Sunday School - Escatology Part 2

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Sunday School Escatology Part 2 Date: 07/24/2022 Teacher: Pastor Brian Garcia

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Sunday School - Back To Basics Part 3

Sunday School - Back To Basics Part 3

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All right, so last week. We started kind of in a series if you anyone not have one of these I'm printing some more
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Anyone I know we got I know that we didn't know for sure if we're gonna do to finish this so I know that it's not all your
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Necessarily your fault for not bringing it, but but we will continue on in today's teaching and And we're gonna be looking at Let's see
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We had just finished talking about the resurrection so about the second or third the third page. I believe is
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Where we're gonna focus on so to give you a preamble to what we discussed last week Is that we want to look at what does the
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Bible say about the Millennium? Now we know that there's a lot of controversy a lot of different views out there about the
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Millennium There's we talked about premillennial ism dispensational ism Post millennial ism and all millennial ism now the church.
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There's nowhere in our church You know statement of faith that says here's our eschatological position
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So we believe that there should be a good level of charity as we discuss these things, but it's no secret.
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I've got my views Actually, I think that the three pastors are pretty much in sync in regard to our view of the Millennium And is that we hold to an all -millennial perspective doesn't mean that you have to by virtue of that be on millennial
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But we hope to persuade you from the scriptures that our millennial ism is actually the biblical position as laid out in Holy Scripture And one of the reasons that's
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I believe that so is precisely because of Revelation chapter 20 Revelation chapter 20 is the only text of Scripture where we see this idea of a millennium of a thousand -year reign
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Nowhere else in Holy Scripture. Do we see a thousand -year reign of Jesus Christ?
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it's nowhere to be found except in the hardest book of the book of the Bible the book of Revelation and What's arguably the most complicated and hardest chapter of the most hardest book of the
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Bible Revelation chapter 20? And so we have we as we develop our biblical hermeneutic biblical method of interpretation
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We have to understand that the way to drive to a truth in Scripture When it relates to a difficult text is by taking the more easy to understand text and interpret the difficult text in light of the
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Easy text. Does that make sense? I think we can all agree almost every biblical interpreter would agree with that statement yet Why then do we so often disagree on issues of doctrine such as the
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Millennium? And so we're gonna attempt to discuss why? Revelation 20 actually teaches a all -millennial
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Perspective of them of the Millennium and not a pre -millennial or even a post -millennial. So just to recap
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Premillennialism is what exactly? What it what pre -millennium? What is that pre of what is that a statement of?
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Go for a pastor That's right.
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So you have Christ coming before the millennium therefore the pre and Then you have
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The Millennium so Jesus comes then he brings a thousand -year reign what this post -millennialism mean
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What is post -millennialism That's right. So they believe post -millennial teachers that Christ comes after the
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Millennium post and Then he ushers in the eternal state. So there's gonna be a either a golden age or a
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Literal thousand years that will precipitate the coming of Christ. That's the post -millennial
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Perspective, how about all -millennial? What does all -millennial mean
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Go ahead Yes, you know and all -millennialists hate the term on millennial for that reason because the awe in the
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Greeks means no or not And it seems to indicate that we don't believe in a millennium
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But really people who hold to the all -millennial perspective believe in what's called a realized millennium that the
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Millennium is actually now So what's the purpose of the Millennium in terms of eschatology?
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It's the place in which Christ reigns as King of Kings Lord of Lords over his people. Well, is that happening today?
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Has He now ascended at the right hand of God the Father right now interceding for you
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And I has he not received a kingdom and a people has he not been enthroned in glorious praise amongst the throngs of God's Saints in heaven.
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I mean he is enthroned now. We're not waiting for a future enthronement of Christ He's reading today now as we speak
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King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Amen, and so That right there begins the framework of what's an all -millennial perspective of eschatology that Christ is reigning now
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He's King today. We're not waiting for a future enthronement where he reigns in Israel. I think
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I printed one more. I Think I just print another one. Yeah, give it a check if you don't mind and if not,
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I'll print even more And so today essentially what we're gonna do is we're gonna look at the
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Revelation chapter 20 and we're gonna be looking at verses I believe we talked about the resurrection last time, right?
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Did we talk about the resurrection? Did we We did okay, so we went over the binding of Satan we went over Yeah, is that extra one, okay
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You Just to do a quick recap of these since some who weren't here last week
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We looked at Revelation chapter 1 Revelation 20 verses 1 to 3 and we saw how in Revelation we have this imagery of a dragon
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Being sealed for inbound for a thousand years now right there that almost like destroys the amillennial perspective, doesn't it?
