PROPHECY

RESEARCH ON THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT

Art Davison PROPHECY 0 Comment
RESEARCH ON THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT

“Behold a throne” Here the throne of God, the seat of power in heaven.  Revelation 4:2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

The one seated upon the throne is none other than Jesus Christ.  John 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

Matthew 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

Matthew 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Mark 13:31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

Luke 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.

Luke 21:33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

2 Peter 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

James 1:10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.

Romans 8:19-23 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20- For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21- Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22- For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23- And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

2 Peter 3:10,13– But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
13- Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

This part deals with Rev. 20:12-13
The wicked dead not raised in the First Resurrection:

Daniel 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

John 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Acts 24:15 And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

Revelation 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

Revelation 11:18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

Revelation 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

Revelation 19:5, 18 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. 18- That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 
It is noteworthy that all the final judgments are judgments of works. In the case of the judgment seat of Christ believers are judged according to their works and rewarded.

2 Corinthians 5:10-11 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 11- Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

In Matthew 25:31-46 the Gentiles are judged according to their works in the sense that the works dintinguish those who are saved, that is, the sheep, from those who are lost, the goats. Here salvation is not the issue, but rather the degree of punishment.

Matthew 25:31-46 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32- And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33- And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34- Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35- For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36- Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37- Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38- When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39- Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40- And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41- Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42- For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43- I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44- Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45- Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46- And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

The absolute justice of God is revealed in this judgment of works. Even for those who have rejected the truth and preached a lie, there is differentiation in degree of wickedness and apparently variation in punishment. While works are never a ground of salvation, they are, nevertheless, considered important before God. There are at least 42 instances in Scripture where man is said to be judged according to his works with the following references in Revelation:

Revelation 2:23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

Revelation 18:3-6 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 4- And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 5- For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 6- Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double.

Revelation 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Though men are judged according to their works, the book of life is introduced as the deciding factor as to where they will spend eternity.

In Revelation 13 the resurrection of the wicked dead is described with special mention of those who are raised from the sea where they did not have normal burial. No matter the type of burial God is able to find and resurrect all of the lost dead.

The Lake of Fire, Rev. 20:14-15.  Death and Hell are cast into the lake of fire, v. 14. This describes the Second Death which stands in antithesis to the first resurrection, or the eternal state of bliss, enjoyed by the saved. Both the wicked and the righteous in the eternal state are athus permanently assigned to their respective destinies.
The basis of the judgment is found in V. 15, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

This phrase connotes that a careful search of the records was made to be sure that no mistake was made.

It is very clear, according to Rev. 20:10, that those cast into the lake of fire are not thereby annihilated. The beast and the false prophet are still alive and tormented a thousand years after they were cast into it and the Scriptures make plain that along with Satan they will be tormented forever. Not only is no termination of eternal punishment recognized in the Bible, but explicit statementes are made to the contrary in the strongest possible language.

It is difficult for creatures of earth, born in sin and never completely extricated from it even though experiencing God’s satisfying grace, to enter into the fact of God’s inexorable righteousness and inflexible justice which insist that judgement be administered when the grace of God has been spurned.

Even Bible-believing Christians have tended to tone down the awfulness of eternal death to somehow reconcile the destiny of the lost with the prospect of the saved of being eternally in the presence of the Lord. A thorough appreciation of eternal punishment, however, will in the end enhance the doctrine of the grace of God and make the love of God all the more wonderful for those who enter into its truth.

BIBLE PROPHECY–INTRODUCTION

Art Davison PROPHECY 0 Comment
BIBLE PROPHECY

INTRODUCTION
MATTHEW 16:1-3; II PETER 2:19-21

Introduction:

During the life of Jesus Christ, He dealt with the religious crowd of His day, called the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus spoke to them declaring their inability to discern the signs of the times in Matthew 16:2. We have our religious Pharisees of our day also. They are religious but lost. Many are pastors of social clubs that call themselves “churches.”

I. WE ARE LIVING IN CHANGING TIMES

A. Our nation has always been an IMMORAL nation.

1. Immorality implies that there is a standard of morality.

2. But now it is fast becoming an AMORAL nation, that is, it has no moral standard whatsoever. David said in 2 Samuel 22:5-6, “When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; 6-The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;”

a. David saw distress all around him and feared.

b. However, David also remembered FROM WHOM his strength came, 2 Samuel 22:7, “In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.”

