Heaven Celebrates
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
As I have stated throughout this study in the book of Revelation, Hollywood cant touch the excitement and crazy happenings that have played out. Although Hollywood has made quite a few movies centered around the end of days, end of the world, Armageddon, the Apocalypse - etc. These movies are always stylized around the end of the world coming from disasters, catastrophes, or human depravity and they are accompanied with sad stories and they all feature a human hero who saves the world from its demise.
Tonight lets not allow the vast collection of these scenarios color our minds on how the end of the world plays out. Do not be misled the end of the world is not something to be prevented but something to be saved in and or through. This time is a time where Heaven will be in celebration - not over the destruction of the universe, but rather the destruction and judgment of the wicked and those who oppose God.
Tonight we come to the close of the Tribulation period, and we see Christ Return - let us celebrate along with heaven for His return and this time is our glorious hope.
1 After this I heard something like the loud voice of a vast multitude in heaven, saying, Hallelujah! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God, 2 because his judgments are true and righteous, because he has judged the notorious prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality; and he has avenged the blood of his servants that was on her hands.
3 A second time they said, Hallelujah! Her smoke ascends forever and ever! 4 Then the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who is seated on the throne, saying, Amen! Hallelujah!
5 A voice came from the throne, saying, Praise our God, all his servants, and the ones who fear him, both small and great! 6 Then I heard something like the voice of a vast multitude, like the sound of cascading waters, and like the rumbling of loud thunder, saying, Hallelujah, because our Lord God, the Almighty, reigns!
7 Let us be glad, rejoice, and give him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself. 8 She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure. For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These words of God are true.”
10 Then I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers and sisters who hold firmly to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” 11 Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and with justice he judges and makes war.
13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. 14 The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. 15 A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty.
16 And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he called out in a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying high overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of military commanders, the flesh of the mighty, the flesh of horses and of their riders, and the flesh of everyone, both free and slave, small and great.” 19 Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and against his army.
20 But the beast was taken prisoner, and along with it the false prophet, who had performed the signs in its presence. He deceived those who accepted the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image with these signs. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
21 The rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds ate their fill of their flesh.
Hallelujah Choruses
Hallelujah Choruses
1 After this I heard something like the loud voice of a vast multitude in heaven, saying, Hallelujah! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God, 2 because his judgments are true and righteous, because he has judged the notorious prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality; and he has avenged the blood of his servants that was on her hands.
3 A second time they said, Hallelujah! Her smoke ascends forever and ever!
Back in Revelation 7:9-14 we saw a great multitude saved out of the Great Tribulation, ready for the end of the world system and the Antichrist’s reign on earth. Here we see this vast multitude in heaven and at this point they are shouting and singing Hallelujah! Hallelujah only occurs in the New Testament four times and all of them are here in Revelation 19. Hallels (Praises) to Yah (Yahweh - God) - Which means Praises to Yahweh Praise ye Yah or praise the Lord. Hallelujah or Alleluia are synonomous and at the same time universal in every language they mean praise the Lord.
The multitude is praising the Lord because Salvation, glory and power belong to our God. They also praise the Lord because his judgments are true and righteous. Lastly (although not exhaustively) they are praising and singing Hallelujah because God has judged the notorious prostitute who corrupted the earth and pushed her idolatry and immorality. This is praiseworthy because it is true and righteous but also because it means that God fulfilled His promise to exact vengeance for the blood or life of His servants. She killed His servants and now He has avenged them.
These are all reasons for the Lord to be praised and worshiped - when these things ring true for one and there is no other expression that can be found - shout Hallelujah and give praise to the Lord.
35 May sinners vanish from the earth and wicked people be no more. My soul, bless the Lord! Hallelujah!
1 Hallelujah! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever.
48 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, “Amen!” Hallelujah!
Again the vast multitude cries out in praise shouting Hallelujah - because the smoke of the judgment on the Harlot ascends forever and ever. It is the heavenly encore. Here finally the cry of the martyred saints has their prayer and cry to the Lord answered and it results in praises to the Lord.
8 For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a time of paying back Edom for its hostility against Zion. 9 Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch, her soil into sulfur; her land will become burning pitch. 10 It will never go out—day or night. Its smoke will go up forever. It will be desolate, from generation to generation; no one will pass through it forever and ever.
11 and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or anyone who receives the mark of its name.
4 Then the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who is seated on the throne, saying, Amen! Hallelujah!
Then at this time the 24 elders - who represent the church remember (again a distinction from the tribulation saints who are the vast multitude) along with the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God. The God who is seated on the throne - nothing has ever usurped His reign and nothing ever will. God was and is and will always be permanently sovereign. Understand this and you have much peace in everything, knowing that there is no act of man, or of nations, no any problem that may arise that will ever overrule God because He is perfectly and permanently sovereign.
