His Perfect Love

Guest (Male): We all go through painful trials, and when we do, it's good to be summarized that God is very much with us.s Here's pastor Matt.

Matt VanderVen: How many of you get physical pain? How many of you are are are are needing healing, or you need how many of you are dealing with emotional pain? How many of you are dealing with spiritual pain, or oppression, or difficulty going on right now? Do you think God's indifferent to your pain? He's not. My God heals. My God's on the throne. He's the ancient of days. And he says, look, I've given you this command, but I'm not going to abandon you. I'm going to be with you, and I'm not going to stop being with you until I have removed you from here and brought you right to me.

Guest (Male): Here at the present time on His Perfect Love, we're traveling through Revelation one verse at a time. And today we join our teacher, pastor Matt Vanderven, in chapter 13. During the tribulation period, a world leader will come onto the scene. We call him the Antichrist. But why will so many follow him? We'll learn today that he'll receive a mortal head wound and is healed. This leaves the whole world to marvel and follow the beast. Here is pastor Matt to tell us more.

Matt VanderVen: Remember back in Matthew chapter 4, he took Jesus Christ to the top of a mountain, an overlook. And he said, look, I'll give you all this if you do what? If you bow down and you worship me. Remember? Satan Satan did this once before. He did this once before. It's patternistic. Nothing new. No bag of new bag of tricks. He did this. And Jesus said what? Absolutely not. No. And he quoted Deuteronomy and other passages. Satan's going to do the same thing to Antichrist, except Antichrist is going to say what? Yes. I just want you to see that it's always been there.

That he has set up so much of the scripture is an example. 1 Corinthians 10, these are things are examples I've given unto you that you would know in these times what would be that we would learn from the things that have happened before us, right? Quoting 1 Corinthians 10, I'm paraphrasing. He's told us these things so that when we're living in our day and we see something that has a fragrance or a fingerprint but looks similar, we can step back and go, wait a minute. I recognize the fingerprints of Satan and his demons here.

I'm not buying what you're selling. I know exactly who's the author of this. No matter how you're trying to appear as an angel of light, I see you as an angel of darkness. Not me and my family. We're going to serve the Lord. The beast is no ordinary man. He's called the beast because look what it says in Revelation chapter 11 verse 7 and also 17 8. He can come from a bottomless pit. An ordinary man can't do that. Now, it could be Satan himself that takes possession of this man, and that what gives him exceptional supernatural ability.

But this is not an ordinary man. A man that takes a a head wound, that's shot in the head or ear or or somehow has a head wound. You know, I I shared with first service, so many people are looking to Trump and going, see, he's he's Antichrist. No. Last I checked, he went down and he got up. He never was unconscious. It wasn't a uh mortal head wound. He He didn't die. He didn't, you know, need to be resuscitated. But I want you to see this because again, I mentioned patterns and typology. I want you to think about typology.

What was so interesting about that? Did you know that Trump at that point was starting to go a little bit down in the polls? Now, I know there's other people that are conspiracy theorists out there that it's said, hey, this was all a ruse, that it wasn't real. So, I've heard stories people say, oh, this was all put on there. It was somebody that was doing this to to drive more attention to Trump. Well, look at verse 3. It's interesting because we've seen something like this, except it's going to be intensified because it will be a mortal wound.

And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. This is significant. This mortal head wound is significant because it's what's going to cause the whole world to want to follow him. And if you don't believe that's possible, I want you to look to president Trump. Now, I'm certainly not saying he's Antichrist or comparing him to anything like that. Don't misunderstand what I'm saying. I'm saying the injury that when he was there and all of us wherever we were, in our house traveling or we heard this on the radio or the TV, we all of a sudden saw something come by.

He a bullet, a ballistic. He went down. He came up. What is the first thing he did? He put his fist up in the air and said what? Fight. I don't know who you are or where you live. I know as Americans, and I can't help but think about it. So, when I see a guy come up and he comes up and he's all bloody or what, and he says, you know what? Fight. Don't quit. I don't care who you are. There's something very American in that that swells in your belly, that goes, you know what?

I can get behind a guy like that even if you don't like the way he talks, even if you don't like his perspective, his politics, or anything else because there's something American that goes back to the founding of this country where we escaped religious persecution, where we escaped persecution by kings that forced their their will and dominance on a people group. And such our country fled that and was established on the liberty of we the people. So, this is a incredibly important to us. It's It's It's in our DNA. It's our fabric in this country.

