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Speaker 1: Life Audio.

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Speaker 2: For more resources to help you in your walk with Christ,

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Speaker 2: please visit us at Bible Study Headquarters dot com. Well

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Speaker 2: good to see everybody. It's always an interesting moment when

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Speaker 2: our worship leader today says, all right, well, today's message

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Speaker 2: is going to be a tough pill to swallow. So

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Speaker 2: but he's right, He's actually right. It is like that's

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Speaker 2: the nature of this kind of passage. And even as

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Speaker 2: you look at the title, you know, I guess I

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Speaker 2: could have come up with like a creative or fancy

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Speaker 2: title for today's message, but I just thought, let's just

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Speaker 2: call it what it is. This chapter in Revelation, chapter sixteen,

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Speaker 2: we're gonna look at the whole thing. I'm actually going

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Speaker 2: to start off by reading the whole chapter. There's a

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Speaker 2: lot of content in it. I recognize that. But it

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Speaker 2: describes what's referred to as the seven bowls of God's wrath.

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Speaker 2: And so you would look at that and you would say, maybe, like,

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Speaker 2: what exactly does that mean? Is it symbolic language? Is

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Speaker 2: it something that's representative of something? Is it actually talking

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Speaker 2: about something directly and something that I should be personally

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Speaker 2: aware of, or is this referencing other people? Is this

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Speaker 2: something that will prepare me to face this.

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Speaker 1: Week with joy, with delight.

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Speaker 2: I would say it is because this is one of

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Speaker 2: the things I've noticed, even when you come to portions

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Speaker 2: of scripture like this, and we've been working our way

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Speaker 2: through the Book of Revelation, when you come to portions

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Speaker 2: of scripture like this that deal with typically subjects that

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Speaker 2: people would prefer maybe not to bring up, I actually

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Speaker 2: think there's delight in just knowing what is knowing what

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Speaker 2: the Lord's told us ahead of time, knowing these actually

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Speaker 2: told us these things ahead of time for our benefit.

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Speaker 2: He's not telling us these things ahead of time to

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Speaker 2: hurt us in some way. He's telling us these things

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Speaker 2: ahead of time to benefit us, so that we have

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Speaker 2: the opportunity to ponder them and think about them before

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Speaker 2: these passages of scripture are actually fulfilled. And so if

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Speaker 2: you would take your Bible's turn with me to Revelation sixteen,

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Speaker 2: as we just prepare our hearts to look at this here,

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Speaker 2: we're going to I'm just going to read the whole

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Speaker 2: chapter twenty one verses, then we'll pray, and then we're

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Speaker 2: going to talk about what is being revealed to us

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Speaker 2: here in this portion of scripture.

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Speaker 1: So join with me here. Verse one says this.

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Speaker 2: Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, telling

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Speaker 2: the seven angels, go and pour out on the earth

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Speaker 2: the seven bowls of the wrath of God. So the

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Speaker 2: first angel went and poured out his ball on the earth,

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Speaker 2: and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who

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Speaker 2: bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

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Speaker 2: The second angel poured out his ball into the sea,

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Speaker 2: and it became like the blood of a corpse, and

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Speaker 2: every living thing died that was in the sea. The

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Speaker 2: third angel poured out his ball into the rivers and

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Speaker 2: the springs of water, and they became blood. And I

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Speaker 2: heard the angel in charge of the water say, just

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Speaker 2: are you, o, Holy One, who is and who was?

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Speaker 2: For you brought these judgments. For they have shed the

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Speaker 2: blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them

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Speaker 2: blood to drink.

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Speaker 1: It is what they deserve.

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Speaker 2: And I heard the altar saying, yes, Lord, God the Almighty, true,

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Speaker 2: and just are your judgments. The fourth angel poured out

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Speaker 2: his ball on the sun, and it was allowed to

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Speaker 2: scorch people with fire. They were scorched by the fierce heat,

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Speaker 2: and they cursed the name of God, who had power

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Speaker 2: over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.

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Speaker 2: The fifth Angel poured out his ball on the throne

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Speaker 2: of the Beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness.

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Speaker 2: People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God

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Speaker 2: of Heaven for their pain and soreds. They did not

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Speaker 2: repent of their deeds. The sixth Angel poured out his

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Speaker 2: ball on the great river Euphrates, and its water was

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Speaker 2: dried up to prepare the way for the kings from

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Speaker 2: the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth

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Speaker 2: of the Dragon, and out of the mouth of the Beast,

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Speaker 2: and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three

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Speaker 2: unclean spirits like frogs, For they are demonic spirits performing signs,

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Speaker 2: who go abroad to the kings of the whole world

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Speaker 2: to assemble them for battle on them and the great

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Speaker 2: day of God the Almighty. Behold, I am coming like

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Speaker 2: a thief. Blessed is the one who stays away, keeping

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Speaker 2: his garments on that he may not go about naked

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Speaker 2: and be seen exposed. And they assembled them at the

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Speaker 2: place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. The seventh Angel

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Speaker 2: poured out his ball into the air, and a loud

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Speaker 2: voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying

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Speaker 2: it is done. And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings,

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Speaker 2: peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there

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Speaker 2: had never been since man was on the earth. So

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Speaker 2: great was that earthquake. The great city was split into

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Speaker 2: three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and

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Speaker 2: God remembered Babylon the grate to make her drain the

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Speaker 2: cup of the wine of the fury.

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Speaker 1: Of his wrath or yeah, excuse me.

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Speaker 2: And every island fled away, and no mountain were to

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Speaker 2: be found, and great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each

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Speaker 2: fell from heaven on people. They cursed God for the

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Speaker 2: plague of the hail because the plague was so severe.

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Speaker 2: Let's pray, Lord, thank you for your word. Thank you

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Speaker 2: for the privilege to look at a portion of scripture

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Speaker 2: like this.

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Speaker 1: Lord.

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Speaker 2: Even as I was preparing for today's message, even as

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Speaker 2: I was thinking about these passages this past week and

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Speaker 2: just thinking about things that would be valuable to say

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Speaker 2: in response to them. One of the things, Lord, that

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Speaker 2: was very much on my mind is the fact that

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Speaker 2: This is the type of thing that oftentimes just gets skipped.

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Speaker 2: People come across passages like this and skip them, or

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Speaker 2: sometimes people with preaching responsibilities choose not to preach on

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Speaker 2: passages like this just because of the nature of it.

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Speaker 1: We prefer light things. We prefer things that, at least on.

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Speaker 2: The immediate or in the immediate context, seem directly applicable

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Speaker 2: to our lives and to our day to day circumstances.

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Speaker 2: And this is one of those passages that we look

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Speaker 2: at and we think, all right, well, we're reading a

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Speaker 2: lot about your judgments, we read a lot about your wrath,

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Speaker 2: we read about things that are yet future, and so

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Speaker 2: we think, does this have any application to me in

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Speaker 2: the context that I'm in, or is it just one

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Speaker 2: of those things that makes God sound like he's angry,

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Speaker 2: that makes you sound like you're just this angry deity

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Speaker 2: that's trying to get back at humanity. But Father, we

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Speaker 2: know that when we look at this portion of scripture,

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Speaker 2: in the context of this passage, in the context of

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Speaker 2: this book, that we understand more and more about your heart,

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Speaker 2: and even the fact that you've given this to us

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Speaker 2: ahead of time. We know Lord that that's not for

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Speaker 2: our detriment. That's for our benefit. So we pray that

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Speaker 2: that would be our mindset as we look at this

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Speaker 2: passage together today. Certainly a unique passage and as was

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Speaker 2: already said, maybe even a tough pill to swallow, and

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Speaker 2: yet at the same time, something that demonstrates your glory

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Speaker 2: and your holiness, and we're privileged to be able to.

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Speaker 1: Study it together.

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Speaker 2: So we thank you for this time, We thank you

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Speaker 2: for your love, and we pray this all in Jesus' name.

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Speaker 1: Amen.

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Speaker 2: So last night, maybe some of you were alerted to

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Speaker 2: some of the things that were taking place nationally. But

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Speaker 2: last night, after I heard about the attempt on the

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Speaker 2: President's life at the White House correspondence dinner, I turned

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Speaker 2: on the news to see what was going on. I thought,

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Speaker 2: what's happening? Like I saw some indication of it on

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Speaker 2: social media, and so I turned on the news. And

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Speaker 2: as the news was broadcasting from the hotel where those

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Speaker 2: things took place, they kept looping.

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Speaker 1: Footage of the event.

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Speaker 2: Kept looping different things that were taking place there. And

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Speaker 2: I don't know what you look for when something like

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Speaker 2: that is happening, with something of that nature on a

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Speaker 2: national scale, something that certainly everybody's going to be talking about.

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Speaker 2: I don't know what you look for when you're seeing

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Speaker 2: footage like that, but I started noticing a variety of things.

