What's Next?

Let me just say don't be afraid of profits and that's because one source of your Bible prophecy to be precise, 26.8% of the entire Scripture is prophetic. So if you don't want to read prophecy.

There's a lot of the Bible out of the unread all over Scripture I want you to think of prophecy as being an aspect of one of God's great attributes. God is omniscient. He knows everything. A lot of people worry about the future you can be confident knowing God holds it in his hands. Today we continue our countdown skips top 40 messages connect with Skip Heitzigs acute number 19. Spot is the message what's next understand the times were living in God's plans for the future. Now we want to tell you about a resource that will nourish your soul with God's amazing truths. There's a top 10 list for just about everything from the top 10 movies on Netflix to the top 10 most popular dog crates. What about a top 10 list they can actually impact your faith Skip my six top 10 messages will really make a mark as a sample from what most people don't know about having somebody once said their target to be at least three surprises and have first of all, who's there that you thought would never make it.

Second, who's not fair that you were sure would make it in the number three.

The fact that you yourself are there by God's breakfast, you Skip teach and have hell in the enzymes.

It's like the Holy Spirit into happiness you give $35 or more today will also send you reload love about the founding of the ministry helping children victimized by Terry for nearly 2 weeks visit connectwithskip.com to give today and get skips top two messages on city plus your copy of reload love filing heights will call hundred 92 1880 in Revelation chapter 1, Skip Heitzigs extorts today's somebody once said we should all be concerned about the future because were going to have to spend the rest of our lives. There, that's good advice. People have always been fascinated with the future. What is the future hold in ancient times, people looked at signs in the sky as omens.

It's one of the reasons people look at horoscopes today is to find out what the future holds one of the reasons you're interested in a study in the book of Revelation is because you are wondering what is next.

And throughout the years there have been songs written about the future, hundreds of them. Some of the more famous ones are someday, by Mariah Carey at the age of Aquarius going way back. Now 1969, the fifth dimension. The song next year by foo fighters kids of the future by the Jonas Brothers Palo Alto by Radiohead tomorrow never knows by the Beatles song for the future generation the B-52s walk into the future.

Brad Paisley and my personal favorite of all time. Future songs is a song called in the year 2525 I'm going way back.

I was by Zeiger and Evans last week because it was the end of the year I was interested in what newspapers and magazines and online sources say about what's going to come in the next year there's always at the end of every year beginning of a new year. What what certain people believe pundits believe prognosticators think about what we can expect in the coming year. People make predictions all the way from who's gonna win the election is going to win a Grammy from what's can happen with the stock market to what you can expect in your market with vegetable prices and some of these are are made on trends.

Some of these predictions are just simply good guesses, but a couple of predictions got my attention of what they say you can expect to happen in the next year. Among other things, they say you can expect airlines to get more crowded and seats to be narrower how that is even possible. I don't know but that is what some are predicting there also predicting that virtual reality will go mainstream. More and more so they are also predicting there will be higher salaries for American workers before you think that's great news. You should also know there predicting rent to be higher and cost-of-living to be hires a little balance itself out. I agree with Abraham Lincoln. He said the best thing about the future. It only comes one day at a time.

What's next what is next for our world. What is next for our nation and do current events, things that we are watching take place around the world do they play into an end time scenario to consider some of those questions in this upcoming series, but I need to sound a note of caution I feel. I always do whenever we take on a study of the book of Revelation, or any prophetic study in the caution is that some have used the Bible to make outlandish predictions you know you can make the Bible say just about anything you want to.

If you read it wrongly. If you look at it out of context. You can superimpose things and do it and some people have used the Bible to predict the craziest things one interesting example of that was from 1870 when Amanda Minister was visiting a friend of his, a college president and he said you know I believe the Bible predicts that nothing new can ever be invented after this point. This is 1870. Think I'll outlandish. That seems today, you who are reading your Bibles on your iPhones. Nothing new could ever be invented the college president looked at him and said I wholeheartedly disagree with that statement. Why I believe within 50 years Mandel sort through the sky like birds will be able to fly. The minister turned on his heel toward his friend and he said be careful lest you be guilty of blasphemy for flight is reserved only for the Angels. He said what is intriguing about that example is that the minister's name was Milton right W RIG HT yet. He had two sons Wilbur and Orville Wright who within 30 years would be flying an airplane outside of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. So every time you get on an airlines whether it's overcrowded with skinnier seats or not you are testifying that Milton right was wrong, but his friend the educator. Now he was right. He made a prediction that within 50 years, man would fly and he was right. It seemed outlandish at the time, but he was right and some of the statements are to read in Revelation. Some of the predictions must've seemed outlandish to John two people 2000 years ago.

The people of thousand years ago, but not so weird and wacky these days, as we see events unfolding now. The book of Revelation was written by John, you'll see his name appear in the first few verses.

