Christ With Coffee On Ice - revelation series: day 4

Episode Date: July 17, 2026

Hey y'all ! Welcome to another Friday with CWCOI ! In this week's episode, our host, Ally Yost reads through the book of Revelation in chapters 16 through 22. Revelation was originally written to offer hope and encouragement to early Christians and it is just as relatable now as it was then. This episode is the fourth and final episode of a four part series - if you haven't already listened part one, two, and three, we would encourage you to do so before listening to today's episode. So grab your Bible if you're able to and let's dive deeper into what God has for us today as we finish the book of Revelation. "He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." Revelation 21:4 _____________________________________________ ☆ OUR NEW MERCH IS LIVE! SHOP AT: https://allyyost.com ☆ Find your purpose at Grand Canyon University ➤ GCU.edu ☆ If you're struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started ➤ https://learn.nocd.com/CWCOI ☆ MY BIBLE (code 'ALLYYOST' at checkout) ➤ https://hosannarevival.com/collections/beautiful-bibles/products/nlt-notetaking-bible-belfast-theme ☆ TUMBLER LINK ➤ https://allyyost.com/products/cwcoi-glass-tumbler-black _____________________________________________ Connect further with us ! TikTok ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@christwithcoffeeonice  Instagram ➤ https://instagram.com/christwithcoffeeonice  _____________________________________________ Connect further with Ally ! TikTok (2M) ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@ally_yost  Instagram ➤ https://www.instagram.com/ally_yost/  ShopMy ➤ https://shopmy.us/allyyost  Pinterest ➤ https://www.pinterest.com/ally_yost1/_created/

Hey guys, this is Allie in the future by like two hours, but I just realized before this episode starts that I never told you guys. Like when I started this episode and I did the intro, I forgot to tell you guys like one of the most exciting parts. So this is the last week. We've been doing this for three years. This is the last week that we are just doing one episode a week. Starting next week, we are going to be doing two episodes a week. Every single week. What? Yeah. So prepare to have double the content. I don't know. I just. wanted to. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully it goes well. Christ with coffee and ice is going to be every Wednesday and Friday instead of every Friday. So instead of getting four episodes a month, we're doing eight, baby, and I am so, so excited. So anyway, I completely forgot to tell you guys that.

Just wanted to let you know. So don't be surprised if you see our next episode comes out on Wednesday. You're not going to wait all the way until next Friday to see CWCOI. So love you guys. And now we're getting into the episode. Hello, everybody. Welcome to another episode of Christ with Coffee and Ice. I am your host, Ali Yost. It is a joy and honor to be here with you guys. Today, guys, we're doing it. Okay, we're doing it. Today is day four, and hopefully day four of a four-part series of us reading the Book of Revelation, which is so cool. We have never done anything like this on the podcast before. and it's so funny because there have been times where I have gotten DMs or messages from you guys

where you're like cover the book of revelation and I'm like no like that is one of the most intimidating books to read out of the whole Bible and I think that the truth is is like um and we kind of said this in the first episode when we started this a few weeks ago is like I think the reason why the book of revelation is so intimidating is because there is so much like doom and gloom and end times and just like there's been such an emphasis that a lot of Christians have put on this book of like this is it this is how the world is going to end and you better repent of your sins because Jesus is coming back and it's like yes yes yes that is the book of revelation but I'm not sure that's exactly why God gave us the book of revelation I don't think the

Lord gave us the book of Revelation to use it as a scare tactic to get people to salvation or to lead people to salvation, to lead people to Jesus. I don't think that book was ever supposed to be used in a way that manipulates people into a place of fear. We're like, ooh, if I better get my life together or else this is going to. And here's the truth is like the book of Revelation, it is very true. And I think like we saw that in a little bit of last week's episode and even the week before that where there are some really hard parts about Revelation where it's okay for us to kind of be like, ooh, that was a little uncomfortable or that kind of stung or that seemed really sad. You know, like there are some hard truths about the book of Revelation and the entirety of the book should be taken seriously.

I'm not saying we should write off that part, but I just think as a Christian, I'll speak for myself. Like, I've personally been so intimidated by the Book of Revelation for that reason, because I just, I've been scared that it's just going to be a book that's going to really bum me out and make me scared. And it shouldn't make you scared. And so I hope up until this point, if you've been keeping up with the last few episodes, that you haven't been feeling fear, I have prayed, and we will continue to pray in every episode that it does instill a deeper fear. of the Lord for us. Fear of the Lord in the sense of a deeper awareness, more of an awe and a reverence and respect for God, rather than, oh my gosh, God, please don't smite me. Like, don't strike me with

lightning. Don't kill me. Don't cast me away. Like, don't stop loving me. It's not that kind of fear of God. But it's a kind of fear of the Lord of like, oh, wow, I have forgotten just how mighty, how in control you are, God. I have forgotten time and time again that you are truly the one who is on the throne and has always been on the throne and will forever be on the throne. That is the book of revelation. It's like having a deeper revelation of the Father and who Jesus Christ is and how that will look in his second coming when he comes back

because it has been promised to us that he will come back one day. That we do not know the time, day, or hour. There will be signs. there will be indicators of the day, but we actually will never know the day of when he comes, but it is promised to us that he's coming back. And so this is also a book of hope. This is a book of rest.

I believe that, like, in the message of the book of Revelation, too, is it's our father assuring us that evil will not win. Evil will not prevail. That there is nothing that is happening now. There's nothing that's happened in the past or that will happen in the future, that will throw God off and go, oh, whoa, whoa, wasn't expecting this one. Wait a minute. I know that I said that I would be the one who would have the last say, but I don't know.

Evil's looking pretty. No. No. So it should also be a book of like, oh, we have hope and we have peace. You know, that peace that we get from God, the peace that surpasses all understanding. Like, we should receive a peace knowing that no matter what we walk through, no matter what we see in the world, Like, ultimately, God will always have the last say. He will have the last word.

So it's a book of hope, guys. It is. And so excited and honored to finish it with you guys. And disclaimer, as I've been giving in all the episodes, just in case this is your first episode tuning in, I will say, not the best timing, friend. You'll definitely want to go back to the last three episodes that we've recorded. If this is your first one, because we're just, we're finishing everything today.

But I will, in case we do have anyone tuning in that is new, a disclaimer that I am just a girl who loves Jesus. And, you know, we're learning together. So I'm not claiming to be any kind of like major Bible, like theologian who has this book figured out. I don't. That's okay, though. I really think that the most important thing about today's episode is that whatever is meant to stick will stick. And whatever the Holy Spirit wants to use, that he uses it. That actually is my deepest goal.

