The Gospel and The Scene of Heaven
There's A Man Going 'Round Taking Names • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 4 viewsThe Harvest and another scene of heaven
Notes
Transcript
Before getting to the seven bowls of wrath we are yet agin in an interlude.
The passage before us today tells of an eternal gospel, a harvest and also a scene of heaven that serves as the introduction for the bowls of wrath.
I will deal with the bowls of wrath in Pastor’s Corner, be sure to look for the video with that title.
Let us read Revelation 14:6-8 chair bible pg. 832
6 And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;
7 and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.”
8 And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.”
The Eternal Gospel
The Eternal Gospel
We might get lost in our imagination as we pick up at verse 6.
Even though it is called the eternal gospel, the message of this angel is a familiar message to us.
The message is eternal good news, one that is preached to the people of earth
We will find that it is the same gospel we preach, and like us the angel is calling on people to repent, knowing God’s judgment is coming.
The imagery is similar to Isaiah 52:7
7 How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
Isaiah announces the arrival of a proclaimer of good news, in like manner John tells us he sees an angel proclaiming an eternal gospel, eternal good news.
This all reminds me that God is not done giving a chance for repentance.
Our God is, was, and will be long-suffering with this world!
Today in our world and in the church many have made the gospel about them, God loves them, forgives them, a promise of a place in heaven.
Wouldn’t you agree that the gospel is not about us?
For Paul there was a much larger picture of the gospel that is not about us
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;
7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;
8 and last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
You see the gospel is not about us, it’s about Him!
For Isaiah the message of good news has three elements
Your God reigns
Your God is coming back
Your God is doing a powerful work of rescue.
John in this chapter takes there three elements and gives this message
God almighty, is at last going to sort things out - Verse 7
Babylon is fallen even after all her efforts - verse 8
God’s judgment is just , thorough, and complete - verses 9-11
Babylon in Revelation is used as a metaphor for Rome. We will develop this next week.
For now when you read Babylon, think Rome
9 And another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone aworships the beast and his bimage, and receives a cmark on his forehead or upon his hand, 10 he also will drink of the awine of the wrath of God, which is mixed 1in full strength bin the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with cfire and brimstone in the presence of the dholy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
Bruce Metzger: “Through out revelation we have seen that if people persist in living contrary to the structure of God’s universe, they must suffer. John’s words here mean the most terrible thing that a person can do is to deliberately turn away from the living God.”
What we can take away here is a lesson taught throughout scripture God respects our free will choices.
The sufferings of those who reject God are self imposed having been given time to turn!
Then we who seek to follow the lamb are given hope - verse 13.
The Harvest
The Harvest
14 And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head, and a sharp sickle in His hand.
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, because the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.”
16 And He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth; and the earth was reaped.
17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.”
19 And the angel swung his sickle to the earth, and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God.
20 And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.
Some see 14:14-20 as an introduction to the rest of the book.
The grain harvest comes first as an encouragement to God’s people.
The cluster of the vine (grapes) and trampling in the wine press anticipates the coming judgment.
Joel did this in Joel 3:12-14
12 Let the nations be aroused And come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, For there I will sit to judge All the surrounding nations.
13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full; The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
For those who die in the Lord there is no fear in the harvest.
This is a warning to those who ignore all the warnings and worship the beast a harvest is coming!
Another Scene of Worship in Heaven
Another Scene of Worship in Heaven
Chapter 15 is another scene of from another vantage point in heaven.
From here John sees the seven angels who will be pouring out the wrath of God from the seven bowls - Verse 1
1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.
So then begins the completion of God’ wrath.
Verse two we see another vision of those victorious over the beast - verse 2
2 And I saw, as it were, a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had come off victorious from the beast and from his image and from the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God.
Hope for those who are victorious, just as Jesus had stated in the seven letters to the seven churches!
Then we see what happens in heaven when God pours out his wrath
5 After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened,
6 and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their breasts with golden girdles.
7 And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.
8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.
No one can enter the presence of God!
The wrath of God had to be completed to enter again into presence.
Conclusion
Another passage comes to my mind as I think of how things are gearing up for the pouring out of God’s wrath.
29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”
31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Yet for those who reject the lamb, that is where things are headed!
And still it does not have to be this way for our world.
God has not poured out his wrath yet!
There is still time to repent.
God always provides ample time to repent.
Have you repented? Why not choose life?
Why not invite Christ into your life today? Do not wait until you stand at judgement, that will be to late.
God loves you sent His son for you, all He asks is to let him in