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Read (and listen!) through the New Testament in 8 weeks with your small group or on your own.
Immerse: Messiah is the first of six volumes in Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience. Messiah takes the reader on a unique journey through every book of the New Testament. Each section of Messiah begins with one of the Gospels, and together they combine to provide a life-changing reading experience centered on Jesus. This fresh arrangement of the books highlights the depth of the New Testament’s fourfold witness to Jesus the Messiah. The Son of God, who fulfills all the longings and promises of the collected Scriptures, can be experienced in Messiah through the rich variety of lenses provided by the books of the new covenant.
The Immerse Bible Series is the proud winner of the prestigious Bible of the Year award from the ECPA Christian Book Awards. Immerse: The Reading Bible is specially crafted for a distraction-free listening and reading experience, helping you dive in and get immersed in Scripture. You’ll have a great experience using Immerse by yourself. But for an even richer experience, try reading with friends.
Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience is an invitation to a different kind of community interaction with the Bible. Less like a Bible study, more like a book club.
- 8 or 16-week Bible listening plans take you through a large section of the Bible like the New Testament or the Torah
- Meet once a week for a free-flowing discussion about the text
- Wrestle with questions and celebrate ‘aha!’ moments together
Nothing impacts spiritual growth more than spending time in Scripture. Immerse removes many of the barriers that make Bible reading difficult and invites communities to become transformed together through the power of God’s word.
Welcome to the saddleback church anchored life challenge which can also by found on the saddleback companion app or by purchasing the immerse messiah book from tyndale.
The anchored life challenge includes speakers such as Andy Wood, Rick Warren, and Stacie Wood.
Immerse Messiah 40
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Stacie Wood: [00:00:00] Welcome to Immerse Messiah Reading for Week 8, Day 40. Then I saw in heaven another marvelous event of great significance. Seven angels were holding the seven last plagues, which would bring God's wrath to completion. I saw before me what seemed to be a glass sea mixed with fire, and on it stood all the people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue, and the number representing his name.
Stacie Wood: They were all holding harps that God had given them, and they were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb. Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord God, the Almighty. Just and true are your
Rick Warren: ways, O King of the
Stacie Wood: Nations. Who will not fear you,
Rick Warren: Lord, and glorify
Stacie Wood: your name? For you
Rick Warren: alone are
Stacie Wood: holy.
Stacie Wood: All nations will come and worship before [00:01:00] you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed. Then I looked and saw that the temple in heaven, God's tabernacle, was thrown wide open.
Rick Warren: The seven angels
Stacie Wood: who were holding the seven plagues came out of the temple. They were clothed in spotless white linen with gold sashes across their chests.
Stacie Wood: Then one of the four living beings handed each of the seven angels a gold bowl filled
Rick Warren: with the wrath of God,
Stacie Wood: who lives forever and ever. The temple was filled with smoke from God's glory and power. No one could enter the temple until the seven angels had completed pouring out the seven plagues. Then I heard a mighty voice from the temple say to the seven angels,
Rick Warren: Go your ways and pour
Stacie Wood: out on the earth the seven bowls containing God's wrath.
Stacie Wood: So the first angel left the temple and poured out his bowl on the earth, and horrible, malignant [00:02:00] sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped his statue. Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and everything in the sea died.
Stacie Wood: Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers
Rick Warren: and springs, and they became blood. And I heard the angel who had authority over all water saying, You are just, O Holy One, who
Stacie Wood: is and who always was,
Rick Warren: because
Stacie Wood: you have sent these judgments. Since
Rick Warren: they shed the blood of
Stacie Wood: your holy people and your prophets, you have given them blood to drink.
Rick Warren: It is their just
Stacie Wood: reward. And I heard a voice from the altar saying, Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty. Your judgments are true and just. Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, causing it to scorch everyone with its [00:03:00] fire. Everyone was burned by this
Rick Warren: blast of heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had
Stacie Wood: control over all these plagues.
Stacie Wood: They did not repent of their sins and turn to God and give him glory. Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. His subjects ground their teeth in anguish, and they cursed the God of Heaven for their pains and sores, but they did not repent of their evil deeds and turned to God.
Stacie Wood: Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and it dried up so that the kings from the east could march their armies toward the west without hindrance. And I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs leap from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.
Stacie Wood: They are demonic spirits who work miracles and go out to
Rick Warren: all the rulers of the world to gather
Stacie Wood: them for battle against [00:04:00] the Lord on that great judgment day of
Rick Warren: God the Almighty. Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep
Stacie Wood: their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.
Stacie Wood: And the demonic spirits gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place with the Hebrew name Armageddon. Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into
Rick Warren: the air, and a mighty shout came from the throne
Stacie Wood: in the temple, saying. It is finished. Then the thunder crashed and
Rick Warren: rolled and lightning flashed, and a great earthquake struck.
