The Great End Times Judgement: Revelation 14 - Revelation: The Apocalypse

You're listening to the road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt.

Verses 13 and 14.

In him, you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in him who also, having believed, when you put your faith in Christ, when you gave your heart to Christ, is what it says, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

Isn't that exciting?

You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of his glory.

So men and women, you've you've been sealed by the Holy Spirit.

It's your engagement ring.

Today, Pastor Steve continues his series on the book of Revelation.

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We hope you are encouraged by today's message from Pastor Teacher Steve Holt.

I want to pray real quick, and then we're going to open the word.

I want you to watch a video that's coming up.

And here's my heart today.

God protects his own.

God's on the move.

And the mission of the church is to touch the world with the gospel.

And we're doing it in Rwanda.

We're starting to do that in Guatemala.

We're doing it with the Springs Initiative.

And we are a part of a missional church that's taking the gospel to the world here in these last days.

Let's pray.

Father, as we open the word, as we look at the briefing of the last days, your intelligence briefing to us of what's going to happen, may we be more vigilant, more aware of how you're going to guide us in reaching all the nations and tribes and peoples of the earth with the gospel.

We commit this time to you, O Lord, in your name.

Amen.

I want you to watch this interview I had with Robert Moore.

When we speak of an Antichrist and we speak of a one-world dictator, you know, we've talked about singularity, and I want you to briefly discuss that.

But I mean, what are your thoughts as it relates to the possibility, which I've heard from many quarters over the years, that that leader, that dictator could actually be something of a computer?

Very good, very good.

Lots of discussion on this.

Hundreds of different blogs and different sites that talk about this.

But let me boil it down to what my personal opinion is.

I've been in the industry this long and what I've seen.

I do not believe that the world, the one world leader, the Antichrist, individual, not the spirit of Antichrist, but the actual individual, I don't believe he'll be a computer per se.

However, I do believe that he will have certain enhancements or what we call transhumanist traits.

The ability to hook into the internet, hook into various different capabilities and information directly built and engineered into his brain, into his body.

He will be a lot more than wearable technology.

He'll actually be partly.

Reminds me of the bionic man years ago, running around, right?

Jumping.

Well, this guy's going to have this in order to enhance his personality, his presence, and his ability to keep track of what's going on in the world.

So over the next few weeks, we're going to have some different interviews that we'll be showing as we study Revelation.

That was one with Robert.

Turn in your Bibles, though, to Revelation chapter 14.

Revelation 14 · chapter mention

And last week we talked about the mark of the beast.

We talked about the mark of the Antichrist.

We looked at eight marks of the Antichrist.

If you were not here, you can go online and you can download or you can listen to that sermon.

But here's what's so exciting about Revelation 14 is that God is also going to mark his people.

So look at Revelation 14.

Then I looked and behold a lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000, having his father's name written on their forehead.

So there's some kind of a mark on the 144,000.

And we've talked about this before.

This is 144,000 kosher billigrams.

I mean, these are Jewish followers that have come to know the Lord, and God is protecting them during the great tribulation period like never before.

It's interesting that 30 Psalms in our scriptures out of 150 speak of Mount Zion in a millennial sense.

This coming to Mount Zion, this 144,000, this invincible force of evangelists and prophets and healers and pastors and teachers coming together from all over the globe because they know the coming of the Lord is soon.

And think about an end times calendar.

There'll be like an end time, they'll all have a calendar because it'll be the last days calendar because they know that the Antichrist only has 1,260 days, and then it's over for him.

And so they're just slashing off the days.

It's like, well, he's only got a thousand more.

He's only got 800 more.

He's only got 700 more.

And as they preach the gospel and people are getting saved during that time, there's some kind of a mark.

There's some kind of a mark on them.

And men and women, you have that mark.

You have that mark right now through the seal of the Holy Spirit.

Through the seal of the Holy Spirit.

Turn in your Bibles, if you have a Bible with you, turn to Ephesians chapter 1.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

Look at Ephesians chapter 1, verses 13 and 14.

Ephesians 1:13

In him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in him whom also having believed, so when you put your faith in Christ, when you gave your heart to Christ, this is what it says, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

Isn't that exciting?

You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of his glory.

So, men and women, you've been sealed by the Holy Spirit.

It's your engagement ring.

It's your engagement ring of a possession that's not fully all here yet.