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Are we saying that Christ is I mean that that Satan is bound right now and that he can't deceive anyone and it's so why
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Is the world the way that it is? That was my problem of amillennialism when I? Had a lot of friends who were all millennial and I would say you guys are crazy
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How can you believe that Satan is bound right now? Look at the world Satan is the prince of the power of the air He's a god of the he's a god of this age.
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He's blinding the minds of unbelievers. Clearly. You've got your eschatology wrong, buddy And yet when we look at the narrative of Scripture outside of Revelation 20, what do we find?
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Jesus says things like this in Matthew 20 and Matthew 12 verse 20 and 29 But if it is by the
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Spirit of God that I cast out demons Then the kingdom of God has come upon you or how can someone enter a strongman's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strongman
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Then indeed he may plunder his house This is in the context of Jesus having kingdom authority sending out his disciples at 70
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They come back rejoicing because they have authority over the powers of darkness We see that in Revelation in Colossians chapter 2 verse 15.
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It says he Christ disarmed the rulers and authorities That's the spiritual principalities and powers the forces of darkness and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him
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Jesus said this that In Luke chapter 10, he says I saw
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Satan fall like lightning from heaven I've given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and So the scriptures seem to indicate that Satan though active is in a sense bound
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Christ came to bind the strongman so that we may plunder his goods. That's the kingdom of darkness
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We're plundering the kingdom of darkness Colossians chapter 1 verse 13 and 14 say that God has transferred us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved son
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There's a pushing back against the kingdom of darkness that is now present in this age through the church
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So there's a sense of very vibrant sense in which Satan is indeed bound that doesn't mean that he's totally bound
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Revelation I think is actually pretty clear in the sense in which he's bound in that he may no longer deceive the nations
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But you may say to me pastor Satan is deceiving the nation still because look at the nation's they have not yet all come to a knowledge of Christ True, but what's also true is that in times past in the
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Old Testament specifically? We see that all nations walked in darkness Isaiah chapter 8 tells us that all the nations walked in gloomy darkness and yet chapter 9 of Isaiah Isaiah chapter 9 says that there would be a
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Messiah who would govern the nations he's doing it now and So at time there was a time of complete darkness where the nations knew not
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God and now there are Christians in every nation under Heaven isn't that progress isn't that success don't you see the power of Christ in his kingdom through the church?
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reigning right now in this present age through the church And so there is a very real sense in which
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Satan I believe is bound But that doesn't mean that he is bound totally in a sense where he is he's
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Comprehensively bound as the Amelanus would say then we turned our attention also to the next part
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Which was the notion of a thousand years now again The thousand years is likely symbolic because look at the way that it is used elsewhere in Scripture I see
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Psalm 50 verse 10 says for every beast of the forest is mine account upon a Thousand hills does it end at a thousand?
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How about a thousand and one a thousand and two does God's authority and every beast that is his end at a thousand and one hills
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Certainly not. How do you think the psalmist is using the word a thousand here? Yeah, and what does that mean?
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And what is it would be another way of phrasing that? Figuratively, right. I would say almost comprehensively, right?
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It's it's a word to encompass a lot of fullness an entire measure. It's it's meant to communicate a lot
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We see that elsewhere, of course in Scripture with reference to the thousand and how it's used
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Then we looked at the term resurrection. There's a resurrection in Revelation 20 verse 4 through 6 and It says and in the highlighted aspect that says and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years
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The rest of the dead did not come to life until a thousand years were ended. So there you have a
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Resurrection in the thousand years. So what do you do of that? Well, it's interesting because elsewhere in Scripture there's only a reference to one resurrection and this reference here to a
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Coming to life again is referred to in the text as the first resurrection Which then kind of gives you the imagery or the thought that there would be a second
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But elsewhere in Scripture, we only see that there's one resurrection For reference to that you look at John chapter 5 verse 20 and 29
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Jesus says did not marvel at this for an hour's coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out and those who have done good to the resurrection of Life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment
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So if you were to ask Jesus when is the resurrection of the just and the unrighteous? He would have said it is at the same hour when all who are in the tombs will be raised from the dead
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So there's not a resurrection at the beginning of the Millennium and then another one, you know a thousand years separate
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Jesus didn't say that in John 5 matter of fact, he says it would be the same hour the same time it would be
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At the same moment. We see this also in Acts 24 15 having a hope in God Which these men themselves accept that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust
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Right, so the resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous the just and the unjust Happens at the same time according to Scripture First Corinthians chapter 15
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Paul's is very clear when he says the following for just as an Adam Also for all for as an
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Adam all die. So also in Christ shall all be made alive But each in his own order
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Christ the firstfruits then at his coming those who belong to Christ Then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom to He delivers the kingdom to God the
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Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power For he must reign until all his enemies are under his feet.
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The last enemy to be destroyed is death So when does death end when is death destroyed?
