The First Time is Not the Last Time (04.29.18 Notes)

The First Time is Not the Last Time
#Emerge Week Five
Pastor Kris Freeman
Revolution Church
Sunday, April 29, 2018

Scripture: Revelation 19:11-16 (NLT)

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.

There are differences in the Bible in descriptions of Jesus and common adjectives to describe him.

Faithful - Gr. pistos - means to be trusted with authority and the execution of decisions

True - Gr. alethinos - the genuine one

There are many imposters of the Messiah/Jesus. This is the Bible’s way of identifying him as the accurate and authoritative one.

12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. 15 From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. 16 On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

• Eyes as flame of fire - all-seeing, all-knowing, the omniscience of God
• Head were many crowns - he is the king of all glory, the firstborn of all creation (incarnate)
• Name written on Him - he was, is and is to come and is the living declaration of the Word
• (Contrast this with the sign that was placed above his head at the time of his crucifixion which mocked him as the “King of the Jews”)
• Robe dipped in blood - he is the redemption for all people
• White horse - purity, equity and righteousness to overcome in battle
• Sharp sword - judgment
• Iron rod - justice and sovereignty

Notice again the English translation capitalizes the “King” and “Lord” when referring to Jesus.

19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.

• This is not a pretty end for evil
• This sounds like the making of a great movie!
• The final battle waged is called “Armageddon” because it is prophetically spoken to be fought at the “Plain of Megiddo”

Megiddo:

• A modern city 25 miles west/southwest of the Sea of Galilee
• Near the Kishon River
• Carmel Mountain is the mountain in the plain of Megiddo where Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:10-40
• Mentioned 12 times in the Old Testament but all physical/geographical references. Mentioned once in the New Testament (Rev. 16:16) and it’s prophetical

The return of Christ to defeat evil forever and complete the plan of God, is a different event - by all accounts - than the calling away of the church, or “Rapture” of the saints.

Rapture is a scriptural ideal - not an actual English word used in the Bible.

15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died[h] will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 NLT)

The Christian belief of the “calling away” of the church (before the Second Coming and the Battle of Armageddon) is a Greek word harpazo - which was translated into the Latin Vulgate as raptus - the root of the English/French word rapture.

Four things to remember about the end of time:

1. The first time Christ was here was not the last time (John 14:1-6)
2. No one knows the day nor the hour of his return (Matthew 24:36)
3. You must be ready
4. Once it happens, then comes the final judgment

The good news - if you know Jesus you’re going to be just fine!

#Emerge #RevWhiteHouse