Revelation 22 The Eternal Day of Joy! Hallelujah!

Revelation 22

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There was once a very rich man who wanted to take his money with him to the afterlife. So he was buried with a huge sack of gold bars that he would take with him to Heaven. It was a massive effort, but he managed. Utterly exhausted, drenched in sweat, with blisters covering his hands, he arrived at the Pearly Gates. “Welcome,” said the angel. “But tell me, why did you bring a big bag of tar for the road with you?”

The point of the joke is this: what we experience now is nothing compared to what we are going to experience. The best in this world is a thousand times worse than the worst in the world to come. We’re not missing out on anything by choosing Jesus now! What we miss out on is Heaven’s rubbish. Gold is bits of tar (asphalt). The best in this world is cheap instant coffee - heaven is the finest beans. (Or “fruit-tea” against a cup of Ceylon tea from England)!

It will be this world version 2. Rebooted, recreated. Made new. Everything and everyone, including us. No sin! We will be where we’ve always wanted to be. Free from sin! No longer carrying the burden of sin. And so there will be no pain, nor sickness, nor sorrow nor death. Hallelujah!

Last week we saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem descended from Heaven. Spectacular, beautiful, majestic. V1-5 finishes that description, so before we get stuck in there, let me just remind us what we learned last week.

The city, descended from heaven is the Bride of Christ, the Church, the people of God. The city is vast, and covers the whole earth. And it is the Most Holy Place, the cube-shaped room in the temple that was where God lived. But now we all live there. We live with God. God lives with us. We are His people and He is our God.

The city is built on precious stones - the same precious stones that the high priest had in his priestly garments when he brought the people of God before the altar to pray God for mercy. God's mercy through God’s sacrifice on God’s altar is the foundation of the whole city. And God's sacrifice was God Himself: Jesus on the Cross. “Father, forgive them!” God’s grace and mercy flowing over us, his people, is what the City is built on.

The city is the fulfilment of all the promises of God given through his prophets. We see fulfilled prophecy from, for example Haggai 2:9 The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!

Isaiah 65 and 66, for example 65:17 Is 65:17 Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth

Jeremiah 3:17 In that day Jerusalem will be known as ‘The Throne of the LORD.’ All nations will come there to honour the LORD. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires.

And basically most of Ezekiel 40-48!

The whole Bible, the whole universe, is aimed at, rejoices over, this day, this day of joy, which lasts forever. And central to all this is the cross. For without the cross we would be outside. Everlasting rejoicing and singing and dancing – and we would be outside. But because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross - suddenly, all these promises, all these prophecies, are ours! Amen.

For

1. Jesus is the water of life

2. The water of life flows through us when we listen to and obey the Bible, Jesus’ word

3. Jesus will return - at any moment

Let's look at the final part of the description of the heavenly city.

1. Jesus is the water of life

Re 22:1–3 Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 It flowed down the centre of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. 3 No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.

In the very centre of the city is the river filled with water of life. Every city must have a water source. Without water, the city dies. No wonder, then, that the water source of the Holy City is God Himself. The water of life… flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

This is the fulfilment of God's promises. In Zechariah 14, God wages war against the army of evil and crushes it and in v8 says On that day life-giving waters will flow out from Jerusalem… 9 And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one LORD—his name alone will be worshiped.

In Joel 3:18 we read In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. Water will fill the streambeds of Judah, and a fountain will burst forth from the LORD’s Temple, watering the arid valley of acacias.
The day Joel is talking about there is Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came like a flood over his people, and still does today. The Holy Spirit is with us and in us.

And we who go to the Bible groups will recognize this as fulfilling the words of Jesus. For in John 7:37-39, Jesus says “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ ” 39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him.)

The point is that the entire Bible meets here and finds its fulfilment here. The whole Bible flows from all different directions to Jesus, the Cross and the Resurrection, and from Jesus like a flood rushing to the Revelation and the new Heaven and new Earth. All the promises of God find their fulfilment in Christ. All. If you are Christian - if He is your Lord and your God - then you’re not missing out on anything! Everything good God has ever planned is yours – now in part, then in full. Everything is ours. In Christ, we have access to the living water of Heaven. Jesus is the water of life.

But how do we take part? How do we get this living water?

Well, did you notice the strong emphasis in this chapter on the Word? God's Word? Because that's the answer to how we take part, and it’s point number two. Jesus is the water of life and we take part in it, also now, through his word, the Bible.

2. The water of life flows through us when we listen to and obey the Bible, Jesus’ word

6 Then the angel said to me, “Everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true. The Lord God, who inspires his prophets, has sent his angel to tell his servants what will happen soon.” 7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”

What God shows John is truth. Write this down, he says, for these are true words of prophecy. God’s word is trustworthy and true. And we know it’s true because everything he has spoken has actually happened. That’s why we have a book rooted in real history. We don’t have to wonder who God is: we know him through his actions and words, in his dealings with the nations and with Israel.

These words are trustworthy and true. Because those who wrote the Bible wrote what God wants. It is God who gave the prophets, including John, his Spirit. It is God who sent the angel to show them what will soon happen. The Bible is written by men, but what they wrote was exactly what God wanted them to write. They wrote what they wanted - and what they wrote was exactly what God wanted. We see this here: Revelation is written by John 8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw all these things. But what John wrote was what Jesus had shown him. 16 I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches.

These are words of Jesus, written down by John, and guarded by the Spirit. These words are trustworthy and true.

Everything God says is trustworthy and true. We cannot say the same about what you and I say! Everything we say is full of mistakes and influenced by sin. Therefore, I am astonished when Christians - even whole churches - look for something other than listening to God's Word in the Bible. Particularly popular today are dreams and visions and so-called “prophetic words”. Why, when we have God's trustworthy and true words?

I grew up in a congregation with a heavy emphasis on prophecy. And I heard a “prophetic word” at least once a week. And out of probably 1,000 prophecies, do you know how many were really a word from God and not just vague drivel? One.

That's why we don’t waste time in this church with that nonsense. We need the word of God, not the word of you (or me). Because I also know that if God really has something on his heart that he wants to share with us, he’s not dependent on getting a special time in our service where he can speak (often with some music in the background and a little bit of a raised, slightly tremulous, voice). He’s God for goodness sake! He created all things with a word! A word! If He wants to tell you something, you don’t have a choice – you’ll hear it. That’s the testimony of the Bible, and that’s my experience too. Even if you want him to be quiet – you cannot shut him out...!

You know, we will not miss out on anything if we use our time to hear the voice of the Spirit here in the Bible. We most definitely will miss out on a lot, and maybe even be misled, if we spend our time instead chasing dreams and visions and so-called “prophecies” and “words from God” instead of the Bible. Jesus warned us of false prophets and false teachers. For this (the Bible) is the water of life.

(This morning got a helpful question: what is prophecy, aren’t we called to prophecy. From 1 Cor 14. Prophecy linked to gospel (only gospel has power to convict of sin and cause repentance, not “God told me to tell you to go to China”)! It is clear that much of what is called prophecy today is not what the Bible would call prophecy. If you get something you need to tell someone “From the Lord” please say “I think” not “God told me to tell you”.
Preaching is prophetic. Bible group prophetic. Because bringing Word to bear on our lives. Calling us to repentance. That’s what OT prophets did. Not future telling. And not buttering us up with lies about how important we are to God’s plans. That’s water from the toilet, from the sewer. We need living water.)

Psalm 1 says, Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

In this, the first Psalm, as in tonight’s passage, we see the connection between the word of God “the law of the Lord” and living water. The words of Jesus root us, so that we can bear fruit at the right time. We become like living trees, reflecting those in the heavenly city that have healing in their leaves because we carry the gospel in our words and our actions. We are the children of God.

That’s certainly been my own experience. The Word of God roots me. The more time I spend in His Word the more stable and rooted and simply holy I become. The Spirit makes the Bible alive when we read it and it’s food for the soul. Blessed, happy, joyful is he who delights in the word of the Lord. 7 Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.

A further warning for us not to rely on other sources for God’s word than the Bible and being careful to check everything against the Bible I v18 and 19. 18 And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.

These verses are about the book of Revelation. But I do not think it's a coincidence that they come in the last book of the Bible. Do not add to the Bible - we do that when we make extra rules, we add obstacles for people becoming Christian. When we say things that the Bible does not say as “don’t smoke” “don’t gamble” “don’t watch this movie or that TV show” – now that may be good advice, but it's not God's law! Or to come to this church, you must be like this, or be that type of person, or be dressed like that. We try to keep things very informal here so that anyone can walk in and feel welcome. Come as you are!

But even more dangerous is the temptation to remove things from the Bible. Things we don’t like. God's sovereignty. Our sinful nature. Hell! Forgive your enemies. Sexual ethics. Just skip over it, go quiet, or deny it. But if we choose only what we like - then who is God? We’re not worshipping God when we decide what we think is right or wrong in the Bible. We’re worshipping ourselves. This is an all or nothing package! Everything else is idolatry.

Listen to the Spirit. His words, the words of Jesus, give life.

Jesus is the water of life. The water of life flows through us when we listen to and obey the Bible, Jesus’ word. And it's worth it because

3. Jesus will return - at any moment

10 Then he instructed me, “Do not seal up the prophetic words in this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the one who is doing harm continue to do harm; let the one who is vile continue to be vile; let the one who is righteous continue to live righteously; let the one who is holy continue to be holy.

