back to indexCollege Bible Study - Revelation 11
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God, that you have kept us through spring break. 00:00:10.480 |
So often we forget that you are our sustaining life, that every breath we take is a gift 00:00:17.640 |
from you and indeed something that is to be treasured and considered precious. 00:00:22.560 |
Father, we know our days are numbered and God, you give us each one. 00:00:28.320 |
And so tonight, would every moment that goes by be seized as an opportunity to worship 00:00:35.400 |
you, yes, but in this specific method of going into your word and encountering who you are 00:00:42.800 |
and what you're like in this book of Revelation. 00:00:49.440 |
Thank you, God, for the great message that's within it, that we as a church can turn our 00:00:55.320 |
eyes urgently and even pleadingly to this world as we look to the coming of Christ to 00:01:01.960 |
share this message to those who are in need of it and that it too would sober us, taking 00:01:07.800 |
our eyes off of the things that might entrap us and ensnare us. 00:01:12.180 |
And Father, that we would learn what it means and what it looks like to lay aside every 00:01:15.440 |
weight and every sin which clings so closely and that we would begin to run this race with 00:01:25.160 |
Okay, so if you could turn with me to Revelation chapter 11. 00:01:30.560 |
And if you were not here with us last week, because I know a lot of you weren't able to 00:01:37.480 |
because of spring break, or not last week, two weeks ago, we made a decision to go ahead 00:01:46.880 |
So meaning we probably won't be able to finish this book by the end of this quarter. 00:01:51.640 |
I'm not sure if we're going to be going through it over the summer, probably not. 00:01:55.080 |
But what that does mean is you get kind of a head start now into a study of Revelation 00:02:00.000 |
So you could be studying it even if we don't finish on your own. 00:02:03.960 |
That'd be kind of a cool thing to do as well. 00:02:06.560 |
I do encourage you guys, if you do have time, come early to grab one of those sheets and 00:02:16.960 |
Here's a secondary reason for that, so that you can kind of get here on time too. 00:02:23.200 |
So if you guys are able to come a little bit early and kind of study through the text together, 00:02:27.760 |
even pray together, and then come down and prepare your hearts for worship, I think it 00:02:38.360 |
Revelation 11 is where we're at, but let's review first. 00:02:41.120 |
If you look at that box up above, chapter 1, remember we saw John and the Son of Man, 00:02:49.120 |
the Son of Man who we know to be the risen Christ. 00:02:54.960 |
He comes and he begins to speak to John and says, "Write down all these things that I'm 00:02:59.600 |
saying to you and then deliver this message to the seven churches." 00:03:03.720 |
And that's what we see in chapters 2 and 3, the seven churches. 00:03:07.400 |
And then from chapters 4 through 7, we see a vision in heaven. 00:03:13.480 |
We see everything worshiping God, everyone worshiping God there in that throne room. 00:03:18.920 |
And then all eyes turn their attentions to this Jesus who is described as the slain lamb. 00:03:26.800 |
And he's given this scroll that all of heaven is hoping would be opened. 00:03:32.600 |
And only Jesus, only the slain lamb is able to open up this scroll that is the title or 00:03:40.120 |
the deed to the earth, that God might redeem the earth once it's opened. 00:03:44.920 |
And with the opening of every seal, we saw God's wrath poured down upon the earth. 00:03:51.760 |
Then when seal 7 was opened, we heard silence and then we see these trumpets begin to blow. 00:04:00.660 |
We went through the first six trumpets and then two weeks ago, we went into that interlude. 00:04:08.160 |
So today what we're going to be doing is going into this second part of the interlude into 00:04:15.400 |
So just to give you a snapshot of the future as well, what we see, a lot of the action 00:04:21.200 |
is going to center around three sets of seven. 00:04:24.140 |
So there's the seven seals, seven trumpets, and then the seven bowls. 00:04:29.440 |
What you see in between are interludes and things happening. 00:04:32.920 |
There are kind of breaks in the action to describe whether it be in the future or in 00:04:37.240 |
