1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:07,040 We are about to embark on a journey to behold a glorious, 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:13,040 marvelous, compelling, captivating revelation of the 3 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:15,920 Lord Jesus Christ, who He is now. 4 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:21,440 What He is saying to the churches today and what He will 5 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:26,480 do in our world in the days to come are the things that await 6 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:30,640 us in this amazing exegetical expedition. 7 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:36,040 We briefly touched on the first few verses of chapter 1 in our 8 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:39,960 overview last week, but there's still crucial details that we 9 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:44,480 need to draw from them before we move on to the main passage of 10 00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:47,960 this section. And so if you can, let's meet 11 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:51,760 together again at Revelation chapter 1, beginning in verse 12 00:00:51,760 --> 00:01:01,720 one, and read it together. The revelation of Jesus Christ, 13 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:07,280 which God gave him to show to His servants the things that 14 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:10,680 must soon take place. He made a known by sending his 15 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:15,000 Angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God 16 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:19,560 and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 17 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:23,160 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this 18 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:27,280 prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is 19 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:31,200 written in it, for the time is near. 20 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:36,960 When reading this over and over again, There are three things 21 00:01:36,960 --> 00:01:39,920 that should stand out to us from these 3 verses. 22 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:49,000 Who this is for meaning the book who this is from, and lastly, 23 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:55,560 who will be blessed. Did you notice the specific 24 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:59,240 group of people that the Holy Spirit addresses concerning this 25 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:02,200 book? We're told right here that it is 26 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:07,960 to show his servants, that's Christ servants and verse one, 27 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:10,080 the things that must soon take place. 28 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:14,080 So what that tells us is that the insights of this book, the 29 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:16,640 wisdom of this book, the encouragement, the guidance, the 30 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:21,560 warnings, the predictions, the visions of this book are tailor 31 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:26,560 made and are targeting a particular category of people, 32 00:02:27,920 --> 00:02:31,560 Christ's servants. Now servants is quite a broad 33 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:35,240 term, but when you understand the original language a little 34 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:39,440 bit, you'll discover that it's much more narrow in its 35 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:42,640 interpretation. It's not just servants. 36 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:45,280 We're actually talking about slaves. 37 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:51,640 The Greek word is doulos, and a doulos or a slave was not 38 00:02:51,640 --> 00:02:55,240 somebody who was necessarily employed, it was somebody who 39 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:59,280 was actually owned. A doulos was somebody who was 40 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:04,480 permanently owned by someone else, and that position of 41 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:08,560 servitude remained as a lifelong call. 42 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:11,480 A slave didn't have his own rights. 43 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:15,920 He solely lived to perform the will and the pleasure of the one 44 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:24,120 that he was owned by. Now in John's day, the joy of 45 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:27,680 that position being a slave, being an advantage or 46 00:03:27,920 --> 00:03:30,560 disadvantage, largely depended on the goodness of the 47 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:33,320 individual that one was subservient to. 48 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:37,920 And this may sound surprising to us, but in Roman Society of this 49 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,920 time, you would have people who would give themselves up to be a 50 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:44,360 slave thinking that they would be better off doing so. 51 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:49,240 And so we have to understand that even the concept of slavery 52 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:53,720 was much different than how we seem to interpret it in Western 53 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:58,120 culture. In the case of the apostles, 54 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:02,160 they gladly identify themselves and many of the openings of 55 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:06,280 their letters as slaves specifically to Jesus Christ, 56 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:12,280 bond servants of Jesus Christ. And they did so because they 57 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:16,880 wanted to communicate, one, that Jesus Christ is a glorious 58 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:23,560 master, and two, that their devotion to him was complete and 59 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:28,040 that it was lifelong. I hope you don't miss it next 60 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:29,280 time you study the New Testament. 61 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:34,080 Paul, a servant, a bondservant, a slave of Jesus Christ. 62 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:37,240 Jude even says I'm a servant of Jesus. 63 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:41,080 James says I'm a servant of Jesus Christ. 64 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:45,240 This is not a temporary thing. This is permanent. 65 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:51,360 It's forever and you and I have to understand that the opening 66 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:55,160 of this book, God expects all of his followers to relate him in 67 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:58,600 the same way. And so we have to establish 68 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:00,280 something right now before we move on. 69 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:07,320 Here's a question we should ask am IA bondservant of Jesus 70 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:11,960 Christ. Does he own my will? 71 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:21,680 Does he determine my decisions? Does he have my resources? 72 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:27,720 Am I truly a slave to Jesus Christ? 73 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:33,200 And that's important for many reasons, including for how we're 74 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:35,600 going to receive the truth of this book because later we're 75 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:38,560 going to discover that there's a specific blessing for those who 76 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:42,560 keep what is written in it. And to keep what is written in 77 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:45,240 it means that you take it to heart and that you obey what it 78 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:47,800 asks of you. You can't do that unless you 79 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:50,400 first settle this. Do I actually belong to Him? 80 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:54,120 So what I'm trying to convey from the beginning is this. 81 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:58,880 The way this book will impact your life is determined by 82 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:01,520 whether or not you are a slave to Jesus Christ. 