Light on the Hill

James Kaddis: The question isn't whether or not you're going to believe and the question is not whether or not I should convince you that God is real. The question is, are you going to proclaim that He's real now and live according to what He wants you to do now or are you going to discover that later and suffer in eternity in hell? That's the question. Because the reality of it is, you're going with the program. No matter what, you're going with the program.

Guest (Male): Especially around Christmas time, we tend to have a picture in our minds of a gentle Jesus, meek and mild and loving. The Book of Revelation depicts a very different side of our Lord and Savior. In chapters 6 through 19, we learn about the wrath of the Lamb. One day, the judgment of God will come upon a Christ-rejected world in the tribulation period. Today on Light on the Hill, Pastor James Kaddis will focus on some of the seal judgments described for us in Revelation Chapter 6.

James Kaddis: It says verse 12, "and I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood. And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind."

It's kind of interesting, the idea of the fig tree casting untimely figs. Fig trees, it's funny how figs fall off of a fig tree. As they're almost ready, they're like almost ripened and they're ready to go. What begins to happen, like in any other tree but with figs it's a lot more pronounced in a fig tree, is the connection that the fig has to the tree begins to weaken substantially.

The idea here is that as that connection to the tree weakens, as the fig grows in weight because it's grabbing some of the moisture and the nutrients, then in essence, what it does is it falls off the tree. If you were to shake that tree up, you actually would have it's not like one or two figs would fall because they're only one or two are ready. Actually, they would all fall. You would make them all fall prematurely because they all get to that point at the same time and it just depends on when each one falls down off the tree.

It's kind of an interesting thing. We had a fig tree at my brother's house that we were living in when Nicole and I first got married and that was a very frustrating process for us, the fig tree. Because what would happen is if the wind blew super, super hard on a day where it was kind of premature and all the figs fell, then you'd have, 50 of them that were on the grass and if you didn't do something about it, they began to really, really ripen if you know what I mean. At the time, the dog would go out and he would just go crazy on eating all these figs and it was just a bad situation.

So the whole idea behind this picture of these figs falling off the tree prematurely and all of these things happening is a very astounding kind of a demonstration that's being given because the type of meteor showers that they're describing here is crazy. It's like what you're going to see in the sky is there are going to be so many shooting stars, a lot more pronounced than what normally people see this little streak in the sky. These are going to be meteor showers like nobody has ever seen.

When I was a kid, I thought a shooting star was exactly that. I thought it was a star that somehow just decided to take off for a little while and say bye-bye. What you realize when you get a little bit older is those are all particles, or I wouldn't even call them particles, they're massive objects in many cases that are re-entering our atmosphere and in doing so they're burning up. If it's big enough, you'll actually see it, it'll look like a shooting star and in essence, that's what it is.

Think of the fact that this will be where it is so bad where the sky will be completely lit up by the flames that are coming from these meteors that are falling into the earth. It is interesting our relationship with meteors or asteroids as they call them. Funny how the scientists have found out all kinds of funny things about them and they know a lot about them.

There's a lot of debates that have gone on back and forth. There's one, I forgot the name of it, some of you guys might be able to tell me, it's the one that they've been talking about lately, the big controversy one, the one that there's a big debate with the scientists where they believe that this thing is like 15,000 miles away when it falls past the earth. It'll be around 15,000 miles away from the earth, which is by the way dangerously close. That could change the ecology of the earth.

Then some scientists are saying, no, it's 1.5 million miles away or 150,000 miles away. I don't remember, but there's a big debate there. But again, we have seen a lot of meteors that are massively big that could just completely destroy the earth if there was the right collision that had actually taken place. We see them a lot. As a matter of fact, wasn't there one that had recently hit, I think it was somewhere around Arizona or New Mexico many years ago that was part of a very small fragment of a much larger one that they didn't even notice was a near miss?

