Welcome to PowerPoint with Jack Graham. We know that the world is upside down. But when Christ and his kingdom comes, he's going to turn things right side up. And that is because when Christ reigns, when Christ rules, he will redeem everything. On today's PowerPoint, Dr.
Graham brings a message about what will happen on the day that Christ returns and how you can be ready.
Now, here's Dr. Graham with his message. when Christ returns. Take your Bibles and turn with me to Revelation chapter 20. When Christ comes.
He comes to rule the nations. King of kings. And Lord of Lords. His kingdom is coming on earth. Because he King Jesus is coming.
When he does, the first thing that's going to happen is the Savior reigns. The Savior reigns. Look at chapter 20, beginning in verse 1 and following. And then I saw an angel. coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.
And he seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for, note this, a thousand years. Key phrase, a thousand years, a millennium. And threw him into the pit, and shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were ended. and that he must be released for a little while. And then I saw thrones.
And seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed and I saw the souls of those who have been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God and those who had not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received the mark on their foreheads or their hands. It says they came to life and watch this, reigned with Christ for how long? A thousand years, a millennium. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.
A thousand years. the millennium. This is the millennial reign. and rule of Christ. on earth.
Just as Jesus came physically, Visibly Personally, when he comes again.
So will the kingdom be a literal faith? physical, visible kingdom on earth for 1,000 years. And what a great and glorious time it will be. I believe in the pre-millennial return of Jesus Christ. That means that Christ Jesus will return before the 1,000 years.
And guess what? We're not waiting for him as Christians. We're coming with him. We will be in his presence, raptured into his presence. And then when Christ returns at the second coming to establish his kingdom, we won't be waiting for him.
We will be with him. And when Jesus reigns and rules, all of creation will be transformed. The curse. upon the earth will be reversed. All of nature and all the nations will be free.
from the bondage of sin. Sin ruins everything. One commentator noted It pollutes the skies, sin that is, pollutes the skies, encourages corporate greed, leads to physical and emotional illness, destroys marriages, prompts addictions, and inspires wars. Sin corrupts the legal system, corrodes governments, erodes economics, and promotes false religion. Just as sin destroys individual lives, so it decimates a community, a country, and a planet.
When we look in our world in the chaos that we're experiencing, we know that the world is upside down. But when Christ and his kingdom comes, he's going to turn things right side up. And that is because when Christ reigns, when Christ rules, he will redeem everything. Sin, Satan, ruins everything. But Jesus redeems everything.
Isaiah 51 verse 11, Everlasting joy shall be on their head, and they shall obtain gladness and joy and sorrow and mourning will flee away. Jesus. Reigns. The Savior. Rays.
Number two. When Christ returns. Satan is restraint. Satan is restrained. When we read those first three verses.
You no doubt took notice of that angel with the long chain. And Satan, the ancient adversary, the serpent. who is then chained and committed. To a prison sentence of 1,000 years throughout the entire Millennium for the world to be turned right side up. Satan must be dethroned.
The God of this age, the God of this world, must be restrained and removed.
Now Satan is not a myth. Nor is the devil A figment of someone's medieval imagination. Satan is not a mere symbol of evil. in the world. Satan is real.
He is a real enemy. He is a spiritual and supernatural being. And he is alive, well, living on planet Earth. He is not in hell. He is on earth.
He will be in hell. But that's not where Satan lives today. Peter tells us in 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 8 that Satan is like a roaring lion. Seeking whom he may devour, prowling. here and there throughout The earth.
And he rules over a world system that is anti-God and anti-Christ. He promotes false religion. He promotes false ideals. He reigns over governments, political systems, religious systems, cultural constructs, and all the rest. And so again, for the world to be made right Turn right side up, Satan must be dethroned.
Satan is a powerful person. Personal persuasive force. But remember this: since the cross, Satan is under the authority of Jesus. He is under control. He has no authority in your life.
as a believer. Anything Satan does in your life, you give him a beach head or an opportunity, but you do not. Live under the authority. We overcame him. We overcome him by the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony.
