"The End from The Beginning"

God establishes time, but He is also outside of time. God uses this powerful truth to reveal that He is the only God and that no other so-called gods can know the end from the beginning.

Isaiah 46:9-10 (NASB)
9  "Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, 10  Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure';

God reveals His control and knowledge of “the end from the beginning” to the Prophet Isaiah somewhere around 700 BC. God also gives Isaiah incredible details regarding the end of days. Not just the end of days for rebellious man, but also for the angels who joined the heavenly rebellion.

Isaiah 24:21-23 (NLT)
21  In that day the LORD will punish the gods in the heavens and the proud rulers of the nations on earth.22  They will be rounded up and put in prison. They will be shut up in prison and will finally be punished. 23  Then the glory of the moon will wane, and the brightness of the sun will fade, for the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will rule on Mount Zion. He will rule in great glory in Jerusalem, in the sight of all the leaders of his people.

Notice the sequence of events recorded by the Prophet Isaiah (verses 21-23), some 700 years before Christ…also confirmed in later Scriptures.

1.     God will punish the gods of heaven (fallen angels that did stay inside their prescribed limits of authority; Jude 1:6).

2.     God will punish the proud rulers of men on earth (Matthew 25:31-32)

3.     Angels and men will be rounded up and thrown into prison (2 Peter 2:4).

4.     The moon and sun will cease to shine as Jesus arrives in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:6)

5.     Jesus will reign from Mount Zion over those who were redeemed by the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 21:23).

The end from the beginning. God revealed all that to the Prophet Isaiah some 700 years before the birth of Christ. Zechariah, Matthew, Jude, Peter, and John all confirm the Isaiah prophecy years later.

“The end from the beginning”. The ending is summarized by one verse in the Book of Revelation when the Seventh Angel blows the Trumpet.

Revelation 11:15 (NLT)
15  Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.”

God has revealed the end from the beginning not to scare us, but to prepare us. In light of this revelation, how shall we live? What kind of people should we be, knowing how everything is going to end? The Apostle Peter helps us answer that question.

2 Peter 3:11-14 (NLT)
11  Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, 12  looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13  But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. 14  And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.aph with bold text.

Terry Cooper - Lead Pastor