I had a work colleague called Paul who really wanted to be a Christian. He thought it was right and good and he believed in Jesus. But “not yet” he said. “I want to do my own thing for a few years, then I’ll settle down and accept Jesus.”
Dangerous, dangerous words. Let the one who is doing harm continue to do harm; let the one who is vile continue to be vile. He thought that Jesus' words were a bit boring, a bit dry. God’s a killjoy. And Paul wanted to sin! And, yes, of course, it was about sex. He was a good-looking guy who wanted to play the field. He wanted to play with sin. That was 18 years ago, and the last I heard he was still no nearer Christ. Not yet. Not yet.

Jesus return is so close that there’s hardly time to repent. And when he returns, it's too late. That’s why those being vile (Bible-speak for ignoring God) those being vile will continue to be vile. Time is running out! If that’s you, if you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour – do it now, today! Before it’s too late. Do you know the time of your death? Many have walked out the door in the morning “Bye, see you later” not knowing that they would soon be standing before the judgement seat of Almighty God

12 “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. 15 Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.

We are judged by our deeds (our actions, what we do), and our deeds expose us as sinners. We have not lived the way we ought, none of us have lived like Jesus. The standard is so high and we do measure up. We don’t even measure up to our own standards! How often do we do things that we know are wrong and which we really don’t want to do - but do them anyway? It’s so frustrating that we’re so weak. We can’t even meet our own low standards, not to mention God's.

What a relief that Jesus says "Come!". Those who thirst come and wash your robes in the blood of the Lamb, taking part in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and washing your sins away.
Yes! That is the offer! All that wrong you've done, all that which is dirty and rotten and shameful. Washed away. Forgiven. Borne on Jesus' shoulders on the cross. A gift! What a gift! And what a gift that continues to be for it’s not a one-time deal. No, as Christians, we now live in realm of grace. It is forgiveness upon forgiveness.

Because Christ’s blood covers not only our sinful past, but also the sin we commit now, and the sins we will commit in the future. That’s why we confess our sins every Sunday. To remind us that we are sinners, yes, but also that we are forgiven! We are blessed!

Finally, note that those who were thrown in the lake of fire in 21:8 are here in v15 “outside”. Hell with its fire and brimstone is just a picture, a picture of eternity outside. Excluded.
We don’t want God, we choose to ignore him, to have nothing to do with him - and the most frightening is now he says, alright, I will give you exactly what you want.
Hell is a place outside of God's city, an eternity excluded from all that is good. If you’re not a Christian, that’s what you’ve chosen. Tonight, make a new choice. Choose Christ. Choose life.
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life

Jesus is the water of life. Receive him.
The water of life flows through us when we listen to and obey the Bible, Jesus’ word. Listen to him.
Jesus will return - at any moment. Be ready for him.

20 He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

21 May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.

A prayer of repentance:

Almighty God, I am a sinner because I have lived without you. I chose to ignore you. I chose Hell.
In your mercy, Lord, forgive me. Give me streams of living water. Wash me clean. Thank you Jesus that you died on the Cross so that I can be forgiven.

I don’t want to live for me any longer. From today I want to belong to You. Be my Saviour, my Lord, and my God! Amen.

A blessing:

4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.

Now the priest's blessing from Numbers 6:24-27 is fulfilled. The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 27 So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.

Revelation 21 We keep going for the joy set before us

Revelation 21

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Have you ever waited for something you're looking forward to?

Life is full of delayed gratification: doing something we don’t want to do in order to get something we do. Whether it's a sweetie because we read a book at age 10 or the salary we get to go to work, we all know about enduring in order to get something better. We are even willing to suffer because we see the goal, the reward, in front of us. Just ask the guys in the gym. Or athletes. Or my wife when she’s excercising. The momentary suffering is nothing compared to the joy that awaits.

And that’s how we as Christians should live. In this life, we keep going, we endure, because we have our eyes fixed on what is to come. We follow Jesus and obey his words not because we get everything we want now, but because we see the prize in front of us. We are willing to suffer now because joy – pure joy - is just a moment away. In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, we will be with him.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne.

1. God is almighty and he is good v1-5

2. God is full of mercy v6-8

3. The Holy City is made up of God's people and contains only the best of this world.

1. God is almighty and he is good v1-5

In the movie Batman v Superman, Luthor raised this familiar issue: “if God is all-powerful, He cannot be all good. And if He is all good, then He cannot be all-powerful.” Because if God is good, he would not allow what we see around us. He would not allow sin. And because he does, he is either not good or does not have the power to stop it.

This was very real to those John was writing to in year 90. For they were persecuted. In Smyrna they lost jobs, houses, business – they were poor and hungry because they were Christians. In Pergamon they were killed. In Philadelphia they were under such pressure that they nearly collapsed. In Ephesus, they forgot love, Thyatira just compromised and conformed to the society around them (State church?), Laodicea was lukewarm, and Sardes was nearly dead. So why keep on going? Why believe in Jesus? Is it worth it? Can God really fulfill his promises? Can we really believe in a God of love in the midst of suffering?

And the answer is yes. For we have already seen God's answer to Luthor's problem. On the cross we see both God's love and His might. He is good because he dies for us. And he is almighty, even over evil, because on the cross we see how evil is transformed by God to serve His good purposes. Jesus' crucifixion was at the same time the worst thing that ever happened - because we murdered God! - and the best thing that ever happened - because through His death Jesus set us free and laid the foundation for the new creation.

Because of Jesus' death on the cross, all evil will be erased, and we who are in Christ will live forever in an eternal paradise together with our God. Satan and sin and death and pain and all evil was dealt a death blow on the Cross.

3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” 5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”

God is good and he will destroy all evil. Soon. Until then evil is permitted a narrow and limited role in God's plan. Evil is forced to obey God’s will and achieve his purposes: to either lead us to salvation, or to judge those who do not repent. But soon all these things will be gone forever. Soon, Jesus will return, not as a servant, not to die, not to open the way to heaven for evil people like us through His death on the cross. No, he will return as the Holy Warrior, the White Knight who will destroy evil forever.

For this world will be washed clean: all evil, suffering, pain, gone! Because God will live here with us. God's home will be with his people, with us. He will live with us, and we will be his people.

We see this illustrated in the Exodus with Moses, where God saved his people with great power from suffering and slavery in Egypt, and lived with his people. The word “home” in v3 is “tabernacle”, which was God’s tent in the desert - a physical picture that God was with them. Here I lived in my tent - and God lived in his tent. God is with us! Later King Solomon built a new permanent symbol: the Temple in Jerusalem. Here was God’s house. God lived with his people. He was their God, and they were His people.

But those were shadows of the reality. Here is the reality. Here is the fulfilment of that promise. God with his people - but without any barrier. Jesus has removed sin from us and given us white robes so that we can stand as his bride in the new creation. Our name is written in the Book of Life! And this is what we are looking forward to. The day when God himself will wipe away every tear and where death and sorrow and crying and pain are no more. Amen and Amen!

So why should we endure, keep going? Because this is our future.

Why doesn’t God do anything about evil? Well, he has already. He smashed it on the cross, and showed us his power and his love. And he will wipe evil out completely on the Last Day.

But why doesn’t he do it now? Why, for example, is Robert Mugabe, dictator of Zimbabwe, still alive? Justice now!
But are you really sure you want instant justice? To be struck dumb (unable to speak) because cruel and hurtful words were about to come out of your mouth? Or your hand to rot off before you could sign the shady fiannaical deal? Deaf because you listened to gossip? See we don’t think about ourselves when we cry out for justice! Just because our sins aren’t as public and don’t affect as many people doesn’t mean they’re any better.
If we really got immediate and rigorous justice, this world would be a literal hell. It would be impossible for us to live. In his mercy God has delayed judgement day, and he has limited how much of the consequences of sin we experience. Just enough for us to realize we are sinners - but not enough to crush us with hell.
But that Day will comes when everything is put right and justice will rule - but thank God it is not today, because it means that we and those around us still have the opportunity to find mercy in Jesus. And that's point number two.

God is almighty and he is good, but he delays the day of justice - judgment day - because

2. God is full of mercy v6-8

6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

Everything will be renewed, re-created, transformed. That has always been the plan. We, too, will be transformed, re-created. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

We are made new – re-created - when we receive Christ. We are re-created every day as the Holy Spirit works in us and transforms us, changes us, renews from the inside out. Today, I'm far from perfect, but I'm much more like Jesus than I was when I was saved at age 19. The Holy Spirit is at work in me. I was re-created that moment I received Jesus. I died, and a new me, me in Christ, was created. The child of wrath died, and the child of God was born. I was re-created. I am being re-created. And I will be re-created when Jesus calls me from the grave and into the New Creation.
And this transformation, this growth from grace to grace, is sure because it is guaranteed by Jesus. He who is Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. He says he is A to Z (or Å), the beginning and the end. He created everything in the beginning, and he will re-create everything in the end. And he says to us, “Come! Whoever is thirsty, come! He who desires, let him come and he will receive the water of life as a gift.” Amen and Amen!

God is full of mercy. Anyone who wants to can receive the water of life. Those in the Bible groups will recognize this from John 7:37 where Jesus says, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ ” He was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him.

This is a gift from Jesus. An gift bought at great price. For I do not think it's a coincidence that the words in v6 “It is finished” echo what Jesus said on the Cross in John 19:30: “It is finished”

For this was the goal of the cross. A huge multitude! A massive crowd of people from all nations, tongues, and cultures - the gift of grace! Saved by Jesus' blood on the cross.

What amazing mercy. Because when we read v8 we realise what we deserve. This is us. 8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

The word “cowards” caught my eye. Is it really sinful to be a coward? But how true that is. How often do we not do what we know is right because we are afraid. We do not want to lose status, risk our reputation. We don’t want people thinking we’re weird. So we remain silent or we do what we know we should not do. Have another beer and get drunk. Be greedy and eat another piece of cake. Take that pill. Punch him. Steal that. Sign the dodgy contract. Then lie about it. Cover it up. Because we are cowards! The biggest coward in history was Pontius Pilate! So in Christ let be men of courage. Men of convction who do what is right. Men and women who stand for Christ no matter what.