So, when we see something like that, it does what? We want to get right behind it. And as a matter of fact, what happened to Trump's numbers right after that? Man alive, many believe and there'll be political majors that will be studying this for years to come. They will say that that was what pushed him over to win this election. Only time will tell as they continue to get the surveys and the data and figure all this out. But it's very interesting because that's what we just read. This man is going to take a head wound, the Antichrist.

And people all around the world are going to see this. And instead of it frightening, it's going to unify. People are going to come together and they're going to say the same thing that many of us said in this room, I can get behind a guy like that. And I don't know how that's going to work, but it is interesting to me that this is what is going to happen. And it's no doubt that it's a deadly wound, so don't walk out here going pastor Matt saying it's Trump. No. It's it cannot be. He's He never He never even passed out, right?

So, please don't be biblically accurate, right? I saw the when that happened, there was all kinds of headlines. You know, there was a Bible passage. Could Trump be the Read your Bible. The man was not mortally wounded, right? And then it says one of his heads had been mortally wounded, and the head of the wound, a mortal wound. This is not a superficial wound, right? Perhaps it's the result of God's judgment against the beast, maybe. But I think his deadly wound being healed and the recovery of the beast increases the fame and authority. Again, all the world marveled.

We have seen something like that before in our own country. And many of you thought, well, that that's not going to happen. You just did. You just witnessed it in an election. It happened here. And it happened in this state, right? Not too far from us. It's been interesting the things that have been going on in Pennsylvania lately, the firsts. But then again, you go back to our country and our history, there was a lot of firsts in Pennsylvania. I've been really correlating that lately. That's very interesting to me, this fabric of this country and how it was founded.

Twice later, look at Revelation chapter 13 12. And he exercises all authority of the first beast in His presence and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast. What? Whose deadly wound was healed. It's mentioned again. It's not something that's forgotten. It keeps being mentioned. Look at verse 14 in the same chapter, right? And then he says, and he who deceives those who dwell on the earth with signs, which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make the image to the beast who was what?

Wounded by the sword and lived. Do you see how this is going to not to be his claim to fame? Certainly Satan in his power, his authority, in his throne is going to do that, but this will be one of those things that is going to pivotally be able to if we are alive You You might be sitting here going, that can't be true. I praise God that I'm not the only one that thinks this and that mainstream Christianity has adopted this now. Seminaries and most scholars in Greek have adopted this because it's so specific.

It is entirely specific that this head wound and the healing of that is going to cause so much fame to this Antichrist that people around the world are going to be able to follow him. And what has just happened is patterned already. We saw it happen and it wasn't a mortal head wound. But it's incredible that we Cuz I think sometimes God shows us things. I think COVID pandemic was like that. We got to see what it would be like when the whole world's going to be shut down except during the great tribulation, it's going to be on mass steroids cuz we're not talking about millions, we're talking about billions.

You're talking about an 8 billion uh worldwide population, and 4 billion are going to die within the first 2 years of the great tribulation or 3 years. You're talking half of the population of the world. What did it do when we had uh a few million, which one's too many? Please don't misunderstand. I know many of us lost loved ones during that, but my point is is what did that do to everything around us? It brought it to a halt. There is no coincidence that some of that also with electronics and different things is going to remove some of those things uh obstacles that would have been there with COVID won't be there during this great tribulation.

But again, I think this is not just a revived Roman Empire. It's It's true. It's possible. But I think that in this perspective, the Roman Empire has has been dead and maybe it will be revived and the world will marvel at that. But I think this is in the most natural way of speaking John's word that he sees this man who's mortally wounded and then healed. And then the man's going to lead a revived Roman Empire and his personality is going to dominate it. And yet he and the empire are not exactly the same. And I just think that really important to point out because if you're here this morning and you're going, why does this matter to me?

Because if you're a born-again believer and you're sitting here, and I'm going to close with this very simply, if you're sitting here this morning and you think, but why does this matter to me? I'm born again. I'm saved. I'm not going through the great tribulation. Pastor, I read 1 Thessalonians 5. Church isn't given to wrath. God's not grammatically challenged. He doesn't stutter. So, why are we making why are you, me making such a big deal of this? Why is Jesus calling this out this way? Because if you knew the things that were going to come and you knew the warning signs and the things to tell the people to look for, the SOS and you didn't communicate it, would that be a fulfillment of what you were commanded?

