The Road to Armageddon – Part 2

Guest (Male): Hey podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's Word through the most effective media available, like this podcast. To support Pathway to Victory, go to PTV.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. Now, here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.
Dr. Robert Jeffress: Hi, this is Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory. If you have your Bibles, I want you to turn to Revelation 16 as we continue our study in this last book of the Bible with a message titled, "The Road to Armageddon." Literally, today we're going to see the road that leads to the final great world conflict, Armageddon.
Guest (Male): Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress.
Dr. Robert Jeffress: Many Christians are happy to talk about God's love and forgiveness, but hesitant to acknowledge God's judgment. After all, how could a loving God condemn people to hell? Well, God cannot allow sin to go unpunished. And today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress teaches about a powerful display of God's judgment against the unrighteous.
Guest (Male): But first, let's take a moment to hear some important ministry updates.
Dr. Robert Jeffress: Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. I've been teaching about Bible prophecy for my entire adult life. And our current teaching series is in the book of Revelation. But I've never taught about this final book of the Bible with so much turmoil in the world, when the signs of the end times are escalating with such intensity. So, as a compliment to what you're learning through this series, I'd like to send you a book I've written. It's called Final Conquest. In it, you and I will address the overarching themes in this revelation from God and what it means to our lives today. I'd be happy to send you a copy of Final Conquest when you send a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. As a bonus, I'll be sure to include my popular booklet called "The Major Characters of the End Times." The characters in Revelation remind us that we have a choice. We can ignore God's offer of salvation and experience His judgment. Or we can accept it and receive His forgiveness. I'll share more details about both resources later. But right now, let's turn in our Bible to Revelation chapter 16 and commence with a study I started yesterday. I titled this message, "The Road to Armageddon." Now, for the many of you who have just joined us today, we are in a study of the last book of the Bible, the Revelation that describes the details that will lead up to the visible, literal return of Jesus Christ to set up His kingdom on the earth. Now in chapter 6 through 19, the author describes that final seven-year period of time, the Great Tribulation, that will result in the Battle of Armageddon and the return of Jesus Christ. And you remember that God pours out His judgment on the earth during these last seven years in a series of three judgments. The seal judgments, Revelation chapter 6. The trumpet judgments, Revelation 8 through 9. And then, for several chapters, there's an interlude, and when we come to chapter 16, the final judgments. God's final judgments on the earth, we call those, and John calls them, the bowl judgments. Now, let's look at them. The first bowl judgment was skin boils. Look at verse 2. "So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped his image." These are horrendous afflictions that people will endure. Secondly, the second bowl, verse 3, "The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea and it became blood." Like that of a dead man. And every living thing in the sea died. Just imagine what it would do to our ecosystem to have every fish, every mammal, the coral reefs, everything destroyed. The third bowl was the pollution of fresh water. "Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood." Now, look at the fourth bowl. Look at verses 8 and 9. "The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with fierce heat." We don't know how this intensity occurred in the sun's rays upon the earth. Does God alter the tilt of the earth's axis? Does he alter the orbit around the sun? We don't know what happens. Could it be that he destroys the ozone that blocks out many UVA and UVB rays and people feel the full brunt of the sun's heat? He doesn't answer that question, but he does say people will be inflicted with terrible sores. All kind of afflictions are going to occur during this time. They were scorched with fierce heat. Now, what do you think they would do after this? After having these boils, the oozing of pus, having these scorching rays of the sun, thirsting to death for water, wouldn't you think that would be a good time to repent? Don't you think that would be a good time to say, "God, whatever we've done, we ask for Your mercy"? No, they don't repent. Instead, notice their response, "They blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give God the glory." That is the heart of the unbeliever. He, instead of repenting, he strikes against God. But God is an immovable object. He doesn't change, he doesn't alter, he