The Sweet Bitter Judgment of God

[0:00] Dear Lord, Heavenly Father, just as we come before you in this word, may you bless us as we read your word aloud this day. Father, there's no other book that reveals who you are so completely than this book of Revelation.

[0:20] I pray that you would give my voice strength, the points accurately. May we hear it as you intend us to hear it through the power of the Spirit.

[0:30] May you use that Spirit to give us understanding, that understanding that sometimes needs to break our hearts, breaks our will, and to bend ourselves to your will, which is to be unconstrained worship to you.

[0:52] Amazing. In your name we pray. Amen. So please turn with me. We are in chapter 10 of Revelation. As you know, just from my introduction announcements this morning, this is the second last section sermon in Revelation that I believe we can get done.

[1:15] So today I'm going to be covering more chapters than I ever have in any sermon that I've ever done. So I might be breaking some speed records here, but I pray you're going to be able to stick with me.

[1:25] Of course, the sermon will be put online, and most of you guys have video players where you can play it at half speed. So the points will be easier to understand.

[1:36] But by and large, what we're going to be seeing is plenty of praise given for Jesus Christ as he brings his judgment to a final end.

[1:47] And even in that ending, we will see more glory and even see a greater heart, patience, mercy of what we would expect from our God.

[1:59] So please be opening to chapter 10 of Revelation. If you've been tracking with us so far, you understand that Revelation is the revealing of Jesus Christ.

[2:15] This is the book that Jesus Christ wrote, gave to John to write about him, about last things. We learned a few things from just even the introduction to Revelation.

[2:29] One of the ones is that we are blessed by reading out loud this word of prophecy. Prophecy being things that are to come.

[2:43] And remember, it's not a roadmap for us to look and try to guess when it will happen. Because Jesus Christ himself said when he was here on this earth, neither, I don't even know the time when this is all going to happen.

[2:59] But be on your guard, be aware. And a lot of times some people really push Revelation and the idea of Jesus coming back is so we don't fall asleep at the wheel.

[3:11] We don't forget. Sometimes it's easy when things are so far off. Imagine if we started celebrating, counting down the days till Christmas here in June.

[3:25] We kind of get tired after 12 days, right? So, what we have is not a desire of God for us to be writing books, bunch of TV series and movies, trying our best ways to protect when these things will happen.

[3:46] But to be aware and be doing the things that God has called us to. We learned that John was told to write the things that you have seen, the things which are and the things that will take place.

[4:04] The first things he wrote down were as a message to the seven churches, which I believe represent even the churches of today, this church age. Every church can pretty much find themselves in those seven churches.

[4:18] We then got to introduce the throne room. John lifted up into the throne room where the indescribable one was receiving all glory, all honor, all worship.

[4:29] And it was almost at the final stage where he holds out this deed. Who is worthy to take this scroll and open it to bring the judgment against the earth?

[4:39] Why? Not because I'm set on punishing the earth, but I am here to redeem the earth. I am to make it what it is. And Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, steps up and says, I am worthy.

[4:53] I will open the scrolls. So these scrolls, which is almost this title deed. We read how Jesus Christ started opening these scrolls.

[5:04] And we saw these seals. And in the seven seals, and in case you missed it, chapter 6 to the end of chapter 18 are all events that happen within the seals.

[5:19] Now, I also talked about last week that there's layers within the text. That even though we're reading about it later on in the text, some of those events happened earlier.

[5:34] And today especially, we are going to be changing channels, so to speak. Meaning, it's not so much channels. We're going to be looking at the end times within the seven seals from a different camera angle, so to speak.

[5:53] Okay? So right now, we are just before where we left off, the seventh trumpet, which exists in that last seal.

[6:05] And the angel has not blown the seventh trumpet yet. Okay? So that's where we are. And we come to this place.

[6:17] And what is the world like at this time? This is the world that we're going to be learning about. The seventh trumpet is to be blown in a time, as Revelation 9.20 describes that, as the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, the judgments that happened from the first six seals, did not repent of the works of their hands, nor gave up worshiping demons and idols of gold, and silver and bronze, and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.

