SPEAKER_00: We study through books of the Bible here at the Village Chapel, and it's my pleasure this morning to continue our study of Revelation.
SPEAKER_00: We have called this study the Hope of Glory with Good Reason.
SPEAKER_00: This last book of the Bible gives us a glimpse of how God will use people, places, and events, past, present, and future, to bring about his glorious kingdom and to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of Jesus' cross.
SPEAKER_00: And as Jim has pointed out the last couple of weeks, the final six chapters of Revelation deal with two primary themes: the final destruction of the world system which has set itself against Jesus Christ, and the final destiny of those who have given themselves to the worship of Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: And I sincerely hope that is you this morning.
SPEAKER_00: So let's talk about where we are in the story.
SPEAKER_00: Little side note: years ago, when our boys were small, we started a goofy little family tradition like you do.
SPEAKER_00: As we were driving on any out-of-state trip, anytime we were getting ready to cross over a state line, we'd all say together, We're in Tennessee, we're in Tennessee.
SPEAKER_00: And then right as we cross the line, we'd say, We're in Kentucky, or whatever state we were entering.
SPEAKER_00: And you know, no matter how great your trip is, no matter where you go or what you do, there's something great about turning towards home.
SPEAKER_00: So back to our little family trips.
SPEAKER_00: Whenever we'd be returning home and we get ready to cross over into Tennessee at the end of a trip, we'd say extra loudly, we're in Kentucky, we're in Kentucky, we're in Tennessee.
SPEAKER_00: It just feels good to know you're almost home, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_00: Well, that's where we are in our text today.
SPEAKER_00: With this chapter, we are definitely turning towards home.
SPEAKER_00: Since the beginning of chapter 17, we see Jesus methodically undoing all the wrong in creation, starting with the prostitute and Babylon representing the corrupt world systems, everything that is against flourishing.
SPEAKER_00: And here in chapter 19, we'll see the final battle and the end of the beast and the false prophet, and we will see the deadly consequences of those who continually rejected God and have chosen Babylon.
SPEAKER_00: Step by step, Jesus is dismantling all that is wrong, and he's taking back territory for God.
SPEAKER_00: Eugene Peterson says this about chapter 19 and 20 in his commentary on Revelation Reversed Thunder.
SPEAKER_00: Salvation wins back the territory, loss to the invasion of evil, and restores the country to the believing, enduring, and worshiping people of God.
SPEAKER_00: I love that picture winning back territory.
SPEAKER_00: So, church, join me and let's pray and then we'll read our text.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, we are grateful for your word.
SPEAKER_00: We are grateful that you are our knight in shining armor, our faithful and true warrior who is coming to rescue us.
SPEAKER_00: Holy Spirit, we ask that you illuminate our minds this morning, that you would open our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds to receive your word deepen inside us.
SPEAKER_00: We ask this in Jesus' name.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so follow along with me, Revelation 19, 1 through 21.
SPEAKER_00: And it starts with the phrase, after this, which is John is kind of summarizing all that's happened in Revelation 17 and 18.
SPEAKER_00: And he's saying, Okay, after all this, so here we go.
SPEAKER_00: After this, I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven crying out, Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just, for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.
SPEAKER_00: Once more they cried out, Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.
SPEAKER_00: And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God who was seated on the throne, saying, Amen, hallelujah.
SPEAKER_00: And from the throne came a voice saying, Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.
SPEAKER_00: Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters, and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder crying out, Hallelujah, for the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns.
SPEAKER_00: This, guys, this is the first, the original hallelujah chorus.
SPEAKER_00: John is still so overwhelmed with what he is hearing that yet again he has to resort to metaphors to try and describe it.
SPEAKER_00: He describes this great multitude in heaven praising God for his judgments.
SPEAKER_00: And then he describes the 24 elders and the four creatures that we first met in chapter four, and then the voice coming from the throne, and finally another great multitude, so loud it sounded like roaring waters or booming thunder.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so this is so cool.
SPEAKER_00: I just kind of learned this this week while studying for this passage.
