Gospel Dynamite with J. Allen Mashburn

The Millennial Reign of Christ | Revelation 20:1-10 | J. Allen Mashburn

This chapter is surrounded by controversy. The controversy swirls around the use of the words “thousand years” in verses 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. The controversy concerns the 1,000 year period we call the Millennium.
      There are three dominant views concerning the nature of the Millennium.
1.)  Postmillennialism - This view says that the world will get better and better and when the world has reached the proper stage of perfection, Jesus will return and establish His kingdom on earth. This was a very popular view prior to World War II.  Nearly anyone can look at this world and all the wickedness and evil and see that the world is getting worse and not better. This is a false view of the Millennium. 
2.)  Amillennialism – There are several variations of this view. The primary version says that there is no literal millennial kingdom. The kingdom of God is spiritual in nature and we are really in the kingdom age right now. Many who hold this view believe that Satan is bound right now. The Amillennial view spiritualizes these verses. This is also a false view of the Millennium. (Ill. A branch of Amillennialism known as Preterism believes the Tribulation has already occurred and that Jesus has already returned. The Preterist believes that Jesus returned in 70 AD and established His kingdom then. Their belief system is far more complex than that, but that is the gist of it.)
3.)  Premillennialism - This view holds that humanity will continue to degenerate; the world will go through a literal Tribulation; Jesus will return and defeat the Antichrist and establish a literal kingdom on the earth and reign here for 1,000 years. This is the only view that takes these verses literally. It is my opinion that this is the only true view of the millennium. 
      It is my belief that these verses comprise the fulfillment of many great Old and New Testament promises and prophecies. It is my belief that these verses tell us about a literal 1,000 kingdom that will exist on this earth. It is my belief that these verses describe the final kingdom that will exist in time.
      Why is there even a need for the millennium? Why not just wind it all up, judge sin and sinners and let the redeemed enter into eternity? The millennium will allow the Lord to accomplish some much needed goals. Among other things, the millennium will allow the Lord to:
·         To fulfill His Old Testament promises of a kingdom to Israel.
·         To put Jesus, in all His glory, on public display.
·         To answer the prayer, “Thy Kingdom come.”
·         To fulfill the promise that the saints will reign.
·         To bring about the complete redemption of nature.
·         To give man one final test under the sovereign rule of the Lord Jesus Christ.
While there are many great truths associated with the millennial kingdom, too many to share in one message, let me share a few of the things that will be a reality then.
·         Peace – All wars will cease. (Isa.2:4; 9:4-7; 32:17-18; 33:5-6; 55:12; 60:18; Eze.28:26; 34:25, 28; Hos.2:18; Micah 4:2-3; Zech.9:10)
·         Joy – The King’s subjects will be happy. (Isa.12:3-6; 14:7-8; 25:8-9; 61:7,10; 65:18-19; 66:10-14; Jer.31:18-19; Zeph.3:14-17; Zech.10:6-7)
·         Holiness - This kingdom will be a holy kingdom. There will be rebellion, but King Jesus will rule with a rod of iron, Rev. 19:15. Capital punishment will be enforced. (Isa. 31:6-7; 35:8-9; 60:21; 61:10; Eze.36:24-31; 37:23-24; Zech.8:3; 14:20-21)
·         Glory - This kingdom will be a glorious kingdom, with the glory of God in full display. All the citizens of the world will be able to travel to Jerusalem and see the glorified Savior face to face! (Isa. 4:2; 35:2; 40:5; 60:1-9)
·         Comfort - Jesus will fully minister to every need, so that there will be no want anywhere on the earth. (Isa 12:1-2; 30:26; 40:1-2; 49:13; 51:3; 66:21-23; Jer.31:23-25; Zeph.3:18-20)
·         Justice - Perfect justice will be administered to every individual. (Isa. 9:7; 32:16; 42:1-4; 65:21-23; Jer.23:5.)
·         Fullness Of Knowledge - An increase in the teaching ministry of the Holy Ghost  will result in enhanced mental capabilities. (Isa. 11:1-2, 9; Isa. 41:19-20; *54:13*; Hab.2:14)
·         Instruction – King Jesus will instruct His people in the ways of God. (Isa. 2:2-3; 29:17-24; 32:3-4; Jer.3:14-15; Micah 4:2)
·         The Removal of the Curse - In Gen. 3:17-19, God placed a curse upon the earth. This curse will be removed; resulting in an increase in the productivity of the earth, and in wild animals will losing their ferocity and ability to injure or kill. (Isa 11:6-9; 65:25).
·         Sickness Removed - The King will be a healer, so that sickness and death will vanish from the earth. Death will only exist as a punishment for extreme sin. (Isa 33:24; Jer.30:17; 33:6)
·         Healing of the deformed - All deformity will be healed. (Isa.29:17-19; 35:3-6)
·         Protection - There will be a supernatural preservation of life during the millennium. (Isa.41:8-14; 62:8-9; Jer. 23:6; Joel 3:16-17; Amos 9:15; Zech.9:8; 14:10-11)
·         No Oppression - There will be no social, political, racial or religious oppression in that day. (Isa.14:3-6; 42:6-7; 49:8-9; Zech.9:11-12)
·         No Immaturity - It seems that there will be no mental retardation or dwarfed bodies, extreme longevity will also be restored. (Isa.65:20)
·         Reproduction by the Living People - The living Tribulation saints and believing Jews who enter the millennium will reproduce. The population of the earth will soar. Yet, all children will be born with a sin nature, and will therefore need salvation. (Jer.30:20; 31:29; Eze.47:22)
·         Labor - A perfect economic system, in which all needs will be met by the labor of men under direction of the King. It will be a fully industrialized world. (Isa. 62:8-9; 65:21-23; Jer.31:5)
·         Economic Prosperity - The perfect labor situation will produce economic abundance, so that there will be no want. (Isa.35:1-2, 7; 30:23-25; Jer.31:5; 12; Eze 34:26; 36:29-30; *Joel 2:21-27* *Amos 9:13-14*; Zech.8:11-12)
·         Increase of Light - The will be an increase in solar and lunar light, this will produce longer growing seasons, accounting for the increase in productivity. (Isa.30:26)
·         Unified Language - All language barriers will be removed. (Zeph.3:9)
·         Unified Worship - The entire world will worship God through the Lord Jesus Christ. (Isa.45:23; 66:17-23; Zeph.3:9; Zech.14:16; 8:23; Mal.1:11)
·         The fullness of the Spirit - All who are subject to the King will experience divine enablement and presence. (Isa.44:3; Eze.36:26-27; 37:14; Joel 2:28-29)
      Those are just a few of the glories of that future kingdom. Let’s take a few minutes to study these verses today.