[6:59] Nor did they repent of their murders, or their sorceries, or their sexual immorality, or their thefts. I'm just going to step back. Maybe you are someone who never heard these words before.

[7:17] And perhaps you can identify with some of those sins, whether it be theft, or sexual immorality, or murder, or sorcery, or false worship of things made of stone and clay or wood.

[7:38] And you wonder if God can actually forgive you for these things. I'm right here telling you today, on this very day, God offers you full repentance.

[7:55] In fact, we've been reading as people are killed during this time of tribulation, that many will die in the name of Christ. And we learned about these 144,000 prophets that go out declaring the name of Jesus.

[8:13] And there's multitudes and multitudes. What's really amazing is that these multitudes will eventually be before God in heaven, praising Him.

[8:26] And they will be given vestments of white to describe their purity. You see, that's what happens when we become Christians.

[8:38] God no longer counts our past life against us. He gives us new life in Jesus Christ. It's almost as if He exchanges our old, dirty, smelly clothes and gives us this perfect white robe that is without blemish.

[9:01] And we are seen equally. And listen, I know. Sometimes it's hard to live with that belief because our mind wants to go back and we wonder, am I truly saved?

[9:15] Am I truly redeemed? And stuff I did was pretty dark back then. I was very lost. And you might even, while wearing white, still feel that call to that world.

[9:28] But I'm telling you right now, you are God's. He has put a seal on you. The book of Ephesians says that He has put the seal of the Holy Spirit on your life.

[9:40] There's no going back. You may think there is, but He is not going to allow you to go back into that world. So if you had those questions, can I truly be clean?

[9:54] Yes, you can. Why? Because it is Jesus Christ who perfectly cleans you. It's not yourself. It is Him. So, switching back.

[10:05] So all those people who did not repent, they're still there. And it says, nor did they repent. So God is giving them a chance to repent, just as He gives you now that opportunity to repent this day.

[10:18] So even in the midst of His incredible display of power, this incredible display of judgment, some, even seeing God in His power, clear as day, will still resist His rightful rule.

[10:36] And then we come to this seventh trumpet. But before we get to this seventh trumpet, we have this tenth chapter, which takes us halfway, also through verse, the first 15 verses of chapter 11.

[10:58] And it's almost as if there's another interlude. As we've seen, there's these interludes amongst the judgment.

[11:09] And that God then turns, or John takes His focus into another area. This interlude in chapter 10 includes two parts.

[11:29] This part is very interesting, and I think this speaks to a lot of our hearts in areas where, how do I say it, horrible things are going to happen because of God's judgment.

[11:53] We rejoice that God is finally revealing Himself, but at the same time, we lament those who continue to hold out in rebellion.

[12:15] And the second part is another display of God's tender mercy again about two witnesses He will bring on this land. So, first, chapter 10.

[12:27] I'm going to read it. Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven wrapped in a cloud and a rainbow over His head and His face was like the sun and His legs like pillars of fire.

[12:41] He had a little scroll open in His hand and He set His right hand on, right foot on the sea and His left foot on the land and called out with a loud voice like a lion roaring.

[12:54] When He called out, the seven thunders sounded. Imagine for a moment, if we can, John writing out these visions.

[13:13] He's invited into a place that is indescribable, but He's trying to describe it. And there's incredible spectacles and there's things He sees and He has to put it into His own mind to understand His own words.

[13:36] And He's seeing incredible worship and He's seeing the Lamb of God open these scrolls and as each scroll opens, there's incredible judgment that rains down upon the earth.

[13:58] How emotionally taxing would that be? Yay, Jesus, you're getting them.

[14:09] I don't think that's John's attitude at all. We rejoice that God's mercy and justice are prevailing and His righteousness will rule.

[14:22] But there's this almost the sense that God is giving him a chance to catch his breath. It was interesting. We're the same way. I was reading an article this week and it was about things that directors, movie directors, need to know when they make movies.

