Shock and Awe | Dr. David Jeremiah

Message Description:

• Will there be Animals in Heaven?
• Dr. Jeremiah’s message – Shock and Awe”
• Do you know Christ in a personal way?

So who’s in the army? Who are the participants in the second coming?
It’s Jesus on white horses, and we are, and the Bible says, we’re on white horses too.
So don’t let anybody tell you there are no animals in heaven. Animals. But where do white horses coming from?
PE I mean, We had a thing at turning point not long ago where we were trying to test what people respond to, and we were doing a prophecy thing.
And one of the questions we posed was, will there be animals in heaven?
It was the highest responded 2 thing we have ever done.
I can’t get over how many people wanna know what’s gonna happen to animals and our animals in heaven.
So we know horses are going to be there. And that means probably dogs are going to be there.
I’m not sure about cats but dogs are gonna do that.
Horses and dogs for short cats are the big question mark. Alright?
I’m just kidding. If you have a cat, god loves a cat. I don’t know.
Jenna Rose Alpern and her husband had just welcomed their first child into the world, which is an exciting time for any young couple.
A time of transition and change in a time of growth, and in their case, a time for a new apartment As residents of Jerusalem, Jenna and her husband were used to tight spaces, but with an infant on the way, their current studio felt a little too tight, so they needed something bigger.
After a quick online search, the young parents found a great apartment in a great location.
The space had two bedrooms, high ceilings, and a natural light filtering through windows from three sides of the building.
It was everything they wanted, and they were so eager to sign on the dotted line.
That’s when Jen and his husband noticed the Messiah clause in the lease. Yeah. That’s right.
A Messiah clause in the lease, near the bottom of the rental agreement, they read these words printed boldly in black and white.
Upon the coming of the messiah, tenants agreed to vacate the apartment within 15 days.
That’s in their lease agreement. Can you believe that?
You won’t find that anywhere in any documents in America, but such requirements are relatively common in Jerusalem when Jewish homeowners rent their property in that city, they include a clause that ensures they will be able to return and reign with the messiah should he appear in their lifetime.
For Jenna Rose Alpartne and her husband who are themselves Jewish, the possibility of agreeing to such a term caused a few unexpectedly spiritual conversations.
In her words, this is what we are praying for, right?
A basic tenet of Judaism being that we are eagerly waiting in trying to bring messiah speedily in our days.
Honestly, it’s always been too huge a concept for me to wrap my head around.
I’m embarrassed to admit it. But you know what?
Missus Alcorn is not alone in feeling the tension of conflicting priorities when he comes to the arrival of the messiah.
Nor are the Jewish people the only ones who find it difficult to wrap their minds around it?
I’m sure some of you do too.
The major difference between Christian and Jewish thinking about the Messiah involves the number connected with his forthcoming appearance.
Jews believe that the next time Messiah sits foot in Jerusalem will be the first time.
Christians understand that Messiah, the Hebrew one who is coming already knows the streets of the city of Jerusalem because he walked them often.
He died there. He was buried there and ascended into heaven from highest hill after his resurrection.
As Christians, we know that Jesus came and died and was buried and rose again We’re not looking for his first coming, we’re looking for his second coming.
We’re quite familiar with our lord’s first coming because we accept the record of the 4 gospels.
The Bible tells us that he is coming to earth again.
And though the exact expression the second coming of Christ is not in the Bible.
It makes the assertion in many places.
For example, the writer of Hebrews said it this way, and is that it is appointed unto men to die once, but after this, the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.
Listen to this, To those who eagerly wait for him, he will appear a second time.
There it is, apart from sin for salvation.
Now, One of the reasons why, uh, some Christians, some maybe even people who aren’t Christians, but are interested in this subject are confused by the prophecies and advent of Christ as separate events.
It is evident that even Jesus followers expected him to come and do what he said he would do when he came the second time.
Remember, they thought when he came to be our savior and was born in Bethlehem, that the promises related to his second coming would be fulfilled then.
They wanted him to get the bonds of the Romans off their neck, and they wanted to be set free.
