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The Rock Family Worship Center
Taking The Church Outside The Walls
The Rock Family Worship Center
It's Okay To Think
The episode challenges traditional beliefs surrounding eschatology, especially in relation to the Book of Revelation, advocating for a mindset of critical thinking and deeper understanding of scripture. By examining the theology of the finished work of Christ, it encourages listeners to engage with their faith actively, recognizing their authority as believers in shaping their present and future.
• Encouragement for critical thinking within church beliefs
• The concept of the finished work of Christ explained
• Historical context of the Old and New Covenants
• Discussion on the fear surrounding the Book of Revelation
• Importance of reading scripture contextually and symbolically
• Questions raised on the significance of the millennium
• Christ's current reign perceived through the church today
• Empowerment of believers as ambassadors of the kingdom
• Call to embrace the present reality of heaven and salvation
I sat up until about 2 o'clock this morning watching pastors preach on end times and I was blown away at some of the things that are being taught in the name of the Bible, in the name of Christianity. That is absolutely scaring people to death. Some of it just don't make any sense, and this is the title I come up with this morning because of it. It's okay to think, it's okay to read something and say, you know that don't line up with my thinking. That just don't make any sense when we look at the context of the Word of God. I said last week I asked a question how many people in here are thinkers? I want us to be a church full of thinkers. I don't want us to be just blind sheep just going along with whatever I say. I want you to think. I want you to challenge. I want to challenge you. That's my goal is that when you walk out of here, that you don't walk out confused, but you walk out questioning. You walk out saying you know what? This is what I've always been taught, but I'm not so sure that I was always taught the correct way. I'm not so sure that my belief system has always been within the context of what God's Word really said. So I want you to be a thinker.
Speaker 1:The more I study the book of Revelation and I've studied it a lot in the last few weeks because I've really just dove into it I found some really awesome websites that I've been. It's got a lot of history, a lot of historical information, a lot of historical data to support some stuff. So I really dove into it and the more I study it, I don't see the end being revealed, and that's what most people, when we think about eschatology, the study of the end times, revelation that's what we think about is the end the return of Christ, the tribulation, the rapture, the millennial reign, the 1, the rapture, the millennial reign, the 1,000 year reign, the Armageddon, all these different things that we're going to talk about in a few minutes, but those are all the things that come to mind. Why? Because that is what the church has taught. That's what I come up learning, that's what most. I would love to just take a Sunday morning and just look and just stop and say, okay, what is your understanding of the end times? And just let somebody speak and just let the next person speak and let the next person, just to see a gauge where we're at. Because the Bible says we're destroyed for a lack of knowledge, a lack of understanding the truth of the Word. So when I'm reading it now, and the more I study it and I'm saying study it, not just read it the more I study it, the more I get down there and I pull it apart and I start looking at the historical context and the immediate context and the biblical context, all those things we talk about, the more I do that I don't see a revealing of the end times, I see a revealing of Jesus Christ, because what is what's being revealed to me is not only Jesus but the finished work. And that's what I keep going back to every time I dive into the book of Revelation.
Speaker 1:I don't know if you've noticed, I'm sure you have. I mean, I'm going to be honest, most Christians have not read the book of Revelation. According to research I mean, I don't know for a fact, but just saying according to research. So most people don't dive into that. You know why? Because the number one reason is they say it's too difficult to understand. And that's the truth, because when you read something that is predominantly symbolic and you read it from a literal standpoint, it don't make any sense. It becomes very, very confusing when you take something that's in Revelation and let's say you read a chapter of Revelation and this part you take literal, but this part you say has got to be symbolic. I can take this literal, I believe this is going to happen on the earth, but I just can't believe there's going to be this prostitute with ten horns coming out. I can't imagine that. So there are certain things we say that can't be literal, because people would think I'm really crazy if I say that. So we pick and choose, and the truth is a lot of people don't know what's literal and what's symbolism. So we just pick and choose what we want. You know how confusing that can be, which is why people don't study the book of Revelation. Most people tell you it's the most important book in the Bible because it tells us how this thing is going to end, but very few people actually study it out.
