False Teachers Will Face Tribulation

Transcript

GR 1511
12-07-08
False Teachers Will Face Tribulation
Revelation 2:22-29
Gil Rugh


In our study on Revelation, for those of you who are here regularly, we have come to Revelation 2. And I want to continue that study with you tonight. The children have been singing about the birth of Christ and the significance of that birth and the wonder of it and the beauty of it. It is awesome and amazing to think that the Son of God, the One who created all things, was born as a baby in Bethlehem. And the angels who announced His birth said, unto you this day in the city of David is born a Savior who is Christ, the Anointed One, the Lord. At His birth they were told that He was born to reign, to be a king. So when the wisemen came to Jerusalem they said, where is the One born King of the Jews. That caused a stir. A new King has been born, yet Herod is ruling and he took it as a direct threat. So when the wisemen came and found Him lying in such a humble state, they bowed down and worshiped Him and gave Him precious gifts. The One born to be a King, born to be a Savior. There is a conflict in that because the Savior must die because the penalty for sin is death. To be a king you must live and reign and the beauty of it in God's plan is His Son came to earth to suffer and die so He would be a Savior. He was raised from the dead and He is coming to earth again, we're told, in power and great glory to rule and to reign.

When we come to the book of Revelation, the last book in our Bibles, it gives us a unique picture of Jesus Christ. We are about 95 A.D. Many years have gone by since Christ was born. Over sixty years have passed since His crucifixion on the cross and His resurrection. And now He appears as the resurrected, glorified Christ to the Apostle John on the island of Patmos. And He gives John messages to be written and sent to seven churches in the region of Asia Minor, modern day Turkey. And each of these churches is addressed by Jesus Christ who is Lord of the church because He is the Savior. And when He died on the cross and was raised from the dead, the message of salvation through Christ alone was proclaimed throughout the world. You must repent of your sin and place you faith in the Messiah of Israel, the resurrected One, if you would have forgiveness. Those who believed in Him were brought together into what is called the church. It started in Acts 2 in our Bibles, as you are aware.

Now in Revelation 2-3 this great prophetic book begins with individual letters to seven specific churches. These churches are selected out because they need to hear the message that Jesus Christ has to address to each one of them individually. These particular seven are selected, not because they are the only seven in this region, because they are not, there are other churches as well named in the New Testament. But these seven churches are selected out because they will be representative of churches that will be in existence down through church history. We can find our church in one of these seven churches or things pertaining to our church found in a couple of different churches. And so we are working our way through these seven churches in anticipation of moving to the more fully prophetic portion of the book, which will begin with chapter 4 when we are ushered into the throne room of heaven. There we see the glories of heaven and those in heaven worshiping around the throne of God in chapters 4-5. Then you return to earth to see the unfolding of significant events that will be taking place on this earth in the seven years leading up to the time when Christ will return to earth to establish His kingdom in Revelation 19.

We're looking at the church in the city of Thyatira in Revelation 2:18. We've already looked at the first part of this letter. Christ has appeared to them in striking form. We sing about the baby born at Bethlehem and there is something beautiful and attractive about that theme. But you understand that the One born in Bethlehem is the One destined to be the judge of the living and the dead, the One who will sentence sinners to an eternal hell, the One who has provided salvation from an eternal hell through His death on the cross. So we need to be careful we don't become overly sentimental and appreciate the wonder of that baby born in Bethlehem. But understand who He is. And now some 60+ years after His crucifixion and resurrection He has appeared here to address His people, His churches. And He appeared in verse 18 as the Son of God. He is not only Son of Man, He is Son of God. He is God in the flesh. He has eyes like a flame of fire and His feet were like burnished bronze. We noted that He has searching eyes, He knows all, He's the One who knows all. Eyes that will bring judgment, righteous judgment. That's going to come out in what we're going to look at in a moment. Feet of bronze representing His judgment as it is used in the Old Testament tabernacle and then the temple. He is appearing to evaluate these churches and to see that they are as He intends them to be.

This is a church that has many good things about it. Verse 19, He commended them for good things. But in verse 20 He says, I have something against you, and it is serious. You tolerate a woman who is named Jezebel, she claims to be a prophetess, gets revelations from God and gives it out. And I am greatly offended by this. I am so offended by this that I am going to come and judge you if you don't make the necessary correction. This is a tolerant church. That's the problem. Verse 20, I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel. It seems that it's a terrible thing to be considered intolerant today. But you understand, Jesus Christ is intolerant. Certain things are not acceptable to Him and certain things He does not find acceptable in His church. Remember the church is described in Acts 20 as having been purchased with the blood of the Son of God. He paid a tremendous price to redeem us and gather us together as His people in local churches. And any corruption that infiltrates there is of great concern to Him. And He expects His people to be intolerant of those who would teach and promote doctrine or practices that are contrary to what He died to save us from.

And this one whom He calls Jezebel, now that's probably not her real name. We use that name as we noted even today. If you call a woman a Jezebel you haven't honored her, but you have spoken of her as a woman of disgrace, a low life kind of person. Goes back to the wife of Ahab in the book of I Kings. And she was a godless woman. And Ahab, the king of Israel, married her, she was not a Jew. So when she came to be his wife she made it her determination to turn Israel from worshiping the living God of Israel to worshiping Baal. And promoted all kinds of lewd and immoral practices in Israel. So her name is written in infamy as a godless woman. And so this woman, whatever her name is, Christ describes her as Jezebel. And everyone familiar with the Old Testament knew what that meant.

She teaches, verse 20, these my bondservants astray so they commit acts of immorality and eats things sacrificed to idols. And we noted this probably involved what was so popular in Thyatira, which we know from secular findings. They had the work guilds there, the trade guilds. Something like our unions. And the idea, if you were a metal worker you belonged to the metal worker's guild; if you worked with leather products you belonged to the leather working guild. Now associated with that, each of these guilds had their own gods. So there were festivals and these guilds came together, each one. When the leather workers got together part of what they did was offer sacrifice to the god of the guild, that they gave credit for all their success. Then that was followed by a variety of kinds of immoral and lewd kinds of practices, as often this kind of worship is.

Now this woman Jezebel has brought this into the church. And it seemed acceptable to some people because we live in a culture where you need a job. And you can't get a job if you don't belong to a guild. And you can't belong to a guild if you don't worship the god of that particular guild. So with explanation that this would be acceptable, that what we do physically won't harm us spiritually and so on, the church was being corrupted by this woman's influence.

Christ said I gave her time to repent, she does not want to repent of her immorality. We sometimes think that because God does not intervene in judgment, He has decided this behavior is okay. We see all kinds of immorality rampant in the world today. We think people get the idea, God doesn't do anything, He isn't judging. Even in the church people commit immorality, they say, see nothing happens. And we sometimes get the idea that therefore God has adjusted His thinking and now sinful behavior isn't so bad, God understands. But it is just as bad as it always is, it's just as serious in His sight. And the time He said was grace on His part, I gave her time. For what? To repent, but she doesn't want to repent. And so words of warning come.

And we pick that up with verse 22, behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness and those who commit adultery with her in the Great Tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. The word behold is to call attention here. Listen carefully, what I have to say is important. I gave her time to repent and she didn't. I'm going to come and mete out judgment. And everyone who has followed here is in a very dangerous situation. And they better repent while there is time. Remember Paul in the book of Acts, God commands all everywhere to repent because He has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.

Here is what Christ says, behold, I will throw her on a bed. Now you note you have of sickness here in italics, the translators into English have added that because often this word cast is to cast into a bed of sickness. I think here, though, it's explained and he picks up that analogy because he's talking about adultery, immorality that has been going on in the church. He's going to cast them into a bed, but the bed is, down in verse 22, the parallel statement, into great tribulation. That preposition on, as I have it in my translation, is the same one translated into, into great tribulation. So it says I will throw her into a bed, those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation. So into a bed and into great tribulation are parallel, they are saying the same thing. The bed means unrepentant people are going into, in the bed of great tribulation, of suffering. The bed used here, the metaphor, picture of where they are going to go and it picks up on a bed they've used for immorality. You're going into a bed that is a bed of tribulation, great tribulation. So she is going there and those who commit adultery with her. Doesn't necessarily mean actual physical adultery with her, they'd be guilty of physical adultery as followers of her, with whomever they are committing adultery with. Because she is promoting it as acceptable.