It's like, above all else, yes, it'd be great to understand as much of this as we can. But like to really relieve ourselves of that pressure of feeling like we have to fully understand what we're about to read. Because odds are we probably won't. I actually think that, yes, that's truth. Like, we probably won't. That's okay. That's me every time I read the Bible. I don't understand everything. That's okay. That's why this is going to be a great Bible for us to read, a great book, I should say, for us to read for the rest of our lives. Because we're going to have to read things over and over and over again.

And we're going to have different revelations every time we read it. And things are going to stick out to us. Even things that maybe we've already read 100 times. Like that is how the Word of God works. That's what keeps it a lot. That's what makes it living, I should say. is it is living, it is breathing, and it is alive for reason because it is God. And he's going to have his way every time we read it. And I don't think we're ever going to have it fully figured out. There will always be opportunity to take something from what we're reading. Maybe not everything, but we'll take something.

And I'm hoping for a few somethings. That'd be great. This series has been really fun for me with you guys. And so I'm looking forward to it. And yeah, let's just get into it. I didn't really get distracted in this intro. Usually I'm distracted about who knows what, my hair, talking about my necklace. I will say my necklace, though, super cute.

When I first put it on, it's a little heavy. It does kind of feel, you know what? It's good, though. It doesn't make me feel like I'm choking. It makes me feel like it's a weighted blankie. I don't know. It has a little weight to it. Now I'm used to it.

It's really cute and fun. Also, it's, we're stepping out. in like fashion risks on this podcast lately, okay? I don't know. I've never worn a chunky necklace like this with a camy, like with such a casual outfit, but I just wanted to feel like I was living on an island. I wanted to feel like I was living in the tropics.

I look like I'm supposed to be in Hawaii, and I think that's fun. Okay? I think that's fun. Also, side note, we don't have Bubba with us today. Bubba is my orange squish ball, my squish that I've been bringing on my podcast,

but we do have his best friend Bubbs. We've got Bubbs. Bubbs is purple. And you might be asking, okay, well, you might have two questions. One, Allie, how you doing mentally? You are bringing another squish onto the podcast. You okay? I don't have the full answer to that question yet.

Half of the answer is, think so. I think so. But then the second question you may ask is, Allie, if you already have one squish, why do you need two? And I will say, I only have two squish. I did have a third but I accidentally left it at my friend Anna's house and so now she has that guy But I will say this one is different because he's got a little texture to him And he sounds like

Does it sound like the ocean? Wait, are we on an island Is this my assamar moment? I'm gonna freak out. Does it sound like waves? Sorry, is this going on for too long? Anyway, but I like it because it sounds like it's like and it even looks like and feels like It's crushing like ice, like crunchy ice. This one's a little stiffer.

It does take a little bit more muscle in your hands and whatever this, whatever, your wrists. What's this? That. Like, if I be squishing this for a little while, I'll feel it. I'll feel the burn in whatever this is. Forearm? I don't know what this guy is. Anyway, that's my side tangent.

You guys almost got away with me not having a little moment, but I had to have a moment. Okay. That's it. That's all the life updates I have for you guys. Today, we're getting into the Bible. Before all else, we have our Christ, of course, as 1st John. In the beginning of the book of 1st John said, in the beginning was the word, and the word was God. And so this is Jesus.

We have our Christ. I'm going to be reading from my Hosanna Revival Bible, which I shout out and I talk about every episode because I love them. You guys are more than welcome to use my code. It's Al Yost, which is my first and last name. If you are ever interested in a new Bible or a first Bible, you should do it. It will change your life. The Bible will genuinely change your life.

And it's so funny because I feel like a lot of times we'll be like, gosh, I wish life had a manual. You know what Immanuel means? It's so funny. We say, I wish life had a manual. But there's a word that exists out there that's called Immanuel, which is. means God with us. God is with us. That's what it translates to. Isn't that funny? So we do have Emmanuel, Emmanuel. This is literally manual to life. If you want to know how to live life, well, get a Bible. And if you want to feel near to God, get a Bible. If you want to hear the voice of God,

get a Bible. If you want to know what God has for you or maybe even just like who God has created you to be, get a Bible. You know, you want to be a better friend, get a Bible. You want to be a better partner, a better daughter, a better person, get a Bible. We do have Emmanuel to life.

Emmanuel, God with us. He's with us right here. Anyway, so we have our car. Christ, we do indeed, and then we have our coffee on ice in our new glass tumblers, which we will put the little QR code as we always do. You guys are welcome to shop. We have Jesus on the back. I'm repping my, my black font today rather than the white. I love it. I love it. Okay, guys, we're about to have the best time ever, okay? This is going to be so much fun. So, should we do a little recap? It might be. be long though because like we've literally gone through 14, 15 chapters. But today, I will also say I am

reading the NLT translation, which is the new living translation. You guys are more than welcome to also read along. I highly suggest that actually. I think this would be really fun. I guess it's kind of giving more of a Bible study vibe where we should do it together. Take out your Bibles, take out your notepads. I think it's so helpful to actually physically have your Bibles with you. to just be touching it, reading it, writing, highlighting, doing all the things. At least for me, I feel like that's the best way to retain what it is that's being read to me. But obviously, if you're not in a place to do that, that's totally okay. I'm happy to just read it to you.

But I do think that these last few episodes have been really great for, like, if you do want some serious time to just read along in the Bible and just have your face in the Bible, this is a great episode for that. And the last few episodes have been, too. So let's just do a super, super quick recap just so we know where we're at, because it has been a week since we've touched base of just what we've covered and we've read so far. Okay, so we're not just going to recap every single chapter because that's going to take too long because we've really come a long way and it's a lot. So here's just the big picture, okay, of what we've covered up until this point. So Revelation begins with Jesus revealing himself to John, not primarily to scare us about the feet. future, but to encourage the church to remain faithful. In chapters 1 through 3, Jesus speaks directly to seven churches. Some are commanded for their faithfulness. Others are lovingly corrected, but the message

is consistent. Stay faithful, repent where needed, don't compromise with the world, and endure until the end. Then, in chapters 4 through 5, the scene shifts from earth to heaven. John sees God's throne, which is insane, where all of heaven is worshipping him. Then we meet the lamb, Jesus, who alone is worthy to open the scroll. Okay, remember how the lamb that was slain, he opened the seven seals to that scroll. Jesus, who alone is worthy to open the scroll that contains God's plan for bringing history to its final fulfillment. That moment reminds us that no matter how chaotic things become on earth, heaven is never in chaos. God is still on the throne, right?