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Speaker 2: And one of the primary things that I was noticing

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Speaker 2: was that there you had a whole bunch of people,

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Speaker 2: so white House correspondents, all these people in ball gowns

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Speaker 2: and tuxedos, very formal dress, looking very sharp, the sharpest

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Speaker 2: a person tends to look. I noticed them responding in

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Speaker 2: drastically different ways to what was taking place in the

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Speaker 2: context that they were in. So some people in that context,

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Speaker 2: I watched them run toward where they thought danger would be,

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Speaker 2: but they ran toward it. There's danger, I'm running toward it.

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Speaker 2: And you saw them decisively do that. Some people very

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Speaker 2: much ran from it and tried as quickly as they

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Speaker 2: could to get out of possibly you know, the line

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Speaker 2: of fire or where danger might be. And then others

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Speaker 2: either froze or hid under their tables. And so that's

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Speaker 2: what I was watching, is they kept.

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Speaker 1: Looping the footage.

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Speaker 2: Some run toward, some run away, some freeze, some hide

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Speaker 2: under the table. And I thought, you know, we're all

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Speaker 2: a little different. Everybody's got a different personality. I think

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Speaker 2: our personalities are superintended by God, and so use your

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Speaker 2: personality whichever category of that you might fall into. But

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Speaker 2: I also think that it's kind of interesting to see

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Speaker 2: human nature in moments of stress, or to see human

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Speaker 2: nature in moments of suppse. It's always interesting to me

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Speaker 2: to see how people choose to respond. And so that's

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Speaker 2: probably a pretty good modern day case study since it's

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Speaker 2: only just a few hours now. Thankfully nobody was seriously hurt.

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Speaker 2: I'm grateful to God for that. But then you read

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Speaker 2: a passage like this, You look at Revelation sixteen, and

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Speaker 2: it brings us to an unmistakably clear moment in the

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Speaker 2: unfolding of God's prophetic plan.

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Speaker 1: It's really clear. It's not symbolic.

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Speaker 2: It's something that's directly meant to communicate actual events. And

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Speaker 2: it's interesting to see because it gives us lists of this.

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Speaker 2: Multiple times are examples of this, different ways people choose

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Speaker 2: to respond to it. There are ways people respond, So

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Speaker 2: you see people directly responding to the stresses, to the calamities,

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Speaker 2: to the surprises. In this portion of scripture, the scripture

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Speaker 2: tells us that these seven bulls of God's wrath are

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Speaker 2: poured out on the earth. And this completes the judgment

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Speaker 2: that began with what we're called the sealed judgments, follow

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Speaker 2: by the trumpet judgments, and they were more intense than

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Speaker 2: the seal judgments. And now you look at these bold

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Speaker 2: judgments here and they go even further, they have even

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Speaker 2: further effect. And by the way, some people look at

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Speaker 2: portions of scripture like this and they say, well, it's

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Speaker 2: apocalyptic literature, it's prophetic literature.

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Speaker 1: Maybe this is all just symbolic.

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Speaker 2: I will tell you that as I read this, I

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Speaker 2: don't read something that's being delivered in a symbolic way.

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Speaker 2: I think there's certainly symbolism when you look at apocalyptic literature,

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Speaker 2: but I don't think this is something I've even seen

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Speaker 2: some people kind of indicate that they just described this

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Speaker 2: as maybe terms for general hardship that people will go through.

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Speaker 1: But I don't think that's the case.

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Speaker 2: I think these are real future events that take place

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Speaker 2: during that seven year period of time, the Great Tribulation,

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Speaker 2: toward the end of it, just before the return of

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Speaker 2: Jesus Christ. And I think this chapter is what it's doing,

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Speaker 2: is it's showing us the final phase of God's righteous

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Speaker 2: wrath being poured out on sin just before Christ establishes

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Speaker 2: his kingdom this earth. Now, as we've already said, there

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Speaker 2: are some heavy things that are referenced in this chapter.

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Speaker 2: But I do want to say this, even before we

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Speaker 2: pick some of them apart and notice them in more detail,

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Speaker 2: this passage ultimately isn't really meant to leave us in fear.

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Speaker 2: That's not the point of the Lord revealing these things

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Speaker 2: to us. It may, you know, spike some fear for us,

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Speaker 2: but it's not meant to leave us in fear. It's

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Speaker 2: actually meant to remind us of God's holiness and remind

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Speaker 2: us of God's justice. And one other thing, the urgency

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Speaker 2: of responding to God's grace while there's still time, because

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Speaker 2: you and I actually have time. If you're here right now,

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Speaker 2: you still have a little time. But there are people

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Speaker 2: in this context here that will not respond to the

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Speaker 2: grace of God as time is running out. So notice

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Speaker 2: how this chapter unfolds, and we're going to move our

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Speaker 2: way kind of quickly through it. But let's start with

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Speaker 2: verse one and verse one it says this, Then I

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Speaker 2: heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven

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Speaker 2: angels go and pour out on the earth, the seven

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Speaker 2: bulls of the wrath of God. So this is being

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Speaker 2: revealed to the apostle John. The apostle John is writing

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Speaker 2: these things down. We're told that this voice comes from

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Speaker 2: the temple in Heaven, which we saw at the end

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Speaker 2: of the previous chapter. This filled with God's glory. This

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Speaker 2: temple in Heaven filled with God's glory. No one could

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Speaker 2: enter it until the judgments were complete. And this shows

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Speaker 2: us that what's about to happen comes directly from God's

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Speaker 2: presence and from God's authority. So this is divine judgment

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Speaker 2: upon sin, divine judgment upon rebellion.

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Speaker 1: And again, when we.

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Speaker 2: Read passages like this, I think it's also important to

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Speaker 2: remember what scripture consistently teaches about the character of God.

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Speaker 1: God is patient.

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Speaker 2: But something else we need to know about God is

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Speaker 2: that he isn't indifferent to sin. So he is patient,

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Speaker 2: but he isn't indifferent to sin. In fact, in another

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Speaker 2: often skipped book of the Bible, you look at the

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Speaker 2: Book of Nahem, chapter one, verse three, it says the

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Speaker 2: Lord is slow to anger and great in power. It

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Speaker 2: says the Lord is slow to anger and great in power.

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Speaker 2: Now let's just pause and think about that statement for

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Speaker 2: a quick second. Don't you wish most people in your

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Speaker 2: day to day life were slow to anger? Do you

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Speaker 2: know anyone in your day to day life who is

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Speaker 2: fast to anger? Do you know anyone in your day

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Speaker 2: to day life that starts at anger and sometimes dials

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Speaker 2: it back, or starts at anger and then they just

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Speaker 2: ramp it up from there. You do know someone, and

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Speaker 2: someone's probably coming to your mind. But here it says,

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Speaker 2: our Lord is slow to anger. I am so grateful

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Speaker 2: that the Lord is slow to anger, that he gives

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Speaker 2: us a lot of time, that he demonstrates his patience.

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Speaker 2: But also notice what it says. It says, and the

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Speaker 2: Lord will, by no means clear the guilty. So you

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Speaker 2: see his patience, you see his holiness, but you also

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Speaker 2: see his justice. He gives it time, but he also responds.

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Speaker 2: So God's justice may be delayed because he's giving people

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Speaker 2: time to repent. He's giving people time to get right

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Speaker 2: with him. But God's justice is never denied. His justice

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Speaker 2: will come to pass. But he's being patient with people

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Speaker 2: because he knows that we take time, those that we

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Speaker 2: take time to realize things, or to understand things, or

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Speaker 2: to learn. And I have to tell you, just from

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Speaker 2: a personal standpoint, I'm super super glad he's taken time

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Speaker 2: with me, because even though I do worship him, I

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Speaker 2: could also look at my life and say, yeah, there's

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Speaker 2: other areas of my life that I'm still very much

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Speaker 2: a work in progress. And I'm grateful that the Lord

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Speaker 2: gives me time. I'm grateful that he's giving you time.

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Speaker 2: And that's what the Book of Nahem, that's what the

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Speaker 2: Book of Revelation illustrates. But the first ball that's poured

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Speaker 2: out here we see, like this idea of these bulls

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Speaker 2: being poured out, this judgment being poured out.

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Speaker 1: Well, the first ball, we're.

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Speaker 2: Told, brings painful sores upon those who bear the mark

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Speaker 2: of the Beast. If you remember, in the previous context

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Speaker 2: of this book, it talks about those who, basically, so

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Speaker 2: that they can operate in day to day life and

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Speaker 2: day to day commerce, they agree to take the mark

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Speaker 2: of the Beast, the beast being this antichrist individual, this

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Speaker 2: person who is ruling on this earth and basically demanding

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Speaker 2: allegiance and demanding worship. And people take the mark of

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Speaker 2: the Beast. And now we see whatever this mark is,

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Speaker 2: something that's going to either be on the forehead or

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Speaker 2: the hand, the number.

