The Glorious Return of Jesus Christ, Part 3

There is no way around this. This is the execution of everybody who is not ready everybody nobody escape Freeman slaves moderate will become food for the animals of mankind as battle over power fought for freedom and struggled for change. So what will history's final battle be like and will you be on the winning side. Find out today as John MacArthur continues a study titled when Jesus comes, but before today's lesson John in our part of the world.

Summer is in full swing, and for many listeners this time of year means vacations and family trips. With that in mind, a practical question for you. How can a believer think biblically about vacation on how can we honor God. While we are away from the normal routine.

Well vacation really isn't any different than any other day in your life you don't have those intense moments when your mind and your body is engrossed in activities that the dominate you. But, but, in any day. You're going to have those moments when the tasks ease up for when you're between responsibilities and tasks and when you're not completely dominated by some something at hand that you have to do what you do with those moments that they honor God are your thoughts where they should be. Are you thinking on things that are lovely and pure and of good report. Your affection set on things above and all vacation does is extend those times I went. When you're little more free to choose your thoughts to choose your activities to choose the. The formations of ideas and notions and plans and perspectives that guide you and I would hope that if the pattern of your life is to be immersed in the word of God to be loving God and putting your affections above and setting your mind on heavenly things that giving you more time to do that is just an enriching experience for me when I get away from the dominating tasks because mine are different in the sense that they're all around the word of God. But when I get away.

I get books and I pile up the books that I want to read the that expose me to more truth about the Lord.

I read those things that edify my soul, but a vacation is just an extension of the way you think and if you think regularly to honor Christ in those moments when you're free to cultivate your thoughts than a vacation just has the potential to enrich all of that, that's right. Thank you, John and Fran. Whether you're enjoying a family vacation, nor getting ready to head into work were glad you've made Grace to you a part of your day.

So stay here now as John MacArthur continues his current study titled when Jesus comes. Let me read you the text that we will address as we look together God's precious word that describes for us the end of man's day describes for us the Holocaust of the battle of Armageddon describes the effect of the return of Jesus Christ to earth in judgment describes set for us the final execution of all the ungodly, including the death of the Antichrist and the false prophet who are Satan's world leaders in the end time.

Revelation 19 in verse 17 and I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, symbol for the great supper of God, in order that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of commanders in the flesh of mighty men in the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them in the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves in small and great, and I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against him was set up on the horse and against his army and the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. The rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of him who sat upon the horse all the birds were filled with their flesh. This is you know is the moment of the return of Jesus Christ and the tremendous impact of that return against the nations who have gathered to war against him is the culmination and the climax in the final moment of that which is called the day of the Lord, now let me see if I can clarify in your minds.

Exactly what is going on here.

This is not the final judgment of the ungodly. This is simply their execution. This is not their final judgment, their final judgment does not come until chapter 20 in verse 11. After the thousand year kingdom at an event called the great white throne where there very like a criminal in the sense that they are taken captive in hell they are sent there by virtue of death and their held incarcerated in hell for a thousand years until they can be resurrected and brought to the great white throne for their formal sentencing. That's the scene as it is here. They are simply executed. Here they will be judged in the thousand years and will say more about that.

We get into chapter 20. This is not the final judgment.

This is the execution of the ungodly sinners of the world who have sided with Satan during the time of the tribulation who have sided with the Antichrist, who have taken his mark who have worshiped him, who have continuously rejected the gospel. God comes down and kills them all. The judge has decided, and this is execution day. Now it is this very judgment that is described so clearly by the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 25 so let's go back to Matthew 25 important that we understand the scriptural teaching about this event, no matter where it might occur to does occur at the end of chapter 25 and Jesus famous sermon on his own second coming called the Olivet sermon because he preached that on the Mount of olives. First of all, we find the setting of the judgment described in verse 31, when the Son of Man comes in his glory that ties us right into chapter 19 it's right at the same time when he comes and when he comes with all the angels with him, and we saw that's exactly how is going to come in the prior passage, then he will sit on his glorious throne, he comes out of heaven with all his holy ones sets up his kingdom and at that point all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another. We moved from the setting of the judgment to the separation. And that is what he does.

He's going to separate is going to divide and if we move from the separation to the next point we would move to the subject's is separation involves sheep and goats, so Jesus Christ is going to come is going to come as judge going to come to establish his throne going to come with all his saints and angels with him is going to come back and separate is separating in order that he might take into his kingdom. The godly and that he might kill, execute the ungodly notice plays in verse 32 that it says all the nations, all the peoples take the word nations and don't give it a collective meeting just given an individual meeting meeting. What is going to do is judge everybody in the world. All the peoples, all kinds of people from all kinds of places and cultures and languages and nations is going to judge all of them and II don't want you to think of this judgment as a judgment on collective people groups. This is a judgment on individuals from every people group who have continually rejected the gospel is a judgment of separation. A judgment of separation. Let's look at how that works. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left, then the King will say to those on his right, you who are blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

They just stay right on the earth and go right into the kingdom with him. They are the ones that will populate the kingdom they will be Jews, of course, because many Jews will been converted the nation Israel will be converted. They will be saved and there will be many Gentiles in innumerable number number have already been converted in the time of the tribulation. Many of them have been martyred and executed, but still some of them are alive and so the sheep or the saints will just remain alive. He doesn't execute them. Obviously, why would he kill them if they're still alive and they been preserved and we know from Revelation 12 that Israel will be preserved and there will be many nations preserved as well say how do you know that because in the kingdom.

