[0:00] Good morning. Welcome to the service this morning. Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior.
[0:14] Thank you, Anthony, for being willing to read that for us. And it's very, very fitting in the times that we're in to be going through this.
[0:30] The end times series here. So before we go into the message, just a couple of thoughts on the camp out. So to start, we've had more people sign up this year than ever before.
[0:48] So we're very thankful for that. But some of you may wonder or ponder, why a camp out? What's the purpose? And do I belong there?
[1:04] And so just to answer that, it's an event that we plan as a time of fellowship as God's children.
[1:15] Where we spend a couple of days together doing some activities. If you look at your list or your event sheet, we have devotionals, I think, four times slotted in.
[1:29] So it's a time of spiritual growth as well. But more so that we're together. And so if you can, if you haven't signed up and you're interested in coming even just for the day, not for night, that's very doable.
[1:46] If you would still like to sign up for night, that's also, there's still room. Just contact myself or Sadie or Johnny and Lisa or Willie and Susie Martins. But if you're planning on coming and you haven't signed up for either Friday or Saturday, just let us know so we can, there's groups preparing meals so they know what the numbers are.
[2:10] So encourage, if you're planning on coming and you haven't signed up, let us know. And so that we can plan better. And then for Sunday lunch, after the service out there, everyone will be welcome and the lunch will be provided largely by the church.
[2:29] So there'll be enough food for the whole congregation. So by all means, we expect everyone to stay. So just thought I would point that out.
[2:46] Okay, we're going to dig into Revelations 14. And as we start into this, the thought that's been on my heart is, whom am I sold out for?
[3:14] And just let that sink in. Whom am I sold out for? What dominates my life?
[3:31] Who would our neighbors say I was sold out for? Or my co-workers? Or my children?
[3:48] And we'll see the theme even as we go through Revelations 14. As it's very marked that they are sold out for Christ.
[4:03] And so I've titled the message this morning, Sold Out for Christ. Chapter 14 is a little bit unique.
[4:14] It follows the middle of the tribulation period. Halfway in. Three and a half years in. And it kind of highlights is a preview of the end.
[4:30] Of the events that still need to happen. And sometimes when we go to a movie, you have to endure all the previews first, right?
[4:43] And so here it's not enduring, but it's giving us a heads up. This is what's coming in the next three and a half years.
[4:56] So during the middle of the tribulation period, we had looked at a few things. We looked at Satan losing the battle in heaven, and he's denied access to God.
[5:14] We looked at Satan then goes down to earth to war against the saints. Mid-tribulation, three and a half years in. We learned that Satan will set up his government in the fullest sense with the ten kings.
[5:32] And with that, the false prophet will join him. The last message I did was the unholy trinity, as Satan and the Antichrist and the false prophet are a false godhead here on earth, trying to imitate the real.
[5:56] We also looked at Antichrist will set up an image of himself in the temple, and he will cause the world to worship the image of the beast.
[6:15] And that's where the mark of the beast follows. We also learned that in the mid-tribulation period, Israel, the Jews in Israel will flee to the wilderness, where they will be nourished, protected, helped by God for a time and times and half a time, or 42 months or three and a half years.
[6:42] The second half of the tribulation period, the Jewish people who are living in Israel will be protected in the wilderness. God will show himself strong.
[6:56] And we also learned, mid-trib, the two witnesses who had come down from heaven and who were able to protect themselves from the wrath of man by fire coming out of their mouth.
[7:11] And they preached the gospel for three and a half years, while at the mid-trib, they will be killed after Satan is kicked out of heaven and God gives them authority to persecute.
[7:27] They will be killed on the streets of Jerusalem, and then after three days, they will rise and go back to heaven. This is all mid-trib.
[7:38] And then, that brings us to chapter 14, the preview of the end. So as we look at this chapter this morning, we're going to look at a few areas.
[7:54] We'll see the 144,000 are in a scene in heaven. We'll see that the gospel is preached by an angel.
[8:09] We'll see Babylon is judged. We'll see that all of Satan's followers, those that receive the mark of the beast, are judged.
