Luke 21: 25-28 (NLT) There will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. 26 People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. 28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

General Overview of eschatological events:
Amillennialists believe that God's promises regarding the end times are figurative and will not be literally fulfilled, particularly the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ on the earth.
Pre-millennialists(Orthodox) Believe that Jesus Christ will return to the earth prior to His literal reign on the earth for 1000 years.
The Return of Christ:(I Cor 15 & I Thes 4)
Three groups of pre-millennialists:
1- Pre-tribulation 2- Mid-tribulation 3- Post-tribulation

Matthew 24:21 (NKJV) For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Readiness in waiting
1. Grow in Awareness
The Spirit of the age:
The antichrist spirit precedes the antichrist .
1 John 4:3 (NIV) Every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

B. The seasons and times
Study: Daniel, Revelation, Luke 21, Matthew 24.
Matthew 24:36 (NIV) "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 (NLT) 1 Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you. 2 For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. 3 When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape. 4 But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. 5 For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. 6 So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded.

2. Prepare your heart
“The return of Christ is not a funeral its wedding!”
Revelation 19:6-8 (NIV) 6 I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

Spirit of Offense/Bitterness/Coldness of heart
Matthew 24:12-13 (NIV) 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

3. Renounce Fear
THE END IS NOT THE END, ITS THE BEGINNING!

Rejecting fear means growing in Love:
1 John 4:18 (NIV) There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

4. Embrace faithfulness
Titus 2:12-14 (NLT) 12 We are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

John 5:1-5 (NLT) 1 Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. 2 Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. 3 Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. 5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” 7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” 8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” 9 Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking!

The Urban legend Verse 4- An angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.

Excuses of the Victim-
Verse 7: “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”
1. People- “I have no one….”
We will all deal with let down and disappointment but we control the condition of our hearts.
2. Methods- “into the pool”

“We need to make sure don't look for our encounter in a way that will keep us from receiving it!”

Psalm 20:6-7 (NIV) 6 Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

3. Timing- “When the water bubbles up.”
We don't live from season to season we live from Glory to Glory!

“We are not waiting for a event to happen we are living from an event that already happened.”

4. Resources- “Gets there ahead of me.”
Isaiah 59:1 (NIV) Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
Ephesians 3:16 (NLT) I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.

Living in Victory
Verse 8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”

1. Stand up
Arise from your circumstance up)

“Jesus puts an end of our excuses by providing a solution for our issues.”

2. Take up your Mat
The excuse you have been lying on. Pick it up and “move along.”
3. And walk.
Move forward…. into your destiny.

Bethesda: The house of mercy.

Mark 10:46-52 (NLT) 46 Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. 47 When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” 50 Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.

Set up for an Encounter…
1. He couldn't see but he could Hear.
In the Kingdom Hearing comes first:
-Faith comes by hearing. Rom 10:17
-Faith is the substance not Seen. Heb 11:1
“You may not see Gods promises but you can hear them!”
What we listen to drives our anticipation!
Because he COULD hear he COULD believe.
Because HE COULD believe he COULD hope.
Isaiah 49:23 Those who hope in me will not be disappointed. 

2. He couldn't see but he could shout.
“Use what you do do have until you get what you don't have.”
Krazo: very loud scream.
“He might not have had the loudest voice but he had the deepest cry!”
Matthew 5:3 (NIV) “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

3. He couldn't see but he could shout… again
Persistence!
Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV) 7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

The Intervention

Vs 49 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” 50 Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?”

“What do you want me to do for you?”

Luke 12:32 (NKJV) It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

The Transformation
Vs 52 Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.

SOZO: Complete salvation. Physical, emotional, spiritual wholeness.
HE can fix everything in one encounter.

Mark 2:1-12 (NIV) 1 when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." 6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." He said to the paralytic, 11 "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

John 1:17 (NIV) For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Verse 5 “When Jesus saw their faith…”
The Faith of Friends
“The encounter we need is often times connected with those we are community with.”

1. Built through community
Acts 2:42-44 (NLT) 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.
When we become isolated We loose our power.

2. Driven by Compassion
“Some people will only encounter the Lord because you are in there life.”

3. Carried out by carrying weight
Friends make a way.
Romans 12:15 (NIV) Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.


