Does the Bible teach that Satan? can put false ideas into the head of a human being. Can Satan put ideas into the head of somebody in close proximity to Jesus Christ? Jesus turned to Peter and said, Get behind me, Satan. You are an offense to me.
for you are not mindful of the things of God. but of the things of men. If Satan can mess with Peter's head, Peter wasn't yet filled with the Spirit, as we would know in the latter part. but he was still a believer. This is Cross Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston.
Ricky is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the last book of the Bible, 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.
Now here's Pastor Rick with this edition of Cross-Reference Radio in Revelation chapter 16. Don't let Satan tell you what you can and cannot preach. Learn to be led by the Holy Spirit. You're going to take your lumps no matter what, make them count. By paying attention.
to what God has to say and what He has said. and they won't contradict each other. The kings of the earth will remain active in the occult, and that's what John is saying. The kings of the earth will be influencing the people of the earth. We're seeing this now in the riots.
We're seeing political figures.
sort of just inflaming the riots with their speech. It's gonna be on a whole nother level in these days. Satan leading them to Armageddon's battlefield. Joel the prophet wrote, I like reading these arcane prophets, the ones that we tend to skip, because what they have to say seems boring. Says you say to yourself, what does that have to do with me?
has everything to do with you. It's the same God that invested in them, told them the future, that is investing in you and telling you the future. For behold, in those days, at that time. when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem pause there, We've seen in history the captives of Judah and Jerusalem be chased out of the promised land, and we've seen them brought back twice. The difference is So far, All the nations have not been gathered against Israel.
That's still future, and that's what they're talking about. We resume Joel 3. I also will gather all nations. See, that tells us. This is future, what Joel is talking about.
It has not happened. And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat, which is Megiddo, what we're talking about, another name for it. And I will enter into judgment with them there on account of my people, my heritage, Israel. whom they have scattered among the nations. They have also divided up my land.
Well, that happened. After the Second First World War, they divided up Israel. Western UK primarily divided up. Israel's land. as though they owned it.
It's God's land. Even Israel doesn't own Israel's land. Does the fact that the Bible tells the future? with such detail mean anything to you. To be inspired by truth is not as exciting.
as being expired by emotional things, but it is more effective. No other religion comes close because they are made-up religions. I don't. intend to insult people of other religions? but I have every intention of insulting the lies they believe.
I can make that separation. They they probably cannot. I have no respect for the Jehovah's Witness doctrine. I have no respect for the Mormon doctrine. But if I could be helpful to any of those people, I would.
even if I saw them broken down on the side of the road. I'd dial somebody up for them. I mean, you know, this Christian love is, we were able to make that distinction. Between people who are caught in lies and false religions. from the person themselves.
But they won't agree with that. They'll think if you reject their religion that you are hating them.
Well, that's something for them to sort out. But the fact remains: no other religion comes close because. They're man-made religions, and I'm not going to respect that. But I will respect the damage they can do. Again another arcane prophet, Zephaniah.
How many of you have recently read No Showing of Hands?
Now would be a good time to lie. Everybody holds their hands up. How many have read Zephaniah recently? And if you did, did you get anything out of it? Just the fact in reading is saying, look, I don't know what I'm reading, but I know God told this guy something.
That's exciting to me. Jeremiah says, God's speaking through him, wait for me, says Yahweh. Until the day I rise up for plunder, My determination is to gather the nations to my assembly of kingdoms. to pour on them my indignation and my fierce anger. And all the earth shall be devoured.
with the fire of my jealousy. That's comprehensive. That's future. But you can't miss it. The stage is being set.
And if you were in a if you went to a Broadway production, And you got to see them, usually don't, they close the curtain, but if you got to see them, say, oh, when the curtains open. You see, the scene has changed. You can keep up with what's going on.
Well, we can look at What's happening in the world? And we can say the stage is being set. Another piece of furniture has been put in place.
So the question is. Does the Bible teach that Satan can put false ideas into the head of a human being, Can Satan put ideas into the head of somebody in close proximity to Jesus Christ? Jesus turned to Peter and said, Get behind me, Satan, you are an offence to me. for you are not mindful of the things of God. but of the things of men If Satan can mess with Peter's head, Peter wasn't yet filled with the Spirit, as we would know in the latter part.
but he was still a believer. You still love the Lord. Is anybody here ready to say, no, I love Jesus more than Peter? Of course. He was a believer.
Close to Christ. The point These are serious things, they are real things. And you should not lose the sense of that realness in your Bible study because you're having episodes of boredom. Because you think it's not applying to your life. Don't trust those feelings.
They're wrong. You can be wrong the way you feel. How many times in life have you said, Well, I just feel and find out it was wrong. I just feel there's not going to be any traffic today. There's a lot of traffic.
And as you become a parent, you find more and more that, you know, I'm not Well, most of you people aren't right as much as you think you are. Me, I'm always right, whether I have to lie or not about it. Anyway, now, so this Christ telling them what's coming. And uh The spirit the demons, the signs that they're gonna d do. And then, all of a sudden, in this.