The King is Coming | Revelation 19:11-21 | J. Allen Mashburn

The opening chapter of Revelation sets the tone for everything else that will happen in the book. Rev. 1:1 tells us that this book is “The revelation of Jesus Christ.” Rev. 1:7-8 says, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” This book is about Jesus and about His return to this earth to rule and reign.
Revelation chapter 5 takes us into Heaven. God is shown holding a book that is sealed with seven seals, 5:1. A search is made in heaven and in earth to find someone worthy to open the book, but no one is found, 5:2-3. John weeps at this news, because he desperately wants to know what is written in the book, 5:4. John is told not to weep because the Lamb of God is worthy to take the book, Rev. 5:5-7. When the Lord takes the book from the hand of God, Heaven erupts into praise and worship because the Lord Jesus has been found worthy to take the book and to open the seals, Rev. 5:8.
When we studied that chapter we discovered that the seven sealed book was the title deed of the planet earth. You see, Satan is called “the god of this world”, 2 Cor. 4:4. He may be the “little g” god of this world today, but he is not worthy to retain his grip on the world. This world belongs to Jesus, and to Jesus alone! The day will come when He will take possession of this world away from Satan.
        This world is belongs to Jesus because of three great truths.
·         It is His by right of Creation – He made it!
·         It is His by right of Calvary – He redeemed it!
·         It is His by right of Conquest – He will retake it!
The entire book of Revelation has been leading us to this great moment we will consider together today. The whole purpose of the Tribulation Period, chapters 6-18, is to prepare the world for the coming of the King. The passage we are about to study today speaks of that great moment in the future when Jesus will return to this earth is power and glory to claim what is rightfully His. The first time Jesus came to this world, He came as a Redeemer. The next time He comes, He is coming as a Ruler! The first time He faced a Cross; the next time, He will wear a Crown. The first time He came there was a Tomb; the next time He comes there will be a Throne.

