Draw Me Close: Podcast - A Ministry of Whitestone Christian Fellowship, with Pastor Bob Lawrenz

In the previous chapter God's judgment was upon the evil "religious" system of Babylon and the false prophet.  This week we learn of the absolute destruction of the beast's vast economic and political system. An angel proclaims the destruction of Babylon, specifically making mention of her pervasive wickedness. The city-nation of Babylon, in the end times, is not only a hub of co...

In the previous chapter God's judgment was upon the evil "religious" system of Babylon and the false prophet.  This week we learn of the absolute destruction of the beast's vast economic and political system. An angel proclaims the destruction of Babylon, specifically making mention of her pervasive wickedness. The city-nation of Babylon, in the end times, is not only a hub of co...

John is shown a vision which symbolizes two additional judgments which are spread out over the tribulation. Chapter 17 focuses on the ruin of "religious Babylon," an ungodly spiritual system which is at first supported, then ruined by the efforts of the beast. Chapter 18 will describe the fall of Babylon in a political or economic sense. In Revelation, Babylon refers to the entire worldw...

At this point in Revelation, the bowl judgments have been described, and all that remains of the tribulation is the second coming of Christ. Before this is explained, John is shown a vision which symbolizes two additional judgments which are spread out over the tribulation. Chapter 17 focuses on the ruin of "religious Babylon," an ungodly spiritual system which is at first supported, the...

Today we are finishing up the sixteenth chapter of Revelation describing the last three bowl judgments.  They are God's judgments that will be poured out upon the earth because of the willful rejection of God, and His means of salvation through Jesus Christ.  These are called "the last" judgments and will take place just before the second coming of Jesus Christ, and the ushering in o...

Revelation 16 resumes the account of God's judgments on the wicked. It describes the bowl judgments, the third seven-part series of God's wrath described in the book of Revelation. Prior to this were seven seal judgments, the last of which were the trumpets. The trumpet judgments totaled seven, the last of which were these bowls of the wrath of God. The fifth bowl judgment plunges the king...

 The events in this chapter are God's judgments upon a rejecting world.  They are horrifying, and heartbreaking as you realize that God has been calling and pleading with mankind to repent and return to Him since the beginning, and that man in His sin will willfully and stubbornly reject Him, thus bearing the consequences of their sin. This chapter covers, "The Vials of God's Wrath.&q...

The Vial Judgments, otherwise known as the "Bowl" judgments are described in chapter 16.  These judgments are called "the last" judgments. They will come in rapid succession, each one stronger and more intense as they are emptied out.   The Seven Golden Vials symbolize God's judgment.  They are shallow saucers, familiar items associated with various functions of the temple...

The writer, Luke, has recorded his divinely inspired account of the birth of the Savior, the Son of the Most High God, the Lord Christ. And with that birth, redemptive action, redemptive purpose, redemptive accomplishment is initiated because the Savior of the world, the Messiah, the Lord, the King has arrived. From verse 21 down to verse 39, brings into his account the testimony of three witnesse...

In the gospel of Luke, the writer, Luke, has recorded his divinely inspired account of the birth of the Savior, the Son of the Most High God, the Lord Christ.  And with that birth, redemptive action, redemptive purpose, redemptive accomplishment is initiated because the Savior of the world, the Messiah, the Lord, the King has arrived. From verse 21 down to verse 39, brings into his account the tes...

Tomorrow, we celebrate Christmas. Christmas is the Christian remembrance and celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ as foretold in dozens of prophecies concerning Him in scripture. While modern society has removed themselves from the Christ of Christmas, believers today, still celebrate the coming of the promised Savior. He is the reason of our hope, of our joy, and our salvation, and without Hi...

Christmas Eve Service - We invite you to join us as we celebrate the reason of our hope, of our joy, and our salvation.  We celebrate Jesus, the Reason for the Season. While the world removes the Christ of Christmas - we celebrate the fact that God so loved the world, that He gave us His only begotten Son.  His life is the life He imparts to us and is the greatest gift of all. In  Luke 2:11 , the...

