All right, so we're looking at chapter 15 today. It's only eight verses, but this is the last interlude before we get into chapter 16 where the bold judgment is going to come. So I'm sure you, hopefully if you read through it or studied through it, you picked up the language that it's final, it's great, it's awesome.

And again, all of this to kind of prepare for the final judgment that's coming in the bold judgment. So let me pray for us and then we'll jump right in. Okay. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this evening and we thank you for your living word, especially as we've been studying through the book of revelations and all the things, Lord, that's happening around the world.

We ask Lord God that you give us soberness. And even though we may live in safety and we don't have anything external, at least immediately Lord God, that we sense of, have a sense of urgency. But we know Father God that our life is only a mist, that whether we die of natural causes or unnaturally early, we know Father God that ultimately that eternity is real, that we're only passing through.

So we pray for soberness. We pray Father God that you would help us not to be entangled with civilian affairs, to really live Lord God with eternal mindset. And we pray that your word would help us Lord to keep that in mind. We thank you in Jesus name we pray.

Amen. All right. So our study this evening in chapter 15 is divided into three parts. It's a heavenly sign, heavenly singers and heavenly temple. So that's how your worksheet has been divided into three parts. So the first part is just verse one and verse one is kind of an introduction to what's coming in verses two through verse eight.

And then the second scene, the heavenly singing is a vision of worship and is a very typical scene that we've seen. And I mentioned I think last week that various parts of the book of revelations up to this point where there's intense judgment and then there's a break to kind of give a glimpse of heaven.

And whenever they see this glimpse of heaven, they see worship taking place. So that's the second scene. And then the third scene is the preparation before the angels are sent out and judgment is poured out. So God gives John a glimpse of the temple and the preparation that's taking place before they're sent out.

Okay. So that's the three scenes that we're going to be looking at today. So the first one, which we see in verse one, the heavenly sign. And so first of all, a sign is not the reality, but something that points to reality. And again, this is something that we may or may not know, but when we, when all the things that we've been studying in the scripture, especially as we've been looking at the book of revelation that mentions various signs and each one of these signs, basically it's to point to something.

As an example, if you're driving on a highway long distance and you see a sign that says, that shows you a picture of a gas station or a hotel or whatever it may be, that is a sign that there's a city coming down the street. Right? And so you're to look for the exit, you have to look for whatever is coming.

So the whole purpose of the sign is to prepare you to point to something that is coming in the future. So it starts out by saying, this is a sign, a great sign. It's pointing to a great reality that's coming. Right? So Jesus used that. Okay, let me, let me go through this first.

For international standard Bible encyclopedia, the literal understanding of it is a mark by which persons or things are distinguished or to made known. Right? It is something that points to something greater. So Jesus oftentimes performed signs, he says, to show them who he was, that he is the Messiah.

The apostles, their works were accompanied by signs and miracles to point to the fact that they were specifically chosen by God to take the gospel. So when it says there's a sign, it's to point to something. So what we're seeing is not the reality in itself. It's just a point to something that's happening.

Okay? Again, I mentioned that Jesus performed many miracles, a sign to point to his identity, that he's the Messiah. So what John saw was not the reality, but the pointing to the reality that's about to take place. And because this is the last sign of the last stage of God's wrath, it's described as a great and amazing sign.

So three separate places where in the book of Revelation where it says there's a sign that's taking place, and it's in chapter five, oh no, sorry, chapter 12. And the first sign, it was a sign of the woman. Right? Remember when the woman gives birth to a son, and then the beast comes and tries to destroy the son?

They said the first sign was the woman. And the second sign, if you guys remember, was the beast himself. Right? So in other words, what are those signs? Those signs are given to us as an indicator that he's going to be very plain. In other words, God has given specific markers so that the church, as we are anticipating his coming, that we would see.

So the first thing that happens is an intense persecution of God's children. Right? So he says when that begins to increase, then look for the man of lawlessness to show up. And then when he comes and it intensifies, and then he says the last and the great sign is what he's about to see here.

Right? So it doesn't mean that there are other things that aren't going to happen, but those are specific signs that God told us to look for. Right? Those are things that we ought to look for, and if you see those things happening, you know that the end time is coming.