Speaker 1:The finished work of Christ I want to repeat this because we talk about it every Sunday, but I want you to hear this, I want you to get this inside you the finished work of Christ refers to the belief that Christ His death, his burial, his resurrection, his ascension into heaven accomplished everything that was necessary, everything that was necessary. For what? For the redemption, for the plan, for God's plan of redemption, for reconciliation, for victory over sin, victory over death, victory over Satan. Everything he done on this cross and before the cross and after the cross, from the whole process, everything that he done was absolutely sufficient to meet the requirements of the plan. Okay, what God needed him to do, I don't think he fell short. That's just my opinion. I don't think he fell short. This theology of the finished work is understood as the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan and purpose.
Speaker 1:In history, particularly when you look at the destruction of Jerusalem we've talked so much about in AD 70, which marked the definitive end of the Old Covenant, we've got to see it's so important that we see that there's an end to one thing and there's a beginning of another thing. We can't step in, we can't understand, we can't see the importance of new covenant if we're still living in old covenant. You can't truly step in and embrace everything in the new if I'm holding on to all of this old stuff back here Now. Don't misunderstand that. I didn't say that old stuff wasn't important for that time frame, for that time period. It was very important and very relevant for the people who lived in that time frame. It is not as relevant for us today. Why? Because we're not bound by old covenant law anymore. So we have to understand the covenant that we live in.
Speaker 1:Listen, if you go to another country and I've been to other countries and one of the things that I was always told before I went is study a little bit to learn their culture, understand a little bit about their culture. When we went into Thailand, you don't just walk up like we do over here and just what's up man and hug them. You don't do that. You have a way of greeting them. You don't sit there and look them in the eye. There's different cultural things. That's just different. So you understand the culture of the place that you're going into. I've got to understand the culture of the new covenant and I've got to understand the difference from what it was in the first century and on that was under the old covenant. It's not the same, it's different.
Speaker 1:So before we get into Revelation today and we're going to talk about a few verses, before we get into it, let me remind you of some other verses that I think is really important. Again, I'm repeating myself on some of these verses, but I'm doing it on purpose, because I really really want you to hopefully write these verses down, hopefully put them into your memory, memorize them, get them in you, and I just hand-selected just a couple. There's a lot of them I could go to, but let me. The first one is John 19.30. I gave them to Ronnie because I want you to see them as well.
Speaker 1:So when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said it is finished. This is the foundational verse of the finished work theology and some people may not call it finished work theology. I like to call it that because that is what I believe. I believe in what he's done, it is finished. In bowing His head, he gave up His spirit. This declaration on the cross signifies the completion of what he came to do during that time period. That was it. He come and he said everything that you gave Me to do, father, I've completed. It's finished. Either we believe that or we don't. I mean this really comes down to me being that simple. Either we believe that or we don't. I mean this really comes down to me being that simple. Either we believe that or we don't. Now we've already taught on this. We know that that wasn't the whole work. When he said it is finished, everything was not complete. What was finished was what he was to do prior to the cross. Upon going to the cross, he said what I'm supposed to do up to this point Is done. It's finished.
Speaker 1:So if you look also at Romans 6. Verse 10 and 11. For the death that he died we just talked about him going to the cross. For the death that he died, he died to sin once. Some of this is old stuff. He died to sin. So he died to my old, nasty behavior. No, he died to your messed up view of yourself, your distorted image of the way you see yourself. He died to that. He died to that. We died to that he died. He died to sin once, one time, and he did it for all. He did it for the one that was in church every Sunday. He did it for the one that strung out on drugs. He did it to the one that used to be a Christian and backslid. He did it one. The one that used to be a Christian and backslid. He did it one time for all. Again, that's one of those verses. You can believe it or you can't, I mean, that's up to you. But the words are there, but the life that he lives, he lives to God.
Speaker 1:Let me move through these kind of quick. I want to get past this. Matthew 5 17 some of these will be very familiar to you. Do not think that I come to destroy the law. He didn't come to say that that law was unimportant, that there was no truth to it. He said I didn't come to destroy the law of the prophets. I did not come to destroy the law of the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. I come to bring everything that's in the old covenant to an end. I come to complete it, to fulfill it, so that we can say it's done and we're stepping into another place. So we come to fulfill the law. 2 Corinthians 5, 17 and 19.
Speaker 1:Therefore, if anyone, anyone, the one that's just an old sinner saved by grace, the one that's strung out, the one that everybody's always called an alcoholic, the one that they said will never be good enough, all this stuff, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new, not because of what you've done. It ain't new because you came to the altar. It's new because of what you've done. It ain't new because you came to the altar. It's new because of what he done. You accepted it.