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Speaker 1: Six sixty six that actually talks about.

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Speaker 2: But here it says that those who bear the mark

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Speaker 2: of the beast are going to be like these painful

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Speaker 2: sores are going to come upon them. And I don't

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Speaker 2: know if you looked at that, if that reminded you

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Speaker 2: of any other portion of scripture, But it's kind of interesting.

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Speaker 2: When you go through these seven bowls of wrath, it

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Speaker 2: should remind you about what took place in the Book

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Speaker 2: of Exodus, because there's parallel to them, the sixth Plague

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Speaker 2: in the Book of Exodus. When you get into Exodus

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Speaker 2: chapter nine, the sixth Plague tells us that boils afflicted Egypt.

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Speaker 2: And just as God judged Pharaoh for hardening his heart,

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Speaker 2: what we're seeing here in Revelation is that he now

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Speaker 2: judges those who have aligned themselves with the Antichrist. He's

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Speaker 2: judging those who have hardened their hearts against the true Lord,

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Speaker 2: and they worship this false Lord. Well, then you get

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Speaker 2: to the second and the third Bulls, and we're told

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Speaker 2: that they turn the seas and the rivers to blood,

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Speaker 2: every living thing, we're told, and the sea dies, fresh

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Speaker 2: water becomes undrinkable. And again, once again we're reminded of

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Speaker 2: the plagues in Egypt where the Nile turned to blood.

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Speaker 2: That's in Exodus chapter seven. But here it's different from

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Speaker 2: what we see in Exodus. And Exodus it was in

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Speaker 2: one spot. Here it's global. The scope is global. But

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Speaker 2: the Angel of the waters declares this in verses five

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Speaker 2: and six. He says, and I heard it, says John says,

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Speaker 2: and I heard the angel in charge of the waters say,

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Speaker 2: just are you, o, Holy One?

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Speaker 1: Who is and who was? For?

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Speaker 2: You brought these judgments? For they have shed the blood

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Speaker 2: of saints and prophets. You've given them blood to drink.

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Speaker 2: It is what they deserve. So God's judgment fits the crime. Basically,

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Speaker 2: that's what we're seeing here. Those who delighted in violence

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Speaker 2: now experience the consequences of that violence. Then you get

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Speaker 2: to the fourth bowl, and the fourth bowl intensifies the

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Speaker 2: sun's heat and it scorches the people with fire. And

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Speaker 2: it's interesting to see how people respond to that one.

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Speaker 2: Instead of repenting, what do they do the people? They

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Speaker 2: curse God, it says, they curse God. Now, I think

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Speaker 2: that's certainly interesting to see because it shows us that

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Speaker 2: suffering doesn't automatically lead to repentance. Suffering doesn't automatically lead

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Speaker 2: to repentance. A heartened heart can experience judgment and still

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Speaker 2: refuse to turn. This, by the way, I think, is

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Speaker 2: a more common response than many people realize. Maybe you've

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Speaker 2: noticed this just as you've observed humanity over the course

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Speaker 2: of your life. But over the years, I've had many

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Speaker 2: interactions with people who blame God for everything. They just

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Speaker 2: blame God for everything. Often they blame them for the

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Speaker 2: results of their own decisions. They'll make bad life choices,

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Speaker 2: they'll make bad decisions, and then they'll blame God for

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Speaker 2: the consequences, even though he said you shouldn't do that.

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Speaker 2: They're like, Ayah, I happen to be God of my

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Speaker 2: own life. I will make my own decisions, but if

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Speaker 2: it doesn't work out, I'm gonna blame you. Sometimes I

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Speaker 2: see people just in general, blame God for the effects

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Speaker 2: of sin in this world, not knowing how this story began.

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Speaker 2: When you look at humanity's earliest days, the Lord said,

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Speaker 2: follow me and it Basically I'm summarizing large portions of

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Speaker 2: the Old Testament. Follow me and it goes well, Trust

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Speaker 2: me and it goes well, go your own way, trust yourself,

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Speaker 2: reject me. It does not go well. That's what the

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Speaker 2: Lord told us in our earliest days.

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Speaker 1: And what did we do.

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Speaker 2: We followed ourselves, we rejected his will, and now we

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Speaker 2: deal with the consequences, and we're like God, We're so

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Speaker 2: mad at you for these consequences. And the Lord says,

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Speaker 2: that's exactly what I told you would happen. But then

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Speaker 2: we also forget. You know, people look at this, are

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Speaker 2: like God, if you loved us, why wouldn't you do

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Speaker 2: something about this? If you love us, if you're patient,

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Speaker 2: if you're a loving God, why wouldn't you do something

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Speaker 2: about this? Why do we have to deal with the

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Speaker 2: consequences of sin, death, disease, bad weather, thorns on plants,

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Speaker 2: all the things that scripture describes as unsavory things that

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Speaker 2: are the direct result of human rebellion. God, why don't

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Speaker 2: you do something about this? And then you look at

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Speaker 2: what scripture says, God looked at us with passion. God

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Speaker 2: himself took on flesh. Jesus Christ, came to this earth,

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Speaker 2: lived the perfect life we couldn't live, took our sin

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Speaker 2: upon himself so that through faith in him we could

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Speaker 2: be completely forgiven of sin and ushered into a permanent

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Speaker 2: reality in his presence, where we will not experience the

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Speaker 2: effects of sin any longer. He tells us he's going

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Speaker 2: to and we're going to see this at the end

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Speaker 2: of Revelation. He's going to restore creation completely to the

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Speaker 2: original design that it was meant to have, and those

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Speaker 2: who have faith in him will live there forever with

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Speaker 2: him forgiven. There'll be no more sorrow, pain, mourning, any

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Speaker 2: of those things. Scripture says, it's all going to go away.

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Speaker 2: And yet people forget all the pieces of the story.

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Speaker 2: All they like to do human being, human nature. We

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Speaker 2: like to look at God and blame him for the

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Speaker 2: decisions that we make, when he's the one who is

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Speaker 2: solving the problems we created. And here we're told that

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Speaker 2: in the midst of all of this, where it should

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Speaker 2: be a huge wake up call, instead of honoring the

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Speaker 2: Lord or repenting, we're told that people curse God.

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Speaker 1: Twice.

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Speaker 2: It tells us this the fifth ball plunges the Kingdom

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Speaker 2: of the Beast into darkness, and again this is mirroring

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Speaker 2: the Ninth plague in Egypt that we see in Exodus

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Speaker 2: chapter ten. We're told that the pain is so severe

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Speaker 2: that people gnaw their tongues in anguish. They gnaw their

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Speaker 2: tongues in anguish. Now, I don't know if you've ever

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Speaker 2: bitten your cheek or bitten your toe. Every time I

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Speaker 2: bite my cheek, it becomes like a week of biting

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Speaker 2: my cheek in the same spot. Do you ever have

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Speaker 2: that happen? You bite it there, and then all of

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Speaker 2: a sudden, it's like, oh, I guess I will do

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Speaker 2: this thirty more times. It's like enough, I'm just gonna

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Speaker 2: eat soup. No more food that's solid that involves chewing.

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Speaker 2: But it's interesting. You know, they gnaw their tongues in anguish,

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Speaker 2: and it still indicates still they don't repent. Still they

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Speaker 2: don't repent, And this pattern repeats. You have judgment coming

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Speaker 2: people suffering, and instead of humbling themselves before God, they

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Speaker 2: double down on rebellion. They double down on and again.

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Speaker 2: When we look at this, I know that it's easy

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Speaker 2: to look at this and then see other people in it.

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Speaker 2: But I have to say, if we're honest, we can

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Speaker 2: see the same traces of all those tendencies in our

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Speaker 2: own lives. If I'm honest with you, I can see

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Speaker 2: those same traces in my own life.

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Speaker 1: I look at that and I.

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Speaker 2: Think to myself, all right, John, how many times over

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Speaker 2: the course of.

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Speaker 1: Your life have you resisted God's correction?

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Speaker 2: And I don't even know the number, because it's that

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Speaker 2: many times. Sometimes it's subtle. Sometimes it's ways in which

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Speaker 2: I probably am not even being honest with myself.

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Speaker 1: And it's interesting.

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Speaker 2: The closer you get to the Lord over the course

434
00:21:37,119 --> 00:21:38,720
Speaker 2: of your life, as you learn to walk with him,

435
00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:41,280
Speaker 2: the more you actually start picking up on some of

436
00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:44,600
Speaker 2: that stuff. It's like your radar gets heightened because you're trying.

437
00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:46,920
Speaker 2: The closer you try to live to the holiness of God,

438
00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:50,520
Speaker 2: the more your own sin becomes visible to you, and

439
00:21:50,600 --> 00:21:54,080
Speaker 2: the more you're reminded. I need Jesus as much today

440
00:21:54,119 --> 00:21:56,399
Speaker 2: as I needed him on the first day I met him.

