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THE Tale of Two Cities: Revelation 11

May 28th, 2018
Revelation Part 23

Chapter 11

2 Corinthians 10:1-6

THE Tale of 2 Cities

AUDIO FOR THIS SERMON CAN BE FOUND HERE

As I mentioned last time – there is little question Revelation 11is one of the most – if not THE most – debated chapter in the entire book.

And you are all to be commended for sticking with me through the first part of this chapter last week, because there was a LOT there to try and unpack in interpreting the symbols.

Fortunately, the rest of the chapter is NOT as symbol laden and will end up very clear. But there is still one more symbol we need to deal with this morning. And if we can get this, it will make the whole rest of the book much more understandable. In fact, much of the point of the book of Revelation rests on it. So please bear with me just a bit longer in doing some hard work – I promise you it will pay off.

Before we even get into the immediate text – let’s stop at the “You Are Here” sign to get our bearings and then forge on ahead.

You will recall that there are a series of 7’s that we are right in the middle of.

There were the 7 churches in 2-3.

The 7 seals on the scroll Jesus opened in Chs. 5-8 – Which scroll contains the complete plan of God in bringing final judgment upon sin and final reward for those in Christ by saving faith. The opening of those seals gave us an overview of the plan.

That was followed by introducing 7 trumpets. A series of announcements or proclamations that expanded on some aspects of what we saw when the seals were opened – and are meant to serve as a period of warning or a cosmic heads up that the end is really coming. The blowing of the trumpets goes from Ch. 8-11.

The period of time in which these warnings are declared will ultimately come to an end, and then there will be 7 bowls of wrath. Another word picture to say simply that judgment won’t just be talked or warned about any more, but actually carried out.

Well at this point in our study, we are in the midst of the 6^th trumpet or warning which was begun in 9:13.

And as we’ve seen, this group of warnings have been dire indeed.

The Church. So far in ch. 11 we’ve seen that God marks out His people to keep and protect them spiritually, indicating the Believer cannot lose his or her salvation even though there will be times of severe persecution for some in the Church. Times when many who profess saving faith in Jesus will lose their lives in martyrdom.

A symbolic 42 months.

The 2 Witnesses. In fact, there will come a point in history when for all intents and purposes, it will appear as if the ministry of the Church in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the call to lives lived according to God’s standards and not those of the world or the culture – will be snuffed out. But that will only be for a short time – for then the Church will rise again supernaturally.

The more you think about those pictures, the clearer they become.

But there is one more detail we need to tease out to get the full picture. And I want to be sure you know WHY I think we are to interpret this symbol a certain way – and that we don’t just assign meaning to these symbols without Biblical or textual warrant.

Let’s look at the text: Revelation 11:3–8 “And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.”

What about this city referred to in vs. 8, and why does it matter?

It matters because how you interpret this symbol, has a lot to do with how you look at the entire remainder of the book.

And on the surface, it is very common to take the phrase “where their Lord was crucified” – to simply mean Jerusalem as the defining idea. And therefore to say Jerusalem is also “the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt.”

If that interpretation is correct, then what we’ve looked at so far has to be completely revised and the entire chapter looked at as a scene which must unfold on the literal streets of geographical Jerusalem. And if that’s so, the 2 prophets are 2 human personages. There is a literal rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. These 2 prophets literally shoot fire out of their mouths to consume their enemies, and literally bring all sorts of plagues on the earth. Now without question – it is POSSIBLE for all of that to happen as literal. But the question is – is that what the passage is actually teaching?

I think we established Biblically why we should not take the previous portions as literal last week. If you weren’t with us for that, I would encourage you to go on line and listen to it. But what about this part – what about the city?

Once again, we have to look more closely at the text itself, and other portions of Scripture to put it all together.

We have to ask ourselves: What are the clues both in the immediate text, and the rest of the Bible? There are 4 I think are most helpful.
1. Mixed metaphors. As we’ve seen already in this book, sometimes the metaphors or pictures are mixed, so as to give fuller explanation. You remember that Jesus is depicted BOTH as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah AND the Lamb slain for our sin, in the space of only 2 verses in Ch. 5. Then again how in Ch. 7 the 144,000 and the great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, tribe, peoples and languages, standing before the throne, were one and the same. And last week in vs. 4 how the 2 prophets are referred to both as the 2 olive trees and the 2 lampstands which stand before the Lord.
So here, we have to take note that the “great city” where Jesus was crucified is also called Sodom, and Egypt. 4 descriptors that have to be taken together to arrive at a clear understanding.

2. The use of the term “the Great City”. The 2^nd clue grows out of the mixed metaphors. In the 7 other uses of this term in Revelation, each time it unambiguously refers to Rome. This is decisive in my view.

3. Calling the City “Sodom.” We have no Biblical precedent for Jerusalem ever being called Sodom. The closest we come is Isa. 11 – but there the reference is the people of Israel in their sin, not Jerusalem. So equating Sodom with Jerusalem has no Biblical basis. It is obviously symbolic of something.

4. Calling the city “Egypt”. Egypt obviously isn’t a city. But throughout the OT it IS used as a type for “The World.” You have God’s people, the Israelites, and you have the world outside of Israel. And Egypt gets used as the quintessential way of expressing that idea. Morals, values, worship, all apart from God’s revelation and influence.

So, what do we do with all of this? How do we put it together and what does it mean?

If we take all 4 designations together I think the clearest option is this: For the first readers, Rome would be the obvious choice.

But not Rome merely as a geographical place – but Rome as a picture of the world – just like Egypt. Rome as a “symbol of all of civilization against God.” (Carson) And when it is all said and done, the combined actions of an apostate Israel in league with the World empire of the day crucified Jesus in geographical Jerusalem; but in the larger sense, in the kingdom or city of this world, versus the kingdom or city of God.

For a people who had only known the experience of living in the great City States of the ancient world – this makes perfect sense. Babel was a city/state. And it represented mankind as a group, rebelling against God. Babylon was a great city/state. Sparta was a great city/state. Tyre and Sidon in the Bible were city/states. And Rome was, according to the book of Daniel to be the last great city/state. So when you spoke of Rome, you spoke not just of the city, but of the empire as a whole. And from that picture God now reveals that He views – and want US to view – the whole of existence as the bifurcation between The City of Man or Humankind and the City of God.

In fact, it was this chapter that formed the impetus behind St. Augustine’s famous book: The City of God.

For what will appear later is that in opposition to this “Great City” – the City of God, God united with all of His redeemed will come down out of Heaven and be permanently joined with earth.

Rome as both the city, and the empire under which these first readers were oppressed. And it was a City and an Empire which was antithetical to everything Christians believed and taught and lived by.

So yes, geographically, Jesus died in Jerusalem, but under the authority of Rome, which was morally as bankrupt as Sodom and as antithetical to God’s people as Egypt – wanting to enslave God’s people to serve the state rather than Him, for its own enrichment and denying the God of the Bible at every turn. All of these are being mixed together into one picture:

The World (the City of Humankind) vs.

The City of God – God with His redeemed people.

Why was this important for the 1^st readers and why is it important for us? And let me tell you – this is as current and relevant to the Church in America today as it was to them in the Roman empire.

The “Great City” being Rome, it would be the natural instinct of the Jews to see the Roman empire as their chief problem – especially since the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E. by Titus.

It would also be the natural instinct of the Christians to see the Roman empire as their chief problem, especially given current persecutions and even the present exile of John to Patmos. And in the coming days when persecutions WILL increase for them, as they did historically – Christians looked at the Roman government and would be tempted to say: That is our great enemy, that is the great evil – ROME! And given some other references further on in the book – that view would seem to be justified. Especially when Rome is further linked in the book to Babylon the Great, The Great Whore, etc.

The natural tendency would be to see the Roman empire as their chief problem rather than this present fallen World under the sway of Satan. The very same way so many Christians today think the Government is our real problem, when in fact it is the World system which ours – and every other government – bows to. The world’s values and morality and mentality – apart from Christ.

Again, Egypt is consistently used as a metaphor for the world in the Bible – or humanity in opposition to God’s rule. Sodom is used similarly. And Jerusalem, having rejected Jesus as Messiah and crucifying Him WITH Rome – the symbolism becomes that Jesus came into the World, this present world system, and both its secular and its religious branches rejected and murdered Him.

He was crucified in this world. This world as a system built upon human governance and autonomy as opposed to submission to God’s rule in Christ. And so it is that the World will rejoice when the Church seems to be snuffed out. Some from Peoples and Tribes and Languages and Nations. A picture once again of the World.

All of this boils down to one crucial point.

Because we do not see that it is worldliness as opposed to Christ’s rule that is our real problem, we will think we can solve our societal problems by simply fixing government.

And when this happens, The Gospel is soon eclipsed by political and social activism. And Biblical, Spirit empowered holiness is eclipsed by moralism. And we will completely miss what it is that is really going on around us.

We will forget: 2 Corinthians 10:3–5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”

Christian, our battle isn’t political.

It isn’t economic.

It isn’t even moral.

Our battle is spiritual.

And our only weapons are the proclamation of and lived committed to – Gospel truth!

We don’t need to secure more voter registrations, as good as that may be in itself – for it is of NO power in THIS battle. For this, we need Biblical truth that can destroy arguments and lofty opinions raised against the knowledge of God! Only in this way can we take thoughts captive to Christ. Preach and live the Gospel. In other words: We must BE the TWO WITNESSES.

And so this chapter ends with a renewed vision of THE end. How will all of the moral, criminal, military, economic and social crises of this earth be met? Only in the return of Jesus Christ, and the kingdom of this world becoming the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ – reigning for ever and ever.

So this chapter ends with its own application – where we want to end today – turning our eyes toward the promise of the fulfillment of all Christ reveals in this book. The 7^th trumpet is the final announcement of all of this.

How are we to apply what we’ve seen here? Revelation 11:17–19
1. THANKSGIVING: Despite all the trials and tribulations and dire things to come. 15-17
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.”

