Hope When You Are Distressed – Part 2

The world that was made by by loved by him rejected and completely and so he takes charge, not only with justice and mercy, but now he takes charge with our listening and Graham lots on living in the light and ongoing studies in the book of Revelation today in chapter 8 for message title under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ exam with this introduction, the 7 Seals Give Way to seven trumpets in the trumpets the seven seals are disasters, but the seven trumpets are supernatural disasters. The first four environmental the last three deal with man, but the interesting thing about them lately revealed that God judges not only with patient's progression and applause, but with precision.

These trumpets are like smart bombs there like drones that just you know you have that looks like a videogame, almost in a pinpoint to the going to destroy their very precise, very controlled judgments of God that come from the throne so in chapter 8 verse seven the first angel sounded the trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth and see this. 1/3 of the earth was burned up, 1/3 of the trees and all the green grass so the earth was defoliate about one third member maybe don't get no more humble than the Vietnam War and agent orange when they sprayed the jungles of agent orange, and they just defoliate everything and one third of the earth is defoliate but just one third.

He could've done everything second angel sounded his trumpet, something like a huge amount, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea, and 1/3 of the sea turned into blood, 1/3 of the living creatures of the sea, dad, and 1/3 of the ships were destroyed to destroy the saltwater of the sea like planes. The fish by one third the third angel sounded his trumpet, a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky, and 1/3 of the freshwater was destroyed in the fourth angel in verse 12 sounded his trumpet, and the third of the sun was struck in 1/3 of the moon the third of the stars, the third of the lights in the sky went out and you see the precision one third one third one third one third and you see God's reluctance to bring judgment on this planet and he's doing it so precisely and in measure and holding back, not wanting to judge the world, but wanting to warn them and purge them of the rebellion and bring them to repentance. But they don't repentance. And so the fifth trumpet blows this one is getting very weary, but in chapter 9 verse one, the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky out of the earth, and this is Satan himself.

The star was given the key to the shaft of the abyss, and when he opened the abyss, smoke rose from it like smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke and out of the smoke locusts came those are demon, and they were given power over the earth, and they brought in depression and despondency ends demons bringing in despair, distress so people became miserable. The six trumpets in verse 13, I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God, and it said to the sixth angel release the four angels bound at the great river Euphrates.

These are not angelic angels. These are demonic angels that been kept ready for this very hour, day and month and year and they were released to kill 1/3 of mankind heard the number of the mounted troops to hundred million. I heard the number and so the demons are released. 1/3 of the population of planet Earth is destroyed.

Wouldn't you think they would say have had enough. Wouldn't you think they would say God please save verse 20 the rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood idols that can't see or hear a walk nor did they repent of their murders magic arc sexual immorality were there for as of the seventh trumpet blows Chapter 11 verse 15. While all of this is going on on earth.

And there's this judgment and this destruction in this blasphemy and death in heaven is a celebration because the bad guys are getting it. People who are in heaven, whose loved ones were killed and tortured treated so cruelly about these people down on earth are now coming under judgment and so there were loud voices in heaven, which said the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ and he will reign forever and ever in the 24 elders received on their thrones before God fell on their faces. They worship God saying we give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and was, because you've taken your great power you've begun to rain, the nations were angry, and your wrath is come in the time is come for judging the dead and rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name both small and great, and for destroying those who destroy the earth.

And so we see in that seventh seal.

The celebration seven trumpets the celebration in heaven because God's rule and his judgments is righteous and I know this is hard to take in everything I can hardly stand it. But we get our sense of righteousness from God, right, and when he judges like this it's the right thing to do and he's got to clear up planet Earth. He's got to clean it up before we can set up his rule and reign on this earth and turned into heaven on earth is got to deal with these wicked people and so the trumpets have sounded and means all of heaven rejoices that wrong is being set rights. The wicked do not get back with their sin, so he takes charge with justice he takes charge with mercy and this is something I want to go back and point out to you because this is very precious.

This is so God like this is so, just like Jesus because while he's pouring out his judgments, and all those seals and trumpets.

