EB: 25 Promises for the Endtimes

Chapter 25

Promises for the Endtimes

Contents

A) The blessings of the First Exodus

B) Christ’s specific promise to those obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment Rev 1:3

C) Other important blessings promised for those obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment

Primary Points

• God will care for His people in the American Exodus just like He cared for those in the first Exodus.
• God is offended by our WORRY because it reflects our sinful doubts about His character.
• Jesus promised Endtime Christians they will be blessed if they obey the words of prophecy and commands in Revelation, including Christ’s Last Great Commandment.
• If God promises to be your Partner in all you do and face in the Endtimes, how does that change your perspective?
• When the Antichrist begins the Endtimes, Christians will know the real Christ is returning for them in exactly 7 years.
• What is the greatest fear facing those who will obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment and live in the Endtimes? Death. But a Christian really cannot be killed.

A) The blessings of the First Exodus

As noted in previous chapters, those leaving America in the Endtimes will be experiencing another Exodus. About 3500 years ago (ca. 1500 B.C.), God commanded His people to leave Egypt. In the Endtimes He will want His people to embark on another Exodus, this time from America. And God will care for His people in the American Exodus just like He cared for those in the Egyptian Exodus.

Accordingly, we can turn to the encouragement of Moses one last time for why we should obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment. God knew God’s people needed PROMISES to have the faith to obey His commands. Therefore, Moses said: “If you obey his voice and keep the commands and decrees written in this Book of Instruction” then:

“The LORD your God will then make you successful [yathar] in everything you do… he will cause your fields to produce abundant harvests …

Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice … between prosperity [towb] and disaster… If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless [barak] you and the land you are about to enter and occupy…

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses.” (Deut 30:9-10, 15-16, 19)

As discussed previously, the decision to obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment when the Endtimes begin will certainly be a choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. The command in Revelation 18:4 is clearly for the purpose that you would live instead of die in the Antichrist’s Attack on Endtime Babylon (America). But with that life will come blessings as well. The Hebrew dictionary states that “To bless [barak] in the OT means to give power for success, prosperity, fruitfulness, etc.” ^[1] What would these blessings look like?

God promised through Moses that if His people obeyed His commands, that God will then make you successful [yathar] in everything you do. The Hebrew generally means: “your needs have been abundantly satisfied.” ^[2] Many plans will need to be developed and pursued to practically obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment and do our best to meet our needs in the Endtimes. And because we are obeying a commandment, God encourages us that He will help us be successful in everything you do.

Moses said obeying God results in prosperity [towb]. The Hebrew word means:

Practical and economic benefit [including] the promise of victory (2 Chron 18:7)… general economic prosperity (1 Kings 10:7), agricultural prosperity (Hos 10:1)… [Towb] frequently means “happy.” ^[3]

Notice that the prosperity God promises for obeying Him includes he will cause your fields to produce abundant harvests. The Bible warns of the famines and the scarcity of food in the Endtimes (cf. Matt 24:7; Rev 6:6, 8). Therefore, such a promise will be vital to surviving and thriving in the Endtimes.

Unfortunately, the “health and wealth gospel” prevalent in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements has twisted God’s word about prosperity. Contrary to this false teaching, in the Endtimes, we will all lose a lot, both people and possessions. And we will be tested severely with the most difficult challenges of our lives. But God’s promises about blessing His people will still be operating in the Endtimes.

However, many of those blessings will depend on whether or not we “obey his voice and keep the commands and decrees written in this Book of Instruction,” including Christ’s Last Great Commandment in Revelation 18:4. If we obey this command, we can expect God’s amazing blessings, even in the Endtimes.

In spite of the great challenges God’s people experienced in the First Exodus from Egypt, God certainly blessed them for obeying His command to leave. God’s desire and plan was to bring them into the Promised Land to bless them greatly. If they had only obeyed and pleased God, they would have experienced so much more blessing than they did. The journey should have been only a few months, but because of their sin, rebellion, and cowardice, an entirely different generation entered the Promised Land 40 years later. At the end of that time, Moses described some of the challenges and blessings God’s people experienced as a result of obeying God in the First Exodus:

Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors.

