Every
Eye Shall

See Him

 

935-A

 





The skies overhead may well have been
clear. There was no way to know for sure. The smoke from the explosives that
had turned the landscape from a lush hillside into a desert of debris formed a
haze that obscured even the sun. The sounds of bombs exploding became even more
chilling as the screams of men and women, boys and girls filled the air. It
became more evident that the targets themselves were not brick and mortar, but
flesh and blood. And blood was everywhere. This was only a "peacekeeping
mission", but the peace was not being kept. As the casualties mounted, it
seemed a whole lot like the real thing to those who viewed the carnage.

A nervous private shook with fright as
he viewed death from a vantage point he had never dreamed he would experience.
He turned to the sergeant in command of his battalion and sputtered,
"S-s-s-i-r-r-, I've never been in combat before!" The old sergeant
replied, "You think this is bad, they haven't declared war yet!" 

So it is with our lesson today. In our
last lesson, we journeyed through the pages of Scripture for a foxhole view of
the first 3 1/2 years of a time in history that rests upon the horizon called
the tribulation. We viewed the bloodshed, the violence, the betrayal, the
destruction and the death. Like the nervous private, most of us turned to our
Commander in Chief and said, "Lord, we didn't know combat could be this
bad." To which our Lord lovingly replied, "You haven't seen anything
yet. Just wait until war is declared!"

In this lesson, our parade of prophecy
continues its march into the future to explore the final 3 1/2 years of that
period. It is a time in history in which war will definitely be declared. While
we THOUGHT the bombs were falling with enough intensity during those opening
months of the tribulation period, what we are about to see is really war.

The forces of evil will realize that their
days are numbered. The Righteous Lord will have exercised patience far beyond
the mind's capacity to understand it. Now it will be high noon at last. Satan
will muster up every weapon at his disposal. Our great God will counter by
releasing but a tiny fraction of His incredible power. The end result will be
victory at last! Peace at last! The troops will be coming home at last! The war
will be over.

If you want a vivid way to view that
time in your mind, just imagine Satan and God in hand to hand combat with the
same intensity they have been battling spiritually for all of these thousands
of years. The struggle that has been taking place on the battlefields of the
human heart for centuries will finally be enacted on the battlefields of planet
earth. Little Israel, the one nation in the world to which God has entrusted
His name, will become the heart where the conflict will take place. That's why
they are back in the land! God has allowed them to return to set the stage for
a real homecoming! God is coming home to His people at last!

But, those few final years will not be
pleasant ones for mankind. The enemy will not give up without a struggle. It is
a struggle God will allow in order for that long awaited, slow-in-coming
judgment to fall on fallen man at last. The world is about to explode in a
cosmic revolution that will literally cause its foundations to tremble. At the
last moment possible, just when all hope will seem to have vanished, the King
will come and every eye shall see Him.

Every eye! The eyes of those ruthless
dictators who have for so long denied that such a one as God could be will see
Him. The eyes of those humanistic, self-righteous fools who staked their lives
on the fact that this life was all there was will look upon His face. The eyes of
those Jews who long ago abandoned hope that the Messiah would REALLY come will
see Him at last! The eyes of those faithful martyrs who gave their very lives
because they knew that one day, this day, would come, will behold their Lord.
Every eye shall see Him and every knee shall bow before Him!

You can rest the whole weight of your
faith on that promise! The living King is about to return. His living kingdom
is about to be established on earth at last. So don't get discouraged! I've
read the last chapter of the Book! This story has a perfect ending. But, twixt
now and the conclusion comes an explosion or two that simply must take place.

So, let's begin our journey into
darkness. It will be a journey which will end when Every Eye Shall See Him.
That, of course, is the title for this study. Here is our very simple outline
for this action packed excursion.

I- Intermission Time - When Man Has
Cause to Worry

II- War Resumes - The Second Half of the
Story

III- Victory at Last - Our King Descends
in Glory

When our video journey into the vistas
of the near tomorrows faded into the "pause" mode, we had been taken
on a Scriptural sojourn into the first half of that 7 year period known as
"the tribulation." We looked, some of us in horror, as those 3 1/2
years unfolded before our eyes. We began to acknowledge that, though the Church
would be gone, there was reason indeed for the unbelieving world to be
concerned about what would happen "when the lights go out on planet
earth."

