The Return of the King

The Return of the King!

 Revelation 19:7-16

January 21, 2018

All right. We've been studying through the Book of Revelation, and really the Book of Revelation so far has been about the seven-year tribulation period of God pouring His wrath out on the earth in those days, but the tribulation will come to an end with an event that the world has been waiting for, for thousands of years, which is the return of Jesus Christ in person to rule and reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the second coming of Jesus Christ. Now, an interesting thing, back in the days, back in the days when newspapers were a thing, whenever they would-- the front page headline they have to decide have big headline.

They would size the headline according to the significance of the events. So, the bigger the headline, the bigger the event. They save the biggest. I mean, the absolute biggest headline for a while, and they teach you this in journalism class, the name of that, right? The name of the type of the largest possible type is called Second Coming of Jesus Christ time. Because journalist will tell you that is the most significant event that this world will ever see. It's so significant that there are more than 300 references to that in the New Testament alone.

In fact, for every one reference to His initial coming, there are eight references to a second coming. Now, another interesting thing is that, near the end of Jesus’ ministry, the week before the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus comes into Jerusalem and He's hailed as the King. We celebrate this every year as the Triumphant Entry. The crowds are gathering, coming into Jerusalem with them shouting, "Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna to the son of David." Clearly, that's for the Messiah there. "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, but he's riding on the foal of a donkey, the baby donkey, which is a beast of burden, and He comes into Jerusalem this way."

What a contrast to the return of Jesus Christ, the second coming of Jesus Christ because He doesn't come on the foal of a donkey, He comes out of majestic powerful white horse and He comes, of course, with the great armies of heaven also riding on white horses. That right there is the triumphant entry. What's interesting is that, in both occasions He comes into Jerusalem, that is where He is declared the King because Jerusalem is in fact, the epicenter of latter-day events. It is the one city amongst all cities where God has said, "That is my city. I have placed my name on that city."

I.  First, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb

Now, the enemy also knows that very well. Which is why there is so much spiritual battle that's going to surround Jerusalem. It is the key to our understanding of the latter day events. Let's read it. We're going to begin in Revelation 19. Actually, let's start at the end of verse 6 where it says, "Hallelujah, for the Lord our God the Almighty reigns." How about that for a great start to the declaration. "Hallelujah, for the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.

It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen bright and clean, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. He said to me, "Write this down, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" He said to me, "These are the true words of God." He said, "I fell at His feet to worship Him, and He said to me, 'Don't do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God man.'" Listen to this, underline this, highlight this, is a key verse here. "For the testimony of Jesus is The Spirit of Prophecy."

That is the key to understanding prophecy of the scripture, but then he continues on with this great picture for us in verse 11. "I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and he who sat upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, he judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems, many crowns." It's like great authority. Now, listen to this part here, very intriguing. "He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except himself.

He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God." Now, is there any question as to who he is speaking of here? "And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean." Which is an interesting thing for an army to be wearing. "But these were following Him on white horses." So, he comes on a white horse, armies following after Him on white horses. Who are these armies? We're going to look at that today. "From his mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations. And He will rule them with a rod iron. He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords." What a declaration, what a picture for us.

A.  The church is the bride of Christ

The return of the King, the second coming of Jesus Christ, but first, the marriage supper of the Lamb. See verse 6, John hears this voice of a great multitude like the sound of many waters, like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, and says, "Hallelujah, For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns." End of the tribulation is near, Babylon the Great has fallen, which we looked at last time. We'll look at it also on Wednesday. Heaven is made ready for the return of Christ, but before Christ returns there is an event that takes place in heaven that should be very interesting to us. The reason it should be very interesting is because we're part of it, and that is the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Now, the reason why we're part of it, is because the church actually is the Bride of Christ. Now, the idea, the concept like that is actually not new. Is this not the first time we've heard of that? In fact, you can go all the way back to the Old Testament even. In Jeremiah 31, Jeremiah writes this prophecy. Jeremiah 31:32, "Behold," He says, " Days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them, says the Lord." What an interesting statement.