83 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:05,280 If not, completely surrender to Him that you're not going to 84 00:06:05,280 --> 00:06:08,080 truly benefit from what this book has to teach you. 85 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:11,760 And so you have to ask yourself, am I coming to the Book of 86 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:15,720 Revelation here at Maranatha Bible Church merely as a 87 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:19,320 student? Or am I coming because I am a 88 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:24,760 bondservant of Jesus Christ? This is for bondservants. 89 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:26,880 This is for slaves of Jesus Christ. 90 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:30,880 But who is this from? Interestingly, look at the last 91 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:33,800 part of verse one. He made it known by sending his 92 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:37,440 Angel to his servant John. So even there we have John 93 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:40,680 called a bondservant, a slave of Christ. 94 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:45,640 And each of us here have to understand that John is one of 95 00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:48,800 the apostles. He's one of the 12 and church 96 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:51,080 tradition attributes the authorship of this book, the 97 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:54,280 human authorship to him. And there are many reasons for 98 00:06:54,280 --> 00:06:57,400 that, good reasons for that. When you actually look at and 99 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:01,440 you survey this book, you'll discover clues, phrases, 100 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:06,920 expressions, references that are unique to John's writings. 101 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:10,120 And there are, there are many, many, many parallels, but I want 102 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:12,680 to look at 2 obvious ones. So hopefully you have the Book 103 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:13,840 of Revelation open in your hands. 104 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:17,280 Look at Revelation 5 and I want you to see verse 6 briefly. 105 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:23,680 John writes. And between the throne and the 106 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:27,280 four living creatures, and among the elders, I saw a lamb 107 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:32,320 standing as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with 108 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:35,800 seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all 109 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:39,720 the earth. The messianic title of the Lamb 110 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:41,560 is very common to us. I think it was virtually in 111 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:43,200 every song that we sang this afternoon. 112 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:49,400 But that picture of Jesus which appears many times in Revelation 113 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:54,720 is only found in one other book in the New Testament, the book 114 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:58,920 of John, unless you count Paul, who says in First Corinthians 115 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:00,840 that Christ is our Passover lamb. 116 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:05,000 But the the idea of the Lamb, the Lamb of God, that's only 117 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:10,200 found here in Revelation and the Gospel account, which is amazing 118 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:14,360 and it's not the only one. Here's another Joy 9 expression. 119 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:24,400 Look at Revelation 19 in verse 13 it says he is clothed in a 120 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:28,360 robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is 121 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:32,640 the Word of God. Sound familiar? 122 00:08:34,039 --> 00:08:36,520 In the beginning was the Word, yes, right? 123 00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:39,720 John 11. And not only in John 11 but 124 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:45,440 first John 11, Christ there is referenced as the word of life. 125 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:49,120 So we have it in Revelation as a title, as a reference to Christ 126 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:52,280 here in Revelation, have it in John, have it in the first 127 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:56,080 epistle written by John. This is obviously written by him 128 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:58,920 and there's many other things that we can look to to confirm 129 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:01,040 that. Instead, I want to take this 130 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:04,960 time to look at something that John mentions back in chapter 1, 131 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:07,960 verse two. Look what this bond servant said 132 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:13,440 about the Book of Revelation who bore witness to the Word of God 133 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:17,920 and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 134 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:22,720 John calls the Book of Revelation the Word of God. 135 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:28,480 That may seem obvious to you, but what is sad is that 136 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:33,120 believers in the past and even some believers today in practice 137 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:36,320 do not uphold the Book of Revelation with such dignity and 138 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:39,280 honor. Now this may shock you, but let 139 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:40,680 me give you a quote from Martin Luther. 140 00:09:40,680 --> 00:09:44,360 Yes, the great reformer, he said this about the Book of 141 00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:47,160 Revelation. Quote, My spirit cannot 142 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:51,880 accommodate itself to this book. For me, this is reason enough 143 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:57,000 not to think highly of it. Christ is neither taught nor 144 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:59,840 known in it. End of quote. 145 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:04,040 Now, Martin Luther was right about very important theological 146 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:06,880 truths, but I have to say that he was not right about the Book 147 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:10,240 of Revelation. And the reason why he wrestled 148 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:12,760 with it like many do today is because of the visions and the 149 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:14,720 cryptic nature of some of these things. 150 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:16,480 So he just kind of put it in the peripheral. 151 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:21,280 He didn't really uphold it. The way John himself describes 152 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:26,240 this book, it's the word of God which tells you and I that no 153 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:28,280 matter how you feel about the visions, the predictions of this 154 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:31,520 letter, we have to understand that the man who wrote it lived 155 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:35,880 with Jesus for 3 1/2 years. He witnessed his execution on a 156 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:39,160 Roman cross. He spent time with him and ate 157 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:42,000 with him after his resurrection, and he beheld his bodily 158 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:45,840 ascension into heaven. The same John who experienced 159 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:49,400 that is the same John who is telling us that Lord gave me 160 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:53,400 this truth. It's as though John is saying in 161 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:56,280 the same way I faithfully conveyed to you the details of 162 00:10:56,280 --> 00:10:59,880 His first coming, I am equally loyal to tell you about the 163 00:10:59,880 --> 00:11:04,320 details of His second coming. And that is not the only thing 164 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:08,880 that John wants to tell us which comes to verse 3 for us. 165 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:10,880 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this 166 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:14,080 prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is 