As we concluded our look at those first
3 1/2 years, God seemed to have placed in the center of the tribulation a
momentary "time out". It is a brief segment of time that seems to
separate the first half from the second half. We could only sense that what we
had already seen was nothing compared to what was about to happen. As we have
already mentioned, war was about to be declared! I want to take the next few
minutes to look at the incidents that span some ten chapters of the book of
Revelation.

It is obvious, I trust, that to cover
this much in that period of time, we will not stop and discuss any of the
various alternative chronological interpretations. But, we will rather seek a
mountaintop view of some of the events themselves. Our objective is not so much
information as it is expectation, as we experience anticipation of that day
"when every eye shall see Him."

Intermission Time - When Man Has Cause to Worry

This is the title of part one of our
study. The world, indeed, has cause to worry. The Christian, we are told in
Philippians 4 NEVER has cause to worry, because the things that normally would
bring us anxiety are only intended to bring us to prayer. However, the world
has cause to worry. As the curtain parts and the screen lights up, we can see
that at no time in history has the world had MORE cause to worry than they will
at this time. Let's briefly look at the events that Bible scholars seem to
attach to this period in history, so that we can at least imagine what this old
world will be going through at what some call "intermission time."

1- The first incident is the invasion
of Palestine. This is referred to in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Many authorities
seem to feel that it will take place at this point in history. While we do not
know for sure, many scholars place the nations listed there in today's
geographical context as Russia, Iran, parts of South Africa, parts of North
Africa, Germany and Turkey. They believe that these are the nations who will
participate in this invasion. Of course, we do not know for sure.

If we were to take a composite of how
some scholars view this attack, it might look something like this:

a- Egypt attacks Palestine from the
south as we see in Daniel 11:40 a.

b- Russia invades Israel from the north
as we read in Daniel 11:40 b.

c- Russia double-crosses Egypt and occupies
Egyptian territory as we see in Daniel 11:42-43.

d- Russia responds to an unexpected
event, perhaps the resurrection of the Antichrist, and rushes its armies into
Palestine.

e- Russia is defeated in the mountains
of Israel as God exercises His power on her behalf. The ingredients of this
conquest include a mighty earthquake as prophesied in Ezekiel 38:19,20, some
form of mutiny as we see in Ezekiel 38:21, a plague that we see in Ezekiel
38:22 and a combination of floods, hail, fire and brimstone as we read in
Ezekiel 38:22 and 39:6.

As a result of these events, 5/6ths or
83% of what we assume will be the Russian army, will be destroyed as we read in
Ezekiel 39:2. It would appear, as one commentator put it, "that the angry
menace of communism will dissolve in a sea of horror at the hands of the very
God it denied ever existed." If these verses do apply to this period of
time, they indicate that it will take SEVEN MONTHS JUST TO BURY THE DEAD.

2- The second major event to take place
at what we're calling "intermission time" is the final ministry
and martyrdom of God's two witnesses. These are two special saints who
return to earth to prophesy for two hundred and threescore days as we see in
Revelation 11:3. Many seem to feel that these two witnesses will be Elijah and
Enoch, because Hebrews 9:27 tells us it is appointed unto man once to die,
and these two were translated into heaven at the end of their lifetime without
yet tasting death. 

Still others believe them to be Elijah
and Moses, because they appeared together at the Mount of Transfiguration and
the statement in Jude 9 refers to Satan's conflict with God over the body of
Moses. It is also noted that both Elijah's ministry of preventing rain and
Moses' ministry of turning water into blood will be repeated during the
tribulation period by those two witnesses. In the end, we do not know for sure
who they will be, but we do know they will be sent by God for a specific
ministry.

In capsule form, this is how that
ministry will evolve according to Revelation 11:

a) They will prophesy in sackcloth,
calling men to repentance (vs. 3).

b) Their enemies will attempt to
destroy them prematurely, but they will be indestructible until God's time
is right (vs. 5).

c) They will prevent rain for 3 1/2
yrs. and turn the waters into blood (vs. 6).

d) They will have the power to
perform great miracles (vs. 6).

e) They will smite the earth with
many plagues (vs. 6).

f) The Antichrist will finally be
allowed to put them to death (vs. 7).

g) Their dead bodies will be put on
display for 3 1/2 days for the whole world to view and mock (vs. 9).

h) Then something incredible will
happen. Revelation 11:11-13 describes it this way, A great fear will fall
upon the people and a great earthquake will level one-tenth of Jerusalem and
kill some 7,000 people as God calls them back to heaven.