Because all of it leads to His reign. And there can be no greater blessing than to live in perfect union with the One who died for us, and whose Kingdom is the manifestation of love, grace, beauty, holiness, unity and wonder. And the utter absence of all pain, woe, discomfort, sorrow, despair, injustice, abuse, hatred, violence, sickness, disease and death.
1. JUSTICE: Final and absolute justice. 18
“18 The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

I watched a documentary recently on a bizarre crime that took place in Erie PA in 2003. A man there robbed a bank – claiming to be forced to do so while wearing a collar bomb around his neck. The man later died and the man who actually fabricated the bomb died of cancer years later having never been charged. Some say he got away with his crime. It is true he eluded human justice – but one of the core themes of the Revelation is that while men MAY elude human justice, NO ONE can avoid God’s ultimate justice. As Romans 3:23 reminds us: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” – which places us in need of reconciliation to God – which the Bible shows us can only be had through faith in the substitutionary death of Jesus for our sins on the Cross. Apart from the grace to be had there – each will have to stand before the unwaveringly holy God and will receive full, true, eternal and absolute justice for our sins. It is why we preach the Gospel! We do not want anyone to have to face that end. We want all to have the benefit of the grace that each of us have already found in the Gospel.

And not just justice for all who seemed to have escaped it in this life – reward of unimaginable glory for those who have put their hope in Christ Jesus, His substitutionary death on Cavalry – and the promise of eternal life with Him.
1. FAITHFULNESS: 19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.
God will exert all of His omnipotence to remain faithful to His covenant promises to all who are His. And we are to live filled with the confidence that His faithfulness cannot fail and will deliver all He has promised – no matter what it takes.

Romans 8:31–32 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”
1 + 42 + 2 = Victory! Revelation Part 22

May 21st, 2018
Revelation Part 22

Chapter 11:1-14

1 + 42 + 2 = Victory!

John Newton once began a sermon with this short poem – I take it as my own prayer today as we enter this very difficult passage:

1 Now, Lord, inspire the preacher’s heart,

And teach his tongue to speak;

Food to the hungry soul impart,

And cordials to the weak.

2 Furnish us all with light and pow’rs

To walk in wisdom’s ways;

So shall the benefit be ours,

And thou shalt have the praise.

There is little question, that this chapter in particular is one of the most – if not THE most – debated chapter in the entire book of Revelation.

If you are coming at this book with a grid already in mind, ANY grid, you will look for some foundational concept of that grid in this chapter.

As we’ve seen so far, untangling what is symbolic and what is quite literal in this book is sometimes hard to unpack. That remains true here. Just which aspects of this portion fall into which of those categories is especially challenging.

Nevertheless, by time we are done this morning, I hope once more to tease out the main points which can be useful for suffering Christians in all ages, no matter which end-times scheme one might hold.

As we’ll see, there are 3 things which stand out in the passage that deserve our special attention and which then translate into the practical applications we’ll end up considering:

I. Measuring The Temple (1 & 2)

II. Forty two months (2 & 3)

III. Two Witnesses (3-13)

Fortunately, all 3 of these have clear precedents in Scripture.

Measuring – whether it be a people or in this case the Temple – is something already encountered in a number of OT references.

The significance of 42 months would have had an immediate connection for the first Jewish readers, that we need to dig out of Daniel and the historical records of the inter-testamental period.

And the 2 Witnesses could have several connections: 1. In Jewish law, two witnesses were always required for major judgments. 2. More likely though, in the 7 letters to the Churches in chs. 2-3, only two had no issue of compromise: 2:7-13 Smyrna – The Satanically persecuted church. 3:7-13 Philadelphia – The un-influential but ENDURING church. This I believe gives us a direct textual tie in helping us understand what’s being said there. Thus, these witnesses represent the uncompromising church. This will get teased out as we see the ministry of the witnesses.

So it is, my understanding of this portion parallels that of Don Carson when he writes about it this way: “the temple is the church, the two witnesses are that part of the church that must suffer martyrdom as they bear witness, and the great city represents this fallen world order, civilizations that finally are utterly alien to God and his will and are climaxed in destruction all the way to the very end when the witnesses, in fact, are justified before them.” D. A. Carson, “Revelation—Part 15,” in D. A. Carson Sermon Library (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2016), Re 11.

Let’s look at them individually then.

I. Measuring The Temple (1-2): “Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.”

Measuring some-ones, or some-thing in this way is not new in Scripture. In the other places where we see this same idea it is always with one of two purposes in mind: Measuring for protection (like sealing the saints in the ch. 9) or for judgment. The way we might use the phrase – taking the measure of a man – or the measure of a situation. So, we get this understanding from the prior use of this figure of speech in some OT passages.

Before we look at those though we need to ask ourselves just what temple this is that is being referred to here. And there are 3 main schools of thought on that.

1. Some think that this temple must be the temple which was standing in Jerusalem during Jesus’ lifetime – Herod’s temple. And from that, they argue this book must have been written before that temple was destroyed as it was in 70 C.E. When we began our study we took time to establish why this book was almost certainly written in the mid to late 90’s C.E., which would rule out that interpretation right out of the gate.

2. Perhaps the most common view in American Evangelicalism is that this is a reconstructed temple – one they are looking to see rebuilt in Jerusalem sometime in the future. Perhaps even in our lifetime. Hence many keep an eagle eye on events in the middle east and on Jerusalem especially for indications that such a rebuilding might be right around the corner, and a sign of Jesus’ soon return. We need to keep in mind that for that to happen, the Temple would need to be rebuilt on the site of what is currently occupied by the Mosque of Omar – for Sunni Muslims, the 3^rd most holy site in Islam.

3. This is not referring to a literal physical temple at all, but instead is a picture of the Church – a picture reiterated later in Revelation as the Church and the New Jerusalem seem to be intertwined. I.e. a “spiritual” temple.

The 3^rd one in my view has the most Biblical support, since in the NT era, we are introduced to the Church now being considered the temple of God. Let me give you 3 references: 1 Cor. 3:16–17 “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”

Eph. 2:19–22 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

1 Peter 2:4–5 “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

These would seem to indicate that the Tabernacle Moses erected in the wilderness and the later Temple – were meant to be types and shadows of the final reality of God dwelling with and IN His people in a more complete sense in the Church AS God’s redeemed people. The idea is not going back to some physical edifice, as it is the edifices being ways of understanding the union of God with those redeemed by the blood of Christ. We’ll see this later in the book in a much more complete picture.

That said, let’s go back to Biblical examples of this sort of measuring.

2 Kings 21 – God says He will stretch out a measuring line over Jerusalem to take stock of what it’s punishment for idolatry should be.

Lamentations reiterates that idea, as does Amos 7. Then in Hab. 3 measuring is used in judging the whole earth.

But in Ezek. 40-48 and Zech. 1-2, the image is God measuring His Temple, His people and Jerusalem so as to pour out blessing on them.

Which image seems to fit most rightly here, as the text notes that John is instructed to take the measure of the Temple – and, that in part, some of that Temple – or as the 1^st century readers would have thought of it, the Temple complex with the Temple proper and its courtyards – will be trampled under foot for a period of time. In other wards – some of God’s people will suffer great persecution, even martyrdom, and others not. Which has been the case throughout the ages and will remain so until Jesus returns. This is where the 42 months comes in.

II. Forty two months (2-3): “but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

If I were to simply say to you “9/11”, virtually everyone here born before say 1995 would immediately picture the twin towers of the World Trade Center being brought down by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001. Most of you would even remember where you were or what you were doing the moment you heard of the attack.

Some events that happen historically become so ingrained in a culture, that a simple reference like “9/11” needs no explanation – but refer to such a massive shared experience, that they conjure up all sorts of memories, feelings, etc.

“The Depression” was like that to my Mom, or say “Viet Nam” to so many. “Watergate” or one meeting their “Waterloo” are similar.

And there is little question that 42 months, or 1,260 days (based on a 360 day Jewish year), or time, times and ½ a time – 3.5 years – would immediately bring to mind an event or era that was so woven into the fabric of the Jewish identity as to instantly evoke a common picture or understanding.

The connection here is with the book of Daniel and what happened in fulfilling some of the prophecies given to him back during the Babylonian captivity.

In Daniel 8, Daniel receives a vision that shows him how the Medo-Persian empire – which was at that moment the most important world power – was to be conquered by Greece. And that when the Grecian empire dissolved, it would break into 4 separate segments – 2 of which are expanded upon in the following chapters: The Ptolemaic and the Seleucid empires. The Ptolemies centered in Egypt – the kings of the South as they are called there – south of Israel; and the Seleucids – the kings of the North headquartered to the north of Israel in what we would call Syria today – with Israel being the monkey in the middle between them. Each fighting the other for control of Israel’s territory.

The worst of all the Seleucid kings was Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a rabid anti-Jew. When he gained control over Israel, he outlawed virtually anything having to do with Jewish worship. In trying to eradicate the Jewish religion altogether, he made most infractions capital offences: Owing a part of the Jewish Bible, practicing any of its rights or even just observing the Sabbath.

Around 167 B.C.E., a Seleucid emissary was passing through a village where an old priest by the name of Mattaniah refused to pay homage to him. In fact, he killed the guy. The priest had several sons, one whose name was Judas and who was nick-named in the Semitic, Judas Maccabaeus – or Judas the Hammer – who took this moment to start a bloody rebellion against the Seleucids which eventually won back Jewish control over their territory for the first time in nearly 200 hundred years. It was both a time of severe persecution, savage battle and then finally amazing victory. And it lasted – 1260 days or 42 months or 3-1/2 years.

So it is as Don Carson writes on this point this idea of 42 months: “came to be identified with a period of extreme suffering that would only last for a period of time and then it stopped… it’s an acute period of time, and then you cut it off.” D. A. Carson, “Revelation—Part 15,” in D. A. Carson Sermon Library (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2016), Re 11.

So if we follow this train of thought, what we have is the Church, marked out by God and protected inwardly or spiritually, but also suffering severe persecution outwardly and being trampled down by the World for a period of time which will eventually give way to victory. And during which time 2 witnesses will be prophesying on the earth. Which then leads us to ask, who or what are these 2 witnesses, and what do they do?

III. Two Witnesses (3-13): Who or what are these witnesses? The text gives us our best clue. Revelation 11:4 “These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.”

Again, a wide variety of opinions are available here. If we see these as 2 literal personages, then the ones most often suggested are Elijah and Moses, or Elijah and Enoch – from the OT.

Elijah because he is prophesied to come in some way before Christ does, and also that he did not die but went to heaven in a fiery chariot per 2 Kings 2. Though that seems to be fulfilled in John the Baptizer. (Matt. 11:14)

Moses because he is the foremost of the OT prophets and performed some of the miracles we seem to see mirrored in this passage. And also, that though the Bible says he died, God took him and buried him but no one saw him die or ever located his grave.

