What's Next Part 1 | TBN
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What's Next Part 1

Watch What's Next Part 1
February 4, 2017
27:33

The Connection with Skip Heitzig

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What's Next Part 1

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  • Skip Heitzig: What does the future hold?
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  • In ancient times, people looked at signs in the sky as omens.
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  • It's one of the reasons people look at horoscopes today
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  • is to find out what the future holds.
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  • So what's next?
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  • Well, I would ask, "What's next for you?"
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  • The book of Revelation predicts the future.
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  • The more you read it, you'll discover God's plan
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  • for your future.
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  • This is the only book of the Bible that has such a direct
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  • and unique promise of blessing
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  • to those who read it, hear it, and do it.
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  • This is God's eventual unfolding revelation
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  • for how it will all end.
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  • Some of you desperately need this book.
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  • Skip: The future does not need to be a mystery.
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  • While we can't know everything about what lies ahead,
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  • we've been given enough information in the Bible
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  • to prepare ourselves for it.
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  • The book of Revelation is avoided by some people,
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  • and that's unfortunate because there are so many important
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  • promises and predictions to be found in that book.
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  • In fact, there's a specific command not to seal up the words
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  • found in this book.
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  • That's why I recently taught a series of messages through the
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  • book of Revelation because we can understand it.
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  • On this "What's Next?" special,
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  • we are presenting highlights from this series,
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  • so let's open up to the book of Revelation in our Bibles,
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  • and let's discover what's next for us and our world.
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  • Skip: The first feature I want you to see about the book
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  • of Revelation is that this book predicts the future.
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  • Notice what it is called in verse 3: "Blessed is he who
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  • reads and those who hear the words of this," what?
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  • "Prophecy." It's called a prophecy.
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  • It is called that five times in this book.
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  • It is not an allegory. It is not a fantasy.
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  • It is not poetry. It is not legendary prose.
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  • It is predictive prophecy. This book predicts the future.
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  • In fact, the book of Revelation contain more details about the
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  • end times and the coming of Christ than any other
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  • portion of the Bible.
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  • And it will amplify it in the greatest detail.
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  • There are 22 chapters.
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  • It will amplify things like the 7-year tribulation period,
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  • the final world war in the Middle East,
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  • the arrival of a mysterious figure,
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  • typically called the antichrist, though he's known
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  • by 50 titles in the Scripture.
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  • It will detail the second coming of Christ,
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  • the millennial kingdom, and finally, the eternal state.
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  • And so we'll read about the emergence of the antichrist,
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  • followed immediately by the tribulation,
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  • the abomination of desolation, the great tribulation,
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  • Armageddon, the return of Christ, et cetera.
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  • They're just gonna, like tripping dominoes,
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  • fall very rapidly.
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  • And this is what I believe Jesus meant when he said,
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  • "Unless those days be shortened, no flesh would survive,
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  • but for the elect's sake, they will be shortened."
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  • This book predicts the future. Listen, it's a revelation.
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  • Look at the second word, "The Revelation."
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  • It's not some cryptic, mysterious, veiled book.
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  • It's a revelation.
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  • It's a revelation, and you can understand it.
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  • The devil doesn't want you to understand it.
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  • God certainly does want you to understand this book.
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  • I wrote a book called "You Can Understand
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  • the Book of Revelation," and the other night,
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  • just for kicks, I got on Amazon to read what reviewers were
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  • saying about the book.
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  • One reviewer was kind and said, "It's true.
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  • After reading this book, you can understand
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  • the book of Revelation."
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  • That's the intention of the book of Revelation,
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  • that you can understand it.
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  • But the joy is promised to those who read it,
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  • those who hear it--and it says right there,
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  • you can look at it--those who keep it.
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  • The book of Revelation will tell you about the future.
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  • It will tell you about the tribulation.
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  • It will tell you about what's coming on the Earth.
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  • But more than anything else, it will reveal to you Jesus.
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  • He's the person highlighted in this book.
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  • Picture a statue that is covered up,
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  • veiled with a covering, a cloth, at City Hall.
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  • An artist has made it. The day has come.
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  • The mayor comes and gives a speech.
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  • The band plays a song.
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  • The artist describes his work, and at the precise moment,
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  • the veil is pulled off the statue,
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  • and people clap as they see the work of art.
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  • Think of Revelation like that.
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  • God is pulling the veil off and saying,
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  • "Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you Jesus Christ.
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  • He is clearly seen."
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  • Jesus is saying, "I am the Alpha, the Omega,
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  • the beginning, the end, the first and the last."
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  • And one of the unmistakable features of the book of
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  • Revelation is that it affirms the deity of Jesus Christ.
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  • He and the Father share some of the same characteristics.
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  • We notice that his eyes were like a flame of fire.
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  • Simply, that's his penetrating gaze.
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  • He sees everything in you and in me.