[8:22] And then, lastly, the battle of Armageddon, the reaping of the earth, where God will come and ultimately divide the earth, the sheep and the goats.
[8:40] And so this is all mentioned in this chapter, but only very briefly, and it's further elaborated on in the chapters to follow.
[8:54] So we're going to just focus on working through this. So let's start in verse 1, and the first of the scenes is the 144,000.
[9:06] And then I looked, and behold, a lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000, having his father's name written on their foreheads.
[9:17] And I heard a voice from heaven like the voice of many waters and like the voice of loud thunder, and I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps, and they sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures and the elders, and no one could learn that song except the 144,000 who were redeemed from the earth.
[9:45] These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. They are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men being firstfruits to God and the Lamb.
[10:01] And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God. So where did we last meet the 144,000?
[10:22] What happened to them earlier in the book? What happened to them earlier in the book? What happened to them earlier in the book? Anyone?
[10:42] Do we need to go back to chapter 1 and start over again? There's a lot of false teaching on the 144,000, but in chapter 7 as we had just gone through the seal judgments, then there's an interlude and God says, wait, first, before the wrath of God will come on the earth, we're going to seal the servants of God on their foreheads.
[11:14] And 12,000 out of each tribe were sealed or marked for protection. And so we see they are protected from the wrath of God as that will be poured out here on the earth.
[11:32] Now, it doesn't clearly indicate their purpose. It says they are servants of God. And with that, most preachers will present it and I along with them that they're very likely servants as in sharing the gospel throughout the world.
[11:58] For before the end comes, the gospel must be preached to all nations. And very likely that will be the case. Well, here in Revelations 14, in the second half, we have a picture of Mount Zion, that heavenly city, the heavenly Jerusalem, we have the same throne room that John sees earlier with the four living creatures, the 24 elders, the worship scene around the throne.
[12:36] And here added now are the 144,000. And it says they were redeemed from the earth.
[12:48] Redemption from the earth. Now, what does it mean to be redeemed from the earth? Set free.
[13:01] To be removed from. From its influence. And so these 144,000 who were sealed to protect them from God's wrath have now, and it sounds like they have been martyred for their faith.
[13:20] And they are now in heaven around the throne of God. Their purpose having been done. And it's a little bit of a sobering thought.
[13:36] These are servants of God and yet they too have suffered at the hands of mankind under the influence of Satan. Now, a few more facts that come out of these 144,000 that wasn't in chapter 7.
[13:54] they're not married. They're virgins. So these are 144,000 single men who were devoted to God.
[14:08] And as I read that, I think of Paul. Paul in his letter said, I wish that all men would be like myself. In that, that we could fully concentrate on serving God.
[14:22] whereas marriage causes us under God's instructions to focus on building our marriage.
[14:33] And it takes effort, a lot of effort to build a healthy, strong marriage. And it's of the Lord that we do that. But Paul, obviously being single, and his heart is devoted to missionary work.
[14:50] But Paul recognizes that in marriage we need to be devoted not only to God, but to our spouse as well. Well, these 144 had no spouses.
[15:02] And they were devoted to serving God. Full, so I, I picture 144,000 Pauls walking for three and a half years on the earth.
[15:15] And, uh, the scripture doesn't say that. That's how I picture it. But, uh, anyway, so this is, this is the scene in heaven that John now sees.
[15:28] Um, further it says, they were redeemed from among men, from, from the earth, from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.
[15:40] And so they're following the Lord's example in coming out of the grave. Firstfruits to God. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.
[15:53] Uh, they have been perfected and are in glory. And so, uh, it's, uh, a picture that, uh, John, uh, sees there.
[16:08] And, uh, and we see that even though they were promised protection from the wrath of God, but God removed His protection from the wrath of men.
[16:21] Are we guaranteed this morning protection from the wrath of God? Yes?
[16:36] Are we convinced? We need to be sure of this. We are protected from the wrath of God as His children.
[16:49] Are we protected from the wrath of men? No. As God chooses. There's times when God will spare us from the wrath of men and other times that He will allow us to be persecuted even unto death.
[17:10] death. And, uh, if, if you are in doubt, read Fox's book Martyr's Mirror.
