WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.959 We are studying our way through the book of Revelation. 00:00:03.279 --> 00:00:06.080 So we've got a few more left to go. 00:00:06.320 --> 00:00:09.599 We've been covering some large chunks at times. 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:11.839 Last week, Sam Rapp covered a few chapters. 00:00:11.919 --> 00:00:15.839 Today we're going to cover a few chapters, so we're going to summarize our way through. 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:18.800 Now there are many views on the book of Revelation. 00:00:18.879 --> 00:00:20.320 Maybe you have a particular view. 00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:21.440 Maybe you have no view. 00:00:21.519 --> 00:00:22.480 Maybe you're not even sure. 00:00:22.640 --> 00:00:25.600 Maybe you've always thought this book is so strange you're never going to read it. 00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:27.839 We are glad you're here. 00:00:28.079 --> 00:00:30.879 We are taking the covenantal amillennial view. 00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:33.759 We've been telling you that every week, so you know where we're coming from. 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:45.359 Big words, which means that we don't see all the language in the book of Revelation, all this strange language as literal, but we see a lot of it as symbolic and imagery. 00:00:45.520 --> 00:00:50.479 That John is a pastor, and John, this writer of the book, is a poet. 00:00:50.719 --> 00:01:03.039 And he's not describing a tribulation to come, but he's describing tribulation, pain, sorrow, difficulty of my world and your world right now. 00:01:03.439 --> 00:01:06.879 In between the first coming of Jesus and the second coming of Jesus. 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:07.519 Right? 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:12.799 You still have pain, you have tribulation, you have sadness and disappointment. 00:01:13.040 --> 00:01:13.599 So do I. 00:01:13.760 --> 00:01:21.760 I have exhaustion, you have exhaustion, there's still wars, there's still school shootings, there's still famine, there's still earthquakes. 00:01:22.079 --> 00:01:23.840 John's writing about this. 00:01:24.079 --> 00:01:29.439 Last week, Sam Rapp taught us about the two beasts in Revelation 13. 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:42.879 Now, this is John's imagery of institutions, beast number one, and ideologies, worldly values, beast number two, that are in the world that are vying for our hearts. 00:01:43.120 --> 00:01:45.519 So Sam unpacked that last week. 00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:50.480 Now we're gonna jump in where we left off last week there in Revelation 14, 6. 00:01:50.560 --> 00:01:56.560 So three different times during the sermon, I'm gonna read pretty big chunks of scripture, and I tried to like cut it down. 00:01:56.640 --> 00:01:57.840 I just I couldn't cut it down. 00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:00.400 We're just gonna read it, you're gonna hang tight, we'll get through it. 00:02:00.640 --> 00:02:04.079 Revelation 14, 6 through 13. 00:02:04.799 --> 00:02:14.319 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. 00:02:14.479 --> 00:02:23.520 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 the water. 00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:28.479 Another angel, a second, followed, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great. 00:02:28.560 --> 00:02:29.599 We're going to learn about that. 00:02:29.840 --> 00:02:34.879 She who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality. 00:02:35.039 --> 00:02:44.560 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, If anyone worships the beast in its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, time out. 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:46.800 If you remember last week, Sam Rat talked about this. 00:02:46.879 --> 00:02:57.120 I won't repeat the sermon, but this is a way to say that your heart, the core of your being, belongs to the world, that you're finding your belonging there and not with God. 00:02:57.360 --> 00:03:22.719 Verse 10 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 sulphur in the presence of the holy angels, 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 worshippers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name. 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:23.280 Okay. 00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:25.840 Now you see why I didn't ask Michelle to read all this. 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:27.439 Now, verse twelve. 00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:30.400 And here's where John's taking us as the church. 00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:31.680 Verse 12. 00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:39.280 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. 00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:45.360 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, Write this: blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. 00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:52.479 Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them. 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:58.960 So John's writing to seven churches, if you remember, and these churches were exhausted. 00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:00.639 These churches were hurting. 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:05.039 These churches were in fear of the oppression of Rome and of Nero. 00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:14.000 And we don't have to do comparative suffering with them to know that we also have exhaustion and hurt and pain. 00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:24.319 We all walk in here exhausted by something, in pain about something, hurt by someone, afraid of something. 