The Time Is Up — Stephen Kaung

I was thinking of telling you dear brothers and sisters that this morning I will try to be short, but I don't know if I can keep my promise, so I hesitate very much, but anyway, I know you are anxious to return, so I will try my best.

The Angel and the Opened Book in Revelation 10

We will please turn to the book of Revelation. Revelation chapter 10. We will read from the first verse. Revelation chapter 10, verse 1. Another strong angel coming down out of the heaven, clothed with a cloud and a rainbow upon his head, and his countenance as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire, and having in his hand a little opened book.

And he set his right foot on the sea, and the left on the earth, and cried with a loud voice as a lion roars. And when he cried, the seven thunders uttered their own voices. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write, and I heard a voice out of the heaven saying, Seal the things which the seven thunders have spoken, and write them not.

And the angel whom I saw stand on the sea and on the earth, lifted up his right hand to the heaven, and swore by him that lives to the ages of ages, who created the heaven and the things that are in it, and the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be no longer delay.

Or in other translation, time there is, when he is about to sound the trumpet, the mystery of God also shall be completed, as he has made known the glad tidings to his own bondman, who sounded his trumpet, and there were great voices in the heaven saying, The kingdom of the world of worship and in praise.

God’s Sovereignty Over Time

We do praise and thank thee that thou hast been so good, so gracious, the clothes of the Omega to us. We do praise and thank thee that it is true that to everything, and there is a way to God, I will give you another fifteen years to live.

And Hezekiah said, God will give me fifteen more years, temple to worship God. So Isaiah, here is the sign, you want the dial, go forward, be regained ten degrees, and the shadow on the dial of Ahaz went back.

The only two instances that you'll find in the Bible, that they discovered that twenty-four hours, we'll praise and thank the Lord. He was hidden, and he was in public ministry only a little over three years, but what he did in those three years, even the whole world, not to say the library of Christ in the world, a thousand years.

The work of a thousand years in one day, and thank God a thousand years, but he was not yet ready. Unfaithful, you'll find that God has been fulfilled. God never fails. Sixty days. So you'll find that the great tribulation is actually, that will come upon this earth, is actually three years and a half.

With the sounding of the four in the heaven, saying, the kingdom of the world of our Lord, and He arranged. Now of course there is, you'll later, you'll find man wanted to be his own king. Instead of obeying dear brothers and sisters, when man, the forbidden fruit.

God Turns Curses Into Blessing

In other words, he delivered, not only himself, the twenty-three, but also the people, God turned it into blessing. And if you read these chapters, it is most amazing. You know, Belak, he was worthy, but still mightily, of the greatest prophecies in the Bible.

And there you'll find in the prophecy, four times, God turned it into blessing. And in every time, you listen to this, I cannot go into it, it would take too long. Lo, it is the people that shall dwell in equity in Jacob, neither having seen wrong in Israel.

Jehovah, his God, is with him, and the shout of the king is in the midst. He shall be higher than Aged, and his kingdom shall be exalted. There cometh a star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.

And he shall cut in pieces the corners of Moab, and destroy all the sons of Thumud. And one out of Jacob shall have dominion, and will destroy out of the city what remaineth. In other words, you'll find in the prophecies of Balaam, again and again, through revelation, God is telling that he is to be king among in this nation of Israel.

Israel as God’s Kingdom on Earth

Brothers and sisters, when they enter into the promised land, actually the promised land they occupied at that time was a tiny little bit of territory. Before I went to Palestine, I thought Palestine must be a very big place, that our Lord Jesus travelled far and wide in the land of Palestine.

But after you arrive there, you'll find it is just a tiny little bit of territory. So here you'll find the children of Israel, they occupy a very tiny bit of earth upon this planet. And they were a small people, small in number.

And yet, dear brothers and sisters, the wonder of wonders is, God has set up his kingdom in this people. He had his kingdom upon the earth, in a nation of Israel. As long as Israel, as a nation, obey God, nobody can conquer them.

They were at the top of all things. No matter how big a nation or nations, no one can defeat them, because God was their king. God has given them the dominion over the earth. God set up his kingdom in a nation of Israel.

But if they disobey God, then you'll find they will be defeated by the enemies around them. Unfortunately, they rebelled against God, they were not faithful to God, and finally that nation was completely destroyed.

They were taken into Babylonian captivity. And do you know, during the time of the Babylonian captivity, if you read Old Testament, you will find that God was never addressed as the God of the heavens and of the earth.