the past, things that have happened or are going to happen. 00:04:40.660 |
And then it continues the narrative of how it all unravels. 00:04:49.920 |
If you look down at chapter 11, verse 1, we'll read from verse 1 through 3. 00:04:55.480 |
It says, "Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff and I was told, 'Rise and measure 00:04:59.660 |
the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there. 00:05:02.920 |
But do not measure the court outside the temple. 00:05:05.680 |
Leave that out for it is given over to the nations and they will trample the holy city 00:05:11.340 |
And I will grant authority to my two witnesses and they will prophesy for 1,260 days clothed 00:05:19.200 |
So in verse 1 there, we see we're introduced to this thing called the measuring rod. 00:05:29.520 |
"Take this measuring rod and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship 00:05:36.920 |
So for those of you who are able to kind of take a look at this, the big question is, 00:05:43.800 |
What is this measuring rod and why are we doing it? 00:05:47.400 |
Or why is he being called to measure the temple? 00:05:50.920 |
If you look at that first bullet point, a measuring rod was usually a hollow reed-like 00:05:58.920 |
So if you guys have ever had like one of those sticks that are hollow inside and it's like 00:06:06.140 |
And so this was something used during this time, very ideal for measuring anything. 00:06:13.440 |
And many times buildings would need to be measured and so they would use these reeds. 00:06:28.040 |
You guys can turn to your neighbor and ask this of each other. 00:06:30.480 |
Why do you think God asked John to measure the temple? 00:06:33.200 |
Make your best guess at this with your neighbor. 00:08:35.500 |
So to measure them was to measure the standard 00:09:06.900 |
and it says that if anybody touches the mountain, 00:09:16.140 |
Because the very presence of God is that great. 00:09:22.340 |
that God's presence has to be removed from humanity. 00:09:26.100 |
If his presence is not removed from humanity, 00:09:28.140 |
what happens to sinful people before a holy God? 00:09:34.660 |
And so the temple was almost God's redeeming solution 00:09:40.620 |
as to how he would bring his presence to people 00:09:44.380 |
because God's presence is the only means to life itself. 00:09:59.140 |
was this understanding of the presence of God with Israel, 00:10:03.060 |
to measure it was to make sure that it needs to be done 00:11:02.900 |
"I heard one speaking to me out of the temple. 00:11:16.260 |
"And the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, 00:11:21.500 |
"by their whoring and by the dead bodies of their kings 00:11:34.080 |
"by their abominations that they have committed, 00:11:40.260 |
"and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, 00:11:47.760 |
"describe to the house of Israel, the temple, 00:11:50.180 |
"that they may be ashamed of their iniquities, 00:11:55.240 |
"And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, 00:11:57.080 |
"make known to them the design of the temple, 00:11:59.100 |
"its arrangements, its exits and its entrances, 00:12:03.860 |
"and make known to them as well all its statutes 00:12:17.680 |
"The whole territory on the top of the mountain 00:12:28.140 |
the remaining chapters in Ezekiel after that, 00:12:30.500 |
chapter 43, 44, look at some of the headings, 00:12:49.180 |
and everything that goes along with the temple. 00:13:01.380 |
There are a few things that kinda go along with this. 00:13:14.140 |
There are people, even during this time in Ezekiel, 00:13:20.460 |
he's saying that these people are not doing it 00:13:25.100 |
He's saying, "They're living right next door to me, 00:13:28.220 |
"and because they're living in this abomination-like way, 00:13:42.740 |
in that gracious and loving and merciful work 00:13:45.220 |
that Jesus did, and yet this is the exact same God 00:13:53.540 |
and these are the standards by which we're called 00:14:02.280 |
that we are now able to enter into the presence of God, 00:14:06.600 |
into his throne room of grace, we're able to enter that. 00:14:11.440 |
what was accomplished by this man named Jesus 00:14:14.480 |
that we can now, through him, have access to God's presence. 00:14:24.080 |
