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Jesus Unveiled

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(Revelation 21:1-8)

 

INTRODUCTION

“In the 2007 film The Bucket List, two terminally ill men—played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman—take a road trip to do the things they always said they would do before they ‘kicked the bucket.’ In anticipation of the film's release, Nicholson was interviewed for an article in Parade magazine. While reflecting on his personal life, Nicholson said:

 

I used to live so freely. The mantra for my generation was ‘Be your own man!’ I always said, ‘Hey, you can have whatever rules you want—I'm going to have mine. I'll accept the guilt. I'll pay the check. I'll do the time.’ I chose my own way. That was my philosophical position well into my 50s. As I've gotten older, I've had to adjust.

 

But reality has a way of getting the attention of even a Jack Nicholson. Later in the interview, Nicholson adds:

 

We all want to go on forever, don't we? We fear the unknown. Everybody goes to that wall, yet nobody knows what's on the other side. That's why we fear death.

 

Dotson Rader, "I want to go on forever," Parade magazine (12-9-07), pp. 6-8.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2008/february/6021808.html]

 

As followers of Jesus Christ, we do know what’s on the other side! ​​ It’s our eternal home. ​​ In fact we will feel more at home than we have ever felt before. ​​ John explains vividly what that eternal home is like in Revelation 21 and 22, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Vacation

        • I enjoy taking a vacation and spending time in other parts of the country

        • We’ve been blessed to see much of the United States as a family

        • But there’s something about coming home

        • After being gone for a week or two, it’s good to get home and climb into my own bed

        • I enjoy getting back into a regular routine

        • It’s comforting to know where everything is

        • It’s nice to just sit on the couch and enjoy watching some television or reading a book

        • I can just relax, because I’m home

 

  • WE

    • Vacation

        • Perhaps we’re all the same

        • We enjoy taking a vacation, but we also look forward to getting back to the comforts of our own homes

        • Some people talk about taking a vacation from their vacation, so they can get stuff done around the house (others take “staycations”)

    • Hospital and/or nursing home stays

        • Some of us have had lengthy stays in the hospital, rehab center, or a nursing home

        • When I visit people in those settings, inevitably they share their desire to go home

        • As family members, who take care of those in the hospital or a nursing home, we know how our loved one wants to be at home instead of there

        • Even those who are nearing death will express their desire to be at home when they die

    • We can all agree that there is just something comforting about being in our own home, where we can let our guard down and just be ourselves

 

There are some incredible parallels and differences between the beginning of the Bible (Genesis 1-3) and the end of the Bible (Revelation 21-22) [Akin, Christ-Centered Exposition: ​​ Exalting Jesus in Revelation, 326 and Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, Volume 2, 621].

 

Genesis

Revelation

Heaven and earth created (1:1)

New heaven and earth recreated (21:1)

Sun created (1:16)

No need of the sun (21:23)

The night established (1:5)

No night there (22:5)

The seas created (1:10)

No more seas (21:1)

The curse announced (3:14-17)

No more curse (22:3)

Death enters history (3:19)

Death exits history (21:4)

Man driven from paradise (3:24)

Man restored to paradise (22:14)

Sorrow and pain begin (3:17)

Sorrow, tears, and pain end (21:4)

The Devil appears (3:1)

The Devil disappears (20:10)

 

John explains that a time is coming when we will live with God in a perfected state. ​​ The effects of sin will no longer be around, because God will make everything new. ​​ While none of us have ever experienced what the Garden of Eden was like, in its perfection, we will one day enjoy that perfection forever. ​​ John wants us to understand that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – We will live for eternity in “Eden” (paradise).

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Revelation 21:1-8)

    • Made new (vv. 1-2, 5a)

        • What John sees in verses 1-2 and then hears in verse 5a is that everything is being made new

          • It’s kind of a small chiastic structure with verses 1-2 and verse 5a both using the word “new”

          • The center of the structure would then be what we find in verses 3-4 and we’ll get to that in just a minute

        • Verses 1-2

          • John sees a new heaven and a new earth

            • In Revelation 20:11 we saw that the earth and sky fled from Jesus’ presence when He sat on the great white throne to judge

            • We now see this restated again in the fact that the first heaven and the first earth had passed away

            • There are two lines of thought concerning whether God will renovate/renew or completely recreate/replace heaven and earth

              • Renovate/Renewal

                • Those who hold to the belief that God will renovate the current heaven and earth use Romans 8:18-23

                • Read Romans 8:18-23

                • All of creation is waiting to be liberated from the effects of sin, so it makes it sound like once they’re liberated they will return to their original state

                • It’s a renovation – getting rid of the old and restoring it to its former glory and perfection

                • While we certainly understand the reason behind why there needs to be a new earth, why does there need to be a new a heaven

                  • Courson and Wiersbe both point to Job 15:15 to help us understand that even the heavens are not pure in God’s eyes

                  • The spiritual realm is the unseen part of this world, which would encompass the heavens

                  • In the book of Job we see that Satan appears before God (God asks him where he has been)

                  • He’s been going throughout the earth

                  • So, a new heaven is in order, because Satan has polluted it just like he did with the earth

                  • Now when we talk about heaven in this sense, we are not talking about God’s eternal, perfected home

                  • That’s what we’ll see next

                • But before we get there, we have to look at the second line of thought

              • Recreate/Replace

                • If we take Rev. 21:1 literally, in light of how we would define “passing away,” then a totally new creation would have to take place

                • Isaiah 65:17, “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. ​​ The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.”

                  • Taken literally, it seems as though a new heaven and earth with be created, replacing the old heaven and earth

                  • The previous heaven and earth will not even be remembered anymore

                • 2 Peter 3:10-11a, But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. ​​ The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. ​​ Since everything will be destroyed in this way . . .

                  • While there are passages in Scripture that speak of a refining fire that would renew by burning off the impurities, it seems like the fire Peter is talking about is more intense than just a refining fire

                  • Peter seems to be talking about total destruction of the old heaven and earth

              • While scholars may disagree about whether God will renew or replace the old heaven and earth, they do agree that God will provide a new reality that is perfected, without the “discoloration by sin” [Akin, 328]

              • “As the new covenant is superior to and replaces the old (Heb 8:7-13), so the new heaven and earth provide a setting for the new and eternal state.” ​​ [Mounce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, Revelation, 381]

            • No sea

              • Why would John mention that a body of water is no longer around? ​​ (that’s what most of us would think when reading it literally)

              • We have to remember how John’s audience would have understood this reference to the sea

              • A little Biblical background can help us

                • Isaiah 57:20, But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud.

                • Revelation 13:1, 6-7, And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. ​​ He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name . . . He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. ​​ He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. ​​ And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.

              • The original readers of this letter, in John’s day, saw the sea as a place where evil resided – they were fearful about the sea, especially when it was unsettled

              • Osborne cites Beale’s work on the five uses of “sea” in the book of Revelation – 1) the origin of evil, 2) the nations that persecute the saints, 3) the place of the dead, 4) the location of the world’s idolatrous trade activity, and 5) a body of water, part of this world [Osborne, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Revelation, 730-31]

              • Osborne concludes that the reason John mentions the sea in this passage is for us to understand that evil will not be a part of the new heaven and new earth – that will all pass away [Osborne, 731]

            • The old order of things have passed away and John has seen the new order established

            • With the new order established, John now sees the Holy City, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God

          • The Holy City, the new Jerusalem

            • Once again, scholars see two primary viewpoints concerning what is represented by the new Jerusalem

              • An actual city

                • The Holy City of Jerusalem was defiled during Old Testament times and was renewed

                • The Antichrist and his hordes will also defile it during their short reign

                • Matthew 24:14-16, And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. ​​ “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel – let the reader understand – then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

                • The description of the new Jerusalem in Revelation 21:9-21 makes it sound like it is an actual city with walls and a foundation

                • “The perfect passive participle of the verb hetoimazō, meaning ‘prepare’ or ‘make ready,’ calls to mind the promise of the Lord to his disciples, ‘I am going there to prepare a place for you’ (John 14:2). ​​ The perfect passive participle indicates that this place, having been prepared, now descends, looking like a bride prepared for her husband.” ​​ [Patterson, The New American Commentary, Revelation, 363]

              • God’s people

                • Throughout Revelation, Babylon the Great, that great prostitute, has been used to identify political and religious evil that will flourish during the reign of Antichrist (the political and religious evil is carried out by human beings)

                • The fact that the new Jerusalem is identified as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband is in direct contrast to Babylon the Great, and expresses the purity and holiness of God’s people

                • Some scholars connect the bride of Christ imagery found here with the bride imagery found in Revelation 19:6-8 (where it is more obvious that the bride represents God’s saints, His people, Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints)

              • Both

                • There is no reason why the new Jerusalem cannot represent both an actual city and the people who live there

                • “Just as Babylon in Revelation represents the people of Rome and not simply its location, and just as ‘Jerusalem’ in the Old Testament usually included the people and not simply the site, ‘new Jerusalem’ undoubtedly includes the people of God.” ​​ [Keener, The NIV Application Commentary, Revelation, 486]

              • While there may be discussion about whether or not it represents a place or people, the fact that it comes from God and not humans is without question

            • Coming down out of heaven from God

              • God is the One who has been preparing our eternal home

              • He, at one time, would walk and talk with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day through the Garden of Eden

              • When sin entered the world, He had to separate Himself, physically, from this world

              • Now we see that, with sin and its effects gone, God is returning to His original plan of having earth as the eternal home of His people [Easley, Holman New Testament Commentary, Revelation, 394]

          • That is first part of the matching units in the chiastic structure

          • The second part is found in the first half of verse 5

        • Verse 5a

          • John hears God speaking from His throne

          • We see again the word “new”

          • John has already seen the new heaven, the new earth, and the new Jerusalem, but now He hears it directly from God, Himself

          • God created the new Jerusalem and has sent it down to earth

          • God is reaffirming what John saw when He says, “I am making everything new!”

        • While there is discussion about what the new Jerusalem represents, the greater point of this passage, and the center of the chiastic structure, is that God will live with His people again

    • God with us (vv. 3-4, 5b-7)

        • John first saw something, but now he hears something too

        • A loud voice (v. 3)

          • We’ve seen this concept of the loud voice before

          • The significance of the loud voice is that it will be clear what is being said, no one will misunderstand

          • Everyone will hear it, no one will miss out

          • This voice is coming from the throne, but it is not God speaking, because we saw in the first half of verse 5 that God speaks there and in verses 6-8

          • This is perhaps an angel, one of the four living creatures, or one of the 24 elders that are surrounding the throne – we’re not told

          • The message is a message of hope for all followers of Jesus Christ

        • The message (v. 3)

          • PRINCIPLE – God promises to physically live with His people again.

            • The Greek word for dwelling is skēnē (skay-nay’) and literally means “tent” or “tabernacle”

            • God made a promise to the Israelites if they were obedient to Him

              • Leviticus 26:11-12, I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. ​​ I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.

              • We see throughout the exodus from Egypt and into the building of the Temple in Jerusalem that God’s presence was with His people through His Shekinah glory

                • His presence was evident through a pillar of fire at night and a cloud during the day as they wandered through the desert

                • At Mt. Sinai His presence covered the top of the mountain with a cloud

                • At the Temple in Jerusalem His presence descended in the form of a cloud

                • At Jesus’ transfiguration, God’s presence was in the form of a cloud

              • While God showed His presence through His Shekinah glory in Old Testament times, in the New Testament times He came to physically dwell among humanity for a short time

            • Jesus was God in the flesh

              • John 1:14, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. ​​ We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

              • God came to dwell among us, through Jesus Christ, so that He could fulfill His redemptive plan for humanity

              • Jesus was born as a baby, grew up to be a man, ministered throughout Palestine for three years, willingly gave His life on the cross to take our punishment for sin, was buried, and came alive again in three days (all to fulfill God’s plan)

            • “God will no longer dwell high and lifted up above his people but will now ‘tabernacle’ in their midst.” ​​ [Osborne, 734]

              • This is a fulfillment of Leviticus 26:11-12

              • It’s also not a temporary dwelling, but a permanent and eternal dwelling with His people

            • We will live for eternity in “Eden” (paradise).

          • We will be His people and He will be our God

            • About half of the English translations of the Bible have “peoples” instead of “people”

              • John uses the plural (laoi) here unlike all the other OT and NT passages that use the singular (laos)

              • The significance of this is that John seems to be indicating that God’s people, in the new heaven and new earth, will be from every nation – a diverse group of people

              • This will be a fulfillment of prophecy through Zechariah

              • Zechariah 2:11, “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. ​​ I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.

            • This should not come as a surprise to us, since we already know that there are followers of Jesus Christ around the world

          • What an incredible day it will be to have God dwelling with us, physically (we will see Him face-to-face)

          • As if, that isn’t enough, we see in verses 4 and 5b-7 the benefits associated with that

        • The benefits of God dwelling with us (vv. 4, 5b-7)

          • The effects of sin are gone (v. 4)

            • PRINCIPLE – God will remove the effects of sin

            • God will wipe every tear from our eyes

              • Think about God taking a handkerchief and gently wiping every tear from your eyes

              • This reminds me of a father caring for his child when they’re hurt

              • These would be tears shed on earth as a result of suffering for the name of Christ, but also tears from pain experienced on earth

            • No more death

              • We already know that death has been thrown into the lake of burning sulfur

              • With death removed there will no longer be any mourning or crying

              • “Death is only a comma to a Christian – not a period!” ​​ [Adrian Rogers cited by Akin, 329]

            • No more pain

              • Think for a moment of everything that you have been through in this life, so far

              • There are all kinds of painful situations that we have experienced that cause us to mourn and cry

                • The loss of a child (either before birth, after birth, or as a teenager or adult)

                • A spouse that has been unfaithful

                • The death of a parent

                • A loved one that has turned away from the Lord or has never turned to the Lord

                • Financial, emotional, physical, and relational struggles and pain

              • All of that will be no more, because the old order of things has passed away

            • That’s what we see when God speaks and tells John to write down the words found in verses 6-8

              • The words are trustworthy and true

              • We can take it to the bank

              • We can believe God’s words with every fiber of our being

              • God is faithful, He’s kept every promise He’s made

            • The promise He makes first is that it is done!

          • It is done (v. 6a)

            • God as completed everything that He set out to do

            • Every one of His promises have been fulfilled

            • “There are in a sense three stages: ​​ At the cross Jesus said, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30), meaning God’s redemptive plan for his sacrificial death. ​​ Then in Rev. 16:17 the voice from the throne said, ‘It is over,’ meaning that the events of the eschaton ending this present evil order are finished (cf. 10:6; 11:15, 18; 12:10; 15:1). ​​ Finally, God here says ‘They are over,’ meaning that all the events of world history – including the world’s destruction and the inauguration of the final new age – are at an end.” ​​ [Osborne, 738]

            • Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the End

              • God was there at the creation of this world and He will be there at the end of it

              • God will also be there at the beginning of the new heaven and new earth and will live with His people for all eternity

              • God said this of Himself at the beginning of Revelation

              • Revelation 1:8, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

          • Water of life (6b)

            • This is another benefit of having God dwelling with us

              • The tree of life will be a part of the new heaven, new earth, and new Jerusalem

              • The river of life will run through the city and we will have access to this water

            • PRINCIPLE – God promises eternal life to those who seek it.

              • John 7:37-38, On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. ​​ Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

              • “What does a thirsty man do to get rid of his thirst? ​​ He drinks. ​​ Perhaps there is no better representation of faith in all the Word of God than that. . . . So, dear Soul, whatever your state may be, you can surely receive Christ, for He comes to you like a cup of cold water! (“Good News”) ​​ [Charles Spurgeon cited by Akin, 331]

              • Notice that it takes initiative on our part to quench our thirst – we have to come

              • Also notice that there is no cost for drinking from the spring of the water of life

            • This is the first of three images used concerning salvation, the second is the idea of an inheritance

          • Inheritance (7a)

            • An inheritance is something that is given to those who are part of the family

            • This inheritance includes drinking from the spring of the water of life and having the effects of sin removed, but it also includes what is mentioned in each of the seven letters to the churches [Akin, 332]

              • Rev. 2:7 – Ephesus – Access to the tree of life

              • Rev. 2:11 – Smyrna – Not be hurt by second death

              • Rev. 2:17 – Pergamum – Given hidden manna, a white stone, and a new name

              • Rev. 2:26-27 – Thyatira – Authority over the nations and the morning star

              • Rev. 3:5 – Sardis – Clothed in white garments, name never blotted out of the book of life, Christ will confess you before His Father and His angels

              • Rev. 3:12 – Philadelphia – Pillar in the temple of My God, write on you the name of My God, the name of the new Jerusalem, and My own new name

              • Rev. 3:21 – Laodicea – Sit with Me on My throne

            • “After the great Chicago fire of 1871, evangelist Dwight L. Moody went back to survey the ruins of his house. ​​ A friend came by and said to Moody, ‘I hear you lost everything.’ ​​ ‘Well,’ said Moody, ‘you understood wrong. ​​ I have a good deal more left than I lost.’ ​​ ‘What do you mean?’ the inquisitive friend asked. ​​ ‘I didn’t know you were that rich.’ ​​ Moody then opened his Bible and read to him Revelation 21:7 – ‘He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God.’” ​​ [Wiersbe, 622]

            • The third image solidifies the second image

          • Adoption into God’s family (7b)

            • God promises to be our God and we will be His children

            • Romans 8:15, 23, For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. ​​ And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” . . . Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

            • Galatians 4:4-5, But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

        • We know that God will be with those who have overcome, but He will be separated from those who gave in

    • Separated from God (v. 8)

        • We see a short list, that is not exhaustive, of those who will be separated from God, the new heaven and earth, and the new Jerusalem

        • PRINCIPLE – Living with God means bravely embracing His ways instead of the ways of the world.

          • It is important to note that what John is writing here is still coming from God – He is the One that’s saying that hell exists and that individuals choose to go there

          • Vice list

            • Cowardly – those who deny Christ openly when confronted with persecution (rootless ones in the parable of the sower in Matt. 13:21, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away)

            • Unbelieving – unfaithful and lacking in trust

            • Vile – abominable acts, like worshiping beast/emperor

            • Murderers – those who killed the saints

            • Sexually immoral – spiritually and physically immoral

            • Magic arts – deceptive tools of demons

            • Idolaters – worshipers of any false god

            • All liars – false prophets, those who falsely claim to follow the truth

        • Their eternal destination is the fiery lake of burning sulfur, which is the second death

 

  • YOU

    • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Claim the promise that, as a follower of Jesus Christ, I will live for eternity with God in “Eden” (paradise).

    • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Receive eternal life and the promised inheritance by becoming God’s child through adoption. ​​ (Read John 1:12-13)

 

  • WE

    •  

 

 

CONCLUSION

“He was just a little fellow. His mother died when he was just a child. His father, in trying to be both mommy and daddy, had planned a picnic. The little boy had never been on a picnic, so they made their plans, fixed the lunch, and packed the car. Then it was time to go to bed, for the picnic was the next day. He just couldn't sleep. He tossed and he turned, but the excitement got to him. Finally, he got out of bed, ran into the room where his father had already fallen asleep, and shook him. His father woke up and saw his son. He said to him, ‘What are you doing up? What's the matter?”

 

The boy said, ‘I can't sleep.’

 

The father asked, ‘Why can't you sleep?’

 

In answering, the boy said, ‘Daddy, I'm excited about tomorrow.’

 

His father replied, ‘Well, Son, I'm sure you are, and it's going to be a great day, but it won't be great if we don't get some sleep. So why don't you just run down the hall, get back in bed, and get a good night's rest.’

 

So the boy trudged off down the hall to his room and got in bed. Before long, sleep came--to the father, that is. It wasn't long thereafter that back was the little boy. He was pushing and shoving his father, and his father opened his eyes. Harsh words almost blurted out until he saw the expression on the boy's face. The father asked, ‘What's the matter now?’

 

The boy said, ‘Daddy, I just want to thank you for tomorrow.’

 

When I think of my past and the fact that a loving Father would not let me go, reached down in his divine providence, and lifted me off of the streets of Harlem, when I think of what he has done for me and then think that he is planning a new thing for me that will surpass the past, let the record show this night in this place that Benjamin Reaves testified, Father, I want to thank you for tomorrow!”

 

Benjamin Reaves, "Living Expectantly," Preaching Today, Tape No. 65.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1998/july/3874.html]

14

 

/by

Filthy Rags

, ,

Jesus Unveiled

Filthy Rags

(Revelation 20:11-15)

 

INTRODUCTION

“In Words We Live By, Brian Burrell tells of an armed robber named Dennis Lee Curtis who was arrested in 1992 in Rapid City, South Dakota. Curtis apparently had scruples about his thievery. In his wallet the police found a sheet of paper on which was written the following code:

 

  • I will not kill anyone unless I have to.

  • I will take cash and food stamps—no checks.

  • I will rob only at night.

  • I will not wear a mask.

  • I will not rob mini-marts or 7-Eleven stores.

  • If I get chased by cops on foot, I will get away. If chased by vehicle, I will not put the lives of innocent civilians on the line.

  • I will rob only seven months out of the year.

  • I will enjoy robbing from the rich to give to the poor.

 

This thief had a sense of morality, but it was flawed. When he stood before the court, he was not judged by the standards he had set for himself but by the higher law of the state.

 

Likewise when we stand before God, we will not be judged by the code of morality we have written for ourselves but by God's perfect law.”

 

Craig Brian Larson, Choice Contemporary Stories and Illustrations (Baker, 1998), p.181; Brian Burrell, Words We Live By, (S&S Trade, 1997).

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2000/may/12437.html]

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Speeding ticket

        • I’ve probably shared this personal story with you before

        • I was traveling back from the Child Evangelism Fellowship of Ohio’s, Christian Youth In Action training at Cedarville University, when I got stopped by a local police officer in a small town

        • I knew the speed limit through the small town was 25 miles per hour (MPH) and had been going that speed until I saw the 35 MPH sign

        • What I didn’t know was that the local police officer was sitting right before the 35 MPH sign

        • Long story, short, he cited me for speeding

        • I took the citation and finished my trip home

        • In my humanness, I could have asked God why He allowed that to happen to me, because I was returning from helping young people learn how to teach children about Him – I was doing something good

        • I went back to pay the fine in person and tried to convince the clerk that I didn’t need to pay the court fees, because I wasn’t going to court to contest it

        • I obviously didn’t understand how the court system works – I guess it still had to come before the judge, so they had to charge the court fees

    • Changing the oil or working on the car

        • I’m doing a good thing when I change the oil in my car, but I don’t wear my best clothes to do it

        • There are certain clothes that I wear when I’m working on our cars, especially when I’m changing the oil

        • They are stained from previous use for the same purpose

        • Even though they have been washed, I still consider them to be filthy

        • They also have holes in them and could be referred to as rags

        • I’m doing good things while wearing these filthy rags

 

  • WE

    • We all probably have some filthy rags we wear?

        • Perhaps we all wear certain clothes when we clean the house or work in the yard

        • Maybe we have certain clothes we wear to mow the lawn or work on our vehicles

    • Good works

        • All of us have perhaps questioned God in the past about why He allowed something difficult to come into our lives while we were doing something good

        • It’s easy to question God, when we’re returning from helping at the food pantry and our car breaks down

        • Maybe we took someone to a doctor’s appointment and then we find out a week later at our doctor’s appointment that we are dealing with some medical condition of our own

        • God doesn’t accept us solely on the good things we have done, but on the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for us on the cross

        • God sees us through the righteousness of Jesus Christ

        • Our good deeds are an expression and result of the transformational power of the Gospel

        • We do good, because we love God, not to gain favor with Him

 

What John sees after Satan is thrown into the lake of burning sulfur is the judgment of the dead, which would include those who were just devoured by fire from heaven. ​​ Some books are opened that probably contained all of the deeds they had done. ​​ But those deeds didn’t cut it. ​​ Their name had to be found in the Book of Life. ​​ John wants us to understand that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Our “righteousness” falls short.

 

God’s judgment isn’t based on whether or not our good deeds outweigh our bad deeds. ​​ Isaiah 64:6 says, All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. ​​ Our own “righteousness” isn’t sufficient to avoid God’s judgment and eternal punishment.

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Revelation 20:11-15)

    • Judge (v. 11)

        • Great white throne

          • Great

            • The Greek word μέγαν (megan) has been used throughout the book of Revelation

            • It is referring to something that is large or loud

              • A loud voice

              • Great tribulation

              • Huge sword

            • This is the throne where the final eternal judgment will be handed down

              • Perhaps the word “great” is used to differentiate it from the thrones mentioned in Revelation 20:4

              • It is also possible that this throne was much larger than those thrones, because of who is sitting on the throne and the task they will have in judging humanity

            • This throne has great significance as does the color associated with it

          • White

            • Most scholars agree that the color is representative of the purity of the One sitting on it

              • The One sitting there is holy, pure, without blemish

              • That is why they are able to judge humanity

            • It also represents the glory and majesty of the One occupying this throne

            • The color white has been used to represent purity and holiness throughout the book of Revelation

              • Rev. 1:14 – Christ has white hair

              • Rev. 14:14 – Christ sits on a white cloud

              • Rev. 19:11 Christ returns on a white horse

              • Rev. 4:4 – celestial beings wear white

              • Rev. 3:4, 5; 6:11; 7:9, 13 – the triumphant saints wear white

              • Rev. 19:14 – the saints return with Christ on white horses

          • We are given a description of the throne, but not the One who is sitting there

        • God/Jesus seated there

          • Because of the description of the throne, we know that only two individuals could occupy it – God and Jesus

          • PRINCIPLE – God is holy (God the Father or Son of God)

            • 1 Samuel 2:2, “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”

            • That God is holy, means that He is completely pure, without sin

            • The same is true of Jesus Christ, He is completely pure, without blemish, which is why He was the only One who could take our punishment for sin

              • 2 Corinthians 5:21, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

              • That’s the awesome reality of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

              • We cannot take care of our sin problem on our own, we have to have a substitute

              • Jesus willingly took our place on the cross – He bore all of our sin in His body on the cross

            • Because of that ultimate, selfless, sacrifice on the cross, God sees us as righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ, when we repent of our sins, turn to Him and follow Him

            • That’s why He is able to sit on the great white throne and judge justly, because He is holy!

          • Is it God or Jesus sitting on the great white throne?

            • Naturally we would answer that it is God sitting on the throne

            • Because the Father and the Son are One, we could say that they are both sitting on the throne

            • Jesus sitting on the throne to judge has some great Biblical backing

              • John 5:22, 26-27, Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, . . . For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. ​​ And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

              • Acts 10:42, He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.

              • 2 Timothy 4:1, In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:

              • There are other passages as well that talk about Jesus being the One who is given authority to judge

            • While John simply mentions him who was seated on it, we can know with confidence that he is referring to Jesus

          • As this scene unfolds, we see that the Earth and sky flee from his presence

        • Earth and sky flee

          • “The Morgan sea gypsies are a small tribe of 181 fishermen who spend much of the year on their boats fishing in the Andaman Sea from India to Indonesia and back to Thailand. In December, though, they live in shelters on the beaches of Thailand. In December 2004, in the hours before the killer Tsunami crashed ashore, the Morgan sea gypsies were living on those beaches. They were in harm's way and would have likely all perished—had they not listened to their elders.

            For generations, the elders of the tribe had passed along one piece of wisdom. The tribe's 65-year-old village chief Sarmao Kathalay says, “The elders told us that if the water recedes fast it will reappear in the same quantity in which it disappeared.”

            And that is exactly what happened. The sea drained quickly from the beach, leaving stranded fish flopping on the shore. How easy it would have been for those who live off of the sea to run down where the water had been minutes ago and fill every basket available with fish. Some people did just that in other areas of South Thailand. Not the Morgan sea gypsies. When the water receded from the beach, the tribal chief ordered every one of the 181 tribal members to run to a temple in the mountains of South Surin Island. When the waters crashed ashore, the 181 sea gypsies were safe on high ground.            ” ​​ (Craig Brian Larson, Arlington Heights, Illinois; source: "How 'Sea Gypsies' Survived the Tsunami," Associated Press, as seen in) ​​ [https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2005/january/15717.html]

          • No place to hide

            • When the sixth seal was opened, the inhabitants of the earth hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountain

            • Read Revelation 6:12-17

            • “John sees a great white throne and One seated on it from whom the earth and sky fled away, and yet there was in the end no place to seek asylum. ​​ The One who sits on the throne is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. ​​ One cannot avoid the presence of an omnipresent God nor seek asylum from an omniscient and omnipotent God.” ​​ [Patterson, The New American Commentary, Revelation, 359]

            • There will be no place for unbelievers to hide from the judgment of God

          • Preparation for the new heaven and the new earth

            • That’s what John sees next in Revelation 21

            • Isaiah 51:6, Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies, my righteousness will never fail.

            • Read Romans 8:18-22

            • 2 Peter 3:10-12, But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. ​​ The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. ​​ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? ​​ You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. ​​ That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

          • John tells us that there was no place for the Earth and sky to go – judgment and destruction has come

        • We see from verse 11 that Jesus is the Judge, but who is being judged and what are they being judged on?

    • Judgment (vv. 12-13)

        • Who all is being judged?

          • There are two beliefs that we’ll look at briefly

            • The minority belief

              • They believe that both believers and unbelievers are being judged at the great white throne

              • They point to the book of life being mentioned in verse 12 as one indicator that it is talking about believers and then verse 13 would be referring to unbelievers

              • They also reference Revelation 20:4 as only the martyrs being raised to life to reign with Christ for a thousand years

              • So, where is the judgment of the believers?

            • The majority belief

              • Most scholars hold to the belief that only unbelievers are being judged at the great white throne

              • They distinguish between the “Judgment Seat of Christ” (The Bema Seat of Judgment) and the “Great White Throne Judgment”

              • They use Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; and 2 Corinthians 5:10 as references to the Judgment Seat of Christ for believers

              • They definitely believe that all of humanity will stand in judgment before Jesus Christ, but they only see unbelievers represented in Revelation 20:12-13

              • There is also the idea that when it is speaking about the dead, it is referring to the spiritually dead (unbelievers)

            • I lean towards the majority belief, that only unbelievers are being judged at the Great White Throne Judgment

              • If we remove the modern Bible translation paragraph headings and read it like John’s audience would have, then what we find in the context is important

              • The vast, innumerable army that Satan rallies after being released from the Abyss are all devoured by fire from heaven

              • Satan in thrown into the lake of burning sulfur with the beast and the false prophet, then John sees the great white throne and Jesus sitting in judgment

              • It seems in the context that Jesus immediately judges those who have been devoured by fire from heaven

              • It is these spiritually dead, together with the spiritually dead who physically died in the past, that are being judged

            • PRINCIPLE – We will all stand before Jesus in judgment.

              • So, whether the great white throne judgment is only unbelievers or both believers and unbelievers, the principle remains the same

              • We see this Matthew 25:31-33, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ​​ All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ​​ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

              • We’ll see more of Jesus’ teaching about this in just a moment

          • There is no escape from judgment – no one is exempt

        • Dead standing before the throne (vv. 12a, 13a)

          • It seems logical that the dead mentioned in verse 12a are referring to those who have just been devoured by the fire from heaven

          • Then in verse 13a we see unbelievers, who physically died in the past, being resurrected for their final judgment

            • It doesn’t matter if they died by drowning in the sea, without their body being recovered, or if they died on land and had a proper burial

            • From wherever they died, they will be resurrected to stand before the great white throne and Jesus Christ

          • John also sees that some books are opened

        • Books were opened

          • One of the books is identified as the book of life, which will play an important role when unbelievers are punished in verse 15

          • The other books are not specifically identified

            • The fact that “books” is plural means that there are multiple books being referenced

            • Some commentators identify them as the “books of works” simply because the unbelievers are being judged based on what they had done

          • That’s what we see in the second half of verses 12 and 13

        • Judged according to what they had done (vv. 12b, 13b)

          • Let’s return, then, to Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 25

          • We already know from Jesus’ teaching in verses 31-33 that everyone, both believers and unbelievers, will stand before His throne and He will separate them

          • What we see next is Jesus addressing those on his right, first, then those on his left

            • The righteous (Matt. 25:34-40)

              • He calls those on his right blessed and invites them to enjoy the kingdom prepared for them since the creation of the world

              • He then lists the things they had done for Him without even thinking about it (fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, invited strangers in, clothed the naked, looked after the sick, and visited prisoners)

              • The righteous wonder when they had done these things for the Lord and he tells them that if they have done it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters, they did it to him

            • The unrighteous (Matt. 25:41-45)

              • Those on his left he calls cursed and tells them to leave him and enter into the eternal fire prepared for them

              • Their deeds did not include feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, inviting strangers in, clothing the naked, or visiting the incarcerated

              • The king tells them that if they did not do it to one of the least of these, they did not do it to him

          • The final verse of Matt. 25 says, “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (v. 46)

          • PRINCIPLE – Jesus will judge unbelievers on their own righteousness.

            • When unbelievers stand before Jesus at the great white throne, they will be judged on their own righteous acts

            • Unfortunately, they will realize that their righteous acts are nothing more than filthy rags in Jesus’ eyes

            • Our good deeds, our righteous acts are not what gets us into heaven, where we will have eternal life

            • Our name has to be written in the book of life

              • John 14:6, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. ​​ No one comes to the Father except through me.”

              • God’s standard requires a perfect sacrifice for sin

              • Jesus was that perfect sacrifice

              • No human being is perfect, because we are all born with a “want to” to sin

              • Romans 3:10-12, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. ​​ All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

              • Romans 5:8-11, But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: ​​ While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ​​ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! ​​ For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! ​​ Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

              • Our names will be written in the book of life if we believe that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Repent of my sins and believe in Jesus as the way and the truth and the life.

            • If we decide to reject God’s perfect plan of reconciliation, then we will stand before Jesus some day and be judged on our own righteousness

            • Our “righteousness” falls short.

        • Once the verdict comes down, “guilty,” then the punishment is announced

    • Punishment (vv. 14-15)

        • Death and Hades punished

          • Death and Hades are both “personifications of the realm of evil” ​​ [Osborne, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Revelation, 722]

          • Death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire

          • The lake of fire is the second death – spiritual death, complete separation from God for eternity

        • Unbelievers punished

          • The book of life is the primary source for determining whether or not a person goes to heaven or hell

          • The “books of works” simply lists the good and bad things individuals have done, but they have no authority when it comes to salvation, eternal life, and entering heaven

          • Only the book of life has that authority

 

  • YOU

    • Is your name in the book of life?

        • Have you repented of your sins and turned to Jesus as the way and the truth and the life?

        • Have you been justified by believing that Jesus took your punishment for sin when He died on the cross, was buried, and came alive again?

        • Your own righteous acts will only be written in the books of works and not the book of life

        • Take time to make sure your name is in the book of life today!

    • Righteous acts

        • Our righteous acts should come from a heart that has been transformed by the power of the Gospel

        • We don’t do good to gain favor with God, we do good because of what God has done for us

        • James talks about faith and action working together

          • They are not mutually exclusive

          • James 2:15-17, 21-22, Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ​​ If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? ​​ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. . . . Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ​​ You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.

        • As followers of Jesus Christ we will be judged on our faith and actions working together (James and Jesus both said it)

        • Where are you with faith and actions working together?

          • Jesus gave us a short list in Matthew 25 of some of the things we should be doing to show our faith in action

          • Feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, inviting strangers in, clothing the naked, and visiting those in prison

          • This is just a starting point for us as believers

          • Are you involved in at least one of these activities on a regular basis?

          • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Show that my faith and actions are working together by serving others in some capacity.

 

  • WE

    • As I mentioned last week we have responsibility as believers to share the Gospel with those in our sphere of influence

    • We also have the responsibility to take care of those who are in need

        • We have teams that serve at the Gettysburg Soup Kitchen and the Upper Adams Food Pantry

        • We are collecting items throughout this year for Operation Christmas Child

        • There are shut-ins who just want someone to talk to and visit with

        • There are children, youth, and adults who are looking for someone to disciple them or teach them

        • There are many other opportunities to serve those in our community

 

CONCLUSION

“After moving to a new state, I walked into the Department of Motor Vehicles to get my new driver's license. Imagine my surprise when the guy behind the desk said he couldn't help me because my license was suspended.

I said, "There must be some mistake. I've never done anything to deserve that."

 

The civil servant was very civil and said I had to clear up the problem with the State of Massachusetts before he could help me. I hadn't lived in Massachusetts for 10 years, so I couldn't imagine what was wrong. But five long distance phone calls later, I found that it was no mistake—the law had finally caught up with me. When I'd moved from that state a decade before, I owed part of an excise tax of two dollars.

 

Blissfully unaware that I was a scofflaw, the tiny little bill began to work hard accruing penalties and interest. That bill had to be settled—and I had to pay for a new Massachusetts driver's license and registration for a car that had long ago become scrap metal—before I could become legal in my new home state. The price tag was nearly $300.

