1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:03,640 Let's meet together in God's Word in the Book of Revelation 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:12,320 chapter 15. Revelation chapter 15, What you 3 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:16,960 and I have before us today is the shortest chapter in the 4 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:24,400 entire Book of Revelation, but don't mistake its brevity for 5 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:29,040 insignificance. Last time we were together in 6 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,960 this book, we examine the closing verses of Revelation 7 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:38,920 chapter 14, and in it we discovered that God has given us 8 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:43,840 a preview of the final judgments that He will unleash upon 9 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:49,040 mankind. Namely, they were a prelude to 10 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:57,600 the seven bowls of God's wrath, the final series of His justice 11 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:01,360 against an evil world before the return of the Son of God. 12 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:05,960 Now, as we come to chapter 15, we arrive at their introduction. 13 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:12,320 In other words, the trailer for these judgments has ended, and 14 00:01:12,320 --> 00:01:17,800 the opening scene now begins. But when you read this chapter 15 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:20,320 carefully, you'll notice that John is doing something much 16 00:01:20,320 --> 00:01:24,360 more profound than setting the stage for the culmination of 17 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:32,280 God's manifest justice. There seems to be a weaving of 18 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:38,040 other things taking place, a profound picture that he is 19 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:41,320 putting together. And it's my prayer that we will 20 00:01:41,320 --> 00:01:44,880 seek to capture it in our time together this afternoon. 21 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:48,720 And the best way to start is by just reading the entire chapter. 22 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:54,200 It's very short as you know, So let's start here in verse one of 23 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:58,680 Revelation 15. Then I saw another sign in 24 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:05,280 heaven, great and amazing, 7 angels with 7 plagues, which are 25 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:09,120 the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. 26 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:13,440 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire, 27 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,400 and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the 28 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:20,240 number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass, with 29 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:26,080 harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, 30 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:30,480 the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and 31 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:33,080 amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty. 32 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:37,480 Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations. 33 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:41,800 Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name for You alone. 34 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:46,400 Our holy all nations will come and worship you for your for 35 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:48,120 your righteous acts have been revealed. 36 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:52,040 After this I looked and the sanctuary of the Tent of Witness 37 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:55,120 in Heaven was opened. And out of the sanctuary came 38 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:59,200 the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright 39 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:01,720 linen with golden sashes around their chest. 40 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:04,880 And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven 41 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:08,480 angels 7 golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives 42 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:11,000 forever and ever. And the sanctuary was filled 43 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:14,760 with smoke from the glory of God and from his power. 44 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:18,120 And no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven 45 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,440 plagues of the seven angels were finished. 46 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:28,400 Lord, we ask that You would do a work in our hearts as You did to 47 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:35,400 Your servant Titus. We read in Your word that Paul 48 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:39,080 confessed gladly that You put it into the heart of Titus to have 49 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:42,840 the same earnest care for the Corinthians that he had. 50 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:46,440 And Lord, we see a promise in that truth that You can take our 51 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:48,840 hearts and put in it what You desire. 52 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:52,120 So Lord, as your church, we extend our hearts to you. 53 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:56,960 We say, put in these hearts your love, a love for you, a love for 54 00:03:56,960 --> 00:04:01,080 the Word, a love for the church, a love for the lost, a love for 55 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:06,080 that which is holy. And use this message to 56 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:09,440 accomplish that. We ask these things in Jesus 57 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:13,960 name, Amen. A lot of imagery here is 58 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:17,240 familiar to us, isn't it? We've seen echoes of this 59 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,160 throughout the Book of Revelation, and yet there is 60 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:25,240 something very unique, one element in what we just saw that 61 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:33,800 stands out, a reference to Moses that seems a little strange. 62 00:04:34,280 --> 00:04:39,600 Moses doesn't appear before this, and Moses doesn't show up 63 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:41,880 after this in the Book of Revelation. 64 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:49,280 But John is not only making reference to the man Moses, he 65 00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:53,280 tells us specifically here in verse three that they sang the 66 00:04:53,280 --> 00:04:57,920 song of Moses. So it's less about him bringing 67 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:02,720 our attention to the person and more about us remembering an 68 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:06,440 event. We know exactly where the song 69 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:08,880 of Moses was sung, and we'll get to that in a moment. 70 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:14,040 But this clear reference is absolutely essential to 71 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:19,040 unlocking other allusions in this prophetic passage. 72 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:23,880 When you see this, you understand that there are other 73 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:27,600 details around it, that when you put it together, it forms a 74 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:32,560 grand and familiar picture. And that's what I want us to 75 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:34,920 see. Keep the song of Moses in the 76 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:37,760 back of your mind, and let's look over very quickly the 77 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:41,000 verses that we just read. Look at verse one again and I 78 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,080 think that as we read this, light bulbs are going to go off 79 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:47,480 verse one. Then I saw another sign in 80 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:53,520 heaven, great and amazing, 7 angels with seven what plagues. 81 00:05:55,320 --> 00:06:01,840 Verse 2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled 82 00:06:01,840 --> 00:06:05,960 with fire, and also those who had conquered the beast and its 83 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:09,800 image and a number of its name standing beside the sea. 84 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:13,760 The ESC writes beside because the Greek word EPI is very 85 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:16,440 elastic. It can mean beside, before, on. 86 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:18,840 So some of your translations say they were standing on the sea, 87 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:24,960 but the ESB renders it beside. Standing beside the sea of glass 88 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:27,240 with harps of God in their hands. 89 00:06:27,280 --> 00:06:33,560 Look at verse 3 and they sing the song of Moses, the CERN of 90 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:37,160 God, and the song of the Lamb sang. 91 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:41,200 Let's go over to verse 5. After this I looked and the 92 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:44,400 sanctuary of the Tent of Witness in heaven was opened. 93 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:47,320 Other transitions say the Temple of the Tabernacle of the 94 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:50,680 Testimony. This is a clear picture and 95 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:53,920 reference to the Tabernacle, verse 6. 96 00:06:54,640 --> 00:06:57,080 And out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven 97 00:06:57,080 --> 00:07:03,080 plagues, clothed in pure bright linen with golden sashes around 98 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:05,240 their chest. In other words, they're dressed 99 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:10,200 like priests. Finally, verse 8. 100 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:15,160 And the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God 101 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:18,280 and from his power. No one could enter the sanctuary 102 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:21,440 until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. 103 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:26,960 So think about this with me. Plagues, deliverance from a 104 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:36,880 global tyrant, singing victoriously by a sea Moses and 105 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:43,280 more specifically the song of Moses, a lamb, the tent of 106 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:50,200 witness, priestly looking servants of God, and finally the 107 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:52,480 sanctuary filled with the smoke of God's glory. 108 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:57,240 It couldn't be more obvious. What John is doing here in this 109 00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:04,520 vision is clearly making an allusion to the Exodus story and 110 00:08:04,520 --> 00:08:07,960 the journey into the wilderness. But for what purpose? 111 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:13,200 Well, by borrowing these details, John is obviously 112 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:17,720 bringing to mind this pivotal moment in redemptive history. 113 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:22,200 But more than that, he's also describing a new Exodus to come. 114 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:27,600 That's what's happening here. It says, oh, the age. 115 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:32,600 The apostle is saying you are very aware of God's redemptive 116 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:37,760 power, namely what he did for Israel, bringing them out of 117 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:41,840 Egypt. But I'm here to tell you by the 118 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:44,920 authority and this inspiration of the Holy Spirit that there is 119 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:50,400 another exodus to come. And what I want to speak to you 120 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:53,760 about is just that, the new exodus. 121 00:08:54,520 --> 00:09:00,240 Have you ever thought about it? It's promised, it's illustrated, 122 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:03,040 it's presented to us right here in this chapter. 123 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:06,760 And the way we're going to seek to understand this new Exodus is 124 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:10,600 by coming to this text, looking at the major characteristics and 125 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:14,480 then comparing it with the Exodus of old, paralleling some 126 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,400 truths and and contrasting some realities. 127 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:20,640 For what reason? So that in the end, we would 128 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:24,240 come to the conclusion that what is to come, this great act of 129 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:28,200 deliverance, is far more significant, far more powerful, 130 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:31,440 and far more glorious than what Israel experienced in Egypt. 131 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:36,280 I want you and I today, by the grace of God, to consider 3 132 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:42,520 facets of this new exodus, of this exodus that is promised for 133 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:46,080 the future. They're very simple to remember. 134 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:48,520 Again, there's going to be similarities, but we're also 135 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:56,040 going to see how this exodus is greater #1 John wants us to see 136 00:09:56,240 --> 00:10:00,200 the wrath of God and connection to this act of deliverance. 137 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:03,320 That's what he immediately perceives in the opening of this 138 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:05,960 chapter. What he sees in this new vision 139 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:10,520 is 7 angels who come and emerge with 7 plagues that will 140 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:13,120 complete God's wrath on the earth. 141 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:16,640 Notice they are the last. This is another clue that the 142 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:18,600 Book of Revelation is chronological. 143 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:21,760 Some people believe it's cyclical, that it's repetitive, 144 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:24,600 that it's just showing different angles of the same scene. 145 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:28,080 But this is an indication that no, there's a progression taking 146 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:31,800 place in Revelation. We've already covered the sealed 147 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,800 judgments, we've seen the trumpet judgments, and now these 148 00:10:34,840 --> 00:10:37,560 bowls of God's wrath. They're the final acts of God's 149 00:10:37,560 --> 00:10:41,080 judgment. But notice this. 150 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:46,160 The same way that God's judgment was the means of bringing total 151 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:50,320 and complete deliverance to Israel, so will be for the 152 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:56,920 church at the end of the age. Jesus Christ took God's wrath 153 00:10:56,920 --> 00:11:00,040 upon himself on the cross, yes, and he secured our redemption. 154 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:03,920 But there's still more judgment to come, namely upon the wicked 155 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:07,440 to make way for our total redemption for the new age, the 156 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:08,920 new world, the new Kingdom to come. 157 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:12,480 And that's what John is indicating here. 158 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:17,240 You and I, we know that the way God accomplished this 159 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:21,320 deliverance for Israel was by unleashing 10 plagues. 160 00:11:21,560 --> 00:11:25,840 But more than that, the final blow against Pharaoh and his 161 00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:30,200 tyrannical regime was what? Being buried beneath the Red 162 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:35,200 Sea. And that's what seems to be 163 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:39,120 indicated here, the message being illustrated when John sees 164 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:44,920 not just the last plagues, but also a scene of a sea of glass 165 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:48,040 mingled with fire. Did you see that? 166 00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:50,880 Verse 2? And I saw what appeared to be a 167 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:56,360 sea of glass mingled with fire. The last time we saw the sea of 168 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:59,000 glass was back in chapter 4, but there was no mention of it being 169 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,520 mixed with fire. It was like crystal. 170 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:03,160 It was calm. It's a reflection of God's 171 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:06,440 purity, His Holiness, His righteousness, his, his 172 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:09,520 consistency. But then now the sea of glass 173 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:13,400 before his throne reappears, but this time it's being illuminated 174 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:18,200 by flames. It's being stirred, so to speak, 175 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:22,400 by fire. That doesn't mean that there's 176 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:24,240 going to be a literal splitting of the Red Sea in the 177 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:27,800 Tribulation period. What it does show, however, is 178 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:32,480 that this glass like mass mixed with fire before God's throne 179 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:37,920 conveys that God is about to bring the fatal and total defeat 180 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:41,200 of the evil systems of the world, just like the Red Sea did 181 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:44,560 in the past. John is deep. 182 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:47,520 Clearly, he's being led by the Holy Spirit. 183 00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:52,880 However, there is a difference between what we see here in this 184 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:57,240 experience of a future exodus for the Church, for the redeemed 185 00:12:57,240 --> 00:13:01,680 in Christ, and what Israel knew. There is a clear order of 186 00:13:01,680 --> 00:13:05,560 events. When you go back to Exodus, what 187 00:13:05,560 --> 00:13:08,360 do you find? The plagues being poured out 188 00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:11,000 upon Egypt, and then the Red Sea. 189 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:13,960 And then after the Red Sea, what on the other side of the shore, 190 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:18,560 The people of God looking upon their enemies, drowning in the 191 00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:23,040 in the water and rejoicing. They were singing then, but now 192 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:24,480 we come here and what do we discover? 193 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:28,880 We have mention of plagues. We have even this connection 194 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:33,400 with the idea of a sea, and they're singing. 195 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:38,360 But when are they singing? Well, keep in mind the plagues 196 00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:41,200 are being introduced in this chapter, in chapter 16. 197 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:44,560 They're going to be triggered. They're actually going to be 198 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:47,680 released. They haven't been released yet, 199 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:52,520 and yet the redeemed in heaven are singing. 200 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:56,760 They're singing before it happens. 201 00:13:57,920 --> 00:13:59,760 Why? Because they know that the 202 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:04,720 outcome is guaranteed. This is a declaration of faith. 203 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:08,240 This is a demonstration of absolute trust. 204 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:11,640 There's a contrast here. The redeemed in the Old 205 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:15,160 Testament erupt and praise after God achieved his promise, which 206 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:18,560 is wonderful. But the righteous here who are 207 00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:23,360 in heaven, namely they choose to praise God and glorify Him 208 00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:25,440 before anything plays out on the earth. 209 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:32,880 This is obviously a look into a future end times event, but the 210 00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:36,880 worship of these Saints instructs us about our worship. 211 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:42,800 You and I cannot afford to reserve our praise only when God 212 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:46,920 does something for what He has accomplished in the past. 213 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:49,960 He's worthy of that. We must continually acknowledge 214 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:52,360 Him for the good that He has allowed us to experience and 215 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:55,280 enjoy. Yes, but broaden your worship, 216 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:58,760 my brother and sister. You and I have permission and we 217 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:01,160 are invited. More than that, we are commanded 218 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:06,040 to praise God for what He will do, what He what He promised 219 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:08,160 that would happen. Not just what He has performed, 220 00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:10,520 but what He has promised will take place. 221 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:14,200 And the reason why we can sing about those things with absolute 222 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:18,760 fervor and zeal and rock solid confidence is because He said it 223 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:21,720 would happen. Because He said it, He will do 224 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:26,960 it. And so the explosiveness of our 225 00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:32,880 worship, yes, rightly so, should be in response to what the Lord 226 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:36,160 has done, but also what He will do. 227 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:43,360 And this is what we find here. These Saints are not 228 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:47,400 experiencing yet, but they are still glorifying God. 229 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:49,880 Now Speaking of singing, we come to the second feature of this 230 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:52,960 new exodus that is so important. We looked at the wrath of God, 231 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:55,360 but when? Now we have to look at the song, 232 00:15:56,000 --> 00:16:00,320 the songs that they are singing in verse three and four, and 233 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:03,600 they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God and the song of 234 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:06,360 the Lamb. Now there is a harmless debate 235 00:16:06,360 --> 00:16:12,000 about this singing taking place here, and here's the discussion. 236 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:17,840 Is this speaking about two songs or one harmless? 237 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:21,200 Your salvation doesn't count on it, thank God. 238 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:26,960 So is this 2 titles for the same song? 239 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:32,360 Others will say and argue, no, no, these are two separate tunes 240 00:16:32,600 --> 00:16:38,000 blended together like a medley. And then there are a minority 241 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:39,920 who say no. This is clearly indicating that 242 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:42,360 there are two separate songs being sung here. 243 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:45,560 If you and if you take the text at face value, it seems to be 244 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:47,960 just that. There's the song of Moses and 245 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:51,120 then the song of the Lamb. If it was one song, you would 246 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:53,320 think that it would say something like and they sing the 247 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:55,960 song of Moses, the servant of God and the lamb. 248 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:02,320 But that's not what happens. You have two songs here being 249 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:05,119 mentioned. Now, why is that distinction 250 00:17:05,119 --> 00:17:08,760 important? I think one reason why it's 251 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:11,880 important is because when we look at the song of Moses, we 252 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:16,480 are aware that this is the people of God rehearsing God's 253 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:18,520 past faithfulness. This is something that we find 254 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:22,880 in Exodus 15. And so they are looking back and 255 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:27,319 they are even echoing what the Saints of old were rejoicing 256 00:17:27,319 --> 00:17:29,840 about. But the song of the Lamb appears 257 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:34,120 to be a new song. And John gives us a glimpse into 258 00:17:34,120 --> 00:17:35,560 some of the lyrics of this new song. 259 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:38,920 And before we look at these lyrics, consider what this means 260 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:42,280 for us on this side of the cross. 261 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:46,160 This is so glorious. We as followers of Christ have 262 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:48,400 more to sing about than those who went before us. 263 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:53,680 The prophets of all. They had insight into the 264 00:17:53,680 --> 00:17:55,560 future. There is. 265 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:59,520 There is obvious clues in even the Psalms about Messiah and 266 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:02,280 what He will do and what He will accomplish on behalf of the 267 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:07,520 world. But in reality, the redeemed of 268 00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:13,840 old sang about a shadow. You and I get to sing about the 269 00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:16,920 fulfillment. We have the complete picture. 270 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:26,160 We have our eyes opened because the New Covenant grants us 271 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:32,800 clarity, more revelation, more testimonies, and as a result, it 272 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:36,720 should stimulate and encourage greater worship. 273 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:42,920 We have more to sing about. It's not just the song of Moses 274 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:45,080 that's been there from nearly the beginning. 275 00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:47,160 We also have the song of the Lamb. 276 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:50,320 This is one of the advantages that we have as followers of 277 00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:54,680 Christ today. I want you to turn to a verse 278 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:58,840 that is so important for us and being able to answer why we are 279 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:02,000 more blessed in the new covenant. 280 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:04,680 It's in Second Timothy one verse 10. 281 00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:07,800 This will confirm the argument that I'm trying to make here. 282 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:11,400 Listen to what Paul says about one of the treasures of being in 283 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:17,360 Christ, what Christ was able to offer us in Second Timothy 110 284 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:22,080 in describing the power and the privilege of the gospel. 285 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:26,240 Notice what he mentions Paul says, and which now has been 286 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:29,760 manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who 287 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:34,480 abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through 288 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:37,000 the gospel. We know that when Jesus came, He 289 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:39,440 destroyed death, but he did more than just destroy death. 290 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:43,360 It says here that He brought life, that is eternal life, life 291 00:19:43,360 --> 00:19:50,000 now, and immortality to light through the gospel. 292 00:19:51,360 --> 00:19:53,720 In other words, when Jesus Christ entered into the scene 293 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:56,320 and did what he did and taught what he taught, he turned the 294 00:19:56,320 --> 00:20:00,240 light on. In the Old Testament they could 295 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:03,160 see, but it was almost like entering into a room with a very 296 00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:05,440 faint light. And so you can make out the 297 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:07,680 shapes and and you can touch and see. 298 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:10,120 Maybe this is what this object is. 299 00:20:10,120 --> 00:20:13,600 But when Christ comes into this whole picture of redemptive 300 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:16,040 history, he flicks on the light and we can see everything. 301 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:21,280 And we know what we need to know by God's grace concerning 302 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:24,320 immortality, everlasting life, what's what's going to happen 303 00:20:24,320 --> 00:20:30,800 after death and about life now. So the Old Testament, they had 304 00:20:30,800 --> 00:20:34,680 their songs, but we have more, They had their insights, but we 305 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:39,240 have greater. And this is what I find here, 306 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:42,280 that there is a principle that reminds us of our great treasure 307 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:45,840 in Christ, not just the song of Moses, but the song of the Lamb. 308 00:20:46,120 --> 00:20:48,000 Now let me add something that I know I don't need to convince 309 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:50,880 you of. I'm aware who I'm preaching to, 310 00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:54,320 but it's good to be reminded about it anyway. 311 00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:59,240 The fact that these Saints who are in heaven, we're going to 312 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:01,040 discover that they're, they're the Saints who were martyred 313 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:03,320 during the Tribulation period. The fact that they're singing 314 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:09,160 the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb teaches us that the 315 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:13,680 Old Testament and the New Testament are consistent, that 316 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:17,760 they're in harmony. The old does not contradict the 317 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:21,000 new and vice versa. The new completes the old. 318 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:25,560 And this is this is illustrated here because I'm afraid that 319 00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:29,040 there are many people who are under the illusion that there is 320 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:35,640 disagreement or even different versions of God or that because 321 00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:38,520 we're New Testament believers, this really gets me going. 322 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:44,400 So I'm that because we are not followers in Christ and we are 323 00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:47,080 enjoying the new covenant and Christ inaugurated this New 324 00:21:47,080 --> 00:21:50,800 Testament, we don't need to really look into the Old 325 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:54,400 Testament that there's not much benefit for us there. 326 00:21:56,600 --> 00:21:58,600 We're in the last book of the Bible. 327 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:00,200 And guess what they're doing? They're singing the song of 328 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:05,080 Moses. I jure you. 329 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:07,600 And again, I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but just in 330 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:11,520 case there's one who's listening to this and has been convinced 331 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:14,240 that we can disconnect ourselves from the Hebrew Scriptures. 332 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:18,840 No, no, no, no, no. God bids us to explore and 333 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:24,320 examine and relish in what came before, especially because we 334 00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:26,000 have the complete picture now in Christ. 335 00:22:27,120 --> 00:22:33,520 We have the flashlight to look at everything that's found in 336 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:36,280 what came before and see it for what it really is. 337 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:41,560 Why would you miss out on that? I'm telling you, there's a 338 00:22:41,560 --> 00:22:46,800 growing trend within the evangelical circles of 339 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:50,840 dismissing the Old Testament, of ignoring the Hebrew Scriptures, 340 00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:54,280 and that's creating a lot of problems theologically. 341 00:22:57,160 --> 00:22:59,800 I'm going to take my cue from the Saints found here in the 342 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:02,520 Book of Revelation. They didn't just sing the song 343 00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:04,160 of the Lamb. In fact, you Can't Sing the song 344 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:08,520 of the Lamb unless you know the prior songs, the Lamb. 345 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:11,760 Where does that come from? Well, if you know the song of 346 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:17,120 Moses, it'll make more sense. So here's the application. 347 00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:20,920 Read your Old Testament, enjoy it. 348 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:24,640 Enjoy it enough where you can sing about the truths you find 349 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:28,560 in it, and that'll always point you to Christ. 350 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:33,680 So they sing. Now we'll look at some of the 351 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:35,120 lyrics here. We can't look at every detail. 352 00:23:35,120 --> 00:23:39,400 I want to just mention one thing and it's how the words you and 353 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:41,080 you are repeated over and over again. 354 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:44,600 Again, we can spend a whole message just on the lyrics here, 355 00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:50,760 but consider this. Your deeds, your ways glorify 356 00:23:50,760 --> 00:23:52,560 your name. You alone are holy. 357 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:57,000 Worship you for your righteous acts. 6 times in the stanza. 358 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:05,840 God and God alone is the object of this choir's adoration and 359 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:08,840 affection. You, you, you're, you're, you. 360 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:12,360 And that becomes even more meaningful when you remember who 361 00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:18,600 it is singing these truths. Go back to verse 2, it says 362 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:20,600 here. And I saw what appeared to be a 363 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:23,880 sea of glass, mingled fire, and also those who had conquered the 364 00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:26,560 beast and its image and the number of its names standing 365 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:29,520 beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands, 366 00:24:29,920 --> 00:24:31,400 Those who had conquered the beast. 367 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:34,480 And what way do they conquer the beast? 368 00:24:35,360 --> 00:24:38,680 These are Christians during the regime of the Antichrist, and 369 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:42,960 they clearly refused to bow the knee to him, and because of that 370 00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:48,200 they lost their lives. These are those who have shown 371 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:51,480 great strength and resilience, those who have shown absolute 372 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:55,360 and total devotion to Christ, those who overcame unspeakable 373 00:24:55,360 --> 00:24:59,160 difficulties in the world because of their love for the 374 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:05,280 Lord Jesus to the point where they had to lose their heads in 375 00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:09,760 order to prove it. You might say these are super 376 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:12,440 Christians, right? You might say these are very 377 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:15,920 impressive believers who have displayed such incredible 378 00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:18,120 faithfulness to the cause of Christ. 379 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:22,160 And indeed, these are Saints that we can applaud. 380 00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:25,920 But I love what I find here, that these victorious, 381 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:29,920 triumphant believers, when it comes to worship, give all the 382 00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:35,920 glory to God. You, your, it's all about you. 383 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:38,960 Again, we're learning about how to worship. 384 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:41,360 We're learning what worship is in the Book of Revelation. 385 00:25:41,360 --> 00:25:43,720 Do you, do you notice how much there is about worship in this 386 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:48,560 book? True worship is being able to 387 00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:51,080 acknowledge that no matter what I do for Christ, no matter what 388 00:25:51,080 --> 00:25:55,080 I accomplish in his name means nothing. 389 00:25:57,920 --> 00:26:02,680 My boss is in the Lord alone. Anything that happens in me, 390 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:08,360 anything that happens through me, should cause me to recognize 391 00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:12,920 that God is the source of it. And if it wasn't for him, then I 392 00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:14,680 wouldn't be able to do any of this anyway. 393 00:26:16,360 --> 00:26:19,160 And so these Saints here who did great feats, who accomplished 394 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:23,520 great things for Christ in the darkest hour of human history, 395 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:25,960 were able to still give God all the glory. 396 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:27,800 Because that's what true worship looks like. 397 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:38,280 The song of this new exodus, but finally the tent for the third 398 00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:40,880 and final time. In this particular vision, John 399 00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:45,600 tells us that his attention is turned to something, and it's 400 00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:48,480 found in verse 5. After this, I looked in the 401 00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:51,080 sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened. 402 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:56,080 So this sanctuary of the tent, this is speaking about another 403 00:26:56,080 --> 00:26:59,640 translation of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle that is in 404 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:02,000 heaven. And what what John highlights is 405 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:10,760 that this tent opens and as it opens, something's going to come 406 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:15,640 out of it. Now, the reason why this tent is 407 00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:19,760 highlighted, it's because the Holy Spirit uses that through 408 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:25,000 John to keep the theme of the Exodus alive, to keep our minds 409 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:30,680 still connected to that motif. And I trust that we're all aware 410 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:33,760 that the Tabernacle is a very obvious symbol in the Old 411 00:27:33,760 --> 00:27:38,520 Testament, that after the people escaped Egypt and went into the 412 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:43,240 wilderness, God called them to build a dwelling place for his 413 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:45,440 presence with his people on the earth. 414 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:49,360 The Tabernacle was God's temporary home on this planet. 415 00:27:51,360 --> 00:27:56,400 So that's what we have in mind. This tent speaks about God's 416 00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:01,840 presence, it speaks about His, the hosting of his glory, which 417 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:06,040 then causes us to interpret that what's about to transpire and 418 00:28:06,040 --> 00:28:09,680 emerge from this Tabernacle means it's coming directly from 419 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:14,800 God. What John is about to see next 420 00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:20,480 because of this tent means that this is issuing from the 421 00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:24,080 undefiled, pure, glorious presence of the Lord. 422 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:30,920 And what is John? See next, 7 angels with 7 423 00:28:30,920 --> 00:28:33,840 plagues. That will be the punctuation 424 00:28:33,840 --> 00:28:36,280 mark of God's judgement upon humanity. 425 00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:41,040 And there's no confusion here. They're not operating with their 426 00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:43,160 own authority. They're not doing this 427 00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:46,480 independently. These angels were dispatched 428 00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:50,240 from the presence of God. That disturbs some people. 429 00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:58,200 And in case that might agitate you, this truth is further 430 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:03,120 confirmed in that this is not only something coming from God 431 00:29:03,120 --> 00:29:05,920 the Father, this is also something that Jesus Christ 432 00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:09,520 affirms. How do we know that? 433 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:12,320 It's very subtle, but it's profound at the same time. 434 00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:14,160 Did you notice how they were dressed? 435 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:19,840 Bright linen garments? But more than that, John tells 436 00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:24,080 us that they had golden sashes around their chests. 437 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:26,000 Does that remind you of anything? 438 00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:30,080 The last time we saw anybody wearing a golden sash was back 439 00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:33,240 in Revelation chapter 1, Revelation One. 440 00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:36,720 Look at this in verse 13. This is John's experience of the 441 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:41,120 glorified Christ, and this detail shows up about Him here. 442 00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:45,440 Revelation 113 And in the midst of the lampstands, one like a 443 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:49,480 Son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash 444 00:29:49,480 --> 00:29:52,200 around his chest. What is happening here? 445 00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:58,280 Many chapters later now we see angels with a golden sash around 446 00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:00,040 their chest. And here's the point that's 447 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:02,240 being made. These angels who are reporting 448 00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:06,160 for duty are resembling and reflecting the nature of Jesus 449 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:11,800 Christ. They are about to do something 450 00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:15,960 that is in complete alignment with the will and desire of 451 00:30:15,960 --> 00:30:24,440 Christ himself, and that irks people because they have 452 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:27,240 developed a theology about the person of Jesus Christ that 453 00:30:27,240 --> 00:30:30,680 completely disassociates him from any judgement against 454 00:30:30,680 --> 00:30:35,520 sinners. Now these angels who are walking 455 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:44,280 towards the bulls are actually reflecting Jesus, representing 456 00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:48,600 Jesus, and showing that what they're about to do is what 457 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:56,040 Christ wants to do. God's judgement is real. 458 00:30:57,680 --> 00:31:02,520 And not only is it real, nothing and no one can change that 459 00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:06,600 reality. And that becomes even more 460 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:09,920 obvious when we see what happens next with this Tabernacle. 461 00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:14,120 Look at verse 8. And the sanctuary was filled 462 00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:17,520 with smoke from the glory of God and from his power. 463 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:19,760 And no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven 464 00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:22,120 plagues of the seven angels were finished. 465 00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:25,200 So these 7 angels come towards the bowls. 466 00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:27,440 One of the four living creatures gives them the actual 467 00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:31,840 instruments symbolically, and they're going to pour them out 468 00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:33,880 in the coming chapters. We'll look at that next week. 469 00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:38,320 But notice what John sees. He sees a cloud, the tangible 470 00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:41,400 presence of God filling this heavenly Tabernacle. 471 00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:44,600 And my question is, why do I need to know about it? 472 00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:52,480 Is this just cinematic drama? Is this just to add more color 473 00:31:52,800 --> 00:31:56,040 to the scene? Is this just to make us realize 474 00:31:56,040 --> 00:31:58,120 the seriousness of the moment? In part, yes. 475 00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:00,640 But again, we're looking at the new Exodus. 476 00:32:01,680 --> 00:32:04,640 Again, we're looking at the Holy Spirit making connections and 477 00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:07,440 references for us to understand the deeper message here. 478 00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:12,040 And you know your Old Testament well enough, I'm sure, to 479 00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:14,680 understand that we've seen a similar manifestation in the 480 00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:18,600 past, that the earthly counterpart to this heavenly 481 00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:23,800 Tabernacle also once hosted the manifest presence of God's 482 00:32:23,800 --> 00:32:29,560 glorious cloud. Do you remember in Exodus 483 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:32,400 chapter 40? Let me read this to you don't 484 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:34,640 have to turn there, but listen to what happens in Exodus 40, 485 00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:38,440 verse 35. And Moses was not able to enter 486 00:32:38,440 --> 00:32:42,200 the tent of meeting because the clouds settled on it, and the 487 00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:44,440 glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. 488 00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:49,040 This actually happens not with the Tabernacle, but with the 489 00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:52,160 temple when Solomon builds it in Jerusalem. 490 00:32:53,960 --> 00:32:58,760 Listen to this in First Kings 8 verse 10, First Kings 8, verse 491 00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:00,360 10. And when the priest came out of 492 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:03,600 the holy place, a cloud filled the House of the Lord, so that 493 00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:06,240 the priest could not stand to minister because of the cloud, 494 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:08,600 for the glory of the Lord filled the House of the Lord. 495 00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:14,000 So both times in the past when the earthly counterparts hosted 496 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:16,960 God's cloud, the same thing occurred. 497 00:33:18,520 --> 00:33:21,920 The leadership, namely the priest, could not enter in and 498 00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:23,560 do what they were supposed to do. 499 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:26,840 What's 1 of the main duties of a priest? 500 00:33:26,920 --> 00:33:30,640 To intercede and stand in the gap on behalf of a sinful 501 00:33:30,640 --> 00:33:34,360 people. So keeping that pattern in mind, 502 00:33:34,360 --> 00:33:36,880 now what do we have? We come to the New Testament, We 503 00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:39,720 see the true Tabernacle, the heavenly one that the earthly 504 00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:44,080 ones copied from, and a cloud fills it. 505 00:33:46,760 --> 00:33:50,000 Same thing. So then we must assume that the 506 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:54,320 same outcome is here. What do I mean by that? 507 00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:57,800 In the same way that the priest could not enter in to do what 508 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:00,880 they were supposed to do, the fact that a cloud comes to this 509 00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:06,240 temple in heaven suggests that God will not allow intercession 510 00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:10,120 to take place. In other words, as he is 511 00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:15,159 prepared to pour out these bowls of judgement, he will not accept 512 00:34:15,199 --> 00:34:21,760 any prayers, he will not accept any intercession, he will not 513 00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:25,360 receive any cry to stop his hand. 514 00:34:28,840 --> 00:34:32,440 The Tabernacle be closed for service until every drop of 515 00:34:32,440 --> 00:34:40,639 those bowls is poured out. So this is an illustrative way 516 00:34:40,639 --> 00:34:43,360 for the Holy Spirit to describe one of the most frightening 517 00:34:43,440 --> 00:34:46,639 components of the period of the bold judgments. 518 00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:50,920 God will not hear any prayers during that time. 519 00:34:54,280 --> 00:34:58,760 It will be too late. He gave way too many chances. 520 00:35:00,720 --> 00:35:04,520 And so He will do what He is going to do, and it will be 521 00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:07,000 unstoppable and it will be irreversible. 522 00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:14,560 You know, this brings to mind Jeremiah's language when he 523 00:35:14,560 --> 00:35:19,440 wrote in that short book called Lamentations, of what happened 524 00:35:19,720 --> 00:35:23,240 when God allowed Babylon to be the instrument of his judgement 525 00:35:23,240 --> 00:35:26,560 against his own. Listen to these words from 526 00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:32,240 Lamentations 3, verse 44. Ready for this? 527 00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:35,800 Jeremiah writes. You have wrapped yourself with a 528 00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:40,000 cloud so that no prayer can pass through. 529 00:35:45,330 --> 00:35:46,650 There are times when God has done that. 530 00:35:48,370 --> 00:35:51,130 We're a nation where people have since so grievously, so 531 00:35:51,130 --> 00:35:56,330 consistently, so rebelliously that he wraps himself in a 532 00:35:56,330 --> 00:36:01,890 cloud, so to speak, and not one single prayer can penetrate it. 533 00:36:03,450 --> 00:36:07,210 It will fail. And what we find here in this 534 00:36:07,210 --> 00:36:10,960 vision is it has reached that point at the end of time. 535 00:36:14,240 --> 00:36:18,680 So it doesn't matter how strong the nation's cry out, it doesn't 536 00:36:18,680 --> 00:36:21,560 matter how much they plead, it doesn't matter how long they 537 00:36:21,560 --> 00:36:23,640 fast. In fact, as we're about to 538 00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:25,920 discover with these judgments, they're going to be in such 539 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:30,080 rapid succession, there'll be virtually no time to be able to 540 00:36:30,080 --> 00:36:36,200 pray anyway. We've come to a very important 541 00:36:36,200 --> 00:36:38,640 turning point in our understanding of Bible prophecy. 542 00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:43,720 This is the end of the end. But here's how I want to end 543 00:36:43,720 --> 00:36:47,440 this message today. The status of the Tabernacle in 544 00:36:47,440 --> 00:36:50,400 heaven is a hopeful one. This afternoon. 545 00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:56,680 It's a hopeful one. There is no cloud wrapping 546 00:36:56,680 --> 00:36:58,680 around it where no prayer can pass through. 547 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:01,920 You know, it's amazing when you read the book of Hebrews. 548 00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:03,760 Oh, I love Hebrews. When are we going to go through 549 00:37:03,760 --> 00:37:06,360 Hebrews? It's too deep. 550 00:37:08,840 --> 00:37:13,320 Need a little bit more time. The more you study, the more you 551 00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:17,240 realize that the author is showcasing how Christ is more 552 00:37:17,240 --> 00:37:19,560 brilliant, more awesome than virtually everything. 553 00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:23,600 And we're familiar with the comparison of Jesus being our 554 00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:26,120 great high priest and the Levitical priest, and how the 555 00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:28,720 different components of the Levitical priesthood is inferior 556 00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:31,200 to Christ. But I was reminded through this 557 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:33,680 when I went to Hebrews last night, late last night, looking 558 00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:36,920 at the Tabernacle, there's a heavenly one. 559 00:37:36,920 --> 00:37:39,920 It's the one that actually God called Moses to look at, to 560 00:37:39,920 --> 00:37:44,560 imitate when he built this physical one on earth. 561 00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:50,000 But in Hebrews 8, verse one and two, we're actually told that 562 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:54,680 Christ does what He does as our high priest in heaven in the 563 00:37:54,680 --> 00:37:59,160 true Tabernacle. And why is he teaching that at 564 00:37:59,160 --> 00:38:01,840 that point in his book? Because he wants to tell the 565 00:38:01,840 --> 00:38:05,800 Jewish Christians who want to so badly go back to the ironic way 566 00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:10,720 of worship and atonement that Jesus Christ is not only a 567 00:38:10,720 --> 00:38:15,440 greater high priest, He does his priestly work in a more superior 568 00:38:15,440 --> 00:38:18,720 place. You want to go back to the 569 00:38:18,720 --> 00:38:20,760 temple? Do you realize that the temple 570 00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:23,080 is just a copy of a greater and a heavenly? 571 00:38:23,080 --> 00:38:26,880 1 Jesus, our great High Priest in the New Covenant, is there on 572 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:35,440 our behalf, and not only is He there, he's doing something 573 00:38:35,440 --> 00:38:39,000 there. Here's what he's doing right 574 00:38:39,280 --> 00:38:42,800 now. Hebrews 7, verse 25. 575 00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:47,720 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost of those who 576 00:38:47,720 --> 00:38:52,120 draw near to God through him. Since He always lives to make 577 00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:58,560 intercession for them, He always lives to make intercession for 578 00:38:58,560 --> 00:39:01,560 them. That's now. 579 00:39:02,880 --> 00:39:04,800 There's a time coming that there will be no intercession. 580 00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:09,320 It will only be judgement. Nobody can do anything about it. 581 00:39:09,560 --> 00:39:13,760 But between now and then there is One who is willing to take 582 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:19,720 anybody who humbly comes before him by faith, and he will enter 583 00:39:19,720 --> 00:39:23,960 into this heavenly Tabernacle, so to speak, and bring that 584 00:39:23,960 --> 00:39:28,440 request on your behalf, and it will be answered. 585 00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:33,120 Listen, there is an open door in this heavenly Tabernacle for 586 00:39:33,120 --> 00:39:35,440 mercy and for our needs to go in. 587 00:39:35,640 --> 00:39:39,400 But in Revelation 15, it will be open for judgment to come out. 588 00:39:41,280 --> 00:39:45,960 Don't wait. Now is the time to understand 589 00:39:45,960 --> 00:39:50,480 that I have an open heaven above me, that there is something 590 00:39:50,480 --> 00:39:55,800 greater than what Moses built. And I can connect to that 591 00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:58,920 reality by faith and say, oh, this Jesus who rose from the 592 00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:01,440 dead, He didn't stop ministering. 593 00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:04,480 He stopped ministering on the earth, but in heaven. 594 00:40:04,480 --> 00:40:07,000 Now he's willing to actually represent me before God the 595 00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:10,840 Father. And he remains the single 596 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:15,360 greatest unending high priest. He will never be replaced. 597 00:40:16,480 --> 00:40:20,640 He will never die. He doesn't borrow from heavenly 598 00:40:20,640 --> 00:40:25,040 lambs and ox and bulls. He brings His eternal blood 599 00:40:25,080 --> 00:40:30,720 every single time. And so this is a prophecy of 600 00:40:30,720 --> 00:40:33,880 doom in Revelation 15. But let me end it on a note of 601 00:40:33,880 --> 00:40:37,560 great hope and joy today. If you don't know Jesus Christ 602 00:40:39,040 --> 00:40:42,440 and you cry out to Him, He will hear it. 603 00:40:43,360 --> 00:40:46,880 He will hear I'm talking about the real Jesus of Nazareth. 604 00:40:47,560 --> 00:40:53,880 He will hear you. I say this often that apart from 605 00:40:53,880 --> 00:40:56,720 salvation itself, one of the greatest thrills and ecstasies 606 00:40:56,720 --> 00:41:00,440 that you can know in this life on this side of eternity is when 607 00:41:00,440 --> 00:41:04,520 God answers prayers. I'm talking about real prayers, 608 00:41:04,520 --> 00:41:06,720 not like, was that God or was that coincidence? 609 00:41:06,720 --> 00:41:09,480 No, no, no, no, prayers like that was God. 610 00:41:11,520 --> 00:41:15,000 And one of the strongest ways you can know God answering your 611 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:17,200 cry is when you cry out for salvation. 612 00:41:19,120 --> 00:41:22,400 You'll know when you're saved. You will know. 613 00:41:22,400 --> 00:41:24,600 You know how you'll know because you won't recognize yourself. 614 00:41:26,440 --> 00:41:31,520 Not perfect, but new direction, not instantaneously glorious, 615 00:41:32,960 --> 00:41:34,920 but set on the path of sanctification. 616 00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:38,560 And the only way that is possible now is because we're in 617 00:41:38,560 --> 00:41:42,480 the age of grace and that heavenly Tabernacle is still 618 00:41:42,480 --> 00:41:45,280 open. And this priest is willing to 619 00:41:45,280 --> 00:41:49,040 take your request and bring him to God and make it real in your 620 00:41:49,040 --> 00:41:51,280 life. Let's thank him for these 621 00:41:51,280 --> 00:41:53,960 truths. Father, we thank you from the 622 00:41:53,960 --> 00:42:01,000 bottom of our hearts that though we can rejoice with the song of 623 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:05,440 Moses, of what you've done for Israel and Egypt, we can look 624 00:42:05,440 --> 00:42:10,320 forward to a new exodus where you will destroy the Antichrist, 625 00:42:10,320 --> 00:42:13,560 his system, all the oppressors of the people of God for all 626 00:42:13,560 --> 00:42:17,440 time in a single moment, and we will enter into the Promised 627 00:42:17,440 --> 00:42:20,560 Land. We thank You that we have more 628 00:42:20,560 --> 00:42:22,640 songs to sing on this side of the cross. 629 00:42:22,640 --> 00:42:25,560 We thank You that even now there's a greater Tabernacle in 630 00:42:25,560 --> 00:42:29,560 our favor, one in heaven that we have access to. 631 00:42:30,760 --> 00:42:34,000 And so, Lord, if one here doesn't know what this means, we 632 00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:36,640 pray that you would open their eyes to experience the reality 633 00:42:36,640 --> 00:42:39,080 of the great work of our great High Priest. 634 00:42:39,840 --> 00:42:42,840 Lord, for us who are here and know you and enjoy you and love 635 00:42:42,840 --> 00:42:46,600 you, may everything that we heard in this message only stir 636 00:42:46,600 --> 00:42:50,560 us to see the majesty and the brilliance of Your word. 637 00:42:51,600 --> 00:42:54,680 We are amazed and we stand amazed before you. 638 00:42:55,600 --> 00:42:58,680 We ask these things in the name of the great High Priest, one 639 00:42:58,680 --> 00:43:02,400 who will never be replaced, one who has infinite mercy 640 00:43:02,400 --> 00:43:07,200 available. Jesus, Amen. 641 00:43:08,000 --> 00:43:13,920 Let's stand church, let's rejoice Christ and our 642 00:43:13,920 --> 00:43:16,200 deliverance that is to come at the end of the age.