Key points
1Knowing what's coming next should change what we do now
Pastor Bill opens with a story about ignoring his wife's warning that the freezer broke, buying Italian ice anyway, and then forcing himself to eat all of it once he realized it would melt — a picture of how we hear God's warnings about the future but keep investing in things of this world anyway. He frames the whole Revelation series around this question: if I know what's going to happen next, it should impact what I do now.
If I know what's gonna happen next, it should impact what I do now
2The great tribulation is a real, coming seven-year period rooted in Daniel's prophecy
He connects Matthew 24:21 and Daniel 12:1 to a period of tribulation unlike any the world has seen, and walks through Daniel's prophecy of the seventy weeks, noting its precise, historically verified prediction of Christ's arrival in Jerusalem — validated further by the Dead Sea Scrolls predating Jesus. He explains there's a prophetic gap between week 69 and 70, and that final seven-year week is the tribulation described in Revelation 6-19.
3The tribulation unfolds in three escalating waves of judgment
Pastor Bill outlines Revelation 6-19 as seven seals, then seven trumpets, then seven bowls of wrath, each wave progressively worse, with parenthetical scenes (the antichrist, 144,000 witnesses, two prophets, the beast) interspersed throughout. He stresses this tribulation is different from any past dark period because it is truly global and unmistakably recognized by everyone as coming from God.
4The four horsemen show judgment starting relatively mild and growing severe
He reads through the first four seals — a rider who deceives like a false savior, war and slaughter, famine driving prices to twelve times normal, and death claiming a fourth of the earth's population — noting these are actually 'the least scary part' of what's ahead, with worse to come in the trumpets and bowls.
it's not the book about all hell breaking loose. It's the book about all heaven breaking in
5God's judgment is just, not cruel — people know it's Him and still refuse Him
Reading Revelation 6:15-17, Pastor Bill shows that people in the tribulation know clearly this judgment comes from God yet still run from Him rather than to Him, paralleling Romans 1's picture of people suppressing known truth. He notes that even God pauses in silence for half an hour before the trumpets (Revelation 8:1), showing His reluctance even as He remains righteous and must judge sin.
Sin will be judged and you can either have your sin judged in Christ or you can be judged by Christ for your sin
6Much of Revelation concerns God finishing His covenant with Israel
He reminds the church that American Christians aren't the center of the biblical story — God is drawing a remnant of Israel back to Himself through this tribulation, using 144,000 sealed Jewish evangelists, just as He has always kept every covenant He's made, including with Israel and Ishmael.
I run towards what people are running away from because that's my mission
You're spending too much time on the Italian ice of this world
A story from life
Pastor Brad's story about the 52-hour travel ordeal to Israel, praying Romans 8:28 in Zurich, and then sitting next to a grieving Israeli man whose mother had just died, leading to a gospel conversation confirmed by a stranger from Atlanta praying behind them
7Knowing this should drive us to urgently share our faith now
Since believers likely won't experience the tribulation, the reason to know about it is love: we wouldn't want anyone we care about to go through it. Pastor Bill notes evangelism is the one Christian activity with a 'shelf life' compared to worship or fellowship which continue into eternity, and tells a lengthy personal story of a delayed flight to Israel where he reluctantly, then obediently, shared Christ with a grieving Israeli man seated next to him, discovering another believer seated behind them who had been praying the whole time.
I can confidently tell you God did give you a sign. It's me
A story from life
Pastor Brad's story about buying Italian ice despite knowing the freezer was broken and trying to eat all 18 containers
Application
Pastor Bill's charge is that if knowing what's next doesn't move you to share your faith, you're missing the whole point of the book.
Get honest about whether you've shared your faith
Pastor Bill asks every believer to ask whether they've had any part in bringing someone else to Jesus; if the answer is no, he says you're not doing what God wants you to do with your life.
Be intentional about pointing people to Jesus by loving them like Jesus
This week, look for the person in front of you — on a plane, at work, in your neighborhood — the way Pastor Bill did on his flight to Israel, rather than staying comfortable and quiet.
Don't get distracted by the 'Italian ice' of this world
Set aside the busyness, fatigue, and distractions that keep you from caring about people who don't know Jesus.
Volunteer for children's ministry to launch the fifth service
Rock Point needs 102 volunteers to staff a new service; signing up at rockpoint.io or at the children's room table lets new families hear about Jesus while their kids are cared for.
Take it into your week
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