The Master‘s Class, LifeChange Church Wichita

RESURRECTION AND REBELLION (Revelation 20:5-10)

The title of our message today is Resurrection and Rebellion. In the first part of our message we will talk about the order of the resurrections of the just and unjust. Contrary to what many will tell you, the Bible does not teach of a single resurrection. Instead, it teaches of two resurrections. The first resurrection is for those saints who have Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The second resurrection is for those who have rejected Christ as their Savior. Instead of joining Christ in heaven for eternity as the saints will do, these who have rejected Christ, will now stand before Christ as their Judge.

The second part of today’s message is about God’s plan to bring a final resolution to sin on this earth. Jesus Christ is going to come and rule for a thousand years. This will be a literal period of one thousand years when man will live in a perfect society. The animal kingdom will be changed, the mineral kingdom will be changed, and the earth will become a regenerated Garden of Eden. Men will live for a thousand years, they will be but youngsters at the age of 100 years old. Satan will be removed from the scene and cast into the bottomless pit, where he will remain chained until the very end of this one thousand year period, when God will let him loose for a little while.

The people of the earth will have been living in blessing for a thousand years. They will have children during the millennium. The population of the world will grow again. Even though they are living with the Son of God right before them, in blessings, in peace, many of them will reject Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Jesus will rule the nations with a rod of iron. There will be no uprising during that time. There will be no Satan leading in rebellion. But down in the human heart, latent in the human heart, there will still be sin if it has not been washed by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is these children, who, after a thousand years, are going to rebel against God when Satan is let loose. God is demonstrating to the world two great principles when He does this.

Number one: Punishment is not the final answer. Satan has been in the prison house doing hard time for one thousand years and he comes back to rebel one more time. Even a thousand years of punishment did not reform Satan. Punishment is not the answer to reform the heart of man.

Number two: Environment is not the final answer. Make your environment as good as you can, but after one thousand years of peace and righteousness down in the human heart this latent sin comes bubbling up. That is the way it is with sin in the human heart. There is only one answer to sin and it is the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God will deal with this rebellion and He will deal with Satan, bringing a final resolution to sin. Sin will be no more.

Click on the link below to hear a message on the order of the resurrections and how God deals with rebellion against Jesus Christ.

Amen.

THE KINGDOM AGE (Revelation 20:1-4)

We have come to the point in our study of The Book of Revelation for the setting up of the Millennial reign of Christ. The time of the Kingdom Age has come. For a thousand years there will be peace on earth. Men will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, their tanks into tractors and their missiles into silos for grain. The centuries will roll by, and the words for war in human speech will become archaic fragments of a language dead to mankind. The armies of the nations will be disbanded, and the great military academies will fall into ruin and decay, for they will teach war no more. The machinery of war will all be smelted down and converted into the implements of peace.

Jerusalem will be the world's capital. The throne of David is there, and the twelve apostles are there ruling the twelve tribes of Israel, for Israel will be the premier nation of the world. The millennial Temple will be built on Mt. Moriah, and the nations of the earth will come there to worship the living God. Prosperity will extend to the four corners of the earth. Poverty is unknown, and every man has all that his heart can desire.

There are no prisons, no hospitals, no mental institutions, no barracks, no saloons, no houses of ill repute, no gambling dens, no rest homes, and no nursing homes. Such things belong to a past and lesser age. The flower of youth is on everyone's face, for a man is but a youngster at a hundred years of age. Cemeteries are crumbling relics of the past, and tears are rare. The wolf and the lamb, the calf and the lion, the cow and the bear, the child and the scorpion, are all at peace. Jesus has come, and the Millennium is here.

The Kingdom age, so frequently declared by the prophets of Israel's past, will come at last, and the earth will be filled with the knowledge of God. Jesus is Lord, and He will rule the nations with a rod of iron. His reign is righteous, and the nations obey. The principles of the Sermon on the Mount are the laws of the kingdom, and men obey them because infractions are not allowed. Sin is visited with swift and certain judgment. This period lasts for a thousand years.