Okay, so as Jesus begins opening the seven seals in chapters 8 through, or 6 through 8, I should say, excuse me, we see increasing judgment unfold, which was war, famine, death, persecution, and cosmic disturbances. Like the skies rolling up like a scroll and stars looking like as if, like, what was it described as, a tree being shaken and all the stars were falling out of the sky. Crazy stuff. Okay. So there are sobering reminders that sin has real consequences and that history is moving toward God's appointed conclusion. Yet even in judgment, God marks and protects his people showing us that he knows exactly who belonged to him. Then come the seven trumpets in chapters 8 through 11. You guys remember that? These judgments intensify, but they're also warnings. They're opportunities for people to repent and turn back to God. we also meet the two witnesses who boldly proclaim God's truth despite intense opposition. Though they're killed, God raises them to life, reminding us that God's purpose cannot be stopped. And I think what's been really cool to see in the book of Revelation as well is that God continually is giving people the chance to repent and to accept them as their creator. This isn't just like a one-and-done doom and gloom. that's it.

Anybody who hasn't accepted me until this point is just being damned to hell right now. This is a part where I believe God is so misunderstood, you know, where, and I think people have painted this time that will come, that will happen, okay? The end times are real and it will happen because God finishes everything that he starts. And so he started life. He started our life here on earth and it will come to an end. And so all of these things will happen. But this is just a part where I feel like God is so misunderstood because of all of the fear that people have instilled into unbelievers where we're just not giving enough context of like what the end times truly is.

Like I think unfortunately a lot of people have kind of cherry picked from this book and have only used the parts that are really scary. And I'm not saying like every part of this book is true. But if we're not I just, we're not speaking enough about how God's characters, like the beauty of God's character is still being revealed even in the book of Revelation. Like even in the end times, even with all of what's going down in this book. Like we are still seeing the character of God, which is love, which is compassion, which is he will give opportunity after. opportunity after opportunity of mercy and compassion to be like, hey, I'm giving you another chance. Are you willing to turn from your sin? Are you willing to turn from your independence? Are you willing to turn from your evil and accept me as your creator, as Lord and Savior? And are you willing to

accept the fact that you are living in a way that isn't good? And that I sent my one and only son to take on your sin. Like I'm actually, I'm giving you a way out. And like that's what God does over and over again in the book of Revelation. And I don't think enough people like see that part. I think a lot of people just see like, oh, okay, so just because I choose not to believe in God, I'm just going to be damned to hell forever. Why would I want to follow a God like that anyway who, like that doesn't even sound like a

nice God. Like that doesn't even sound like a God I'd want to follow. But that's not the case of the book of the book. of Revelation. That's actually not the case of how God decifers who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. The truth is, is like, he actually gives everyone chance after chance after chance. We're looking at how everything is falling apart and the world is coming to an end right now in the book of Revelation and we are seeing how God is like, do you want to turn to me now? Do you want to choose, like, do you want to accept me now? Are you done running?

from me now because I want to be your father. I want to take care of you. But you have to accept the fact that you're sinful. You have to. Like you actually have to accept that and repent for that and be like, yeah, okay, you're right. The way I've been living is wrong. That's not talked about enough. It's not that simple actually. No, that's not the God that you would be following. It's not a God that's just like, yes, oh, okay, you didn't want to accept me. Then go to hell. It's like, no, God actually up until the very last minute. still gives people the chance. And it's in their choice that they go to hell.

It's in their choice that they go to the place. Which also, if the word hell is triggering, the truth of the matter is that God is good. God is good. God is love. God is mercy. Anything that we are experiencing in this life that is good, it is from God. Whether you believe in him or not, it doesn't matter.

You are enjoying the fruits of who God is. And so hell is not just a place that God created and was like, I'm going to make it the most miserable, painful, excruciating, agonizing experience for anyone who doesn't want to follow me. No, actually, hell is just a place where the presence of God, anything of God, which is good, love, enjoyable, right? God, God is light. Anything that is the opposite of who God, it is a place where God does not exist. And whether you believe in God or not,

if you are living on Earth and there are things that you are enjoying on this planet, it is from God. The only reason there is any good on this earth is because it's God. Hell was not a place originally for any human being to be going to. Hell was just supposed to be a place where the angels, which in their free will,

had rebelled against God because they wanted to become their own God, they wanted to become independent, aside from God, Lucifer had become jealous and envious and wanted to be God. But the truth is, is nobody can be God. Like, the pot cannot become. the potter. And so Lucifer, being a product of God, God created

angels, he created us, human beings, he's created everything that we can see with our eyes, that we can touch with our hands, that we can smell, taste. Everything is created by God. That is why he is the creator with a capital C. The only reason we can

create, have the ability to create, that that's something that's embedded in our DNA is because we come from someone who is the creator. So we're creatives because he's the creator. Everything comes from God. It doesn't matter how much we want to be our own God or we want to be God. We will never be.

There's no angel in heaven, no demon in hell or no human being on earth that could be God. He's it. It's just not physically possible to be a product of something as mighty and powerful and glorious as God. and try to replace that and put our feet in his shoes. That doesn't, he, he's the only one that can fill that role because he's God. So Lucifer gets jealous of that, wants to become a God, he can't. And in that, the God was like, okay, that, well, that can't happen here. Like, I'm sorry, but like, you can't, you can't be your own God.

You can't rebel. You can't try to make your own kingdom in my kingdom. I've given you everything that you have. Like, I've made you who you are. You can't now turn and try to be me. So hell actually was supposed to be the destination of which angels, fallen angels, which are demons now, that was supposed to be their home. It was never supposed to be for people to go to.

But unfortunately, in our human nature, because God has given us free will to either choose good or evil. That's just the truth. And the other part of this too is like people could question like, okay, Ali, if you're saying that everything on earth that is good is from God, that sounds really convenient

because if everything's come from God and he's created everything, why is there evil on earth? There's evil on earth because we have, we have this nature about us as humans to rebel. And it was the same thing that Lucifer did. It was the same thing that Satan did. Like, for whatever reason, deep down in our human nature that God did not plant in us, okay? He gave us the gift of free will. And in that free will, we actually do have the choice to say, I want to follow God. I want to live by the way that he's

created me to live. Or, no, I don't. Actually, I want to do these things instead. And so the truth is, is like, what is love without a choice? Like, how can God love us? How can God be love? If he only gives us one option, he's going to give us the full free will to make whatever choice we want. But if we don't choose him,

we're going to go to the place that doesn't have him in it. Like, if we really don't want him, if you really, if you really don't want anything to do with God, God's not going to force you to live. in eternity in a place that is consumed with him. It's just him. Like there are good things here on earth, but heaven, it's like only going to be good ever. He's going to cast out all evil. And I think the truth is, is I didn't, I didn't know what heaven was. I thought before that heaven was just like a really nice peaceful place where we get to live, kind of like we live now, but there's just

no pain or suffering or evil. And like, yes, but also the truth about heaven is like it's, it's all about God. Like heaven is God's kingdom. That's his house. That's his home. Like that's, that's, that's his kingdom. So it's not just like a fun, peaceful forever paradise vacation for us to go to. Like, yes, there will be peace. God says that he will wipe every. tear and there will be no more sorrow, no more pain. There will be no more hunger, exhaustion, like evil, wars, murder, no evil in heaven. It will be peace. But peace is a product that comes from God. Joy, love, serenity, like all of those things that we think about when we think about heaven, like those are fruits of who God is. That's God.

