the greatness of HIS strength? "It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.") to rescue the remnant (see note) of Jews that God had kept safe in a place He had prepared for them for time, times and half a time (see notes Revelation 12:6, :14). The Messiah then marches from south of the Dead Sea up to Jerusalem, where the armies of the nations have gathered in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, where there occurs a great battle with much bloodshed.

Revelation 19:19 (note) And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His army. 20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.

So at the end of Daniel's 70th Week, Messiah returns to earth, 1260 days, 3 ½ years after the Abomination of Desolation has taken his place in the Temple of God declaring himself to be God and the beast is thrown alive with the false prophet into the Lake of Fire.

Revelation 19:21 (note) And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat upon the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

These dead spirits then go to HADES where they are in TORMENT, and where they wait to be resurrected 1000 years later. And yet not everyone living on earth when Messiah returns will be killed.

EVENTS THAT OCCUR WHEN MESSIAH RETURNS

Note: not necessarily in chronological order though:

Zechariah 14:10 All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; (just prior to this Jerusalem had been devastated in Zech 14:1-2 but it will be ''resurrected" and people will live in it) but JERUSALEM WILL RISE and remain on its site from Benjamin's Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's wine presses.11 And people will live in it, and there will be no more curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in SECURITY.12 Now this will be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth. (see last scenes of ''Raiders of the Lost Ark")…14 And Judah also will fight at Jerusalem (remember that we have seen in Zech 12:7 that there are tents of Judah that are South of Jerusalem and that the Lord spares them first); and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered, gold and silver and garments in great abundance.15 So also like this plague, will be the plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, the donkey, and all the cattle that will be in those camps. (we saw in Rev 19:17-18,21 that @ the great supper of God…[the birds would] eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses ) 16 Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the FEAST OF BOOTHS.

So when Messiah returns we see that conflict is occurring at Jerusalem as the nations have gathered around it and captured it (as discussed above).

In Mt 24 we see to the very day a prophetic fulfillments in the day of Passover, the day of Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles.

The Feast of Tabernacles consisted of three parts:

(1) Trumpets

(2) Day of Atonement

(3) Tabernacles

In Matthew 24 Jesus teaches...

Mt 24:29 "But immediately after the tribulation of those days (the last 3 ½ years of the 70th Week of Daniel) THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, 30 and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.31 "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Wherever the sky ''touches down'' on the earth you will find the Jews…at the four corners of the earth).

Remember that the Feast of Passover was fulfilled at the crucifixion of Messiah. The Feast of Pentecost was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit came to indwell believers. So this takes care of the Church and her salvation, but what about the SALVATION OF ISRAEL? That seems to be being fulfilled in these verses where just when the nations of the world are seemingly crushing Israel, Messiah returns and there is a TRUMPET that calls all of His ELECT, fulfilling the first part of the Feast of Trumpets, where the Trumpet was sounded to gather the Jews together on the 1st Day of Tishri (about our October). The next part of the Feast of Tabernacles is the DAY OF ATONEMENT, the day when your sins were forgiven in the Old Testament. So Messiah returns, the Trumpet gathers the Elect Jews and in one day Israel is saved.

Jeremiah 32:37 "Behold, I will gather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them (speaking of Israel) in My anger, in My wrath, and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and make them dwell in safety. 38 "And they shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39 and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me ALWAYS, for their own good, and for the good of their children after them.40 "And I will make an EVERLASTING COVENANT with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.

Has this ever happened to Israel? Not yet. What is going to happen to these elect Jews?