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  • He knows everything.
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  • The writer of Hebrew says, "All things are exposed,
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  • naked and open before the eyes of the one with whom
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  • we must give an account."
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  • What's next for you, I hope, some of you,
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  • is found in verse 5, where it says at the very end of that
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  • verse, "To him who loved us, and washed us from our sins
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  • in his own blood."
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  • I want you to know that Jesus loves you,
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  • and he wants to wash you of your sins,
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  • and he has provided his blood.
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  • That's why he came the first time: to deal with sin,
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  • to shed his blood, to forgive you.
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  • That's what's next for some of you.
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  • male announcer: That's Skip Heitzig,
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  • on the "What's Next?" special.
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  • No need for you to look anywhere else for information
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  • about the future.
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  • Horoscopes won't help, and so-called experts are wrong
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  • more than they are right.
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  • The Bible has proven to be dependable and accurate.
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  • So will you respond to the offer of a secure future
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  • in Jesus Christ?
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  • That is the most important question in your life.
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  • You can take action right now.
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  • Go to SkipHeitzig.com, and look for the "know God" section.
  • 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:07.250
  • Next on the "What's Next?" special,
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  • Skip will highlight what heaven's like,
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  • and you'll hear some important information about
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  • a very real place.
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  • announcer: What in the world is next for us?
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  • You cannot trust horoscopes, look to future experts,
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  • or depend on Nostradamus, but you can examine one book
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  • that has never been wrong: the Bible.
  • 00:07:25.200 --> 00:07:28.100
  • And here is a special offer from The Connection
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  • that offers access to what's next in our world.
  • 00:07:30.170 --> 00:07:33.270
  • The What's Next package includes these resources from
  • 00:07:33.280 --> 00:07:36.130
  • Skip Heitzig: the book "You Can Understand the Book
  • 00:07:36.140 --> 00:07:39.200
  • of Revelation," a full CD message about
  • 00:07:39.210 --> 00:07:43.050
  • "The Coming Deception," and two booklets:
  • 00:07:43.060 --> 00:07:45.260
  • "Jesus Loves Terrorists,"
  • 00:07:45.270 --> 00:07:47.090
  • and "Standing Firm in Unsettling Times,"
  • 00:07:47.100 --> 00:07:51.010
  • all this for any donation of $25 or above.
  • 00:07:51.020 --> 00:07:54.030
  • Call now, 1-800-922-1888, or go online to ConnectionOnline.org.
  • 00:07:54.040 --> 00:08:00.220
  • 00:08:01.090 --> 00:08:05.110
  • Skip: Here is the first characteristic of heaven.
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  • First, heaven is a real place.
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  • It's not something somebody made up to pass on to people who were
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  • suffering, to give them a little bit of hope in this life.
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  • It's a real place, and the Bible describes it as such.
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  • "Heaven" is found, that word, 532 times in the Bible.
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  • It is a huge subject.
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  • And whenever it's spoken about, it's spoken about something
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  • that is a real place.
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  • How did Jesus speak about heaven?
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  • He spoke about it as a real place; right?
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  • He said, "In my Father's house, there are many mansions.
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  • If it were not so, I would have told you."
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  • I'm going to prepare a place for you.
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  • Heaven then, is a real place.
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  • It's so real that Paul said, "Our citizenship is in heaven."
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  • Think of heaven as "home, sweet home."
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  • It really is your "home, sweet home."
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  • Everything that is important to a believer is in heaven.
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  • Second characteristic, heaven is a relevant place.
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  • Notice in verse 1, "I saw in the right hand of him who sat
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  • on the throne a scroll.
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  • It was written inside and on the back.
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  • It was sealed with seven seals.
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  • And then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice,
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  • 'Who is worthy to open the scroll and loose its seals?'
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  • And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth
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  • was able to open the scroll or to look at it."
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  • What is the scroll?
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  • Whatever this scroll is, number one,
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  • it's highly significant 'cause it's in the right hand of God.
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  • That makes it important.
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  • Number two, it involves the fate of everybody on the earth,
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  • and even heaven is looking and wondering at it.
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  • That's verses 3 and 4.
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  • And also jubilant praises erupt in heaven when finally somebody
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  • meets the requirements to redeem something,
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  • to take that scroll.
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  • I suggest to you, what we're looking at is the title deed
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  • to the earth.
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  • The title deed to the earth.
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  • We would call chapter 5 of Revelation in real estate terms,
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  • "the closing of the deal."
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  • Some of you might hear that and go,
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  • "Nah, I don't know about that.
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  • I mean, why would God, who created the earth to begin
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  • with and maintains it with his power, need to buy it back,
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  • need to do this?"
  • 00:10:42.270 --> 00:10:44.270
  • Now, listen carefully. Here's why.
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  • Because the earth, though it is God's by creation,
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  • was lost to a usurper.
