An Overview of Revelation

Transcript

GR 1574
06/27/10
An Overview of Revelation
Revelation 1-22
Gil Rugh

We've finished our study of the book of Revelation and I just want to tie some things together with you in our time this evening. We've taken what is called the futurist interpretation of the book of Revelation. There are three other basic interpretations, they are wrong but at least you can be aware of them.

One is called the preterist, and preterist is just a word that means past. And those who take a preterist view of the book of Revelation view it as having basically been fulfilled in the past. Some of you are familiar with names like Hank Hanegraff, R. C. Sproul. They are men that approach the book of Revelation from a preterist viewpoint. 70 A.D. becomes key in the preterist view with much of prophecy having been fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem and events around the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. And then matters in past history, the persecution of the church by the Romans and so on. Obviously it involves a symbolic interpretation, not a literal interpretation. That's true of these other viewpoints.

There is the historicist view and as you might think it views the book of Revelation as reflecting events down through history. So the historicist. Views it as reflecting events down through history. In other words they'd find the fall of the Roman Empire in the book of Revelation perhaps, the rise of Mohammad and the Mohammedan Empire, Islam, any other events. All the way down to finding Adolph Hitler in the book of Revelation. So it sees events down through history as being reflected in the book of Revelation. There is obviously some variation in that because different people find different historical events in the book of Revelation.

The idealist is the third view, apart from the one we've taken. And the idealist basically allegorizes and spiritualizes the book to be just a conflict between good and evil and the ongoing conflict that takes place between good and evil. Obviously that is not taking a literal interpretation of the book either. None of these three really do.

The futurist view, and the position we take because it takes a literal or historical grammatical viewpoint and sees the bulk of the book of Revelation as yet future in its fulfillment. And sees it as pulling together prophecies given through Old Testament prophets, giving us additional information, fleshing them out, if you will, and giving a clear understanding of how God will bring all things to conclusion. If you come and interpret the book of Revelation in the simple, literal, historical grammatical viewpoint, you come to the futurist view. That doesn't mean we don't recognize there are symbols as we have seen through the book of Revelation, but even there is a clear literal significance in the symbols. And many of these have their background in the Old Testament. We've noted the allusions to the Old Testament, no direct quotes, but the allusions to the Old Testament in the book of Revelation by some estimates are over 500. So if you take a literal interpretation of Old Testament prophecy, then it is a natural connection to what we have in the book of Revelation.

In Revelation 1:7 you have what would probably be the key verse of the book, we noted that when we began the study. Behold He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. I mean, everything in the book of Revelation is built around and leading up to the return of Jesus Christ to the earth to establish His kingdom. The judgments precede the Second Coming to earth and then the millennial reign and the eternal kingdom. So verse 7 really becomes the key verse here. Verse 19 we noted, while you are in chapter 1, gives a simple three-fold division of the book. Write the things which you have seen, addressing John. The things which you have seen would be the events of chapter 1. We'll talk about the content of these chapters in a moment with the glorified Christ. The things which are, are the events of chapters 2-3 with the letters to the seven churches. And then the things which will take place after these things are chapters 4 and on through chapter 22. So that's a simple three-fold division and we're going to look at a little more details than that just for a helpful way of thinking.

I've given you an outline, it's just a way to think through and it will help you to follow through. And this just is how we have moved through the book and tried to just include sections here so that ............. I don't want you to have the book of Revelation just as a bunch of pieces. Since we've taken a couple of years to move through the book it's easy to lost perspective, so this will just help tie it together and it flows in a rather simple pattern. So I just want to walk through this with you, then have some concluding observations on the book of Revelation.