So it's his home. And it's not just a place that we get to live in if we've reject, we don't want. That doesn't even make any sense. Like, what do you mean you're going to live your whole life? Like blatantly rejecting God and saying, I don't want anything to do with you. God gives you chance after chance. And even in this time, he's giving people chance after chance to say, hey, do you want to choose me now? because I actually would love to have you in my kingdom with me.

I'd love to have you in heaven with me. Actually, there's more than enough room. I planned for every single person who's ever lived in the history of mankind to fit in this place. There's room for everybody, but it's a choice. And it's not gods. It's up to us. The only reason anyone goes to hell or would go to hell is because it was a choice.

So anyway, I don't know where that tangent just came from, but to wrap that, it's like, no, he's not just a mean God who's like, yeah, no, sorry, you, you didn't live the way I wanted you to live and so you're going to hell now. That's not, no, he's not a one and done God. He has mercy. And if anyone's going to be casted to hell, it's probably because they blatantly denied God for their entire life and said, no, I don't want anything to do with you. I want to live selfishly. That's what these people were saying Because the truth is We're all sinful Okay

And the truth is Is that if we were to go to hell Just for our sins Every single one of us would be going Because every single one of us has sinned And so God's never going to just cast you to hell Because you've lived a really sinful life

Because we all have That was the whole reason He sent his son Jesus Christ was to take on the debt of our sins so that we would actually have a chance to have a relationship with the Father and go to heaven. So actually the work has already been done. Jesus already paid the debt of our sins. Every single one of us deserved to go to hell because we've all rebelled. We've all been selfish. We've all acted in evil in one way, shape, or form. No, maybe not all all of us have ran around killing people.

But like, we have mistreated others. We have been selfish. We have manipulated. We have lied. We've convinced people of things to get our way. Yeah, that's all evil. Like, those are not the characteristics of God. And so if we are to go to a place and be in his presence of pure holiness,

I don't even think we would physically actually stand a chance. I think we would disintegrate. So no, he's actually, he's not a harsh god. Because if he was a harsh god, he would have been like, right from the get-go with Adam and Eve. I mean, we would have just been all from there. We all would have been going to hell at that point. And so he sends his one and only son, Jesus Christ, to come down to earth in human form, to live up until the age of 33, to then die on a cross for something he, for something he never did.

He lived a perfect, he was the only human being in the history of ever to live a perfect sinless life and he gets crucified on a cross taking on the debt of our sin overcoming all of evil and even death shame everything he overcomes death because then three days later he raises from the dead overcoming all of evil and death so not even the enemy like satan then no longer had any control over death like he can never he couldn't scare people with death and dying because Jesus overcame that as well. So now we have hope in Christ who is overcome and made and like literally paid our debt, made us clean in the sight of the father.

So now all we have to do is believe in Jesus and say, yep, God, I believe that you did send your son out of mercy for us to give us a second chance because we live lives that are not pure. We live lives where we lie and we steal and we manipulate and we murder and we do all these awful things. I believe that you did that to give me a second chance and so I trust him. I'm going to follow him. I'm going to follow you and I'm going to I'm going to live the life that you want me to live because that's that's the least that I could do for you for saving my life and giving me a chance to live in heaven with you for all of eternity because without that, I actually, I would have gone to hell forever.

That's the revelation here. It's like all of us, that was our fate. He's not a harsh God. He's a loving God. He's a merciful God. And that's the part that I wish people would understand. And that was a part that I didn't understand. And that heaven isn't just a la-di-da, paradise.

It's God's house. And it's all about him. So it wouldn't make sense for anybody to go there who doesn't want anything to do with him. You're going to go to the place that is absent of anything that has to do with God, which is evil, darkness, pain, suffering. It's awful, actually. I don't believe that's where God wants a single one of us to go. But it's a choice.

It's genuinely a choice. What if my friends secretly hate me? What if something bad happens because I didn't do that thing? Does God really still love me after what I've done? If you've ever had thoughts like that that seem to play on repeat, you're not alone. Intrusive thoughts can feel incredibly real and urgent, and for some people, they can actually be signs of OCD. OCD is so much more than what people think it is. It can affect relationships, faith, fears, guilt, and so many other areas of life.

Now, the good news is that OCD is highly treatable with a specific kind of therapy called ERP, or exposure and response prevention. That's why I wanted to tell you guys about NoCD. So NoCD is the world's leading provider of OCD treatment. Their licensed therapists specialize in ERP therapy and treatment is completely virtual covered by insurance for over 138 million Americans with support even in between sessions. So you're never facing OCD alone. To learn more about starting OCD therapy with noCD, go to nocd.com and book a free call with their team. That's NOCD.com. Here at Christ with coffee and ice, we obviously talk a lot about purpose here, about finding the path God has set for us.

And when it comes to education, that path should lead to a future that matters. That's why when I heard about Grand Canyon University, I was so impressed because they are a private, non-profit Christian university in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona that believes education shouldn't be a privilege, but an affordable path forward for everyone. GCU is grounded in Christian truth. They are working to empower the next generation to lead with integrity and serve with purpose. And they make it accessible. Did you know GCU has kept tuition at the same rate on its traditional campus for 17 years? Plus, in 2025 alone, they awarded over $404 million in institutional scholarships. Whether you're looking for a degree on campus or online, find your purpose at GCU,

private, Christian, affordable, nonprofit. Visit gCU.edu to learn more. Anyway, Ali, are we going to start reading the book of Revelation or what? I don't know. Maybe. Okay. Chapter 12 to 13. Just quick recap. these chapters now pull back the curtain on the spiritual battle happening behind everything we see. We meet the dragon, who is Satan, the beast, and the false prophet. These chapters reveal that our battle isn't merely against earthly powers,

but against spiritual forces that seek to deceive people away from Christ. That also was the part where we realized, I mean, this is something we always have known about Satan, is he does not have an original thought in his brain. He just wants to be God. Okay. So he doesn't he's not going to have an original thought. He's just going to copy everything God does. So this is like his version of the Holy Trinity, but it's it's the counterfeit Trinity. And it's he's deceiving people in the end times because he's going to pull out.