He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell…

Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. (Deut 8:2-4, 15-16 NLT)

God’s people struggled in the wilderness (v. 2) with the scarcity of even their basic needs for physical life including food (vs. 3, 16) and water (v. 15). The journey was not comfortable, but rather in a place that was so hot and dry (v. 15). In that great and terrifying wilderness there were real dangers even beyond poisonous creatures, but enemy armies that wanted to destroy them. In fact, at the very beginning of the Exodus, God led His people to the shores of the Red Sea to be trapped by probably the most powerful army on Earth at the time.

In spite of all these life threatening challenges, God’s love and power was greater. He made water come from the rock, He fed them with manna in the wilderness (vs. 15-16), and brought quail from the sea and let them fall all around the camp (Num 11:31 NLT). It was not God’s will for His people to die in the wilderness, so He was very willing and able to miraculously provide for them when it was necessary. He even made sure that for forty years their clothes didn’t wear out, and their feet didn’t blister (Deut 8:4).

And what happened when a great army threatened to slaughter them? One of the greatest miracles in the history of the world. He split an entire sea, making the ground dry for His people to walk on, and he caused that same sea to close on their enemies, even making the wheels on their chariots fall off (cf. Exod 14).

There is another blessing in this text that is easy to miss. There was something more than physical blessings to meet their needs for water, food, and security. Even more important, they experienced a spiritual blessing. God used humbling and testing circumstances to teach them that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. God taught them to depend on Him. Which is a very painful process, but those who learn this are the happiest, most carefree and courageous people in the world. And that is a blessing!

Unfortunately, in spite of all the ways God miraculously provided for and protected His people in the First Exodus, how did they act toward Him? They did not trust Him. We read: In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron, which God always received as grumbling against Him. They said, “You have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death” (Exod 16:2-3 NIV). God’s people in the First Exodus constantly complained about whether or not God would provide for them because of their sinful WORRY.

That WORRY was their greatest and most dangerous enemy. When God commanded them to enter the Promised Land they refused because of WORRY. They asked, “Why is the LORD taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder!” (Num 14:3 NLT). What was God’s response? The LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt?” (v. 11). Christian, that is what our WORRY causes us to do. Treat the God in White on the Throne with contempt (naats). The Hebrew word is variously translated in the OT as “blaspheme,” “despise,” and “reject.” Contempt means: “despise, lack of respect or reverence.” ^[4] God is offended by our WORRY because it reflects our sinful doubts about His character.

What was the result of their WORRY and resulting contempt for God? He barred them from the Promised Land until another generation was raised up who would trust and obey Him. WORRY was the greatest and most dangerous enemy of God’s people in the First Exodus. As God said in Psalms: “If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways, how quickly I would subdue their enemies (81:13-14 NIV).

But their WORRY kept them from trusting and obeying God and caused their doom. There was no threat from any of the things they worried about, including Pharoah, the desert, a lack of food and water, or the “giants in the land.” God was going to take care of all those things. But their WORRY about those things kept them from the most important purposes for their lives: trusting, loving, pleasing, and glorifying God. And they paid a very painful price for that.

The First Exodus was not just for the purposes of history. It was to encourage any of God’s people who would also embark on any other Exoduses God would command. Including the Exodus that will result from obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment. Again, the challenges of the Endtimes will be life-threatening and beyond our imagination. But the example of the First Exodus reminds us that God is often looking for opportunities to glorify Himself in the most difficult circumstances through the power of His love and miracles. God did miracles to provide for and protect His people in the First Exodus. He will do the same for those who are obeying God in the Exodus from Endtime Babylon.