Or Enoch, because as Genesis 5 says, he prophesied and then evidently went to heaven without dying.

How do we decide? I think the clue is in the text itself. “These two are the 2 olive trees,” is an obvious allusion to Zech. 4 where after the Babylonian exile, Joshua a high priest and Zerubbabel the Jewish governor are pictured as the 2 sources keeping the lamp of God’s presence burning in the rebuilding of that temple.

But the designation of these 2 as being the “two lampstands” takes us right back to chs. 2-3 where in the 7 letters to the Churches – or the 7 lamp-stands as they are called there – only two churches had no issue of compromise: 2:7-13 Smyrna – The Satanically persecuted church. 3:7-13 Philadelphia – The un-influential but ENDURING church.

In other words, the 2 Witnesses – I believe are the Church still preaching the Gospel of justification by faith in Christ’s finished work on Calvary alone – and living lives changed by the Spirit: The uncompromised preaching of the Word, and uncompromised lives lived in the power of the Holy Spirit as opposed to the culture of the World.

In truth, nothing more vexes and invites the world’s wrath than the exclusive claims of the Gospel of salvation by the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross ALONE, and lives lived by the power of the Spirit while rejecting the values of this world in living unto Christ instead of fame, money and pleasure. These are the two most stinging rebukes to this present world system and inflict the most discomfort on all who reject them. Hence, they invite the most virulent wrath of the World.

That fire pours from the Witness’s mouths is figurative, just like the sword in Jesus’ mouth in 1:16, or the fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of the mouths of the demonic hoards in ch. 9. And it is nothing less than the Church having the authority to announce what is sin as God declares it, and the certain coming of final judgment upon that sin. Those who reject the warning will suffer death apart from Christ as a result. It is akin to 2 Cor. 2:15-16 “For we (the Church and the Gospel we preach)are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?”

In shutting up the heavens – We see that the Church cannot bless sin but is duty bound to announce God’s opposition to it. No rain: Speaks to the fact that we cannot pronounce blessing on anything God’s Word calls sin. We cannot approve the fallen World’s morality. We take seriously God’s Word when it says “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” Isa. 5:20

(7-10) How the world will rejoice when it imagines the Church of Jesus Christ is no more. But that delusion will not last long. Every time some dictator or Gospel resistant power has thought it has persecuted the Church out of existence, it has risen again and again against all odds – supernaturally. And it will be so up to the very end.

What then are we to take away from all of this?
1. PERSECUTION & PERSEVERANCE. Since the coming of Jesus, some parts of the Church have suffered persecution and trampling by its enemies – but God has taken the measure of His people – and the Church will persevere, survive and thrive. Now as we grow closer to Jesus’ return, this will no doubt take on a global reality under the rise of the antiChrist. But it has in some capacity been happening throughout Church history in various parts of the world. One thinks immediately of China or other oppressive governments, and even regionally – like some of the new legislative restrictions in California. And of course, this dynamic also applies personally. Believer, God has taken your measure. You might well suffer severely in the breakdown of your body and opposition in life of all kinds which the Enemy will attempt to capitalize on to threaten your spiritual life as well. But He will keep you! He has taken your measure. As Paul noted in 2 Cor. 4:7-18. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you. 13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
2. GOSPEL & HOLINESS. The call to the church in every age and under all circumstances is the 2-fold call to remain uncompromising on Biblical truth – especially the Gospel of grace in the substitutionary death of Jesus on the Cross, and uncompromising on lives lived seeking out the holiness of God rather than capitulating to the World’s or the Culture’s morality and standards. Sin is what He calls sin, and righteousness is only what He calls righteousness. Those don’t change with time, trends, culture or personal opinion.
3. SUPERNATURAL VICTORY. Even in those times and places when it seems the World has extinguished the light of the Gospel God has always raised it up again. And this will be true no matter how dark the coming days may be.
I recently watched a documentary on the wild account of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and the brand of mysticism he brought to Antelope Oregon in the 1980’s. Buying 65,000 acres in Oregon they sought to establish an entire city there based on the furthest thing from Biblical Christianity you can get. After raids and deportations and arrests for attempted murder and a host of other crimes, the compound was abandoned. Only to be purchased a few years later by a wealthy benefactor who then donated the property to Young Life. And in the place where they once sought to extinguish Christ – lives are being brought to the saving knowledge of Jesus every day.

And that is how the history of this present world system will end. Though the Church will undergo persecutions and attempts to put out the light of the Gospel in every quarter, Christ will keep His Bride. There will always be those who in the face of all persecution continue to preach the Gospel and live for Jesus rather than for themselves and this present world even unto death. And one day, when it seems as though the Church has been extinguished altogether, it will rise by the power of the Spirit and the entire world system will give way to Jesus’ rule reign for ever and ever. It is only our 42 months.

In the words once again at the end of this marvelous book: Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.
Revelation Part 21 – There’s Good News AND there’s Bad News

May 1st, 2018
Revelation Part 21

Revelation Ch. 10

Matthew 3:1-12

There’s Good news and there’s Bad news

AUDIO FOR THIS SERMON CAN BE FOUND HERE

By all accounts, chapters 8 & 9 in the Revelation have been pretty harrowing.

Ch. 8 begins with the opening of the 7^th seal of the scroll introduced in Ch. 5 – which scroll contains the whole program of God’s redemptive plan right up to the very end of this present existence as we know it. Both God’s final judgment on all sin – human and angelic, and the fulfillment of all of God’s promised blessings on those who are reconciled to Him in Christ by means of faith in Jesus’ atoning, substitutionary death on The Cross.

As each seal was opened, we saw more and more of what has to unfold in bringing things to this end.

Now as we enter into Ch. 10, we encounter something in the structure of the book that we’ve seen once before – a pattern that is helpful in unpacking this rather puzzling chapter.

You’ll recall that Ch. 6 contained the opening of 6 of the 7 seals. Then, Ch. 7 introduces some sort of break before the 7^th seal is opened in Ch. 8.

This break in the action of opening the seals is a sort of breather for the reader. It brings a much needed shift of perspective.

The 6 seals reveal that there is going to be a lot of disruption on earth and suffering of all kinds as God brings His plan to completion.

Then Ch. 7 takes us into the heavenlies again to witness God marking out His saints so that while these judgments are being poured out – Believers are brought safely through. It lets us breathe a giant sigh of relief.

Now, this pattern repeats. At the opening of the 7^th seal in 8, the 7 trumpets begin to sound. Ch.s 8 & 9 present an extended period and series of announced warnings about the coming judgments. One after another they expand on the nature of those coming judgments, including the introduction of how demonic deception on a massive scale afflicts mankind.

They are bleak, frightful and disturbing chapters. Huge numbers of humanity being tormented and dying, along with natural disasters ramping up and all this demonic affliction – and just as we’ve hit our limit for taking in the horror of it all – just before the 7^th trumpet finally sounds – we get another much needed break.

Another chance to catch our breath. To reflect on what we’ve seen, and recollect our thoughts some.

Ch. 10 like 7 shifts the scene somewhat to give comfort and instruction to God’s people so that we are not overwhelmed by the content of the previous 2 chapters. And thus it proves to be very instructive, useful and clarifying. It restores some very much needed perspective.

Sweetly and wonderfully as God speaks to us here, we’re taken to what could be – in terms of the message alone – a stand alone chapter, but one filling a most important role at a critical time in the Revelation. In fact, the 7^th and last trumpet won’t be blown until the middle of Ch. 11. So we want to capitalize on the break God gives, and see what He’s prepared. We want to soak in some of the good news that accompanies the bad news we’ve been steeped in.

And this all comes to us by way of a vision of another mighty angel that God sends. Now watch the interesting series that unfold here.

Revelation 10:1–11 (ESV)
1. 1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire.
Once again, God sends an angel, a mighty angel it says here, to represent some things, and to declare some things.

Notice the first 4 features John wants us to see:
1. He is wrapped in a cloud.
2. He has a rainbow over his head.
3. His face was like the sun.
4. His legs were like pillars of fire.
This is quite a sight! And just what it all means seems to be wrapped up in a series of couplets. I’ll come back to that later.
1. Next John notes: 2 He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land,
4 more features:
1. A little scroll open in his hand – contrasted to the sealed scroll that was in God’s hand.
2. This is in the angel’s hand, not God’s.
3. He has his right foot on the sea.
4. He has his left foot on the land.
III. 3-4 and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”
1. He called out with a loud voice. But we don’t know what he said.
2. His voice was like a lion as opposed to the many waters of God’s voice in ch. 1.
3. Upon his crying, 7 thunders sounded.
4. We don’t know what they said – in fact, contrary to how John was told to write down what God said in the beginning of the book, he is forbidden to write down what is said here.
5. 5-7 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.
6. The angel lifted hand and swore to God. He does not speak as God.
7. He swore there should be no more delay.
8. He says that in the days of the 7^th trumpet, the mystery of God would be fulfilled.
9. He links this announcement to other prophecies as their fulfillment.
10. 8-11 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
11. God instructs John to take the scroll.
12. God tells John to eat the scroll and that it will be sweet and bitter.
13. John eats the scroll and it is sweet and bitter.
14. John is told his ministry isn’t over.
Well now – just what are supposed to do with all of this?

The key to that question I believe is found in the pattern which is repeated so many times.

Just as this chapter follows the pattern we saw above, so too this chapter trades on its own repeated image: An image of both blessing and cursing at the same time.

This is a similar duality to the promise of Jesus’ ministry who John the Baptizer said that when He was come would both bless and judge in His blowing, separating the chaff from the grain.

Matthew 3:1–12 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ” Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

The picture there is clear. Jesus is the one who will one day come to separate the wheat from the chaff – the true Believers from those who are merely religionists.

And when He sends the Spirit to blow at Pentecost, He will begin the process of removing that which has no weight and substance from that which does – and bind it up the chaff and burn it.

i.e. He will bless the Believers with the moving of the Spirit, which will also serve as part of the judgment of unbelievers. The two occur simultaneously through the singular action of the Spirit.

So in Rev. 10 – There is great judgment being poured out on sin and sinners, but there is also blessing and faithfulness to be seen for those who are righteous in Christ Jesus!