doesn't bend. The only person who is injured in blasphemy is the unbeliever. As he strikes out against God, he so hardens his own conscience that he can no longer feel the conviction of God. He is no longer capable of repentance. That's what's going to happen in this fourth bowl judgment. Now notice the fifth bowl, worldwide darkness, verses 10 and 11. "Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast and his kingdom became darkened. And they gnawed their tongues because of pain. And they blasphemed," there it is again, "the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and they did not repent of their deeds." This is targeted darkness. It comes over the kingdom of the beast, the antichrist. Where is the kingdom of the beast? Revelation says it will be Jerusalem. Remember, after signing that peace treaty with Israel, the Antichrist breaks that peace treaty, and he defiles the temple, just like Antiochus Epiphanes of old, and he sets up his false kingdom there. It's the city of Jerusalem that will be darkened. Again, and I don't understand it, only the unbelievers will be affected by this. Again, could this be some kind of solar eclipse that causes this? Could it be some kind of failure of the power grid or attack on the power grid in Jerusalem that causes the darkness? We don't have the explanation for how it happens. But there's something about darkness, especially in a time of crisis, that exacerbates the fear and the terror. Now, look at the sixth bowl judgment. You'll understand why I titled this message, "The Road to Armageddon." Verse 12. "The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the River Euphrates, and it was a mighty river, and its waters dried up so that the way would be prepared for the kings of the East." What is he talking about? Remember back in Revelation 9, we saw the prologue to this, about the demonic spirits being unleashed at the River Euphrates to prepare that river for the invasion of a 200 million person army from the East. And here you see it again. It's going to be dried up for the movement of the kings of the East. We don't know where this 200 million person army originates. Some have speculated that it is China. China has hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of millions of men and women available for military service. Others say it may be from Iran or some amalgamation of nations that come. But the river is dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East to come where? To come to Israel. Look at verse 13. "And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are the spirit of demons performing signs which go out to the kings of all the world to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty." Skip verse 15. We'll go back there. "And they gathered them," who? "The demons gathered the kings of the world to the place which in Hebrew is called Har Megiddo." Many of us have been to that place called Har Megiddo. Armageddon, literally the Mount of Megiddo. If you've been there, you know it's not a mountain, it's really more like a little hill. But underneath it is that vast plain of Jezreel. When Napoleon stood there hundreds of years ago, he looked out on that plain and he said, "This is the most natural battlefield in the entire world." It is massive. And it is the sign of the final world conflict. How will it occur? Most likely what is going to happen is the kings of the East, who are under the thumb of the Antichrist, who is the world dictator, get tired of his rule. They blame him for all of the plagues coming upon the earth. Have you ever heard the saying, "He who calls the shots, takes the shots"? It's just natural to want to blame a leader for any bad thing that happens. So they decide it's time for a coup, it's time to overthrow the Antichrist. Why in the world do they think they can succeed in doing that? They are lured there by the spirits, the demons of Satan, of the dragon. Those are the ones that bring the Antichrist there, but they are all under the direction of God Himself. God is bringing all of the kings together in one place. All of the armies of the world in one place in order to experience His judgment. By the way, you saw the same thing in the Old Testament in First Kings 22. Remember the story about how the evil spirits lured King Ahab to Ramoth Gilead to do battle, where he was destroyed? It was God who used those demons to do that. God is sovereign even over demons. He uses them to execute that judgment and this one as well. Now again, if you've seen the plain of Armageddon, the plain of Jezreel, you know as massive as it is, it's not large enough for 200 million people. Remember, this battle is really a war that extends up and down the length of Israel, 200 miles. Remember we saw the blood of the people will flow up to the horse's bridle, four and a half feet. But Armageddon, the plain of Jezreel is the centerpiece of this battle. And they will all be gathered together there for this great battle. All the forces of the earth are centered here in Israel. It is the great battle of the Lord. That's what John saw in this place called Har Megiddo. Now, that prepares for the final judgment, the