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Summary

I am and there is no one beside me But the evil shall come upon you which you cannot charm away Disaster shall fall upon you which you will not be able to ward off and ruin the shall come on you suddenly of which you know Nothing Isaiah already saw the downfall of Babylon already saw When you go to 48 You've got some classic law and and gospel that go on in chapter 48 The first portion of chapter 48 Is is really giving the law against the house of of Jacob the hardness of their hearts the second portion of 48 Um is a word of invitation To leave Babylon and to trust in the Lord So let's go to a 48 will pick up in in 17 Thus says the Lord your Redeemer the Holy one of Israel I am the Lord your God who teaches you for your own good Who leads you and the way you should go Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments and your prosperity would have been like a river in your success like the waves of the sea Your offspring would have been like the sand in your descendants like its grains their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me Go out from Babylon flee from Caldia Declare this with a shout of joy proclaim it Send it forth to the end of the earth say the Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob Verse 20 here tells the people this word of prophecy that when the time comes they are to announce to the ends here of the earth with Shouts of joy their redemption here from Babylonian captivity And when you think of us God has redeemed us in a much greater way hasn't he Then a release of the people out of captivity we've been redeemed through the cross of Jesus Christ and may we As his redeemed people announce with great joy what God has done If God called the people to announce with great joy here The redemption from the Babylonian captivity how much more how much more Do we have the joy and are we cold to express that joy and that reality In terms of what God has done for us in Christ So We've seen here now today the raising up a Cyrus The return of the Jews to Palestine to rebuild Jerusalem in the temple That word of prophecy here Ultimate purpose Deserving the people out of which the Messiah will come and redeem the world We've seen that whatever God makes of us Are we broken or whole our purpose is to give him glory We've seen How the hidden God speaks through his word and if we want to know Who he is and what he says We don't go inward We go outward to the word We've seen the total helplessness of idols and our temptation to create our own idols in whatever form When we cry out with the with the why me And we've seen how God has redeemed us in a much greater way No wonder we can announce with joy Well, we'll continue next week as we turn to chapters 49 to 52 Gracious Heavenly Father, what a joy it is to be in your house on this year day. I also know that there are times in my life when it is absolutely appropriate to to go to the book of Esther and it really speaks and then there are other times in my life when I would I would not understand what I'm supposed to get what I'm supposed to be led in from the book of Esther right does that make sense but in the book of Psalms as we turn to the Psalms maybe it's Psalm 23 that I need in this very moment maybe it's the first Psalm maybe it's the last Psalm maybe it's Psalm 119 speaking of God's word maybe it's Psalm 51 and I will full confession here Psalm 51 I go to a lot a lot but it's I think that one and this is a biased opinion that one just gets right to the heart of man and to the heart of God love Psalm 51 So I'm going to stop talking about it right now because I can't stop I love it So Luther also calls the Psalter the spirits summary of the whole Bible he says the Psalter should be precious to us if only because it most clearly promises the death and resurrection of Christ and describes his kingdom and the nature and standing of all Christian people it could well be entitled a little Bible since everything contained in the entire Bible is beautifully and briefly comprehended and compacted into a manual it seems to me as if the Holy Ghost had been pleased to take on himself the trouble of putting together a short Bible touching the whole of Christianity in order that they who are unable to read the whole Bible may never the last never the last find almost the whole sum comprehended in one little book the Psalter is the very heragon of books don't be scared of the book of Psalm we are going to have a great time going through this I hope and I pray that our study will open the book of Psalms for each of us for every single one of us and and that we will be able to weave it into our life of prayer into our prayer life because it is God's own word given to us that we get to recite to pray right back to him and we don't have to worry if we're eloquent when we pray we don't have to worry if we're getting exactly what we're trying to portray because we are praying God's own words to him and that's a beautiful thing that is a beautiful thing So today for our time of, we're going to, I think we're going to have fun. Anytime we watch anything that touches on a theological notion I go this is just this just bad theology and and she started stopping me as we're watching something she just says mom I know I know it's I'm not turning to this for theology I'm turning it to it for fun but anyway so so there you go the Nephilim the great mystery not as exciting as we think or as as sometimes it's portrayed but but it makes more sense it's more realistic and so there we go all right so we started in Genesis now we're going to jump all the way to revelation there is um revelation is I mean we could I know we talked about this last year we could spend just years in revelation and still um be fascinated and find more uh we're gonna go to revelation 12 revelation 12 so we started in Genesis the very first book of the Bible and we're going all the way to the end to revelation the very last book in the Bible so we're making it very easy to find today um we don't even have to open to the middle and then flip we just know you either go to the front of the back so we're in the back of the Bible revelation verse 12 um so have you ever been reading in Daniel it also has this where where you read and it talks about a time times in half a time and we kind of read past that and go yep okay sounds good what is time times and half a time so that is what we're going to be looking at today so we're going to start with verses uh one through six because this is very interesting remember how we talked last year about how revelation goes in