and so I've been thinking about the Holy Spirit a lot, 00:14:26.280 |
but that understanding that not only are we able 00:14:49.080 |
God is the one by which we receive life and access to life, 00:15:08.340 |
we think because we have this and we can kind of live 00:15:16.700 |
I think we go to the things of this world for life 00:15:20.100 |
very, very often, and we seek it in different places. 00:15:26.220 |
And what we see here in Revelation chapter 11, 00:15:38.020 |
"But do not measure the court outside the temple. 00:15:41.140 |
"Leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, 00:15:43.740 |
"and they will trample the holy city for 42 months." 00:16:00.740 |
that the only way that you're going to be able 00:16:03.380 |
to have my presence forevermore is by doing this correctly. 00:16:10.560 |
The world has not been abiding by the law of God. 00:16:13.460 |
And so what we're seeing out through Revelation 00:16:18.380 |
And so what he's trying to do in redeeming the earth 00:16:25.940 |
as he's been trying to bring redemption to the earth, 00:16:35.780 |
where the new Jerusalem is going to be brought. 00:16:40.180 |
We see in Revelation chapter 21, verse 15 through 17, 00:16:43.200 |
that a measurement would be taken again at the end, 00:16:55.300 |
And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold. 00:17:07.540 |
And he measured the city with this rod, 12,000 stadia. 00:17:12.940 |
He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, 00:17:19.840 |
We'll talk about that more if we ever get there, 00:17:21.960 |
which we probably won't, so we won't talk about it. 00:17:29.420 |
where everything is going to fall under his standard. 00:17:33.520 |
Everything is gonna be brought to completion. 00:17:35.780 |
Everything is gonna be brought to perfection. 00:17:38.400 |
Every person is going to fall in line with that. 00:17:44.940 |
that every tongue is going to confess Christ as Lord. 00:17:49.160 |
It doesn't matter in heaven and also in hell. 00:18:00.380 |
that there are people who are proclaiming God and his glory, 00:18:17.180 |
John is told not to measure the court outside the temple, 00:18:21.820 |
This describes the fact that unbelievers will trample 00:18:27.140 |
God will continue to keep Israel under his protection. 00:18:32.900 |
I think we see a glimpse of this in today's world, 00:18:39.100 |
that the world is trampling on the law of God, right? 00:18:48.820 |
and saying, you know, God, not by your standards, 00:19:06.300 |
We see it in all these different places of government 00:19:11.300 |
and things that are being brought to light now 00:19:17.220 |
When we went on campus evangelism a few weeks ago, 00:19:40.540 |
you know, like I'm a Catholic and I believe in God, 00:19:43.000 |
but if people don't believe in God, then yeah, 00:19:47.020 |
And I was like, so you're saying that you can believe 00:19:51.380 |
that God doesn't exist and that'll make him not exist. 00:19:55.340 |
I said, I said like, so if I were not a Christian, 00:20:00.080 |
if I were like a Hindu and I was coming to you 00:20:03.660 |
you'll say, yeah, you're right, meaning that you're wrong. 00:20:08.300 |
And he would say, yeah, but in me, I'm right. 00:20:16.140 |
where you start talking in circles like that? 00:20:24.100 |
not only the world thinks, but even some of how we think. 00:20:27.580 |
What is right, what is wrong, how we set the standards 00:20:31.020 |
that we say, yes, this, but we're actually saying 00:20:37.460 |
And in that, we're changing the measurements of this temple. 00:20:43.180 |
by which God would say, this is how you receive life. 00:20:54.460 |
Law, standards, this book that we have in front of us 00:20:59.460 |
and everything, the parameters by which it bounds us in 00:21:14.220 |
I thought that the law was the most restricting thing. 00:21:21.580 |
Okay, it says all these things that I have to do. 00:21:35.180 |
It's clear communication as to what God is saying. 00:21:51.500 |
Yes, everybody turns a year at one point in time in life. 00:21:57.980 |
So he's a year soon, and then one of the things 00:22:03.580 |
because there's like this little slot for it. 00:22:08.180 |
But you know, what if Hudson was going after this hair dryer 00:22:14.900 |
and we had never told him that it was off limits, 00:22:20.580 |