B) Christ’s specific promise to those obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment Rev 1:3; 22:7

Both at the very beginning and the end of Revelation Jesus promised this:

“God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says” (Rev 1:3 NLT ^[5])

“Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book” (Rev 22:7 NLT) ^[6]

This promise was important to Jesus. Which is why He began and ended His Revelation with this statement. Therefore, He wants the Last Generation Church who will experience some of the events described in Revelation to understand this promise and believe it. It is often thought that Christians living in the Endtimes will simply experience pain, loss, and hardship. Of course, the Bible tells us such things will be a part of their lives. But we should not forget that Jesus promised Endtime Christians they will also be blessed if they obey the words of prophecy and commands written in this book.

The Greek word translated blessed (makarios) is a rich word meaning: “to feel happy because God has given you so much.” ^[7] That’s what Jesus is promising those who will obey Him during the Endtime events predicted in the prophecy written in the book of Revelation. Happiness because of His grace, strength, provision, protection, and blessings!

Christ’s promise to be blessed certainly includes those who obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment in Revelation 18:4. In fact, there are relatively very few commands in the book of Revelation. Most of them are concentrated in the letters to the seven churches and include the command to repent four times (2:5, 16; 3:3, 19) and to hear what the Spirit says to the churches seven times. Although these commands can apply in some sense to all Christians, they specifically applied to these first century churches.

It seems there are only three commands in the Revelation that will apply to Endtime Christians. In Revelation 18:20 the people of God are commanded to rejoice over the fact that God has judged Endtime Babylon. Revelation 13:10 warns that some Endtime Christians will be destined for prison or to die by the sword (NLT). Therefore, it implies a command when it adds: This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people (NIV; cf. 14:12).

The only other command for Endtime Christians to obey in the words of prophecy written in this book of Revelation is Christ’s Last Great Commandment in 18:4:

Then I heard another voice from Heaven say: “Move out of Babylon the Great My people; so that you will not be connected to her sins and so that you will not experience her being struck hard with a sudden and severe disaster.

Jesus Christ, the Author of the book of Revelation, specifically promises to bless Endtime Christians who obey that command.

This promise even applies to those destined for prison, or to die by the sword (Rev 13:10 NLT) during The Greatest Persecution. Revelation promises elsewhere, during the Greatest Persecution:

Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them! [for all eternity] (Rev 14:13 NLT)

God will greatly and eternally bless those who are persecuted, imprisoned, or killed during the Endtimes. This is why Jesus said: 

“God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you [and even kill you] and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. (Matt 5:10-12 NLT)

If God’s plan for you in the Endtimes is prison or death, then you will be blessed with the grace, strength, faith, and even passion for that path, and then blessed and rewarded for all eternity as well.

Regardless, those who will obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment in the Endtimes will have the opportunity to experience all of the following blessings:

• The blessing of God’s grace and power to experience the love, joy, and peace of God’s Spirit (Gal 5:22) no matter what we are facing.
• The blessing of knowing we have been chosen by God to fulfill a unique purpose at the very end of the Church Age.
• The blessing of living without all of the distractions of American life, but rather with a renewed focus on the most important things in life, such as our relationships with God, our family, and our friends.
• The blessing of becoming more of the courageous, loving, peaceful, and joyful Christian we have always wanted to be.
• The blessing of ending our life with a God-glorifying “bang!” instead of a meaningless “whimper.”
• The blessing of gaining so many more eternal rewards in such a concentrated time of serving God and others.
• The blessing of experiencing 1st century Christianity when:

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and [God] performed many miraculous signs and wonders.

And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.

They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity–all the while praising God. (Acts 2:42-47 NLT)

There is reason to believe that what the first Christians experienced, God will want the last Christians to experience. How the Church started will be similar to how it will end. Of course, there was persecution and hardship. But the first Christians also experienced amazing spiritual growth, friendships, answers to prayer, miracles, unity, provision, and purpose. So much so that everyone kept feeling a sense of awe (v. 43 NASB). So will those who obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment, because of all the amazing spiritual growth, friendships, answers to prayer, miracles, unity, provision, and purpose they will experience in the Endtimes.