00:04:25.839 --> 00:04:30.720 So all of this speaks to us exactly where we're at in the context of our own pain. 00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:35.279 And if you're not there today, I promise you'll be there later this week. 00:04:35.600 --> 00:04:38.319 At some point, we come in contact with all this. 00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:45.920 Point number one is this: in Christ's victory, we are called to endure through disappointment and hardship. 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:48.639 The Bible's painfully realistic about that. 00:04:48.800 --> 00:04:51.279 That we're going to have disappointment and hardship. 00:04:51.439 --> 00:04:56.079 We're called to endure, and we're called to endure because of Christ's victory. 00:04:56.399 --> 00:05:12.319 Five years ago, we had an eight-year-old at the time, six-year-old at the time, and a toddler, and we were brainwashed by beast number two, the worldly values in the world to take our family to Disney World because we thought that would be a fun family adventure. 00:05:12.560 --> 00:05:22.240 And we pull into the resort, and you know, you exit the expressway, the sign is there, Mickey is on the sign, a proclamation is made. 00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:24.000 Welcome to Disney World. 00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:29.680 You pull off the expressway, you pull into the resort, you are on the resort. 00:05:29.920 --> 00:05:30.800 You are there. 00:05:31.040 --> 00:05:32.560 You are on their property. 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:36.399 It has been proclaimed, and apparently they have interstates inside the resort. 00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:41.600 So you're on another interstate inside the resort, but you are there, but you're not really there. 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:43.199 If you've been there, you know I'm talking about. 00:05:43.279 --> 00:05:43.600 You're there. 00:05:43.680 --> 00:05:45.759 The sign said it, and you're still on the highway. 00:05:45.839 --> 00:05:46.639 That's interesting. 00:05:46.879 --> 00:05:48.879 And then you get another sign. 00:05:49.199 --> 00:05:50.000 Magic King. 00:05:50.079 --> 00:05:51.040 Welcome to Magic Kingdom. 00:05:51.279 --> 00:05:52.160 That's where we're going. 00:05:52.399 --> 00:05:53.040 Another sign. 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:54.720 And you're like, we are, we're here. 00:05:54.879 --> 00:05:55.199 We're here. 00:05:55.279 --> 00:05:56.240 We're at Magic Kingdom. 00:05:56.319 --> 00:05:59.920 You pull in to a parking lot the size of Cobb County. 00:06:00.800 --> 00:06:01.759 We park. 00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:09.279 We hike the 17 miles across that hot asphalt with our children to have this fun family adventure. 00:06:09.360 --> 00:06:11.680 And we're smart, so we got there early. 00:06:11.759 --> 00:06:14.399 We're going to be all ready to get in early. 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:16.959 We're going to start the back of the park or to do the right thing. 00:06:18.079 --> 00:06:20.319 We got the right thing that we know everything to do here. 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:22.160 And I can see the castle. 00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:23.279 We're here. 00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:24.720 I can see the castle. 00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:26.480 We're the front gate. 00:06:27.519 --> 00:06:31.439 And then we go to scan our passes, and it's like, no, they're not scanning. 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:32.879 Other people are flying through. 00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:40.639 Our passes won't scan because apparently there's special people in passes, and then there's normal people who come in later. 00:06:41.040 --> 00:06:42.000 These people are crucial. 00:06:42.399 --> 00:06:44.079 I'm giving everybody dirty looks. 00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:45.600 I'm not happy. 00:06:45.680 --> 00:06:47.680 You know, I'm it's bad. 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:55.360 And I I did discover in this moment what's worse than whiny, hot kids at 4 p.m. 00:06:55.600 --> 00:06:56.639 inside of Disney World. 00:06:56.720 --> 00:06:58.160 You know what's worse than that? 00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:02.000 Kids at the front gate for 30 minutes before it opens. 00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:04.800 And you're sitting there for 30 minutes. 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:06.319 So we're there. 00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:08.319 We're already there. 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:12.000 Yet we're not really there. 00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:14.399 Like we are, it's been proclaimed. 00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:18.480 And yet we are not experiencing the fullness of the magic kingdom yet. 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:24.079 But we're on the property, but we're not yet really enjoying all of it. 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:29.759 See, this is this already but not yet that John is just pouring out on us. 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:32.079 These seven churches lived in this. 00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:33.439 Already but not yet. 