The Battle of Armageddon - Part 2

Christian lady asked to remember given is used in our culture as an exaggerated way of describing your comfort, but like numbers like, given is very real and will drown Turning Point of your marsh is the reason why this massive battle is a certain thing and what Christians can take hot from the conclusion of the battle of Armageddon and today we open our Bibles again to the book of Daniel were almost finished with our study of this book we have today and Friday and then three days next week and Daniel will be finished and were so thankful that you've been with us.

Many of you every single day were grateful for your participation as we have unfolded this book together.

Well, let's finish up what we started yesterday were in the middle of this great battle battle of Armageddon.

God is storing a judgment against the data come in all the nations in our nation may not believe that God is one day going to judge them. The Scripture is clear. One of these days God would've had enough in his judgment will be meted out against wicked nations and their godlessness. Revelation 16 nine says. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues and they repented not to give him glory. You know how wicked the nations will be when God's judgment comes.

Even with the awfulness of the judgment that is associated with Armageddon. The Scripture says that the wicked and who are punished by God and scorched by the heat of his wrath.

Continue to curse God to his face and not repent, even in the midst of the judgment, though it is true that God is long-suffering of the is not willing that any should perish, there will come a day when his cup of wrath will be full and it will boil over upon those who rejected his name and persecuted his people. The campaign of Armageddon is sort of a visual aid of the wrath of God at work upon those who rejected him, and brings us to the participants in the battle of Armageddon. Who's going to participate. Well, there are six major powers that are going to be involved in that final campaign and I'm not going to belabor this except to give you the players and the cast you need to know that first of all, there will be a 10 kingdom Federation under the leadership of the beast or the Antichrist.

We studied that already. In the book of Daniel how the Antichrist is going to be raised up out of the revived Roman Empire and he will be a vital force that will bring together all of the European powers the former Roman Empire revived now in the final days and he will bring together that coalition of governments and he will be the catalyst to bring them all together and they will be one of the major powers in this closing campaign periodically on ask where is the United States and all of this I need to take just a moment. Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost is given to us an idea about where America is in all of this and I just like to share with you his thoughts, which are not inspired. There simply his opinion, and it's something to think about in his book entitled will man survive. Dr. Pentecost writes these words, he said, not what is our origin politically, socially, economically and linguistically, we have come from nations that originally belonged to the Roman Empire are customs and laws have all come from that European background from nations that have emerged out of the Roman Empire. Daniel speaks of those nations, as the 10 horns of the 10 toes that will be brought together under the power and the authority of the beast. Even though we are not one of the 10 by virtue of the fact that we did not emerge directly out of the old Roman Empire. We may be one of the 10 by virtue of our heritage.

The United States may well cast her lot with Europe and coming to this Confederation of nations and be a part of that Western Confederacy that will be drawn into this conflict and will be judged by the Lord. At his second advent.

It is interesting to note that this Confederation of the former Roman Empire nations includes almost all of the nominal Christian nation.

Dr. Pentecost believes that perhaps the United States will be included in all of that we can prove that, but that's just one man's thought. The bottom line is you can't find American prophecy, and since you can't find it directly reference there your best to leave it alone because it's awful dangerous to go beyond what the Scripture says that we are allowed divine conjecture on occasion, another 10 kingdom Confederation under the beast or the Antichrist then is the first player in this play, and then the second is the northern Confederation. The third player in this great cast are the kings of the east. The Asiatic people from beyond the Euphrates and then we have also the Lord and his armies and were going to see how they fit into this picture, and finally the nation of Israel no one the most interesting things about the battle of Armageddon is that the nation of Israel is passive. They are not active the nation of Israel is fought against their trampled over. They are run over by all the other nations, but you see them very inactive. That's kind of strange. In light of what we see going on over there today you wouldn't call them very passive today, but there's coming a day and as we see from the Scripture in that time of Armageddon that the nation of Israel will not be really actively involved in the war.

It is almost a divine joke if you will that here, this battle is taking place on Israeli soil in Palestine and Israel is almost a bystander while her nation is being trampled over just like the Egyptians and the Assyrians were doing back in the early part of this chapter know how is it going to happen. Let me just walk through it with you.