So there's three specific indicators that are given to us. Chapter 12, verse 1. Chapter 12, verse 3. And then here in this passage, chapter 15. The vision of the heavenly singer. John sees a vision of heaven, and it's much like the description that we see in chapter 4 and 5.

And if you remember chapter 4 and 5, before they get into the seal vision, chapter 4 and 5 is a vision of God's throne. Right? And then you have the four creatures there and the elders who are bowed down, and then you have the 144,000 and then the nations behind them worshiping God.

So before this, what we look at is utter chaos is about to break out. John is given a glimpse of heaven. So the chaos is not in heaven. Chaos may be coming from heaven as a judgment, but it's not from heaven. So in the same way, intense judgment is about to happen, but God gives John a glimpse of God's throne where worship is taking place.

And I mentioned this several times as we're going along, and this is not by accident. I think God is doing this on purpose. Imagine if you're reading this, the first generation people reading this, and I asked you this before, how would you have received this letter? What would have been your first response when you read all the judgments that were coming?

Don't think about the theological answer. Just what would you... If you read this late at night in the dark by yourself with nobody in the house, what would you feel? Right? Fear. Most likely the first generation when they read this was probably trembling in fear because it says a third of the heavens, third of the sea, a third of mankind diseased, and all this stuff is taking place, and it's not just one time.

The people are going to beg for death, and they're not going to find death. And so this intense judgment that breaks out, so you could imagine what kind of fear must have fell upon even the church. But in the midst of all this revelation, God gives a glimpse of heaven, that God is on his throne.

He's not out on the battlefield swinging at it, and there's a battle going on with Satan, and hopefully God wins. That's not the scene that we see. What we see is everything that is happening, all the judgments, people being wiped out, all of it is completely under God's sovereign control, and they're worshiping.

It's a scene of worship. So there's this kind of... Remember we talked about that even this Sunday, the severity and the kindness of God, that even in the revelation we see both. We see the severity of God as intense as mankind has ever seen it, but on the flip side of that, you see the kindness of God where people are falling down and worshiping him, following him everywhere he goes.

So that's the scene that John sees before we get to chapter 16. We see a picture of heaven where they're all bowed down and singing worship to him. John sees a vision of a sea of glass. Some of you guys may remember that from chapter 4 and 6. John again, when he...

Sorry, 4, 6, where John sees a vision of heaven, and one of the things that he describes in heaven is the same scene, a sea of glass or crystal. So it says, "Before the throne, there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal." And it's not just in the book of Revelation.

In fact, other places, I didn't list all of them, but the other places where a sea of glass is described in heaven. So they get a glimpse of what heaven looks like and they see a sea of glass. We see that with Moses in Exodus chapter 24, verse 10.

He said, "He saw God of Israel, and under his feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire as clear as the sky itself." So Moses is given a scene of where God dwells and he sees a similar picture. And Ezekiel, oh sorry, Ezekiel 1, 22, the same scene is described.

Something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal. So what could that be a picture of? What would it signify? He describes it as glass. Moses and Ezekiel describes it as crystal. So when you think of glass or crystal, what's the first thing that comes into your mind?

And why would that be a picture of heaven? Glass ceiling? Okay. Sorry, I can't hear a word you're saying. Okay. Okay. Interesting. Okay. That's a theory. Okay. Anything else? Shiny? Something like spectacular? Yeah, definitely. I don't have the right answer. I'm asking for your opinion. I do have an opinion though.

When I think of glass and why a picture of glass or crystal in heaven, again, this is not, I'm not telling you the right answer, but what it makes me think of is jewelry. Right? And if you turn to Revelation chapter 21, it describes a new heaven and new earth.

Okay. Chapter 21, verse 18 to 20. It says, "And the wall was built of jasper while the city was pure gold, clear as glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third a gate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, seventh the crystallite, the eighth the barrel, the ninth topaz, and it goes on and on." So it describes all this jewelry.

Right? So I don't know if John was necessarily seeing jewelry, but definitely in other places, when John sees later on, he sees a clear picture and he actually describes jewelry. So again, it could be for other reasons, but the first thing that I think of is something sparkling and something spectacular.

So the initial picture that I showed you up there, I don't think it did it justice. I was trying to look for something more majestic, but these are pictures that were drawn probably like 500 years ago. That's why nobody has rights for it and that's why we can use it.