We love not our lives unto death. And so Satan is a defeated foe at the cross. Jesus defeated the works of the enemy at the cross. But there are still battles to be fought. There's a spiritual warfare in which we are engaged.
And Satan. While he is under control, he is not. in chains. But in the millennium He will be in chase. Interesting, isn't it?
More than interesting, intriguing. that it takes one mighty, majestic holy angel to chain the devil up.
So the devil, the dragon, the old serpent, Satan. Is put in chains, put in Prison. To deceive the nations no longer. He is a deceiver, a liar, a master manipulator, a con artist, a thug, a terrorist, a blasphemous accuser. And one day, for his crimes against all humanity, he will be chained and in prison.
Good Riddance. Cast into prison, or as described here, the abyss, a bottomless pit.
Now, the bottomless pit is not yet hell. The abyss. is If you will a holding tank for hell. Ultimately, Hades The bottomless pit leads to the lake of fire. And Satan goes into the bottomless pit and ultimately to the lake of fire.
Now, I know what you want to ask. There's something in verse 3 that brings up a big question. Look at the end of verse 3. It says, After he's in prison for these 1,000 years, After that, he must be released for a little while. What?
Why? And if you read later in the passage, You discover that Satan rallies a group of rebels to one more time. Attack. the kingdom of God and he is immediately and ignominiously defeated. Cast into the lake of fire.
But when you look at that, you wonder why, why would God let him go? Why would God lose the devil? I've turned it every which way but loose. And I got to tell you, at the end of my study, Why is the devil let go for a while? I got to tell you, I don't know.
I have an idea or two. Remember, in the millennial period. People will live in a perfect world. They're going to live longer. This isn't heaven yet.
This isn't the spiritual existence of heaven, new heaven, new earth. This is earth. This is a fleshly, physical kingdom. People are going to live for a thousand years. They're going to have babies and grandbabies.
There will be people in the millennial period who were saved out of the tribulation or delivered out of the tribulation. They didn't die. Not everybody on earth dies at Armageddon.
So there are people who are under the rule and the authority of Christ. who may choose not to believe. And so God in his own mystery and sovereignty lets the devil go to separate the believers from the unbelievers. It shows the depravity of the human heart, doesn't it? That someone could live in a perfect world, in a perfect environment.
And still rebel in their hearts, the depravity of the human heart.
So the bottom line is... Satan is chained for a thousand years. He is parodued. For a brief time but then cast into the lake of fire forever and ever. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message when Christ returns.
The 23rd Psalm is one of the most beloved passages in the Bible. There is so much depth and encouragement in knowing that God is our shepherd. This month, Dr. Graham is diving into the 23rd Psalm in a set of 23 videos, and he would love for you to join him for this powerful exposition of David's declaration of God's faithfulness. If you'd like to join, just text Challenge to 59789.
Again, text Challenge to 59789. In a time marked by confusion, anxiety, and spiritual compromise, your support of PowerPoint helps point millions of people to the one source of unshakable hope and truth: God's Word. Through your generosity, you are helping proclaim the gospel across the globe. And with every broadcast, more people are discovering the Bible, not as a rule book, but as a wellspring of life. To thank you for your gift of $10 or more, we want to send you Dr.
Jack Graham's booklet, Breaking Free from Stress. This timely resource will help you break the power of stress and anxiety in your life as you learn to rest in God's promises. To request your copy, simply text the word STRESS to 59-789. That's stress to 59-789.
Now let's get back to today's message. When Christ returns. Number three, the saints will rule. Just a brief comment regarding the saints' ruling. I've alluded to the fact that when Christ reigns, we will reign with Him.
1 Corinthians 3:4 tells us that we will reign with Him in the millennium. God's people will rule the governments of God. We are described in the Bible as a kingdom of priests. Jesus is king. Jesus is Lord.
But In this kingdom, in God's government, which will be upon his shoulders, he will assign us. rulership and responsibilities in the kingdom. Those who reign in the kingdom will rule over who?