SPEAKER_00: Did you know that this passage here in Revelation 19, this is the first time the word hallelujah is used in the entire Bible?
SPEAKER_00: There is a Hebrew word, hallelujah, starting with the letter A, that is very similar, and that's used especially in the Old Testament, but this is the first time hallelujah is ever used in the Bible.
SPEAKER_00: So back to our text.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 7, let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready.
SPEAKER_00: Isaiah 25, 6 through 9 portrays a beautiful description of this wedding feast.
SPEAKER_00: And I'm gonna I've got the slide up there.
SPEAKER_00: It's a lot of text, so I'm not gonna put the text on the screen.
SPEAKER_00: I'm just gonna read it to you.
SPEAKER_00: On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
SPEAKER_00: And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.
SPEAKER_00: He will swallow up death forever.
SPEAKER_00: And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
SPEAKER_00: It will be said on that day, Behold, this is our God.
SPEAKER_00: We have waited for him that he might save us.
SPEAKER_00: This is the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: We have waited for him.
SPEAKER_00: Let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
SPEAKER_00: Man, what a beautiful picture of God's intent to rescue and redeem us, to remove from us the veil spread over us, that that covering that covers all of us caused by our sin, that that keeps us from a clear view and relationship with God, to heal from us the heartache of sin and suffering, and to take away even the shame and the reproach from his people over all the earth.
SPEAKER_00: So back to our revelation text, verse eight.
SPEAKER_00: It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, you guys, this is so cool.
SPEAKER_00: The fine linen, white, bright, pure, that is the wedding gown of the church, the bride of Christ, that material is provided by the righteous deeds of the saints.
SPEAKER_00: Our salvation is a gift of grace through faith.
SPEAKER_00: But remember that all of the righteous deeds that we do are used as clothing for the for the bridal gown, for the bride of Christ.
SPEAKER_00: I just think that's an amazing thing.
SPEAKER_00: Remember that our righteous deeds have a purpose.
SPEAKER_00: Our righteous deeds don't save us.
SPEAKER_00: It is the grace of God through Jesus Christ that saves us.
SPEAKER_00: But our righteous deeds have purpose.
SPEAKER_00: So, verse nine.
SPEAKER_00: The angel said to me, Write this blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.
SPEAKER_00: And he said to me, These are the true words of God.
SPEAKER_00: Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, You must not do that.
SPEAKER_00: I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Worship God.
SPEAKER_00: For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
SPEAKER_00: You guys, fellow servants, I love that that's what the angel said to John.
SPEAKER_00: And here you see John, he's still so amazed by what he is seeing and hearing.
SPEAKER_00: He's just totally overcome and falls to his knees to worship.
SPEAKER_00: And the angels saying, No, no, no, no, whoa, whoa, whoa, don't do that.
SPEAKER_00: Only worship God.
SPEAKER_00: We need to remember that.
SPEAKER_00: Only worship God.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 11.
SPEAKER_00: Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse.
SPEAKER_00: The one sitting on it is called faithful and true, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
SPEAKER_00: Boy, what a different picture we have now of Jesus coming to battle on a white horse.
SPEAKER_00: How different than the entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on the back of a donkey.
SPEAKER_00: To a resident of Israel in Jesus' time, there was a massive difference.
SPEAKER_00: A conquering king or military commander would sweep into a city on the back of a war horse, intent on conquering and taking control.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey signified his servant status.
SPEAKER_00: He was the Lamb of God intent on giving his life away on the cross.
SPEAKER_00: But it's vitally important that we have both images of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: He is the Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the world, intent on laying down his life for all of us.
SPEAKER_00: But he is also the resurrected king of the universe, the rider called faithful and true on the back of his white horse, intent on conquering all that is evil, and intent on making all things right again.
SPEAKER_00: And look at how he judges and makes war in righteousness, not in anger, not in vindictiveness, in righteousness.
SPEAKER_00: And this is who we are longing for, brothers and sisters, that true and just king, the true Prince of Peace who is coming to set all things right.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 12, his eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems or crowns, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.
SPEAKER_00: He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is the Word of God.
