The Greatest Revival the Church Has Ever Seen!

3:03 I titled today's message, The Greatest Revival the Church Has Ever Seen. Two days after Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933, a 26-year-old pastor and theologian went on the radio to denounce Adolf Hitler and his policies. That pastor and theologian was named Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was troubled by a number of things he saw happening. The marginalization of the Jewish people long before they were taken to the crematoriums. And so he left the German church and established his own church, the Confessing Church, built on the principles of scripture and obeying God unconditionally. A group of seminarians and pastors followed Bonhoeffer and the establishment of the Confessing Church. But soon when the government saw that it was a threat to Nazism, Adolf Hitler ordered pastors of the confessing church to be denied chaplaincies and instead be placed on the front lines of battle in World War II. Starved the pastoral leadership, the confessing church faded away. By this time, Dietrich Bonhoeffer decided that he had to do something radical to stand up against evil. And so he joined the German intelligence agency as a spy, but actually he was working as a double agent to undermine the commands of the third Reich and he even involved himself in an assassination plot to remove Adolf Hitler from office.

4:51 Many people were critical of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Many Christians were critical of him. They said, why are you so concerned with politics and who is leading our nation? just resign yourself to preaching the gospel that's what Christians are to do preach the gospel and everything else will take care of itself sound familiar to you Bonhoeffer understood that leaders determine policies and policies determine the moral and spiritual direction of a nation. Ten years later, after Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany, on the 10th anniversary of his assuming that position in 1943, Bonhoeffer explained why he took such radical actions in an essay titled, After 10 Years. Listen to his words, quote, who stands fast. Only the man whose final standard is not his reason, his principles, his conscience, his freedom, or his virtue, but the man who is ready to sacrifice all of this when he is called to obedient and responsible action in faith and in exclusive allegiance to God, the responsible man who tries to make his whole life an answer to the question and the call of God. Where are these responsible people? I thought of those words, who stands fast?

6:40 I thought of those words as I prepared the message today and remembered how similar those words are to the kings and commanders of the earth during the great tribulation who after experiencing these horrific judgments, remember what we saw last time? They cry out to the rocks and the mountains and they say, fall on us and hide us from the presence of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the day of God's wrath has come and who is able to stand? who is it that stands fast during times of persecution like Dietrich Bonhoeffer did who is it that will be able to withstand the wrath of the lamb in the judgment day of God we're going to answer that question today in Revelation chapter 7 if you have your Bibles turn there as we look at the greatest revival in human history. Revelation chapter 7. John is going to answer the question, who will be able to stand through the great tribulation? Now look at verse 1, the vision of the restraining and sealing angels. After verse 1, after this, I saw four angel standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. In verse two, and I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun. That's from the east. It's always an indication of salvation that's about to come. I saw another angel rising from the east, having the seal of the living God.

8:27 I want you to underline that, the seal of the living God. And he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bondservants of our God on their foreheads. Before the judgments could come at the very beginning of the tribulation, The angel says, before you unleash your judgments, angels, we need to seal the bond servants of God. Now, what does that mean? A seal, and by the way, this is extra. You can write it down on your outlines. In biblical times, a seal marked, first of all, authority. Secondly, it marked possession. Many times, if you want to show that something belongs to you, you write your name on it. It was the same thing with a seal.

9:21 A seal, kind of like a sticker sometimes. you put on things was a sign that it belonged to you. And thirdly, the seal was a sign of protection. It meant protection. That was the meaning of a seal, authority, ownership, protection. Who are these 144,000 who are sealed? These are 144,000, verse 4, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. From the tribe of Judah, 12,000. From the tribe of Reuben, 12,000. from the tribe of Gad, 12,000, and on and on. These are Jews who have been selected and sealed and saved by God at the beginning of the tribulation. These are the 144,000. What is their ministry? Their ministry is to share the gospel. J. Dwight Pentecost wrote, they, like Saul, will be set apart to be God's witnesses to the Gentiles.