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  • Adam, in effect, turned over the title deed to the earth to Satan
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  • in the Garden of Eden.
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  • That's why Paul said in Romans 5,
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  • "Through one man," that's Adam, "Through one man,
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  • sin entered the world, and death through sin,
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  • and death spread to all."
  • 00:11:09.080 --> 00:11:11.150
  • But it wasn't just mankind that was affected.
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  • It wasn't just people that was affected.
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  • Property was affected.
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  • The earth itself came under a curse.
  • 00:11:17.140 --> 00:11:21.010
  • Romans chapter 8, it says, "This creation was made subject
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  • to futility," and "All of creation," he said,
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  • "groans and travails, wanting to be delivered."
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  • So the scroll is the title deed to planet earth,
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  • and as each seal will be broken, as you see,
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  • beginning in chapter 6, as each seal is broken open,
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  • the earth gets purged through unimaginable
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  • tribulation judgment.
  • 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:53.070
  • So the question comes in heaven, and it's a very,
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  • very critical question, "Who is worthy to open the scroll
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  • and to loose the seals?"
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  • It's a very important question:
  • 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:08.030
  • "Who has the right, who has the authority to take it?"
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  • Who has the innate, virtuous worthiness of character,
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  • the divine right to take that scroll?
  • 00:12:13.270 --> 00:12:18.220
  • Who has the power to defeat Satan and wipe out the effects
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  • of sin on the earth, to reverse the curse put on all creation?
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  • Who is worthy?
  • 00:12:27.180 --> 00:12:30.120
  • And then something very troubling appears,
  • 00:12:30.130 --> 00:12:34.290
  • verse 4--or verse 3: "And no one in heaven or on earth or under
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  • the earth was able to open the scroll or to look at it."
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  • In other words, the question is asked,
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  • and the answer is dead silence.
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  • "Who is worthy to take the scroll?"
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  • Nobody steps forward.
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  • Of all the millions of angels, not one of them,
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  • Gabriel, Michael, none of them say, "I can do it."
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  • Abraham, father of faith, he didn't say anything.
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  • He didn't step forward.
  • 00:13:11.070 --> 00:13:12.210
  • Isaac, Jacob, the prophets Elijah,
  • 00:13:12.220 --> 00:13:15.030
  • Elisha, Isaiah, Amos, Zephaniah, Zechariah, David.
  • 00:13:15.040 --> 00:13:21.070
  • Nobody says a word. No one says, "I'm worthy.
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  • I've got the power. I've got the right."
  • 00:13:26.110 --> 00:13:28.140
  • Dead silence--which takes me to the third characteristic
  • 00:13:28.150 --> 00:13:31.240
  • of heaven: heaven is a real place.
  • 00:13:31.250 --> 00:13:33.240
  • Heaven is a relevant place, and heaven is a redemptive place.
  • 00:13:33.250 --> 00:13:38.210
  • You'll notice, verse 4, "So I wept much because no one was
  • 00:13:38.220 --> 00:13:43.000
  • found worthy to open and read the scroll or to look at it.
  • 00:13:43.010 --> 00:13:47.070
  • But one of the elders said to me,
  • 00:13:47.080 --> 00:13:49.270
  • 'Do not weep!'" Literally, "stop crying."
  • 00:13:49.280 --> 00:13:55.030
  • And he points to and describes in well-attested
  • 00:13:55.040 --> 00:14:00.210
  • Old Testament language, the Messiah.
  • 00:14:00.220 --> 00:14:05.030
  • Notice he's called "the Lion of the tribe of Judah."
  • 00:14:05.040 --> 00:14:09.070
  • I hope some of your minds are going back to Genesis 49,
  • 00:14:09.080 --> 00:14:13.060
  • where the tribe of Judah is described as a lion,
  • 00:14:13.070 --> 00:14:17.110
  • hence the term, "Lion of the tribe of Judah."
  • 00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:20.030
  • The term is to convey a ferocity,
  • 00:14:20.040 --> 00:14:22.120
  • a roar, a real menacing presence.
  • 00:14:22.130 --> 00:14:25.240
  • That's what a lion does.
  • 00:14:25.250 --> 00:14:28.120
  • This is a picture of Jesus in heaven.
  • 00:14:28.130 --> 00:14:32.010
  • When Jesus rose from the dead, he still bore the marks
  • 00:14:32.020 --> 00:14:35.260
  • of his crucifixion, right?
  • 00:14:35.270 --> 00:14:37.060
  • He had to say to Thomas, "Reach your hand here. Look.
  • 00:14:37.070 --> 00:14:38.260
  • See that it's me. Put your hands in my wounds."
  • 00:14:38.270 --> 00:14:41.140
  • So he had those wounds in his glorified, resurrected body.
  • 00:14:41.150 --> 00:14:44.160
  • He ascended into heaven in that body.