There are many nation and they have to start somewhere so there have to be many people groups who are brought into the kingdom in order that they might produce their own kind. So he takes those who believe and they are left with the kingdom. Only believers all the ungodly are destroyed and the believers are called sheep and that's consistent is in it with the terminology used particularly by John puts the sheep on his right and the goats on the left now. Any good Shepherd had to do that, you know why because she'd tend to be docile and gentle and goats are unruly and rambunctious and they will you laugh and if you travel in the Middle East you can you can spot them because they're salt-and-pepper the goats over there are black very very black and the sheep are white and you can see the mingled, but I a good Shepherd at some point as to do the separating and that's exactly the picture.

The Lord uses and he will say to those on his right or the sheep come.

You are blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world's kingdom time and you will live and go right into the kingdom and I'll be raining on the throne of David and the city of Jerusalem on a restored Earth. You got have some living people living on this earth to enjoy the fulfillment of that prophecy in their natural condition.

So the believers will go right into the kingdom Jesus will initiated right there. The criteria by which she identifies his sheep.

Look at verse 35 how do you tell the sheep I was hungry you gave me some. Indeed, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger. He invited me and I was naked you clothed me, I was sick, you visited me, I was in prison, you came to me that's how it's going to be during time of tribulation.

There are going to be believing people who are knocking to have any food why because it on the mark of the beast right so they can buy and sell and who's going to give them food and they're going to be thirsty and they can't get anything to drink. Who's going to give them drink and they're going to be strangers. And then I can have access to a place to stay because their outcasts are going to be there going to be hunted. They're going to have to be a refugees. They don't have to hide to save their lives and they're going to need close so they're going to be sick and some is the need to tend to them and they're going to be incarcerated in prisons by the system of the antichrist and somebody's going to minister to them and you asked a simple question. Who will it be and I'll tell you it will be a will be other believers right in Jesus say in John 1334 and 35 they will know us by our loved and he say that obviously if you love one another, they'll know you're my what disciples Jesus is simply saying the sheep are the ones who have evidenced their regenerated life by the love of the brethren. John says in his epistle. If you say you love God don't love your brother, your what your liar and we say why does he see me me me why because Christ lives in every believers is not true. John 18, Jesus says receive the least of these little ones you receive me how you treat another believer is exactly how your treating Jesus Christ. So he personalizes and says I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, you gave me drink, I was a stranger you invited me and I was naked you clothed me how sick you visited me as a person you came to me. By the way they treated other believers. They evidence their own salvation and then the righteous will say Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you are thirsty and give you drink and when to receive a stranger invite you into naked and clothe you, and when did we see you sick or in prison, came to you and the king will answer and say to them, truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them. You will you did it to me there's evidence that these are sheep because of how they treat their brothers and sisters in Christ are not saved by their good works there good works.

Evidence their salvation and the love of the brethren is a reality within the Fellowship of faith, how dwells the love of God in you. John asks in his first epistle. If you don't meet the need of your brother so the sheep then go into the kingdom and the good deeds are the evidence of their salvation. Then in verse 41, he will say to those on his left.

This is the go to represent the unregenerate depart from me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels why I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty, gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in naked, you did not clothe me sick in prison. You did not visit me and they themselves also answer, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked, or sick or in prison and didn't take care of you and he will answers to them, saying, truly, I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me and these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

That's the same judgment your seeing occurring in Revelation chapter 19 in their works showed that they never belonged to God at all. They never belong to Christ very similar across reference to be Romans 25 through 10 where the apostle Paul says that God is going to judge in the future. On the basis of works not because were saved by works with the evidence of our salvation is in those works so this then is the destruction of the ungodly. He says that sheep are going into the kingdom, the ungodly are going to be sent into the everlasting fire.

This, as I said is the destruction of the ungodly. So what Jesus was saying is the same thing that John is seeing in the vision of chapter 19 it's important to say that because I think there are people who assume the Jesus is a much nicer person than some of the other New Testament writers. There used to be a hermeneutic among liberal theologians called the spirit of Jesus and anything that was supposedly attributed to Jesus. That didn't fit the docile sort of indifferent tolerant spirit of Jesus that they had concocted as being true of him. They just eliminated altogether. But there obviously is a reality in the mind and the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ that will deal as firmly with vengeance as it dealt compassionately with mercy. So in chapter 19 we are hearing really John's description of the very same event that Jesus described in Matthew chapter 25. Now, if I may, I want to take you back to chapter 16 of Revelation. I'm trying to fill in all of this so that you have a complete understanding Revelation 16 verse 13 and I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.

This, by the way, is the sixth bowl judgment number seven seal judgments, culminating in seven trumpet judgments, culminating in seven rapidfire in time, bowl judgments, so were right at the very end outcome. These filthy, scummy demon spirits, performing verse 14 says signs and what they do, they go out to the kings of the whole world, and they deceive them to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty question often comes up.