441
00:21:57,040 --> 00:21:59,640
Speaker 2: I haven't stopped needing him. I need him as much

442
00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:02,679
Speaker 2: today I needed him on day one. There's never going

443
00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:04,280
Speaker 2: to be a day where I don't need the mercy

444
00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:06,199
Speaker 2: and grace shown to me in Jesus Christ.

445
00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:08,880
Speaker 1: I need him just as much today as I did

446
00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:09,480
Speaker 1: on day one.

447
00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:11,880
Speaker 2: Well, then you keep going through this passage, you get

448
00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:14,400
Speaker 2: to the sixth bowl. Here we're told the sixth bowl

449
00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:17,520
Speaker 2: drives up the Euphrates River. We're told it prepares the

450
00:22:17,560 --> 00:22:20,440
Speaker 2: way for kings from the east. It's in verse twelve.

451
00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:23,280
Speaker 2: We're also told this is kind of interesting. They're described

452
00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:26,520
Speaker 2: here like frogs, but we're told that demonic spirits go

453
00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:31,560
Speaker 2: out from the ungodly leaders of this time. Demonic spirits

454
00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:34,000
Speaker 2: go out from them to deceive the other rulers of

455
00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:36,920
Speaker 2: this world and gather them for battle on the great

456
00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:39,560
Speaker 2: Day of God Almighty.

457
00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:40,919
Speaker 1: It's interesting.

458
00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,200
Speaker 2: This is one of Satan's favorite tactics. He just loves

459
00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:45,920
Speaker 2: to deceive people. There's so many people that think that

460
00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:49,080
Speaker 2: they're walking in light, and then you compare what they

461
00:22:49,119 --> 00:22:51,520
Speaker 2: consider walking in light to what scripture actually says, and

462
00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:55,040
Speaker 2: you realize, now you're being deceived. And here tells us

463
00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:59,040
Speaker 2: that this all leads to this gathering at Armageddon, which

464
00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:01,440
Speaker 2: is a location that's tied to the plane of Megiddo

465
00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:05,360
Speaker 2: in Israel, place with a long history of decisive battles,

466
00:23:05,359 --> 00:23:09,119
Speaker 2: But this particular final conflict, it's not just another war

467
00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:11,719
Speaker 2: like the other wars that preceded it. It's actually the

468
00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:16,679
Speaker 2: culmination of humanity's rebellion against God himself, and right in

469
00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:19,679
Speaker 2: the middle of that section. Notice what it says in

470
00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:23,480
Speaker 2: verse fifteen, right in the middle of it.

471
00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:26,679
Speaker 1: It says, Behold, I am coming like a thief.

472
00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:29,840
Speaker 2: Blessed is the one who stays away, keeping his garments on.

473
00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:34,400
Speaker 2: That's the voice of Christ speaking into this moment. It's

474
00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:36,280
Speaker 2: kind of interesting to look at this. You have Jesus

475
00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:39,399
Speaker 2: speaking directly here, and even in the midst of judgment,

476
00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:41,919
Speaker 2: there's a call to readiness. There's a call to faithfulness,

477
00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:45,680
Speaker 2: this idea of basically, be ready for company, be ready

478
00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:48,080
Speaker 2: for me to come at any time. You know, don't

479
00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:52,280
Speaker 2: get too casual about day to day because I'm coming. Behold,

480
00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:55,280
Speaker 2: I am coming like a thief. Meaning you're not gonna

481
00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:57,320
Speaker 2: see me coming. You're not gonna like initially, you're not

482
00:23:57,359 --> 00:23:59,439
Speaker 2: gonna expect me coming. You're gonna see it when it happens,

483
00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:01,480
Speaker 2: but ahead of time you're not going to realize. And

484
00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:03,119
Speaker 2: then all of a sudden, boom, here we are in

485
00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:05,879
Speaker 2: the moment. It's interesting because when you go through the

486
00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:11,119
Speaker 2: Old Testament scriptures their references to this coming.

487
00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:13,120
Speaker 1: By the way, do you know that there.

488
00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:18,679
Speaker 2: Are over fifteen hundred references to the Second Coming of

489
00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:22,000
Speaker 2: Christ in the Old Testament and that one out of

490
00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:26,240
Speaker 2: every twenty five verses in the New Testament references his

491
00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:28,960
Speaker 2: second coming. So you think the Lord wants us to

492
00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:30,879
Speaker 2: understand that. I think he wants us to know that

493
00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:33,760
Speaker 2: that's going to happen. I would say that he does.

494
00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:36,399
Speaker 2: But it sounds a lot like what we read in

495
00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:40,159
Speaker 2: Zechariah fourteen. Again another portion of scripture that sometimes I

496
00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:43,240
Speaker 2: hear reference but oftentimes I don't. But in Zechariah fourteen

497
00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:46,800
Speaker 2: it tells us the nations gather against Jerusalem, only for

498
00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:48,359
Speaker 2: the Lord himself to intervene.

499
00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:49,360
Speaker 1: Then you look at.

500
00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:52,760
Speaker 2: Joel chapter three, where God gathers the nations for judgment

501
00:24:52,840 --> 00:24:57,200
Speaker 2: and the value of Jehosephat. Basically, what you see taking

502
00:24:57,200 --> 00:24:59,920
Speaker 2: place here is God isn't just responding to world the event.

503
00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:02,480
Speaker 2: This isn't just a response to worldly events. This is

504
00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:06,600
Speaker 2: actually God orchestrating the culmination of history according to his

505
00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:10,800
Speaker 2: sovereign plan. He's orchestrating these things to take place. And

506
00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:13,160
Speaker 2: then we get to the final bull. We're told it's

507
00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,480
Speaker 2: poured into the air, and a loud voice from the

508
00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:19,680
Speaker 2: throne declares, it is done. See that in verse seventeen.

509
00:25:20,240 --> 00:25:25,240
Speaker 2: It is done. It is done right Verse seventeen, says

510
00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:27,639
Speaker 2: the seventh Angel poured out his ball into the air,

511
00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:29,840
Speaker 2: and a loud voice came out of the temple from

512
00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:31,000
Speaker 2: the throne, saying.

513
00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:32,879
Speaker 1: It is done.

514
00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:37,680
Speaker 2: So this statement signals the completion of God's wrath, and

515
00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:41,920
Speaker 2: we're told that there are flashes of lightning, rumblings, thunder

516
00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:43,399
Speaker 2: things we just sang about.

517
00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:46,120
Speaker 1: Just a few moments ago, a.

518
00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:49,960
Speaker 2: Great earthquake unlike anything this earth has ever seen. I

519
00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:52,320
Speaker 2: don't know if you've ever gone through an earthquake. Do

520
00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:55,680
Speaker 2: you ever experience an earthquake? Some of you have. I've

521
00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:57,920
Speaker 2: only noticed it once. I think I've experienced it more

522
00:25:57,920 --> 00:26:01,240
Speaker 2: than once. I was actually teaching, and while I was teaching,

523
00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:07,240
Speaker 2: I started noticing that the screen started like the words

524
00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:08,040
Speaker 2: on the screen were.

525
00:26:07,880 --> 00:26:09,800
Speaker 1: Moving, and I'm like, well, that's odd, and.

526
00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:12,320
Speaker 2: I thought to myself afterward, I was like, is there

527
00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:15,480
Speaker 2: a large truck going by this building that's making that happen?

528
00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:16,760
Speaker 2: And then it dawned to me. I was like, wait,

529
00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:21,000
Speaker 2: everything's moving, and I asked somebody that was in the

530
00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:23,720
Speaker 2: context that I was teaching. I said, check your phone.

531
00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:25,639
Speaker 2: I always tell students please don't use your phone, but

532
00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:27,720
Speaker 2: in that moment, I was like let's break protocol. Somebody

533
00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:29,879
Speaker 2: check your phone? Was that an earthquake? And someone was like,

534
00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:34,440
Speaker 2: that was an earthquake? Comparing that earthquake to what's described here.

535
00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:37,800
Speaker 2: We're told that this earthquake that's in Revelation sixteen is

536
00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:41,119
Speaker 2: unlike anything this world has ever experienced.

537
00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:42,120
Speaker 1: Unlike anything.

538
00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:48,520
Speaker 2: We're told that cities collapse, islands flee, mountains disappear.

539
00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:51,160
Speaker 1: That's gonna shake things right.

