The Revelation 17:18 | Episode # 1147

March 10, 2026

Hope Alive: Applying God’s Word to Your Daily Life

The Revelation 17:18

I am Chad Harrison, and I am the teaching pastor of Lake Community Church and had been serving as a pastor for 25 years. I'm also a practicing attorney. This podcast is designed to help you study God's word and find God's will for your life. The purpose of studying scripture is that you might know the character of Jesus Christ, and that you might see the world from the Father's perspective. That you gain wisdom that changes your life. I pray in the name of Jesus right now that God would open His word to you and allow you to see Him and to know Him. To know His will, that you might glorify Him and that you might walk in faith and power each day, especially today. In Jesus name.

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Transcript

This is Chad Harrison, and you're listening to Hope Applying God's word to your daily life. Hi, this is Chad Harrison, and I am the teaching pastor of Lake Community Church and have been serving as a pastor for 25 years. I'm also a practicing attorney. This podcast is designed to help you study God's word and find God's will for your life. I pray in the name of Jesus right now that God would open up his word to you and allow you to see him and to know him and to know his will, that you might glorify him and that you might walk in faith and power each and every day, especially today, in Jesus name.

And sometimes you don't understand why his plan is the way it is. It says, and the woman who you saw is the great city which reigns over the kings of the earth. So I'm thinking it's not San Francisco. Okay. I'm thinking it's either Rome or Jerusalem. But I have a feeling that when he's talking about the great city here, he's not talking about the city on seven hills. He's talking about the great city, which is Jerusalem. All right, why is Jerusalem going to rule the Earth? Because the Antichrist is going to rule from Jerusalem. The beast out of the sea is going to rule from Jerusalem. He's going to be sitting on the throne in the new temple built in Jerusalem. All right, you go. When they gonna build the temple? I don't know, but let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. When they build it, it will take them three days. When they build it, it will take them three days. A lot of people say, well, they can't build it because they got this Dome of the Rock up there. What I would challenge you to do is go and look at the Temple Mount. They got plenty of room to put that temple right by that Dome of the Rock. Plenty of room. Could put two or three of them. And when the Jews decide to build it, they're going to build it in three days. No sound will be heard, and it will be put up in three days. They already ready to do it. They got everything ready. They can build it and in three days, begin temple worship that day. Right now, they ready. And I will tell you this. That's a rabbit hole, but it's a true rabbit hole. Okay, it's a rabbit hole, but it's a real one. The Jews are ready to build their temple because they're ready to go back to their biblical roots, and they going to build that temple. And they're Going to build that temple on top of that rock, on top of that hill. They going to quit worshiping on a wailing wall. They gonna worship in their temple again. And that's coming now. If you see that, we real close, okay? What did I tell you? The main thing to look for, if you're gonna look for the end, it is a great awakening. And I use the word awakening because they're dead now. And when the Jews begin to receive Jesus as Christ, that's when the fig tree is bearing fruits. And that is the sure sign that when Jesus told us, that was the sure sign that the end was near. Okay? So until there's a great awakening in the Jewish people, which we'll be able to see it because remember, half the Jews in the world live here and half the Jews in the world live in Israel. And then just a sparse little sliver of a percentage live all over the rest of the world. So we're going to see it. We're going to see it up close. We're going to see. We're going to see. I believe we're going to see the Jewish nation come to Christ. I don't know. Might see it when we're kidding, but we're going to see it, okay? It could happen, but I think it's going to. I think it's going to happen at some point in time, and we'll get to see it. It'll be great. It'll be wonderful and that and that. And then the time is near, okay? Right after that, the man of lawlessness will be revealed. And then it's on like a chicken bone. Okay? Be ready to go. All right. Anybody got any questions? I did good tonight. I finished the whole chapter. Did y' all see that? What in the world is going on with me? Did I finish it all? Didn't I get it all? Yeah, I did. I got it all. I love. I love it. I love it when a plan comes together. Huh? I did six verses in less than an hour. Just letting y' all know I can't. It can be done. Y' all know. Y' all do know why the chicken crossed the road, right? No. To prove to the possum it could be done. You know it. You know it's true, though. It's true. You ever seen a possum in the road? Squirrel. Now squirrel's idiot. Okay, Squirrel. Squirrel. If you think that the squirrel's going to get away, they're dead, okay? But if you're worried that you're going to run over the squirrel, he's already. Beat it. Okay, all right. Deer. I don't know what to say about deer, because in still waters, they're nuts, okay? They think they own the land, okay? They think you're a guest in their neighborhood, all right? But. But possums, they go and get run over every time. Every time. And that's why the chicken crossed the road. Just to make sure you understood the possum understood that it was possible to cross it. That is a rabbit hole. If y' all go down that rabbit hole tonight, this is a good one. Yes, sir. You know, there's talk again, talk that. Kurt was killed by the Jews, which. Going down a rabbit hole. Yeah. Stay. Stay out of that rabbit hole. No, ma', am, I've already. I've already talked about that rabbit