It's the coming of the kingdom into your life, but it's not the fullness of the kingdom.

It's the already, but the not yet.

It's the already, but the not yet.

Some people get supernaturally healed today.

A picture of the kingdom of God coming down and touching our lives, and other people don't.

I don't know why.

It's the already, but it's the not yet.

It's not complete.

Now, when Christ prayed for every person he prayed for, they got healed.

But when we, in our sinful yet sanctified state, bring the kingdom, it's the already, it's there, but it's not complete yet in us.

And so the seal of the Holy Spirit is that engagement ring.

It's that engagement ring you get that there's a wedding day coming.

And that's what Revelation 14 is talking about.

The rest of Revelation is the tribulation period and then the coming of the Lord, and there is this protection over his own.

God protects you, he watches over you.

And as you're filled with the Holy Spirit, as you walk in obedience with him, he's opening doors that no man can shut.

He's shutting doors that nobody can open.

I mean, what better adventure can you get than that?

That God is so supernaturally going before you as you trust him with the seal of the Holy Spirit upon you.

You know, I'm amazed when I think of the seal of God as it was related to Noah and Lot and all those before us, how God protected them and watched over them and did so in such a supernatural and powerful way.

And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder, and I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps.

Now there's some kind of harp factory in heaven.

I mean, we're going to see harps a few times here.

I don't know what the deal is about harps, but God loves harps.

And they sang, as it were, a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders, and no one could learn that song except the 144,000 who were redeemed from the earth.

So this 144,000 has their own production company with this song that they're singing to the Lord, and I believe that we're not there.

I believe we're not here during this great tribulation period.

I believe we've been raptured out.

I believe God's taken us out.

So we're on the mezzanine, looking down, watching this concert that's better than anything that Hillsong's ever done, better than anything Bethel's ever done or IHOP.

I mean, these 144,000 are singing a song that only they know, and we're up in heaven just amazed at the beauty of it all and the sound of this harp.

Some kind of a harp.

Lots of harps.

And these harpists singing unto the Lord.

And I think what's happening is they're singing of the deliverance of the Lord.

Do you look back on your life and see the deliverance of the Lord yet?

Are any of you old?

Some of you aren't even old enough yet.

But as you get older, you look back and you go, man, we missed a bullet there.

Wow, how could God have taken care of us financially in that situation?

You start to have these stories.

They're kind of like these campfire stories of the deliverance of the Lord.

Can you imagine the 144,000?

The 144,000 are being hunted down by the beast, by the Antichrist and the prophet, and by Satan himself during the tribulation period, and God's protecting them, and God's watching over them.

And here's what it says these are the ones who were not defiled with women for their virgins.

So the first thing we note about the 144,000 is their virgins.

They've made a choice in this seven-year tribulation period to give themselves fully to following the Lamb.

And some of you are here single.

Some of you in this room are maybe called to be single, to be chaste for your whole life.

Some of you are widows and widowers.

Some of you have been through divorce.

Some of you are single by choice or not by choice.

And God might be calling you to remain in that state because of the work of the Lord.

Paul said it was better for him to remain single.

And there's lots of discussion about whether he was single before or if he actually was called by God into singleness for the rest of his life.

We don't know.

But these 144,000 are virgins.

These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.

So the reality here is that there is such a danger and such a mark on the lives of these 144,000 by the Antichrist, they've got to follow the Lord wherever they go.

And some of you, if you've ever been in the mission field, you've been in some day if you've been in any dangerous situations where you absolutely have to have the Lord show up.

Because you don't know what to do.

And I remember one time we were in, we were smuggling Bibles in Hungary.

This is back before Hungary became free and a democracy, but dates me a little bit.

But we were there and we had come into this small town in Hungary and we got out, we didn't know where to go, and we huddled together, my group, and we prayed, God, show us what to do.

And a guy just came out of an alleyway and walked up to us in perfect English, said, Do you guys need a place to stay?

And then we were able, in the three days we stayed with this gentleman who none of us knew, he was a professor at the university, he got saved, gave his life to Christ, and became the key leader for Campus Crusade for the next 10 years in that country.

I mean, God will guide you.

The problem is we're already guided.

We've already got so much of what we need, we don't find ourselves in those situations.

But these 144,000 are there and they follow the Lamb wherever he goes because they don't know where he's gonna go.

