Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus. The founder and perfecter of our faith. According to Bible prophecy, the future contains some dark days for planet Earth. A great battle will climax the end of history as we know it. For more details on what lies ahead, stay with us.
From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Wind with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, one thing is for sure. If we read the last page of the Bible, the good guys win. And Dave, the reason that the good guys win is because those who trust Jesus Christ well.
To use your terminology, he is the good guy, the ultimate good guy, the God in the flesh. And I want to say to everyone who's listening that in that final battle you're going to be on one side or the other. There is no neutrality. And Jesus wins.
So how wise is it for you to get on the side of Jesus right now? Because that final battle will happen some day. This is the last day, by the way, that we are making available for you a book I've written entitled God's Hidden Agenda Uncovering His Good Plan in an Evil World. What I want you to see is the victory of God in the midst of evil. I want you to see that evil was not a surprise to him, but how he actually uses it to display his glory.
For a gift of any amount we're making it available for you. Here's the contact info. Go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-1. Two one eight 9337.
Remember this is the last day. We're making this special resource available for you. Go to RTW Offer. Dot com Uh Um And you'll notice they threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him so that he should not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were completed. During the millennial kingdom, Satan will be bound.
And after these things, he's got to be released just for a short time. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God. And those who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand, and they came to life and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. That is, those who were beheaded during the tribulation period who came to believe on Christ even though the church had already been raptured.
But I want you to notice it says that they came and they reigned with Jesus Christ. You say, well, Pastor Lutzer, what are we going to be doing? You're going to have a glorified body, and if you're a believer, you will be reigning with Christ too. You say on the earth? I thought maybe, you know, somewhere in heaven.
Well, maybe somewhere in heaven eventually, but on the earth, yes. What does it say in Revelation 5.10? You need not turn to it, but you must listen carefully. I'll even read verse 9 to give you the context. Worthy art thou to take the book and to break its seals, for thou wast slain and didst purchase for God with thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
Are you included in that?
Now notice. And has made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign. upon the earth.
Now Yeah. There's so much that could be said about the reign of Jesus Christ upon the earth and our participation in that reign. Remember that those who go into the millennium are all believers, but they will have their earthly bodies because people will be saved during the period of great tribulation after the church has been raptured. But what can we say about the rule of Christ? First of all, he will rule over the entire earth.
It says in Psalm 2 that the Lord Jesus Christ is going to ask of God the Father. In fact, the Father says, Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost part of the earth. for thy possession. And it says that he shall reign. all over the whole earth.
Also, he will rule with authority and power. He will rule with great authority. and power. Do you remember that verse in Psalm 22? which I read to you a few weeks ago, and so I expect you to remember it, of course.
It says, All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will worship before thee. Look at that. All the families of the earth, all the families of the nations. For the kingdom is the Lord's, and He rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship.
Those who go down to the dust will bow before him. Everybody's going to worship the Lord.
Now, remember that the reason it is necessary for Jesus to reign on this earth is, I've already emphasized and pardon the repetition, that earth is the planet, you know, on which God decided to enact this drama. And it was here that the rebellion occurred. First of all, Lucifer, who said, I will be like the Most High, and he retained, as we mentioned in our first and second messages, he retained his power and his authority on the earth. And then Jesus put man there for conflict. He says, you take dominion, and it is here where man has not taken dominion over the earth.
He can't control nature, but he can't even control himself. Look at the wars, the rumors of wars. Look at all the things that people are doing to one another. He can't get organized. He can't rule.
If there's anything that history has proven, it is man's inability to rule.
So what Jesus Christ is going to do is to come to snatch the earth from Satan and men and show that right in the sphere where they failed, he will succeed. And he's going to rule with absolute authority and power. And over the earth, there will be worldwide acceptance. of Christ. It says in Isaiah chapter 11, verse 9: that the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth even as water.
covers The sea. And of course, water covers the sea. What else would cover the sea except water? come to think of it. And that's the way the knowledge of the Lord shall be over the whole earth.
It says in Isaiah chapter 2: in that day, many people shall go and say, Come ye unto the mountain of the Lord, unto the house of the God of Jacob, for he shall teach us his ways, and we shall walk in his paths. For the word of the Lord shall go forth from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people, and they shall beat their swords into plowshears, and their spears into pruning hooks, and nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. I'm told that that verse, by the way, is inscribed. here in the United States in the United Nations building.
They shall beat their swords into plowshears, their spears into pruning hooks. Are you telling me that the United Nations is going to bring that about? The United Nations is going to cause the nations of the earth to put down their armaments. You say, well, we're living in a period of peace. Of necessity, it is a deceptive piece.
I know some of you are saying, Pastor Luther, you seem to be a pessimist today. I know I am, but remember that a pessimist is nothing more than an informed optimist. There is no way in the world that the United Nations Is going to fulfill the prophecies in the Old Testament that pertain to God's millennium and the reign of Jesus Christ on earth.
Now, there's a third event. First of all, Jesus Christ will return to the earth in two stages, he will rule the earth. And finally, he will judge the earth. He will judge the earth. At the last part of chapter 19, the beast and the false prophet who deceived so many people during the tribulation period are already thrown into the lake of fire.