He's also in charge with mercy and we see his provision. Interestingly above 144,000 Jewish preachers going back to chapter 7, verse two, I saw another angel coming up from the East, having the seal of the living God, and he called out in a loud voice to the four angels had been given power to harm the land and the sea and he said don't harm the land of the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God and I heard the number of those who resealed 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. And we find that these 144,000 Jews have a seal somehow their supernaturally protected from the persecution from the famine from the disease from the pestilence from all the things that are happening and they preach their hearts out and I think as a result of them. There's a worldwide revival because in verse nine is is after this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude, no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb and the wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands and who are they, verse 13, one of the elders and who are they in these white robes and I answered. I don't know you know and he said these are they who have come out of the great tribulation have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. So when these 144,000 Avengers are preaching the gospel people do respond not worldwide, not the majority but there are people all over the world to respond the gospel they repent of their sin there persecuted and put to death for their faith and are taken up to heaven and their and their white robes their standing under the altar and they begin to cry out for the their loved ones on our own Laura how long until you just stop all this madness. How long until you protect your people down there and bring them home and God's is just a little while longer. Just a little while longer. One more people to come to repentance before he just ends everything and but their 144,000 Jewish preachers who bring many people to faith in Christ and then he also is merciful not only by providing preachers but prophets. This is very interesting. Chapter 11 verse three and I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth. Verse six.

These men have power to shut up the sky so will not rain during the time there prophesying and they have power to turn the waters in the blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want and there's been a lot of speculation on who these two witnesses are and I think the best guess is one is Moses who brought the plagues on Egypt and turn the water in the blood. The others allowed to shut up the heavens where it didn't rain for three years and then when he confronted the priest of Bailey prayed and fasted, he got been sent the rain so can you imagine Moses who dads but they never found his body.

They search not Nebo. They could never find his body. We know we reappeared on the Mount of Transfiguration of Jesus.

Elijah is caught up in a world when he never did die, he was just taken up to heaven, he appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration, so maybe these two men come back at the end of time and you got two men who are as fine a preachers is or could be an backing up there preaching in the gospel with a demonstration of power that ought to get everybody's attention and actually it did, and their testimony rocked the world everybody's talking about everybody here is eventually they have nothing more to say they have set up all the last person has responded and at that point in verse seven of chapter 11 when they finish their testimony had nothing more to say, the beast that comes up from the abyss will attack them, overpower them and kill them. Their bodies lined the street of that great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where the Lord was crucified. They lay in the streets of Jerusalem for 3 1/2 days men from every people, tribe, language that will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial you know CNN on all the news organizations are all focused on these two dead bodies and are lying there rotting in the streets and inhabitants of their this like Christmas they gloat over them.

They celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who lived on the earth with their plagues and shutting up the sky in warning them of judgment becoming all this get rid of these two crabby old man. I'm so tired of hearing about judgment is get rid of them and their children good their dead and gone. And while everybody's watching verse 3:11 and 1/2 days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them and then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying them, peer, and they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on. At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and 1/10 of the city collapsed. 7000 people were killed in the earthquake survivors were terrified and fun. Some of them give glory to the God of heaven. Well, don't miss God's mercy, sending 144,000 evangelist to preach the gospel.

Sending these two powerful men of God to preach the gospel and then sometimes people they won't listen to an Avengers they won't listen to a prophet like that with the listen to you and me just ordinary people giving a word of testimony going through the same things are going through, but with God in our lives. And so if you look at chapter 12 verse 11 there people on earth to overcome them by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death, and so we find believers when the gospel is shared by the hundred 44,000 Avengers and the prophets, and people are converted to God allows them to live long enough to share their testimony and overcome all that's going on the earth for their testimony, the word of it is and they share with somebody else and God. Once again, allowing people to hear in a way that they would relate to so they won't listen to Moses and Elijah. They won't listing the hundred 44,000 Avengers. Maybe the listen to your neighbor somebody who lives right next and some of its working with them somebody who's received by somebody who loves Jesus so much that when they're told to recant their faith and they can't believe in Jesus or they're going to doubt they say that I'll die and they do in your neighbor see them give their life for what they believe in and there will be miracle after miracle after miracle happen on planet Earth.