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:37.040 These churches already God's, yet suffering under Nera. 00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:43.680 And you and I, the context of our lives, already God's beloved, yet still a mess. 00:07:44.160 --> 00:07:49.920 Like you're still a little bit of a mess, or you're a big mess, and you don't have to raise your hand which one you are, but we know, we know. 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:51.519 We're all a mess a little bit. 00:07:51.600 --> 00:08:01.680 We're already loved, fully, already fully forgiven, already fully righteous in Christ, already all of that, and yet, and yet we're not fully experiencing that. 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:03.600 We're already, but not yet. 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:10.000 We're redeemed, and yet we're not experiencing the restoration, the fullness of God's story for us yet. 00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:12.160 And so we hope in the restoration. 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:18.399 We are at rest, yet we still have to endure beasts around us. 00:08:19.199 --> 00:08:24.079 And because of this, John calls Rome in verse 8 a prostitute. 00:08:24.319 --> 00:08:25.680 He gives the prostitute a name. 00:08:25.839 --> 00:08:28.959 He says, Rome is Babylon the Great, prostitute. 00:08:29.199 --> 00:08:36.320 And so then John turns his thinking toward God's justice, toward evil and hurt. 00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:40.720 And this is where in Revelation 16 we get these seven bowls of God's judgment. 00:08:40.879 --> 00:09:00.080 So if you've been with us through our study, this is our third time through because John is using this storytelling technique called recapsulation, where he is recapping over and over again a description of the world, first with seals, then with trumpets, now with bowls of judgment, poured out on injustice. 00:09:01.200 --> 00:09:12.879 So that we can understand the finality of God reconciling all pain and all your pain. 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:20.159 And all the pain of the world, all the injustice of the world, all the stuff where we go, how can this even exist if God is love? 00:09:20.240 --> 00:09:21.679 How could this even be here? 00:09:21.759 --> 00:09:26.639 Well, it's hope to come and a restoration, and God will deal with all of it. 00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:34.000 Remember the quote we read by Frederick Brunner a few weeks back to even think about, for us to even begin to think about the wrath of God. 00:09:34.320 --> 00:09:35.440 Here's what Bruner said. 00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:42.879 The wrath of God is not the irritability of God, it is the love of God in friction with injustice. 00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:53.039 It is the warm, steady, patient, but absolutely fair grace of God in collision with manifest selfishness. 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:57.039 God's wrath does not contradict God's love. 00:09:57.279 --> 00:09:58.240 It proves it. 00:09:58.480 --> 00:10:02.639 A love that pampers injustice is not lovable. 00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:06.559 Let's jump into Revelation 16, verse 12. 00:10:06.639 --> 00:10:08.399 We're going to read down through 21. 00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:09.519 So again, a bit of a read. 00:10:09.679 --> 00:10:10.240 Hang with me. 00:10:10.399 --> 00:10:13.279 The sixth angel poured out his bowl. 00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:21.919 So we're into the sixth bowl at this point, on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:30.639 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. 00:10:31.200 --> 00:10:41.200 For they are demonic spirits, performing signs who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. 00:10:41.440 --> 00:10:50.159 Behold, I am coming like a thief, blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, so that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed. 00:10:50.639 --> 00:10:54.320 And they assembled them in the place that a Hebrew is called Armageddon. 00:10:54.480 --> 00:11:03.519 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, It is done. 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:10.799 There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, spills of thunder, the great earthquake, such as there had never been since man was on earth. 00:11:10.960 --> 00:11:12.399 So great was that earthquake. 00:11:12.639 --> 00:11:21.759 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the Great to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. 00:11:21.919 --> 00:11:35.600 Then every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found, and great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people, and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe. 00:11:35.840 --> 00:11:38.799 So lots of poetic language, right? 00:11:38.879 --> 00:11:44.480 We have to get ourselves into this mode of reading apocalyptic poetic language when we read this. 00:11:44.639 --> 00:11:45.919 Here's what we think is going on. 00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:48.000 We think the dragon is the devil. 00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:50.879 We think the first beast is the world. 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:54.480 We think the false prophet is maybe worldly values. 00:11:54.639 --> 00:11:58.240 And then these kings in verse 14, scholars aren't really sure about this. 00:11:58.480 --> 00:11:59.039 That's okay. 00:11:59.120 --> 00:12:02.159 Sometimes we read the Bible, it's okay to not really be sure about everything. 