167 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:17,640 written in it for the time is near. 168 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:22,720 If you've ever read the Book of Revelation, then you've probably 169 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:25,320 noticed that this is not the only beatitude found in the Book 170 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:28,760 of Revelation. A beatitude is a declaration of 171 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:32,000 blessedness or happiness, right? And we're most familiar with the 172 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:35,640 Beatitudes and the introduction of the Sermon on the Mount, But 173 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:39,280 we have beatitudes here, and the one that we have here in verse 3 174 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:42,520 is one out of seven total beatitudes in the Book of 175 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:44,320 Revelation. Now, the other day I was 176 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:48,840 counting to make sure, and it's confirmed there are a total of 177 00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:53,640 7, which bless me because 7 is such a significant number in 178 00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:56,680 this book. Most of us know that the number 179 00:11:56,680 --> 00:12:01,680 seven in the Bible speaks to completion or God's full 180 00:12:01,680 --> 00:12:03,640 fulfillment concerning something. 181 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:07,840 And if that's true and we relate it to these declarations of 182 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:10,240 blessings in Revelation, here's what we can confirm. 183 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:14,680 This book has complete blessing for us. 184 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:21,080 Total blessing, full blessing. And at the beginning here, we're 185 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:26,800 told three ways that we can be blessed by this book. 186 00:12:28,560 --> 00:12:30,120 The first way is to read it aloud. 187 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:32,160 I think that's what I'm doing, right? 188 00:12:33,560 --> 00:12:35,760 The second way is for those to hear it. 189 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:38,800 That's what you're doing. And lastly, for the reader and 190 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:41,240 the hearer to keep what is written in it. 191 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:46,120 John expected that this letter, when he sent it to the seven 192 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:48,320 churches, would be read in each congregation. 193 00:12:48,680 --> 00:12:50,480 Now, what I appreciate about what he's saying here is that he 194 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:54,360 doesn't say blessed is the one who understands every single 195 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:56,920 detail in the Book of Revelation because a lot of us would be in 196 00:12:56,920 --> 00:12:59,800 trouble. No, no, no, this book is so 197 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:03,760 packed with spiritual treasure that just reading it and hearing 198 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:05,960 it will bless you. Just doing that. 199 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:08,960 Now I got to also say this. You can tell I'm getting a 200 00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:13,720 little excited, right? This is a clue to some of the 201 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:17,240 practices of the early church, a practice that you and I are 202 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:21,120 honoring right now. There would be somebody who was 203 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:26,880 designated to read the Scriptures while others listen 204 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:29,960 to the word of God being read. Aren't you glad that we're 205 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:31,360 keeping up with that biblical tradition? 206 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:35,520 Here we are reading and hearing. This is something that the 207 00:13:35,560 --> 00:13:38,560 ancient church did, and it's been going on for thousands of 208 00:13:38,560 --> 00:13:41,560 years now. Many of us who grew up in 209 00:13:41,560 --> 00:13:44,640 Christian circles are familiar with this beatitude in 210 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:50,080 Revelation One. But I have this question, What 211 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:53,880 blessing does John have in mind for those who would read and 212 00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:57,280 hear and obey what this book has to say? 213 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:01,360 And I believe we have an answer. The answer is when you look at 214 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:04,920 the book end, the last part of the Book of Revelation, and you 215 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:08,160 see this beatitude repeated almost word for word. 216 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:12,440 So go to Revelation 22 and notice what Jesus says in verse 217 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:22,960 7 of Revelation 22. Here's another beatitude and 218 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:26,840 behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the 219 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:29,880 words of the prophecy of this book. 220 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:36,200 So notice that there is a connection between keeping the 221 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:41,520 words of this prophecy and Jesus coming back soon, engaging with 222 00:14:41,520 --> 00:14:45,520 the prophecies of this book in light of the return of Jesus 223 00:14:45,520 --> 00:14:47,720 Christ. Here's what this tells me. 224 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:52,440 Reading, hearing, keeping what is in this book blesses us 225 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:57,000 mainly because it thunders the truth of the soon return of 226 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:00,680 Christ and it compels you to prepare for his arrival. 227 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:04,000 That's a blessing. Here's what you're going to be 228 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:08,240 reminded as we go through every detail, try to at least in these 229 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:10,800 wonderful chapters. The main message is going to be 230 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:14,600 this Jesus is coming back soon. Christ is coming back soon. 231 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:19,640 The King is coming again, and the appropriate response is I 232 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:24,360 must be ready for it. I must be prepared. 233 00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:33,680 And as helpful as that is, this fountain is so deep, so lively, 234 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:39,680 so gushing with blessing that we have other things to receive 235 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:42,440 from it. And we're going to sip from more 236 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:46,960 of it as we consider now the main section of this message. 237 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:50,560 Now, last week, let me say this, I was providing the testimony 238 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:53,000 early on about how encouraged I was by the response of the 239 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:55,120 people. One of the comments was you were 240 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:57,800 too fast, brother, with your introduction message. 241 00:15:57,880 --> 00:16:00,920 Please take your time. Please don't be afraid to 242 00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:02,200 continue. I don't know if all you feel 243 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:05,640 that way, but here's me responding to that request 244 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:07,520 because all that I just said was the introduction. 245 00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:10,680 Let's come to verse 4 now and read to verse 8. 246 00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:20,400 John to the seven churches that are in Asia, grace to you and 247 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:25,440 peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from 248 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:27,760 the seven spirits who are before his throne. 249 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:31,360 And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first born 250 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:34,640 of the dead and the ruler of kings on earth. 