This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

We're continuing through Revelation chapter 10 today, day two, and in the next
couple of days of our look through the book of Revelation, we're going to take
some time to put the events of the book of Revelation in perspective. Since
chapter 10 is a shorter chapter, it gives us a chance to take some time to see
where we are. As I said yesterday, many call this an interlude chapter.

Next week in chapter 11 we're going to hit some brand new territory, some brand
new truths, and this week we get an opportunity to focus on where we are in all
of this. I find that we often lose our spiritual bearings in the midst of these
chapters focused on the tribulation of the book of Revelation. So I want to step
back a moment and remind ourselves of the events that are unfolding in these
last times, in these times of the second coming of Christ.

And let me remind you of the story from Billy Graham that we talked about at the
beginning of this study way back several weeks ago. He was talking about looking
at a painting and he couldn't understand what it was because he was so close to
it. When his wife Ruth asked him to step back, he then could take in the full
beauty of what was before him.

He got so close that he couldn't see the beauty. And sometimes, as we go through
the chapters of Revelation, we get so close that we can't see the glory of what
God is doing. In order to remind ourselves of that, I want to remind you of four
end-time events that we see as we walk through the second coming of Jesus
Christ.

Four end-time events that every believer needs to understand. They are these,
the tribulation, the rapture, the visible return of Christ, and the millennium.
Those four events.

Three of them are spoken of in Revelation. One is not. We're going to cover the
three that are spoken of in Revelation today, and then we're going to cover the
one that is not tomorrow.

Now I would love to cover these in the exact order that they occur. The problem
is, not everybody agrees on the exact order. So instead of getting caught up in
order here, I want to focus on the events that are happening.

Beginning with the one that we're studying together right now as we walk through
these chapters of Revelation. The first event is the tribulation. Not first in
time, but the first we're going to cover.

Revelation, really chapter four, beginning with worship, all the way through
chapter eighteen, describes the events of the tribulation in detail. And as
we've walked through these events, as we walked through last week and we saw
what was happening to the earth, and we saw what was happening to the heavens,
and we saw what was happening to people on the earth, we were seeing a time of
tribulation. Now the truth is, there are troubles in every age.

There are people who suffer in every age. There are cataclysmic events that
occur on this earth in every age. So what is the difference in this time of
tribulation?

Let me just remind you that there are two differences from this than any other
time in history. First, it will be worldwide and not localized. And second, it
will be unique because all will realize that the end is at hand.

In the tribulation, first, it's going to be worldwide. Right now there are
certain areas of the world that are at peace while others are at war. People can
suffer persecution in some parts of the world but not all.

Famine is experienced in some countries but not in every country. In the
tribulation, these will be worldwide occurrences. A newspaper will not have the
room to print all the top stories that will be going on in the world in that
day.

It will be worldwide. And second, the tribulation, in that time, all are going
to realize and they're going to act like the end is at hand. We've been seeing
that.

People are beginning to realize this is it. Everything is falling apart. Now, as
we walk through this time of tribulation, we've talked a couple of times about a
period of seven years.

And part of that is indicated by the seven seals and the seven trumpets and the
seven bowls. There are three sevens. But where do we get the seven years?

Well, as we walk through the book of Revelation, we're going to find in
Revelation chapter 12 that a time, times, and half a time are talked about.
Three and a half years or 42 months in chapter 11. 1260 days are talked about
also in chapter 11.

So we haven't reached these chapters yet. But when we get there, we're going to
find out there are these two divisions of three and a half years. Three and a
half years in the middle of this time of tribulation, mid-tribulation, and then
another three and a half years.

We're going to look tomorrow at some different opinions that believers have
about those three and a half years. But now I want to focus on a second major
event of the end times. You have the tribulation.

You also have the visible return of Christ. And this visible return of Christ is
different from the rapture that we're going to look at tomorrow. At this visible
return, all the earth will see Jesus returning.

And he'll establish his reign and his rule on the earth. Jesus talked about it
himself, Matthew 24. 30, "At that time, the sign of the Son of Man will appear
in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn.

They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and
great glory. " In Revelation 1-7, we talked about already, "Look, he is coming
with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. And all
the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.

So shall it be. Amen. " Now, in these two verses, we read about the nations of
the earth mourning when they see Jesus.

They're going to mourn because it will become immediately apparent that they
built their lives on the wrong foundation. And our goal as believers in Christ
who are looking forward to the second coming of Christ is simply this, to have
more people rejoice and have fewer people mourn at the return of Christ. When
you help someone to put their faith in Christ, you assure that his return will
be a moment of inexpressible joy rather than excruciating grief.

These four events of the end time, there's the tribulation, there's the visible
return of Christ. There's also an event known by the name of the Millennium. The
Millennium is the term used to point to the thousand-year reign of Christ spoken
of in Revelation chapter 20, verses 1 to 6.

Well, we're not to Revelation chapter 20 yet. So when we get there, we'll talk
more about what this Millennium is and what it means. But for now, I wanted you
to be aware this is one of the four major end time events.

And as we look at these events, I've told you that believers tend to see some of
the timing of these from different perspectives, but we have to keep our eye on
the one thing that we all clearly agree on. What is that one thing? Jesus Christ
is coming to this earth again.

Just like he came the first time, in a visible, physical, bodily form, Jesus is
coming to this earth again. Although Christians may disagree about the order of
events surrounding his return, of the actual return there is no doubt his second
coming is spoken of even more clearly than his first coming when he came and
gave his life for us on a cross and was resurrected. Now, as we are in the midst
of this study, I don't want you to lose the heart of Jesus.

You can hear Jesus' heart about his return in the words that he spoke to his
disciples the night before he died on a cross. In John 14, 2 to 3, Jesus said,
"There are many rooms, many mansions in my Father's house. I would not tell you
this if it were not true, and I'm going there to prepare a place for you.

After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with
me so that you may be where I am. " That's the heart of Jesus. Now, I want you
to notice two things about this verse.

Number one, Jesus is preparing a place for you, for you. Heaven is not some
tracked housing. It is custom built for you by the person who knows you the
best.

First notice that Jesus is preparing a place, but then second notice, notice the
phrase Jesus says, "I want you to be with me where I am. " That is what thrills
Jesus about heaven. That is what thrills Jesus about his second coming, that we
will be with him where he is.

He's looking forward to you being with him. We're looking forward to his second
coming, but these verses reveal that he is looking forward to you being with him
for all of eternity. And these events where this earth crumbles, they're on the
way to the gaining of our inheritance.

They're on the way to an eternity together with him. Don't let your questions
about some of the details deter you from the fact, this one fact that the world
needs to hear more than any other. Jesus Christ is coming to this world again
because he loves us and he wants us to be with him.

Let's take a minute to talk to him. Jesus, we don't have to wait. We don't have
to wait until your second coming to enjoy your presence.

Oh, it will be more glorious then when we're with you in heaven. We know that.
But it can't be more real than now because you are with us as we talk to you.

And Lord, in our heart, in our minds right now, we look forward. We look forward
to what you're looking forward to, to being with you where you are, to the joy
of your presence, to the joy of your peace, to the joy of your glory, to the
joy, Jesus, to the joy of being with you. Lord, whatever we face today,
whatever's happening in our lives, whatever meetings, whatever things with kids
or with school, whatever we're facing, let this truth, your love for us, what
you're looking forward to in our lives, let this truth, this hope, put
everything in perspective.

We ask this, Jesus, in your name. Amen. Join us tomorrow.

We're going to look together at one additional end time event.