Rick Warren: The worst since
Stacie Wood: people were placed on the earth. The great city of Babylon split into three sections, and the cities of many nations fell into heaps of rubble. So God remembered all of Babylon's sins, and he made her
Rick Warren: drink the cup that was
Stacie Wood: filled with the wine of his [00:05:00] fierce wrath. And every island disappeared, and all the mountains were leveled.
Stacie Wood: There was a terrible hailstorm, and hailstones weighing as much as 75 pounds fell from the sky onto the people below. They cursed God because of the terrible plague of the hailstorm. One of the seven angels who had poured out the seven bowls came over and spoke to me. Come with me, he said, and I will show you the judgment that is going to come on the great prostitute who rules over many waters.
Stacie Wood: The kings of the world have committed adultery with her, and the people who belong to this world have been made drunk by the wine of her immorality. So the angel took me in the spirit into the wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that had seven heads and ten horns, and blasphemies against God were written all over it.[00:06:00]
Stacie Wood: The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing, and beautiful jewelry made of gold and precious gems and pearls. In her hand, she
Rick Warren: held a gold goblet full of obscenities
Stacie Wood: and the impurities of her immorality. A mysterious name was written on her forehead.
Rick Warren: Babylon the Great, mother of all prostitutes and
Stacie Wood: obscenities in the world.
Stacie Wood: I could see that she was drunk, drunk with the blood of God's holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at her in complete amazement. Why are you so amazed? The angel asked. I will tell you the mystery
Rick Warren: of this woman and of the
Stacie Wood: beast with seven heads and ten horns on which she sits. The beast you saw was once alive but isn't now,
Rick Warren: and yet he will soon come up out of the
Stacie Wood: bottomless pit and go to
Rick Warren: eternal destruction.
Rick Warren: And the people who belong to this world, whose names were not written in the Book of Life [00:07:00] before the world was made,
Stacie Wood: will be amazed at the reappearance of this beast who had died. This calls for a mind with understanding. The seven heads of the beast represent the seven hills where the woman
Rick Warren: rules. They also represent seven kings.
Stacie Wood: Five kings have already fallen. The sixth now reigns, and the seventh is yet to come, but his reign will be brief. The scarlet beast that was, but is no longer, is the
Rick Warren: eighth king. He is like the other seven, and he too is headed
Stacie Wood: for destruction. The ten horns of the beast are ten kings who have not yet risen to power.
Stacie Wood: They will be appointed to their kingdoms for one brief moment to reign with the beast. They will all agree to give him their power and authority. Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because He is Lord of all lords and King of all kings, and His called and chosen and faithful [00:08:00] ones will be with Him.
Stacie Wood: Then the angel said to me, The waters where the prostitute is ruling represent masses of people of every nation and language. The scarlet beast and his ten horns all hate the prostitute.
Rick Warren: They will strip her naked,
Stacie Wood: eat her flesh, and burn her remains with fire. For God has put a plan into their minds, a plan that will carry out his purposes.
Stacie Wood: They will agree to give their authority to the Scarlet Beast, and so the words of God will be fulfilled. And this woman you saw in your vision, Transcripts provided by Transcription Outsourcing, LLC.
Rick Warren: That great city is
Stacie Wood: fallen. She has become a home for demons.
Rick Warren: [00:09:00] She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture, and every
Stacie Wood: foul and dreadful animal.
Stacie Wood: For all the nations have fallen because of the whine of her passionate immorality. The kings
Rick Warren: of the world have committed adultery with her. Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the
Stacie Wood: merchants of the world have grown rich. Then I heard another voice calling from heaven, Come away from her, my people.
Stacie Wood: Do not take part in her sins,
Rick Warren: or you will be punished with her,
Stacie Wood: for her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God remembers
Rick Warren: her evil deeds.
Stacie Wood: Do to her as she has done to others,
Rick Warren: double her penalty for all her evil deeds. She brewed a cup of terror for others, so brew twice as
Stacie Wood: much for her. She glorified herself and lived in luxury, so match it now with torment and sorrow.
Stacie Wood: She [00:10:00] boasted in her heart, I am queen on my throne. I am no helpless widow, and I have no reason to mourn. Therefore, these plagues will overtake her in a single day. Death and mourning and famine. She will be
Rick Warren: completely consumed by fire. For the Lord
Stacie Wood: God who judges her is mighty. And the kings of the world who committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains.