251 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:38,720 To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His 252 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:43,120 blood and made us a Kingdom priest to his God and Father, to 253 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:45,600 Him be glory and dominion, forever and ever. 254 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:48,680 Amen. Behold, he's coming with the 255 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:52,520 clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who Pierce them, 256 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:55,640 and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. 257 00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:58,000 Even so. Amen. 258 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:03,200 I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and 259 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:06,720 who was and who is to come the Almighty. 260 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:13,599 There's that #7 again. Verse 4 John to the seven 261 00:17:13,599 --> 00:17:18,040 churches that are in Asia A student in the New Testament 262 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:22,560 will know we'll probably think well there are more than 7 263 00:17:22,560 --> 00:17:28,319 churches in Asia Minor at this time and you might even wondered 264 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:31,880 why didn't John write to some of the churches that we read in the 265 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:36,280 epistles so. So why not more than 7? 266 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:41,120 Why not fewer? Well, again, if there is a 267 00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:45,320 symbolic attachment to this number, then we can understand 268 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:48,200 what John by the Spirit is trying to communicate. 269 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:51,160 Yes, these are real historical churches that have been 270 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:55,520 addressed, but that #7 is meant to tell us that this message is 271 00:17:55,520 --> 00:17:59,440 also for all believers. If #7 means completion, 272 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:04,160 fullness, then what we have here is John telling us that God is 273 00:18:04,160 --> 00:18:08,400 trying to speak to God, is aiming His message at all 274 00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:11,040 believers of all time. This is relevant to every 275 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:14,600 Christian. So we are being written to. 276 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:18,920 This is for us, and those specific messages will come in 277 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:20,840 chapter 2 and chapter 3. But right here, we're being 278 00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:24,960 prepared. What we have to read is for us 279 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:30,080 personally, and the first thing that we can learn, the first 280 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:34,400 major lesson following the fact that John writes to the seven 281 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:39,480 churches, is that a true church that belongs to Jesus Christ 282 00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:43,440 will be a church that acknowledges and believes in the 283 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:48,400 Trinity. There are many branches of 284 00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:52,400 Christianity that are not really Christian that do not believe in 285 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:58,680 the Tri unity of God, that he is one being 3 persons, not 3 gods. 286 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:03,720 He is one, yes, but He is also 3. 287 00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:07,880 And we can spend the rest of this time trying to explain that 288 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:10,800 and prove it from the Bible. But the thing that I want to 289 00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:15,040 just make clear is that a true church will believe in that, 290 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:18,840 will defend that, and a church is not really a church that 291 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:23,200 rejects that truth. Did you notice that this 292 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:27,800 greeting to the seven churches came from the Trinity? 293 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:34,440 Look again from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come. 294 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:39,120 This speaks of the Father and His eternality, and from the 295 00:19:39,120 --> 00:19:41,320 seven spirits who are before His throne. 296 00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:43,160 This speaks of the Spirit and His fullness. 297 00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:47,840 And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first born 298 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:50,160 of the dead and the rulers of kings on earth. 299 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:52,360 This speaks of the Son and His supremacy. 300 00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:57,200 So right here in this greeting you have traces of the Trinity. 301 00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:01,520 A clear reference that this is coming from Father, Spirit and 302 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:05,360 Son. And this teaches us that a true 303 00:20:05,360 --> 00:20:08,160 church will receive such a revelation. 304 00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:10,840 They will not deny it, they will not resist it, they will not try 305 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:13,480 to explain it away. But let's look at these things 306 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:16,920 more closely, shall we? Let's look at the Father, at all 307 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:18,400 the things that can be said about the Father. 308 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:22,160 We're told here that he is, He was. 309 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:26,600 Who is to come. The timelessness of the Father. 310 00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:30,560 Now, that sounds very abstract, That sounds very out there, but 311 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:32,200 it's meant to comfort the believer. 312 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:35,760 Because what we're supposed to face here is that the God you 313 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:40,320 learned about in Genesis through Deuteronomy, the God who did 314 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:45,160 miracles in Joshua, the God who was patient in the days of 315 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:49,600 Samuel and the kings, the God who spoke through Isaiah, 316 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:54,000 Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and all the other prophets is the 317 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:58,120 same God who is watching over his church today. 318 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:00,880 That's what we're supposed to sense. 319 00:21:01,360 --> 00:21:03,600 He's the same 1. He hasn't changed. 320 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:06,760 He still is there. He's still supervising, he's 321 00:21:06,760 --> 00:21:09,800 still empowering, he's still providing, he's still speaking. 322 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:13,800 So he's not diluted in any manner. 323 00:21:14,120 --> 00:21:16,400 He's not distance himself over time. 324 00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:21,040 He is near, he is close. And the same power and wisdom 325 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:23,760 and love that he operated in the past is available to us today. 326 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:28,560 The Father. And then we go to who is before 327 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:31,640 the Father's throne. Look again here and from the 328 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:33,960 seven spirits who are before His throne. 329 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:38,880 Now initially that may sound confusing because we are all 330 00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:43,640 familiar with one spirit who shares equal standing with the 331 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:46,840 Father, That's the Holy Spirit. So now we have this idea of 332 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:50,360 seven spirits, and I've even heard people who mockingly come 333 00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:52,560 to a text like this and accuse Christians. 