final destruction. Look at verse 17. "Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air." Underline that. The air. "And a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne saying, 'It is done!'" That is, it's the final of these plagues, the final of God's judgments. "And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder, and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been seen since man came upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty." We don't know again what this is, but the fact that it's released in the air, there's something that appears to be thunder and lightning that follow it, a great earthquake. Could this be a nuclear exchange that takes place? When you see the results of it, it certainly sounds like that. Look at verse 19. "The great city was split into three parts." What is that great city? All you have to do is look at Revelation 14. It's Jerusalem, the place where our Lord was crucified. Revelation 14 says, "Jerusalem will be split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell." New York, Washington, London, Paris, Tokyo. "And Babylon the Great was remembered before God to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath." What is Babylon? It's not a city, it's a world system that is opposed to God. Verse 20. "And every island fled away." What does that mean? It's just talking about this explosion, whatever it is, is so cataclysmic that it forms great tidal waves, great tsunamis that completely engulf the islands. "And the mountains were not found." It levels every mountain. "And huge hailstones about 100 pounds each." Can you imagine that? A hailstone 100 pounds. You know, we get upset if we get that pea-sized hail. Oh, what did it do to my car and my finish? Or golf ball-sized hail, but 100-pound hail. It will come down from heaven upon men. And what does man do? Here it is again. "They blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, because its plague was extremely severe." How are we to understand this? And how does this apply to us today? You know, so many times, I'll give you two or three timeless principles from a passage of scripture. Today I just have one. And I want you to write this truth down. Circle it and remember it the rest of your life. And here's the simple principle. God's judgment is not always immediate, but it's always inevitable. Let me say it again. God's judgment is not always immediate, but it's always inevitable. There's an intriguing verse of scripture, Ecclesiastes 8:11. It says, "Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed immediately, quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are fully given to do evil." In other words, when people do wrong, when punishment doesn't come immediately, it just makes them to want to sin more and more and more. And it's the same in our relationship with God. If we go on sinning and there's no result of it, no discomfort in our lives because of it, we're tempted to think, "Well, you know, maybe that God Pastor Jeffress preaches about isn't the real God. Maybe God's not as concerned about sin as Pastor Jeffress says he is." Or they think, "Well, maybe I've got a special exemption from God's judgment because of who I am. That's why he hasn't judged me for my sin." Or maybe they think, "Maybe God doesn't even exist, because surely, if he existed and saw me doing what I'm doing, he would judge it." People who reason that way confuse God's patience with God's tolerance. Don't make that mistake. Today, if you are living in rebellion against God, and you've had no judgment in your life, don't confuse God's patience with God's tolerance for your sin. The only reason that judgment hasn't come yet is God is patient. He's given you an opportunity, perhaps a last opportunity to repent and turn to Him. And the same thing is true for the nation, the world we live in right now. We shouldn't confuse God's patience with God's tolerance. This is a time for us to confess our sins and to ask for God's mercy in our life. We shouldn't as a world confuse God's patience with God's tolerance. Just because these judgments described in the Bible haven't come yet doesn't mean they're not coming. There will be a day that God's patience runs out, and all that will remain is the terrifying expectation of God's judgment. Now, I want to close today by asking you to go back to verse 15. The verse I left out just a moment ago. It's in parenthesis. It says, Jesus said, "Behold, I am coming like a thief." His second coming is coming. His literal, visible return to earth, "And blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame." You read that and say, "Now, what in the world is that about? What does he mean? Jesus is coming back again and you don't want to be naked when he comes back again?" Back in 1992, when our family moved to Wichita Falls to become the pastor there, it was during November, December that we were moving there and our house wasn't worked out yet. So, they put us up along with some of the other staff members in the local Sheraton Hotel that was just north of Wichita Falls. So, we would stay there every night. It was a nice hotel with one exception. They