They saw this piece hit the ground and make this massive half-mile crater down but then what was interesting was they looked back and they said, "Oh yeah, that was a near miss. It was like 20,000 miles away from us or something like that." People don't completely recognize how ugly things can get, how fast they can get ugly just by the things that are floating around in space if they came into our atmosphere and kind of destroyed things.

As a matter of fact, if you have, and you should probably do this just for fun if you think about it, go to the NASA website or there's a lot of different websites you can go to that actually track all of the objects that are floating around the earth. If you actually saw the objects that are floating around the earth, it would actually make you sick. If you saw how many pieces of just junk are floating around the earth or how many objects re-enter the atmosphere on a regular basis and burn up, how many man-made objects are around the earth, if you just looked at the picture of the model of all the man-made objects around the earth, it would blow your mind to see just how many things are just floating around there.

You could just get a simple app like SkyView for example and you download that app and you open it up, you look at it while you're outside so it grabs all the satellite data and it'll show you every little floating thing that's out there. Things that are just kind of floating by and so on and so forth. Guys like me who ham radio tends to be something you enjoy doing, we use those apps often times because there are certain satellites that we communicate with.

If you're a nerd and you've got a lot of time like I did when I was much younger, I don't have it now, you can still to this day, you can communicate if you have a ham radio, you turn into the right frequency and you're licensed, you can communicate with people that are on the International Space Station. I've made a couple of contacts with people on the International Space Station. You can do that and it's not really hard to do. You just have to have the right equipment, you have to know what you're doing, and so on and so forth. It's kind of a popular thing.

When you grab the tracking software that you need to be able to do all that stuff and you look at all of the debris that centers around the earth, it would blow your mind. It's really crazy how ugly it is. Quite frankly, I have no idea how these people that rocket off into space are able to avoid this debris and not just have a catastrophic failure. It is a literal miracle how they do that. The way NASA figures that out and how they do that is absolutely amazing because think about it, back in the '60s they didn't have a lot of debris to worry about.

Now they have tons of debris to worry about because it's not just American debris, it's Chinese debris and Japanese debris and there's all kinds of debris that we don't even know about that we have to anticipate and might exist because our scanners may have seen something that we don't understand what it is. I mean, if you think about it, when Apollo 13 exploded at the moment that it did, all of the debris from that explosion is still floating around the earth.

So you can imagine if we have this massive meteor or a bunch of meteors that break up coming to the earth, what that would look like. It would look crazy. It would look like potentially what we're seeing described here in Revelation Chapter 6. The Bible is telling us we're going to end up seeing that. So it's kind of a crazy picture and you begin to see all of this insanity. I mean this is like catastrophic things happening. You look up in the sky and it's like this movie apocalyptic type scenario. It's ugly and that's going to be God's judgment and God's going to do that.

So look what it goes on to say. Verse 14, "and the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places." I don't even want to imagine or describe what that could possibly look like but folks, it will be catastrophic. It'll be absolutely crazy. We think man-made weapons are a crazy thing to see when you see a rocket in the sky or so on and so forth. Listen, a rocket in the sky is nothing compared to a massive meteor shower when I say a real one. I'm not talking about where you see hundreds of them every second.

I'm not talking about, we call a massive meteor shower something when we see 10 or 15 shooting stars in an hour. Oh, that's massive. There was one that we had recently where they were saying there was as many as 40 or 50 that you were seeing an hour and that was actually true because you could stand in the middle of a really light-polluted city location, look up in the sky and still see one or two every hour. That had gone on a couple of years back and it was quite a wild sight to see. You had to be up at 3:00 in the morning to be able to see it at its fullest but it was crazy.

I remember stepping outside and just going, "Wow, that's nuts. It kind of looks like the world is falling apart right now." Some of them were really slowly streaking across the sky. There's a lot of video of it. So if you think about the phenomena that is created by virtue of what happens in nature, it's a lot more significant and a lot more insane-looking than anything man-made that we can produce. An explosion in the sky by something man-made isn't going to come close to what we're going to see here and it's going to be crazy when it begins to happen.