[17:23] It's about that thick. It has, I think, over a thousand pages in there. And it's, it's the church history and he's done the best of his ability from right the beginning of the church age to, I'm not sure how long it goes, but recently, uh, all the accounts of martyrdom.
[17:48] Thousands of believers that stood strong for Christ and were killed for their faith. And so we should not be surprised that this will happen under Satan's vengeance at the end as well.
[18:04] And, uh, as we'll see a bit later, uh, it is, it is not to be feared for we'll be in the presence of the Lord.
[18:18] And so these 144,000 have tasted that. Okay, moving on, three angels in a row that John sees. I saw another angel, in verse 6, flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel, to preach to those who dwell on the earth, to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come, and worship Him who has made heaven and earth the sea and springs of the water.
[18:56] Now, the 144,000 have been removed who were God's servants and the Antichrist has given an ultimatum.
[19:09] It is, worship me, receive the mark, or else you will be cut off. You will not buy or sell, and if you are found, you will be killed.
[19:24] It's an ultimatum. It's do or else. And under that threat, that pressure on the world at this time, with the 144 servants who were evangelizing removed, God is providing the gospel.
[19:48] The grace of God is shining through, even in this dark time. and the angel flying in the midst of heaven with the everlasting gospel to preach to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.
[20:09] As they have a decision to make, to bow to the image, or to bow to God. What pressure there will be tremendous.
[20:26] And yet, to focus on the love of God, even there, he is concerned that people have the ability to choose him.
[20:39] And I praise the Lord that he, his character is love. That he loves all of us so dearly.
[20:50] not wishing that any should perish, but that all would come to the faith. This is what I see in this angel's work.
[21:05] His message, fear God, give glory to him. The option is to give glory to Satan. You know, talking about being sold out, the 144,000 were sold out to God.
[21:27] And they ended up in heaven. Antichrist will challenge, whom are you going to sell out to under pressure? And it's going to be a choice, being sold out to God or to his enemy, Satan.
[21:50] Okay, that's the second, or the first angel. The second angel, verse 8, and another angel followed saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, the great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
[22:13] fornication. So we have one verse on the judgment of Babylon, that great city of fornication.
[22:24] What does fornication mean? Sexual immorality. And in the context here, it means to fornicate against God, to play the harlot, to cheat on God, to go after other gods, is the context here.
[22:50] And so Babylon is described as the, in chapter 17, as the mother of harlotry and fornication, as she's caused all nations to drink of her wrath, of the wine of her wrath, of her fornication, to participate in her adultery, immorality.
[23:18] And we're going to take this up in chapters 17 and 18, Lord willing, next Sunday. And it's quite elaborate there, so I won't go into it this morning, but we'll focus on that.
[23:35] But in short, Babylon represents the worldwide religion that goes against God, that has a form of godliness, but isn't the true thing.
[23:54] And it's all aspects false worship that might have appearance of something good, but in its heart is deceitful, it's deceiving, and it's wrong.
[24:11] And here it's going to be judged. So we have the announcement by the second angel, as John sees that, that he sees Babylon has been judged.
[24:21] And so we'll leave that for next Sunday. Then verse nine, then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, if anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on his forehead or his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of his indignation.
[24:50] He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night who worship the beast and his image and whoever receives the mark of his name.
[25:23] It's a warning. The third angel followed. I'm assuming the first angel was flying through heaven with the gospel message.
[25:35] The second angel followed announcing or pronouncing judgment on Babylon. And now the third angel follows and warns, if you choose the mark of the beast, this is what will happen.
[25:51] And then we have four verses that are very clear, explicit, in what is going to happen. and let's work through them a little bit.
[26:02] If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on his forehead or his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of his indignation.
[26:22] Babylon is being judged judged. If you choose the mark of the beast, you will follow suit with the same judgment. You will share in that cup.
[26:37] You know, I think there's a relationship here in that cup of indignation as that cup that Jesus faced in the garden of Gethsemane, where he took upon us, upon, sorry, upon himself, our wrath, or God's wrath, our sin, in that cup of indignation, and Jesus experienced hell, death, in that regard on my behalf, on your behalf.
