Shadows

All earthly kingdoms, powers, and principalities are shadows of spiritual kingdoms, powers, and principalities.

The war against God—started with the rebellion of Satan and fallen angels.

Ezekiel 28:12–17 ESV

“Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: “You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.

Isaiah 14:12–15 ESV

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.

Then…we get to Eden and the war intensifies.

All earthly kingdoms, powers, and principalities are shadows of spiritual kingdoms, powers, and principalities.

You see the references to the “King of Tyre.” In the Book of Revelation, as we’ve already seen, “Babylon” is another name for the kingdom of the dragon (Satan). So, again, there are spiritual realities at play, here.

The first nation we really see this truth/reality with is—Egypt

Revelation 15:1–8 ESV

Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the 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.” After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. 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, and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

There is SO MUCH here. Reminder—this is not “chronological.” A synopsis of what we will see play out in full detail.

Last week, I reminded you that, throughout the book of Revelation, John uses the phrase, “Then I saw…or…and I saw…or…then I looked.” These phrases mark transition points/separation. In Revelation 13, we’ve got all three, so I think we need to take all three sections separately—but telling us one message.

The Greater Wrath

(verse 1)

John sees another sign in heaven—a “great and amazing” sign. This language is reminiscent of Malachi and Joel as they described the “Day of the Lord” (the pouring out of God’s wrath) as the “great and awesome” Day.

This should also conjure up memories of the plagues that God poured out on Egypt.

“For with them the wrath of God is finished.”

The last judgments of history.

The Day of the Lord has arrived.

The Greater Deliverance

(verses 2-4)

John writes that he “saw”

This song of “Moses” or “deliverance points us back to the song Moses sang in Exodus 15.

The “song” in three parts:

A) The WORKS of God (Lord God the Almighty)

God is omnipotent and sovereignly in control over all things in earth and heaven.

As sovereign/almighty — all things work together

Deliverance/salvation

B) The WAYS of God (King of the nations)

Sovereign justice

C) The WORSHIP of God (holy and righteous)

The Lord is to be feared.

His name is to be glorified

Why? Because He is holy and is worshipped by all nations. The nations will be turned into YHWH worshippers.

The worship of God is balanced :: Because of his grace, mercy, goodness // because of his justice and righteousness // because of his holiness

The Greater Temple

(verses 5-8)

The angels — dressed like priests

Hebrews 8:5 ESV

They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. 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.”

THE END

Ephesus: to the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life

Smyrna: the one who is faithful until death will receive the tree of life. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.

Pergamum: To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna and I will give him a white stone with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.

Thyatira: The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Sardis: The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.

Philadelphia: The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

Laodicea: The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

And, here in Revelation 15, we see the saints who have conquered. They have conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name.