John was one of the apostles of Jesus close followers even closer than the 12 there was an inner circle of Peter, James and John. John's dad was debiting a fisherman in Galilee.

His brother James.

He and James and Peter. As I mentioned were very very close to Jesus. It was John who leaned his head on Jesus chest at the Last Supper. John was first at the Truman first to believe that Jesus had raised from the dead. John is now in his 90s, some believe, around 95 or 96 and he is writing this book after seeing the vision while he is in isolation on the island of Patmos a little 6 x 10 mile Island but 35 miles off the coast of Turkey. What I want to show you from some of the verses in the first chapter to begin this series are four notable features for characteristics about this book of Revelation. Let's read some of these verses together. Revelation chapter 1 verse one the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants things which must shortly take place and he sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ to all things that he saw.

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it for the time is near John to the seven churches which are in Asia, grace to you and peace from him who is, who was and who is to come from the seven spirits who are before his throne and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.

To him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and is made us kings and priests to his God and father to him be glory and dominion forever and ever.

Amen.

Behold, he is coming with clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him. Even so. Amen. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord, who is who was and who is to come.

The all mighty. The first feature I want you to see about the book of Revelation is that this book predicts the future. Notice what it is called in verse three Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this.

What prophecy is called a prophecy.

It is called out five times in this book. It is not an allegory is not a fantasy. It is not poetry, it is not legendary prose. It is predictive prophecy. This book predicts the future. In fact, the book of Revelation contain more details about the end times in the coming of Christ than any other portion of the Bible and it will amplify it in the greatest detail. There are 22 chapters, it will amplify things like the seven year tribulation. The final world war in the Middle East. The arrival of a mysterious figure typically called the antichrist, though he's known by 50 titles in the Scripture.

It will detail the second coming of Christ the millennial kingdom, and finally the eternal state that some people I have noticed are afraid of prophecy as soon as you say were going to Revelation it all know in a Revelation you know who can understand it. It's an enigma. It's at least a distraction.

I don't like to think about those things. I can understand those things and I find it interesting that of all the people that didn't like the book of Revelation. Martin Luther was way up on top even like this book. In fact he doubted it was even Scripture for a long time. In fact, Martin Luther classified the book of Revelation in a list that he called anti-Lacombe and which was disputed books disputed books books of disputed origin. So he had trouble with it. Also, John Calvin, though he wrote commentaries on virtually every book of the New Testament did not write a commentary on the book of Revelation and one of the reasons that both of those gentlemen did not really give a high view of Revelation is because the book of Revelation teaches a literal thousand year reign of Christ on the earth, and they were by their predisposition all millennialist I'll discuss that later in detail.

That is, they didn't believe in the literalness of Christ's reign upon the earth. By the way, when Luther and Calvin were alive the events that this book describes seemed so impossible. Outlandish, hardly possible in our day and age, they seem highly probable. A lot has happened since then. Let me just say don't be afraid of prophecy and that's because one fourth of your Bible is prophecy to be precise, 26.8% of the entire Scripture is prophetic.

So if you don't want to read prophecy. There's a lot of the Bible B unread. It's all over Scripture I want you to think of prophecy as being an aspect of one of God's great attributes. God is omniscient. He knows everything, and because he is omniscient.

One of the aspects of his omniscience is that he knows the future in advance and can write about it can predicted through his prophets in graphic detail. In fact, do you know that this is this is sort of like God's calling card in the Old Testament when he compares himself to the false gods of the peoples around in Isaiah 41 the Lord says, can your idols make such claims as these let them come and show what they can do, says the Lord, the King of Israel. Let them try to tell us what the future holds.

If you are God's. Tell us what will occur in the days ahead.

If you're really truly deity you can predict the future.

Like I can. God is, and of course they couldn't. So every tomorrow has to handles the handle of faith in the handle of anxiety to many of you are grabbing onto the handle of anxiety, prophecy will move you to grab the handle of faith. As you realize I serve a God, and hopefully I trust the God who knows the end from the beginning and calls things before they happen as though their past. There's a special aspect, however, to this prophecy, and that is it it it's given in signs in pictures and symbols notice something in verse one it says the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants things which must shortly take place and he sent and notice the next word he signified it. That is, he gave it and sign sets with signified means he gave in and sign sign symbols, pictures, some of the symbols are lampstands, trumpets, bowls, beasts, and something else.

If you have ever read this book of Revelation is very heavy on the number one number 754 times or seven somethings there seven churches, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowl seven*seven thunders that given utterance.

So why is this prophecy given in signified language in signs and symbols a lot of time to explain this. We got will be saved for next week.

I'll explain why. Next time, let me move you to a phrase in verse one it says which God gave them to show his servants. Now look at this things which must shortly take place in this is from some because they go well spring 2000 year since that was written. It must shortly take place. What you need to understand what this means. It means it will take place within a short amount of time the word is shortly is the word talk guy in Greek and talk.