[27:12] And here, choosing, choosing the mark of the beast, you are surely going to follow suit and drink that cup yourself. and the cup that Jesus drank will not cover.
[27:29] So as his children, Jesus drank that cup for us. For anyone not turning to Christ, they will drink that cup for themselves and face the wrath of God.
[27:44] God. Verse 10, in the middle says, he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
[27:57] Fire and brimstone speaks of the eternal state of hell, where they will be tormented. And it says, in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
[28:11] The Lamb being Jesus, who will be their judge, and the angels are the ones that execute the judgment.
[28:23] It's interesting, as we've gone through revelations, if we would count all the angels that are being used in this book to execute God's program, there's lots.
[28:41] There's many, many angels mentioned here. And so they are messengers ready to do God's will, His bidding. And so we see this again, they are present at this time.
[28:57] Okay, and then the finality or the permanence of this, verse 11, and the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night who worship the beast and his image and receive the mark of his name.
[29:18] How do we describe having no rest? you ever thought of that?
[29:33] You know, sometimes I've heard guys, you know, non-believers jokingly say, you know, I'm going to join my buddies in hell and we're going to play cards there and mockingly, not fearful at all.
[29:50] But here, here we have a verse that says, they will have no rest. Now, it may be partly a reference to physical rest.
[30:06] I believe for the saints to be in heaven, we won't need rest. But for the ungodly in hell, they would like to rest and they won't be able to.
[30:21] that's in the physical sense. But likely much deeper in the spiritual sense, their souls are tormented.
[30:38] Their souls are tormented in knowing I could have chosen. I could have had peace. I could be in the presence of God and now I am in this awful, awful place of torment.
[31:00] Unrest. A turbulent soul that's not at peace. peace. And this will be their state forever.
[31:16] I think it's something we cannot grasp, the depth of this. But this is a warning. It's a warning in this setting for the people in the tribulation period, but also for us today.
[31:31] And as children of God, we have nothing to fear, and yet how many people do we know that are not saved who are facing this?
[31:51] So it serves to motivate us to warn others like this angel is doing. So it's a message of judgment is coming if you make the wrong choice.
[32:09] And under pressure, under pressure, many people will not think, but will do what makes sense then and there.
[32:24] And unable to be able to buy and sell, they will make the wrong choice. Okay, so that's the third angel. So this is all what John is seeing is a characteristic of the second half of the tribulation period.
[32:44] Then, 12 and 13, are two verses that are somewhat comforting. Let's read them.
[32:54] Here is the patience of the saints. Here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Write, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.
[33:10] Yes, says the spirit, that they may rest from their labors and their works will follow them. That's a proclamation that in that time time period, blessed are the dead in Christ who have been redeemed from the earth, who have been sold out for Christ, for they will rest from their labors.
[33:41] They will rest from the torment here on earth. And the description is they are blessed. now in reality, today, when a believer passes on, there is rejoicing in heaven as a soul has gone home.
[34:07] And we mourn as we stay behind and there's a relationship broken, the presence of it, but in reality, in eternity, from that perspective, there's rejoicing.
[34:22] And I think in the tribulation period, it will be more sharp as they've been released from what's going on down here, and they're with the Lord.
[34:35] So encouraging verses. And then the last section. We're going to read through it and make a few comments, but this is presented in chapter 19 in more detail.
[34:54] And it's regarding the end of the age when the Lord returns, the battle of Armageddon. And then I looked, in verse 14, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat one like the Son of Man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
[35:16] And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, thrust in your sickle, and reap, for the time has come for you to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
[35:32] So he who sat on the cloud, thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. Then another angel came out of the temple, which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle, and another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, thrust in your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.
[36:04] So the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great vinepress of the wrath of God.
[36:15] And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress up to the horse's bridles for 1,600 furlongs.
[36:26] It's a picture of the last battle as Christ returns. And we have a picture of the harvest.
[36:39] How many of you know what a sickle is? It's a hand tool with a curved blade at the bottom, like a hole with a curved blade at the bottom, and you swing it to cut grass or crops, cut the wheat with a sickle, and gathered it into.
