Okay, well good morning from me. My name is Kevin. If you don't know me, I am not going to be preaching today
But I am going to lead us in a time of prayer
So if you are new to watermark, we pray at this time our service each week
And part of the reason for that is we don't just want to come to church and sing a few songs
Listen to a message and go home
The point of why we gather on Sunday is to encounter the living God
That's our goal on Sundays and we do that through song
We do it through looking at His word, but we also do that through prayer
And so this is an important part of our service
I am going to lead us in a time of prayer, but I want to ask you to join me
And so listen to what I am praying for and you agree in your own heart to say yes Lord
That is, I agree with that, I want to pray for that
And then just, I wonder if we can get the slide up, we should have a slide
Okay, I don't know if you can see that picture
These are some new friends of mine
Their names are Mohammed and Damira Nagumanov
Okay, and these guys have planted a church in Kazakhstan
I met them this week in Malaysia
And Mohammed is not because he is Muslim
It's just in Kazakhstan that is a regular name
But Mohammed was, grew up in Kazakhstan
Was part of the Soviet Union, I think chemistry program
Woke up one day, was about to go to Moscow the next day
To join the Soviet Union chemistry program
Woke up that morning and the whole Soviet empire had fallen
This is around like 1990 or so
And his whole world came to an end
He believed that the Soviet empire was God
And so suddenly he realized my whole world has come to an end
That led him to search for Christ
Became a follower of Jesus
And they've been planting this church in Elmati
In Kazakhstan
And so we're going to pray for them as a church
And so won't you join me as we pray together
Let's come before our Father in prayer
Sovereign Lord, Majestic God
We do come before you as a church family this morning
To adore you and to worship you
To lift up your name and to declare your praises
Father, thank you that we can stand firm on the truth
That though the storms of life come
You are sovereign and you are faithful
You are majestic and glorious, God
And even though, as we're going to hear this morning
There is an enemy of ours called Satan
That is going to try and torment the church
But God, we stand on the truth that you are sovereign
That our enemy is a defeated foe
And that you, Christ, rule and reign over all things
Father, thank you for your incredible patience with us
Thank you that you're so long-suffering, God
Father, we do worship you this morning
We think of Psalm 14 that says
How the fool says in his heart
There is no God
And Father, this morning we confess that
Many of us, myself included
We live our lives often, day to day
As if you are not real
As if you are not on the throne
God, even though at our heads we acknowledge you
In our hearts, God, we live foolishly
Looking to ourselves
And Father, we want to confess that this morning
And ask you to
One, forgive us
But two, come and reorientate our hearts back to you
God, we want to live day by day
Reliantly on you, oh God
Trusting in your amazing grace
Father, make us like Proverbs 1 says
Those that fear you
And really live in awe of you
Father, this morning as we come to your word
In Revelation 13 and 14
We pray that you will speak to us
We pray for Justin who will be preaching
We pray God that it won't be his words that speak to us
But your words through your written word
Jesus, we want to encounter you in your word
And so we pray, prepare all of our hearts
To meet with you in your scriptures this morning
God, anything that is not of you
We pray it will fall on deaf ears
And we pray that your word will come alive
God, show us how to respond to your word this morning
Father, this morning we want to also pray for our great city
For Hong Kong
The city in which we live
And God, in the midst of the continued difficulties
And challenges of our cities
We ask you God, won't you show us our own hearts
God, won't you reveal to us
Where our hearts are hoping or trusting in false gods
Rather than you
Father, where there is anger and resentment
Towards one party or another
We pray God, you show us what's in our hearts
What's underlying that anger God
God, we pray that the church
And not only for Watermark
But for other churches
Make us agents of peace and hope in our city
God
Father, we pray for our political leaders
We pray for the police, Lord
We pray for those that are trying to
Restore peace, Lord God, to our city
We pray God for wisdom
We pray for the protesters, God
Those that are so upset about what's going on
And want to make a stand for justice, God
We pray that in all of this
Your peace will prevail, God
We pray that emotions will subside, God
And for peace in the hearts of all
Father, we do pray for our city that we love
And we pray that your kingdom will come here
May it be in Hong Kong as it is in heaven
We pray, God
And then finally, Father
This morning we want to pray for
Our new friends in Kazakhstan
For Mohammed and Demira
God, we pray for them
And the work that they're doing
We pray, God, want you to give them
Increased wisdom
In the midst of increasing government opposition
To the kingdom of God
And the church and the gospel in Kazakhstan
We pray, God, give them amazing wisdom
How to evangelize and witness
How to share your gospel
God, we pray that their church will be strong, Lord
We pray for leaders to emerge, God
And for young leaders to emerge, Lord
We pray, God, that your blessing and your power
Will rest upon their congregation
We pray for new churches to be planted in Kazakhstan, God
We pray that the gospel will go forward there, Lord
We pray that your kingdom will come
We pray that many young Kazakhs will come to know you, God
We pray for church unity in that nation, Lord
That Presbyterians and Pentecostals, Baptists
Everyone across the spectrum will work together
And be unified by their love for you, Jesus
And we pray for their family, God
We pray for their children
And for Muhammad and Damaru's marriage, God
We pray strengthen them and encourage them
Refresh them and revitalize them, we pray
Father, we love to come before you and pray
Thank you that you're such a good and faithful God
You're so faithful, Lord
There's no one and none like you
And we love you, Lord
We pray these things in your wonderful
And your patient
In your sovereign name
Amen
Great, Jefferson and Annabelle are going to read God's word to us this morning
The scripture reading comes from Revelation chapter 13 to 14
Please follow along in your bulletin or on the screen
And I saw a beast rising out of the sea
With ten horns and seven heads
With ten diadems on its horns
And blasphemous names on its heads
And the beast that I saw was like a leopard
Its feet were like a bear's
And its mouth was like a lion's mouth
And to it the dragon gave its power and its throne
And great authority
One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound
But its mortal wound was healed
And the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast
And they worshipped the dragon
For he had given his authority to the beast
And they worshipped the beast, saying
Who is like the beast?
