1. The Ordering & Timing of Events Ezekiel 38
Jesus is Coming Back
The Ordering & Timing of Events
Ezekiel 38
Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.
Under the topic of Jesus is coming back, we could have spoken on many topics
I have taken it for granted that you believe that the Bible speaks about the return of the Lord Jesus Christ bodily to this earth
I have chosen to speak about the ordering of the events when he comes
I want to try to answer the questions:
What events will indicate his imminent return
What are the events that occur when the Lord Jesus Christ returns
What is he coming to do?

2. Overview The Surety of Jesus’s Return When Will He Return?
The Order of Events
Judgment
His Followers
The Nations
The Millennium
The Work of Elijah
The House of Prayer
The Third Heaven – after the Millennium
So an overview of our agenda tonight:
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3. The Surety of Christ’s Return
Acts 1:11
“Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven”.
Luke 21:27
“And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory”.
Firstly then I want very briefly to look at two Bible passages that speak to us of the surety of Jesus’ return to the earth
I am making the assumption that you believe in the Bible
And, as I said at the outset I wish to concentrate on when he will return, and what he will do upon his return
I just want to take these two proof scriptures as our starting point
{read two quotes}
So very specifically the Bible speaks of the bodily return of Jesus to this earth
From this point I wish to make the assumption that this is a given belief

4. When Will He Return? Daniel - BC611 Babylon 610 - 542
Medo-Persia
Grecian
Roman BC
Divided Today
When will he return?
In Daniel chapter two we read of a great image that the ruler of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar saw in a dream
The year was 611 BC, in the very early part of the Babylonian empire
What Nebuchadnezzar saw was interpreted by Daniel the prophet
His dream was a prophecy of the world empires that have come and gone just as predicted by the dream
{Read}
At the last a stone, a representation of the Lord Jesus Christ hits the image in the feet
The feet are very descriptive of times very like our own

5. The Order of Events Read Eureka Volume 2 Pages 544-570
Return of Jesus Christ to the earth
Resurrection of the dead
Judgment Seat at Mt. Sinai
Rewards and rejections
Russian overthrow of Turkey
Europe confederated by Gog
Russia invades Egypt
World-wide time of trouble
Russia besieges Jerusalem
Perfect Multitudinous Christ
Marriage of Lamb to Bride
Elijah’s work of restoration
The Cherubim – Yahweh Tzvaoth
Arabs subjected to Christ
Western powers humiliated
Smiting and healing of Egypt
Russia triumphant – Great image
Armageddon – Valley of Judgment
Christ revealed – Olivet splits
Kingdom established in Zion
Great Middle East changes
Millennial Glory proclaimed
The Nations reject ultimatum
World-wide judgments & wars
Second Exodus of Israel
Establishment in bonds of Covenant
Nations subject to Zion’s King
House of Prayer for all nations
Universal rule – Millennium begins
The Glory of Yahweh revealed
So what is he coming to do?
The number of scriptures that talk about the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth are vast
On the screen you can see one effort at putting all these scriptures into order; it’s really like a giant jigsaw puzzle, there is no one continuous narrative that takes us step by step through the events
What is the reason for doing things in that way?
The scripture is clear that God wants us to search out the matter.
God does not want lazy people to understand these things, God wants people who are actively involved in their own learning.
This is a clear teaching from Proverbs, but that is another topic.
We obviously do not have time to go through all these events tonight, but we will try to cover a number of them
Read Eureka Volume 2 Pages

6. Time Line Return of Jesus Christ to the earth Resurrection of the dead
Judgment Seat at Mt. Sinai
Rewards and Rejections
1 Corinthians 15:32
“If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.”
The first series of events is shown on the screen
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{Read Bible ref}

7. Judgment of His Followers
Not all who have ever lived for some will not rise – Psalm 49:14-20
Appear = ‘Phaneroo’ – to be revealed in ones true character (Vine)
Judgement Seat = “Bema” – Roman tribunal – Acts 25:6,10,17
Two classes will be separated in the process of judgment – John 5:27-29
God alone is qualified to judge man – Romans 14:10-11
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
So the first event upon return to the earth will be the judgement of his followers.
Some of his followers will be alive at his coming, others will be dead.
All will need to be gathered to him for judgement, to see if they are worthy of eternal life.
For that reason those that are dead will need to be raised to life again.
Here are some of the quotations found in scriptures related to this
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8. “Who will render to every man according to his deeds:” (Romans 2:6)
To help us to understand what is happening here, I have created the chart shown here
{Run through chart}
“Who will render to every man according to his deeds:” (Romans 2:6)