hole and went down it with both my daughters. That. That rabbit hole is not true. Now, I want you to hear me. You need to get this. And were we as. As. As much like them as they are? Jews been around for 3,000 years, and they didn't stick around by not sticking together. Now, you need to hear that, okay? The Jews are for the Jews because they spent 3,000 years having every. Every tribe and nation try to kill them, okay? And folks get all offended. Well, why are they doing that? We supposed to be allies? I'm not going to lie to you. If you'll step back and look at who's led us and who's been in charge of us, would you trust us? Being honest, Would you trust. If you were the Israelites in. In Israel today, would you. Would you trust Russia? No. You wouldn't trust any of the nations of the world that have said that they want to destroy you, okay? Your best ally is who, us? Well, their best ally is us. And the reason. I want you to hear me, the reason we're their best ally is because there is a large group of us that believe in the Bible, and we're evangelical Christians and we understand that God's got a plan for the Jews, okay? Now, I want you to hear me. That's why they can a little bit trust us. But we're like a squirrel on crack. One minute we're here, and another minute we're over here. Okay? So if you say to me they doing stuff to try to manipulate things, well, wouldn't you do that if your best ally was a squirrel on crack? Yeah. Okay. Do they manipulate things? Yeah. Okay. Yeah. When he was addressing the Pharisees and the Sadducees in the Temple Reach. Sure. And let me tell you Something. Let me tell you something. Those who reject Christ or a synagogue of Satan, period. But I want you to hear me now. Listen to me, because this is important. And this rabbit hole that you brought it up, but it's a rabbit hole that's important. I want you to hear me. The Bible says that the gift and the call of God are irrevocable. And all the promises of God are yes and amen. Now you need to hear that the gift and the call of God are irrevocable. That is a legal term, which means they cannot be revoked. It is the idea of. When I offer a contract to you, I offer you a deal, a meeting of the minds. If I make that offer, and I make that offer irrevocable, that means that offer stands, period. And it never goes away. Contracts that God makes are a covenant in nature. Are you following me? They're covenantal, which means that they're spiritual and eternal. Okay? So if God makes a covenant with someone, I want you to hear me. It don't go away. Now, I want you. This is fundamental to your faith. Because the way the enemy will attack you is to try to teach you that you do not have. That somehow you've lost your relationship with Jesus. I mean, that's the reason. Second Thessalonians written, you lost. Y' all were lost, and Jesus came back and he didn't take y'. All. And that's the whole reason Paul writes 2 Thessalonians. To explain to them how the end times is gonna work and how they wasn't left behind. And I'm gonna tell you that if you spend your whole life worrying about whether or not you have a relationship with God, you're on the starting line. And you never get past the starting line. God wants you to mature, be mature, not lacking anything. Which means you gotta walk in the covenant that he's given you. All right? Which means you got to walk in that. In that eternal contract that he's made with you. Which means he said, I've redeemed you. I've called you. I've chosen you. Those whom the Father put in, put in my hand. No man takes away. Everyone who's in the Father's hand is permanently there. We've already st. We've already been that in John. That was last chapter. Bible says you're sealed with the Holy Spirit. Exactly. What power can unseal you by the Holy Spirit if in the. In the Holy Spirit. The eternality and the power of God. Well, if he's the eternality and the Power of God. How you gonna unseal that which he seals? Okay, now, I'm telling you that because that is a fundamental understanding of Christianity. Now, there are people who believe that you can lose all that. Okay? They could say you can lose your salvation. And if you said, chad, can you lose your salvation? I would say yes. Remember, salvation is a process. So at any point in time, I can head to the pig pen, eat with the hogs. I wouldn't, but I can. Okay, remember, the one who went to eat with the hogs was a. What was he? No, he was a son. He was a. He wasn't a prodigal stepchild. He was a prodigal son, which means he's in the family. Can he be out of the family? No, he's genetically in the family. He can't be out. All right. Did he want to act like he was out? Yeah, until it had its full course, right? Then he got away from it. All right, now listen to me. All of those promises are yes and amen. And then if I go back behind the first book that talks about that covenant into the only Italian book in the Bible, Malachi, or Malachi, and then move on through the minor prophets and head on back through the major prophets and then the books of poetry and the books of history, and then the Pentateuch, the five books of the. Of Moses. Are there promises made? Is their covenants established? Are they breakable? No. Can man walk outside of him? Sure. But the covenant doesn't go away. You need to understand that. And anybody that starts teaching you anything other than that, I want you to hear me. That's a rabbit hole and it's a lie. Okay? Because remember when I. And I'm just telling you, I'm trying to teach you how to think scripturally. Okay? And when I try to teach you how to think scripturally, there's some bedrock fundamental understandings. Are you following me? There's heels to down the sovereignty of God, the eternality of God, the goodness of God, the omnipresence of God. All right? He. There's certain. There's certain understandings. Jesus was born of a virgin, came as a 100% man, 100% God, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, redeemed the whole world. Now is the whole world going to get the benefit of it? No. But did he redeem? Did he die for the sins of the whole world?