these cycles right it's cyclical writing and so here we're going to find in these first six verses of chapter 12 we find that um that it's it's a quick version of then what is laid out in the rest of 12 so let's go ahead and read verses one through six where John is seeing the vision and he says a great portant appeared in heaven a woman clothed with the sun with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of 12 stars she was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs in the agony of giving birth then another portant appeared in heaven a great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven diadams on his heads his tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born and she gave birth to a son a male child who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron but her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne and the woman fled into the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God so that there she can be nourished for 1,260 days okay so a great sign it begins by saying a great sign a great sign is it's pointing to something of importance remember how we hear that there will be signs and wonders that Jesus did many signs and wonders he is it that is always pointing to something of divine importance that's happening a visual representation of something divine right we know that when Jesus performs miracles something divine is happening right there we know that anytime there's a sign given there's something divine that's happening that's going on so so this woman is wearing a crown of 12 stars on her head now a crown was given in reward for a contest it was it was it showed a victory and this crown of of 12 stars it represents 12 of the 24 elders that were around the throne of God so in the throne room we read about the 12 elders that are praising and worshipping the Lord and we knew when we talked about this last year we talked about how 12 those 12 of those 24 represented or were the 12 tribes of Israel and the other 12 were the 12 apostles so you have the Old Testament and the New Testament coming together and you have the 24 represented so you have you have this woman who is wearing the crown of 12 stars on her head and prior to the child's birth the 12 stars are representing the 12 tribes of Israel it's those those 12 tribes so it's really that old testament people that are being represented here it's it's all the people of God in the Old Testament that are represented then after the child is born the 12 stars are representing the other 12 elders that are that are the 12 apostles which represents the New Testament Church which represents the people of God both both of the Old and the New it's it's the complete people of God the stars are signifying that the woman represents the entire people of God Israel and the New Israel the Old Israel and the New Israel Mary is is the model of the woman or for the woman she's also the model for and represents the church so here we have this woman and and and she is I mean we know that Mary did give birth to Christ but we also know that the church is referred to as a bride remember in the Old Testament how consistently the prophets write and and God writes through through them talking about the the unfaithful bride that is the church and then afterwards we hear in the New Testament about the church that is adorned as the bride for Christ right the bride of the lamb so the church is adorned with the sun and crown of stars God loves and honors his people God loves his people his people of all his people of now and his people to come God loves all of his church the moon that is under the woman's feet that shows that she's the dominant earth entity in his creation so everything everything in creation is governed for the benefit of the church the church is to increase to be cared for the church is protected by God the dragon then is sitting here it's just incredible imagery this dragon that is just waiting for this child to be born to debour him so so we see that the dragon at the start isn't again or isn't after the woman the dragon wants to destroy the child the dragon wants has a focus against the child that's where the warfare is all centered but the child escapes the dragon and that's when the dragon turns his rage toward the woman so if you keep your hand in revelation and if you go to Psalm 2 now we're going to open to the middle of our Bibles into Psalm 2 please it's just incredible when you get into you know I like the the Lutheran the Lutheran way of understanding that scripture interpret scripture because it helps to clarify it helps a lot to make sense of what doesn't seem to make sense and we see that that God has it he has what he wants us to know in his word so so it's just kind of cool that's a total aside but it's just it's just really cool to see how God gives us always through his word understanding so so in in Psalm 2 we read we read about the prophecy of this so reading in Psalm 2 it says why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and his anointed saying let us burst their bonds a sundering cast their cords from us he who sits in the heavens laugh the Lord has them in derision then he will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them within his fury saying I have set my king on Zion my holy hill I will tell of the decree of the Lord he said to me you are my son today I have begotten you ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your possession you shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel now therefore oh kings be wise be warned oh rulers of the earth serve the Lord with fear with trembling kiss his feet or he will be angry and you will perish in the way for his wrath is quickly kindled happy are all who take refuge in him so we see that in Psalm 2 God is telling us that he will anoint his king he will install his king who is the anointed one and in Psalm 2 verse 9 when it talks about the iron rod it's looking past the present age where gods or Christ rain is hidden right it's looking past that into the future rain when Christ's rain will be revealed in power and with glory and so it's light in light of the future rain the the future rain of Christ the kings kings are told fear worship and serve the Lord in that knowing that this rain indeed is coming and so this is what is the kings and those of us on earth are invited to to fear and worship so that that the escape of the wrath of God can happen remember happier all who take refuge in him we know that the rain the eternal forever rain is the Lord's and so when he comes again in all power and glory and and his kingdom is no longer hidden