Well, As I mentioned, there are still unbelievers in the millennial kingdom. There's the Jewish nation itself. There are people who are survivors of the tribulation. There are things to be accomplished. in the millennial kingdom of Christ.
for the glory of God. The survivors will have children and grandchildren and so on. And therefore, rule and dominion and power and authority is established. By Christ. 2 Timothy 2:12 says, We shall reign with him.
This also goes into the category of we don't know exactly what that means. But we know that we will reign with him as a kingdom of priests.
Somehow, we will be engaged and involved in God's government to carry out his commands. Jesus spoke of this in Matthew chapter 19 and verse 28: that when he comes, we will rule. with him. One final word. That is that when Christ returns, not only will the Savior rule.
And Satan will be restrained and ultimately removed. And The saints will rule with Christ, but number four, sinners are recompensed. I'm talking about the judgment of God. Verses 11 through 16 of chapter 20. Form Some of the scariest, most terrifying, sobering words in all of the Bible.
Look at them with me. Verse 11. of chapter 20. And then I saw a great white throne. and him who was seated on it.
And from his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before the throne, and the books were opened. And then another book was opened, which is The book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what they had done. Remember this.
All judgment is according to works. All judgment is based on works. Put that and file it in your mind. Verse 13, and the sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them.
Again, death and Hades. She-Oil in the Old Testament. He is The spiritual condition of those who are without Christ. It is but a preparation for the final judgment. And death and Hades gave up their dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.
according to works. And then death and Hades were thrown, cast, chunked. into the lake of fire. This is the second death. The lake A fire.
And if anyone's name was not found, written in the book of life. He was thrown. into the lake. Of fire. The Bible teaches there are two kinds of death.
There is physical death. And it is appointed unto man once to die. But there's also spiritual death, eternal death, which is separation from God and the judgment of God. The great white throne. is the judgment of Almighty God upon the unsaved.
Dead. At the last judgment, this is the saddest and scariest passage in all of the Bible. Because at the last judgment, there will be no more excuses. There will certainly be no exit. You have a date with deity, and you will face God eyeball to eyeball, face to face.
This will not be a time to discuss or debate your guilt or your innocence. There will be no defender there. There will be no advocate there. All the evidence is already in. It's all over.
But the shouting. And the shouting. He's weeping. and wailing. and gnashing of teeth.
No rebuttal. at the great white throne of God. The judge is Jesus. And the judgment. is binding For all eternity.
When a believer dies, a believer in Jesus dies. We go straight to heaven. An unbeliever goes. to a place called Hades.
So is again a kind of holding place for hell. At the last judgment, Hades will be emptied of its occupants. to receive final sentencing.
Now, who's going to be at the great white throne judgment?
Well, mention several groups. Number one, rebellious sinners will be there. The atheist, the agnostic, the God haters, the mockers, the blasphemers. Those who shake their fist in the face of God. The despots, the cruel dictators.
The truly evil people on earth present today and in times past, what you could call just just full throttle sinners, rebellious sinners, sure they're going to be there. But did you know also at the great white throne judgment there will be religious sinners? The so-called good people. You know, look, there are good people all around us. They're conscientious, they're kind.
The good neighbors. Good dads, moms. In fact, I know some people that are really nice that aren't even Christians. In fact, they're nicer than some of the Christians I know. Good people.
But remember No good person goes to heaven in their own strength save without the cross of Jesus Christ. We're not saved by works of righteousness. But by the work of Christ for us, salvation is not earned or deserved. Heaven is not for good people, it is for forgiven people. Forgiven by God, by Christ.
There are many people who are self-righteous thinking. I don't need Jesus in my life. They think that Jesus, the gospel, is for people in prison or pornographers or child abusers or criminals. All the bad people. I'm a decent, law-abiding, family-loving citizen.
I'm moral and I think I'm good enough. to get to heaven. No person is good enough. To go to heaven, there is none righteous, no, not one. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
You're not good enough. Only God is good enough to save you. For by grace have we been saved through faith, not of ourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works. lest anyone should boast.
There are people that go to church nearly every Sunday. Who won't go to heaven? They carry their Bibles. They sing worship songs. They may give their money.