19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.
God sits permanently on the throne with His great power and steadfast love for us. May this remind us why we can submit to Him and also allow Him to rule our hearts.
5 A voice came from the throne, saying, Praise our God, all his servants, and the ones who fear him, both small and great! 6 Then I heard something like the voice of a vast multitude, like the sound of cascading waters, and like the rumbling of loud thunder, saying, Hallelujah, because our Lord God, the Almighty, reigns!
Almost immediately in response to the Hallelujahs a voice comes from the throne. This voice is not the Father nor the Son but most likely an angel who dwells in the presence of God because his voice says Praise Our God - give praise to our God - further leading the worship of God. Who is to join in? All who fear Him - great and small - no distinction between but a unity among in the praise and worship of God. True worship of God focuses on God and not on us or what separates us as we are all blood bought.
The language used to describe the thunderous and majestic praise from the hearts and mouths of God’s saints all singing in one voice - cascading waters and peals of thunder. Again praising the Lord for He - the Almighty - reigns. Whats going on is that not only has God always reigned and always will reign but now the time has come to establish His reign and rule over the earth.
Praise the Lord that He is the One who reigns over all and will forever reign!
The Marriage Feast of the Lamb
The Marriage Feast of the Lamb
7 Let us be glad, rejoice, and give him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself. 8 She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure. For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints.
9 Then he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These words of God are true.” 10 Then I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers and sisters who hold firmly to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, because the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
To help really illuminate the significance and meaning of these passages we must understand the marriage custom of John’s day. It had three phases to it.
Betrothal - Marriage contract was drawn up between families - usually the fathers and occuring while the two parties involved were still children. Though the marriage was not consummated at this point - they were considered legally married. When one believes in Jesus Christ as their Savior he becomes part of the bride of Christ. The church age is the betrothal phase, the time during which God is calling out a bride for His son. The payment of a suitable dowry was also often part of the procedure. God gave His only Son - Christ Himself gave His own life for us as a dowry.
Presentation - when the couple reaches a suitable age the wedding would take place. The father of the bridegroom would present the contract to the father of the bride. The bridegroom would then go to the house of the bride in the company of His friends and escort her to his home. This is the backdrop for the parable in Matthew’s Gospel of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25. During the betrothal period the groom would prepare a place to live in his father’s house. When it was completed and made ready for the new bride John 14:2-3
2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.
The rapture or resurrection and transformation of the Church is the even which brings the groom to the bride and which takes the bride back to heaven. The ceremony which follows is the presentation or actual marriage. The brides hand would be placed in the groom’s father’s hand and then he would place it in the grooms hand and thus the marriage ceremony.
Marriage Feast - the groom would invite many guests and gather all his friends to come to the marriage feast and view his bride. The length and lavishness of the feast would depend on the wealth and means of the bridegrooom. It could be a day a week or even longer. The millennium represents the marriage feast where Christ displays His bride - the church
In the parable of Matthew 22:l-14 we have an illustration of this custom. The parable, however, pictures the rejection of Israel and Christ’s gracious extension of the invitation to all nations. Christ had prepared a great feast of spiritual blessings, but Israel was too busy to be bothered so the offer was extended to the nations or the Gentile world (cf. Rom. 11:1-32).
In Matthew 25:l-13 we have another reference to the wedding feast only this time it refers to the millennium and the invitation is to come as guests to this great feast. The invitation is to Jews and Gentiles of the Tribulation to come to the marriage feast of Christ and His bride, the church. Of course, they can only come by faith in the groom. Personal faith in Jesus Christ is the wedding invitation; this provides the righteous garment necessary to get into the feast.
Lets look at the verses in light of this custom. Great rejoicing and glory is given to God because the time has come, the marriage of the Lamb has come - marriage is the word gamos - which means marriage or wedding feast. This is the feast as we see because the marriage already has taken placein heaven with the presentation of the bride - occuring following the rapture. Verse 9 makes very clear the announcement of the wedding feast or the millennial reign of Christ. The bride refers to the church.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word.
27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. 28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are members of his body.
31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. 32 This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church.
We are told the bride makes herself ready which brings out the aspect of personal responsibility for everyone as individuals. There is the responsibility in relation to salvation, to receive Christ as Savior from sin. Then as believers there is the responsibility to choose to walk by the Spirit of God according to the Word and by faith in order that they may produce good works and be fruitful. Now lets turn to the divine side of things in verse 8 “She was given” fine linen to wear bright and pure. It refers to the gifts that Christ has given to the church enabling believers to produce good works for God and to glorify Him.