That's the other thing we need to understand is Satan knows that hell is his home. He knows that that's his kingdom. That's his fate. Him and all his demons, all of the fallen angels that followed him, okay, and worship him. as their leader and agreed and was like, yep, we're going to do this, we're going to rebel, we're going to become our own kingdom, we're going to be selfish, we're going to cause mayhem, and we're going to get revenge on God, we're going to torture humans, we're going to, we're going to deceive, we're going to manipulate, and we're going to try to get as many of them convinced that this is the right way and lead them away from God.

That's what Satan's been doing since day one. So even up until this point, he's going to pull out everything he's got. Because ultimately, Satan knows his fate, but he's going to go down swinging. Like, he's going to try to bring as many people down with him as he can. These chapters reveal that our battle isn't merely against early powers, but against spiritual forces that seek to deceive people away from Christ. Okay? We also encounter the mark of the beast.

This part was really interesting. A symbol that has been interpreted in different ways throughout church history, but one truth remains clear. Every person will ultimately choose where their allegiance belongs, either to Christ or to the system that opposes him. Then we concluded with chapters 14 and 15, and these chapters remind us that evil does not get the final word. Amen? We see the lamb standing victorious with his people, God's coming judgment against wickedness, and heaven preparing for the final outpouring of God's justice. The saints worship because God is perfectly holy, perfectly just, and perfectly faithful to his promises. So, if we had to summarize chapters 1 through 15 in one sentence, it would be this.

Jesus is reigning. History is unfolding exactly according to God's plan. Evil's time is limited. And God's people are called to remain faithful because Christ wins in the end. That's where we've been. And now we're ready to continue the story. Okay. So we're going to continue into chapter 16. We've already been recording for like freaking 45 minutes, and we have seven chapters to read. Can we do it? Who cares? This episode will probably just be extra long.

Now, chapter 16, I will say, guys, God is now going to pour out the seven bowls of his wrath in chapter 16. So I fear we're going to have to buckle up, okay? I think for the rest of this book, we're going to buckle up because now this is going to be God. At this point, he's taken out all of the most evil of evil, impure of nasty, nasty people and also demons. So, I mean, it's awesome because ultimately this is what we want. We want God to just clear out all of evil. Goodbye. We are tired, God.

Satan, go home. You know, that's what we're going to witness right now. Chapter 16, verse 1. Then I heard a mighty voice from the temples say to the seven angels, go your ways and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God's wrath. So the first angel left the temple and poured out his bowl on the earth. And horrible, malignant sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped his statue. Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse. and everything in the sea died.

Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs, and they became blood. And I heard the angel who had authority over all waters saying, You are just, O holy one, who is and who always was, because you have sent these judgments. Since they shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, you have given them blood to drink. It is their just reward. And I heard a voice from the altar saying, yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, your judgments are true and just. Then the fourth angel poured out his bull on the sun, causing it to scorch everyone with its fire. Everyone was burned by this blast of heat, and they cursed the name of God

who had control over all these plagues. They did not repent of their sins and turn to God and give him glory. Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. His subjects ground their teeth in anguish, and they cursed. the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and it dried up so that the kings from the east could march their armies towards the west without hindrance. And I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs leap from the mouths of the dragon, the beast,

and the false prophet. They are demonic spirits who work miracles and go out to all the, rulers of the world to gather them for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God the Almighty. Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed. And the demonic spirits gathered all their rulers and their armies to a place with the Hebrew name are Magadon. Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. And a might, mighty shout came from the throne in the temple saying it is finished then the thunder crashed and rolled and lightning flashed and a great earthquake struck the worst since people were placed on the earth the great city of babylon split into three sections and the cities of many nations fell into heaps of rubble so god remembered all of babylon's sins and he made her drink the cup that was filled with wine of his fierce wrath and every island disappeared

and all the mountains were leveled. There was a terrible hailstorm, and hailstones weighing as much as 75 pounds, fell from the sky onto the people below. They cursed God because of the terrible plague of the hailstorm. One of the seven angels who had poured out

the seven bowls came over and spoke to me. Come with me, he said, and I will show you the judgment that is going to come on the great prostitute who rules over many waters. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her, and the people who belong to this world have been made drunk by the wine of her immorality. So the angel took me in the spirit

into the wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that had seven heads and ten horns and blasphemies against God were written all over it. The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing and beautiful jewelry made of gold and precious gems and pearls. In her hand she held a gold goblet full of obscenities and the impurities of her immorality. A mysterious name was written on her forehead, Babylon the Great, mother of all prostitutes and obscenities in the world. I could see that she was drunk, drunk with the blood of God's holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at her in complete amazement. Why are you so amazed? The angel asked. I will tell you the mystery of this woman and of the beast with

seven heads and ten horns on which she sits. The beast you saw was once alive, but isn't now. And yet he will soon come up out of the bottomless pit and go to eternal destruction. And the people who belong to this world whose names were not written in the book of life before the world was made will be amazed at the reappearance of this beast who had died. This calls for a mind with understanding. The seven heads of the beast represent the seven hills where the woman rules. also represent seven kings. Five kings have already fallen, the sixth now reign, and the seventh is yet to come. But his reign will be brief. The scarlet beast that was, but is no longer, is the eighth king. He is like the other seven, and he too is headed for destruction. The ten horns of the beast

are ten kings who have not yet risen to power. They will be appointed to their kingdoms for one brief moment to reign with the beast. They will all agree to give him their power and authority. Together they will go to war against the lamb, but the lamb will defeat them because he is lord of all lords and king of all kings, and his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him. Then the angel said to me, the waters where the prostitute is ruling represent masses of people of every nation and language. The scarlet beast and his ten horns all hate the prostitute. They will strip her naked, eat her flesh, and burn her remains with fire. For God has put a plan into their minds, a plan that will carry out his purposes.

They will agree to give their authority to the scarlet beast, and so the words of God will be fulfilled. And this woman you saw in your vision represents the great city that rules over the kings of the world. After all this, I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his splendor. He gave with a mighty shout. Babylon is fallen. That great city is fallen. She has become a home for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit,

a hideout for every foul vulture, and every foul and dreadful animal. For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her passionate immorality. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her, because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the merchants of the world have grown rich. Then I heard another voice calling from heaven.

Come away from her, my people. Do not take part in her sins, or you will be punished with her. For her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God remembers her evil deeds. Due to her, as she has done to others. Double her penalty for all her evil deeds. She brewed a cup of terror for others, so brew twice as much for her. She glorified herself and lived in luxury. so match it now with torment and sorrow.