Yeah.

How do I know that? John says it first. John, he died for the sins of the whole world. Which means the issue is not the sin. The issue is the relationship. And if you're not born again and you don't have a relationship with him, then you're out. You're not chosen. Now, I can't get around that. That's just the way it is, okay? And as I go through these principles, there are certain bedrock principles that can't. Does God lie? Does God keep his promises? When he says that my gift and call are irrevocable? Is it irrevocable? Does he say. Does he say that he's going to. Does he say that he's going to bring about a revival in Israel? Does he say the fruit, the fig tree, is going to bear fruit? Yeah, Now you need to hear that. So the promises God has made to Israel, which, by the way, this whole book is based off of one of those promises. You. I was 10 minutes early, all right? The book that was based off of those principles. I don't even can't remember what I was going to say. But. But. But understanding those things and their. And it's critical that you understand them. And that when I'm. Look, when I'm in a rabbit hole, a spiritual rabbit hole, the minute I run into something that's out of line with. With one of those fundamental principles, I'm out. Boom. I'm out the rabbit hole. Like, spit me out like a. Like a volcano. Boom, I'm out. I mean, I listen. I've sat there and listened to somebody for 45 minutes. I'm going, man, this guy's good. Get the popcorn out. He's all over it. All of a sudden. He'll bring up something. He'll bring up something that's quite clearly out of line with the fundamental fact or the fundamental tenet of the faith. You know what I do? I run like Jason From Friday the 13th is chasing me. You know what I'm talking about? I think that's appropriate for this time of year, right? I mean, I'm out of there. You following me? I. I ain't staying. Why? Because my daddy taught me one really good truth. Well, he taught me a bunch of them, but one of them was really good. He said, chad, the devil will hide little bitty lies and a whole lot of truth, and he'll get you off track. You following me? He'll take some lies and he'll knead it into that dough just like you put yeast in it, and he'll knead it all in. And then for, you know, it, the whole dose full of yeast. And yeast represents sin throughout scripture. And I'M just telling you when I'm reading the Bible, when I study the Bible and when I listen to people, and this is of the utmost importance when I listen to people. Look, I'm not telling you. I've told you many times through this book of Revelation. I don't know what this means. I'm not dogmatic about things other than things I know God said. You with me? I mean, we don't get in. I don't get into these, these. I, I don't get into argument. Arminianism, Calvinism. I'm not any of those things. I'm Babelism, okay? I believe in scripture and so understanding that when somebody says something as I listen, I'm listening because I can learn some stuff, man. I, I can. I didn't, I didn't, I didn't figure out stuff by not listening. I listen, but boy, you start going down a certain trail and I know that's just not in line with what he's. What he's clearly said, man, you got to park company. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not going down that road with you. And there's some rabbit holes you'll get down and they seem like they are dead on the money and you'll get halfway into them and you realize, oh, this is a trap. As you go today, I pray that.

The Lord will bless you and keep you. That he'll make his face to shine upon you.

He'll.

And that he will give you hope and peace today in Jesus name.