Pathway to Victory

Speaker 1

Hey podcast listeners, thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's Word through the most effective media available, like this podcast.

To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes.

Now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 2

Hi, this is Robert Jeffress and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day. This Bible teaching program on today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 3

There is nothing human beings can do to put an end to war. War is a part of our nature. It's a part of who we are as fallen individuals.

But the good news is there is a conqueror coming who will end war and bloodshed, sickness and death, and suffering forever and ever.

Speaker 1

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. The Bible is filled with promises about the return of Jesus Christ. And while we don't know exactly when he will return, Scripture gives us many clues about what to expect in those final days.

Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress describes the role of Jesus as the ultimate conqueror who will defeat evil once and for all.

Now here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.

Speaker 2

Dr. Jeffress thanks David, and welcome again.

Speaker 3

To Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 2

Even though we depart less than two.

Speaker 3

Months from now, it's not too late.

Speaker 2

To reserve your spot on the upcoming Pathway to Victory Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise, we hope you'll join us for this unforgettable vacation. The dates are May 5th through 16th. Along our journey, we'll get to see some of the most sought-after destinations in the world, such as the stunning Greek islands of Santorini, Mykonos, and Crete, just to name a few. But our trip is more than famous beaches and breathtaking views. Amidst all this natural beauty, we'll celebrate the one who created it all.

So check out the exciting details and make plans to join us by going to ptv.org. Well, during today's program, you'll hear me present my next message in a brand new series called Jesus Revealed in the End Times. I can honestly admit that this study has been brewing in my heart for my entire life. And here's why I say that: my teaching series and the companion book that I want to send you today features a fresh approach to looking at the end times.

You see, many teachings on prophecy focus on frightening wars and apocalyptic events, but I believe those events can overshadow the major focus of Scripture, which is the coming of our King Jesus Christ in all of his glory. He is coming again to make all things new. Would you allow me to send you my brand new book? Again, it's called Jesus Revealed in the End Times. I'm pleased to send you a hardbound copy when you give a generous gift to support the growing ministry of Pathway to Victory.

I'll share more details about my book and other resources later. But right now, let's begin our next message in the series. Today we're looking at Jesus the conqueror.

Speaker 3

British novelist H.G. Wells was the author of many science fiction books, including *The War of the Worlds*. But what you may not know about H.G. Wells is that he was a pacifist. He believed that all wars should be avoided. However, he changed his perspective at the beginning of the 20th century when he watched the rise of the German military complex and became determined that it needed to be defeated and decimated. Thus, he became a proponent of a war, what we call World War I. He said, "This is a war for peace. This, the greatest of all wars, is not just another war. It is the last war." In fact, he wrote a book entitled *The War that Will End War*. From that book, we got the phrase that was used to characterize World War I: the war to end all wars. But it didn't end all wars, did it? Twenty years after the end of World War I, Adolf Hitler lit the fuse that began what we call World War II, in which 85 million men and women were wounded or killed around the world. And it didn't stop there. After that came the Korean War and then the Vietnam War. In more recent days, we have witnessed Russia's invasion of Ukraine. There seems to be no end to war, but there will actually be an end to war. There will actually be one final war that ends all wars because it will culminate in the return of Jesus Christ the conqueror.

But we need to understand that before the ultimate conqueror returns, there is going to be the appearance of a pseudo conqueror, a false conqueror, a false Christ. If you have your Bibles, turn to Revelation, chapter 13. We call this false conqueror the Antichrist. First of all and foremost, he is against Christ. That prefix "anti" means to be opposite of or to be opposed to. The second characteristic is he will seek to imitate or replace Jesus Christ. That word "anti," the prefix, can also mean "in the place of." A friend of mine has written this about the Antichrist: he will possess the eloquence of Abraham Lincoln, the charm of John F. Kennedy, the wit of Winston Churchill, the military genius of Napoleon, the vision of Martin Luther King Jr., and the intelligence of Albert Einstein. But in the end, he will be revealed to be who he really is.