00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:10.080 And then John's doing something as we read through this passage where he's bringing it all together, like all this evil and oppression and worldliness and injustice. 00:12:10.240 --> 00:12:16.480 He's kind of gathering it up, and he says, There's gonna be a battle, there's gonna be an end to this. 00:12:17.039 --> 00:12:20.879 He says there's gonna be at a place called Armageddon, but it's not really a place per se. 00:12:20.960 --> 00:12:26.080 This idea of Armageddon is taken from a battle site called Meghetto. 00:12:26.559 --> 00:12:32.720 And Armageddon is not really a place, it's more of a battle, it's more of an understanding of victory. 00:12:33.440 --> 00:12:45.519 That there will be victory, there will be restoration, there will be an end to injustice, that this fourth part of the story of God, creation, fall, redemption, restoration, it will happen. 00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:51.600 So John's pouring out, I mean, this is where we have to pause and remember who he's writing to. 00:12:51.759 --> 00:12:58.720 These people were oppressed under the boot of Rome, the oppression of Nero, fearing for their lives. 00:12:58.879 --> 00:13:03.279 People were being persecuted, they were being killed, they're being tortured. 00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:15.919 And to hear this kind of language poured out over Rome, their enemy, the idea of injustice, I mean, this would have just brought up incredible comfort and courage in them. 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:20.960 And all the mess and the hurt of their lives. 00:13:21.519 --> 00:13:29.440 Because assured victory, assured victory, that proclamation of Revelation 14, 8, fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great. 00:13:29.519 --> 00:13:34.559 When they heard that, assured victory brings comfort and courage. 00:13:34.799 --> 00:13:36.000 It always does. 00:13:36.399 --> 00:13:42.480 Point number two: Jesus brings us comfort and courage as he stands as our righteous judge. 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:44.320 Jesus is our righteous judge. 00:13:44.399 --> 00:13:46.960 It's the reason why we have comfort and courage. 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:50.960 If we look at Revelation 14 as structure, it's like a sandwich. 00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:53.360 It's like a really great gospel sandwich for us. 00:13:53.600 --> 00:14:01.600 The first part, we see Jesus stands as the Lamb of God standing on Mount Zion, symbolizing the security of the redeemed. 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:08.799 And then the end of the chapter, we see Jesus seated on a cloud as the Son of Man, symbolizing him as a judge on the last day. 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:16.960 Now, if we only have the last image, but we don't have the first image, we could be sent into a lot of fear, a lot of anxiety. 00:14:17.759 --> 00:14:18.799 How's my standing with God? 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:20.399 How good do I need to be? 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:31.840 But if we have Jesus as a Lamb of God, by knowing Christ that the judge is the Lamb, right, that all of our sin has been taken upon the cross. 00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:36.639 And his fullness of forgiveness is given to us, and fullness of righteousness is given to us. 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:38.799 Now all of a sudden, all that fear has been taken away. 00:14:38.960 --> 00:14:44.240 So we can understand Christ as judge, but because the judge is the Lamb, we have no fear. 00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:48.799 Thirty years ago, I was in eighth grade. 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:50.399 I started on the J.E. 00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:52.879 Richards Rams basketball team. 00:14:53.039 --> 00:14:53.840 There it is. 00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:57.679 An intimidating force of basketball right there. 00:14:57.919 --> 00:15:01.759 Can't you imagine when I stepped on the court? 00:15:02.080 --> 00:15:05.919 The amount of intimidation that the other team was feeling. 00:15:06.240 --> 00:15:21.120 Now, what's crazy, looking at that picture, is I walked into every gym, every game that year, I walked in with comfort and courage every single game. 00:15:22.080 --> 00:15:26.000 Because I had a teammate, Timmy. 00:15:26.399 --> 00:15:28.960 And Timmy was a phenomenal athlete. 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:37.279 Timmy could shoot, Timmy had biceps, which clearly still, you know. 00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:43.039 And Timmy could dunk in the eighth grade. 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:47.919 And I'm not talking like when he was warmed up and the wind was to his back, kind of dunked. 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:59.600 I'm talking about he could dunk anytime, anywhere, and every gym we went in, every single gym was packed, slammed. 00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:02.879 Every seat, fire code is broken. 00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:09.200 People are sitting along the court, people are standing up against the wall on the baseline, packed out. 00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:16.000 And I'm on the court, loving it, but they're all there to see Timmy because he's gonna throw down at least twice. 00:16:16.159 --> 00:16:18.480 Every game, he is going to dunk. 00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:24.960 Eighth grade, he is gonna dunk at least twice, and the gym would erupt. 