540
00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:54,879
Speaker 2: We're also told that Babylon the grate is remembered before

541
00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:57,399
Speaker 2: God and receives the full measure of his wrath. And

542
00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:00,160
Speaker 2: then we're told about these massive hailstones that are out

543
00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:02,359
Speaker 2: one hundred pounds each, and in verse twenty one it

544
00:27:02,359 --> 00:27:05,160
Speaker 2: says that they fall from heaven. Again, I think that's

545
00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:07,720
Speaker 2: meant to remind us, or at least you see a

546
00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:10,680
Speaker 2: foretaste of this back in Exodus chapter nine, where there

547
00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:14,359
Speaker 2: was hail used in judgment, but here obviously on a

548
00:27:14,359 --> 00:27:18,359
Speaker 2: far greater scale. And how do people respond? How do

549
00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:20,960
Speaker 2: they respond? Look at verse twenty one, what do they do?

550
00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:24,120
Speaker 2: It says in great hailstones about one hundred pounds each

551
00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:26,840
Speaker 2: fell from heaven on people, and they cursed God for

552
00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:30,880
Speaker 2: the plague of the hail because the plague was so severe,

553
00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:34,680
Speaker 2: they cursed God. So here they are, at the very end,

554
00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:39,600
Speaker 2: last moment, five seconds away, moments away from all this culminating,

555
00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:42,080
Speaker 2: and instead of responding to God and saying, you know what, Lord,

556
00:27:42,119 --> 00:27:44,879
Speaker 2: we brought this all on ourselves and we actually deserve

557
00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:48,199
Speaker 2: this and far worse, but they curse God for the

558
00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:50,800
Speaker 2: plague of the hail. They curse him even at the

559
00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:51,320
Speaker 2: very end.

560
00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:53,520
Speaker 1: What do people do? They refuse to repent.

561
00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:55,920
Speaker 2: And I think that's one of the most interesting realities

562
00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:57,720
Speaker 2: of this entire chapter, because you see that as a

563
00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:00,360
Speaker 2: pattern over and over as these bold judgments are brought

564
00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:03,200
Speaker 2: upon the earth, over and over, the people refuse to repent,

565
00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:05,400
Speaker 2: refuse to repent, refuse to repent.

566
00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:07,399
Speaker 1: Cursing God for everything they're seeing.

567
00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:11,879
Speaker 2: It's also interesting to note that judgment alone doesn't soften

568
00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:17,119
Speaker 2: a rebellious heart. I think, truthfully, only the grace of

569
00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:21,439
Speaker 2: God received through faith can do that. I think the

570
00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:24,040
Speaker 2: only reason that my heart, or your heart, or anyone's

571
00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:27,600
Speaker 2: heart would ever soften before God is because God reaches

572
00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:30,600
Speaker 2: directly into your life. He opens your eyes, he softens

573
00:28:30,640 --> 00:28:33,600
Speaker 2: that heart for you, and he gives you the opportunity

574
00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:36,640
Speaker 2: to respond to him. I don't think that, naturally speaking,

575
00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:38,640
Speaker 2: any of us would respond. I think we would take

576
00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:41,840
Speaker 2: the same posture here. I think human beings are very

577
00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:46,120
Speaker 2: very good at saying, you know what, Lord, I'm the boss,

578
00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:49,080
Speaker 2: I'm in control of me, I'm in charge of my

579
00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:51,600
Speaker 2: own life. I think the only reason a heart would

580
00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:55,880
Speaker 2: ever soften to the Lord, to his intervention, to his

581
00:28:55,960 --> 00:28:58,840
Speaker 2: presence in our lives is because of his grace as

582
00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:02,600
Speaker 2: he reaches mercy into our lives and gives us the

583
00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:04,840
Speaker 2: opportunity to do so. He has to open our eyes

584
00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:07,200
Speaker 2: or we're never going to see it. And again, you

585
00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:09,480
Speaker 2: know that's a lot of detail, right, I mean, we

586
00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:11,640
Speaker 2: worked our way through every one of those bold judgments

587
00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:14,080
Speaker 2: that are referenced here. And again, you might look at

588
00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:15,960
Speaker 2: that initially and say, all right, all right, this is

589
00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:20,160
Speaker 2: a chapter that seems entirely focused on wrath, and I

590
00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:22,640
Speaker 2: can understand how you might think that, But this is

591
00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:25,840
Speaker 2: actually a chapter that's pointing to Jesus in several powerful ways,

592
00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:28,000
Speaker 2: and I want to acknowledge at least several of them.

593
00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:30,800
Speaker 2: I think, first of all, this is a chapter that's

594
00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:33,480
Speaker 2: meant to remind us why Jesus came in the first place.

595
00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:38,400
Speaker 2: The wrath that we're seeing here, this wrath that's being

596
00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:41,400
Speaker 2: poured out on this earth, is actually this is the

597
00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:45,000
Speaker 2: wrath that Jesus bore on behalf of sinners at the cross,

598
00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:48,800
Speaker 2: the wrath of the Father being poured out here. That's

599
00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:52,040
Speaker 2: the wrath Jesus took upon himself Isaiah fifty three. I

600
00:29:52,080 --> 00:29:56,320
Speaker 2: referenced it recently. But in Isaiah fifty three, speaking of Jesus,

601
00:29:56,400 --> 00:29:59,520
Speaker 2: it says he was pierced for our transgressions, and with

602
00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:04,960
Speaker 2: his wounds we are healed. He was pierced for our transgressions.

603
00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:08,880
Speaker 2: With his wounds we are healed. Meaning Jesus took the

604
00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:12,320
Speaker 2: judgment we deserved so that we wouldn't have to face it.

605
00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:15,520
Speaker 2: He took it so that we wouldn't have to take it.

606
00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:17,520
Speaker 2: He took it because we knew, He knew we couldn't

607
00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:19,520
Speaker 2: take it. So when you look at a portion of

608
00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:22,440
Speaker 2: scripture like this, it should remind us initially why Jesus

609
00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:24,560
Speaker 2: even came in the first place, so that you don't

610
00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:26,680
Speaker 2: have to endure that, so that you don't have to

611
00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:31,040
Speaker 2: experience that he came and took wrath upon himself for us.

612
00:30:31,440 --> 00:30:33,520
Speaker 2: I think something else that's doing here is it's showing

613
00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:36,400
Speaker 2: us what Jesus saves us from. Now, why would I

614
00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:38,160
Speaker 2: say that? Why would I say this is showing us

615
00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:41,240
Speaker 2: what Jesus saves us from. Well, when we trust in Christ,

616
00:30:42,040 --> 00:30:47,120
Speaker 2: we're forgiven, but we aren't just forgiven. There's more to

617
00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:50,160
Speaker 2: it than that. Yes, you are completely forgiven of all

618
00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:53,800
Speaker 2: of your sin if you trust in Jesus Christ. But

619
00:30:53,840 --> 00:30:57,520
Speaker 2: Scripture also says, in addition to that blessing, there's another

620
00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:00,480
Speaker 2: part of the blessing that sometimes doesn't get talked about much.

621
00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:05,920
Speaker 2: We're also rescued from the coming wrath. That's what Scripture says.

622
00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:09,920
Speaker 2: So your sins are completely wiped out, totally forgiven. When

623
00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:11,920
Speaker 2: you stand before the Lord, you're not going to be

624
00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:16,000
Speaker 2: condemned because your sins were placed upon Christ. But you're

625
00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:20,760
Speaker 2: also rescued from wrath. You're also rescued from the coming wrath. First,

626
00:31:20,800 --> 00:31:24,400
Speaker 2: Thessalonians one to ten says this that Jesus delivers us

627
00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:28,360
Speaker 2: from the wrath to come. He delivers us from the

628
00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:30,880
Speaker 2: wrath to come. And then you look at Revelation sixteen,

629
00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:34,400
Speaker 2: and what does it do. In part it's describing the

630
00:31:34,440 --> 00:31:37,600
Speaker 2: wrath to come. It's a foretaste of the ultimate judgment

631
00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:42,720
Speaker 2: that people will experience eternally. But Jesus took that wrath

632
00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:45,880
Speaker 2: for us. Something else. Another way that we can see

633
00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:49,440
Speaker 2: Jesus in a passage like this is when you look

634
00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:51,520
Speaker 2: at the statements.

635
00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:53,160
Speaker 1: That Jesus makes, you.

636
00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:56,720
Speaker 2: Know, as he's referencing just you know, a variety of things,

637
00:31:56,720 --> 00:32:00,640
Speaker 2: that his eyes are on this that he's coming. This

638
00:32:00,720 --> 00:32:04,280
Speaker 2: is an assurance to us that Jesus will return to

639
00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:08,400
Speaker 2: set things right. He's going to return, and he's going

640
00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:11,640
Speaker 2: to set things right, so that gathering at Armageddon, it

641
00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:15,959
Speaker 2: actually it sets the stage for his visible and victorious

642
00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:18,720
Speaker 2: return that we will see in detail in Revelation nineteen.