from the world we know as believers we do not need to tremble because our time now is is revering the Lord our king and and we know his kingdom is to come so that is that is an invitation and a warning right that that those who who revel in the worldly rain and the reign of the dragon gods wrath indeed will come upon them the dragon the dragon though can only look toward or look forward to his complete termination his a complete termination of his of his rule and so he's furious with this child he's furious with this child and that's where he wants to to snatch the child in Luke chapter one verses 31 and 32 we find out that the male child that is to be born to marry is to rule on the throne forever we know that his his rule and reign will be forever it is eternal and Jesus declares in his ministry over and over again that he is the shepherd he is the one who has come to call and gather the sheep just as God had promised so so in verse five going back to Revelation in verse five we read she gave birth to a son a male child who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron but her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne a lot happens in that phrase in this phrase we have the incarnation we have the ministry of Jesus we have the passion the death the resurrection and the ascension in just a little phrase so so so we have the sum of our whole everything that we know about Christ all in those few words that the child was born and snatched up to God Jesus the child he is exalted and enthroned it is not the dragon it is not the dragon who prevailed it is Christ it is the child born who prevailed praise the Lord the dragon couldn't destroy the child at his birth so now now we're going to jump down so so those verses one through six that an overall explanation of what's happening here then then John in his writing with the prophecy he comes back then beginning in verse seven and goes back over it and explains what happens and tells of it in more detail so in that we hear beginning in verse seven war broke out in heaven Michael and his angels fought against the dragon the dragon and his angels fought back but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven the great dragon was thrown down that ancient ancient serpent who is called the devil and Satan and deceiver of the whole world he was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him then I heard a loud voice in heaven proclaiming now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down who accuses them day and night before our God but they have conquered him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony for they did not cling to life even in the face of death rejoice then you heavens and those who dwell in them but woe to the earth and to the sea for the devil has come down to you with great wrath because he knows that his time is short okay a couple of things here why I keep highlighting that that this you know the first six verses give a shortened version and then we come back to get more details because when when one reads revelation in a linear fashion then we see that there are that that they're they're really then are two dragons how does this work and you see this timeline getting really muddled and very confused so when we understand that we're coming back to to the deeper explanation or more details it makes it clearer does that make sense yes oh good I'm so glad I also I also want to highlight I just find it so amazing these incredible descriptions of the serpent of the devil given where where it is it is in verse um verse 10 and into 11 it talks about um the accuser the accuser who accuses that day and night before our God and isn't that exactly what the devil does but stand there first saying you know come on it's okay you know tempting us warring us into sin we sin and then he says can you believe what you just did you should be ashamed you are unworthy you are un-savable right isn't that what the great accuser does I love those verses just it's just anyway so um so the dragon can't destroy child that has then the woman this this first Mary is now the church it's both the old and the new Israel um and and we read about that where where Paul in Romans writes about there's no longer Jew in Greek but but we're one in Ephesians chapter two we we read all about um the unity of who we are in Christ right that we are no longer separated but we are one we read in the New Testament in Paul where he talks about um you know we're all one in the Lord one Lord one spirit one baptism for the forgiveness of sin and so we have this unity and um let's go ahead and go back to Revelation verse 13 so when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child so he's pursuing after this woman he can't he cannot defeat the child and so he goes after the woman he goes after the church but the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she could fly from the serpent into the wilderness to her place where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time see time and times and half a time okay we're gonna math that's okay this is this is simple math okay yes so we have we have time that's one we have times so that's two so we have that and then we have half so that is time times and half a time one plus two is three plus half is three and a half simple math now I'm gonna explain what this even means so so um three three and a half is half of number seven right so the number seven is very key here okay so when we read um we read earlier in Revelation we read about um about a 1,260 days uh that the witnesses of God are on the earth right and we read about um 1,260 days where where the city is trampled right and and so this is a very figurative language um three and a half years equals 1,260 days so we we're coming to look at this figuratively um and not linear so it's not that there will be two prophets proclaiming for three and a half years exactly and then there will be burning in the city for three and a half years exactly and then but it's it's figurative so the two the the prophets the witnesses of God were in that time period okay so um but we're talking about times time time times and and half a time um so so three and a half is half of seven seven is God's number seven is God's number remember he created in seven days and created in six rested on the seventh but but it's the seven days of creation um so so we have this this fullness in the number seven the fullness of of God well three and a half is half that is the devil's mockery of God three and a half is the devil's mockery of God and until the completion of God's time we are in a period