HopeLives365

Mark Finley: Jesus has prepared a place for you. And if you do not respond to his love, if you do not choose to accept the salvation that he offers, nobody else can fulfill your place that's in heaven. The empty chair is there for you.

Guest (Female): This is Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message: You Can Be A Winner. Enjoy and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up to date with Hope Lives 365 and Pastor Mark by going to hopelives365.com. And now, Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: In 1988, my wife and I were serving overseas with headquarters in St. Albans, England. I was responsible for pastors in 17 different countries. Three of those countries were countries under communism: Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia. You recall that communism didn't fall until 1989, and we began serving in 1985. So I traveled in and out of communist countries and had a real interest in helping our believers in those countries to be faithful to Christ.

One day, as I walked into my office, I read an article in one of the London newspapers. The article caught my attention and fascinated me. The Adventist Church in Romania was bulldozed. It was razed and destroyed by the communist government. The government destroyed the church under the pretext that they needed the land for some kind of a bridge or some kind of government project. Nicolae Ceauşescu, dictator of Romania, wanted to clamp down on Christians, and so as a result of that, he did everything he could to seize church property and destroy it.

Now, the Adventists resisted. They heard the orders that their church was going to be destroyed, so they decided to meet at the church. They decided as well to stay in the church and not leave, and they prayed and prayed and prayed. Eventually, Ceauşescu circled the church with soldiers and others and threatened to break down the church and destroy the windows and smash the walls unless they came out. They didn't come out.

Finally, he released 20 to 30 hardened criminals who did smash the windows, broke the doors, dragged out these Adventists, emptied the church, and eventually dynamited the church and took the ruins and just left those ruins there until they could be scraped until he could build his project. But after the church was destroyed the next week, the Adventists met on the same spot among concrete and twisted metal and bits of glass and prayed over the land.

Now, is this the end of the story? Is it a great defeat for the true God? Does it look like atheism wins? Well, it looked like that in one instance, but not so. Teenie and I visited Romania in February of 1999, and I was able to interview 30 or 40 people who were in that church 11 years before.

I asked them, what was it like to be in the church with these mobs around screaming, and what was it like when they began smashing windows and dragged you out of the church? They said, God gave us a peace. God gave us a sense that we were going to be victorious in this. Now, when I visited them in 1999, they were worshiping in a new church. For almost seven years, they worshiped in some kind of prefabricated tent.

But the church that they have now is the nicest church in Romania. It's one of the nicest churches. It's beautiful. And you know what street that's on? It's on Winner's Street. And you know what number Winner's Street? Seven Winner's Street. So God calls his people to be winners, not losers. He calls us to victory, not defeat. He calls us to a kingdom that will triumph, not a kingdom that will be destroyed. His plans will accomplish their purposes.

When you think about this church, they had a motto: Romans 8, verse 31 to 39. Romans 8, verse 31 to 39. Here God gives us this promise: "What shall we say then to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" See, these believers in Romania, when their church was being destroyed, recognized that God was for them.

Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, making intercession for us. Whatever trials you go through, whatever difficulties you go through, whatever challenges you go through, whatever heartaches you ever experience, God, through Christ, is making intercession for you. Jesus is interceding for you before the Father.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. These Adventist believers understood that. They understood that in some way they would conquer.

After they were thrown out of that church, there were times it was difficult when they were meeting in that tent. It was cold at times, difficult, but they hung on by faith, sacrificed time, sacrificed their money, built a new church. It was much nicer than what they ever had before, and they built that church on Winner Street, number seven, to indicate that they believe that through Christ and by Christ and in Christ, God's people are winners.

When you look at the Bible's last book, Revelation, there are many people that look at Revelation and they see mystic beasts. They see cryptic symbols. Many people look at the book of Revelation and they say it's so hard to understand. But Revelation 1, verse 1 says: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto the servant John."

So the book of Revelation is given to us by God. It comes to Christ, who gives it to the angel, who wings his way from worlds afar and gives it to John. John writes it down. And what is the theme of the book of Revelation? The theme of the book of Revelation is Christ's return, His triumph over the principalities and powers of hell. In the war between good and evil, in the war between Christ and Satan, Jesus wins and Satan loses.

In Revelation 1:7, it says: "Behold, he comes in clouds, and every eye will see him." In Revelation 4, verse 11, it says: "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power because you created all things." Our Creator is our Redeemer. and our Creator, who is our Redeemer, is coming again as coming King and Lord of lords. Revelation 5, verse 13 says: "Blessing and honor and glory and power to him who sits upon the throne."

Now notice the emphasis on the throne. The throne implies rulership. The throne implies dominion. The throne implies kingly authority. And in the battle between good and evil, in the battle between Christ and Satan, it's a battle for the throne of the universe. We call this the Great Controversy, the cosmic conflict between good and evil. And in this battle for the throne, Jesus wins and Satan loses. Jesus is victorious, and Satan is defeated.

