Sermon Tone Analysis

Thanks again for joining us as we journey through the Book of Revelation

It has been a great journey through sometimes complicated passages, which we tried to simplify and center them on themes rather than speculation.

Last week in Chapters 12 & 13, we took a look at the characters that come into play for the rest of the book.

We had the Pregnant woman - Representing the Church - Spiritual birth

The Red Dragon - Satan Himself - the deceiver, murderer, liar and accuser of the Brethren.

When Satan wants to bring up your past just remind him of his future -AMEN

The Male Child = Jesus

The Archangel Michael = Fights Satan and his demonic hosts and makes short work of them.

If you though Desert Storms 100 hour ground war was a fast victory.

The Heavenly host seem to beat that.

The Remnant = Those who have conquered by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.

Beast of the Sea = Anti Christ - He has kingdoms under his control - A political leader who is going to come across as the great deliverer.

He will oppose what God stands for.

He is depicted as being powerful, cruel, fierce and swift.

He will deceive the Nations

The False Prophet = Beast of the Earth - a spiritual leader - He makes an image of the beast seem to come to life.

We will implement of the mark of the beast.

It will be a symbol of submission to the beast and his authority.

Without it you will not be able to buy food, travel or work

It will all be done under the disguise of something - Just like the Covid passport was under the guise of Health Care and Public Safety- It was actually a human tracker ( for supposed security and health care reasons)

Isn’t it also weird how Satan uses something familiar to what God does

Doesn't the First Beast and second beast remind you of the two witnesses.

One political and one Spiritual.

Satan takes and twists - He tries to create a false image of something God is doing - Deceiver and Liar.

WORLD WIDE

Fear and Intimidation will be at an all time high.

The main theme that keeps running through the book is Worship

Question:

Because of all the deception, do you actually know who you worship?

Right now you are worshipping something or somebody - Don’t be deceived.

Question - How can people be so deceived

Answer

1.

They either want nothing to do with God.

They would rather serve creation and its devices rather than the creator.

Pride and arrogance will be there downfall.

2. Or they have weak faith coupled with weak worship.

The call is to stay alert, Worship the Lord your God Jesus.

Remembering that the devil is defeated and you have a reward waiting for you in Heaven.

AMEN

This next Chapter really belongs with the last two but I didn’t want to keep you for another 1/2 hour so we are finishing this section today.

Today we look at Rev 14

Revelation 14 (ESV)

Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.

And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder.

The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps,

and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders.

No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.

It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins.

It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.

These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb,

and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.

Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people.

And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.”

And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,

he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand.

And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.”

So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.

Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.

And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.”

So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia.

So this is still the interlude -some would say introduction to the rest of the story.

This vision is realized in Chapters 20 and 21

OK lets break these passages down a bit.

CH 14:1-5

Isn’t it amazing how Jesus is still depicted - In his victory he is still the Lamb.

In the last chapter we saw the counterfeit lamb rise out of the earth - the dragon.

Here we have the true lamb of God.

Again we see the 144,000 - ( we spoke about them earlier)

12 tribes of 12,000 Jews - Spiritually pure ( represented by the word virgins) - Perfectly devoted

There is always a remnant- ( How many of you remember Elijah)

In 1st Kings 19 Elijah is running from Jezebel and he was getting discourage.

In verse three he said “ I have had enough Lord” ( have any of you ever felt that way?

He goes on and on and feels sorry for himself and the Lord then speaks to Him in a still small voice.

Then Elijah says he is the only one left, eveeryone else seems to have fallen away.

The Lord speaks to him and says, “I have reserved seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed to Baal.”

Any of you ever felt all alone spiritually, wondering where is God in all this?

These 144,000 were the first fruits of the tribulation period

They give us a sense that the church has already been raptured.

Sounds like the Rapture to me

This remnant of Jews are in the middle of Jerusalem surrounded by Gods presence- Zion refers to the center of Worship- In other words Gods presence.

That is where we want to be - Remember this is way more than a well planned out worship service or awesome worship time.

It is more than a 1/2 hour experience

Wherever Jesus goes, they go - This reminds me of the disciples - when Jesus asked them to follow him - Like Matthew they stopped what they were doing and followed Him.

Today we are asked the same thing - Follow HIM- Stop what your doing and follow the savior -your deliverer.

Again a call to Worship - God loves those who are His

CH 14:6-7 - scene moves from 144,000 to multiple angels

Now we are going to see three angels dispatched from Heaven

The first declares - Christ has come - Christ has come

There is always a Harold.

John the Baptist said the same thing- Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.

To me this represents Gods abundant grace and mercy.

He always lets you know what is going on.

This is the Last call