And then with Hudson, anytime he touches something dangerous, 00:22:27.420 |
It doesn't hurt at all, it just hurts his heart. 00:22:32.820 |
But let's say that he, I never told him about the hair dryer. 00:22:38.860 |
And he crawls towards it and he puts his hand on it 00:22:47.340 |
But it is in my goodness and my grace to Hudson to say, 00:22:59.420 |
you could do some dangerous things when you nod 00:23:11.940 |
And that's what standards and laws are given to us for. 00:23:16.940 |
And when you see the perfection that we are called to, 00:23:24.660 |
that we cannot be even an inch off of these measurements, 00:23:28.340 |
that we cannot even mess up a teeny little bit, 00:23:41.340 |
What it means that a perfect man died on the cross 00:23:55.980 |
this word who became flesh and he pitched a tent among us, 00:24:10.300 |
And so we're introduced to these two witnesses. 00:24:14.020 |
We'll get to some of these numbers, by the way. 00:24:25.180 |
"These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands 00:24:31.080 |
"fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. 00:24:37.760 |
So there's these two guys that kind of appear, 00:24:45.180 |
And these people are sent to witness to a world 00:24:52.180 |
And so what we saw, that the court of the Gentiles, 00:24:56.260 |
well it was a place that God allowed to be trampled. 00:25:08.380 |
And that the world is coming closer and closer 00:25:15.900 |
And we're gonna talk a little bit more about that, 00:25:18.580 |
but these two witnesses appear in this manner. 00:25:23.460 |
and two lampstands, let's describe what those mean. 00:25:26.580 |
Lampstands are lights that will proclaim truth. 00:25:47.420 |
Since they are both the lampstand and the olive tree, 00:25:50.080 |
it shows that there is a constant flow of oil 00:26:13.700 |
And I will grant authority to my two witnesses 00:26:19.780 |
Now here's a question for you guys to turn to a neighbor 00:26:26.260 |
So go ahead and have a conversation about that. 00:27:19.040 |
All right, so prophesying answers right there. 00:27:57.720 |
and you see these prophets and things like that. 00:27:59.680 |
However, their job is to be the mouthpiece of God, 00:28:03.880 |
saying the words of God to a generation of people 00:28:17.920 |
Sackcloth, that's the next bullet point down, 00:28:39.440 |
and pour out this mourning, lamenting type of prophecy 00:28:44.440 |
of God, that God is saying that you are going 00:28:55.880 |
And extinguishing, that we always see with that, 00:28:59.520 |
that God is saying that I am going to be faithful 00:29:14.680 |
Note the number, 42 months in chapter 11 verse two 00:29:17.400 |
with the numbers given in chapter 11 verse three, 00:29:22.760 |
What I'm gonna ask you to do is to kinda look 00:29:24.920 |
at those passages on your own right now if you can. 00:29:29.360 |
Chapter 11 verse two with the 11 three, 12 six, 00:30:09.040 |
So all of these numbers, if you haven't caught on, 00:30:13.240 |
So in chapter 11 verse two, 42 months, what is that? 00:30:30.040 |
If you look at chapter 11 verse three, 1,260 days. 00:30:33.440 |
If you divide that by 30, do you know how many you get? 00:30:50.400 |
And then if you look at chapter 12 verse six, 00:30:56.400 |
And chapter 12 verse 14, we see it for time and times 00:31:00.880 |
That's directly taken from the book of Daniel. 00:31:05.680 |
Times is two year, and half a time is half a year. 00:31:19.960 |
This number, if you look at that bullet point down, 00:31:22.000 |
correlates with the last half of a seven year tribulation 00:31:29.360 |
is something we've already been seeing the first half of. 00:31:46.760 |
preserving Israel until he fulfills his promises to them. 00:32:15.360 |
Like the world has become so evil to the point 00:32:19.600 |
that God is preserving just the center point of the temple. 00:32:36.400 |
we see some of the power that these two witnesses have. 00:32:43.840 |
if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth 00:32:53.880 |
that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, 00:32:59.560 |
and to strike the earth with every kind of plague 00:33:03.520 |
The identity of two witnesses is up for speculation, 00:33:07.760 |
however, a good guess might be that this is describing 00:33:23.040 |