Speaker 1:When you come to the altar, we're not taking the salvation experience away. We're not saying that somebody coming up to the altar and making a confession is unimportant. We're just saying that that's not what saves you. Jesus saves you, and he done it without your permission. And then at some point you say I accept what you've done for me, I receive what you've done for me, and as we receive it, we begin to step into it. Why? Because understanding comes. We embrace it, even if I don't. I shouldn't say this, but I'm going to say it anyway, because this has messed people up. But that atheist out there, that one that's messed up out there, guess what? He did it for him too. And even though he hasn't stepped into it, even though he hasn't received it, even though he may not be in church, even though he hasn't received it, even though he may not be in church, even though he may not call himself a Christian, even though he may stand up and say your God does not exist, he still did it for him too, because it wasn't our choice for him to do it. It's our choice for us to accept it. He did it regardless.
Speaker 1:Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. He reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ. I don't use that word universal, very much, because when you start talking about universal, that's where everybody, just they'll jump on you. I've had people say it to me. I know other people that teach this. I've had people say it to them oh, y'all just believe, everybody's saved, you're born and you're going to heaven. No, we don't. I don't believe in. I'm not a universalist, but what I am is I believe in universal reconciliation, which means I believe that he reconciled everybody to Him. Everybody has been reconciled to Christ, to God through Christ. I believe that Now again, there are some that have not come into the understanding of who they are and they are still living out here saying I'm not worthy and I'm not good enough and I'm just an old sinner.
Speaker 1:Their mindset is on what they've been called, what they see themselves as. That's the sin. The sin's not the behavior. The sin is a distorted image of myself. Last one, right here 1 John, 4 and 17.
Speaker 1:Love has been perfected among us in this that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. That don't make sense, because we're supposed to be scared in the day of judgment. We're supposed to be scared that we're going to go up there one day at the end of time and we're going to stand before God. And we're supposed to be scared that we're going to go up there one day at the end of time and we're going to stand before God and we're supposed to be frightened about everything that we've ever done in life, because he's fixing to call it out. He's fixing to bust you on everything that you've ever done in your life. This, right here, says something totally different. Love has been perfected among us that we may have boldness. You don't have the boldness that don't come from within you. The boldness is because of what he done. Because Jesus has done this for you, you can go and stand before God with a boldness. It's not because of what we've done, because as he is, so are we. As he is, he died, we died, he rose, we rose. He's seated. We're seated as he is, so are we. Yeah, one day when I get to heaven, none in this world, in this world as he is, so are we in this world.
Speaker 1:I wanted to share these verses with you. And again, there's many, many more. These are just some that I like, these verses. When I talk to people and they say, well, how do you explain what you believe and what you teach? These are the verses that I would go to. This is the ones I would take people to. There's others we can kind of jump out on, but these are some of the foundational verses that I believe that we can go to. So I wanted to share them with you as a reminder, because I believe these verses right here, along with many others, collectively affirm the finished work of Christ.
Speaker 1:I'm not ever trying to somebody that's a futurist and what I call a futurist, somebody who's looking forward to everything happening one day. I'm not putting somebody down because of that. I'm just saying there's certain things in that I don't ascribe to that. I ascribe to the finished work of Christ. That's it. There's things that are complete. Why? Because Jesus said they are. Not because I think I know more than somebody else, but because Jesus said they are. And when I read the Bible in context, I have to realize that there's some things in the Bible that I'm trying to ascribe to the future that Jesus wasn't even talking to the future. He was talking to first century people. He was talking to those folks who were standing there in front of him. He wasn't talking to me and you. He especially wasn't talking to people in the next three, four hundred five hundred years. He was talking to people then. So, three, four hundred five hundred years, he was talking to people then.
Speaker 1:So, to be fair though, to be fair in comparison, I want to share the end times event that a lot of people that, if you ask most Christians today, this is the things they will share with you. I've just gave you my theology, the foundation of where I stand, the foundation of where I stand, the foundation of my understanding, the foundation of what I believe. Could I be wrong on some of it? I might be, and I hope, if I am, I'll figure it out. But that's where I stand. I stand on the finished work of Christ. I believe what he done, what he said he was going to do, he done it and it was absolutely sufficient. But there's a lot of people who don't necessarily ask Christ. They don't deny what he done, don't get me wrong now. They don't deny what he done, but they don't see it as finished. They see it as there's more to come. There's steps in it.