John Phillips writes this interesting
fictional account of just what it might be like:

Picture the scene, the sun-drenched
streets of Jerusalem, the holiday crowds flown in from the ends of the earth
for a firsthand look at the corpses of those detested men. The troops will be
in the Beast's uniforms as the temple police. There they are, devilish men from
every kingdom under heaven, come to dance and feast at the triumph of the
Beast.

And then it happens! As the crowds
strain at the police cordon to peer curiously at the two dead bodies, there
comes a sudden change, and oh what a change! They arise! The crowds fall back
and as John says in Revelation 11:12, 

And they heard a great voice from heaven
saying unto them, "Come up hither." And they ascended up to heaven in
a cloud and their enemies beheld them.

But will earth's evil men repent when
faced with this, the greatest of all miracles? Sadly, no! Remember Luke 16:31? If
they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one
rose from the dead. Here, two will be raised, but repentance will not be
forthcoming. Men's hearts will have been so hardened as Revelation 11
indicates, that at their deaths the world will stop and celebrate a hellish
kind of Christmas, even at the point of exchanging gifts. Yet at their
resurrection, there will be no repentance.

3- The third major event will be the
martyrdom of God's 144,000 Jewish evangelists. The scope of their ministry
will have been unprecedented. Revelation 7:9-14 tells of the magnitude and
fruitfulness of their labors. But, according to Revelation 14, they will be
slain for the sake of the gospel and be called home to be with the King.

4- The fourth major event will occur
when God casts Satan out of heaven once and for all. 

5- The fifth major occurrence believed
to take place midway through the tribulation is the destruction of the false
church by the Antichrist who brought it into power. He will turn on her as
one commentator put it, "first detesting her, then despoiling her, then
devouring her, and finally destroying her." It will be an eventful time in
the history of man. In but a few weeks, God will condense into history,
incidents that will shake the foundations of life and turn the course of the
world at unprecedented speeds. It indeed will be a time for many to worry!

War Resumes - The Second Half of the Story

Part two of our lesson involves the
final 3 1/2 years of that dreaded tribulation period. It is during this
abbreviated parenthesis in history that the battle between Satan and God will
reach its final level of intensity. We will see acted out on the stage of life
the drama that has taken place for centuries in the hearts of men.

For the sake of time, I will only touch
on the key elements and their significance. For the sake of transmitting a
mental image, I am going to ask you to give me the liberty of trying to paint a
word picture of the events of those last days in story form rather than just
giving you another list of facts. So the times and the color will be
fictitious. I will try, however, to take no liberties with the information
itself.

Let's imagine the scene takes place
sometime in the near future. The world is in a state of shock. The defeat of
Russia in the hills of Israel has left the nations in the Middle East confused
and yet more hostile than ever. The media is explaining it away as "an
unfortunate series of setbacks beyond Russia's control. "Nature," as
the London Times put it, "seemed to be on the side of little Israel."
The Russian government has toppled, and the entire nation has been humiliated.

The story of the murder of the two
Jewish fanatics in Israel has further heightened tensions as a worldwide
celebration of their deaths is followed by an event so incredible that there is
no natural explanation for it. These two men with such apparent supernatural
powers have been reported to have disappeared! Resurrected, as one commentator
put it. But, the media has quietly set it aside as a Jewish propaganda feat and
pretended it did not even happen. Anti-Jewish sentiments have reached a fevered
pitch recalling the days of World War II. The murder of 144,000 Jewish
preachers has been lauded by governments around the world as the greatest act
of justice in decades.

Meanwhile, page one of the newspapers
around the globe have of late been filled with stories about the world's most
prominent dictator. He now is president of the newly formed United League of
Peace. He has denounced the Word Church of Unity, a religious ally to his
political revolution only a few months ago. With a vengeance that surprises
even his most ardent followers, he not only forbids the church to hold
meetings, but his troops smash their world headquarters which was strategically
located in the capital of his country. Using his political clout, all of his
puppet allies follow suit, thus destroying the church's impact overnight.