  • 00:14:44.170 --> 00:14:46.180
  • He is at the right hand of the Father's throne in that
  • 00:14:46.190 --> 00:14:50.150
  • crucified body, and this is why he's worthy.
  • 00:14:50.160 --> 00:14:53.020
  • This is why he's qualified to take the scroll.
  • 00:14:53.030 --> 00:14:55.290
  • Remember what I said? There's three requirements.
  • 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:58.030
  • In antiquity, to redeem back a title deed,
  • 00:14:58.040 --> 00:15:01.230
  • a piece of property that's been lost,
  • 00:15:01.240 --> 00:15:03.100
  • three requirements: You have to be related,
  • 00:15:03.110 --> 00:15:06.180
  • you have to be willing, you have to be able.
  • 00:15:06.190 --> 00:15:12.220
  • That's why the anthem in heaven, down in verse 9,
  • 00:15:12.230 --> 00:15:15.150
  • is "We've been redeemed by your blood.
  • 00:15:15.160 --> 00:15:17.140
  • You are worthy because you spent your blood."
  • 00:15:17.150 --> 00:15:21.290
  • "And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels
  • 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:24.000
  • around the throne, living creatures and elders.
  • 00:15:24.010 --> 00:15:26.140
  • The number of them was 10.000 times 10.000,
  • 00:15:26.150 --> 00:15:29.130
  • and thousands of thousands--" do a little math,
  • 00:15:29.140 --> 00:15:32.080
  • you discover it's 100 million, plus, plus--
  • 00:15:32.090 --> 00:15:36.040
  • "saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb
  • 00:15:36.050 --> 00:15:39.080
  • who was slain to receive power, riches, wisdom,
  • 00:15:39.090 --> 00:15:43.110
  • strength, honor, glory, and blessing!'
  • 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:45.290
  • And every creature which is in heaven
  • 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:47.130
  • and on the earth and under the earth,
  • 00:15:47.140 --> 00:15:49.050
  • such as are in the sea," all of God's creation,
  • 00:15:49.060 --> 00:15:51.100
  • all of his animate creation, "and all that are in them,
  • 00:15:51.110 --> 00:15:55.170
  • I heard saying, 'Blessing and honor and glory and power be
  • 00:15:55.180 --> 00:15:59.050
  • to him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb,
  • 00:15:59.060 --> 00:16:02.230
  • forever and ever!'"
  • 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:05.000
  • The fitting response to taking the title deed,
  • 00:16:05.010 --> 00:16:09.080
  • redeeming the world at the cross
  • 00:16:09.090 --> 00:16:11.200
  • and through the tribulation judgment is to get it back
  • 00:16:11.210 --> 00:16:14.000
  • from the control of Satan.
  • 00:16:14.010 --> 00:16:15.190
  • The fitting response is worship. Worship.
  • 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:18.270
  • So he got the paycheck.
  • 00:16:18.280 --> 00:16:20.180
  • Jesus took the paycheck of death,
  • 00:16:20.190 --> 00:16:22.120
  • and he died in your place.
  • 00:16:22.130 --> 00:16:24.190
  • So he took the death paycheck, and he gave you
  • 00:16:24.200 --> 00:16:27.270
  • the Powerball paycheck.
  • 00:16:27.280 --> 00:16:29.120
  • He let you cash in on heaven.
  • 00:16:29.130 --> 00:16:32.010
  • So the first and fitting response is,
  • 00:16:32.020 --> 00:16:36.060
  • "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.
  • 00:16:36.070 --> 00:16:39.090
  • You took the debt, and you paid it."
  • 00:16:39.100 --> 00:16:42.200
  • And I don't care who you are or what you have done,
  • 00:16:42.210 --> 00:16:45.020
  • how bad your sins are in the past.
  • 00:16:45.030 --> 00:16:47.290
  • It's why he's called "Savior," and that's why we worship him.
  • 00:16:48.000 --> 00:16:51.200
  • 00:16:51.210 --> 00:16:53.130
  • announcer: Well, for some,
  • 00:16:53.140 --> 00:16:54.230
  • that is breaking news about heaven.
  • 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:57.090
  • Imagine that scene!
  • 00:16:57.100 --> 00:16:58.250
  • As Skip said, you can be there and know for sure by placing
  • 00:16:58.260 --> 00:17:02.160
  • your faith in Jesus Christ.
  • 00:17:02.170 --> 00:17:05.000
  • If you would like to see the full series of messages
  • 00:17:05.010 --> 00:17:07.060
  • from the book of Revelation, go to SkipHeitzig.com,
  • 00:17:07.070 --> 00:17:10.080
  • and look for "What's Next?"
  • 00:17:10.090 --> 00:17:12.100
  • You will find a full series of 14 teachings through
  • 00:17:12.110 --> 00:17:14.160
  • the book of Revelation.
  • 00:17:14.170 --> 00:17:16.030
  • It's all free for you to see at SkipHeitzig.com.