During this time, but many many people. The life will slit their throat to be put to death will be beheaded and their neighbors and friends and family members are going to see that they loved not their life and that and that's going to impact them and that's God's mercy, to reach out to people through the prophets through the evangelist.

Ordinary people ends. I was just thinking that in the world for role models today are entertainers, athletes, politicians who lack morals and integrity and decency where anything is compromised if it impedes success or pleasure takes priority over principal where there are no absolutes or what is right is what works or feels good. What you get by with.

And when you get caught in a just spin it or character no longer seems to count at all. No integrity, the testimony of one life live for Jesus one life it's been cleansed, one life is confessed sin. One life that has the courage of its convictions, the stand, but they'll be people that they won't let go. But that's a powerful witness. I want to be a life like that. Now a life that stands out because it's so different than the garbage everywhere else. So when I'm in that line of traffic and advice try to crowd somebody out. I'll just pause at the person merge when I'm at the coffee shop and everybody's complaining about this or that. I just thank the briefs them give her a smile and asked her how her day was somebody overcharges me or under charges me as they do sometimes of the coffee shop and I just remind them out over another $0.74 and you know just live a life of integrity and little things big things, but it starts to make a difference in people noticed the smile on your face and the honesty with which you deal with them in your concern for them and these people during the tribulation don't love their lives to death.

In other words, they're willing to lay down their life for Jesus sake. And that's a powerful witness we see God's mercy. Not only through the preachers, the prophets, the people, but you know have you ever wondered if God really wanted to present the gospel you want to do it right. What images do it himself, you know, I mean sometimes we say the wrong verse who don't do it when suddenly enough we don't take it the distance we don't ask the right questions will have the right answers and so why doesn't he just do it himself, so you know what he does during this time of great tribulation, and judgment on earth. He sends angels into the sky to paint the sky with the gospel.

Look at chapter 14 verse six. Then I saw another angel flying in mid air, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth, every tribe and nation language people. He said in a loud voice, fear God given glory because hour of his judgment is come.

Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water, and so this angel is declaring the gospel from the sky. That's God's mercy and so even while judgment is beginning in the seals and the trumpets. God also is providing his mercy, because in wrath. He remembers mercy, and he doesn't want anybody to come in the judgment he wants all to come to repentance.

God loves the world, God loves those wicked evil people who were created in his image to know him and have eternal life and to live with him forever in his heavenly home.

But when they reject him and rebel against the minute spot on their side and their sin.

And there's going to be a judgment.

He's not going to tolerate it, they won't get by with it.

He's the creator and a sensor accountable to him. He has the right to do this in the world.

In the end the world that was made by bought by loved by him rejected him completely and so he takes charge, not only with justice and mercy, but now he takes charge with power uses three vehicles for his power in the first interestingly uses political leaders and Romans 13 once is all government authorities established by God and one of the interesting phrases. My mother pointed out to him in the Old Testament was when he referred the Nebuchadnezzar who was the Babylonian ruler who was so evil and wicked. He destroyed Jerusalem till not one stone was left on another and he just took all the temple articles. They took the people injured at that time in three deportations, including Daniel and Shadrach me shack and Abednego in Ezekiel and you know discarded them all off destroyed the land. Has Nebuchadnezzar and in the end he was converted but he was a very wicked man and God referred them in the Old Testament as Nebuchadnezzar, my servant, because God will use political leaders charge his people as he did Nebuchadnezzar and is he does at the end of the world. He uses political leaders the judge the world and in chapter 13 the middle of verse when I saw a beast coming out of the sea.

He had 10 horns and seven heads, and with 10 crowns on his horns on each had a blasphemous name that's really talking about where he comes from and I'm not going to go into at all, but this is speaking of the antichrist and the horns represent his authority in the nations that he rules he's described in Daniel in first Thessalonians. And I'm just going to give you a little synopsis of his description but he's very attractive he's brilliance. He's popular he's able very profane as a scientific mind focuses on technology and military mites.