Now there is a word of grace at the end of verse 22, unless they repent of her deeds, following her instead of Christ. Unless they recognize and acknowledge they are sinners, they are guilty before God, they are under condemnation. Their only hope is to repent of their sin and place their faith in Him. There is no other hope. Jesus said during His earthly ministry, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. So here is a time of repentance, a time of opportunity. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, today is the day of salvation. Don't let it go by. That's the message of Christ to His church, an opportunity for you who have been in sin. You are part of a church, but that doesn't save you. You need to repent of your sin and place your faith in Me, otherwise I will bring you into judgment.

This Great Tribulation is further explained in verse 23, I will kill her children with pestilence. Literally, I will kill her children with death. Well of course, death, I will kill them with death. But we'll note in a moment that death happens in a variety of ways, of pestilence, of suffering, of different kinds of death that will come upon them in tribulation. There is impending judgment. Now we ought to remember that these messages to the churches go from the time that Christ is addressing them, all the way down to the time when He will rule and reign over the earth following His Second Coming to earth. We know that because at the end of these letters, for example at the end of this letter, He'll talk about the time when He'll rule and reign on the earth over the nations. What is said here has direct implications to the church at Thyatira, but it has broader implications than that. It is significant all the way down to the time when Christ returns to earth, metes out judgment on the earth and establishes His kingdom, because that's where He concludes in each of these letters as we've looked at them so far.

I will kill her with pestilence. That's what it means to be cast into a bed, into Great Tribulation. I take it Great Tribulation here is talking about what is recorded in Revelation 6-19. Now the immediate impact for the church at Thyatira, there will be some immediate judgments poured out. But the warnings in the context of the book of Revelation are carried to the ultimate end where God finally deals with sin. And we'll get to Revelation 20 and there will be people confined to the second death, which is eternity in hell. So that's the context here. For the church at Thyatira, there are immediate consequences for their sin, but you understand this is the kind of sin that is going to ultimately result in people enduring the punishment of what will be recorded in Revelation 6-19 and ultimately come under the final judgment of sentencing to an eternal hell.

Look over in Revelation 7:14. Now we are in the time period, when you pick up with Revelation 6 you start the tribulation, the 70th week of Daniel, that seven-year period that will culminate with the return of Christ to earth. And it's in this context we read in Revelation 7:14, I said to him, my Lord, you know. He said to me, these are the ones who come out of the Great Tribulation. There is our expression, where in chapter 2 to the church at Thyatira He says I will cast them into great tribulation. Now here we are talking about the Great Tribulation. In Matthew 24:21 Jesus prophesied of this coming period of time, and He said at that time there will be great tribulation like the world has never seen. Those will be the events of Revelation 6-19.

So the warning here is severe. For the church at Thyatira there is impending judgment. Come back to Revelation 2:29, he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, really down through history to our time the impact of what is said here is pertinent to us. And ultimately there will be those in churches unredeemed who will go on into the tribulation. And we see something of the kind of church that will exist in that seven-year period when we get to Revelation 17, something of its character and how it has functioned as a church, but a church without any relationship to Jesus Christ, an apostate church.

Back in Revelation 2, repentance is the option. In the message to the church at Ephesus in verse 5, the warning was, unless you repent. The message to the church at Pergamum in verse 16, therefore repent. And now to the church at Thyatira, unless they repent. You see we have churches and in these churches there are people who have come in, joined the church, been baptized, take communion and become involved. But they've never experienced the transforming power of God's salvation. And over time false doctrines are promoted, corrupt lifestyle is practiced. The church is influenced and impacted by these kinds of things. There is a call to repent and genuine salvation in Christ, then a call to the church to repent of its unfaithfulness in tolerating such a thing in the church. We think of the church as a place where everyone ought to be welcome, and they are, but it's not a place where people can come and promote teaching contrary to the Word of God or live a lifestyle that is contrary to the Word. It's a place where people come and hear the truth of God, are called to submit to that truth, and it's those who have believed in Jesus Christ to live their lives pleasing and honoring to Him.

So verse 23, I will kill her children with pestilence. And obviously her children refers to those who follow her. Not physical children that come out of immoral relationships with Jezebel, this false prophetess. But her children are her followers who have taken in her false teaching, who have adopted the corrupted lifestyle that she is promoting. I will kill her children with pestilence. They will face destruction.

Look in Revelation 6:8. We are under the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. I looked and behold an ashen horse and he who sat on it had the name Death and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to him over a fourth of the earth to kill with the sword, with famine, with pestilence by the wild beasts of the earth. Variety of ways 25% of the earth will die under this one judgment. That's just one judgment, we have a whole series. This is one seal judgment. There are seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls, each getting worse. So we are early on, 25% of the earth's population wiped out with this judgment. It's going to be an awesome time. A word of warning, we picked up the word pestilence there because he said, I will kill them with pestilence. We see that going on in the tribulation.

Go further on to Revelation 18:8, now we've come into the destruction of Babylon. Religious Babylon, commercial Babylon—religious in chapter 17, commercial in chapter 18. Fascinating chapters. Chapter 18 verse 8, for this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine. She'll be burned with fire for the Lord God who judges her is strong. We've moved far along because we are near the end of that seven years now, because chapter 19 unfolds the Second Coming of Christ to earth to establish His kingdom. But you see the judgments going on early at the beginning, first part of this period of time, all the way to the end. That's the fate of those who don't know Christ, that's the fate of church members who do not know Jesus Christ. Awesome warning here in the book of Revelation.

Come back to chapter 2. I will kill her children with pestilence and all of the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and the hearts. I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. All the churches will know. All seven churches addressed here, result of the divine intervention of Christ and the more immediate judgments that are going to be experienced there. But we're ultimately moving because remember the book of Revelation is really to prepare us for end time events, and it's given to prepare the church for that, to give the church an understanding to live in light of God's determined culmination of all events. Ultimately that carries us to the fullest manifestation of God's judgment and wrath poured out on the earth that will take place in that seven-year period, like nothing the world has ever seen. We're talking about billions of people dying during that period of time.

And all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and the hearts. What is the result of that searching? I give to each one of you according to your deeds. You'll note He searches the minds and the hearts, literally the kidneys and the hearts, the inner person, the center of our decisions, our emotions, our thinking. He goes deep inside. And that's the foundation for our judgment. Then He tells us the end of verse 23, I will give to each one of you. You'll note judgment is individual and specific. Each one will be judged according to your deeds. But you can't be saved by your works. We're not saved by works of righteousness which we have done, you can't be saved by your works because the penalty for sin is death, yet we're going to be judged on the basis of our works.

This goes back to Jeremiah 17:9, the heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick. Who can understand it? There is trouble in the heart, in that inner being of a person. And it is in such trouble, using the picture of sickness. No one really knows what it's like, but there is One who does. I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, or again, the kidneys. Even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds. So you'll note, He looks into our innermost being. The Apostle Paul said in writing to the Corinthians, God will judge the motives of each man's heart. It comes from within. And so the judgment is on the basis of our deeds and He is the One who evaluates our hearts and minds and sees our deeds as a reflection of the inner condition of our hearts. And our real problem is an internal one, it's one of the heart.

Come to Matthew 12:33, either make the tree good, Jesus Christ speaking here, and its fruit good or make the tree bad and its fruit bad. The tree is known by its fruit. I mean, some trees produce fruit that you couldn't eat, not edible. But some trees produce good fruit and we enjoy it. You brood of vipers, how can you being evil speak what is good. Now note this, for the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. Keep that in mind. Where do our words come from? They come from within our hearts. So what does He go on to say? The good man out of his good treasure brings what is good. What is He talking about? Where does it come from? The heart, so the good treasure is a good heart, a heart that has been cleansed by the power of God. And so out of it comes good things. The evil man brings out of his evil treasure, which is his evil heart, what is evil. I tell you every careless word, useless word, that people speak, they shall give an account for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned. By your words you are saved then by what you say. No. What is the context? A bad tree produces bad fruit, but you can judge a tree by its fruit. But you can't make a bad tree good by going out and hanging oranges on it because you haven't changed the nature of the tree. Right? Bad trees produce bad fruit. So you may go out and hang some good fruit on that tree but you haven't changed the tree. It's not genuine fruit. So that's the context here. So out of the heart comes ...........

Come to Mark 7:20, Jesus speaking again and here is what He was saying. That which proceeds out of a man is what defiles a man. It's not what you put into the man, it's not the kind of food you eat that defiles your inner person. It's what comes out of your inner person. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adultery, deeds of coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. These things proceed from within and defile the man. That's why we cannot make ourselves acceptable to God by good works, because we are rotten at the core. And only God can reach into the innermost recesses of my being and cleanse me and make me new. That's why we don't try to get people to reform their lives, clean up their lives, lead better lives. First we have to present the message of salvation and God cleanses you and makes you new on the inside. Then what comes out of the inside is changed. You see here verses 21-22, here is what comes from the sinful heart. That's what Jesus is saying. You have to deal with your heart. The Jews thought they could get saved by trying to keep the law, keep the Ten Commandments, be a good person. You say, you can't do that. Because I examine the heart and your heart is rotten. And out of that come lies, deceit, slander, immorality. We shouldn't be surprised that the world is sinking into a mess of immorality. In our paper, after reading today's paper, promoting, trying to get approval for homosexual marriages. They tell them, the homosexual who wants to get married to a homosexual, that's too bad. But you know your problem is not your homosexuality, your problem is your sinful heart. Because you know people who aren't homosexual are going to hell also. And even if you stop being a homosexual you won't be on the road to heaven, you'll just change your sinful practice from one thing to another. So that's the issue here of conduct.

Come back to Revelation 2. When He talks about He's going to judge us according to our deeds because our deeds reveal what we really are. So don't tell me you are a believer if you're living in adultery. You may be doing that and be here, you may attend this church and you've been carrying on an adulterous relationship and you think no one knows. Maybe no one in this church does, but the One who is going to judge you knows and says you reveal your character, you reveal who you really are. You have fooled only yourself. So in Matthew 7 Jesus said, many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, didn't we do all these great things for you? And He'll say, I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness. You don't belong to Me. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious, I John 3. Those who practice sin belong to the devil, those who practice righteousness belong to God. Because if we practice righteousness we get saved? No, but when you are saved and God makes you a new person on the inside, then your conduct is changed. So all the judgments of scripture, we'll get into this more fully when we get further in Revelation, are based on works. But no one is going to heaven on the basis of their works. You must be cleansed and made new on the inside and that changes your life and your lifestyle.

In Revelation 2:24, but I say to you, to the rest who are in Thyatira, those who haven't followed Jezebel the prophetess, those who haven't gotten involved in these immoral actions and false teachings. I say to the rest in Thyatira who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of satan as they call them. I place no other burden on you. They don't hold this teaching, they're not part of the corrupt teaching of Jezebel, which leads to corrupt practice. They haven't known the deep things of satan as they call them. Evidently the followers of Jezebel thought that they could get involved in these things, sinful activities. They said, we've come to really know the deep things of satan. You know it's amazing how we twist the Word of God. Paul wrote to the Romans and asked them a question, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Because some people were teaching, the more I sin the more evident God's grace is, because it just displays how great His forgiveness is, how great His grace is. Well more sin isn't necessarily bad because more sin manifests more grace. Paul says, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Magnoito, such a thought is inconceivable. What a twist of the Word of the holy God.

Well these followers of Jezebel, they were being taught and teaching others. You know, we have plumbed the depths of Satan, but you know what? We've come out unscathed because we still have a deep abiding relationship with God and even though we are involved in the deep things of Satan, like immorality, corruption, these guilds and the worship that goes with them, it doesn't touch our spirit being. In fact we have insights and understanding that others don't have. Remember the original temptation in the Garden of Eden? How did Satan come at her? Well God said you would die if you eat that fruit. Let me tell you something, you won't really die. What will happen? You're going to know things. You know there is some truth in that, because once they ate of that fruit what happened? Their eyes were open, they knew sin like they had never known it before. That corrupt lie of Satan that you can indulge in the things that he would encourage, but still maintain a relationship with the living God. They have known the deep things of Satan. But not everyone in the church at Thyatira has. And perhaps most of the church hasn't. But the church is guilty as they tolerate in the church those who do.

So I say to you who have not known these things, who haven't done these things, I place no other burden on you. No other burden than what? The immediate context is don't tolerate her anymore. That is something that has to stop. No other burden than becoming intolerant of her and not being part of her practices. That's the things that have to be dealt with here. I have nothing else to say. You are doing well, the responsibility you have is to stand, step up and oppose this woman, her teaching, her practices, not tolerate it and continue to keep undefiled by it. Other than that, keep on what you're doing.

Nevertheless, what you have hold fast until I come. They are to maintain their hold on God's truth, on their commitment to Christ, their faithfulness to Him, the good things of verse 19. I know your deeds, your love, your faith, your service, your perseverance. Your deeds of late are greater than at first. Hold fast what you have until I come, continue to be faithful in your walk with Me until I come. So you see how this is carried to that point. And we live, the church today, in light of the coming of Christ. We want to be faithful until He comes. Well what if He doesn't come and I die? Then we go to Him. But we live expecting His return in light of His return. And with a holy fear of anything that would displease Him when He returns.

Verse 26, promise to the overcomer. Remember at the end of every letter is a promise to an overcomer, to him who overcomes. And we've been to I John 5, who is he that overcomes but he that believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. We're talking about those who have overcome sin, overcome Satan, overcome the world. By their faith in Christ they have true victory. He who overcomes and he who keeps My deeds until the end. We talk about the perseverance of the saints. They continue to be faithful in the midst of trials, difficulties, opposition, temptation. But that's characteristic of a true believer. Those who go out from us demonstrate they were not really of us because if they had been of us they would have remained with us. But they went out from us so that it might be manifest they are really not of us. I'm not just talking about somebody who leaves here to go to another Bible-believing church. Don't carry that beyond what I'm talking about here. But faithfulness to Jesus Christ, faithfulness to the church of Jesus Christ, faithfulness to the truth that He has entrusted to the church, which is the pillar and support of the truth.

He who overcomes and he who keeps My deeds, and they are inseparable, those who overcome are those who are obedient to Him, do His works. To him I will give authority over the nations that He shall rule them with a rod of iron as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I have also received from My Father. Remarkable statement. This goes back to Psalm 2, a psalm which prophesies the rule and reign of Christ. And I'll just read a couple of these, the verses are basically the same. Verse 7, you are My Son, today I have begotten you. Ask of Me and I will surely give the nations as your inheritance, the very ends of the earth as your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron, you will shatter them like earthenware. Then a series of commands. Show discernment, take warning, worship the Lord with reverence, rejoice with trembling, do homage to the Son that He may not become angry and you perish in the way.

Now here Christ takes that which He has received from His Father and said it will be true for all overcomers. When He comes and rules and reigns we will rule and reign with Him. He who overcomes and keeps My works, I will give him authority over the nations, because that is what has been given to Christ—authority over the nations. The reward that we will have. So you see we are carried to the time when He establishes His kingdom and rules and reigns on this earth. True believers will rule and reign with Him. And He shall rule them with a rod of iron. And as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces. So that's the picture. Here you have a ruler and in His hand He has a rod that's made of iron. And the picture is here you have one of these clay pots and you know they are fragile. And you hit that with that rod of iron you shatter it into many pieces, total destruction. And that will be the end of any who oppose Jesus Christ. And we will rule and reign with Him. The kingdom will be a time of great blessing and joy, but it will be a time of fierce judgment on anyone who dares to oppose the reign of Christ. And we will be ruling and reigning with Him, with complete authority as He shares His reign with true believers. So great promises.