643
00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:23,360
Speaker 2: So Jesus isn't absent, he isn't passive. He's coming as

644
00:32:23,440 --> 00:32:25,920
Speaker 2: king and it sets the stage here. And one other

645
00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:27,840
Speaker 2: thing that I think that this should do for us

646
00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:30,120
Speaker 2: when we look at this as far as pointing us

647
00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:33,520
Speaker 2: toward Christ. And I've referenced this with several other chapters,

648
00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:35,200
Speaker 2: but I want to reference it again because I think

649
00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:38,520
Speaker 2: this chapter highlights it. This is a chapter that highlights

650
00:32:38,520 --> 00:32:41,719
Speaker 2: the urgency of responding to Jesus. Now, I remember when

651
00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:44,520
Speaker 2: I was a kid talking to somebody who said, and

652
00:32:44,520 --> 00:32:46,240
Speaker 2: I think he was kind of thinking, you know, along

653
00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:48,000
Speaker 2: the lines of, all right, you know, you're telling me

654
00:32:48,040 --> 00:32:50,080
Speaker 2: that all I need to do is trust in Jesus Christ,

655
00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:51,960
Speaker 2: and my sins will be forgiven and I will be

656
00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:55,640
Speaker 2: ushered into eternal life. And I said, yeah, I mean, like,

657
00:32:55,680 --> 00:32:58,320
Speaker 2: if you genuinely believe in Jesus Christ, the work he

658
00:32:58,360 --> 00:33:00,200
Speaker 2: did on your behalf is going to be apply to you.

659
00:33:00,280 --> 00:33:01,600
Speaker 2: And he said, great, I'm going to do that in

660
00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:04,880
Speaker 2: my last minute. I'm going to do that my last

661
00:33:04,880 --> 00:33:06,880
Speaker 2: minute so that I could live my life however I

662
00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:08,680
Speaker 2: want to live it now, and then I'll do that

663
00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:10,480
Speaker 2: in my last minute. And I was like, I'm pretty

664
00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:13,800
Speaker 2: sure that's not a demonstration of actual faith, Like that's

665
00:33:13,840 --> 00:33:16,120
Speaker 2: not really how it works. Like you either worship him

666
00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:18,920
Speaker 2: or you don't. Either follow him or you don't either. Actually, like,

667
00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:20,880
Speaker 2: if you believe that you could be forgiven of your

668
00:33:20,920 --> 00:33:24,040
Speaker 2: sin and ushered into eternal life, wouldn't you want to

669
00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:26,760
Speaker 2: latch onto that now and not just like use that

670
00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:29,080
Speaker 2: as some excuse right at the end. And I also

671
00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:32,080
Speaker 2: thought to myself, how many people actually know when it's

672
00:33:32,120 --> 00:33:37,200
Speaker 2: their last minute? Most don't. It sneaks up on you.

673
00:33:37,560 --> 00:33:39,400
Speaker 2: So I'm like, if that's your plan, first of all,

674
00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:42,440
Speaker 2: that doesn't demonstrate genuine faith. It sounds pretty fake to me.

675
00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:46,000
Speaker 2: And you're probably not going to know when that day comes. Now,

676
00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:48,880
Speaker 2: to my knowledge, that person I had that conversation with

677
00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:52,200
Speaker 2: still has rejected Christ all throughout his life. And he's

678
00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:55,160
Speaker 2: in his mid fifties now, and I'm like, you know what,

679
00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:59,360
Speaker 2: clock's not going backwards, friend. And I look at a

680
00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:01,520
Speaker 2: portion of scripture like this, and I think it highlights

681
00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:03,280
Speaker 2: the urgency of responding to Christ.

682
00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:03,600
Speaker 1: Now.

683
00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:08,120
Speaker 2: The people in this chapter had every opportunity to repent.

684
00:34:08,160 --> 00:34:12,600
Speaker 2: They were seeing divine judgment just ushered out onto this

685
00:34:12,680 --> 00:34:16,480
Speaker 2: earth in their lifetime, and they still refused. Instead of

686
00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:19,280
Speaker 2: repenting and worshiping God, it tells us that they cursed God.

687
00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:22,760
Speaker 2: And I look at that and I think that should

688
00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:25,640
Speaker 2: work something up in us even as we're looking at it.

689
00:34:26,080 --> 00:34:27,160
Speaker 1: I think it should move.

690
00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:30,520
Speaker 2: Us to take God's grace seriously today, not just think

691
00:34:30,560 --> 00:34:33,279
Speaker 2: about his grace as an eventual thing. I don't know

692
00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:35,759
Speaker 2: if you've spent maybe you've spent your entire life just

693
00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:39,640
Speaker 2: thinking about God, maybe even believe that he exists, But

694
00:34:39,719 --> 00:34:42,799
Speaker 2: as of yet, you have no measurable and real relationship

695
00:34:42,840 --> 00:34:43,080
Speaker 2: with him.

696
00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:43,680
Speaker 1: I'll tell you what.

697
00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:47,600
Speaker 2: It is not God's desire for you, specifically that you perish.

698
00:34:47,719 --> 00:34:50,560
Speaker 2: Scriptures made that very clear. That's not the desire of God.

699
00:34:50,840 --> 00:34:52,600
Speaker 2: How do I know it's not the desire of God. Well,

700
00:34:52,680 --> 00:34:55,120
Speaker 2: God wouldn't have come to this earth and endured.

701
00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:55,359
Speaker 1: What he did.

702
00:34:55,760 --> 00:34:58,840
Speaker 2: Jesus Christ, God, the son God who took on flesh.

703
00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:01,440
Speaker 2: Why why did he do that so he could suffer

704
00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:03,759
Speaker 2: for you, so he could take the wrath that you

705
00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:06,600
Speaker 2: deserved upon himself, so that you could be completely forgiven.

706
00:35:06,880 --> 00:35:08,840
Speaker 2: And if you trust in him, the victory that he

707
00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:12,520
Speaker 2: secured when he rose from the grave becomes a shared victory.

708
00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:15,879
Speaker 2: It becomes a victory that isn't just his, it's your

709
00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:19,120
Speaker 2: victory as well. You will be completely forgiven of your sin.

710
00:35:19,160 --> 00:35:21,920
Speaker 2: If you trust in Jesus Christ, you will be ushered

711
00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:25,200
Speaker 2: into His presence in heaven for all eternity, with great

712
00:35:25,320 --> 00:35:28,520
Speaker 2: joy beyond anything you've experienced on this earth. If you

713
00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:31,919
Speaker 2: trust in Jesus Christ, the victory that he secured over sin,

714
00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:35,759
Speaker 2: over satan, and over death in his resurrection from the

715
00:35:35,760 --> 00:35:39,120
Speaker 2: grave becomes a victory that's also your victory, and So

716
00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:40,799
Speaker 2: you look at this portion of Scripture, and I think

717
00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:43,360
Speaker 2: that it should move us to take God's grace seriously today,

718
00:35:43,520 --> 00:35:45,520
Speaker 2: because if He allowed your ears to hear that, that

719
00:35:45,560 --> 00:35:49,400
Speaker 2: means He's giving you yet another opportunity, an opportunity to

720
00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:52,720
Speaker 2: have faith in Him and actually know Him up close,

721
00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:54,840
Speaker 2: not just from a distance, not just to look at

722
00:35:54,880 --> 00:35:56,880
Speaker 2: God and say like, yeah, I know God exists, but

723
00:35:56,920 --> 00:35:58,040
Speaker 2: I don't actually know him.

724
00:35:58,239 --> 00:35:59,279
Speaker 1: He wants you to know him.

725
00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:02,160
Speaker 2: In Facture refers to those who know God by faith

726
00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:06,040
Speaker 2: as yes, family of God, but also friends of God.

727
00:36:07,760 --> 00:36:09,719
Speaker 2: You'll get Abraham and the Old Testament he was called

728
00:36:09,719 --> 00:36:11,479
Speaker 2: the friend of God. Why was he called the friend

729
00:36:11,520 --> 00:36:13,800
Speaker 2: of God? I want to be called the friend of God.

730
00:36:14,360 --> 00:36:16,920
Speaker 2: It's like, hey, you have any interesting friends? Yes, God,

731
00:36:17,640 --> 00:36:20,719
Speaker 2: he is my most interesting friend. And here's the thing.

732
00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:22,879
Speaker 2: Every one of us can look at God and say, God,

733
00:36:22,880 --> 00:36:25,279
Speaker 2: You're not just my lord, but I'm grateful you're my Lord.

734
00:36:25,400 --> 00:36:27,600
Speaker 2: You're not just my creator, but I'm grateful you're my creator.

735
00:36:27,800 --> 00:36:31,200
Speaker 2: You're not just my savior, not just my father, but

736
00:36:31,239 --> 00:36:33,799
Speaker 2: you're also my friend. Can I tell you that one

737
00:36:33,800 --> 00:36:38,040
Speaker 2: of the most interesting developments that I'm experiencing right now

738
00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:42,040
Speaker 2: at this season of life. As my children emerge into adulthood.