Stacie Wood: They will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will cry out,
Rick Warren: How terrible! How terrible for you, O Babylon, you great city! In a
Stacie Wood: single moment God's judgment came on you. The merchants of the world will weep and mourn for her, for there is
Rick Warren: no one left to buy their goods. She bought great
Stacie Wood: quantities of gold, silver, [00:11:00] jewels, and pearls.
Stacie Wood: Fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth, things made of fragrant thion wood, ivory goods and objects made of expensive wood, and bronze, iron, and marble. She also bought cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine
Rick Warren: flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, wagons, and bodies,
Stacie Wood: that is, human slaves.
Stacie Wood: The fancy things you loved so much are gone, they cry. All your luxuries and splendor are gone
Rick Warren: forever, never to be yours
Stacie Wood: again. The merchants who became wealthy by selling her these things will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will weep and cry
Rick Warren: out, How terrible! How terrible for that great city!
Rick Warren: She was clothed
Stacie Wood: in finest purple and scarlet [00:12:00] linens, decked out with gold and precious stones and pearls. In a single
Rick Warren: moment, all the wealth of the
Stacie Wood: city is gone. And all the captains of the merchant ships, and their passengers and sailors and crews will stand at a distance. They will cry out as they watch the smoke ascend, and they will say, Where is there another city as great as this?
Stacie Wood: And they will weep and throw dust on their heads to show their grief, and they will
Rick Warren: cry out, How terrible! How terrible for that great city! The ship owners became wealthy by transporting her great wealth on the seas.
Stacie Wood: In a single moment, it is all gone.
Rick Warren: Rejoice over her
Stacie Wood: fate, O heaven and people of God
and
Rick Warren: apostles and prophets.
Rick Warren: For at
Stacie Wood: last God has judged her for your sakes. Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a [00:13:00] huge millstone. He threw it into the ocean and shouted,
Rick Warren: Just like this, the great city Babylon
Stacie Wood: will be thrown down with violence and will never be found again. The sound of harps, singers, flutes, and trumpets will never be heard in you again.
Stacie Wood: No craftsmen and no trades will ever be found in you again. The sound of the mill will never be heard in you again. The light of a lamp will never shine
Rick Warren: in you again. The happy voices of brides and grooms
Stacie Wood: will never be heard in you again. For your merchants were the
Rick Warren: greatest in the world, and you deceived the nations with your sorceries.
Rick Warren: In your streets flowed the blood of the prophets, and of God's holy people, and the blood of people slaughtered all over the world. After
Stacie Wood: this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven
Rick Warren: shouting, Praise [00:14:00] the Lord! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. His judgments
Stacie Wood: are true and just.
Rick Warren: He has punished the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality.
Rick Warren: He has avenged the murder of his
Stacie Wood: servants. And again their voices rang
Rick Warren: out, Praise the Lord! The smoke from that city ascends forever and ever.
Stacie Wood: Then the twenty four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshipped God, who was sitting on the throne.
Rick Warren: They cried out, Amen! Praise the Lord! And from the
Stacie Wood: throne came a voice that said, Praise our God, all his servants,
Rick Warren: all who fear him, from the least to the greatest.
Stacie Wood: Then I heard again what sounded like the
Rick Warren: shout of a vast crowd, or the roar of mighty ocean
Stacie Wood: waves, or the crash of loud thunder. Praise [00:15:00] the
Rick Warren: Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to Him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and His bride has prepared herself.
Rick Warren: She has been given the finest of
Stacie Wood: pure white linen to wear, for the fine linen represents the good deeds of God's holy people. And the angel said to me, Write this, Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb. And he added, These are true words that come from God. Then I fell down at his feet to worship
Rick Warren: him.
Rick Warren: But he said, No, don't worship me. I am a servant of God just like you and your brothers
Stacie Wood: and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus. [00:16:00] Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True,
Rick Warren: for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.
Rick Warren: His eyes were like flames of
Stacie Wood: fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was The Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations.
Stacie Wood: He will rule them with an iron rod. He
Rick Warren: will release the fierce wrath of God the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress.
Stacie Wood: On his robe at his thigh was written this title, King of all kings and Lord of all lords. [00:17:00] Then I saw an angel standing in the sun,
Rick Warren: shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky, Come, gather together for the great banquet God has prepared.
Rick Warren: Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors, of horses and their riders, and of all humanity, both free
Stacie Wood: and slave. Small and great, then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. And the beast was
Rick Warren: captured, and with him the false prophet
Stacie Wood: who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast.
Rick Warren: Miracles that deceived
Stacie Wood: all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshipped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one [00:18:00] riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.
Stacie Wood: Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. He seized the dragon, that old serpent who is the devil, Satan, and bound him in chains for a thousand years. The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished.
