The church has been given details of the end times, not to satisfy curiosity. but to embolden us to proclaim our truth. For the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edification of the body of Christ. That is going to be the way it is. And we should be glad about that.
It is the holy word of God to man and to his disciples, and it is not to be hoarded. Don't hide it. Divided. This is Cross Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville.
Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Revelation. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross-reference radio, specifically, how you can get a free copy of this teaching. And now here's Pastor Rick with his continuing introduction to the book of Revelation in Matthew chapter 24. His disciples Asked him, when will these things be? And what the reason why is, Jesus said that he came to Jerusalem.
And that's when he says, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her, how often I've wanted to gather your children under my wing, but you were not willing. Your temple will be left to you. desolate. That's the part. that the apostles locked in on.
The temple desolate?
So on the way out, they say, Lord, look at this beautiful complex. These buildings. And he says, I'm telling you, not a stone will remain one atop of another. And then he got up to the Mount of Olives. And when he was alone they came to him.
We pick it up Matthew 24 3 Now, as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us. When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age? That was their curiosity. And he granted answers to them. He lays out.
The destruction. Of human government and his return.
Now, he has to do it in such a way. It's obscured because there were truths that they had no knowledge of. Imagine telling somebody 400 years ago about a fax machine. You know, they would probably struggle with that. Or maybe there's other things that would be better anyway.
How could Christ give them an end-time teaching when the church wasn't even born yet? When he had so much more to say. But we, having more information, we go back to Matthew 24 and we can create an accurate timeline. for the end time. We can chroniclize it.
So what about believers? John 14. Tells us Jesus speaking: If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may also be. As Paul said, absent from the body, present with the Lord. Absent from the body means I die.
And I leave this body, I don't need it anymore. I didn't like it much when I had it anyway. And then I am with Christ forever. And so, this curiosity, what's going to happen? What about believers?
Well, Jesus said, Well, do you believe me? You're going to be with me. Are you calling me a liar? Or you choose to believe.
Well, we choose to believe.
Well, what about... Unbelievers.
Well It's largely up to them. before death. They have a say-so. If they hear the gospel, they have a say-so. Luke chapter 2.
sixteen verse thirty one.
Someone said, if you could send someone back from the dead and tell my brothers about hell where I am, I would appreciate it. And the response If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, Neither will They be persuaded. Though one rise from the dead, So what are you going to do with the information you get? It's going to come down to the scripture. I mean, if facts mean nothing.
then you are doomed. And we're seeing this. We're seeing people voting because facts mean nothing to them. The way Satan has twisted their head to think is this. If I don't like the facts, it shouldn't be that way.
I'm going to go with what is not a fact, because I I want it to be that way. And if you did that Jumping off a cliff.
Well, I want to land on my feet. Uh it wouldn't work. And this is why they're accountable because they know it, because they only practice this kind of behavior in certain areas of their life. And not across their life.
So facts do count. And the fact of Jesus decides destiny. Again, this part is our message to the world from even the book of Revelation. But going back to John's Gospel chapter 16. Speaking about what the Holy Spirit will do.
And we're in this time when Jesus, when the Holy Spirit is the representation to the church of Christ. the inspiration of the church. When he has come, he will convict the world of sin. And of righteousness and of judgment. He does it through the church, he does it through the scripture.
So we have God who is very active in this world. And there are no excuses to reject the gospel. And I sometimes wonder: well, you know, I know it's so hard to save a soul, to be used to save a soul. It is so difficult. But.
When the moment is ripe. That's when it counts. You can't share these things when they're not listening, when they're just the Spirit's not moving on them yet. But when that moment comes, And they are sensitive. We should be ready.
And the way we're ready. is by walking with the Lord and gobbling up as much of his word as we can bear. Why the revelation of Jesus Christ?
Well, it is the prophetic guarantee to all Christianity. in every age. At the time, and I don't want to get too much ahead of this because we'll get to that when we. This is not an exposition on Revelation yet. This is an introduction, it is more topical than it is.
expository, though some of the verses are expounded on. Anyway, this prophetic guarantee. At the time Revelation was written, There was persecution, localized persecution on the Christians. When it's written about 30 years after the death of Peter and Paul. They were killed.
under Nero's persecution largely centered in Rome. John, some 30 years later, is in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey, where the seven churches are. And the persecution there was not really coming from the Caesar, it was coming from. Emperor worshipers. We got glances of that in the book of Acts.
So the Asiarchs, those living in Asia Minor, running the city, They are the ones that began persecuting the church, which explains why the church at Philadelphia seems to have. Dodd could have been shielded from the persecution where the Church of Smyrna was not.
So, anyway, I know I went down a rabbit hole there, but so those Christians, when they received the revelation, they were inspired to trust God has got this. There are other Christians that were martyred without the revelation. But now there are Christians being martyred with the revelation. Preparing. Us with answers about the end of the world.
And if you're in the workplace of the school, you should have answers all to your children. You should have answers as to how this world ends. Man's not going to have the nuclear exchange and wipe each other out, and it's not going to get so hot that all the ice melts and the water's going to come flood us all. We have floaties for that. Yeah.