739
00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:46,719
Speaker 2: Is that transition that you experience when yes, I've been

740
00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:50,239
Speaker 2: their father all throughout the course of their life, and

741
00:36:50,280 --> 00:36:53,000
Speaker 2: then they become adults and the relationship changes.

742
00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:57,879
Speaker 1: It's like, oh, I'm done raising you, Thank you, thank you.

743
00:36:58,160 --> 00:36:59,440
Speaker 1: I think I'm done raising.

744
00:36:59,200 --> 00:37:05,239
Speaker 2: You, and now I get to become your friend. I

745
00:37:05,239 --> 00:37:07,000
Speaker 2: don't want to be your friend when you're five. You

746
00:37:07,040 --> 00:37:10,319
Speaker 2: need me to be your dad when you're five. But

747
00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:12,320
Speaker 2: now I want to be your friend. I love the

748
00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:14,000
Speaker 2: fact that the Lord looks at us and he says,

749
00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:17,200
Speaker 2: I'm giving you that opportunity to know me that way.

750
00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:22,239
Speaker 2: I remember watching that transformation happened between me and my

751
00:37:22,320 --> 00:37:25,520
Speaker 2: earthly father. When I hit my twenties, I was like, oh,

752
00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:26,520
Speaker 2: so we're like buds.

753
00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:30,160
Speaker 1: Now, Well this is pretty cool. I like it.

754
00:37:30,239 --> 00:37:32,279
Speaker 2: You know what I do every Sunday afternoon. I do

755
00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:36,879
Speaker 2: it every Sunday afternoon, rarely miss Sunday afternoon. As I'm

756
00:37:36,920 --> 00:37:39,960
Speaker 2: driving home from church, I always call my dad and

757
00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:41,360
Speaker 2: I just talked. I'm like, hey, Dad, how did your

758
00:37:41,400 --> 00:37:45,520
Speaker 2: church service go? And and He'll be like great, you know,

759
00:37:45,600 --> 00:37:47,480
Speaker 2: and he'll tell me, and I'll tell him I tell

760
00:37:47,520 --> 00:37:51,359
Speaker 2: on you guys to him, and now I just let

761
00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:52,200
Speaker 2: him know how it went.

762
00:37:52,280 --> 00:37:53,400
Speaker 1: And I like that.

763
00:37:53,680 --> 00:37:58,160
Speaker 2: You know, we have that for now, but that's different

764
00:37:58,320 --> 00:37:59,680
Speaker 2: from how it used to be. And the Lord looks

765
00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:01,239
Speaker 2: at us and he says, you understand.

766
00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:02,719
Speaker 1: I do want to be your friend.

767
00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:05,480
Speaker 2: If he didn't want to be your friend, he wouldn't

768
00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:08,719
Speaker 2: have put that in scripture. And one of the benefits

769
00:38:08,719 --> 00:38:10,719
Speaker 2: that you and I get to experience as followers of

770
00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:13,359
Speaker 2: Jesus Christ is that God he's not just your god,

771
00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:16,120
Speaker 2: he's also your friend. And so when you look at

772
00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:18,319
Speaker 2: a portion of scripture like this, can I just give

773
00:38:18,360 --> 00:38:20,239
Speaker 2: you a piece of counsel as we look at this,

774
00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:22,000
Speaker 2: because I think sometimes people are like, I don't know

775
00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:24,480
Speaker 2: what to do with this, bowls of wrath, I don't

776
00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:25,239
Speaker 2: know what to do with this?

777
00:38:25,560 --> 00:38:28,080
Speaker 1: How do I approach a new week? All right? Bulls

778
00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:28,879
Speaker 1: are wrath, that's a thing.

779
00:38:30,200 --> 00:38:37,680
Speaker 2: Plagues, water turning to blood, things dying, giant hail, enjoy

780
00:38:37,680 --> 00:38:42,160
Speaker 2: the end of the month, everybody. There's a variety of

781
00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:43,640
Speaker 2: things I think that we can do with this. And

782
00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:45,560
Speaker 2: you know what, this is what I'll suggest take it

783
00:38:45,600 --> 00:38:49,000
Speaker 2: for what it's worth. Start with gratitude. When you read

784
00:38:49,040 --> 00:38:52,279
Speaker 2: a chapter like this. If you've trusted in Jesus, you've

785
00:38:52,320 --> 00:38:56,120
Speaker 2: been spared from that wrath. So start with gratitude. And

786
00:38:56,160 --> 00:38:58,759
Speaker 2: it's certainly not because you've earned it, it's because Christ

787
00:38:58,840 --> 00:38:59,560
Speaker 2: took your place.

788
00:39:00,400 --> 00:39:01,520
Speaker 1: So just start with gratitude.

789
00:39:01,560 --> 00:39:03,879
Speaker 2: Lord, I am thankful that when I read this, I'm

790
00:39:03,880 --> 00:39:06,160
Speaker 2: not reading about something that I'm going to endure.

791
00:39:07,480 --> 00:39:09,000
Speaker 1: Then from there, move to humility.

792
00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:12,040
Speaker 2: Why am I saying that, Well, don't assume that you're

793
00:39:12,080 --> 00:39:16,680
Speaker 2: immune to hard heartedness. Ask the Lord to keep your

794
00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:19,719
Speaker 2: heart soft, ask the Lord to keep your heart responsive

795
00:39:19,760 --> 00:39:23,839
Speaker 2: to his voice, because our hearts can grow hard even

796
00:39:23,840 --> 00:39:25,720
Speaker 2: if you know the Lord, even if you call him friend.

797
00:39:26,480 --> 00:39:27,000
Speaker 1: Maybe you go.

798
00:39:26,960 --> 00:39:29,000
Speaker 2: Through seasons where you harden your heart for a season.

799
00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:31,840
Speaker 2: I'd encourage you not to harden your heart, but just

800
00:39:31,920 --> 00:39:35,720
Speaker 2: move to humility. You know, don't make the false assumption

801
00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:39,920
Speaker 2: that we somehow are immune to hardheartedness. And again, as

802
00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:46,000
Speaker 2: I already said, consider urgency, consider it from different angles though.

803
00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:48,600
Speaker 2: So right now, there are people in your life who

804
00:39:48,600 --> 00:39:50,719
Speaker 2: don't have the blessing, the day to day blessing of

805
00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:54,359
Speaker 2: knowing Jesus Christ and walking with him. So pray for them,

806
00:39:54,400 --> 00:39:56,520
Speaker 2: because this is a chapter that reminds us that their

807
00:39:56,560 --> 00:39:59,960
Speaker 2: time is not unlimited. They need to know Jesus Christ.

808
00:40:00,200 --> 00:40:01,880
Speaker 2: They need to know them as soon as possible. So

809
00:40:01,960 --> 00:40:05,359
Speaker 2: pray for them, speak truth to them, and also live

810
00:40:05,400 --> 00:40:08,359
Speaker 2: in such a way that they're going to observe your

811
00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:10,840
Speaker 2: life and see whether or not you actually believe this,

812
00:40:11,760 --> 00:40:14,200
Speaker 2: Because if your faith is genuine, that's a pretty credible

813
00:40:14,239 --> 00:40:15,400
Speaker 2: and powerful testimony.

814
00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:18,600
Speaker 1: But if you're a big faker, what is that real? Like?

815
00:40:18,640 --> 00:40:20,800
Speaker 1: What does that cause somebody to think about this faith

816
00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:21,719
Speaker 1: that you profess.

817
00:40:22,400 --> 00:40:26,239
Speaker 2: Live in a way that points them to Christ, understanding

818
00:40:26,320 --> 00:40:28,239
Speaker 2: that the time is short.

819
00:40:29,239 --> 00:40:30,279
Speaker 1: And finally, do this.

820
00:40:31,719 --> 00:40:34,600
Speaker 2: Rest in hope even when you look at again, as

821
00:40:34,640 --> 00:40:35,759
Speaker 2: Phil said earlier, a.

822
00:40:35,719 --> 00:40:36,760
Speaker 1: Tough pill to swallow.

823
00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:39,359
Speaker 2: It is a tough pill to swallowers probably no better

824
00:40:39,360 --> 00:40:42,920
Speaker 2: way to describe the passage. But we can rest in

825
00:40:43,000 --> 00:40:45,200
Speaker 2: hope even as we look at that tough pill, because

826
00:40:45,560 --> 00:40:48,800
Speaker 2: I think as intense as these judgments are, they aren't

827
00:40:48,800 --> 00:40:50,760
Speaker 2: the end of the story.

828
00:40:50,880 --> 00:40:53,240
Speaker 1: This isn't the end. We're working our way toward.

829
00:40:53,040 --> 00:40:55,680
Speaker 2: The end of the story. The story ends very very well.