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It says right there at his coming at his coming so you can't have a death
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After the second coming of Jesus Because death is destroyed at his coming.
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He shall reign until all enemies are under his feet Is he not doing so now?
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Psalm 110 teaches that the Lord said unto my Lord sit at my right hand until I put all your enemies under your footstool
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Christ is reigning right now as king of kings and of lords. He's enthroned. He is the successor to King David He is the one who has the right to reign and he is reigning in the midst of his enemies in 1st
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Corinthians 15 says that he will reign until all his enemies are under his feet And his last enemy to be defeated is death which happens at his coming
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That's right Yeah, so the answer to that that was
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I've been on every side of this argument I've been dispensational Historic premillennialist and now all millennial never been post mill though and never planned to be but but the answer to that is it's quite simple they take
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Revelation 20 and they interpret everything else in light of Revelation 20 Now that's an error
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Because in order to properly understand the difficult text which everyone agrees is Revelation 20 you have to interpret
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That in light of everything else instead of interpreting Revelation the rest of Scripture in light of Revelation 20 you see what
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I'm saying So so what they're taking is a more difficult text and they're interpreting everything else to fit into that framework
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Rather than taking everything else and then letting that illuminate the difficult text that we see in Revelation 20
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So so that's how they get around to that. They say well, well, oh you're you're thinking that's comprehensive in 1st Corinthians 15
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Oh, you shouldn't do that. Well, why not? Oh because Revelation 20 Well Revelation 20 is a difficult text
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This is a clear text Paul speaks plainly clearly in the text here. Jesus speaks clearly plainly elsewhere as well
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So we should take That's right Absolutely, and so you you you have this
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This this conflict here on how to interpret Scripture and I think ultimately the easier way to understand this is by looking at the easy text in light of the
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Interpreting the difficult text in light of of that and so does that kind of answer that? Yeah So there are so many scriptures as we see that that speak of the resurrection
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Happening at the second coming and it's the resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous So in what way then do the believers come to life and reign with Christ in a four thousand years?
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Well, I believe that this is a reference to two things actually One to our spiritual resurrection in Christ when you were born again
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Now it's interesting that in the text in Revelation 20 verse 4 to 6 it mentions second death
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Over which those who share in the first resurrection have no the second death has no power over them now
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Okay, we have a second death which means that there must have been a lot a First death now, what's the first death?
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Well, which one is it where we see where do we see the first death in Scripture in? The garden and God said
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You can eat of any tree in the garden But of this tree you shall not eat because in the day that you eat of it you shall surely what die
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Now Adam and Eve took the fruit they ate it and they died. But in what way did he die?
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Spiritually so if the first death is spiritual it would follow then that the first resurrection is what?
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Spiritual The second death is eternal bodily death in a resurrected state therefore it would follow that the second resurrection is
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Bodily resurrection unto life. Okay, which happens at his coming Do you see how that follows and how that's connected?
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and so I would submit to you that the first resurrection is the spiritual state of believers in this in the age of the church and it is also historically on Millennials believe that that it becomes a realized state of Spiritual resurrected glory when you die and be of Christ so that when the believer dies
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He goes straight into the presence of Christ and he is reigning with Christ in the
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Whether you want to use this phrase you're not the intermediate state or in the heavenly realms and so there is a very real
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Millennium that is happening right now vibrantly truly in the intermediate state
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Yeah, the post -millennialists would say well, there's gonna be an actual physical reigning on the earth in This thousand -year era, right?
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And so the world will essentially be converted. There'll be a form of a theocracy The nations will rule by God's Word And that that that will be the culmination of of some of these texts, but I would disagree with that No Christ comes after the
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Millennium, yeah, so Christ will come after the Millennium but in the sense that He comes to a
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Conquered world essentially he comes to a world that has been Christian eyes and that the church hands over The the world to Christ in that way
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Correct that's the perspective. Yeah. Yeah, which I think is actually incorrect I think Revelation 20 actually bears out that that's incorrect and we'll see into that as to why that is
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Yes Bodily resurrection.
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Yeah You Right That's right now what's interesting is that there's no mention of a second resurrection in the text
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It only mentions the first it presupposes that you're following the narrative, right?
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And the narrative is of course, it's it's showing you the the dichotomy between first death second death first resurrection
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Eventual second resurrection, you know, so it's it's following this narrative That you have to follow closely in Revelation 20.
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Yeah Right.
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Well, how does it not follow? There's one resurrection For some it'll be a resurrection to life for some it'll be a resurrection of the damnation, but it's one of that.
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It's one of that Yeah, that's right
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Yeah Yeah, and we will get to that text yeah, yeah, that's good that's good
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Yeah, so let's let's let's go through now the next part of this which is Satan's defeat and Wow, this is an interesting one, and I hope that we can follow through.