May teach. a Bible class, may be a deacon in a church. They know all about God, but they don't know Jesus. Religious people. Jesus spoke of these in Matthew 7.
When he said, On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not do many wonderful works in your name? Did we not come? Cast out demons. Did we not heal the sick? Jesus says, Depart from me, you cursed into everlasting fire.
I never knew you. Frightening words. To think that a person could believe all their life that they were going to heaven, Lord, Lord. And die and go to hell. All at the judgment.
You need to trust in Jesus now because there's no other strategy. Not human works, not human goodness, but the grace of God. There will be people in hell. Who believed about Jesus? They believed things about God.
Maybe even believed the Bible. Maybe even thought the gospel was true, but thought, you know, one day I'll. I'll make a decision for Christ.
Someday I'll give my life to Christ. But I got to get some things in order, I got to fix some things, or all the excuses. You keep putting it off and putting it off and putting it off. And you pass the point of no return. Either you harden your own heart.
You know, you can be gospel hardened. You can hear the gospel again and again and again and again and again and reject it over and over and over and over again to the point that you no longer sense or feel the Holy Spirit working in your life. Look, if people in the millennium, for goodness sakes, in the millennium could be glory hardened. You could be gospel hardened. He who Being often reproved and hardens his neck will suddenly be cut off, and that will be.
That without remedy. You think one of these days I'll get my life right, and one of those days never comes. And you're lost. Here's the bottom line, verse 12. Speaks of the book of life and those whose names are written in the book of life.
When it gets down to the end. Is your name. Because of what Christ has done for you, written in red. In the Lamb's Book of Life. Choose Jesus before it's everlastingly too late.
Choose today. Make that decision today that you will be so glad you made. Oh. and you stand before him. and with him forever and heaven.
You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message. When Christ returns. It's easy to get caught in the cycle of always trying to do more, be more, and carry it all by yourself. As a result, so many people battle stress and anxiety, especially around the holidays. But that's not God's heart for you.
And in his booklet, Breaking Free from Stress. Dr. Jack Graham speaks directly to the anxious heart, offering biblical hope to those who feel weighed down and wrung out by stress. Drawing from Psalm 23 and real-life stories, he reminds you that while stress is inevitable, living enslaved to it is not. Breaking Free From Stress is our thank you for your gift of $10 or more to help proclaim the gospel through PowerPoint.
And when you give, know that your support helps take God's word across the airwaves, into homes, prisons, and hearts all over the world. To request your copy of Breaking Free From Stress? Text stress to 59-789. The 23rd Psalm is one of the most beloved passages in the Bible. There is so much depth and encouragement in knowing that God is our shepherd.
This month, Dr. Graham is diving into the 23rd Psalm in a set of 23 videos, and he would love for you to join him for this powerful exposition of David's declaration of God's faithfulness. If you'd like to join, just text Challenge to 59789. Again, text Challenge to 59789. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?
Well, of course, a lot of people are against the idea of hell. But the main reason many well-intentioned Christians want to avoid talking about it is because they are afraid of somehow alienating people or running people away from the gospel. But if you believe in Jesus, you have no choice but to acknowledge that hell exists because Jesus taught extensively on this subject.
Now, hell is not my favorite subject to talk about, for sure. but it is an absolutely 100% real place where real people will spend a conscious eternity in judgment away from God. People need to be warned about hell. We should tell people about heaven. but we should also warn people about hell.
For those of us who believed in the Lord and have our sins bought and paid for by His blood, we will never taste hell. But the Bible is very clear to those who die in their sins, that is, unrepentant, never receiving Christ as Savior. These will spend eternity apart from God in in hell. That's why it's so very, very important that we live as Christians every day on mission to share the hope of his soon return with as many people as possible.
so that we can take as many people with us to heaven as possible. And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift of $10 or more to PowerPoint, we'll send you a copy of Dr. Graham's booklet, Breaking Free from Stress, as Our Thanks. Just text the word stress to 59-789.
And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about what life will look like when you finally make it to your eternal home. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.