We naturally start out with an introduction with the first 8 verses, generally I've just given a broad picture but the first 8 verses are the introduction and we'll see the conclusion that comes beginning with chapter 22 verse 6. And there is a close association between the two. I've called the first 8 verses the introduction rather than breaking it down into introduction and salutation. And it introduces the book, the writer, the author being Jesus Christ who is giving His revelation through his angel to John. It's addressed to the seven churches, so this is church truth. By that I mean it is truth for the church, even though for the bulk of this revelation the church is not part of it. The church will be removed before chapter 4 and is not on earth for all that takes place until we get to chapter 19 and we prepare for the Second Coming to earth. And the church again, the bride of Christ is introduced. But even though the bulk of the book does not relate to the church on earth directly, it is addressed to the churches and they are instructed and promised blessing for reading, understanding and practicing, living in light of the truth of what is revealed here. So the introduction is key.

Then you have the message as we start the body of the letter of the glorified Christ. John the Apostle who was the instrument used to write the gospel of John, the epistles of John—I, II and III John—as well as the book of Revelation. So he becomes a key figure to be used of God in writing our New Testament. He is the one who is the penman of this book. He sees the glorified Christ, He who will be behind everything that takes place in the book.

Chapters 2-3 focus on the seven churches. I didn't enumerate them, but the seven churches, each church a literal, historical in-time church. In the days of John those seven churches were in existence. The letters were addressed to them, but Christ has selected those seven to be representative of the churches. And the issues He addresses in those churches will have significance for His churches down through history to our day. I believe they are addressed to specific local churches, Christ has included those messages and made them part because they are for our benefit as a church of Jesus Christ today. And we learn from each of those letters and messages to the churches.

We learn the things that Christ commended and the things that Christ condemned in the churches, things that we want to have a grasp of. The rebukes that come, sometimes very harshly, help us to appreciate what Christ finds unacceptable in His church. The things He commends, what are important. Sometimes we talk about the doctrine of the church and build ideas of what the church ought to do and how it ought to function as though Christ had never addressed the subject. Of course we have the rest of the New Testament and the letters to the churches, but here specifically His last word to His churches helps us understand what is expected and required of the churches that He has purchased for Himself with His own blood. So that covers chapter 2-3.

Chapters 4-5 you have the throne room scene in heaven, and of course this becomes foundational to what is going to come in the rest of the book. You have the glorified Christ in chapter 1, you have His letters to the redeemed who comprise the seven churches that He has selected out as representative in chapters 2-3. Then in chapters 4-5 you have the scene of heaven. Awesome section of the word of God because here we are taken to heaven to see the throne of God the Father and John is called to hear and see the things which are going to take place. In chapter 4 verse 1, after these things, come up here and I will show you the things which must take place after these things. So we're in that third area of the book of Revelation, the things that were, the things that are and the things that shall be. John is going to get information on future things. After, really, the time of the churches that were addressed in chapters 2-3.

We noted in these chapters you see a visible manifestation of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. We are reminded when we get to glory we will see the manifestation of God's presence, God the Father, the presence of the Holy Spirit as well as of the Lamb. Three persons, but comprising the one triune God. In this heavenly scene we saw the twenty-four elders which we noted represented the church as the resurrected, judged and rewarded and enthroned before the throne of God. The worship of heaven as the redeemed and the angels of heaven join together in the worship and honoring of God.

In chapter 5 you have the seven-sealed scroll or book that is given from the hand of God the Father on the throne to the Lamb. And that seven-sealed book contains everything from chapter 6 on in the book of Revelation. So that is, if you will, sometimes called the title deed to creation. It is the completion of God's plan and its culmination focusing in the reign of His Son over all creation. The final destruction of sin and sinners, we end up in the eternal kingdom untainted by sin and a new heaven and a new earth where heaven, the throne room of God, becomes part of the new earth. In a real sense heaven and earth now are merged together when we get to the final phase of the eternal kingdom with Jesus Christ ruling. So the seven-sealed book will be foundational and in this seven-sealed book important to keep this in mind, is contained everything now from chapter 6 on is contained in that book. That's helpful to understand the flow of the book.