They thought Jesus had come to be king at that moment, but that wasn’t true.
He came to be our savior, he’s coming to be our king.
So, let’s talk for just a moment about the priority of the second coming.
While it is true that most of us are more familiar with the 1st coming of Christ because we celebrated at Christmas, every year.
It is the 2nd coming of Christ that gets the most ink in the Bible. In fact, it’s quite amazing.
References to the 2nd coming of Christ outnumber references to the 1st coming of Christ by a ratio of 8 to 1.
The fact that Christ’s second coming feature so prominently in scripture is an indication that this event is important to god, and that it should be important to us as well.
Let’s talk about the prophecies of the second coming, and here I’m gonna read a scripture to you from the book of Jude, Don’t ask me what chapter, or I’ll know something about you.
You don’t want me to know. Jude 1415. Listen carefully to these words.
Now, Enick, the 7th from Adam prophesied about these men also saying behold, The lord comes with 10,000 of his saints to execute judgment on all, to convict all the ungodly among them of their ungodly deeds, which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
Who was the first prophet of the second coming? Enoch.
So, all the way back in the book of Genesis, here is this man.
I don’t understand that. I don’t pretend to know how that fits into everything, but the Bible put that anchor in the book of Genesis to remind us that Jesus Christ is coming back a second time.
Enoch told us about it. He was the 7th from Adam. And then there’s Daniel.
This is what Daniel said about the second coming.
He said, I was watching in the night visions and behold one like the son of man coming with the clouds of heaven, and he came to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
Then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, and all people’s nations and languages should serve him his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom, the one which shall not be destroyed.
So we have enoch, And we have Daniel. And then there’s Zechariah.
Now, I’m sure most of you know he’s in the Bible, but you’re not really sure where.
While many of the Old Testament prophets wrote about the 2nd coming of Jesus, it is Zechariah who has given us the clearest and most precise prediction of his second coming.
Listen to his words from the 14th chapter of Zechariah.
Then the lord will go forth and fight against those nations as he fights in the day of battle.
And in that day, his feet will stand on the mount of olives which face Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of olive shall be split in 2 from east to west, making a very large valley Half of the mountain shall move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Notice how Zechariah deals in specifics. Even pinpointing the geographic location to which Jesus Christ will return.
In that day, his feet will stand on the mount of olives.
The mount of olives is an explicitly identifiable place that retains its ancient name even today.
He’s coming back to the mount of olives.
So we got Enoch, and we got Daniel, and we got Zechariah, Here’s Jesus.
Jesus himself telling us about this.
Speaking from the mount of olives where he will return, he affirmed his second coming to his disciples in dramatic terms.
Here’s what he said, for as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, So also will the coming of the son of man be?
Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.
The stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And the sign of the son of man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And then, 2 angels contribute to the body of truth.
Immediately following Christ’s ascension into heaven, 2 angels appeared to the stunned disciples and they spoke words of comfort to them, and this is what they said.
Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven?
This same Jesus who was taken up from you will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven.
And the next verse tells us they return to Jerusalem from the Mount called Oliveette.
Did you catch Jesus ascended to heaven from the mount of olives.
And according to the angels, Jesus will return to the very same place.
The mount of olives and the words of the angels conveyed both consolation for the disciples and confirmation of his return.
And then add to those other witnesses, Paul, the apostle, in his second letter to the thessalonians, he describes what this will be like.
In verse 7 of chapter 1, he says the lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels inflaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know god, and those who do not obey the gospel of our lord, Jesus Christ.
These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the lord and from the glory of his power.
When he comes in that day, to be glorified in his saints and to be admired among all those who believe because our testimony among you was believed.
Are you getting the picture, the growing evidence in the Bible starting at Enoch?
Now, we’re all the way up to the angels at the Ascension, and then there’s John who is the human author of the book of Revelation.
And he concludes this massive body of information by saying, two times in the book of Revelation, behold he is coming with clouds, and every eye will see him, and even they who peer him.
And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him.
And then at the end of the same book, he says, he who testifies these things says, surely I am coming quickly.