 

The whole thing made me a lot embarrassed. It wasn't so much the money that bothered me. It was knowing that I was guilty—on the wrong side of the law for all those years without even being aware of it.

 

How shocking it will be for those who stand before the God of the Universe one day and realize, for the first time, that he holds them accountable.”

 

Submitted by John Beukema, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2006/july/9070306.html]

12

 

/by

The Sleeper Cell

,

Jesus Unveiled

The Sleeper Cell

(Revelation 20:7-10)

 

INTRODUCTION

“As a kid, I loved Mission Sundays, when missionaries on furlough brought special reports in place of a sermon …. There is one visit I've never forgotten. The missionaries were a married couple stationed in what appeared to be a particularly steamy jungle. I'm sure they gave a full report on churches planted or commitments made or translations begun. I don't remember much of that. What has always stayed with me is the story they shared about a snake.

 

One day, they told us, an enormous snake—much longer than a man—slithered its way right through their front door and into the kitchen of their simple home. Terrified, they ran outside and searched frantically for a local who might know what to do. A machete-wielding neighbor came to the rescue, calmly marching into their house and decapitating the snake with one clean chop.

 

The neighbor reemerged triumphant and assured the missionaries that the reptile had been defeated. But there was a catch, he warned: It was going to take a while for the snake to realize it was dead.

 

A snake's neurology and blood flow are such that it can take considerable time for it to stop moving even after decapitation. For the next several hours, the missionaries were forced to wait outside while the snake thrashed about, smashing furniture and flailing against walls and windows, wreaking havoc until its body finally understood that it no longer had a head.

 

Sweating in the heat, they had felt frustrated and a little sickened but also grateful that the snake's rampage wouldn't last forever. And at some point in their waiting, they told us, they had a mutual epiphany.

 

I leaned in with the rest of the congregation, queasy and fascinated. "Do you see it?" asked the husband. "Satan is a lot like that big old snake. He's already been defeated. He just doesn't know it yet. In the meantime, he's going to do some damage. But never forget that he's a goner."

 

The story [still] haunts me because I have come to believe it is an accurate picture of the universe. We are in the thrashing time, a season characterized by our pervasive capacity to do violence to each other and ourselves. The temptation is to despair. We have to remember, though, that it won't last forever. Jesus has already crushed the serpent's head.”

 

Carolyn Arends, “Satan’s a Goner: ​​ A lesson from a Headless Snake,” Christianity Today (February 2011).

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2011/april/7041111.html].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Addictive behaviors

        • I’ve mentioned before that every individual is drawn to addictive behavior, but it manifests itself differently in each person

        • For me, my addictive behavior manifests itself in two primary ways: ​​ work and video games

    • Modeled or not

        • My father was a very hard worker, so a strong work ethic was modeled for me, which probably played a major role in how I look at work and my addictive behaviors concerning work

        • My father never really played video games, so that part of my addictive behavior was not modeled for me, but is part of who I am

        • The desire to play video games was something that sat dormant in my life until I began playing them

        • In both situations, I have a choice whether or not to give in to those addictive behaviors

        • I obviously can’t blame my father for being addicted to video games, but I also can’t blame my father for being addicted to work

        • I have a choice!

 

  • WE

    • Addictive behaviors

        • I would guess that there are individuals here today who are also addicted to video games and work

        • Addictive behaviors manifest themselves in many other ways also (alcohol, drugs, pornography, sex, hunting, fishing, shopping, hobbies, and many other ways)

    • We have a choice

        • I’ve met with individuals who blame their parents or other circumstances for their addictive behaviors as adults

        • Certainly the environment we grew up in and circumstances that were beyond our control have greatly influenced who we are today, so I’m not marginalizing those things

        • But, too often we allow those things to continue to control us and shape us as adults, when we have a choice

        • A first-grade boy was talking at lunch about how some people eat cats and dogs, which caused a girl in his class to think about her dog that had passed away. ​​ She couldn’t stop thinking about her dog and it was making her sad. ​​ The teacher shared with her that we have control over our thought life. ​​ We can decide what we’re going to think about. ​​ God can help us control our thoughts. ​​ We have a choice to take control of our thought life.

 

John explains that Satan is released after a thousand years and he picks back up, right where he left off, with deceiving the nations. ​​ Amazingly, there are innumerable people who will follow him and reject God. ​​ John wants us to understand that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – The “want to” to sin is inside all of us.

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Revelation 20:7-10)

    • Satan’s release (v. 7)

        • After the thousand year reign of Christ, Satan is released from his prison (the Abyss)

          • Was it a literal thousand years or figurative?

          • It could be either one

          • It could represent a thousand literal years

          • It could also be figurative for a long period of time

          • Both represent the passing of many years, which helps us understand the main point/principle

        • Why does God allow Satan one final grasp at power?

          • Akin provides a twofold answer [Akin, Christ-Centered Exposition, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, 311]

            • “To demonstrate the evil intentions of Satan that consume him now and forever.”

            • “To reveal that even in a near perfect environment with no Satanic temptation, man is capable of and willing to rebel against his gracious and loving God.”

          • PRINCIPLE – Human depravity is not a result of our environment or circumstances.

            • Every one of us is born with the “sleeper cell of sin” inside of us

            • The “want to” to sin is there from the beginning, waiting to come alive

            • “Perhaps the most reasonable explanation for this rather unusual parole is to make plain that neither the designs of Satan nor the waywardness of the human heart will be altered by the mere passing of time.” ​​ [Mounce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, 371]

            • We see from this long period of time, when Satan’s influence and temptation are not a factor in humanity, that human beings still rebel against God, and given the opportunity, will turn to evil instead of good

            • Jeremiah 17:9, The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. ​​ Who can understand it?

          • So we can blame whomever we want for how we’ve turned out, but the reality is, WE have chosen our path, we have chosen whether to follow God or reject Him

          • There is no one else to blame, but ourselves

        • Satan is released from the Abyss and immediately begins to do what comes natural to him – deception!

    • Satan’s deception (vv. 8-9a)

        • Deceive the nations

          • PRINCIPLE – Satan is determined to deceive people concerning God.

            • “Whenever the devil is around, he will deceive the nations.” ​​ [Easley, Holman New Testament Commentary, Revelation, 377]

            • The amazing thing is that we, as Christians, are just as susceptible to the deceptions of Satan as anyone else

            • He uses false teachers within the body of Christ to twist the truth, just a little bit, so that in some cases we don’t even realize what’s happening

            • We begin to follow a certain preacher or teacher and can easily begin to believe everything they say without testing it against Scripture

            • Jesus was teaching the Jews one day and telling them that the truth He was sharing with them would set them free

              • They obviously didn’t understand, because they responded that they had never been slaves, because they were Abraham’s descendants

              • They camped on the idea of slavery instead of the truths that Jesus was sharing with them about who He was – the Messiah, the Son of God

              • Jesus finally says this, Why is my language not clear to you? ​​ Because you are unable to hear what I say. ​​ You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. ​​ He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. ​​ When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:43-44)

              • These Jews, who were God’s chosen people, had been deceived by Satan and we know, from the Gospel writers, that they convinced others that Jesus was not the Messiah

              • They were, themselves, false teachers

            • We can protect ourselves from false teaching and Satan’s deceptions by doing what the Bereans did

              • Acts 17:11, Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

              • What did the Bereans do?

                • They didn’t just take Paul’s word for it

                • They studied the Scriptures for themselves

                  • As a Christian, we have the Holy Spirit living within us to help us understand Scripture

                  • God will definitely answer, “Yes,” to our prayers for wisdom in understanding His Word, the Bible

                • They did it every day

                  • Share the illustration from Greg Speck at the FamilyLife Weekend to Remember – asked for 3 volunteers to come up and share what God taught them that morning from studying His Word and one answer to prayer from the weekend

                  • If I don’t read my Bible and pray, will God love me any less? ​​ (No)

                  • “I don’t read the Bible or pray, so God will love me more. ​​ I read the Bible and pray, because I love God.” ​​ [Greg Speck, FamilyLife Weekend to Remember, Man-to-Man session, February 17, 2019]

                  • My prayer is that all of us will read God’s Word and pray every day, not because we have to, but because we love Him

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Protect myself from Satan’s deceptions by reading God’s Word and praying every day, as an expression of my love for God.

            • Satan was released and immediately began to deceive the nations, but who were these people that were being deceived?

          • Who are the nations that John sees as this point?

            • There are two primary viewpoints concerning who the nations are

            • Some scholars believe that the army assembled in Revelation 19:17-21 that were destroyed did not include every unbeliever on earth (Osborne)

              • There were military personnel (kings, generals, mighty men, horses and their riders), but there were also free and slave, small and great

              • There may have been unbelievers who had not taken the mark of the beast and had not worshiped the image of the beast

              • The “nations” would then be those individuals and their children that were born during the millennium

            • Other scholars believe that the nations would be represented by the children born during the millennium (Akin, Courson)

              • These children would be born to believers who have not yet received their glorified bodies

              • They could also be the children of unbelievers who had not taken the mark of the beast or worshipped his image

            • Either way, these individuals have not had the opportunity to determine whether or not to follow the Lord

              • They have been “living in enforced righteousness and peace because there’s no other choice.” ​​ [Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary, New Testament, 1783]

              • When Satan is released and they understand what sin is, then they have a choice to make

              • Will they follow Jesus or reject Him

            • We see that there is such a large number who rally to Satan’s side that they cannot be counted (In number they are like the sand of the seashore)

          • Satan goes to every corner of the earth in his search to deceive the nations

        • Four corners of the earth

          • The four corners of the earth simply means that Satan goes throughout the entire earth

          • There is no place where his deception is not present

          • Gog and Magog

            • Old Testament background

              • Genesis 10:2, The sons of Japheth: ​​ Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javen, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras.

              • Ezekiel 38:2, “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.

              • Ezekiel 39:1-2, “Son of man, prophesy against Gog and say: ​​ ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ​​ I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. ​​ I will turn you around and drag you along. ​​ I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountain of Israel (Magog would be a territory/region to the north of Israel)

              • Gog from Magog was used by God to discipline Israel during Old Testament times

              • They would have been a pagan nation

            • In Revelation, the reference to “Gog and Magog are symbolic figures representing the nations of the world that band together for a final assault upon God and his people.” ​​ [Mounce, 372]

              • We already know that they are pagan, since they have chosen to follow Satan instead of God

              • They will be deceived by Satan

          • John explains why Satan is deceiving the nations – there is a reason and purpose behind his deception

        • Reason why he is deceiving them

          • Satan is gathering an army for battle, because he still believes he can defeat God

          • They marched across the breadth of the earth, which adds to the imagery of Satan deceiving the nations in the four corners of the earth

          • Satan’s deception is complete and thorough

          • So, this army gathers in Israel and surrounds God’s people who have encamped in Jerusalem (the city he loves)

            • “Here in Revelation the task of the saints is not to take the battle into their own hands but to encamp before the Lord and trust him.” ​​ [Osborne, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Revelation, 714]

            • PRINCIPLE – We can trust God to fight our battles.

              • What kind of battle are you engaged in right now?

              • Perhaps it’s relational, financial, emotional, spiritual, or physical

              • It may be that we are fighting battles on multiple fronts – which is spreading us thin

              • During those battles we can trust God, because He is in control (omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent)

                • Psalm 56:3-4, When I am afraid, I will trust in you. ​​ In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. ​​ What can mortal man do to me?

                • Isaiah 59:1-2, Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. ​​ But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

                • Numbers 11:21-23, But Moses said, “Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ ​​ Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? ​​ Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?” ​​ The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short? ​​ You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”

                • Jeremiah 32:26-27, Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ​​ “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. ​​ Is anything too hard for me?

              • Take a moment to write down the battles you are currently facing

                • Are any of them too hard for the Lord?

                • Have you encamped before the Lord? ​​ (this means have you taken time to tell the Lord what battles you are fighting)

                • Are you trusting Him to fight your battles or are you fighting them yourself?

                • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Encamp before the Lord and trust Him to fight my battles.

          • That’s exactly what the saints in this final battle are doing (they’re encamped around the Lord and trusting Him)

        • What we see in the second half of verse 9 and verse 10 is that God is fighting the battle

    • Satan’s defeat (vv. 9b-10)

        • The vast, unnumbered army that Satan has rallied is defeated soundly when God sends fire down from heaven that devours them

          • Just as we saw at the battle of Armageddon in Revelation 19:17-21, the battle is won by the Lord in a very quick moment

          • None of the saints have to engage in battle, because the battle is the Lord’s

        • Satan’s final defeat

          • Satan is thrown into the lake of burning sulfur

          • PRINCIPLE – God is greater than Satan!

            • We can and should rejoice in this fact

            • That is the God we serve

            • He is all-powerful, all-knowing, ever present, unchanging, sovereign, and much more

          • Satan joins his cohorts, the beast and the false prophet, who have already been experiencing eternal torment for a thousand years

          • Again, we see that Satan, the beast, and the false prophet will continue to experience this eternal torment (they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever)

 

  • YOU

    • Important part

        • I don’t want us to miss an important part of this passage

        • Those who are born during the millennium or live through the tribulation and had not taken the mark of the beast and did not worship the beast are given the opportunity to receive or reject Jesus Christ

        • Like every one of us, they have the “sleeper cell of sin” inside of them

          • The “want to” to sin is inside all of us.

          • Each individual has to make the decision for themselves as to whether they will accept or reject Christ

          • Jeremiah 17:9-10a, The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. ​​ Who can understand it? ​​ “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind . . .”

          • God understands our heart and knows whether or not it is for Him or against Him

            • God provided a way for us to deal with the “sleeper cell of sin” in our lives

            • He sent Jesus from heaven to earth to die on a cross to take our punishment for sin

            • 2 Corinthians 5:21, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

            • John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ​​ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

          • If you would like to make that decision today, please fill in the circle on the back of your Communication Card under the “Send Me Info. About: ​​ Becoming a follower of Jesus”

    • Protection

        • We learned today that we can protect ourselves from being deceived by studying God’s Word and praying daily as an expression of our love for God

        • We also learned that God will fight our battles for us, if we allow Him to

 

  • WE

    • The Great Commission

        • As followers of Jesus Christ, we have been commissioned to go into all the world and make disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them God’s Word

        • We have a responsibility to share the Gospel with those in our sphere of influence

        • The result of not sharing the Gospel could be that they will suffer the same fate as Satan, the beast, and the false prophet – eternal torment in the lake of burning sulfur

        • They have the same “sleeper cell of sin” in their lives that we do, but do they know there is a way to deal with that sin?

CONCLUSION

“Valerie O'Connor, a high school student in Britton, Michigan, isn't in the habit of shoving her 63-year-old grandfather out the door into the snow. But her grandpa, Okey Howard, is glad she did. He was on fire at the time.

 

A February 2002 ice storm left many Michigan residents without power, so Valerie's grandfather had borrowed a kerosene heater from a friend to keep pipes and family members from freezing.

 

Unfortunately someone must have put something other than kerosene in the heater. When Mr. Howard lit the heater, it exploded, spewing burning fuel onto his arms, hands, and upper body.

 

Valerie saw her grandfather completely engulfed, so she pushed him out the door into some snow and rolled on top of him to smother the flames. She suffered minor burns on her legs.

 

"I knew something had to be done," Valerie said later. "After a moment of shock, I just reacted."

 

Though badly burned, Mr. Howard had the presence of mind to stumble back into the house, where he used a large extinguisher to put out the house fire.

 

Valerie rode with her screaming grandfather in the ambulance to the hospital. Mr. Howard said later, "I thought I was going to die. It was like hell."

 

If a teenager is willing to risk her own life to save her grandfather from a fiery death on earth, how much more should we be willing to risk sharing the good news so others can avoid a fiery eternity. Because of her great love for her grandfather, Valerie put her fears aside and dove into action so he could be saved.”

 

Clark Cothern, Tecumseh, Michigan; source: ​​ Jeff Steers, The Exponent (2-12-02)

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2002/april/13596.html].

10

 

/by

The Final Meal

, ,

Jesus Unveiled

The Final Meal

(Revelation 19:17-21)

 

INTRODUCTION

“I came across a book written by a cardiologist at the University of Tennessee that corroborates an important aspect of the biblical message. In the course of their emergency room work, Dr. Maurice Rawlings and his colleagues interviewed more than 300 people who claimed near-death experiences. What made Rawlings' study distinct is that the interviews were not conducted months or years later but immediately after the experiences had allegedly occurred – while the patients were still too shaken up in the immediacy of the moment to gloss over or to re-imagine what they had experienced.

 

Nearly 50 percent of them reported encountering images of fire, of tormented and tormenting creatures, and other sights hailing from a place very different from heaven. In follow-up interviews much later many of these same people had changed their stories, apparently unwilling to admit to their families, maybe even to themselves, that they had caught a glimpse of something like what the Bible calls hell.

 

Dr. Rawlings concludes, ‘Just listening to these patients has changed my life. There is a life after death, and if I don't know where I'm going, it is not safe to die.’”

 

Dan Meyer, “The Light at the End of the Tunnel,” Preaching Today No. 238

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2003/july/14483.html].

 

Hell is a real place. ​​ There is life after death. ​​ We know from Scripture that those who are faithful and true to God and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will be with them in paradise (heaven). ​​ Those who reject God and refuse to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will be separated from them for all eternity.

 

In Revelation 19, John’s vision is of two great meals that God will provide – one for those who are faithful and true to Him and one for those who are unfaithful and reject Him.

 

How many of us are familiar with the phrase, “Call me anything you like, but don’t call me late for dinner?”

BODY

  • ME

    • Dinner bell at Judy’s parent’s farm

        • The small farm where Judy grew up in Ohio has a bell in the backyard

        • I don’t know how often it was used to call her and her brother for dinner

        • I know when we lived in her parent’s house that we used it as a form of communication to let each other or our children know that they needed to come back to the house

        • It was always a little scary to ring the bell, because wasps enjoyed making a nest up inside the bell – we were never sure whether or not we’d be greeted by some wasps when we rang it

    • Calling our children for dinner

        • More recently we call our children for dinner by calling their name when they’re in the house

        • I’ll whistle off the back porch if they are in the garage or outside somewhere

        • Other times we pick up our cell phone and text or call them

 

  • WE

    • Being called for dinner

        • How many of us have ever been called to dinner by a dinner bell (either a triangle or an actual bell)?

        • Perhaps it wasn’t a dinner bell, but a whistle from our father or mother

        • Maybe it was just Mom hollering out the back door

        • Do you remember what happened when we didn’t come right away?