The beginning of his power. He uses religion and that he does away with it erases religious holidays and then he declares himself to be God at some point he's going to be assassinated and then he will come back to life but when he comes back to life. It's not the man it's incarnation of Satan himself and the world is going to be so astounded and impressed so taken with this man whose attractive and charismatic and able and brilliant and now he's dead and he's come back to life will be so taken with and they just surrender everything to end the devil incarnate. Rules the world. So God uses political leaders and uses religious leaders. Amos chapter 8 verse 11 says that's one of God's judgments on God's people in the Old Testament was when he sent them a famine of the word. There were a lot of profits, but they didn't give out the truth and that was a judgment. Sometimes I think about our country today. Lots of churches down the southeastern part of United States church on every corner, but how many of them giving out the truth that God's judgment on us and second Thessalonians 2 says that God will send a strong delusion so people believe a lie were talking about the deception that is come over our country and our world and God is sent the deception and so you got to know the word if you want to be deceived and Jesus said don't be deceived. Don't be deceived. Three times I think. In Matthew 24 he says do not be deceived, the way you're not the seeps saturate yourself in this book, you need to know from Genesis to Revelation. You need to know prophecy you need to know what's happening.

You need to know the signs of the times so that you won't be deceived. There is a spirit of deception as they were even good people are fooled, and I think how can you believe that how can you do that, how can you vote for that.

How can you believe that is because of the sea. Nothing is a supernatural deception so he uses religious leaders the deceived people. Chapter 13 verse 11 then I saw another beast.

The first beast was the antichrist that came up out of the sea. This one comes out of the earth yes to horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon.

This is a religious leader who speaks very softly but the Dragon is Satan who empowers him.

He exercises all the authority of the first beast on his behalf and he made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound.

It been healed and he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. So when you see people doing miracles. When you see signs and wonders. Those don't always come from God. Don't be deceived. The devil can do things richer as my daughter was taking her Bible study through Exodus is just so interesting. We talked about when Moses when he took his staff to memory through it down in front of Pharaoh and the magicians did the same thing and Moses staff turned into a snake and so there's they could do signs and wonders. Moses is snake you swallowed upstairs for what they did, signs and wonders them so they can perform miracles in the power of Satan. So don't let that be any sort of validation of a person's minute because they can do signs and wonders that the antichrist is ascribed to someone who can do signs and wonders. The very same term is used to describe Jesus so religious leaders encouraging thing in verse 18 says what this is.

Maybe verse 16 he forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave receive a mark on his right hand on his forehead, maybe a computer chip so no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast of the number of his name, and this calls for wisdom.

If anyone has insight let him calculate the number of the beast is man's number is number 666. I just point that out because as fierce as this person is the beast and the false prophet who does miracles in his name and the Dragon. It gives them both. Power still a man still under the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, even the incarnation of Satan. Satan was a fallen Angel under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ now hears and with this final word. The series of judgments. John describes as being announced by the seven trumpets following the seven seals in Revelation chapter 7 are supernatural.

The striking characteristic of these judgments is the precise way in which they are carried out. Our world is familiar with precision strikes in wartime. The US deploys weapons referred to as smart bombs, although they are dropped from planes flying thousands of feet above the earth. These bombs can be computer program to fall within inches of a target center today. Much is said about the precision of bombing raids either in Iraq and Afghanistan or northern Africa, which keeps the loss of civilian life to a minimum while maximizing the destruction of the intended target. But despite the sophisticated accuracy of the smart bombs there precision is primitive compared with the judgments announced by the seven trumpets, both the beast and the false prophet are accountable to God and headed for judgment.

Jesus Christ asserts his authority is power by using political and religious leaders as his instruments of wrath poured out on a wicked world.

Toward the end of the great tribulation. God also uses a series of plagues. There is no cure on the face of this earth for a plague that is in fact the wrath of God poured out in judgment.

Except the blood of Jesus Christ shut the cross of Calvary. Revelation 1211 says they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from this you can hear living in the light with and Graham wants weekly and for ways to experience the God filled life as you pursue your personal Bible study go to and Graham lots.org to help you get started with three resources you can use and share with others join us here each week for living in the