We can grasp all of this and I'm not going to try to cover all of this territory but I just can't want to give you a feeling for what's going to happen when this battle takes place.

Remembering that this is not a battle but a campaign. It is interesting to trace the Scriptures and find the movement of armies in the sequence of events that are basically involved in this great campaign.

First of all, the first and most important event is that the covenant is made between the Antichrist and Israel at the beginning of the tribulation. Right after the rapture. According to Daniel 927 the prince that shall come, the Antichrist makes a covenant with the nation of Israel. The Antichrist is described for us in the 11th chapter of the book of Daniel, just as he has been earlier in chapter 7 and nine go back to Daniel 11 and noticed beginning in verse 36. The description of this Antichrist and the king shall do according to his will, the Prince or the willful King is a reference to the Antichrist. Notice what it says about he shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every God, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished or the tribulation be accomplished or that which is determined shall be done, neither shall he regard the gods of his fathers nor the desire of women. Some folks think that refers to the Lord Jesus Christ. Neither shall he regard any God for he shall magnify himself above all that is a description of the Antichrist and the Scripture says that the Antichrist is going to set himself up as God and he's going to go to the Jewish people at the beginning of the tribulation. He's going to promise them that their sacrifices in the temple worship and their opportunity to get back into Judaism as they once knew it in the glory days can be theirs again because he will covenant together with them to reestablish their worship and the Jews will swallow it hook line and sinker will be so excited that here at last to someone who's promise to protect them so that they can worship someone has described the coming of this Antichrist in very graphic terms. They said that he's going to be the kind of person who will have the dynamic magnetic personality that is needed to weld nations together and even to fool the Jews. He will have that rare ability to move television and radio audiences plus live crowds with his appearances. His decorum and his eloquent pulpit oratory. Someone has said he will combine the logic of Churchill, the emotion of a Hitler. The width of the Kennedy and the Hollywood type image of the most popular actor you know and he will literally be able to make men wrong to hear him and to see him in this Prince, the Antichrist was the head of the revived Roman Empire will make a treaty between all the European nations and Israel and he will promise them that they will be protected and the result of that will be that the Jews will become lethargic about their own defense, and they will put their guns down and they will be lulled into a spirit of protection and they will say we don't have anything to worry about all of our neighbors are for us and the antichrist of the great world leaders on our side.

He will protect us were saying we can live in peace. That's what we've always wanted. Just as they are about to go to sleep in their piece. Something's going to happen.

Ezekiel 38, turned back in your Bibles to the Old Testament.

Ezekiel 38 tells us what's going to happen from the north.

There's going to be an invasion and the Scripture has already prepared us to understand that in any Ezekiel 38, 10 to 12 we read these words thus saith the Lord God shall also come to pass that at the same time, shall things come into my mind and thou shalt think an evil thought and thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of what kind of villages on walled villages.

I will go to those who are at rest will dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, having neither bars nor gates. How did they get like that we see the Antichrist told everything was cool. All right, that's the second thing the covenant with Israel and in the invasion from the north. Now let's go to the third thing turned back in your Bibles to the 11th chapter of Daniel and notice in the 40th verse and at the time of the end shall the King of the South push at him and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind with chariots and with horsemen and with many ships and he shall enter into the countries and shall overflow and pass through now let me ask a question who's the him in the Chapter 11. If you go back to verse 36 were talking here about the Antichrist and his coalition government from Europe. Now notice what it says.

The king of the South is going to come after the European Confederation under the Antichrist and the Scripture says that at this time the southern power will make its move. It's important to recognize that Daniel Chapter 11 is a prophecy against the Antichrist and his leadership in Daniel 1140 we read at the time of the end shall the King of the South push at the Antichrist and the European government that's already there. Supposedly protecting Israel they that are in the land, protecting their interests. The Roman Prince.

The Antichrist is not the European nations in their protecting Israel and Wally got Israel at rest. All of a sudden Russia.

