Alpha & Omega
Revelation • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Well we are here now at the last few Chapters of the Book of Revelation.
Chapters 20, 21, and 22.
And we’ll begin in the sequence of the chapters as arranged, with Chapter 20 being the first.
The Apostle John wrote this Book of Revelation that we have been studying for the first half of this year, on the Island of Patmos, after having been sent there by Emperor Domitian on account of his refusal to stop preaching about Jesus.
As I mentioned before, there are four major views on this Book.
The Preterist View
Historical View
Allegorical View
Prophetic View
The Preterist believe that the things written in Revelation were specifically written to those in that time and were already completed.
The Historical View holds that the book serves only a matter of history.
Others hold the view that it was supposed to be interpreted as allegories, or metaphors, figures of speech, etc. - The Allegorical View
And the Prophetic view holds the events written in this book are prophecy.
Those that hold this view, believe it tells about things that will be happening in the future.
Depending on which view you hold, it will bring you to one of these two positions about end times eschatology.
You’ll either be A-Millennial Which means you take the 1000 years of Jesus reign to be figurative.
A-Millennial - The Greek prefix “A” before the word, means, “Not”
or,
You believe that the Book of Revelation speaks of a literal 1000 year or Millennial reign.
And that these things in the book will happen before the millennial reign,
which is Pre-Millennial.
You’ll have to decide for yourself which one you are.
The Book of Revelation has three main divisions,
The Church Age - The age we are in right now. (Chapters 1-3)
Rapture & The Second Coming - which is what is expected and waited for. (Chapters 4-19)
Then, what happens after the Millennium Reign of Jesus. - This is the Age where the Bible doesn’t give much detail other than it’s paradise with Jesus. (Chapters 20-22).
My wife Yadi, said this about the Book of Revelation:
“The Book of Revelation is not a gospel of love, but rather a preparation book for the world to come.”
Are you ready for the end to come?
If not, there is something seriously wrong with your eternity
We all need Jesus, now is the time.
Let’s read what the text says,
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
In the beginning of this chapter we see the devil finally gets dealt with, but its only for a limited time.
A thousand years.
The Targum, (an Aramaic paraphrase of the Old Testament,
The Talmud, a book of Jewish Laws and traditions, and
The Midrash, (an approach that focuses on understanding the meanings, experiences, and perspectives of Hebrew Passages)
All conclude that there will be a LITERAL thousand year reign of Messiah on earth.
A thousand years is a Millennium, so Jesus will be ruling for a 1000 years,
All while the devil is bound up in a bottomless pit.
After Jesus comes to earth, an angel will throw the devil into this pit, but only for a thousand years?
What’s that all about?
Well, the earth will be populated by the peope who survived the antichrist and false prophets persecution.
And the Jews who didn’t submit to them that were being hidden and protected.
And those people of that world to come, will be worshiping Jesus in Jerusalem every year,
But, those offspring of theirs, will not know Temptation, nor rebellion,
Therefore, the devil will be let loose among them after a thousand, to Tempt and try those whom never known about it.
Unfortunately the Bible tells us that many again fall victims into rebellion with the devil.
But the next verse gets really interesting.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Those that were beheaded for their witness to Jesus, they will be reanimated into life again.
That’s what the Bible says at the very end of verse four.
And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Now let’s read
5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
But the rest of the WHO?
The Dead.
Those who weren’t killed by the antichrist, but died fighting with the antichrist and false prophet.
Those will stay dead until the Judgement.
No miraculous return to life for them.
The Bible says this is the First Resurrection.
5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Those who get resurrected back to life are those with their names written in the book of Life.
Those who are resurrected into life will not need to worry about the second death to come.
First is the physical death, which they, as well as those who chose to side with the antichrist,
will all die a physical death,
A separation from the soul and body will take place.
But only the believers will be given a return physical life miraculously.
The rest, will not only have suffer the separation of their soul from their body,
After being tossed into the lake of fire with the devil will suffer the Second Death.
A Separation from their soul and eternity with God.
Jesus warned us about this in
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
There is no second chance.
If your soul ever leaves your physical body, before you have truly accepted Jesus into your heart,
Then there will in no way be any resurrection for you
And your soul with be cast into this lake of fire, along with the antichrist, false prophet, the dragon devil, and even death and hades, itself.
I think about all the poor souls out there that never took the gospel preaching seriously.
And have died,
The Bible tells us where they went.
If you take Jesus at His Word, then those who reject Jesus are going to be joining them.
A rock star who once said, before contracting HIV which ultimately took his life shortly after saying this, “that hell was much better because of all the interesting people to meet down there”
Mark Twain, an American Writer, was quoted saying, “I don’t like to commit myself about heaven and hell - you see. I have friends in both places.”
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
I admit, this was difficult for me to imagine when I think about it,
An entirely new city Jerusalem, coming down from heaven?
But then I saw a movie, it wasn’t a Christian movie, but a scientific movie,
called Interstellar
It is about the world ending and the ultimate extinction of the human race was on the horizon, you know how movie plot lines go.
But the human race was ultimately saved by the star getting thrust into a black hole, thereby discovering how to manipulate gravity.
In which humanity is saved from extinction albeit, they are floating through space looking for a new home planet.
In one of the last scenes of the movie, the star is reunited with humanity on this space ship, that has gravity manipulated in a way that they are living in a sort of tube,
And houses and such are wrapped inside the diameter of the this ship.
There are houses as he looks out, but he he looks to the left, right, or up, there are also the rest of the neighborhood perfectly thriving without falling down.
I bring that up because they sort of help shed some light on my imagination of how God might achieve dropping an entire City out of the sky from heaven
Could God decide to somehow manipulate gravity in such a way?
Well, I mean, He could, He owns it, He created it!
What ever His method, I’m sure it will be absolutely dazzling to the eyes.
4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
The average reader may not be able to understand the relief this verse gives us.
Unless you are grieving over a moral failure, or the death of a loved one,
You see, when we grieve there is no way to get relief from the pain of grief, except the impossible.
The return of the loved one grieved.
When one is in the throws of grief, you long for the pain to be over.
Verses like these start to become very appealing.
Yes Lord, please come and wipe away these dreadful tears.
6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
It is Done!
Meaning it has been established.
Finished, the END.
After this, there is only eternity in heaven, Amen.
God will wipe away every tear, AMEN
The new City will be more beautiful than our human minds can fathom on this side of eternity.
For even the streets are pure gold.
21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
Wow! That is going to be a sight to see.
But only the believers will live to see it.
Heaven is a members only club.
You must have an admittance.
The emphasis on the last chapter 22,
Is Jesus is coming, behold He is coming quickly, beginning in
7 “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
There it is again,
You are blessed if you keep the words of this prophecy.
Again he stress the point in
12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”
Jesus also puts His signature on it when He said,
16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
And, then again one last time.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Brothers and Sister here and watching,
Jesus is trying to tell you something.
Be ready, because He is coming back and He is coming back Quickly.
Amen.
Even so Lord, Come Lord.
Amen.
This concludes our sermon series on the Book of Revelation.
I pray you received the underlying message throughout this Book.
Jesus is Lord, and He’s coming back soon.
Invitation.
Prayers for the Missionaries and Trip,