She boasted in her heart, I am queen on my throne, I am no helpless widow, and I have no reason to mourn. Therefore, these plagues will overtake her in a single day, death and mourning and famine. She will be completely consumed by fire, for the Lord God who judges her is mighty. And the kings of this world who committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn for her

as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains. They will stand at a distance terrified by her great torment. They will cry out, how terrible, how terrible for you, O Babylon, you great city. In a single moment God's judgment came on you. The merchants of the world will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods. She bought great quantities of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls,

fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth. things made of fragrant thine wood, ivory goods, and objects made of expensive wood, and bronze, iron, and marble. She also bought cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, wagons, and bodies. That is, human slaves. The fancy things you loved so much are gone, they cry. All your luxuries and splendor are gone forever, never to be yours. again. The merchants who became wealthy by selling her these things will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will weep and cry out, how terrible, how terrible for that

great city. She was clothed in finest purple and scarlet linens, decked out with gold and precious stones and pearls. In a single moment, all the wealth of the city is gone. And all the captains of the merchant ships and their passengers and sailors and crews will stand at a distance. They will cry out as they watch the smoke ascend, and they will say, Where is there another city as great as this? And they will weep and throw dust on their heads to show their grief, and they will cry out, how terrible, how terrible for that great city.

The shipowners became wealthy by transporting her great wealth on the seas. In a single moment it is all gone. Rejoice over her fate, O heaven, and people of God and apostles and prophets, for at last God has judged her for your sins. sakes. Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a huge millstone. He threw it into the ocean and shouted, just like this, the great city Babylon will be thrown down with violence and will never be found again. The sound of harps, singers, flutes, and trumpets will never be heard in you again. No craftmen and no trades will ever be found in you again. The sound of the mill will never be heard in you again.

The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The happy voices of brides. and grooms will never be heard in you again for your merchants were the greatest in the world and you deceived the nations with your sorceries in your streets flowed the blood of the prophets and of god's holy people and the blood of people slaughtered all over the world okay we're going to stop there for just a second that wow we read a lot okay so that was reading chapters 16 17 and 18. Let's do a little recap. Okay, what the heck is going on? What's happening? Okay. So, and after doing a little bit of research, um, most scholars actually do agree that they think the primary purpose of these chapters isn't necessarily to satisfy our curiosity about the future, although obviously it probably does.

Like, we are definitely getting a lot more clarity of how things are going to go down, but it's to reveal God's justice, expose the emptiness of evil, and encourage believers to remain faithful. All right, so let's talk about the seven bowls of God's wrath. This is now the final series of judgments. These judgments are more severe than the seals and the trumpets that we already read in the past chapters. While the trumpet judgments affected only portions of the earth, the bull judgments are portrayed as complete and final. They include painful sores, seas and rivers turning into blood, scorching heat, darkness, the drying of the Euphrates River, and finally a massive earthquake and hailstorm

that has never been seen in the history of mankind. Okay. So, theologically, these bulls communicate several truths. Okay. One truth is that God's patience has reached its appointed end. So God has been very patient up until this point, but there is an end to God's patience. And the truth is, it's like there has to be an end to his patience because like, we got to wrap this up, you guys.

Okay, like I said, God starts something and he ends something and he has a plan for it. He's got to complete what he has planned. Okay. So his patience couldn't have lasted forever, but it's lasted for a very long time. But this is it. Okay. Throughout scripture, God repeatedly calls people to repentance. From the very beginning of the Bible to the end, that is something God has always encouraged people to do.

So these bowls show the moment when judgment is no longer delayed. And it is like, that's it. This is the time. It will happen. Many scholars note that these plagues intentionally echo the plagues of Egypt in Exodus. Just as God judged Pharaoh while delivering his people, Revelation portrays God judging the world's rebellion while preparing to fully establish his kingdom. which I think is interesting. And then one heartbreaking detail appears several times.

And this is something that we've been seeing while reading the Book of Revelation is despite the judgments, people still refuse to repent. And so the issue is not a lack of evidence of God. Okay, I think it's clear that at this point, people can't be like, well, I don't know. Like, God, are you even real? Like, yeah, I'm pretty sure at this point, he's made it. abundantly clear that he is the guy. He's it. He's the one who's in control, who's sitting on the throne. So it's not a lack of evidence here. It's just hardened hearts. Like, these people are completely hardened towards God and are filled with evil. Okay? So then comes Armageddon,

which I think I said that wrong when I first read it. Did I read it? I definitely, I don't remember saying that right. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Now, one thing worth mentioning is that apparently many Christians do have different views about exactly what Armageddon refers to. Some understand it is as a literal future battlefield, while others see it as symbolic of the final worldwide conflict between God's kingdom and the forces of evil. But regardless of whether you think it's literal or symbolic, because I think that that's a common argument with a lot of parts of Revelation. So regardless on what you believe is actually real or symbolic, I think a majority of us could at least agree on one central point, which is that evil gathers against God,

but God ultimately wins. That's what's being said here, okay? Now, moving on to chapter 17, which is the fall of Babylon. So John is shown a woman called Babylon the Great, writing a scarlet beast. Okay? And we got to see that whole vision, that whole moment there. And the woman is described with incredible wealth. Okay. Like she's the, she's it. Okay.

Luxury, influence. But she is also called a prostitute because she has led the nations into spiritual unfaithfulness. So she's not a legitimate prostitute. I think something to know about this is she is a prostitute, but. But in a way where she has seducted and manipulated, probably through all the flashiness of her incredible wealth, the luxury, like all of the things that she can give. But she's called a prostitute for those things because she actually has led the nations into spiritual unfaithfulness. Basically, she's led people astray from God to choose the things of this world. most scholars also believe that Babylon functions symbolically so for john's original readers

Babylon almost certainly pointed them to the roman empire the dominant political and economic power persecuting Christians more broadly Babylon represents every worldly system political economic religious and cultural that opposes god and seduces people away from him so at that time when it says John's original readers, it's like the people that he was writing to at that time. For them it was the Roman Empire. But for us today, like that there's still a Roman Empire of some sort to us today. It's still just as relevant to us. Rather than being only one future city, Babylon becomes a picture of humanity organized

in rebellion against God. That's what Babylon is, is the rebellion against God, things of this world, anything that opposes God and seduces people away from him. One surprising twist, though, is that the beast eventually turns against the woman and destroys her. So that part is kind of interesting because you're like, wait a minute, I thought y'all were on the same team. But evil ultimately consumes itself, I think is what's being said there, right? Throughout scripture, rebellion against God eventually collapses under its own corruption. It never wins.

Evil eventually consumes itself. That's crazy. So then in chapter 18 we see how Babylon falls, which for us, this is great. For evil people, this sucks. Okay? But it's good. Like, this is like, hallelujah. The chapter describes kings, merchants, and ship captains mourning, not because they love righteousness,

but because they've lost the wealth and prosperity Babylon provided. So they're just mourning all of the perks of what they got. from Babylon, which like, yep, they were living it good, but they were living in rebellion against God, and they were living for this world and the things of this world. And so this actually reveals one of Revelation's biggest themes, which is that God isn't only judging obvious evil. He is also judging corrupt systems built on greed, exploitation, injustice, idolatry, and self-glurification. And something to take note of you guys is the repeated emphasis on luxury, commerce, and materialism.