334 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:54,600 Oh, you believe three and one. I think you actually believe 335 00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:57,960 9:00 and 1:00 because you have this mention of the seven 336 00:21:57,960 --> 00:21:59,600 spirits and you add the Son and the Father. 337 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:04,600 Isn't that 9? Do you remember how we open up 338 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:08,560 this series last week? That from beginning to end, the 339 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:11,840 Book of Revelation is absolutely drenched with Old Testament 340 00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:14,600 references. And so when something doesn't 341 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:17,640 seem so clear, we have to ask ourselves, have we seen 342 00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:21,600 something like this before? Have we looked at any text that 343 00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:25,360 might give some explanation to what John is conveying here? 344 00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:29,920 And the answer is yes, I believe the apostle John is referencing 345 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:33,480 the sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit that Isaiah spoke 346 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:37,080 about in Chapter 11. Turn there with me and Isaiah 11 347 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:41,320 verses one and two, and this will hopefully make sense to us. 348 00:22:47,780 --> 00:22:51,260 And Isaiah 11 verse one and two we read there shall come forth a 349 00:22:51,260 --> 00:22:54,620 shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots 350 00:22:54,620 --> 00:22:57,900 shall bear fruit. Let's count now in verse 2. 351 00:22:58,700 --> 00:23:03,400 And the Spirit of the Lord, one shall rest upon him, the spirit 352 00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:08,720 of wisdom 2 and understanding 3 the spirit of counsel 4 and 353 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:14,360 might 5 the spirit of knowledge 6 and the fear of the Lord 7. 354 00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:20,320 So when John is depicting the seven spirits who are before his 355 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:23,360 throne, he's not speaking about 7 separate beings. 356 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:28,360 He's referring to the perfect qualities of the ministry of the 357 00:23:28,360 --> 00:23:33,840 Holy Spirit, one Holy Spirit who's also the Spirit of the 358 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:36,680 Lord, the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, 359 00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:38,360 knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. 360 00:23:38,360 --> 00:23:41,360 And while Christ was on earth, according to Isaiah's prophecy, 361 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:44,920 the Spirit in his fullness rested upon the Messiah. 362 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:49,120 And now we find him before the throne of God in the Book of 363 00:23:49,120 --> 00:23:51,320 Revelation. And it's going to appear more 364 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:52,840 than once in our study of this book. 365 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:57,880 So we have the Holy Spirit who's greeting the seven churches. 366 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:04,160 Lastly, we have the Son. It's no surprise to us that 367 00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:06,680 Christ is mentioned last because he's the theme of the Book of 368 00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:09,960 Revelation. So John's going to expand on the 369 00:24:09,960 --> 00:24:13,000 truth of who Jesus Christ is. And what are we told? 370 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:15,960 Look at these wonderful titles, The faithful witness. 371 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:20,480 You can depend on what He says. He never lies, He never 372 00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:23,160 exaggerates. He's perfect in His witness. 373 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:27,240 He's the first born of the dead and the rule of kings on earth. 374 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:30,640 We sang that so resoundingly. And out of this threefold 375 00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:33,600 portrait, I think the most puzzling 1 might be the first 376 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:37,720 born of the dead. What does John mean by that? 377 00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:41,160 It's not a mystery. This is a banner that is not 378 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:45,240 only powerful, it has promise attached to it. 379 00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:51,040 The first born of the dead, implying that there are others 380 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:54,040 on the way. What he means by this is that 381 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:57,480 Jesus Christ is the first to rise from the dead with a 382 00:24:57,480 --> 00:25:01,640 glorified, exalted, eternal body. 383 00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:07,960 And his resurrection, as unique as it is, paves the way for 384 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:10,920 future resurrections, namely those who put their faith and 385 00:25:10,920 --> 00:25:13,600 trust in Him. So he's the first born of the 386 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:18,200 dead, and we will follow him and share in that experience. 387 00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:23,120 How encouraging this would have been to these seven churches who 388 00:25:23,120 --> 00:25:25,960 are being persecuted and suffering in unique ways. 389 00:25:26,360 --> 00:25:30,040 They were reminded right at the introduction, We are going to 390 00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:33,840 follow in the destiny of Christ. He's the first one of that. 391 00:25:33,840 --> 00:25:36,760 And even if we lose our lives, we will share in his fate. 392 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:40,240 This is what John is saying. And this is not all that he has 393 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:42,080 to say about this caption of Christ. 394 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:46,520 He goes on to something that I think is so precious. 395 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:55,000 He goes on to say what to him who loves us and has freed us 396 00:25:55,360 --> 00:26:01,920 from our sins by his blood. You know what one of the first 397 00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:03,720 messages is of the Book of Revelation? 398 00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:10,640 That this eternal King, the defeater of death, the returning 399 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:19,520 conqueror, loves you, loves each of us. 400 00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:22,880 I don't think many people associate the Book of Revelation 401 00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:25,840 with the revelation of God's love. 402 00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:27,960 It's right there in the beginning. 403 00:26:30,360 --> 00:26:37,880 Do you believe God loves you? It's one thing to believe that 404 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:41,320 he created you. It's one thing to believe that 405 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:44,480 he provides for you. It's another thing to believe 406 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:48,280 that he will. Yes, promise you a place with 407 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:53,400 him forever. Do you have the faith to believe 408 00:26:53,400 --> 00:27:00,280 that this amazing, incredible, powerful God actually has 409 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:08,320 delight for you? John wants the churches to know 410 00:27:09,360 --> 00:27:10,480 this. God loves you. 411 00:27:13,120 --> 00:27:18,280 When is that ever dawned on you? When was the last time you 412 00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:23,680 relished in the thought God loves me, not that you love God. 413 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:28,000 That's wonderful. When did you bathe in that 414 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:31,120 revelation last? I can tell you it will empower 415 00:27:31,120 --> 00:27:32,800 you in ways that you cannot even fathom. 416 00:27:34,120 --> 00:27:35,280 The other day I was driving on my own. 417 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:38,640 I was meeting a few people and it was in a long drive. 418 00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:40,520 So I thought to myself, let me just, I'm not going to listen to 419 00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:42,760 anything. I'm just going to take this time 420 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:48,720 by myself. It was dark, it was quiet, just 421 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:52,160 speaking to the Lord. And this thought that you and I 422 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:59,320 know touched me in a fresh way. You died for me. 423 00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:07,440 You died for me. There I am driving, thinking. 