Revelation 15 Gods Final Judgment

In this chapter John is given another sign that now looks into Heaven as the Bowl Judgments are prepared.--- 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:01

Hello, and welcome to the Takeaway, where we teach through the Bible, chapter by chapter and verse by verse, to help you understand God's Word so that you can have a more intimate relationship with Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

SPEAKER_00: 0:25

Hello, welcome again to the takeaway. I'm your host, Pastor Harry Barrens. And in today's episode, we're going to be looking at Revelation chapter 15. This chapter, John has given another sign that now looks into heaven as the bold judgments are prepared. We saw the same thing with the seal and trumpet judgments, with the preparation in heaven that resulted in the events that take place on earth. The reminder for us is that there isn't anything happening on earth that isn't the result of something happening behind the scenes. All of our circumstances are the results of something much more than random coincidence. There's purpose and timing to everything we walk through and see. All the tragic events throughout history happened right when they were supposed to for the exact purpose they were supposed to serve. We may not understand those reasons, but we could be sure that God has a plan for this world, and everything that happens is in some way leading to the redemption of it and the ushering in of Jesus' kingdom. Now, starting in verse one, we read, Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. We have seen seven seals, seven trumpets, and now seven angels with seven bowls. If you remember, seven is the number of perfection and completion. This is now the final, fully complete, perfect judgment of God against a Jesus rejecting world. With this, the judgment of God will be complete. In verse two, we read, and I saw what I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire, and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And back in chapter four, verse six, we saw the sea of glass before the throne, and here we see it again, but this time it's mingled with fire. This most likely represents the reflection of God's glory, and it's mingled with fire, points to holy divine judgment. Standing next to the sea of glass were those who conquered the beast. How did they conquer the beast? Well, Romans 8, 36 through 37 tells us as it is written, For your sake we are killed all day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter, yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. They conquered the beast in death by holding on to their testimony of Jesus. The beast may have killed their flesh, but their soul went right to be with the Lord. What a reward. We serve the Lord in this world, but when someone kills the body, they free us to be with the Lord forever. They are doing us a favor, and the Lord is going to judge them for their wicked acts. These people here are the ones who refuse to take the mark of the beast during the tribulation, and they are given a special place near God. The sea of glass is a picture of his glory reflecting onto them as they are alongside of it, worshipping him, never to be harmed again. In Revelation chapter seven, verse sixteen, it said, They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more. The sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. Looking at verse three through four, and they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty, just and true are your ways, O King of the nations. You will not who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name, for you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed. They sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. The two titles refer to a single song that is perfect, is a perfect union between the law and love and between the old covenant and the new covenant. The song gives praise to God's works. Great and marvelous are your works. God's ways, just and true are your ways, God's worthiness, who shall not fear you, O Lord, and glorify your name, for you alone are holy. And God's worship, all nations shall come and worship you. This song reminds us that all of God's works and ways are worthy of worship. This gives us a picture of what we should be striving for every day, to recognize God's works in this world and in our lives, which in turn should lead us to worship. We don't worship to find God, we worship because we recognize Him and we are to be in all of Him. The only appropriate response we have is worship. Do you take time in your day to evaluate all that God has done and allow that to dwell up in you as a form of worship? This is a good practice for all believers, whether it's singing praise or giving thanks. Anything that exalts God can be worship if it comes from a place of humility in recognition of who He is and what He has done and is doing. Now looking at verse 5. After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened. Now we have to take a look back to the Old Testament to understand the meaning and purpose of the tent of witness. In Exodus 25, 8 through 9, it says, Make me a sanctuary that I may dwell in their midst, exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle and of all its furniture, so you shall make it. God gave Moses detailed, specific instructions regarding the materials, dimensions, and appearance of a holy, clean house of worship meant for the presence of God Almighty Himself. The tent of witness was the consecrated place for worship. The priests served in the tent. Moses encountered the presence of God in it, and was and it was the visible, tangible, earthly presence of God Almighty for the nation of Israel. Exodus 40, 34. The cloud covered the tent of meaning, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. As we see, this was where God resided among the nation of Israel. But even in this, it was just a reflection or a copy of what exists in heaven. The fullness of God cannot be stuffed in a worldly tent. Anything we see of God in this world is nothing more than a reflection of his glory. Acts 7, 48 through 50 shows us this. It says, The most high does not dwell on houses made by hands, as the prophets say. Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord? Or what is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make all these things? And Hebrews 9 23 calls the tabernacle's furnishings copies of the earth of the heavenly things. Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. The tabernacle was a tent of witness or testimony, because it provided proof God was with the Israelites. While at Mount Sinai, Moses spoke to God on Mount Sinai. But once the Israelites left, God spoke to him in the tent of meeting in Exodus 33, 11. The tabernacle and its successors served as the legitimate home of the Ark of the Covenant and the sacrifices until Solomon built the temple almost 500 years later in 1 Kings, verse 6, or chapter 6, I'm sorry. Paul also mentions the tent of meeting or the tabernacle, comparing it to the earthly human body. 2 Corinthians 5, 1 through 5. For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling. If indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened, not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So now we should have a better understanding that the tent of witness or tabernacle represents God's presence and his dwelling place in heaven. Here on earth it represented his presence with the nation of Israel. And as Paul said, our bodies represent the tent as we are filled with the Holy Spirit, showing that God dwells with us and in us. So the question is: do you recognize that? You and I are the dwelling place for God on this earth. The tent Israel had was cared for with great detail and attention as they understood what that whatever God dwelt wherever God dwelt was holy and deserved the utmost respect. Understanding this, do you respect the tent that God's spirit now dwells in? How do you treat your body? Do you fill it with alcohol or drugs? Maybe sugar is your addiction. Do you defile it with sex outside of marriage? Even what we watch for entertainment can defile us. When we take in that which doesn't edify the spirit, we are feeding the flesh. The result of that is what comes out of us. And it's this that truly defiles us. Matthew chapter 15, verse 11. It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a person. If we take the wickedness of this world in, it will produce wickedness and defile us. But if we feed the spirit, we will produce spiritual fruit and God will be glorified. In Ephesians 4, chapter 4, verses 17 through 24. Now this I say and testify in the Lord that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to the hardness of their heart, they have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy and practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ. Assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former, former, four manner of life, and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Moving on to verse six. And out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed with pure bright linen, with golden sashes around their chest. These angels come right from the presence of God with the seven plagues, wearing pure bright linen, indicating that God's judgment is always completely pure and righteous. Verses seven and eight. Notice that the sanctuary was now filled with the smoke, and no one could enter. If you remember, in the last chapter, we saw an angel fly through the air, proclaiming the everlasting gospel to fulfill Jesus' word that the whole world would hear the gospel, then the end would come. After that, there are no more chances. This is it. Here again, we now see the Father sending out the final judgments and closing the door. In Exodus 40, 35, we read, And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. When the cloud of glory fills the temple in heaven, no one can enter. It was the same when Moses could not enter the tabernacle, when the smoke of the cloud of glory, God's glory, sometimes called the Shekinah, filled the tent. This shows us that no one can go before God and attempt to change his mind or petition to delay. This is final and unchanging. This world deserves every bit of this judgment that is about to fall upon them. No prayer, priest, or angel can change this. This world has turned their back on Jesus, and they are getting what Jesus had taken on our behalf at the cross. That was the one and only time the Father turned his back on Jesus and let his judgment fall upon his son, even though it was undeserving. Matthew 27, 46, it says, and about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Ela, Ela, Lama Sabacthani. That is, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Up until this very moment before God closed the doors, everyone had an opportunity to put their faith and trust in Jesus and be saved. The answer to Jesus' prayer of why have you forsaken me is so that the world can be saved. Now the world can say, God, why have you forsaken us? The answer will be because you rejected my son and the perfect sacrifice he made. He took these judgments upon himself so that you wouldn't have to. But since you rejected that, you will now receive that which he received. The Father will now turn his back on this Jesus rejecting the world, giving them all that Jesus had originally put on himself. Make no mistake about it. We deserve every bit of God's judgment. What excuse do you have when you arrive on judgment day? How will you stand before God and explain the sins in your life? Will you point to your good works? I hope not, because you don't have any. In Galatians 2, 21, I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died needlessly. Galatians 5.4, you have been severed from Christ. You who are seeking to be justified by law, you have fallen from grace. Romans 3.20. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. What Paul is saying is that God gave us his law, not to fulfill it as only Jesus did, but to recognize that we can't meet that standard of living and that we are in need of a savior. We need grace and forgiveness, and we need to be justified. But there is nothing we can offer to be justified unless we put our trust in Jesus, who is justified, and by his blood our sins are covered. Paul continues in Romans 3, 21 to 26. By now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by his blood through faith to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time his righteousness, that he might be just, and the justifier the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 4 4. Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace, but as debt. And in Romans 4 5 it says, But to him who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. If you have never put your faith in Jesus, I would like to invite you to do so now, do so now. It's not about a prayer you pray or anything you do. It's all about what you believe. Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, that the fullness of God dwelled in him, and that being born of a virgin, he carried all the sins of mankind in him and lived a perfect life by the Spirit of God, died on a cross as a thief accused of crimes he didn't commit, and raised from the dead three days later because death was not because his death was not justified. Death is a result of sin, and no sin was found in Jesus. Romans 6 23, for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. And first Peter 2, 22 to 25, who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth, who, when he was reviled, did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously, who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness, by whose stripes you are healed, for you are like sheep going to going astray, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. If you believe this, then you are already saved, and it's that easy. Acts 16, 30 to 31 says, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? So they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. Once you recognize this truth, then I would suggest you pray to God and give thanks to him for what he has done for you. Let him know that you recognize that you are a sinner and thank him for his son Jesus and his death on the cross. Then ask him how you can serve him. Let him be the Lord of your life. Get into the word of God to know him better, find a good Bible-teaching church and believers to fellowship with and get baptized. It is the first command our Lord gives us when we receive him and repent of our sins. This is the reflection of what took place inside of you and shows that you are indeed born again. In baptism we die along with him and are raised a new creation. Acts 2 38. Then Peter said to them, Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Romans 6, 4. We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Let's pray. Father God, thank you so much for your word and for your revelation, how powerful your word is as it sets into our minds and into our hearts. I pray for our listeners today, God, that this word that was spoken sinks into their hearts and into their minds and convicts their soul to recognize your Son Jesus, who he is and what he has done. And it is your desire that he is known and that he is glorified, that we put our trust and faith in him. It is the only thing that covers our sins. It's the only thing, God, we thank you, Jesus, for the sacrifice you made on our behalf, that we don't have to take the wrath of God upon ourselves, that you took the full wrath and judgment of God upon yourself so that we didn't have to say that we can have a way into heaven, so that we could be saved and be in the kingdom with you because you love us. Because you love us, God. I thank you for that. I recognize that. We recognize that, Jesus. We thank you for your perfect sacrifice. God, I pray that you would open the hearts of our listeners today, that they too would receive this truth, that they would accept it and begin to live it. God, we love you and we thank you in your name, Jesus. Amen. I want to thank you for joining us today. And I really hope this message helped you take a step closer in your relationship with Jesus and that you have a better understanding for just how much God loves you and wants you to know Him. In our next episode, we're going to be in Revelation chapter 16, seeing the bold judgments poured out and the result of God's final judgment on the earth. But before we go, I want to encourage you to visit us at thetaway.faith. On our website, you can find out more about who we are and sign up to receive emails to get notifications on new episodes and ministry updates. This also makes it easy to share our podcasts and allows you to use it as a resource to help others. On our website, you can easily send us a message, a word of encouragement, questions, or comments. And we would love to hear from you and encourage you to send us a message soon. God bless, and we'll see you next time on the takeaway.