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Sermon
of 09-06-03
Revelation Predicts a 1000 Year World Blackout
Scripture Revelation 21:2-4;
“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband. 21:3
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying,
Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with
them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them,
and be their God. 21:4
And God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed
away.”
Have you noticed that the older we get and the more advance technology
gets the more problems we seem to have? How many of you remember the
blackout we had Christmas Day 2000? That was when a huge ice storm hit
this area. It did its share of damage. Trees and limbs broke all night
long. It sounded like a war was going on. Most of Texarkana residents
were without electricity, water and telephone for 10 days. By Tuesday
morning there was virtually no power left anywhere in the Texarkana
area. This whole city was shut down. I remember driving down my street
and thinking how dark it was without any lights at all. It was a total
Blackout city wide.
On Thursday, August 14, 2003, everything on the east coast was running
as usually. But just a few minutes past 4:00 pm – the whole East Coast
was shut down. From New York up to Ontario, CANADA, from Pennsylvania
and on some 50 million people were without power. No elevators, no
subways, no ATM’s worked! Everything was down.
Some people’s 1st thought was terrorist had struck again. But today we
know it wasn’t. Some people compared the blackout of 2003 with the one
in 1977 in New York, City. But one person said that everything is better
this time around. “Now we have Xanax” (Time pg. 48 Aug. 25, 2003).
Sometimes I just wish I could take a long vacation from all the hustle
and busily of life. Travel to a place where life consisted of peace, joy
and happiness. A place where there is no sickness or pollution. A place
with no heartaches or crime.
Vacations are nice from the everyday rat race. But let me ask; How would
you like to receive a 1,000 year vacation? That would nice for some of
us, but it might be hard on the workaholics. Workaholics don’t want like
to take vacations.
But did you know that the Bible says that the greatest workaholic of all
time is going to be forced to take one? Listen to Revelation 20:1-2; “And I saw an angel come down from
heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his
hand. 20:2
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil,
and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.”
The Bible says that Satan will be bound for 1,000 years!
But there is a great deception today on where God’s people and the lost
will be during this 1,000 years. That is what I won’t to look at today.
Since blackouts seem to be a everyday thing in different parts of the
world, let’s take a moment and look at God’s 1,000 total world blackout.
Satan has never had to punch a time clock. He’s been on the job you
might say 24 hours a-day 7 days a week, since Adam and Eve sinned some
6,000 years ago. And he has never taken a vacation! And talk about
production! Everywhere we look we see the results of his work. Just
visit any hospital or grave yard. Read today’s newspaper. In it you will
find stories about tornadoes, floods, wars and much more.
Besides what is happening here in America, just think of the wars
overseas! I think you get the picture of what Satan has been able to
accomplish by working so much overtime!
Briefly let’s review the a little of the background of this once
beautiful angel. Listen to Revelation 12:7-9;
“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his
angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in
heaven. 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called
the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out
into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
He was cast out of heaven and ended up right here on planet earth. But
before Satan ever rebelled God had a plan to rescue mankind if he should
ever fall. He would send His only Son, Jesus Christ, to give His life
for lost mankind. He would buy back what Satan had stolen!
After Christ won at the Cross, Satan knew his time was running out! That
is why Peter warned mankind in 1 Peter 5:8; “Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about,
seeking whom he may devour:”
For more than 6,000 years, Satan has been perfecting the art of
destroying our lives. This war which begun in Heaven will end here on
earth but not until after a 1000 blackout. And not just in Texarkana, or
the east coast, but a total world blackout.
This 1,000 year time period is often referred to as the millennium. The
word millennium comes from 2 Latin words, “Milli” and “Annum” which
means 1,000 years. Now the question is, “when will this 1,000 year
vacation begin?” To answer that question, let’s look at some events that
take place at Christ’s 2nd Coming. Listen to 1 Thess. 4:16;
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:”
Jesus also reveals what happens when He descends from Heaven. Listen to
John 5:28-29; “Marvel not at this: for
the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear
his voice, 5:29
And shall come forth; they that have done good,
unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation.”
The Bible refers to two general resurrections. 1st, the Resurrection of
Life. This is for those who have done good! 2nd, the Resurrection of
damnation. Those who have done evil.
The Bible reveals that the 1st resurrection takes place at the beginning
of the 1,000 years! The other resurrection at the end of the 1,000
years.
Revelation makes it very clear which resurrection tales place 1st.
Listen to Revelation 20:6; “Blessed and
holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second
death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and
shall reign with him a thousand years.”
Try and imagine the scene. 1st, the graves open! All the families who
have lost a loved one will be reunited! Babies brought to their mothers
arms. Then right in the midst of all the excitement another event takes
place, listen to 1 Thess. 4:17; “Then we
which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with
the Lord.”
At that very moment the redeemed will be changed! Our sinful bodies will
spring forth with new life. Listen to 1 Corinthians 15:52,53;
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
15:53 For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality.”