And after the thousand years are ended, Satan is allowed one more time to try to get up in a rebellion. I don't know why. God didn't seem to. Tell us why this was necessary. But he goes to the ends of the earth and he discovers that because people in the millennium are actually bearing children because they are in their earthly bodies, there are some children who have grown up during those thousand years who do not belong to God because even if Satan is bound, the human heart is still wicked and people turn away from God and Satan is actually able to drum up some support for his final rebellion against God.
And what a pitiful spectacle it is. Verse 8, and he will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog. That just really means end time ruler, should not be confused with Ezekiel 38 and 39. To gather them together for war, the number of them is like the sand on the seashore. Say, oh my goodness, maybe they'll be able to do now what they couldn't do during the turn of events in Armageddon.
Oh my goodness. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, which is, of course, Jerusalem. And fire came down from heaven and devoured them. God says that. That is enough.
like taking a candle. And just snuffing out the light, saying, that is it. That's the final rebellion of man and the devil. Verse 10. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also.
And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever and ever and ever. And the degree of their torment will be determined by the number of victories that Satan won over God while he was in existence upon this planet. And therefore, every single thing that he has ever done will be adequately recompensed, so that there will be a sense of justice and the equilibrium of justice throughout all of eternity. We are going to behold the incredible justice of God. It's part of my message next week.
And we're all going to be able to say that God did all things well, and notice how it came out. You say, well, what about the people?
Well, verse 11 and following, which I memorized many years ago in the King James Version of the Bible, it's one of the most awesome, frightening passages of Scripture for those who do not know Jesus Christ, because the dead of all the ages are going to be resurrected and personally and individually stand before God. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, before whose face the earth and the heavens fled away, and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it. And death and Hades delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, every man.
according to his works. You say, well, I thought salvation is by grace. How come they're judged according to their works? They are not judged to see whether they will enter into heaven. They are judged on the basis of what they did with what they knew.
Accurate, precise. Judgment so meticulously weighed out, it would be like a pharmacist weighing out your prescription.
So that the balances of justice are perfect. All of them will suffer forever, but not all of them will suffer the same degree forever. will depend on what they did. with what they knew. And then in chapters 21 and 22 of Revelation, which obviously we cannot get into.
That is heaven. For the saints, the description is there. Three great events. Christ returns to the earth. Christ rules over the earth for a thousand years, and then Christ judges the earth and all the inhabitants that have ever been.
a part of the earth.
Now, I want to tell you, my friend, that you can tell your love for Christ or your indifference toward Him. By whether or not you're looking forward to his coming. Are you glad to see him? If he were to come this afternoon, would he spoil your Your schedule, would he reign on your parade? Do you have some things in mind that are more important than seeing Christ?
If so, you don't love Him very much. Even if He saved you, you still don't love Him. There's an old Scottish story about Some men who were on a fishing expedition. And they fished for weeks and they were gone. And when they arrived at the shore, many of the wives of the men were there to greet their husbands.
And the skipper of the ship. looked and he noticed that There was Bill's Mary, and there was Joe's Margaret, and it looked like all of the women were there, but he looked and he couldn't see his own wife, and he was quite. Frightened, wondering if something had happened to her. And finally, he trudged up the hill where they lived, and he came into the house. She came and she threw her arms around him, and she said, Oh, she said, I've been waiting for you.
And he said, Yeah, but all the other wives were watching. for their husbands. Ouch. You see, some of us say, yes, we're waiting for the Lord, but are we watching? Blessed is he, the Bible says, whom The Lord finds Watching.
The Lord's mind is watching. I wish I could convey this to you. With more articulation, but I have to say that one of the things that God is certainly proving is that nobody ever wins over Him.
Now, I've emphasized this so often that I hesitate to say it again, but there is no such thing as you being here today saying, I can hold out on God, or I'm not gonna submit to Him, or I'm not gonna be saved, whatever it is, that resistance of the human heart. When God points out sin in your life as a Christian, for example, and you say, I'm not gonna give it up because, and then you rationalize, you cannot win against God. You can't. Neither in this life nor in the life to come, because God always has the last word. He writes the last page.
If there's anything I want to emphasize today, it is: please be wholly yielded to God and do whatever you have to do to be fully right with God and with man. Don't hold grudges against your fellow brothers and sisters. Don't be angry with God. Don't say, I know better than what God is saying, because you don't. Many years ago when I was in seminary, I heard a story of a beautiful woman by the name of Toni Jo Henry, evidently was her name.
Her mother taught her how to dance, how to hold her cigarette, how to mix her drinks. And this young lady, because of her beauty, was very, very popular. But as sometimes happens to beautiful women, she became involved in immoral relationships, and of necessity, those relationships end up with regret, guilt, anger, hostility, alienation, and all those other things. And so one day, in a fit of anger and rage, she actually killed her boyfriend. And she was put in jail.
And I'm told that when someone visited her in jail, she said, quote, I always knew that God ran the whole show. But I tried to steal one small act. God runs the show. And nobody is going to steal one last. Act.