You know, when Jesus Christ left this earth and ascended into heaven, he gave us really one specific thing to do that is really an umbrella idea. The one thing. Who can tell me what that is this morning? What was the one thing that he told us to Turn to Matthew 28. You might be sitting here this morning going, but but maybe I'm not as mobile as I used to be. Maybe my health isn't what it used to be. I can't Hey, friends, I said the same thing to first service. Every one of you have access to the Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore app.

Every week we have teachings here, Wednesdays and Sundays. You can do this. Share because you have no idea. Somebody might hear that word and get saved. You guys have these Facebooks or whatever Yeah, am I saying it right? Facebook. You have the Instagrams. You have all of these social things that that that that are made all the connect people and, you know, all over the world and everything like this. And you can post on that. You spend a lot of time and money, whether you know it or not. As part of this bride of Christ here, you sponsor Hope FM.

You know, how do we do that? Because we're on Hope FM, and every month we make uh a contribution to them. And every day at 4:30, His Perfect Love, the radio ministry from Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore here is on the radio during drive time. People listen to that. People We've had people calling. People get saved. I mean, all kinds of healings happen because of the radio ministry. That's your ministry. This is your church. I think so many of you are going to get to heaven and be surprised because you're like, I didn't I didn't do anything.

I I I Lord, I could have been more And Jesus said, what are you talking about? Do you know how many people you led to Christ? You said, what do you mean? I I didn't I think we're all going to marvel at how many times whether we we we gave somebody a cup of water, whether we gave somebody a meal, whether we just put our arms around somebody and love them. Those are the things that planted the seeds, watered the seeds, and produce fruit. And you guys are all part of it. This is your church.

It's not my church. This is yours. This is God's church. It's His institution. Ephesians 4 for the equipping of saints, for the work of the ministry. It's not for the My My passage I asked you to turn to Matthew 28. Please look at uh verse 18. Your Bible say Jesus said to you as he was heading up to heaven, he says, look, I want you to get comfortable. I want you to put yourself up on a on a shelf. I want to make sure that you protect yourself in in in in in don't and all make yourself vulnerable and and don't and all give of yourself that way.

And I just want you to shrink wrap yourself, plastic wrap, so that nothing bad can happen to you. I want you to love people in such a way that you were going to become a people pleaser and that you'll do anything to make sure that you're liked and valued in the eyes of other people rather than stand for my name because after all, I want you to be more worried about what other people think than what I think. That's the translation according to who? I don't know cuz that not what your Bible says. What does your Bible say?

And Jesus came Let me back up in verse 16. Then the 11 disciples went away into Galilee to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him. But some doubted. Please see that's not a new thing. That's been happening forever. Christians. Yes, there's times they have crises of faith, doubt. Give that to the Lord. That's not a disqualifier. Give that to the Lord. He will increase your faith. He will strengthen you. And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

Why would he begin with that? Because he's a sovereign God, and he wants you to understand I'm not following anybody that has to have authority. Do you follow anybody that doesn't have authority? If somebody told you to line up uh at the job you work at and you're going to get a pay bump and you are going to start doing this job and that job, and meanwhile that person has no authority, are you following them? Probably not. All authority has been given to me in heaven and on the earth. Jesus Christ is declaring he's God and he is sovereign and has all authority.

So, he's saying, hey, listen up. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. He says, I want you to teach them. To teach them means you got to be invested in them. It means sometimes you got to get some sheep droppings on you. You got to get sheep droppings on you. Sorry if you don't like it that way, but I I don't know how else to say it. Teaching them to observe all the things that I've I've commanded you, to the things I've given you.

You need to turn around and pay that one and give that to them. And lo, he tells them this, and I love that he wrote this in here because he's speaking to you and I. He's speaking in the church age. He says, I'm with you always, even to the end of what? The age. What age? What age are we learning? And we're in Revelation, right? We just talked about it. Revelation chapters 2 and 3. Before which is after these things in the Greek. Chapter 4 begins. But before after these things, after service you're going to eat.

Did you eat before a service? You did breakfast, but I mean, did you After service you're going to have dinner. Did you have dinner before a service? No. After these things means after these things. Mail in the Greek chapter 4. So, that means chapter 2 and 3 talking about the church age. What Jesus Christ is saying to you who are alive right now at one of the most difficult times to be alive because of the persecution, because of the things that are coming, because Christians are becoming enemies of the state, because of all the fact that love is going to continue to grow cold in these last days because people are going to be hated.