[14:42] And there was this study that they actually did and they showed in any type of movie that even in movies, as much as some people glorify violence and all that, there's only so much violence or certain actions that people can accept.

[14:59] And one of the points was a director knows that even if it's a bad guy getting punched, you only want to see that person get punched four times. Any punch beyond the four times that you might see on TV, it gets harder and harder for the human person to accept and to view that.

[15:19] Because even though they might say, yay, the bad guy's getting hit, the more times he gets hit beyond the four, we just get grotesque by the violence of it.

[15:32] The points made, the bad guy's subdued, it's all over. But when the violence continues, we see a different perpetrator that's there.

[15:42] So I found that very interesting as I just came across that article and how John almost has to take a breath here. He's seeing judgment, he's seen death, he's seen destruction.

[16:00] It's emotionally taxing, it's exhausting, it's heartbreaking. And it's necessary. And it's interesting, so God's almost teaching him a lesson, verse five.

[16:14] And the angel whom I was standing on the sea and on the land raises his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, that's God, who created heaven, what is in it, and the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay.

[16:31] But in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled just as he announced to his servants, the prophets.

[16:42] So there's yet, there's almost this indescribable mystery that was unknown to that point is about to be fulfilled. Yes, there will be martyrs and that breaks John's heart, but even the death of those who are evil and stand against God, there is no pleasure in it.

[17:10] In fact, we know that Jesus Christ himself says that God is not willing for any to perish. So this angel appears to John almost to let him catch his breath, gather himself, and he gives him this scroll, and it's like a representation of the big scroll.

[17:29] It's like a mini scroll, and he tells him to eat it. He says, take and eat it. It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.

[17:43] And I took the scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it, he says in verse 10. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.

[17:57] It is sweet because Jesus is finally taking back the earth and establishing his rightful rule, a place where he will be exalted and glorified as he deserves completely.

[18:12] Yet it is bitter because the terrible doom awaiting unbelievers and those who persist in their rebellion. Verse 11 reads, and when I was told, you must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings, and almost to encourage John and also us, he tells us how all the peoples of the nations of the world will hear and know God.

[18:42] We know as we enter into chapter 11 that God has appointed 144,000 Jewish missionaries to go out and to reach the people. And if anybody tells you that they're not Jewish, they're from any other tribe, I don't know how you get there because he actually names the tribe in which he pulls the 12,000 from, but that's an argument for another day.

[19:01] But he's got these people and they are to attest to God and they're sealed. That means Satan, the world cannot hurt them and we're going to learn about them a little bit more.

[19:12] But God also does this really cool thing. He raises up two witnesses. It says, these two witnesses will speak for the Lord and call people to repentance.

[19:23] So here we go again. Even before the last trumpet, God sends down, he's got these two witnesses. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses and they will prophesize for 1,260 days, which is three and a half years, clothed in sackcloth.

[19:43] These two witnesses will have incredible protection and incredible power to do the Lord's work. Five. Okay, so verse five tells us about the protection. It says, if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes, if anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed.

[20:02] What that's going to look like, I don't know. But anybody who touches them, they're in big trouble. We see their power in verse six. They have the power to shut the sky that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying.

[20:17] And they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth in every kind of plague as often as they desire. So not only are they protected by God, they are given this incredible power by God.

[20:34] It's interesting, power. Jesus Christ lived 2,000 years ago. He had immense power. Power to raise the dead.

[20:46] Power to calm stores. Power to make food. Power to cure evils, diseases, leprosy. It's funny, you would think that people would respond to power, but they don't always do.

[21:01] Verse seven tells us that these men will be hated, these two witnesses. And when they have finished their testimony, the beast will rise from the bottomless pit, will make war on them and conquer them and kill them.

[21:14] And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom in Egypt, where the Lord was crucified. For three and a half days, some from the peoples and tribes and languages of the nations, that means the whole wide world will gaze as their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb.