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This is a very complicated Section but what's what's interesting again and what
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I've done for you is that this is just a biblical survey So you have this this this key this key thought and this key words
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Gog and Magog? That's gonna be front and center in Revelation 2 after 20 verse 7 through 10
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And then we take you where else in Scripture those terms are used and we can get a fuller picture
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Of what Revelation 20 is actually showing us. So we'll start with the text in Revelation chapter 20 verse 7 through 10
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Who would like to read that? John did you read that Revelation 20 verse 7 through 10?
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Yeah, right there You know this text is actually what began to cause me to doubt pre -millennialism
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And when you read almost every pre -millennialist commentary and you read for instance even dispensational commentaries
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Especially and you read that left behind books and talking about the pre -tribulation rapture
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Everyone agrees that Gog and Magog is a picture of the Antichrist or what they call the
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Antichrist Okay That this is a the governmental structure or the individual that's going to gather the world against Israel to do final conflict a lot of them place
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Gog and Magog in Russia and That's incorrect and I'll tell you why in a bit
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That's right, yeah, that's right It's it's it's a title It's a title.
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Yeah, Gog is a title and it's Gog of the land of Magog. We're gonna see that why that is an Ezekiel But this is a difficult text because for pre -millennial is because the
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The framework of pre -millennialism says essentially mostly with few exceptions
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That that there's gonna be a rapture before Middle or end of a seven -year tribulation period and in that period of time
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Either in the beginning middle or end There's gonna be an Antichrist figure who's gonna arise to mislead many and he's gonna make a deal with Israel He's gonna cut that deal short in half and in the halfway of that deal
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And he's going to gather all the nations against Israel for final conflict. Have you heard of that before like if you
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This this is this is pre -millennialism now According to Revelation 20 if we're gonna be biblical literalists here that happens
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After the thousand years Not before So there's a problem here
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There's just there's a gaping hole in the pre -millennial framework with regard to the rise of the final conflict
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Now this is honestly one of the reasons why I'm not post -millennial either Is because there seems to be very clear indication that there will be a final conflict where things are not good, but they're bad
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So I I don't I don't I don't see this victorious Handing over the kingdoms of the world to Jesus as the post -millennialists would say well rather I see there's a real conflict here at the end
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Which is why Christ has to come and subdue his enemies Yes, that's right
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That's right, that's right now now the the response from a pre -millennial
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Framework and from most scholars how they have to harmonize it is it basically say it happens two times it happens at the you know
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Before the millennium and then it happens again at the end of the millennium But that that doesn't really follow because we don't really see that in Scripture elsewhere
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And so I would say that that that would be an incorrect assessment of the text But we're gonna look into a couple areas in which this idea of Gog and Magog comes and arises from specifically in Ezekiel chapter 38 and so we're gonna read that together and And notice what the
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Word of the Lord says the Word of the Lord came to me Son of man set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog the chief prince of Meshach and Tubal Improvise and prophesy against him and say thus says the
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Lord God behold I am against you Oh God chief prince of Meshach and Tubal Persia cush and put our with them all of them with shield and helmet
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Gomer all his hordes Beth Tagomera From the other most parts of the north of all his hordes many peoples are with you
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You will advance coming on like a storm and you will and you'll be like a cloud covering the land
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You and all your hordes and many peoples with you You will come up against my people
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Israel like a cloud covering the land in the latter days I will bring you against my land and the nations may know me when through you
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Oh God I will vindicate my holiness before their eyes So Ezekiel 38 is a fascinating text of Scripture.
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It comes after the valley of the dry bones, you know Ezekiel 36 Is imagery of the dry bones and and they prophesied to the bones and they become flesh and and they become revived
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There's a couple ways in which you can look at that historically Premillennialists have said that that's a picture of Israel and they wouldn't be wrong to assume that because the scripture says it's
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Israel Right, and so it says that that Israel will be this valley of dry bones and God will bring that breathe into them new life
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They'll be they'll gain Muscle and flesh and and they'll stand again.
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They'll be alive and Interpreters from the premillennial perspective say that's a reference to Israel becoming a nation again, which was fulfilled in 1948
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I don't think that's what Ezekiel chapter 36 to 37 is referring to. I think it's a reference to the church not simply
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National Israel now when it says in chapter 38 that this this horde called
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God of the land of Magog is gonna come against Israel like a flood like a storm
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I think too This is a reference to the church and I think that's the case
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Because of what Revelation 20 says notice what it says in Revelation 20 that he will gather the four corners of the of the earth
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Gog and Magog to gather them for battle their number is like the sand of the sea and they marched up of where the broad
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Plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the Saints and the beloved city The Saints and the beloved city.