And who can fight against it?
And the beast was given a mouth
Uttering haughty and blasphemous words
And it was allowed to exercise authority
For forty-two months
It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God
Blaspheming his name and his dwelling
That is those who dwell in heaven
Also, it was allowed to make war on the saints
And to conquer them
And authority was given it
Over every tribe and people
And language and nation
And all who dwell on earth will worship it
Everyone whose name has not been written
Before the foundation of the world
In the book of life of the Lamb who was slain
If anyone has an ear, let him hear
If anyone is to be taken captive
To captivity he goes
If anyone is to be slain with the sword
With the sword must he be slain
Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints
Then I saw another beast
Rising out of the earth
It had two horns like a lamb
And its book like a dragon
It exercises all the authority
Of the first beast in its presence
And makes the earth and its inhabitants
Worship the first beast
Whose mortal wound was healed
It performs great signs
Even making fire come down from heaven to earth
In front of people
And by the signs that it was allowed
To work in the presence of the beast
It deceived those who dwell on earth
Telling them to make an image for the beast
That was wounded by the sword and yet lived
And it was allowed to give breath
To the image of the beast
So that the image of the beast
Might even speak
And might cause those
Who would not worship the image of the beast
To be slain
Also it causes all
Both small and great
Both rich and poor
Both free and slave
To be marked on the right hand
Or the forehead
So that no one can buy or sell
Unless he has the mark
That is the name of the beast
Or the number of its name
This calls for wisdom
Let the one who has understanding
Calculate the number of the beast
For it is the number of a man
And his number is 666
Then I looked
And behold
On Mount Zion stood the Lamb
And with him
A hundred and forty-four thousand
Who had his name
And his father's name
Written on their foreheads
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 hearts
And they were singing a new song
Before the throne
And before the four living creatures
And before the elders
No one could learn that song
Except the hundred and forty-four thousand
Who had been redeemed from the earth
It is these who have not
Defiled themselves of women
For they are virgins
It is these who follow the Lamb
Wherever he goes
These have been redeemed from mankind
As firstfruits for God and the Lamb
And in their mouth
No lie was found
For they are blameless
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
And he said that 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
The sea and the springs of water
Another angel
A second followed
Saying
Fallen
Is Babylon the great
She who made all nations
Drink the wine
Of the passion
Of her sexual immorality
And 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 head
He also will drink
The wine of God's wrath
Pour 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 their torment
Goes up forever and ever
And they have no rest
Day or night
These worshippers
Of the beast
And its image
And whoever receives
The mark
Of his name
Here is a call
For the endurance
Of the saints
Those who keep
The commandments
Of God
And their faith
In Jesus
And 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 I looked
And behold
A white cloud
And seated on the cloud
One like a son of man
With a golden crown
On his head
And a sharp sickle
In his hand
And another angel
Came out of the temple
Calling out with a loud voice
To him
Who sat on the cloud
Put in your sickle
And reap
For the hour to reap
Has come
For the harvest
Of the earth
Is fully ripe
So who he sat
On the cloud
Swung his sickle
Across the earth
And the earth
Was reaped
Then another angel
Came out of the temple
In heaven
And he too
Had a sharp sickle
And another angel
Came out from the altar
The angel
Who has authority
Over the fire
And he called
With a loud voice
To the one
Who had the sharp sickle
Put in your sickle