C) Other important blessings promised for those obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment

C.1) God’s promise to be with us (Matt 28:20)

In Moses’ encouragements to God’s people to obey God’s commands he gave Joshua a promise that all Christians participating in the American Exodus can claim:

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you. (Deut 31:8 NLT)

That is what the special favor of God looks like. For God to personally … be with you. This is a promise from God to be your Partner in whatever you are doing for Him. If God promises to be your Partner in all you do and face in the Endtimes, how does that change your perspective on the Endtimes and obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment? If God promises to be with you, then you can face even the biggest and scariest things in the Endtimes with courage and confidence.

When the LORD … is with you, it is as if He is walking right beside of you, or even ahead of you performing whatever miracles you need. God’s promise to be with you is a “blank check” to provide anything you need from Him to obey His commands. When the LORD was with the Israelites, no desert, no army, not even a sea could defeat or stop them, because He was their Partner. The only thing that ever defeated God’s people in the OT was their own sin, and the resulting removal of God’s favor and blessing.

Fortunately, those obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment will have the same promise. Why will American Christians be able to obey even such a difficult command? Because Christ’s Last Great Commandment carries with it the same promise given to those who obey Christ’s Great Commission. He told us: “Go and make disciples of all nations … teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matt 28:19-20 NIV). That is a very challenging command. Over the last 2,000 years, it has required a tremendous amount of faith and sacrifice, especially from the Pastors and missionaries who have worked to fulfill the Great Commission.

But what was Jesus’ promise to those pursuing this command: “Be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (v. 20 NLT). That is the only reason the Great Commission has resulted in millions of conversions and thousands of churches. Jesus Christ was with and blessed the people obeying the Great Commission. And those obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment can be sure of the same promise. They will be seeking to serve God’s purposes even to the end of the age. Therefore, the same Christ who will be commanding His people in America to leave there in the Endtimes, is the same Christ Who promises “Be sure of this: I am with you always” to do whatever you need from Me to obey and glorify Me.

When you are feeling overwhelmed with all of the challenges of actually obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment, remember this: You are a son or daughter of Almighty God. Nothing is too difficult for Him, and He has promised to help you. He simply expects you to do your best, and trust Him to do the rest. He will do what you cannot do to leave Endtime Babylon (America) and live out His will for you in the Endtimes. Or as stated in Exodus Conviction #5: God will provide everything we need to obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment.

C.2) The promise that Christ’s Return is only 7 years away when the Endtimes begin

Elsewhere it was argued that Antichrist’s Resurrection will be the first certain sign the Endtimes have begun (cf. The Beginning of Birth Pains, chs. 10-11). Shortly after that, he will implement his Religious Covenant to begin Antichrist’s Religion (BBP, ch. 14). This will begin Daniel’s Last 7 Years leading to Christ’s Return (cf. Dan 9:27). In fact, Scripture states 8 times that the Endtimes for the Church will last exactly 7 years (cf. BBP ch. 15, sec. A). Contrary to what is commonly and falsely taught, God will want Endtime Christians to know the exact day of Christ’s Return (cf. BBP ch. 15, sec. B). That will be an incredible encouragement to them!

When the Endtimes begin, there will be unprecedented challenges ahead. But we will only have 7 years left on this Earth. God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness for forty years (Deut 8:2). He will only need to provide for us a maximum of 7 years. Jesus said:

“Immediately after the completion of the [3.5 years of the] greatest persecution [exactly 7 years from the beginning of Antichrist’s Religious Covenant] all the peoples of the Earth will … see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of Heaven, with power and great glory. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet sound, and they will lift up and gather together God’s elect people from one end of the sky to the other, from everywhere on Earth” whether they are living or have died (Matt 24:29-31; ^[8] cf. 1 Thess 4:13-17).

