The End Of The Beginning
PPT 1 Series Title
We are beginning a new series today on what is popularly known as the end times. I think that a more accurate phrase would be the end of the beginning. Genesis begins with "In the beginning" and 1 Cor 15:24 tells us about the end.
PPT 2 text
1 Corinthians 15:24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
That particular end is still quite a bit down the road for us. (Millennium, minimum 1007 years). In fact there are a number of ends the bible talks about, and it is not always easy to distinguish between them. It is also difficult in MT. 24 one of the main end times passages, to decipher if Jesus is talking about the future for the Jews or all mankind, or the future for the church, (though some things are obvious) Prophecy can be a difficult area of study. In all honesty, I am more exasperated on this area of study, than any other I have looked in to. For example I want to ask you a question on something you think you already know the answer to, research this biblical question, "Who is taken, and who is left behind?", as in this passage:
PPT 3 text
Luke 17:34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.
Luke 17:35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left."
Who is taken? Who is left behind? Usual answer the saved are taken the evil are left behind. Now look at this passage and see how it addresses that question.
PPT 4, 5 text
Matthew 13:27 "The owner's servants came to him and said, sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'
Matthew 13:28 "An enemy did this, 'he replied. "The servants asked him, do you want us to go and pull them up?'
Matthew 13:29 "'No,' he answered, because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.
Matthew 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'
So who is taken first in that passage?
Here's another what is the difference between the fulness of the gentiles be brought in, and the times of the gentiles be completed? I will try to sort those things out in coming messages. But I am telling you studying this stuff can wrap you mind in knots. So why do it?
1. Because it is part of the inspired bible, which is written for our benefit.
2. Because of all the warnings about the end times that we are told to be aware of and alert about.
3. Because the bible tells us that knowing the future is a powerful asset and ally in our journey.
A study of the end times can get bogged down in looking at all the bad things that are going to happen, like the antichrist, and the 7 headed beast that comes up out of the sea, and the horrible plagues and disasters that are going to come to the earth. But in spite of all that the bible tells us to hold on to hope.
One of the things in the future for believers is the hope of heaven and being with Jesus. The bible calls that expectation the blessed hope, and it describes it this way:
PPT 6 text
Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
The bible tells us about the security and the importance of that hope
PPT 7 text
Hebrews 6:19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hope means the expectation of something good to come. Even Jesus used hope to leverage against despair and suffering as Hebrews 12:2 tells us.
So while there may be a lot of things we don't understand about the end times, and a lot of things that may be scary about the end times, the best use of knowledge of the end times is to know and focus on the joy set before us. So I want talk a little bit about what we should focus on and future joy.
What should be our focus on?
PPT 8 pic of camera and text
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed,
The grace to be given when Jesus comes is something we need to unpack and there is no way to do in 1 message, nor could anyone fully do it, because much is unknown, what I would like to do for the few minutes that remain is talk a little bit about heaven. Because if we need to fix our hope on the grace to be given, and hope is to be our anchor, we cannot fully do that if all we think about heaven is abstract.
Eye hath not seen ...
But the very next verse says: "1 Corinthians 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."
So what do we know about heaven?. It's big. Really big. And Really beautiful. We are only going to discuss one aspect of that this week and that is New Jerusalem, and we are only going to briefly touch on it.
PPT 9-14 text
Revelation 21:9 And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I shall show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."
Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
Revelation 21:11 having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.
Revelation 21:12 It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are those of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.
Revelation 21:13 There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west.
Revelation 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Revelation 21:15 And the one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall.
Revelation 21:16 And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.
Revelation 21:17 And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements.
Revelation 21:18 And the material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
Revelation 21:19 The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;
Revelation 21:20 the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.
Revelation 21:21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
Reading this passage it reminds me of a time the apostles and Jesus were by Herod's temple, and those country boys were amazed at that structure. Matthew 24:1 Jesus departed from the temple area and was going on His way when His disciples came up to Him to call His attention to the buildings of the temple and point them out to Him. I wonder if Jesus was chuckling within Himself, thinking, "you ain't seen nothing yet."
So let's talk about New Jerusalem as a city.
PPT 15 text
Revelation 21:16 And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.
Revelation 21:17 And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements.