And gather the clusters
From the vine
Of the earth
For its grapes
Are ripe
So the angel
Swung his sickle
Across the earth
And gathered
The grape harvest
Of the earth
And threw it
Into the great
Wine press
Of the wrath of God
And when the wine press
Was trodden
Outside the city
And blood flowed
From the wine press
As high as
A horse's brittle
For one thousand
And six hundred stadia
This is the word of God
Testing, testing
Okay
Thank you Jefferson
And Annabelle
For reading this long passage
In Revelations
Thirteen to fourteen
And I hope the sermon
Wouldn't be as long
So my name is Justin
I have been attending
World of Mark
For since my freshman year
At uni
So I've been attending
Here for six years
If you have been
Coming to church
For a while
And have been attending
The last few services
In our series
Called Between the Cross
And the Throne
You probably have already
Known the term
Already
But not yet
It's a term
We use to describe
The status of God's kingdom
And his plan
And his plan of salvation
Salvation has come
Yet one day
The Savior himself
Will come the second time
To meet us face to face
But we're not there yet
God's kingdom has come
Yet one day
We will bow down
Before his throne
Face to face
Yet we're not there yet
So in this
In between time
Does God
Has a specific plan
For the church
For you and for I
And if I tell you
That God has
A specific plan
And that plan
Involves Christians
Being slandered
Defeated
Crushed
And even killed
What if I tell you
That this path
Of persecution
And suffering
Is not our path
To defeat
But our path
To victory
Our path
To glory
Today
We're going to
Explore some
Very very scary
Image
Of the defeat
Of the church
And yet
At the same time
We're also going to
Explore some
Very glorious
Imagery
Of the church
Together
They form
A narrative
A story
Of the church
Of you and of I
That this narrative
Can be broken down
Into four segments
And we'll look at
Each one of them
Firstly
Satan will conquer
The whole world
Then we'll see
That Satan
Will also crush
The church
But then
We'll see
That the church
Will overcome
By embracing
Suffering and persecution
And lastly
We're going to learn
About a new concept
Called the
Eternal gospel
Which means
That the hour
Of the judgment
Has finally come
But please
Do not leave
The service
Today
Just with these
Words on the screen
Because these
Words alone
Would not have
Any lasting
Impact on you
But the imagery
And the narrative
Will
If you allow
Yourself to be
Captured by them
And I think
That's the reason
Why God
Reviews
Through a vision
To John
Instead of a
PowerPoint
Presentational
Words
So I encourage
You to open
Not just
Your mind
But your heart
To be scared
By the imagery
Of the church
Of the defeat
Of the church
But yet
Let your breath
Be taken away
By the glorious
Imagery of the church
At the same time
So shall we start
So firstly
We're gonna
Last week
We saw
In Revelation 12
The dragon
Meaning Satan
He was defeated
In heaven
And he was
Thrown down
To earth
And Kevin said
In his last breath
He tried to wage
War against
The women
The nation of Israel
However
The woman
Was miraculously
Rescued
And then
Satan
Moves on
To the women's
Offspring
That is us
The church
Is then
In chapter 13
We see how
Satan
Presents
Hisself
To the world
Surprisingly
And unsurprisingly
Satan
Presents
Hisself
As a
Counterfeit
Of God
In other words
He tries to
Imitate God
In drawing
The world
To himself
First
We see
A beast
With ten
Horns
And seven
Heads
Ten
Diadems
On his
Horns
And blasphemous
Names
On his
Heads
John saw
This beast
And describes
It in a
Very
Scary
Terms
He says
It's like
A leopard
With bear's
Feet
And lion's
Mouth
Very powerful
Looking
Isn't it
But then
He goes
On to say
That the beast
Actually had
To receive
Power
Authority
And his
Throne
From the
Dragon
Now does that
Remind you
Of the first
Sentence
Of the
Great
Commission
All authority
In heaven
And on earth
Has been
Given to
Me
God the
Father
Gave his
Power
And his
Authority
And throne
To Jesus
And here
We're seeing
The dragon
Doing exactly
The same
To the beast
Then he says
That one of
The beast
Heads
Seemed to
Have suffered