What Jesus reveals in Encounter.
verse 5: “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
1. Himself
Ephesians 1:7-9 (NIV) 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
“Jesus was not just showing the man and his friends he could heal, he was showing them that He is God.”

2. Our identity

3. Our position

4. Our condition-
Verse 11 “Get up, take up your matt and Go home.”

Luke 12:32 (NLT) “It gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.”

Mark 5:21-34 (NLT) 21 Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. 22 Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet, 23 pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.” 24 Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him. 25 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. 26 She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. 28 For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition. 30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?” 31 His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and told him what she had done. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”

She had Issues:
1. Physical Issues
2. Financial Issues
3. Social Issues
4. Emotional & Mental Issues
Encountering Breakthrough
1- Believe the rumors
Verses 27 She had heard about Jesus….
“As good as you heard or imagined that he is, He is better.”

2- Leave your safe space
“Sometimes you got to leave your safe space to get to the safer space”
“We can have an excuse or we can go after an encounter.”

3- Push through
“He has authority over the issue we take him to or the issues we bring to him.”
“He is not overly consumed with the drama in humanity to deal with your issues.”

4. Reach out and touch Him

Luke 8:45-46 (NIV) "Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you." 4 But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me."

“We don't touch him with our hands. We touch him with our faith.”

Verse 34 “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”

“Faith places us in proximity to experience breakthrough!
Malachi 4:2-3 (NIV) 2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. 3 Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things," says the LORD Almighty.

Acts 9:1-9 (NIV)(See also Acts 22, 26) 1 Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" 5 "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. 6 "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

5 Realities Concerning Encounters

1. Jesus wants to encounter us.
“Saul, Saul…”
“ITS TIME FOR A DIVINE INTERRUPTION!”
2. Encounters demand a response
“Who are you, Lord?”

Encounters provoke intimacy
To Know: ginosko: Knowledge through personal experience.

….“Lord?” The second part of that response.

“Encounters that don't lead to a greater level God’s leadership are simply educational experiences.”

3. Encounter facilitate revelation.
“I am Jesus.”

Encounters are always an invitation to have Jesus revealed.
Ephesians 1:17 (NIV) I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

4. Encounters carry alignment.

“Get up…”
2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (NIV) 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

5. Encounters carry assignment.
“and Go to…”

Encounters are often times a result of somebody else’s assignment….
The tension of a testimony
Acts 7:58-60 (NLT) 58 (They)and dragged him(Stephen) out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.

Galatians 3:26-29 (NLT) 26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on the character of Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

The Abrahamic Covenant…
Genesis 12:1-3 (NLT) 1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
1. The promise of new territory. (Dominion)
2. The promise of descendants. (Reproduction)
3. The promise of blessing (Conduits of blessing)

The New covenant, like the Abrahamic covenant, hinges upon: #1. Justification by faith
#2. Friendship/Connection with God

James 2:23 (NLT) “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.

Realities of Faith…
1. Faith in Christ makes us righteous- Romans 3:22, John 6:29
2. Faith is Active Trust
Hebrews 11:1(NLT) Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

3. Faith is necessary to please God.
Hebrews 11:6(NLT) It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

4. Faith will be tested- James 1:2-4 

5. Faith produces
Your actions prove what you believe.
“Faith that won't work, don't work!”
James 2:18-20 (NLT) 18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” 19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

Expanding our Faith
“Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible & receives the impossible.”

Matthew 14:22-33(NLT) Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

Expanding our Faith
1. Shift the If.
“What IF I sink…what IF you walk on water?”
Faith OR Fear always starts with “What if”
Ephesians 3: 20(NLT) Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

2. Get out of the boat.

“The enemy of great is always good. We will never experience the greatness of what God has if we are complacent with the good that we are currently in.”

“It doesn't matter how much potential we have if we stay in the boat it wont matter.”

3. Continue in Faith
2 Corinthians 5:7 We live by faith, not by sight.

“We start with faith, we continue with faith, everything is done by faith, in faith through faith, and we will finish it in faith!”

4. Focus on HIS faithfulness.

vs 31 “Why did you doubt me…”He is constant, steady, & unchanging.
“If our trust is in the unshakable one then we will be unshaken when the storms come.”
Hebrews 12:2-3 (NIV) 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.