424 00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:13,480 You left heaven. You came to this world and you 425 00:28:13,800 --> 00:28:18,000 died for me so that I can be with you forever. 426 00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:24,320 I almost skipped my meeting. Because you see, this is not 427 00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:31,520 just a sentimental thing. This love, it acts, it moves, it 428 00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:38,440 intervenes, it transforms, it's tangible, it's observable, it's 429 00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:43,240 measurable in a way, because we're told here what this love 430 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:45,560 has done. Look at the last part of verse 431 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:47,400 5. To him who loves us and has 432 00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:51,640 freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a Kingdom 433 00:28:51,640 --> 00:28:54,680 priest to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion 434 00:28:54,680 --> 00:29:02,480 forever and ever, Amen. So this, this love frees us from 435 00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:05,120 something and makes us into something. 436 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:09,640 It frees us from our sins by his blood. 437 00:29:11,560 --> 00:29:14,200 So it's a love that is a rated erased our record of wrong. 438 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:17,560 It's it's a love that liberates us for eternity. 439 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:20,880 It's a love that actually sets you free from the power of sin. 440 00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:25,960 If God just said I loved you, that would have been wonderful, 441 00:29:25,960 --> 00:29:30,080 but he proved it and it changes you. 442 00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:32,960 If you really receive it, it frees you. 443 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:38,440 He paid a high price in order to show how much he loves us, not 444 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:41,840 just saving us from something. He saved us for something. 445 00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:47,240 He made us a Kingdom priest to his God and Father, Not just the 446 00:29:47,240 --> 00:29:51,680 Kingdom, a Kingdom of priests. I, I get it. 447 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:53,800 The temptation to hear language like this is like this is 448 00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:56,600 abstracted. I don't know what to make of it. 449 00:29:56,600 --> 00:29:58,000 What does that have to do with me? 450 00:29:58,000 --> 00:29:59,920 Really Well, how does that really impact my life? 451 00:29:59,920 --> 00:30:03,080 Well, it speaks of the royal nature and the spiritual 452 00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:07,560 privilege of the Christian, so that we've been guaranteed not 453 00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:10,160 just to be with Christ when he comes to rule and reign, but we 454 00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:17,240 will reign with Him. And more than that, we have an 455 00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:19,600 access to Him. We don't need any earthly 456 00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:22,680 mediator. We need to jump through hoops. 457 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:24,960 Think about this. It doesn't even end here. 458 00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:28,520 Not only am IA priest, a priest is one who serves as a meteor 459 00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:32,040 between man and God. I have access to God, but God 460 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:34,480 even tells me that I'm the temple of the Holy Spirit. 461 00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:39,760 So as a priest and as the dwelling place for God, no 462 00:30:39,760 --> 00:30:44,080 matter where I am at any point of the day, I can talk to him, I 463 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:50,360 can worship him, I can access him, I can receive from him on 464 00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:53,040 the basis of the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice. 465 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:59,040 So this love, it frees me, it also molds me and makes me into 466 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:02,000 something. That's one of the first messages 467 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:07,920 of the Book of Revelation. God loves his church and every 468 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:14,520 single individual believer. I pray that you would pray that 469 00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:17,160 this would be more real to you in the days to come. 470 00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:21,080 This thought so moved John. He couldn't help it. 471 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:24,920 He breaks out into praise. Look at the rest of verse five. 472 00:31:25,720 --> 00:31:28,520 He says to him, be glory and dominion, forever and ever. 473 00:31:28,600 --> 00:31:31,880 Amen. He got excited when he spoke 474 00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:36,760 about these things too. But in contrast to the grace, 475 00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:39,760 peace, and love that is poured out on believers, those who are 476 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:43,680 outside the church will wail on account of Him. 477 00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:47,800 Look at verse 7. Behold, He is coming with the 478 00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:50,800 clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who Pierce them. 479 00:31:51,120 --> 00:31:54,480 And all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. 480 00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:56,480 Even so. Amen. 481 00:31:56,800 --> 00:32:00,160 So John says now look, behold, turn your attention to this. 482 00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:02,840 I'm giving you a preview of what this book is really about. 483 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:08,040 Christ is coming back and that truth is a means for us to 484 00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:12,000 worship, and it will be the reason for many to lament. 485 00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:17,560 Look how incredible this is. He is coming with the clouds and 486 00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:23,600 every eye will see Him, no matter the time zone, no matter 487 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:26,640 the regions of the earth that are unexplored, that are hiding 488 00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:30,400 indigenous people groups. At one point Christ will take 489 00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:34,440 center stage of the universe and every eye will witness it, and 490 00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:38,640 every eye will acknowledge this is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 491 00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:43,840 Every blasphemer who mocked him will admit it. 492 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:49,360 Every false religionist who is denied His identity, namely His 493 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:54,840 deity, will accept it, and in one moment every atheist will 494 00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:58,880 become a believer. But it will be too late for 495 00:32:58,880 --> 00:33:03,440 many, because they'll realize that he's not coming the way he 496 00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:06,880 came the first time. He's coming to judge, and his 497 00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:10,440 judgement will be eternal. This is why we're told that many 498 00:33:10,440 --> 00:33:13,240 will wail. But it is so interesting here 499 00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:18,680 that John gives us a heads up. He actually underscores a 500 00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:21,320 specific people group who will also witness him. 501 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:25,400 Look again here, even those who pierced him. 502 00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:31,440 Now you read that and you think this is OK, but it's a general 503 00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:33,200 reference to those who crucified him. 504 00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:36,680 But no, he's actually echoing a prophecy from Zechariah 12/10. 505 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:40,440 You can turn there on your own at another time, but that's 506 00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:44,720 where we're told that the people of Israel who are responsible 507 00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:49,000 for crucifying their Messiah, the fulfillment of them who 508 00:33:49,240 --> 00:33:52,800 pierced Him and wailing and weeping on account of Him, will 509 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:54,280 be realized at the Second Coming. 510 00:33:57,080 --> 00:34:00,360 Which is fascinating because when you look at Zechariah 511 00:34:00,360 --> 00:34:04,720 12/10, it confirms that God has a purpose and plan for the 512 00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:08,480 ethnic people of Israel up until His return. 513 00:34:09,639 --> 00:34:13,280 That is why understanding God's purpose for Israel is so 514 00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:16,719 crucial. Nothing to do with politics my 515 00:34:16,719 --> 00:34:21,239 friend, but deeply ingrained in how you frame your eschatology, 516 00:34:21,239 --> 00:34:23,320 which is a fancy word for the study and your knowledge of the 517 00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:27,199 last days. Those who have pierced them will 518 00:34:27,199 --> 00:34:29,040 see Him. Why would you highlight out of 519 00:34:29,080 --> 00:34:32,440 all the tribes of the world, all the people, groups of the world, 520 00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:36,560 all the nations of the world, one that has gone through a 521 00:34:36,560 --> 00:34:38,360 roller coaster throughout history? 522 00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:42,639 Evidently a prophecy about them will be realized at the 523 00:34:42,639 --> 00:34:45,840 culmination of the age. We're going to explore this as 524 00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:52,040 we go on through this book. But notice here, this is a 525 00:34:52,040 --> 00:34:55,120 spectacular prophecy and here's a summary of it. 526 00:34:55,840 --> 00:34:58,360 He says here that Christ will do what he is coming with the 527 00:34:58,360 --> 00:35:03,320 clouds. When Jesus went up bodily in 528 00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:08,560 Acts chapter one verse 9, we're told there that he was hidden by 529 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:11,160 a cloud. Now, if you've ever been to a 530 00:35:11,160 --> 00:35:15,840 play, then you might remember that at some point, in the event 531 00:35:16,280 --> 00:35:20,600 a curtain would drop and there would be a pause, a break right 532 00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:23,600 to the act. And then there would be a time 533 00:35:23,600 --> 00:35:25,920 for you to, you know, refresh yourself, go do something in 534 00:35:25,920 --> 00:35:29,160 return, only for that curtain to lift again and for the play to 535 00:35:29,160 --> 00:35:31,680 resume. That's how I like to think of 536 00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:36,520 this cloud picture that when he ascended into heaven, the 537 00:35:36,520 --> 00:35:39,880 curtain dropped. The cloud concealed him. 538 00:35:41,240 --> 00:35:45,000 But when he returns, the clouds will part and they will reveal 539 00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:48,760 him the first time he ascended as a rejected Messiah. 540 00:35:48,760 --> 00:35:51,440 When he comes back, he's going to be a conquering king. 541 00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:55,080 And John is saying look for the clouds. 542 00:35:56,160 --> 00:35:59,600 They will usher him in. And this is such a spectacular 543 00:35:59,600 --> 00:36:01,920 prophecy. You are think about it. 544 00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:07,520 You are predicting somebody who has been supposedly dead for 545 00:36:07,520 --> 00:36:11,200 2000 years is going to make a reappearance and actually take 546 00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:13,440 over everything. Now we as Christians believe 547 00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:18,280 he's alive and so astounding is such a claim. 548 00:36:19,120 --> 00:36:22,640 John pauses, not speaking on behalf of the Lord anymore, but 549 00:36:22,640 --> 00:36:25,320 allows God now to speak for himself. 550 00:36:25,320 --> 00:36:28,520 In verse 8. What does the Lord say? 551 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:32,960 I am the Alpha and the Omega says the Lord God who is and who 552 00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:34,880 was and who is to come the Almighty. 553 00:36:35,200 --> 00:36:38,840 It's as though God steps in and gives his personal endorsement 554 00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:43,080 for verse 7. I'm going to do this. 555 00:36:44,680 --> 00:36:46,760 Jesus Christ is coming back. You know why? 556 00:36:48,120 --> 00:36:52,320 I'm the alpha and the Omega. What does that mean? 557 00:36:53,160 --> 00:36:56,200 That's the first and last letter for the Greek alphabet. 558 00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:00,120 And So what the Lord is saying essentially is I'm the beginning 559 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:04,720 and the end. It again echoes his eternality. 560 00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:10,080 More than that, he says, I give the first word, I'm going to 561 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:13,520 give the last word, and no one can change that. 562 00:37:14,640 --> 00:37:18,720 I'm the alpha and the Omega. I'm outside of time. 563 00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:23,680 I can predict the future because I already see it from time to 564 00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:25,920 time when people try to ask how does God know things? 565 00:37:26,440 --> 00:37:29,760 How do we kind of wrestle and make sense of His foreknowledge 566 00:37:29,760 --> 00:37:31,840 and our personal responsibility and all these things? 567 00:37:32,480 --> 00:37:34,560 It's hard to grasp. And I like to jokingly tell 568 00:37:34,560 --> 00:37:37,200 people, you know, God right now is at your birth date, your 569 00:37:37,200 --> 00:37:39,760 first birth date and your funeral at the same time. 570 00:37:42,320 --> 00:37:43,920 Try to figure that out over food today. 571 00:37:47,120 --> 00:37:49,680 The alpha, the Omega, the beginning of the end. 572 00:37:50,360 --> 00:37:53,320 I gave the first word. I'm going to give the last word. 573 00:37:53,960 --> 00:37:57,240 But this statement here is more than just God declaring that He 574 00:37:57,240 --> 00:38:00,000 is outside of time. He also wants to confirm that He 575 00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:05,080 is in control of every event within time. 576 00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:09,520 What is he going to say? And the alpha and the Omega says 577 00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:13,400 the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come? 578 00:38:13,840 --> 00:38:22,280 The Almighty, The Almighty. That description for God doesn't 579 00:38:22,280 --> 00:38:23,680 appear a lot in the New Testament. 580 00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:29,920 A total of 10 times the rest. All other nine are found here in 581 00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:32,160 Revelation. Think about that. 582 00:38:32,960 --> 00:38:35,560 This is God saying something about Himself in Revelation that 583 00:38:35,560 --> 00:38:39,600 He wants to emphasize. And the word Almighty simply 584 00:38:39,600 --> 00:38:45,040 means this one who has His hand and everything, One who holds 585 00:38:45,040 --> 00:38:49,160 sway to everything. In other words, He's in control, 586 00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:52,400 the Almighty, the Almighty, the Almighty. 587 00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:55,520 That's what is being blasted from Revelation. 588 00:38:56,120 --> 00:38:59,760 Obviously, for us to be persuaded of His sovereignty, 589 00:39:01,760 --> 00:39:04,800 that in the last days He is going to be completely in 590 00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:06,720 control, even though everything looks like it's going out of 591 00:39:06,720 --> 00:39:09,760 control. I'm the Almighty 1, the Almighty 592 00:39:09,760 --> 00:39:14,960 1, the Almighty 1, and so He's the determiner of events. 593 00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:18,600 And it would be a mistake to think that the Lord being the 594 00:39:18,600 --> 00:39:20,800 Alpha and the Omega, is only interested in the beginning of 595 00:39:20,800 --> 00:39:22,320 time. Then He backed away and let 596 00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:25,680 things just go their own way. And then now He'll come back and 597 00:39:25,680 --> 00:39:28,400 put things in order. No, remember, what does it say? 598 00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:32,440 Who is not just who was and who is to come? 599 00:39:32,440 --> 00:39:36,280 He is now. So even now, today, in 2025, 600 00:39:36,280 --> 00:39:38,920 He's the Almighty. He's not just going to be 601 00:39:38,920 --> 00:39:42,120 Almighty when He returns. He's the Almighty until His 602 00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:46,040 return. And when He returns, which tells 603 00:39:46,040 --> 00:39:50,560 you, and I want that He is in control of every single thing in 604 00:39:50,560 --> 00:39:53,760 your life, He's in control of the city of Chicago. 605 00:39:53,760 --> 00:39:57,000 He's in control of the state. He's in control of this nation 606 00:39:57,000 --> 00:40:01,040 and the nations of the world. He is sovereign over every king, 607 00:40:01,040 --> 00:40:03,520 every president, Prime Minister, a dictator. 608 00:40:04,680 --> 00:40:07,600 And none can resist them. None can challenge him and 609 00:40:07,600 --> 00:40:09,720 succeed. Many have tried to thwart his 610 00:40:09,720 --> 00:40:11,520 plans and his prophecies, but have failed. 611 00:40:11,520 --> 00:40:13,640 And they will always fail until he proves himself. 612 00:40:14,640 --> 00:40:20,240 He's the Almighty and the Almighty. 613 00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:30,920 Loves you, genuinely loves you. His heart is stirred for us. 614 00:40:32,360 --> 00:40:34,200 People talk about mysteries in the Bible. 615 00:40:34,920 --> 00:40:36,680 To me, that's one of the greatest mysteries. 616 00:40:38,080 --> 00:40:39,680 How many of us are there in the world? 617 00:40:42,360 --> 00:40:43,880 How many of us throughout the ages? 618 00:40:45,880 --> 00:40:50,480 And yet He promises to walk with you and me as though we were the 619 00:40:50,520 --> 00:40:54,400 only person in the world. How many prayers has God 620 00:40:54,400 --> 00:40:55,680 answered in your life from heaven? 621 00:40:55,680 --> 00:40:58,920 The Almighty 1 Not because you're worthy, but because He 622 00:40:58,920 --> 00:41:02,480 loves you. The things that you're not even 623 00:41:02,480 --> 00:41:04,080 aware of that He's protecting you from. 624 00:41:04,400 --> 00:41:07,280 How He has every single day planned for you ahead. 625 00:41:08,400 --> 00:41:11,840 He knows it all and it will be for your good. 626 00:41:12,360 --> 00:41:15,240 And He will supply everything. And it'll be for the purpose of 627 00:41:15,240 --> 00:41:17,640 sanctifying you, making you more like His Son. 628 00:41:19,480 --> 00:41:23,200 I belong to the Almighty. So do you if you're in Christ. 629 00:41:25,240 --> 00:41:27,760 So this is what these seven churches are hearing before he 630 00:41:27,760 --> 00:41:31,000 gets into these specific things that he will say to them in 631 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:33,360 chapter 2 and three. And listen, in chapter 2 and 632 00:41:33,360 --> 00:41:36,160 three, a lot of these churches will receive scathing rebukes. 633 00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:40,280 But you know what's amazing? Before he corrects any of them, 634 00:41:40,480 --> 00:41:42,920 he tells these churches, you're loved. 635 00:41:45,040 --> 00:41:49,160 You were loved. I think even in that we have an 636 00:41:49,160 --> 00:41:50,800 example for how we correct others. 637 00:41:52,320 --> 00:41:54,400 Do we love them? Do they know that they are loved 638 00:41:54,400 --> 00:41:58,320 by us? Well, I better stop before I get 639 00:41:58,320 --> 00:42:01,800 carried away. I hear the voices of those. 640 00:42:01,800 --> 00:42:03,960 Last week I said just keep going brother, don't worry about it. 641 00:42:06,800 --> 00:42:10,160 This is the beginning of our study in Revelation, but we've 642 00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:14,280 come together here to reflect on His love for us as we break 643 00:42:14,280 --> 00:42:16,680 bread. So if I can ask the praise team 644 00:42:16,680 --> 00:42:21,920 to join us. And I encourage you to reflect 645 00:42:22,440 --> 00:42:29,360 on His love. So you have the woman at the 646 00:42:29,360 --> 00:42:33,680 well who is so ashamed of her story that she goes to this 647 00:42:33,680 --> 00:42:35,680 well. The hottest point of the day 648 00:42:35,680 --> 00:42:38,040 wasn't very wise. People would go earlier to get 649 00:42:38,040 --> 00:42:41,360 water for their families and their flock. 650 00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:44,120 So here she is in isolation, and she's drawing from this. 651 00:42:44,120 --> 00:42:46,200 Well, Jesus comes and asks for a drink. 652 00:42:46,200 --> 00:42:48,280 And you're familiar with the conversation. 653 00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:53,200 And Jesus begins to slowly unveil who he really is by 654 00:42:53,280 --> 00:42:55,800 demonstrating his power, his knowledge. 655 00:42:55,840 --> 00:42:58,960 And he tells her you've had more than one husband. 656 00:43:00,160 --> 00:43:03,000 And he actually confirms the amount. 657 00:43:04,680 --> 00:43:07,400 And she's obviously moved by this, but it says something 658 00:43:07,400 --> 00:43:10,520 about what she was yearning for. You know, when she goes to this 659 00:43:10,520 --> 00:43:13,840 well and she's drawing water, it's a picture of what she was 660 00:43:13,840 --> 00:43:16,480 thirsting for it. She was looking for love. 661 00:43:17,800 --> 00:43:20,720 She was looking for validation. And so she was jumping from 662 00:43:20,720 --> 00:43:22,000 marriage to marriage to marriage, right? 663 00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:23,480 And then she just gave up on the whole marriage thing all 664 00:43:23,480 --> 00:43:25,320 together. And the person that she was with 665 00:43:25,320 --> 00:43:27,400 when Christ met her was not her husband. 666 00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:33,560 And then Jesus so patiently leads her to the revelation of 667 00:43:33,560 --> 00:43:35,600 that, of the fact that he is the Messiah. 668 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:40,320 Her eyes are open to this truth. She's so moved by it that she 669 00:43:40,320 --> 00:43:44,280 goes to run back to Samaria to tell people of what this man has 670 00:43:44,280 --> 00:43:46,480 told about her. And there's this little detail 671 00:43:46,480 --> 00:43:48,920 in John 4. She left behind that jar of 672 00:43:48,920 --> 00:43:54,480 water, again, if you're consistent with the picture, who 673 00:43:54,960 --> 00:43:58,280 Christ was to her, satisfied her thirst. 674 00:43:59,080 --> 00:44:02,120 And she left behind that jar where she tried to scoop up 675 00:44:02,120 --> 00:44:06,120 meaning and purpose and gratification because she found 676 00:44:06,120 --> 00:44:08,160 it in him. She found it in him. 677 00:44:08,920 --> 00:44:12,000 You can find it in him. I'm telling you, this love is so 678 00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:15,000 profound, so real, that it frees you. 679 00:44:15,880 --> 00:44:20,400 It really does free you. And it's so difficult for man to 680 00:44:20,400 --> 00:44:22,840 grasp it. That's why Paul in Ephesians 3, 681 00:44:22,840 --> 00:44:25,320 he says, I bow my knees before the Father. 682 00:44:25,320 --> 00:44:28,600 And what does he say? It's just that you may know the 683 00:44:28,600 --> 00:44:33,240 height, the depth, the breadth of this love for you see, a 684 00:44:33,240 --> 00:44:34,680 preacher can come up and tell you God loves you. 685 00:44:34,680 --> 00:44:36,800 That's one thing and it can move you and it should. 686 00:44:37,360 --> 00:44:40,200 But you need the power of the Holy Spirit to really get it. 687 00:44:41,200 --> 00:44:42,960 It's really good. That's why we pray before we 688 00:44:42,960 --> 00:44:45,520 come up here and do these meetings and that's why this 689 00:44:45,520 --> 00:44:48,760 leadership prays for the people here that the reality of God 690 00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:51,160 would be you name to known to every single one of us, 691 00:44:51,160 --> 00:44:52,600 including those who are praying for it. 692 00:44:53,800 --> 00:44:57,480 Well, we ask, that is, we've entered the door of the series 693 00:44:57,480 --> 00:45:00,320 and revelation and we've been confronted by many things, 694 00:45:00,320 --> 00:45:03,720 including this truth that who you are and all your might and 695 00:45:03,720 --> 00:45:08,920 splendor and glory, You love us. Make it real in every heart in 696 00:45:08,920 --> 00:45:12,200 this place. And Lord, we'll know it's real 697 00:45:12,200 --> 00:45:16,400 when we are free from things that are lying to us and 698 00:45:16,400 --> 00:45:20,600 damaging us and robbing us of the gift that you have for us. 699 00:45:21,640 --> 00:45:25,120 Lord, let this love liberate people from sin, doubt, 700 00:45:25,480 --> 00:45:29,160 depression. We pray that, Lord, through this 701 00:45:29,160 --> 00:45:31,240 series of revelation, we would see your love. 702 00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:35,960 And so even now, Lord, as we eat together and fellowship, may the 703 00:45:35,960 --> 00:45:39,400 presence of the Holy Spirit be real and all that He has to 704 00:45:39,400 --> 00:45:41,480 offer. Would you bless the food and the 705 00:45:41,480 --> 00:45:43,560 hands that have sacrificed to prepare for it? 706 00:45:43,880 --> 00:45:47,480 And may we get a glimpse of that feast that is to come and the 707 00:45:47,480 --> 00:45:49,920 fellowship that we will have with you and with one another 708 00:45:49,920 --> 00:45:52,920 for all of eternity. Lord, open our eyes, We pray. 709 00:45:52,920 --> 00:45:56,920 This Sunday, in the mighty glorious name of the Lord Jesus 710 00:45:56,920 --> 00:46:00,720 Christ, we pray Amen and Amen and Amen.