Thirdly, he is empowered directly by Satan. Do you remember from our study of Revelation that just as there is a Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—there is an unholy Trinity as well? Three persons make up the Satanic Trinity: you have the dragon, that's Satan in the Bible; you have the beast, that's the Antichrist; and then you have the false prophet, the lieutenant to the Antichrist, who assists his rise to power. This leads to the fourth characteristic: he will rule over a confederation of ten nations. Look at verse one of Revelation 13. Much like NATO or the European Union, this final form of government will be a confederation of nations. Verse 1 says, "The dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw," John says, "a beast coming out of the sea." That's the Antichrist, the human leader. Notice this: having ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names.

Now, what are these symbols of? We could sit around and try to make conjectures all day about what these represent. We don't have to do that because John tells us exactly what these mean. The seven heads—what are they? John says later in Revelation 13 that they are a view, a panorama of all the world empires that have been, that exist today, and that will be at a future time. Did you know there are only seven of them? In John's day, when he received this revelation, five of the world empires had come and gone. They had already been consigned to the dustbin of history: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. Those were the five kingdoms that had come and gone. John says, "And then there's the one that is," that's Rome. When John wrote, Rome was in charge of the world. But there's still a future kingdom to come, and this future kingdom will be this ten-nation confederation over which the Antichrist will rule.

Yet, with all his power, something strange is going to happen. There's an assassination attempt on the Antichrist. What that involves is what appears to be a mortal wound to the head. It will appear that the Antichrist has died. But then he will miraculously be brought to life again. The Antichrist will credit himself with his deliverance, with what appears to be a resurrection from the dead. We don't know if God gives Satan the power to raise him from the dead or if it just appears to be a deception that he's been raised from the dead. But once that occurs, and the whole world sees it, not only will they follow him as the political leader, they will now worship him as their God. This leads to the next characteristic of the Antichrist: fifth, he will defile the temple. Remember, he comes to power in peace. The world follows him because, at last, somebody is able to solve the Middle East mess we read about every day. He brings peace to the Middle East by signing a peace covenant with Israel according to Daniel 9. But halfway through that seven years, after the first three and a half years, he turns against Israel and defiles the temple by setting up an idol in the temple that resembles the Antichrist. This idol speaks blasphemies against the true God, and not only that, he orders the murder of God's people. Jesus warned about this event in Matthew 24:15. He said, "Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, that is, when you see the newly built temple defiled by this idol, know that the end is near." This leads to the campaign of Armageddon that marks the countdown to the return of Jesus Christ.

Now, there are eight phases to this war, and we're going to go through them very quickly. But it's important to understand, first of all, the armies of the Antichrist are assembled (Revelation 16:14-16). Secondly, Babylon is destroyed. What is Babylon? Well, Babylon is used in several ways in the Bible. Sometimes it refers to that ancient city in modern-day Iraq. Remember Saddam Hussein, how he pledged to rebuild Babylon to its former glory? Sometimes it's used as a code word for Rome. In 1 Peter 5:13, Peter greets those who are in Babylon; he was talking about Rome. But most of the time, Babylon is used to describe a world system opposed to God. It's been in existence ever since the Tower of Babel. In Revelation 17, John talks about the destruction of religious Babylon, which is the false religious system over which the Antichrist will preside. There’s also economic Babylon, referring to the world's financial institutions that will be destroyed at the end of the Great Tribulation. You know, today we talk about Wall Street. We're not just talking about that little street in southern Manhattan; we're talking about the economic system. When we talk about the filth that is coming out of Hollywood, we're not just talking about that little town north of Los Angeles; we're talking about the media industry, all media. The same thing with Babylon. Yes, it may be a location where the Antichrist has headquarters. It could be Rome, it could be Jerusalem at the beginning, or it could be some other European city. But wherever it is, it represents a system that is opposed to God.