All over the world, he is applauded for
his cunning and his courage. From Berlin to Stockholm, from Havana to Mexico
City, newspapers herald the Messiah-like characteristics of this power hungry
maniac. Blinded to reality, it is as though the entire world system has united behind
his leadership. Perhaps his most cunning act of all is his newly formed treaty
with Israel. This treaty re-locates his International Headquarters of Peace to
Jerusalem, in the very shadow of the newly rebuilt temple. Tiny Israel,
apparently the key to world peace, has been brought under the banner of this
charismatic figure whose very name now sends electric shock waves throughout
the world.

Meanwhile, throughout the world, natural
disasters continue to mount in inexplicable numbers. It would seem as though
the world were literally falling apart at the seams, were it not for the
mesmerizing speeches on world television by this man among men. He promises not
only peace, but the cessation of cosmic disturbances as well, as though even
the heavens could be brought under his control.

Then it happens! The New York Times
calls it "Black Sunday." With millions looking on, this revered world
leader is delivering the most flamboyant promise of world peace of his short
career from just outside the gates of the walled city. Out of the shadows lurks
a figure and a shot rings out! In a split second, it has happened. As this
leader slumps over the rostrum, blood pours from the wound in his chest.
Pandemonium breaks loose in Jerusalem.

Instantly, the world is plunged into
darkness. The one man that mankind believed would restore order and bring peace
at last was dead. He was the victim perhaps of a young Jewish assassin. Schools
are closed in every major city of the world as a day of mourning is called. It
is a day of weeping and despair such as man has never known.

The funeral is broadcast via satellite across
the globe. Presidents and kings, prime ministers and diplomats of every tribe
and tongue gather together in that tiny, little Israeli city to pay their
respects to the fallen monarch. As millions look on, the camera zooms in for a
closer look at the corpse of the man who was to have delivered the world from
the brink of destruction.

Suddenly, the body moves. The camera man
is the first to notice it. Is it a prank? Is someone trying to steal the body?
Then, the whole body moves. With an eerie puppet-like motion, he begins to
emerge from the casket. "He is risen!" shouts the crowd, "He is
risen!" A smile breaks across the dictator's face. He waves his arms
triumphantly. "Death cannot hold your President!" he shouts. "The
world is ours. Peace is ours," he announces. In a matter of seconds, the
whole world falls into a frenzied state of worship. The very world that 2,000
years before had scoffed at the real resurrection of the Prince of Peace, now
falls down in a catatonic stupor at the feet of the great deceiver. Within
hours, newspapers around the globe begin referring to him as "the new God
of the world," and the "resurrected God of peace." His entourage
of puppets flock to Jerusalem where he has set up his new kingdom headquarters
in the "temple of Jehovah" itself, thus mocking the Israelites and
their God as well.

His supposed treaty with tiny Israel is
instantly revoked, and martial law is declared throughout the land. All
reference to Jehovah is removed from the temple, and the dictator's phony
minister of religion designs and builds a statue of the world's new
"god", the dictator himself. The statue is set up in the "holy
of holies" inside the temple. Word immediately goes out through the press
that this incredible statue, made of the world's costliest metals and gems, can
actually talk.

The New United League of Peace convenes
in Jerusalem at the gate of the temple. Its leaders bow before the statue of
their leader as they gather for one of the most important meetings in history.
From that meeting comes the unanimous acknowledgment that their hero is God
manifest in the flesh and that only by worshipping him can men expect peace on
earth, goodwill to men. And so the universal law of the sixes, as it came to be
known, is passed unanimously. This law requires that every man, woman, boy and
girl in the world must bear his mark. It is an insignia designed around three
6's. It is to be stamped either on the forehead or the right hand. Those
refusing to comply can no longer buy or sell, hold public office, or work in
any job under the control of any nation under the sun. The world scurries to
comply. Nation after nation ratifies the law of the three 6's. Only in one
country of the world does division and fear replace the unity and peace that
appears to be worldwide. That nation is Israel.

It is as though suddenly, a blindfold
has been removed from Jewish eyes. In a fit of rage, the devil's dictator once
again raises Satan's bloody knife in one last effort to annihilate the Jews.
The streets of the holy city which were designed to be the citadel of peace,
one last time sense the terror of mass murder. This time it is on their very
doorsteps, as thousands of Jews are ruthlessly murdered. As the hand of death
falls on tiny Israel once again, thousands flee to the caves of Petra to hide
from their pursuers. They are unwilling to bow before his Satanic statue and
thus defy Jehovah's name.