God was only addressed as the God of the heavens. Why? Because he had no testimony upon the earth. He put his name in Jerusalem. He committed himself to the nation of Israel. He made the nation of Israel his own kingdom upon this earth.

And yet here you'll find Jerusalem was destroyed, the temple was destroyed, the people of Israel were taken into captivity. There was no testimony of God upon the earth. Therefore, God during that short period was never addressed as the God of the heavens and of the earth.

Only addressed as the God of the heavens. But that doesn't mean God did not leave any testimony for himself. You'll find he still did. Even though the times of the Gentiles had ushered in. And yet you'll find with the first Gentile power, God has left behind Daniel.

Daniel and the Everlasting Kingdom

And through Daniel, the golden head, Nebuchadnezzar, was given the knowledge that even though God had given him the power over the whole earth, but God is still above all. Seeing that God had given up, God hadn't given up, but you'll find again and again he was warned by Daniel.

Now, you can read Daniel chapter 2, and you'll find Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar, Thou, O king, art the king of kings, into whom the God of the heavens hath given thee the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the glory.

But remember, the day will come, in the days of these kings, shall the God of the heavens set up a kingdom, which shall not be destroyed. It will break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, but itself shall stand forever.

In other words, God has given Nebuchadnezzar the kingdom, but it is God who gave him the kingdom. And the days will come, during the days of the kings, all the kingdoms of the world will be destroyed, and God will set up his own kingdom, and his kingdom shall stand forever.

And then in chapter 4, he again told Nebuchadnezzar that the heavens do rule over the affairs of man. And then in chapter 7, you'll find Daniel sorting a vision, vision of the night, and a throne was there.

And then he found one like the son of man being led to the throne, and he received from the one who sits upon the throne, dominion, kingdom. And his dominion shall know no end, and his kingdom shall last forever.

So brothers and sisters, even though during the time of captivity, Babylonian captivity, God seemingly did not have his kingdom upon this earth, and yet he still had his witness upon this earth, that God still had his own kingdom.

And his kingdom will come, and it will be forever. Before the coming of our Lord Jesus, or at the coming of our Lord Jesus, you'll find John the Baptist, the forerunner. He came forward, and what was his message?

He said, repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn nigh. God has unforgotten his kingdom. Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn nigh. Why? Because the King has come. But the King has come.

Entering the Kingdom Through Self-Denial

But the King alone does not make up a kingdom. In other words, for the King to have a kingdom, he needs a people. And that's the reason why in the beginning of the ministry of our Lord Jesus, he repeated the message of John the Baptist.

Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn nigh. But when you come to Matthew chapter 11, you'll find he changed his words. He said from the day of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of the heavens is to be seized by violence, and the violence seized upon it.

Why is it? Because at that time he had already his disciples. His disciples were the subject of his kingdom. He was king over his disciples. His disciples put themselves under his dominion, and because of that, he has his kingdom upon this earth.

So he tells us that anyone who wants to enter into his kingdom, you have to do violence. Now we don't like the word violence. It has a bad connotation. But actually the word itself is neutral. It simply means you have to do something, something drastic.

Not that the Lord wants us to do violence to other people. That is the problem today. But the violence there is, do violence to yourself. Deny yourself. Now that is very violent. Oh, we love ourselves.

How we take care of ourselves. How we try to gratify its every lust and passions and desires. Oh, we are so soft towards ourselves. We may do violence to other people. Very critical, very judgmental. But when it comes to ourselves, oh how we love ourselves.

Oh, how we take good care of ourselves. We embrace ourselves. But brothers and sisters, the Lord said, if you want to enter into my kingdom, you have to do violence to yourself. You have to deny yourself.

You have to tell yourself, who are you? I don't know you. I have no reason to yield to your demand. Because I am under the order of the king. Dear brothers and sisters, here you find our Lord Jesus is setting up his kingdom upon this earth.

The Church Proclaims the Kingdom of God

And you know after our Lord Jesus died and raised from the dead, he was upon this earth for forty days before he ascended to heaven. You know what he did, what he said during these forty days? He went to his disciples and disappeared.

But if you read Acts chapter one, you find during those forty days, he spoke to his disciples about the things of the kingdom of God. Our Lord Jesus had the kingdom in his mind. He talked to his disciples of the things of the kingdom, that they might know what the kingdom is.