Let’s go back to the text to see that demonstrated in just 6 of instances in the vision shown to John.
1. Revelation 10:1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire.
The angel is sent from heaven, and he is wrapped in a cloud.

This motif of clouds and judgment is a common one throughout the OT.

Isaiah 19:1 An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.

Ezekiel 30:3 For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near; it will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.

Joel 2:1–2 Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations.

But what happens after the rain and the clouds begin to dissipate?

RAINBOWS! Rainbows appear at the same time as rainclouds. At the very time of God’s judgment, there also appears the sign of His loving and unbreakable covenant with His people.

Blessing and cursing at one and the same time. Judgment and blessing are bound up together.
1. Then we see something of this same parallelism again: Revelation 10:1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire.
There is light and revelation in the angel’s face, even as there is the fire of judgment in his legs.
1. Then too: Revelation 10:2 He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land,
The angel steps on the mysterious sea as well as on solid land. There is both revelation and mystery. Not all is fully revealed. But God is God over the unstable and the mysterious even as He is God over the solid and the concrete.

A wonderful representation of why we can trust Him in those dark days of judgment.
1. Revelation 10:4 And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”
The angel cries out and it is loud and like the roar of a lion. But when the 7 thunders roar, their message is not to be written down.

And so we are given a graphic representation of how God speaks, but not everything is equally revealed and accessible to us yet.

It is a warning not to over-interpret prophecy, and to trust God even though we don’t know all the details.
1. Revelation 10:5–7 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.
There is a sworn-to time set for fulfilling the mystery, but it is not all at once, but rather, an era. “IN THE DAYS” of the 7^th trumpet. It is not an event, but an era. How long or how short we are not told. But we’re given hope in the picture of a sworn promise and the insight of a period in which this will all come to pass.
1. Revelation 10:8–10 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter.
The little scroll is sweet to the taste, but makes the stomach bitter.

God’s Word is both sweet to us in it’s Gospel blessing, but also teaches us the bitterness of sin and judgment. These must be taken together.

This duality is not contradictory, but to be held in tension until the end. And it keeps us from being overwhelmed in the hard times, and overconfident in the good times.

“Behold the kindness and the severity of the Lord” Paul says in Rom. 11:22.

This is a view of God the world cannot comprehend. God must be either ALL loving in many people’s minds, or He appears harsh and cruel and to be hated or disregarded by others.

But of course, He is holy, and loving and good, AND just, and faithful and cannot ignore sin.

So it is the same God who judges sin, also provides His Son as the ransom for our souls in His death on Calvary – and demands the Gospel of His grace be freely preached to His enemies, and those under His just wrath.

It is central concept to the Gospel itself.

Romans 1:16–18 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

The Gospel isn’t good news in any sense, unless we know that there is bad news which makes the Gospel the good news that it is in contrast.

The bad news is, humanity is under God’s curse – and has been ever since our race rebelled together in Adam against God’s absolute rights over us as made in His image. A curse that will end in final, eternal judgment.

Out of the very many places where this Gospel duality shows itself in wondrous clarity – let me show you just 2 in closing:

The bad news is: Isaiah 53:6a All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way;

Isa. 53:6b and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

John 3:36a – The good news is: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life;

John 3:36b The bad news is: whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

And so we call everyone in the sound of our voice today – to acknowledge the bad news of their sin and condemnation, that they might also know in all reality – the really good news: Jesus died for sinners, and forgives all who come to Him in faith.
Decision Making and the Will of God

April 18th, 2018
DECISION MAKING AND THE WILL OF GOD

Deut. 29:29

Acts 15:1-28

Audio for this sermon can be found here

As we all feel keenly right now, ECF is in a season of critical decision making.

How do we decide on a new associate pastor? What kind of processes do we need to implement and how do we make up our minds?

These are big, necessary and important questions. What I would like to do this morning is spend some time on the root topic of Christian decision making in its basics for each one of us; and then try to apply some of those things to our current circumstances.

I am truly hoping this will relieve anxiety for some who have struggled in this area in their Christian walk, as well giving us some solid direction as we move ahead in our corporate decisions.

I will tell you that at one time in my own life, I knew what it was to suffer from a high degree of decision paralysis brought on by a number of factors some of you may identify with as well.
1. I seriously wanted to make Godly, Christ honoring decisions, and feared somehow missing what some call “God’s perfect will”. The idea that God has one best choice for you in everything in life – from THE person God has chosen for you to marry to THE absolute profession you should undertake to whether or not you should read a certain passage of Scripture that day – or in our case, how do we know THE guy God has for ECF?
As we press ahead today, I think you’ll find that being caught in that web is not only frustrating and paralyzing, it is also almost wholly unnecessary.

2. I also feared making mistakes. Not just the idea of missing God’s perfect choice. Hidden in that thought is the idea that if I pick what God really wants, that will mean things will go smoothly, successfully and I’ll have perfect peace about it. When none of that is guaranteed in God’s Word.

Remember, all of the Apostles were perfectly in God’s will and suffered rejection, persecution and apart from John – all suffered martyrdom. Things did NOT go well. As a matter of fact, Paul’s detractors traded on that very idea – if he was really God’s man, would he really suffer as much as he did? YES!

Mistakes can and will be made. All under the watchful eye of our sovereign and loving God. And not every mistake is somehow sin or even displeasing to Him. But if I look for signs and omens and stuff like that, I can soothe my conscience that I did what God showed me, and if it blows up – best case, I can blame Him! Worst case? I begin to doubt Him for not bringing about what I thought or felt sure He told me. Then what do I do?

3. It all seems so spiritual. And don’t’ we all want to think of ourselves as spiritual? Why use common sense when you can get a tingle or a chill and think your being really “led”? But it is a trap. Chills and tingles can be the result of all sorts of things. EXAMPLE: WJ

Well then – what SHOULD we be doing? Fortunately, God’s Word is replete with counsel, so we don’t need to walk in the dark.

PATTERN leading to PROCESS

PRAYER

PRINCIPLES

PRUDENCE

PLANS

PROVIDENCE

PRAYER

PROCESS

I. PRAYER: As with all things in life, our habit of bringing our needs, concerns, decisions and circumstances before God is vitaPhilip. 4:6 reminds us: “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Making the need for a decision made known to God in prayer is just part and parcel of the Believer’s everyday life. We lay out matters before Him, asking for His wisdom, for clarity in reasoning and trusting Him in it. We’ll come back to this before we are done. But one thing is sure, this is where the Christian begins – on all matters except where I already know the will of God as clearly expressed in His Word.

In truth, there are some things we never need to pray about. I never need to ask God if I should cheat on my wife, beat my kids, steal, blaspheme His name, get drunk, slander anyone or murder my neighbor.

Nor do I need to pray about the ridiculous. I do not need to ask Him if I should grab onto a high voltage wire, drink bleach, spend more than I earn, try to create a new primary color, live without oxygen, break my own leg just to see what it feels like or convert to Ba’haism.

Both of these make a mockery of prayer. But in making true decisions, prayer must be our starting and ending point.

II.PRINCIPLES:

We are to be occupied with what God HAS revealed, not what He has NOT.

Deut. 29:29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

Christian decision making is NOT an exercise in trying to discern the things God has kept from us – but being occupied with what He HAS revealed.

So many Believers are paralyzed from making decisions at all, because – in an honest desire to serve God well – think they need to detect some supernatural leading above and beyond the Scriptures.

Christians are remarkably free to make all kinds of decisions, even very difficult ones, if we will ask a few clarifying questions. Questions we’ll get to before we’re done. But for now, we need to realize that our first concern is making sure we know what God HAS said, and keeping in line with that – rather than trying to figure out if God is sending out coded or secret messages of some sort that we have to be spiritual enough to detect and then act on.

Am I preoccupied over something which is not a matter of plain revelation in His Word?
1. The Holy Spirit illumines FIRST and foremost through His WORD.
Am I acting according to Biblical teaching and principles?

Have I taken the time to find out what those are?

Leave IMPULSES to things that are INDIFFERENT. That is the subject for another sermon another time. The Holy Spirit DOES at times prompt us in certain things – but that is not how we make our basic decisions.

As we read in Acts and 1 Cor., all “direct” influence of the Spirit is subordinate to His Word.

Leviticus 19:26 “You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not interpret omens or tell fortunes.”

Isaiah 8:19 “And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?”

FLEECES (a major topic for another sermon) – for Gideon is not commended for using the “fleece” method, it was in fact a sign of his own unbelief, cowardice and God’s patience with him – not an endorsement) OMENS, SIGNS, and CHILLS are not our guide.

So too, coincidences are not necessarily divine communication. Just because you suddenly run into an old flame on Facebook does not indicate it is God’s will for you to run off with him or her. EXAMPLE: HP – Church choice. JV – John Piper pic.
1. TEST EVERYTHING: The principle here is exceedingly simple – Isaiah 8:20 “To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.”
2. Do not automatically assume a sense of PEACE means all is well, or that a sense of AGITATION means all is ill.
Jesus agonized in the Garden. He was NOT at peace.

And on the flip side, the angelic appearances in the Bible all had to be accompanied by “fear not”. Agitation was not an indication all was ill.

III. PRUDENCE: The Holy Spirit leads 3rdly through WISDOM. Foolishness the Bible tells us is sin.

Am I using the spiritual gift of gray matter? It is in my estimation the most under utilized gift God gives His people.

In the portion we had read in Acts 15, the apostles were confronted with a huge issue: Do gentile believers have to follow the Mosaic law in order to be saved? The debate threatened to split the entire Church. So what did they do?

Acts 15:6–7 “The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said…”

They rehearsed Peter’s history in how the Gospel had spread.

They rehearsed what they already believed about the Gospel: Acts 15:11 “But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

They listened to how God had worked through Paul and Barnabas with the gentiles.

James then summarized their discussion and suggested a solution. (13-21)

Acts 15:22–23 “Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, with the following letter:”

What did NOT happen is that with Peter, Paul, James and other apostles there, no one stood up and said: “I’ve got a revelation” or “a word from the Lord.”

They debated, talked and reasoned their way through which ended in them writing to the Church at Antioch: Acts 15:28 “For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements:”

They took their process as the very leading of the Holy Spirit!

Do I take to heart the experience of those who have gone before me?

