A few things Satan would've left out...

This weekend, we're going to blow through 42 verses in Revelation 17-18! Wow! It's going to be pretty heavy as we take a step back in our Revelation time line, do a little review and get a bird's eye view of the Antichrist and his reign. Here's the problem, though, when Satan takes over the earth during the Tribulation, he'll use more deceitful tactics than he ever has. The whole world will be united behind him and everyone who's not worshiping Christ (there will be very few of those people, by the way) will be worshiping the Antichrist and Satan. However, like normal, Satan will leave some parts out. In fact, if he were writing the Bible (which would be kind of weird), I'm pretty sure he'd leave this weekend's text, Revelation 17-18, out. It talks about the final fall of his empire on earth and gives us a preview of his eternity. The Antichrist's world system is directly attacked and suddenly destroyed by God and the whole world is shocked out how quickly it happened. I'm pretty sure he doesn't want us reading Revelation 17-18...so we're going to do it anyway.

Come this weekend as we take a look at the consequences of seeking pleasure in the world and what the end of Satan and his followers will be.

Oh, and Satan, if you're reading this, I HOPE YOU HAVE A TERRIBLE WEEKEND!

Does Satan Exist? The Nightline Face-Off

If you're interested in watching the face-off debating on whether or not Satan exists, go to Nightline's website.

"More Bowl Judgments, please!"

This is obviously a funny approach to a very UNfunny topic - the complete wrath of God poured out on the earth! Come to Velocity tonight to learn how to avoid "7 Helpings of Judgment!"

Does Satan Exist?

This was the question that was asked to a panel of 4 people last Friday in front of a live audience. Debating the topic was a doctor, a pastor, an ex-prostitute, and a bishop - 2 believe in Satan and 2 don't.

Why is this so important?

We've talked a lot about Satan in our study through Revelation and we've certainly discussed that the normal red, horned, hoofed, pitchfork-toting devil isn't what he's actually like. However, the Bible makes it very clear that he's real and at work to attack God's people and thwart God's plan. Satan would love if the world thought he was fake. If Satan can persuade people that he's not real, no one will think he's a threat - he'll be more of a fairy tale to them.

Make sure to watch this debate TOMORROW (Thursday, March 26) to get a good perspective on Satan's reality, but also how the world views him!

Click HERE for a 2-minute preview of who will be debating and what their opinions of the devil are!

Stoned to death

This weekend we looked at the last 4 of the 7 bowl judgments in
Revelation 16. Wow. Everything from skin-eating sores, to the oceans
and rivers turning to blood to the sun scorching men and unprecedented
earthquakes and hailstorms- crazy, unvelieveable stuff! The highlight
had to be the 100-pound hailstone that we unveiled during service. We
talked about how much damage hail has done in the past and how we can
only imagine what thousands of hailstones this size will do! My
favorite part had to be when we looked back to Leviticus 24:16 where
God tells the punishment for blasphemy- being stoned to death! What's
so interesting about that? Well, we read 3X in Revelation 16 that
people, knowing God is behind the judgment on Earth, blaspheme Him and
curse Him for His judgments. It's as if God sees that no one else will
stone them for their blasphemy, so He does it Himself!

God is not messing around is He? That's why we asked the question,
"What will God have to do to get MY attention?" If these people
wouldn't repent, what will we need to bring repentance in our lives?

Hail from hell

That's a pretty big hailstone, huh? Can you even imagine chunks of ice
that big falling at hudreds of miles per hour to the earth?! Wow!

Well believe it or not, the hailstone in the picture will look cute
and petite next to the hailstone we'll learn about at the end of
Revelation 16. Come this weekend and see for yourself how big they'll
really be!

Oh, and read Revelation 16 in preparation for the study!

A Victory Parade

Last night was a party in Velocity! Last weekend, we studied the first of a 2-part teaching on Revelation 15-16 - the 7 bowl judgments. However, before God's complete judgment is poured out on Earth in Revelation 16, the saints and angels party in heaven. Here's how I see it: Victory in Christ is SO guaranteed that we might as well start the party now!

Last night we looked at the before-judgment party and the vision of victory that John had as well as the songs of salvation that were being sung. Although the saints in Revelation 15 were temporarily defeated on earth, they stand eternally victorious in heaven! So cool! We also talked about how as Christians, we should be the life of the party. Not because we have drugs or premarital sex, but because we have JESUS! He's worth partying over!