Man is not going to do himself in. God's going to do the unbelievers in. And so, this is to encourage the believers, telling them that the future. Is secured in Christ, He's sovereign, but is telling the unbeliever to their face. That God is going to hold mankind accountable, and that is going to be.
And mass and personally. Matthew 24, verse 25. See, I have told you beforehand. Matthew 24, that's where Christ gives them the Olivet discourse, telling about end times. That's where God says to John on Patmos, I'm going to give you more information about my sermon on the Mount of Olives, and here are the details.
So, about events leading up to Christ's second coming. including The final judgments of the world and on Satan and the redemption of Israel. That's what the revelation is doing. God's establishment. of his kingdom Throughout all eternity is laid out for us.
John 16:1, these things I have spoken to you. that you should not be made to stumble I wonder I I don't want to know And well, how does one become an apostate? Hearing these things, how do you change teams? How do you say I'm no longer following Jesus? I'm now following this group or doing that.
How do you do this?
Well, I get the mechanics of it, but I don't get it. and may it never happen to anybody I know. where they give up the faith. For Dong. Symbolic imagery used because it speaks to all ages, just like the word I used.
The word I just used, dung. Speaks to all ages. Whatever you do, Whatever you do to the language, and we've watched language change, remember? When gay meant something other than perverted, Language changes. Symbols do not.
Symbols depict God's methods and Satan's ways and people's behavior, past, present, and future. A lion is always fierce. An eagle always soars. A serpent is always sneaky. Those are emblems, and so when they show up in the revelation, we don't have to always scratch our head and say, I wonder what that means.
We know what it means. We know what a lamb is. and it's demeanor. And when its symbol shows up, we understand. The church is the primary platform right now.
His judgments His promises. The message of accountability. His Coming earthly kingdom, then the new heavens and the new earth. This is sovereignty in action. And the first Christians.
Under persecution. If I were to ask you b What's your favorite color? No, that's. What is 1 Peter about? The short answer should be...
Persecution of the church. What's 2 Peter about? Short answer. apostasy in the church.
Well, during the age of apostasy in the church when Peter's writing to the Christians. He says, Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. How did Peter combat This Difficulty of Christians falling for lies from hell and leaving the truth from heaven. He kept his eyes on eternity. where he was going.
Jesus said, I prepare a place for you. And Peter knew that place was where righteousness dwelt.
So, where are we right now?
Well, we're in the church age, as I mentioned. a time during which the severity of God is restrained. We want to see God come down and start cleaning shop. Is that is that right? Is that how that goes?
It doesn't matter. Anyway, he will, but not just yet. Right now, we are inviting lost sinners. We are strengthening to save sinners. We are resisting the evil, the salt of the earth.
and also warning the world. And we're warning the world based on fact as given to us from such documents as the Revelation. Our gospel has always had two pillars, salvation and judgment. It's always been, it will be, until there is a new heaven and earth. Warning of the approaching judgments that will come, whether it comes through the Great Tribulation Age or if a person just dies.
This is not the age of many miracles. If you know there are churches that want to boast we are a healing church, no, you're not. We do signs and wonders. No, you don't. Not according to the scripture.
Because that's not the age we live in. There are miracles that take place. But not like they did in the book of Acts. a challenge anybody to show me. Where we have miracles on the level of the book of Acts.
In fact, there are people that go out of their way to prove these charlatan pastors are lying. There's a healing today, and they should call them out. We are in the age of faith, not sight. Hence the Lord's special beatitude. to the church.
To the church age, John 20, verse 29, Jesus said to Thomas, Because you have seen me, you have believed.
Well, here's the Beatitude. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. That's by faith, the age we are in right now. The church was supernaturally injected into human history. And it will be supernaturally Ejected.
through the rapture of the saints. Pentecost was the birth. And the rapture is its removal. The church age culminates with this rapture. That simultaneously begins the Great Tribulation period as defined by the seven-year period.
No church, no assemblies. Power of evil. Evil will be exalted. There will be tribulation converts. And it will be the last three and a half years where it gets very ugly.
This is Daniel's 70th week, Daniel chapter 9, verses 26, 27. Jesus on that Mount of Olive, Olivet Discourse said this. For then there will be great tribulation, such as not been since the beginning of the world, until. This time, no, nor ever shall be, and unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. But For the elect's sake, that's Israel.
Those days will be shortened. Because if they're not, Israel will be wiped out. But Israel will not be wiped out ever. And in fact, they're not even going to leave the land that they're in now. Not again.
This happened twice. It will not happen. We're that close. Anyway, that's my belief. And I thank you for agreeing with me.
The church age is actually a parentheses in God's dealing with mankind. You have, of course, the Pre-patriarchs, then you have Abraham and then Israel, and then you have. Christ come. And then the church is born. And Then comes the end, and Christ again turns his attention to Israel.
But once the church age ends, Then another the dispensation or phase begins.
Now As I mentioned, the church has been given details of the end times not to satisfy curiosity. but to embolden us to proclaim our truth. For the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edification of the body of Christ. That is going to be the way it is. And we should be glad about that.