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What's the beloved city? Bible says in Hebrews chapter 12, it's heavenly Jerusalem. That's the beloved city so it's a reference to God's people made up of Jew and Gentile that is being
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Come up against in this final conflict, not just simply national Israel That's right
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Yeah That's right
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Well Right I Think so, and I think you're heading in the right direction.
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I'm gonna God willing I will eventually do a teaching on Revelation here and it we go really deep into the subject and and It's actually not that much of a mystery who
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God of the land of Magog is it tells us in Scripture It's from Meshach and Tubal. Where's Meshach and Tubal?
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Everyone assumes a pre -millennial listen and dispensations love to say it's Russia because who doesn't want to blame
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Russia I mean Russia seems like this Is the the the bad guy of the
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American you know system right with the Soviets and the communists and now even now with the with the conflict that we see with Russia and the
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Western world and the Western allies He is the perfect boogeyman and and we love pegging things on Russia But it is not
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Russia. I promise you that Meshach and Tubal if you open any ancient map You'll find it easily in the
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Bible and it is in Turkey Modern -day Turkey. Okay. Now we could also be thinking of the fact that so This is deep.
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I don't wanna go too deep in this because open a lot of rabbit trails But there's a mystery here and there's a truth here in relation to who will be leading this conflict in the last days and And and and and I would just simply say
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Turkey is very important in biblical prophecy and it's very unassuming
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Because we don't really think of Turkey as a major problem But historically the seven so understand this the seven churches and Revelation are from where?
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modern -day Turkey Asia Minor Okay, so Asia Minor all the churches that are mentioned in the book of Revelation are from modern -day,
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Turkey. Okay Just keep that in the back of your mind for when we study Revelation in depth, but for the purposes of today's study
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We want to gather this data and information in regard to who Gog and Magog is And when do these events happen?
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So Ezekiel 38 and 39 gives us much information Notice what it says in Ezekiel 39 verse 1 through 8 and you son of man prophesy against Gog and say
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Thus says the Lord God behold I am against you God chief prince of Meshach and Tubal and I will turn you about and drive you forward and bring you
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Up from the uttermost parts of the north notice the word the note the usage of the words uttermost parts
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That's very similar to what we see in Revelation 20 We can pretty much deduce that this is the same event and will lead you against the mountains of Israel Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop out of your right hand
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You shall fall in the mountains of Israel in all your hordes and all the peoples are who are with you
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I will give you birds of prey of every sort to be beasts of the field to be devoured
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You shall fall in the open field for have spoken declares the Lord God I will send fire on Magog and those who dwell securely in the coastlands and they should know that I am the
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Lord and My holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel and I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore
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The nation shall know that I am the Lord the Holy One in Israel Behold it is coming and it will be brought about the clerks of Lord God.
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This is a day of which I have spoken Notice the use of the language When it says that I will send fire on Magog.
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What do we see in Revelation 20? We've seen Revelation chapter 20 It says and fire
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Came down from heaven and consumed them And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were and They will be tormented day and night forever and ever
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Is this the same event? Absolutely Ezekiel 38 and 39 is illuminating the event in which
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Revelation 20 verse 7 through 10 is giving us an abridged version of and it's calling us back to Ezekiel's prophecy concerning the final conflict
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And so to me, this is very clear reference to the end
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Yeah That's right.
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It is referring to us. Now. Does it seem it is referring to Israel? But who's Israel is the question?
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Right It's very possible
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Yeah Yeah, I it's certainly tempting to do that I I would say
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I'm skeptical of putting any biblical prophetic fulfillment to the events that transpires in Israel because We have to understand from a firmly theological perspective who is the
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Israel of God? And I think the New Testament is crystal clear that the Israel of God are those who put faith in Jesus Right and so who are truly
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Abraham's seed it's Galatians chapter 2 3 and 4 cannot be clear it's the children of God through faith in Jesus and so You know
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Galatians chapter 6 verse 16 Paul refers to the Israel of God. That's the church. We see this heavenly
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Jerusalem in Revelation and Hebrews chapter 12 of which we see the
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Old Testament Saints and the New Testament Saints being joined to and so it's not a foregone conclusion then that the prophetic
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Scriptures when it references Israel is a reference to natural Israel, but rather it's more likely a reference to The Israel of God, which is the church made up of Jew and Gentile The problem with that is that I would
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I I don't find this anywhere in Scripture. I mean anyone history Right where where you have this?
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Yeah, you don't I don't see this event in history So it gets actually very very detailed information as to who are those involved in the conflict
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Gog of the land of Magog, that's that's Turkey Okay, then it says it tells us in chapter 38 who they are.