Click on the link below to hear a message on the Millennial reign of our Lord Jesus Christ. Satan will be bound and the light of our Lord Jesus Christ will fill the world.

Amen.

ARMAGEDDON (Revelation 19:12-21)

The Battle of Armageddon is described in the Book of Revelation. It describes a climatic moment in the history of the world. In this battle, our Lord Jesus deals with the forces of evil that have taken over the world. Jesus Christ will deal with Satan, the demons that fell with Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet. But most of all, He will deal with the people of the world who have utterly, angrily, and with full knowledge of what they were doing, rejected God as the one they will worship and obey. In one moment, at one place, Jesus Christ will bring the full wrath and vengeance of God on the evil of this world.

Don’t believe the depiction of this battle that you see in the movies and in secular books. When Jesus comes in power and great glory at the Battle of Armageddon, how is the battle going to be won? Not by guns or weapons, but by the sword that goes out of His mouth. It will be won by the power that is found in the Lord’s voice. The armies who are riding with the Lord are not in battle fatigues carrying arms, they are dressed in white linen, and then the Lord speaks. I think it will be just two simple words that the Lord shouts, “Drop dead.” The One who spoke them into existence will speak them into oblivion.

If there is a lesson for us to be learned from this it is, don't ever be at war with God. I am telling you that the time is coming soon and very soon when 777 will take care of 666, and the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and Christ. The saints have prayed through the ages, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Make no mistake about, God’s will, will be done.

Are you at peace with God or are you at war with God? Jesus made peace through the blood of His cross.

Col 1:19-22
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
KJV

Click on the link below to hear a sermon on the final battle, where Jesus Christ comes in power and glory to set right all of the evil injustices of the world. You can be at war with God and suffer the wrath of God, or you can sign a peace treaty with the Prince of Peace. You can be at peace with the Lord, if you will just say yes to Calvary.

Amen.

THE SIGNS OF ARMAGEDDON (Revelation 19:12-16)

One of the greatest lessons that we can learn from Bible prophecy is that God is in control of all things. If you get nothing else out of Bible prophecy, you need to be comforted by the fact that God is in control of all things. When we look around at all of the crazy things that are happening in this world, it would be easy to wonder who is in control. But, let me tell you a truth that you can bank your entire eternity on, the almighty Creator of all things, the true and living God is in control, no matter what you see or think.

Anybody with even walking around common sense, that is someone who just barely has enough common sense to walk down the street and not get lost, even someone like that, can read the headlines of our news, and see what is happening. The storm clouds are gathering. The dynamite has been laid, the fuse is in place, the match is struck, and we all know that we are running out of time. A battle called the Battle of Armageddon is rushing upon us.

Click on the link below as we bring together all of the parts of Revelation that deal with Armageddon, and mix in some of the signs found in other parts of the Bible that speak of the coming of Armageddon. We are going to get a look at the big picture today as we see these signposts on the road to Armageddon.

Amen.

THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST (Revelation 19:11-16)

We need to be looking for the imminent return of our Lord. The suddenness of His coming, shapes much of how we are to live our lives as Christians. It gives us a sense of urgency to reach people for Christ. We are not looking for something to occur. We are looking for Someone to come, and that Someone is our Lord Jesus Christ, and He can come at any moment. Jesus tells us that for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. If you believe He can’t come today because some event has to occur first, then you better buckle up because this is a day when He might come.

Two things are critical that we need to know and understand. First, Jesus Christ is coming suddenly at any moment. Second, the church is not waiting for the tribulation. We are not waiting on any thing. We are not waiting around fearing the coming of the wrath of God. Instead, we are looking for Jesus.

1 Thess 5:9
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
KJV

The Bible teaches that God will chastise His church, but He does not pour His wrath out on the church. What does that mean to you and me today?

First, We need to learn of His coming. You cannot afford to be ignorant of these things. You need to teach others these things. The world needs to learn. Jesus said over and over, "Be ready, be ready, be ready, be ready, for I am coming again."