In Revelation 7, verse 15, it says: "Therefore they are who stand before the throne and serve him day and night." And if we look at that Bible passage in Revelation chapter 7, verse 15, we see that this is no small group that stands before the throne of God. In Revelation 7, verse 15, leading up to it, it says this: "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands."

So here in Revelation chapter 7, it's actually verse 9. Revelation 7, verse 9. This is no small group. After these things I looked and behold a great number which nobody could number, of all nations, tribes, tongues. And here are thousands and thousands and thousands. And it says they stand before God, before His throne. See, these are God's victorious winners. They have accepted Jesus. They have been saved by His grace. They have been redeemed by His love. Through His power, they've lived in harmony with His Word.

In Revelation 11, verse 15 to 17, we have another picture of victory, another picture of triumph, another picture of God's people triumphing. It says: "The seventh angel sounded, and I heard voices from heaven saying: 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, and he shall reign forever and ever.'" See, once again you have this idea of victory.

Revelation 14, verse 14 to 20: Christ comes. He reaps the harvest of the earth. In pictured as believers, the golden grain is gathered into the garner of God. People are saved. The gory grapes are trod out in the winepress of His wrath. People are lost. Revelation 16, verse 17, He says: "It is done. It is done. It is done." Sin and sinners will be no more. Disease and disaster and death are over. Calamity, chaos, conflict over. Pestilence, poverty over. Pollution over.

Three times in the Bible it says "it is done" or "finished." At the end of creation, God says He finished His work. It's done. On the cross, Jesus hangs there and He said, "It is finished." He didn't say "I'm finished." "It is finished." In other words, the plan of salvation is consummated. The blood of Jesus seals the everlasting covenant.

Guest (Female): We'll be right back with Pastor Mark Finley. We thank you for listening and hope you're enjoying today's message. Our mission is to attractively present the Christ-centered biblical truths of scripture in a practical, relevant way to people around the world so that they may experience the abundant life that Christ offers and effectively share with confidence his life-changing truths with others. You can support this ministry and help us reach even more by going to hopelives365.com/donate. And now back to Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: But there at the end of the plagues, Jesus says again, "it is done." Why? Because Christ comes as King of kings and Lord of lords. All of the wickedness is destroyed. Evil is destroyed.

In Revelation 19, verse 11, what we're looking at today in this program is that all through the book of Revelation, we have the absolute assurance of the defeat of Satan, the absolute assurance of the victory of Christ in the last conflict between good and evil. Revelation chapter 19, verse 11 and onward: "Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse."

Now, why a white horse? When an ancient Roman ruler overcame or conquered another country, he would often ride back to Rome on a white horse, symbolizing his conflict, his conquest, and victory. Behind him would be the soldiers that had so gallantly and valiantly fought in the war. And then you had the spoils of war that were taken through the streets of Rome.

So now Revelation 19:11 says: "I saw heaven opened," and symbolically Christ comes riding as a white horse. John, writing Revelation in the mid-90s, writing to a population that would have understood this symbolism, uses the coming of Christ symbolized as a white horse to symbolize the victory, the triumph of Christ. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.

His eyes were like a flame of fire, His head as many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood. His name is called the Word of God. The armies of heaven clothed in fine white linen and clean followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, and with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and the wrath of Almighty God. He has on His robe written: King of Kings, Lord of Lords.

So Jesus comes. And in the coming of Christ, He is the King of kings. He is the Lord of lords. He is the rightful ruler of the universe. He is the one worthy to take the throne. He is the one who is our righteous King. Revelation 21 and 22, the last two chapters of the Bible—you know the first two chapters of the Bible, Genesis 1 and 2, begin with a perfect world. The last two chapters of the Bible, Revelation 21 and 22, end with a perfect world. Between Genesis 2, starting with Genesis chapter 3, and Revelation 20, you have the Great Controversy between good and evil.

The Bible begins with a perfect world, the Bible ends with a perfect world. John says in Revelation chapter 21 with these words: "I, John, saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven as a bride adorned for her husband." And then he says in verse 4: "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There'll be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There'll be no more pain, for the former things are passed away." He says: "Behold, I make all things new."

What incredible good news. Jesus will indeed make all things new. Down through the ages, Christians have been inspired, uplifted by the second coming of Christ, the second coming of Christ, the triumph of the principles of Jesus, the triumph of righteousness over unrighteousness, the triumph of light over darkness, the triumph of good over evil.

This triumph is revealed in the book of Revelation. First-century Christians were burned at the stake. They were thrown to lions in the Roman Colosseum. They were beaten and flagellated, backs ripped apart, blood running down their backs and over onto the soil below. But they were inspired by the Advent hope. They were inspired by the coming of Jesus.

They were inspired by the fact that one day Christ would return, one day Jesus would stream down the corridors of the sky, one day sin and sickness and suffering would be no more. One day, as the Apostle Paul said in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 16 and 17: "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God. The dead in Christ shall rise first, and we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air." Praise the Lord, He is coming again.