SPEAKER_00: And the armies of heaven arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.
SPEAKER_00: From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron.
SPEAKER_00: He will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
SPEAKER_00: On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
SPEAKER_00: Guys, every word of God is a revelation of God, of who he is, of what he has done, and what he will do.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus, as the word, capital W, is the full and complete revelation of God.
SPEAKER_00: In Jesus we see God.
SPEAKER_00: In Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, we see who God is.
SPEAKER_00: And in his coming to tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty, the picture of God is complete: creator, sustainer, redeemer, and avenger.
SPEAKER_00: Alpha and Omega.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 17.
SPEAKER_00: Now we get to the good part of this passage.
SPEAKER_00: Parents, this is a little graphic in case you have young kids watching church with you this morning.
SPEAKER_00: 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 their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.
SPEAKER_00: 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.
SPEAKER_00: 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 worshipped its image.
SPEAKER_00: 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.
SPEAKER_00: Holy cow! What a magnificent, dramatic chapter.
SPEAKER_00: There is so much rejoicing, so much celebration, so much triumph.
SPEAKER_00: And then to end the chapter describing this horrific scene of massive roadkill with the buzzards coming to feast on the slain bodies of those who had followed the beast and his false prophet and waged war against the one called faithful and true and his army of heaven.
SPEAKER_00: What a contrast this feast is at the end of the chapter, the feast of the buzzards, contrasted with the marriage supper of the Lamb.
SPEAKER_00: Parts of this chapter seem harsh.
SPEAKER_00: What with heaven rejoicing loudly and fiercely at the destruction of Babylon, and then this terrible battle with massive casualties, but it is the final battle between good and evil.
SPEAKER_00: And the moment when Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, finally takes to his war horse to make things right.
SPEAKER_00: In this chapter, we see where God is saying, enough, enough.
SPEAKER_00: And you get a sense, don't you, of thinking of the movie The Lord of the Rings, you get that sense of when Gandalf is standing strong with his staff and he's saying to that monster from the pit, you shall not pass.
SPEAKER_00: That is what God is saying right here.
SPEAKER_00: The wrath of God is set against all that is evil and wrong with the world.
SPEAKER_00: As I was praying this, preparing this week, I came across a quote by John Piper that encapsulates a lot that is in this passage.
SPEAKER_00: The wisdom of God devised a way for the love of God to deliver sinners from the wrath of God while not compromising the righteousness of God.
SPEAKER_00: Amen to that.
SPEAKER_00: The wisdom of God devised a way for the love of God to deliver sinners from the wrath of God while not compromising the righteousness of God.
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to read that one more time.
SPEAKER_00: The wisdom of God devised a way for the love of God to deliver sinners from the wrath of God while not compromising the righteousness of God.
SPEAKER_00: That's utterly fantastic, in my opinion.
SPEAKER_00: Just absolutely shows us the brilliant plan of God for our salvation in Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: So, what can we take away from this chapter?
SPEAKER_00: I've got three thoughts.
SPEAKER_00: Number one, that fourfold hallelujah that we read at the beginning of the chapter is heaven's great rejoicing at God's righteous judgment.
SPEAKER_00: This is the proper response to the end of evil and wickedness.
SPEAKER_00: And with everything that has happened in Scripture up to this point, including creation and the resurrection of Jesus, nothing, nothing has merited yet using the word hallelujah until this point.
SPEAKER_00: Just mind-blowing.
SPEAKER_00: And that's truly how important it is that justice is finally being realized.
SPEAKER_00: I think for all of us, we are watching the world cry out for justice.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, we can literally see it out our front doors.
SPEAKER_00: Our country is obviously deeply fractured along so many different lines: political, economic, social issues, and yet the underlying theme is people crying out for things to be made right.
SPEAKER_00: You know, we can argue about which things we want fixed or what we perceive to be broken in the world, but one unifying trait is that we all sense that things aren't the way they ought to be.
SPEAKER_00: And we long for things to be made right.
SPEAKER_00: We are aching for justice.
