The Edge of Eternity
Notes
Transcript
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Introduction
Introduction
For almost two thousand years Christians have prayed a prayer taught to us by Jesus:
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
In Revelation 11:15–19 that day has come.
In words immortalized by Handel’s Messiah, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.”
Remember: the seventh seal contains the seven trumpets, and the seventh trumpet contains the seven bowls. Thus there is a sense in that the seventh seal, seventh trumpet, and the seventh bowl all bring us to the end. We might say it like this: The seventh seal brings us to “the end,” the seventh trumpet to “the very end,” and the seventh bowl to “the very, very end.”
Friends, one of these days, time will cease to exist! We will step from this time oriented world into an era that is not affected by time. Let’s look into the events that will lead to the edge.
If you go back to the previous chapter in verse 7, the Bible reads:
7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
Now I want you to pull that verse into the 11th chapter and the 15th verse where we begin our study tonight because it will help you understand the meaning of the sounding of the seventh trumpet.
With the sounding of the seventh trumpet the Bible says that the mystery of God will be completed.
That simply means it will be a time of completion and we are brought chronologically at this point in the Revelation to the edge of eternity.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at four things tonight:
1-The Anticipation of Victory
1-The Anticipation of Victory
14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
The sounding of the Seventh Trumpet is the official proclamation of the coming coronation of the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ.
This seventh trumpet introduces the next series of judgments known as the bowl or vial judgments. It also marks the end of the interlude that follows the sixth trumpet (10:1–11:14).
The seventh trumpet sounds in 11:15 but the judgments connected with it are not described until chapter 15.
All the world’s political, social, cultural, and religious groups are in reality one kingdom under one king … Satan.
* Matthew 4:8, 9—Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Jesus does not refute Satan’s claim.
* John 12:31—Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
* John 14:30—Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
* John 16:11—Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
* Matthew 12:26—And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? The Lord acknowledges Satan’s kingdom in this statement.
Christ will not claim His royal rights until He returns, but His victory is already won.
Don’t assume that He is not reigning today, because He is. He is accomplishing His will and plan for you and for this world. He will one day rule over the nations of this world and rule with a rod of iron in His millennial kingdom.
2-The Approval of the King
2-The Approval of the King
16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
The proclamation that Jesus will be taking power and reigning over what belongs to Him triggers praise and worship in Heaven.
They are thanking the Lord that He is alive and will reign over the earth.
Satan’s days are numbered. Jesus will begin to exercise His authority over the nations of the world and start calling the shots.
He will exert His will and plan and will go forth to conquer the Anti-Christ, the forces of Satan on earth and usher in His millennial kingdom.
3-The Animosity of Mankind
3-The Animosity of Mankind
18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
What causes rejoicing in Heaven ignites anger on the earth.
Notice the anger of the nations here. This word “anger” means “a deep-seated, ongoing hostility.
It was not a momentary emotional fit of temper but a settled, burning resentment against God. Why are the nations mad and so bitter against God?
Mankind’s will is being interfered with and his gods of materialism and selfishness are being tampered with and destroyed.
You know why man hates the will of God? It’s because it’s not his own...
Men without Christ are stubborn and don’t like anyone telling them what to do, especially God. “Who does He think He is?” is their attitude. Mankind wants to have its own way and will.
* Psalm 2:1–3.… Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? [2] The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, [3] Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
Mankind wants its own gods.
* Romans 1:25—Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
God’s wrath will fall upon a rebellious world in the last half of the Tribulation Period. It is as good as done.
God will judge the wicked and reward the righteous. Those who are faithful will rule and reign with Christ in His kingdom. It is as good as done.
4-The Ark in Heaven
4-The Ark in Heaven
19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
John began chapter eleven by measuring the temple of God on earth—at the close of the chapter his vision is not with the earthly temple, but with the heavenly temple!
John saw the ark of His covenant in His temple in heaven!
◾ The Ark held some manna that reminded God’s people of God’s provision.
◾ The Ark held Aaron’s rod that budded that reminded God’s people of God’s picking. He chose Aaron over the other leaders in Israel who had complained against Moses. (Numbers 17)
◾ The Ark held the tablets of the Law of the Lord to remind God’s people of God’s principles.
The Ark is known by several names in the Word of God. It is called:
▆ The Ark of the Covenant (Numbers 10:33)
▆ The Ark of testimony (Exodus 25:22)
▆ The Ark of God (1 Samuel 3:3)
▆ The Ark of God’s strength (Psalm 132:8)
▆ The Holy Ark (2 Chronicles 35:3)
John Phillips points out, “The opening of the temple displays the Ark that in Old Testament times was always concealed, thus signifying that God is about to act on behalf of beleaguered Israel. In the Old Testament, the Ark was connected with the Tabernacle of Moses, the land and Joshua, the kingdom and David, the Temple and Solomon. It thus stood connected with Israel’s law, Israel’s land, Israel’s Lord, and Israel’s light.”
The Ark is observed in Heaven in the temple of God.
Suffice it to say that the ark, which speaks of God’s covenant with Israel, is in the midst of a judgment scene described in terms of “lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”
The judgment is coming, but Israel will be saved.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Time is running out! We must be motivated to reach our generation for Jesus!
What a wonderful time this will be when we see the Lord Jesus Christ face to face.
Will you be there?