And he knows where they need to go because the enemy is after them in greater measure during this time.

These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits to God and to the Lamb.

And in their mouth was found no deceit, and they are without fault before the throne of God.

So there's a holiness.

There's a commitment to holiness.

Sometimes I hate my mouth.

My mouth gets me more in trouble than anything else.

How many of you have had to apologize this week?

How many of you should have apologized this week and you didn't?

Alright, a lot of hands on that, too.

So, so it there's something about the power of the tongue.

There's something to be said about the call on our lives of holiness of our tongue to begin to love people with our tongue in greater measure as we mature in Christ.

These saints are not perfect.

I don't think we want to classify this as perfection or anything, but these are men and women who have decided to be chaste during these last days, to be spirit-led, and to be holy with how they use their tongue.

Jude 24 says, Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.

Present you faultless before the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Now, three angels show up.

And these three angels have a job to do.

And this is sort of the last chance.

God's heart is breaking for the earth.

His heart is breaking for some of you here that don't know him.

And he keeps giving you opportunity after opportunity to get saved, to give yourself to him.

And in these last days, these angels show up with the heart of God for a last chance for salvation.

Verse 6.

Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth, to every nation, tribe, and tongue and people.

So Jesus says that in the last days every nation will hear, and then the end will come.

So, church, as we think about Guatemala, as we think about Rwanda, as we think about the fact that Marcus is in Turkey right now with the Axe School and all those from around the world in that area of the 1040 window in their meeting.

We have the Springs Initiative in this city.

I mean, there is so many things that God is doing today.

Don't you want to be a part of that?

Don't you want to be a part of that?

Don't you want to be a part of that?

That's better.

But it's true.

I mean, we God's on the move, and we've got this exciting stuff at George, you're going to be in, is it Scotland?

Wales.

Going to be in Wales doing a training and a conference there.

I mean, it's exciting what God's doing.

So this angel is released from heaven to preach, this is the only place we have an angel preaching the gospel here.

It's the last chance for people to get saved.

Saying with a loud voice, fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment has come.

Worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.

I love that.

Pointing that he, I mean, the angel.

I mean, there are always he's in the Bible, I will say that.

But this angel is speaking of the beauty of creation.

It's Romans 1.

That the beauty of creation preaches the gospel.

That the king, that the creation that God gave us preaches the gospel.

And he points to that.

And another angel, second angel, followed, saying, Babylon is falling.

And we'll talk about that in chapter 18.

Babylon is fallen, is fallen, the great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

And then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God.

This next verse, verse 10, is probably the best description of hell in all of Scripture.

And men and women, we've had a number of suicides at TCA, we've had a suicide at Discovery Canyon, we've had suicides at Pine Creek.

Maybe some of you in this room know some of those who took their life.

Maybe some of you in this room have considered taking your life.

And some of the notes that have been written and the things that have been said of people wanting to end it all.

When I look at what we're about to read, this is why demons, the main purpose of demons, is that you would commit suicide.

The purpose of the demonic, take out the image of God, is that our young people would commit suicide.

That's their goal.

Because Satan knows what I'm about to read.

But here's what's interesting, and I think this is getting missed by the press.

The arena, the age group where the greatest rise in suicide is happening right now is among men between the ages of 43 and 48.

Among men between the ages of 43 and 48.

There's something about those middle years where maybe all the dreams that we had weren't fulfilled.

Maybe all those expectations that we had and the vision we had for our lives haven't come to fruition.

And there's this despondency and there can be this depression, there can be this part of our lives wherein we wonder what's left.

And many men are taking their lives during that time.

I want to challenge you with a mission.

I want to challenge you, men and women, but especially you men in this room, that God has a work for you to do, and the second half can be better than the first half because you're not as dumb.

You're not as dumb.

And we in this church, as men, and women, but I'm speaking to the men right here in this case, need to be mentoring young men.

We need to be pouring our lives into discipling the next generation.

If the Lord tarries, I don't think he is, but if the Lord tarries, we want this church to be a legacy, be debt-free, but also go on for a hundred years with missions happening out of this church, out of the next generation coming up into leadership in the years to come.

And so nothing can take the place of a PhD of hard knocks.

I don't care where you went to college or how many letters you have after your name, the real maturity and the real guidance comes from men and women who've lived life.

And so you have something to give.