When we come to chapter 6 we come to the seals and from chapter 6 to chapter 19 we are in the 70th week of Daniel, coming from Daniel 9. Seventy weeks, seventy sevens, seventy seven-year periods, 490 years are determined on Jerusalem and the people of God. Such things are declared to take place in Daniel 9 by the end of those 490 years. They are broken down, there is one seven-year period left—the 70th week, the last of the seventy seven-year periods. And we noted the reason for the break and the evidences that indicate a break between the 69th and the 70th week. Christ is going to be crucified after the 69th week, not in the 70th week. So we have a seven-year period, that seven-year period begins and encompasses chapters 6-19 in the book of Revelation, the 70th week of Daniel. It will be divided into two 3½ -year segments. So we have the 70th week of Daniel, the first half of the week is from chapter 6 verse 1 to chapter 9 verse 21. So chapters 6-9. Now some break the flow of Revelation a little differently, some put the seals and the trumpets in the first 3½ years. Because of the flow of the book others and I put the seals in the first 3½ years and then the trumpets and the bowls in the last 3½ years. We'll note that as we move along.

So the first half of the week covers basically chapters 6-9 and we start off with the seals in chapter 6 and the seals start off with the four horsemen. So we find in literature, both biblical and unbiblical, references to the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. And that's the first four seals here—the white horse, the red horse, the black horse, the pale horse. And as you move through in chapter 6 each of these unfolded. That white horse we noted is not Jesus Christ coming to conquer, but the false Christ, ultimately the Antichrist who comes conquering and assimilating power. Then other judgments that come. The red horse, war; the black horse, famine; the pale horse, death. And you'll note under that fourth seal alone one-fourth of the earth's population dies. So we get very quickly a picture of death on a scale the world has not experienced. Each of the series of judgments that are going to come—seals, trumpets, bowls—progress in seriousness. And here we are under the seals and under the fourth seal one-quarter of the earth's population is destroyed, one-fourth of the people die. There were martyrs then under the fifth seal, persecution of true believers takes place. Under the sixth seal you have heaven and earth shaken.

Then I put the seventh seal but I put it in brackets because the seventh seal is not opened until you get into chapter 8 because the content of the seventh seal is really the seven trumpets. So that's called a telescoping view of Revelation because out of the seventh seal will come the seven trumpets, out of the seventh trumpet will come the seven bowls. Because remember everything is contained within the seven seals. We started out in Revelation 5 with the seven-sealed scroll. So out of that seventh seal has to come the rest of the book. Everything is contained within the seven seals. So I noted here in our outline the seven trumpets which are the seventh seal, that will be opened in chapter 8. Didn't want to leave it out here and then wonder where did the seventh seal go. So just a reminder for us.

Chapter 7 we have that break before you open the seventh seal and you have the 144,000 sealed. An example we noted of taking the book of Revelation either allegorically, symbolically or literally. It said 144,000, it specified there were 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. It even named each tribe—12,000 from this tribe, 12,000 from this tribe. Yet there are people that say, we're not talking about literal, physical Israel. Obviously if you're not going to take it at what we call face value in a literal way, you can make it mean what you decide it is going to mean. But you are adrift there. So we have the 144,000, 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel sealed, men sealed out of each of these twelve tribes, guaranteeing their protection and preservation through the coming tribulation. And we'll see them pictured later in Revelation 14 in anticipation of the kingdom they are standing there on Mt. Zion with Christ, having been preserved according to His plan. So the sealing there.

The last part of chapter 7 presented tribulation martyrs so that emphasis on martyrdom. There will be people saved. When the tribulation began, remember, we had the rapture of the church preceding the tribulation, the church was removed. Then the 70th week of Daniel will begin with the signing of the covenant with the Antichrist and Israel. All true believers have been removed from the earth at the beginning of the tribulation, but after the rapture and the tribulation begins there will be people saved. The word of God will be present, there will be witnesses raised up, perhaps the 144,000. Later we'll see the two witnesses and so on. But many martyred for their faith.

That carries us through chapter 7. So really it flows rather simply. Basically chapter 1, the glorified Christ; chapters 2-3, the letters to the seven churches; chapters 4-5, the throne room scene of heaven in anticipation of the completion of God's program that will begin in chapter 6. In chapter 6 we had the first six of the seven seals, judgment. Every time a seal was opened a judgment was poured out on the earth. Then we had a break in chapter 7 while the 144,000 are sealed. Then a reminder of the martyrs on the earth.

Then we come to chapter 8 and chapter 8 brings us to the trumpet judgments. So you see chapter 8 opens up, verse 1, when the Lamb broke the seventh seal. He is the only One with the authority because He has provided redemption through His blood so that there can be a coming kingdom for the redeemed. There is judgment on an unbelieving world but there will also be victory because the Lamb has purchased with His blood people from every tribe, kindred, tongue and nation.

When you come to chapter 8 the Lamb broke the seventh seal. So now we are ready for the next series of judgments. When He breaks the seventh seal there is silence in heaven for about a half hour, that awesome anticipation of the seriousness of the events that are now to unfold. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God and seven trumpets were given to them. In verse 6, the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared them to sound. So now we are prepared for what we call the trumpet judgments. Every time a seal was opened in chapter 6 another judgment was poured out on the world. Now every time an angel blows a trumpet another judgment will be poured out on the world and the trumpets are more severe than the seal judgments were. So as we move through this seven-year period, it is getting worse and worse and worse. So we noted, that's why Jesus said in Matthew 24 if He did not intervene at the end of seven years, there wouldn't be a person left alive on the face of the earth. That's how great the destruction is. But because of the elect He will intervene to rescue His people and thus establish a kingdom for them on the earth.

So you have the seven trumpet judgments and I've just summarized them in statements here like I did the seals. The first trumpet sounds and one-third of the earth is burned up. We read that in verse 7 just as a sample. The first angel sounded, there came hail and fire mixed with blood, they were thrown to the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, all the green grass was burned up. So you have a third of the earth destroyed here by fire. The second angel sounds his trumpet and a third of the sea life is destroyed, it became blood. A third of creatures in the sea die, a third of the ships in the sea are destroyed. So you have one-third of sea life destroyed and everything associated with it, the ships and so on.

The next trumpet sounds and you have one-third of the fresh water destroyed, verses 10-11. The end of verse 10, it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. Verse 11, a third of the waters became wormwood, many men died from the waters because they were made bitter. I mean, just think about it, how important water is. How long can you survive without water, and you have one-third of the fresh water on the earth destroyed. How many people will die in such a judgment? I mean, these judgments are on a level that it's hard to imagine. But do we have any reason ........ As we've moved through and looked at these why would we take them any other way than God says them? He gives us specifics—one-third, one-third, one-third. Why is He giving these specifics? He wants us to know this is what will take place.

The fourth trumpet sounds and one-third of the sun, moon and stars are destroyed, verses 12-13. Now you have darkness overtaking large portions of the earth. One-third of the sun, one-third of the moon, one-third of the stars. Large portions of the earth cast into darkness. The tremendous impact that will have. The fifth trumpet sounds and you're into chapter 9 and you have what I call the demonic locusts because they come out of the bottomless pit and they are described as locusts coming out of the bottomless pit, but the bottomless pit is the abode of demons. So these demonic locust creatures come to torment men. Verse 6 we are told in that judgment men will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die and death flees from them. Vast numbers of people dying, but here you have people inflicted with the kind of suffering and pain that they wish for death and they can't die.

The sixth trumpet sounds, verse 13, and these last three trumpets are called woes because they are of an increased level. We think this is bad enough, but now these are woes. You get an idea of it in the sixth trumpet in verses 13-21 because we're told at the end of verse 15, one-third of mankind is killed under the sixth trumpet. Now under the fourth seal one-quarter of the earth's population died, under the sixth trumpet another third of men die. We have half the earth's population destroyed under these two particular judgments, and we have all these others. A third of the earth burned up, a third of the sea life destroyed, a third of the fresh water destroyed. Add all that to what is going on. I mean, how do you even try to grasp a world suffering such destruction and death? I mean, you have these two specific where God marks out one-quarter of the earth's population dies under this, one-third here. That's half the earth's population, we're into the billions. And add to that the other judgments and you appreciate the statement where Jesus said if He didn't intervene at the end of seven years there wouldn't be anybody left alive on the face of the earth. He is not exaggerating, it's not hyperbole. This is the kind of situation the world is moving toward.

