The Day the Meteorologist Resigns
Rejoicing Through Revelation • Sermon • Submitted
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· 26 viewsI wish to motivate you to prayer and pleading in the Lord’s presence for purging the world of ungodliness and to a pursuit of the lost at whatever personal cost you might be called to make.
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Introduction:
Introduction:
Orthopathy
Before God gave His people His Law, the world was a rough place. In many ways it still is, but we would be wise to consider the moral baseline of civilization at the time. We live on this side of 3,000 years of the civilizing, restraining influence of the Judeo-Christian ethic. We enjoy the legacy of the Ten Commandments.
The world before God’s giving of the Law was an awful, scary, barbaric place to live. People routinely practiced human sacrifice, especially of children. Slaves were killed without any accountability. Women were considered property. Children were disposable resources. Revenge was commonplace.
It was survival of the fittest writ large.
No one—not even the hardest Darwinian atheist—wants to live in a world like that.
All of us want there to be justice. We want there to be balanced scales. We want there to be a standard of right and wrong, punishment for the wicked and a recourse for the righteous to plead their case. None of that would be possible without the Law of God.
No wonder the Psalmist said, “The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.… Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long” (Psalm 119:72, 97).
People have given their lives to preserve the Word of God. People have gone to jail for possessing a copy. People have traveled land and sea to faithfully translate it into as many different languages as humanly possible. Many of us have multiple copies within easy reach, but do we really value the Bible?
Within its leather-bound, gold-leafed, onion-skin pages, we find more than history and philosophy; we find wisdom for living. The doesn’t merely speak to us of “heavenly” things or “spiritual matters.” God’s Law is holistic, giving us a basis for coherent thought and practice.
As we meditate on God’s Word, He shapes the way we think about our world and ourselves, teaching us to think His thoughts and lead an integrated life in which everything we do matters. There is no dichotomy between spiritual and sacred. God intends to govern all of life, rendering it all holy.
How dare we reduce it to trivia or an academic textbook to be studied alongside the Riverside Shakespeare or the Encyclopedia Britannica! These are the words of life that point us to Wisdom and Truth personified, revealing to us the true character and nature of the true God who desires for us to be His treasured people, a people set apart for a purpose, rightly relating to Him so we can be rightly related to each other. [Kenneth Boa and John Alan Turner, The 52 Greatest Stories of the Bible (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 2008), 49–50.]
Main Thought: I wish to motivate you to prayer and pleading in the Lord’s presence for purging the world of ungodliness and to a pursuit of the lost at whatever personal cost you might be called to make.
Sub-intro: Provide the backdrop for Rev. 8.
The Songs of Heaven...
The Slain Lamb Standing...
The Seals Opened…
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
White, Red, Black, Pale...
The Martyrs Altar...
The Petrified Worldlings...
The Four Winds of Judgment Waiting...
The Interlude of Seven...
The Jews Restored...
The Gentiles Redeemed...
Body:
What the Lord’s Presence Provides (Rev. 7:15-17).
What the Lord’s Presence Provides (Rev. 7:15-17).
Enjoying Christ’s Provision (v. 16a).
Enjoying Christ’s Provision (v. 16a).
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
Enjoying Christ’s Protection (v. 16b).
Enjoying Christ’s Protection (v. 16b).
Enjoying Christ’s Person (v. 17).
Enjoying Christ’s Person (v. 17).
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
The Shepherding Lamb (v. 17a).
The Shepherding Lamb (v. 17a).
The Solace of God (v. 17b).
The Solace of God (v. 17b).
The Pause in Heaven (Rev. 8:1).
The Pause in Heaven (Rev. 8:1).
The Seventh Seal (v. 1a).
The Seventh Seal (v. 1a).
And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
The Short Silence (v. 1b).
The Short Silence (v. 1b).
Silence… Then Supplication… Then the Storm... [Wiersbe]
The Preparation of the Trumpeting Angels (Rev. 8:2).
The Preparation of the Trumpeting Angels (Rev. 8:2).
Their Place Before God (v. 2a).
Their Place Before God (v. 2a).
And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
Provided with Trumpets (v. 2b).
Provided with Trumpets (v. 2b).
The Prayers of All Saints (Rev. 8:3-6).
The Prayers of All Saints (Rev. 8:3-6).
Angel of Intercession (v. 3a).
Angel of Intercession (v. 3a).
And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
Note the Levitical backdrop; Solomon’s Golden Censers...
Avenger of Imprecation (v. 3b).
Avenger of Imprecation (v. 3b).
For centuries, God’s people have been praying, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done!” and now those prayers are about to be answered. Likewise, the Tribulation martyrs prayed for God to vindicate them (Rev. 6:9–11), a common plea of David in the Psalms (see Pss. 7; 26; 35; 52; 55; and 58 for example). These “imprecatory psalms” are not expressions of selfish personal vengeance, but rather cries for God to uphold His holy Law and vindicate His people.
[Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 592.]
Altar of Incense (v. 4).
Altar of Incense (v. 4).
And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.
Angry Indignation (v. 5).
Angry Indignation (v. 5).
And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
The Censer of Cleansing (v. 5a).