I can't even begin to imagine what it would look like to see the heaven closing up like a scroll being rolled closed. Like I can't even imagine. Just imagine a scroll. You've got these pieces of paper that are rolling up, rolling together. I don't know what that would look like when he talks about everything rolling up like that, that the universe around him looking like that. That's going to be a crazy sight and it's going to be one that I don't want to be around for, at least not as one who hasn't been raptured. I don't mind seeing the show when I'm in heaven but to be able to see the show right now on this earth because I rejected God, I don't think anybody wants anything to do with that. It's kind of a heavy picture.

Verse 15, "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"

Think about that. How many people right now are waving their fist at God? How many people are angry at God? How many people are yelling and screaming at God? How many people are looking to God and just basically flipping Him off and cursing Him and putting Him down? There's such anger and vitriol. It's one of the things I've never understood about atheists. You are so radically angry at somebody that you say doesn't even exist. If He doesn't exist, how can you be angry at Him? It doesn't make sense.

Just by very virtue of your bitterness and your anger, I can prove that God exists because you can't be angry at something that doesn't exist. I mean who ever woke up in the morning, unless they were a kid who didn't really understand things, but who ever woke up in the morning, a grown man and said, "I'm just really, really angry at Santa Claus right now." What do you mean you're angry at Santa? You're angry at something that doesn't exist?

You guys get the idea. The point behind all of this and now watch, there's also going to be a crowd of people that are going to write me letters going, "James, you're worshiping a satanic..." It's funny. Look up the history of St. Nick everybody, St. Nicholas, and then anyway, I'm just going to leave it alone. But my point is this. My point is that God is going to come and He is going to destroy the world. When that judgment ensues, people, grown people who have been rejecting God their whole life, are going to literally speak to inanimate objects like mountains and caves and beg those mountains to fall on them because they know that God is judging them and they want to be hidden from the judgment that God is bringing upon.

Can you imagine what that's going to be like? Can you imagine the very things that we try to avoid every single day getting injured by like rocks and places that we stay away from like places that could enclose us are the very places that people are going to run into hoping to be hidden from the judgment? They're going to look at the sky and the sky's going to be so overwhelming that they're going to run into a cave and pray that that cave just completely collapse so that they don't see what happens and that those things don't affect them.

Imagine the kind of state that that brings. The one thing that I think is the most astounding with everything that I'm looking at right now, with all of what I'm reading and everything that I'm seeing, the most astounding aspect of all of this centers around one very interesting fact. It isn't the fact that the world is falling apart. It isn't the fact that God is ensuing judgment. It isn't about the meteor showers. It isn't about the earth falling apart. It isn't about the universe falling apart. It isn't about any of those things.

What's astounding to me is that the Bible makes it clear that all of these people who are in the midst of being judged and watching the world fall apart around them, every single one of them know that it's God that's judging them. That's what it tells us. They all are aware. All of a sudden, their awareness of God becomes very, very viable. Their awareness that God is real becomes viable. See, here's my issue and I think this is really important for us to understand.

My goal as a pastor and my goal as a Christian and my goal as a man who loves God and seeks to tell other people about loving God and learning how to walk with Him, my one goal is not to convince them that God is real. Because here's the deal. I don't care who you are. I don't care how hard of a heart you have and I don't care how much you continue to say that God doesn't exist. The question is not whether one day you're going to believe it. That is not the question. You will believe it one day and you will see it one day. Quite frankly, you believe it now, but your heart is so hard, your seared conscience has kept you from accepting that.

The question isn't whether or not you're going to believe and the question is not whether or not I should convince you that God is real. The question is, are you going to proclaim that He's real now and live according to what He wants you to do now or are you going to discover that later and suffer in eternity in hell? That's the question. Because the reality of it is, you're going with the program. No matter what, you're going with the program.