SPEAKER_00: Part of our human predicament is that we are looking for finite solutions for our problems.
SPEAKER_00: We think that if we can just try harder, we can solve our social issues.
SPEAKER_00: If we're more tolerant, we can solve our political issues.
SPEAKER_00: And we think if we just accumulate more data, more science, we can cure cancer or COVID or solve all of our environmental issues.
SPEAKER_00: And while the goals are admirable, in a sense they are unrealistic because these problems are much deeper than what a finite solution can reach.
SPEAKER_00: If God is going to deal with suffering finally, fully and completely, he must deal with sin.
SPEAKER_00: He cannot completely wipe out suffering without fully and finally wiping out sin.
SPEAKER_00: There's literally nothing untouched by the consequence of sin.
SPEAKER_00: So as we cry out for justice and mercy, we need to realize the root cause.
SPEAKER_00: For every person who's lost someone they love, or watch them struggle for every thought, for every step, for every breath, that's what God's righteous justice will restore.
SPEAKER_00: Even disease and death will be no more.
SPEAKER_00: Now that is worth a loud hallelujah.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: So what we need is an eternal solution to all of our problems.
SPEAKER_00: And an eternal solution cannot be reached by finite beings.
SPEAKER_00: We need a perfect justice, an eternal solution, a judge who is completely true, righteous, faithful, and fair.
SPEAKER_00: And there is only one.
SPEAKER_00: His name is faithful and true.
SPEAKER_00: His name is Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Bible commentator Michael Wilcox says this to see Babylon like this in its right perspective should affect the Christian's whole outlook.
SPEAKER_00: It should restore his sense of proportion and therefore his assurance, his hope.
SPEAKER_00: His confidence, courage, and joy.
SPEAKER_00: Our confidence, loved ones, is in God who is on the throne, whose purposes have not been thwarted.
SPEAKER_00: He will restore all things to shalom, to perfect peace.
SPEAKER_00: Pastor Malty Babcock wrote this hymn shortly before the turn of the 20th century, and it's such a sweet reminder in these days.
SPEAKER_00: This is my father's world.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, let me ne'er forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
SPEAKER_00: And boy, that truth is something we can cling to in these days.
SPEAKER_00: Our second point: an invitation to the wedding feast, the wedding feast of the Lamb is available to all, but guys, a response is required.
SPEAKER_00: You know, when you get a wedding invitation, you're usually asked to RSVP.
SPEAKER_00: Remember that Jesus' first miracle was the turning of water to wine at the wedding in Cana, which I just love that story.
SPEAKER_00: It's just such a fantastic story.
SPEAKER_00: And don't underestimate how important this is because of how that miracle, how that relates to what we call communion, the Lord's Supper, and how it looks forward to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
SPEAKER_00: This is summarized well by Derek Thomas when he said the entire ministry of Jesus is a preparation for wedding.
SPEAKER_00: Isn't that awesome?
SPEAKER_00: So much of Jesus' interactions with people were based around eating together, meals, celebrations, events.
SPEAKER_00: And this is just that emphasis on relationship.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus' whole ministry is looking forward to this wedding feast being reunited and united fully and finally with his bride.
SPEAKER_00: So you hear advertisers say this all the time.
SPEAKER_00: Hurry in.
SPEAKER_00: You don't want to miss out on this.
SPEAKER_00: Supplies are limited.
SPEAKER_00: The time to act is now.
SPEAKER_00: Well, invitations to the marriage feast are not limited, but they are required.
SPEAKER_00: The marriage supper is not yet, but it is coming.
SPEAKER_00: There is a window, and it will one day be closing.
SPEAKER_00: And the time to act indeed is now.
SPEAKER_00: Trust me, you don't want to miss out on this.
SPEAKER_00: And I want to make note of the seriousness of the occasion, right?
SPEAKER_00: But gosh, the joy in what lies behind it, that joy of relationship, the joy of being chosen and beloved.
SPEAKER_00: We are indeed chosen and beloved, friends.
SPEAKER_00: So you might say, man, I can't believe God would make me choose just one way, just one path.