Why did the nations of the world, when they been so devastated through the whole tribulation think they can come and fight against God and the answer is because there there are hellish demons who go over the world and deceive them, and God allows that to happen. So demons gather the remaining forces of the ungodly member there sent the capital city Babylon is already destroyed. What is left of their worldwide power is collected and gathered into the land of Israel, they gather to fight or perish right now, folks, it's it's fight or die.

The executioner is on the brink. Christ rising from the throne, gathering all of the holy angels of heaven together is about to descend in devastating judgment on the world. You stated they know that sure they know that the preachers have been telling them that.

And it's now fight or die and so they come armed to the teeth and you can believe that whatever nuclear capability they have whatever warheads whatever exotic sophisticated kinds of powers they may be able to amass on the level of weaponry. Whatever Star Wars kind of operations they can pull off from satellites and whatever else is up in the sky they're going to have it all there to get all of the cooperation of all of those who possess nuclear armament and then to be ready to destroy the son of God when he comes so down in verse 17 we come to the conquest. In spite of all of their efforts. In spite of all of the attempts to to victory there to be terribly defeated. I just want to speak of two things, conquest, announced, and then conquest accomplished conquest unannounced and then conquest accomplished. Verse 17 and I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds would fly in midheaven, assemble for the great supper of God, not here again. Angel plays a key role in important role in the action of the final days in the action of the book of Revelation. This angel was standing in the sun was at me as it literally means Nice standing right in the sun not being burned up. What would seem to me that if he was actually standing in the sun. We don't have any reason to believe that angels who are spirit beings could project any visible image of themselves from a position inside the sun that would be able to be seen by anybody when the little angel standing in the middle of the sun firing off its flames thousands of miles into space wouldn't be seen.

I think the. The meaning here is that in the proximity of the sun. Perhaps, perhaps in an eclipse fashion, blocking out the sun stands this angel and he is doing to the sun with the moon does do it in an eclipse son Lois nothing better in outline around the silhouette of the angel stands in a conspicuous place and he stands in a commanding place, the angel makes the announcement and when the announcement is complete and he is called the birds together to eat the flesh then the sun goes black son Matthew 24, 29 says will be dark and the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky. The powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then appears the Son of Man.

So first, the announcement then everything goes out and everything goes black and then comes the blazing glory of the son of man in heaven.

Now let's go back to this angel. He cried with a loud voice, something angels have been often doing in the book of Revelation chapter 7 chapter 10 chapter 14 chapter 18 angels were yelling a lot in the visions, John was having always to introduce very important words to announce judgment on very widescale there talking to the world.

I mean, this is going to be some kind of a heavenly megaphone in the whole world is going to hear this but who is the angel addressing the angel is talking to the birds amazing which birds the ones that fly in midheaven what's midheaven.

That's where birds fly is that for reasoning.

So if you wonder, when you read chapter 8 verse 13 and chapter 14 verse six, where you have the Greek term midheaven. What he means. Here he defines it midheaven is where birds are, it's up there above us.

Why is this why is this angel standing in the sun, yelling for the whole world can hear him talking to the birds is inviting them to feed on the carnage is declaring the victory before the battles ever fought is inviting them to eat the carrion dead corpses of all slaughtered and the return of Jesus Christ. The angel commands the birds and he says come assemble for the great supper of God, and the birds are called together the battle will be very brief, covering a span of 200 miles with the blood splatter so high it hits the horses bridles millions of dead bodies strewn everywhere. The prophet tells us that after the birds have done their work and eaten themselves and glutted themselves it'll take seven months to bury the dead body. Seven months right on into the kingdom now let's look at verse 18.

He says come birds assemble for the great supper of God, and here's the extent of this judgment, in order that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves in small and great, and of course you understand he's just collecting absolutely everybody eat the flesh of kings start at the top.

The terrible indignity for a king to lie unburied for birds to tears. Flesh, that's precisely what's going to happen is not to be anybody to take care of them and will be anybody left alive to take care of. This is the end of the kings of desecrated kind of end birds will eat their flesh and the rulers will be able to lead their people. The kings won't be able to give direction because the fear will be so totally overpowering the flesh of commanders were just kinda move down the ranks flesh of mighty men, great soldiers, the flesh of horses and the riders that would be just the soldiers themselves and not us either is not gonna be armies on horses in the same where there are today. Although there certainly may be some they were the ancient battle instrument and are emblematic of whatever battle instruments are used in the future. Perhaps there will be horses there, then the flesh of all men is added. Look at that in verse 18, the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves in small and great, the terminal is very much like Revelation chapter 6 verse 50. Everybody. Everybody in the whole world is going to become food for vultures. The whole this is the end. There is no way around this. This is the execution of everybody who is not redeemed everybody nobody escape Freeman slaves migrate. Nobody escapes all become food for the things you're listening to Grace to you and the verse by verse Bible teaching of John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary today's lesson.

Look forward to the glorious return of Jesus Christ part of John study titled when Jesus comes no friend. If John's lesson today resonated with you.

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