Second, We should look for His coming. We are not waiting on some prophecy to be fulfilled. If I thought that we were going through the great tribulation, if I thought the mark of the beast and all of these things had to take place first, I wouldn't be looking for the Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of looking up, as the Lord tells us to do, I would be looking around. I would not be waiting for someone to come; I would be waiting for something to happen. But we are to live every day as if Jesus were to come at that very moment.

Third, We are to long for His coming. The last prayer in the Bible is this, Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus. We should long for the coming of our dear Savior. What a day that will be when I will see Jesus. We need to long for his coming.

Fourth, We need to live for His coming. The Bible says we are to occupy. Jesus said, Occupy till I come. And when he does come, I want to be found faithfully serving Him, and I hope that you do to.

God's people ought to be praying, Even so, come, Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

BRIDEGROOM AND KING (Revelation 19:9-16)

The Marriage of The Lamb and The Second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Both are very important events in the life and faith of the person who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Our knowledge of these events should shape how we live our lives today, how we view the world, and how we view our place in this world. This world is not our home, we are but sojourners with tasks to complete in order to hasten the day of the coming of our Lord. As a believer you are still on this earth for a purpose, and that is to bring others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. You may not be the evangelist, but you are the seed planter, or the caretaker of the field, or the reaper of the harvest. You are the witness, the friend, the stranger, the co-worker, or the next-door neighbor, of someone who does not have a personal relationship with the Lord. You have a role to play in that person coming to Christ.

We have learned a great deal about the events that are going to occur with the Rapture of the church, and the horrible judgments that will occur during the Tribulation Period. We know that time is very short, and we know the eternal destinies of those around us are at stake. Christ has commissioned us to share the gospel message of Jesus Christ.

Click on the link below to hear a message on Jesus Christ as the Bridegroom and the King. As the Bridegroom He is coming for His bride, and as the King is coming with His bride. The world needs to know these truths.

Amen.

THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB (Revelation 19:1-8)

How many of you remember your wedding day? I truly do remember that day. My wife was absolutely stunning, she was so pretty. I knew I was marrying way above my pay grade, and I still am. We are coming up on our 40th wedding anniversary in a couple of months, and I still claim to be the lucky one in this relationship. But that was quite a day, for two 20-year-old kids who had no idea what God had in store for them. We just knew we loved each other.

I remember how hard my wife worked to prepare herself for that day, and how hard she worked to make that event special. She made everything what every wedding is supposed to be, beautiful and full of joy. It was truly a day that I will always remember and cherish.

Today, we are going to be talking about another wedding, The Marriage of the Lamb. In chapter 19 of The Book of Revelation we are going to see that this marriage takes place at the end of the Tribulation period. It comes between the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus to establish His Millennial reign. The church comes to the most climatic time in all of its history. It is time for The Marriage of the Lamb to His chosen bride.

Click on the link below and hear a message on the day that the Lord Jesus Christ makes everything right. It will be a day of great music as all of heaven sings the Hallelujah chorus praising the Lord because Jesus Christ has come to reign.

Amen, and Hallelujah.

GOD JUDGES BABYLON (Revelation 18:8-24)

In the book of Revelation, the term Babylon represents the world’s false religions. It is the cradle and the grave of false, apostate, religions. This false religious system has been around for all of the history of mankind. When Satan tempted Eve in the garden, it was with the promise of becoming like God. That is a false religion, for there is only one, true, Almighty God, the Creator of all things. Over the history of mankind, brick by brick, stone by stone, this false religious system of Babylon has been building up sins against God until they reach toward heaven. In chapter 18 of The Book of Revelation, during the Tribulation Period, God tells us that He is going to judge Babylon.

There will be two basic reactions to the fall of Babylon, and they are completely opposite of each other. There are those who are grieved by it, and there are those who rejoice over it. On the one side, the people of this world who don’t know our Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are going to be depressed by the destruction of Babylon. On the other side are the ones who rejoice over it. This group includes all of the saints of God and the entire hosts of heaven. God tells this group to rejoice over the destruction of Babylon.