A mortal
Wound
The passage
Does not tell
Us why
He had
Suffered this
Wound
But we
Know that
That wound
Would have
Led to
This beast
Death
But then
This beast
Was miraculously
Healed
And the
Whole earth
Marvelled
And they're
Going to
Follow the
Beast
Does that
Remind you
Of Jesus
Resurrection
From the
Dead
And the
Church
Follows
Jesus
Because of
It
The beast
By his
Appearance
Of power
And his
Resurrection
From his
Mortal
Wound
Has made
The entire
World
Worship
It
People
From every
Tribe
Language
And nation
All who
Dwell
On earth
Will worship
The beast
Did we
Not read
In revelation
Four
Where john
Saw before
The throne
Of god
People from
All tribes
Nations
And languages
So just
As god's
People
Are from
A diverse
Cultural
And national
Backgrounds
We're going to
See that
Satan has
Also drawn
To himself
The same
Diverse
Group of
People
In another
Word
Not only
Is Satan
Being a
Counterfeit
Of god
He is
Also
Creating
A
Counterfeit
Of the
Church
Then we
See
That the
Whole world
Will say
Probably
In all
Languages
Who is
Like the
Beast
And who
Can fight
Against it
We see
The same
Feeling
Of all
And reverence
In the
Song of
Moses
The song
That the
Israelites
Sang
Right after
They crossed
The Red Sea
And saw
What god
Did
To the
Horses
And chariots
Of egypt
They sang
Who is
Like you
O lord
Among the
Gods
Who is
Like you
Majestic
And holiness
Awesome
And glorious
These
Doing wonders
Now
Satan
Has given
His people
A song
Of victory
A song
Of identity
Just as
God has
Given us
The same
And not
Only
Will people
Worship the
Beast
They will
Also worship
The dragon
Because the
Dragon had
Given his
Authority
To the
Beast
Does that
Remind you
Of us
Worshipping
Both
Jesus
The son
And the
Father
And just
As you
Think
Enough
Is
Enough
There's
Another
Beast
That
Comes
Into
The scene
Unlike
This
Powerful
Looking
First
Beast
The
Second
Beast
Has
Two
Horns
Beast
And it
Says
It
Looks
Like
A
Gentle
And
Harmless
Lamb
Does that
Remind you
Of Jesus
The
Lamb
Of
God
The
Second
Beast
Is able
To perform
Great
Signs
And
Wonders
And
By
Them
The
Second
Beast
Deceives
People
To make
An
Image
Of the
First
Beast
And
Then
He
Gives
Bread
To
This
Image
To
Speak
And
This
Whole
Act
Is
Going
To
Make
The
Whole
World
Worship
The
First
Beast
So
The
Second
Beast
Is
Not
Asking
People
To
Worship
Himself
But
It
Is
Doing
Propaganda
And
Campaign
For
The
First
Beast
Does that
Remind you
Of the
Holy
Spirit
Who
Will
Teach
Us
And
Remind
Us
Of
Everything
That
Jesus
Said
So
All of
A
Sudden
We're
Seeing
A
Evil
Trinity
Of
The
Dragon
The
First
Beast
And
The
Second
Beast
Then
He
Says
Something
Very
Troubling
The
Second
Beast
Causes
Everyone
To
Be
Marked
On
The
Right
Hand
Or
The
Forehead
And
The
Purpose
Of
It
Is
To
Showed
Total
Allegiance
To
The
First
Beast
Does
That
Remind you
Revelation
7
Where
He
Talks
About
God
Sealing
His
Servants
On
Their
Foreheads
Now
Let's
Pause
For
To
Take
In
This
Scary
Imagers
One
Of
The
Beautiful
Things
About
The
Church
Family
Is
That
Regardless
Of
Your
Political
Views
Your
Education
Levels
Your
Economic
Status
You
Are
A
Son
Or
Daughter
Of
God
And
We
Are
Able
To
Love
One
Another
Across
Our
Differences
We're
Able
To
Forge
Unity
In
The
World
Where
Unity
Seems
Impossible
But
Now
Imagine
A
World
That
Is
Fully
United
Regardless
Of
Their
Political
Views
Their
Economic
Status
Their
Educational
Levels
They
Are
United
To
Worship
Satan
Shouting
Who
Is
Like
The
Beast
And
Who
Can
Fight
Against
It
What
A
Scary
World
To
Live
In
And
How
Would
The
Church
Fare
In
Such
A
World
Chapter
13
Tells
Us
That
The
First
Beast
Waged
War
Against
The
Church
It
Conquered
The
Church
By
Power
And
Authority
The
Second
Beast
Caused
The
Church
Unable
To
Buy
Or
Sell
And
Caused
The
Church
To
Be
Slain
Let
Me
Say
Again
The
First
Beast
Waged
War
Against
The
Church
And
Conquered
The
Church
By
Power
And
Authority
The
Second
Beast
Caused
The
Church
Unable
To
Buy
Or
Sell
And
Caused
The
Church
To
Be
Slain
For
The
Christians
That
Read
John's
Letter
Revelation
13
Is
Not
Something
That
Lies
In
The
Future
To
Be
Feared
But
It
Was
The
Very
Reality
They
Lived
In
The
Roman
Emperors
All
Like
To
Assume
Titles
Of
Deities
Nero
Caesar
Referred
Himself
On
His
Coins
As
Savior
Of
The
World
It's
Pretty
Much
Like
The
Blasphemous
Names
On
The
Heads
Of
The
First
Beast
In
AD
64
Nero
Started
A
Severe
Persecution
Of
The
Christian
Church
He
Burned
Hundreds
Of
Christians
Alive
And
Then
Murdered
Many
Four
Years
Later
There
Was
A
Revolt
By
One
Of
The
Governors
Against
Nero
And
The
Governor
Took
His
Throne
He
Then
Took
His
Nero
Then
Took
His
Own
Life
But
Many
At
First
Believe
That
This
Evil
Emperor
Nero
Caesar
Was
Only
Faking
His
Own
Death
He
Will
One
Day
Come
Back
To
Rome
To
Take
Back
His
Throne
God
But
As
Time
People
Shifted
To
Believe
That
Nero
Will
One
Day
Actually
Rise
From
Dead
So
In
Many
Ways
Nero
Seems
To
Be
The
First
Beast
Who
Suffered
A
Mortal
Wound
On
One
Of
His
Heads
Only
To
Be
Healed
And
Rise
Again
But
On
The
Other
Hand
The
Christians
In
John's
Time
Must
Have
Felt
That
The
Roman
Emperor
Is
Unbreakable
There
May
Be
Revolutions
Against
The
Empire
Only
To
Be
Crushed
There
May
Be
A
New
Emperor
On
The
Throne
Only
To
Be
As
Evil
And
Any
Mortal
Wound
Will
Be
Healed
And
Imperial
Worship
Will
Grow
Ever
Stronger
For
The
Minority
Christians
Who
Were
Able
To
Escape
This
Physical
Persecution
They
Then
Found
Themselves
Unable
To
Participate
In
The
Economic
System
Of
Rome
The
Reason
Is
Rome
Demands
Sacrifice
To
Emperors
And
In
Order
To
Buy
Or
Sell
Everyone
Must
Obtain
A
Certificate
Of
Sacrifice
To
The
Emperor
And
Without
This
Certificate
Of
Sacrifice
Christians
Were
Forced
To
Commit
Economic
Suicide
And
Suffer
In
Poverty
And
Salvation
So
After
Nero
Then
Emperor
Domitian
When
He
Was
On
Throne
He
Then
Built
His
Own
Statue
That
Is
Nearly
Eight
Metres
High
And
There
Was
A
Legal
Tradition
Of
Executing
Christians
Who
Refused
To
Bow
Down
To
This
Statue
It
Sounds
Like
The
Image
Of
The
First
Beast
That
Those
Who
Do
Not
Bow
Down
To
It
Would
Be
Slain
So
How
Is
God
Going
To
Comfort
The
People
At
John's
Time
What
Is
God's
Call
For
Them
In
A
Time
Like
That
I
Remember
At
Law
School
I
Enrolled
In
The
Law
And
Religion
Class
As
A
Christian
I
Was
Very
Passionate
About
Arguing
For
Religious
Freedom
For
Christians
In
The
Workplace
In
The
Public
Sphere
Because
I
Felt
A
Strong
Sense
Of
Injustice
That
Christians
Were
Persecuted
Simply
Because
They
Were
They
Refused
To
Sell
Cakes
Or
Flowers
For
Gay
Wedding
And
I
Was
Hoping
My
Essay
Will
Make
Wake
People
Up
To
Their
Conscience
And
One
Day
They
Will
Join
Me
In
Defending
Religious
Freedom
For
Christians
In
A
Way
I
Believe
That
God's
Call
For
Christians
In
A
Face
Of
Persecution
And
Suffering
I
Believe
The
Only
Way
Is
For
Us
To
Stand
Up
And
Fight
For
Freedom
But
Chapter
13
Verse
10
Presents
A
Totally
Different
Call
A
Call
That
I
Was
Not
Aware
Of
It
Says
If
Anyone
Is
To
Be
Taken
Captive
To
Captivity
He
Goes
If
Anyone
Is
To
Be
Slain
With
A
Sword
With
A
Sword
Must
He
Be
Slain
God
Is
Saying
That
No
Matter
How
Hard
And
How
Smart
We
Fight
Persecution
Remains
Inevitable
In
God's
Letter
To
Church
In
Smyrna
God
Says
I
Know
Your
Tribulation
And
Your
Poverty
But
You
Are
Rich
And
The
Slender
Of
Those
Who
Say
That
They
Are
Jews
And
Not
But
A
Sinagal
Of
Satan
Do
Not
Fear
What
You
Are
About
To
Suffer
Behold
The
Devil
Is
About
To
Throw
Some
Of
You
Into
Prison
That
You
May
Be
Tested
And
For
Ten
Days
You
Will
Have
Tribulation
Be
Faithful
Unto
Death
Does
This
Not
Sound
Like
Total
Defeat
Satan
Has
Won
The
Whole
World
Bounced
Down
Before
It
And
Those
Who
Don't
Are
Inevitably
Doomed
So
God
Is
Just
Telling
The
Church
To
Accept
Their
Fate
In
Verse
Ten
I
Think
The
Answer
Is
No
In
Fact
After
God
Told
The
Church
In
Smyrna
About
The
Suffering
And
The
Persecution
That
Is
To
Come
God
Then
Says
That
He
Will
Give
Them
The
Crown
Of
Life
And
That
Is
The
Same
Thing
We
Seeing
Right
After
John's
Vision
Of
The
Two
Beasts
All
Of
A
Sudden
John
Said
Then
I
Looked
And
Behold
On
Mount
Zion
Stood
The
Lamb
And
With
Them
144
Thousand
Who
Had
His
Name
And
His
Father's
Name
Written
On
Their
Foreheads
Remember
Revelation
7
Where
John
First
Saw
The
144
Thousand
From
Every
Tribe
Of
Israel
And
Then
He
Immediately
Saw
A
Great
Multitude
Standing
Before
God's
Throne
We
Have
Learned
That
144
000
Actually
Represents
The
Entire
Church