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:33.679 So awkward little 13-year-old me, just having the time of my life, just loving this. 00:16:35.519 --> 00:16:43.039 I'm walking in every gym like I'm Larry Bird, like I'm actually this good, and it's because of Timmy. 00:16:44.399 --> 00:16:44.879 Right? 00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:48.000 Because not only would he dunk every game, we would win every game. 00:16:48.080 --> 00:16:49.840 I mean, we won every game like 25 points. 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:52.559 I mean, we just blew people out just because of him. 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:57.440 Assured victory brings comfort and courage. 00:16:57.679 --> 00:17:01.120 And this is what John is doing over and over and over again throughout Revelation. 00:17:01.200 --> 00:17:15.119 He's just flooding these churches with language of how sure this victory is, how much this restoration for injustice outside of you and the injustice inside of you will be restored. 00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:19.119 Last bit of reading, Revelation 17. 00:17:19.359 --> 00:17:22.720 We're gonna read one through six and then jump and read 15 through 18. 00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:32.319 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who's seated on many waters. 00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:34.079 Remember this prostitute? 00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:52.720 This is a description of Rome, which we can understand is a description of the highest level of thinking about injustice and worldly values and oppression and evil, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual morality the dwellers on earth have become drunk. 00:17:52.880 --> 00:18:02.160 And he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:14.880 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abon abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. 00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:22.319 And on her forehead was written a name of mystery, Babylon the Great, mother of prostitutes and the earth's abominations. 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:27.680 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:28.400 Right? 00:18:28.559 --> 00:18:30.319 You you see the language here? 00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:33.599 These martyrs of Jesus that Rome's been killing. 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:42.240 And the angel said to me, The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitude and nations and language. 00:18:42.400 --> 00:18:46.799 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. 00:18:47.039 --> 00:18:51.680 They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh, and burn her up with fire. 00:18:51.920 --> 00:19:02.000 For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over the royal power to the beast until the words of God are fulfilled. 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:08.000 And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth. 00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:11.279 So all this language, lots of language, right? 00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:19.119 All this language represents Rome and the worldly values that it stands on. 00:19:19.359 --> 00:19:24.720 And then can you imagine that they're hearing all that in the context of 148? 00:19:25.599 --> 00:19:28.079 Fallen, fallen as Babylon the Great. 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:29.279 Why? 00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:31.200 Same thing for your life. 00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:34.480 Assured victory brings comfort and courage. 00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:49.200 Because John is working under the assumption that you are in a tribulation, that you are in pain, that you have some sort of exhaustion, some sort of hurt, some sort of worry, anxiety, sin, guilt, shame. 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:56.720 Yet we have victory in Jesus already, fully forgiven, fully righteous, hope for a restoration to come. 00:19:56.880 --> 00:19:58.079 Point number three is this. 00:19:58.400 --> 00:19:58.960 Long point. 00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:01.200 We'll leave it up here for a second since it's a bit long point. 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:07.519 You may be afraid of a particular beast or frustrated with an injustice. 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:15.359 Yet we live in hope as restoration is assured in the victory of Christ. 00:20:17.279 --> 00:20:23.599 You may be afraid of a particular beast, yet we live in hope as restoration is assured in the victory of Christ. 00:20:24.640 --> 00:20:29.279 In 1992, street preacher Robert Roeburg moved to Nashville. 00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:33.519 He first started to preach on the streets, and then he realized nobody was listening to him. 00:20:33.680 --> 00:20:38.240 And we probably wouldn't even agree with all his preaching, but he started painting. 00:20:38.799 --> 00:20:42.799 And here's a painting that he painted coming out of this passage today. 00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:45.359 It's called Babylon the Great Is Fallen. 00:20:45.680 --> 00:20:48.880 It hangs in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:51.359 It has some beautiful imagery here. 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:52.880 Maybe not your taste of painting. 