SPEAKER_00: And frankly, in reality, human nature tends to be that if there were two ways, we'd want 10.
SPEAKER_00: If there were 10 ways, we'd want 20.
SPEAKER_00: And I would answer to that complaint about there being only one way, I'd say, thank God there is a way.
SPEAKER_00: It is grace and mercy itself that gives us a choice that provides a path to salvation.
SPEAKER_00: God has created us as morally significant creatures, not as robots.
SPEAKER_00: He gives us the choice because he loves us and believes in us.
SPEAKER_00: It is his nature to give us a choice.
SPEAKER_00: And even when it is our nature to choose wrongly, it is his nature to create a path back to him through the cross.
SPEAKER_00: C.S.
SPEAKER_00: Lewis sums this up.
SPEAKER_00: He says, God doesn't want something from us.
SPEAKER_00: He simply wants us.
SPEAKER_00: Loved ones, for everyone right now who is lonely, who is hurting, who is isolated, like we all have been for the last six, seven months, for everyone who is fearful, lost, you are seen, you are known, and you are fully loved as God's beloved.
SPEAKER_00: Let that sink in to your pores for just a minute.
SPEAKER_00: The essence of the gospel is relationship and invitation.
SPEAKER_00: Again, that's why so much of Jesus' ministry was around meals and gatherings.
SPEAKER_00: This is why the church and Jesus are compared to a bride and a groom.
SPEAKER_00: We are invited into an intimate and loving relationship with our Savior, but it does require a response.
SPEAKER_00: Saint Augustine said, He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent.
SPEAKER_00: And I love that.
SPEAKER_00: But even then, our response is a result of a gift of God's grace.
SPEAKER_00: Ephesians 2, 8 and 9 says, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing.
SPEAKER_00: It is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
SPEAKER_00: And our third point, the sovereign God, creator of the universe, will have the final word.
SPEAKER_00: The Lamb who was slain is risen again.
SPEAKER_00: Evil will not have the last word in the universe.
SPEAKER_00: You know, don't be shocked and surprised at evil shaking its fist.
SPEAKER_00: For as the return of Christ grows closer, evil gets more anxious.
SPEAKER_00: You know, as we've heard from Scotty Smith, from Tommy, and from Jim, evil knows it has an expiration date and it senses that it is running out of time.
SPEAKER_00: But God will have the final word.
SPEAKER_00: The God who spoke the universe into being with a single word is also able to crush evil with a single word.
SPEAKER_00: God will have that final word.
SPEAKER_00: Derek Thomas, Bible commentator, says one by one, the enemies of God are being destroyed.
SPEAKER_00: One by one, Jesus is defeating every opponent.
SPEAKER_00: He is ensuring the triumph he has promised to his people.
SPEAKER_00: Amen to that.
SPEAKER_00: Evil will not have the final word in the universe.
SPEAKER_00: God will have the final word.
SPEAKER_00: Evil is not original.
SPEAKER_00: It cannot make anything on its own.
SPEAKER_00: It can only disrupt, disturb, and disorder God's good and original creation, but that it can only do so temporarily.
SPEAKER_00: There is an end in sight.
SPEAKER_00: The sight of home may be far off in the distance, barely visible yet, but it is there, make no mistake, and we are headed for it.
SPEAKER_00: I love this Cornelius Planning quote.
SPEAKER_00: Good has its own momentum.
SPEAKER_00: Corruption never wholly succeeds.
SPEAKER_00: Even blasphemers acknowledge God.
SPEAKER_00: Creation is stronger than sin, and grace stronger still.
SPEAKER_00: Human sin is stubborn, but not so stubborn as the grace of God, and not half so persistent, not half so ready to suffer to win its way.
SPEAKER_00: You guys, there is justice that is bigger than this particular moment in time.
SPEAKER_00: There is truth that is more solid than anything we hear right now.
SPEAKER_00: There is righteousness that is pure and absolute.
SPEAKER_00: Heaven rejoices at God's final victory over evil.
SPEAKER_00: The gospel invitation is available to all, and God will indeed have the final word.