The Holy Spirit has provided leading in the COUNSEL and EXPERIENCE of others.

Have I talked with others of mature Christian walk & experience?

PLANS: I won’t belabor this point. In what we’ve seen so far, we have example after example that these men and women of God made their plans in accordance with what they knew from God’s Word and using their best wisdom – they acted on their plans and committing them to the Lord, were willing to have those plans interrupted or changed as God intervened providentially.

PROVIDENCE: The Holy Spirit directs through PROVIDENCE.

Providence, the outward circumstances of our lives as arranged by God also play a role.

We see this carried out in a very graphic was in Paul’s ministry.

Acts 16:6–10 “And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”

PRAYER: We come then full circle back to prayer – and keeping with the Word, taking advantage of our best wisdom, making our plans – and then committing them into His hands, knowing that He cares for us and knows our desire to serve Him well – We trust Him with our decisions.

VII. PROCESS: This then brings us to the practical process. How do we do this? And I have some suggestions which grow out of what we have just studied.

QUESTIONS – Asking ourselves the right questions. This may be as shocking to you for its simplicity as it is for its freedom.

Ask:

Will my choice prevent or hinder me from doing anything God expressly commands me to do in His Word?

Will my choice cause me to do anything God expressly forbids me from doing in His Word?

Have I weighed to pros and cons, and am thus using my best wisdom and counsel?

Father, if this is not the best choice, please intervene providentially.

What would that look like in our present case?

Hiring an associate will not prevent us from doing anything commanded in God’s Word. In fact, it will facilitate it.

Hiring an associate will not violate any prohibition in God’s Word.

Our collective wisdom sees the need.

We make our plans and commit it to Him.

Praying about it!

Making sure our candidates are those who meet the Biblical qualifications. Committee, Elders, Congregation.

Examining them as best we can within our providential constraints.

Discussing it all among ourselves so as to make the best use of our collective wisdom. And here is where we need everyone’s candid input. You won’t hurt anyone’s feelings. We need to know what our various and many eyes saw, ears heard and hearts and minds thought. Especially email us so thoughts, observations, opinions and ideas aren’t lost, but all factored in.

Does this candidate best fill the specific needs of this congregation at this juncture in our history?

Making our choice – putting our plans into motion.

Committing all of this into the hands of our Father – trusting Him in it.

In the case of Matt Gibert, we followed the process and God in the end answered and interrupted. Not necessarily because he was a bad choice, but for His own reasons. We can trust Him.

And we can follow the same process now. We are not required to hire either of the ones before us at present. But all things considered, we may well hire either one – or continue looking. All in prayer, and all looking to our loving, faithful Father to see us through.

We don’t have to discern THE guy. We do as Scriptures calls us to, and we will get a guy – in God’s good grace. Who is best for us in this place at this time under these circumstances. We can trust the Father.
Easter Sunday Sermon – Our Certain Hope

April 2nd, 2018
Empty tomb with three crosses on a hill side.

Easter 2018

Acts 26:6-8

Acts 26:6-8 “And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king! Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?”

We are all aware that some words we use every day, may have completely different meanings in other languages.

The word “gift” in English is the German word for poison.

Trombone in French means Paperclip.

And I’m told that “In Hebrew our English word pronounced ‘me’ means who, our word pronounced ‘who’ means he, and our word pronounced ‘he’ means she and ‘dog’ means fish.

Not only is this true with other languages, English words which have been around for a long time can change their meanings too.

When I was young, if something was hot, it only meant that it had a high temperature.

Then hot become cool. And cool become hot. And Michael Jackson taught us that bad was good. Green’s Dictionary of slang says “good” can refer to alcohol, phencyclidine, heroin or marijuana.

Not only that, but over time the word NICE in English originally meant silly or simple – it was NOT a compliment.

And the word SILLY originally meant that which was blessed or worthy instead of foolish.

NAUGHTY originally simply meant you had naught, or nothing. You were poor. It can be confusing can’t it?

And among many Biblical words which have changed their meaning over time, 2 especially have suffered a most sad and even destructive metamorphosis: FAITH, and the word I wish to key in on in this text today – HOPE.

FAITH has suffered in recent years, because it gets used in ways the Bible never uses it.

Faith is not, as is commonly thought by many: Believing in something without proof. Biblical faith is always based upon proof.

FAITH in the Bible is never simply generic belief or religion. It is instead believing the revelation of the character of God as it is revealed in 3 places: creation, His Word, and in His actions.

When the Apostle Paul was making his case on trial in the passage I just read, he could point to the fact that Jesus actually came as the Promised Messiah; that in His coming He fulfilled all the prophecies about Him in God’s Word; and that He then substantiated all of this in His own resurrection. They were substantial claims. Paul’s faith had a foundation. Ours ought to have the very same if it is truly – faith.

You see, we believe the Bible because it tells us the truth. The truth about God, about life, about humankind’s origin among other things. It accurately describes the brokenness of the human race, and the way of redemption from our separation from God and the devastation our sin has brought upon us.

It gives us accurate pictures of it all and sound reasons behind why things are the way they are.

It records all kinds of facts we can verify: Personages, places, events which can and have been verified over and over.

Biblical FAITH is based on God’s character, and what He has revealed.

Biblical HOPE, too is far different than the way we use the word hope today.

We use hope mostly in terms of wishful thinking. We hope something will resolve itself, or something will change for the better. We want something to happen and hope it will – with or without a substantive reason to believe it really will.

But in the Bible, the word HOPE is never used as mere wishfulness – like: I hope the Bills will win the next Superbowl – but always has the element REASONABLE expectation. So when it comes to things like salvation and the resurrection: HOPE is the faith based expectation of the fulfillment of God’s promised blessings to His people.

Let me repeat that. Hope is the REASONED expectation of the fulfillment of God’s promised blessings to His people. It is not imagined or baseless. It is a warranted expectation of good, rooted in the good promises God has made in His Word, to those who love Him.

So in our text here. Paul was arguing that he was on trial for the HOPE that Israel had always taught was to be looked forward to. Which hope in short, is the resurrection of the dead.

A HOPE that was both fully justified by God’s promises, and fully verified in Jesus’ own resurrection from the dead.

Let me go back to the text I began with. Acts 26:6-8 “And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king! Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?”

Many of the powerful religious leaders in Jesus’ day were jealous of Him. If He was who He said He was, He had both a claim to the office of King over Israel, and as Messiah the very authority of God AS God. And as God, He kept uncovering their sin and corruption. And that was something they neither wanted to admit, nor to give an account for.

It would threaten their power base fatally. The solution? Simple, have Him killed.

What they did not know, what no one understood yet, was that He had all along planned to come and die.

I want us to see just 3 things that are of vital importance in this text – all related to the HOPE that brings us all here today – the hope of resurrection from the dead.
1. Note that Paul’s hope is connected to God’s promise to His people.
As far back as the book of Job, the oldest book in the Bible, the hope of the resurrection was articulated. And in all sorts of places this hope is reiterated over and over – which should lead us all to conclude as Paul Himself did that “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” 1 Cor. 15:9

This is the true hope of everyone who is in Christ – that there is far more than this life, there is a life to come, in eternity, WITH the God and Christ who redeemed us from our sins.

Not a fabricated hope, but one firmly established in God’s Word.
1. Note 2^nd that the reality of the resurrection was so central, that God designed it to form the basis of Israel’s worship of God. Paul says it this way: “And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day.” And here we have to take very careful note.
For the Jewish way of worship, as established by God was all focused on man NOT being able to earn his way to God in righteousness. This, for 2 reasons:

First, the Law that God gave was an impossible standard that showed us our sinfulness and our inability to overcome sin and earn eternal life.

Secondly, every sacrifice and offering displayed God’s way of saving us: God Himself providing a perfect sacrifice, sufficient to atone for all our sin. Him, making the way for us to be declared holy by imputing our sin to a substitute, so that we could be treated as though we hadn’t sinned.

So the Bible teaches in Romans 4:22–25 when speaking of how Abraham was counted righteous: “That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”

Christ’s righteousness put on the account of those who believe, so that when we are raised to stand before God in judgment – we have a glad and certain hope of not only of no condemnation – but of an eternal reward! This is the Gospel!
1. Note 3^rd that if we really believe that God is who He reveals Himself to be in His Creation, in the Bible, and in His self-disclosure in the incarnation – then this hope makes perfect, rational sense. It isn’t pie in the sky; an imagined or conjured up hope. It is a substantive and life-shaping hope. So Paul asks: “Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?”
If He is the God of the Bible – this makes perfect sense.

Why not resurrection from the dead even as Jesus said it would be? John 5:25–29 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.”

If God is who the Bible says He is – Why not forgiveness of sins?

Why not the power to create a new heavens and earth?

Why not a hope that transcends even the grave itself?

Jesus’ own resurrection is the substantive, certain HOPE of everyone who has come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is not the mere wishfulness

It is the promise that Jesus made, that all who are united to Him in faith, in putting their trust in His atoning sacrifice for their sins on the cross – as dying in our place; taking the punishment we deserved for our rebellion against God’s rightful and absolute claim over our lives – would be raised just like Him when He returns, to gain the eternal rewards He purchased for us.

This is the hope offered to each one of you today in the Gospel.

The Bible says that before one believes the Gospel of Jesus dying in their place for their sins – we are truly hope-less. Ephesians 2:12 “remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”

But then 1 Thess. 4:13 tells us what it is like for those who believe: “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

This is why we celebrate this day like no other – Because HE IS RISEN!

How this infuses the words of Jesus at the Last Supper with much fuller meaning.

For when He broke the bread and gave the cup on the night when He was betrayed, He said: 1 Corinthians 11:24b–26 “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

Do this – and proclaim my death – until the day of resurrection.

How much more fitting then that we come to this table today.

Come gather with me, brothers dear

I’ve longed to sit and dine

To eat my final Passover

With you I own as mine

My time, at last, is now at hand

And though I’ve told you so

I know you do not comprehend

The means by which I’ll go

The truth, so hard for you to hear

Is, one of you this night

Betrays me to my enemies

And then will take your flight

Each one, not knowing what this meant

Asked, Lord, could it be me?

The hand that dipped the dish with mine

He said, that one is he

Then Judas pressing further asked

Rabbi, am I the one?

And Jesus said, “it’s as you say”

The treason had begun

Tis then that Jesus took the bread

And broke it as He blessed

Take eat, this is my flesh

For you – He this confessed

And then He took the cup to Him

And giving thanks He said

This is My blood I give for you

For sin’s remission shed

Now do these in rememb’ring me

When I am gone from here

For I’ll have nothing more until

The Kingdom does appear

Then going out they sang a hymn

And to the Garden came

Where Christ in prayer so agonized

In unimagined pain

He prayed the cup might pass from Him

Three times, He cried it still

But more, He prayed – not as I wish

My Father, as you will

He prayed till angels strengthened Him

And heavenly succor came

Then prayed His own the Father keep

In God’s own holy name

Until at last the traitor came

With those who take by might

Betraying Jesus with his kiss

They bound Him in the night

And to the High Priest’s mocking courts

They dragged and beat and spit

Brought forth their lying witnesses

Whose stories did not fit

Then off to Pilate’s judgment hall

They dragged Him in disgrace

And pled to have Him crucified

The Lord and King of grace

Then sent to Herod’s gawking gaze

He stood, but gave no speech

Thus Herod sent Him back again

For Pilate to impeach

The spineless Pilate caving in

And care-less, gave the word

To let the brutal torturers

Perform what Christ endured

More mocking still and agonies

He suffered at their hands

Their wicked taunts to prophesy

And jump to their commands

No mercy pleas escaped His lips

Not one condemning cry

He suffered as deserving all

In willingness to die

Not one defense He offered up

As Calvary’s path He trod

No murmuring, no loud complaint

Just yielding to His God

Then on the cross, His seven words

Forgive them, they don’t know

And to thief, today with Me

To paradise we’ll go

To Mary said: Behold your Son

John, make her your mother

Then: Father, you’ve forsaken me

More grief than any other

I thirst: He cried, in agony

It’s finished, then, He said

Gave up His spirit to His God

In death, then hung His head

But why no claims of innocence?

No word to change His fate

No syllable of self-defense

To set the record straight

Because, He took our guilt Himself

He bore it as His own

Though perfect in His righteousness

No sin had ever known

He willingly stood in my place

And took what I was due

And if by faith you trust His work

His blood redeems you too
A Good Friday Poem

March 30th, 2018

Come gather with me, brothers dear

I’ve longed to sit and dine

To eat my final Passover

With you I own as mine

My time, at last, is now at hand

And though I’ve told you so

I know you do not comprehend

The means by which I’ll go

The truth, so hard for you to hear

Is, one of you this night

Betrays me to my enemies

And then will take your flight

Each one, not knowing what this meant

Asked, Lord, could it be me?

The hand that dipped the dish with mine

He said, that one is he

Then Judas pressing further asked

Rabbi, am I the one?

And Jesus said, “it’s as you say”

The treason had begun

‘Tis then that Jesus took the bread

And broke it as He blessed

Take eat, this is my flesh

For you – He this confessed

And then He took the cup to Him

And giving thanks He said

This is My blood I give for you

For sin’s remission shed

Now do these in rememb’ring me

When I am gone from here

For I’ll have nothing more until

The Kingdom does appear

Then going out they sang a hymn

And to the Garden came

Where Christ in prayer so agonized

In unimagined pain

He prayed the cup might pass from Him

Three times, He cried it still

But more, He prayed – not as I wish

My Father, as you will

He prayed till angels strengthened Him

And heavenly succor came

Then prayed His own the Father keep

In God’s own holy name

Until at last the traitor came

With those who take by might

Betraying Jesus with his kiss

They bound Him in the night

And to the High Priest’s mocking courts

They dragged and beat and spit

Brought forth their lying witnesses

Whose stories did not fit

Then off to Pilate’s judgment hall

They dragged Him in disgrace

And pled to have Him crucified

The Lord and King of grace

Then sent to Herod’s gawking gaze

He stood, but gave no speech

Thus Herod sent Him back again

For Pilate to impeach

The spineless Pilate caving in

And care-less, gave the word

To let the brutal torturers

Perform what Christ endured

More mocking still and agonies

He suffered at their hands

Their wicked taunts to prophesy

And jump to their commands

No mercy pleas escaped His lips

Not one condemning cry

He suffered as deserving all

In willingness to die

Not one defense He offered up

As Calvary’s path He trod

No murmuring, no loud complaint

Just yielding to His God

Then on the cross, His seven words

Forgive them, they don’t know

And to the thief, today with Me

To paradise we’ll go

To Mary said: Behold your Son

John, make her your mother

Then: Father, you’ve forsaken me

More grief than any other

I thirst: He cried, in agony

It’s finished, then, He said

Gave up His spirit to His God

In death, then hung His head

But why no claims of innocence?

No word to change His fate

No syllable of self-defense

To set the record straight

Because, He took our guilt Himself

He bore it as His own

Though perfect in His righteousness

No sin had ever known

He willingly stood in my place

And took what I was due

And if by faith you trust His work

His blood redeems you too
Palm Sunday – Seeing the Unseen

March 30th, 2018

AUDIO FOR THIS SERMON CAN BE FOUND HERE
Revelation 1-9 Recap – Getting our Bearings

March 21st, 2018
Revelation Part 20 – Recap

Revelation Ch. 9

AUDIO FOR THIS SERMON CAN BE FOUND HERE

Having just covered this unusual chapter in 2 parts, someone asked if I might do a brief recap to help put it all together. I thought that was a stellar idea. At the same time wanted to show you just how and why I arrived at some of the interpretive decisions I made, with the hope that it will be both useful and encouraging to each of you in your own study.

While there is no question Revelation is a challenging book, with just a few key ideas under your belt, there is no one here who cannot read it without great understanding and profit – as long as we avoid assigning arbitrary meaning to the symbols and pictures it contains.

So today will be a bit different as a sermon as I attempt to explain some of the methodology of approaching it.

Basic Method: Questions.
1. Are the symbols self-explanatory or even common to John and his first readers?
2. Are they explained in the immediate text?
3. Are they explained elsewhere in the Bible?
4. Do the concepts accord with other clear Biblical teaching?
What is certain? What is reasonable? What is mere speculation?

I try to be careful to tell you where that is the case on my part.

Quick recap up to Ch. 9.

Ch. 1 – Introduction & Commission

Chs. 2-3 – The Letters

Ch. 4 – The Throne of God

Ch. 5 – The Lion, the Lamb and the Scroll

Ch. 6 – Opening the 6 seals (Revealing and enacting)

Ch. 7 – Sealing the Saints

Ch. 8 – The 7^th Seal and the 1^st 4 Trumpets

Ch. 9 – The 5^th & 6^th Trumpets / What can we know for sure, and how do we know it?

1. Books as we have them, were quite rare in John’s time. Scrolls were the norm. A sealed scroll was the typical means of preserving very important documents untampered with. Especially the wills of important people in John’s day. When a will was opened, just as today, it then entered the stage of its contents being carried out. Disbursements. In this case, taking into account the rest of the book – God’s final plan for judging sin and evil, and granting the saints their inheritance. We take that scenario from reading the book as a whole. That is how it ends – sin and death and Satan being finally dealt with, and Believers entering the fullness of their promised inheritance.

Writing on both sides would indicate the contents were entire. There was no part 2, say on another scroll. Someone took pains to be sure it was all written in one place and made tamperproof. This was the whole deal.

2. From the OT we firmly established how God appointed the use of trumpets to signal action on the part of His people militarily, civilly and even ecclesiastically. Military use of trumpets has been common through the ages up to and including our own civil war. Hence our view that the trumpets serve as announcements and warnings. And as we’ve seen, they appear to enlarge upon aspects of God’s judgments as revealed in the opening of the seals. There are a dozen or more passages in the OT where God tells His prophets to “blow the trumpet” in warning God’s people judgment is coming upon them for their sins.

III. Rev. 9:1

Stars: As early as Job 38 angels are sometimes referred to as “stars”. Rev. 1:20 clearly explains that picture and sets the tone for its use in the rest of the book. In this verse, the star is even personified as “he.” So we KNOW it is an entity.

Angels as “fallen” are never referred to positively in Scripture.

IV. Rev. 9:2

The bottomless pit or abyss we’ve seen addressed in other places like 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6. Additionally, this will reappear in Rev. 20:3, where the pit is identified as the place where Satan is bound – so that he can “deceive the nations no longer.” There we also see another very important fact: The activity of Satan and the main concern about his activity is – deception. Darkness from the truth.

V. Rev. 9:3-5

Natural knowledge of locusts combined with the revelation of darkness and deception from Satan and his minions is clear. Natural locusts eat plant life – these do not. Natural locusts would not make a distinction between people – these do. The previous chapter showed us by demonstration from the OT that this sealing of God’s people was invisible and spiritual – keeping them from the harm of the locusts, just as Jesus told us that if it were possible, even the elect would be deceived in the last days.

Matthew 24:24–28

Again, the natural knowledge of the 1^st readers would have recognized the 5 month period as simply the season of locusts – indicating this demonic deception has its season too.

VI. Rev. 9:6

Common knowledge would tell us there is no state of immortality for people, which would rule out the idea this inability to die is a purely physical thing – not to mention the fact that later in the chapter, 1/3 of mankind ARE killed. Physical death in that sense is not the issue. This coincides more closely with spiritual or psychological pain as the result of the demonic darkness and deception.

VII. Rev. 9:7-10

The language here is clarified for us in detail back in Joel 2. There, a genuine locust invasion is used to symbolize God’s judgment on His people – just like the locust plague on Egypt in Ex. 10. And all of the same military language is used of the locusts back there too – because they are in effect, an “army” sent from God in judgment.

IIX. Rev. 9:11

In case we had any doubt this plague is Satanic and demonic in nature – the text then says explicitly that Satan is the one behind this invading force which inflicts woes on those who do not belong to God in Christ.

IX. Rev. 9:12-16

Keeping with the involvement of the angelic hosts, both holy and fallen, one sent from the very altar of incense before the throne in Heaven – where the prayers of the saints are offered up (so we too factor into this) God sends an angel to loose 4 demonic entities to marshal an innumerable army of other demons to bring about the loss of 1/3 of mankind. Exactly how is not explained. But whatever the means, it seems to have zero impact on people in terms of turning from their sin and to God.

X. Rev. 9:17-19

Once again, we are given images to reinforce the attack nature of God’s judgments in military imagery. And in keeping with what we have seen already in the first part of the chapter, these do their damage by what comes out of their mouths. Just as in Ch. 1 it is a sharp, two-edged sword which comes out of the mouth of the Risen and glorified Jesus, so here, their word is the means whereby people are destroyed in great number.

It is the propagation of deception and darkness from the truth. This is a recurring motif throughout the Bible where the figures of light for truth, and darkness for the obscuring of truth is common. Especially in John’s writings.

John 3:19–21 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”

We see it in Paul too: 2 Corinthians 4:6

Colossians 1:13

2 Corinthians 4:1–5

And in Peter as well: 1 Peter 2:9

1 John 1:5–10

XI. Rev. 9:20-21

Given the ways mankind is suffering to this point, even to a 1/3 of it being wiped out in the era of this 6^th trumpet – it seems to have no impact on the hearts and minds of those remaining.

As the text marvels at their unrepentance, so should we. And marvel that in God’s economy, repentance is still being held out as a hope – though it is rejected.

The previous 2 times we’ve looked at several lessons we can take away from all this – and there are yet more for us to consider as we think about this recap.
1. What can possibly be more cruel, than to seal the fate of people such that they die in their trespasses and sins? That they be blinded from the truth of reality – of Who God is, who and what mankind is, why we are here, why things are the way they are, what the purpose of creation and life is, and what will come after this.
“In 1944, Hiroo Onoda was sent to the small island of Lubang in the western Philippines to spy on U.S. forces in the area. Allied forces defeated the Japanese imperial army in the Philippines in the latter stages of the war, but Onoda, a lieutenant, evaded capture. While most of the Japanese troops on the island withdrew or surrendered in the face of oncoming American forces, Onoda and a few fellow holdouts hid in the jungles, dismissing messages saying the war was over.

For 29 years, he survived on food gathered from the jungle or stolen from local farmers.

After losing his comrades to various circumstances, Onoda was eventually persuaded to come out of hiding in 1974.

His former commanding officer traveled to Lubang to see him and tell him he was released from his military duties.

In his battered old army uniform, Onoda handed over his sword, nearly 30 years after Japan surrendered.” CNN Website article.

Think of the sad deception of world-renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking who just passed away last week. Deceived into a wholly materialistic view of life and the universe, standing finally before the Creator he steadily and emphatically denied. How tragic is that?

2. While Christians, as sealed by the Spirit are protected against the great delusion of unbelief, we are not immune to the enemy attempting to deceive us as well in making us ineffectual for the Kingdom.

We can all too easily buy into some of the World’s current thinking as well – and be deceived in some ways. This was a key issue in the letters to the 7 churches in Chs. 2-3.

The Ephesians were deceived into thinking that as long as they had their doctrine straight, their lack of passion toward Christ was irrelevant.

Smyrna was in danger of hiding their Christianity due to persecution.

Pergamum was in danger of syncretism – blending their Christianity with false religions and what it could lead to. Losing the exclusivity of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross alone.

Thyatira was being deceived by a false prophetess who was convincing them in matters that led them into sexual immorality.

Sardis was living on their reputation as hot, hip and happening, when their spiritual lives were all but dead. Deceived into relishing external demonstrations over internal life in Christ.

Philadelphia was in danger of thinking that because they were small and marginalized, that they didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. Of losing their grip on how important patient endurance is.

Laodicea was wealthy, prominent and self-sufficient, and were deceived into settling for that even though they were not of any real spiritual value to anyone else.

We must guard our own hearts and minds – for this enemy of ours will attempt – if it were possible – to lead the very elect into the great deception of rejecting Christ.

Knowing he cannot do that, he will do his best to distract, discourage, demoralize, doubt and derail us from our mission to the world.

3. This is the great deception WE are called to dispel in the preaching and living of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our age.

1 John 2:7–11

If you are looking for purpose in life – what can possibly be greater than helping people see and understand the truth about all of life – in the light of glory of Jesus Christ? Seeing them reconciled to the God who made them? Forgiven of all their sins. Freed from the bondage of those sins. Becoming inheritors of eternal life. How?

Prayer.

Giving so the Church continues to preach and teach the Word of God.

Public Worship in making God known locally.

Personal growth in the image, the character of Christ so others are exposed to Him through us.

Sharing the Gospel of justification by faith alone in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Serving the local Church so it continues its testimony in the world.

Missions – so the Gospel goes abroad.

Newton:

You have only to repose

On my wisdom, love, and care;

When my wrath consumes my foes,

Mercy shall my children spare;

While they perish in the flood,

You that bear my holy mark,†

Sprinkled with atoning blood,

Shall be safe within the ark.”

4 Sinners, see the ark prepar’d!

Haste to enter while there’s room;

Though the Lord his arm has bar’d,

Mercy still retards your doom:

Seek him while there yet is hope,

Ere the day of grace be past,

Lest in wrath he give you up,

And this call should prove your last.
Revelation Ch.9b – Seeing the Invisible

March 14th, 2018
Revelation 9:13–21

Daniel 2:1-45

Seeing the Invisible

AUDIO FOR THIS SERMON CAN BE FOUND HERE

We are currently in the 2^nd portion of Revelation ch. 9. As we saw last time, a pretty challenging chapter due to the nature of its imagery.

Once again, we are approaching this structure of Jesus addressing the 7 churches in Asia as they were in John’s day; moving on to Jesus opening the 7 seals of the scroll which lays out and begins God’s final program for judging sin and rewarding His saints; and now the sounding of the 7 trumpets which appear to be warnings and enlargements on the way God’s judgments will take place; and then on to the 7 bowls which seem to be the actual final events being accomplished.

And just as John reminds us in his own 1^st letter, 1 John 2:18 “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.” – All the way through this book of Revelation we have this dynamic of the very final things yet to come, but in some capacity we’re are already experiencing some of those things now. I believe this 9^th chapter gives us a real sense of that.

This of course is fully in keeping with Jesus’ words to John in Rev. 1:19 “Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.”

Because Jesus reveals Himself several times as: Rev. 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” We should expect this back and forth between things which are already history, some things contemporaneous with ourselves and some things yet to come. Trying to slice these too thinly may be not really be possible with much certainty. Though there are places where the timeframe is more evident.

So, at the sounding of the 5^th trumpet, we were introduced to the reality that not only is God in Heaven and doing things, and that we are on earth doing things, but also there is the unseen realm of the demonic and that also has to factor into how we understand what is going on around us. And we saw that the chief work of Satan and his demons is to perpetuate deceptions to keep people from knowing God as He truly his, our own sinful, fallen condition and its implications, and especially our need of salvation and how that has been provided for in the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus – especially His substitutionary death on the cross and salvation by faith in it.

Now, at the sounding of the 6^th trumpet, a voice comes from the altar in Heaven – an indication this would be the voice of God Himself – issuing a command that has further massive implications on earth.
1. (13-15) “Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind.”
The command is to set free 4 angels, who had apparently been kept bound by God – most likely in judgment. That would be in keeping with what we saw last time – how the angels who rebelled against God earlier were consigned to chains of darkness. (2 Pet., Jude 6)

These particular angels are bound at the river Euphrates. And they are released according to a divine time table of some sort.

What we are probably looking at here is not so much a geographical reference, as it is what the geography represents.

Looking back at the whole Old Testament and especially the passage we had read for us in Daniel, we recall the Euphrates basin was where Babylon was located. And the figure of Babylon always represented 2 things to the Jewish mind Biblically. We’ll see this developed more later in the book. But the 2 things Babylon most often represented to John and his 1^st readers are these:
1. Babylon was used as symbol of the contrast between human government and the World system, as opposed to God’s Reign and His people. This will be developed more in Revelation later.
2. Babylon represented global conquest. The great Babylonian empire which conquered and destroyed Israel gave way to the Medo-Persian empire, then the Greek and the finally the Roman empire. And as the prophecy in Daniel demonstrates, there will NOT be another world empire like those – for in the days the Roman empire, Christ came and began to establish His empire, before which all other world empires had to crumble.
There will never again be a world empire the likes of those previous ones. But that does not mean the idea behind those empires is gone.

When prophecy mavens look for a one-world government politically or militarily, they are probably barking up the wrong tree. From what we see here, the “one-world government” is spiritual in nature. We are being exposed to the global deception of it even now; which is keeping people from the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and bound in the deception of human religion, material wealth, cultural morality and personal autonomy.

The world is captive to this system. This is the global empire of darkness as we saw last time. All the more insidious because of its seeming invisibility.

It is this invisible empire that is being exposed in this chapter as we began to see last time – and which is now expanded upon in the 6^th warning, announcement or trumpet.

There is no bondage as great as that of the invisible chains of deception.
1. (16-17) “The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths.”
Once again, we’re being confronted with images that are surreal, but communicate important ideas.

The number is simply meant to communicate immensity – 200 million. Just like the picture of the vast number of “locusts” in vs. 3 that darken the sky.

Breastplates clearly speak of war or battle of some sort. They are referred to as “troops” – the same way the locusts above were, both here, Joel and elsewhere.

Lion’s heads indicate ferocity.

Fire, sulfur and smoke are common images of judgment lumped together which we can trace throughout Scripture: (Gen. 19:24, 28; Deut. 29:23; Isa. 34:9–10; Ezek. 38:22 etc.).

But the most important feature is that “fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths.” Again, images like this one on the screen completely miss the point.

We’re already familiar with this kind of imagery, aren’t we?

Remember what we saw back in Ch.1 and the vision of the risen Jesus John saw there? Revelation 1:16 “In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.”

Do we imagine Jesus actually has a sword coming out of His mouth? Or do we instantly recognize that what is being depicted is the power and action of His word?

The same here. What is dangerous and devastating about these demonic entities is what they communicate! How they lie against the truth of God and spread deception that blinds people to the Gospel, so that they die in their sins.
1. (18-19) “By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.”
By the lies these demons propagate, and what ensues or follows from those lies (the picture of their tails biting like serpents) – 1/3 of mankind dies.

And immediately our minds run to a picture of either some biological disaster or perhaps war – especially with the idea of 200,000,000 mounted troops. A specific event or battle.

But I am not so sure those interpretations fit with how this is all the result of darkness and deception.

Note first of all that earlier in the chapter, we’re told those sealed with the mark of God are spared from this. But in all human wars Christians have always suffered and died along with unbelievers. Something else is happening here.