[36:58] So in John's day, there was no John Deere combines or internationals. There was a sickle. And they would have gathered what they cut down into sheaves and bound them, let it dry, and then into the threshing machine.
[37:16] But here, we have that physical picture pictured at the end of the world where God will reap reap the earth, the people of the earth.
[37:29] It's a reference to the battle of Armageddon in Israel, in the Jezreel Valley, where the armies of the world will gather to fight against the Christ when he comes back to land on the Mount of Olives.
[37:46] And there they will be destroyed. And then what follows in Matthew 25 is the sheep and goat judgment, where God will gather all the Gentile nations before him and he will divide the sheep and the goats.
[38:08] And this is that reaping that's happening. So a farming picture that they all understood, that we understand today, of how God is going to reap the world.
[38:22] The goats will go into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels and the sheep into the kingdom. And so all survivors on the earth after seven years will be divided in two.
[38:38] And the sheep will inherit the thousand-year reign. And the goats will go into hellfire. wine and talks here about the wine press and it was their the press they used to glean the grapes and other fruit where they would press them out and glean the juices that would come out to make wine or the fruit of the vine.
[39:11] And so in the same manner the Lord will put all the inhabitants of the earth into that press and harvest.
[39:23] And it says the blood that will come out will be up to the horse's bridles. However high that is. Horse's bridle.
[39:34] And it says for 1,600 furlongs my calculation is that's 320 kilometers. The full length of the Jezero Valley 320 kilometers and the blood will be flowing in that final battle.
[39:55] So these are scenes that John is exposed to at this point. He says this is coming in the second half. It's a prelude.
[40:07] A preview of the events. And so the just our just God is going to bring an end to all evil.
[40:20] And yet in the midst of that he is going to show mercy by proclaiming the gospel and inviting repentance. For us today the question do I have the Holy Spirit as the mark of being a believer?
[40:51] It's the mark that I belong to God. It's the mark of being sold out to Christ as I've accepted him by faith and I now live to honor him, to serve him.
[41:09] And that is what we are continually being challenged to ask, to confirm, to be sure of.
[41:21] And it's the question that is before us. in closing, I want to turn to Hebrews chapter 11. you know, as we walk this life, sometimes we feel less than victorious.
[42:03] We feel like we're stumbling. struggling. We feel like, am I really a believer? Why am I struggling?
[42:18] And there is no gray area. We either are or we're not. And believers do struggle. We do struggle at times, and yet we are encouraged to turn to the Lord for our strength and to rise out of our struggles.
[42:41] And verses 12, in chapter 12 of Hebrews, 12 and 13, are really encouraging verses. He says, therefore, strengthen the hands which hang down and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
[43:06] Pursue peace with all people and holiness without which no one will see the Lord. The Hebrews, the book written to the Hebrews, they are encouraged to strengthen the hands and the feeble knees, those that are struggling in their walk and stumbling.
[43:31] turn to the Lord and find strength as you keep your eyes on Him.
[43:42] And you'll be able to walk with solid knees and hands that are active and at work for the Lord. So it's a challenge, an exhortation to us to do this as the Lord has saved us, and yet He gives us free choice on how diligent we are in walking with Him.
[44:16] The passage preceding says He will chastise where needed to encourage us to strengthen the knees and the hands.
[44:28] And if we're facing chastisement, let's recognize that and do exactly that. Turn our eyes on the Lord and He will provide strength.
[44:39] And especially as we see the time approaching, the time of the end. Let's bow in a closing word of prayer.
[44:57] Father, we thank You this morning for giving us these scriptures of events yet to come.
[45:10] Lord, they are severe. The wrath will be severe upon the ungodly.
[45:27] I thank You for Your mercy, for Your grace. And even during that dark time that You will have the gospel message revealed again and again.
[45:42] this morning, Father, if there are souls present that are fearing this time, I pray, Lord, that You would draw and convict and give courage to respond to the gospel.
[46:06] for that is our only salvation. Thank You, Father.
[46:20] In the name of Your Son, Amen. v