Speaker 1:This was just one little tiny piece of the puzzle that there's things that's going to happen in the future and that's why we call it futurist theology, and this is what they believe One day could be next two minutes, next two days, next two months, next two years. The rapture is going to happen, as that video showed a while ago. You may be driving your car down the road and, pfft, because it's going to happen in the twinkling of an eye. He's not going to send a sign down here to say y'all, get ready in ten minutes, pack your bags. It's going to happen a sign down here to say y'all, get ready In ten minutes, pack your bags. It's going to happen in the twinkling of an eye. We're just going to vanish. That's why they call it the great disappearance. You're just gone. So the rapture is going to happen and then the Antichrist is going to come and he's going to usher in a seven year tribulation period where it's going to be hell on earth, the chaos. You can't even imagine the chaos.
Speaker 1:And I'm telling you I sat up at 2 o'clock this morning watching videos of current pastors. I'm not talking about old time, I'm talking about current. I could call the names and you would know who they are Current pastors Because I wanted to know what are they teaching their people? Because most of the time that one that we watched this morning was from David Jeremiah. A lot of people know David Jeremiah. A lot of people listen to him, even if they don't go to his church. A lot of pastors learn from David Jeremiah, so a lot of what he's teaching is being funneled down to these other churches. Okay, so that's why I pulled up some of them and not just him, but different ones and I said I want to see what are they saying. And this is it.
Speaker 1:Rapture happens, antichrist comes, ushers in seven year tribulation. At the end of the tribulation period we'll move into the battle of Armageddon, the battle for good and evil. That's going to happen. Jesus will return and the 1,000 year millennial reign will begin. 1,000 year millennial reign is going to begin after that and I'm sorry I forgot to mention that the last three and a half years of this seven year tribulation period.
Speaker 1:There's going to be seven plagues that come at the end of the tribulation, I couldn't remember the plague when exactly what point they were coming. So I went back and I studied and researched it and looked at it and I went to a website that was a Christian website, a very popular Christian website. I probably shouldn't, but I'm going to call it the name of it. It's called Life, hope and Truth. I mean that's awesome Life, hope and Truth. I mean that's awesome Life, hope and Truth.
Speaker 1:And I wrote this down word for word. This is a quote. Here's what I learned God will send the plagues so that all of mankind will turn to Him as our loving Father. He will administer punishment to encourage us to turn from our sinful conduct. That was their words. That's why the plagues are coming. So what I took out of that and this is my own words here so God's going to bring down wrath and punishment on us for something that Jesus already died for.
Speaker 1:Now common sense tells me what that says is that wasn't enough. If this has got to happen to punish me or to bring wrath down on me to get me to turn from my sinful ways, then what did Jesus die for? I mean, really, those are questions that I ask when I read this stuff and I know a lot of people would get mad at me for using the sarcasm the way I do, but I can't help it. What did Jesus die for? If there's other steps that's got to be completed, then it makes sense to say Jesus, what you've done wasn't enough. Am I the only one that believes that? I mean, that sees it that way. I believe what he done was absolutely enough. It was sufficient. The Bible even says that.
Speaker 1:So now let's get into Revelation. I'm going in. Last week I went into one verse. This week we're going to read three and we're probably going to only talk about the main part of one verse. But we're going to take a step back. Last week was Revelation 21. We're going to take a step back and go to Revelation 20. Because this is the big thing right here. I want to read verses 1, 2, and 3 of Revelation 20. Then I want to read verses 1, 2, and 3 of Revelation 20.
Speaker 1:Then I saw the angel, an angel coming down from heaven having the key to the bottomless pit. That's amazing, right? That's Revelation. Right there I mean Satan. Talk about defeated Satan don't even have the key to his own house. Jesus took it from him. He don't even have access to his own place and we're supposed to believe he's got power and authority. Having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand, he laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old. This is some revelation too, because there's other places in the Bible where it talks about the dragon and we get so confused on. What does he mean? A dragon? Well, he tells you in this verse, right here the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan. So he automatically puts that together there.
