Revelation 19
Notes
Transcript
Rejoicing Because of Jesus
Rejoicing Because of Jesus
Good morning my friends!
Can you imagine that this is the last Sunday of October.
Now remember, next week the time will change, we will fall back one hour as we leave Daylight savings time and go back to standard time.
So you have been warned, we do not want anyone missing church next week.
We are moving closer to the end of this study in Revelation.
In the last two weeks, we have seen the destruction of Babylon, that world system, political and spiritual that has led the world astray.
And now we are coming to a time of rejoicing, we will see the lamb of God, who is victorious. But not only that, we also have the joy of seeing the marriage supper of the lamb.
So lets begin today my friends,
1. The Rejoicing in Heaven....
Do you ever think what it will be like to experience the rejoicing of heaven? I do at times...
I think the rejoicing of heaven will far exceed what we could ever comprehend, I think it will be magnificent!
And rightly so, God has accomplished so much in this world, both physically and spiritually.
We have an example of this, look at verses 1-5
1 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for his judgments are true and just;
for he has judged the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
3 Once more they cried out,
“Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” 5 And from the throne came a voice saying,
“Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
small and great.”
Wow....
John said he heard a great multitude, many voices that were shouting and singing in heaven
The word voice here has the meaning of a “roar” in the Greek. Gee, what John heard was strong and loud, it got his attention like that of lion’s roar.
And this roar, this voice shouts Hallelujah!
That word Hallelujah is important, it is really the combination of two words. The first is Halal means “praise” and the second yah, which is first syllable of God’s name YHWH. So the word is Hallelujah, meaning praise YHWH.
It is praise given to God, and we are told of 5 reasons they are praising the Lord their God.
Look at last part of verse 1 and the first line of verse 2
“...Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 - for his judgments are true and just;”
Did you see those words ...Salvation, Glory and Power to our God, He is True and Just in all that He does...
These belong the Lord, no one else. He has given us His salvation, it belongs to Him, it is effort, His glory is revealed as the Lord came to us, the glory of God made manifest in the Son as Jesus took on this veil of flesh that he might die for us.. His power and might has accomplished His will,
Do you think that He deserves praise? Oh man he deserves all the praise, all the glory and all the honor, for Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised…PS 145:3....
And look at why He is being praised here in this movement...
He judged the great Harlot… The great harlot is the false church, the false religious system that will assist the Anti-christ in his rise to power. She corrupted the earth with her adulteries.
But halfway through the tribulation, Anti-christ and those kings will put her away. They will destroy her and the Lord will judge her.
The Lord will pass judgment on her for the saints of God she persecuted, those saints that were martyred for their faith.
Remember in Chapter 6, when the 5th seal of those 7 on the scroll was opened , the saints of God were heard in heaven crying out and asking how long before justice would be provided for those who has shed their blood.
Now my friends, judgment is complete. She is judged.
And again, do you see what is happening, Praise is ringing out… Hallelujah is heard
For the smoke of her, of Babylon, the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever...
And the 24 elders and the 4 living creatures are seen next…look again at verses 4-5. Rev 19:4-5
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” 5 And from the throne came a voice saying,
“Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
small and great.”
They fall down, these 24 elders and the 4 living creatures, they fall down and worship God who is seated on the throne… saying Amen...
The Word Amen, it is a word of agreement. They are praising God, agreeing with God and all the has has done.
And there is that word Hallelujah, Praising God, and a voice calls from the throne, perhaps one of the angels there but we are not told who is speaking.... but the command is
Praise our God all you His servants, you who fear him small and great.
This is really beautiful my friends, all you who hold our God is awe, all you who reverence Him, you His servants.. Praise our God.
I believe my friends, the best course of action for us in every course of life, and at the beginning and ending of each day....
Praise God.
Praise Him all you peoples.... listen to these 2 passages...
1 Praise the Lord, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
2 For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!
And then also....................
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Next this morning, John is given a another beautiful sight to behold....
2. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb...
As you move forward through this chapter, we come to God being praised, praise for the time has come for the marriage supper of the Lamb.
So lets examine this text, look at verses 6-10 Rev 19:6-10
6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” 10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Remember, before the tribulation begins, the Lord Jesus will return, He comes in the air, His foot doesn’t touch this earth yet. But he comes in the air with the voice of the arch angel and the trumpet call of God.. .....AND.....
The dead in Christ will rise (the souls of the dead return with the Lord, and as they body is raised incorruptible, the soul reunites with the body). And we who are alive and remain are called up up together, all will be with the Lord.
And when we are raptured, what is the purpose of this event?
There is a wedding to attend my friends, the Marriage supper of the Lamb.
So look at what happens here… There is praise in heaven again, Hallelujah! Praise God for the Lord Almighty reigns...
But at this event, all the wedding guests are present. The ones who were previously raptured and all those who have believed during the Tribulation.
And with this great gathering my friends, the call is for all of heaven to give glory to God
Verse 7 says - “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;...”
Who are the bride and the bridegroom?
The answer is easy....the bride is the church, the redeemed of the Lord and the Bridegroom is the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul tells us this in Ephesians 5, verses 25-27.
And we have other pictures of the wedding supper in the Scriptures.
Matthew chapter 25 we have the story of being prepared in the parable of the 10 virgins.
Remember in this parable, the bridegroom was delayed in coming, and 10 virgins were waiting, 5 were prepared, they brought extra oil. The other 5 did not have enough and while waiting through the evening, their lamps went out.
And while they went and tried to find more oil, the bridegroom came and took the prepared ones back to the father’s house for the wedding celebration.
The 5 prepared are the church, the redeemed, they were ready, the others were not…the lost world.