Amen, even so, come lord Jesus. The prophecy of his return bookends revelation.
Obviously, we have excellent reason to anticipate the return of Christ.
The Bible affirms it throughout as a certainty and describes it in specific terms with ample corroboration.
And we are to be looking for that. You know, we’re looking for the rapture. That’s true.
But 7 years after the rapture is the second coming, we should look forward to all of these things that god has planned for us.
We should be anticipating reigning with him, ruling with him during the millennium, of these things are on the agenda, and you know most of them, I don’t have to remind you of them.
The priority of the second coming and the prophecies of it. Let’s talk about the purpose of it.
Why does Jesus come back the second time?
Do you remember back in the day when we had the Iraqi encounter?
And you remember the terms shock and awe.
That military strategy has been part of the United States Armed Forces’ tactical approach since the 1990s but the phrase itself became a national conversation in 2003 when we invaded Iraq.
The premise of shock and awe is that a sudden overwhelming display of military force can paralyze the enemy’s preparation and perception of the battlefield and destroy their will to fight.
When Jesus leads his heavenly offensive against Satan and the Antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon when he comes the second time, he will follow a similar strategy, although he won’t use conventional weapons.
His weapon will be the glory, Christ glory, transcendent, splendor, and power will be fully aimed at the evil that has bedeviled humanity for so long.
And when Christ return draws near, they will do everything they can to prepare for the battle of the ages, and they will fail spectacularly.
The apostle John Listen to this, the apostle John describes the shock and awe of the second coming, Revelation 17.
Behold, he has coming with clouds, and every eye shall see him, even they who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him.
The first time Jesus came to this earth, he appeared in obscurity, but the second time the whole world will witness his return.
When Jesus arrives on Earth the second time, his landing will dramatically herald the purpose of his coming.
The Bible says the moment that his feet touched the mount of olives, that mountain will split apart creating a broad passageway from Jerusalem to Jericho.
And as you can imagine, this will be an un precedented geological cataclysm.
Christ’s return will be amplified by a spectacular moment the world will see and recognize, for the first time, it’s rightful lord, and it’s rightful king.
Jesus came the first time in humility, in a manger in an obscure backroom.
This time, his glory and majesty will be displayed for everybody to see The Bible says that when he comes the second time, every eye shall see him.
He will look like no other warrior in the history of the world.
Here’s how John described him when he returns.
His eyes were like a flame of fire, and his head or many crowns.
He had a name written that no one knew except himself.
He was clothed with a robe in blood, and his name is called the word of god.
Let’s take a deeper look at that description.
First, his eyes are flames of fire, which burn up all the false stuff, the deception.
He gazes upon the hearts and minds of mankind and sees them all the way to who they really are.
And then the Bible says that his head is covered with crowns.
When he came the first time, they mocked him, and they put a crown of thorns on his head.
When he comes this time, his many crown symbolize This reality that no rule might or authority will be able to stand against him, he is the king of kings and the lord of lords.
And then Jesus robe, we are told, is dipped in blood, and it speaks of the redemption that he secured for us on the cross as the lamb that was slain.
For all eternity, we will celebrate the shed blood, which brought about our redemption from the penalty of sin.
I’ve been surprised at how many of us are shocked.
To realize that Jesus is in heaven in his humanity.
Jesus didn’t give up his humanity when he went to heaven.
When he was born into humanity, he maintained that.
And when we see him in heaven, the Bible describes him that way.
And the Bible says that written on his thigh, is this term, King of kings and lord of lords.
We’re familiar with this double name, but now is the time it takes its intended significance Of all the kings on the earth, he’s the king, the priority of the second coming, and the prophecies of it, and the purpose of it, Let me tell you a little bit about the participants in it.
The Bible says in verse 14, and the armies of heaven closed in fine linen white and clean followed him on white horses.
When Christ returns, The Bible says he will bring with him his armies as part of the shock and awe campaign.
Note, the word in verse 14 is armies, plural.
It’s not the army of heaven, but the armies of heaven.