[21:36] Satan, the world, will almost act as if they've got complete victory over these witnesses. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets has been a torment to them who dwell on the earth.

[21:53] Yet, not only do they have protection, power, and they are hated, they will prevail. Verse 11, But after the three and a half days, a breath of life from God entered them. And they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.

[22:11] Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, Come up here. And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. And at the hour, there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell.

[22:25] Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe has passed.

[22:36] Behold, the third woe is soon to come. Verse 17, finally brings us to the seventh final trumpet. Actually, verse 15, Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet.

[22:49] And notice, just going back, the witnesses are there, they're raising. People see it, start believing, repenting. So even in that horrible thing happening to those men, works, people will be saved during that time.

[23:07] So here we go. For the seventh, angel blew his trumpet. There were loud voices in heaven saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.

[23:20] And the 24 elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their knees and worshiped God saying, We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was.

[23:33] For you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came. And the time for the dead to be judged and for rewarding your saints, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.

[23:58] Then God's temple in heaven was opened. The ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

[24:14] By all accounts, we could say the end, at the end of this chapter.

[24:25] So from chapter 6 to 11, we've seen God's final judgment poured out on the earth through the opening of the seals.

[24:36] We've seen woes. We've seen trumpet blasts. And last week, like I said earlier, there's these layers. Chapter 12 is the beginning of another layer that describes the events from chapter 6 to chapter 11.

[25:01] It's not a continuation. It's an undermining against wrapped therein. And chapter 12 kind of gives us, it's a very interesting chapter.

[25:14] And as you see, we'll read from it. Because it's kind of the history of mankind in the areas that we did not always see or understand.

[25:27] It's kind of what happened behind the shadows. But chapter 12 goes back even before the creation of earth explains what happens in the garden and explains mankind in a very highly symbolic way.

[25:45] So I'm going to read some of the verses. I'm going to give you some of the definitions because some of the symbols are clear to understand. Some of them not so much. But we're not going to dwell on those things.

[25:57] But I really want you to catch what's going on here. And it kind of answers the questions, why are things the way they are?

[26:09] Like why did these people on earth resist God so much? When he was displaying his power, how could people still fight him?

[26:25] Let's go to verse 1, chapter 12. And a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars.

[26:39] She was pregnant, was crying out in birth pains, in the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven, behold, a great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.

[26:53] His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that what she bore her child, he might devour it.

[27:09] She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God in which she is to be nourished for 1260 days.

[27:35] That pretty much encompasses everything. First of all, we have the woman that is God's people. I believe it to be Israel. It's consistent with the imagery that we see in the Old Testament.

[27:49] The sun, moon, and 12 stars equivalently 12 tribes. So that's the people of God. The child would be the Messiah. Satan tried to destroy God's people beforehand.

[28:00] We know these stories in the Old Testament going all the way back. Even from Genesis, Satan trying to mess up man right from the very start.

[28:10] And we knew the Messiah would come to redeem. And that's why the dragon means Satan, not an actual actual dragon, but a fallen angel would be there to devour him.

[28:25] And even in the small prophecies in the history telling us how Herod wanted to destroy Jesus at that time when he was a child even.

[28:36] And even at the very end tried to use Judas. Failed and failed again. So the dragon made war on God's people.

[28:49] So here's this past and future interwoven. Verse 7. Kind of goes back to the pre-past. Now war rose in heaven.

[29:00] Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

[29:11] And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent who was called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him.

[29:24] And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come down.

[29:36] For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony.

[29:49] For they love not their lives even unto death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and to you who dwell in them. But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in a great wrath because he knows that his time is short.

[30:07] So now it's almost as if the camera perspective has changed. The first camera was placed on God in the events that he was unfolding in the scrolls.

[30:20] Now, it's got almost that earthly perspective or the devilly, Satan's perspective, or the worldly perspective on what's happening.

[30:33] And notice he's been there since the beginning. Chapter 13 introduces us to others that will work with Satan.

[30:43] We learn about the beast, the great beast who is called the Antichrist. We also learn about the little beast. They had power and authority over parts of the earth.