So, it brings us then to the understanding that in fact, the Son of God is the heavenly bride. Now, that's an interesting picture. In fact, that scene for us in the scripture, one of the probably the most detailed beautiful place that scene, is in the Ephesians chapter 5. Now, Ephesians Chapter 5 is that famous chapter about marriage. It's commonly read at weddings. I've done weddings where I've read it myself. It's a famous, "husbands love your wives like Christ loved the church. Wives respect your husbands as a church does honor the Lord," but it's interesting because what it brings us to.

The culmination of that, Ephesians 5:31-32, explains. He says, "Because we are members of his body." What does that mean? He quotes from Genesis, which is the famous place He speaks of marriage in Genesis. He says, "For this reason, a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall be joined or cleave to his wife and the two shall become one flesh." There's no question he's speaking about marriage. Then He says, "This mystery is great." There's a great mystery. "But I'm speaking with reference to Christ and the church."

In other words, marriage is that picture of the relationship that Jesus has to his bride the church. Now, that is a powerful picture and here's why, because what it shows us is that God wants more than just salvation. I don't mean to minimize salvation when I say just salvation because it's a glorious, wondrous, miraculous gift that He gives us, but what's more than that then? What's more than that is relationship, that's why.

God wants to picture that for us, the nearness, the pleasure, the joy, the intimacy, the closeness that is possible in that relationship with God himself through Jesus Christ. What a picture? It’s a beautiful, beautiful thing for us to recognize. In fact, when someone came to Jesus at one point and said, "Teacher, of all the things that God has said to us, what is the highest, the first, the foremost?" Jesus responded, "The first, the foremost of all the things that God has ever said is this, you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart." Such a key. Heart is so clearly important to the Lord. It’s very clear here that the bride of Christ is the church. It’s us.

Now, men typically don’t like being referred at as a bride. That’s true, but hey, women are called sons of God in scripture so, deal with it. In verse 7, He says, the bride -- I love this picture. He says the bride has made herself ready. Now, that’s an intriguing thing. The bride has made herself ready. What is He speaking here? He’s speaking to the bride’s heart. Now, there is a lot of preparations. She’s made herself ready. Any bride would tell you there is a lot of preparations for a wedding. The bride’s beauty and the appearance, and the hair, and all the things that are part of that goes into preparing for the wedding. What the most important part? What’s the most important part of a wedding? What’s the most important part of a marriage? The heart. The heart just as it is for the husband.

In fact in 1st Peter chapter 3, He says it this way, He says, "Your adornment must not be merely external, braiding of the hair, wearing of gold jewelry or putting on dresses, but let it be the hidden person of the heart." What a beautiful picture? It shows us how important is that relationship of a heart, of God and the church, having this relationship of nearness and intimacy and joy. What a contrast to the description of Babylon? He says, "The great whore." Bluntly He says. What a contrast? Because Babylon represents the immorality of the world, the system of the world, the rejection of God and the author of life and the author of relationship. What a contrast?

See, the heart therefore He’s speaking of, the heart is absolutely important to the Lord. In fact, in Ezekiel 36, He makes His prophecy where He says, "Moreover I give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, and I will remove that heart of stone from your flesh." What a picture is that? Some people are just hard of hard. They got a stone for a heart. Cold, hard, unteachable, unmovable. What a picture? He says, "I’ll take that heart of stone, so hard, and I’m going to give you a heart of flesh." It’s alive, "And I’m going to put my spirit within you, and I’ll cause you to walk in my statutes." What an absolutely glorious picture that is?

B.  Fine linen is given to the bride

Then He adds this in verse 8, fine linen is given to the bride. Now, this is important to see the detail of this. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen. Then He adds that the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Okay, now the linen, the wedding dress, very, very important of any wedding. Every bride would tell you the wedding dress a lot of time is put into a lot of money. It’s got to be just right, just so you know. It’s very common tradition in our culture for the bride to wear a white dress.

There is a lot of meaning in marriage traditions. Many believe the meaning, the purpose. What does the white dress represent? Though it represents the bride’s purity, but actually that’s not right. That’s not what it represents. See, what we got to understand is that many of our western culture, our modern culture, our wedding traditions actually come from the Jewish wedding. The Jewish wedding, if you really look at a Jewish wedding, you’ll see that it is actually an amazing picture of the relationship of Jesus Christ and the church. You could just do a book study on it. It is absolutely amazing. All the different aspects of that Jewish wedding, that represents and speaks to and illustrates the relationship of Jesus Christ and the church.

Here’s an example. Jewish fellow asks the Jewish girl to marry and she agrees. The first thing that he does is he leaves. He leaves, where does he go? He’s going to build a house. So, the father is going to give some place and a portion of land, and of course they got to live, they have to have a house. He’s going to go build the house. Now, what’s interesting is that, the scriptures give us this picture in John 14.

In John 14:1-3, Jesus is teaching and He says, "Do not let your heart be troubled, believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And 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 be also." What an interesting analogy or comparison?

So, the Jewish husband now engaged, leaves, goes to prepare a place. Goes to make a home on the father’s estate. Now, what’s interesting is, the father is the one who decides when it’s done, not the son. The son does not determine when the time is right, the father does. The bride doesn’t even know, only the father knows. He decides the house is now right, the house is now finished, everything is done, everything is prepared. Now, you can go and get your bride.

That’s an interesting picture for us. By the way, I think there is a very good reason for that. You want to know what it is? I think is so that the bridegroom doesn’t rush it, cut corners. "Got to get to the wedding. Just put it together, put it together. Hurry up, got to get to that wedding." The father says, "No, it’s going to be built and it’s going to be built right. Then, I will decide when you can get your bride." Does this sound familiar? Because didn't Jesus say, "Only the Father knows the day and the hour for the return of Jesus Christ." What an absolutely interesting analogy to the picture of the relationship that God gives us through Jesus Christ.

Now, back to the white dress. What does it represent then? What it represents is not the wife’s purity, what it represents is God’s righteousness which He gives to her as a gift, because that’s what God gives to us. Not only does God forgive our sins when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, which is amazing unto itself, but He gives to us the very righteousness of God which is found in Christ Jesus. What a glorious gift? It was given to her to clothe herself. You see, once you the robe of righteousness is given, God expects us then to walk according to it, to live according to it. These are the righteous acts of the saints.

Now, maybe we can say it this way. We are not saved because of our works, but those who are saved do good works. Let me say that again. See, we are not saved because of our works, but those who are saved do good works. Those are the righteous acts of the saints. He gives you the robe of righteousness, now, wants you to walk by it. I heard it said this way one time. A good question might be to ask it this way. If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

In other words, "Okay, we got to arrest this person for being a Christian. Now we got to find evidence to convict him. Let’s go talk to his neighbor. Let’s go see what the neighbors have to say." Then they talk to the neighbor. "Do you know of any evidence? Have you seen any evidence in this person’s life that he is a Christian?" Or they go talk to your coworkers. "Have you seen any evidence that this person is a Christian?" Or they may be talk to the people that you drive alongside on the freeway. Okay, well, let’s drop that one. We won’t do that one.

My point is, is there enough evidence to convict you? Are you living it out? See, the point is, we are supposed to change the way we live. If you’re wearing fine clothes, you don’t go feed the pigs. You are supposed to change the way you live if you’re wearing fine clothes.

An illustration might be this. When I was young, my mum used to get so frustrated because I’d come home from church and I’d always procrastinate taking off my church clothes. We lived out in the country in a farm and there's a lot of ways to get dirty out there. If you're wearing your church clothes, back in those days where you dressed up to go to church. Back in those days, we dressed up to go to church. So, you come home and you're wearing your church clothes, you don't go feed the pigs. You don't play in the mud. See, there's a spiritual analogy here. When you were in church clothes, you're not supposed to be doing dirty things. When you're wearing church clothes, it's supposed to determine that you live differently. That's the picture He's giving to us here.

C.  Blessed are those who are invited

Then he adds this in verse 9, "Blessed are those who are invited. Well, what a powerful picture? What a powerful verse? This invitation is the greatest honor that could possibly be extended. The Lord God the Almighty Himself is extending to you an invitation. What an honor? We know that God is the one who pursues, God is the one who is desiring relationship. Why would He want relationship to us? We're sinners. Yes, God knows that, but we are made in His image and His love is so-- God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever would believe in Him wouldn't perish but would have everlasting life.

God wants sinners to have life. So, He pursues them because He knows that if He doesn't, there is no hope. They are lost, and they're lost for eternity. So, He pursues them. He knocks on their door. Revelation 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door and I knock." Isn't that a picture of God pursuing relationship? Knocking. He says, "If anyone hears My voice," which is to say He's calling. He's calling out, "If anyone hears my voice and then opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with me." That's the picture. Relationship and nearness.

The problem is, some don't recognize. What an honor? You just got an invitation from the Lord God the Almighty. Can you imagine refusing an offer. The very thing you need. Yet some don't understand. Barely, they don't grasp the value. One of the greatest pictures of that in scripture has to be, Luke Chapter 14. In fact, if you wouldn't mind I'd like you to turn and just read this with me. This parable that Jesus gives.

We're going to start verse 15. "When one of those who were reclining at the table with him heard this, He said to him, "Blessed is everyone who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God." But He said to him, "A certain man was giving a big dinner and he invited many. At the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, "Come for everything is now ready." But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, "I have bought a piece of land and I need to go and look at it. Please consider me excused."

Then another one said, "Well, I bought five York of oxen and I am going to try them out. Please consider me excused." These are lame excuses. "Then another one said, "I have married a wife. And for that reason I cannot come." What that means, I don't know. "The slave came back and reported this to the master. Then the head of the household became angry and he said to that servant, "Go out at once into the streets in the lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and the crippled and the blind and the lame. The slave said, "Master, what you commanded has been done and still there is more room."

The Master said to the servant, "Well, then go out into the highways and along the hedge rows and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner." He's speaking, of course of, of the Jews there that didn't receive The Son, the servant of God, that Messiah whom God sent to them. They didn't receive it.

Now, at the end of the age when Jesus returns again, then they will, but at this point they don't. Going back to Revelation 19. Some don't understand, but here's something for certain, God most certainly does not take the invitation lightly. In fact, He even goes so far as to say that He entreats, like when God pursues, when God knocks on the door of the heart, He entreats with passion.

When I was younger, there's a point I was trying to memorize as much scriptures as I could and I got to 2nd Corinthians 5. I was in Bible College. I got to 2nd Corinthians 5. I had read this verse several times and I understood. I've always been focused on the beginning part where it says, "We are ambassadors for Christ." Okay, I understand that. We've been entrusted with the Gospel. We have been given the ministry of reconciliation. I understood that, but when you're memorizing scripture you go over and over and over and over. After I had gone over it and over it and over it, it started to change.

I began to see it from a different view because then the second part started to hit me in, and when it hit me it hit me like a ton of bricks. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ. It is as though God were making an appeal. An appeal is a very strong way of asking. It is as though God were making an appeal through us. He says, "Therefore, we beg you, on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God." God loves you so much. He's entreating you. He is begging you. Take this offer. Take this opportunity. Do not miss out on this opportunity.

I love you so much. I so want you to receive this offer of life. I'm asking you, I'm begging you, don't refuse this offer. You need this, I love you. You need this, don't refuse it. It's like a powerful picture for me. It's God's heart seen from a whole deeper perspective. Now, all of that is given to us in the picture of the marriage supper of the lamb.

II. Jesus Comes as a Champion

Then He goes into verse 11, where He shows us now the return of the king, the second coming of Christ. When Jesus comes, He makes it clear, He's going to come as a champion like John is and such are he falls down the worship of the angel corrects him pointing him to Jesus and he this, "The testimony of Jesus is The Spirit of Prophecy. All prophecy is Jesus. Worshiping the angels." Then He's going to show Him in glory. He's going to come and He's going to come to the earth and is going to set things right because He comes as a champion and He's going to set things right.

A.  He comes to set things right

It tells us verse 11, that He comes on a white horse, sign of a champion, and that there are armies which are in Heaven which are following Him on white horses. Now, who are these armies? I suggest to you it's the church. We return with Him. Now, there are many verses, I want to give you two, but they're actually many.

For example, Jude 14 says, "Now Enoch," quoting Eunuch, "in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied this saying, "Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of his Holy ones." Then it says in Colossians 3 verse 4, "When Christ Who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."

It's interesting that the anti-Christ, the false messiah also comes on a white horse. Although, that's where the similarity ends. In Revelation 6, it speaks of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. The first one, the first horse is the white horse. This is the anti-Christ. Now, the reason why the anti-Christ is coming on a white horse is because he's a deceiver, he's a liar, he is a betrayer, he is a backstabber.

He comes, by all appearances looks like he's good. Good guy. He's a hero, he's going to be hailed as a hero. Now, back when I was growing up, Western movies were a thing. The good guys in Western movies always wore the white hats and they always rode the white horses. Why is that? Why do the good guys wear the white hats and ride the white horses? So, we didn't get confused. I want you to know, who is the good guy, who's the bad guy. We didn't get confused. The anti-Christ wants people to be confused. He's a deceiver and a liar. So, by all appearances, he comes at first doing wonderful things, good things. Brings answers to difficult problems. Economic, political difficulties. Even able to bring peace in the Middle East. In fact, He's able to make a covenant of peace between the nations and Israel. I suggest to you, now, this is not in the Bible, this part here, this is my thought. I suggest to you that the anti-christ is the one who is able to establish a Palestinian State.

Everybody who looks at the problem of the Middle East understands that the solution is a two-state solution. Israel is a State, the Palestinian Arabs have a State, and they then sit side by side. One of the conditions of that is that they both recognize each other's right to exist. You're going to be there, you're going to both recognize each other's right to exist, you’re going to get along. That's the idea.

The Jews say, "Okay, we will recognize." They agree that the two-state solution is the correct solution. "We will in fact acknowledge the Palestinian Arabs right to exist." Then the Palestinian Arabs respond by saying, "Well, we're not going to acknowledge Israel's right to exist. In fact, we will not give up our purpose in the beginning which is to destroy them. We will destroy them the first opportunity we get." We're going to have a hard time figuring this out because it starts with you recognizing that they have a right, and they recognizing that you have a right. Well, we're not going there.

They've been given many opportunities. In fact, several years ago, it was Ehud Barak who said, "Well, let's make an exchange. We'll give you the Gaza Strip and then we'll have peace." They gave them the Gaza Strip and they said, "Thank you very much, we’ll take that, now we can move our missiles closer." "What? Now, will you recognize Israel?" "No we won't."

Well, we’re going to have a hard time solving this. It's impossible. The anti-christ, now, I suggest to you, this is my opinion, but I'm right. That the antichrist comes and is able to win the respect of the Palestinian Arabs, and negotiates for the Palestinian State. Then the Jews respect him, they sign his international covenant, international treaty. By all appearances, he's got-- but he's a liar, he's a deceiver, he's a backstabber, he’s a betrayer, because three and a half years later, he takes back the temple which was an allowance for them to rebuild. He takes it back, he sets an image of himself in the holiest of the holy places, in the temple to be worshiped in order there.

Now, you can imagine the Jewish response, all hell breaks loose. He doesn't just take back the temple, Revelation 11 tells us, he takes back the whole city of Jerusalem. It says in Revelation 11, it will be tread under foot by the nations for three and a half years. It's important the white horse of the anti-christ represents the fact he is a deceiver, he's empowered by Satan who is the father of lies.

Now, in contrast, here comes to Jesus on a white horse. "He who sits upon it is called Faithful and True." In the book of Hebrews it says, "He who promised is faithful." You can stand on the promises of this King. Standing on the promises of Christ my King. A great majestic hymn based on that, the glorious understanding. He promises to come again. You can take that to the bank. He promises to never leave us nor forsake us. That is the very substance of our faith. The very foundation of our faith. He promises to give us peace in this life, peace that passes understanding. He promises an eternal relationship with God. He promises forgiveness of every sin you've ever committed. He's promised relationship like a father would love his son.

He promises rewards in heaven for all the good things you do in this life. On and on and on the promises of God, standing on the promise of everyone because He who promised is faithful. He sits on the white horse to come again to set things right on earth because there's a lot of things wrong. In fact, we're looking at what's happening in the world right now and it's very, for many, disturbing. He’s going to set things right.

Some people say, "Well, why do you wait Lord? Why do you tarry?” That's a really good question, that's a very good question, but it's a very good answer. In 2nd Peter Chapter 3, he writes it this way. This is the answer. He said, "Now, the present heavens and the earth by His Word, are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and the destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice beloved, That with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.

The Lord is not slow about His promises, as some count slowness, but He’s patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance." There's a reason. There are people yet still that are going to come into the Kingdom. There is going to be a revival in the latter days. There are still those that He is giving opportunity to respond, to repent, to come to the knowledge of the Son of God.

Then it says, "When He comes, He comes with eyes like flames of fire." Have you ever seen anyone with eyes of flames of fire? I have. My mother.

It was that one time when I misbehaved.

There might have been more, but I don't remember. It says, “He will strike the nations that come against Israel in that great battle." At the end of tribulation, it culminates in the great battle of Armageddon. Here's an interesting thing. When the antichrist and the 10 king alliance and all the armies with-- when they realize, then it is the Lord Jesus Himself that has come to face him in battle with the armies of heaven, what do he think you would do? He will get retreat or let's negotiate? No, He attacks.

In Revelation 19:19, "I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army." Of course the next verses make clear. "Then the antichrist was seized and cast into the lake of fire."

A.  He comes to rule the nations

Then it goes on to explain. Then it says, "Then He rules the nations." Verse 6, "Hallelujah for the Lord our God the Almighty reigns." Verse 15, "He will smite the nations, He will rule them with the rod of iron." In the Greek, the word rule here is pretty important. In the Greek, is Shepherd. He will shepherd the nations with a rod of iron. The shepherd stuff, the shepherd’s rod represents His authority. In this case, irrefutable in power and authority. Is metal, iron, unbreakable, irrefutable.

He will rule the nations, He will shepherd the nations. The interesting thing about shepherd because a shepherd has authority over all, it's true.

He shepherds the nations. In fact, the Shepherd says, "Then after this," after the dust settles you might say, "that the nations come unto Him, bring Him Glory, bring Him honor, recognizing Him as King of kings." It says an interesting thing. It says then, from that moment, from that point forward that there is a river that flows out of Jerusalem.

That's amazing because Jerusalem sits on top of seven hills. A river that flows, but it's a healing river. Wherever it flows, wherever it goes, it brings life. It's a powerful pictures, isn't it?

You can see the Scriptures that describe it, Zechariah 14:8, "In that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the Eastern Sea, other half for the Western sea, and it will be in the summer as well as the winter."

Then Ezekiel 47, "It will come about that every living creature that swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. There will be many fish." Now, what's interesting is, of course, when the river flows towards east, where is it going to go? Well, the Dead Sea. The reason why it's called The Dead Sea is because it's dead. Nothing lives there. What a pictures also? It's literal. The river of life. Anyone thirsty? Then come to me and drink. You'll have living water. The living waters flow into that which is dead. How many people are dead? They need life. They need life. They need a new heart. Wherever the river flows it says, there will be many fish. These waters go and others become fresh. Every thing will live wherever the river goes. What a picture is it? What is he showing us? He's revealing to us Jesus Christ in glory.

Notice, when you study the Book of Revelation, you're not studying the revelation of the anti christ, you're studying the revelation of Jesus Christ. Fall more in love with him when He is revealed in his glory. There's is going to be harmonized things that happened in the latter days. Yes, but your king is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He brings healing to the nation.

There is a point in the Gospels. Very interesting point. When some men came from Greece and they found one of the disciples and they said, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus. Can we?" Is there any way we want to see Jesus. We've heard so much about Him. We want to see Jesus." I love that picture. In so many ways, that should be our heart, our desire.

When you come to church, isn't that why you're coming to church? You want to see Jesus. You want to experience the Lord. When you read His word, isn't it to see Jesus? When you read the book of Revelation, fall more in love. Have deep respect because He is showing us through these words how much He loves, how much He pursues, how much He wants us to have life. All these promises.

It's like saying, "Don't miss out on the opportunity. He's offering the opportunity to have your sins forgiven. Don't miss out on the opportunity to have life. He's offering you a life, eternal life. He's offering you peace in the soul. He's offering a soul that is satisfied finally. He's offering you a relationship.