Perhaps these armies are the believers from all of the ages, the old testament army, the new testament army, the tribulation army, all the many legions of our lord combined in one massive army.
And Zechariah said, then the lord my god will come, and all the holy ones with him.
If you’re a Christian and you die and go to heaven, or you’re caught up in the rapture, when Jesus comes back, You come back with him.
You’re part of his army. More important than who they are is how they are dressed.
The white linen clean and fine represents the righteousness of those who are so clothed.
Jesus wears blood stained garments so that we may wear white garments of his righteousness.
But notice the saints are not the only ones in the army.
This is going to be quite a collection.
The Bible says, both Matthew and Paul tell us that the angels will also be back. With the lord.
Matthew 25 says, when the son of man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, so do you get in the picture all of the saints who’ve gone to heaven, everybody who’s converted, coming back, dressed in white, accompanied by all of his holy angels.
I don’t know how many angels there are, but there are thousands times 10,000.
What a mem you talk about shock and awe? Oh my.
You look up from Jerusalem and you see what god has in mind, you’d have a heart attack probably.
And then the punishment at the second coming. Here is the core of why this is true.
And listen carefully. This is really important.
In the first description of verse 11, we are given the central purpose for Christ return.
Here’s what it says. In righteousness, he judges and makes war. Jesus will come to judge.
He will come as the judge of all things, including the judge of all people.
In the lili pistol that immediately precedes the book of Revelation, the lili pistol called Jude, Jude described the kind of world that Christ will find when he returns to this earth.
It sort of sounds like maybe we’re in that world already. Listen carefully.
Now, Anik, the 7th, from Adam, prophesied about these men also saying behold the lord comes with 10,000 of his saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly, among them of all their ungodly deeds, which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all harsh things which ungod senners have spoken against him, and the word ungodly is in that verse 4 times.
What kind of world will he find when he comes back and un godly world.
In one short verse, Jude uses the word ungodly 4 times. And the repetition is not accidental.
Jude was emphasizing the fact that when Christ returns to the earth, his long suffering patience will have run its course.
He will come to impose judgment upon those who have defied him, and Jesus will also render judgment against the leaders of the forces who oppose him during the tribulation, namely the Antichrist and the false prophet.
So, as we consider god shock and awe campaign during the second coming of Christ, the question is not why does Jesus have to be so judgmental?
Instead, a better question is, how could we call god good if he allowed evil to forever corrupt the world which he created and which he pronounced to be good.
I know that a lot of you wonder about that, but I’ll tell you what I wonder about when I look at it in our world today, I wonder How long more are you gonna put up with this?
How long are you gonna let this go?
I I watch some stuff on television this week that just I almost decided to not watch television anymore.
I’m telling you, watch the news. It’s not good.
But I’m telling you there’s coming a day, almighty god through his son Jesus Christ is going to set it right, and good will be honored, and bad will be judged.
It will not always be like this. One day our king will return.
One day he will set things right.
The Bible says immediately after that, those of you who are Christians will reign with King Jesus for a 1000 years on planet earth in the millennium and peace will reign.
Oh, there will be evil, but it will be instantly prosecuted, and it will not last long.
The millennium will be what we had hoped this would be, but it is not He’s coming back.
He’s the king of king and lord, uh, lords.
And all of this we’ve been talking about that assures your place in his army, your opportunity to rule with him.
Your future in heaven all depends on one thing.
Have you made your decision to put your trust in Christ? This is not news for everybody.
This is news for those who are Christians. You say, well, I’m not sure I’m a Christian.
Why don’t you get sure today?
If you would like to experience the hope that can only come from knowing Jesus Christ in a personal way, Doctor Jeremiah would like to send you 2 resources, The first is a booklet called your greatest turning point, which will help you begin your relationship with Christ.
And the second is our monthly devotional magazine turning points to give you encouragement and inspiration throughout the year.
These resources are yours completely free when you contact Turning Point today.
Thank you for being with us today.
Join us next time for another message from Doctor David Jeremiah.
Here on Turning Point.