It just reminds readers that earthly success can become an idol if it replaces devotion to God. Again, I don't think that these things are evil. I think sometimes we get it twisted and we think that like, you know, luxury things or wealth or like anything, any materialism it is like evil. I don't think that's true. Like I think until it becomes an idol and it's the very thing that you worship instead of God is when it's an issue, right? That's the definition of an idol is something that has a hold of you more so than than God does. And so for these people, they were grieving it because that that was their God. That was the thing that they worshipped. So we just need to be mindful that that earthly success can quickly become an idol and replace our devotion to

God. And I think, yeah, this is a great reminder of that. Meanwhile, heaven then rejoices, not because suffering is enjoyable, but because justice has finally arrived and evil has not been ignored forever. So the big picture, as we zoom out on these last few chapters, chapter 16 through 18, is one major question. Okay. The question is, what happens to everything that opposes God? Can we answer that question? Well, I think we're going to what? We're going to be. We're going to we can because the answer is God's justice is complete. Evil does not endure forever. Human empires that appear unstoppable do eventually fall. Wealth, power, and influence cannot save anyone apart from Christ. Jesus' followers are called to remain faithful even when the world

seems to reward compromise. The one theme that ties these chapters together is this. Every kingdom built apart from God eventually falls, but God's kingdom never will. And that statement alone actually would have been deeply encouraging for John's first century readers living under Roman oppression, and it's just as relevant today. Revelation reminds us not to place our ultimate hope in governments, economies, cultural influence, or earthly success, but in the unshakable reign of Christ. Yeesh. Yeesh guys

Okay, we have one Two, three, four more chapters Can we do it? Heck yeah, we can All right, we're doing chapters 19 through 22 Is everybody ready? This is the Stinking Grand finale This is our Super Bowl

This is it Oh my gosh Okay, wait, why am I getting excited? Jesus! Okay, I need a sip of my coffee Chapter 19 verse 1. After this I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting.

Praise the Lord. Salvation and glory and power belongs to our God. His judgments are true and just. He has punished the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the murderer of his servants. And again, their voices rang out. Praise the Lord. The smoke from that city ascends forever and ever.

Then the 24 elders and the four living beings fell down and worshipped. God who was sitting on the throne. They cried out, amen, praise the Lord. And from the throne came a voice that said, praise our God, all his servants, all who fear him, from the least to the greatest. Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or a roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder. Praise the Lord. For the Lord our God, the almighty reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice. Let us give honor to him for the time has come for the wedding feast of the lamb and his pride has prepared herself she has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear for the fine linen represents the good deeds of god's holy people and the angel said to me write this blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the lamb and he added these are true words that come from god then i fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, no, don't worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God, for the essence of prophecy is to give a

clear witness for Jesus. Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named faithful and true, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the almighty, like juice flowing from a wine press. On his robe at his thigh was written this title, King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures, flying high in the sky, come, gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors, of horses and their riders, and all of humanity, both free and slave, small and great. Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the ones sitting on the horse and his army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast, miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who had worshipped his statue. both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies. Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. He seized the dragon. That old serpent, who is the devil, Satan, and bound him in chains for a thousand years. The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore, until the thousand years were finished. Afterward, he must be released for a little while.

Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge, and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony. about Jesus and for proclaiming the Word of God. They have not worshipped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. This is the first resurrection. The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.

When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. He will go out to deceive the nations, called Gog and Magog, in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle, a mighty army as numberless as sand along the seashore. And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God's people and the beloved city, but fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them. Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. The final judgment were in chapter 20, verse 11, and I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it.

The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they followed. found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God's throne, and the books were opened, including the book of life, and the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead, and all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death, and anyone, whose name was not found recorded in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared,

and the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride, beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout come from the throne, saying, look, God's home is now among his people. He will live with them and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. And there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.

All these things are gone forever. And the one sitting on the throne said, Look, I am making everything new. And then he said to me, write this down. For what I tell you is trustworthy and true. and he also said, In is finished. Okay, I am the alpha and the omega.

The beginning and the end. To all who are thirsty, I will give freely. From the springs of the water of life, and all who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshippers, and all the liars, their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur, and this is the second death. Then one of the seven angels who held the seven

bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, come with me, I will show you the bride, the wife of the lamb. So he took me in the spirit to a great high mountain, and he showed me to the Holy City, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone, like Jasper, as clear as crystal. The city wall was broad and high, with 12 gates guarded by 12 angels, and the names of the 12 tribes of Israel were written on the gates. There were three gates on each side, east, north, south, and west. The wall of the city had 12 foundation stones, and on them, were written the names of the twelve apostles of the lamb. The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city,

its gates, and its wall. When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles. Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick, according to the human standard used by the angel. The wall was made of Jasper, and the sun. city was pure gold, as clear as glass. The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with 12 precious stones. The first was Jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate,

the fourth emerald, the fifth Anx, the sixth Carnelian, the seventh crystallite, the eighth barrel, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrys, the eleventh, jackent, the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were made of pearls, each gate from a single pearl. And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass. I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun nor moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the lamb is its light. the nations will walk in its light and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory

its gates will never be closed at the end of the day because there is no night there and all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city nothing evil will be allowed to enter nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty but only those whose names are written in the lamb's book of life Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing 12 crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. No longer will there be a curse upon anything, for the throne of God and the lamb will be there, and his servant. will worship him, and they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads, and there will be no night there, no need for lamps or sun, for the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever. Then the angel said to me, everything you have heard and seen

is trustworthy and true. The Lord God, who inspires his prophets, has sent his angel to tell his servants what will happen soon. We're almost done, you guys. Okay, this is chapter 22, verse 7. Jesus is coming. Look, I am coming soon. Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book. I, John, am the one who heard and saw all these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me. But he said, no, don't worship me. I am a servant of God. just like you and your brothers and the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book. Worship only God. Then he instructed me, do not seal up the prophetic words in this book, for the time is near.

Let the one who is doing harm continue to do harm. Let the one who is vile continue to be vile. Let the one who is righteous continue to live righteously. Let the one who is holy continue to be holy. Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to remember. pay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. Outside the city are those

dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol-worshippers, and all who love to live a lie. I, Jesus, have sent my angel, to give you this message. I, Jesus, have sent my angel, to give you this for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star. The spirit and the bride say, come. Let anyone who hears this say come. Let anyone who is thirsty, come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life. And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book, if anyone adds anything to what is written here, add to that person the plagues described in this book. And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person's share in the tree of life and in the holy

city that are described in this book. He who is the faithful witness to all these things say, yes, I am coming soon. Amen. Come Lord Jesus. May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's holy people. And that is the end of the book of Revelation. Let's just do a little recap on what we just read. Can I just say that last part though? Yeah.