It is the holy word of God to man and to his disciples, and it is not to be hoarded. Don't hide it. Divide it. God expects us to know what's going on. He wants us to discern the times, to herald the truth, the consequences and the solutions.
Matthew 16, Jesus speaking about how undiscerning The corrupt religious people were. He says, in the morning, you say, It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening. Hypocrites. You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the time.
Well, what was the sign of the time that was outstanding when he said those things? Him! Right in front of them. They can say Red Sky in the morning, sellers warning. But they could not say, this is the Messiah.
Not that group. We live now in a time where we can see the leaves on the fig tree. Again, Matthew 24. versus 32 to 33. Jesus.
We have to supply the timeline to Matthew 20. Uh it was just they didn't have enough information, not as much as we have. And there we read: Now learn this parable from the fig tree. This is on the heels of his teaching about the end times. When its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.
So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near at the doors.
Okay, let's apply that to the book of Revelation. When we see What is required? for Antichrist to reign cashless society. The global army, the global influence. When we see these things happen, We're supposed to say, there are leaves on the fig tree which are promising fruit.
And It'd be very unwise. to act like that's not happening when we see it. Right. Before now, before the last hundred years or so, what was the fastest man could travel? Unless he's falling off a cliff.
Then you can go, you know, terminal velocity. I don't know what that, 168 miles an hour, something like that, the fastest a man can fall. Free fall. Aside from that, what was the fastest he could travel?
Well, the speed of a horse. What's the fastest he could write? A quill or a stylus. But all that's changed now. Just in this short period of time.
For all human history that's been the case. A horse, a quill, Now all of a sudden is a radically different. And so much more as I itemized some of them with the artificial intelligence. Because computers are changing everything, they're allowing human beings. To use formulas and equations to come up with results they could never get before.
A computer that can play chess so well no one can beat it. Entering the stock market, you know, entering the stock market with $10,000 and in a week having $10 million. I don't know what the numbers are, but it's absurd.
So we see that. The fig tree has the leaves. We're in the last of the last days. Still, it could be another fifty years. It could be another hundred years.
Or it could be about any moment now.
Well, we'll get to that as we go through. I need to finish this. What delays the violent days of the great tribulation? As I mentioned, the restraining of God. You should know a verse for that.
2 Thessalonians 2: the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.
Well, he who restrains is the Holy Spirit, and he will continue until he withdraws and allows the Antichrist to come to power. Jeremiah said this about prophecy and the people of God. and it crosses over to the church. The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and performed the thoughts of his heart. In the latter days, you will understand it perfectly.
We don't have a right to say, or the revelation is too deep. It's too arcane. We can't understand it. You have no right to say that. It promises a blessing from the very beginning to those who will read it.
And so we work. Revelation 1:3, blessed is he who reads, and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written in it. For the time is near.
Well, we're going to have a lot to cover about what do you call near, Lord? But we'll get to that. I have the answer. But I'm not telling. Until next week, anyway.
We win in the end. Matthew 13:24. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father.
Now remember, the apostate churches are not raptured. They are left behind. Antichrist lets them assemble because they're not a threat to his agenda. In fact, they're useful to it.
So, an apostate is one who rejects the faith and no longer calls themself. A believer. In our case, a Christian. An apostate church is one who rejects the faith but continues to call itself a church. That's the problem.
You would think an apostate church, these woke churches, you would think they said, we're no longer a church, we're starting a new religion now. No, they don't do that. They still want to be considered under the umbrella of Christianity. It's not new. You cannot pray to dead people.
You cannot pray to statues and say, I am a follower of Jesus Christ. You can say it. But listen to this. And I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness, because it is law.
You shall have no other gods before me.
So, to conclude this morning's consideration, introduction. A quick overview of the What's coming, things past. The things which you have seen at the introduction, Romans 1. Things present. Things which are.
The church age, Revelation 2 through 5. Did I say The church age Revelation 2 through 5. And the tribulation and beyond, chapter 6 through 22. future things. things which will take place.
After this, We can know Christ returns and evil ends. And I'll close with Our future and our eternity being secure, and prophecy being one of the strongest. Incentives. To not fall away from the faith and to be bold in the faith. Isaiah again I return to, but this time chapter 46 verse 10.
Yeah. declaring the end from the beginning. And from ancient times, Things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand. And I will do All my pleasure. And to that the righteous would say, Amen.
Uh Uh This has been Cross-Reference Radio with Pastor Rick Gaston. This program is a radio outreach of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville, in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Pastor Rick has been teaching through the book of Revelation, but if you're interested in learning about a different book of the Bible, we have hundreds of past episodes available to listen to on demand. Just visit us online at crossreferenceradio.com and you'll find an archive of Pastor Rick's past teachings. While you're there, you can also find links to follow our program on your favorite podcast app, as well as links to get connected with us on Facebook and YouTube.
There's also an interviews tab where you can learn more about Pastor Rick's heart for ministry.
Well, we hope you'll join us next time here on Cross Reference Radio. Yeah.