My friends, The church, all those in Christ, will be gathered and brought to His Fathers house..
And at the Father’s house, look we see that the bride is presented in fine linen, bright and clean. Verse 8.
Those clean linens, the clean garments for the wedding - is the salvation we have and enjoy in Christ. No longer will we inhabit the corruptable, sinful bodies, dirty, stained linens.
In Christ, as I said earlier, we have put on the incorruptible, we have been made like Jesus, no longer sinful, but made as He is..
And there the wedding and the celebration takes place, the celebration will be great and all of heaven will be rejoicing.
Look again at verses 9-10....Rev 19:9
9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb..
My friends, Salvation, and the complete realization, fulfillment of that day will be the greatest day in the creation of the world.
For the Lord has made us new, we have returned to the place mankind was before the fall. We are perfect, whole and without sin. We have been redeemed.
Now my friends, we move to one last thought from this chapter.
3. The Victorious One....
We know without a doubt that Jesus is the victorious one, He is the victor!
Lets begin by looking at verses 11-16, Rev 19:11-16
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Do you see this… The heavens were opened for John, he is able to see beyond this plain of existence… He is allowed to see the heavenly again...
And immediately, the bridegroom appears… John sees a white horse and a champion upon it, a rider who is called faithful and true…wow!
That Phrase “faithful and true” is important! Do you remember earlier in Revelation, Jesus as he was speaking to the church at Laodicea. He identified himself, as the faithful and true witness (Rev 3:14.)
John goes on and says His eyes were like flames of fire, they judge perfectly and his wisdom is unmistakable.
And upon His head were many crowns or diadems. Our Lord has appeared not only as the lamb, But He is a warrior judge who has received all power and authority and now is crowned with many crowns!
And it says at the end of verse 12, “...he has a name written that no one knows but himself.” My friends, we know Jesus is the Son of God. whatever is known of him, even by revelation does not exhaust his essence. He is known but He is also the unknowable One. We cannot comprehend or fully know our Savior until the day we stand eternally in His presence.
Martin Luther, the 15th century priest and theologian, The hidden God is overcome by the revealed God.
But what we know of his here is partial, but it is sufficient to draw us to his great love, too pursue him that we might know him all the more until the day of our home-going.
Now pay attention to verse 13 Rev 19:13
13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.
The robe, not just white, bright linen, but this robe was one that dipped in blood. What does this mean, Is this his blood that shed for the redemption of sinner, the blood that was shed to cleanse us?
We see here is a two fold picture, not only the blood that he she dot redeem sinners, but here Jesus is the victorious one, this is the blood of his enemies that he has defeated. We say this since we are taking about his judgement in this chapter.
Finally, his name is “The Word of God.” Do you remember what John tells us in John 1:1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He is the Word of God, made manifest for all to know…
And with Him are the armies of heaven. They too ride white horses and are dressed or arrayed in fine white linens.
And verse 15 tells us that out of his mouth came a sharp sword to which he will strike the nations… This is the sharp sword of the Scriptures, a two edged sword.
Listen my friends, if the word of God was powerful enough to bring the cosmos into being, if it is powerful enough bring man to life, to save and redeem the lost then it is powerful enough strike down the nations who rise up against him.
And King Jesus will rule over them with a iron scepter. And He will thread upon the winepress. At God’s appointed time He will trample the grapes of wrath, it is the wrath of God on sin. Sin and unbelievers will be punished.
And look at verse 16… Rev 19:16
16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
How beautiful, that on the robe and upon his thigh we see the name written King of kings and Lord of lords..
He is the supreme one, Of all kings, He is King, of all Lords, He is Lord… He is over all and above all.
And not us one who has sat upon a throne, He is active and triumphant. Look with me at verses 17-21, Rev 19:17-21
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.” 19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.
Do you see it, His victory!
This is the fulfillment of what Jesus talked about in Matthew 24:30,
30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And it is here, that some scholars have referred to as the second supper, we looked at the wedding supper at the opening of this chapter, but now a second feast… The birds of the air are called to feast upon the flesh of those who are slain.
The beast and the kings of the earth had come to wage war against the Son, but look at this, the beast and the false prophet that led the nations and its people astray are captured.
And they (The Beast (anti-christ) and the False Prophet) are thrown into the lake of fire alive. This lake will not cause you to die physically, but it is a place of suffering for them.
The rest, all those who served along side of the beast and the false prophet were slain but the word of his mouth and the birds of the air gorged themselves with their flesh.
Remember, for those who died not believing in Jesus, not having repented of their sins and received him as Lord… they will go to the temporary abode of the dead until they stand before God at the great white throne of judgment.
The judgement of God is coming, but my friends until those last days we remember that God sent his Son into the world, that the world might be saved through him not judged.
He will judge, but He desires to save. I believe that Jesus would rather have the vilest of sinners reach out to Him than to perish in hell.
At times, we fill so unworthy, but he loves us. In truth we are unworthy, but He makes us worthy. He receives us, and changes us.
Have you been changed?
This morning, if you have never received Jesus as your Savior, You can come to him with the confidence that He will receive you. And receiving Him he will walk with you the rest of your days.
And if you are here and you have been saved, but maybe you know You are not walking with him like he would desire.
Maybe you have let sin into your life, and that has weighed heavy in your heart, He can take all that away, change us and restore us, forgiving us and encouraging us to walk again in His ways.
Or maybe you have another need today, maybe you need prayer, you are seeking the Lord for help, healing, or wisdom… come and seek him today. We will pray with you and for you.
The challenge is my friends, will you come?
Jerry.....stand with us.