          • I’ve heard stories of children that didn’t come right in for dinner when they were called

          • The result was that when they eventually came in for dinner, their dinner was water and a piece of bread or a cracker

          • It didn’t take too many times of eating bread or a cracker and drinking water to learn that you’d better come running when called for dinner

    • How have we called our children to dinner?

        • Perhaps we’ve whistled

        • Maybe we’ve hollered out the back door, up the stairs, or down the hallway

        • Some of us have probably used technology to our advantage and either called or texted our children

 

A couple of weeks ago, Pastor Marc shared with us about the wedding supper of the Lamb, which God will provide for those who have been faithful and true to Him. ​​ We’re going to be looking at another great meal today that God will provide, but the circumstances behind this meal are completely different. ​​ This meal will involve those who have been unfaithful to God and have rejected Him. ​​ Revelation 19 reveals to us that every person will be included in one of two meals that God will provide. ​​ We have to ask ourselves this question . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Will we eat or be eaten?

 

Let’s pray

 

  • GOD (Revelation 19:17-21)

    • A call to dinner (vv. 17-18)

        • The messenger

          • It is another angel from heaven

          • This angel is standing in the sun

            • The position is important, because it would have been the highest point in the sky [Easley, Holman New Testament Commentary, Revelation, 356]

            • As we’ll see in a moment this position would be important as the angel calls the meal attendees to gather

            • The splendor of the angel would be magnified in the fact that it is superimposed in front of the sun

            • It would have given the angel an incredible glow or radiance that would be appropriate for God’s messenger

            • This would have given the angel the appearance of “shining” with God’s glory

              • God’s glory radiating from Jesus and another angel has already been seen in Revelation

              • Christ’s “face was like the sun” (Rev. 1:16)

              • Mighty angel whose “face is like the sun” (Rv. 10:1)

          • The angel is crying in a loud voice

            • This loud voice will be clear and understandable to the those who are being addressed

            • They will not question whether or not they heard this angel correctly

            • They are being invited to the “great supper of God”

            • It’s God’s supper in the sense that God is the One who is providing it

          • John doesn’t keep us in suspense, but immediately identifies who the meal attendees will be

        • The meal attendees

          • It is the birds flying in midair

          • The position of the angel who is calling them to dinner makes sense – it is standing in the sun (the highest point in the sky)

          • We don’t normally think of songbirds eating dead, rotting flesh

          • There are certain birds that come to mind when we think of dead, rotting animals being eaten

            • Vultures, Buzzards, and crows

            • Kites, Caracaras, Eagles, and Marabou Storks

          • The vultures and buzzards are the ones we see circling high above their meal and eventually descending to eat

          • The sense here is that the angel is at the highest point in the sky and is crying out to these scavenger birds that are circling

          • The meal is being prepared for them, but what will the meal consist of?

        • The meal

          • It will be the flesh of a great army that is gathering, which includes all sinners

          • No sinner will be exempt

            • John begins by identifying those who have a military background (kings, generals, mighty men, and the cavalry – horses and their riders)

            • The flesh of all people makes it clear that no one is exempt

            • The next two pairs of terms make it clear that it includes every socio-economic group (free and slave, small and great)

          • Those who reject Jesus Christ will be eaten by scavenger birds as part of their punishment and destruction

        • What John sees next is what I’m calling meal preparation

    • Meal preparation (v. 19-21a)

        • Preparing a meal

          • I’m not like Judy when it comes to meal preparation

            • She is able to move smoothly through the kitchen and add the right amount of spices and seasoning without thinking about it or having to measure it out

            • She can have multiply things going at the same time, without worrying about whether or not something will be overcooked

          • I prefer to have everything staged and all the ingredients laid out prior to starting

            • I measure out all the ingredients exactly, because I don’t trust myself to add a sprinkle of something here and a dash of something there

            • I prefer to work on one dish at a time so I don’t ruin it, which means that not everything is ready at the same time

            • You’ve probably guessed that I don’t cook very often

            • I am a seasoned and skilled eater, though

        • What John sees next in vv. 19-21a is the preparation of the great supper of God for the scavenger birds

          • He sees the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together

            • The ingredients are being laid out in preparation for the meal

            • The kings, generals, mighty men, horses and their riders and the rest of those who have rejected Jesus Christ are gathering together – being prepared

            • This reminds us of the sixth bowl that was poured out in Revelation 16:12-16, The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. ​​ Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. ​​ They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. . . . Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

          • Two ingredients will be thrown on the grill, so to say

            • The reality of what will happen to these two ingredients will be far worse than simply being grilled

            • The beast and the false prophet will be thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur

              • We see again a description of the false prophet and what he did – performed many miraculous signs on behalf of the beast

                • These signs helped to deceive those who accepted the mark of the beast and worshiped his image

                • The signs that the false prophet performed allowed these unbelievers to justify what they had already chosen to do – reject Jesus Christ and continue to live their lives in rebellion against God

                • We can be prone to the same things today

                  • We know what God’s Word says, but we continue to search for an “authority” that will allow us to justify what we want to do, say, or think

                  • But we see that this kind of justification only leads us to destruction

                  • We are deluded and deceived, because we have already made up our minds about what we want to do, think, and say

                  • We can very easily take the “mark” of the world/culture and worship images that are not God

                  • Our standard has to be God’s Word, the Bible, taught in a way that’s not taken out of context or read and interpreted with preconceived ideas and thoughts

                  • We have to ask the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom to know exactly what God is telling us in His Word

                  • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Ask the Holy Spirit to give me wisdom to understand God’s Word as He meant it to be, so I will not be deluded and deceived by the false prophets of this world or culture.

                • The false prophet will be held accountable for leading God’s creation away from Him

              • PRINCIPLE – God will punish those who continue to rebel against Him, and especially those who lead others away from Him.

                • The beast, who is a “Christ” wannabe, and the false prophet, will be thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur

                • It is important to note that they are thrown into the lake, alive

                • The punishment that the beast and the false prophet will experience is eternal torment

                • We will see that three other groups will be thrown into the “lake of fire”

                  • The devil (Rev. 20:10)

                  • Death and Hades (Rev. 20:14a)

                  • The unbelievers (Rev. 20:14b)

                  • With these three groups, nothing is mentioned about the fact that they are thrown into the lake of fire, alive

                  • “The connotation is conscious punishment in the lake of fire, and it may well be that John expected the reader to remember that with respect to the other three groups.” [Osborne, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Revelation, 690]

                • Any individual who dies in a state of rebellion against God or accepts the mark of the beast and worships him when Christ returns will experience eternal torment in hell

                • It breaks my heart to hear people say that they’re fine with going to hell (my guess is that they either don’t know what they’re wishing for or are in denial concerning what it means)

                  • Most of us have experienced what it’s like to be really thirsty – desiring a cool drink of water, but not being able to have it right then

                  • Perhaps we just have to wait until we get home, or until the next rest stop comes on the turnpike, or the next exit on the interstate

                  • It’s a relief to feel the cool, moist liquid slide down our throats and satisfy our thirst

                  • Now image that we would never be able to satisfy that longing to quench our thirst

                  • Jesus taught about the rich man and the beggar, Lazarus, in Luke 16:19-31

                  • Let’s pick up the story in Luke 16:22-31

                  • We see in this story that the rich man is in hell and is continually in torment

                  • There is a chasm that cannot be crossed

                  • Notice, too, that Abraham tells the rich man that his five brothers have Moses and the Prophets (their scriptures, individuals in their day and age who are telling them about God)

                  • If these five brothers will not listen to God’s Word through His chosen messengers, they will not listen to someone who returns from the dead (something supernatural)

                  • We have God’s Holy Word today, the Bible

                  • There are pastors, evangelists, and teachers (all Christians) who are telling us about God and Jesus Christ

                  • We have to listen to them, instead of seeking a supernatural experience from God

                  • If we die or Christ returns and we are still in rebellion against God and reject Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives, then we will be eternally separated from God and experience eternal torment

                  • I’m not sharing this today to try to scare anyone into heaven, I’m sharing this because this is truth and reality

                  • God will punish sinners when Jesus comes the second time and His punishment will be complete and permanent

                  • But every person has the chance to change their eternity

                  • You can change your eternal address today!

                  • Sin (Rom. 3:23; Rom. 6:23)

                  • God’s love (Rom. 5:8)

                  • God’s redemption plan (1 Peter 3:18a, For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God)

                  • John 5:24, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

                  • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Cross over from death to life and receive God’s eternal life by believing in Jesus Christ.

                • God’s punishment for rebellion and rejection of Christ will be eternal torment

            • Final preparations are then made for the great supper of God

          • The kings, generals, mighty men, horses and their riders, and the rest of the unbelievers are killed

            • As I mentioned last week, Jesus’ army is present at the battle, but only as spectators

            • We see that the final meal preparations are done quickly

            • The rest of the beast’s army are killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse

            • This reminds us again that God’s words, through Jesus Christ are powerful

              • His words were powerful enough to speak the world into existence

              • His words are powerful enough to transform anyone’s life

              • His words will be powerful enough to defeat Satan’s army

        • The table is set, the meal is ready, and the guests have arrived

    • The meal (v. 21b)

        • The scavenger birds don’t waste time

        • They feed on the flesh of all unbelievers who refuse to acknowledge that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords

 

  • YOU

    • Will you eat or be eaten?

    • Wedding feast of the Lamb

        • This is reserved for those who have remained faithful and true to God and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ

        • You can put your reservation in today by believing in the Word of God and Jesus Christ

        • You can cross over from death to life and not have to experience eternal torment in hell

    • Great supper of God

        • Don’t wait because we’re never guaranteed tomorrow

        • God may require your life today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, or sometime in the future

        • If you die in a state of rebellion against God and you haven’t believed in Jesus Christ, then you will be eaten (food for the birds) as part of the great supper of God

 

  • WE

    • As followers of Jesus Christ, we are all commissioned to share the Good news of the Gospel with those in our sphere of influence

    • We all have the responsibility to invite our family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers to the wedding feast of the Lamb

    • Don’t hesitate to share the Gospel with them today or this week

    • It’s the difference between enjoying an incredible banquet meal with Jesus or being the meal for birds

 

CONCLUSION

“In their book Crashmaker: A Federal Affaire, Victor Sperandeo and Alvaro Almeida paint a graphic picture of hell. The villain, Alan Stillwell, has a nightmare in which he meets the philosopher Voltaire in perdition:

 

Voltaire's countenance appeared white, not because it was dead, bloodless flesh, but because it was a mask of the most intense, living fire. So, too, flames enveloped his whole body—if, indeed, what Stillwell saw beneath the fire could properly be called a body at all. Twisted and deformed, it mocked the shape of a man. As black as charcoal, shimmering in reds and oranges with the incandescence of combustion, the thing seethed with ulcers of molten flesh that suppurated to a white heat, spit out jets of fiery matter, then collapsed upon themselves, only to burst forth in some other spot.

 

At the margins of these migrant craters emerged orange ribbons—no, Stillwell saw to his horror, worms. Standing on end, the creatures writhed in the flames, then melted into a translucent yellow liquid that poured back over the body and ignited, the bluish tongues of fire from this foul fuel spawning more of the awful parasites that then bored their way back into the body. As Stillwell watched, his mouth agape, chunks of Voltaire's black flesh crumbled in showers of sparks, revealing bones almost transparent in their white heat. The fire all around consumed the flesh before it fell far. But when Stillwell looked again, the body was once more intact—always destroying itself, yet always whole. A fool's cap of the most intense flames crowned the [philosopher's] head, but not because his hair itself was alight. Rather, in the manner of a wick drawing on an inexhaustible reservoir, the follicles sucked from fissures in Voltaire's skull liquefied brain that burned with a fury born of the unhappy combination of the intellectual brilliance of his mind and the perverse purposes to which he had put it.

 

Somehow, Stillwell could bear to look on all that. What he saw in Voltaire's eyes, though, shook [him] to his core: all the depravity of man the philosopher had unleashed during and after his lifetime. And, underlying that monstrous crime against humanity, its true cause: Voltaire's overweening pride . . . .[Voltaire confesses,] ‘My own reason enchained me, too, in disbelief. I ridiculed the Absolute. I imagined myself capable of giving new laws to the world, even of dethroning God. But what help were my pithy skepticism, my witty unbelief, all the blasphemies of my facile pen when at length I found my name inscribed in the Book of Eternal Death? Oh, then to erase, to amend! Alas, too late. I pulled down the Prophet, Priest, and King from the Cross without knowing that, in so doing, I would nail myself there in His stead, to become defenseless before the supreme tribunal, with no Savior to forgive my transgressions, no Church to reconcile me with my Creator.’

 

Stillwell shuttered, as if a dagger had been driven into the soul he knew he did not have. ​​ ‘Why do you want to save me?’ he probed.’ ‘Save you?!’ the spirit shrieked, shaking with fury. ‘I long for your damnation! To work for the salvation of souls my own sins have corrupted is part of my punishment. How it tortures me to fear that you might be saved, whilst I must remain forever [here].’”

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2002/january/13472.html]

10

 

/by

The Second Coming!

, ,

Jesus Unveiled

The Second Coming!

(Revelation 19:11-16)

 

INTRODUCTION

“I would like to take you, if I could, to a graphic portrayal of the Word of God in a great cathedral in Milan. Come in out of the glare of the Italian sunshine, pass through the cathedral doors, and suddenly see stretching out before you, Europe's third largest cathedral where fifty-two marbled columns hold up the lofty, octagonal dome, with over 4,400 turrets and pinnacles. Statues of angels rise all about us, and the effect is one of an incomparable combination of grace and grandeur, beauty and vastness.

 

Up front behind the altar, like a window opening out of heaven, is one of the largest stained glass windows in the world. Depicted here is not an Old Testament scene. That stained glass window does not depict the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Lord, not his crucifixion or ascension. With tremendous imagery the window depicts the triumph of Jesus Christ the Lord.

 

The afternoon sun strains in, turning the window into a sea of glass mingled with fire. You see the vials being outpoured, the trumpets, Michael and his angels in battle against the dragon, the great angel with the rainbow upon his head and one foot upon the earth and the other upon the heaven, declaring in the name of him who lives forever and ever that time shall be no longer. Bound with a chain, Satan is thrown into the bottomless pit at last. The great white throne glows in the sunlight.

 

Most impressive of all is the great, white horse. Upon the horse sits a still greater rider with the armies of heaven behind him. He comes to set everything straight at last for everyone of us who has hoped in him, and for everyone who has been subjected to the pain and prejudice of living for Jesus Christ in a world seemingly gone mad.”

 

R. Geoffrey Brown, “Look! ​​ A Great White Horse!,” Preaching Today, Tape No. 111.

 

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1998/july/3863.html]

 

BODY

  • ME

    • High School

        • The last two years of high school I had a real problem with cussing

        • I was cussing pretty much all the time, except around my parents and other church families

        • My best friend and I started cussing, because we thought it was funny

        • Unfortunately for me it became a habit and I started using cuss words all the time

        • As graduation got closer, I realized that I didn’t want to be characterized as a person who cussed all the time

        • I determined that I was going to be different when I got to college in the fall

        • By God’s grace and through His power, I was able to stop cussing

        • But, if you would have talked to my best friend in high school, he probably would have said that I was someone who used a lot of foul language

    • College

        • Throughout college I’m sure I cussed from time-to-time, but it was rare

        • I was striving to be a better person – someone who chose their words wisely – someone who found other words to use instead of cuss words

        • If you would have talked to any of my college friends, they probably would have said that I was someone who did not cuss at all – they would characterize me differently

 

  • WE

    • Two separate lives

        • Perhaps we’ve all struggled with living two separate lives

        • We act one way at school or work and act a different way at home

        • When we go to church or are around church people, we may act differently than when we are at home, school, or work

    • Who would people say you are?

        • What characteristics would your friends at school use to describe you?

        • What characteristics would your coworkers use to describe you?

        • How would your family characterize you?

 

Jesus asked His disciples an important question in Matthew 16:13-17 (read the passage). ​​ He wanted to know how the public perceived Him and He wanted to know how His disciples characterized Him.

 

John shares his vision of Jesus’ second coming in Revelation 19:11-16. ​​ There are four names for Jesus that are used in this passage. ​​ We also see other descriptive words used to describe Jesus’ character. ​​ John tells us exactly who Jesus is as He returns to earth the second time, but not everyone will see Him that way. ​​ So we have to ask ourselves this question . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Who do you say Jesus is?

 

Let’s pray

 

Let’s see then how Jesus is characterized as He returns to earth the second time.

 

  • GOD (Revelation 19:11-16)

    • Faithful and True (vv. 11-12a)

        • As this part of the vision begins, John sees heaven standing open

          • The first time that John saw heaven opened was in Revelation 4:1, which was the beginning of his second vision (he was able to see the sights and hear the sounds of the glorious worship of God in heaven)

          • This time the gates of heaven are opened so that the Bridegroom (Jesus), who is now portrayed as a conquering King, can descend to earth and complete the work He began the first time He came to earth (justification, sanctification, glorification)

        • In front of him was a white horse with a rider on it

          • The color of the horse represented victory

          • In the 1st Century, rulers who returned from war, victorious, would be paraded around their home city riding on a white horse

        • The rider’s name is Faithful and True

          • Faithful

            • It is the idea that Jesus is dependable, reliable, and trustworthy [Akin, Christ-Centered Exposition, Revelation, 294]

            • Jesus modeled faithfulness, for us, as His followers, because He knew that we would be confronted with the hostilities of this world and our culture

            • Faithfulness, for us, is remaining true to God when we’re persecuted, made fun of, and labeled by those who oppose Christ, the church, and the Gospel

          • True

            • True means that Jesus is authentic, genuine, and real [Akin, 294]

            • He is true to His calling and purpose [Osborne, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Revelation, 680]

          • What this means for us

            • “What He says you can believe. ​​ When He acts you can trust Him.” ​​ [Akin, 294]

            • “Jesus was faithful and true in his first coming to the mission the heavenly Father entrusted to him.” ​​ [Easley, Holman New Testament Commentary, Revelation, 353]

            • John 17:4, I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.

            • Because Jesus was faithful and true the first time He came to earth, God can trust Him with the final judgment that must be handed down

            • We can also trust that Jesus will complete God’s work on earth and that He will do it fairly, because He knows everything

          • The next three phrases explain, in more detail, Jesus’ character as a result of being faithful and true

        • Who Jesus is

          • Just and righteous

            • Jesus’ judgments of the inhabitants of the earth will be something we can believe in

            • We can trust that He will act fairly and provide the proper punishment for those who have rejected Him

            • The war that is about to be fought will be waged in righteousness

            • “It means that God dispenses justice on the basis of his own righteous standards, that he always does what is right.” ​​ [Osborne, 680]

            • We see this attribute of Jesus and God expressed by the altar in heaven and the great multitude in heaven

              • Revelation 16:7, And I heard the altar respond: ​​ “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.”