of the devil's mockery we're in a period of the devil the accuser wreaking havoc and accusing doing all he can to torment the the church so he chased after the woman the woman went into the wilderness and she was in verse 14 it says that she is nourished for a time and times and half a time so we are currently in the time and times and half a time but the woman remember at this point is the church she is the church let's go back to Revelation to read in verse 15 then from his mouth the serpent poured water like a river after the woman to sweep her away with the flood but the earth came to the help of the woman it opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth then the dragon was angry with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her children those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus so remember the dragon now is being referred to as the serpent where do we first see the serpent genocents in the Garden of Eden who deceive, eve and Adam right and is also told by God that he will be crushed that he will be crushed by Eve's offspring so now the dragon the serpent has been trying to devour this child can't cannot destroy the child he chases after the woman chases after the church continues to hound after the woman but the woman is cared for she is nourished she is nourished by creation she is provided for and we know that as the church we are under complete and the church being you know believers we are always under fire by the the serpent by the devil the dragon but we are nourished week after week with word and sacrament we are nourished day after day with word right and so we're always nourished and kept in in God's reign and rule by his mercy and by his grace so um yeah so God cares for the woman in the wilderness the serpent still causes a lot of pain a lot of anxiety and we see that he turns to then torment the rest of her seed. Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning and rumblings and peels of thunder and in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches which are the seven spirits of God and in front of the throne there is something like a sea of glass like crystal around the throne and on each side of the throne are four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind the first living creature like a lion the second living creature like an ox the third living creature with a face like a human like a human face and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle and the four living creatures each of them with six wings are full of eyes all around and inside day and night without ceasing they sing holy holy holy the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come and whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne who lives forever and ever the 24 elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever they cast their crowns before the throne singing you are worthy our Lord and God to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things and by your will they existed and were created so this is where we are in the throne room this is where we're gonna step for a little bit so the purpose of the vision of God's heavenly court is to show us the the the coronation to show the church the coronation and enthronement enthronement of Jesus Christ the crucified and risen Lord so we're going to get to his enthronement after we talk about the throne room but but if we think about acts if you hold your hand here and then go back to the book of Acts chapter 1 books or the book of Acts chapter 1 so this is right after the gospel of John and this is this is the continuation Luke wrote the book of Acts and so when Luke's gospel and it picks up again then right here in the book of Acts so chapter 1 beginning in verse 6 of the book of Acts so when they had come together this is the the apostles they asked him Lord is this the time when you will restore the kingdom of Israel he replied it is not for you to know the times or periods that the father has set by his own authority but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem in Al Judeian Samaria and to the ends of the earth when he had said this as they were watching he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight while he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven suddenly two men in white robes stood by them and so then angels talked to him so this is that's the earthly perspective of the ascension of Christ to the father now we're going to go back to to Revelation because this is where we receive the heavenly perspective of Christ entering or returning to the father so so we have it's the same thing but here in Revelation we get heaven's perspective of when Christ when Christ is received by the father so John sees the throne of God he sees the throne of God he sees the one sitting on it the one is the object of all worship there's a lot of worship happening here he doesn't give us any specific facial or bodily characteristics so he doesn't describe the one on the throne but says that his appearance is like the precious stones of Jasper and some say Sardius and some this one says Carnelian and then there's a rainbow of emerald around it doesn't mean that God is a stone it does not mean that God is a stone but the appearance of God's glory think of when you hold a precious stone in the sunlight and the light reflects through and the rays shine through and is cast out like put out everywhere so the appearance of God's glory it reflects it reflects the brilliance of his presence as precious stones reflect rays of the sun so we can't look directly at the sun but we can catch a glimpse of the beauty of the sun through the reflection of those rays so so God is not a stone but his glory is brilliant his glory is brilliant Isaiah and Ezekiel also have scenes within the throne room we're not going to study those today but I thought as I was studying I thought oh that would be a really fun small group so not this coming year but look for it in the future because I think that would be a fun one so the stones Jasper Sardius emerald those are all part of the breastplate that the high priest was told to wear in Exodus when when they got all the the instructions those stones were on the breastplate of the high priest and the high priest represented Israel before the throne or before God offering sacrifice for a tonement so this is this is the setting that we're in we get to the 24 elders these 24 elders are sitting on thrones they are wearing crowns and they are they are wearing white robes they are sitting and they are wearing robes and crowns they are not angels they are not heavenly