Speaker 1:That's another sermon. Here's the key to it. He bound him for a thousand years, a thousand year, millennial reign. He bound him. Satan is not even here. It's a time of peace and prosperity. Satan's gone. Satan can't do anything. He's bound to the pit for a thousand years Verse 3,. And he cast him into the bottomless pit and he shut him up and set a seal on him so that he should deceive the nations. No more till the thousand years are finished. Look at this. He binds him for a thousand years, but after these things he must be released for a little while Again. Excuse the sarcasm, but why? Why? Let Him go.
Speaker 1:My Bible tells me he's already defeated, he's already disarmed. He already has no authority, he has no power. Jesus died on the cross. He done everything he needed to do to take away the power, the authority and the keys, and so he's already defeated and disarmed. I'm going to lock a disarmed man, whatever you want to call him. I'm going to lock him away. He's already disarmed. I'm going to lock a disarmed man or whatever you want to call him. I'm going to lock him away. He's already disarmed. He don't have any power, he has no authority, but I'm going to lock him away anyway for a thousand years, but then at the end, we're going to let him back out.
Speaker 1:This is just one of those things that make me go. Why God, why would you let him back out? That don't make any sense to me. Why is the millennium necessary if the victory of Christ is already complete? You see, I'm showing you this. I'm asking these questions because I'm showing you what I said a while ago how, when I read these things, it don't take me to end time prophecy or in time I mean believing it takes me to believing in the finished work of christ even more, because I start asking, because I believe in the finished work, and so then I start asking these questions of if it's already finished, if the victory of Christ is already complete, what's the purpose of the thousand year reign Now? I'm sure I could ask that question to and just about every pastor I ever. Could give me an answer. I can give you an answer too, but those are just questions that I ask.
Speaker 1:Jesus' death and resurrection are presented as his decisive victory period over sin, over death and, yes, even over that dragon, satan. Colossians 2, verse 13 and 15. I want you to see what this says right here. Look at it and you you being dead in your trespassing and the uncircumcision of your flesh he has made alive together with Him, having forgiven some of your trespasses, not all of your trespasses, having wiped away the handwriting on the wall of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. I love that. It means it was all that that was written against us was contrary to us. It means that wasn't who we were, because God didn't create us that way. He said I created you in my image, after my likeness. So anything that is not in the image and the likeness of me is contrary, and he has taken it out of the way. He's taken all of that and he's taken it out of the way and he nailed it to the cross. It's done, he took it. He nailed it to the cross. It's done, he took it, he nailed it to the cross.
Speaker 1:If his work is finished, as it talks about right here and it also talks about in John 19 and 30, why is there a need for an intermediate 1,000 year reign? I could give you my answer, but that's another sermon. I'm asking that rhetorically because I want you to think about it. I want you to ask yourself that I'm not telling you to not believe in the thousand year reign. I'm just asking a simple question of what is the purpose of it? Because I believe when you get in there and you ask these questions, and you get in there and you start trying to find an answer to it, it's going to lead to more questions and it's going to lead to an understanding on certain things. That's it. I mean just can we think beyond what we've always been taught? Because this intermediate thousand year period is before the final judgment and the eternal state, because after this is when we're going to go stand before God and be judged.
Speaker 1:The millennium to me suggests an incomplete victory. I don't know how else to look at it, because what it does, it requires further steps to be taken before evil can fully be eradicated. If you read it just for what it's saying right there, it's saying thank you, jesus, for what you've done, but you didn't go far enough, because we've got to wait all of this time and we've got to go through the seven-year tribulation and we've got to go through the thousand-year reign and we've got to do all this and at that time then it's complete. I struggle with that. I struggle with that thinking. I believe this undermines the idea that what Christ done was sufficient. I've got to keep going back to that.
Speaker 1:Here's another question why is Satan even released to begin with? If he had no power and no authority prior to being locked up, he didn't gain power and authority while to being locked up. He didn't gain power and authority while he was locked up. So why even release him again? And I looked at this, I studied this out. When I look at it, I look at it from. I studied it out from both views From a finished work perspective and from a futurist perspective, because I want to see what does each one say, and then it helps me ask the right question. So that was one of the questions I had is what was the purpose? Why is Satan released after the millennium? Revelation 20, verse 7 through 9 states that Satan will be released after the millennium. To do what? To deceive the nations again. But if Satan's defeat is secure, as it says in Hebrews 2 and 14, why allow him that other opportunity to come and wreak havoc if he's already defeated? If I've already got Him locked away, what's the purpose of the relief?