  • 00:17:16.040 --> 00:17:19.140
  • Now, have you wondered why the small nation of Israel
  • 00:17:19.150 --> 00:17:21.220
  • is so often the center of international attention?
  • 00:17:21.230 --> 00:17:24.200
  • In our next segment, Skip will clearly explain the answer.
  • 00:17:24.210 --> 00:17:28.060
  • That's comin' up on the "What's Next?" special.
  • 00:17:28.070 --> 00:17:31.110
  • 00:17:31.280 --> 00:17:34.030
  • female announcer: Once we understand the future
  • 00:17:34.040 --> 00:17:35.210
  • in the light of the Bible, our first urge is to let friends
  • 00:17:35.220 --> 00:17:39.120
  • and family know what we've discovered.
  • 00:17:39.130 --> 00:17:42.000
  • This can be frustrating.
  • 00:17:42.010 --> 00:17:43.270
  • The Connection has developed this special package for you.
  • 00:17:43.280 --> 00:17:47.210
  • It is "What You Want Them To Know," ten full-length messages
  • 00:17:47.220 --> 00:17:51.100
  • by Skip Heitzig answering questions such as,
  • 00:17:51.110 --> 00:17:54.200
  • "Can God be known? How does heaven work?"
  • 00:17:54.210 --> 00:17:57.020
  • and about heaven, salvation, and what happens after we die.
  • 00:17:57.030 --> 00:18:00.190
  • This package also includes Skip's booklet,
  • 00:18:00.200 --> 00:18:03.030
  • "New Year's Revolution," explaining what steps to take
  • 00:18:03.040 --> 00:18:06.070
  • as a new believer.
  • 00:18:06.080 --> 00:18:07.170
  • Get this full package for any donation of $30 or more.
  • 00:18:07.180 --> 00:18:11.010
  • Order this collection by calling 800-922-1888,
  • 00:18:11.020 --> 00:18:14.250
  • or by visiting ConnectionOnline.org/Offers.
  • 00:18:14.260 --> 00:18:19.230
  • This is "What You Want Them To Know."
  • 00:18:19.240 --> 00:18:21.240
  • 00:18:21.250 --> 00:18:26.140
  • Skip: We're always looking to find out
  • 00:18:26.150 --> 00:18:28.140
  • what the future is going to hold, and, you know,
  • 00:18:28.150 --> 00:18:31.070
  • if we can get a newspaper that was called "USA Tomorrow"
  • 00:18:31.080 --> 00:18:34.140
  • instead of "USA Today," everybody would want it.
  • 00:18:34.150 --> 00:18:37.160
  • Everybody would buy it because we wanna know what's going
  • 00:18:37.170 --> 00:18:40.170
  • to happen tomorrow.
  • 00:18:40.180 --> 00:18:43.010
  • When it comes to knowing what's next,
  • 00:18:43.020 --> 00:18:44.260
  • what our future holds, we need more than medical ultrasound
  • 00:18:44.270 --> 00:18:49.020
  • or a meteorologist telling us what the weather is like.
  • 00:18:49.030 --> 00:18:53.010
  • But, you know, we need something more accurate than somebody
  • 00:18:53.020 --> 00:18:56.060
  • just guessing at what the weather is gonna be.
  • 00:18:56.070 --> 00:18:58.100
  • One of the great attributes of God is that he knows the end
  • 00:18:58.110 --> 00:19:02.190
  • from the beginning.
  • 00:19:02.200 --> 00:19:04.070
  • He has omniscience, and he can tell what's going to happen
  • 00:19:04.080 --> 00:19:07.210
  • before it even happens.
  • 00:19:07.220 --> 00:19:09.080
  • It's one of his calling cards, and the prophet Isaiah,
  • 00:19:09.090 --> 00:19:12.050
  • chapter 46, "The Lord said, 'Do not forget the things that
  • 00:19:12.060 --> 00:19:15.280
  • I have done throughout history, for I am God, I alone.
  • 00:19:15.290 --> 00:19:20.250
  • I am God, and there is no one else like me.
  • 00:19:20.260 --> 00:19:23.220
  • Only one can tell you what is going to happen
  • 00:19:23.230 --> 00:19:26.170
  • even before it happens.
  • 00:19:26.180 --> 00:19:28.150
  • Everything I plan will come to pass for I do whatever I wish."
  • 00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:34.030
  • So one of the hallmarks of God is that he does know
  • 00:19:34.040 --> 00:19:37.130
  • what's next, and he predicts it throughout the Scriptures.
  • 00:19:37.140 --> 00:19:41.120
  • Now, I saw that because what God does throughout the Scriptures
  • 00:19:41.130 --> 00:19:44.210
  • is he stacks the odds against himself.