I which we get the word tachometer from tachometer measures velocity so the idea of this is simply once it starts it's going to take place within a very brief period of time. It it's like history drops into high gear. As these things happen. Picture dominoes that are set up. Once you once you trip one of them. They will all fall in rapid succession, and so will read about the emergence of the antichrist, followed immediately by the tribulation, the abomination of desolation. The great tribulation Armageddon, the return of Christ, etc. in addition, it like tripping dominoes fall very rapidly and this is what I believe Jesus meant when he said, unless those days should be shortened, no flesh would survive. But for the elect's sake, they will be shortened.

So this book predicts the future second feature of this book.

This book promises a blessing. Did you notice verse three it said, blessed is he who avoids this book are didn't say that. Excuse me, I misread it. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it for the time is near. This is the only book of the Bible that has such a direct and unique promise of blessing to those who read it here and do it we find this promise at the beginning and you find it again. At the very end. Revelation 22 verse seven blessed it means get happy. That's what the word blessed means get happy or oh how happy if you avoid this book you are robbing yourself of a blessing you are robbing yourself of a certain amount of joy that God wants you to have some of your golf, wait a minute. I read another revelation to know there's not a lot of joy in is a lot of catastrophe. There's a lot of destruction in it. My answer keep reading you haven't read far enough. When you get to Revelation 19 and Revelation 20 and Revelation 21 and Revelation 22 and is what you find. We win and we win because Jesus wins and because Jesus when Satan loses that's enough to get happy about that will make you happy. The more you read it you'll discover God's plan for your future and you will discover not only to St. Louis. He's of the biggest loser in the book he will be incarcerated for a thousand years. We will be told, bound for a thousand years, after which it says he will be tormented forever day and I just thought of that makes me happy.

Lewis Talbot, a commentator on this book said the devil has turned thousands of people away from this portion of God's word, he Satan does not want anyone to read a book that tells of his being cast out of heaven, nor was he anxious for us to read of the ultimate triumph of his number one enemy Jesus Christ, the more you study the book of Revelation, the more you understand why Satan fights so hard to keep God's people away from it. Listen. It's a revelation of the second word, the Revelation is not some cryptic mysterious failed book. It's a revelation through revelation and you can understand it. The devil doesn't want you to understand a God certainly does want you to understand this book. I wrote a book called you can understand the book of Revelation the other night just for kicks.

I got on Amazon to read what reviewers were saying about the book.

One reviewer was kind and said it's true. After reading this book you can understand the book of Revelation. That's the intention of the book of Revelation that you can understand, but the joy is promised to those who read it. Those who hear it and it says right there you can look at those who keep that's the caveat is why people read a lot of people don't heed what they read all yeah they they can quote it, they just don't do it. According to Guinness Book of World Records the Bible is the biggest best-selling book of all times that you we might want to clap at that. But be careful because it is the most famous book of all time and best-selling book of all time. I just don't know if it's the most obeyed book of all time. I kinda doubt that the real joy the real joy that you will experience is when you decide to keep it.

How do you keep the book Revelation by living in the light of eternity. That's a by having less and less touch and Anna controlled by the things of this world so this this book predicts the future. This book promises blessing. Here's the third feature of this book. This book portrays a person of all the things that the book of Revelation does, it highlights a particular individual, and is not the antichrist you notice Jesus Christ. Look at verse one the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

It's the Revelation of Jesus Christ in Greek apocalypses Jesu Chris to a revelation or the revelation about Jesus Christ.

Now that word Apopka Loop six sounds an awful lot like Apocalypse. We get our word Apocalypse from the Greek word apocalypses but it's unfortunate that when you think of Apocalypse you think of Apocalypse now you think of all of those crazy apocalyptic movies the talk about destruction and West the meaning in English is not the meaning in Greek. I looked it up in the dictionary. The dictionary describes Apocalypse as the complete final destruction of the world that is not the meaning of the original word, the meaning of apocalypses is the feeling that's what revealingly is not concealing something. It's disclosing it's revealing covering it's uncovering a means to uncover or to unveil Skip a six number 19 message top 40 messages count the series. What's next famous speech teaching is organized into play that take you through the entire sermon series YouTube.com/Calvary BBQ here.

Skip to tell you about how you can keep encouraging messages like this 1 Coming Your Way as you help connect others to the good news of Jesus as the end times gets closer. We as believers in Jesus need to be watching and waiting for his return and telling others about him with every opportunity we get when you give today you make it possible to your generous gift to reach even more people around the world with the life-giving gospel of Christ. Here's how you can give online@connectwithskip.com/donate. That's connectwithskip.com/domain: 800-922-1880 800 922 begin to mark this height shares a top 40 message from the book of John reveals the important truth. Also, John communicated about Lord and Savior so Skip presentation of connection communication through ever-changing time