Could I urge you to hurry to Jesus Christ who died that you might be forgiven and cleansed so that you can be welcomed by God and so that the anger and the hostility of God towards sin is taken out on Christ on your behalf so that you can be saved? Come just as you are. With your doubts, with your fears, with your inability to believe, you say, Well, there could be somebody here today who hasn't been in church for a long time and who said, You know, what the pastor is saying today is just incredible. I don't know if I can believe all that. Come.
to Christ even with your doubts. Come to him with all your religious prejudices, all the barriers that have been formed in your mind. Against what I've had to say today. Just come as you are. You know, there's a song we sometimes sing, just as I am without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou bidst me come to thee.
O Lamb of God, I come, I come, because. Nobody can ever steal an act. from God. Join me as we pray. And now, Father, we just celebrate with our hearts and minds the absolute triumph of Jesus Christ.
We thank you that there is no sense at all in which the world today is out of control from your standpoint. We thank you, Lord, that the novel. Already has been written, the script is written. The end. is certain.
It is written in stone by the finger of God. And so, Lord, between then and now, we struggle, we do not understand, we. agonize, but we thank you, Father. that Jesus will reclaim planet Earth. And all the victories that Satan have ever won will be a charade.
But, Father, we need to bring this down to where we live: to Monday morning and Tuesday, not to mention Wednesday and Thursday. And we pray, Father, that you might mightily Enable us, even in this moment, to give you matters that are too big for us.
So that we might live wholly for you. And now before I close. Why don't you talk to God and tell him whatever you need to tell him? You're withholding something from the Lord? Open your heart like you might open your hand and say, God, it's yours.
You've never received Christ as Savior? Say, Jesus, save me. I come to you just as I am. I don't understand it all, but I come. You have a burden that you should not be bearing.
Give it to God. Thank you, Father. In Jesus' name. Amen. Yeah.
My friend, this is Pastor Lutzer. Could I have a moment with you? I want to ask you where are you on your spiritual journey? If you're not walking with God, what is the barrier between you and Him? What is your excuse?
I may be speaking to people today who are struggling with the issue of evil.
Well, actually, all of us have. And there are many people who leave the Christian faith because they cannot swear the existence of God. and the terrible things that are happening in the world.
Well, I want you to know that God has a bigger picture. He has other agendas in mind. And that's why I've written the book entitled God's Hidden Agenda, Uncovering His Good Plan in an Evil World. What I want us to see is that evil is not out of control. And today is the last day we're making this resource available for you.
And I'm going to be giving you some contact info in just a moment. but our desire here at running to win, is to be able to hold you by the hand, figuratively speaking, so that together we can run the race of life. Here's what you can do. Go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com or you can pick up the phone and call us at 1-888-1.
218 9337. I'm going to be giving you that contact info again since it's the last day we're making this resource available for you. You can call us at 1-888-218-9337 or you can go to your computer. and type in RTW offer Dot com. And even as we struggle together in life, let us be faithful to the very end, because In the end, Jesus wins.
Time now for another chance for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life. David in St. Louis, Missouri, listens to KSIV FM 91.5. Here's his question. First Timothy 3.15 says the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth.
many Roman Catholics use this verse to speak about the authority of their Church.
So, Pastor Lutzer, what does this verse mean? Thank you so much for asking that question, and it is very, very important. You know, when you read the context of the verse there, as you mentioned in 1 Timothy, what you discover is that the pillar and the ground of the truth is the revelation of God? even through the writings of the Apostle Paul to Timothy. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the Church to hear the truth, believe the truth, preach the truth.
Witness to the truth And hopefully, it is grounded indeed on those great truths that have made the Church great throughout the centuries. I want to comment specifically on what you said about the fact that the Roman Catholic Church uses this verse. I know that it does. But I want to emphasize that the verse does not say that the Church is the source of the truth. As many Roman Catholics would want us to believe.
It is to be grounded in the truth for certain but let me give you one example. For example, Pope Pius in the year nineteen fifty, as a matter of fact, proclaimed it as dogma that Mary ascended into heaven she did not die.
Now, there's an example of the way in which the church oftentimes has, if I might use the phrase, made up truth. Because that's not found anywhere in Scripture, it is contrary to everything that we know about the Scripture. about Mary being an ordinary Jewish lady. who is given, of course, the privilege of bearing the Son of God, And so, when we speak about the church being the pillar and the ground of the truth. We can't look at the Church as the source.
The Source is the Word of God. But having said that, that's exactly what the church is to be based upon, and that the church should witness to the truth. of that word.
Some wise counsel, as always, from doctor Erwin Lutzer, Thank you, Dr. Lutzer. If you'd like to hear your question answered, go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on Ask Pastor Lutzer. or call us at 1-888-218-9337. That's 1-888-218-9337.
You can write to us at RunningTowin 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614. Running to win is all about helping you find God's roadmap for your race of life. Yeah. Everyone facing calamity asks why. By faith, we see a future time when the why questions get answers.
Next time, don't miss looking back to planet Earth. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.