had a faulty fire alarm system in the hotel. So, the first night we were there, about 3:00 in the morning, the fire alarm went off. And we raced out of there, thinking the building was on fire, and we stood in the parking lot and they explained to us it was a malfunction. I was there in my pajamas. I was so embarrassed, not to mention so cold. But even though I was embarrassed, I wasn't embarrassed as some of those people who were standing there with a lot less than pajamas on. Leave it there. They were humiliated. When the warning came, they didn't even have time to put their clothes on. No, look, this is what the Word of God is saying. When that time of God's return occurs, you don't want to be caught naked and without the proper clothing. He's not talking about pajamas. He's not talking about physical clothing. He's talking about your spiritual clothing. How are you going to be dressed spiritually? If you think you can approach God in your own righteousness, your goodness, you're going to be embarrassed when Christ returns. Remember the Bible says your righteousness, the best you can do, is like a filthy rag before God. Isaiah 40:64, verse 6. No, the only way you want to meet God one day is dressed in the righteousness of His son, Jesus Christ. And that's what happens when you become a Christian. When you trust in Christ as your savior, God takes all of the wrath, the anger, the judgment that you and I deserve. And he pours it out on His son, Jesus Christ. That's what happened on the cross 2000 years ago. Jesus took the punishment we deserve. God had to punish somebody for our sins. Jesus took that punishment, and when you trust in Christ as your savior, Jesus takes all of God's wrath. And you get all of Jesus' righteousness. He puts on you the spiritual clothing of His own son. So that when God sees you as a Christian, he doesn't see your sin, your failures or mine. He sees the perfection of His son, Jesus Christ. That's the only way to be dressed spiritually when you meet the Lord one day. That's why the hymn writer says, "When he shall come with trumpet sound, Oh may I then in Him be found, dressed in His Christ righteousness alone. Faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand."
Dr. Robert Jeffress: Aren't you glad that God sees you in the spiritual clothing of His son? These are the beautiful promises of God that are recorded in the final book of the Bible, Revelation. And just before I turn things over to David, let me encourage you to get a copy of my best-selling book on this topic. My book is titled Final Conquest. In addition to reviewing the promises of God, we'll walk together through every chapter in Revelation, so that you have a firm grasp on the essential storyline, and how it impacts your life today. By far, this is the most comprehensive commentary I've written on Revelation. And a copy is yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Plus, when you respond today, I'll also include the booklet I've written for you called "The Major Characters of the End Times." It describes characters like the Tribulation Saints and the Satanic Trinity, and why they matter to us today. We've already sent thousands to listeners all across the country. So, while supplies last, I'm pleased to send one to you as well. Thanks for sending a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. These are stretching days for nonprofit ministries like this one, and yet, we are grateful to God for the faithful men and women like you. Together, we are piercing the darkness with the light of God's Word.
David J. Mullins: Here's David to tell you more. You're invited to request your copy of the book, Final Conquest, along with the booklet Major Characters of the End Times, when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Call 866-999-2965. Visit PTV.org or text PTV to 78800. And when you give an especially generous gift of $125 or more, we'll also send you the complete Final Conquest teaching series on DVD video and MP3 format audio disc. That along with Dr. Jeffress's book Mysteries of the End Times, a clear guide to your questions about the Rapture, the Tribulation, and the Return of Christ. One more time, call 866-999-2965 or make your request online at PTV.org. You can write to us if you'd like, PO Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. That's PO Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. I'm David J. Mullins. There's no doubt that we are living in an increasingly atheistic world, but one day, the world will be united under a new false system of belief. Hear a fascinating message about The Harlot of Babylon. That's Friday on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas.
Dr. Robert Jeffress: What if your next vacation changed the way you read your Bible forever? Join me for nine nights sailing the Mediterranean with every detail taken care of. When you stand for Paul stood, your Bible comes alive in ways it never has before. Sail with us on the Pathway to Victory Journeys of Paul Cruise, May 2027. And ask about our optional Athens pre-extension. Call 888-280-6747 or visit PTV.org.
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