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He says he's coming with Persia That's a modern -day Iran Persia Kush, which is
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Ethiopia Put are with them put would be kind of Yeah North north kind of in the that area of Egypt so some could say that's like Libya Not quite
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Libya. What's the country right next to Egypt? What is it is it Libya? Yeah, so it could like it's kind of like encompasses
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Egypt in Libya like that area there Right, right, but Turkey wasn't involved in the
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Six -Day War And that's the that's the big one. That's that's Gog of the land of Magog And so you have you have these players here, which are clear
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Clearly defined for us, and and we don't see this event anywhere in history. It hasn't happened yet And so so could there be a sense in which it was maybe fulfilled in some way?
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I think probably but I think that this is gonna be literally fulfilled. This is this is gonna be an actual conflict in the last day so Yeah That's right, that's right, that's absolutely right so again.
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That's why I'm not a post -millennial is Yeah, that's and that's why I'm not post -millennial is because Satan is let loose which means things are gonna get bad again really bad before the coming of Christ And so there have been some commentators in the all -millennial side who said that that Satan could very well be loose now
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I wouldn't go so far as to say that I mean that thing that's pretty presumptuous And could be potentially dangerous when we start trying to fit
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Bible prophecy in our day, I think that's always a dangerous thing yeah Yes, and they're foolish to say that There are some all -millennial commentators who said that Satan has been loosed has been let loose since around 1914
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Because that was the beginning of the first world war and that's where we see kind of a lot of Denigration in society and things have been kind of been going downhill since then and I think that that's a very foolish
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Presumptuous statement So yeah, I and the key word is a little while Granted we don't a little while for God can be a hundred years 200 years 500 years a thousand years.
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We don't know Yeah, but but there is but there is that that contrast right?
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There's a thousand years which if I'm correct just means a comprehensive long time
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Versus then a little while which would mean then it's not a long comprehensive amount of time.
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It's gonna be a very short time Revelation chapter 12 tells us that that Satan has been hurled to the earth, and he is angry for he has a short while There's a lot of things that we have to kind of consider when we're going through Revelation and in Reference to the timing of things, but I don't
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I don't think that Satan has been loosed yet I don't think I think it's gonna be so clear when he's loose that there's not we're not even gonna be having this discussion
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I think it's gonna be like we're gonna understand we're gonna get it right and It's not gonna be a mystery. We're only a few smart scholars and ivory tower figured it out
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So I think that that that perspective would be wrong to say that Satan has been loosed already Any other thoughts or questions on Gog and Magog So I would say again what the scripture seems to be teaching is pretty clear this conflict happens after the thousand years
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Ezekiel 38 Ezekiel 39 will be fulfilled at the conclusion of the thousand -year period
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Which would fit perfectly in an all -millennial structure doesn't quite work as well in a premillennial or postmillennial structure of Eschatology does that kind of make sense?
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Can you at least see that any thoughts or questions on it? We're gonna move on then to the final judgment
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Revelation 20 ends pretty gloriously with verse 11 of 15
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It says that I saw a great white throne and him who seated on it From his presence earth and sky fled away and no place was found for them
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And I saw the dead great and small standing before the throne and books were opened Then another book was open which is the book of life
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And the dead were judged by what was written in the books According to what they had done and the sea gave up the dead who were in it
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Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them and they were judged each of them
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Each one of them according to what they had done Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire
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This is the second death the lake of fire and if anyone's name was not found written the book of life
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He was thrown into the lake of fire So this is called the great white judgment seat where Christ comes victoriously
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He gathers all the dead great and small all the resurrected before him and he judges him and assigns him to eternal
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Destinies now according to this this happens when according revelation 20 at the end of what
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After the millennium, okay, it's after he sees the final conference of God may God God defeats him
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Consuming Gog with the fire and then comes the great judgment throne of Christ So, let's see where we find this anywhere else in Scripture Matthew 25 verse 31 34 and then 41 and 46 says the following When the
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Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him. So let's establish this. This is very clear
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Let's not let's not try to read into it too much But I think the scripture is pretty clear when the
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Son of Man comes in his glory. That's when That's a second coming. Okay Notice what he'll do and all the angels with him.
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He will sit on his glorious throne What's interesting about the sexes?
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This is straight from Christ himself. Jesus is the speaker Jesus is giving us insight into his eschatology of his coming
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Before him will be gathered all the nations and he will separate people One from another as a shepherd shepherd
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Separates the sheep from the goats and he will place the sheep on his right and the goats on the left
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Then the king will say to those on those rights come you who are blessed by my father Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world
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Then he will say to those on his left apart from me you cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels and These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life
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When does the assignment of eternal destinies happen? That is coming
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That is coming Not a thousand years separated, but when he comes he's gonna sit on that throne
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He will gather all nations great and small and he will assign them to eternal
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Life or eternal punishment now, this can't be talking about the intermediate state
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Intermediate state being a reference to what happens now and in between the eternal state
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Because the language is pretty clear in Revelation that death and Hades are gonna be hurled into Lake of Fire Lake of Fire is the same place and and elsewhere in the text where Satan himself is thrown into and The button that Jesus says the lake of the the hell that he's talking about is one prepared for the devil and his angels
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Okay, so We can correct a misconception right now.