10:25 But there's a second group that will stand in the tribulation. And we see them beginning in verse nine. The tribulation saints will stand in heaven during the tribulation. Now, there is no verse that says this, but it is very obvious. beginning in verse 9 we see the result of the witness of the 144,000 evangelists. Remember at the beginning of the tribulation there are no Christians on earth. The 144,000 are sealed and saved and selected to be a witness. Now notice what John sees beginning in verse 9. His vision shifts from looking at earth and now he's looking into heaven. after these things, after the 144,000, I looked and behold a great multitude, which no one could count from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues standing before the throne and before the lamb clothed in white robes and palm branches in their hands. Suddenly he sees a whole mass of people that can't be counted. Jews and Gentiles alike who are standing before the throne of God, meaning they are saved. And not only that, they're in white robes, meaning they've been forgiven and palm branches, a sign of victory. And they cry out with a loud voice saying, salvation to our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb. And all the angels were standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God saying, amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen. Who are these multitudes that come from every tribe, every nation under earth? This is part of the greatest revival the world will have ever seen. These are those who are saved during the tribulation through the witness of the 144,000. It's going to be something like the world has never experienced before. Look at verses

12:36 13 and 14. John answers it clearly. Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, these who are clothed in white robes, who are they? And where have they come from? And I said to him, my Lord, you know. And he said to me, these are the ones who come out of the great tribulation. Remember, there are no Christians at the beginning of the tribulation. Millions of people are saved, but some of them will die because of the natural elements that will be disrupted, the cosmological disturbances, the volcanoes, the earthquakes, the lack of food. But some will die during the tribulation because of martyrdom. We saw in Revelation chapter 6, they will give their lives because they refuse to take the mark of the beast. and John says these millions of people before the throne dressed in white robes are those who have come out of the tribulation now listen to me Christians right now will be saved from the tribulation but those who are saved after the rapture they're not saved from the tribulation but they will eventually be saved out of the tribulation. That's a great picture of how God deals with our life right now. There are a few people, few Christians who appear to be saved from great stress and tribulation in life. I don't know many of them, but there's some who are. There's some who never experience serious illness or the loss of a loved one, but it's very few.

14:20 God's plan for most Christians is not to be saved from tribulation, but to be saved out of tribulation. William Barclay explains the difference this way when he says, the deliverance which God gives is not the deliverance of escape, but the deliverance of conquest. It is not a deliverance which saves people from trouble, but one which brings them triumphantly through trouble. It does not make life easy, but it makes life great. It is not part of the Christian hope to look for a life in which we are saved from all trouble and distress. The Christian hope is that in Christ, we can endure any kind of trouble and distress, remain upright throughout, and come out to glory on the other side. I like that phrase, come out to glory on the other side. That's what happens to these tribulation saints. They go through terrible persecution, but they come out to glory on the other side. They are delivered out of the tribulation. These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. And look at this. And they have washed their robes and they have made them white in the blood of the lamb.

15:45 to a non-Christian that seems so strange. What do you mean make white by the blood of the lamb? How can blood make anything white? Blood's not a bleaching agent. It's a staining agent. Have you ever tried to wash blood out of a garment? It's hard. It's difficult. But this is the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's the beauty of the gospel. It doesn't matter how stained with sin, how filthy, how dirty your life is, when you trust in Jesus' death, his blood on the cross to save you from God's penalty for your sin, God takes your ugly, dark, and dirty sin, and he makes you as white as snow in his presence. That is the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You know, that gospel message, as precious as it is to us, is absolutely offensive to most people. To hear that their sin is so great that it takes blood, the blood of Jesus Christ, to cleanse them from unrighteousness. Peter Kreff says it so well when He writes, if you confess at a fashionable cocktail party that you personally love to play with porcupines, or you plan to sell CIA secrets to the communists, or that you are considering becoming a Palestinian terrorist, you will find a buzzing and fascinating crowd of people around you eager to listen. But if you confess that you believe that Jesus Christ is God, that he died to save us from sin by shedding his blood and that there really is a heaven and a hell, you will find yourself soon talking to empty air with a distinct chill in it.