His kingdom is not of the world, he said. But what is his kingdom? He is telling his people the principles of his kingdom, the things about the kingdom of God. And you know if you read the book of Acts, it not only begins with our Lord Jesus speaking of the kingdom of God.

But when you come to the end of the book of Acts, in chapter twenty-eight, you find Paul was in Rome in his tired apartment. And what was he doing there? He was teaching the kingdom of God. Dear brothers and sisters, what is the message of the church?

The message of the church is the kingdom of God. The church is to proclaim that Jesus is king. He is Lord. He is to set up his kingdom upon this earth. Here you find the conflict, the battle between the two kingdoms.

On the one hand, you find the kingdom of God. On the other hand, you find the kingdom of darkness. And these two kingdoms are in constant, continuous, unceasing conflicts with each other. An instance from the Old Testament.

Conflict Between the Kingdoms of David and Saul

You find in 2 Samuel, there you find the house of David and the house of Saul. David was king in Hebron, but the seed of Saul was king in Jerusalem. And these two houses fought against each other. David was king in Hebron for seven years and six months.

And during that period, you find there was constant conflict between these two houses. Eventually, you find, gradually, the kingdom of Saul became weaker and weaker. And the house of David became stronger and stronger, until the day when the house of Saul came to an end, and David was crowned in Jerusalem.

Now, this is the picture here. You find there is the conflict between two kingdoms. The kingdom of God that Christ has set up on earth, and the kingdom of darkness that Satan has set up on earth. And these two kingdoms have been in conflict through the ages, through the centuries.

But dear brothers and sisters, we know one thing. The kingdom of darkness is getting weaker and weaker. And the kingdom of God is getting stronger and stronger, until it prevails. Now, you may think it doesn't look like it.

But let me tell you. That image that Nebuchadnezzar saw, God revealed to Nebuchadnezzar the kingdom of this world. Here you'll find the Babylonian kingdom, the Middle Persia kingdom, the Greek Macedonian kingdom, and you'll find the Roman kingdom.

In other words, kingdom comes and kingdom goes. But behind all the kingdoms of the world, there is the kingdom of darkness. In other words, Satan is at the back pulling the strings. And the kingdom of this world is getting stronger and stronger?

No. Why? Because in that image you saw, the value of the kingdom of this world is becoming less and less. It began with gold. Then it went down to silver. It went down to brass. It went down to iron. It went down to clay.

Brothers and sisters, in the eye of the kingdom of darkness it becomes stronger and stronger. It looks like it. But in the eyes of God, God saw, God sees that the kingdom of the world is getting weaker and weaker and weaker.

And the day is coming when that stone not cut with hand, that is the kingdom of God, will smite the feet of the kingdom of the world. Break it to pieces and the stone will grow into a great mountain and fill the earth.

In other words, the kingdom of God shall come upon this earth. It is the time that the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our God and of His Christ. Thank God it is coming. Brothers and sisters, you need spiritual eyes to see.

Don't see with your physical eyes. See with the spiritual eyes. And you know it is coming. Now let me just use an illustration. I didn't keep my promise. In the middle. Use an illustration. You know in the first century, the kingdom of this world was represented by the Roman Empire.

The Church Prevails Over the Roman Empire

It was such a powerful kingdom. And the power of this empire, every form, the kingdom of God, the church of God at that time. Roman Caesars, one after another, Christianity, without the name of the Lord Jesus.

And you find the whole forces, all the power of the Roman Empire, the greatest empire upon this earth. Were mobilized against the church of God. Seemingly, many were killed. Seemingly, many were put in jail.

Seemingly, they were able to wipe out. And the Christians had to meet in the catacombs and be buried in the catacombs. But dear brothers and sisters, do you know what history tells us? The Roman Empire was out to destroy the church.

But the church prevailed. The Roman Empire was destroyed. Now that is in the beginning of history. And brothers and sisters, this is true throughout the centuries. No matter how the kingdom of the world might appear to be, we know that the kingdom of God is gathering strength.

We know that the kingdom of this world is getting weaker and weaker. And the day is coming when the kingdom of this world shall become the kingdom of our God and of His Christ. When that day... You find a number of things there, I won't describe them, I will just read them.

The Seventh Trumpet and God’s Public Reign

Because I will keep you here. And here you'll find in chapter 11, there are several things that happened when, after the sounding of the seventh trumpet. And in verse 17, they worshipped God saying, We give thee thanks, Lord God Almighty, He who is and who was, that thou hast taken thy great power and hast reigned.