So you see how we're carried to the end and preparing for the book of prophecy yet before us, the unfolding of the prophecies in this book. And we will end up in the kingdom when we get to Revelation 20-22, because the kingdom is eternal and our reign with Christ will be unending. And that's our glorious future.

And I will give him the morning star. Now it's the overcomer here, these are the things. We will rule and reign with Him with the authority He has, that the Father has give Him, He will give to us. And I will give Him the morning star. Now in Revelation 22:16 Jesus Christ is called the Morning Star. But here He is the one who says I will give him the morning star. It doesn't seem that He's primarily referring to Himself, although when He reigns in glory we will reign with Him and so the association I think is there. And when Revelation 22:16 calls Christ the Morning Star, when He shines in His reign with the brightness of the morning star, we will be shining and reigning with Him.

Come back to Daniel 12. We're carried here, we are in the time of tribulation in verse 1 where there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time, the middle of verse 1 says, the Great Tribulation. And then we have resurrection to everlasting life, verse 2, or to disgrace and everlasting contempt. Then verse 3, those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven. And those who lead many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. So you see when Christ, the Morning Star, reigns, we will be like the Morning Star. The stars of the heavens giving off light, shining because He is giving us the authority that was given to Him by His Father. Not that we become God, but in His grace He bestows upon us a glory that only God can give and that we should rule and reign with the God of glory who created all things, the God of glory who by His death could redeem fallen humanity and lift the curse from creation. And when He reigns in the brightness of His glory we, too, shall reign in the brightness of His glory. Like the stars of the heavens.

Come back to Matthew 13. The parables of Matthew 13 and this carries us to the end of the age, and the mixture that takes place in the world as you have true believers living in the world here, not the church, the world. The field is the world in this analogy, it's not the church. But you have believers and unbelievers. But you come to the end of the age in connection with the return of Christ there will be a sifting out and a dividing of believer from unbeliever. Unbelievers, verse 41, stumbling blocks and those who commit lawlessness will be thrown into a furnace of fire. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. You see it will be a fire that does not consume them, but torments them forever and ever. What then? Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father. He who has ears, let him hear. Sounds like the message to the churches, doesn't it. He who has ears to hear let him hear. The righteous shall shine forth as the Sun in the kingdom of their father, picking up that promise in Daniel 12:3.

Come back to Revelation 2 as we conclude. Verse 29, he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Serious business. This is the Lord of the church, this is His final word to the church. The book of Revelation, what He says is you better pay attention. I call any who are in sin to repent now while you have time. I'm giving you time to repent. Woe to you if you don't want to repent. For those who have repented, placed their faith in Christ, their future is glorious beyond description. We'll see some of what is described when we get to Revelation 21. It's hard to grasp with these finite minds, the wonder of the splendor. I mean, we're talking about the eternal God and the glory that's His. And we will share in that glory and shine with the brightness of that glory as we rule and reign with Him for all eternity. He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. These are days of great opportunity. God's grace is bestowed that we might turn from our sin and be called to the future that He has prepared for those who love Him.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your love for us. Thank you that we can celebrate with understanding the birth of your Son at Bethlehem some 2000 years ago. Not just an event in history, Lord, not even just a time to reflect and think about how wonderful that baby being born, what an even it was and then get caught up in all the activities of celebrating the season. Lord, but we know the One who was born in Bethlehem. More than that we know why He was born in Bethlehem—to be a king, to rule and reign over all, but first to suffer and die to be the Savior of the world. Thank you for these days of opportunity, days to call men, women and young people to the salvation that is found in Christ, to repent of sin and place our faith in Him and have a future that is glorious beyond imagination. We praise you for such a Savior, for such a hope. In Christ's name, amen.