Because by nature we are cowardly, unbelieving, corrupt - we don’t want to believe God’s word, we don’t want to obey Him – we want to do what WE want. And so we are murderers. We strike people down with words, and if looks could kill... of that we are all guilty. Some of us have blood on our hands because we have been misled and pressured into abortion and killed a baby person. And there are even some in Christ who have killed or tried to kill others. Perhaps in this very church. I had a murderer in my bible study a few years ago. We are murderers all of us. And we are immoral. Sexual sinners. Unfaithful in our thoughts, and for many of us, our thoughts have become actions and we have been unfaithful. We are trapped by pornography and are unfaithful to God and to those we love. We live together (samboere) and refuse to commit to being one and so turn our back on God's commandment “the two shall become one” in marriage. Or we are married but we live parallel lives as two instead of united as one - and too many of us who ignore what God says about sex in marriage - which is “be united often!”

Witchcraft? Well that doesn’t apply to us, does it? (knock on wood).... Actually, every time we look to something other than God to secure our future, we play with witchcraft, sorcery, magic. When we read horoscopes or visit a medium, talk to the dead, ask them for help, pray to our ancestors, pray to Mary or the saints instead of God. When we play with occultism, Charlie Charlie, Ouja board, and such things. Witchcraft. We seek power from things other than God – and that is idolatry. We worship the god "me" - I'll decide, I'll say what's right and what's wrong.

And if we’ve managed to dodge the previous words, the last one gets us all. Liars. We are all liars. All it takes is putting us under a little bit of pressre, and out the lies slip, as easy as breathing. Debby says she told her first lie almost as soon as she could talk. She had some porridge that she didn’t like and when her mother’s back was turned, she emptied the bowl on the floor. When she was asked, “where is the porridge, Debby?”, she answered “gone!” and pretended that she had eaten it! It is deep within us, part of our nature. We are all liars.

And that’s why here in this church there is no judgment! For here we are all sinners who stand before the throne of God. Here is no rubbish that God likes us because we are better people than the “sinners” out there. No. We are sinners, and God likes us because God likes to save sinners. Maybe because we are worse than those “out there”?
Here there are no judgments. In this church there is mercy. Amen.

Not one of us deserves a place in Heaven. But because of Jesus' death on the cross and his resurrection, we can receive his salvation. All we have done has been written down and blocks us from God, from the waters of life. But Jesus took our sins and went through death and hell for us so that we could drink the water of life instead of being thrown into the lake of fire.

Do you thirst for the water of life? The water of life's that can wash you clean? The water of life that re-creates you so that the old sinful life dies and you rise again to everlasting life? If you thirst for Jesus, receive him!

And if you have received Jesus, drink deep of the water of life. Fill your mind with him so that you no longer want to be sexually immoral, or a liar, or a murderer. Live for Christ! Do not be a coward, but stand firm no matter the cost - for we know how this all ends. We have read the final chapter.

Just like Jesus, who for the joy set before him, the joy of this day, the day we are reading about, the day when everything is put right and we are joined with him – because of the joy of this day he endured the cross, disregarding its shame.

Let's follow in his footsteps, for we are children of grace. And because he is a God of grace, just look at the joy he has prepared for us:

3. The Holy City is the people of God and contains only the best of this world.

9 Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone—like jasper as clear as crystal.

What a vision! Here we, the church, all the people of God, pictured as a city, the city of God. Jerusalem was the capital of Israel from the time of King David. The king reigned from Israel, and the Temple was built in Jerusalem by King Solomon built the temple. But now we see the heavenly Jerusalem! The earthly Jerusalem was just the shadow. Here we see the reality. And it is the bride of Christ. Yes, men, we are the sons of God, but we are also the bride of Christ! And we should be happy about that. Because a bride is one with her husband, united. And we are one with Jesus, united on the cross. And as a bride inherits all that the bridegroom has, we inherit all that Jesus has. No wonder we shine with the glory of God.

Look around now. This is the shadow. One day we will see each other - Rock Church - as we really are. And we shall shine with the glory of God.

16 When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles (since numbers in Revelation are symbolic, converting stadia to miles was a rather silly. 1400 miles it tells you on the bottom of the page, is 12000 stadia. 12000 – 12 x 1000. 17 Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick, look down: 144 alen that is 12x12.

The number 12 represent the people of God in Revelation, and the number 12 is found all over the city. 12 tribes and 12 apostles - all the people of God are included. Both Israel and the Church, Old and New Testament. Israel before Christ, where all those who thirsted for living water received grace from God because he held back the punishment for the sins committed and poured them out on Jesus on the cross. And we in the church, the new Israel, after Christ, our sins he bore on the cross. Like a huge funnel, the sins of all the people of God were gathered and poured out on Jesus on the cross.

The whole city is a cube - as tall as broad and wide. And there is no temple. Because in the temple there was a room, the Most Holy Place. That was where God “lived”, symbolically. And nobody could enter that room without dying. The Most Holy Place. And that room was... a perfect cube. And now the whole city is that cube. The whole city is the Most Holy Place. God’s home is with us!
When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in the temple was torn in two. It was that curtain that separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the Temple. The message was clear: the way to God is now open. And here we see the fulfillment! We will live in the Most Hoy Place, together with our God.

It’s a return to Eden. In the garden of Eden Adam and Eve walked with God. But this is better. Not a garden, but a great city, 12,000 times 12,000 times 12,000 - all the people of God.

21 The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass. John is almost at a loss for words trying to describe the beauty of the Heavenly City. Nidaros Cathedral, Notre Dame, St Pauls, St Peters are ugly 70's concrete blocks compared to the new Jerusalem!
22 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The whole city is the Most Holy Place - we will live with God. We are His people, and He is our God, our Father!

23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. 24 The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. 25 Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. 26 And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city.

The new creation is a “Greatest Hits” of this life - only the very best of this world is good enough for the next. All that we love and hold most dear in this will be in the next. And never again will anything be corrupted or ruined, but it will shine with unparalleled glory and beauty, reflecting our Lord.
27 Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

An eternal paradise is what awaits those of us in Christ.

So, how does that change how we live now? Three examples to end off.

“If I give money to the gospel, I'll might not have enough for a summer holiday to “Syden””... travel in the new creation. Becuase then there’s no litter, travelling doesn’t exhaust you, and you’ll see everything as it was created to be, not as a shadow as it is today. I’m sure Greece is beautiful now - but imagine how it will look in eternity! You’re not missing out by not travelling now.

“If I obey God's word and don’t drink or don’t have illicit sex, then I'll miss out, I’ll be a square, a prude, and I'll never have that experience.” Really? When has sinning ever been a good experience? Sin only harms us, hurts us. Hold out for what’s best. Why play in the mud in the slum when the bus to paradise beach is waiting outside?

“If I make a stand as a Christian, I’ll get criticised, or teased, or I’ll lose out on that promotion, or I'll be killed!” Here we need perspective. Do we live for ourselves, or do we live for Christ? What matter this light and momentary suffering compared to eternal glory!

In all that we do, we follow in Jesus' footsteps.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne.

Revelation 20 God is sovereign, rules now, and will judge everything and everyone who opposes him.

Revelation 20

Link to MP3

The message I think can be summed up like this: Jesus wins.

As we’ve been going through the book, that much is clear. Jesus wins!

But we can miss that simple truth. So much else crowds in. Theologians can spend seemingly infinite time in discussions and disagreements. Or as we saw in chapter 16, we can get distracted by idols like sex and money and power. Or misled by false religion because our Bible full of dust. Or we get pressured by the state to follow them instead of following Jesus. (or like here just be quiet about the things the state does that God says is wrong).

We need to cut through the noise and distraction and hear clearly today the only two words which matters: Jesus wins.

Jesus wins. Revelation has shown us this countless times. And again, because we are foolish and slow to believe all the prophets have said (Luke 24:25), Revelation tells us again: Jesus wins. He won on the cross and his victory will be clearly seen when he returns. Jesus has won and will win. Jesus wins.

1. The Thousand years: Jesus Reigns

2. The Final Battle: Jesus Wins

3. The Final Judgment: Jesus Saves

1. The Thousand years: Jesus Reigns.

2 He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years.

4 They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.

Much ink has been spilled over Revelation 20 and the Thousand years or “Millennium”. And I had planned to tell you all about premillennialism and postmillennialism and amillennialism (which is my viewpoint). But then I thought, “Do you know what? This is boring! I want to focus in on the text - God's word - instead of our thoughts about his word.”

Don’t misunderstand me - these are important things for any who want to engage in a serious study on chapter 20 and really the whole Revelation. I spent a fair bit of time coming to grips with these things. So feel free to discuss it afterwards and come with questions during our question time after communion. But for now, let’s focus on these verses, and let the Spirit speak.

For this is what he is telling us is happening now:
the devil is arrested and bound,
those who are faithful to Jesus are raised to life and are priests and rulers sitting as judges on thrones,
and, most importantly, they are alive with Christ for a thousand years (that is, a long period). And because they are with Christ, the second death, the death that comes at the end of Millennium, has no power over them.

As we have seen through Revelation, we live in the time of tribulation – the last days. We see war and famine and sickness and suffering everywhere. And the next event that is on God's calendar, the one he promised us, is Jesus’ return. In the rest of the New Testament we know that heaven is imminent. It is right there and can break through at any moment. In the blink of an eye we will suddenly see him coming in the clouds.