The Censer of Cleansing (v. 5a).
Authorized Version Chapter 6
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. 6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
The Censer Cast to the Earth (v. 5b).
The Censer Cast to the Earth (v. 5b).
In the tabernacle and temple, the golden altar stood before the veil and was used for burning incense (Ex. 30:1–10). This was the ministry Zacharias was performing when the angel told him that he and Elizabeth would have a son (Luke 1:5ff). Burning incense on this altar was a picture of prayer ascending to God (Ps. 141:2).
[Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 592.]
The Plagues Upon the World (Rev. 8:6-9:21).
The Plagues Upon the World (Rev. 8:6-9:21).
The First Four Trumpets of the Apocalypse (Rev. 8:6-12).
The First Four Trumpets of the Apocalypse (Rev. 8:6-12).
The Burning Earth (Rev. 8:7).
The Burning Earth (Rev. 8:7).
And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Note the parallel to the Egyptian Plagues upon Pharoah for his hardness of heart.
The Bloody Sea (Rev. 8:8-9).
The Bloody Sea (Rev. 8:8-9).
And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
The Bitter Waters (Rev. 8:10-11).
The Bitter Waters (Rev. 8:10-11).
And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
The Blackened Sky (Rev. 8:12).
The Blackened Sky (Rev. 8:12).
And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
The Lamenting of the Lord’s Messenger (Rev. 8:13).
The Lamenting of the Lord’s Messenger (Rev. 8:13).
And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
The First Woe - The Abysmal Army (Rev. 9:1-12).
The First Woe - The Abysmal Army (Rev. 9:1-12).
The Pit Opened (Rev. 9:1-3).
The Pit Opened (Rev. 9:1-3).
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
I believe there is good argument that this “star” could be Satan. [Wiersbe]
The Punishment Ensues (Rev. 9:4-6).
The Punishment Ensues (Rev. 9:4-6).
Focused Punishment (v. 4).
Focused Punishment (v. 4).
And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
Fierce Punishment (v. 5).
Fierce Punishment (v. 5).
And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
Non-Fatal Punishment (v. 6).
Non-Fatal Punishment (v. 6).
And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
The Portrait of the Punishers (Rev. 9:7-10).
The Portrait of the Punishers (Rev. 9:7-10).
And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
The Prince of Punishment (Rev. 9:11).
The Prince of Punishment (Rev. 9:11).
And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
The Second Woe - The Eastern Invaders (Rev. 9:13-21).
The Second Woe - The Eastern Invaders (Rev. 9:13-21).
The Conquering Hordes (Rev. 9:13-19).
The Conquering Hordes (Rev. 9:13-19).
The Home of These Demons (Rev. 9:13-14).
The Home of These Demons (Rev. 9:13-14).
And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
The Location (v. 13, 14b).
The Location (v. 13, 14b).
The Leaders (v. 14a).
The Leaders (v. 14a).
The Hostility of These Demons (Rev. 9:15).
The Hostility of These Demons (Rev. 9:15).
And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
Their Preparation: Kept for a Particular Hour (v. 15a).
Their Preparation: Kept for a Particular Hour (v. 15a).
Their Purpose: To Kill (v. 15b).
Their Purpose: To Kill (v. 15b).
Remember the destruction of the Swine by Legion whom the Lord exercised from the Maniac of Gadara. Demons have one purpose. The Devil is a thief and a liar, and comes not but for to steal, kill and destroy.
The Horror of These Demons (Rev. 9:16-19).
The Horror of These Demons (Rev. 9:16-19).
Their Number: 200 Mil. (v. 16).
Their Number: 200 Mil. (v. 16).
And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
Their Nature: More Dragoons of Disaster (vv. 17-19).
Their Nature: More Dragoons of Disaster (vv. 17-19).
And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
The Horses (v. 17b-19).
The Horses (v. 17b-19).
The Riders (v. 17a).
The Riders (v. 17a).
The Calloused Inhabitants (Rev. 9:20-21).
The Calloused Inhabitants (Rev. 9:20-21).
Refusing Repentance (v. 20a).
Refusing Repentance (v. 20a).
And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
Remaining Rebellious (v. 20b-21).
Remaining Rebellious (v. 20b-21).
Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
“North American society is headed for destruction and judgment. And we had better believe it’s coming, because there is no sign that repentance is near. It is coming, or else God is a liar and His word is not true. The prophet’s message must be preached again today.” - Walter Kaiser
[Craig S. Keener, Revelation, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1999), 264.]
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
God did it before (The Flood, Pharoah, Israel), and He’ll do it again.
There’s only two camps to be in… The Camp of Faith, or the Camp of Unbelief. God hears the prayers of those in the Camp of Faith (Joshua & Caleb), and sends His wrath to purge an unbelieving and ungodly world in righteous judgment, and yet for all of this, THEY REPENTED NOT!
Which camp do you call home?
What are you doing to reach those “outside” of the camp, dying in the leprosy of their sin, to show them the cure of Christ, whose blood was once offered to cleanse from sin, fully, finally, and forever?
I pray you leave here today, motivated. Motivated to pray for God to purge this world of ungodliness. Motivated to pursue the lost at any cost.