Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
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Transcript of Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
Scripture Reading
Revelation 14
This series follows the outline and material provided by Darrell Johnson in his book,
Discipleship on the Edge
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
You and I live in a world that isn’t comfortable with judgment.
For fear of being “judgmental,” it seems that we have stopped
judging.
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
We hear:Who are you to judge that Jesus’
way is better than Buddha’s way?
And then the idea that we will all be judged is dismissed as old
scare tactics.
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
Maybe it is because we breath this “anti-judgment air”
that chapter 14 may be difficult
to read and hear.
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
But in studying this passage this week
I came to discover that Chapter 14 contains
some really good news.
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
Before we get to that, let’s look at the structure
Chiastic structure
Greek letter Chi
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
Vision of the redeemed [14:1-5] - new song –
Three angels [14:6-13] - announcing –
The Son of Man reaping [14:14] Three angels [14:15-20]
- reaping what was announced –Vision of the redeemed [15:1-4]
- song of Moses and of the Lamb
Discipleship, p. 254
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
Vision of the redeemed [14:1-5] - new song –
Three angels [14:6-13] - announcing –
The Son of Man reaping [14:14] Three angels [14:15-20]
- reaping what was announced –Vision of the redeemed [15:1-4]
- song of Moses and of the Lamb
Next time we will look at the vision of the redeemed that bookends this scene.
Today we will focus on the message of the angels in the middle part.
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
“Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to
proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people.” v. 6
Angel – Real angels or symbol?Greek word can be translated
“angel” or “messenger”- Referring to the messenger
task of the church?
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
“Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to
proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people.” v. 6
N.B. “to every nation, tribe, language and people.”
Rev. 13:7:“And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and
nation.”
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
“Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim
to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people.” v. 6
Eternal Gospelv.7:
He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea
and the springs of water."
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his
judgment has come. Worship him who
made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” v. 7
Is this gospel? Good News?
Saved by grace, by what Jesus did on the cross.
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his
judgment has come. Worship him who
made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” v. 7
The angel is calling the people to respond to what God has already
done.
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has
come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” v. 7
Jesus before his death on the cross:“The hour has come for the Son of Man to
be glorified.” John 12:23
“And what shall I say, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I
came to this hour.” John 12:27
“Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world shall be cast out.”
John 12:31
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
The second Angel:
"Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the
maddening wine of her adulteries.” v. 8
Is this good news?
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
"Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,
which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.” v. 8
Babylon = code for - humanity living in rebellion against God - any city that rejected God - ancient Rome
Discipleship, p. 258
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
"Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,
which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.” v. 8
Yes, it is good news that God opposes the proud and stands against the forces of evil in the world.
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
The third angel:"If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the
forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his
wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is
no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone
who receives the mark of his name.” vv. 9-11
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
"If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink
of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the
presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 9-11
Good News?God honours our choices.Worshipping God -> Life
Worshipping Devil -> Death
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
"If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink
of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the
presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 9-11
John 3:18:“Whoever believes in him is not
condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.”
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
"If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink
of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of
the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or
for anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 9-11
The devil is going around the world deceiving, saying your choices don’t
matter.
The loving good news is that our choices make an eternal difference.
Choose God!
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
This is the message of the church until Jesus returns.
This is the message for which we may be killed.
Encouraged to persevere with these words:
"Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the
Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” v. 13
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
Vision of the redeemed [14:1-5] - new song –
Three angels [14:6-13] - announcing –
The Son of Man reaping [14:14] Three angels [14:15-20]
- reaping what was announced –Vision of the redeemed [15:1-4]
- song of Moses and of the Lamb
This brings us to the key to the whole passage,
the Son of Man reaping.
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
“I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one
"like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, "Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was
harvested.” vv.14-16
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
How do we understand the Jesus’ “reaping”?
Like the “Grim-Reaper”?
A harvest of judgment?or
A harvest of salvation?
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
There are two harvests:
Reaping the grain [14:14-16]and
Reaping the grapes [14:17-20
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
Why two harvests?
Joel 3:13:“Put in the sickle, for the
harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full; the vats
overflow, for their wickedness if great.”
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
Some see this as two different harvests:
The first where Jesus harvests what he has sown.
The second an angel harvests the unrepentant who have sown judgment for themselves – the
wine of God’s wrath.
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
Darrell Johnson and others see these 2 reapings as the same thing:
Salvation
“Never in the Bible is the image of “reaping” used for judgment. It is always used for gathering in what one wants to keep (see Mark 4:29;
John 4:35-38).” Discipleship, p. 263
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
2 NT scholars George Caird and F.F. Bruce point to 2 phases to support this
interpretation. Discipleship, p.264
“The vine of the earth” [14:18-19]- everywhere else in the Bible used for Israel.- Jer.2:21: “I had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock.”- Jer. 5:1: “I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.”- John 15: Jesus calling himself the true vine
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
“Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Still another angel,
who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, "Take your sharp sickle and gather the
clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe.” The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the
great winepress of God's wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and
blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.”
Rev. 17-20
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
“Outside the city” [14:20]
-Jesus crucified “outside the city”
-Matthew 21:38-39 "But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
Hebrews 13:12:“And so Jesus also suffered outside
the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.”
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
This would make the winepress outside the city
the cross of Calvary.
This is where God’s anger against sin is expressed
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
This would make the blood
“They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses'
bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.” v.20
The blood of Jesusthat makes the harvest possible.
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
1600 stadia-The length of Palestine
= 4 x 4 x 10 x 104 = the number of humanity
10 = the number of completeness
“ Blood enough to cover the sins of all who repent.” Discipleship, p. 265
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
This is good news!
Let me end with three implications from this passage:
1. Decisions have consequences- Who are you going to worship
and serve determines an eternity of consequences
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
2. There is a remedy for wrong decisions.
“There is a ‘blood bath’ where wrong decisions can be forgiven and cleansed and where a new set of habits, leading to new
character and a new destiny, can be formed.” Discipleship, p. 265
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
3. Our role is to be the angels [messengers] that proclaim the
good news – the gospel.
That judgment is coming and that the blood of Jesus was shed
to take that punishment.
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
Movie “Without Reservation”
Car accident – group of young people killed
-Wait in line to check into heaven-Give their name at the desk and on
the computer screen pops up “reservation secured”
or “without reservation”
Things are Not as They Seem – Eternal Gospel
The kids in the line see this and they turn to the one they knew
was a Christian and said,
“You knew that we would be facing this,
and you did not tell us? What kind of friend are you?”