Speaker 1:Futurists often view the millennium as a literal earthly reign. That's what they say, that Jesus is going to come and it's going to be a literal reign on earth for that thousand year period. But passages like John 18 and 36 suggest that His kingdom is not of this world. That's a really important verse. And when you talk about His reign and His rule is going to be literal here on earth. But he says all through the Bible I'm not of this world, it's a spiritual thing. Other scriptures emphasize that Christ's current spiritual reign. Through what? Through His church, through you, through all the believers, through you, through all the believers. So a literal earthly reign seems really inconsistent with the New Testament emphasis on the spiritual nature of the kingdom, his church being what he rules through. He reigns through. It's through us. Where's the authority? In your words, your tongue?
Speaker 1:Years ago I made a joke on the pulpit. Some people didn't take it well, they didn't take it as a joke. I think I got called in the Pastor Dale's office about it. But I said something about questioning. I'm going to say how to say it because I don't want to get in trouble again. Let me skip that. I ain't going to go into it because that would take me off into another direction. But anyway, let me skip that. I ain't going to go into it Because that would take me off into another direction.
Speaker 1:But anyway, the nature of Christ's reign. We have to look at what that means. Who is he reigning through? What is he doing here today? He's reigning through man. He's reigning through us, his body. He's the head. We as a church, we're the body In the new covenant. We are the church. So he's reigning through each one of us.
Speaker 1:So let me leave you with this last question here. One of us? So let me leave you with this last question here as an alternative to think and just study on. I'm telling you to believe this. I'm not saying that you need to go along with everything that I believe, because there's some things I believe I'm still studying on. There's some stuff I could bring out this morning, but I won't. That I learned last night as I was studying, but I don't have enough understanding of it yet to really talk on it. I'm going to bring it out later. So I want you to just think about this. I want you to just ponder this as you go out.
Speaker 1:Is it possible that the millennium is not an end time prophecy? Is it possible? Is it possible that a millennium began in AD 70, at the destruction of the temple at the end of the old covenant, that, once the new covenant was ushered in, was inaugurated, in that the thousand year reign started then? Just something to study, just something to think about. I'm not saying that's the case, just something to study, just something to think about. I'm not saying that's the case, just something to look at. There's a lot of historical evidence going back to the crusades and everything, and Palestine there's a lot of things you can go back and look at historically and historical context does matter. Palestine there's a lot of things you can go back and look at historically and historical context does matter. So it's just a question. Could it be possible that the millennium began in AD 70 and was the first thousand years of the new covenant, and could it be that Christ is actually still reigning today?
Speaker 1:We're not waiting on a thousand year reign, one day that he is actually reigning today, through every one of you. Is that possible? I hope you think it is, because if not, what's the purpose? What's the purpose of being saved? What's the purpose of kingdom here, kingdom now? What are we doing here? Are we just here just to get saved and die and go to heaven? If that's the case, this has really been a waste of time. I mean, it really has. Sometimes I get too honest. I believe there's more to it. I believe we have to question it and we have to say I'm here with a purpose. God has plans for my life. I'm not just waiting. Listen, I said this last week and I believe this Too many Christians.
Speaker 1:You know where their Savior is. It ain't Jesus, it's death. Listen to their words and the thing that's going to save them is dying, because the death allows them to go to heaven. No, jesus allows you to go to heaven, and when you're born again, those who live will never die. That verse actually has a purpose. There's meaning in that verse, but most people are just waiting and expecting death so that they can get to heaven. Death is your Savior. If that's the case, jesus is our Savior. He's defeated death. Now, I know that's a hard thing to teach, because then people are going to come up and say, well, why are people still dying every day? I don't know Physically people, but we're talking. A lot of these things are spiritual things. We're not talking physical. So the thousand year reign in Revelation 20 is best understood, I think, symbolically and theologically. When you read it in context, you have to take the symbolism that's there. It changes everything around and I'm telling you people don't like to hear that around. And I'm telling you people don't like to hear that.