Ezekiel 36:24 "For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land.25 "THEN (time phrase telling you ''When'') I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.26 "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.27 "And I will put My Spirit WITHIN YOU and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

THE SPIRIT WITHIN: this is what the Church received at Pentecost when the Spirit came to indwell believers but the Holy Spirit ''left'', the ''restrainer'' was removed when the church was raptured…now obviously the Holy Spirit was still at work even as the Old Testament but not as He was in the NT in and through the vessel of His Bride, the Church. Jesus had said in John 14:16-17 that after He left earth, He would send the Spirit to be IN the believers and here in Ezekiel 36:27 we see the prophecy foretelling of the day when the Holy Spirit would come to INDWELL the Jew

Ezekiel 36:28 "And you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.29 "Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you….31 "Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations.32 "I am not doing this for your sake," declares the Lord GOD, "let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel!"33 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "ON THE DAY THAT I CLEANSE YOU FROM ALL YOUR INIQUITIES, (THIS IS WHAT THE DAY OF ATONEMENT WAS ALL ABOUT!) I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt.34 "And the desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passed by.35 "And they will say, 'This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate, and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.'36 "THEN the NATIONS that are left round about you will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, the LORD, have spoken and will do it."37 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "This also I will let the house of Israel ask Me to do for them: I will increase their men like a flock.

So these ELECT JEWS saved by Messiah at the Feast of Trumpets are going to live on into the Messianic Millennial Kingdom and they will bear children. And ALL THOSE OFFSPRING of the Jews from that time on WILL BE SAVED…ALL Israel will be saved during the remainder of the Messianic Age!

Ezekiel 37:21 "And say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; (When? The Feast of Trumpets!) 22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations, (they have been divided since their dispersion into Babylon) and they will no longer be divided into two kingdoms.23 "And they will no longer defile themselves with their idols, (Israel is doing this even today!) or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. (When? On the DAY OF ATONEMENT!) And they will be My people, and I will be their God.

So the Jews are gathered together at Messiah's Second Coming, and they REPENT IN ONE DAY, and all of the nation of Israel is saved in one day, God becoming their God and they becoming His people. And then Jesus rules as King of kings and Lord of lords. Who rules under Him? There are two branches, one the CHURCH (see notes Revelation 1:16, Revelation 5:10, 1 Cor 6:2 describe the Church ruling with Messiah) and the other branch, the NATION OF ISRAEL, who is going to continue to grow in population and will need a king to rule over them. And who is going to be king over them? (Incidentally Kay gets more ''hate mail'' over this teaching then you can imagine!) David will be king under the ''King of kings", the King Jesus:

Ezekiel 37:24 "And My servant DAVID will be KING over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances, and keep My statutes, and observe them. (How did David get here? Remember the ''First Resurrection" - see chart on Order of Resurrection) which we think includes all of the Old Testament saints (which would include David…See specific reference to his resurrection in Jer 30:9) who receive a new body. 25 "And they shall live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons, and their sons' sons, forever; and David My servant shall be their prince forever.26 "And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will set MY SANCTUARY in their midst forever. (Where is the SANCTUARY described? Read Ezekiel 40-48). 27 "My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.28 "And the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever."

Who is going to rule under David? Remember you will have the 12 Tribes of Israel and they will have the 12 APOSTLES ruling (Mt 19:28, Luke 22:28-30), PRINCES ruling (Ezekiel 45:8) and JUDGES ruling (Isaiah 1:26, Haggai 2:20-23 talks about Zerubbabel ruling during the Messianic Millennium).

WHAT ABOUT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES?

We read about that in Zechariah 14 where after Messiah gathers His elect, saves Israel in a day, then He will have the Feast of Tabernacles, when Jesus Christ Himself ''tabernacles'' among men as King of kings and Lord of lords.

What about the TRIBULATION SAINTS? Those BEHEADED because of the TESTIMONY OF Jesus and the WORD OF GOD will be resurrected (see notes Revelation 20:4; 20:5; 20:6) and rule & reign with the Messiah for 1000 years.

JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS
(The Gentiles)

This occurs at the return of Messiah.

Joel 3:12 Let the nations be aroused And come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, For there I will sit to judge All the surrounding nations.

This parallels Mt 25:31ff describing the JUDGMENT OF THE SHEEP & THE GOATS, the judgment of Gentiles who survive the Great Tribulation.

THE ''EXTRA'' 75 DAYS

Daniel 12:11 "And from the time that THE REGULAR SACRIFICE is abolished, (the Middle of Daniel's 70th Week, when the 7th Trumpet is blown) and the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION is set up, there will be 1,290 days.12 "How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days!

Why the extra 75 days (1335 days minus 1260 days)?