beings or heavenly creatures they are elevated saints they're elevated saints and the 24 elders are the church of the Old Testament of Israel who believed in the New Testament we have the 12 tribes of Israel or the the 12 tribes from Jacob right those are represented for the Old Testament and we have the 12 apostles which are the saints of the New Church or of the church so we have the 24 right there together they're representing the totality of God's people they sit on thrones and they wear crowns because they are victorious in Christ they wear the crown of victory they have white robes because they have been cleansed through the blood of Christ they're in his presence they're in God's presence representing the church they're in God's presence because that by grace is exactly where they belong which is good news that is good news that the church belongs in the presence of God the other thing I want to talk about here is that glassy see that glassy see that is before before the throne there are a couple of things that are really interesting about this so so first of all there is there is that representation of a separation right and while we remain here on earth there is a separation between us and and God we're still separated from the eternal glory when he calls us to home to be in his presence then we will not be separated from his eternal glory but here on earth we are still separated from the eternal glory also think about how the sea is often portrayed or what it symbolizes in Scripture so often it's a raging steep sea it's chaotic it's tormenting and it's it's really representative of the evil and the wickedness and the chaos of our sinful lives and here the the sea is like crystal it's a glassy sea that is transparent it's like crystal it's still it's calm the turmoil of our sin which separates us from God before the throne of God it has been still it has been still it has been conquered and it is tranquil we don't have to fear the torment of the chaos we don't have to fear the the torment or the chaos of wrath of God's wrath and judgment because all is peaceful all is peaceful between God and his creation before the throne just calls for all of us to just take a deep breath and we know that all is at peace before the throne then we have these winged creatures that are flying to and fro Isaiah refers to them as Sarah Femme Ezekiel refers to them as Cherubem John doesn't give them either of those names he sees that that they are closer to God than any other creature and I like how one author says that they can be thought of as the choir masters leading the heavenly host in the song of praise and worship they sing praises of the Lord they initiate the worship the angels and the saints they join in as these flying creatures sing holy holy holy and that song that song continues throughout it comes up several times in revelation and there will be stanzas added to it we see this time in the throne or in the throne room it's a time of complete worship it is it is a time of singing and praising and honoring God God who is so brilliant that he can't be described this this is the scene in which we were seeing or that John John shows us so they're singing holy holy holy all the heavenly hosts are praising God the church on earth praises God and sings this song we sing this song even in suffering because we are still called to worship the Lord and we still can worship the Lord even in the midst of suffering so now we get to the really exciting part of the throne room we get to the lamb okay so we're going to go back to Revelation chapter 5 and we're going to just read the whole thing because it's so exciting it's so wonderful okay so so he's he's in the throne room he is seeing all of these heavenly hosts and the winged creatures singing and and and the majestic one the brilliant one on the throne and the church represented by the 24 elders and he says and then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back sealed okay so he sees the scroll in the right hand of God God's right hand works salvation for his people the contents of the scroll have ultimate good and glory of God's people the completeness of its contents is sealed but we know that there's a completeness of contents because it's written on the inside and on the back so it's fully fully written but it's sealed so the message is hidden the revelation is hidden it would remain closed and unknown until the worthy person came to claim it okay so let's keep going back in here so we're back to to a verse two and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals and no one no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it no one had earned the privilege or the ability to open this sealed scroll and John says I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it then one of the elders said to me do not weep see the lion of the tribe of Judah the root of David has conquered so that he can open the scroll and it's seven seals so no one was found to be worthy no one in all of God's creation no no no one not even that an angel was worthy to open this scroll and to stand before the presence of God and lay legal claim to this scroll and then an elder an elder one of the church tells this weeping John who is so saddened so saddened that no one is found to be worthy and he's weeping bitterly and an elder representing the church he says look look to the lamb look to the lamb and he calls him the lion of Judah the lion was a messianic symbol of royal rain and power and when you think of a lion you think of a lot of power I mean we most of us have heard of or read the Chronicles of Narnia and God is depicted as the lion aslan you know and it's this powerful powerful being and so so we have the elder saying seeing the lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered so he can open the scroll and it seven seals and then verse six then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered having seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth this is an amazing picture that we have here we have the angel announcing who's worthy who's worthy John weeping bitterly because there's no one who is worthy to open this scroll and elder says no no no look check out it's the lion of Judah and so John turns expecting a lion of Judah and he sees Jesus he sees the lamb the lamb who was slain who shows the marks of the crucifixion the lion of Judah is a lamb standing in the midst of them all this is a beautiful witness of the crucifixion of Christ because he stands the lamb as one who has been slain but it also is a beautiful testimony of the resurrection because it is the lamb who