Still others pay the price of compromise
and like the children of Israel of old, they prefer to yield to idolatry when
in the face of martyrdom. So tiny Israel is fragmented, tortured and crushed
beneath the blows of this "peace-loving" monarch in the very name of
justice itself. Meanwhile, that remnant, some 1/3 of the nation, lies huddled
in caves in the mountains pleading with God for yet another deliverance. Praise
God, they do not pray in vain.

Suddenly, the world is gripped by a
parenthesis of silence. It is as if a loving God is waiting one last time for
the world to repent before the final trumpets of doom echo their eerie blast,
and mankind tastes the final cup of the judgment of God. But once again,
repentance does not come. Even as the world seems to live in the quiet eye of
the storm for a few moments, the wrath of God is preparing to overflow upon
planet earth.

John wrote of this deadly beginning of
the end in Revelation 8:7 when he said,

The first angel sounded, and there
followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth:
and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

It is as though God releases the
protective shield about the sun and the ovens of heaven send forth a blast of
heat that destroys all of the grass on the earth and 1/3 of all the trees.
Scientists scurry to their computers for explanations, but none are found. The
wrath of God continues to be poured out as we see in the following two verses,

8:8 And the second angel sounded, and as
it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third
part of the sea became blood;

9 And the third part of the creatures
which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were
destroyed.

Suddenly, a great star falls from the
heavens and 1/3 of the earth's water becomes contaminated and bitter. Shortly
thereafter, mankind is baffled by the changes in the sun, the moon, and the
stars. A third of the day is without the light of the sun. A third of the night
is without the light of the moon. A third of the stars in the heavens are
extinguished as though the light of the world was withdrawing from the world in
stages. Amos prophesied, 

“And it shall come to pass in that day”
saith the Lord God, “that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will
darken the earth in the clear day.”

Truly, the earth is reeling under the
judgment of God, but it has not yet tasted the real heat of His wrath. God has
prepared to release from the bottomless pit a horde of demonic hosts to torment
man. What irony that God allows Satan to free his own demonic hosts which, in
effect, will destroy them. Surely, the enemy has always been self-destructive.
Now our God has unchained the demonic hosts in a final act of judgment on the
very world they claim to possess.

Like a sea of venomous locusts freed to
torment, they flow through the earth in an act of vengeance. They do not touch
plant life. Their objective is to destroy men. For five months, they swarm
ruthlessly across the planet. They leave an epidemic of disease in their wake.
But though they are ambassadors of the Antichrist, our sovereign God limits
once again who they can touch and what they can do. They cannot touch God's
own, and they cannot kill. Many unbelievers attempt suicide, but they cannot
die. God will permit Satan to torment his own. But for a season, He will not
allow the gates of death to open to them even though behind those gates lie an
even greater everlasting torment "where the fire never ceases and the
worm never dies."

Another trumpet sounds and an army of
demonic destruction numbering 200 million swarm the earth for thirteen months.
Another billion people taste the cup of death. Some 2/3 of mankind is gone, yet
still the remnant shakes its bloody fist at God in derision and refuses to bow
before Him. Revelation 9:20 says it so clearly,

And the rest of the men which were not
killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they
should not worship devils...neither repented they of their murders, nor of
their sorceries, nor of their fornications nor of their thefts.

There is another interlude of silence on
planet earth. You can read of it in Revelation 10. Apparently, God is now
amassing His army of saints for their triumphant return. An angel announces the
greatest news ever recorded in the history of man. We read about it in
Revelation 11:15.

And the seventh angel sounded; and there
were great voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world are
become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever
and ever."

This angelic announcement of the ages
heralds the movement of the clock of history to 11:59! The second hand is
beginning its final sweep. Like the spectators at a race as the winner turns
the curve for the final stretch, the crowd's reaction can only be measured by
who they were expecting to be the victor. No doubt, the angels of heaven and
the redeemed saints of the ages break out in a chorus of Hosannas, singing
perhaps an angelic version of "Holy, Holy, Holy" or a scripturally
accurate rendition of "The King Is Coming!" Does Satan hear that
song? Does Satan hear that proclamation? Do the angry rebels still living on
planet earth hear the shout of triumph as a trumpet of doom? We do not know.