into trying to figure out the identity of these people 00:33:28.560 |
like these two actual people and all this kind of stuff. 00:33:32.920 |
However, we do know they do mimic Moses and Elijah 00:33:48.680 |
Strike the earth with plagues, Moses was there with that. 00:33:51.600 |
These were all judgments inflicted upon hard hearts 00:33:53.640 |
in the Old Testament to enact the justice of God 00:34:02.320 |
If you remember that moment where Peter and John 00:34:06.200 |
and James are taken and Jesus says, "Wait here," 00:34:10.240 |
and they go and they see Moses and Elijah come. 00:34:15.240 |
And this is speculation, and it's quite a big speculation, 00:34:21.360 |
Could they possibly represent the law and the prophets? 00:34:29.920 |
could be one of these men, an Enoch-like figure. 00:34:32.560 |
There are some others, but I personally thought 00:34:37.120 |
that Moses and Elijah were the most likely figures. 00:34:41.840 |
So these men are here, and they are prophesying, 00:35:04.040 |
to get at them, to kill them, and God's wrath 00:35:08.080 |
is unleashed upon people because they can't kill them. 00:35:23.360 |
You're gonna see it with both Elijah and Moses, 00:35:25.920 |
but you'll also see it all through the Gospels. 00:35:49.560 |
It was proof and evidence of the power of the words. 00:35:54.040 |
So God is doing that here through these two witnesses. 00:35:58.840 |
Now in the middle of this, the beast comes out. 00:36:03.840 |
It says, "And when they have finished their testimony, 00:36:05.720 |
"the beast that rises from the bottomless pit 00:36:07.560 |
"will make war on them and conquer them and kill them. 00:36:10.280 |
"And their dead bodies will lie in the street 00:36:14.680 |
"is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified." 00:36:19.440 |
Now this beast, we have to try to figure out who this is. 00:36:25.560 |
Number one, Satan is described as a fallen star 00:36:42.000 |
So to answer it quickly is, he is the Antichrist, 00:36:47.240 |
as described in Revelation chapter 13, verse one through 10. 00:36:52.560 |
So we're gonna get to him later on in chapter 13. 00:36:55.440 |
Now if you could turn with me to 1 John 2, verse 18. 00:37:06.320 |
Let's talk a little bit about this Antichrist. 00:37:09.860 |
1 John, it's just a couple books before Revelation. 00:37:17.180 |
1 John 2, verse 18 through 22 is what we read. 00:37:20.400 |
And it says, "There are children, it is the last hour. 00:37:30.560 |
"And as you have heard that Antichrist is coming, 00:37:37.920 |
"They went out from us, but they were not of us, 00:37:43.000 |
"But they went out that it might become plain 00:37:51.940 |
"I write to you not because you do not know the truth, 00:37:54.000 |
"but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth." 00:38:06.000 |
Interestingly, the person who wrote Revelation was 00:38:20.200 |
that the Antichrist is someone who would deny Jesus 00:38:24.700 |
as the Messiah and say that there are other ways 00:38:39.700 |
and the spirit of the Antichrist exists even today. 00:38:53.220 |
Antichrists and false prophets come out from churches. 00:38:58.220 |
They come out from people who claim to be religious 00:39:12.380 |
that it comes from supposed Christ followers. 00:39:18.300 |
You know, when we think about all of these different attacks 00:39:29.940 |
we're not exempt from attacks of false prophets, 00:39:38.540 |
people who will say that Jesus is not enough, 00:39:40.820 |
that his work was not enough, that we must do, 00:39:46.340 |
that says Jesus is everything, we just point to him 00:39:58.260 |
that ultimately salvation is not from anything more 00:40:01.940 |
than the bad things that this world might throw at us. 00:40:06.300 |
There's a lot of things that can kind of go with this, 00:40:10.600 |
We see that in 2 Timothy 3, verse one through five. 00:40:18.860 |
2 Timothy 3, verse one through five, it says, 00:40:25.220 |
It says, "But understand this, that in the last days, 00:40:28.880 |
"for people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, 00:40:30.960 |
"proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to the parents, 00:40:33.200 |
"ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, 00:40:48.140 |
"Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power." 00:40:54.980 |
