Redeemed to Life Everlasting (LD 22; Revelation 6:9-11)

We know that before we can enter into the full bliss of heaven we need to be raised from the dead or enter heaven with a glorified body. We might wonder about our passage from this life to the life to come. Our temptation is to think maybe we go to sleep and enter a coma like state. We don't want to say that our soul needs to be more purified and so we wait for that process to finish. We enter heaven because of Christ's redemptive work. This is why we speak of the intermediate state. This is the state where our souls begin to taste our everlasting state, but not in the fullness because we have to wait for glory. This is why the saints in heaven are asking for Christ to return to make everything right.

#intermediatestate #tastingheaven #martyredsouls #soulsinheaven #revelationsermon

Four Beasts One Lord (Daniel 7:1-28)

Daniel is terrorized by his vision of four ugly beasts. These are strange looking creatures, hybrids of mighty animals, and what man can defeat them? This question is especially relevant for the fourth beast. The last beast is essentially unstoppable leaving Daniel in a state of panic. How can man prevail against such a devious creature? What is our hope today? What do we take away from his vision that gives us hope to continue through today?

Man of Lawlessness (2 Thess. 2:3)

The thought of the anti-Christ coming to power sounds pretty frightening.  This is a man who is doing the work of Satan to challenge the Lord, to challenge God, and to come as a rival to the Lord’s kingdom.  Is this something that should terrify us?  Why would God allow such a thing to happen?  Will the church be able to survive such a horrible assault?  How can we be sure that our Lord is sovereign enough to overcome this power? 

Concluding Exhortations (Jude 1:17-23)

Jude writes a letter with some very strong warnings cautioning people about challenging God. Jude has appealed to angels, battles before history, judgments in history and before history, and he has appealed to many events to make his case. The point of these events is to communicate that God always wins. This is an intriguing book, but how are we to live for the Lord in light of these exhortations? Are we to be terrified of our God?