This leads to phase three: Jerusalem is attacked and falls. Daniel said the Antichrist will try to go against the armies from the South, Africa, and Egypt. They will collide in Jerusalem, and Jerusalem will be decimated by the Antichrist. In Zechariah 14:2, God says, "For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled. But the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city." All the nations will go against Jerusalem, which raises an interesting question: Where's the United States in all of this? Well, it's not mentioned anywhere, which is very telling. It could be that our influence as a nation has been so diminished by this time that we're not even worth mentioning. Or it could be, and I believe this, that we'll be a part of that ten-nation confederacy. We will have surrendered our constitutional rights that make us unique as a nation—the right of free speech, free religion, and commerce—in order to bring peace. We will be a part of this ten-nation confederation, but we will go against Israel. We will go against Jerusalem. That used to be hard to fathom, but it's not hard to fathom anymore. Support for Israel since 1948 has been bipartisan. Republicans and Democrats both agreed on the need to support Israel. But you don't see that unconditional support anymore. For the first time ever, you're seeing daylight between our government and Israel. I want to remind you, this is a spiritual issue. In Genesis 12, God said, "I will bless those who bless Abraham and his descendants, and I will curse those who curse Abraham and his descendants." What we're seeing on our college campuses today is an affront to Almighty God. The protests, the anti-Semitism, cannot be tolerated in our nation. To be on the wrong side of Israel is to be on the wrong side of history. But more importantly, it's to be on the wrong side of God. You'll see all the nations go against Israel.

This leads to phase four: the Antichrist marches south. He'll drive the Jews out of Jerusalem into the wilderness and repel the southern armies, driving them across the Red Sea into Africa. Then the Antichrist will establish his capital in Jerusalem. We know this; he is going to move like a flood, the Bible says, over the nations. He will collide with other forces in Jerusalem and attack Jerusalem. But while that is going on, verse 44 of Daniel 11 says rumors from the east, i.e., Asia, China, Japan, and rumors from the north, that will be Russia, will disturb the Antichrist. He will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many. Verse 45 states, "He'll pitch his tent in the royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful mountains, Mount Zion. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him at that time."

Phase six: Israel calls on the Messiah. Why? Because it looks like, for the first time ever, the Antichrist is going to be able to accomplish what even Adolf Hitler couldn't pull off, and that's the complete extermination of the Jews. They've been living under this for three and a half years, and they think the end of Israel is at hand. When what happens? Look at Daniel 12:1. "At that time, Michael the Archangel, the protector of Israel, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of Israel, will arise, and there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time. And at that time, your people, the Jewish people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued." God is not going to allow Israel to be destroyed. God promises to raise up Michael the Archangel, the protector of Israel. And who will be rescued? Underline this: everyone who is found written in the book. What is the book? It's the Book of Life, the book that records the name of everyone who's ever trusted in Christ as Savior. Let me make this very plain: you cannot be saved apart from faith in Jesus Christ. There is no Jew who will be in heaven without personally trusting in Jesus Christ. There are not two covenants—one agreement for Gentiles and one for Jews. How do I know that? How do I know being a physical descendant of Abraham isn't enough to get you into heaven? I'll tell you how I can say that with such confidence: because Paul was a Jew, and he said, "There is no salvation apart from Christ." Jesus was a Jewish rabbi, and he said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man, Jew or Gentile, comes to the Father except by me." Daniel 12:1 says those written in the book will be rescued. This leads to the conqueror's return in glory, where he defeats the Antichrist. We find that in Revelation 19:11-15. Look at verse 13: "He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God, and the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following him on white horses." This is the second coming of Jesus Christ. And who is with him? You and I are with him. We have been in heaven during the tribulation. We were raptured there. We're in heaven, and we return on white horses, dressed in fine linen. What is the linen? John tells us later, it is the righteous acts of the saints. Don't ever forget, we're not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works. We will wear those good works, those rewards, as we come back with Christ. Verse 15 states, "From his mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it he may strike down the nations, and he'll rule the world with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty. And on his robe and on his thigh, he has a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords."