It continues in chapter four, verse three to four. 00:41:00.980 |
"but having itching ears, they will accumulate 00:41:02.900 |
"for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 00:41:06.580 |
"and will turn away from listening to the truth 00:41:13.740 |
and you see this beast that kind of comes out 00:41:16.220 |
from this bottomless pit, it says that he's gonna make war 00:41:20.340 |
on these two witnesses and conquer them and kill them. 00:41:29.860 |
who comes and says the exact opposite in deceptive ways. 00:41:39.180 |
And we need to learn as a church to beware of this. 00:41:49.540 |
That's why we need to understand what we believe. 00:41:57.900 |
like I think somewhere in the Bible it says something 00:42:07.540 |
That we need to be, if you want to be able to fight off 00:42:10.580 |
the attacks, the false prophets, the antichrist spirits 00:42:13.980 |
against the church, you need to be very sharp 00:42:21.520 |
Don't let it become a daily exercise of just reading a text 00:42:24.580 |
and thinking like, I'm gonna take out one application. 00:42:27.660 |
But dive deeply into it and begin to dissect scripture 00:42:45.500 |
You know, they came and threw all this Bible at me 00:42:47.920 |
and I was like, oh man, I was a little bit ashamed. 00:42:59.260 |
This beast kills them and it says that their bodies 00:43:01.620 |
are left down in the street of the great city. 00:43:09.300 |
And the fact that Jerusalem is called Sodom in Egypt 00:43:16.380 |
shows the extent of wickedness that has consumed the world. 00:43:31.260 |
If you know that story of Sodom and Gomorrah, 00:43:37.240 |
This was a nation that was known for its heinous darkness 00:43:55.080 |
the fact that they're left there for a few days 00:43:58.920 |
They have been pouring out God's judgment message 00:44:01.000 |
to the world, accompanied by miracles and terrors, 00:44:18.720 |
the powerful work of God and still not believe in him? 00:44:27.700 |
that we ourselves have seen the power of God's work? 00:44:34.000 |
but our own hearts are prone to be the same way 00:44:51.240 |
Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, 00:44:57.200 |
And listen to this, this is just a funny sight, right? 00:45:00.680 |
Three and a half days, they were leaving their bodies out. 00:45:06.920 |
it says that they were exchanging presents with each other. 00:45:15.000 |
were talking about God and everyone was like, 00:45:20.760 |
They're plugging their ears and gritting their teeth 00:45:27.440 |
And so finally, when this beast comes out and kills them, 00:45:29.920 |
first of all, the beast becomes this mythical person, right? 00:45:38.360 |
In three and a half days, they just leave him there 00:45:48.760 |
And not only that, but the enemies are watching them 00:46:02.560 |
"And at that hour, there was a great earthquake 00:46:11.000 |
This is not to say, and this is one of your bullet points, 00:46:27.800 |
And that bullet point there is you can acknowledge 00:46:37.040 |
God's power and might and yet stay unrepentant and rebellious. 00:46:50.600 |
but somewhere in that story, there's a guiding, 00:47:14.760 |
There were just bad wizards, there were dark wizards 00:47:19.480 |
A black sheep of an evil family would be a good sheep. 00:47:33.680 |
But it's so funny that this house elf is walking around 00:47:45.640 |
"You filthy wizard, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." 00:47:51.680 |
Everything he does, he's muttering under his breath 00:48:03.560 |
when it sees and acknowledges God's power and might 00:48:19.760 |
but he was extremely sexually active in college, 00:48:31.320 |
and then continued on in that kind of lifestyle. 00:48:42.880 |
Like he's estranged, not just from his ex-wife, 00:48:47.200 |
but his kids who he loved a lot because of his lifestyle. 00:48:53.600 |
the last time I talked to him about six years ago, 00:48:58.960 |
"I think God is doing this to teach me a lesson." 00:49:05.200 |
"it's so clear that God is showing me all these things." 00:49:57.360 |
that are gonna be taken out in a few chapters, 00:50:00.200 |
that is the seventh woe that we're seeing here. 00:50:17.400 |
the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom 00:50:23.920 |
before God fell on their faces and worshiped God. 00:50:26.880 |