Perhaps more fitting, and I am only suggesting here, but just perhaps – we’re witnessing something far more insidious. What if through the darkening of people’s eyes from Biblical truth, a doctrine, a pervasive point of view began to spread that justified the murder of untold millions – but all in the name of doing good, supporting human autonomy, in line with economic expediency, with the moral approval of the culture and even justified by those claiming to be religious ? Something like a global capitulation to – abortion?

Population today: 7.4 billion

Total number of abortions worldwide since 1980 – 1.5 billion

We’re not far off from 1/3 of mankind being slaughtered with governmental, cultural and moral approval, in the darkness of demonic deception and all right under our noses in those nations most championed as enlightened and evolved.

I’m not saying that specifically IS what is being referred to here. But it sure makes us realize how it can happen, with nary a hand raised in opposition. Happening, but still not alarming those in the following verses to repentance. For that is precisely what is recorded – they aren’t alarmed. They don’t repent.
1. (20-21) “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.”
By virtue of their false teaching – what comes out of their mouths – they will seal the fate of 1/3 of mankind.

What’s happening here? Mankind is being decimated in unimaginable numbers, and the rest of humanity witnesses it, but doesn’t comprehend what’s going on.

The darkness and deception has so clouded their minds, they cannot see the reality of it. And so they don’t repent. They don’t understand that this is judgment for sin and demonically inspired. They just go about their business of serving material goods under the influence of demons. Increasing in their violence against one another in war, abortion, the character assassination that pervades social media, their humanly invented religion and spirituality, their sexual immorality and their greed.

None of it sinks in. They truly have become dumb sheep marching to their own slaughter.

So they do not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk. And for many, their idols of gold are enshrined in their bank accounts, while they live in their temples of stone and wood.

Nor do they repent of their murders (war, abortion, etc.).

Nor their sorceries.

I know it is common today for many to make a connection here between the Greek word “pharmakon” from which we have the English word pharmacy and the prevalent use of drugs in our culture. There is a slight possibility there, but that’s not really how language works. Like no one imagines that a butterfly has anything to do either with butter or flies.

The word as it was used then, had more to do with using means to manipulate reality – or especially manipulate God – or the cosmic or spiritual powers. It is more akin to the idea behind books like The Secret or even some books in Christian circles, like The Prayer of Jabez. More subtly, using rites, rituals, promises or behaviors etc., to get God to do what we want Him to do.

Bargaining with Him. Using obediences as means of bribery or cosmic arm twisting.

All of which is utterly and completely contrary to Biblical truth, and who God is and who we are.

The idea that God can be bought off to give us what we want if we promise to read the Bible more, or pray more, or give more or go to Church more make Him out to be a deity for hire! It is blasphemy.

It demeans Him as God, and we as made in His image.

Deut. 10:17 “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.”

Nor do they repent of their sexual immorality. No indeed. They even justify it – Biblically!

Nor their thefts. Greed governs all.

So we’re reminded in 1 Tim. 4:1–3 “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.” Teachings of demons that destroy biblical notions of marriage and even how we eat in the name of a humanly created religion.

2 Tim. 3:1–9 “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.”

2 Tim. 4:3–4 “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

All of this resulting in a Cross-less salvation, personal autonomy, invented legalism for salvation (political correctness), license for sin and false Christs.

What if anything then are we to take away from this? Let me suggest just 3.
1. Grasping the SPIRITUAL REALITY OF OUR SITUATION. We must remain aware of the demonically influenced BLINDNESS OF MEN.
That even as Christ’s Kingdom is already among us, but not yet fully realized, so this demonic darkness and deception is already at work and increasing.

Hence our need to be aware of, and to live in, the light of this revelation. This will greatly impact what we do.

There are no political solutions to spiritual problems.

There are no legal solutions to spiritual problems.

There are no scientific solutions to spiritual problems.

There are no economic solutions to spiritual problems.

There are no religious solutions to spiritual problems.

We must act responsibly in all of these spheres, but realize that nothing short of true, inward spiritual renewal through the Holy Spirit’s application of the Gospel can change fallen human nature.

Humankind needs Christ!
1. Resting in God’s SOVEREIGN SUPERINTENDENCE. Rev. 9:15 “So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind.”
So completely is our God still actively in control, that even these demonic hordes cannot act except He permits them, and that, down to a year, a month, a day and even a specific hour.

How comforting for those sealed with the seal of God in their foreheads – those who are Christ’s!

We are kept by His love and power. In the midst of all of these grizzly things – God still knows His people, and sets the limits on those who seek to do us the most harm – even the very forces of Hell.
1. Committing to the MISSION and METHOD OF THE CHURCH. God’s chief method and means of protecting of His people is by sanctifying us, setting us apart by the truth as it is in Jesus Christ.
I wish I could go back this morning and unpack Jesus’ prayer in John 17 as it relates to all of this – because it instructs us by example to face all that is coming. But there is this all important point in that prayer that speaks to the heart of all of this for Believers – the importance of God’s Word as our source of unimpeachable truth.

John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

Beloved, Read, know, meditate on, study God’s Word. It is God’s means to separate His people from those upon whom these plagues are poured out.

Sunday school and preaching and the Bible studies we offer aren’t just to keep people busy or “involved” – they are to keep the truth before our hearts and minds in the face of demonic opposition.

And His Word IS sufficient for all these things, by the power of His indwelling Spirit – come what may.

Christ has died for us, that it might be so.
Plain Theology for Plain People – A Review

March 7th, 2018

Charles Octavius Boothe was a slave. Born in Alabama, June 13, 1845, he was the “legal property” of one Nathaniel Howard.

Charles Octavius Boothe was a man of God. Coming to faith in Christ in 1865 and baptized in 1866. It seems his social or physical, and his spiritual emancipation coincided. And from that time on, as Walter Strickland writes in the introduction to Boothe’s “Plain Theology”, “Racial uplift was Boothe’s consuming passion.”

Boothe’s efforts toward this end were concentrated above all in education. He was convinced that an educated black community was the best way to contradict the stereotypes with which black Americans were saddled.

Entering the ministry, he both founded and pastored two important churches: “First Colored Baptist Church” in Meridian, Mississippi, and in 1877, “Second Colored Baptist Church” in Montgomery Al. The latter had a name change to Dexter Avenue Baptist Church and went on to civil rights fame under the pastorate of Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King served there from 1954 – 1960.

Thus while basic education was a necessity, Boothe was burdened that mere education was not enough. The impact in black literacy rates due to his and other’s efforts during this time was profound. In 1860, literacy among southern blacks was a mere 10%. By 1890, that rate had risen to 43%. But as I said above, for Boothe, that was not enough. Literacy alone could not accomplish what needed to be done. To quote Strickland’s Introduction once more: “Boothe promoted literacy so former slaves could read the Bible and break free of the oppressive interpretive practices that made the Christian faith a tool to subjugate blacks during slavery. By reading the Bible for themselves blacks could escape manipulative interpretations that were used to foster docility in slaves and make obedience to their masters synonymous with obedience to God.”

Boothe’s response to that fuller need was: “Plain Theology for Plain People.” A systematic theology for those who had no prior theological platform to build upon. A volume in the plainest English, to summarize a Biblical framework and worldview to lead African Americans to their rightful place at the table of broader Evangelicalism. Simple but not simplistic. Brief, but not scant. Plain but not vulgar. It is a model of concise lucidity.

Boothe felt keenly the reality that in the African American community, those endeavoring to shepherd the souls of others and pastor God’s people were woefully ill-equipped. In most cases prevented from higher education let alone formal theological education, something was needed to meaningfully and soundly fill the gap. And in my estimation, he more than succeeds.

As I read this very slender volume (140 pages in all) the word that kept coming to my mind was that it “breathed.” Systematics can be stifling. Don’t get me wrong, I am a systematics guy. I love systematic theology. I love the symmetry and the depth and the framework it provides. From Calvin’s Institutes (interestingly penned as a digest for the average ex-Romanist in the pew) to Shedd’s Dogmatic theology, Berkhof, Horton, Packer, Grudem, Erickson, Ryrie, Mullins, Boice, Frame and others – I gladly swim in these waters. But often, they can be so academic and philosophical, or so driven by a pre-cast system that they lose their energy. They don’t breathe. They aren’t for the average guy or gal in the pew, but more for specialists. Unlike the Bible. Not so Plain theology for Plain People.

I did not go back to actually test this in fact, but I think if you were to take out all of Boothe’s Scripture quotations and only referenced them – you would reduce the book by 1/3 to ½. This tells you two things: 1. It is Scripture-rich in all of its points. 2. It shows Boothe’s extraordinary facility with the Word in that Plain Theology is a sum of crucial Bible doctrine demonstrated from the Bible itself, threaded together by connecting thoughts from the author. Brilliant.

Gone is the specialized technical jargon of the academic in favor of clarifying simplicity.

There are a couple of glitches. Boothe is clearly committed to Believer’s Baptism. That might give some an itch to scratch. And his portion on church discipline seems a tad unbalanced at first blush. I would love to be able to have him clarify a couple of his statements more. But no one is going to be led astray. And while the readers will not emerge with the delightful ecclesiastical labels we are so fond of in our day for classifying everyone into categories, sub-categories, sub-sub-categories etc., they will be sound their overall Biblical understanding in a systematic way. He won’t say a word about being a Baptist, a Presbyterian, Methodist or Episcopalian. He won’t refer to being “Reformed” or “Calvinistic”, “Arminian”, pre- post- or a-mill, traducian, creationist, tricotomist, in-errantist or supra- sub- or infralapsarian. Nor will he mention being a White Christian versus a Black Christian vs a Hispanic Christian vs. any other ethnically categorized Christian. He will talk only of being Christ’s and belonging to His Church and knowing truth as revealed in the Scriptures.

It BREATHES!

Plain Theology for Plain People would make a stupendous small group study, beginning Believer’s class or individual Bible study for anyone wishing to come away with the basics in a readable, accessible non-technical format.

I really cannot recommend this work highly enough. Reading it was a real treat for my own soul. And at 140 pages, it can be read through very quickly.

Plain theology for Plain People has earned one of those permanent places in my collection – and one I plan to revisit again.

Lexham press is to be commended for bringing this gem of African American theological thought to us anew in our generation. It may be more useful now than ever before.