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.
It was also given to her - as a reward for faithful service or righteous deeds done in the power of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
Verse 9 says blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb. The bride is the church every believer prior to the rapture - whether Jew or Greek and every believer in Christ Jesus after the rapture and during the tribulation period are the invited guests - whether Jew or Greek.
One of the false interpretations that plagues the church is the concept that God treats all saints exactly alike. A literal interpretation distinguishes groups of saints - the bride and the guests and God has a program indeed for Israel as a nation and also for those in Israel who are saved. He has a program for the Gentiles in the O.T. who come to faith and in the New Testament He has a program for the church as a different group of saints. Tribulation saints are distinguished from other groups. Not so much is it a question of difference in blessings as it is that God has a program for each group.
Here the church is the bride.
The feast is an earthly feast and takes place on earth during the beginning of the Millennium. Worship God because the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy. True purpose of prophecy is to bear testimony to the Person and work of Jesus. Prophecy is designed to unfold the loveliness of Jesus.
Christ Returns
Christ Returns
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and with justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on his head. He had a name written that no one knows except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God.
14 The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. 15 A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. 16 And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
We have finally come to the absolute climax of the book of Revelation. The glorious coming of Christ to earth in order to put down His enemies and setup His kingdom. This is NOT the Rapture of the Church; there Christ comes to the air for His saints. Here He comes to the earth with His saints.
Notice the description of our Lord, He is sitting on a white horse - the white horse is not only the horse of war but of victory. He comes with the purpose to judge and make war with His enemies. This war and judgment will be entirely in justice and righteousness.
12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate. Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy 13 before the Lord, for he is coming— for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with his faithfulness.
His eyes are like a fiery flame and many crowns were on His head. He had a name written that no one knows except Himself. He wore a robbed dipped in blood and His name is called the Word of God. The armies that were in heaven followed Him on white horses wearing pure white linen. A sharp sword comes out of His mouth that He might strike nations with it.
12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
He will rule with an iron rod and trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God Almighty. He has a name written on His robe and His thigh King of King and Lord of Lords.
15 God will bring this about in his own time. He is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords,
“Rule” is the Greek word poimainw, which means “to shepherd.” In this we see the nature of His rule. It will be like a shepherd who cares for his sheep. It will involve love, provision for all needs (spiritually and physically), as well as discipline and swift and effective justice.
“Rod of iron” further describes the nature of His rule. Shepherds normally used a staff made of wood with which they protected, cared for, and disciplined the sheep. This rod, however, is made of iron which symbolizes the strength, absolute authority, and unbreakable nature of His authority and rule.
The scene is a dramatic indication of the awfulness of the impending judgment. Those on the earth are indicated by Jesus as being witnesses to this scene
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth will mourn; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Christ will shepherd His kingdom by defeating enemies and removing them through a continuous judging to root out the rebels
Great Supper of the Lord
Great Supper of the Lord
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he called out in a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying high overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of military commanders, the flesh of the mighty, the flesh of horses and of their riders, and the flesh of everyone, both free and slave, small and great.”
19 Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and against his army.
20 But the beast was taken prisoner, and along with it the false prophet, who had performed the signs in its presence. He deceived those who accepted the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image with these signs. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
21 The rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds ate their fill of their flesh.
While believers have a banquet provided by Christ there is a banquet of enemies prepared by God for the birds. The great supper of the Lord. Consists of the flesh of kings, military commanders, the mighty, horses and their riders, the flesh of everyone both free and slave, small and great. The birds shall sup on the carcasses of Christ’s enemies.
2 I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle. The city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city.
2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and total darkness, like the dawn spreading over the mountains; a great and strong people appears, such as never existed in ages past and never will again in all the generations to come.
The beast, the kings and all their armies will be gathered to wage war on the rider - on Christ. To the last day they wage war and fight against Christ. The beast and the false prophet are taken as prisoners and they are thrown into the lake of fire. The rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth - the word of God is what everyone will be judged by. Its not even a battle they were killed without mention of a fight. Same with the prisoners taken - without struggle.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Four different suppers described in the Bible
The supper of salvation - Luke 14:16-24.
The Lord’s supper, a remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice
The marriage supper of the Lamb
The supper of the Great God
If you reject the first supper the second means nothing to you, and you will not be present at the third supper, but will be present at the fourth supper. Everybody gets to attend at least one of these suppers, but some will eat and others are eaten at the suppers.
This brings us to the end of the Tribulation.