00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:55.119 I don't know if it would be in your living room. 00:20:56.240 --> 00:20:59.279 But when we see it, start looking at these different imageries. 00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:02.799 You can see Revelation here, what we just read. 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:07.440 It's easy to feel the hurt and the condemnation of that beast. 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:10.880 Or the lure of the woman that's on the beast. 00:21:12.319 --> 00:21:16.160 Because maybe you walk in here and you have your exhaustion. 00:21:16.880 --> 00:21:17.839 Or hopelessness. 00:21:18.240 --> 00:21:21.519 You're beat up or you're broken, you're pushed down. 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:24.640 Maybe you know the lure of that woman. 00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:27.839 Temptation, like real temptation. 00:21:28.480 --> 00:21:31.039 That's hurtful for your life. 00:21:33.039 --> 00:21:40.000 Maybe you know the weight and the misery of condemnation that's getting shouted out of these beasts' mouths. 00:21:40.480 --> 00:21:43.279 That you're never enough and you'll never be enough. 00:21:44.640 --> 00:21:50.160 But if you keep looking at this, I love that all the castles are cracking. 00:21:51.839 --> 00:21:52.160 Right? 00:21:52.480 --> 00:21:56.480 All the castles of the world are already cracking, all the world's power. 00:21:56.799 --> 00:21:59.119 All the shouts of condemnation. 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:02.000 They they have their limits. 00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:05.119 And they will ultimately fail. 00:22:06.880 --> 00:22:19.440 And then we have these two Jesus type Luke Skywalker angel y figures flying around fighting for you. 00:22:20.559 --> 00:22:23.200 It's the imagery of Christ fighting for you. 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:25.359 That he's at work for you. 00:22:27.119 --> 00:22:28.720 In your tribulation. 00:22:29.519 --> 00:22:30.799 That your story's not over. 00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:32.799 Your story's never over. 00:22:34.799 --> 00:22:38.319 And then lastly, look at the top of the painting. 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:43.200 And it remembers it reminds me of a painting we looked at like maybe a month ago or so. 00:22:43.359 --> 00:22:47.039 You remember at the very top there was a lamb at the top. 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:52.240 Again, in that painting at the very top, you had that bowl being poured out. 00:22:52.400 --> 00:22:54.640 There's number seven on the bowl. 00:22:54.880 --> 00:22:59.920 That number seven is always symbolic of wholeness and completion. 00:23:00.640 --> 00:23:04.079 And then you see what's being poured out: a proclamation. 00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:06.720 It's finished. 00:23:06.880 --> 00:23:07.200 Right? 00:23:07.359 --> 00:23:15.920 So from Christ's cross to the restoration of all of our brokenness and all the brokenness of the world is the proclamation. 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:21.519 It rests in the proclamation, the assurance that it is finished. 00:23:22.480 --> 00:23:24.880 Your redemption and your restoration. 00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:26.720 Finished. 00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:27.759 It's handled. 00:23:27.839 --> 00:23:28.960 It's complete. 00:23:30.079 --> 00:23:31.839 Your security with God. 00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:34.480 Finished, complete in Christ. 00:23:34.960 --> 00:23:36.559 Hope and difficulty. 00:23:36.880 --> 00:23:39.519 Restoration for all the hurt that you have. 00:23:40.240 --> 00:23:51.119 And none of it is based in your work for God, but all of it is based in God's restorative work for you that is at work and will come to completion. 00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:52.640 Let's pray together. 00:23:52.960 --> 00:23:55.599 God, thank you for your story for us. 00:23:56.000 --> 00:24:06.160 That it is not a story of us working for you as to cause redemption or as to cause restoration, but that you are at work and you are not finished. 00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:07.599 The story's not over. 00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:19.920 How easy it is for us to see the war in Ukraine or see a school shooting and for us to be so distraught, rightfully, rightfully distraught. 00:24:20.319 --> 00:24:25.759 And how easy it is for us to forget that you are still at work and all of this will be restored. 00:24:26.480 --> 00:24:30.480 Our hearts long for that, or else we would never be upset. 00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:42.799 God, we get impatient with ourselves, with our own hearts, with the beasts that are within us, the injustice, the sin, the shame, the condemnation we hear. 00:24:44.400 --> 00:25:01.119 Help us to rest more fully in the gift of your redemption for us that is secure and finished in Jesus, and we have a restoration to come that while we're in the already but not yet, we look forward to that final chapter of the story: restoration. 00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:11.440 The hope of heaven, the hope of a life where all the fears are taken away and the tears are wiped away. 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:15.759 We thank you that you are a God of redemption and restoration. 00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:24.400 Help us to rest more fully in you, to enjoy all the implications of the proclamation that it is finished. 00:25:24.559 --> 00:25:25.759 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:26.400 Amen.