              • Revelation 19:1-2a, After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: ​​ “Hallelujah! ​​ Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments.”

            • Jesus is fair and right in judging and making war, because He knows everything

          • Omniscient

            • This is not the first time that Jesus’ eyes are described as being fiery

            • Revelation 1:14, His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.

            • There, as here in Rev. 19:12, Jesus’ blazing eyes represent the fact that He sees everything

            • The fire of His eyes also represents judgment

            • Because Jesus is faithful and true and He is sees and knows everything about each individual, He will judge everyone fairly

            • Application

              • “Jesus peers into the depths of our souls. ​​ He sees every act, every thought, every emotion.” ​​ [Akin, 294]

              • Nothing is hidden from Him, which means that He can rule, judge, and act in a way that is fair, right, and true

              • Children do not naturally hide what they are thinking and feeling – that’s a learned behavior from their parents and other adults around them

              • The older we get the more we’re able to conceal what we’re really thinking about and feeling

              • Then in our senior years, we revert back to child-like behaviors and either don’t care or cannot hide how we’re thinking and feeling

              • I was talking with a doctor the other week and she mentioned that senior citizens struggle with some of the same things that children struggle with, so some of the treatments and medication they give to seniors are the same as what they would do with children

              • While we may be able to conceal our thoughts, feelings, and emotions from other human beings, we cannot conceal them from God

              • He knows and sees every action, thought, and emotion

              • Are there any actions, thoughts, or attitudes you are concealing from certain people, or everyone else, but God?

                • God’s judgment of those actions, thoughts, and attitudes will be fair and right

                • God’s desire is that we live in harmony with everyone

                • Romans 12:14-17, Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ​​ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ​​ Live in harmony with one another. ​​ Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. ​​ Do not be conceited. ​​ Do not repay evil for evil. ​​ Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. ​​ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

                • Philippians 2:1-4, If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort form his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being on in spirit and purpose. ​​ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ​​ Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

              • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Recognize that God sees and knows everything and confess any actions, thoughts, or attitudes that are not pleasing to Him.

            • Jesus is not only all-knowing, but He is also sovereign

          • Sovereign

            • This means that He has the right to rule and He rules rightly in my life

            • John sees Jesus riding on a white horse, with blazing eyes, and many crowns on His head

            • Two kinds of crowns in Scripture

              • Stephanos – victor’s wreath

                • Rev. 12:1, worn by the woman

                • Rev. 14:4, worn by Christ

                • Rev. 2:10; 3:11; 4:4, worn by the victorious saints

              • Diadéma – ruler’s crown

                • Rev. 12:3, worn by the dragon

                • Rev. 13:1, worn by the beast

                • Rev. 19:12, worn by Christ

              • The dragon and the beast were simply pretenders

                • They were trying to claim a crown that was not theirs

                • Think for a moment about someone you look up to – would you ever imagine for a moment that you could fill their shoes? (most of us would answer, “No”)

                • The dragon and the beast thought they would be able to fill Jesus’ shoes, but they will never be able to

                • Jesus was perfect without sin, so He was the only One who could take your place on the cross

                • Anyone other than Jesus would only want the prestige, power, and influence that a ruler’s crown would bring, but they would never want to go through what Jesus did in order to obtain it

                • “In 1717, King Louis XIV (14th) of France died. ​​ Preferring to be called ‘Louis the Great,’ he was the monarch who declared, ‘I am the State!’ ​​ His court was the most magnificent in Europe, and his funeral was the most spectacular. ​​ In the church where the ceremony was performed, his body lay in a golden coffin. ​​ To dramatize his greatness, orders had been given that the cathedral would be very dimly lit with only one special candle that was to be set above the coffin. ​​ Thousands of people in attendance waited in silence. ​​ Then Bishop Massillon began to speak. ​​ Slowly reaching down, he snuffed out the candle and said, ‘Only God is great.’” ​​ (Jeff Arthurs, “Laying the Foundation for Peace,” PreachingToday.com) [https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2006/june/3062606.html]

            • Jesus willingly and selflessly sacrificed His life on the cross for our sins and because of that He is the sovereign ruler of everything and everyone

            • He is the rightful wearer of many crowns, because He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords

            • But I’m getting ahead of myself

        • Jesus is faithful and true, so He will judge and make war justly, because He has all the information at His disposal and He is sovereign

        • That brings us to the second name mentioned in this passage, but it is hidden from us

    • Hidden name (v. 12b)

        • This name is written on Jesus

        • He is the only One who knows what it is or understands what it means

        • We’re given multiple names of Jesus and God throughout scripture, which help us to understand who they are – their attributes/qualities/character, but even what we do know, doesn’t exhaust who God and Jesus are

          • “Because Christ is infinite, unknowable aspects of his attributes will always remain. ​​ Humans, even in their eternal glorified condition, may know only what he chooses to reveal, and his secret name reminds us of this.” ​​ [Easley, 353]

          • “‘That he also has a secret name means that the human mind cannot grasp the depths of his being’ (Ladd, Commentary, 254), which means for all of eternity we will grow in our knowledge and wonder of this great Redeemer King!” ​​ [Akin, 295] (Let that sink in for a moment!!!)

        • There are some important passages in scripture about this unknowable name for Jesus and God

          • Exodus 3:13-14, Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ ​​ Then what shall I tell them?” ​​ God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. ​​ This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ​​ ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” ​​ (Hebrew letters for “I AM” are referred to as the tetragrammaton, YHWH)

          • Judges 13:17-18, Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?” ​​ He replied, “Why do you ask my name? ​​ It is beyond understanding.” (this is Samson’s father)

          • Philippians 2:9-11, Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

        • Those who overcome will also be given a name that only they will know

          • So, what John sees here builds upon what was written to the believers in Pergamum

          • Revelation 2:17, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ​​ To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. ​​ I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

          • We will be given a new name that only we will know

        • “Therefore, the ‘new name no one knows except he himself’ is a title reserved for eternity, the name that will reveal the true nature of the Godhead in a way beyond our finite ability to grasp.” ​​ [Osborne, 682]

        • While this hidden name is fascinating, the next name that John hears for Jesus is not hidden

    • Word of God (vv. 13-15)

        • The “He” referred to here is the rider of the white horse – Jesus!

          • He is wearing a robe that has been dipped in blood

          • There are three beliefs about what blood is in view here

            • Jesus’ own blood – referring to His ultimate sacrifice on the cross

            • The blood of the martyrs

            • The blood of His enemies

          • The third belief is the most widely accepted for several reasons

            • The context of this passage of scripture is a military one

            • At the end of v. 15 we see that Jesus treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty, which is done to His enemies as part of their judgment

            • There are two parallels in scripture that help in strengthening this viewpoint

              • Isaiah 63:1-3, Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? ​​ Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? ​​ “It is I, speaking in righteousness, might to save.” ​​ Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress? ​​ “I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. ​​ I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing.

              • Revelation 14:20, They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia (180 miles).

          • John then writes that the riders name is the Word of God

        • Jesus’ words are powerful

          • We are reminded in John’s Gospel and his first letter to the church, that Jesus is the Word of God

            • John 1:1, 14a, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

            • 1 John 1:1, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.

            • “As the Word of God, He is God’s perfect communication and revelation. ​​ When you look at Jesus, you are looking at God. ​​ When you listen to Jesus, you are hearing the voice of God.” ​​ [Akin, 296]

            • Hebrews 1:1-2, In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.

            • Jesus is not only referred to as the Word of God, but He uses God’s words to strike down His enemies

          • PRINCIPLE – Jesus’ words are powerful!

            • We see a sharp sword that comes out of Jesus’ mouth

              • It is used to strike down the nations

              • This is not a literal sword, but rather the words of God spoken through Jesus

              • “. . . just as God’s word was powerful enough to create the cosmos initially, so it is all that is needed to strike down the nations who rise against him.” ​​ [Patterson, The New American Commentary, Revelation, 348-49]

            • Hebrews 4:12, For the word of God is living and active. ​​ Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ​​ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. ​​ Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

            • This takes us back to Jesus’ fiery eyes – He is omniscient, He sees and knows everything including our thoughts and heart attitudes – nothing is hidden from Him

          • His words of judgment will be perfect and complete

          • The fact that He will rule with an iron scepter is referring to destruction

            • The iron scepter is the same as the shepherd’s club (rod)

            • The club/rod was used to kill the predators that were attacking the sheep

            • The shepherd's staff is the one we think of with the crook on the end (show picture), which was used to direct the sheep and pull them back into the flock

            • Isaiah 11:4, but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. ​​ He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

          • In the center of these three verses is v. 14, which talks about Jesus army

        • Armies of heaven

          • Most likely this army will consist of both angels and saints

          • We can be certain that those who have overcome will be included

            • Revelation 17:14, They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings – and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.

            • Revelation 19:8, “Fine linen, bright and clean, was given to her to wear.” ​​ (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

          • It’s important to note that the linens of the armies of heaven are not blood spattered

            • they will be there for the battle, but only as observers and not participants

            • This will be evident next week as we look at Revelation 19:17-21

        • Jesus as the Word of God is incredibly powerful – nothing will be able to stand against Him

        • He is the sovereign ruler of everything, which is expressed through the final name that John uses for Him in these verses

    • King of Kings and Lord of Lords (v. 16)

        • Most scholars agree that the name is written on His robe where it falls across his thigh (it would have been easily seen when mounted on a horse)

        • There is no king on earth who is or will be greater than Jesus

        • There is no lord on earth who is or will be greater than Jesus

        • The Caesars of ancient Rome may have thought they were the greatest, but Jesus is greater still

        • Philippians 2:9, Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name . . .

 

  • YOU

    • Who do you say Jesus is?

        • Do you call Him, Faithful and True?

          • He is just and righteous

          • He is omniscient

          • He is sovereign

        • Do you recognize that you cannot grasp the depths of His being/essence?

        • Do you believe He is the Word of God and that His words are powerful?

        • Do you believe that He is the supreme, sovereign ruler of everything as King of kings and Lord of lords?

    • Our actions, thoughts, and attitudes may not match up with our beliefs

        • If asked these questions directly, most of you would answer, “Yes!” to them all

        • Yet, in your heart and mind you may have doubts, that you would never express out loud

        • James 1:5-8, If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. ​​ He will not rebuke you for asking. ​​ But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. ​​ Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. ​​ Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ​​ Their loyalty is divided between God and this world, and they are unstable in everything they do. (NLT)

        • You may believe these things, but your actions, thoughts, and attitudes would prove otherwise

          • Perhaps you’ve experienced something in your life that causes you to doubt that Jesus is faithful and true

            • Maybe you were abused (physically, emotionally, or mentally)

            • The person who abused you claimed to be a Christian, so you don’t see Jesus as just and righteous, all-knowing, and sovereign, because He didn’t stop the abuse from happening

            • Yet, He has faithfully been with you through it all, and has kept His promise to restore you

          • Maybe you’ve prayed for healing for yourself or a loved one, but they weren’t healed and eventually died

            • Through that experience you may say you believe God’s Words are powerful, but you doubt that they are powerful in your life

            • You may doubt that God is the sovereign ruler of everything

            • Psalm 23:1-3, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. ​​ He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. ​​ He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

            • “‘He restoreth’ or literally, brings back – ‘my soul.’ ​​ The soul is made up of the mind and emotions. ​​ Who is the Restorer of the soul? ​​ Only Jesus. ​​ My mind and emotions can be so scattered that only the Lord can pull them back together.” ​​ [Courson, 29]

    • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Believe with my whole heart and mind that Jesus is faithful and true, that the depths of His being is eternal, that He is the Word of God, and that He is the supreme, sovereign ruler of everything.

 

CONCLUSION

The 1st Century Christian perhaps would have described Jesus differently than we would. ​​ They experienced His first coming. ​​ There are some important contrasts between His first and second coming: ​​ [Akin, 293]

        • He rode a donkey – He will ride a white horse

        • He came as the Suffering Servant – He will come as King and Lord

        • He came in humility and meekness – He will come in majesty and power

        • He came to suffer the wrath of God for sinners – He will come to establish the kingdom of God for His saints

        • He was rejected by many as the Messiah – He will be recognized by all as Lord

        • He came to seek and save the lost – He will come to judge and rule as King

        • He came as God incognito – He will come as God in all His splendor

 

“Christ does not return to do some new or different work. ​​ His return in glory will be to consummate the finished work of his life, death and resurrection. ​​ At his coming he will be revealed in all his glory to all principalities and powers. ​​ That which the believer now grasps by faith will be open to every eye . . . . Although the Lamb will ever be the Lamb, for the glorified Christ is exalted on account of his sufferings, nevertheless the majesty of the Lion will shine forth from the Lamb at His second coming. (Lamb and the Lion, 28) ​​ [Graeme Goldsworthy cited by Akin, 293]

 

1 John 3:2, Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. ​​ But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

12

 

/by

A Marriage Made In Heaven

,

A MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN

Whose wedding do you think of when you think of a marriage made in heaven? Maybe you think of royal weddings such as Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in 2018 or Kate Middleton and Prince William in 2011 or Lady Diana and Prince Charles in 1981. If you are a little older you may think of the wedding of Priscilla and Elvis Presley in 1967 or Grace Kelly and Prince Ranier in 1956 or Jackie Bouvier and JFK in 1953. Now most of these weddings were probably not made in heaven and some still remain to be seen how they will turn out but on that special day they probably thought it was going to be.

When I think of a marriage made in heaven, I think about a wedding on Saturday, April 16, 1988. It was held in the Mount Olivet UMC in Shiremanstown, PA and it began approximately at 6:30 PM in the evening. If you haven’t figured it out yet – that was my wedding day. The day that Judy and I were married.

Now I don’t remember a lot about that day. I don’t know if that is normal or not but I do remember the first time I saw Judy at the back of the sanctuary as she started down the aisle. And I want to tell you, there was like a glow all around her, it was like the sun was shining inside and it all was focused on her, that I heard a heavenly choir singing something like the Hallelujah Chorus. But I can’t tell you that. All I remember when I first saw her at the back of the sanctuary was I wanted to faint. I don’t know why. I wasn’t nervous about being married. I have always said that being married was like going over to your best friend’s house and never leaving. So maybe it was just the fact that I was standing in front of a couple hundred people and that was just not normal for me. But I do remember looking at my father in the front row right after feeling that fainting spell coming on and he gave a look like he knew what was happening and if I didn’t keep it together he was come up there and slap me on the side of the head. So I did keep it together through the ceremony though I remember that I lost my corsage as we knelt down to take communion. And honestly that is all I remember of my wedding ceremony. I remember at the reception Judy almost caught herself on fire. Then the hotel reservation I made for the wedding night got lost somehow and the hotel was booked for the night. All that said, it was the most wonderful day of my life and the beginning of the happiest time of my life that has now lasted almost 31 years.

For you who are married or have been married I want you to think about your wedding day. What do you remember? What were you feeling? Who was there to celebrate that special moment with you and your future spouse? We all probably remember something special about our wedding ceremonies or others ceremonies that we thought was special.

I think it is pretty cool to see the interesting things people do at their wedding. The things that make their ceremony memorable. I really like Hunter and Amy Russell’s wedding as they got married back in September beside a pond in jeans and cowboy boots. I must say I was kind of jealous. I don’t think I could have paid Judy any amount to have our wedding in jeans. I also think about the different things people do during the wedding ceremony. Hunter and Amy braided three cords together, Judy and I took communion together and Seth and Emily Johns put together a unity cross. All of these were signifying the unity of the man and the woman in putting God first in their marriage. That must be an important part of any marriage.

God has always seen the value and importance in marriage. It’s very clear that from the beginning, God intended the marriage union to be blessed, fulfilling and happy. Genesis 2:24. It says, 24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. Ecclesiastes 4:9, says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?" And Ephesians 5:25, says, “For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her."

God views marriage as a sacred and highly exalted relationship! Marriage is seen as one of the greatest events in our lives and weddings are times of excitement and great celebration. And that’s the very imagery God wants to place in our minds here in our scripture this morning. In Revelation 19:6-10, we see that when Jesus comes again, there’s going to be a great wedding feast. It’s going to be one of the greatest events of all time and eternity. Thousands upon thousands of people and angels will be gathered in a great celebration. Folks will be all dressed up in the finest of clothing. There’s going to be a lot of shouting and singing and rejoicing and the excitement will never end. Jesus is the groom and those that believe in him are His bride. When Jesus comes again, He’s going to bring His bride into His father’s house and they will live with Him forever. It’s the ultimate Cinderella or Prince Charming story but those stories cannot begin to compare with what believers are going to experience at their Groom’s Second Coming.

There was a story of a wedding between the daughter and son of two families who had been in the same church for many years. At the house of the Bride on the day of the wedding several of the ladies gathered to prepare the bride. The mother of the bride presented her daughter with a string of pearls to adorn her neck. All the ladies reacted with awe as the pearls were a family heirloom, passed from daughter to daughter for more than five generations. Their history was storied, not the least of which was having been hidden in a dirt cellar of a South Carolina farm to save them from the looting Yankee troops during the days following the end of the Civil War. Tears and hugs were distributed in great abundance by all the ladies in the household. It generated a certain level of emotional intensity at the time. Later that morning another event generated an almost equal level of emotional intensity but for a different reason altogether.

The wedding ceremony was to be conducted in the main auditorium of the church building and the bridal party was moving from the parking lot to the smaller auditorium in the back wing where the bride was to await the moment her father would deliver her down the aisle to the expectant groom. To reach the back wing of the building the bridal party had to pass under a covered walkway alongside the main auditorium to a set of double doors giving access to the wing containing the smaller auditorium. This walkway as it happened was home to a fair amount of nesting pigeons which for one reason or another were flushed from their perches as the bridal party passed beneath and one of the feathered flying rats deposited on the radiant bride a string of something quite unlike the antique pearls. The reaction of the mother of the bride and the other attending ladies was worthy of battlefield commanders. As the bride and her court were in various states of hysteria and stunned disbelief, the mothers moved like a well-oiled machine, whisking the bride into the mysterious environs of the ladies lounge where in very short order the offensive stain was eliminated from everything but horrified memory.