With this sixth bowl, Christ! Interrupts. He abruptly inserts a statement in the middle of this. John is seeing these visions and all of a sudden Christ is speaking. directly.
Verse fifteen. Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments. lest he walk naked and they see his shame. If you're a century on post, And you think there's no threat?
You might think you can get away with a nap. Men have died doing that. Christ says, I'm coming. And the part about the thief, he's saying, you don't know when the thief shows up, but he shows up. Unless you watch for him.
And so he says, Happy is the one who is bright-eyed. bushy tailed. The Lord interrupts John's vision. With an abrupt exhortation, an encouragement, warning. To the saints living before the Great Tribulation period.
That's what this is. This is not.
So much for those living in the tribulation period, because he's already come. This is for those Up to the rapture. This is for us. This fifteenth verse 1 Thessalonians, there's plenty of places, there's so many places in the New Testament because it's such an important item. 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 4.
But you brethren, That'd be us. are not in darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief. You have the scripture. You have the teaching. You should be ready for what's coming.
Unless. You don't believe it. Because you don't like them apples. You like other apples. I'm not I'm not even crazy about apples.
I don't know why they're in the sermon so much, but. Uh-huh. There it is. Have you been troubled by the waves of wrath? This should encourage you.
Telling believers what they need to know. Blessed is he who watches. Applicable to Christians in every age, of course, to some degree. And keeps his garments. That means to remain in uniform.
Not to desert. You keep your uniform. You stay on the side of Christ. Again, you teens, I don't care how old, what level of teen you're in, with all that you've got going on in your life. You are expected by God.
To be his friend. You are expected by God. to have contact with him. You're sitting in this sanctuary under a more detailed type Bible teaching is not by accident. It is the God of the universe also singling you out to be here.
He wants you to hear these things. What you do with this is up to you. If you are too preoccupied with other things, Then the things you're hearing this morning. will evaporate If they get to you at all. But if you say I want to love the Lord.
I want to know the power of his resurrection. The fellowship of his suffering. I want to be conformed to his death now I don't want to wait till later, till I make mistakes, more mistakes, unnecessary mistakes. I want it now. Then come get it.
And come get it like it's worth it. Don't don't don't just you know, I sampled it, it was all right. Dig into it. and keep your garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame. That's a dishonorable consequence.
To a soldier on post to be stripped of their insignia. It was a dishonorable discharge. First John We read Little children abide in him. That when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. I would be more ashamed of disinteresting Christ than probably anything.
If I thought about it a little bit more, maybe I don't know, but standing here right now. I do not want to ever be disinterested in Christ.
Now, that doesn't mean I cannot have. Think other things entertain me. It's just that When the going gets serious. It's going to be all about Jesus. Verse sixteen, and they gathered them together to the place.
called in Hebrew Armageddon.
So John, finishing up this sixth bowl. He says, you know, he's writing to us. He says, Christ just broke in and encouraged us.
Now back to this. back to what's coming. The kings from the East converging on Israel to join the armies of Antichrist. Yes, on one hand, securing their own interests in the region, and on the other hand, just hating Israel also. Why?
Because of their occultic practices. They're tampering with the spiritual realm. They have embraced Satan's world and they have rejected the Creator of the universe. Again, another prophet, Zechariah twelve. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
The end of the world That's what this battle is and it's predicted. It's predicted in the Old Testament, and it's magnified in the New. Ezekiel 39, Zechariah 12, Joel chapter 2, chapter 3. It's many places.
Now Armagiddon means the hills of Megiddo. From two Hebrew words, harme giddo. Meghetto means the place of multitudes. It's symbolic language. It's literal, it's concrete, and it's.
Symbolic. I don't want to say abstract. 'Cause I don't think it's that abstract. But it is spiritual. This valley in northern Israel.
About 14 miles wide, 20 miles long. about the size of Manhattan or Moss. It can hold a half a million troops. Only fifteen miles from the Mediterranean Sea. This is the Epicenter.
Of Armageddon And throughout history, this has been a major battlefield. Josiah, that great king, was killed here. Gideon and And Barak had victories in on this battlefield. But the judgment at Armageddon will not be limited to Migueto's plains. We read that in chapter 14.
It will encompass the length of Israel and beyond. That staging area that the kings of the East plan to will stage at before crossing the Euphrates, if they don't make it over, they too will be destroyed where they are. It is a literal place, including wherever Jesus finds armies against Israel. Wherever they have What's the word? Mustard.
To go against Israel. They will be destroyed. VERSE seventeen.
Now we come to the last bowl of this seventh trumpet. Then the angel, the seventh angel, poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven from the throne saying, It's done. It's done. We're finished with this. What is next is Christ will rule on earth.
We won't have this kind of stuff again. Not like this. There will be another uprising over a thousand years later or so. But not like this. The seventh bowl shakes the planet.