830
00:40:56,320 --> 00:41:00,000
Speaker 2: Jesus is coming, His kingdom is coming. Justice will be

831
00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:03,960
Speaker 2: he permanently established, Evil will be completely defeated for all

832
00:41:04,040 --> 00:41:07,360
Speaker 2: time in the same voice that said it is done

833
00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:11,520
Speaker 2: in Revelation sixteen. It's actually echoing the words that Jesus

834
00:41:11,560 --> 00:41:13,200
Speaker 2: spoke on the cross. You remember what he spoke on

835
00:41:13,200 --> 00:41:15,799
Speaker 2: the cross. Look at what he said. In John nineteen thirty.

836
00:41:15,840 --> 00:41:18,279
Speaker 2: It says when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said,

837
00:41:18,280 --> 00:41:24,440
Speaker 2: what it is finished, and he bowed his head and

838
00:41:24,480 --> 00:41:29,080
Speaker 2: gave up his spirit. So because of what Christ finished

839
00:41:29,120 --> 00:41:35,480
Speaker 2: on the cross, we can actually face this future with

840
00:41:35,600 --> 00:41:39,000
Speaker 2: real confidence, not with fear, but with real confidence in Him,

841
00:41:39,080 --> 00:41:42,640
Speaker 2: not in ourselves, but in Him. So Revelation sixteen does

842
00:41:42,680 --> 00:41:44,920
Speaker 2: us a big favor because it reminds us that God's

843
00:41:45,040 --> 00:41:47,839
Speaker 2: justice is real. It reminds us that his patience does

844
00:41:47,880 --> 00:41:50,399
Speaker 2: have a limit, and it reminds us that his plan

845
00:41:50,520 --> 00:41:51,760
Speaker 2: is moving forward.

846
00:41:51,600 --> 00:41:53,520
Speaker 1: Exactly as he promised.

847
00:41:54,120 --> 00:41:56,799
Speaker 2: But it also reminds us that if you're here right now,

848
00:41:57,080 --> 00:41:59,040
Speaker 2: there is still time to turn to him.

849
00:42:00,239 --> 00:42:00,439
Speaker 1: Time.

850
00:42:01,120 --> 00:42:03,160
Speaker 2: You know you have today. You don't know you have tomorrow,

851
00:42:03,160 --> 00:42:04,520
Speaker 2: but you know you have today. You know you have

852
00:42:04,600 --> 00:42:07,880
Speaker 2: that moment right now. So I'd encourage you don't ignore

853
00:42:07,880 --> 00:42:11,000
Speaker 2: that invitation come to Christ now by faith. Simply just

854
00:42:11,360 --> 00:42:14,160
Speaker 2: come to him. Admit the fact that Lord, I recognize

855
00:42:14,160 --> 00:42:18,000
Speaker 2: that I am a sinful person who actually deserves your wrath.

856
00:42:19,120 --> 00:42:21,319
Speaker 2: But through your son Jesus Christ, I know that that

857
00:42:21,360 --> 00:42:25,640
Speaker 2: wrath has been absorbed, so I can experience forgiveness. I

858
00:42:25,680 --> 00:42:31,000
Speaker 2: can experience victory. Grace is being extended to you. Accept

859
00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:33,160
Speaker 2: the grace of God being extended to you. Trust in

860
00:42:33,280 --> 00:42:37,680
Speaker 2: Jesus Christ today, and enjoy the rest, the real rest,

861
00:42:37,760 --> 00:42:41,000
Speaker 2: the hopeful rest that he offers to those who know him,

862
00:42:41,239 --> 00:42:43,640
Speaker 2: to those he calls his friends.

863
00:42:44,200 --> 00:42:44,760
Speaker 1: Let's prayer.

864
00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:50,080
Speaker 2: Lord, thank you so much for your word and for

865
00:42:50,160 --> 00:42:51,840
Speaker 2: the fact that when we look at a portion of

866
00:42:51,880 --> 00:42:56,240
Speaker 2: scripture like this, a portion that obviously has some weighty things,

867
00:42:57,160 --> 00:43:00,880
Speaker 2: that we could look at it and say, there's something

868
00:43:00,920 --> 00:43:03,399
Speaker 2: here you want me to see. You wouldn't have told

869
00:43:03,480 --> 00:43:05,120
Speaker 2: us this ahead of time if you didn't want us

870
00:43:05,160 --> 00:43:08,560
Speaker 2: to think something about it. Father, We're grateful for what

871
00:43:08,600 --> 00:43:11,920
Speaker 2: you reveal. We're grateful for the culmination of the ages

872
00:43:11,920 --> 00:43:14,880
Speaker 2: that we see coming about in your divine timing. We

873
00:43:14,880 --> 00:43:18,240
Speaker 2: don't know all the details exactly when that will take place.

874
00:43:18,239 --> 00:43:20,239
Speaker 2: It could be soon or could be a distance off.

875
00:43:20,520 --> 00:43:22,200
Speaker 2: We don't know, but you tell us to live like

876
00:43:22,239 --> 00:43:25,279
Speaker 2: it could be today. You remind us that you're going

877
00:43:25,320 --> 00:43:29,480
Speaker 2: to come at a time when people are not expecting

878
00:43:29,520 --> 00:43:33,680
Speaker 2: you to do so. So, Father, in the meantime, we

879
00:43:33,719 --> 00:43:35,719
Speaker 2: pray for those that we love that they would come

880
00:43:35,760 --> 00:43:39,560
Speaker 2: to know you through your son Jesus Christ. Father, we

881
00:43:39,640 --> 00:43:42,239
Speaker 2: pray for ourselves that you would help us not to

882
00:43:42,280 --> 00:43:45,319
Speaker 2: have hearts that are hardened toward you.

883
00:43:48,640 --> 00:43:48,839
Speaker 1: Lord.

884
00:43:48,920 --> 00:43:52,000
Speaker 2: We pray that you would help us to be men

885
00:43:52,040 --> 00:43:54,879
Speaker 2: and women who look forward to the future with great hope,

886
00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:59,200
Speaker 2: because we know that ultimately you restore all things. You

887
00:43:59,239 --> 00:44:02,239
Speaker 2: will deal with, You will deal with evil, and you

888
00:44:02,280 --> 00:44:05,879
Speaker 2: will usher in perfect righteousness forever, and it will never

889
00:44:05,920 --> 00:44:11,040
Speaker 2: be interrupted when that comes to pass. That the temporary

890
00:44:11,080 --> 00:44:15,319
Speaker 2: difficulties we experience here and now, this is seasonal, this

891
00:44:15,440 --> 00:44:22,000
Speaker 2: is momentary, but this is not our forever state. So Father,

892
00:44:22,080 --> 00:44:24,240
Speaker 2: I'm so grateful for that. I'm grateful for the forgiveness

893
00:44:24,280 --> 00:44:26,800
Speaker 2: that we have through your son Jesus Christ. I'm grateful

894
00:44:26,800 --> 00:44:28,920
Speaker 2: for the fact that he took the wrath that we

895
00:44:29,120 --> 00:44:32,799
Speaker 2: deserved upon himself. I'm grateful for the future that you

896
00:44:32,880 --> 00:44:35,439
Speaker 2: hold secure for all who know you through your son.

897
00:44:36,080 --> 00:44:38,359
Speaker 2: But again, Father, I pray for anyone within the sound

898
00:44:38,360 --> 00:44:40,239
Speaker 2: of my voice right now that if as of yet

899
00:44:40,280 --> 00:44:42,359
Speaker 2: they know of you only from a distance, but can't

900
00:44:42,400 --> 00:44:45,080
Speaker 2: say that they actually know you as a day to

901
00:44:45,160 --> 00:44:47,400
Speaker 2: day friend through faith, I pray that today would be

902
00:44:47,400 --> 00:44:50,840
Speaker 2: the day that they would stop trusting in their own logic,

903
00:44:50,920 --> 00:44:54,000
Speaker 2: their own strength, their own wisdom, that today would be

904
00:44:54,040 --> 00:44:56,040
Speaker 2: the day that they trust in you, through your son

905
00:44:56,160 --> 00:45:00,279
Speaker 2: Jesus Christ, receiving the gift of salvation that's only received

906
00:45:00,680 --> 00:45:03,920
Speaker 2: as we confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and our Savior,

907
00:45:04,560 --> 00:45:07,400
Speaker 2: trusting in him completely. Lord, we know that you can

908
00:45:07,400 --> 00:45:10,240
Speaker 2: accomplish that miraculously in our hearts, and so we asked

909
00:45:10,239 --> 00:45:12,680
Speaker 2: that you would do that for us and for those

910
00:45:12,719 --> 00:45:17,080
Speaker 2: that we care about. We just commit all of us

911
00:45:17,120 --> 00:45:20,200
Speaker 2: to you, Lord, and we pray this all in Jesus' name.

912
00:45:21,600 --> 00:45:21,960
Speaker 1: Amen.