  • 00:19:44.220 --> 00:19:47.220
  • He makes hundreds of detailed predictions so that,
  • 00:19:47.230 --> 00:19:52.070
  • when they come to pass, people will look at the fulfillment
  • 00:19:52.080 --> 00:19:55.200
  • and look back at the great God who made them,
  • 00:19:55.210 --> 00:19:58.170
  • and place their faith and trust in him.
  • 00:19:58.180 --> 00:20:01.230
  • The most exciting thing about what's next,
  • 00:20:01.240 --> 00:20:04.160
  • the most exciting thing about the future is the fact that
  • 00:20:04.170 --> 00:20:07.190
  • Jesus Christ is coming.
  • 00:20:07.200 --> 00:20:09.240
  • And the Bible says he's coming back to this city when he makes
  • 00:20:09.250 --> 00:20:13.110
  • his second coming to the earth.
  • 00:20:13.120 --> 00:20:16.020
  • Jesus, in Matthew 24, gives an outline of what we've been
  • 00:20:16.030 --> 00:20:20.260
  • looking at in the book of Revelation.
  • 00:20:20.270 --> 00:20:23.040
  • Let me read just a few verses.
  • 00:20:23.050 --> 00:20:24.240
  • This is Matthew 24, beginning in verse 1: "Then Jesus went out
  • 00:20:24.250 --> 00:20:29.060
  • and departed from the temple, and his disciples came to show
  • 00:20:29.070 --> 00:20:33.080
  • him the buildings of the temple.
  • 00:20:33.090 --> 00:20:35.200
  • And Jesus said to them, 'Do you not see all these things?
  • 00:20:35.210 --> 00:20:39.250
  • Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone will be left upon another,
  • 00:20:39.260 --> 00:20:45.020
  • that shall not be thrown down.' Now as he sat on the Mount
  • 00:20:45.030 --> 00:20:48.260
  • of Olives, the disciples came to him privately,
  • 00:20:48.270 --> 00:20:52.170
  • saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be?
  • 00:20:52.180 --> 00:20:55.280
  • And what will be the sign of your coming,
  • 00:20:55.290 --> 00:20:57.220
  • and of the end of the age?'
  • 00:20:57.230 --> 00:20:59.220
  • And Jesus answered and said to them,
  • 00:20:59.230 --> 00:21:02.010
  • 'Take heed that no one deceives you.
  • 00:21:02.020 --> 00:21:04.130
  • For many will come in my name, saying,
  • 00:21:04.140 --> 00:21:06.260
  • "I am the Christ," and will deceive many.
  • 00:21:06.270 --> 00:21:09.270
  • And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.
  • 00:21:09.280 --> 00:21:12.290
  • See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come
  • 00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:16.030
  • to pass, but the end is not yet.'"
  • 00:21:16.040 --> 00:21:19.140
  • The city of Jerusalem is mentioned
  • 00:21:19.150 --> 00:21:21.180
  • in the Bible 821 times.
  • 00:21:21.190 --> 00:21:25.010
  • It is the most frequently talked about city in the Scriptures.
  • 00:21:25.020 --> 00:21:29.160
  • And this section of Matthew 24 is called the Olivet Discourse,
  • 00:21:29.170 --> 00:21:33.200
  • simply because Jesus was on the Mount of Olives,
  • 00:21:33.210 --> 00:21:37.050
  • which you can see in the scene behind me to your right.
  • 00:21:37.060 --> 00:21:40.260
  • He was on the Mount of Olives, and the disciples came to him,
  • 00:21:40.270 --> 00:21:44.120
  • and they asked him, "What is gonna happen in the future?
  • 00:21:44.130 --> 00:21:47.050
  • What is next?"
  • 00:21:47.060 --> 00:21:48.190
  • And so Jesus predicts the future: the future of the Jews,
  • 00:21:48.200 --> 00:21:51.240
  • the future of Jerusalem, the future of the world,
  • 00:21:51.250 --> 00:21:55.020
  • and his future coming.
  • 00:21:55.030 --> 00:21:56.250
  • Israel is the very center of God's plan for the future,
  • 00:21:56.260 --> 00:22:00.110
  • and that's why it's the center of Satan's spiritual attack.
  • 00:22:00.120 --> 00:22:04.230
  • There's a great old quote in the midrash,
  • 00:22:04.240 --> 00:22:07.280
  • some of the commentaries about the Torah,
  • 00:22:07.290 --> 00:22:10.180
  • the Old Testament law.
  • 00:22:10.190 --> 00:22:12.060
  • And it says the land of Israel is at the center of the world,
  • 00:22:12.070 --> 00:22:17.270
  • and Jerusalem is at the center of the land of Israel,
  • 00:22:17.280 --> 00:22:21.210
  • and the temple is at the center of Jerusalem,
  • 00:22:21.220 --> 00:22:24.270
  • all of that to say that the temple and the Temple Mount
  • 00:22:24.280 --> 00:22:28.250
  • is at the very epicenter of God's plan for the future.