So whatever your view on the millennium, we agree on this. Jesus is ruling now on high, and one day we will see him in his glory and on that day he will wipe out all evil. Whether there’s a thousand years of peace before or after, and a physical or spiritual rule... The point is Jesus wins and that's good enough for me!

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. 2 He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years. 3 The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while.

Satan is bound. We have seen this before in Revelation. In Chapter 12 the same sequence of names are used as he is overcome 9 This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. And if you remember, he was not overcome by the angels who fought against him, but v11 they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.

We who are in Christ have the victory over the devil. We do not have to fear him. For us he is bound with a heavy chain, thrown into the bottomless pit, shut and locked. He has no power over us. Oh, we may hear his roars - but it's just that. He has no power!

Can I just say that if you struggle with evil spirits at all that you need to come to Jesus. If you see things like ghosts or are being tormented by spiritual beings, you can be free in Christ. If you have messed around with any kind of occult or Satanic activity - come to Jesus and find freedom. We can pray for you now after the sermon and in the name of Jesus the evil spirit will leave you. It must flee from the name of Jesus. By yourself, Satan has power over you. But with Christ, he must flee. We are covered by his blood and we have his word. Satan has no power over us. Amen.

4 Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge.

Who are these who sit on the thrones? Yes, it's the martyrs we've met before, those who cried out from the altar “how long, O Lord”: V4 continues. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. It’s martyrs and it’s faithful Christians, for v4 continues [And] they had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their forehead or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Now, there’s some difficulty in translating and understanding these verses, but what is clear is that we who belong to Jesus will rise up from the dead. And we shall rule with Christ. According to Ephesians 2:6, we are now sitting in heaven in Christ - so sure is our salvation. The first resurrection spoken of here is salvation - spiritual resurrection. For only those who are raised from spiritual death by believing in the gospel of Jesus Christ can be raised to eternal life.
As we have read recently in the Bible Groups, Jesus says, "I am the Resurrection and the Life."

6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.

So, who is sitting on the thrones and ruling with Jesus? We are! We who are in Christ. We have been adopted into the family of God as His sons and daughters. You are the son of God. You are the daughter of God. Princes and Princesses. In 5:9 we read And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.”

That's what we were created to be. Adam was created to rule the world. And to be a priests because a priest represents God, shows God, to the world. Kings and priests are we. In Christ, we have become truly human. Human the way we were created to be.
Do you have the sense that you are destined for greatness? You are right! Your destiny is found in Christ. We are priests and kings in Christ.

The thousand years tells us that Jesus reigns. That he is the resurrection and life. That in him we are safe. That the devil has no power over us. Jesus reigns. Amen.

But the devil does have power over those who are not in Christ. The “nations” in v8 is the same word as “Gentile” – that is those who were not Jews, not God's people. Satan has power over those who are not God’s people, he will gather them to fight against God.

Let's see how that goes:

2. The Final Battle: Jesus Wins

7 When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. 8 He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore.

The devil is permitted to go out and gather the nations to war against God. The weird names “Gog and Magog” come from Ezekiel the prophet, chapter 38. Gog was king of Magog and represents the nations gathered against the people of God. Ezekiel warned Israel that there will be a day where they will be surrounded by enemies, but the power of God will protect them. In Ezekiel 38:9, Gog and Magog are described as follows: “You and all your allies—a vast and awesome army—will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.”

Can you imagine it? A vast army covering the countryside. When they loose their arrows the light falls to shadow as the sun is blotted out. When they march, the whole earth shakes.
And they march against the beloved city of God and against his people, and against Jesus, the King of all kings. They do not want to bend the knee to him. People from all nations, tongues, and cultures, all gathered for the same goal. To crush God.

What do you think God’s reaction will be? Is he afraid? When the report comes in “the enemy is coming and they are as numerous as the sand on the seashore” - what will God say? Will there be chaos and yelling and desperate defensive positions being thrown up? Will all his plans be changed?

No.

Psalm 2 which we looked at a bit last week tells us God’s response. 4 But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them.

9 And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them. 10 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Revelation 20: 9 is one of my all-time favourite verses. For here I see the power of God. Here I see weak evil is. Here I see his incomprehensible sovereignty. Because this must be one of the biggest anti-climaxes in the Bible. Everything is set up for a Lord of the Lord type battle. An epic war with heroes on both sides, who fight with great might against each other but eventually the good guys triumph, at great cost and with great effort. That's what we expect when we see Satan and his army covering the country like an evil mist and surrounding the holy city.

But it’s nothing like that.

. 9 And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them.

And, oh yes, Satan and everyone with him are chucked into the lake of fire

What? Did I miss something? Did John fall asleep while writing this?

No, because we saw the same thing last week! 19:19-21 Re 19:19–21 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet [and] thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

You know, our rebellion against God is no threat at all! We can gather all the weapons we want, we can gather philosophy and science and knowledge and culture and whatever else. We can use everything we have against God - and we are nothing, a mere noise, an ant that he brushes away. A mere breath from his nostril is enough to bring us to an end. We are a joke when we oppose. And so is the devil. A joke. A bad joke.

For here he comes in all his glory. The Big Cheese. Head of the army of the whole earth. And he marches on the Lord.

Attaaaaaack!
An angel nervously taps God on the shoulder and says "Umm, excuse me God, but I think we have a problem! Should I call army of Heaven together to fight?"

Attaaaaaack!
The army rushes forward. Closer and closer.
God is completely unruffled. “No” he says, “not yet”.
He looks at his watch. “It is not yet time”.

Attaaaaaack! Satan’s eyes are wide in delight as he sees God's people are totally unprotected!

Yeeeees! Victoryyyyyy! He cries out in jubilation. Almost there, almooost there. Just two seconds to.

And then God says “Now it is time. Enough. Evil’s day is done.

And at that moment fire comes down from heaven and the whole army is thrown into the fire.

It is done.

So pathetic our rebellion. So insignificant is Satan in all his power. A great big nothing. Insignificant. You see, God wins. Jesus wins! Do not fear brothers and sisters because our Lord reigns and he has won the great battle. Jesus is almighty and Jesus wins!

How should we then respond? Should we stand against him? Or stand with him? We have been warned.

And if that wasn’t clear enough, if 20 chapters are not enough for us to understand that it is worth following Jesus, that in the end it is he who prevails and that nothing else matters one jot. If we have not realized that now, then God in his mercy gives us another vision. A vision of the last judgment. Judgment Day, where we will stand before God and try to justify ourselves to him while everything we have done, said and thought throughout our lives is on display. Let’s now turn to the Final Judgment.

3. The Final Judgment: Jesus Saves

11 And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. 12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books.

On that last day, judgment day, we will all be judged according to what we have done. All that we have done, said, thought in our life will be read out. And what we have done reveals us, all of us, as sinners.

Imagine if Telemarksgalleriet here in town had an exhibition of your life. Everything you've done, said, and thought. But totally unedited. And merciless in what was shown. Everything is on display.

Now there would probably be a lot of you that were proud of. Good deeds. Love. Wisdom. Success. But also much that you would be ashamed of. Ugly words. Stupid choices. Things said and done in anger. And perhaps much worse things. Those darkest moments in your life. The worst things you have done. That which you are most ashamed of. On the walls on display where everyone can see.

How would people react to you after seeing those things, do you thing?

That's how it's going to be on the day of judgment. Everything we have done will be read out. And we will be exposed. I am a sinner! I have not loved God, and I have not loved others. I am a sinner.

And the verdict falls. Guilty. You are not worthy of life in the New Creation.

So I am eternally grateful that there is another book. The Book of Life! For the Book of Life is our only hope as sinners!

Look at v15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Turning that around – anyone whose name is recorded in the Book of Life is not thrown into the lake of fire, the second death.

We already know the names of those who are written in the book of life: those who rule with Jesus over whom the second death has no power. That death has no power over them because they already died in Christ on the cross. They cannot die again.

All that matters is whether your name is written in the book of life. No religion, no morality, no goodness or meditation or charity work or family affiliation or anything else is worth anything. Only if Jesus has died your death and given you his life and so your name is written in his book of life.

Let me illustrate. Let this Bible be my book from judgement day. Here is written everything that I have done, said, and thought. It exposes me as a sinner. I have not loved God nor have I loved my neighbour the way I should have. The right verdict is guilty, and the sentence is death.

But what Jesus did on the cross is he took on my judgment on himself. He took the penalty - my death penalty – died in my place, and gave me his life.

He swapped places with me. He died in my place and I live in his. He wrote my name in the Book of Life. And therefore I know that no matter how much I struggle and battle against sin in this life, I am now seated in Christ on the throne in heaven. I am a priest and king in Christ.
And so are you if you believe in him.
Because if we trust in Jesus, if he is our Lord and our Saviour, then our names are written in his Book of Life. Hallelujah!

So let’s live like those who belong to God. Let us obey him no matter what the costs because are his priests who show God to the world. Let us live like kings in the kingdom of Jesus, ruling our lives under Christ’s lordship, following him.

And if you are not Christian? If you’re not yet a believer? Well, perhaps you are here today because your name is written in the Book of Life. Perhaps today is the day you receive salvation, and live from now on to Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Let this day be your first day in eternal life.

Brothers and sisters. Jesus reigns. Let's serve him. Jesus wins. Let's us not be afraid. Jesus Saves. Let's rejoice!

Revelation 19 The White Knight

Revelation 19:1-21

MP3 link

Imagine a world where people just did what was good.

Imagine a world where news broadcasts weren’t filled with bad and cruel events, but just love and kindness and kindness!

Imagine a world where evil has been conquered and goodness and justice rule.

For that day is coming. That day is coming!

And we know that fundamentally, deep down. We know we were created for such a world because of our response to misery and suffering in the world. We know it's wrong. Like what happened to Alexia. Everything in us cries “No! This should not be! This is not how the world should be”. This is not how we should be.

And we are right. Because God says the same. He says this world is not the way it should be. And He will put it right by putting an end to all evil - and we will rejoice! Behold our God, Jesus Christ, the White Knight, and rejoice, for he will put an end to all evil. Amen!

1. Judgment Day is a day of rejoicing because evil is overcome (1-10)

2. Praise Jesus, for he has overcome evil (11-21)

1. Judgment Day is a day of rejoicing because evil is overcome (1-10)

19:1 After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting, “Praise the Lord! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. 2 His judgments are true and just. He has punished the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the murder of his servants.” 3 And again their voices rang out: “Praise the Lord! The smoke from that city ascends forever and ever!” 4 Then the twenty-four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They cried out, “Amen! Praise the Lord!”

Evil will fall. The Great Prostitute has fallen. Babylon, the city in rebellion against God, the symbol of evil, has fallen.

Two weeks ago we looked at Chapters 17 and 18. There we met the woman “Babylon”. Now Babylon was the empire that destroyed Israel and wiped out Jerusalem and God’s Temple in 587 BC. Because God's people turned their back on God, God removed his hand of protection over them. And King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon marched in, laid waste to Jerusalem and led all Israel in captivity back to Babylon. God's people were outside God's place under God's judgment, in Babylon.

And if we look further back, we see that Babylon is linked with the tower of Babel. In Genesis 11 we meet the city of Babel on the plain of Shinar. “Come,” they said, “let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into heaven, and make our name great.”

Babylon and Babel represent us, mankind. For we are rebels against God. We want to reach heaven on our own. We want to make a name for ourselves. We live to honour and glorify ourselves instead of what we were made for: honouring and glorifying God.

We are now in chapter 19 of Revelation, and we have been shown over and over again, from many different angles, that sin leads to suffering and to God's judgment. We’re now nearing the end and the message is the same. Judgment will fall on all those who sin against God. We stand with the devil, with his beasts, and we are treated like the devil if we are not in Christ.

Sin - our rebellion against God – selfishness - is what leads to all suffering, misery and pain in the world and in our lives. Sin is the reason that we are now under God’s judgement. Sin is the cause of famine and war and death and tragedy. Sin! Our selfishness! We live for ourselves. We seek power and money and sex and everything to honour ourselves. And we totally dismiss God.

Unfortunately sin is incredibly easy to prove. We see sin, to a greater or lesser extent, in the world, on news broadcasts, and in our own lives. We hurt each other. We do what we know we should not do. We know what's right - but we don’t want to do it.

You know, if people weren’t sinful we wouldn’t need lock on our doors, or police, the army, the courts, insurance, and all the rest of the things that we take for granted but proclaim that we are sinners who are full of sin.

The symptoms of sin is seen in the way we treat each other, but the root cause is that we have turned our backs to God. The root cause is that we who were created to be the bride of the Lamb - we who were made to be faithful to Jesus – we abandoned him and prostituted ourselves to other gods. Especially the god "myself".

It's a strong image. A couple of weeks ago I was at a wedding and imagine if the bride just never showed up! And then the message comes: she ran away with someone else! Or even worse – she’s in Storgata offering sex for money!
That’s us when we pursue anything else other than God.

That’s why Babylon is described as a prostitute, a whore. A prostitute who in v2 corrupted (ruined) the earth with her immorality. Just look around. We live in world devastated by our prostitution. Our sin.

Babylon has ruined the world, and Babylon hates God and hates those who belong to God. In the last 2000 years, more than 60 million Christians have given their lives for their faith. 60 million martyrs! No wonder they rejoice when judgement comes!

1 “Praise the Lord! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. 2 His judgments are true and just. He has punished the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the murder of his servants.” 3 And again their voices rang out: “Praise the Lord! The smoke from that city ascends forever and ever!”

Amen. Hallelujah. Justice is done. Judgment Day is a day of rejoicing for the martyrs’ sacrifice – the murder of his servants - will be remembered and will be paid for. Babylon falls and will burn forever. Amen.

Nothing evil will escape his judgement. Every evil thing that has happened to you will be dealt with.
We will praise God forever for his justice as righteousness rules. For what is evil shall fall and shall never rise again. Sin will be judged and paid for and will never happen again.

Sin is paid for either in Babylon that burns forever. Or! Or! There is another option. We do not have to be in Babylon. “Come out of her my people” the Lord says. We can repent, and fall at the feet of Jesus, the Lamb, and be his bride, given an outfit of spotless linen. That’s why he came to die. Jesus will seek us out in the street selling ourselves and he says “You don’t have to do this anymore. You are forgiven, the price is paid. Come home.” Isn’t that amazing?

6 Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: “Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. 8 She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people. 9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”

John is so overwhelmed with the joy of this message that evil has been defeated and that we can be the bride of Christ that he falls down to worship the angel. v10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.”

The angel was adamant! We worship God and no other! Only Jesus. Anything else is prostitution. Anything else is Babylon.

Because Jesus is the great victor! He is the White Knight, the rider on the white horse. The Warrior God. All things are in his hand, and all things are made for him. That’s why prophecy is about him. Prophecy is Jesus-focussed and not about us. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Let me spend just a little time on this, because there are many today who claim they are prophets. Many who come with a “word from the Lord” or a “prophecy”. But Revelation reminds us that if it doesn’t lead us to Jesus – the Biblical Jesus – not a made up version - if we are not lead Back to the Bible, to God’s Word, then it is not prophecy. It is from Babylon. It is from the beast. It is false.
Fortune-telling is not prophecy. Prophecy – a word from God - is about Jesus. This should not surprise us. He is the centre of the Bible, all the prophets and law points to him, all the promises of God are fulfilled in Him. He is the centre of the universe, all things are made to glorify him, and so he too is the heart of prophecy.

These are the true words of God. You stand either with the Lamb or with Babylon. Bride or whore. You have either been given clothes of righteousness or you will be stripped naked and thrown into the fire. It's that simple. We have been warned.

So what should we do? What will you do?

Judgment Day is a day of rejoicing because evil is overcome. Make sure you are not on the wrong side when that day comes. May it be a day of joy and not a day of terror for you. Because Jesus is coming soon. And Jesus is the one who has overcome evil.

2. Praise Jesus because he has overcome evil

We have seen the devil like a great dragon. We have seen that he called forth two beasts, and they were big and powerful. And we saw the temptress Babylon – alluring, powerful, seductive, tempting. Oh evil is seductive. Sin lures us. So powerful!

But then we read that "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great." How did that happen? And we did not know - until now.

Brothers! Open your eyes and see your God!

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. 12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God.

You know, we are so familiar with the cross. We are used to Jesus, the “Man of Sorrows”, he who suffered and died - who went through death for us. We sing about his death, we celebrate every week during communion that his blood was poured out and his body was broken so that we could be forgiven. Our prostitution, our rebellion against God has been forgotten, redeemed by the cross!

But he is not on the cross anymore. He literally went through hell for us, yes, but he went through. The power of death could not hold him because death is the wages of sin. We die because we are sinners. But Jesus never sinned. He was innocent. How could death then have any power over him?

That’s why on Sunday morning, the third day, the grave was filled with light, the tomb burst open, and Jesus rose from the dead. The King. Majestic. Mighty. The victor over death. He conquered death and proved that he really is the one he says he is. The Almighty.

And he will return. Not as the suffering servant, but as a mighty warrior. The White Knight at the head of Heaven’s armies. The King of all kings, the Almighty One.

When he returns he will make war on all that is unjust and all that is evil and bad and wrong in this world, for his name is Faithful and True. His eyes are like flaming fire - they see everything. Nothing escapes his gaze. You know, there is nothing you and I do that Jesus does not see.
Let’s remember that the next time we are tempted! Jesus sees. The rider at the head of Heaven's Army sees everything you do. Sees everything I do. And he is faithful and true. Do you think we will escape his judgment?

What would we say if in that moment of sin he stood before us, "What are you doing?". My brothers, we must repent. Kill the sin in us, run away from temptation or situations where we know we will be tempted. Let's fight sin and fear God more than anything else!

13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God.

A robe dipped in blood. It’s quite the picture! Is it a picture of the warrior coming victorious from the battlefield with the enemy's blood on him? Maybe? Because v15 says He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. It recalls the dreadful picture from chapter 14 where all who oppose God are thrown into the winepress of God's wrath and trampled such that blood will flow 2 meters high for 300km. That would be lake of ​​blood so massive it would stretch from here to Bergen, Stavanger, Kristiansand, and across the Hardangervidda, and to the border with Sweden. It's a horrible and frightening picture and it's supposed to be! Heb 10:31 It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God!

So Jesus’ robe is dipped in blood from the slaughter of his enemies. But there may be another reason why his robe is dipped in blood. The blood might be his. His blood shed for those who belong to him. We who have put our trust in Jesus as our King. We who have asked him for forgiveness and who now live for him. We who are children of God. And instead of our blood flowing from the winepress of God's wrath, his blood flowed for us.

Behold your God! Mt 26:26–28 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.

Aren’t you just filled with wonder and awe and thanksgiving for what Jesus has done for you? My Lord and my God! Sometimes we need to just stand in adoration of him. In praise. Thank you! Thank you Jesus Christ for what you did for me.
This is why we will rejoice and sing forever in the new creation! Forever praising this our God! Amen!

13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. 15 From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod.

He is called the word of God and out of his mouth comes a sharp sword. His words are full of power. Through his word he rules the world and leads his church. Prophecy has power because it is his word. And prophecy is about ... Jesus.
Jesus is called the Word of God because in him God is revealed. We do not have to wonder who God is because he revealed himself in Christ. Jesus is God's Word about God.

And we only find Jesus here in the Bible. It is not a coincidence that both the Bible and Jesus are called the word of God. This is the only way to know the true and living God. His truth is not found anywhere else. Not in dreams or visions, not in words of so-called prophets or holy people. That’s just paganism (even if it’s dressed up in Christian language). He is not found in other religions or in singing or meditation or rituals. He is found in his word, the Bible. Because the Bible is the sword of the Spirit, and that sword comes from the mouth of Jesus.

The Spirit is Jesus' breath. The Spirit carries the Word to us and makes this book - which is just a book, a mixture of paper and cardboard, or electronic pixels on a screen, nothing sacred or special in itself - the Holy Spirit makes this book alive. And when we read it, we hear the White Knight. We hear the words of Jesus.

By his word rules the nations with an iron rod. We are judged by how we respond to his word, the gospel. It is his word that will judge us - if we have not received him, we will be judged, pressed down, and thrown into the wine press.

V15 continues He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. 16 On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

It is Jesus who is put in place as God’s King, the Son of God on the throne. So what should we do with the White Knight, with Jesus Christ, Son of God, King of God? Give honour to him. Seek refuge in him. Apply for mercy while there is still time! For then the blood on his robe is his own, given to us, instead of ours. Then we have nothing to fear when he returns, because he comes to rescue us and not hunt us down. And we have nothing to fear now for who can compare with him? Who can stand against him? We do not fear state powers, rulers, family, neighbours, our boss, those at work who laugh at you, those who scoff and make fun of you, those who reject you, whether they be loved ones or strangers. Do not be afraid. Serve the Lord. Because their time will soon be up.

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. 18 Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.” 19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.

Jesus will put an end to all evil. The devil's time is up. He is enraged because he has already lost. The verdict has fallen and he is done.

Praise for Jesus for he has overcome evil and will soon bring it to an end.

How then should we live as Christians?

And if you're not Christian, what should you do now so that you do not become one of those who are crushed by Christ, The White Knight?

Revelation 14-16 Justice!

Revelation 14:1 – 16:21

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Salwaltha Wandala, a 55 year old resident of the village Attagara in northern Nigeria arrived for church on the morning of Sunday, the first of June 2014. What he saw was horrific. People were being brutally murdered wherever he looked. 100 militia from Boko Haram attacked the village and its churches with machine guns and machetes. He saw a young boy get stabbed and thrown in a ditch. He jumped into the ditch to get the boy – but found himself surrounded by five men. They took the boy from him, chopped the boys head off in front of his eyes, and then beat him until they thought he was dead.

Attagara was a target because it was known as a Christian village. In two days over 200 people, including many young children, were brutally murdered at church and at children’s church.

How long, O Lord?

That’s the question behind the book of Revelation. The early church experienced terrible persecution. Horrific attacks. In chapter 6:10 those “under the alter”, who were killed for their faith in Jesus, shout “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?”

How long, O Lord? How long will you put up with such evil?

How long will you allow people to sin against each other and hurt each other? How long until justice is done.

Today our Christian brothers and sisters are being persecuted. They lose their job because of following Jesus – like Katarzyna, because she refused to be party to killing babies in their mother’s womb. Christians are arrested and thrown in jail because they are Christian – like Jerusalem’s brother. They are beaten, mocked, rejected from society, even murdered, often by government forces, simply because they follow Christ. Does God not see this? How long will he allow it? Will there ever be justice?

And it's not just Christians who experience injustice. When we look at the news, we ask the same question. How long?

A truck mows down 89 people in Nice. A bomb explodes at a concert in Manchester. In Aleppo, Syria, people have access to electricity for two hours a day, and water only one day a month! Every day we hear of terrible things happening, even here in Norway. There is violence in the streets, violence in our homes, and violence on our lips.

What is wrong with us?

Revelation reminds us that God sees everything that happens. He remembers everything. Nothing escapes his eye. And all these things will be dealt with, paid for in full. Justice will be done. Judgment day, the day of justice, is coming.

And that's a terrifying thought.

Because the eternal gospel is as follows: “Fear God and give him glory”. That's the first point. And the second is Learn from Egypt. Judgment Day is coming.

1. The eternal Gospel is “Fear God and give Him glory"

If I asked you to sum up the gospel - what we believe - what would you say? Probably something like me: “Jesus Christ saves sinners”. I doubt we would say what the angel shouts throughout the world in v6-7: 6 And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7 “Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.”

In these chapters there are two groups. First, the 144000 who are “without blame” “pure” and perfect, standing secure with Jesus, redeemed from the earth, with God's name on their foreheads. They stand on the sea of glass singing the song of Moses. Christians. We who have been given Jesus' righteousness by His grace alone and are now called “righteous”. Whatever happens in this life, we are safe.

The second group is not safe at all. In fact, all who are not in Christ will face God's wrath.

Now, it’s not very popular these days to talk about God's judgment! We prefer to think of God as kind and accommodating. And you know what - he is! He is… now. The door in is still open! It is still possible to cry out for mercy and receive Jesus’ righteousness as a gift and repent and follow him.
But that time will soon be past. The judge is beginning to don his judge’s robes. For our God is a God full of mercy. But He is also holy. Powerful. And terrifyingly good. He will not tolerate a sliver of evil. He cannot. He is holy! He is good. Not good like you and me, but GOOD to the nth degree. Like when gold or steel is brought from the mines and then burned in the furnace to remove all the impurities so will God test everything and only what perfectly perfect will survive.

7 “Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge.

As we will sing one day, we saints, we holy ones of God, we Christians, we will stand on the sea of glass and sing in 15:3-4: “Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord God, the Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations. 4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed.”

We were created and indeed all things were created to give glory to God. It is the our life’s purpose. It is the universe's purpose. To give glory to God. As we breathe in and as we breathe out we are to glorify God. Glory to God. Glory to God.

But do we do that? No! We turned our back on God. We decided that we should glorify ourselves! I'm number one! I'll honour myself.

If you don’t believe me, just watch the adverts on TV. They reveal our true selves. They’re aimed at our selfishness, our wish to be better than everyone else. Happier, prettier, more successful, with a better car and better house. Everything is about me. You know, I’ve never seen an advert saying “this will help you to glorify God!” Not even one saying “this will help you serve others”. No. Serve yourself. Because you’re worth it. That's the way we think.

And that's the opposite of how we were created, and the opposite of how the world is set up to work. For God’s pattern is selfless love - putting the needs of others before your own. That's how the world is designed to work. Just imagine if we all lived like that!

Unfortunately we don’t, as we all know too well.

Injustice is everywhere. For example, we’re involved in a case with the Barnevern (Norwegian social services) where they have removed a child from her home and placed her with strangers because they’ve suddenly decided that the mother is unfit to be a mother. Their treatment of the child has been heavy-handed, they have ignored her protests, and have even ignored the requirements of the law in order to do what they wanted to do. Those who should have protected her and looked after her have instead abused her. And some of you have experienced the similar things. Abuse of power. Injustice.

But you know what. The Holy God sees. The Holy God will bring justice.

All evil, even corrupt governments, misuses of power, miscarriages of justice, however small or large, all evil will fall.

8 Then another angel followed him through the sky, shouting, “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen—because she made all the nations of the world drink the wine of her passionate immorality.”

We will meet the woman Babylon properly next week. She represents the world united against God, especially government powers. Her “passionate immorality” is unfaithfulness to God. We were made for him, but we choose everything except him! So he warns us with these words: Fallen, fallen is Babylon. Justice is coming. And it will fall on all who do not honour God.

The third angel confirms this: 9 Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand 10 must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.”

Ugh. These are terrible words. This refers to the previous chapter where everyone is marked with the number 666 representing the devil. All who are not in Christ and marked with his name belong to the beast. And those who belong to the beast will drink of the cup of God's wrath. This is the cup Jesus prayed about in the garden of Gethsemane. Mark 14:36 ​​[Jesus] said, "Abba, Father! Everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me! Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
And then on the Cross Jesus drank the cup of God's wrath for us so that we do not have to. We who belong to Jesus will never taste his wrath because Jesus drank it for us. Hallelujah.
But if you are not in Christ Jesus, then the cup remains. Still full. Full of right judgment for everything you've done and all that you should have done.

This is scary. Horrible! We’re not playing around here. We are not gathered here at church to have a tea party! This is serious business. And I've experienced enough of God and seen enough historical evidence to know that this is true. This is solid, true, truth. And it scares me to death. And it should scare you too.

The eternal gospel is to fear God and give him glory. So, do I fear God? Because if we don’t fear him now and seek refuge in Him, we certainly will fear him on the day of judgment. On that Day he will gather all who oppose him, all who do not glorify him, all who destroy, all who do evil, all that is not holy and perfect, whether big or small: Boko Haram, Breivik, the two beasts of false religion and state powers, the dragon Satan, terrorism, abuses of power, violence, lying, gossiping, selfishness ... everything. The wickedness of the earth will be harvested, and Jesus is ready with his sickle.

19 So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and loaded the grapes into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 The grapes were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress in a stream about 180 miles [290 kms] long and as high as a horse’s bridle.

The grapes are we who refuse to accept the grace of God. We who have not received Jesus' righteousness. And if that is you now, please accept God's mercy today. You do not have to be pressed in the winepress of wrath. Please. Swap out your old unrighteous, filthy life for Jesus' new life, his righteousness, his holiness. It costs nothing! It’s free! But it also costs everything. It costs nothing because there is no effort, no rituals, nothing that you can do to earn it. It's a gift. A gift of mercy for those who ask.
But it costs everything. Because you have to give up your life. Instead of honouring yourself, you must now glorify God. You are 'under new management'. You have a new owner. You now belong to Jesus instead of the beast. Amen.

Fear God and give him the glory, for the day of justice is coming, just as it did over Egypt.

2. Learn from Egypt. Judgment Day is coming.

Some background first. In the book of Exodus, we read the story of the Jews who became slaves in Egypt. Pharaoh king of Egypt hated the Jews. He made them his slaves to do obey his every command. They were trapped with no way out. But they cried out to God, and God heard them. He sent Moses.

Moses rescued the Jews – but brought great plagues came upon Egypt. He was the saviour of the God’s people, the Jews, but the judge of their enemies, Pharaoh and the Egyptians. With Moses came righteousness and freedom for those slaves who cried out to God. But with Moses came judgement, suffering, and finally death to those who opposed him and who hated God and did not want to listen to him.

All of this was a big picture for us so that we could understand what Jesus did for us. He saved us from slavery to sin, from our "Pharaoh" Satan. We were trapped in sin – slaves to sin. O, we try to improve ourselves - and the world just gets worse! We know the right thing to do - but we do the opposite. We shall not lie - but as soon as we're under a bit of pressure, lies come flooding out as easy as that. And we gossip and take revenge and tear people down with our words. And the list goes on. We are slaves to sin.

But Jesus can save us. He says come with me. And he leads us safely to the promised land. Not Israel, but Heaven.

And so we sing the song of Moses in 3 And they were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord God, the Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations. 4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed.”

And we sing because He, the Righteous One, is coming out of His temple. And when he comes nobody can stand against him.

5 Then I looked and saw that the Temple in heaven, God’s Tabernacle, was thrown wide open. 6 The seven angels who were holding the seven plagues came out of the Temple.

Just like in Egypt, those who oppose God will experience the consequences of it. It is no small thing to rebel against the Living God! We have been warned.

Lord in your mercy, open our ears!

The plagues in chapter 16 are terrible. Disgusting. This is horrible stuff we read. And it’s meant to scare us. We are meant to be afraid, and so turn to God.

16:1 Then I heard a mighty voice from the Temple say to the seven angels, “Go your ways and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God’s wrath.” 2 So the first angel left the Temple and poured out his bowl on the earth, and horrible, malignant sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue.

If we do not worship Jesus, then we in the end, belong to the beast and all we do glorifies him. And this will not be tolerated forever!
God is no grandfather in the clouds. He is the everlasting holy almighty God. We must not take his patience for granted. Just because he has not judged yet does not mean that he never will.

Because how do you know that you won’t suddenly be face to face with him. A little accident, a disease, and whoops! There we are in front of him. Big. Powerful. Holy. And we totally unprepared. Completely naked. Filthy. A fool. With nothing to say in your defence.

I once experienced such a meeting with God. And I was struck dumb. Everything I placed my trust in - good person, moral, upright, Christian family, read the Bible every day – it was all shown to be worthless, rubbish, before his terrifying majesty. I am a sinner!

I am so grateful that he met me that day with mercy, to forgive and not to judge. Because I was undone!

I sometimes think what if that had not happened. What if I had never received the grace to say YES to Jesus Christ. What if I had died and then stood in front of the throne. Naked. Alone. With nothing to offer.
Out! OUT! Out with those who worship the beast, out with those who kill the saints, out with those who are burned by the fierce heat yet still blaspheme the name of God. It is too late! When justice comes it is too late. Did you see that? 11 and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. Also in v9 and v20.
When the day of judgment comes - or the day you die for then we go straight to judgment day - then it's too late. Because then we will be allowed to choose what we have chosen: I do not want anything to do with God and Jesus. And that is literally to choose hell. Fire and pain and earthquake and blood. Terrible pictures that are trying to tell us: repent! Receive Jesus’ grace while there is time.
And if you have received his grace – stand firm! For He is coming soon. The day of justice is coming.

Let's learn from Egypt. Judgment Day is coming.

To sum up then: For those who have suffered injustice, judgement day is a good day. Those who were killed for their faith, like those brutally murdered in Nigeria, get justice. We see that in v5-7 5 And I heard the angel who had authority over all water saying, “You are just, O Holy One, who is and who always was, because you have sent these judgments. 6 Since they shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, you have given them blood to drink. It is their just reward.” 7 And I heard a voice from the altar, saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, your judgments are true and just.”

The day is coming, perhaps today, where those who have spilt innocent blood will get what they deserve. Nobody will escape their wrongdoing. Any pain you have experienced in your life will be addressed. Everyone who has hurt you will pay. We do not need to take revenge. The day of justice will come. And that is good news!

But the day of justice will come. And that is frightening! For we too have hurt others. We have done evil. We have not feared God and honoured him with everything.

Are we ready for Judgement Day? For we are all of us guilty.
The only escape from judgement is to be among those standing on the sea of glass with God, the 144,000 that are blameless. And that is only through believing in Jesus.

As we close, I want to just remind us of what Jesus has done for us so that we do not have to meet him as judge. For on the cross he wiped away my sins. He died in great suffering and pain. He went through death and even Hell so that I do not have to. I deserve this in chapters 14, 15 and 16. I deserve hell because I denied God and sinned against him. But instead, I'm treated like Jesus. Blameless. Perfect! And one day I will stand on the sea of glass and sing Moses’ song! Hallelujah! That’s the gospel.

My prayer today is that each of us here tonight will be standing there with me. If you have not yet accepted Jesus as Lord – then do so now! If you follow Jesus, then rejoice! And live with thanksgiving and with great joy because of what he’s done for us. Jesus is coming soon. Justice will soon be done. Amen.

If you want to accept Jesus and do not know how, I will help you pray a prayer. A prayer is simply talking to God. You don’t need to pray out loud - he knows what you're thinking. So pray this in your mind to him.
I will read through the prayer, and if you want to make it your own, I will repeat it slowly so that you can pray it to God

Almighty God, I am a sinner because I have lived without you. I have not feared you. I have not given you glory. Judgment Day is coming and I am afraid. In your mercy, please forgive me, Lord, because of Jesus’ death on the cross. Take my life and give me your righteousness. I surrender to you. Be my Saviour, my Lord, and my God. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Revelation 10-11 The indestructible church.

Revelation 10

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Revelation! The revelation given to John by Jesus, the Christ, the Risen One, the King of all Kings and Lord of all lords.

Revelation begins with a massive vision of Jesus as he is now. A mighty and frightening being, with 14 eyes like flames of fire. 15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.

And he is the one who stands amongst us, his church. He holds us – as stars – in his hands! He is with us!

And he says to us: stand firm. Don’t give up.

Because it’s easy to lose heart isn’t it. When we look around we seem so unimpressive. So small. Just in Notodden there are 12000 people who need to hear the gospel. How can we make a difference?

Especially when so many think we’re fools. It’s laughable to believe such fairytales! You may as well believe in Winnie the Pooh!

And not to mention the peer pressure. Maybe from non Christian family members. C’mon, can’t you just leave it? They sigh and roll their eyes when you speak about Jesus. And so the temptation is just to keep quiet.
Or maybe pressure at work. Because you won’t lie. Or you are against abortion. Or you think it’s right to pay tax, or not rip off your customers. And certainly don’t think about talking about Jesus, or praying at work, or having a Bible study.

And then there’s the social anxiety that comes from being a Biblical Christian. Because we’re not exactly socially acceptable, are we? Especially when people paint us as homophobes and women-haters and old-fashioned weirdos. It’s not easy when “everyone” is against us, is it?

And that’s why we need today’s message! Because we need to see things as they truly are – with spiritual eyes, not just physical.

Because the truth is that each of us here are a miracle. If you are a Christian today you are proof of God’s power at work in the world. You are part of his indestructible church.

Two points today

1. The gospel is heard throughout the world

2. The church spreads the gospel in suffering and even martyrdom – and it’s indestructible.

1. The gospel is heard throughout the world

Re 10:10–11 So I took the small scroll from the hand of the angel, and I ate it! It was sweet in my mouth, but when I swallowed it, it turned sour in my stomach. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”

John is given a scroll from the mighty angel. The scroll is a message, a message of prophecy for the world, a message that is both bitter and sweet. It is the apostolic message about Jesus. That we are sinners, but in Christ we can be forgiven. And the message comes from Jesus himself. He is the mighty angel of v1-3.

Re 10:1–3 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face shone like the sun, and his feet were like pillars of fire. 2 And in his hand was a small scroll that had been opened. He stood with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. 3 And he gave a great shout like the roar of a lion. And when he shouted, the seven thunders answered.

The Lion of Judah roars. The rainbow which was before God’s throne in 4:3 is over his head. The cloud surrounds him as it did when God appeared on Mount Sinai, in the desert, and on the mountain at Jesus’ transfiguration.

The Son of Man, the head of the church, is now called an “angel” which means, simply, messenger. He is the mighty messenger standing on the sea and on the land, and his voice echoes through the whole world.

If you think Jesus being called an angel is weird actually it’s nothing new. We meet Jesus in the Old Testament every time God appears in human form, when he is called the “Angel of the Lord”. We know this is God and not just an angel because when he meets Abraham and Sarah, Jacob, Moses, Gideon, Manoah, and Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego – they worship him and talk to him as God – something no angel would have allowed.

So the Angel of the Lord stands astride the world and his message goes out. It goes out through the apostle John. It goes out through countless men and women sharing their faith in word and deed. And we stand together with them, witnesses to the great gospel of Jesus. Witnesses to the great mystery of God now revealed.