And
Where
Are
The
Church
Standing
Here
They
Are
Standing
On
Mount
Zion
The
Old
Testament
The
Old Testament
Has
Time
Describe
Mount
Zion
As
The
Place
Where
Israel
Will
Look
To
For
Salvation
And
For
Hope
Because
From
Mount
Zion
God
Will
Wage
War
Against
The
Enemies
Of
Israel
And
Now
We
Seeing
The
Lamb
Standing
Right
There
With
His
Army
That
Is
The
Church
So
What
We
Seeing
Is
An
In
A
Dramatic
Change
Of
Scene
The
Church
Rises
From
Total
Defeat
To
Glorious
Victory
Verse
Three
Of
Chapter
Fourteen
Says
No
One
Could
Learn
Their
Song
Except
The
One
Hundred
Forty
Four
Thousand
Who
Had
Been
Redeemed
From
The
Earth
What
This
Sentence
Is
The
Church
Was
Unable
To
Buy
Anything
But
Then
It
Was
Redeemed
By
The
Blood
Of
The
Lamb
The
Church
Was
Unable
To
Sell
Anything
But
Now
The
Church
Becomes
The
Only
Institution
That
Is
Able
To
Learn
The
Song
That
They
Are
Singing
To
God
The
First
Beast
Was
Able
To
Utter
Blasphemous
Words
Against
God
And
Satan's
Followers
Were
Shouting
Praises
To
Him
But
Now
At
Mount
Zion
The
Only
Thing
That
Could
Be
He
Is
The
New
Song
That
The
Church
Is
Singing
To
God
So
Loud
That
John
Describe
It
As
The
Roar
Of
Many
Waters
And
The
Sound
Of
Loud
Thunder
How
Did
John
Describe
The
Church
Verse
4
Says
That
They
Have
Not
Defiled
Themselves
With
Women
For
They
Are
Virgins
What
This
Means
Becomes
Clear
When
We
Read
On
To
Verse
8
Where
The
Angel
Said
Fallen
Is
Babylon
The
Great
She
Who
Made
All
Nations
Drink
The
Wine
Of
The
Passion
Of
A
Sexual
Immorality
And
How
Do
We
Know
That
The
Church
Has
Not
Defiled
Itself
With
The
Worship
Of
Satan
Because
We
Know
That
Instead
Of
Having
The
Mark
Of
Satan
On
Their
Foreheads
The
Church
Has
The
Names
Of
Jesus
And
God
The
Father
Written
On
Their
Foreheads
Now
Let's
Pause
Again
For
A
Moment
And
Try
To
Understand
How
The
Church
Rises
From
Total
Defeat
To
Glorious
Victory
Is
It
By
Power
Might
And
Authority
Like
How
The
First
Beast
Conquers
The
World
Is
It
By
Tricks
Seduction
Deception
Lies
Like
How
The
Second
Beast
Conquers
The
World
No
The
Church
Comes
Out
Victoriously
Because
Of
Verse
10
Of
Chapter
13
If
Anyone
Is
To
Be
Taken
Captive
To
Captivity
He
Goes
If
Anyone
Is
To
Be
Slain
With
The
Sword
With
The
Soul
Must
He
Be
Slain
God
Is
Saying
The
Way
We
Come
To
Our
Victory
Is
The
Same
Way
Christ
Came
To
His
Victory
Christ
Was
The
One
Who
Went
Into
Captivity
And
Worse
Than
Being
Slain
With
A
Sword
He
Died
By
The
Most
Humilating
And
Painful
Death
On
The
Cross
The
Church
Will
Rise
Victoriously
Not
By
Might
Power
Authority
Not
By
Trick
Or
Lies
Or
Seduction
Not
By
Powerful
Advocacy
For
Our
Freedom
Of
Religion
The
Church
Will
Rise
Victoriously
Only
By
Embracing
The
Inevitable
Sufferings
And
Persecution
Knowing
That
One
Day
The
One
Who
Bought
Us
With
His
Blood
Will
Allow
Us
To
Stand
In
His
Presence
On
Mount
Zion
And
We
Will
Sing
The
Songs
Of
Praise
That
Is
Going
To
Be
Everlasting
But
The
Church
Does
Not
Just
Stand
Up
There
As
I
Said
The
Old
Testament
Has
Described
Mount
Zion
As
The
Place
Where
God
Is
Going
To
Make
Wars
Against
Israel's
Enemies
Who
Is
Israel's
Enemies
As
We
Have
Learned
In
Chapter
Twelve
Is
A
Dragon
Because
In
Chapter
Twelve
The
Dragon
Tries
To
Wage
War
Against
The
Women
And
Now
God
With
The
Church
As
His
Armies
Are
Ready
To
Wage
War
Against
Satan
Then
In
Verse
Six
We
Hear
A
Proclamation
Of
An
Eternal
Gospel
And
Eternal
Good
News
It's
A
Good
News
That
There
Needs
No
More
Suffering
No
More
Waiting
No
More
Persecution
And
No
More
Tear
Because
The
Hour
Of
The
Judgment
Has
Come
This
Proclamation
Kicks
Off
The
Battle
And
The
Battle
Begins
At
Verse
14
We
See
That
Jesus
With
A
Golden
Crown
On
His
Head
And
A
Sharp
Sickle
In
His
Hand
Swings
His
Sickle
Across
The
Earth
And
The
Earth
Was
Reaped
We
The
Church
Are
Finally
Gathered
To
Himself
Then
The
Angel
Also
Swings
A
Sharp
Sickle
Gathers
The
Clusters
From
The
Vine
Of
The
Earth
And
Threw
Them
Into
The
Great
Vine
Press
Of
The
Wrath
Of
God
The
Vine
Press
Was
Then
Taken
Outside
The
City
Meaning
It
Was
Taken
Outside
The
Presence
Of
God
And
It
Was
Trodden
And
We
Saw
The
Blood
Flew
From
It
Let's
Pause
Again
And
Take
A
Deep
Breath
Because
We
Have
Seen
A
Lot
Today
We
Have
Seen