Okay. Yeah. But I think what John is seeing in heaven, it is a similar picture that Ezekiel, that Moses saw, and Daniel, and so various people in the Bible, when they see a picture of heaven, typically we draw heaven as like meadows or oceans or mountains, but the one universal thing that we've seen over and over again is God on his throne, the four creatures, right?

24 elders, angels, and crystal or glass, something shiny. That's the picture that we're shown. Again, these are just signs. It doesn't mean that when you go to heaven, you're going to be looking for glass, you know, but all of this points to something majestic, something royal, right? So that's what John sees.

But the difference between the vision that Moses and Ezekiel saw is that it says, along with this crystal, this glass, it's mingled with fire. Fire is often associated with God's judgment. So, understandably, because this scene is going to prepare or take us to chapter 16 where the bold judgment is coming.

So, he sees a glimpse of heaven, but the picture that he sees of heaven, even though God is on the throne and people are worshiping him, when you see fire in the midst of that, something is about to happen, right? So in Hebrews chapter 10, 27, it says, "But the fearful expectation of judgment, a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries," and again, Hebrews 12, 29, our God is a consuming fire describing the judgment of God, the severity of God.

So, again, the picture of heaven that we see is the same picture. There's nothing disturbed other than the fact that there's fire in its midst, pointing to the fact that judgment is a great, intense judgment is about to take place. And then it says, "The ones who conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name were standing beside the sea of glass singing the song of Moses and the song of the lamb." So, again, John sees this picture, right?

He sees a picture of shiny glass, angels about to give in the bold judgments, and then he sees all these redeemed who are standing there and singing songs, singing praises to God. And what we have in verse 3 to 4, where it says, "Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God Almighty.

Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations. Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed." So, there's two places where it's revealed Moses' song and the lamb song.

So, the first place is Exodus chapter 15, 1 through 21. For the sake of time, we're not going to read that, but Exodus chapter 15, 1 through 21 is basically a celebration song, a song of victory, where God delivers them from Egypt. They cross over the Red Sea, and they're on the other side celebrating and praising God for his deliverance.

So, the song of Moses that he's referring to is a song of victory. So, a great intense judgment is about to come, and before it even happens, the people are there already singing and praising God for his victory, right? That's the scene that John is seeing. Revelation 5, 9 through 14, the lamb's victory.

Again, it's to celebrate lamb's victory to ransom people for God. "From every tribe and language which gave the lamb the power to open a scroll that no one else could open." So, if you also remember when we're studying through Revelation 5, 9 through 14, it is the heavens breaking out in worship, the elders, the angels, the beasts, and they're all singing to God because they were weeping before because there was nobody worthy to be able to open the scroll, and they see the Lion of Judah coming, and they turn around, they see the Lamb of God, and he is able to open it up, and then as a result of him opening the scroll, they break out into this song.

So, again, the song of Moses and song of the lamb is a song of victory, praising God for his salvation, right? So, that's the typical scene that we see in heaven of worshiping God. So, the content of worship is about salvation, victory, right? Even in the midst of chaos, and I think, you know, this is one of the questions that I asked for your discussion questions later, considering what happened in Las Vegas this week, you know, I mean, I think, understandably, the world is distraught, the fact that somebody was so deranged, and he was willing to kill that many people, and if he had a chance, he would have probably done more, and they're all trying to figure out what kind of evil was in a man like that that would just go out and kill, you know?

So, everybody's looking into it, and anything they find, they say, "Oh, that's why. That's why he's a lunatic. He's nothing like us," right? So, they're all searching and combing through his life and his background, his girlfriend, and what his motives are, because they're trying to figure out, well, what possible motive could he have to want to kill that many people, right?

So, it's hard to understand. All we know is it's as evil as we can possibly imagine, right? But in the midst of this, you know, there's theological questions that come up. Is God in that, or is that just purely just evil? Did God have nothing to do with that?

And so, a lot of people who already have their hearts bent away from God will use that and say, "If God is so good, why did he allow that to happen? If God is so powerful, why does he allow him to do that kind of stuff?" Right? Now, we're shocked by it.