There is a demonic army of 200 million associated here so I've noted that in parenthesis because that's something that stands out. I've not tried to outline the details here, but things that might draw and remind us of this particular section.

Awesome thing, verse 20 of chapter 9, the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands so as not to worship demons, idols. Verse 21, they did not repent of their various sins. I mean, under the most intense judgment God has ever poured out on the world, it does not soften or break the hardened heart of sinful men. They will not repent.

I put in parenthesis the seventh trumpet because the seventh trumpet will not be sounded until chapter 11 and really the details of what is entailed will not be given until we get to chapter 16. So the trumpet will be sounded when we get to chapter 11 but then we have some other information that fills in and then we'll be told about the bowls in chapter 16. So you see really as out of the seventh seal came the seven trumpets, out of the seventh trumpet will come the seven bowls. So we move from seals to trumpets to bowls. But they are telescopic in that it all comes out of that seventh seal, after the six seal judgments the seventh seal and out of that comes the seven trumpets. That's why it is part of the seven-sealed scroll. And out of that seventh trumpet will come the seven bowls.

But chapters 10-14 deal with events relating to the middle of the tribulation and anticipate what will go on during the last half of the tribulation. That's why I've broken the book of Revelation down the way I have, it seems when we come to chapter 10 before the seventh trumpet, which will be the bowls, we have information that is necessary to understand the events of the last 3½ years. And we have a number of time marks there—42 months, 360 days, marking off that last 3½ years and events that are necessary to understand to understand the events of that last 3½ -year period.

Chapter 10 deals with the little book and we are getting to the point now where this will be the culmination. So we have that anticipation in chapter 10 verse 5, the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand, swore to Him who lives forever and ever, who created the heaven and things in it, the earth and things in it, the sea and the things in it, there will be delay no longer. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he is about to sound, the mystery of God is finished. As he preached to his servants the prophets, we will come to the kingdom. That last 3½ year period is the last phase and with that we will be brought to the return of Christ, the establishing of the kingdom and all that is entailed in that. John eats the little book because it contains the information that he now will give out.

Chapter 11 you have the two witnesses and I've summarized the two witnesses but we could have noted that the chapter begins by measuring the temple. And we noted there is indication that the temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem. I didn't put it here because again I just tried to pick out some of the major things from each of these sections to keep the outline simple. But we noted that when we went through, the measuring of the temple here indicates that there has been a temple reconstructed by the time we get to the middle. And we know we are at the middle because we are told that the area outside the temple will be given to the nations, verse 2, they will tread underfoot the holy city for 42 months. And the two witnesses will prophesy for 1260 days. I mean, that's pretty specific. And we noted, why would we not take these things literally? Forty-two months, God is being pretty specific. If you don't know what 42 months is, it is 3½ years; if you don't know that it's 1260 days, 360 days being a prophetic year.

So that's the period of time, you have the prophecy of the two witnesses raised up by God to represent Him. And at the end of their ministries they will be killed, their bodies will lie in the streets of Jerusalem, remember, and then they will experience a supernatural resurrection witnessed by people around the world. So chapter 11 tells us that there will be a rebuilt temple and focuses on the ministry of the two witnesses.

You come to chapter 12, very key chapter because of Israel's place. And we had Israel in the tribulation, opening up with the woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars. Drawing again from the Old Testament and Joseph's dreams and so on, representing the nation Israel. And the opposition of Satan to the nation Israel because the Messiah comes through the nation Israel. The kingdom that God has promised is focused in Israel and Israel's Messiah. And so the desire of Satan to destroy Israel. And in the middle of the 70th week of Daniel you have war in heaven and Satan loses his access to heaven, so he is cast to earth. He has lost his position, we noted, but he still has access to heaven. But in his war with Michael he loses now his access, he realizes time is moving on, he has to act. So he persecutes Israel and we're told at the end of verse 6, it will go on for 1260 days, 3½ years again. There is the celebration because the angels of heaven, those in heaven, the populace of heaven realize this marked a significant event—Satan being cast from heaven to earth. This is the final phase. We are now within 3½ years of the return of Christ. So there is celebration in heaven as the dragon proceeds to persecute Israel. And we are told in verse 14, it was for a time, times and a half time, again that 3½ -year period of time.

You come to chapter 13 and you have two significant figures representing Satan. You have the beast out of the sea and the beast out of the earth. The Antichrist and the false prophet as we would note them. So how long is the beast out of the sea going to minister, the Antichrist, the little horn, the other names we noted of him? Well down at the end of verse 5, authority was given to him to act for 42 months. I mean, how many times does God have to say, we're talking about actual events, things we can understand, intended for the churches to grasp more fully and completely the prophetic plan of God and its final fulfillment. Verse 11 brought the other beast out of the earth, and this is the false prophet who ........... We have that satanic trinity where Satan tries to take the place of God the Father, the Antichrist the place of God the Son, and the false prophet the place of the Holy Spirit because the false prophet directs the worship of the world to the Antichrist. And we noted other passages like Matthew 24, talking about the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place; II Thessalonians 2 and so on. So those two key people that are key for understanding the events of the last 3½ years in particular of the tribulation.

So you have this section of Revelation from chapters 10-14 bringing these events to our attention.

Then chapter 14 you get an anticipation of how things come out, you get a view of the end. They have been celebrating, we're almost to the end and now chapter 14 gives you a view to the end when the Lamb will stand on Mt. Zion and those 144,000 who were sealed in chapter 7 have come through and they are standing there with Him. And then judgment that comes on the worshipers of the beast and so on in verses 9-11, and those key verses that tell you something about hell where the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast. That will carry us to the Great White Throne judgment. So you see chapter 14, after carrying us through events through the first 3½ years and then preparing us for things we need to understand, that will be dominant through the last 3½ years. Then we get a preview of the end and the victory of Christ and those who belong to Him and the total ultimate defeat and destruction of His enemies.

In this you also have announcements of judgment, Armageddon, the harvesting of the earth. Verse 20 of chapter 14, the winepress was trodden outside the city, blood came up from the winepress to the horses' bridles for a distance of 200 miles. Anticipating, again we look forward to the end, the return of Christ, His ultimate victory, the destruction of His enemies and so on.

In chapter 11, if you just back up for a moment, I told you I put it in parenthesis for the seventh trumpet. It was sounded in verses 15-19. The seventh angel sounded, there were loud voices in heaven. The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. And He will reign forever and ever. They are celebrating. Why? Because this last 3½ years is it. That will conclude with the return of Christ to earth and that will begin His reign which will never end. The first phase as we will see, will be a thousand years, but it will never end. But we're not told anything about the content of that seventh angel, basically.

But when you come over to chapter 15 you have the second half of the week now, from chapter 15 through chapter 18. And you have the anticipation of the bowls in chapter 15 as you have the celebration in heaven and the statements in verses 3-4. Great and marvelous are your work, oh Lord, God Almighty. Righteous and true are your ways, King of the nations. Who will not fear, oh Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy, all the nations will come and worship before you for your righteous acts have been revealed. So heaven realizes the significance. So the trumpet is sounded, we sort of pause again, we get additional information. Now we're in anticipation of the contents of that trumpet and so chapter 16 unfolds those bowl judgments.

The first brings malignant sores. And what happens with the bowls, just like the seals, every time a seal was broken a judgment was poured out; every time a trumpet sounds a judgment is poured out on the earth; every time a bowl is turned over in effect its contents are poured out and a judgment comes on the earth. The first is malignant sores, loathsome and malignant sores on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The next judgment, and some of these you can see are parallel with the trumpet judgments in the sense things that happened there now are carried to an extreme. Where one-third suffered there, now the earth is coming under this judgment without that limitation. The second bowl in verse 3, sea life is destroyed. Not just one-third, but sea life. The third bowl, fresh water is turned to blood. Fourth bowl, the sun scorches men. The fifth, darkness upon the earth. I mean, these judgments, the sun scorching the earth and now we're cast into darkness. The sixth bowl, the Euphrates is dried up in preparation for Armageddon. And then we have the climactic judgments beginning with the seventh bowl.

Then we have the destruction of Babylon in chapters 17-18. Religious Babylon, chapter 17:1-18, commercial and political Babylon chapter 18:1-24. So you can put that under the seventh bowl. And really the seventh bowl goes through chapter 22 verse 5. And one of the indications of this is the fact that we are told and we noted as we went along in chapter 22 that one of the seven angels who had the seven bowl judgments continues to give the coming revelation of what is taking place. And that would be necessary because it is part of the seven-sealed scroll. And then we're told this is not just an angel from heaven, but it is one of the seven angels who has the seven bowls who gives the revelation going on really until we get through the rest of the body of the book of Revelation 22:5. That would include the destruction of Babylon, which is the city that stands in opposition to Jerusalem, and particularly the New Jerusalem that will be described in a moment.

You have the return of Christ in chapter 19, there you have Armageddon as well. Chapter 20, the millennium and the Great White Throne. The millennium is that thousand-year period, the first phase of the eternal kingdom. It serves the purpose of completing God dealing with sin and revealing the sin of man who lives for a thousand years in a perfect environment and under a perfect ruler. Yet at the end of those thousand years when Satan is loosed there is a rebellion with numbers like the sand of the sea who attempt to dethrone Christ and have Satan as their ruler. With that destruction we have the Great White Throne, the final judgment of all unbelievers, casting them into hell. And we are ready for the new heavens and the new earth described in chapter 21:1 through chapter 22:5. And that completes the bulk of the book of Revelation, the heart of the book.

We have a conclusion and we noted in the conclusion chapter 22:6-21 you pick up some of the information from the introduction in chapter 1:1-8 that wrap the book together. And in that new heavens and new earth the throne of God the Father as well as God the Son will be in the New Jerusalem on the new earth. And that means heaven now is merged with the new earth because heaven is the place where the omnipresent God manifests His presence in its fullness to His creation. And that will take place in the New Jerusalem on the new earth. So that will be heaven, the throne of God on the new earth. And we live in the presence of that and the kingdom goes on.

We noted the New Jerusalem evidently is the dwelling place, that glorious city, 1500 miles by 1500 miles, that cube, is the holy of holies, the very presence of God. And resurrected, glorified saints will dwell in the New Jerusalem. But there will be saints in their physical bodies dwelling on the earth and they have access through the gates of the city and they bring their offerings to God, they worship Him. They can eat of the tree of life and drink of the waters of life freely. And we have really ultimate realization of what it would have been like if Adam and Eve had never sinned, before the fall. And the completion of God's plan.

Just a couple of observations about the book of Revelation. It is a fascinating, fantastic book, but you'll remember in the conclusion the churches were reminded that Christ was coming quickly or soon and we are to live in light of the book. I think a proper understanding of the book of Revelation, taking it at face value in a literal, normal way like we take the rest of scripture. I cannot understand why people think you come to a prophetic book, all of a sudden you interpret it totally differently, in a totally different way than you do when you read other portions. We talk about His death on the cross, His resurrection, that is a literal historical fact and it is interpreted historically, grammatically. We come to prophecy and somehow we float off in the clouds. I mean, God is telling us actually what will happen in the future.

That is to shape us as churches in how we live and what we do. That has something to say, if I can make some comments and be done without getting into trouble, about social action, about environmental concerns. I'm not saying we ought to go throw our garbage in the street. But this whole idea of saving the creation is an exercise in futility. Have you read the book of Revelation? This creation is doomed to destruction. That's where it is going. The church has no business getting involved in those kinds of things, social action to improve the lot of men, to rescue the children. They all may have a place but they are not the ministry of the church, the church needs to be about the work of the Lord of the church. And that is what? Chapter 22 verse 17, the Spirit and the bride say come, let the one who hears say come, let the one who is thirsty come, let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. Only the redeemed, part of the churches of Jesus Christ reach out in the ministry of the Spirit of God calling men and women to salvation in Jesus Christ. We are to have a faithfulness to the word of God, and we add nothing, we take nothing away in verses 18-19. We are living in light of what God says is true and where we are going. And everything we are and do as a church is shaped by this. This idea that people get caught up in and think, don't you think this is good? It doesn't matter what I think, it matters what God says. And we are His slaves, we do His work, we are about His business.

Come back to II Peter. The book of Revelation had a strong warning to the ungodly, to immoral, to sinners about the seriousness of their condition. They are on their way to judgment. We the people of God are to be living holy and godly lives in light of what God has told us about the future. Peter addressed this subject in II Peter 3. We ought not to expect the world to have a sympathy for this. We have criticism, you have a pessimistic view of the future so you don't get involved in helping make our world a better place. I read a book this week about an evangelical man a number of years, a book I had read before and happened to pick up and reread, saying the church has to get involved in cultural issues and making the world a better place. Do you know what his problem was? He had an incorrect understanding of the book of Revelation and the kingdom and where the world is going. What does Peter say? He says that the world is going to be filled with mockers who do not believe in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the coming of judgment. They ignore the reality of God's past judgments like the flood and the fact, verse 7, by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of ungodly men. I am a pessimistic regarding the future of the ungodly; I am an optimist regarding the future of the godly. Verse 9, the Lord is not slow about His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you. Not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. That's why we as God's people are about what? The Spirit and the bride say come. Come partake of the water of life. Why hasn't God brought judgment on this unbelieving world? Because He is a God of patience, not wishing for any to perish. He's not giving us time to try to clean up the planet, He's giving us time to call men and women to salvation in Jesus Christ. Verse 11, since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning and the elements will melt with intense heat. But according to His promise we are looking for a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore beloved since you look for these things be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.

I mean, these are days of salvation. The church cannot get involved in things that the world may say are good and we get a pat on the back from the world that says now the church is doing what it should do and we think is important. We're not here to do what the world thinks is important. The world is going to be destroyed, it is doomed to destruction by fire. We're looking for a new heaven and a new earth and we are not to be enmeshed and caught up in this world because all these things are going to be destroyed in this way. What sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct? We are to be a holy people, taking the opportunity in these days to call men, women and young people to salvation, being faithful to His word. The end of verse 16 warns, the untaught and unstable distort all the scriptures. We better be careful that we don't become part of that group. The word of God is sure. We've seen these are faithful and true words, they are to be believed. Blessed are those who hear and do these things.

So the book of Revelation is a tremendous book, ought to thrill our soul, it ought to shape us because here is where we are going. We know the end, we've read the last chapter, God wrote it, we are not confused. We know our God, we know who we are in Jesus Christ and we know what the church is and why it is here. And that determines everything for us as God's people.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for the wonder of your word. How awesome it is that you should make known to the churches your perfect settled plan for the future of this planet, for the future of your creation, for the future of all humanity. How sad that churches should be confused, adrift, caught up in things that they have determined are important, that the world has determined are important. Lord, may we not forget that Jesus Christ is the Lord of the church, your word has set forth clearly your purposes and plans. Lord, we are not discouraged by the prophecies of coming judgment because you have promised us great salvation and a salvation that will deliver us from coming judgment. We look forward to the return of Christ to gather us into your presence. We rejoice that the future of your people is secure, it is glory for eternity. May we be faithful to your word and with your word. May we join with the Spirit in calling the lost to come partake of the water of life, take advantage of the patience of the God who has provided His Son to be the Savior. May we have the privilege of sharing this glorious message with many as we anticipate the return of our Lord for the Church. For we pray in Christ's name, amen.