Several things could be happening during this time including cleaning up of the Temple, getting rid of the Abomination of Desolation, judging of the Nations at the sheep & goats, the latter being cast directly into the Lake of Fire (instead of standing at the Great White Throne judgment) because they have just been judged in person by Jesus Christ. So all those who survive to the 1335 days are indeed BLESSED! They have made it!

NEXT?
THE MILLENNIAL REIGN OF JESUS CHRIST

The Gentile ''sheep'' will have children during the Millennium who will grow up and still be called a youth at the age of 100. On the other hand if these children die during that time, it shows that they die because they did not believe in Jesus Christ. So people will be living in human bodies during the 1000 year reign of the Messiah. And those who are born (everyone who ORIGINALLY BEGAN the 1000 years was saved) will have the opportunity to either believe or not in Jesus Christ. What happens when the 1000 years are over to those who are in human bodies since the FIRST RESURRECTION (see chart on Order of Resurrection) has already occurred? How do they continue on into eternity in the next phase, the New Heaven/New Earth/New Jerusalem? Kay believes that they continue to live in this New environment by eating to the TREE OF LIFE (that was in the Garden of Eden) that is now in the paradise of God in the New Heaven and New Earth.

WHO IS IN THE NEW JERUSALEM?

Twelve Gates are for the twelve Tribes of Israel. The foundation stones are the 12 Apostles. And Kay believes that the Father and His bride and Christ the Son & His Bride, the Church, live in the New Jerusalem. And the rest of the Gentile nations that flow in and out through the GATES (see ''gates'' in the New Jerusalem in (see notes) Revelation 21:12, 21:13,21:15,21:21,21:25, Revelation 22:14) eat of the TREE OF LIFE whose leaves are for the HEALING OF THE NATIONS (see note Revelation 22:2) and thus are sustained. They worship God and then Kay says there is no more sun and no more moon (This could be true that the sun will cease to exist…for sure there will be "no NEED of the sun" - See note Revelation 21:23- because of THE SON but for your ''homework" read Isa 60:19-20, and Ps 89:36,37, Ps 148:3,6.) Christ is the LIGHT OF ALL for all eternity.

GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT:

All the dead stand before God and if their name is not in the BOOK OF LIFE they are cast into the Lake of Fire. How does their name get in the BOOK OF LIFE? Kay believes that when one is born your name is put in the BOOK OF LIFE. But if you refuse to believe in Jesus Christ, you break God's heart because He is not willing that any should perish. If you don't believe, then your name is erased from the BOOK OF LIFE. So when the books are open, your name is not there. There is another book called the LAMB'S BOOK OF LIFE, which Kay believes has the names written of all believers and that it was written there before the foundation of the world. So the dead will stand here at the GWT and every opportunity that they have had to believe in Jesus Christ they will be held accountable for. And there will be degrees of punishment in the Lake of Fire according to the light that you had and what you refused. But there is no escape. Jesus said ''that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment" then for Capernaum, Bethsaida, etc, because Sodom and Gomorrah only had the witness of Lot, but Capernaum actually saw the Messiah Himself, but they rejected Him and refused to bow the knee. Today is the day of salvation.

THE REST OF THE STORY

The rest of the story is about to come to pass. You and I don’t have much time. We need to run and warn everyone we can to ''flee from the wrath that is to come'' (Mt 3:7). If you will be a good steward of the mysteries of God, then on that day when you look down in the Lake of Fire where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched, you will not have a guilty conscience and their blood will not be upon your hands (Ezekiel 3:18,19, 33:6-9) because you were a FAITHFUL STEWARD of the MYSTERIES OF GOD. They made their choice. They had an opportunity. Romans 1 says that they are without excuse! The sad thing is that this is forever. Eternity either ruling and reigning with Jesus Christ where there is no more sorrow, tears or death OR in the Lake of Fire with the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable and those who believe a lie and THE LIAR, and who miss what God created men for; i.e., to be in oneness with Him, to rule and reign with Him forever and ever. He that believes and overcomes will sit with Christ on His throne forever and ever.

WHERE MY FRIEND WILL YOU SPEND ETERNITY?