9. Time Line Russian overthrow of Turkey Europe confederated by Gog
Russia invades Egypt
World-wide time of trouble
Russia besieges Jerusalem
Western powers humiliated
Smiting of Egypt by Russia
Russia triumphant – Great image
Perfect Multitudinous Christ
Marriage of Lamb to Bride
Elijah’s work of restoration
The Cherubim go out to battle
Arabs subjected to Christ
We come now to our second group of events
And it concerns a battle that takes place
Interestingly in light of resent world events is that he catalyst that starts these events involves Egypt, we can read of this in Isaiah and one of the first events that takes place is an invasion of Egypt
So many people are looking for an invasion of Israel, that which we read of in Ezekiel 38; the invasion of Egypt takes place first
You will have heard on the news how that the US taught groups of people how to organise themselves using modern social media internet packages like blogs, facebook, and twitter – who would have thought that the use of these technologies could have sparked the events that we are seeing today?
This is the hand of God at work – the most high rules in the kingdoms of men
It is very probable that we are beginning to see the troubles the in Egypt that will spark the events spoken of here in the scriptures

10. Judgement of the Nations Armageddon – Ezekiel 38
Northern Confederacy
Gog – Northern Russia
Magog – Germany
Rosh – Russia
Meshech – Moscany
Tubal – Siberia
Persia – Iran
Ethiopia
Libya
Gomer – France
Togarmah – Ukraine etc.
South Confederacy
Sheba – Arabs
Dedan – Arabs
Navel – Iraq
Tarshish – England
Young lions
USA
Australia
India
African nations
What then of Ezekiel 38
The war that is spoken of in scripture as Armageddon is widely publicised by the film making industry – so the name is familiar to us
Who will be involved in that war is probably far less well known, particularly as the scripture uses some very ancient names
On screen there we list the two armies involved {read}
We can see very clearly from this that we are expecting what will be the greatest battle that this world has ever seen. The battle will center upon Jerusalem
Let’s be very clear that many thousands will be killed in this battle; and if you read Zechariah’s prophecies you will be convinced as I am that the battle will involve the use of some form of nuclear weapons.
The result will be devastation. Nobody will win in a battle of this kind.
Thankfully our Lord Jesus Christ along with his new army of saints will intervene in the affairs of men, on a scale never seen before

11. Time Line Armageddon – Valley of Judgment
Christ revealed – Olivet splits
Kingdom established in Zion
Great Middle East changes
Millennial Gospel proclaimed
Revelation 16:16
“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”
{Read quote}
It is only after the battle of Armageddon that the Lord Jesus Christ will reveal himself to the nations.
He comes first as a thief in the night
But later every eye shall see him and the mount of Olives will split
There are two scriptures here that seem to contradict each other, that can only be understood once we see the order of the events
{Read slide}

12. The Millennium – Christ to reign 1000 years
Revelation 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
After these things then Christs rule upon earth begins
Christs reign upon earth is not for ever; it is for what in Gods terms is a very short period of time.
It is for a mere 1000 years
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13. Time Line The nation rejects ultimatum World-wide judgments & wars
Second Exodus of Israel
Established in bonds of Covenant
Nations subject to Zion’s King
House of Prayer for all nations
Psalm 2:10
“Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”
Micah 4:2
“And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”

14. The Millennium – House of Prayer
At the beginning of that 1000 year rule the LJC will build a great temple in Jerusalem
A artists impression of that city is shown on screen here
The temple found in Ezekiels prophecy is a mile square, and centres upon Jerusalem

15. This picture is another view of that temple
We are now looking down the outer perimeter of that temple

16. Time Line Universal rule – Millennium begins
The Glory of Yahweh revealed
Final Battle
The Third Heaven
Revelation 20:2
“And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”
I said that Christs reign only lasts 1000 years, and so it does
{Read Bible ref}
This speaks to us of the binding of sin for a 1000 years
{read slide}
So after this 1000 year reign of Christ there is this time period referred to in scripture as the third heaven; or the third age as it reads in most modern versions
What is this third heaven?

17. The Third Heaven
2 Corinthians 12:2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
The scriptures tell us very little about the third heaven
We know that at that time God Himself will be here on earth
We know that Christ will give his crown to God, offering up the earth to Gods rule
Here is what Paul wrote
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It sounds like a wonderful time. Indeed it will be a time when sin is eradicated, when all are immortal, when all the evil of this age is removed

18. Christ is Coming Back Are You Ready For the tree of life?
We come then to our final slide
And to a question that we all need to answer
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For the tree of life?