  • 00:22:28.260 --> 00:22:34.050
  • I want you to think of it this way,
  • 00:22:34.060 --> 00:22:35.240
  • in, sort of, four tiered, four sections: Jerusalem is
  • 00:22:35.250 --> 00:22:40.240
  • the geographic center of the earth, biblically.
  • 00:22:40.250 --> 00:22:44.050
  • I don't know if you know that or not,
  • 00:22:44.060 --> 00:22:45.150
  • but I grew up in American schools,
  • 00:22:45.160 --> 00:22:47.050
  • where the United States was always at the center of the map,
  • 00:22:47.060 --> 00:22:50.270
  • and we grew up thinking we're the center of the world,
  • 00:22:50.280 --> 00:22:53.120
  • but not from God's perspective.
  • 00:22:53.130 --> 00:22:56.050
  • In Ezekiel chapter 5, verse 5, God said,
  • 00:22:56.060 --> 00:22:58.210
  • "I have set Jerusalem in the midst or in the middle
  • 00:22:58.220 --> 00:23:02.270
  • of the nations and the countries all around her."
  • 00:23:02.280 --> 00:23:06.260
  • Any student has to just simply look at a map and see that
  • 00:23:06.270 --> 00:23:10.250
  • Jerusalem is on a land bridge that connects Asia,
  • 00:23:10.260 --> 00:23:14.090
  • Africa, and Europe.
  • 00:23:14.100 --> 00:23:16.010
  • And when you read the Bible, "north" in the Bible is always
  • 00:23:16.020 --> 00:23:19.030
  • north of Jerusalem.
  • 00:23:19.040 --> 00:23:20.210
  • "South" is always south of Jerusalem.
  • 00:23:20.220 --> 00:23:22.210
  • "West" and "east" are always taking their reference point
  • 00:23:22.220 --> 00:23:25.190
  • from the city of Jerusalem.
  • 00:23:25.200 --> 00:23:27.150
  • So Jerusalem is the geographic
  • 00:23:27.160 --> 00:23:29.250
  • center of the earth, biblically.
  • 00:23:29.260 --> 00:23:32.060
  • Second, Jerusalem is the salvation
  • 00:23:32.070 --> 00:23:34.090
  • center of the earth, spiritually.
  • 00:23:34.100 --> 00:23:36.130
  • Third, it's the storm center of the earth, prophetically.
  • 00:23:36.140 --> 00:23:40.010
  • If you go to Jerusalem, there's a feeling of tension
  • 00:23:40.020 --> 00:23:43.140
  • that is in the air.
  • 00:23:43.150 --> 00:23:45.100
  • People have learned to live with it and manage it and cope
  • 00:23:45.110 --> 00:23:47.240
  • with it, but it's still here, and nonetheless,
  • 00:23:47.250 --> 00:23:50.130
  • there's just that political and spiritual tension.
  • 00:23:50.140 --> 00:23:54.080
  • Leaders around the world are always aware that Jerusalem
  • 00:23:54.090 --> 00:23:57.060
  • is a potential tinderbox, not Asia, not Europe,
  • 00:23:57.070 --> 00:24:01.140
  • but always Israel.
  • 00:24:01.150 --> 00:24:03.160
  • And there's a reason for that: God said in the prophecies of
  • 00:24:03.170 --> 00:24:07.180
  • Zechariah in the Old Testament, "I will make Jerusalem a very
  • 00:24:07.190 --> 00:24:11.080
  • heavy stone for all the peoples around."
  • 00:24:11.090 --> 00:24:15.110
  • But then, finally, it's the glory center
  • 00:24:15.120 --> 00:24:18.030
  • of the earth, ultimately.
  • 00:24:18.040 --> 00:24:20.120
  • You see, the prophet Isaiah said that all the nations of the
  • 00:24:20.130 --> 00:24:24.150
  • world will flow into Jerusalem, and there's coming a time
  • 00:24:24.160 --> 00:24:28.070
  • when the law will go forth from Zion.
  • 00:24:28.080 --> 00:24:32.260
  • Zion is right behind me in this setting that you are seeing.
  • 00:24:32.270 --> 00:24:35.220
  • The law will go forth, and all peoples will flow
  • 00:24:35.230 --> 00:24:38.240
  • into this city.
  • 00:24:38.250 --> 00:24:40.110
  • So we've looked at the place and then the prediction that Jesus
  • 00:24:40.120 --> 00:24:44.180
  • made, but I wanna end with a promise because throughout
  • 00:24:44.190 --> 00:24:47.270
  • Matthew 24, as tough as some of these predictions are of
  • 00:24:47.280 --> 00:24:53.000
  • what is coming, war and famines and pestilence,
  • 00:24:53.010 --> 00:24:55.140
  • et cetera, imbued within this text is also an incredible
  • 00:24:55.150 --> 00:25:00.090
  • promise: Jesus speaks about his coming.