[30:56] And their desire was to subvert God's plan. Chapter 14 brings us back to the 144,000 witnesses that God had placed onto this earth who had a seal which protected them.

[31:17] And John writes, Then I looked and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb and with him 144,000 who had his name and his father's name written on their foreheads.

[31:31] And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. And they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders.

[31:49] No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women for they are virgins.

[32:01] It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb and in their mouth no lie was found for they were blameless.

[32:16] So despite Satan and his great partners the beast and little beast will make war but they will not prevail. So we learn in chapter 7 with God's seal on them they are protected.

[32:32] And many, many people will be saved through their ministry and they will surround the throne giving all worship to God.

[32:44] Then we see these three angels. Verse 6 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth to every nation and tribe and language and people.

[32:59] And he said with a loud voice fear God and give him glory because the hour of his judgment has come and worship him who made heaven and earth and sea and the springs of the land.

[33:10] So we have an angel going out to all nation tribes and tongues so that everyone in this world will have an opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

[33:21] Second angel we are presented to in verse 8 another angel a second followed saying fallen fallen is Babylon the great she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality we are going to see that Babylon is a symbolism of false religious systems.

[33:42] Any religious system is a religion of Babylon. Every single religious system of this world none of them are neutral. they are all meant to take away worship from the right true God.

[33:58] There is no competing God. There is just one God. And finally in verse 9 another angel a third followed them saying with a loud voice if anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand he will also drink the wine of God's wrath poured full strength into the cup of his anger and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb and the smoke of the torment goes up forever and ever and they have no rest day or night these worshipers of the beast in its image and whoever receives the mark of the beast.

[34:51] So we understand that not only is there going to be and this is as you might guess this is where the number 666 and all its great fanfare comes up this is a mark given to those who worship the beast and we're going to find out in just a little bit that he actually sets up a false religion and in setting up a false religion he actually wants to do away with the religion because he wants to worship himself he wants to supplant God as the object of worship rather than the religion we know so many people are slaves to religion even in our Christian faith they're slaves to the religiosity of it and not slaves to Jesus Christ he will use that type of religion to do the same so when people ask you is the vaccine the sign of the beast it does not fit anything in revelation about being a sign

[35:59] I know people start getting into chipping and all that other kind of stuff that's not what it's talking about but what is John giving us here John is giving us a call to endure in the faith to keep the commandments of God and keep our faith in Jesus that's today everything everything is an attempt to get our worship from Jesus it could be other religions false religions and we know there's many there's no not enough time in the day to name them all these are all false religions anything to remove the glory from Jesus Christ could be Sikhism Islam Roman Catholicism Mormonism Jehovah's Witness all these other forms systems even though they declare they believe in Jesus Christ they often it is not the Jesus it is not the Jesus of the

[37:14] Bible so he's calling us to endure keep the commandments of God in their faith in Jesus verse 13 I heard a voice from heaven saying write this blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on blessed indeed says the spirit that they may rest from their labors for their deeds follow them then chapter 15 we see these other signs where plagues are released upon this earth then I saw another sign in heaven great and amazing seven angels with seven plagues which are the last for with them the wrath of God is finished and I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands and they sing the song of