God has always reigned. He has never given up His reigning. But here you'll find He has taken great power and has reigned publicly. Today God reigns. He reigns secretly. You need to have spiritual eyes to see.

Understanding to understand. The world does not know. They think that they reign. No, God reigns. God loved the king and God cast down the king. God reigns, but He reigns in secret. Thank God, when the time is up, you'll find He shall reign publicly.

The kingdom of God shall be established upon this earth. And righteousness shall rule over the earth. This is the utopia that man dreams about. This is the time when there will be peace all around. This is the time where lion will eat grass with lamb.

This is the time that a child can play at the hole of a poisonous serpent. Nothing in the holy heel of God will hurt anybody. Why? Because Christ reigned over this earth. And dear brothers and sisters, those overcomers shall reign with Christ for a thousand years.

Judgment, Reward, and the Books of Record

At the same time, you'll find the nations have been full of wrath. And thy wrath is come. Oh, the nations, instead of repent, the nations were full of wrath. The wrath of the nations to compare with the wrath of God.

Here you'll find the wrath of God is also come. In other words, He will judge the nations. There will be the last war. And this last war is a just war. It's a war that ends all war. Because Christ and His army will come and defeat Satan and his followers.

Then further you'll find, and the time of the dead to be judged. You know, it really covers a great many things. Here it goes even to after millennium. After millennium, all the dead will be raised and will all stand before the great white throne to be judged.

And whoever's name is not in the book of life, he will be judged according to the books. And what are the books? The books are your records. Not in a computer thing. But as someone said, now where does God keep that file?

Probably He keeps that file here, in you. Just bring it out, everything will be there. And you know how true it is. We are told, I think it's Moody who say that, when a person is drowning, or he, in his lifetime, I forgot the detail.

But anyway he said, when a person is drowning, suddenly his whole life comes before him on the screen. God just touch a button and you'll find history is going backward. And everything will come and nothing is lost.

All that you do, did. All that you thought, everything in your life, were in the books. And you will be judged according to the books. And to give the recompense to thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to those who fear thy name, small and great.

Thank God. On the one hand there will be judgment of the nations. There will be the judgment of the dead. But on the other hand, dear brothers and sisters, there will be reward. God is going to reward His prophets, those who are His in the Old Testament time, who are faithful to Him.

And He will reward the saints, those who are faithful to Him in the New Testament times. And He will reward those who fear His name. Now I don't know what this group is. I think probably these are the people that came to fear the name of the Lord during the time of the Great Tribulation.

But anyway you'll find, whether it is back in the Old Testament time, or in the New Testament time, or even in the time of Great Tribulation, those who respond to God's grace, they will be rewarded. Overcomers will be rewarded.

Small and great. Now oftentimes we have a kind of mental image of an overcomer. We think that to be an overcomer he must be seven feet tall, or 250 pounds, or so forth. Then he's an overcomer. You know, there will be small and great.

So even though you are small, you can be an overcomer. If that statue is the statue of Christ. So dear brothers and sisters, and then it continues on to destroy them that destroy the earth. Not only you will find the beasts will be destroyed, antichrists, false prophets will be thrown into the lake of fire, but even Satan will be destroyed and thrown into the lake of fire.

All that destroy the earth will be destroyed. And brothers and sisters, when all these things happen, time will be no more. Because everything God wants to accomplish within time has been accomplished.

Eternity and the New Jerusalem

So you'll find the time is over. Eternity. If you want to know something about eternity, read Revelation chapter 21 and 22. There you'll find the holy city, the new Jerusalem, descending out of heaven and come upon the new earth.

The tabernacle of God is among men. Dear brothers and sisters, there you'll find all who are in the cities, all who are redeemed of the Old Testament, of the New Testament. They shall all be kings and they worship God.

Dear Heavenly Father, how we do praise and thank Thee that Thou art the God from eternity to eternity. For Thou has set up time in Thy dealing with mankind in order to accomplish the purpose that Thou has for Thy own son.

And how we do praise and thank Thee no matter what has happened or what is happening. We know that the day is coming when time shall be no more. Thou will have what Thou has purposed even before the foundation of the world.

Thou will get Thy church. Thou will get Thy bride. And Thou shall have Thy kingdom upon this earth. And Thy kingdom shall know no end. Thy dominion shall be everlasting. Oh, how we praise and thank Thee knowing that that day is coming.

When we shall, by Thy grace, be ushered into eternity. And there we shall worship Thee forever. In the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.