When the Antichrist begins the Endtimes, Christians will know the real Christ is returning for them in exactly 7 years.

C.3) The promise that we cannot die

What is the greatest fear facing those who will obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment and live in the Endtimes? Death. Our own and the death of our loved ones. Jesus said the Endtimes will include unprecedented wars, famines, earthquakes, and being persecuted (Matt 24:6-7, 9). There will be a lot of painful ways to die in the Endtimes, even for God’s own people. And the biggest things we will worry about is how we and our loved ones can protect ourselves from dying in the Endtimes. Above all else, we will be seeking to survive.

But we must remember two things. First, even if we or a loved one dies in the Endtimes, we will be able to count the days until our Reunion! It will be less than 7 years before Christ’s Return, and we and they are rescued alive, or resurrected from the dead.

Second, we will never die. A Christian really cannot be killed. Jesus said:

“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. (John 11:25-26 NLT; cf. 10:28)

Either Jesus is a liar, or you and your Christian loved ones can never ever die. Your current earthly body can die and decay, but your soul, the real you, has been given eternal life and … will never perish (John 10:28 NLT). When your body dies, your soul will immediately depart and be with Christ (Phil 1:23 NIV) because when we are away from these earthly bodies … we will be at home with the Lord (2 Cor 5:8 NLT). And again, awaiting our eternal Reunion with Christ and one another, 7 years after the Endtimes begin.

Next Step

These chapters have been a required part of the Going Deeper in the Endtimes Essentials series. If you are in the process of completing that, return to the study guide and finish the assignments there.

If you have not been going through the Going Deeper study guide, request a copy of it by sending an email to:

info@newlifecr.com

Put “Request for Going Deeper study guide” in the subject line.

You are also welcome to email any other questions you may have as well.

May God’s abundant grace be with you and your loved ones if He has chosen you to see the Endtimes begin, and to glorify Him in the Last Generation Church.

1. Ibid., 132. ↑

2. TWOT, 420. ↑

3. Ibid., 345-6. ↑

4. Webster’s. ↑

5. The NLT helpfully translates the Greek word tērountes here as obey. BDAG notes the word can mean: “to persist in obedience … especially of law and teaching” (#3). Unfortunately, many versions use the more obscure words like keep (NIV, ESV) in both Rev 1:3 and 22:7. This word does not clearly mean “obey” to most modern English speakers.

   In addition, Thomas notes regarding Rev 1:3:

   It has been suggested that tērountes be taken in the sense of “remember” or “ponder upon,” with no notion of compliance with the things heard (Bullinger). In light of common NT usage of the word and this book’s frequent exhortations to repentance, faith, endurance, obedience, and the like, it is much preferred to assign it the sense of “give heed to” or “observe.” This is a call to be a doer of the word and not a hearer only (cf. James 1:22). (125)

   Osborne adds:

   The one who hears properly must continue to “take it to heart” (NIV) or obey the instructions. These two concepts, hearing and keeping, are combined frequently in the OT and NT. In fact, the Hebrew verb for “hear” also means to “obey.” The two concepts are inseparable biblically. (58)

   In Rev 1:3 and 22:7 Jesus simply repeated the promise He gave in the Gospels: “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it” (Luke 11:28 NIV). ↑

6. MacArthur notes:

   The book of Revelation is bracketed by promises of blessing [at 1:3 and 22:7] to those who read and obey it. But [1:3 and 22:7] are only two of the seven promises of blessing the book contains; the rest are equally wonderful:

   “‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them’”(14:13).

   “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame” (16:15);

   “blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (19:9);

   “blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection” (20:6);

   “blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city” (22:14). (22) ↑

7. For a discussion of the meaning of makarios, see first chapters of the FAITH study in the Christian Essentials. ↑

8. For an explanation of the suggested translation of Matt 24:29-30 see CET ch. 4, sec. C. For Matt 24:31 see CET, ch. 3, sec. E. ↑