So much is happening in heaven at this
time. The temple of God in the heavenlies is opened. The 144,00 martyred Jewish
saints break forth in song. The three special angels deliver their last minute
messages, and what messages they are! We read of the first one in Revelation
14:6-7 as he declares in a loud voice in verse 7,

14:7 “Fear God, and give glory to Him;
for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and
earth, 

and the sea, and the fountains of
waters.”

The second follows one in verse 8
declaring,

14:8 Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that
great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication.

Let's continue on from there reading
from verses 9-11,

9 And the third angel followed them,
saying with a loud voice, “If any man worship the beast and his image, and
receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

10 The same shall drink of the wine of
the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His
indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence
of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

11 And the smoke of their torment
ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who
worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”

God's last fire and brimstone sermon is
preached from the pulpit of heaven by none other than an angel himself. And
with that, there ushers forth from the scepter of a righteous God, the final
visitation of judgment on planet earth. It begins with a horrendous plague of
sickness and sores that fall upon all who wear the emblem of the Antichrist.
The seas are overtaken with corruption. The rivers turn into blood. The rest of
the creatures of the deep perish. The stench defies description. A special
dispensation of disease pours from the heavens upon the nations that have
gathered together under the banner of the enemy. The people are ravaged with
pain and realizing that they are under the judgment of the God of Israel, they
shake their fists in utter blasphemy against His name. We read in Revelation
that they still will not repent!

God then does another incredible thing.
He reaches down and dries up the Euphrates River. This prepares the way for the
nations to congregate at a place called "Armageddon." By now, the
world knows it is in mortal conflict, not with other men, but with Jehovah God
Himself. But God is not finished. Let's listen to what happens as revealed in
Revelation 16:17-21,

17 And the seventh angel poured out his
vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven,
from the throne, saying, “It is done.”

18 And there were voices, and thunders,
and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men
were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

19 And the great city was divided into
three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in
remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness
of his wrath.

20 And every island fled away, and the
mountains were not found.

21 And there fell upon men a great hail
out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God
because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

The clouds overhead have darkened upon
mankind until man can take no more. In an angry rage, the devil's dictator
calls upon all of the armies of men to gather together to do battle against the
King of Glory, Himself. The final veil of spiritual conflict is torn asunder.
Man now openly declares war on God. In utter defiance, the rebellion that was
planted as a seed in the heart of fallen man in the garden, now blooms to its
final ugly state as an open declaration of hostilities against the Creator of
heaven and earth. But it is the mind of a sovereign God who is orchestrating
this grand finale. Once again, Satan is only self-deceived. Revelation 16:16
says, and He gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew
tongue, Armageddon. On a battlefield some 100 miles long and some 200 miles
wide, the armies of earth begin to assemble. At the center of this incredible
landscape lies the city of Jerusalem.

The nations flow there from every
direction. They are blinded by bitterness and deceived by their leader. They
poise for what is to be the most decidedly ridiculous matchup of power in
history. Yet, they still come. Perhaps some 400 million in number, they come.
An uncanny stillness fills the air. "Will the great God of Israel show His
face?" they laugh. "Will there be a conflict at all?" they ask.
Angry, fallen man awaits his final encounter with destiny when suddenly, there
is the crash of thunder and a rushing wind, the sounds and sights such as man
has never seen or heard before. This time is described by Matthew and by Luke.
Let's read from those books.

Mt 24:29 Immediately after the
tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not
give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens shall be shaken:

Lk 21:25 And there shall be signs in the
sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations,
with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

26 Men's hearts failing them for fear,
and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the
powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Now, I cannot imagine what it will be
like on those plains of Armageddon at that moment in time. Suddenly, those
brave warriors must be realizing just who it is that they have challenged to a
duel on earth. Millions of men, petrified and paralyzed with nowhere to run and
nowhere to hide, stand in utter fear.

Victory At Last! Our King Descends in
Glory!

Just then, the heavens begin to emit an
awesome light. Brighter and brighter it glows, until mankind is blinded by the
very power of it. It is ten trillion times the light of the sun, a light so
intense that the mind staggers at the thought of it. In the midst of that
light, the most incredible sight ever known to the eyes of man appears. The
heavens open like a crystal volcano erupting from above and lo, in the midst of
that light is a sight to behold. Let's let John describe it for us in
Revelation 19:11, 

And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a
white horse, and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True.