It’s likely that the bride of this story is not the last to have experienced the seeming disaster of a soiled dress but there is one other bride I want us to consider who is found in our scripture today, a bride for which each of us may choose to adorn with pearls or with pigeon poop. Christians are the bride we are going to talk about this morning and if you are a Christian this morning, your wedding day is coming and our scripture this morning tells us she has prepared herself and she has been given her wedding dress, which brings us to our big idea this morning that John is asking us: Will you be wearing pearls or pigeon poop on your wedding day?

So, as we open God’s Word this morning, let’s pause for prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we pray for the Holy Spirit to come upon us this morning and to open our hearts and minds to what you have to say to us. We thank you for the opportunity to worship you and give you all the praise and glory, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Last Sunday, Pastor Stuart introduced us to chapter 19 and the word “Hallelujah.” The word Hallelujah means “Praise the Lord” and is used only four times in the NT; all of them from Revelation 19 verses 1-6. A couple of weeks ago, Pastor Stuart showed us the triumphant saints in heaven as they were praising the Lord for his salvation, for his judgments being true and just and for the results of that judgment on Babylon. Then we saw the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fall down and worship God. They say “Amen, Hallelujah” meaning they are confirming and agreeing to the worship of God in the previous hymns. Their “Hallelujah” not only continues the praise established in verses 1-3 but also leads to the call to praise that we will see realized in verse 6 which is where we start this morning. Follow with me as I read from Revelation chapter 19 verse 6 – 8. ​​ 6 Then 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 God’s holy people.)

This shout of praise is again from the host of the redeemed. John did not see the multitude but he could hear the sound of it and he goes out of his way to heap up similes to describe it. He compares it to the sound of many waters and the sound of mighty thunderclaps.

The multitude sends up this praise for two reasons. One, it anticipates the return of Christ and his reign in heaven and on earth forever. It is an announcement of what will soon take place that focuses on God’s omnipotence and sovereignty. Now is the time for “his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The multitude calls all of God’s people to “rejoice and be glad” in anticipation of the reign of God.

The second reason for this joy is because the wedding of the Lamb has come. ​​ The thought of the relationship between God and his people as a marriage goes far back into the OT. The prophets thought of Israel as the chosen bride of Christ. Isaiah 54:5 says this, “For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the Lord of hosts;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth.” The marriage symbolism also runs through the gospels. Jesus talks about the marriage feast in Matthew 22:2, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.” And John the Baptist calls himself a friend of the bridegroom in John 3:29. To Paul the relationship of Christ to his Church is the great model of the relationship of husband and wife. Ephesians 5:31-32 says, 31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.

This morning I am going to expound upon this wedding of the Lamb to the Church by paralleling it to ancient Jewish weddings. The first step in an ancient Jewish wedding would have been something called the mutual commitment or what we would call the proposal. In biblical times, people were married in their early youth, and marriages were usually contracted within the narrow circle of the clan and the family. In ancient times, the father of the groom often selected a bride for his son, as did Abraham for his son Isaac in Genesis 24. In ancient times, marriage was looked upon as more of an alliance for reasons of survival or practicality, and the concept of romantic love remained a secondary issue, if considered at all.  Romantic love would grow over time. Of course, the consent of the bride-to-be was an important consideration.  Rebecca, for example, was asked if she agreed to go back with Abraham’s servant to marry Abraham’s son, Isaac.  She went willingly. Likewise, we cannot be forced into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Have you ever seen one of those bold public marriage proposals? In the middle of a crowded restaurant the guy gets down on one knee, brings out the ring and pops the question “Will you marry me? Or the guy arranges for the question to show up on the jumbotron at a stadium. Or getting a plane to fly by with the long sign trailing behind it. ​​ Well, those proposals are nothing compared to the way Jesus proposed to you and me. It was a public spectacle. He fell to his knees several times on the way to the place where he proposed. He nailed his love for you and me to the cross, signed his intentions with his own blood, spread his arms out wide and said, “I want you for my own. I want you all!” The official proposal reads like this: “For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

You can trust me on this: YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE A BETTER OFFER! The world will try to sell you the idea that something better will come along. That you can reject God’s offer and still get in to heaven your own way. That you can submit your own proposal based on good deeds, church attendance, religion, giving to charities…etc. But you can’t buy your way into heaven! Jesus already paid the price. He’s already “popped the question.” The question is, what’s our answer going to be?

In his book 50 Days of Heaven Randy Alcorn tells of a friend, Ruthanna Metzgar. She was a professional singer and she was asked to sing at the wedding of a very wealthy man. After the wedding, the reception was to be held on the top 2 floors of Seattle’s tallest skyscraper, the Columbia Tower. At the start of the reception, the bride and groom approached a beautiful glass and brass staircase that led to the top floor. Someone ceremoniously cut a satin ribbon draped across the bottom of the stairs and the bride and groom ascended, followed by their guests.

At the top of the stairs, outside the door to the great banquet room the maitre d’ stood holding a bound book. “May I have your name please?” he asked. “I’m Ruthanna Metzgar and this is my husband Roy.” He searched the M’s. “I’m not finding it. Would you spell it, please?” She spelled her name slowly. But after searching the book, the maitre d’ looked up and said, “I’m sorry, but your name isn’t here.” “There must be some mistake,” Ruthanna replied. “I’m the singer!” The man answered, “It doesn’t matter who you are or what you did. Without your name in the book you cannot attend the banquet.” He motioned to a waiter and said, “Show these people to the service elevator, please.”

The Metzgars followed the waiter past beautifully decorated tables laden with shrimp, whole smoked salmon, and magnificent carved ice sculptures. Adjacent to the banquet area, an orchestra was preparing to perform, the musicians all dressed in dazzling white tuxedos. The waiter led Ruthanna and Roy to the service elevator ushered them in, and pressed G for the parking garage. After driving several miles in silence, Roy reached over put his hand on his wife’s arm. “Sweetheart, what happened?” “When the invitation arrived, I was busy,” Ruthanna replied. “I never bothered to RSVP. Besides, I was the singer. Surely I could go to the reception without returning the RSVP!”

She started to weep – not only because she had missed the most lavish banquet she’d ever been invited to, but also because she suddenly had a small taste of what it will be like for people as they stand before Christ and find that their names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

In order to get into the wedding of the Lamb and his banquet, we must RSVP. In order to RSVP, we need to admit that we are a sinner and are in need of a savior. Romans 3:23 says all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death and the only way to be saved from that death is to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior through his death and resurrection. Finally, we need to confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord.

Maybe you have never sent your RSVP in to be included in the wedding of the Lamb. If so, the first next step on the back of your communication card this morning is for you. My next step is to send my RSVP for the wedding of the Lamb by accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

If you took that next step for the first time this morning, please mark your communication card so Pastor Stuart and I can get in touch with you because after that it is time to put your wedding announcement in the paper. It is time to publicly declare your allegiance to the Lamb through baptism. This lets the whole world know you have been changed on the inside by Jesus and allows the church to rally around you by discipling you and keeping you accountable to the vows you’ve made to Jesus.

Next, after the time of the mutual commitment the families would decide upon the dowry or payment for the marriage contract. The groom would then give a dowry to the bride’s father in order to seal the marriage agreement. Jesus offered His own blood in payment for our sin so that we could be His eternal bride. Hebrews 10:19-20 says, 19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body.”

Once the dowry was decided upon, there was a period of betrothal that usually lasted a year. This betrothal period is what we would call the engagement today. This betrothal period would be legally binding. The man and woman would agree to be married and during this extended time they would call themselves husband and wife and remained faithful to each but there was no consummation of the relationship. For example, when Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant he "... planned to send her away secretly" (Matthew 1:19) because they were legally married even though the marriage ceremony hadn’t happened yet. Our marriage ceremony to Christ hasn’t happened yet, but we are already legally owned by Christ. For us this period of betrothal corresponds to the present extended era of church history.

During this year the groom would return home and prepare to bring his bride to his home to start their married life together. In John 14:2-3, we see that Jesus did the same thing for us. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. This would also be the time for the bride to prepare herself for marriage.

So how do we prepare for our wedding day and our marriage to the Lamb? Our readiness is symbolized by our wedding dress. The bride makes herself ready for the Lord’s return by one, being faithful to Christ in a fallen and evil world, two, by maintaining their testimony for Jesus and taking the gospel to all tribes, languages, peoples and nations, three, by enduring hardships in the midst of suffering and trusting God in the face of martyrdom, and four, by obeying God’s commands.

Of course, our wedding dress is not of own making; like the white robes given to the martyrs, it is given to us. Verse 8 says that our wedding dress is fine linen, bright and clean and was given to us to wear. ​​ Our dress signifies the sanctity of God’s people which only comes from Jesus’s death and resurrection. Salvation is a free gift given by God to those who believe in Jesus and we prepare ourselves for the wedding day by living the Christ-like life that is described above. The righteous acts of the saints are the deeds that follow salvation as necessary proof that regeneration has occurred.

Jesus is the one who makes us clean enough for heaven. Ephesians 5:25-27, says, “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

Our righteous acts, or good works, weave a garment that brings glory to God. There are two ideas wrapped up in one here. On the one hand the desire and the ability to do right are gifts from God. We cannot be good on our own. On the other hand, we are responsible to do what is right in the sight of God. Paul explained it this way in 1 Corinthians 15:10, 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Ephesians 2:10 says this, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Dr. Lehman Strauss put it this way: "Has it ever occurred to you... that at the marriage of the Bride to the Lamb, each of us will be wearing the wedding garment of our own making?" Which reminds us of our big idea which is - Will you be wearing pearls or pigeon poop on your wedding day?

As we all ponder that question this morning, maybe the second next step on the back of your communication card is for you. My next step is to weave my wedding dress with righteous acts and to adorn it with pearls.

The next step of the wedding was the wedding procession where the groom dressed in his best clothes and accompanied by his best friends, leaves home to go get his bride.  He goes to the bride’s house and escorts her back to the home he has prepared for her. Although the bride knew to expect her groom after about a year, she did not know the exact day or hour.  He could come earlier.  It was the father of the groom who gave final approval for him to return to collect his bride. This will happen for us when Jesus returns for us and takes us to the place he has prepared for us.

Last came the wedding feast which usually lasted seven days and was full of food, music, dancing and celebrations. It was the happiest event in Jewish life. We are told in verse 9 that the wedding supper of the Lamb will be a happy event in the Christian’s life as well. Follow along as I read verse 9. 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

Another word for blessed is happy. Why are those who are invited to the wedding supper happy? Because it is an honor and a privilege to be invited into the family of God. We are blessed to have been called by God to follow Him.

Now some commentators see a distinction between the bride in verse 7 and the invited guests in verse 9, but Caird sees no problem with the Church being the Bride and also the guests of the wedding feast. He states it is like John calling Jesus the Lamb and the Shepherd. Osborne states that “such mixing of metaphors was common in the ancient world to add richness to the imagery. I tend to agree with this view.

Mention of the wedding feast of the Lamb and his bride, is a signal that the climax of the drama is very close. Satan is about to be overthrown and his dominion is nearing the end. The angel concludes that “these are the true words of God.” This would be equal to the “Amen” in the Gospels. It was to anchor a particularly important truth and Osborne says it is referring to this section dealing with the messianic banquet. Again, I believe John as he has done all throughout Revelation, is giving his readers hope. Hope that as they have been wooed by God and their wedding day is approaching and have been invited to the wedding supper it will be the happiest day of their lives even though they still must persevere and be faithful in the midst of persecution. John wants them to remember God’s words are true and as they await their wedding day they need to continue to be steadfast and dress themselves in pearls and not pigeon poop.

The final verse of this section, according to commentators is not easy to interpret. We see John in verse 10 do something very strange. Follow along as I read verse 10. 10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” When the angel says, “These are the true words of God”, it says John falls at the feet of the angel to worship him. Why? Again, commentators don’t agree but here are a few suggestions:

Maybe, it is in response to the magnificent worship scene we have seen in chapter 19 so far. ​​ The “hallelujah” hymns have established such a tone of worship that John has to fall on his knees. Courson says that John is so blown away by seeing the bride that he falls at the feet of the angelic messenger. Osbourne says John’s natural response to the incredible truths he has been told is to fall on his knees.

It may be John was confronting something in the early church which was the tendency of worshipping angels. In certain circles of Judaism the angels had a very high place. Judaism stressed the transcendence of God or the distance between God and man. God was both too distant and too holy to be approached by man so they needed an intermediary, such as the angels. When Jews converted to Christianity they brought this belief with them forgetting that with Jesus there was no need for an intermediary.

Since he was talking to an angelic herald, not to God or Christ, falling down in worship was inappropriate. It would be tantamount to idolatry even though that was not John’s intention. So maybe John was warning his readers about idolatry which has been a huge theme in Revelation. Idolatry can infiltrate our lives in many ways such as deception, seduction and coercion. We can also idolize our religious experiences and revelations. We need to be careful not to mistake the cause we champion for the one true God.

The angel rebukes John and gives him three reasons why he should not worship the angel. One, because I am a fellow servant who holds to the faithful witness given by Christ. Two, God is the only one who is worthy of worship and three, the true spirit of prophecy always points to Jesus. John wants his readers to know that angels are no more than the servants of God and must not be worshipped. God alone is to be worshipped.

The last part of verse 10 is also a difficult phrase according to commentators. It says “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Osbourne says that it means when the saints maintain the testimony about Jesus, the Holy Spirit is inspiring them in the same way as the prophets. Everything in the Bible, the OT and the NT points to Jesus Christ. Much of modern day teaching about prophecy focuses on what they think the future will be like, but any teaching about prophecy that does not keep Jesus in the spotlight is false teaching.

ONCE UPON A TIME there was a woman who lived in the forest. She was not far from a town, where she would occasionally go to buy staples for her kitchen and other items not available to her in the wild. For the most part though, she stayed to herself, choosing to live her own life, meet her own needs and enjoy her uninterrupted solitude.

In her younger years she had been hurt both physically and emotionally by other people, and as a result she had put up walls of stone and doors of solid oak that only opened from the inside, to protect herself.

The woman, like all of us, would occasionally grow lonely, and her solace during these times was found in the movie theater in town. She would go there and sit in the back row, watching the male actors on screen, then go home and for days after, dream of romantic interludes with these stars. Of course, they weren’t real; they were movie idols. But they were all she had. One day the woman was near her woodland cabin, attempting to repair the bucket that brought water from a well she had dug for herself. It was a very deep and dark well. To fall into that well would mean certain death.

The bucket had been attached to the well rope by a chain which had only ten links, but since the rope was worn she could see that she would have to replace it, and that is what she was endeavoring to do when she slipped. As she fell forward, a cry of despair escaping her lips, she clung to the short chain and her fall stopped.

At first she tried to climb to safety by the short chain, but as she struggled she looked up and with horror, noticed that a frayed section of the rope holding the chain was unraveling under her weight. She knew it was only a matter of time, and she would be set free to tumble into the abyss below her.

Suddenly a shadow was cast over the mouth of the well above her. She heard a voice say, “Stop struggling, you will only make it worse. Trust me and I will lift you out.” A strong hand reached toward her, and she noticed that her savior had deliberately wrapped the chain around his wrist several times first. After the hand had firmly gripped her forearm the voice told her to let go of the chain and trust him only. When she did so and her weight dropped, the chain wrapped so tightly around the man’s wrist that it cut deeply into his flesh.

Nevertheless, he brought her up out of the pit with his own blood flowing down her arms and dripping into the well. Once she was standing on the solid rock that surrounded the well she could see that the man was not really tall, and not especially handsome, but he smiled at her with kind eyes and with a love that came from deep within him, and as she smiled back she felt something she had not felt for a long time, and never this strongly. It was gratitude and affection and a desire for fellowship.

The man and woman were married shortly thereafter, in a small chapel in the town. The townspeople were there to witness her newly found happiness. After they returned home however, the woman quickly forgot the fear of the dark well and she forgot the pain this man had suffered to rescue her. She spent her days going about planting her own garden and repairing her own fences and very much living life the way she had before he came along.

The man spent his days not far away, building a beautiful mansion for her, having promised that when he was done he would take her there where they would live happily ever after. In the evenings though, when work was done and there was ample time for sweet fellowship, she would read a book or mend a garment or sit in the twilight hours and stare proudly at her garden, paying little or no attention to the man. Every once in a while she would hear him say something to her, but over time she ignored him so often, that much of what he said would go entirely unnoticed, as though he hadn’t spoken at all.

Occasionally during the day he would come along and offer to help her with something she was doing, but although she did not outwardly reject his offer, she would turn away or continue doing it her own way, seemingly oblivious to his presence. When her precious garden failed to produce vegetables and when her flowers wilted from lack of nourishment in the soil, she was angry and discouraged. Only then did she turn to him, but not for help as much as to ask why these things happened. The man did not answer these questions, for he felt that since she did not listen when he offered help, she would most certainly not listen while he explained why she failed.

The years passed by very much like this. The woman was often frustrated by her failures, and gave herself credit for her triumphs, never realizing that her successes were primarily due to his coming along behind her and fixing things simply out of love for her. One day, now an old woman, she was going about her business in front of her cabin when a stranger approached on a clean, white stallion. At first she did not recognize him, but when the stranger took a firm hold on her hand and said, “It is time to come to your new home now”, she realized it was her husband.

She paused for a moment in wonder. She remembered him being of average height and a bit below average in general appearance, as the world around her counted attractiveness. But the man on the steed was indeed tall, and ruggedly handsome, yet with a peaceful gentleness shining out from his eyes that almost made her melt. Although she did not struggle against his grip, he maintained a firm grasp on her hand and gently pulled her up onto the horse, and rode off toward their new home.

As they approached the front of the mansion she gasped in awe at the beauty of the thing he had built. It was only then that she realized how little, throughout the years, she had given any thought to what he was doing here while she busied herself with selfish pursuits. She remembered that he had promised her a mansion and said that someday he would take her there, but she had thought of it more as a nice dream, than as a reality.

He stepped aside and scooped her into his arms, and carried her over the threshold, stepping onto a floor of solid gold! As he shut the door behind them she noticed that it was made of a substance that appeared to be pearl, and she wondered at his resourcefulness. The mansion was beautiful beyond her comprehension. He set her down and stood back as she turned around and around, taking in the glory of this wonderful abode. When finally she turned to face him, she saw the same love in his eyes that she had seen so long ago near the well.

Suddenly she was overcome with such shame that she fell to her knees, tears running down her cheeks, and clung to his feet, unable to utter a word. She was so filled with mixed emotions it made her head swim. She was so very, very happy, and yet so remorseful that she had allowed so many years to go by without learning to know him better, return his love, enjoy sweet fellowship with him; she felt that she did not deserve to be here at all.