Besides the head that way now, the Scripture says the South is going to head that way we know that is the northern African powers in the Confederation from the South that brings us to the next thing that happens in this battle. Are you with me. Folks if you been reading the papers and studying the magazines and noticing all of the interesting interchange that's going on over who controls the Persian Gulf and who gets this place and that place in Iran and Iraq. All that that's going on. It's just an intriguing way to illustrate what God is already told us he put Israel there planted all those riches in Israel because he knew it was going to need them to get all these people together at the end time to fulfill prophecy. And here they are now fighting over the riches you know what, if you go back just 25 years and you said 25 years ago and we have some preachers who live and preach a lot longer than that and you probably can remember when you talked about the people gathering Israel in the end time to fight over this land of folks looked at you, like you can sound so strange these days. Does it. You cannot pick up the paper without reading what's going on in Israel. It's in the headlines almost every day because that's where the action is going to be in the end time. All right the Antichrist to set up operation Israel he's got control of all of the wealth and the Scripture says notice now verse 44 here's the next player he hears tidings out of the east, all right over the East. Well, those of the Asiatic tribes and is a very interesting thing was going to happen here. Just when the Antichrist to settle his armies in the land. According to Daniel 1144 tidings out of the east, trouble him and we are not left in doubt as to those tidings might be coming from Revelation 1612 tells us that the armies of the East are going to cross the barriers that before had prohibited them from coming into the Palestinian arena. All right, am asking you to do a little homework moving back and forth about go back to Revelation 16.

Let me show you some exciting Revelation 16 all of a sudden the Antichrist thinks he's got it together. The North and South is gone all of a sudden the East explode in here comes the Asians Revelation 16 unless notice verse 12 and the angel poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared now hang with me for just a moment, turned back in your Bibles to chapter 9 of the Revelation of verse 16. Let me tell you how many are coming you're going to believe it. You talk about an army.

Revelation 9 in verse 16 and the number of the Army of the East end of the horsemen were 200,000 thousand. And I heard the number of them.

You know how many, that is, folks, I don't understand that, language 200,000 thousand. That's 200 million soldiers 200 million soldiers. Have you ever thought of an army of 200 million soldiers.

You know the critics of prophecy for years have said that's an impossibility because there's no way you could get 200 million soldiers from the eastern countries into the Palestinian arena.

But what is the Scripture say God's going to dry up the Euphrates River and the armies from the East are going to march across land right into the Palestinian arena tidings out of the East. Now the stage is set. The remaining armies of the North and the South that survived the divine judgment of God from hail and fire will still be present there in the Palestinian arena. The armies of the Antichrist are still there in the great horde of people from the east across the Euphrates River and there ready to march upon God's holy city while what a battle plan the North and South and Confederated European nations under the Antichrist.

Are there come 200 million soldiers from the East you think there's no way that Israel is ever going to survive this is going finish it all off, but just at the moment when Israel and Jerusalem is about to be attacked and her annihilation seems certain.

The last movement in the battle of Armageddon takes place in a time when I read this. I further like to shout turning your Bibles to Revelation 19 and here's how it ends. Verse 11 and I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse and he that sat upon him was called faithful and true, and in righteousness he that the judge and make war and his eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself and he was close with the vesture dipped in blood in his name is called the word of God and the armies that were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron and he treaded the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God and he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, king of kings and Lord of lords. Here comes the Lord is going to put it all right. The Scripture tells us that when the nations that are gathered together against Jerusalem see the Lord in his armies in heaven coming after them. They forget about the fact that they're mad at each other and they all get together to sign rather than fight against the Lord in the realize that they have a formidable flow so they can be fighting with each other so they combined their efforts and let's finish it out now and see what happens at the end. Notice chapter 19 verse 21 and the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. Verse 20 says and the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. The wars ended so that in one dramatic below the Lord brings to a conclusion. The campaign of Armageddon and the Bible says that immediately upon his conquest, the nations will be established as his kingdom on this earth and that's where Daniel 12 comes in the Lord shall be king over all the earth and in databases. Zechariah 14 nine. There shall be one Lord, and his name shall be one folks we think about that.