stands he stands there in the midst of them all living forever so we have both the crucifixion and the victory of the resurrection right there in that verse it's amazing I had one cohort who said he pictured this scene like a boxing ring where you you know they say oh and in this corner and there's just this light that shines on and all of a sudden it's the slain lamb in the light and so this is where we have him he has ascended to the Father he is right there all the heavenly hosts see him and we continue yes we continue so so he went this is verse 7 he went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne when he had taken the scroll the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell before the lamb each holding a harp and golden bowls of full of incense which are the prayers of the saints in that beautiful the church the heavenly beings they bring the prayers of the saints that's us that's us brought to the right hand of the Lord the lamb who has the right and legal claim to the scroll who has the right the legal claim to all of human history they sing a new song you are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God and they will reign on earth then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands singing with full voice worthy is the lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and glory and honor and blessing then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all that is in them singing to the one seated on the throne and to the lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever this is not a mass Exodus of the of the Sunday school I'm just saying they are going to sing with the saints and the four living creatures said amen and the elders fell down and worshipped so the action of receiving the scroll is very very important because the lamb not only reveals human humanity's destiny but it shows that he also has control he has control no one anywhere can dominate over the contents of the scroll so what is in the scroll no one can dominate over it no one else has the power or authority over it they can't even receive the scroll only the chosen lamb only Christ himself can receive that he alone determines the outcome of human history he rules on behalf of his father and for the benefit of his church so that the church will be protected in faith and will be protected in hope and we'll be able to carry out the mission that it has been given so receiving the scroll that's the coronation of Jesus Christ he is the king of kings the Lord of Lords this is the beginning of the everlasting reign of Jesus Christ of God's righteousness through the exalted sun it's a reign that is consummated at the end at the resurrection that you and I will be a part of and in that new heaven and earth which we are going to talk about the new heaven and earth next week we're going to stay here this week remember in all of these cycles how I said that there were interludes so there are interludes that happen in here and I don't think it's a mistake that interludes happen because you read any of these plagues, scenes of the end and it's a lot you know and John receiving this vision there's no way that he's not filled with fear he's seeing all of this happen and so there is that is that is scary so we're going to turn to Revelation chapter 7 we're going to talk about the church triumphant and the church militant so the 144,000 beginning in Revelation chapter 7 verse 1 so we're going to start here and this is after the horses or the horsemen have come so after this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on earth or see against any tree I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun having the seal of the living God and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to damage earth and sea saying do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees until we have marked the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads and I heard the number of those who were sealed 144,000 sealed out of every tribe of the people of Israel and then it goes through and it's 12,000 from any names all the tribes so the 144,000 that represents God's people on earth there are at least one cult of Christianity that claims that only 144,000 people will be in heaven we're going to see that that's wrong but this is representative of the church on earth of God's people who are in perfect order there is perfection in that order and they are ready to march it is the church militant poised and ready to carry out the mission that it has been given so we today are part of the church militant we are this side of heaven we have a mission given by the Lord to go to all nations making disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the father the son and the Holy Spirit teaching them to obey all that Jesus has commanded we read right before the ascension in the book of Acts he said you will be my witnesses to go so we are the church militant with that mission so then we go down to chapter 9 of chapter 7 where it says after this I looked and there was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation from all tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne and before the Lamb robed in white with palm branches in their hands they cried out in a loud voice saying salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb and all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God and it continues well actually know we are going to continue because it is too beautiful not to and all the angels worship God singing amen blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever amen then one of the elders addressed me saying who are these robed in white and where have they come from I said to him sir you are the one that knows then he said to me these are they who have come out of the great ordeal they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb for this reason they are before the throne of God and worship him day and night within his temple and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them they will hunger no more and thirst no more the sun will not strike them nor any scorching heat for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd and he will guide them to springs of the water of life and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes it's just incredible absolutely incredible John in this vision sees a multitude of people before God's heavenly throne from every nation every tribe the number is so great that it cannot be counted this is the church triumphant John is allowed to see God's people he's allowed to see that God's people on earth are ready to carry