Physically. Here's an interesting phrase here. The angel poured out his bowl into the air. Ephesians 2, verse 2. according to the prince of the power of the air.
The spirit who now works in sons of disobedience. And so there is that connection of God saying, I'm dealing with Satan. And I'm dealing with those. who love his brand of life, It is done. The victory of the cross of Christ is a benefit to mankind.
It is the only hope of mankind. And this will signal the return of Christ. But there's a few more details to be added, not only in the remainder of this chapter, but coming in chapter 17 and 18.
Now we look at verse 18 of Revelation 16. And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings, and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. That's a pretty big statement. That means this has not been experienced yet. Even in the days of Noah.
Because the earth was in upheavals. If you can find a copy of Immanuel Velikovsky's Earths in Upheavals, A very fascinating No indication he was a believer, but he was a scientist. a geologist, maybe. And he has these remarkable findings. How come this one stone is found in Michigan, but it's only found also in Scotland, things like that.
And he said, how do you reconcile this?
Well, you'd have to have something like Noah's flood to produce something like that. Anyway, a world of trouble, the earth in upheaval. Verse 19, now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God to give. Her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
Um You've got to have by faith that God knows what He's doing.
Now, this great city divided into three parts. The best commentators are divided on this. One will say, well, that's Babylon. apocalyptic Babylon. Not ancient Babylon as we know it, but And others will say, no, this is Jerusalem.
It's a head scratcher, isn't it?
Now, if you have a different opinion, that's okay. It's okay to have some of these different opinions about things like this in Revelation. If you were to say to me, I think it's this, if there was any merit to that, I'd probably say something like, yeah, you might be right. But anyway, Some say it's Rome, ancient apocalyptic Babylon. The reason why I don't think it's Jerusalem, and this is the fun part of the study, well, it is for me, is, well, what does the Bible say about Jerusalem at this time?
Well, Zechariah says Jerusalem will be split in two, not in three.
Okay, so that's why I'm going to go with that one. Zechariah 14, 4, and in that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west, making a very large valley. Half of the mountain shell moved toward the north and half of it toward the south.
So I'm going to go with that one. And if you said, well, maybe he splits it in three before he splits it in two.
Now you're splitting hairs. But uh uh maybe uh w I'm uh I'll be watching, but I won't be there. Anyway, remember Babylon is not a single city. It is a literal global Economic Spiritual political system. It is a network.
And we get glimpses of this with this G seven and the UN Security Council. We get glimpses of this already. The cities of the nations fell, it says, where the largest concentrations of people are, catastrophic collapse, Looks like that's what's coming their way. Have you noticed? How many skyscrapers are Are in Other countries now?
It used to be New York, Chicago, they pretty much had the skyscrapers.
Now everybody's got 'em. And and you know, they may not have a lot of them, but they have 'em. They're in like Nigeria, they're in Singapore. Everybody's got these. Infrastructure is built up.
But the final curtain is coming and these Cities are going to feel the wrath. What God says, He means. He says here also in verse 19, and Great Babylon was remembered. before God to give Her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. Again, those responsible For attacking Israel.
And attacking all the Christians they could find. Any convert They would look to kill. Babylon Is God's name? In the apocalyptic sense, for the world system under the authority of the beast. the entire spiritual economic and uh political organization Influenced by the dragon.
So let's just briefly, we're almost done. Five permanent members of the UN Security Council. France, China, Russia, UK. and the United States.
So we already see they don't get along too well, all of them. But then there are the seven major industrial countries outside of communism and Islam today, the G seven. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, US. The reason why I am bringing these up is to say to you We already have these kind of organizations. They're just going to be further developed.
None of this is far-fetched. And then verse 20, Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. Uh that may be spiritual. Uh I I cannot Dogmatically say, well, this means that. I mean, it could be literal islands.
Is it in a region that John saw? Is it globally? Not enough information to me, but come come back to verse 21 now. And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since the plague was exceedingly great.
The blasphemers of Armageddon Details about the population that is going to uh incur this wrath. Punishment of blasphemy in the Old Testament was stoning. Death by stoning Here it is death by hailstoning. And a talent, the weight of a talent, is about 75 pounds. Can you imagine?
The insurance claims. Yeah. It's just catastrophic. Creation will demonstrate that it sides with God as the creator against paganism. Men blaspheme God because of the plague.
of hail Since the plague was exceedingly great.
So, yet again, it is written. that they still are hating on God, They refuse to shut up. They refused to look up. We don't say, get him, God, can't wait to see this happen. We accept that this is his will, this is the best way out of this.
What will it take to convince them? of the sovereignty of God. And so, in closing. They make themselves unreachable. People do that, have been doing that for centuries, and we close with this verse from Hebrews 3.
If you are not a believer, If you've not given your life to Christ, This is especially for you. Today If you hear his voice, Do not Harden your heart. as in the rebellion. Yeah. Mm.
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 crossreference radio.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.
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