A Marriage Made in Heaven | Revelation 19:1-9 | J. Allen Mashburn

We all know that weddings can be spectacular. Thousands of dollars are spent trying to produce a perfect moment in time that will join a couple together in marital bliss. Typically, the church is decorated to the hilt; the bride is resplendent in her pure white wedding dress; and the groom stands nervously at the front of the church. It is a special moment in the lives of those two individuals and for the people who know and love them. Weddings, here on earth, are a special thing!
Sometimes, weddings can simply be a spectacle! I could tell you some horror stories about some of the weddings I have seen. And, who can forget the twisted tale of Jennifer Wilbanks, the runaway bride from Duluth, GA. She faked a kidnapping and was found in Albuquerque, NM. Thankfully, most weddings turn out better than that!
Everyone who has a wedding is looking for one thing: a marriage made in heaven! I just want you to know that while some marriages may have been made in heaven, they still have to be lived out here on earth. That tends to make most of them less than perfect. (Ill. Not ours dear!)
We have arrived at an exciting portion of the Bible. After the dark, dreary passages we have been enduring these verses gleam with the glory of Heaven. We are going to talk about a wedding today. Not just any wedding, but the marriage super of the Lamb. This wedding will be a time of great joy for all the redeemed people of God!
You see, for the church, the end times shape up like this: In the Rapture, we will be Caught Up; at the Judgment Seat of Christ, we will be Cleaned Up; and at the marriage supper of the Lamb, we will be Cheered Up! It is this event that we want to park on for a while today. I want to preach about A Marriage Made In Heaven.
If you are saved I want you to know that there are some blessed days ahead for you. If you are lost, I want you to know that you need to get ready to meet the Lord. He is coming and He is coming for His people. The rest will be left behind to endure the Tribulation and face the fires of Hell.
Let’s take a journey to glory today and look in on our future. I want to point out the blessings contained in this passage as I try to preach on A Marriage Made In Heaven.

The Destruction of Economic Babylon | Revelation 18:1-24 | J. Allen Mashburn

In our last study, we considered the destruction of religious Babylon. The Bible paints a horrific picture of the end of all false religion. One day, every belief system in the world that bypasses the Lord Jesus Christ will be utterly destroyed and will cease to exist. That will be a devastating day for the devil and his followers, but it will be a glorious day for the God of Heaven and for His Son Jesus.
While chapter 17 reveals the demise of ecumenical Babylon, this chapter reveals the doom of economic Babylon. In verses 1-2a, a mighty angel, shining with the glory of Heaven, appears on the scene. This angel comes to announce the condition and the condemnation of this world’s economic system. Mankind will not only be deprived of the religion he created; he will also suffer the loss of the wealth he craves.
Nothing seems to devastate people more than destitution. Take away a man’s money and often you have taken away his reason for living. This was the case in 1929 when the stock market crashes. October 29, 1929 became known as “Black Tuesday”. When the stock market crashed, the world was plunged into “The Great Depression”. Over the next few years the economic structure of the U.S. economy was nearly destroyed. Over 9,000 banks closed their doors between 1930 and 1933. Production in U.S. manufacturing plants ground to a halt, leaving millions unemployed. Many thousands lost their homes to foreclosure; many others lost their health to malnutrition. All across this nation, people waited in soup lines for their meals. All across this nation, “hobo jungles” and “Hoovervilles” sprang up. The “hobo jungles” were places near train yards where the hobos who travelled the country on freight cars set up camp. “Hoovervilles” were shanty towns filled with shacks made from crates and other cheap materials. They were named after President Hoover, who received much of the blame for the economic conditions of the times. People who lived through those dark and difficult days were changed forever by the hardships they suffered.
These verses tell us of an economic collapse that will make the stock market crash of 1929 seem like nothing! This economic disaster will be worldwide in its scope and it will take away mankind’s favorite god: money! Our money has the words “In God We Trust” printed or stamped on every piece. For far too many, the “god” they trust is that piece of money they hold in their hands. We have already considered the destruction of the one world religious system that will dominate the end times. In this study, we will consider the demise of the one world economic system that will dominate the world in those days. By the way, whether we realize it or not, the world’s economy is already headed toward being one vast system. Just a few weeks ago, a sharp decline in China’s stock market impacted stock markets all around the world. It even caused a 400 point drop in our own stock market. People lost billions of dollars in an instant. These verses talk about a time when the entire economic structure of the world will come crashing down in a moment of time.
Let’s consider the facts in this chapter that are revealed as God judges the economic system of this world. 

The Judgment of the Babylonian Harlot | Revelation 17:1-18 | J. Allen Mashburn

In chapter 16 we witnessed the final judgment of God against this world. We saw God destroy this world through a series of powerful plagues. We also witnessed the defiance of fallen man. Even in the face of judgment, man refused to repent.
Of course, this shouldn’t surprise us; man refused to repent in the face of Law and man has refused to repent in this age of grace. Man is an incorrigible sinner, and apart, from the grace of God, mankind is hopelessly lost!
The last plague in Rev. 16:17-21 brought about a great earthquake that destroyed the cities of the world. This final, great quake devastated all the places that man had created. This earthquake destroyed everything that represented the greatest accomplishments of humanity. All of mankind’s centers of pleasure and profit are wiped out.
Since the dawn of time man has been in the business of trying to get by without God. Man rests on his power, his accomplishments, his ability to produce and his ability to enjoy pleasure. In that last great judgment, everything man trusts is taken away.
We are also told that “great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath,” Rev. 16:19. Babylon is a city, but it is also a system. Babylon represents everything mankind has accomplished apart from God. This system is judged in the seventh bowl judgment.
What we have in chapters 17 and 18 is another parenthetical passage. These two chapters give us the details of the destruction of the Babylonian system. In chapter 17 we will see the destruction of religious Babylon. In chapter 18 we will see the destruction of economic Babylon.