We used to say this all the time to these guys that used to just want to fight you. Gangsters were the worst for this. You'd go on the streets and you'd get a complaint call of somebody acting up or whatever and you'd catch these guys in the act, catch them committing a crime, you catch them during the commission of a robbery or something like that. Here's the thing. We had a couple of guys that were really, really sharp police officers, very aggressive gang detectives, and they would tell the gang members the same thing when they would get arrested.

They would say, "Look, here's the deal. You can either go with the program now or we're going to force you to go with the program, but the bottom line is you're going with the program." That's something we used to say on a regular basis. You're going to go with the program. It's going to either be done by force or it's going to be done because you chose to go with the program, but the program is going to continue on.

It was one of those crazy statements you'd hear and then you watch an arrest being put into effect with great resistance versus one that happens with them just giving up and you understand the same thing. They're going to still go with the program. They're going to end up in jail. Not only are they going to end up in jail, they're going to go before the judge. They're not only going to go before the judge, but they're going to have a trial with a jury if they choose to say that they're not guilty.

But either way, they're all going with the program and the program is going to be given to them whether or not they want it to be given. So the statement that I would give as we look at this is, we're all going with the program. Each and every single one of us are going with the program. The question is, are you going with the program now and experience every wonderful thing that God has for you in the future into eternity or are you going with the program later and end up regretting it in hell for the rest of your eternity? That's the question.

That's a very significant question to be asking. It's one where we all have to stop and we all have to recognize what is it that we are going to do. By the way, if you're a Christian, this question is another very valid question. This question is really important for you to be asking yourself because as a Christian, as a believer, do you want to continue to resist God's will in your life and then experience the bumps and the pains and the suffering of all of the rough and tumble that takes place as a result of resisting God's will?

Or are you going to say, "God, I'm going to obey You and I'm going to go with the program and I'm going to do what You want me to do because I know that what I get out of it will always bless me." Which one are you going to do? Are you going to resist God until the very end, make it into heaven by the hair of your chinny-chin-chin, not realizing that your life has been absolutely miserable because you resisted God? Or are you going to say, "God, I'm going to listen to You and I'm going to do what You want me to do and I'm going to have what You want me to have and I'm going to experience life to the fullest as You've called me to experience it."

Folks, I can just tell you this from personal experience. Even when it doesn't make sense to you, when you go with God's program, the rewards that you get as a result of it are far more spectacular than anything you could ever produce for yourself. You will never be able to produce for yourself a result that God wants to put in your life. You will never be able to produce it in your own efforts but when you submit and you yield to God as believers, you'll get to experience so much more than you ever thought you could experience.

Folks, let me just tell you as a father, as a husband, as your pastor, and as just a person who's living for God every single day, I can tell you this. The wonderful life that God has given me, yes it has its share of trials, yes it has its share of difficulty and hardships and all those other things, but the wonderful life that God has given me is just that. It's a life He's given me. It's not one I could have ever created for myself. It's not one that I could have ever managed to sort of construct and build. There's no way. I would not have had even close to the brilliance that it would have taken to write the script that my life has been over these last several years, over the whole time that I've been walking with the Lord.

God is faithful and if we're willing to trust Him, we're willing to seek Him, not only will we avoid the judgment that we're reading about right here, but we will be able to experience the blessing that comes from knowing the God that we serve and watching that God do the work that He wants to do in our lives. To understand and listen and just really follow along with what He has that we might be able to live life to the fullest and that's the whole goal.

In these last days, these should be the most enjoyable days of our lives. The fact that the world is getting darker and things are getting harder, it should actually for us constitute a time that is greater than no other time. The reality of it is if you will seek God in that way and recognize that and go with His program, you will be the beneficiary of every wonderful thing that God has for you. Why? Because He's good and He's God and what He wants to do in your life is astoundingly amazing if you'll let Him. It's that simple.

If you're here today and you're listening to me like I said, in the church, in the overflow, maybe you're listening on the radio or you're listening online, here's the reality of every single thing that I've talked about. If you don't know God, you are going to suffer. The closest thing that you see to heaven is going to be the life that you have on this earth and that might not be the most promising thing for you, but the suffering that you will experience in the judgment of God when He comes against the whole world for rebelling against Him will not be anything that you want to be a part of.