[38:22] Moses the servant of God and the song of the lamb saying great and amazing are your deeds O Lord God Almighty just and true are your ways O King of the nations who will not fear O Lord and glorify your name for you alone are holy all nations will come and worship you for your righteous acts have been revealed verse 5 after this I looked up in the sanctuary of the tent of witness and heaven was opened and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues clothed in bright pure bright linen with golden sashes around their chests and one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever ever the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were filled chapter 16 lists the pouring out of these seven bowls of wrath which are essentially a repeating of the scrolls now take a look we're in chapter 16 verse 17 and I'm going to read to you the seventh bowl the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne saying it is done and there were flashes of lightning rumblings peals of thunder and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on earth so great was that earthquake quake if you remember revelation 11 19 at the sound of the seventh trumpet this was was written then god's temple in heaven was open the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple there was flashes of lightning rumblings peals of thunder and earthquake and heavy hail so what we're seeing is a repeating of the same event chapter 16 chapter 17 once it was described as trumpets here we have as bowls just from the perspective of the earth so when you go through those bowls in chapter 16 it's the wrath that is going to happen on mankind so revelation 16 19 the great city was split into three parts and the city of the nations fell and god remembered babylon the great now babylon is symbolic for the world that the area that satan controls to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath and every island fled away and no mountains were to be found and the great hailstones about 100 pounds each fell from heaven on people and they cursed god for the plague of the hell because the plague was so severe chapter 17 describe the false religion of the world or what it's known as the false religion as babylon it is exposed as a harlot and that is the details of chapter 17 revelation 18 is the business of babylon which is intertwined which is the evil ways upon business was done verse 4 of chapter 18 and here again god comes through then i heard another voice from heaven saying come out over my people lest you take

[42:23] part of her sins lest you share in her plagues for her sins are heaped as high as heaven and god has remembered her iniquities god again still calling his people out to repent but there will be some who don't and the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with the antichrist the false leaders will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning they will stand far off in fear of her torment and say alas alas the great city you mighty city babylon for in a single hour your judgment has come verse 21 then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea saying so will babylon the great city be thrown down with violence and will be found no more and the sound of the harpist musicians of flute players and trumpeters will be heard in you no more and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more and the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more for your merchants were the great ones of the earth and all nations were deceived by your sorcery and in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on earth judgment has come and it is finished so next week we will be turning to chapter 19 my bible has it the rejoicing in heaven and it will look at how god's righteous rule will be setting up life for us ever more so just to give you a quick recap guys so from chapter 6 to chapters 11 was the perspective of heaven and the seals chapter 12 kind of gives us an overview of life here on mankind under the power of satan talks about what he's been doing how he's chasing trying to kill god's people damage them satan's whole goal is to take away worship from god then we read these other judgments that we've been doing and babylon is used for the symbolism of the world system the world that has a desire to take our mind off god whether it be religion or finances and money we've talked about it here at squamish baptist church heard pastor dave say the good life often that good life is achieved through money we become slaves to the financial system what's often really interesting about people who have wealth is they often believe they are beyond the rules of this world they have certain advantages that most people do not have and they can become a slave to that world being completely irreligious but yet still serving the god of babylon either doing it through false religion or through riches but in the end as we learned it is

[46:23] done once the seven trumpet is blown the seven bowl is poured out it is done and we are going to learn next week chapter 19 how god's righteous rule is then established on this earth please pray with me dear lord heavenly father there is just so much here so much symbolism that we can get confused father i pray that you will give us understanding and knowledge blessing by reading this word i pray that it was understandable and the structure understood so that when we do our own study we will be able to not be afraid or intimidated about what is written there are so many incredible truths about you to be learned in here i love it almost with every judgment comes you calling out whether with your own voice or using these 144 thousand witnesses or the two witnesses or just the angels flying overhead you always give warning you always keep calling maybe there's some here today who you've been calling to them through their family members perhaps through this sermon series perhaps through someone in this church that needs to finally obey maybe it's their wife their husband father i pray that today would be the day that they heed your word that they repent of their ways they see how satan has used it to blind their eyes and their minds to the truth of you whether it be slavery to finances to religious philosophies just there's endless distractions to keep our minds off you may you cast them away may you give our people strength to cast them away and to turn towards you father we just ask that in our hearts that people would make that commitment towards you whether it be the innocence found in a child or an older adult who might think it's too late now is the day the day of salvation may they call on your name

[48:59] Jesus accept that you are indeed the son of God who has come to make all things right and who will punish evil sin even the stuff we don't even think is sin it is no one will be spared except those whose name is found written in the lamb's book of life let us hear your call this day oh lord in your most holy and precious name amen all euros must be utmost as as amen to amen to to an a this you all