Jesus said, for my name's sake, people are going to be hated because of these things. He says, look, I want you to understand this that I am not going to leave you. I'm not abandoning you. I'm never going to leave you alone. You're never going to go through anything without me. Even it comes to the end of the age, it's not till I take my church out of here through the rapture cuz that's what ends the church age. Amen. We understand that. We're brains. We read our Bible. The only thing that ends the church age is the rapture.

Then you don't read about the church from what? Chapter 4 all the way to chapter 19. That And then you start reading about the church again. There's no other mention of the church to that cuz the church age is over. Then we go into the next stage, which will be the millennial. He's telling us, I'm giving you the thing you need to know as overcomers with physical pain. How many of you get physical pain? How many of you are are are are needing healing, or you need How many of you are dealing with emotional pain?

How many of you are dealing with spiritual pain, or oppression, or difficulty going on right now? Do you think God's indifferent to your pain? He's not. My God heals. My God's on the throne. He's the ancient of days. And he says, look, I've given you this command, but I'm not going to abandon you. I 'm going to be with you, and I 'm not going to stop being with you until I have removed you from here and brought you right to me where I can I can put my I can You are with me in heaven.

That's the only time that I end that no by the way because you're with me. I'm with you, too. So, does it really end? He says, even to the end of the age. Well, then we just go into a new age, but we're still with Jesus. Do you see it? The point is he's never going to leave us. That's what we needed to hear this morning. Every one of us needs to know that. And so, because of that great commission, because of Christ's love, we need to be about our Father's business. We have the enemy.

I began starting out with that, Satan. And he is deliberate. And what did he do again when he got kicked out of heaven? He knew that what was starting the timeline. So, did he intensify his attack towards the Jewish people, or did he lessen his attack? Did he get more aggressive or less aggressive? Now, I By aggressive I don't mean in extreme ways hurting. I mean, should the Christian church Should we be more about our Father's business? Because we have limited time. That's the whole point. Even our enemy understands that that there's a timetable, and that his time at the 3 and 1/2 year period is only 3 and 1/2 years left.

You and I are no different. He's intentional and deliberate. We need to be intentional and deliberate. And whether it's through the social platform that you go out and share this, hey, just listen to the Get saved. Hey, call up somebody. Can I come over? Can we sit down and have dinner? What it would be if God would do another revival? If God would do another awakening? And I really believe he wants to. I really believe that in studying um revivals, and I have many books in my library, you read about the It wasn't about God wanting to do it or the Holy Spirit.

It was people willing. It was an Isaiah 6 moment. Here I am, Lord. Use me. So, are we people of the great commission? Are we people that are going to stand in the gap for God? We read these words, and we have a decision before us. Are we going to be the people of His pasture following him, discipling and making disciples because we have received the greatest gift, Jesus. And he never asks us to keep it to ourselves. We have no problem gossiping about all this other junk and we'll share it with everybody we shouldn't be.

The one thing we should be sharing with everybody, so often we don't. So, allow me to give you an invitation from Jesus Christ in Matthew chapter 28. Go therefore. That's an action word with a call to action. You have been encouraged, strengthened by the word of God. You have been called. And now, it's time to do. So, I want to encourage every one of you be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ wherever you go and everything you do, whether you go out to lunch after this, whether you go you have this weekend. Make time for others.

Invest in others. You've been filled up because what's poured in can now be poured out.

Guest (Male): That is pastor Matt Vanderven on His Perfect Love. We're going through Revelation at the present time, and I'll remind you that you can hear the program again when you visit His Perfect Love dot org. That's His Perfect Love dot org. We're also at oneplace.com. And look for us wherever you get your podcasts. We also offer a mobile app. This is a great way to take pastor Matt's teachings with you on the go. You can learn more about the mobile app and start your download when you visit our website His Perfect Love dot org. We can't thank you enough for your prayers for this ministry.

Please pray that as God's word goes forth, that lives will be greatly impacted for the glory of God, and people would grow by His grace and love, or even enter into a relationship with Him. And if you have a prayer request, please send that our way. You can email that to us through our website at His Perfect Love dot org. If you live in the Mechanicsburg PA area, we hope you'll stop by for a visit. Just like you hear on the radio, pastor Matt teaches verse by verse through the Bible here at Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore.

Sunday morning services begin at 8:30 and 10:30. We have a midweek gathering on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. We're located at 28 North Locust Point Road in Mechanicsburg PA. Go to ccharrisburg.org for more information. And then join us next time when pastor Matt will pick up where we left off in Revelation here on His Perfect Love.

Matt VanderVen: His Perfect Love is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore.