Revelation 19:11-20:15
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here if you will grab a Bible and go to ma oh goodness Revelation chapter 19 I don't know I want to go to Matthew all of a sudden I go to Revelation chapter 19 maybe I'm maybe uh some of you were we're really excited for a second you're like we're done in Revelation no we're not today is the last day we will be in the Book of Revelation for the year um and we will go into our GI series next week.
And then we will pick back up and finish out Revelation in January Lord willing uh but we're going to be in Revelation we've reached the part as Spencer told us last week in the Book of Revelation where Jesus rides in on a white horse defeats the dragon and rescues his bride the the beautiful part of so many stories we tell is playing out in the story of humanity and God is at work to rescue and to redeem his people we're going to go through a decent amount of text this morning in in chapter 19 and 20 and there is a lot in chapter 19 and 20.
And so I I want to take a second to kind of frame up how we're going to approach some of this this morning in the book made to stick they recount a story of a uh teacher who's teaching a journalism class to high schoolers and it's one of their first days and he's trying to talk to them about writing a headline or the the lead line of a story where you you basically get the gist of the whole story in one line you help boil it down in one line this is the way prior to clickbait this is the way that newspapers worked they didn't just get go something crazy happened click here to.
See if you're going to die they didn't do that they told you exactly what happened at the top and then the lead line was exactly what happened and then you got more information the further you went but if you only read a little bit you got the gist of the story and so he was teaching them how to do that and he put this on the board Kenneth L Peters the principal of Beverly Hills High School that's the school they were at announced.
Today that the entire High School faculty will travel to Sacramento next Thursday for a colloquium in new teaching methods among the speakers will be the anth will be Anthropologist Margaret me college President Dr Robert Maynard Hutchins and California governor Edmund Pat Brown put that on the board he said okay students write the headline write the lead line you're you're writing for our school newspaper write it out well they had a general understanding of who what when where why they're going to write the lead.
For this most of them just rearranged the information trying to stuff it all into one coherent sentence he takes up all the papers he reads through them sets the papers down and goes no this is the headline there will be no school next Thursday that's going to sell your paper that's the conclusion at the end of that if the entire faculty is gone y'all don't have to be here and there's a danger in Reading Revelation 19 and 20 because there's so much wildly interesting things in it.
And so many details that we can divert ourselves into those details and miss the headline miss the main point and so uh everything in Revelation is worth studying and there is much that could be spent studying and going through chapters 19 and 20 we could actually spend as much time as we've spent so far in the Book of Revelation going through chapters 19 and 20 but we are not we're going to zoom over and get the the big conclusive picture this morning.
Jesus is Victorious that's what we're going to see he is utterly and completely Victorious and we're going to see how and against whom and there's going to be a lot of very interesting things that maybe you'll be excited that we don't spend a lot of time on or maybe it will hurt your feelings I don't know but we don't want to miss the point so if if we don't know how all the the the um faculty is going to make it to Sacramento we don't know who's car pulling with who or what what they're going to have.
For lunch we're just going to land on there's no school next Thursday and that's some of what we're going to do in this text as we see how Victorious Jesus is so let's pray and then let's start in chapter I mean in verse 11 Lord we pray that we would honor you well that we would see you clearly that you would help us to rejoice in your coming complete Victory in Jesus name amen uh this is not to say that these details aren't important it's just that we wanted as we studied the Book of Revelation to help our Church family not read Matthew to Jude.
And then stop and start back over in Matthew but to actually have the just understanding the big picture of what is happening in the Book of Revelation what is going on and there are a lot of times where people focus in on smaller details and miss the point we don't want to do that so Revelation 19:1 this is John seeing a vision and writing it down a prophetic picture of the future then I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse the one sitting on it is called faithful and true and in righteousness he judges and makes War it's a white horse the one sitting on it is faithful and true he judges and makes.
War in righteousness in Chapter 13 those who worship the Beast said who is like the Beast and and who can fight against it they're about to find out who can fight against the Beast because he makes War it says his eyes are like a flame of fire and on his head are many diadems and he has a name written that no one knows but himself he is clothed in a robe dipped in Blood and the name by which he is called is the word of.
God this is Christ this is Jesus riding in on a white horse crowns on his head fire in his eyes a robe dipped in blood to make war and to judge now there's a question here as to if he's riding in to make war why is his robe already dipped in Blood and I think there are two pictures here that may be give us some some clarity on what is going on one is I think it's his blood I think we.
See throughout this that he is a lamb who was slain that he is covered in his own blood and that it is by his blood that he gains Victory those behind him are riding white horses and they in clean white linen which we're told in Revelation chapter 7 that the Saints have washed their clothes and made them white in the blood of the lamb and so that he is the one who is marred he is the one who is come humbled in his own blood.
But there's also a reference to Isaiah 63 the the back part of Isaiah chapter 60-65 have a lot of overlap with the Book of Revelation and in chapter 63 there's someone who has a robe covered in blood and Isaiah asks who are you and he says he's the one who has tread The Wine Press of the fury of the wrath of God and that he's covered in the blood of his enemies and we're told in this chapter in verse 15 we'll read it in a moment that.
Jesus is going to tread The Wine Press of the fury of the wrath of God and so we have this dual picture here of Jesus who has shed his own blood but that ultimately is the one with the authority to judge and make War and who will tread the wine press that we saw in Revelation 14 where they were reaped and placed in a wine press for judgment and we need to see Jesus in both ways so often I think when we picture.
Jesus or when other people speak of Jesus we refer to the way he came to us the first time humble Meek we're going to celebrate that at Christmas that he was born in in a stable in a barn he was placed in a Manger that he was humble and meek that he was humiliated on a cross that he was in so many ways conquered executed but he is no longer when he returns he came once in humility he comes back in Victory he came to us.
First in meekness he comes back to us with fierceness that the whole world has to reckon with if we know him in his humiliation we need to know and love him in his exaltation and as Christians we ought to celebrate and Delight in both that he is kind and humble that he rides in Humble and seated on a donkey that he's coming to rescue his people as a slain lamb but that he also rides in on a white horse as a Victorious King who is king of kings.
Lord of lords and will rescue and redeem the world and we need to see him and know him and love him as both verse 14 and the armies of Heaven arrayed in fine linen white and pure were following him on a white horse I heard a pastor say one time that if someone tells you to meet them for a fight and they show up wearing all white they have some expectations about how that fight is going to go he shows G Christ is wearing a robe dipped in Blood and those who follow him are in fine linen white and pure from his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the Nations.
He will rule them with a rod of iron he will tread The Wine Press of the fury of the wrath of God the almighty on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written king of kings and Lord of lords this is the Glorious conquering exalted Christ who is coming to set things straight verse 17 then I saw an angel standing in the Sun and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead come gather.
For the great supper of God to eat the Flesh of Kings the Flesh of captains the Flesh of Mighty Men the Flesh of horses and the Riders the Flesh of all men both free and slave both small and great uh as I was studying this I came across a quote from um uh a a comment a commentator named barlay who says this is a bloodthirsty picture far more in line with Old Testament apocalyptic expectations than with the Gospel of Jesus Christ reads this passage and says this doesn't seem to fit this seems like it doesn't fit with the New Testament basically takes issue with this passage as.
If it is somehow in congruent with the Gospel but this is actually a part of the proclaimed Gospel that we have heard over and over again there is wrath coming there is Judgment for sin John 3 where we get for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life it goes on to say this right after that whoever believes in the son has eternal life whoever does not obey the son shall not.
See life but the wrath of God remains on him or Colossians 3 when it lifts off sin and rebellion and it says on account of these the wrath of God is coming or Romans 59 since therefore we have now been justified by his blood much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God Jesus saves us from sin and saves us from the wrath of God the just wrath of God on sin and this picture of Jesus conquering and judging is not in congruent with the Gospel it is what makes the Gospel.
So gloriously beautiful that we deserve destruction that we deserve to be destroyed and crushed struck and that Jesus was crushed and struck that Jesus is the one who paid the penalty of sin so that we might have hope and we might be saved from the wrath of God there is wrath coming and those who trust the son will be saved but he is coming with wrath to judge and to make war verse 20 uh verse 19 and I saw the Beast and the kings of the Earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army we we saw this.
When we were looking at the bowls now it's been some weeks but I don't think it's been much time in the Book of Revelation we're in the day of the Lord we're in his judgment being poured out and we saw that the people of Earth are not remorseful they hate him they've gathered to make war on him that it's obvious that he's revealing himself and their response is not begging for mercy but Waring against against him and so they've gathered to make war and he's come to make war.
Verse 20 and the Beast was captured and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image now we've talked about this a good bit the Beast is a representation of all the king kingdoms of Earth that exalt themselves against the glory of God and the false prophet is the false religions and the soft power and the love of money and all these things that exalt themselves against the glory of.
God it does seem like there may be a full culmination personified at the very end but the Beast and the false prophet are captured these two were thrown alive into the Lake of Fire that burns with sulfur and the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse and all the birds were gorged with their flesh he has an army behind him but he's the one who slays here's the headline the Beast and the false prophet are defeated.
Jesus is Victorious all of the full culmin culmination of the glory of humanity that raises itself against the knowledge of God all of our love of wickedness all of our Rebellion all of our systems that that we've set up to to glorify ourselves and to rebel against him all of our governments all of our power all of our wealth all of it all of our false worship is destroyed is removed and all those who have followed and trusted in that are slain they have risen against Christ and been utterly defeated.
But he's not done he keeps going then I saw an angel coming down from heaven okay now it it is unclear when we're in the Book of Revelation some what is sequential and what is sometimes it's not what happens next it's what he sees next now it's quite possible this is sequential and he's just seeing this and it's actually playing out in time it's also possible that he's being seen he's seeing different things that are happening at different times but he says.
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain and he seized the dragon that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan and bound him for a thousand years and threw him into the pit and shut it and sealed it over him so that he might not deceive the Nations any longer until the thousand years were ended after that he must be released for a little while it's a couple of things we need to touch on one I want you to.
See that the two times that Satan has been he was cast out of Heaven once by Michael he's thrown into a pit once by another angel I think sometimes we have in our mind that Satan is somehow on the level with Christ he is not he is not he does not find his is equal in a member of the trinity in the Son of God he does not when he is grabbed and taken places it's it's accomplished by Angels he's bound and placed in the abyss in the pit.
For a thousand years and it's sealed over him now this is where we get the idea of the Millennium people will talk about the thousand year reign or they'll talk about the Millennium Millennium is just this word uh translated into English we spent some time on this if you're suddenly very very excited we spent some time on this in our uh Revelation training weekend and we did that because we didn't want to read passages like this and not talk about them.
But we also didn't want to spend a ton of time on it on a Sunday morning so if you're interested in the Millennium and views on the Millennium our training weekend is recorded and online and I will also happily talk to you about it actually very excitedly talk to you about it because I'm thoroughly enjoying studying The Book of Revelation and going through all of this I will not excitedly talk to you about it this morning because I want to make sure we.
See the main parts of what's Happening Here I will tell you that there are several views on the Millennium that are faithful to the Scriptures that are held by people who love Jesus who are taking the Bible seriously there's premillennialism which says that Christ returns prior to the Millennium and the Millennium is a literal 1,000-year Reign on on Earth there is a millennialism pre meaning that Christ comes before that's where pre comes from a means no amillennialism just means there is no literal Millennium they're going to read this as uh a spiritualized picture of what is happening a recapitulation which we've seen a couple times in the Book of Revelation it's not out of sync.
With the text it does not take this as literally as premillennialists take it they're going to basically say that Satan is bound at the cross and that he used to have control over all the nations and the Gospel now he's been bound in such a way that the Gospel can spread to all the nations it used to just be the Jewish people and everybody else didn't believe now the Gospel can spread to All Nations so they're going to hold that he's Bound in some ways.
But not bound in other ways and that this Resurrection is taking place when people place their faith in Jesus that it happens spiritually and then later it'll happen physically then there's a thing called New Creation millennialism which is trying to bridge some of the gaps on some of the difficulties between some of those interpretations we're going to read a little more I will point out a few more things about those as we go but we're not going to spend a ton of time on those.
And if you're interested in like I said are some of you have already glazed over some of you are annoyed that I'm not going to keep talking it is what it is then I saw Thrones this is verse four and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed that's all it says about them so you might say well who are those who who's that those to whom the authority to judge was committed that's what the text tells us there's some speculation that we won't talk about there are there are Thrones and he sees those to whom the authority of the judge was committed also I saw the souls of those.
Who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God and those who had not worshiped the Beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years the rest of the Dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended this is the first Resurrection blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection over such the.
Second death has no power but they will be Priests of God and of Christ and they will reign with him for a thousand years now there's a whole lot of things that we could look in at that but Jesus Christ resurrects his Church those who belong to him are brought to life this is what he says in John 6 that anybody who believes in him he'll ra raised them up on the last day that he raises up the Church this is what we read together that the perishable will put on the imperishable I don't know.
If you've noticed this but your body isn't the best I know it's weird for me to have to be the one to break that to you but it fights you it falls apart it doesn't hold up the way you want it to there are things about yourself that don't work properly could be your eyesight your Mobility your digestion I don't know but you've got some problems recently I got btis in my elbow which is it's just from using my elbow it's it's like I was using my elbow to do stuff.
And then my elbow was like don't like that I'm going to make you pay for it it's like what is that have you been talking to my knees did they get you in on this but it's so far beyond that sort of stuff y'all our bodies war against us and our flesh Wars against us such that we desire sin so that we spend our days fighting against our own desires so that we can try to keep our heart close to the.
Lord that we try to keep in step with the spirit that we are at war against ourselves and and against Decay and against the work of sin as far as the curse is found that it's run through existence and there is a day when we'll hear the trumpet and the voice of our King and we will rise and in in a moment in the twinkling of an eye the perishable will put on the imperishable and we will reign with the King that all that we've struggled against all that we've failed in all that we've fallen short in will be gone in a blink.
Jesus Christ the Victor raises his Church to be victorious with him verse 7 and when the thousand years are ended Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the Nations that are at the Four Corners of the earth Gog and Magog which is a direct reference to Ezekiel chapter 38 that's where Gog and Magog come from to gather them from B for battle their number is like the sand of the sea and they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the Saints and the Beloved City.
But fire came down from heaven and consumed them and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the Lake of Fire and sulfur where the Beast and the false prophet were and they will be tormented and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever okay real quick if there's a literal Thousand-Year Reign on earth like a new Eden as the premillennialist would hold and they have Credence in the text to do that one of the questions that comes to them is.
Then who are these people that come wage war against the Saints and they have to try to answer that and they give some answers but that's one of the tensions that they have in this text the amillennialists don't have this tension they just say this is a recap of what we just read where he fights against the beast at the in chapter 19 that he's bound and then at the end of all things the the control that he has he's released back out to lie and to cause problems.
But the problem they have is that he is both deceiving and not allowed to deceive at the same time which is confusing they also have a problem with the fact that they're going to T say that Resurrection earlier is spiritual not literal but everywhere else it's used in the Bible it's literal they're also going to say that came to life the first time it's mentioned means spiritually and it came to life the second time it's mentioned means literally and I recently read someone who was interacting with that idea and they said it's the exact same phrase with the exact same words.