out their mission as the church militant they are ready to enter into the valley of the shadow of death and then before they are taken he sees them sealed the ceiling that they receive means that no matter what no matter how much he John and God's people no matter how much suffering we endure this side of heaven the mission will be fulfilled the mission will be fulfilled and God will protect us in faith God will protect the church militant in the faith there will be faith suffering there will be death we all die we all have our soul separate from our bodies we all do die but we won't lose faith the church does not lose faith and God will defend the faith in the end the church then becomes the church militant then becomes the church triumphant because we are all brought into the presence of God the church is sealed and kept in faith and elevated to glorify Christ and to live in his glory when John sees this great church triumphant he's filled with joy he's filled with joy because he knows they are coming out of tribulation they are coming out of suffering but they have been protected and brought to glory in Christ in Revelation in verse three of chapter seven it says that they've been sealed so God knows exactly who belongs to him and he seals them so the Christian and I had to write this exactly how it was written because it's so beautiful and it's such a comforting word that the Christian can be absolutely certain and sure of his salvation and faith because it rests on the truth of God's word and God's seal within that word the Lord knows who's who are his it's through his word that God seals his people assures them by his spirit that they belong to him and that he will protect them in faith Paul says Christians are sealed by the Holy Spirit given to the Christian as God's pledge or guarantee of the inheritance that God has promised it's the pledge of God's promise that seals the Christian in his heart the seal then assures the believer that he belongs to God and is known by God the Holy Spirit does this through the word of God's promise which has been brought to fulfillment by Jesus Christ the throne room the lamb that sits upon the throne the church militant continuing to march we are a part of that but we have the assurance of God's protection we have the assurance of his promise we have the assurance that we have been sealed what do we do every single baptize or every single baptism we seal that person in the name of the Father the Holy Spirit that they are sealed sealed in the spirit of God they are claimed the Lord knows who are his and we are promised and we should find great comfort that regardless of the suffering that we have this side of heaven that we are promised that we will be part of the multitude that is countless that we'll be singing the praises and worshiping the Father in that glorious throne room Lord, we thank you for your grace, we thank you for your word, we thank you that your word is indeed truth and you lead us by your spirit into all things that are true. Jesus did not give a caveat when he called to his disciples and said you are to go out and to proclaim you are to be my witnesses there were no seminaries they knew Jesus they knew the truth of who he was and who he was in their lives that's the experience that they brought to their witness you know who Jesus is you know who he is in your life that is the experience that you bring to your witness as you proclaim of all that he has done but what if we're not sales people what if we're just not born for sales we're gonna cut that one short really quick when we are evangelizing when we are proclaiming the good news we are not selling anything because when we're selling goods there's a chance that that good will fault her fail erode the good news of salvation in Christ and Christ alone it will never fail the good news that you are righteous because of Christ will never erode or rust or fade it is a promise eternally golden resting in the richness of God's own love and mercy for you now we're gonna get to the conviction part for those of us who like to talk and think that evangelism or neglect of evangelism may not apply to us I was on a plane once I had been in Omaha for a week and I was tired it was a short plane ride I just wanted to get home and I sat down and there were two women that were sitting next to me and I found out they were and soon enough they started chatting and they were talking about the Bible and I said to myself nope nope we are not gonna intervene we are not gonna say anything and they continue to talk and I couldn't help it by God's grace while I wanted to neglect evangelism while I wanted to neglect these two saints that sat next to me the Lord did not allow me he opened my lips and it was the most fruitful conversation they were just coming to know the Lord and it was such an honor and privilege to be able to share in that conversation I have other times other stories in my life where I know that as a talker I have chosen to not speak I have chosen to neglect the opportunity to share the good news I confess that to you as I confess it before the Lord because neglecting evangelism we are all guilty of that regardless if we like to talk or if we like to keep to ourselves we are all guilty of neglecting sharing the good news I want to encourage you this week encourage you to keep your eyes open to those around you who may not have heard the good news they may be in your own household they may be in your workplace your school room they may be in the grocery store we have heard many times about God's saying divine appointments for us what is evangelism but meeting that divine appointment to share the good news the good news that Christ has died Christ is risen and Christ will come again my brothers and sisters you are the disciples of Christ you are the witnesses of what he has done for you I encourage you I encourage you to go forth go forth this week seeking the people that God is sending you to seeking the people that God has placed in your lives to share the good news and just as Paul says go forth not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who has to the Jew first and also to the Greek for in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith as it is written the one who is righteous will live by faith go forth knowing that you are righteous in Christ I want to share a story with you. Adam and Eve had everything down to the fact that they bore the image of God the idea of not having enough not being enough it wasn't even a question in their mind because they had never experienced lack they had never experienced anything outside of