Jesus also describes this moment in
Matthew 24:30, 

and then shall appear the sign of the
Son of Man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they
shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory.

Paul also describes it in 2
Thessalonians 1:7,

and the Lord Jesus shall be revealed
from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire.

Let John remind us again in Revelation
1:7,

Behold, He is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see Him.

Every eye! Think of it! Eyes blinded to
the truth, that have fastened the doorposts of their hearts in the closed
position as He came to them as a loving Savior, will see Him as He is, the
Righteous Judge, come to punish the earth at last. Eyes opened to truth that have
been bathed in the blood of the Lamb will see Him as He is as well, the loving
God, the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings. As He descends in glory, every
eye shall see Him.

On the fields of Armageddon, men poised
on the battlefield for the conflict of the ages will fall in instant defeat for
there will be no conflict. No shots need be fired. No atomic blasts need
explode. No cannons need to roar their puny thunder in the face of God. John
describes Him at His coming in Revelation 19:12-15,

19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire,
and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew,
but He Himself.

13 And He was clothed with a vesture
dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.

14 And the armies which were in heaven followed
Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

15 And out of His mouth goeth a sharp
sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a
rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of
Almighty God.

And on His robe and on His thigh, He has
a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS!

Guns, bombs, secret weapons? None need
be fired. God will simply speak. He will open His mouth and the Sword of the
Spirit will slay His enemies with a WORD!

Power? Mankind does not even understand
power! All God did to bring the world into being was to speak a Word. All these
thousands of years, He has held it together by the breath of His power. All He
will have to do in THAT DAY is to speak a Word. 

But first, every eye shall see Him.

Then, every ear will hear Him.

Then, every life that has been lived in
defiance of His Lordship will fall down before Him, but it will be too late.

The King has come! The battle will be
over! Let's read Revelation 19:21,

The enemy will be slain by the breath of
His mouth, and the Great Deceiver and his False Prophet will be cast alive into
the 

lake of fire which burns with brimstone.

"Wow!" you say, "What an
end to the story!"

Oh, no, beloved, that's not the end of the
story, that's just the beginning of glory! In the next lesson, we will travel
the roads of planet earth in a new age. We will view a thousand years of peace
on earth and witness with John that momentous time yet to come when the New
Jerusalem comes down from God out of heaven and all things become new.

At last, the finger of God will turn the
page of history, and an era marked by rebellion and bitterness will give way to
the birth of life as life was meant to be.

And I'm going to be there!

And if you are a Christian, you are
going to be there!

Praise God! What a day!

And it will all begin that fateful day
at Armageddon, when the armies of men in open rebellion challenge the Host of
heaven in what has been billed as the "conflict of the ages." But may
I remind you, it will not be a conflict at all! God has no fear of what man can
do. And God has no fear of what Satan can do. Nor do we! For one precious
morning, just as the skies seem to have darkened until man can no longer see,
the heavens will open and the Light of the world will descend in glory and

Every eye shall see Him.

Yes, every eye shall see Him!

When He returns in power,

Not an eye will miss His coming

In that soon unfolding hour!

Some will view His victory

Paralyzed through eyes of fear,

As the veil is lifted, showing

That the judgment time is near.

All their works, they'll see as
worthless;

All their lives but as a sham;

All the world will be in terror,

Those who've not beheld the Lamb.

 

 

All the weeping, all the anguish,

As man sees he's made a choice;

Choosing not to take God's mercy,

Now condemned, they hear His voice.

Yes, every eye shall see Him

And as Judge, He'll bring but fright.

Yet the eye of those who know Him

Will see such a different sight!

As in glory, He's descending,

All His saints in power to bring.

Every eye that thus beholds Him

Will but shout..."Here Comes The
King"!

Coming now to conquer evil,

Coming now in love to reign,

Coming now to gather by Him

All who've ever named His name!

One way, every eye will see Him.

King or Judge, what will it be?

As He comes, you too, will see Him.

I must ask... what will you see?

It is not too late, beloved,

You can still be cleansed of sin.

You can still behold the King of Kings

When Jesus comes again.

Ask Him now to be your Savior,

He has vowed... He'll leave you never!

And ye shall see Him as He is,

Forever and forever.