So the city is a cube of 1,500 miles, and its walls are either 72 yards high or wide. This is over 200 feet that is big.
Let me show you an incredible graphic that illustrates New Jerusalem for you
PPT 16 pic of proportional square overlaid on map of USA
That doesn't give you the full picture, you need to see it not as two dimensional, but 3 dimensional.
PPT 17, 18 3d box overlaid on globe.
Considers these statistics:
India 1.27 million square miles New Jerusalem is 2,250,000 square miles!, 3, 375,000,000 cubic miles.
China 3.71
USA 3.8
Europe 3.93
Russia 6.602
Earth 196 million sq miles, land is 57.5 million New Jerusalem has a land mass equal 58 earths? (with one mile floors)
How do we know it has anything 1500 miles high? An angel measured it. (Illus) Here is another clue.
PPT 19 text
Revelation 21:2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them,
The bible says that is how high the city is, and the bible says the tabernacle of God is with men. The tabernacle of God in the bible was a perfect cube, on a much smaller scale.
30x30x30
The tabernacle was a cube. New Jerusalem will be a cube. New Jerusalem is the tabernacle of God.
Let's talk about a building that is 1500 miles high
PPT 20 pic and text
5280 feet per mile X 1500 = 7,920,000 feet
14 feet per floor for a skyscraper
7,920,000 divided by 14 = 565, 714
A building 1500 miles high could have 565,714 floors!
Can you imagine an announcer coming on and saying, In the glory tower...
"May I have your attention... Michael and some angels will be having a flag football match with David and some of his mighty men on floor 275,000 at 3 PM.
On the first floor, Jesus will be revealing secrets of the creation. A six day video will be shown followed by the opportunity to create a moon.
Finally if you want some fun go to the Holy of Holies God the Father will be there, you can join the 24 elders in an extended time of praise and worship.
1500 miles would put the city far out into space. If that was on this earth there would be no atmosphere or any protection from the suns rays. Let me show you something amazing.
What are the streets of New Jerusalem made of? Transparent gold.
PPT 21 text
Revelation 21:21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
What are the buildings made of? Transparent gold.
PPT 22 text
Revelation 21:18 And the material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
Is there a such thing as transparent gold? Has anybody ever seen any? I searched it, a lot of bible knockers scoff at the idea, but not NASA.
PPT 23 pic of astronaut helmet
(Link: Https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/spacesuits/home/clickable_suit_nf.html)
This is a picture of the Astronauts helmet, and this is one of the facts NASA tells us about that helmet, specifically the visor: "The bubble is covered by the Extravehicular Visor Assembly. The visor is coated with a thin layer of gold that filters out the sun's harmful rays"
So when the astronauts are looking through their helmet visor they are looking through something with a thin layer of transparent gold!
I need to wrap up, so I want to go John 14
PPT 24 text and pic
John 14:2 "In My Father' house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
That verse alongside a 3d model of New Jerusalem puts a different spin on it, doesn't it? New Jerusalem is as I said earlier, very very big. Why did God make it so big? So that there would be room for everyone, God is not willing that any should perish. God wants us to be with Him. The heartbeat of God is to be surrounded by His people as the tabernacle in the wilderness illustrates, but in this case New Jerusalem is the tabernacle of God, and we are not going to be on the outside, but on the inside!
God extends an invitation to all, but not all will accept it.
The Spirit and bride say come.... That is the passion of God for mankind.
Now let me remind you of a portion of the Parable of dinner
Luke 14:22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
God sends His servants out with an invitation, the original recipients decline, so He sends His servants out to invite others, but there is still room, and then He tells His servants to scour everywhere and do everything they can to get people in. Perhaps the room next to yours is in heaven is empty awaiting you to touch a soul for Christ. As we close today may we do our best for Christ to fill another bed, fill another room, fill another hallway, and labor with all the church to fill God's house. Everyone who gets to heaven will be your bestest best friend, better than any you have on earth. There is an old chorus we used to sing:
Lord lay some soul upon my heart.
And love that soul through me.
And may I ever do my part,
To win that soul for Thee.
As we close: Are you sure you are going to be in New Jerusalem should you die? Are there some people you want to see in New Jerusalem that are not saved at present? Do you want to do a better job at working for the Lord while it is day, because the night comes when no man can work?