2 Corinthians 2:14 - But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to LEAD US ALONG IN CHRIST'S TRIUMPHAL PROCESSION. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.

Since Christ leads us along in His triumphal procession, we figured we'd celebrate with a triumphal procession of our own. So, in small groups, we all decorated banners and a big float that advertised why living for Christ is such a party! Then, we all headed outside and screamed and marched and partied up because WE HAVE VICTORY IN CHRIST!

As we marched, everyone chanted part of the song of the Lamb in Revelation 15.
The girls chanted: "Great and marvelous are Your works...
The guys chanted: "Lord God Almighty!

Apparently they could hear us from inside the book store! That was the point!

Any guesses?

What could a 55cm Body Ball and a bunch of water have to do with
Revelation? Read Revelation 16 and see if you can come up with any
ideas. You'll find out for sure next weekend as we look at the last 4
of the 7 bowl judgments!

Leave a comment with your guess at what we're going to do with the ball!

Temporarily Stunned

No, these goats aren't dead. And actually, they didn't even faint, although they've earned the nickname "Tennessee Fainting Goats." Why? They have a hereditary disorder called “myotonia congenital” that causes their muscles to lock up when they're startled (watch a video of them in action HERE or come to service this weekend to see it). They don't actually faint, but when they get scared, their muscles lock up and they easily toppled over. Within seconds, they're back on their feet and running around like nothing happened.

These goats actually kind of reminded me of God's enemies in Revelation 16. The time has come for their judgment and He begins to pour out His wrath in rapid, violent, sudden floods of judgment. The people being judged (who actually survive) seem to act similar to these goats. They are writhing in pain after breaking out in sores all over their body or being scorched by the sun, but then look how they respond:

Revelation 16:9 - ...and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.

They're temporarily stunned, but then turn around and blaspheme God and continue in their sinful ways! Horrible! Don't make God teach you the hard way that He's the Judge and He's in control. It's a painful lesson that you don't have to learn hands-on.

Shock and Awe

I'll never forget the time I first heard the phrase "Shock and Awe," President Bush used it just a couple months after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in NY. I was standing in the old coffee shop at church, listening to a press conference with the President about how they were going to attack (see a video of the attack below). Here's a basic definition of "shock and awe" from Wikipedia - "technically known as rapid dominance, is a military doctrine based on the use of overwhelming power, dominant battlefield awareness, dominant maneuvers, and spectacular displays of force to paralyze an adversary's perception of the battlefield and destroy its will to fight." The idea is to hit the enemy as hard and as fast as possible, so that they're so shocked and in awe that they can't really fight back. That's the strategy God seems to use in Revelation 15-16 this weekend as we look at the last of His judgments on the earth. The attacks on sinful mankind are so rapid-fire and ruthless that people can't even try to fight back, they simply curse God and continue in their sin.

Buckle up for a wild ride this weekend as we see the Satanic kingdom on earth crumble. We'll watch as everyone who took the mark of the beast breaks out in nasty sores, huge 70-100-pound hailstones hit the earth, the sun's heat multiplies and burns men, ALL water on the earth is turned to blood, and much more! Believe me, you DO NOT want to endure all of this, so surrender your life to Christ NOW before it's too late!

You thought it was bad before...

These 3 pictures all have something in common. The first picture is 60 pounds of Coca-Cola. The second picture is a 70-pound fish. The third picture is an 80-pound pumpkin!

So, what do they all have in common? They all weigh about the same amount as the final plague of hail that will pummel the earth at the end of the bowl judgments in Revelation 16.

Here's how the Bible puts it:

Revelation 16:21 - And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.

According to the "Ask A Scientist" page on the Department of Energy website, "the terminal fall velocity of an ice sphere the size of a golf ball (1.68 inches in diameter)...is 234.7 miles per hour." Wow! Just imagine an 80-pound hailstone falling to the earth at hundreds of miles per hour! Now imagine thousand of them that size falling...all at the same time! Millions of people will be killed instantly. The biggest hailstone on record right now, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weighs in at about 1.5 pounds and measures 7 inches across - the size of a small soccer ball. That's a big hailstone...but NOTHING compared to the hailstones in Revelation!