Then, strong hands slipped under her arms and lifted her to her feet. A gentle finger wiped the tears from her eyes, and through blurred vision she once again looked into his strong, kind, wonderful face, as he said, “Dear, before you knew me, I watched you from afar. I loved you even then. After I saved you I loved you even more. And through all of these years, even though you have ignored me and turned your back on me so often, and squandered so many opportunities for us to know each other intimately, in the way you dreamed of knowing your movie idol lovers in your youth, yet I continued to love you and I love you even now. We will spend the rest of our days together, and beginning right now, you will learn to know me as you should. I only wish our relationship could have been so much farther along now than it is. Our first years could have been wonderful and fulfilling and precious. But the rest of our time together will be that way; I promise. Welcome to my home.” The woman slowly dropped her eyes from his, down his chest, down his arms, to his wrists, and she saw the terrible scars that had been left there by the cruel chain, and she clung to him and wept.

Are you ready for the wedding of the Lamb? There will be a marriage made in Heaven someday, but only the redeemed are invited. Does that include you? If not it can! And for those who are going, consider for a moment how you are preparing for that day! What kind of garments will you be wearing when you stand there at that Royal Wedding? The time to prepare is today! The place to prepare is here! The person to prepare is yourself. Will you let the Lord work in your heart and life? Will you be wearing pearls or pigeon poop on your wedding day?

As Gene and Roxey come forward to lead us in our final hymn and the ushers prepare to collect the communication cards, please bow you heads with me. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for your gift of salvation and we ask for your strength as we weave together on this earth our dress for the wedding of the Lamb. Help us to adorn ourselves with pearls and righteous acts as we prepare for Jesus to return and take us home. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Hallelujah!

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Jesus Unveiled

Hallelujah!

(Revelation 19:1-5)

 

INTRODUCTION

“In 1712, the brilliant hot-tempered German composer George Frideric Handel moved to London, where he lived until his death in 1759. ​​ He achieved great fame as a composer of Italian opera, but abandoned opera for the oratorio in 1741. ​​ The oratorio originated as a musical drama to be played without staging in an ‘oratory’ or meeting room. ​​ Principal singers represented biblical characters or saints from Christian history, with a chorus interpreting the events.

 

Handel began to work on Messiah in 1741, using words from Scripture compiled by his friend Charles Jennens. ​​ He composed the music for all fifty-three numbers in an unbelievable twenty-four days. ​​ Handle conducted the first public performance for Messiah in Dublin on April 13, 1742. ​​ He gave his last presentation the day before he died.

 

The thrilling ‘Hallelujah’ Chorus is Handel at his best, and the tradition of the audience standing while it is sung began in Handel’s own lifetime. ​​ He brilliantly divided the choir into two groups that sing different themes. ​​ Messiah has remained the most frequently performed and highly regarded oratorio ever written. ​​ While audiences in the United States associate it with Christmas, in Handel’s day Messiah was an Easter presentation, for the ‘Hallelujah’ Chorus is really not about Christmas but about Christ’s final victory. ​​ Jennens’ words were taken directly from the only chapter in the New Testament that uses the word hallelujah, Revelation 19. ​​ ‘For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth’ will come true in its fullest and most complete sense only at the mighty return of Jesus Christ in triumph.”

 

[Easley, Holman New Testament Commentary, Revelation, 345].

 

BODY

  • ME

    • Creation

        • December 29, 2018 was the last day of deer hunting at Letterkenny Army Depot

        • I met my buddy early in the morning and we drove over to Letterkenny

        • After checking in, getting dropped off, and settling in to the location where I was going to hunt, I had time to sit in the dark and marvel at God’s creation

        • A beautiful day was unfolding as I stared up into the night sky

        • The moon was nearly full, the stars were speckled across the sky

        • I sat there and rejoiced at the beauty of God’s creation

        • I didn’t even see a deer that day, but it didn’t matter, because I had seen the creative hand of God and that was enough

    • Birth of our boys

        • I was able to be in the labor delivery room for all three of our boy’s births

        • Judy will verify that I cried all three times

        • Birth has been one of the most profoundly emotional and spiritual experiences for me

        • To see God’s creative power birthed is unlike any other thing I’ve experienced

        • My tears were simply tears of joy, as I rejoiced in God’s glory and power

 

  • WE

    • Rejoicing in God’s power and glory

        • All of us have at least one experience in life where we have rejoiced in God’s power and glory

        • What was that experience for you?

        • I want you to think about that as we look at this passage this morning

 

John continues to hear incredible things taking place at the end of time. ​​ He heard in Revelation 18 about the destruction of “Babylon the Great,” and three groups that lamented the loss of this great city. ​​ In Revelation 19 he will hear the praises of three groups that have viewed the exact same scene, the destruction of “Babylon the Great.” ​​ What John wants us to understand is that . . .

 

BIG IDEA – Our view of God’s justice determines whether we lament or praise Him.

 

Let’s pray

  • GOD (Revelation 19:1-5)

    • Heavenly multitude (vv. 1-3)

        • After this

          • What John is about to hear happens right after he hears the news about Babylon’s destruction

          • That’s what we saw in chapters 17-18

          • In fact, the praises we’ll see from the three groups, are in obedience to the command found in Revelation 18:20, “Rejoice over her, O heaven! ​​ Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! ​​ God has judged her for the way she treated you.”

          • The praises from these three groups are in direct contrast to the weeping and mourning of the kings of the earth, the merchants, and the mariners (Rev. 18:9-20)

        • Roar of a great multitude in heaven

          • We see again this little word, “like,” that John uses to try to describe what he’s hearing and/or seeing in these visions about the end times

          • What he heard sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven

          • Most English translations of the Bible say that John heard what sounded like the voice or loud/great voice of a great multitude in heaven

          • We know what was being said, because John records it for us

        • Hallelujah!

          • Hallelujah is actually a transliteration of two Hebrew words

            • It only appears in the New Testament in Revelation 19

            • It is derived from two Hebrew words that are combined

              • Hālal – which means “praise”

              • Jah – which is a shortened version of Yahweh

              • “The basic meaning of the verb is ‘to be bright,’ and the causative meaning of the piel imperative means, literally, ‘make Yahweh bright,’ that is ‘illuminate the Lord by casting a bright light on Him and His works!’ ​​ ‘Praise Yahweh!’ ​​ ‘Praise the Lord!’” ​​ [Rogers & Rogers, The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament, 645-46]

            • Hallelujah is found throughout the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms

              • Psalm 113-118 are called the Hallel psalms

              • The title “Praise the Lord” is used at the beginning of multiple psalms (106, 111, 112, 113, 117, 135, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150)

            • What we see next are six attributes of God and works He’s done, that this great multitude in heaven are praising Him for

          • Reasons for the multitude’s praise

            • Salvation

              • This isn’t the first time we see praise in Revelation for God’s salvation (7:10; 12:10)

              • The multitude in heaven is probably comprised of angels, but also saints who died either by natural causes or martyrdom

                • The saints are particularly aware of the Lord’s salvation

                • They are with Him now as a result of a personal relationship with His Son, Jesus

                • As followers of Jesus Christ, who have a personal relationship with Jesus, we can also praise the Lord for His salvation

                • We don’t have to wait until we get to heaven

                • We can praise Him every day for sending Jesus to take our punishment on the cross

                • Perhaps there are those here today, who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ

                  • There are all kinds of belief systems that Satan uses to keep us from experiencing true salvation

                  • He likes to use the misconception that hopefully the good things we do, will outweigh the bad things we do (false)

                  • He tells others that all religions lead to heaven and the One true God – all religions/roads will lead to God, but not all will lead to heaven (false)

                  • God is loving and therefore He will accept me when I die no matter what I’ve done on earth (false)

                  • In our humanness we try to find another way to heaven without following God’s plan

                  • Proverbs 14:12; 16:25, There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death

                  • We have to follow God’s way of salvation for humanity

                  • Paul outlines God’s salvation plan throughout His letter to the Romans

                  • All have sinned – human condition (Rom. 3:23)

                  • We all deserve to die for our own sins (Rom. 6:23)

                  • God’s great love for us motivated Him to provide a solution to our human condition of sin (Rom. 5:8)

                  • Romans 10:8-10, 13, But what does it say? ​​ “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: ​​ That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ​​ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved . . . for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

                  • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, and be saved from my sins.

              • While salvation certainly speaks of individual deliverance from our sins, it also speaks of the “safeguarding of God’s entire redemptive program” ​​ [Mounce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, Revelation, 342]

              • Salvation is the foundation for God’s glory and power, which are manifestations of His salvation

            • Glory

              • This is God’s majesty revealed through His redemptive plan

              • God is recognized as the King of kings and Lord of lords – worthy of our praise

            • Power

              • This is God’s omnipotence at work

              • He is all-powerful – nothing is too hard for Him

            • Judgments are true and just

              • How many of us are aware of an individual who was convicted of a crime that they were later exonerated of? ​​ [Patterson, The New American Commentary, Revelation, 341]

                • Some investigator finds new evidence that proves that the person in jail is innocent of the crime that are serving time for

                • Most of the time these individuals are found guilty due to errors in human judgment

                • Sometimes human judges give in to bribery or allow their own personal motives and convictions to cloud their judgment

              • PRINCIPLE – God’s judgments are valid and fair.

                • Fortunately, God is not like human judges or juries

                • “God’s justice is ‘true’ because it is based on his own covenant faithfulness and ‘just’ because it is based on his holy character. ​​ In other words, his judgments are both morally true and legally just.” ​​ [Osborne, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Revelation, 664]

              • So, we don’t have to worry that God’s condemnation of the great prostitute and His avenging the blood of his servants is done maliciously

            • Condemnation of sin and evil

              • The reason for His condemnation of the great prostitute is based on her corruption of the earth through her adulteries

              • This has been developed in great detail in chapter 18 (it was the pursuit of wealth, sexual immorality, and religious influence that took the place of God)

              • God is grieved when we sin, but He is especially grieved when we lead others to sin alongside us

                • Read Romans 1:28-32

                • Matthew 18:5-6, “And whoever welcomes a little child in my name welcomes me. ​​ But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

            • Avenging the blood of His people

              • PRINCIPLE – God keeps His promises to His people.

                • We can praise the Lord, because He always keeps His promises

                • When the fifth seal was opened, John saw the souls of those who had been martyred under the altar (Rev. 6:9)

                • They were asking the Lord when He was going to judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge their blood (Rev. 6:10)

                • The Lord’s answer, was for them to wait a little while longer

                • We see now that He kept His promise to them

              • He did avenge their blood

        • God’s judgment is final

          • Because God’s judgments are true and just (valid and fair) there is no chance for reversal

          • His judgments will be complete and final

          • “Because God lives “for ever and ever” (15:7), his righteous condemnation must also endure forever.” ​​ [Easley, 347]

          • The great multitude in heaven is praising the Lord for His complete and final judgment of the wicked

        • As the first group completes their praise, we see the second group agreeing with them

    • Elders and living creatures (v. 4)

        • The 24 elders and the four living creatures fall down and worship God

          • We see that God is still on His throne

          • This is the final time that the 24 elders and the four living creatures are mentioned in John’s vision

        • Their praise

          • It is short, only two words

          • Amen

            • It means “so be it”

            • They are agreeing with the praise of the great multitude in heaven about God’s salvation, glory, power, judgments, condemnation, and avenging

          • Hallelujah – “Praise the Lord!”

          • They don’t need to add anything else to what has already been said

        • The final group is called on to praise the Lord

    • Believers on earth (v. 5)

        • John hears a voice from the throne

          • Some scholars believe it is God or Jesus speaking, but what is being said seems to eliminate these two options

          • It seems as though the command or encouragement is coming from another source other than God or Jesus

          • Other scholars believe it could be one of the living creatures or one of the 24 elders

          • We are not told who the voice is, which is alright, because the content of what they are saying is of greater value

        • Praise our God

          • The command to praise our God leads us to believe that the voice is someone other than God or Jesus

          • They are including themselves in the command to praise

        • Who are these individuals who are supposed to praise our God?

          • First, they are identified as all you his servants

            • Revelation 1:1, The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place.

            • To be a servant (bond slave) of the Lord means that you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ

          • Second, they are identified as you who fear him, both great and small

            • The same Greek verb translated as “fear him” is used in Rev. 11:18, but is translated as “reverence your name”

            • That is what is being communicated here, the believers on earth who reverence the name of the Lord are to praise Him

            • It doesn’t matter what their socio-economic status is or their level of spiritual maturity [Mounce, 343]

            • Every believer is commanded to praise the Lord

 

  • YOU

    • As a servant of God it is imperative that you praise Him

        • You can praise Him for you salvation

        • You can praise Him for His glory displayed in His creation

        • You can praise Him for His power that is evidenced in your life

        • You can praise Him for His judgments that are valid and fair

        • You can praise Him for who He is and what He has done in your life

    • When was the last time you stopped and reflected on God’s attributes and His mighty works in your life?

        • Perhaps you can take time this afternoon to make a list and then praise the Lord

        • My Next Step Today Is To: ​​ Make a list of God’s attributes and the great things He has done in my life and then praise Him!

        • Our praise can take many forms [show the cartoon about Dexter]

 

  • WE

    • We have the opportunity this morning to praise the Lord through song

    • We’ll be singing “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” in just a moment as our closing song

    • We can reflect on who God is and what He has done for us as we sing that song

 

CONCLUSION

“Christians have joyful, stirring songs that celebrate the wonder of our relation with God. This is especially true during the Christmas season with songs such as the spine-tingling Handel’s Messiah. In contrast to this, in 2011 comedian Steve Martin performed a song on The Late Show with David Letterman that he called “the entire atheist hymnal” (on one page of paper). He called it: “Atheists Don’t Have No Songs.”

 

Christians have their hymns and pages,
Hava Nagila’s for the Jews,
Baptists have the rock of ages,
Atheists just sing the blues.

 

Romantics play Claire de Lune,
Born agains sing “He is risen,”
But no one ever wrote a tune,
For godless existentialism.

 

For Atheists there’s no good news.
They’ll never sing a song of faith.
In their songs they have one rule:
The “he” is always lowercase.

 

Of course, his humor is meant to entertain us—and does. But what a contrast to a piece of music that moves hearts and masses across the board. Handel’s Messiah is arguably one of the most mellifluous [pleasant to the ear] expressions of Christian doctrine ever produced.

 

In fact, I think it makes all the sense in the world that both inexplicable tears and profound joy accompany the words and sounds of Handel’s Messiah. For this Messiah brings with him an invitation unlike any other: Come and see the Father, the Creator, the Good, the True, and the Beautiful. Come and see the Light, and the Overcomer of darkness, the One who wept at the grave of a friend, and the one who collects our tears in his bottle even before he will dry every eye. Christians, let’s sing our songs!”

 

[Jill Carattini, “Random Hallelujahs,” RZIM: ​​ A Slice of Infinity (12-16-16)]

[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2018/december/comedian-steve-martin-atheists-dont-have-no-songs.html].

10

 

/by

Turn Out The Lights . . . The Party’s Over

,

TURN OUT THE LIGHTS, THE PARTY’S OVER

 

There was a study commissioned by Post-It Brands in 2013 that founded you are not actually crazy when you forget where you're keys are on a regular basis. In fact, the results say the average person forgets four things a day. The study was conducted with 2,000 adults and the most common things forgotten in addition to forgetting where your keys are were misplacing your phone and misplacing your wallet.  In total, most of the respondents were found to have forgotten over 1,400 things in a year.

According to this study, ladies, it should be noted that 56% of guys really rely on YOU in a relationship to remember things. The opposite is said for you; most women say they can't rely on their other half to remember things. There is also proof that guys are more forgetful on passing along important messages or remembering birthdays and anniversaries.

Post-It Brands says, “Our days are so jam packed full of tasks whether at work or at home, it’s no surprise people find it hard to keep track of everything. With much longer working hours, financial concerns and just busier lifestyles, even those with the best memory can stumble when it comes to remembering even the most simplest of things during a hectic day.”

So what are the most common things forgotten by people? They came up with what they called the "THE FORGOTTEN FIFTY.” Here are some of them. See if these are true for you.

Forgetting what you went into a room for, forgetting where you put your keys, forgetting where your car is parked, forgetting where you put your wallet, forgetting where you put your glasses or sunglasses when they’re on your head, forgetting your passwords or pin numbers, forgetting special days such as birthdays or anniversaries, forgetting a meeting and then double booking yourself, picking up the phone and forgetting who you were going to call, forgetting your debit/credit card in the ATM machine, forgetting to charge your phone, forgetting to flush the toilet or to put the toilet seat back down, forgetting to renew your car registration or inspection, forgetting to take your medication and finally forgetting to return library books

Those last couple are the ones that I have had trouble with over the years and still do. A couple of years after I moved up to Pennsylvania in 1987, I was going through my stuff and found a library book that had been due in 1979. It was 10 years late. They must not have missed it as I never received a notice in the mail. I have also forgotten to renew my car’s registration and inspection. My wife, Judy was stopped one time in my car with one of our youth from Hanover and was cited for an out of date registration. I think it was 6 months late. And then a year or so after coming to Idaville, Seth Johns and I were coming back from Gettysburg after delivering canned goods to the Gettysburg Soup Kitchen when I was stopped for an out of date inspection. I think it was only three months late. My biggest one even today is forgetting to take my medication. If my routine in the morning is changed in any way I forget to take it. In fact, one of the days I was working on my sermon for this morning I actually did forget to take my medication.

So, how about you? Yell out something that you tend to forget.

What do you think the following places have in common? St. Elmo, Colorado, Monte Ne, Arkansas, Monroe, VA, Tartown, PA, Aitch, PA, Ricketts, PA, Somerfield, PA. They are all towns that for one reason or the other were once alive and teeming with activity but today have been abandoned and forgotten.

St. Elmo, Colorado was founded in 1880. It was once a highfalutin gold mining town and popular whistle-stop on the Pacific Railroad. It boasted almost 2,000 residents and more than 150 mines, and enough hotels, brothels, saloons, and dance halls to keep everybody in town happily cutting a rug. When the Alpine Tunnel closed in 1910, however, the music stopped. With the price of silver already down, the last remaining rail service stopped in 1922. 

 

Monroe, VA is supposedly located beneath Smith Mountain Lake. The history of the town of Monroe is a bit of a mystery. Some don’t believe that the town ever existed, but most think the 19th-century community was submerged by the construction of the Smith Mountain Lake dam.