Soviet Christians in Eastern Europe, during the 40 years of communism, were inspired by this Advent hope. I think of a friend of mine, Pastor Mikhail Kulakov. Pastor Kulakov was imprisoned for his faith for five years. He was imprisoned for sharing the Word of God with others. He prayed during those five years that God would help him even in prison to be victorious.

I asked him once, as we traveled into the dark Soviet night in those years—I was preaching in the former Soviet Union from 1985 to 1990 in places like Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia. When the Berlin Wall fell and communism fell, I went into Russia, held meetings there in the Blohana University. Then I was invited to come into the Kremlin, the only Christian pastor that had that invitation for a period of time. In fact, I preached in the Kremlin for two weeks plus.

Then we went into the Olympic Stadium, preached to thousands there. But I remember talking to Pastor Kulakov, and I said to him: "What was it that is your memory of these days in the Soviet prison?" And he said: "Pastor Mark, you know, I was always hungry. You could never satisfy your hunger on that dry bread or that gruel they gave you, never." And he said: "I was always cold, just shaking and shaking and shaking."

When he was in prison, he longed for the coming of Jesus, and he said: "Lord, I know that even in this prison, I can be a winner, not a loser." One of his goals was to translate the old Synodal edition of the Russian Bible into more modern Russian because the Synodal edition had many, many errors in it. He understood Greek and knew Greek, the New Testament, of course, written in Greek, but didn't know Hebrew.

While he was in prison, he met a number of rabbis, and during that five years in prison, he concentrated on the time when they didn't have him working in the Soviet labor camps on learning Hebrew, which he did. When he got out of prison, he organized a Russian Bible translation team who translated the old Synodal edition of the Russian Bible into more modern Russian that's very much more understandable.

And that's the Bible that's used throughout Russia today. It's the common Bible that's used, the one that Pastor Kulakov's team translated from old and New Testament, Old Testament Hebrew, New Testament Greek. And when he was telling me the story, he smiled and he said: "Well, the communist government sent me to prison to silence my voice, but God sent me there as my postgraduate course to learn Hebrew so I could study Hebrew so that I could translate the Bible with my Bible translation team into modern Russian when I get out."

It reminded me of 2 Corinthians 13, verse 8, where it says we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth, and Romans chapter 8, verse 28, that says all things work together for good. God has called us to be winners. And Pastor Kulakov said: "You know, what inspired me in that prison, too, was the hope of the coming of Jesus."

When you think about it, when you think about a 17-year-old girl in a tragic car accident that goes through the windshield and is instantly killed, what is it that buoys up the heart of her parents? What is it that encourages her relatives? It is the fact that death is not the end. It's the fact that Jesus Christ is coming and the righteous dead will be resurrected.

Attend any funeral. You attend a funeral of an atheist and what do you say? "Oh, I'm so sorry your loved one died, but you know, she's going to be in the grave now, and the worms are going to eat her body, and that's it. You'll never see her again." But Christians never say goodbye for the last time because we believe in the bodily resurrection.

Just like Christ was resurrected from the dead, we believe Jesus will come, sky will be illuminated with His glory, lightning will flash from the east even to the west. He'll come with ten thousand times ten thousand angels, and He'll cry, "Mary, come forth. Joan, come forth. Johnny, come forth. Harry, come forth."

Think about it. Think of the scenes of brutality in the Ukrainian war and the Russian war—terrible situation, innocent people dying. What is it that buoys up Ukrainian Christians today? The coming of Christ. What is it that buoys up the Christian mother of a Russian young soldier that's forced into battle but yet dies in battle? It is the coming of Christ.

What is it that encourages us to do everything we can for starving children with distended bellies and give them as much practical help as we can, but knowing that whatever we do, there's going to be more that die? What is it that encourages us in the midst of that? That which encourages us is the coming of Christ. There may be senseless drive-by shootings, bombs may drop, but our hearts cry out for heaven. Our hearts cry out for home.

Revelation not only reveals what is coming but who is coming. The "who" is as important as the "what." The "who" makes all the difference, and the one who is coming is called Jesus Christ. He is coming, He's your best friend.

Guest (Female): You've been listening to Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you've enjoyed today's message and remind you that you can find more in our many ministry resources at hopelives365.com. And you can support this ministry by going to hopelives365.com/donate. And now a final thought from Pastor Mark.

Mark Finley: John chapter 14, verse 1 to 3: Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself."

Notice he says, "In My Father's house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place." Jesus has prepared a place for you. Would you like to open your heart? Would you like to open your mind? Would you like to say to Jesus: "I am Yours and Yours and Yours alone. I long for that day that You will come, dear Lord, and that the sickness and suffering and sorrow of this earth will be over and I'll be caught up in the sky to meet You there forever."

Let's pray. Father in heaven, thank You for Your love, Your grace, Your goodness, Your mercy. Thank You that You're coming again. Thank You that the longing of Your heart is to be with us. May the longing of our heart be with You through eternity. In Christ's name, Amen.