Don't forget though, hail is just one of the many things that will happen to the earth in the end. When it's all said and done, God's words will be "It is done!" (Revelation 16:17).

Join us this weekend in Velocity as we look into the (almost) final judgment of Satan and his gang. If you thought it was bad before, you just wait. The nightmare has only begun!

I wouldn't want to end the blog like that, though, without reminding you that you don't have to endure all of that pain and suffering. God has offered us all the free gift of eternal life because Jesus died the death that we deserved - to pay for our sin. We all deserve the wrath of God that is poured out in Revelation, but thanks to Jesus, we can be those people at the beginning of Revelation 15, standing with Jesus having victory over the beast! Commit your life to Jesus TODAY - you're not guaranteed another day.

Side Effects May Vary

You've seen those commercials for certain types of prescription drugs where the voiceover reads off a list of side effects that the drug may have on you. Sometimes it seems like it would be better to suffer without the drug than risk having to deal with the side effects. Satan always leaves out the side effects when he tries to deceive or tempt us. As we look at Revelation 14 today, it will give us the side effects of taking the mark of the beast...

Revelation 14:9-11
9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. 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 ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

It's not that Satan didn't know that those things would happen, it's just that he doesn't care...AT ALL! His whole goal while he still has a chance is to ruin our lives and pull us away from the Lord. Revelation 14 is a great reminder to always think through what you're about to do - if it involves sin, it will never lead anywhere good.

Here's a parody on a medicine commercial that talks about potential side effects of the drug...

Mowing down His enemies

Revelation 14:14-16
14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp SICKLE. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in Your SICKLE and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His SICKLE on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

Below is a REALLY BORING video of a guy using a scythe (similar to a sickle, but with a long handle). A scythe is what you normally see "the grim reaper" holding. Why post a video of this? Well, mainly because in our age of remote-controlled lawn mowers, we don't really know what a scythe or a sickle is. It's a good visual to get in your mind as we study John's vision in Revelation 14 when the Son of Man reaps the earth. This won't really be a battle - it's literally God annihilating His enemies.

(If it gets too boring for you, fast forward to about 2:00 - that's when you can see the ducks...and oh man is that exciting!)

You Don't Have to be a LOSER!

That's the title of the message this weekend...and it's also the GREAT NEWS of the message! Revelation 14:14-20 looks ahead to the 7 bowl judgments (next week in Revelation 15-16) and the Battle (more like a slaughter) of Armageddon in Revelation 19. Revelation 14 describes a blood bath of epic proportions. Toward the end, it pictures Christ holding a sickle about ready to mow down His enemies. It makes me thankful that I know what side of the sickle I'll be on and reminds me what an urgent message we have to proclaim.

The best part is, even if you are on the losing side right now, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE! Jesus has offered you a position on the winning team!

666 = the ticket to fun?

Tonight we had a VIP party jammin before service. Everyone was invited
and all you had to do was get marked...with 666. No big deal though-
everyone was doing it and that's how to really have a good time.

It really was a lot of fun and even now as I look at the 666 on my
wrist it reminds me of how easy it was and how it seemed so right. I'm
sure it will to the people in Revelation too. It will just make sense-
they'll be able to buy and sell, all currency will be the same, etc.

We looked at 3 marks tonight: THE Mark, Our Marks, and Jesus' marks.
Each person marked with something reveals what they value. The
challenge tonight was to pan back and ask "What marks my life?" In the
end, many will take the mark for the Antichrist, but don't forget that
Christ took the marks for us!

The MARK

Last weekend we studied Revelation 13 and this week, we continue it. We looked at a few possibilities of what "the mark of the beast" will be in the end times and we'll look at them again tonight. We'll spend most of our time tonight, however, talking about the marks you already have, then as we close in worship and communion, we'll talk about the marks Jesus took for us! Should be a great night!

MAKE SURE TO COME EARLY FOR THE V.I.P. PARTY FROM 6:45-7:15!.

We'll also have barcodes like the one pictured available for you to take home if you'd like. It says "Revelation 13" on the front, and on the back, you can read Revelation 13:16-18 along with our blog address. Hand a few out at school - see what happens!

Oh, and going with the news theme, Al K. Seltzer and Chanda Leer will have some reports on people's experiences with THE MARK. Here's a sneak peek at one, come to service to see both...