Speaker 1:I shared my opinion with somebody yesterday on Facebook. They had a post and I debated on it and I said, no, I'm going to share it, because what's the purpose of understanding something if we don't share it? And their post was saying something about that. We preach so much love and we preach so much grace that we're oblivious to the wrath of God, oh, wow. So I said share something and I was really nice with it. I just said you know context matters. I said said you know context matters. I said if you read Scripture through the immediate historical, biblical and literary context, especially the book of Revelation, because the post was talking about the seven plagues and the seven bowls and all this kind of stuff in Revelation and I said, if you read it through context, I said it'll really bring some understanding. I got blocked and my post got deleted Not on there anymore. I went back on there just to see if the person responded to it or somebody else responded to it, and it got deleted. It's not even there anymore and I can't even get on that person's page anymore. But I'm going to keep speaking to what I believe is the truth. And that wasn't mean, that wasn't rude, I was just saying context matters. You can't spit stuff out and make it say what you want it to say without context. You've got to read it in context. And if this person watches this on Facebook, send me a friend request, I'll accept it.
Speaker 1:So from a finished work perspective, the millennium represents the spiritual reign of Christ and His saints. During the church age we talk about that age. Some people say the end of the world when we're talking about the end time, the end of the world. It don't say that it says the end of the world. It don't say that it says the end of the age. That little, tiny word makes a huge difference on how I understand end time, prophecy and eschatology. It makes a huge difference. So I've got to understand. The end of the one age moves us into a different age and the end of one age moves us into a different age and the end of that age moves us into a different age. There's all kind of books out there where pastors will tell you where we're at right now because they follow through the timeline and they'll say we're in this age. I think we're in the age of the church because we are the church. I think we're in that age to where the church is reigning in Christ.
Speaker 1:Right now it's not done.
Speaker 1:We're still reigning. There's still things to be done. There's still people that need to hear the Word, the good news. So when we say it's complete, we mean what Jesus done and the purpose for Him doing. It is complete. We're not saying just go take a nap and let's wait to get to heaven. There's still work for us to do as ambassadors of the kingdom.
Speaker 1:See, that's the misinterpretation, that's the ignorance of people, because when they hear you say finished work, they think you're just saying you ain't got nothing to do now. It's all finished, go sit down and wait on heaven. That's not even close to what we're saying. We're saying this is done. The work that he wanted done and needed done is complete. It's turned over to us. He's given authority over to man. This earth has been given over to us to rule and reign who, just like our Father in heaven, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. He said I've given you authority, I've given you everything you need. What you say happens why. He said I've given you authority, I've given you everything you need. What you say happens why? Because there's power in your word. Life and death lies in the power of your tongue. We can be light in a dark place. We can bring knowledge into ignorance. We can be salt.
Speaker 1:Salt's not just for taste. Okay, salt we put on food. It changes texture. It does a lot of things. I preached a sermon years ago on salt, the purpose of salt. That's pretty amazing, you know. It does change flavor, but it's got a lot of purposes. We're to be salt. We've got more than one purpose, and that one purpose is not just to come to church, and that's what we've kind of narrowed this whole thing down to. Let's just go to church and wait on the return of Christ and we're just going to have to deal with all the stuff that's got to come before the rapture and the.
Speaker 1:When you get into this too, if you've never studied it out, just research it you got to. Some people believe in the pre-tribulation, some people believe in the post-tribulation. There's a difference in that. So even the ones who believe in the tribulation can't agree on what type of tribulation it is. I mean, really, there's not agreement on that. Hard to agree with something that you don't know what's going to happen. It's way off somewhere.
Speaker 1:So, anyway, a thousand year reign, the tribulation, the floating away into the sky, you know, those are things that, again, jesus didn't talk about, the disciples didn't preach on, and I just have to believe, if this was a main focus in theology, that it would have been spoken about. Maybe that's too simple to think about, but I just believe that Jesus probably would have spoken. He would have trained and taught his disciples to teach on this. This is major importance Teach on this. So what I do is I go back and I say, okay, whatever Jesus told his disciples to teach on is probably what's the most important. He said teach on kingdom here, kingdom now, thy kingdom come. He didn't teach on leaving this place. He taught on this place becoming just like heaven. You can stand to your feet. Let me see what. Does this make sense?