Re 10:6–7 He (the angel) said, “There will be no more delay. 7 When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, God’s mysterious plan will be fulfilled. It will happen just as he announced it to his servants the prophets.”

It will be fulfilled. God’s people will be brought in. And the mystery is this: that sinners like us can be God’s people. That a holy God can accept sinners.

It is a bittersweet message. Bitter because we need to acknowledge our sin. Bitter because we deserve God’s judgement. Bitter because judgement day is coming.

We’ve already seen that bitterness in chapter 6, the seven seals, and chapter 9’s seven trumpet blasts. The bitter realisation that because of our sin, our rebellion against God, we live in a world at war with God. We are under his judgement. Jesus, the Lamb who was worthy to open the scroll of history has opened those seven seals which unleash judgement. Because we are sinners we are judged to experience the consequences of our sin. But not all the consequences – in fact Jesus allows only a third of what we should experience. Only enough to let us see sin as sin. Enough so that we understand that rebellion against God is foolish, and that we will seek him and repent. And the sweet taste of the gospel message is that all who come to him are accepted. Accepted because of what Jesus has done.

For it’s true isn’t it that the better our life gets the LESS we think about God. We don’t need him anymore. We don’t thank him. We pat ourselves on the back. Just look at Norway. The easier life has got, the more we get rid of God. We alright on our own, thanks for nothing God. While the rates of child abuse, divorce, mental illness, drug abuse, and so on just climb exponentially. We’re doing a great job!
Is God, in his mercy, allowing us to experience the consequences of our sin?

I was asked last week in England if Breivik’s brutal murder of 77 people changed Norwegians at all. That a true blue Norwegian, born and bred in the world’s best country, could do something so horrific! That should have woken us up. That should have made us take notice.
But I had to answer “No. We just ignored him. We said ‘this isn’t us, we’re not like that’ and spend millions building a huge prison so we could stick him there and ignore him”. No repentance. As 9:20 warns “But the[Norwegians] refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk! 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Judgement is coming. The seven thunders are set to rumble. Their words of judgement are as yet sealed up, but there will be a day, judgement day, when we will hear them thunder.

But now! Oh sweet message! We hear the roar of the Lion of Judah, Jesus the Messenger, who roars throughout the world, through his apostles, through us, to say judgement is not yet, the thunders are sealed up, there is still time to repent! And all who repent are accepted because this is God’s mystery now revealed: that Christ died for sinners.

The whole way through the Old Testament there’s been this tension, this question: how can a holy God forgive sinners? And the solution was the Messiah – but how he would solve this, we didn’t know. Until we saw Jesus on the cross, the sinless one swapping places with sinners like us. Through his blood our sins – past, present and future – are wiped away. Through his death we have been given life. Amen!

Remember brothers that we are saved by Christ’s work. So if you’re feeling down because of your sin – oh I failed again, I’m so weak. Yes, yes you are. That’s why Jesus came! Mercy. The bitterness is accepting that we are sinners. The sweet truth is that our sin has been dealt with in Christ. Your sin is already paid for, dealt with. So get up and serve him!

And that is the hope for our land. That’s why we can pray for Norway. Because there is a throne in heaven and it is not empty. God is on the throne, and Jesus is loudly making his appeal through us to all the world. There is grace to be found in him. So let’s share the gospel, his powerful gospel. Because we are God’s plan to reach the world. The unstoppable church!

The gospel is heard throughout the world.

2. The church spreads the gospel in suffering and even martyrdom – and it’s indestructible.

(Martyrdom is dying for your faith.)

11:4–5 These two prophets are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of all the earth. 5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire flashes from their mouths and consumes their enemies. This is how anyone who tries to harm them must die.

This chapter pulls together a bunch of Old Testament pictures into one. There’s dates from Daniel and promises from Zechariah and loads of other stuff but all making this point: the church is indestructible. Even when it is killed!

So let’s get into the detail. First, the witnesses are described as an olive tree and a lampstand. The olive tree was the symbol of Israel: God’s chosen people. The lampstand we know from chapter 1 is the church. So the witnesses are both the olive tree and the lampstand – oh, it’s God’s chosen people, the church! Jews and Gentiles together witnessing to the world about Jesus. Amen!

The picture of a witnessing olive tree and lampstand comes from Zecharaiah 4 where the lampstand has SEVEN lights and SEVEN lips on each light – ok, the message is really going to get out there! And the prophecy in Zechariah 4 is about rebuilding the Temple. Israel is smashed, weak, puny, the stragglers returning from exile. How are they going to rebuild the Temple, that meeting place between man and God? Zech 4:6 says “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts”.

And it was. The Temple was raised in 400BC. But that was only a partial fulfilment of the prophecy. It wasn’t until Pentecost when the church was born that this prophecy suddenly made sense. And just as Israel was weak but the Temple was rebuilt, we are weak but Jesus builds his church! We may be weak, but he is strong, and his word is powerful. Just look at verse 6: They have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall for as long as they prophesy. And they have the power to turn the rivers and oceans into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.

Now this doesn’t feel like us does it? Flame and fire and blood and all this. What’s going on? Well, if you know your Bible you may recognise these miracles. Fire from heaven and shutting the sky is Elijah versus king Ahab, Jezebel, and the prophets of Baal. And rivers of blood and plagues – that’s Moses leading the people out of Egypt. And this is the point: the same power behind Moses and Elijah is with us when we share the gospel, when we preach, when we teach the Bible. Firepower is here!

So why am I so afraid?

He is with us.

But there’s more. Because it’s not just the power of the witness of the church, but the content of the message. Elijah is the great prophets, Moses the great lawgiver. “The law and the prophets” is shorthand for the Bible, God’s word. That’s why we preach, teach, study, love, his word. That’s why we must know this book, because it isn’t just a book but the Living Word of the Living God. You want to see miracles – real, long-term, life-changing miracles? Share the gospel. Teach the Bible. It’s awesome!

However, sometimes people don’t want to hear this message. Ever noticed that?

11:7 When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit will declare war against them, and he will conquer them and kill them.
10 All the people who belong to this world will gloat over them and give presents to each other to celebrate the death of the two prophets who had tormented them.

People are celebrate and rejoice when the church dies because it is a nuisance! Because we always remind people that there is one on the throne - and it’s not them!

People celebrate because people are evil. We humans are evil. You and I are evil. And I mean evil not as bad or naughty but as a Biblical term. It means "rebels against God." We are not God-centred, but at our core self-centred.

Most people we know, especially here in Norway, do not appear to be evil. They are polite and kind and well behaved. But the truth is that it's just a facade, and behind that there is a heart that wants God to be gone.

And when the church dies either by becoming a social institution just repeating what society says - like here in Norway - or by killing people and wiping out the church - like in many other countries - when the church dies, people cheer. Finally. Finally, we can pretend to be God.

But the celebrations are short-lived. Just “three and a half days”. A symbolic number, half of 7, the "perfect" number, and only days. A short and very limited time.

11:11–12 But after three and a half days, God breathed life into them, and they stood up! Terror struck all who were staring at them. 12 Then a loud voice from heaven called to the two prophets, “Come up here!” And they rose to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched.

According to v2 and 3 the church’s witness will go out for 42 months times 30 days, which is 1260 days, or three and a half years). In other words for a long, but not unlimited time. There will come a day – judgement day – when the church stops its witness, when the ground will shake, and the judge will return. We live now in those 3.5 years. The End Times.

For those of you who are interested, these numbers match the prophet Daniel, chapter 12: 6, which states that the power of the holy people will be broken after a time, times and half a time (3.5) - and then the end will come comes.

These end times are characterized by judgment and grace, by gospel progress and resistance, the struggle between the world and the church. The church is killed and the world rejoices. But the celebration is short-lived! For the church comes back to life. Again, and again we have seen this through history, even until today.

In Iran, they eradicated the church. It was forbidden to be Christian. The church was dead in Iran. But what do we see today? Millions of Christians in Iran!

In North Korea you will be killed if you are a Christian. But the church lives there.

In China, Christianity was banned. But the church is growing so rapidly in China that they are sending missionaries to Europe!

Time after time, the world has tried to kill Jesus' church but to no avail. It will stand because God's Spirit is in us! We are weak, yes, but he is strong!

My brothers, this is what we need to take away from today: we do not lose heart, no matter the cost. We are not be fooled by the "weakness" of the gospel and the church. We see with spiritual eyes. Satan shakes in fear when we gather together like this. The spiritual powers tremble when we read the Bible and pray. We change the world when we live out what we believe - when we really love each other like family. What a witness that is. And I want to thank you because I hear and see you doing that. I experience it myself. People know this church because of the way we love each other with the love of Christ. We care about each other. Let's keep on doing it!

And when we share the gospel. Wow! It's a power punch.

So with that in mind I want to leave us with a challenge as I read the last verses in Chapter 11: Think about who you know who needs to hear the message of Jesus, this amazing message of hope. Who can you ask "do you want to come to church" - or even better - because that is often a big and difficult step: ask them if you can read the Bible with them. And if we now think "Woah, I can’t do that, I'm too weak" - yes! We are. But with Jesus in us we can do it.

Time is running out. Two woes have sounded. The third approaches. We live in the end times. How close to the end are we? Perhaps today we will hear the seventh trumpet.

Re 11:14–19 The second terror is past, but look, the third terror is coming quickly. 15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” 16 The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him. 17 And they said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign. 18 The nations were filled with wrath, but now the time of your wrath has come. It is time to judge the dead and reward your servants the prophets, as well as your holy people, and all who fear your name, from the least to the greatest. It is time to destroy all who have caused destruction on the earth.” 19 Then, in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of his covenant could be seen inside the Temple. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed and roared, and there was an earthquake and a terrible hailstorm.