The
Whole
World
Worship
In
Satan
The
Church
Totally
Crushed
And
Then
Suddenly
The
Church
Rises
Victoriously
With
Jesus
And
While
The
Church
Is
Being
Gathered
To
God
Himself
Like
Harvest
Was
Being
Reaped
We
Are
Also
Seeing
That
Those
Who
Worship
Satan
Are
Thrown
Out
Of
God's
Presence
Troll
Them
With
Blood
Yet
Make
No
Mistake
About
This
Is
Not
Reserve
For
The
In
Time
It
Is
Actually
The
Narrative
Of
The
Church
Past
Present
And
Future
As
It
Was
Happening
To
The
Christians
At
John's
Time
It
Is
Happening
To
Us
Now
And
It
Will
Happen
To
Future
Generation
Of
Christians
So
What
Can
We
Take
Away
From
This
Narrative
I
Like
To
Talk
About
Three
Things
Firstly
God
Is
Southern
Even
Over
Our
Suffering
And
Persecutions
Second
That
God
Will
Overcome
By
Embrace
The
Church
Will
Overcome
By
Embracing
Suffering
And
Persecution
And
Lastly
I
Want
To
Address
The
Infamous
Number
666
And
Ask
What
Is
The
666
Of
Your
Life
First
We
Learned
That
God
Is
Sovereign
Over
All
Things
He
Is
Not
Just
In
Control
Of
Our
Salvation
And
The
Judgment
Of
The
World
He
Is
In
Control
Of
Even
The
Sufferings
And
The
Persecutions
Of
The
Church
We
See
In
Chapter
13
In
Verse
5
It
Says
The
Beast
Was
Given
A
Mouth
In
Verse
7
It
Says
The
Beast
Was
Allowed
To
Make
War
On
The
Saints
And
Then
Authority
Was
Given
To
It
Over
Every
Tribe
And
People
And
Language
And
Nation
Verse
15
It
Was
Allowed
To
Give
Breath
To
The
Image
Of
The
Beast
What
These
Are
Saying
Is
That
God
Is
Even
In
Control
Of
The
Damage
Of
The
Persecution
And
Suffering
By
The
Beast
So
Nothing
The
Satan
Does
In
The
World
Is
Going
To
Escape
God's
Control
And
Just
As
God
Is
In
Control
Of
Jesus
Suffering
On
The
Cross
He
Is
Going
To
Be
In
Control
Of
Whatever
Satan
Throws
At
You
So
Instead
Of
Saying
That
Satan
Will
Conquer
The
Whole
World
Is
Actually
God
Allows
Satan
To
Conquer
The
Whole
World
God
Instead
Of
Saying
Satan
Will
Cross
The
Church
Is
Actually
God
Allows
Satan
To
Cross
The
Church
Then
We're
Going
To
Go
To
The
Second
Point
That
We're
Going
To
See
How
The
Church
Is
Going
To
Overcome
By
Embracing
Suffering
And
Persecution
We
Learned
In
Chapter
Thirteen
That
The
First
Beast
Is
Going
To
Use
Might
Power
And
Authority
To
Crush
Us
And
Whenever
We
Talk
About
Persecution
Of
Christians
In
Hong
Kong
We
Often
Talk
About
The
Persecution
Of
Our
Brothers
And
Sisters
In
China
How
The
Bible
Is
Being
Banned
And
Recently
Being
Officially
Revised
Churches
Have
To
The
Party
Line
Pastors
Being
Put
In
Jail
And
What
Is
Often
Our
Immediate
Reaction
To
That
Pray
For
Them
For
The
Persecution
And
Sufferings
To
Be
Gone
For
Christ
To
Conquer
The
Authority
In
China
For
Christ
To
Change
The
Hearts
Of
Leaders
In
China
And
Grant
Religious
Freedom
For
All
Pray
For
Hong Kong
For
Our
Religious
Leader
Or
Perhaps
We
Look
To
Daniel
As
Claire
Told
Us
Today
In
Call
To
Worship
We
May
Be
Praying
For
Leaders
To
Be
Like
Nebuchadnezzar
To
Have
A
Change
Of
Heart
But
The
Truth
Is
In
God's
Sovereignty
That
Doesn't
Always
Happen
And
When
That
Doesn't
Happen
Let's
Not
Forget
God's
Call
At
Verse
10
Despite
Our
Prayers
Despite
Our
Efforts
To
Fight
For
Religious
Freedom
Suffering
And
Persecution
Will
Inevitably
Come
In
A
Very
Scary
Way
And
How
Do
We
Confront
The
First
Beast
John
Says
It
Calls
For
Endurance
And
Faith
What
Is
The
Faith
That
John
Is
Referring
To
I
Think
It
Is
A
Faith
In
Revelation
14
That
One
Day
We
Will
Stand
Victoriously
With
Christ
On
Mount
Zion
One
Of
My
Favorite
Passages
In
The
Bible
Is
First
Corinthians
Chapter
15
Where
The Apostle
Paul
Encouraged
Encourages
The
Church
To
Stand
Firm
He
Says
Listen
I
Tell
You
A
Mystery
We
Will
Not
All
Sleep
But
We
Will
All
Be
Changed
In
The
Flesh
And
The
Twinkling
Of
An
Eye
At
The
Last
Trumpet
For
The
Trumpet
Will
Sound
The
Dead
Will
Be
Raised
Imperishable
And
We
Will
Be
Changed
Then
The
Saying
That
Is
Written
Will
Come
True
Death
Has
Been
Swallowed
Up
In
Victory
Where
Oh
Death
Is
Your
Victory
Where
Oh
Death
Is
Your
Sting
The
Sting
Of
Death
Is
Sin
And
The
Power
Of
Sin
Is
The
Law
But
Thanks
Be
To
God
He
Gives
Us
The
Victory
Through
Our
Lord
Jesus
Christ
Therefore
My
Dear
Brothers
And
Sisters
Stand
Firm
Let
Nothing
Move
You
Always
Give