17:38 People hate to hear that message. The message that their sin is so great, that it demanded a sacrifice so great as the death of Jesus Christ, but it is through his blood that we find healing, redemption and forgiveness. Remember the old gospel song? Are you washed? Are you washed in the soul-cleansing blood of the lamb? Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the lamb? That's the gospel of Jesus Christ. Notice what he says here. What is the reward of those who stand around the throne? Verse 15. the reward of the tribulation saints. For this reason, they are before the throne of God. For what reason? What is he talking about? Why are they before the throne?

18:37 Because they have washed their garments in the blood of the lamb. People are in heaven, not because of their family or their church membership or any other reason. the only people in heaven are those who have washed their garments in the blood of Jesus Christ. Listen carefully. That's not a message of hate. It is a message of hope. It is our only hope. If you were in a burning building, the flames were engulfed around you and a fireman came and said, follow me, there is one way out of this burning building, would you accuse that fireman of being hateful because he insisted there's only one way out of the burning building? No, you would thank him and you would follow him. And ladies and gentlemen, the most loving message we can proclaim to this world is to proclaim that there is a way out of this world, a way that ensures that we are welcomed one day into the presence of God, and it is through faith in the blood of his son, Jesus Christ. And it doesn't matter whether you're a Jew, a Catholic, a Baptist, a Hindu, a Methodist, an atheist, or whatever you are, you can confess your sins and know Christ is your Savior. Isn't that a great message that God has given us? Doesn't matter who you are or what you've done, God loves you and is willing to forgive you. For this reason, they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple. And he who sits on the throne will spread out his tabernacle over them. They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore, nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat for the lamb. Jesus in the center of the throne will be their shepherd and will guide them to springs of the water of life. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Two important principles from this passage. First of all, write this down. God never forgets his promises. God never forgets his promises. He won't forget

20:48 his promise to Israel as seen in the sealing and the using of 144,000. He won't forget his promise to the tribulation saints in welcoming them into heaven. And he won't forget his promise to you I will never leave you, he said, and never will I forsake you. God never forgets his promises. Secondly, God ultimately rewards the faithful. Not immediately, but ultimately rewards the faithful. We see that in the rewards of the tribulation saints. Paul said it this way in Romans 8, 18, for I consider the suffering of this present time not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Dietrich Bonhoeffer came to understand how God turned suffering into glory. Because of his participation in the plot to kill Hitler, Bonhoeffer was transferred to the Flossenberg concentration camp under direct orders from Hitler, where he was ultimately hanged as an enemy of the Third Reich. Moments before Bonhoeffer's execution, the camp doctor noticed that Bonhoeffer was kneeling in prayer. Years later, the doctor wrote, I was most deeply moved by the way this lovable man prayed. So did that and so certain that God heard his prayer. At the place of execution, he again said a short prayer and then climbed the steps to the gallows, brave and composed. His death ensued after a few seconds. In the almost 50 years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God. How do you explain that? Dietrich Bonhoeffer believed in a God who never forgets his promises and ultimately rewards the faithful. A God who said, if we die with him, we shall one

22:59 day live with him. If we endure with him, we will one day reign with him. Martyrs like Dietrich Bonhoeffer help us understand how biblical prophecy, past and future, should galvanize our confidence in the providence of God. I'm hoping that this teaching series in Revelation called Final Conquest has inspired you to learn more. And I've prepared several resources for you to take your next steps in understanding the last book in the Bible. The first is a book I've written called Final Conquest. We're living in a season that's inundated with bad news. But Revelation is all about good news. It tells the story of our coming king and his kingdom. And I want you to have a copy. It's yours when you include a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory.

23:57 As a bonus, and when you respond today, I'll also include a booklet I've written called The Major Characters of the End Times. You won't find this resource anywhere other than Pathway to Victory. This full-color 56-page booklet gives you a clear overview of the key figures in the rapture, the tribulation, the second coming of Christ, and the final judgment of unbelievers. Both resources, my book and my booklet, are yours. When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, We are closer to the return of Christ than at any point in history. And through your generosity, you can be the reason someone faces that reality with clarity and hope. Thank you for being that person for so many. Here's David to tell you how to get in touch today.