Rev 18:20
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
KJV

Never let the devil get you to thinking negatively about God, for we are on the winning side. Those in heaven will see God’s righteous judgment on sin and Satan’s system and shout, at last, at last! Hallelujah! It is true that the hearts of the saints of God have been burdened with sorrow and bruised by Satan. Now this sinful system will meet its doom. It will be gone forever. The saints are on the winning side, and that calls for a celebration. I say, let’s start celebrating early.

Hallelujah and Amen.

THE CUP OF BABYLON FILLS (Revelation 18:1-7)

I don’t know about you, but with the state of today’s news media, it is hard to tell the good news from the bad news. But, when you put the news stories in one hand and the Word of God in the other hand and you see that everything is fitting into the sockets of prophecy, what seems to be bad news may, indeed, be good news.

Our lessons over the next couple of weeks are about some news that fit into this category of news that may seem bad, but is really good news. It is about the destruction of the Babylon that is to come during the Tribulation Period, and while all of the death and destruction that will come from this event may seem like it ought to be viewed as bad news, it is truly halleluiah type of news. It is halleluiah news because it means that the cup of God’s wrath regarding Babylon has finally been filled, and the Almighty God is going to deal with the evil of Babylon. He is going to deal with the sin of Babylon, and He is going to deal with the false religion of Babylon. That is worth an amen and a halleluiah. In fact, when it occurs, there will be a full halleluiah chorus in heaven as the saints of God shout praises to the glory of God.

Click on the link below and listen as we discuss the questions of whether the Babylon that is spoken of in chapter 18 of the Book of Revelation is a literal city, or is it symbolic? If is a literal city, then where will it be? There are many good Biblical scholars that split on these questions, but we will lay out what the Bible has to say about it.

Amen.

A BEASTLY BEAST (Revelation 17:10-18)

There is coming, with ever increasing rapidity, a world religion and a world government. As a reborn child of God, you don't belong to this world government; you belong to Jesus Christ. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. You don't belong to the harlot church; you are the bride of Christ. And in these days, though we are not yet in The Tribulation, nor will we be when it does come, coming events cast their shadows ahead of time.

Our loyalty to our Lord and Savior is going to be tested severely, and we will need to double down and remain loyal to the heavenly bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ. As the body of true believers, we are the bride of Christ. We cannot flirt with false religions. There have been many who have told me that they need to study other religions in order to better defend our faith. I believe that is true for some special warriors, and if you are one of these, then God will provide.

But, for me, and the vast majority of Christians, I believe that there is so much that I do not know about the depths of the Word of God, that I could spend the rest of my life digging into it, learning the Mind of God, and barely scratch the surface. I have made up my mind to spend every moment I can learning more about God, rather than waste a single moment learning about a false religion. I will defend the gospel of God not by my own words, not by using the words of a false religion that I have studied, but by the Word of God.

Luke 21:12-15
12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
KJV

We are going to be persecuted, and during this persecution, there will come a time for us to give a testimony of our faith. We are to always be ready to defend our faith.

1 Peter 3:15
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
KJV

We are to do this by diligent study of the Word of God.

2 Tim 2:15
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
KJV

And when that time comes for you to give your testimony about the God you serve, to those who persecute you, let God lead you, “Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom.” The Bible says that we are to be true to Jesus. We are to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Any time that we spend studying, or playing with, a false religion is like flirting with a married woman. It is called spiritual iniquity. We are to remain spiritually pure to our Lord Jesus. I challenge you to get a bulldog grip on the truth because there is going to come a time when we will be under great pressure if we dare to say that Jesus Christ is Lord.

And if you are not saved, my best advice to you is to give your heart to Jesus Christ, for the time is coming when you will believe the lie, and not the truth.

Click on the link below to learn how there is coming a beast to dominate the world, as Bible believing Christians we cannot be ignorant of the coming events that are told to us in God’s Word.

Amen.