 

In 1946, the town of Somerfield, PA was flooded to make way for the Young Dam. Every once in a while, the water level in the dam becomes low enough that glimpses of this underwater ghost town can be seen. The historic 1818 US 40 bridge is one such rarely seen landmark.

 

Tartown, is an extinct community in Adams County, PA. The remains of Tartown are located on the property of the Waynesboro Borough and in the adjacent Michaux State Forest. The locale has in part been inundated by the reservoir created by the Waynesboro Dam.

Aitch is an extinct town in Huntingdon, County, PA. The town site was inundated by the creation of Raystown Lake.

 

These cities are called Ghost Towns or Lost Cities. A lost city is a settlement that fell into terminal decline and became extensively or completely uninhabited, with the consequence that the site's former significance was no longer known to the wider world. A ghost town is an abandoned village, town or city, usually one that contains substantial visible remains. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, prolonged droughts and government actions. 

 

Today, we are going to see a picture of the final destruction and obliteration of the ‘harlot’ system of religion, philosophy, political power and commerce of the Antichrist that the Scriptures call ‘Babylon’. For John and his readers, they would have seen this as the destruction of Rome and even though Rome was very much alive, so great is John’s faith in the sovereignty of God and so great is his confidence that the justice of God must eventually punish evil, John writes as though Rome had already fallen. We will see the sudden, violent and complete destruction of this evil city. This is God’s judgment of the many evil incarnations of the cities of Satan down through history. This morning in chapter 18, verses 21-24 Babylon will become more than a Ghost Town; it will become a place that will never be found again and will be totally forgotten forever. This morning John wants us to know that those who align themselves with Babylon and its idolatry and other evil ways will be forgotten just as suddenly, violently and completely as the city itself. That is the big idea I would like for you to take away from here today: Those who align themselves with Babylon will be forgotten forever.

 

Before we dive into the passage today let us pray. Heavenly Father, we ask for the Holy Spirit to dwell in us this morning. We ask you to give us ears to hear what you want us to know and learn this morning. We ask you to help us take what we hear and give us opportunities to share it with those you put in our paths this week. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

In Scripture, rebellion against God is often associated with a “city”. Cain, for example, the son of Adam and history’s first murderer, after being cast out of the presence of the Lord, went out and founded the first city ‘Enoch’, named after his son. This was the beginning of man’s boasted civilization. All the arts and sciences had their origin there. There were skilled craftsmen in brass and iron. There was trade and barter and the pursuit of the unrighteous all-mighty dollar began there. Those who played the harp and the organ also dwelt there. Music charmed the weary sons of Cain as they sought to make themselves happy and this world attractive apart from God.

As we know God blotted all this out in the Flood during Noah’s time, but it is evident that Ham, Noah’s son, had learned the same ways. The world as an ordered system of things, apart from God, had a new beginning in his family. Nimrod—who was the grandson of Noah’s son Ham (whose son Canaan fell under Noah’s curse because of Ham’s sin) also founded many cities; and we’re told that “the beginning of his kingdom was Babel …” The tower of Babel was built on a spirit of rebellion against God’s command to spread out through the earth and multiply. It became the mother-city from which others went out and built a selfish and godless civilization.

Of course, not all cities of the Bible were built upon a spirit of rebellion against God. But it does appear that ‘cities’ and ‘rebellion’ against God’s rule have at times been strongly connected together. The history-long spirit of warfare against the rule of God will one day be summarized in a single city in the future; and as Pastor Stuart has already shown us in the two previous sermons in chapter 18, that future city is called Babylon and is already slated for judgment.

Our text, this morning, is separated into three parts. The first part is called the Symbol of Judgment and we see this in Revelation 18:21. This is what God’s word says: 21 Then a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer. 

Here we see a strong or mighty angel take up a large stone and throw it into the sea. This is another angel from heaven and it clearly means that this angel has the authority of heaven in actively bringing about Babylon’s downfall.

The millstone would have been a very heavy stone usually four to five feet in diameter and a foot thick used for pulverizing grain into flour. Here God is telling us that Babylon is going to be pulverized into nothing, just as a heavy millstone pulverizes grain. It will no longer be a great city with great power. A stone of that nature would sink to the bottom of the sea. It could not float back to the surface and it would never be recovered. This stone is used to illustrate the judgment that is coming upon Babylon. It will be sudden, swift and sure. And it is a judgment that is forever settled! Babylon will be destroyed and will never be found again. We see a parallel in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in that no trace of those two cities has ever been found to this day.

John is taking his picture from the destruction of ancient Babylon. His readers would be reminded of Jeremiah 51:63-64. Jeremiah, the prophet, had written on a scroll about all the disasters that would come upon ancient Babylon. He sent the scroll with Seraiah who was to read the scroll to the Jewish people who had been taken to Babylon from Jerusalem. After reading the scroll he was to tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates River, and as it sank, say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more because of the disaster I will bring on her. And her people will fall.” To the Jewish people in Babylon this would be symbolic of God destroying Babylon. The curse on Babylon in Jeremiah's day is echoed in the words of the mighty angel. In Osborne’s commentary it says, “The same violence that occurred when the huge boulder was “cast” into the water will occur again when God’s wrath “casts down” the empire of the beast.” The parallel is striking because Jeremiah had written of Babylon's judgment on a scroll, and if you remember back in Revelation chapter 4 a scroll was used to introduce all the judgments in the book of Revelation.

There are three things we can see from this verse about the destruction of Babylon. One, the destruction of Babylon would be violent. This action of the angel throwing the millstone it into the sea would speak of a violent ‘crashing’ judgment. The words “with violence” in the Greek carries with it the meaning of a “sudden rush or violent impulse,” which means that the destruction of Babylon is going to be swift and furious. This is not a playful skipping of a rock across a pond. This is a forceful throwing down of a heavy rock like you are trying to kill something.

Two, the destruction of Babylon will be sudden. Imagine how quickly that heavy millstone would disappear under the surface of the water and how quickly it would get to the bottom of the sea. The destruction of Babylon will be sudden and it will be quick just like that millstone being swallowed up by the sea when thrown down.

Lastly, the destruction of Babylon will be complete. Like the stone cast into the sea it cannot be raised, so the destruction of Babylon will be so complete that it will never rise again. The end of verse 21 says it “will not be found any longer”. Babylon will never be found again in any form.

This is stressed seven times in chapter 18 showing the completeness of Babylon’s judgment. We see this once in verse 14, once in verse 21, three times in verse 22 and twice in verse 23. Further, in each case the negative “no” or “not” in the Greek text is a very emphatic double negative that means “by no means.” This is the final incarnation of that evil city that Satan has used over the millennia for his purposes against the people of God. The destruction of Babylon that John is seeing will be violent, sudden and so complete that it will never be found again and will be forgotten forever. The warning for John’s readers and for us today is our big idea this morning. ​​ That those who align themselves with Babylon will be forgotten forever. ​​ 

The second part of our text is called, “The Sound of Silence” and we see this in verses 22-23a that tell us of the things that are no longer found in the city. This is what those verses say, 22 And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer; 23 and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer;

When Babylon is judged and ceases to exist, her passing will also signal the passing of life as the world knows it. All normal things of this earth will cease. As with any ‘great city’, there are many things that are connected with it and that either draw their life from it, or add their life to it. These things will end with the destruction of Babylon and are described here by the angel.

One, there will be no more music. Music has always been associated with happiness and joy. There will be no more reason for rejoicing for those opposed to God. Music and entertainment will come to an end. This would, of course, speak particularly of ungodly forms of such music and entertainment. Things that have often been used by the devil to corrupt cultures and lead people into immorality.

Two, there will be no more manufacturing. The tools of the craftsmen who furnished the items of luxury will suddenly be as silent as a tomb and the wheels of industry will grind to a halt. There will be no more making or selling of merchandise. The love of things that has often degenerated into idolatry will be no more. People have always been industrious. Man has always found a way to work with his hands and provide for his family. Man works because he has hope for the future. When Babylon falls, the hope for the future for those opposed to God vanishes with her.

Three, there’s an end to the food industries. The millstones which grind the grain for flour will also stop. The food supply, which at that point is already in short supply, will now disappear altogether.

Four, there’s an end to the constant, twenty-four hour activity of the marketplace as illustrated in the loss of the lamps to illuminate commerce both night and day. The lamp which lights the homes and businesses will be permanently dark. A light in the window of a house suggests happiness, hope and family. All these are taken away when Babylon falls. The homes of the world will be plunged into darkness and despair! Darkness, symbolizing the spiritual state of the world and the system of the beast, will now engulf everything. Imagine how it would be to experience total blackness. This would again echo the plague of darkness in Egypt.

In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Throughout history God has always had a witness in the world. That witness has always been at war with the kingdom of Satan. Here God is telling us that the light of a candle will no longer shine.  This could also mean there is no longer a flicker of the gospel to be taught anymore because the day of salvation for those who oppose God is now past.

This ‘city that never sleeps’ will now sleep forever never to wake again. Today, when we think of a city that never sleeps, we would probably say New York City. It was probably one of the first to be called the city that never sleeps. New York's subway system never closes, tons of restaurants and bars are open until the wee hours of the morning and the Staten Island Ferry is still hopping at 2 a.m. You wouldn’t have trouble finding food and or entertainment at any time in New York City. Imagine if we woke up tomorrow and New York City was totally destroyed and had become a ghost town. ​​ Imagine, no more Times Square on New Year’s Eve. It would be a shock to our way of life. Babylon will be destroyed and it will be a shock to those who have aligned themselves with that evil, idolatrous, God-hating city.

Lastly, there will be no more marriage celebrations. No longer will love bring a hopeful couple to an altar to exchange their vows. There will be no more beautiful brides in their white dresses. No more nervous grooms in their tuxedos. There will be no flower girls, ring bearers and wedding bells. Weddings are times filled with hope and happiness. A couple meets at the altar with their hearts full of love and hope for the future. They begin their relationship with great expectations. When Babylon falls, there will be no more love, no more marriages and no more hope for the future! John’s readers might well have recalled the words of God through Jeremiah in Jeremiah 7:34: “I will remove from the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem the sound of joy and gladness and the voices of the bridegroom and the bride, for the land will become a desolate waste.”

As Christ prophesied, men and women will be marrying and remarrying without any real concern for marriage as a divine institution of God. When marriage is entered into, it will be a mere convenience if they bother to marry at all. Life during the Tribulation will go on as usual in spite of its judgments, which shows just how callused people will become and how much they will be enslaved to the luxuries and pleasures of the world. All the activities of this ungodly system together will pridefully proclaim, “We can be happy and fulfilled and great without God.” But it will come to a sudden and violent end. Note that we’re told that none of these things will be found anymore in the city, or seen any more in the city or heard any more in the city. The diversity of occupations indicates the impossibility of escape—the destruction will fall on all classes of people alike. The sound of silence in Babylon will be final and deafening and that silence will be a testimony to God's devastating judgment.

The third part of our text this morning is called the “Reason for Judgment” and is found in verses 23b-24. This is what it says, “for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.”

There are three reasons we are given for the judgment of Babylon being so final. One, we’re told it is because Babylon’s “merchants” were “the great men of the earth”. The expression “great men” in the Greek means “the chief, noble, the magnates of society.” These are the men who were looked up to, worshipped, honored, adored, and presented to everyone as the ultimate. They had the power in society; they controlled the destinies of men, and lived in the super luxury which everyone is supposed to want and that people think will give them happiness.

They were made ‘great’ in a strictly human sense by Babylon and they held their greatness over others in an oppressive and inhumane manner. Matthew 20:25 says this, “But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.” And James 5:1-6 say this, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.  Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!  Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.”

It is because of this viewpoint that judgment comes. It is a perversion and a prostitution of divine values and priorities. These were people who worshipped and longed for wealth and luxury and thereby compromised their principles and priorities to play the harlot with the merchants of Babylon. Money and luxury was their god. To them character, righteousness and integrity meant nothing.

Two, we’re told that this judgment upon Babylon is ‘final’ because it deceived all the nations by its “sorcery”. The Greek word for sorcery is farmakeia where we get our word, pharmacy. This is the use of medicine, drugs or potions as in casting spells,” and metaphorically, “to deceive and disorient.” The word was used of poisoning and witchcraft, or trafficking in the demonic. In effect this Babylonian system will use whatever method it can to poison the minds of the people and deceive them—demonism, drugs, and various forms of propaganda will be the norm.

This evil system was a world conspiracy by the merchants in control of the commercial system of Babylon to completely deceive the people. People were lead to believe that salvation was in achieving riches and success. That is the lie of the devil! It is better to have none of this world’s goods, than for this world’s goods to have you. Proverbs 11:4 says, Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. Proverbs 11:28 says, He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.

Thirdly, we’re told that this judgment upon Babylon is so final because in the city was found “the blood” of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth”. The word “blood” is plural which stresses the many deaths and the magnitude of Babylon’s crimes against the people of God all through history. Babylon as a system was responsible for all the murders of God’s people from the murder of Abel to the time of John’s Revelation and to the end of time. Therefore, because of Babylon's accumulated guilt it will be destroyed once and for all at the end of the great tribulation.

Jesus similarly lamented over the generation of the city of Jerusalem in His time in Matthew 23:35. This is Jesus talking, “so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.” Jerusalem’s destruction was temporary, Babylon’s will not be.

At the end Babylon will be joyless, dark, and silent, and will stand out as a monument to the utmost vengeance of God. Babylon will fall and will never rise again. Her destruction can’t be cured or changed. ​​ 

What a horrifying place this future city will be! What a dreadful system of ungodliness it will embody! No wonder God’s judgment will, at last, fall upon it so suddenly, violently and completely!

Pastor Stuart three weeks ago told us in chapter 18, verse 4 that we, God’s faithful people, are commanded to ‘come out’ of Babylon, lest we “share in her sins” and “receive of her plagues. But why do we need to “come out” of Babylon? What’s the harm?

In an issue of Atlantic magazine there was an article by Prof. Bernard Lewis of Princeton, the dean of American orientalists. ​​ At that time, before his retirement and disappearance from public life, he was a respected scholar and commentator upon all things having to do with Islam. In the article he notes that the two “expansive and civilization-defining” religions in the world are Christianity and Islam. Both of them, he says, have a problem with tolerance. And that is inevitable. For they both believe that they have the final truth from God and that everyone must believe that truth and accept it and live by it or else. Prof. Lewis, like so many others who think the same way, failed to recognize that everyone is intolerant in this way; the difference is simply what they happen to be intolerant about! Nevertheless in the article Bernard Lewis expressed the hope that more and more Christians would become Christians of the modern, relativistic type who believe that all religions lead to God, that there are many ways to conceive of religious truth, that there is nothing really important at stake in the choice of one religion or another. If so religion would increasingly become no big deal, certainly nothing to fight and die for as did the terrorists of 9/11. In that way we would all get along.

But to say that – and of course there are many others besides Bernard Lewis saying just that to the Christian church today – to wish that is precisely the same thing as saying that Christians should not come out of Babylon. It is to wish for the reverse of what John commands Christians to do. It is to wish that Christians would make their peace with Babylon, which, of course, is precisely what Babylon wants them to do! Then they will have forsaken Christ and gone over to the Devil, left the City of God to become a citizen of the City of Man.

I remind you that the Book of Revelation was written to and for the Church. This book was to be read in the worship services of the churches John was writing to. If you ask why churches go bad, why they lose their way, why Christian churches in great number, especially in Europe, the United States, and in Canada that once stood for the gospel of Christ, now spout smooth, vapid and toothless slogans to largely empty sanctuaries; why such churches no longer interest their own children; why they never witness the revolutionary impact of the gospel of Christ on human life; the answer is this: in every case they refused to come out of the world, they got into a double harness with unbelief, they weakened, blurred, smudged and then finally obliterated the bright line that distinguishes faith and unbelief, wickedness from righteousness, darkness from light, God from idols. They did precisely what Bernard Lewis hoped Christians would do! By refusing to keep the difference between Babylon and the New Jerusalem clear, by refusing to keep the distinction between the two kingdoms front and center, and then by refusing to live out that distinction, they lost the distinction altogether and became part of Babylon and didn’t even realize it in most cases. Many of Babylon’s most beautiful churches were once Christian churches! When Christians merge with Babylon, Babylon does not become Christian; Christians become Babylon! We need to come out of Babylon because if we continue to align ourselves with Babylon, we will be forgotten forever. That brings us to our next step for this morning. My next step is to come out of Babylon so I will not share in her sins and be forgotten forever.

My title this morning is taken from a Willie Nelson song called, “Turn out the lights, the party’s over.” It also comes from Monday Night Football back in the days of Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford and Don Meredith. Don Meredith was a star quarterback in college at SMU and later for the Dallas Cowboys. His style was a down home, country boy image being from Texas. One of the funniest things he would do took place toward the end of games in which the outcome was obvious – one team was just too far ahead and it was a foregone conclusion that they were going to win the game. In this situation, Meredith would break into the old country western song by Willie Nelson…“Turn out the lights…the party’s over”. There is coming a day when the One who is the Light of the world, will turn out the lights of the world. The code name that is used here for the world is “Babylon.” What we have seen today is this evil city and its people in the end of time who are only worried about the “party” will be destroyed and will be forgotten forever.

In the late 90’s Judy and I were working with the youth at Uriah UMC just over the way from Idaville. For about three or four years in a row we would have a New Year’s Eve lock in. I remember our lock in on December 31, 1999. For weeks or even months everyone was worried about computers and other infrastructure in the area and the entire United States. What was going to happen when the clock struck midnight as we rung in the New Year and a new millennium? Would the world become dark and be plunged into chaos? ​​ Of course, I put a flyer together. I always thought I had a flair for the dramatic so would try to come up with a catchy phrase when putting events together. It actually comes in handy even now when I work on titles for sermons etc. So when I put the flyer together for this particular New Year’s Eve Lock In it read, “Where you going to be when the lights go out?” My premise was what better place than church to be at if “the world was coming to an end”. So as I finish this morning, I want to leave you with a question, “Where will you find yourself when the lights go out and the party’s over?” Will you find yourself aligned with Babylon, with this world, and forgotten forever, or will you be aligned with God and the Lamb and spend forever in their presence?

As the ushers prepare to take up the communication cards and the praise team comes to lead us in a final song, bow your heads with me as I pray.

Dear Heavenly Father, we confess that at times we are “of the world” and not just “in” it more than we care to admit. This morning we ask you for the strength to “come out” of Babylon. We do not want to share in her sins and be forgotten and separated from you forever. I pray that we would heed your Holy Spirit in our lives daily and follow your command to “be in the world but not of it.” In Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

 

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