  • 00:25:00.100 --> 00:25:03.040
  • The disciples ask him the question,
  • 00:25:03.050 --> 00:25:05.010
  • "What is the sign of your coming?"
  • 00:25:05.020 --> 00:25:08.150
  • Matthew 24, verse 3.
  • 00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:10.180
  • Jesus also says, "Watch, for you do not know when the Son of Man
  • 00:25:10.190 --> 00:25:15.120
  • is coming," later on, down in verse 42.
  • 00:25:15.130 --> 00:25:18.120
  • So there's this mention of the coming of the Lord,
  • 00:25:18.130 --> 00:25:21.060
  • and that really is the culmination of all prophetic
  • 00:25:21.070 --> 00:25:24.170
  • hope, and the glory of the world will be the coming
  • 00:25:24.180 --> 00:25:27.160
  • of Jesus Christ.
  • 00:25:27.170 --> 00:25:28.270
  • Jesus is coming back. You need to know that.
  • 00:25:28.280 --> 00:25:31.200
  • That needs to fill your heart with hope.
  • 00:25:31.210 --> 00:25:33.180
  • Jesus Christ, your Savior, is coming back.
  • 00:25:33.190 --> 00:25:36.250
  • And even Jesus promised his disciples,
  • 00:25:36.260 --> 00:25:39.020
  • "I'm going away to prepare a place for you.
  • 00:25:39.030 --> 00:25:41.110
  • And if I go, I will come again and receive you to myself,
  • 00:25:41.120 --> 00:25:46.160
  • that where I am, there you may be also."
  • 00:25:46.170 --> 00:25:49.110
  • So you can take heart as you look forward
  • 00:25:49.120 --> 00:25:52.060
  • to the coming of the Lord.
  • 00:25:52.070 --> 00:25:53.290
  • Boy, it's been exciting to be here in Israel,
  • 00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:56.000
  • and especially in the city of Jerusalem,
  • 00:25:56.010 --> 00:25:58.110
  • I get amped up just to walk around the streets of Jerusalem
  • 00:25:58.120 --> 00:26:01.190
  • and hear the buzz and see the sights and think of all the
  • 00:26:01.200 --> 00:26:06.140
  • Scriptures that speak about this incredible place.
  • 00:26:06.150 --> 00:26:10.140
  • But the question is for you: "Are you ready?"
  • 00:26:10.150 --> 00:26:13.100
  • You've heard these things.
  • 00:26:13.110 --> 00:26:14.200
  • Some of you have heard these things all your life.
  • 00:26:14.210 --> 00:26:17.000
  • You've grown up in church, but you haven't received Christ yet.
  • 00:26:17.010 --> 00:26:20.120
  • You haven't asked him to be your Lord, your Master.
  • 00:26:20.130 --> 00:26:23.210
  • You have that choice right now to place your faith in Jesus
  • 00:26:23.220 --> 00:26:28.190
  • Christ, who came to this place and died for your sins and rose
  • 00:26:28.200 --> 00:26:33.240
  • bodily from the grave and ascended into glory and,
  • 00:26:33.250 --> 00:26:37.170
  • one day, is coming back.
  • 00:26:37.180 --> 00:26:38.270
  • Will you be ready for him?
  • 00:26:38.280 --> 00:26:40.260
  • male announcer: How will you answer that question from Skip?
  • 00:26:40.270 --> 00:26:43.130
  • It's the most important issue in your life.
  • 00:26:43.140 --> 00:26:45.140
  • 00:26:45.150 --> 00:26:48.150
  • announcer: For those looking for concrete
  • 00:26:48.160 --> 00:26:49.270
  • evidence of the Bible's accuracy,
  • 00:26:49.280 --> 00:26:51.270
  • the history of Israel is a good place to look.
  • 00:26:51.280 --> 00:26:54.070
  • Skip: I hope you pay close attention to the offer
  • 00:26:56.190 --> 00:26:58.220
  • of security in our chaotic world.
  • 00:26:58.230 --> 00:27:01.110
  • Jesus promises peace that can be found nowhere on this earth.
  • 00:27:01.120 --> 00:27:06.000
  • If you would like to know more information about making this
  • 00:27:06.010 --> 00:27:08.250
  • important decision, go to SkipHeitzig.com,
  • 00:27:08.260 --> 00:27:12.080
  • and look for the "Know God" section.
  • 00:27:12.090 --> 00:27:15.010
  • You will find clear steps that you need to take to prepare
  • 00:27:15.020 --> 00:27:18.130
  • yourself for the future.
  • 00:27:18.140 --> 00:27:20.210
  • Thanks for joining me on this "What's Next?" special.
  • 00:27:20.220 --> 00:27:23.090
  • 00:27:23.290 --> 00:27:28.270