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Satan does not reign in hell Right like in the cartoons with Satan with a pitchfork and he's torturing people in hell.
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That's not biblical Hell is not his domain Hell was created for the devil's destruction
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It's a finality and Those who are unrighteous shall share in the same fate as the as our enemy
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Satan the devil and this happens When he comes in glory sits on his throne
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Okay. Well, maybe that's just one verse. Are there other verses that seem to indicate this? I would say yes notice what
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Matthew Chapter 19 verse 28. Jesus says this truly I say to you that you followed me in the regeneration
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Some translations call this the recreation when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne
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You shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel So notice what it says when the recreation the regeneration, that's the eternal state
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It's when the Son of Man comes and will sit on his glorious throne Okay, so that's pretty clear as well
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Second Corinthians 510 Paul says for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ So that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body whether good or evil 2nd
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Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 7 through 10. This is a great text that really refutes pre -millennialism
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And to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven
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That's his second coming or his mighty angels in flaming fire Inflicting vengeance on those who do not know
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God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction
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Away from the presence of the Lord from the glory of his might when he comes on that day
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To be glorified in the Saints and to be marveled that among all those who have believed Because our testimony to you was believed so Paul makes it very clear that when
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Christ comes the second coming he's gonna come to inflict vengeance and Punishment on those who do not know and obey the gospel and they will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction
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So here's pre -millennial isms big problem is that you have a thousand year period in which?
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Death is still happening in which Unbelievers will survive that event most almost all pre -millennialists believe that that unbelievers will survive the second coming and will be
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Allowed to live in this thousand -year state where Christ is raining from Jerusalem and yet it says pretty plainly in Scripture that at the second coming of the
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Lord all his enemies are subdued all his enemies are defeated and They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, which is the lake of fire the second death
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So no, I don't see any unbelievers surviving this event
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This is a the second coming is a is total Conquer and victory for Jesus.
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So I again it's it'd be hard for a pre -millennial is to Have that thousand -year period in light of these scriptures where unbelievers are
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Living and populating the earth and there's death happening and there's conflict happening
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That doesn't seem to be the teaching of Scripture yet your hand up Yeah Yeah Well, this is a really interesting text and there's a context to this text in which
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Jesus is elevating Essentially the church over Israel and saying that and the final judgment.
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Don't you know that we're gonna judge angels? Don't you know that we're gonna judge Israel itself like the tribes that the
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Pharisees were judging you you'll be judging them it's the point that Jesus is actually making in the text and so so that would be why the
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Distinction between the twelve Apostles judging the twelve tribes of Israel, so That's the point that Christ is likely making in the text
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Then finally we've seen in 2nd Peter chapter 3 verse 7 to 13
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We see this but it's by the same word the heavens and the earth that now exists are stored up for fire Being kept until the day of judgment and the destruction of the ungodly
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But do not overlook this one fact Beloved that with the Lord that with the
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Lord one day is as a thousand years in a thousand years as one day The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promises as some count slowness
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But as patient toward you not wishing that any should perish But that all should reach repentance
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But the day of the Lord that's a very important key the day of the Lord We just saw that's being associated with the day of judgment and the destruction of the ungodly
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The day of the Lord will come like a thief and then the heavens will pass away with a roar
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And the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved in the earth and all the works are done on it will be exposed
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Since all these things are thus to be dissolved What sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness?
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waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God Because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved and heavenly bodies will melt as they burn
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But according to his promises we are awaiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells
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So according to the Apostle Peter, we're waiting for the day of judgment the destruction of the ungodly
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It's a day of the Lord a day of God of which results a new heavens and you were
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No mention of a thousand years there very clear day of judgment comes This current realm is is consumed by fire
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Whatever that may mean and then ushering in an eternal realm of new heavens and new earth Pretty clear -cut and then that jives very well revelation chapter 21 verses 1 to 3
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We're John after seeing the great white judgment seat of Christ He says then I saw a new heaven and a new earth
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For the first time in the first earth had passed away and the sea is no more and I saw the holy city new
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Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying
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Behold the dwelling place of God is of man and he will dwell with them and they will be his people and God Himself will be with them as their
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God and then you have the eternal state new heavens new earth No more pain no more sorrow no more suffering you see
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I like this eschatology a lot better Jesus we're awaiting the coming of Christ and then there's not gonna be a thousand year period where we're kind of building towards utopia
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Rather Christ comes he demolishes. He destroys his enemies He ushers in a new heavens new earth and there shall be peace forevermore.