All the righteous, both the living and those resurrected will be taken
to Heaven at the same time with perfect new bodies. And we will spend
1,000 years with the Lord according to Revelation 20:6;
“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the
first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they
shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a
thousand years.”
Have you ever wondered if we will get bored or what we will be doing
during those 1,000 years? Listen to Revelation 20:4;
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and
judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were
beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which
had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received
his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and
reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
God has given the righteous the task of judging evil angels and the
unsaved. 1 Corinthians 6:2 and 3 adds;
“Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? ... Know ye not
that we shall judge angels?”
During the millennium the records of the lost will be open for all to
see. All the guarded secrets we have will be exposed. God’s love and
justice will be acknowledged! Those inspecting the records will be left
with only one response, listen to Revelation 16:7;
“And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty,
true and righteous are thy judgments.”
But what about the lost, what will happen to them? To answer that
question we need to return to the moment Christ returns. You see during
the 2nd Coming, the wicked will be seeking shelter. Listen to Revelation
6:16, 17: ”And said to the mountains and
rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the
throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
V:17 For the great day of his wrath is
come; and who shall be able to stand?”
If this is what happens to the wicked that are alive when Christ comes,
what about those who are lost and sleeping in their graves? What happens
to them? Again the Bible is very clear! Listen to Revelation 20:5; “But the rest of the dead lived not
again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first
resurrection.”
It says that the wicked lay undisturbed during the 1,000 years. Listen
how the Prophet Jeremiah describes the earth during the beginning of the
1,000 years; Jeremiah 4:23-26; “I beheld
the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and
they had no light. 4:24
I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled,
and all the hills moved lightly. 4:25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and
all the birds of the heavens were fled.
4:26 I beheld,
and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof
were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.”
That will be total chaos! And the devil will be chained or bound for
these 1,000 years.
You know God could not have used better words to describe Satan’s
condition during these 1,000 years. Evidently this chain Satan is bound
with a chain of circumstances. There will be no one around for him to
deceive. No lives to twist and destroy. We use the same figure of speech
today. When anyone asks us to do something when we are busy, we
sometimes reply, “I’m sorry, but my hands are tied.” Of course they are
not literally tied. But you are tied by a chained of circumstances.
Satan has nothing to do for 1,000 years except remember all the hurt he
has caused on God’s people. He will remember 6,000 years of results of
his rebellion. But just like any vacation – even this one will come to
an end. Listen to Revelation 21:2 says;
“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out
of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
This is God’s perfect city coming down from Heaven. The City is a
perfect 375 mile square. And as the city descends with Christ and His
faithful followers, another dramatic event takes place. Listen to
Revelation 20:5 again; “But the rest of
the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is
the first resurrection.”
All the wicked dead are resurrected! But this resurrection is totally
different than the 1st resurrection! All the wicked from Adam’s day
clear through the 2nd Coming. Now listen to what event takes place next;
Revelation 20:7-8; “And when the
thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
20:8 And shall go out to deceive the
nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to
gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the
sea.”
Satan’s chain of circumstances is removed. And there are people to
deceive again. And doesn’t Satan waste anytime in gathering up his army.
Satan convinces the people that the city rightly belongs to them. But as
his army advances toward the city, something else happens. Listen to
Revelation 20:9; “And they went up on
the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about,
and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and
devoured them.”
John makes it clear; this last desperate attempt will not be successful.
Isaiah 28:21 calls this event “God’s
Strange Act.” Although Matthew 25:41
makes it very clear that hell will be made for the devil and his angels,
those who reject Christ’s message to repent will destroyed in the same
fire.
The Bible does not picture God as being angry with sinners! Nor does it
say that God is going to be tormenting sinners for eternity. But because
of His love and justice He has to totally destroy sin. And those who
choose not to listen to Him will suffer the consequences of what sin
brings about. Destroying sin is the most loving act a Gracious God could
do. And what a glorious eternity God has waiting for the redeemed.
Our human minds cannot comprehend the glory and beauty God has waiting
for His children. After the 1,000 year world blackout God brings the New
Jerusalem to this planet. All of the tragic results of sin will be
forgotten.
Real quick I want to go over this with you one more time to make sure
you have it down.
1) 1st – we have the 2nd coming.
2) We have the Resurrection of life.
3) The righteousness go to heaven. The wicked are slain.
4) Then you have a 1,000 year millennium.
5) During this millennium the earth is desolate for a 1,000 year
blackout.
6) And the wicked lay sleep during this 1,000 years.
7) Then after the 1,000 years the Holy City descends from Heaven.
8) The wicked are raised form their graves.
9) Then Satan and his evil angels along with the wicked attempt to
attack the Holy City.
10) Fire comes down from Heaven and destroys the wicked. This is the 2nd
death.
11) The saved enjoy eternity with God in Heaven. In fact 2 Peter 3:13
says; “Nevertheless we, according to his
promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness.”
We never will face old age or death again. No more pain or sickness. And
no more blackouts! I pray you are preparing your life each day to meet
Jesus. For we know not the hour or day – we know it is close.
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