So here's the thing, go with the program. Why? Because God loves you with an everlasting love and God wants to bless you. Not only does He want to save you and keep you from experiencing the harsh judgment that comes from the consequence of your sin, He also wants to bless you in ways you never thought you could be blessed. He wants to minister to you and love you and bring you back into the fold and cause you to experience every wonderful thing that He has for you that you might be able to live life to the fullest.

Why? Because as I said before, He is good and He is God. By the way, here's the one thing, there is a true and living God. I don't have to convince people of that. But let me say this, there is a true and living God and you and me are not him. So what do we do? We need to trust Him. We need to yield to Him and we need to allow ourselves to go with the program that He has set up for us. Why? Because that program will be nothing but blessing to us, nothing but benefit. But if we choose not to go with the program and we're forced to go with it later, it will bring nothing but eternal suffering and may that be far from anything that might happen to anybody here that's hearing my voice.

Look to the Lord guys, because He's good. He's got a great plan and let's watch Him do great things. Father in heaven, we just thank You, Lord, for Your word and we thank You for what Your word brings to the table for us, Lord. We thank You, Father, for the fact that You really truly are good to us, Lord, that You love us with an everlasting love and that Father, there's so much that You want to tell us, Lord, so much Father, that we have come to understand and know concerning Lord what You want for us, Lord. Help us to understand better and more closely, Lord, how You want us to live for You that we might serve You all the days of our lives. So go before us, Lord, fill us with Your Spirit now. We love You, Father, and thank You and we ask these things in Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Pastor James Kaddis on Light on the Hill. He'll be right back with more. As we go through this study of Revelation, there may come a time when you miss a message or would just like to hear a program again. If so, visit lightonthehillradio.com and click on Radio or listen through our app. We have a Light on the Hill app available for iPhone and Android users. Just search for Calvary Chapel Signal Hill.

Pastor James, it's quite possible some listening right now have yet to trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins, but they'd like to do that now and avoid God's coming judgment. Would you lead them in prayer to do so?

James Kaddis: Absolutely. It's a very simple prayer and it's you just simply reflecting a decision that you've made in your heart to put your faith and trust in Christ and it should go something like this.

Father in heaven, forgive me of my sins. I choose to put my faith and trust in Your Son, Jesus Christ, for my salvation. Please come into my heart, change my life, and make me brand new. I choose to repent of my sin and to walk away from it that I might experience the fullness of all You have for me.

And Lord, whoever prayed this prayer with me, will You encourage them right now? Will You bless them? Will You build them up? Will You strengthen them, Lord, in this very difficult moment? And may they walk in celebrating Your righteousness, Lord, because You have given them something new. We love You, God, and thank You and we ask these things now in Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Guest (Male): Amen. If you just prayed along with Pastor James, would you let us know? It would not only encourage us greatly but we'd like to help you get plugged into a good Christ-exalted church that can help you grow into the person God wants you to be. There's a place to contact us on our website at lightonthehillradio.com.

Light on the Hill is heard all around the world and it takes a team to bring these shows to the radio and internet. With your help, we're able to reach people with the truth of God's word at a time when they really need to hear it. You can donate today at lightonthehillradio.com. You can also give through our Light on the Hill app.

As we're going through Revelation, this is a great time to mention Pastor James's new book entitled The Last Book. It will share what you need to know about Revelation, the rapture, and the end times. This guide to Revelation is part one of two and you can order it today at lightonthehillradio.com or at Amazon.

We hope you'll join our online communities. You'll find James Kaddis on YouTube, Rumble, and Instagram. You can also hear our weekly prophecy show, Countdown to Eternity, wherever you get your podcasts and at countdowntoeternity.com. Our study of Revelation will continue next time on Light on the Hill with Pastor James Kaddis. Remember, as a Christian, you are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. This program is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Signal Hill.