Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Introduction
When you are invited to speak at an event, you want to make a lasting impression.
You want to be unforgettable.
You really want it to be the life-changing power of your message that people remember.
Almost regardless of what happens this morning, I am going to be remembered as “the key man.”
Let me share something of my journey with Revelation and with end-time theories.
I have been a passionate student of God’s Word for 29 years.
I have more degrees than common senses.
I can read the NT in Greek with relative ease.
But I have never felt like I had Revelation figured out, and I don’t think I ever will.
Bible scholars divide into three main groups depending on how they understand the reference to 1000 years in : premillennials, postmillennials, and amillennials.
(Millennium comes from the Latin for 1000 years.)
But the postmillennials are like the ACDP, the Christian political party—virtually irrelevant.
Almost everyone is either amillennial or premillennial.
The premillennials believe that Jesus will return and rule on earth for 1000 years before a final rebellion and judgement.
In other words, after the church age, they expect a literal earthly kingdom of Christ for 1000 years.
They interpret the 1000 years of literally.
The amillennials do not believe that there will be a literal 1000-year reign of Christ on earth.
They believe that when Jesus returns, there will be final judgement for all followed by the eternal state.
They interpret the 1000 years of figuratively.
Introduce tribulation theories as the domain of the pretribbers.
So, where do I stand?
About the only thing I am sure about is that we are all going to be wrong!
The Jewish scholars had various theories about the first coming of Christ; what actually happened proved them all wrong.
Christian scholars have all these fanciful theories about his second coming; what will actually happen is likely to falsify all our theories.
To quote Rick Godwin, the Lord wants us to occupy ourselves until he comes, not to occupy ourselves with his coming.
With respect to the rapture theories:
Pray to go; prepare to stay.
About my own journey, I got radically saved at 16 into an AOG church that believed in a pretribulation rapture and a literal 1000-year reign of Christ.
I completed my BA and MA at AOG theological institutions that only taught the pretrib premill view.
I believed and taught it, but one day I was studying in combination with a pretrib commentary and I became persuaded that the theory was just too fanciful.
So I abandoned pretribulationism, but continued to support the premillennial view, but I hold it lightly.
What is Revelation about?
ἀποκαλυψις Ἰησου Χριστου: It is the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the subject of the book.
As I see it, the book essentially tells us that in this world we, as God’s children, will have tribulations, but we should take heart because God is in control directing all things towards his intended end.
How does Revelation communicate?
Revelation communicates through visions!
The visions are build with symbols.
The symbols point to things in the real world, but they do not transfer literally into the real world.
So we are dealing with two worlds.
First, we have the world of the vision—what John sees, full of symbolism.
Second, we have the real world.
John’s visions means something for the real world, but determining what exactly is difficult.
1.
The Parousia
1.1.
The King Comes
How does this portrait of Jesus help us not to be deceived, distraught, or distracted?
Deceived
Firstly, the return of Jesus Christ as the conquering King will not be a secret, obscure event.
We should not fall for groups like the JWs who claim that he returned secretly in 1914.
Secondly, the person of Jesus Christ as the just Judge should not be denied.
We should not fall for popular portrayals of Jesus as only “nice” and “kind.”
Distraught
We are invited to play in a rugby match.
At first we are distraught because our powers are, to say the least, limited.
Then we discover that we are surrounded by All Blacks, mighty and peerless.
We are no longer afraid, because we are on the winning side.
Firstly, the fact that Jesus is coming back and that he is the King of kings empowers us to endure suffering.
Secondly, the fact that Jesus is coming back and that he is the just Judge enables us to endure injustice.
Distracted
We want to be on his side when he comes.
This should motivate us to keep our eyes fixed upon him.
1.2.
The King conquers
Revelation 19:17-
Jesus, who came first as a lamb, comes again as a lion.
Some interpreters see the beast as an individual, the antichrist, and the false prophet as his right-hand man.
Others see them as embodying the false political and religious systems of the world that war against God’s people in every age.
How does this portrait of Jesus conquering help us not to be deceived, distraught, or distracted?
Deceived
We should avoid the lie that God will not judge the wicked.
We should avoid the lie that there is no hell.
Distraught
I think we can use the same points as above.
Distracted
The primacy of evangelism over creation care
…
2. The Millennium
2.1.
Satan is bound
2.2.
Saints are blessed
2.3.
Satan is judged
How does this fact of final judgement help us not to be deceived, distraught, or distracted?
(We will treat vv.
1-10 together.)
Deceived
Satan is subject to God, a pawn in his plans.
Distraught
The result is not in doubt.
If we are faithful to Christ, we reign with him forever.
God does not run a democracy!
Even if the entire world conspires and unites against him, his truth, and his people, he prevails.
We can think of this in relation to ideas like LGBT+ debates.
Distracted
2.4.
Sinners are judged
How does this fact of final judgement help us not to be deceived, distraught, or distracted?
Not deceived
There is perfect justice in this world.
Every person who rejects the gospel will reap what they sowed.
Nobody will be saved by works.
Nobody can be saved apart from Jesus Christ.
Not distraught
, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
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