Final Judgment Concludes | Revelation 16:10-21 | J. Allen Mashburn

In Revelation chapter 5 the Lamb of God took a seven sealed book from the hand of His Father. This book represented the title deed to planet earth. Jesus owns this world because He created it out of nothing. He owns this world because He redeemed it when He died on the cross. When Jesus took that seven sealed book, He began to open the seals. When He did, the Tribulation Period began on the earth.
By the time we reach these verses, the world has been smiting under the wrath of a holy God for seven years. Now, the Tribulation is about to come to an end. 
As the final three seals are opened, God prepares to conclude His judgment of this world and its inhabitants.
When the events of these final three judgments are concluded, Jesus Christ, the King of Kings will return to the earth in glory and power. He will take possession of the throne of this world and He will rule in righteousness. These three last plagues set the stage and prepare the way for the coming of the Lord.
When Jesus returns, He will finally receive the glory and honor that He deserves. Here is what the Bible says about it, Phil. 2:5-11. Today, the Lord Jesus is rejected, maligned and hated by the world. That hatred is only going to intensify as the days go by and grow more and more evil.
In these verses the Lord God begins the process of final judgment upon the earth. In our last study we watched as Final Judgment Commenced. Today we will watch as Final Judgment Concludes.

The Final Judgments | Revelation 16:1-9 | J. Allen Mashburn

There is no denying the fact that the book of Revelation is a book of judgment. It was written to people in the first century who were smiting under the angry whip of Roman persecution. It was given to them to let them know that God has a plan for the judgment of all those who have rejected Him.
While there are passages that allow for rejoicing in the chapters of this book, it is, for the most part, a chronicle of God’s final judgment of sin, sinners and Satan. In Revelation there is a series of three judgments which are executed in seven stages each. There are the seven seal judgments, the seven trumpet judgments and finally the seven bowl judgments. 
As the judgments progress, the intensity and severity of the judgments increase.
We have arrived at the final set of judgments. In Rev. 15:7 shows one of the four beasts giving to seven angels seven bowls “full” of the wrath of God. Just as a reminder, the word “full” means “to swell”. It is the image of a dam, under pressure, nearing its bursting point. This is a good description of the wrath of God.
Ever since Adam sinned in Eden, the wrath of God against sin and sinners has been building. The grace and mercy of God have served as a powerful dam, which has held that wrath in check. In the judgments of the Revelation, the dam of God’s wrath bursts and a Christ rejecting world is swept away in the wave of judgment that issues forth.
Up to this point, God has always tempered His wrath. God has been faithful to honor the request of the prophet Habakkuk. In Hab. 3:2, the prophet prayed, “in wrath remember mercy.” But, now the time for judgment has come. There will be no mercy any longer. The wrath of God is about to be poured out. God is preparing to commence His final judgment of the earth.
In Rev. 14:10, John writes, “The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation.” In these verses, the world is about to experience the undiluted wrath of an offended God.
In verse 1 God issues the command for the angels to begin pouring out the bowls filled with His wrath upon the earth.

The Preparation for the Bowl Judgments | Revelation 15:1-8 | J. Allen Mashburn

As the book of the Revelation is a book of contrasts. As we move through the book, we are taken back and forth between Heaven and the earth. We are allowed to witness scenes of joy in the heavens and we are confronted with scenes of judgment on the earth. In the heavens you see scenes of worship. On the earth, you see scenes of wrath.
In this chapter we are once again taken into Heaven. In these eight verses, which comprise the shortest chapter in the Revelation, we are allowed to see a vision of Heaven as God prepares for His final judgment of the tribulation earth. There has already been great suffering as the judgment of God has been unleashed on the earth. When these judgments are poured out on the earth, they serve to increase the agony of the wicked.
We want to examine John’s vision today. We are given a glimpse of Heaven as it prepares for final judgment. Up to this point, God has mingled mercy and judgment. Up to this point God has been leaving the door to repentance ajar. Now humanity has made its final choice. The world has chosen Satan over God and judgment is coming. There will be no mercy. There will be no more opportunity. There will be no longsuffering or grace. There will only be judgment and the wrath of God for all those who have rejected Jesus Christ.
Let’s join John as he looks in on this scene of heavenly preparations.