 Wake
Up America Lesson 1
page 2
The list
itemizing all that has been discovered within the
past century could fill many pages; but
isn’t it ironic that even with all our vast
learning and knowledge, that we are as ignorant
as our forefathers about the future?
Until now
New discoveries in Bible
prophecy have opened up. The mystery of
Revelation is unfolding. There is a prophetic
mechanism that seems to occur with interesting
regularity: “Prophetic things are
understood on or about the time of
fulfillment.”
As we shall see in
subsequent studies, this mechanism was true in
ancient Israel, true at advent of Jesus, true at
the destruction of Jerusalem and this mechanism
will be shown for our time!
This Bible study has no
denominational endorsement. It is quite
clear from Scripture that God is not going to
save any one denomination.
Revelation’s story is not concerned with
denominational affiliation; rather,
Revelation’s comprehensive story predicts
that everyone will fall into one of two
groups: those worshiping God and those
rebelling against Him.
What does Revelation say
about the future?
·At
least 3 gigantic earthquakes will occur.
Even though the Lisbon, Portugal earthquake in
1755 shook an estimated 4 million square miles,
these predicted earthquakes have no equal in
times past.
· 14
devastating judgments are coming upon the
earth. These rightly called “Acts of
God” will physically affect our earth by
harming the land, rivers and oceans. Even
the sun, moon and stars will be affected.
Millions of people will suffer and die as a
result of these plagues. Sickness and
disease will be everywhere.
·An
enormous political and religious revolution will
occur around the world as a result of falling
calamities. As a result, a great spiritual
awakening will occur, leading to a global
coalition of religious and political
powers. A great contro-
versy
will develop over the definition of sin and
religious intolerance will increase
dramatically. Great anger will arise
between people as to “who” is
responsible for the plagues and “who”
is responsible for their continuation.
·
Economic chaos will result, causing governments
the world over to enforce strict rationing.
Controls on buying and selling will be
implemented.
·
Revelation predicts that 25% of the earth’s
population will die as a result of the coming
judgments! This means that 1 billion people
could perish in coming events.
· During
these desperate circumstances, a dazzling and
miracle working being will appear on earth to be
Jesus. Actually, he will be Satan and
deceive most of the world with his miracles.
·
Protestants, Catholics, Atheists, Moslems, Jews
and Eastern Religions will eventually unite and
play a major role in the coming revolution for a
period of approximately 3.5 years.
· Every
person on earth will face a great testing
time. Ultimately, two groups will emerge:
those who love and obey God and those who
collaborate with the glorious person of Satan
(claiming to be Jesus) to stop the plagues.
· What
kind of God could do these things to earth?
Why are the plagues so awful? “The
days of punishment are coming, the days of
reckoning are at hand…Because your sins are
so many and your hostility so great…”
Hosea 9:7,8 The ultimate reason for
the coming terrible and awesome events is God
must test and reveal the loyalty of each human
heart. According to Revelation, God has
chosen to arrest the attention of earth’s
inhabitants with seven trumpets so that all may
hear the gospel message. Every person on
earth must be given an opportunity to hear
God’s special warning message during this
time and make an intelligent decision for or
against the King of Kings. Thus the words
of Jesus will be fulfilled, “And this gospel
of the kingdom will be preached in the whole
world as a testimony to all nations, and then the
end will come” (Matthew 24:14)
· The
stage is almost ready. The angels of
destruction bearing the wrath of God will shortly
begin their work. A rapid and irreversible
countdown of events leading to the second coming
of Jesus will soon begin.
· Great
reward and eternal life is promised to all that
endure to the end! A land fairer than day,
a place to rest and a home of eternal joy with
Jesus, angels and friends awaits all who are
willing to stand for God’s truth.
A Parallel
Just before the
destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, a series of
ominous signs occurred. The Historian
Milman, in the History of the Jews, book 13 says:
- In
the middle of the night, an unnatural
light shone over the temple.
- Priests
ministering at night in the temple were
terrified by mysterious sounds. The
earth trembled and they heard voices
crying out: “Let us depart
hence.”
- Clouds
at sunset were pictured with chariots and
men of war gathering for battle.
- The
great eastern gate which was so heavy
that it could hardly be shut by 20 men,
and which was secured by immense bars of
iron fastened deep in the pavement of
solid stone, opened at midnight with
invisible agency.
- For
seven years, a man continued to go up and
down the streets of Jerusalem declaring
woes to come upon the city. He was
caught and imprisoned to which he only
cried, “Woe – Woe to
Jerusalem.” His cry continued until
he was slain in the siege that he
foretold.
As in the days of ancient
Jerusalem, do we have signs pointing to a great
time of tribulation? Is the world really
coming to an end? Is the second coming of
Jesus actually going to occur on or before the
year 2017?
Many men and woman today
are anticipating something awesome is about to
happen. Something ominous is coming.
But what is it? Is it economic ruin?
Atomic war? Are we living at the dawn of a
new age? “I’ve got to tell you, I
think the person in office (in the White House in
2003) is going to be on the end of a chain
letter…I’m really not a lonely
voice. I am a spiritual voice saying what
many people from different backgrounds are
already saying now.” Pastor from
Dayton, Ohio 2003
The Bible predicts the
world will come to an end. However, 2000
years have passed since Jesus was upon earth and
the world hasn’t ended yet. Will it
end in our day? Is it possible to know when
the end will come? What should we look for?
How should we prepare? The disciples
had the same questions!
They asked, “What
will be the sign of your coming?”
Jesus prophesied a number of indicators in
Matthew 24 and Luke 21. However, these two
chapters do not tell the whole story. There
is one book of the Bible, one tiny book of 17
pages that fills in the gaps. It has been
around for centuries, yet its message remains a
big mystery. Christian people from all
backgrounds believe it is an important book, but
who can tell? For hundreds of years, this
book has intrigued writers and scholars; yet no
one has stepped forward with an explanation that
makes lasting sense. This book is the last
book in the Bible called Revelation –
written about 100 A.D. by the apostle John while
exiled on the desolate isle of Patmos for his
loyalty to Jesus.
The value of a
map
Ancient cartographers
(map makers) placed dragons at the edge of the
ocean for they were convinced that when sailors
reached the edge of the world they fell off the
earth into the mouth of dragons! They
didn’t know what was beyond the “edge
of the world”, but they were sure that it
wasn’t good! Many people fear the
future and dismiss any warning about the second
coming of Jesus. But Bible prophecy is like
a road map that explains the how and why of
coming events.
Suppose a long-lost
relative in Australia passed away leaving you
millions of dollars. An attorney from
“down under” calls saying that you must
come and claim what has been given you? You
decide to pick up a map after arriving in
Australia to find the right address.
Suppose the map was faulty. What would be
the consequences? Even more, what would be
the likelihood of finding the right address
without a map?
Coming events
Revelation is a map of
coming events. Without proper
understanding, we can get lost.
The ultimate question we
face is this; “Am I willing to follow
God’s Map?” Revelation says,
“The Spirit and the bride say
‘Come!’ And let him who hears say
‘Come!’ Whoever is thirsty, let
him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the
free gift of the water of life.”
Revelation 22:17
Quiz
- Why
is the punishment coming upon the
earth? Hosea 9:7,8
- According
to Matthew 24:14, the end will come when
the gospel:
- List
two predictions from Revelation about the
future:
- Who
is invited to take the free gift of the
water of life?Revelation 22:17
-
Memory Verse-
Matthew 24:14
“And this gospel of
the kingdom will be preached in the whole world
as a testimony to all nations, and then the end
will come.”
Notes:
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