Yourselves
Fully
To
The
Work
Of
The
Lord
Because
You
Know
That
Your
Labor
In
The
Lord
Is
Not
In
Vain
The
Sufferings
And
Persecution
Often
Feel
Like
An
Eternity
But
Paul
Says
Endure
And
In
A
Twinkling
Of
An
Eye
The
Trumpet
Of
The
Battle
Will
Sound
And
We
Will
All
Stand
With
Christ
In
Victory
In
Glory
Of
Mount
Zion
Yes
Our
Brothers and
Sisters
In
China
Are
Being
Crushed
But
They
Are
In
Reality
Winning
The
Battle
And
When
Suffering
And
Persecutions
Come
One
Day
To
Hong
Kong
To
Water
Mark
Let's
Know
It
Is
Our
Way
To
Victory
And
It
Is
Our
Way
To
Glory
I
Have
Read
Something
That
Ends
With
Verse
10
Each
Sentence
Is
About
A
Potential
Persecution
Suffering
That
Is
Going
To
Come
Our
Way
And
Each
Sentence
Is
Followed
By
A
Proclamation
That
What
Is
Said
In
The
Sentence
Is
Our
Way
To
Victory
Our
Way
To
Glory
I
Read
From
The
Sentences
And
May
I
Invite
You
To
Proclaim
In
The
Bracket
Our
Way
To
Victory
And
Our
Way
To
Glory
Okay
If
Anyone
Is
To
Be
Fired
To
Unemployment
He
Goes
If
Anyone
Is
To
Be
Striped
Of
Their
Wealth
And
Possessions
To
Poverty
He
Goes
If
Anyone
Is
To
Be
Kicked
Out
Of
Their
Homes
To
Homelessness
He
Goes
If
Anyone
Is
To
Be
Deprived
Of
Their
Loved
Ones
Into
Deep
Sorrow
He
Goes
If
Anyone
Is
To
Be
Taken
Captive
To
Captivity
He
Goes
If
Anyone
Is
To
Be
Slain
With
A
Sword
With
A
Sword
Must
He
Be
Slain
Our
Way
To
Glory
And
Lastly
I
Would
Like
To
Touch
On
The
Second
Beast
Unlike
The
First
Beast
That
Crushes
The
Church
With
Power
The
Second
Beast
Uses
Signs
Wonders
Deception
And
Seduction
Which
Beast
The
First
Or
Second
Do
You
Think
Is
Currently
More
At
Work
In
Hong
Kong
Let's
Not
Be
Deceived
That
The
Living
Room
Of
Satan
In
Kevin's
Word
Is
Across
The
Border
In
China
And
Hong
Kong
Is
Only
Satan's
Backyard
Right
After
The
Vision
Of
The
Second
Beast
John
Says
This
Calls
For
Wisdom
And
Strangely
He
Calls
He
Gives
A
Riddle
For
His
Readers
To
Discern
A
Man
Through
The
Number
666
And
There's
A lot
Of
Scholarly
Debates
About
Who
This
Man
Was
Could
It
Be
Nero
Domitian
Maybe
I
Don't
Know
But
I
Think
Instead
Of
Focusing
On
Who
This
Man
Was
At
John's
Time
Trying
To
Seduce
People
Away
From
God
I
Think
We
Should
Better
Focus
On
What
Is
This
666
In
Your
Life
Right
Now
What
Is
Seducing
You
From
Your
Total
Devotion
To
God
What
Is
Your
666
Comfort
Entertainment
Excessive
Drinking
Living
A
Life
Without
Commitment
Accumulation
Of
Wealth
Or
Possessions
Rising
To
Power
And
As
I
Was
Studying
Chapter
14
This
Week
I
Have
To
Confess
There
Cried
A
Number
Of
666
In
My
Own
Life
John
Says
This
Calls
For
Wisdom
Prayer
For
Discernment
You
Can
Ask
Your
Friend
Your
Family
Members
Your
Spouse
Your
CG
Ask
Them
What
Is
666
In
Your
Life
And
When
You
Have
Identified
It
What
To
Do
About
It
I
Think
The
Answer
Is
The
Same
As
How
We
Confront
The
First
Beast
By
Patient
Endurance
And
By
Faith
I
Like
To
Quote
Again
From
First
Corinthians
This
Time
From
Chapter
9
Where
The
Apostle
Paul
Compares
The
Christian
Journey
To
An
Athlete's
Training
Paul
Says
Do
You
Not
Know
That
In
A
Race
All
The
Run
Is
Run
But
Only
One
Receives
The
Prize
So
Run
That
You
May
Obtain
It
Every
Athlete
Exercises
Self
Control
In
All
Things
They
Do
It
To
Receive
A
Perishable
Wreath
But
We
And
Imperishable
So
I
Do
Not
Run
Aimlessly
I
Do
Not
Box
As
One
Beating
The
Air
But
I
Discipline
My
Body
And
Keep
It
Under
Control
At
Finish
And
For
Athletes
Is
To
Stand
On
The
Award
Podium
And
Being
Laid
On
Their
Head
A
Perishable
Wreath
By
A
Famous
Person
Perhaps
But
Paul
Says
For
Us
Is
To
Stand
On
Mount
Zion
Being
Laid
On
Our
Head
An
Imperishable
Wreath
That
Is
The
Crown
Of
Life
By
The
Lamb
Who
Has
Redeemed
Us
By
His
Very
Own
Blood
Watermark
Let
Your
Heart
Be
Captured
By
This
Imagery
And
Picture
Yourself
As
Standing
On
Mount
Zion
Receiving
The
Crown
Of
Life
Meeting
Christ
Face
To
Face
I
Would
Like
To
End
With
First
Corinthians
Chapter
Nine
What
I
Read
In
The
Flesh
In
The
Twinkling
Of
An
Eye
At
The
Last
Trumpet
For
The
Trumpet
Will
Sound
The
Dead
Will
Be
Raised
Imperishable
And
We
Will
Be
Changed
And
The
Saying
That
Is
Written
Will
Become
True
Death
Has
Been
Swallowed
Up
In
Victory
Where
Oh
Death
Is
Your
Victory
Where
Death
Is
Your
Sting
Thank you.