Rick Warren: Afterward, he must
Stacie Wood: be released for a little while. Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to
Rick Warren: judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been
Stacie Wood: beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshipped the Beast or His statue, nor accepted His mark on their foreheads or their hands.
Stacie Wood: They all [00:19:00] came to life
Rick Warren: again, and
Stacie Wood: they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. This is the first resurrection. The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power,
Rick Warren: but they will be priests
Stacie Wood: of God and of Christ and will reign with Him a thousand years.
Stacie Wood: When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. He will go out to deceive the nations, called Gog and Magog, in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for
Rick Warren: battle. A mighty army,
Stacie Wood: as numberless as sand along the seashore. And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God's people and the beloved city.
Stacie Wood: But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them. Then the devil, [00:20:00] who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. And I saw a great white throne and the One sitting on it.
Stacie Wood: The earth and sky fled from His presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God's throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life, and the dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead, and all were judged according to their deeds.
Stacie Wood: Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death, and anyone whose name was not found recorded in the book of life The hellfire was thrown into the Lake of Fire. [00:21:00] Then I saw a new heaven a new earth, For the old heaven the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone, And I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, Coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
Stacie Wood: I heard a loud shout from the Throne saying, Look,
Rick Warren: God's home is now among His people.
Stacie Wood: He will live with them and they will be
Rick Warren: His people. God Himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are
Stacie Wood: gone forever.
Stacie Wood: And the one sitting on the throne said, Look,
Rick Warren: I am making everything new. And then he
Stacie Wood: said to me,
Rick Warren: Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy
Stacie Wood: and true. And [00:22:00] he also said, It is finished. I am the Alpha and the
Rick Warren: Omega, the beginning and the end. To all who are thirsty, I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.
Rick Warren: All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshippers, and all liars, their fate is in the fiery lake of burning
Stacie Wood: sulfur. This is the second death.
Stacie Wood: Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me. Come with me,
Rick Warren: I will show you the bride, the wife
Stacie Wood: of the Lamb. So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he [00:23:00] showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone, like jasper as clear as crystal.
Stacie Wood: The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels, and
Rick Warren: the names of the twelve tribes of
Stacie Wood: Israel were written on the gates. There were three gates on each side, east, north, south, and west. The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Stacie Wood: The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall.
Rick Warren: When he measured it, he found it was a square,
Stacie Wood: as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1, 400 miles. Then he measured the walls and found them [00:24:00] to be 216 feet thick.
Stacie Wood: According to the human standard used by the angel, the wall was made of Jasper and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with 12 precious stones. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
Stacie Wood: The twelve gates were made of pearls, each gate from a single pearl,
Rick Warren: and the main street was pure gold,
Stacie Wood: as clear as glass. I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or [00:25:00] moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city. And the Lamb is its light.
Stacie Wood: The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone idolatry and dishonesty, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
Stacie Wood: Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of
Rick Warren: the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a
Stacie Wood: fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.
Stacie Wood: No longer will there be a curse upon [00:26:00] anything, for the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and His servants will worship Him, and they will see His face, and His name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there, no need for lamps or sun, for the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.
Stacie Wood: Then the angel said to me, everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true. The Lord God,
Rick Warren: who inspires his
Stacie Wood: prophets, has sent his angel to tell his servants what will happen soon.
Rick Warren: Look, I am coming soon. Blessed are those who obey the words of
Stacie Wood: prophecy written in this book. I, John, am the one who heard and saw all these things.
Stacie Wood: And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the [00:27:00] angel who showed them to me. But he said, No, don't worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as
Rick Warren: all who obey what is written in this book. Worship only God. Then he instructed me, do not seal
Stacie Wood: up the prophetic words in this book, for the time is near.
Stacie Wood: Let the one who is doing harm continue to do harm. Let the one who is vile continue to be vile. Let the one who is righteous continue to live righteously. Let the one who is holy continue to be
Rick Warren: holy. Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Rick Warren: Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates
Stacie Wood: of the city and eat the [00:28:00] fruit from the Tree of Life. Outside the city are the dogs,
Rick Warren: the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshippers, and all who love to live a lie. I, Jesus, have sent my
Stacie Wood: angel to give you this message for the
Rick Warren: churches.
Rick Warren: I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star. The Spirit and the Bride say, Come. Let anyone who hears this say, Come. Let anyone who is thirsty
Stacie Wood: come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life. And I solemnly declare
Rick Warren: to everyone
Stacie Wood: who hears the words of prophecy written in this book, if anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book.
Stacie Wood: And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, [00:29:00] God will remove that person's share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book. He who is the faithful witness to all these things
Rick Warren: says, Yes. I am coming soon. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's holy people.
Stacie Wood: This concludes today's Immerse Reading Experience. Thank you for joining us.