The momentous intervention of God into human affairs (especially after such a long period of prophetic silence) should cause awe, amazement, and rejoicing. The events surrounding the coming of the Messiah (who will bring Redemption and Salvation and Everlasting Life) are anything but ordinary and typical. But what we easily forget is that God’s intervention in our own lives to draw us to Himself i...

The momentous intervention of God into human affairs (especially after such a long period of prophetic silence) should cause awe, amazement, and rejoicing. The events surrounding the coming of the Messiah (who will bring Redemption and Salvation and Everlasting Life) are anything but ordinary and typical. But what we easily forget is that God’s intervention in our own lives to draw us to Himself i...

Revelation 15  and 16 present the specific facts of the final outpouring of God's wrath before Christ's return.  That wrath is expressed by the effects of the seventh trumpet that we read about in chapter eleven, from verse 15.  These are the seven bowl judgments described in  Revelation 16 .  We must remember that God's nature encompasses not only righteousness and holiness, but also...

Revelation 15  is a short chapter, bridging two sections in John's series of visions. After the trumpet judgments, the focus of Revelation changed from a more-or-less chronological account to a description of certain people and events. Among these are infamous concepts such as the woman clothed with the sun, the Antichrist, the False Prophet, and the mark of the beast. Here, John will see one...

In John's vision, he sees three angels who deliver messages of warning and prophecy, Predicting God's impending judgment on sin and evil. To those who accept the mark of the beast, the judgment is clear, they will face eternal damnation because they have rejected the Savior and His provision for eternal life. Those who take the mark will know they are rejecting God by doing so. This passag...

Today we will be looking at Revelation chapter 14.  It's important to recognize that the events described between chapters 11-16 are not in chronological order.  John's is introducing certain key figures and future events towards the end of the Great Tribulation. As we begin today's study, we notice that John is again writing about a group of believers we've read about before.  The...

Old Testament prophets and the Lord Jesus Christ spoke of a coming harvest of divine wrath when the Messiah will execute final judgment. The wrath of God is described as harvests. The grape harvest and the grain harvest. The grain harvest symbolizes the seven bowl judgments, and the grape harvest symbolizes the judgment of Armageddon.

This week, just as the false christs who have plagued mankind will culminate in the final Antichrist, so also will the false prophets culminate in a final false prophet.  He will be Satan's last and most powerful lying deceiver.  Along with Satan, the counterfeit of the Father, and Antichrist, the counterfeit of Jesus Christ, the False Prophet will form the satanic false trinity.  He will be t...

The second beast in Revelation chapter 13 represents the False Prophet. The first beast represented the Antichrist whose focus will be politics, while the second beast, the False Prophet, will emphasis religion. In the absence of the Church and the Holy Spirit, the unholy trinity will commit blasphemy against the Lord continuously and will establish the Antichrist's system, a one world system...

The title of the message may throw you off a bit, as today's message is about the coming Antichrist (the beast out of the sea). The reason for the title comes from 2 Peter 1:19-21, and it is to remind ourselves that God's Word came to us by His prophets of old, His witnesses, those who experienced a supernatural relationship with Him, and who were also given supernatural revelation. God, b...

Often when we read the Bible, new information comes along, and we can be left with more questions than answers. This is why the nature of the Book of Revelation is so important. The Book of Revelation is the unveiling of God and His ultimate plan for all of Creation. We not only see God’s handiwork a little at a time, but His purpose(s) for everything in the history of His Creation: the whole worl...

Satan is the great enemy of the church.  He fights against God and His people on different fronts and his tactics of warfare many.  He accuses, lies, he intimidates and as we’ll see also goes to whatever length he can to be the victor.  However, Christ has overcome – and in the end, brings the victory. For us, as believers, Jesus stands between us and our mutual enemy with absolute authority. Chri...

In chapter 12, Revelation takes a bit of a detour from the step-by-step narrative of the end times. The events described occur throughout the history of mankind, past, present, and future. In the course of the visions given to John, seven main figures are described. Five of those appear in this chapter. The next two chapters will continue to fill in the details. Chapter 15 adds another vision of h...