It seems so remote to us and yet just as surely as we gather here in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that's going to happen just like God said it would when we are going through all that history and were talking about how God prophesied what would happen with Persia and what would happen with Greece and how to the minutest detail every one of those prophecies were full filled and documented by history and I said, folks.

Just as surely as what we prophesied here was revealed here to be true. What God prophesied here is to be fulfilled out.

There will be true also.

And that's the way this book fits together as we study prophecy and fulfillment, and then prophecy for the future. We see that God's word is true and what he promised is going to happen and you know we read our papers today and we just see how God set the table is get everything in order.

Everything in place such a wonderful thing to be a student of the word of God and read the newspapers and the magazines and see what God is doing to set everything up so at the right moment. This can begin happen. We started by saying that the preparation of Armageddon was first of all, the rapture of the church. I can study all these things are going to happen on this earth. During that time of praise got on the company here. I will be with the Lord we read about what's going to happen in the true relation. There's no way you could ever believe that at one and the same time you been saved from the wrath to come, and that she would endure the tribulation. They are totally incompatible. I have been saved from the wrath to come in on when to be with the Lord but I won't ask you question how many of you have family members, loved ones in your immediate family who are ready to meet the Lord how many of you have neighbors that you love who don't know Christ I could go on and make a list.

It would be just as long as we care to stay here so easy for us to get excited about the fact that the tribulation comes were going to be gone is that wonderful folks there people we love all around us who don't know Jesus Christ and I know how this all fits into the prophetic scheme, but many of them are going to know before they ever know hell they're going to know the judgment that God pours out upon this world whenever I study prophecy, two things happen in my life.

First of all, I look inwardly and I realized that because of who God is and how he judges my life needs to be kept clean and pure and secondly when I study prophecy I'm motivated as never before to realize that the time is short and the call of God is urgent and we are so complacent we had like this is going to happen in another millennium.

It could start tomorrow if God determined to come for his church to Christ. The rapture and we don't have forever to do with God and we need to ask God to build within us a holy urgency because of Jesus Christ based upon the fact that he's coming soon will.

That's one of the things I have always believed prophecy does for us. It may not even be prophecy about something we will experience. But as we see it out in the horizon and motivates us to want to tell her friends about the Lord and help them come to know Jesus Christ and not ever have to deal with the things we have to deal with.

As we read them in the Scripture one day the Lord Jesus is going to come back and take us to be with him. It is after that that all of these things take place. I have no intentions of being here for the battle of Armageddon. Except as one of those who are stressed in white, one of the saints that comes back with the holy angels. The Bible says were dressed in white because we don't have to do anything but watch. We don't fight we just watch. The Bible says Jesus takes care of it with one breath from his mouth and we get to see how this all happens so I hope you're studying with us. I hope your longing for the coming of Christ. But most of all, I hope you're ready to meet Jesus Christ yourself. If you've never put your trust in him. This is the time to do it.

Of these things are happening around us today are not meant to comfort us there meant to challenge us to cause us to think deeply about what's going on in our own lives and what's going on in our relationship with Almighty God will give you verse before we say our final goodbye have been sharing these verses every day. Here it is.

Some 100 verse five for the Lord is good and his love is eternal and his faithfulness endures throughout all generations. Psalm 100 verse five for the Lord is good and his love is eternal in his faithfulness endures all generations. That's something for you to meditate on during the day.

I hope you will do it see her tomorrow. Thank you for joining us today that message today from Sugar Mountain Community Church with Dr. David Jeremiah serves as the apostle does not have tuning point is touching your life. Please write to us a Turning Point both of us about San Diego, CA 92163 or visit our website Jeremiah.old/writing copy of their test bodies captivating the last 10 Israeli inside and look to think in time in favor his ruffled mind was free gift of any amount which is the Jeremiah study extended vision and new international version as well as in standalone lunch print and then you can join in your choice of attractive go to David davidjeremiah.org/radio the data on dairy herd.

Join us tomorrow as we continue the handwriting on the tuning point.

Jeremiah, thanks for taking time to listen to the trendy thing