We're shocked by what that guy carried out, but see that in the context of the larger picture of what the Scripture says is going to happen at the end times, right? Persecution of Christians, wiping out of a third of mankind, disease, famine, right? So, we have to understand that in the context of the larger picture where John is seeing horrendous things, right?

In the context of seeing this, I mean, think about it. They're in such agony, they want to die. They're not looking at people who are dying. They're looking at people who want to die but can't die. They prefer to die. John is seeing this as a vision, and yet when he looks up into heaven, God is on his throne being worshipped, and we see that scene over and over and over and over again, right?

So, again, when we – again, I'm not trying to speak on the specific matter of what happened in Las Vegas, but as Christians, our perspective should be different than the world, right? Because we believe in a God who is absolutely sovereign. I can't explain to you what is going on, what is in the mind of God, but what I do know is that our God is absolutely sovereign, that even in that, God is on his throne.

He is being worshipped. God is – like the whole world has been sitting on its edge, like how could this be? Who did that? You know, it kind of makes you feel unsafe. But our God is not, right? Nothing has changed for our God, whether it was last week or this week, and that's the scene that we see, that God shows John and to us over and over and over again that in the midst of this chaos, God is still on his throne, right?

And that's the picture that we're seeing here with the heavenly singers. The heavenly temple, Revelation 15, 5 through 8, the scripture tells us that the temple served as a copy of the true temple in heaven. So, Hebrews chapter 4, 8, 4 to 6, right? So, he said what's happening in heaven is not a copy of what happened here.

He says what happened here is a copy of what's happening in heaven. So, Hebrews 8, 4 to 6 says, "Now if we were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things." So, all the priests and the sacrifices, all of these things are mimicking what's happening up in heaven.

"For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, 'See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.'" Right? So, what did he see up in the mountain? A picture of heaven, right? "But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old, as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises." So, again, the vision that he's seeing in heaven is the reality, and what we have on earth is that it's a copy.

"The fact that these angels with the seven plagues are in the sanctuary of the tent signifies that God is the direct agent of these judgments." Not that he wasn't sovereign before, but the fact that they're actually in the temple, and they're about to be sent out from the inner sanctuary of where God dwells, they're basically coming and they're hearing directly from God.

Right? So, God, the intense judgment that's about to be unleashed on mankind, God's hand is like, God is not far off kind of allowing it to happen. God is the direct agent that is bringing upon this. Okay? "The temple of the tent is specifically in reference to the inner part called the Holy of Holies." And the reason why they call that is because they say the tent of the tabernacle, the sanctuary of the tent, right, is literally referring to the inner circle, meaning the Holy of Holies.

So, he's not just in the temple, he's in the sacred chamber of the Holy of Holies, and they're giving instructions directly from God. So, other judgments are also God-ordained, but these angels are in direct communication with God. So, the bowl judgment is intense, but part of the reason why it's intense is because God is no longer holding back.

Remember we talked about that, how up to this point where the judgment is coming, but after the judgment, there's always opportunity to repent, but this is the final judgment. In other words, this judgment is not for the purpose of repentance. It's for retribution. That's the difference. And that's why it's called great and awesome judgment, because God is not holding anything back.

Everything that he held back, all the wrath of God that's being stored up, now is going to be poured out on these final judgment. And even their clothing, it testifies to regal nature of their calling, that they're ordained by God. The clothing itself signifies that they were sent out directly from God himself.

One of the four living creatures that was introduced in Revelations 4, give the seven angels the seven golden bowls full of God's wrath, in verse 7. So, these four creatures are very prominent. They're introduced to us as guardians of the throne, and they appear all throughout the world. They're the guardians of the kingdom, and they're the guardians of the kingdom of God.

And they're the guardians of the kingdom of God. They're introduced to us as guardians of the throne, and they appear all throughout the book of Revelations, chapter 4, 6, 5, 6, 6, 1, 7, 11, and over and over again. So, we see two things that are universal in the throne of God is, again, we see this crystal or glass, something majestic, and also these four creatures, right?

Those are common scenes that they see up in heaven. The bowl or the cup was often associated with God's wrath. So, the seal, the seal judgment was something concealed that's opened up. So, that's the first judgment, right, where God is withholding his judgment, and he's been holding it back, and it was contained inside the seal.