So here's what it says about hell.

Verse 10.

He himself shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength.

So this full strength during the tribulation period.

Into the cup of his indignation, he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

This is brutal.

This indignation against sin.

And it's the sun.

It's the sun throwing it down.

Some of you saw my Facebook, I got tons of likes on this Facebook, where I shared about being in a coffee shop where I began to talk about Christ with a young man.

He said, Well, I don't believe in hell.

In the middle of it, I wasn't even talking about hell.

I was talking about Jesus and I don't believe in hell.

And then it just occurred to me, well, I don't think it matters whether you believe in hell or not.

It exists.

I didn't believe that I would get a three shots of espresso, two shots of chocolate, peppermint, foam on top, coffee that I paid$6 for 20 years ago either.

But it exists.

So just because you don't believe in it doesn't make it non-existent.

So, church, the enemy has deceived people into thinking if they don't believe in something, somehow that means it doesn't exist.

In the smoke of a torment of sins forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night.

To me, that right there, that's like being a parent.

Now, I'm not saying being a parent's hell.

But being a parent means no rest day or night.

Who worship the beast in his image and whoever receives the marks of his name.

Now here's what I like.

I like the next part.

The next part is pretty cool.

Here is the patience of the saints.

Here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Then I heard a voice from heaven saying in me, write, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.

Yes, says the Spirit.

They may rest.

If you've got a Bible, write this on the side, highlight it.

You're gonna get to rest, and their works follow them.

Hawaii.

Hawaii.

Or whatever you think is restful.

We're gonna rest.

We're gonna rest.

In heaven is rest.

Oftentimes on this earth and in this life, there is no rest.

But rest is coming because God in his patience is taking care of his saints.

Isn't that exciting?

So let's work hard while we're here.

Let's give ourselves while we're here.

There's a rest coming.

There's beaches in heaven, there's mountains in heaven.

It's going to be beautiful.

And the springs, the rivers, of the living water that flow through Jerusalem will be ours and we'll rest.

But there's no rest for those who don't know him, who die in their sin.

And so now is the time to share the gospel with others.

If you don't know the Lord here this morning, come to Christ.

Come to Christ during worship.

Then I looked and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat one like the Son of Man.

This is the last time the word Son of Man, the title Son of Man, is used in the Bible, having on his head a golden crown and in his hand a sharp sickle, and another angel came out of the temple crying with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, thrust in your sickle and reap, for the time has come for you to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

And so he sat on the cloud and thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

This is not speaking of the end times harvest of souls.

This is actually the harvest of those who are under the judgment of God.

And then another angel came out of the temple, which is in heaven, who also having a sharp sickle, and another angel came out from the altar who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.

These are the grapes of wrath.

So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress up to the horses' bridles for 1,600 furlongs.

That's a hundred and eighty miles.

This is a picture of Armageddon.

Josephus, in writing of the sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD, said that the blood was so thick it flowed into houses and put out the fires.

It was said during the Civil War that all of the rivers ran red after a battle.

And so this is the battle of Armageddon, of the slaying of those that are on the earth.

Men and women, two vines.

There's the vine of the earth, and that's where it always ends up with death.

And then there's the vine of the Lord.

Turning your Bibles to John 15.

This is the vine of the Lord.

The worship team, you guys can come up.

Feel free to come up right now.

Look at John 15.

This is the vine of the Lord.

We just read the vine of the earth.

I am the true vine, Jesus speaking, and my father is the vine dresser.

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away.

And every branch that bears fruit, he prunes.

Anyone getting pruned these days?

If you're not, it's coming.

Pruning, can you imagine being a fruit like a branch and you're getting pruned?

Ah!

Ah! Cut that out.

Stop that.

I'm a good Christian.

No, he prunes you.

But here's why.

That it may bear more fruit.

You already are clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

Abide in me and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine.

Neither can you unless you abide in me.

I'm the vine, you are the branches.

He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit.

For without me you can do nothing.

If any one abides that does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered, and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

That's the vine of the earth.

But if you abide in me and my words abide in you, I love this.

You will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you will be my what?

Disciples.

And so, church, when we abide in Christ, we can ask for stuff, we can pray for stuff, and God wants to answer those prayers.

When we abide in the vine, there's an intimacy with Christ that becomes ours.

And there's a patience and a peace and a power that comes in Christ.

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