Not long ago, one of my grandchildren FaceTimed me and said, "Papa, I've got a question. Tell me about Armageddon." He was interested in knowing about the battle and the fighting. I said, "Well, it's not going to be like that. In fact, the battle will be over before it begins because Jesus will destroy his enemies not by physical might, but by the power of his Word. One word, and it will all be over." This leads to phase eight, the final phase: the conqueror Jesus divides the Mount of Olives. Zechariah 14:3-4 states, "In that day, his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley." We can't be dogmatic about this, but it's very possible that when Christ returns, it will be simultaneous with the seventh bowl judgment in Revelation 16, in which there were great earthquakes. There's a great earthquake here when Christ returns and splits the city into three parts. There will be tsunamis as a result of the earthquakes that will cover the islands in water. This is the final bowl judgment. Maybe it's explained by an exchange of nuclear weapons among the nations. I can't say for sure, but it's something that seems to be continuing contemporaneous with the return of Jesus Christ. Thus ends the seven years of tribulation.

But amidst all of this darkness and destruction, we have the conqueror's promise to hang on to today. You know, after World War I that I talked about earlier, nations gathered together, the national leaders in Paris to form the League of Nations, hoping to put an end to war forever. It didn't work. Twenty years later, after World War II, again, the nations of the world came together and formulated the United Nations. On the day of the signing of the United Nations Charter, then President Harry Truman declared it to be a declaration of great faith by the nations of the earth—faith that war is not inevitable, faith that peace can be maintained forever. It hasn't happened. John Kennedy one time said, "Mankind has to put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind." But what's wrong with what Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy and countless others have said? What's wrong with their statement is they don't recognize that there is nothing human beings can do to put an end to war. War is a part of our nature; it's a part of who we are as fallen individuals.

But the good news is there is a conqueror coming who will end war and bloodshed, sickness and death, and suffering forever and ever. Until that time when the conqueror comes, we live in the backwash of sin every day. We feel it all around us. We know Jesus came the first time and conquered sin and death. But we long for the time he will come back again and relieve us of the oppression we feel every day, in every way in our existence. There are some of you who feel weighed down by the cares and concerns of this world, by sin around you, by sin within you. Don't lose heart. Jesus the conqueror is coming. He says, "Behold, I am coming soon." When he finally comes, he will fulfill the promise God made in Psalm 91. Listen to this: "I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in My name. When they call on me, I will answer. I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation." Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus. Come quickly.

Speaker 2

And this is the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our reigning king is coming to earth again. And this should fill our heart with peace and joy. I sense that I'm speaking to someone right now who's deep in despair, friend. Psalms 91 promises that God will rescue those who love him. He is with you even in your troubles.

And this is the overarching theme that's woven throughout my brand new book called *Jesus Revealed in the End Times*. Let me send you a copy today. It's my gift to you when you include a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. By reading my book, you'll gain a whole new sense of anticipation for the future. I want to show you the plan God has laid out for our future and, more importantly, how you can come to know him better. By drawing near to God and through understanding his plan for the future, you'll have a greater sense of calm.

Now, in addition to receiving my book *Jesus Revealed in the End Times*, I'll include a collection of encouragement cards. Each card will serve as a biblical reminder that your times are in God's hand and that he will protect those who trust in his name.

In closing, let me say thank you for giving generously to this nonprofit ministry. We couldn't provide these daily visits without friends like you. Plus, every time you give, God is multiplying your gift to reach men and women all around the world with the light of his word.

Speaker 3

David thanks Dr. Jeffress.

Speaker 1

Today when you invest in the ministry of Pathway to Victory by becoming a Pathway partner or by giving a generous one-time gift, we'll say thanks by sending you the brand new book by Dr. Jeffress called *Jesus Revealed in the End Times*. Call 866-999-2965 or visit our website, ptv.org. Now, when you give $100 or more, we'll also send you the complete, unedited collection of audio and video discs for the *Jesus Revealed in the End Times* Teaching series. Plus, we'll include a study guide to use on your own or maybe with your small group.

One more time, call 866-999-2965 or go online to ptv.org now. You could write to us if you'd like. Here's that address: P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. Again, that's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins. Eventually, every earthly ruler surrenders their reign, but there's one king whose reign will never end, and his name is Jesus Christ. Join us for the message *Jesus the King* Tuesday on Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible.

One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word. To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.