That part was a little scary. God was like, and by the way, if anybody even thinks about manipulating any of this scripture, I'm just let you know what your fate is. Oh my gosh. He already knew.

He already knew the people were probably going to and try to change the things in the... Because listen! The truth is hard to hear. And sometimes we don't want to hear it. And sometimes we want to, I think, evil people, selfish people, manipulative people would want to use that and switch it up and change things. But yeah, wow. Oh my gosh, guys, we just read the whole book of Revelation. Okay, let's just talk about it for just a second. I don't know if you guys were picking up what God was putting down here, but I feel like those last few challenges, We're giving party. Party. So after the fall of Babylon, heaven erupts in celebration because God's justice has finally been fulfilled.

So in chapter 19, we see the marriage supper of the lamb, a beautiful picture of Christ being fully united with his people. That's us. Guys, that's us. Okay. We get to have a meal with Jesus. And he has been like so desperately want. This is the moment that all of us have been waiting for, even Jesus. He's like, finally, finally I get to have a meal with my people.

Then Jesus appears as the victorious king riding on a white horse. He's called faithful and true the word of God and king of kings and lord of lords. This is the moment we've been waiting for. Christ decisively defeats the beast and the false prophet, showing that evil will no longer reign. Hallelujah! Sorry, am I screaming in your ears? Okay, chapter 20. So now chapter 20 introduces the thousand-year reign, which I didn't know about this, actually.

When I was reading this with you guys, this was new for me. I didn't realize that Satan was going to be put away for a thousand years and then able to come back out and then officially put away again. So apparently there's a thousand-year reign often called the millennium. faithful Christians have understood this chapter in different ways throughout history. Some see it as a literal future kingdom while others understand it symbolically. Okay, I feel like that's typically the argument when it comes to the book of Revelation. I feel like there's one side or either people literally think it's literal or people think it's symbolic. Either way, I think we could all agree regardless on that stance is that Satan's defeat is final.

That's what's happening. Okay, Satan is gone forever. After one last rebellion, he is judged forever, and then comes the Great White Throne Judgment, where every person stands before God, death itself is defeated, and God brings perfect justice. One question that I did have, and I don't know if anyone else did, is like why Satan was even allowed to have one last final moment of rebellion, right? like after 1,000 years of him being locked away, like why does he have another moment of rebellion? So obviously Satan is released after a thousand years, but it doesn't actually explicitly tell us why. And because of that, we do have to distinguish between what scripture clearly states and what some theologians say.

Now apparently several very well-respected Christian theologians offer complementary explanation. of why. Because again, it's not clearly stated as to why. All scripture says is after the thousand years, he must be released for a little while. That's just what it says. This is actually one of the most common explanations among evangelical scholars, including John Walvrod. If the millennium is understood as a literal earthly reign of Christ, countless people will be born during that period. They will grow up under the perfect rule of Jesus, no corrupt government, no satanic deception, peace and justice, right? Yet when Satan is released, many still choose to follow him. The point is striking.

Even perfect external circumstances cannot change a heart that refuses God. This echoes a theme throughout Scripture. Humanity's deepest problem isn't simply its environment, it's sin. So that's an interesting perspective, actually. is that well and honestly but that even makes but like duh that's exactly what happened in the garden of eden like that that also was a perfect environment that god had created for us and then adam and eve chose sin so same thing another kind of theory is that the point of um satan having his one little last hurrah is to demonstrate god's justice once and for all so someone by the name of gk bail emphasizes that revelation repeatedly shows god

exposing evil before judging it. The final rebellion publicly demonstrates that God's judgment is righteous. Evil isn't destroyed arbitrarily. It fully reveals itself one last time before God brings history to its conclusion. So anyway, I don't know. I guess that kind of answers my question, but some of that might just be a mystery. You know, we might not totally understand why, you know, those 1,000 years. But whatever, we don't question God, okay?

It's just all a part of his plan. Anyway, then everything changes after that moment. Okay, now we're going into chapters 21 and 22, where we are concluding the book of Revelation. And this is now where John sees a new heaven and a new earth that is being created. So the new Jerusalem comes down from heaven and God dwells with his people forever. There is no more death, mourning, crying, or pain because the old order has passed away. There is no temple because God's presence fills everything.

There is no need for the sun because the glory of God gives the city its light and Jesus is its lamp. I love him. The river of the water of life flows from God's throne and the tree of life is restored, which was the tree that was in the Garden of Eden. Okay? It's restored now. And the curse that began in Genesis is finally gone. Full circle. Do we see it?

The Bible ends where it's always intended to. not with destruction but with restoration. The story that began in a garden ends in a glorious city where God once again lives with his people face to face. And then Jesus leaves us with one final promise. Surely I am coming soon. John's response is simple. Amen.

Come Lord Jesus. And if we were now to summarize the entire book of Revelation in one statement, hallelujah, guys. This is such a cool book, okay? is Jesus wins. Yeah he does. Okay. Evil loses.

God keeps every promise he's ever made. So we must remain faithful because the best is still to come. It's a book of hope. I love that. I love it. Thank you God. Thank you Jesus. You guys, we've been recording for two hours later.

Two hours. But we did it. We did it! Okay, everybody, let me know your thoughts. Also, as I always say, would love to hear any of your personal revelations, any aha moments, any like, wow, I loved that. This was my favorite part of the book. Like, please comment below in whatever platform you're listening. And I love reading it.

I love seeing you guys engage with each other. And I, we all have something to learn from you. other for sure I have a lot to learn from you guys me you got some things to learn from me but like I don't whatever really who we have to learn from is Jesus himself okay we have a lot to learn from God so I would love to hear what God is revealed to you or just like what you've loved about this series I thought it was so fun it was so fun we did it thank you God okay all right guys before we go can we do something really cool today okay enjoy weekend have a beautiful weekend i will see you next time on a wednesday now fine okay so you don't have to wait a

whole week um but can we do something really cool can we show somebody how cool jesus is can we walk more like him talk more like him be more like jesus today i love you guys i'm so ridiculously proud of you guys can i say that keep hanging on to jesus don't give up on him life is going to continue to get messier it just is it's not promise that life is going to get the easier. It will continue to get messier, but we have to cling on to Jesus. He's our only hope.

He's the only thing that can get us through life. So remain faithful to him. I'm really proud of you guys. And I'll see you next time. I'll see you on Wednesday. Bye.