But when God begins his judgment, he breaks the seal, and one by one, it reveals what's been stored up. The trumpet judgment, trumpet, again, to alarm, to basically warn the world that this is coming. So, you don't use the trumpet if you want to put people to sleep, right?

You don't use the trumpet if people are about to rest. You use the trumpet to get people's attention. So, the first, the seal judgment, is to break the seal, what was hidden to be revealed. The second judgment is to warn the world that this is happening. But the final judgment is the outpouring of God's wrath, right, is the outpouring of God's wrath.

There's nothing left that he's holding back, right? So, his wrath has been revealed. They've been warned, and then the real judgment is in the bowl judgments. That's why in Matthew 10:22, Jesus says, "Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" And again, in Matthew 26, 39, "Let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not as I will, but as you will." And again, the word cup is used instead of the bowl, but a similar idea of something being poured out.

5.8, it says, "The golden bowls were full of incense, representing the prayers of the saints," in chapter 5, verse 8. So, John seems to be making a correlation between the prayers of the saints with the final divine retribution. So, God is acting upon the prayers of the saints. So, remember in chapter 5, verse 8, who are these saints that was praying, and the bowl took up their prayer?

Do you remember who they were? The martyrs, right? They were martyrs under the altar, and their prayers are taken up by the angels. So, 2 Thessalonians 1, 7-9, it says, "And to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his might." So, Paul himself warned that these things are going to take place. So, what he says here is basically what we're seeing here in Revelation 15. And then the final...

Can I go backwards? How do I get here? Oh, shoot. Okay, sorry. I completely missed it. All right, so the smoke. Smoke is often represented as a sign of God's majestic presence. We see that in Exodus chapter, I think, 19, 18. "Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it with fire.

The smoke of it went up with the smoke of the kiln, and the whole mountain trembled." And again, we see that in Isaiah 6, 3-4. "And one called to another and said, 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory.' And the foundations of the threshold shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke." So, the idea of the temple being filled with smoke, meaning that his glory, his full glory is present in the temple.

And it's there for a reason. Obviously, we're talking about God's throne, but at the same time, it's like a preparation for something spectacular that's about to happen. So, God is preparing himself, and he's getting the angels ready. And so, the very last part of God's redemptive history is about to unfold.

So, all of this is to kind of get us ready for chapter 16. Again, the smoke. "No one will be able to enter the temple until it is done, until the wrath of God is completely carried out." Now, you're going to notice, like considering this whole setup, chapter 14, 15, 13, 14, 15 was all a setup to get us to chapter 16.

But when you get to chapter 16, you're going to notice it goes by pretty quick. Now, you would think that it would be long, elongated, like another 10 chapters, each chapter of judgment. But all of the judgment takes place in one chapter. It goes pretty quick. But I don't want you to be fooled by the brevity of what's recorded.

So, one of the questions that I ask, I think I asked this question. A, if you look at your questions below, it says, "Carefully jot down the details of each of the seven bold judgments, and how do they compare with the seven seal judgments and the seven trumpet judgments?

What are the similarities and the differences?" So, I want you guys to go back and review the content of these judgments and compare that to seal judgments. So, don't look at it just because it says-- sometimes some of the judgments would only have two sentences on it. There's not a lot of details on it.

So, in order to understand the gravity of-- there's a reason why there's been a setup for three chapters, because God basically wants us to pay attention to this, because it is the great and awesome final judgment. So, go back and take a little bit more time than you would normally to really understand what he's doing and what the major difference is between the two.

All right. For discussion question number one-- and I asked this already, but I want you guys to take some time to discuss. Huh? Did I miss something? Oh, that's the last one? Okay. I feel like I said it. So, you can just fill in the blanks. So, again, all of this is a setup.

It says no one is able to enter the Holy of Holies. And right now, it's kind of like a command center where God is gearing up for the final stage. But when it's over, he said then they can enter, and the temple will again be a place of refuge and rest.

All right. So, the three questions that I have-- "Considering the mass shooting in Las Vegas this week, how can we as Christians decipher between God's divine wrath versus man's evil?" You guys understand what I'm asking, right? Because when something like that happens, nobody argues that what he did was evil.

I don't think anybody can possibly justify that there was any good in what has happened. But as Christians who believe in a sovereign God, how do we understand this? Is this completely independent from God? God just kind of like, "Ah, I don't see it." Right? How do we understand this?