perfection they had never experienced anything outside of the completeness of God and then the devil comes that tricky serpent and whispers into Eve's ear and raises the question of enough in her life the temptation stirs in Eve's heart and she thinks maybe what she has isn't enough maybe there's more look with me please at chapter three beginning in verse six so when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise she took of its fruit and ate and she also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate then the eyes of both were opened and they knew that they were naked and they so did leave together and made loincloths for themselves eating fruit seems pretty innocent it's not a huge deal right to eat a fruit why is that really a big deal after all it looked good it seemed like it would be good to Eve was it a big deal yes it was a big deal because God had expressly forbidden it he had expressly forbidden eating of that fruit we like to judge sin and rank it some sins are worse than others some sins not so bad we can joke about it a little bit but sin is sin sin is sin all sin and sin is not determined by how you or I feel about it sin is not determined by whether we want to say something is right or wrong the whole series of acceptable sins with the big question mark it begs the question what sin is acceptable and the answer is a resounding none no sin is acceptable absolutely zero sin is acceptable even if everyone else does it sin is sin sin is wrong and sin earns the full wrath of God the Father Eve sinned when she questioned the word of God and determined for herself what would be right and good she tried to blame the serpent but the guilt lies directly on her shoulders for her own sin and just like Eve just like Eve we sin out of envy Eve envied God his wisdom Eve envied God his authority and his sovereignty and so she determined for herself that what she had the word of God was not enough and she ate of the fruit just like Eve our envy says that we what we have been given by God is not enough whether it is a matter of a material thing that God has blessed us with we see others who have more and we look at our blessing and say it's not enough out of envy we see the spouse of another person and look at our own spouse and say what God has given me in this spouse is not enough we see others who are wiser than us more talented than us more skilled than us funnyer than us and we envy because we are not enough in our envy we delight in the downfall of others when another struggles we take delight when another when another has a mishap we find little glimpses of joy or humor our envy our envy ultimately comes down to the envy we have over our own lives, over our own morality, over our own decisions that we do not hold the authority that we do not hold the ultimate wisdom that we do not hold ultimate sovereignty and we envy God we envy God and we determine for ourselves what is right and what is wrong in our gospel reading today we have that period where pilot is bringing Jesus before the Jewish people and he has a custom to turn over one of the prisoners to the Jewish people to release him and let him go free and surely he's expecting that he'll let Jesus go because as it said he knew that Jesus had been handed over by the chief priests out of envy the chief priests envy Jesus they envied the power that he had they envied the fluence that he had and they sought his downfall they sought his demise we envy God Jesus stood before the crowd in a crown of thorns and they mocked him and called for his crucifixion do you envy God in that moment they beat him and flogged him stripping away pieces of skin do you envy God they marched him through the streets holding across that he could barely carry do you still envy God they nailed him to two pieces of wood do you envy God Jesus hung there on the cross struggling for breath while those around him crucified with him taunted and tormented him the soldiers at the foot of his cross teased him mocked him while his mother and his friends stood by weeping unable to do a thing do you envy God on that cross the entire wrath of the father was poured out so heavily the burden of the sin of this world of all time all places all people thoughts words and deeds the punishment poured out upon the sun so devastating that he called out my God my God why have you forsaken me and he gave up his spirit to death do you still envy God they removed the body and buried it in a tomb Jesus had died if that had been you or I or any person to ever walk this earth the story would end there it would be done and it would be deserved and just but God God is God he is not you or I God in the second person of the Trinity Jesus Christ walked this earth to live the life that you and I cannot live he walked this earth out of his love for you and I so that when he died experiencing the full punishment unjust punishment of the father he could do what neither you nor I could do and he rose victorious he conquered death he conquered the grave he conquered your sin he conquered my sin even the sin of our envy Jesus did for you and for I what we could never do for ourselves or for anyone else from the beginning of your life of faith when you were born through waters of baptism you were born free you were born into salvation you were born into eternal forgiveness and you were born once again in the image of God and as Paul writes in Galatians it is no longer I who live but it is Christ who lives in me and in Christ you come before the father not enough in yourself but you are in Christ and in Christ you are enough because you stand redeemed in Christ and this was planned from before the beginning in Ephesians chapter one Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit writes he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love he destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of his will to the to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the beloved in him we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us what you have my brothers and sisters is Christ there is no need to be in Christ you have forgiveness in Christ you have salvation in Christ you have life in Christ and what you have in Christ is enough and so the joy that you have in Christ is enough the peace that you have in Christ is enough the love that you have in Christ is enough and so I encourage you I encourage you to live live in Christ because not only is Christ enough Christ is everything What you open your Bible's please with me to Psalm 130 for our time and God's Word today.

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