And if you want me to believe it means this here and and something else down here then words have no meaning throw your Bible away which I thought was an aggressive way to argue against that but they were just saying there's some problems with how you're interpreting this text New Creation millennialism says there actually is a creation and that when Satan is released from the abyss so are all those who have been placed in the abyss and that is who comes with him to wage war which is interesting.
But it's a new idea and people are trying to try to see if the next holds that up and we'll bear that weight but as you can see there are things that are good and uh that each one of those views has to answer I have one that I lean towards but you can hold different views here and still be faithful and I would encourage you to go check out our um training weekend on it but to get in all of that is to miss the point.
But did y'all hear what just happened they marched up over the broad plane of the earth Sur rounded the camp of the Saints the Beloved City but fire came down from heaven and consumed them it wasn't even close they're gone in half a verse and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the Lake of Fire and sulfur where the Beast and the false prophet were and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever Satan is defeated Jesus is Victorious and as a pastor I sit with people who are under spiritual assault who are being lied to who are walking in fear as the enemy has been at work to harm them.
And there's a day when he doesn't get to do anything anymore except for suffer there's a day when his power is broken his lies are gone his influence is gone his authority is gone and he is subject fully in torment before Christ and His glory that all the fullness of the rebellion of humanity is destroyed and Satan himself is crushed he who has been the enemy of God since the beginning since the garden and who has worked to ruin everything and to take as many captive as possible he is torment Ed day and night forever and ever to the glory and the Conquering King Christ to his exaltation and his Praise.
Jesus is Victorious but he's not done verse 11 then I saw a great white throne and him who was Seated on it from his presence Earth Earth and Sky fled away and no place was found for them what picture that for a moment he sees a throne and then he just says and everything R it just ceases to it runs away so that at this moment the only thing that exists the central existence the all existing one is the throne and him who Seated on him everything else is just it's him reality has come to bear and I saw the dead Great and Small standing Before the Throne and books were opened the dead Great.
And Small kings queens famous people wealthy people powerful people people all the popes AA the Hun Jeff Bezos every big famous person and then every person who tears ticket stubs was enslaved nobody knows her name nobody pays any attention to him all all the dead Great and Small are before the Lord and books were opened so then now there's books then another book was open so we have books and we have another book it's it's going to be real pertinent here in a minute books were opened with a lot of books.
And then another book that stands out as distinct from those books then another book was opened which is The Book of Life this is referenced several times it was referenced uh earlier in Book of Revelation as the book of the life of the Lamb who was slain Revelation 13 the book of the life of the Lamb who was slain so there's the Book of Life the book of the life of the Lamb who was slain and so there are books and the Book of Life and the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what they had done and the Sea gave up the Dead who were in it death.
Hades gave up the Dead who were in them and they were judged each one of them according to what they had done so the books declare the Deeds of all those great and small we'll come back to that in a minute verse 14 then death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire this is the second death the Lake of Fire so earlier it said those who were resurrected in the first resurrection the second death has no hold over them they will not taste the.
Second death which is eternal destruction in the Lake of Fire eternal torment forever and ever but did y'all see what just happened Jesus through his authority and his victory and his power kills death conquers death death and Hades are thrown into the Lake of Fire death is no more the rain of death is gone in the past month in my family and our Church family there's been death in your life and in your relationships there's been death your entire life life the shadow of death clings to you like your own shadow it's.
So much of what we choose to do or not do is because death lingers on the periphery so much of how we interact with other people how we live how we treat our children is because death is somehow always just at the edge of our sight and every time death comes near there's something in us that says this isn't how this is supposed to be and there's something in us that hates death and can I tell you that Jesus does too and that one day death is destroyed death is conquered death is brought into full subjection into under him who is life that death has no more sting and no more Sway and no more.
Hold and no more power that death might get me unless Jesus returns death will but that as Christians we can face death and we can say you might get me but he's going to raise me up and then he's going to get you death is destroyed Jesus is Victorious and that is glorious wonderful news and for all of us who've tasted the bitterness of death there's a hope of a conquering King who rides in on a white horse and Justice is served.
But I want you to see verse 15 and I want us to consider these books as we finish up our time verse 15 says this if anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life he was thrown into the Lake of Fire so the Lake of Fire which is reserved for the devil and his angels the Lake of Fire where the Beast goes where the Prophet goes where Satan goes where death goes everyone whose name is not written in the Lamb's Book of Life is thrown into the Lake of Fire.
So there are books and then there's another book which is The Book of Life which means that in all the other books there was not found anything sufficient to save all the other books hold your deeds and your Deeds this you'll be there by the way I don't know where you'll fall on the greatness or the smallness scale but you'll be there and all the books that will record and display your Deeds are sufficient to condemn but not sufficient to save.
If you'll think about it and you'll think about your life that makes perfect sense if someone followed you throughout your days just to see if you broke US law eventually they have enough evidence to convict of some infraction if your mom followed you around to see if you broke her rules eventually she would find evidence to convict but God who oversees the entire world and has put in place things like truth and beauty and goodness and love we have effectively in our rebellion and our sin and our lack of faith given all the data we need all the evidence needed to condemn.
But nobody using those books is saved so there are books that record your deeds and if you know your deeds and understand that yes if God were to open that up and you were to stand before the king of kings in his glorious might as he is Seated on the throne and your Deeds were to be read you know the feeling of Shame and regret and fear that you would feel good there's a greater danger for you which is the danger the Pharisees were always in which is to long.
For this day and say I can't wait till he reads the book and sees how great I am oh I can't wait till that day comes and he reads the books of my deeds and he he applauds me and says how wonderful I am Jesus tells them there in far greater danger that Pride before the Lord is much more dangerous that they would they would believe that they are sufficient in themselves so for us to look at this and go if my Deeds are read I'm in trouble yes and you need to know that.
If you think you aren't you're in more trouble but y'all there's another book that's not about what we've done but about what he's done there's a book called The Book of the life of the Lamb who was slain and it and only it and him and only him are sufficient to save so they read your deeds and then they just see do you belong to Jesus then none of it sticks because the debts been paid there is no condemnation there is no judgment that befalls those who are in Christ and everything bad becomes untrue there is no more human human rebellion and false worship there is no more enemy there is no more death there.
Is joy and salvation and hope with Christ because of the work of Jesus and the lamb that was slain Jesus is Victorious he conquers all our enemies 1 Corinthians 15:20 says this but in fact Christ has been raised from the dead the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep for as by a Man Came Death by a man has come also the resurrection of the Dead for as in Adam all die so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
But each in his own order Christ the first fruits then it is coming those who belong to Christ then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every Rule and every Authority and power for he must Reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet The Last Enemy to be destroyed is death for God has put all things in subjection under his feet amen let's pray Jesus we thank you for your Victory we praise you as the supreme ruler over all things you are king of kings.
Lord of lords and may we rejoice in the hope of the victory to come and may we endure in the hope of the victory to come all praise to your name amen the band is going to come we're going to sing and we're going to take communion where we celebrate as a foraste what Jesus has accomplished where we celebrate that his blood was shed for us that he came in humility and we long for the day that he returns in Victory We Stand between those two moments in history Jesus's sacrificed.
For us and Jesus's coming exalt a and rain and if you have not placed your faith in Jesus if you not trusted in him if you know that you would stand before him and those books would be read and they would just be sufficient to condemn but your name would not be in the Lamb's Book of Life because you have not surrendered and asked for mercy and help and I would say do that now ask for Grace now ask for Mercy.
Now ask for hope now ask for salvation now if you know some of the things that would be in the book of your Deeds that would condemn you ask Christ to cover them by his blood so that on this day you might Rejoice with the Saints in new life rather than stand in rejection of God's salvation and carry the weight of your own condemnation but for those of us in the room who've trusted in Christ may we joyously celebrate that his blood covers Us that his body was broken.
For us and that we have a hope hope and a future held secure in him and then may we sing together as we fix our eyes just for a moment on what is to come.