Speaker 1:Because I told somebody the other day I actually shared my message from last week with somebody at school, with a person that I work with, because I was asking some questions, and I said, hey, you got to listen to this. I said just promise me you'll listen to it. And I sent a video to her and she said her and her husband was going to sit down and listen to it because he's had a lot of questions on Revelation and end times. So hopefully they'll sit down and listen to it. Because when I asked her, I said what is your question? And she said I don't understand. It's so confusing to read Revelation. And I said Revelation is not confusing. It can be if you look at it from the wrong context. But I said it can be very simple too If we look at it through the right lens, if I'm looking at it through from a place of fear and wrath and anger, it's going to be tough.
Speaker 1:But if I'm looking at it from a place of the revealing of Jesus Christ, I want to know Him more. I want to know what he truly understand, what he did. I want to know Him more. I want to truly understand what he did. I want to see not just the cross, not just the death, the burial, the resurrection and the ascension, but I want to see the whole process, because a lot of this is the process. After that, that was still in play and what's still in play is we're reigning.
Speaker 1:Right now. You have authority on this earth, even if you don't know it. You are an ambassador of the kingdom. You represent that place. You don't represent earth anymore. You're not here to talk about this. You're here to talk about that and to spread the good news of the kingdom, not the good news of heaven.
Speaker 1:Heaven, that will get you in trouble, but I'm just being honest. It's not the good news of heaven. Listen, that's not taking heaven away. You're going to be there. Why not get there sooner? Why not have it now? Wouldn't it be awesome to be able to enjoy heaven now and go there one day too. Instead of just waiting to pass so that we can get there, we endure, you know, years and years of hell. And day two Instead of just waiting to pass so that we can get there, we endure years and years of hell so we can get to heaven. Ain't that kind of crazy that hell has to prepare us for heaven? That don't make any sense. I said I want you to have it right now Heaven here, heaven now, kingdom right now. His present victory is the ongoing expansion of his kingdom. What he did is complete and he says I want you to carry on this legacy. I want you to carry on what I've completed for you. Let me pray with you. I'm going to turn it over.
Speaker 1:Father, god, we thank you. We thank you for the word. We thank you for what you're doing in us right now, what you're doing among us. We thank you for the revelation that's coming forth, the wisdom, the understanding, what you're doing among us. We thank you for the revelation that's coming forth, the wisdom, the understanding that you're giving to us. We know there's still things we're going to learn, there's still areas that we may oftentimes be confusion in, there may be questions that we have.
Speaker 1:But, father, I thank you that it's okay for us to think, it's okay for us to get outside the box. It's okay for us to think it's okay for us to get outside the box. It's okay for us to ask the question that some people don't want you to ask. It's okay for us to think on a level that somebody else may not be thinking on and they may tell you that you don't need to be thinking on that level. It's okay, because you're our Father. You want the best for us. You want us to learn. You want to give. Father, you want the best for us. You want us to learn. You want to give us. You want us to grow in understanding and in wisdom. You want us to walk in truth.
Speaker 1:And, lord, I just feel like that the more that we study this out, the more understanding that we have, the more that we realize that everything that Jesus Christ done was absolutely sufficient, that he come and he didn't fall short on anything.
Speaker 1:That it's done, it's complete and it's finished.
Speaker 1:We thank you for the finished work, we thank you for the understanding that's coming with this Word and, father, we pray for everybody in this place right now, that you continue to bless them, that you bless them spiritually, that you bless them physically, that mentally, father, even their bodies, right now, father, if there's something going on in their bodies, we pray right now that we step into that place of restoration and total healing, that we no longer that sickness cannot abound here.
Speaker 1:Sickness cannot continue to be in our bodies. When we recognize who we are, when we recognize the authority we walk with, we have the ability to speak to those things that are not of you, father. We have the ability to cast them out and to speak to them. So we thank you right now that sickness has to go. We thank you, father, that we are created in your image, after your likeness, and sickness and disease cannot stay, so we rebuke it right now in the name of Jesus. So we thank you, father, for prosperity, we thank you for good health, we thank you for understanding, we thank you for coming to a place of understanding. Our true identity is always found in you, above anything else, no matter what we go through, no matter how far we may slip, how far we may fall. That our true identity can always be found in coming back to you and your finished work. Father, we just be careful to give you the praise, the honor, the glory for everything, in the mighty name of Jesus Amen.