Now what happens here, the kingdom of the world, it says, 00:50:29.880 |
has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. 00:50:42.760 |
Remember, that's all we saw in chapters four and five. 00:50:56.680 |
It should say the kingdoms of the world, right? 00:51:00.440 |
showing that there might be many beliefs in this world. 00:51:04.320 |
It could be Catholicism or atheism or Hinduism, 00:51:10.520 |
but at the end, they are all of the same kingdom, 00:51:17.800 |
It's either God's kingdom or it's the kingdom of this world. 00:51:23.640 |
has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. 00:51:32.160 |
And we're not trying to just be intellectual here, 00:51:38.000 |
but proleptic heiress is a really interesting, 00:51:43.920 |
And this is a future event that is so certain 00:51:47.040 |
that it can be spoken of as already having taken place. 00:51:59.920 |
it's only a matter of time for this certain conclusion. 00:52:21.440 |
"who is and who was, for you have taken your great power 00:52:28.200 |
"and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, 00:52:30.520 |
"and those who fear your name, both small and great, 00:52:32.600 |
"and for destroying the destroyers of the earth." 00:52:35.480 |
The bullet point there is God reigns in his sovereignty today 00:52:39.480 |
but the fullness of his reign is to come during this time. 00:52:55.480 |
Servants will be rewarded, and enemies will be destroyed. 00:53:05.240 |
When people say like, "Your reward is in heaven," 00:53:07.760 |
we always think about it as like, "Ah, that's a cop-out," 00:53:12.160 |
And trust me, if your rewards are stored in heaven, 00:53:15.640 |
when you go up there and you see your rewards, 00:53:30.400 |
So I'd be like, "Don't worry, your reward's in heaven." 00:53:38.760 |
"Rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints." 00:53:53.560 |
it is actually humanity that is being accused 00:54:04.960 |
God needs to destroy sinners in order to save the world. 00:54:09.840 |
You know, we think we need to save the world, right? 00:54:13.160 |
Like socially, politically, economically, racially. 00:54:33.160 |
with lightning, rumblings, thunder, earthquakes, and hail. 00:54:40.720 |
It's coming directly from the throne room of God, 00:54:52.600 |
So we think everything is like so bad, but here we go. 00:54:58.960 |
we're going to see some crazy stuff happening. 00:55:00.720 |
But it's also going to be mixed with a lot more joy. 00:55:06.080 |
Because we're seeing a lot of victory happening. 00:55:24.360 |
I feel like we have to kind of go through Psalm 2 00:55:29.040 |
to end this, so can you turn with me to Psalm chapter 2? 00:55:55.800 |
"Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 00:56:05.840 |
"against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, 00:56:22.720 |
"Hey, let's all get together and try to take him down." 00:56:39.480 |
"As for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. 00:56:44.840 |
"I will tell of the decree the Lord said to me, 00:56:51.440 |
"Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage 00:57:00.200 |
"dash them into pieces like a potter's vessel." 00:57:10.120 |
"Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. 00:57:13.840 |
"Kiss the Son lest he be angry and you perish in the way, 00:57:22.160 |
Let's remember what's happening here in Revelation. 00:57:26.880 |
As the wrath of God is being unleashed upon the earth, 00:57:36.440 |
and there is time for us now to serve the Lord with fear 00:57:43.400 |
Not try to live our own lives the way we've called it to. 00:57:51.880 |
that we don't say, "I'm going to live for myself," 00:58:10.480 |
Dear God, we thank you for this book of Revelation 00:58:26.600 |
in the wrath that you're gonna unleash upon this world. 00:58:31.000 |
And yet in the middle of that, Father, we cry, thank you. 00:58:37.280 |
I cry, thank you to you that you have sent your Son 00:58:43.760 |
that whoever would call upon the name of the Lord 00:58:47.220 |
And that as this hammer is being nailed down in us, 00:58:53.400 |
that constantly we would be looking to Christ on the cross 00:58:57.200 |
and again and again, remembering the gravity of our sin 00:59:02.200 |
And then our hearts and our eyes would turn to the throne 00:59:07.200 |
and that we would fall down on our knees and worship,