Is it safe to say that this was pure evil and God had nothing to do with it? Or do we attribute this within God's sovereign plan? How will you know if the tragedy the world will face in the end times is directed from God or from the beast rebellion against God?

And what is the difference? Do you understand the question? I think it will be helpful for us, at least take some time to digest and discuss, based upon what we know of who God is and what is revealed to us, that we don't just jump on the bandwagon like the world and get shaken up when they get shaken up.

And say, "Oh, that's evil." "He did this because of this." We need to have a biblical perspective of what's happening. Or else, the scripture says when the end time comes, we're going to be caught off guard like a thief in the night. Just like the world is. So we are to be sober and to watch for the signs, watch for the things that the scripture says.

So I thought it would be helpful for us to take some time to discuss, how do we digest this? How do we understand this in light of the bigger picture of what we see in scripture? What are the signs of the times that we are to watch for according to Matthew 24 specifically?

So you're going to have to open up Matthew chapter 24, and there's a bunch of stuff that are written there, and say, "What are specific signs that we are told to watch for in Matthew 24?" What is the most obvious thing that you noticed recently about world events that may or may not be things we should pay attention to?

And I'm not saying like, you know, I don't know, like specific things about Mark of the Beast and getting a computer chip in your hand is the Mark of the Beast. I'm not talking about specific things. I'm talking about generally when you compare it to what you see in Matthew 24, and it doesn't have to be wars.

There's other things that are written in Matthew 24. There are certain things that we ought to pay attention to. And what are they specifically? Verse 3, number 3, "If victory in Christ is already ordained, what is the purpose of all the redemptive drama past, present, and future?" If what we read in the book of Revelation is a fact, not hope, but a fact that this is going to happen, what God has ordained, right, from the beginning, this is just telling us that this is what's going to happen.

If that's the case, God has ordained it, He is sovereign, He is almighty, all-powerful, then why the drama of redemptive history, past, present, and future? You understand the question? Why does God allow mankind to experience all of this if the end is ordained? Why do you think God allows human sin and conflict to play out before He accomplishes the ultimate plan of redemption?

So what we are studying is not fortune-telling. Somebody didn't look way down into history and say, "Oh, maybe that's going to happen." He's predicting. What we're studying is God telling His servants that this is going to happen. That's why they look up into heaven and all chaos is breaking out and they're singing praises of victory, right?

Way before it even happens, way before the end happens. They're already singing praises of victory of the Lamb. So the question is, in the context of what we know, if we're studying what has been ordained by God, why does He allow the redemptive history to run its course? What is the reason?

These are some hard questions, so my guess is you're going to take a little bit longer today in your discussion, hopefully. Let me pray for us and then I'll have you guys get into your groups. Gracious Father, we want to especially pray about all the world events that are taking place.

We want to pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering for Your name. We pray that You will give them courage. Help us, Lord God, not to live each day as if we have nothing to do with any of them. Help us to know, Lord God, that we are of the same family, that as they suffer, we suffer.

Help us to be vitally connected and concerned, Father God, that we would pray for them, support them as much as we can. But we pray that You would give them courage, give them strength. And we pray, Father God, that in the midst of chaos, especially what we've seen this week, as the world is trying to figure out what was in this man, that he would do such a horrendous thing.

And I know that he is not the first, that our history, human history, is filled with horrendous things, Lord God, much greater than this. Help us, Lord God, to see from Your perspective that we are living in a fallen world. And as a result of that, we are seeing fallen things, Lord God, to its extreme.

And we know, Father, that when the end comes, that all of this, Lord God, is going to seem trivial in light of the great judgment that's coming. Help us to be sober, even in this context, Lord God. Help us to make sense of it biblically, and not to simply follow the pattern of this world.

I pray that You would give us soberness as a church, as we are constantly wrestling, Lord God, with entanglement, with foolish things. Give us strength, Lord, that we do not have by ourselves, that Your Holy Spirit would grip our hearts and our minds so firmly, so tightly, that we would not be able to turn to anyone else but to You.

I pray that You would anoint the time that we have in our discussion. May it be fruitful. The thoughts that we have, may it be biblical. And I pray, Father, that it would cause us to be sober and in much prayer. So we entrust this time to You. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.