B. Churches (made up of people, not buildings) are becoming much like the world in which they exist, 1 John 2:15, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

1. They are “neither cold nor hot,” Revelation 3:14-16, “And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15-I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16-So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

2. God threatens TO REJECT them as true churches, “16-So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” Revelation 2:5, “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

II. WE ARE LIVING IN PREDICTED TIMES

A. These times are OUTLINED in the Scriptures, Isaiah 14:24, “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:”

B. Our times are PROPHESIED, Luke 17:26-36, which declares that the time of the COMING OF THE LORD will like the times of Noah and Lot.

C. Our times are PERILOUS times, 2 Timothy 3:1, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.”

1. Paul’s description, 2 Timothy 3:2-4, “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3-Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4-Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;”

2. However, they continue to be RELIGIOUS, 2 Timothy 3:5, “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

III. WE ARE LIVING IN CHALLENGING TIMES.

A. It is later than you think, Romans 13:11, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.”

1. The implication is that the ‘Second Coming of the Lord’ is very close, James 5:8, “Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”

2. The challenge is to be FAITHFUL during these difficult times, Psalm 12:1, “Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.”

B. It is a time for strong hearted men to show COURAGE, Joshua 1:9, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

1. It is always easier to give up or to move on to some other place or church, however the same conditions exist there if they are standing for the Lord.

2. We need to make up our mind if we are going to serve the Lord OR are we going to AID THE DEVIL by doing nothing or running away from the confusion the devil causes during this time just before the Lord’s coming.

CONCLUSION

We have the opportunity to make a difference among Christians today by standing for the truth. In order to stand we will have to be strong in the Word of God and Prayer. This is a time for men to stand and not for the faint hearted. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 16:13, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” “Quit” = to show one’s self a man, be brave.

BIBLE PROPHECY–LESSON 1

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BIBLE PROPHECY
LESSON 1

What should our attitude be regarding Prophecy?

2 Peter 2:19-21, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20-Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21-For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

Introduction:

Let us look at God’s standpoint regarding prophecy. Does He consider all of this important? In our text the Lord said “prophecy came not in old time by the will of man.” “As the authors of Scripture wrote their prophecies, they were impelled or borne along by God’s Spirit. What they wrote was thus inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”). ‘Borne along’ or ‘carried along’ translates the [Greek] word “pheromenoi.” Luke used this word in referring to a sailing vessel carried along by the wind, Acts 27:15, 17, ‘And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive… 17-Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.’” (Bible Knowledge Commentary).

I. GOD CONSIDERS PROPHECY IMPORTANT.

A. What other conclusion could be reached? 2 Peter 1:21, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

1. Prophecy is not the work or invention of man. He has no way to see the future even though some claim to have this power.

2. Prophecy is the business of the One who knows the end from the beginning, Isaiah 46:9-10, “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10-Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:”

B. The importance is seen in the fact that the Spirit of God was involved in this important work. “In today’s experience-oriented societies many people, including some Christians, seek to determine or assess truth by the particular way God has worked in their own lives. But for Peter the splendor of his experience (with Christ at His transfiguration) faded as he spoke of the surety of the written revelation of the prophets.” (Bible Knowledge Commentary)

1. What we believe IS NOT based on our experience.

2. Our beliefs are based on the Word of God.

C. God’s authority and control are seen in these prophecies, as in the power of the word of Jesus Christ, Luke 9:1, “Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.”

1. This is the work of the Holy Spirit of God.

2. Men have sought to disprove these things; however, history has proven man wrong about every prophecy.

II. STUDYING PROPHECY HELPS US KNOW THE MIND OF GOD.

A. God has a plan and that plan is revealed to us in the His Word, Ephesians 1:9, “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:”

1. It is God’s will that we know these things, Matthew 13:11, “He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.”

2. They have been revealed to us by His Spirit, 1 Corinthians 2:10-12, “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11-For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12-Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”

B. That we might see and know God’s purpose, Ephesians 3:9-11, “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10-To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11-According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:”

III. THE STUDY OF PROPHECY SHOULD AND CAN BRING THE LOST TO CHRIST AND THE BELIEVER INTO A CLOSER WALK WITH THE LORD.

A. The Lost to Christ, Acts 3:18-19, “But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. 19-Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;”

B. The Believer, 1 John 3:1-3, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2-Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3-And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”

1. As the sons of God, “we shall be like him.” Romans 8:29, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

2. Therefore, we seek to live in a pure manner, 1 John 3:3. This ought to make us consistent Christians, not mediocre (Moderate to inferior in quality; ordinary), that is, average.

CONCLUSION

The study of Prophecy should have an effect on the believer for the good. It should produce in us God’s will for our life. It should encourage us to serve the Lord with more energy and determination. It should make us homesick for heaven.