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That's what I'm looking forward to Any last thoughts or questions on the material maybe some of the scriptures that we've read
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Have I got you thinking a little bit Maybe even convince some of you
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I Think some of this is pretty clear pretty compelling stuff. And what's interesting about what
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I what I've given to you There's no commentary in it. It's just straight scripture. It's straight from God's Word.
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And so, you know, I'm I'm not I'm giving you commentary, but you can just read this on your own and you can come to the same conclusions
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I am just by looking at the totality of what God's Word says on the subject so Yeah Right You Yeah, I see
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Yeah Yeah, that's certainly actually there's there's a vein of thought that Some theologians have followed with that regard to this is more of a statement of the
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Old Covenant versus New Covenant I think there could be some validity to that. I'm not convinced by it though I think that this is most likely a reference to again
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The pattern just seems to follow so neatly and cleanly between the first death being spiritual first resurrection being spiritual
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Yeah, I See what you're saying Yeah, so it's but notice what it says, right?
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So first of all, this is actually greatly fulfilled in the first century I would say and we'll get there eventually in the future as to why
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I think that's the case but notice with the subject and I said I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the
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Word of God And those who had not worshipped the beast in its image I would say the beast is Rome the image of the beast is the image of the of the of the king of Caesar and Had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands.
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This is a spiritual mark of ownership And so it's referring to those Christians. They did not Right That's right.
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And so they did not worship the beast They did not bow the knee to Caesar and they came to life as a result of such obedience
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To reign with Christ for a thousand years So he's speaking specifically to the people who were the subject of that persecution of which
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I think John is writing in that time period And it says the rest of that did not come to life until the thousand years were ended
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I would have not assumed that this is the same group that came to life in the first place
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And the reason why I says this is the first resurrection Blessed and Holy is one who shares in the first resurrection
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That's to say there's a difference between those who are Resurrected in the Millennium those who've come to spiritual life.
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They're holy and blessed over such the second death has no power But the other group that's gonna be resurrected.
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They're not in they're not Accounted for in the being holy and blessed
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Because they did not come to life during the Millennium. What's that? What the rest that did not come to life
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I would say that's the unbelievers The rest that did not come to life because it says the the first those who partake in the first erection are the ones who are blessed and holy and over such the first the second death does not have any authority over them, which is to kind of say this is a
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There's there's a there's a euphemism here. There's a there's a there's a way in which Jewish writers often would give you a negative by exclusion
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Right, so if if the if the author excludes a group it's because it's a negative right and because the
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The excluded are those who are not in the first resurrection. They are excluded. Therefore.
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It's a negative right, that's a very Jewish way of thinking and writing and so So I would say that yeah
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This is the rest that did not come to life are a reference to unbelievers who will be raised
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Bodily who have never been raised spiritually they will have a place and portion in the lake of fire
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But those who receive the first resurrection we don't receive that punishment Because and then those who who are in the first resurrection
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They will be priests of God and of Christ and they will reign with him for a thousand years
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Right. So the ones who are raised in the first resurrection are the ones who are the beneficiaries of being
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Reigning with Christ and and a great parallel to that would be what Peter says that we are a royal priesthood
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That we are a chosen nation, right? And so that so clearly we are those people we are that people that's been raised with Christ Ephesians chapter 2 verse 5 and 6 says that God made us alive together with Christ and He's raised us up with him and seated us with him in heavenly places
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So there is true of us now even in our current state not being in heaven with him
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We're still connected with him and seated with him in heavenly places as we speak.
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Yeah Yeah, there's no more chances after that yeah now is the day of salvation
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Choose you this day when you shall serve, you know, there's no there's no second chances after the second coming of Jesus This is it
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Yeah Nor would it Nor would it be just nor would it be just because then if you're telling me there's a group of people who can be saved
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After the coming of Christ now that they see Jesus and see the benefits of his kingdom that's not walking in faith that that would be unfair to those who had not who have preceded there was in death and And did not see the tangible coming of Christ.
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So so that wouldn't be very just either and the judge shall live by faith That's right, that's right, that's right
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Absolutely, absolutely good Well, hopefully we got to consider some new things and information.
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May the Lord bless you as you walk in his way Let me pray for us father. We thank you that you're a good God that you've granted us wisdom from your word and given us
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Some things to think about and to consider we pray Lord that your spirit would lead us into all truth as you've promised in scripture
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We pray Lord that you'd help us to receive a desire a hastening for the coming of the day of the
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Lord That we would say come Lord Jesus and even so may you come soon in Jesus name.