Here's how I want you to think about this morning's sermon.
Think of it as like Google Maps or Apple Maps on your smartphone.
You know, this is the kind of thing where, you know, you're going to go on a trip,
you type in the address where you're going, and you've got this route laid out for you to the destination,
and the brilliance of an app like this is you know where you are all along the way.
It orients you.
And this morning, I want to preach a sermon that's going to reorient you to the book of Revelation
because we started studying the book of Revelation this past September,
and we got through the first five chapters, then we took a break for Christmas,
and this morning, we're going to get back into the book of Revelation,
and what I want to do is give you a big picture of the book of Revelation.
I want to reorient you to the book of Revelation
so that the book of Revelation orients you to God's plan for the fullness of time.
The book of Revelation is going to frame you.
It's going to help you see right in order to live right.
The book of Revelation shows us where we are along the way of God's plan for all time,
and it has an intended effect.
The Revelation is going to get something done in you.
So this morning, I want to convince you of three truths,
and these three truths are going to build off one another, and here they are.
The book of Revelation is for you, Christian,
not just the specialists.
And the book of Revelation is for you, Christian,
to see.
It's designed to give you eyes of faith to see.
It's very vivid.
And then finally,
the book of Revelation is for you, Christian,
to see by faith in order to live a life worthy of Christ today
and every day of your life to come.
This book is not optional for Christians.
It's not above your pay grade.
It's vital for you.
We're living for Jesus in the trenches of everyday life.
So let's turn now to this point.
If you haven't opened to the book of Revelation,
please turn there.
Just open to chapter one.
We're going to be giving you wide, broad swaths of this book.
The book of Revelation is for you,
the everyday disciple of Jesus Christ.
There's a tragic misconception out there about the book of Revelation.
It's thinking that the book of Revelation is only for the experts
and the self-appointed end-time specialists.
And when I was growing up in the church,
the end-times specialists were usually guys with polyester leisure chutes
and massive comb-overs in their hair.
It was striking.
But this book isn't just for specialists.
That would be a mistake to make.
Let me give you a sample of what happens,
and maybe you can identify with this.
When you start talking about the book of Revelation,
what can happen is the language moves to technicalities.
And what it starts feeling like is you start talking about the book of Revelation
like it's some kind of technical manual for the end times.
And you've got to be up on all the language and the concepts
before you have any chance of understanding what this book means.
So just like if you start hearing of the schools of interpretation of the book of Revelation,
you start hearing things like the historicist school,
or the preterist school,
or the futurist school,
or the idealist school,
or the I'm going to pick from one of each of these school.
You can start feeling very distant from this book.
Like, oh, I've got to be some kind of PhD in New Testament
in order to understand the book of Revelation.
Well, that's not true.
Nor do you have to have this stated, very specific position on the millennial.
The millennium.
In Revelation chapter 20, verses 1 through 10,
are you a pre-millennialist?
A post-millennialist?
An all-millennialist?
You've heard the joke,
maybe you're a pan-millennialist.
You just think it all pans out in the end, kind of a thing.
Or maybe, as the issue of pre-millennialism comes up,
you're like thinking,
hey, are you pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib?
Maybe you're now going to AFib,
hearing all this talk about the trib.
Glossing over.
All this kind of technical jargon can make you think that the book of Revelation is for the experts,
for the specialists,
for the people who write books about that.
This is where the rocket mortgage commercials come in.
Do you know these commercials?
The comedian, Keegan-Michael Key,
is in these commercials,
and usually you have this couple who are witnessing something,
and they're witnessing something that's highly technical,
and they are feeling overwhelmed by that,
and all of a sudden,
Keegan-Michael Key's walk,
kind of comes in from nowhere,
and he says,
hey, it's not that complicated.
Don't get lost in the jargon.
It's really very simple.
Jesus wins.
All this technical language
can make the everyday Christian in the trenches
glaze over and falsely conclude that this book is above their pay grade.
You can start thinking things like,
well, I don't get it.
I don't get the 144,000.
I don't get the 12, 260 days.
I don't get the strange creatures.
I don't get the seven seals.
I don't get the seven trumpets.
I don't get the seven bulls of God's wrath.
What is this dragon?
What is the beast?
What is the false prophet?
Who's this lady, the prostitute, Babylon,
and who's this other lady, the bride, the new Jerusalem?
Who are these people?
Who are these things?
I don't get it.
And maybe you've been raised in a school of thought that says,
all you need to understand the book of Revelation
is the book of Revelation and your newspaper.
This morning I want to tell you this.
You need your revelation and your Old Testament.
Because of all of these symbols,
these numbers and figures,
they're rooted in the Old Testament.
So as we get through the book of Revelation,
you're going to build an instinct.
So when you hit something that's like,
whoa, what is the 144,000?
Whoa, who is this prostitute?
Whoa, what is this?
What are these plagues?
They're all designed to make you go back to your Old Testament.
It's not that hard.
This book is designed for you, Christian.
God authored this for you.
This is designed to give you perspective and strength
to walk daily with Jesus.
In fact, the language that the book of Revelation itself uses,
you heard it when David was reading from Revelation chapter 1.
This book is designed to bless you.
Listen to Revelation chapter 1 verse 3.
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy.
David, I hope you felt the blessing of that this morning.
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy.
And blessed are those who hear and keep what is written,
for the time is near.
Now flip to the end of the book of Revelation.
Revelation chapter 22 verse 7.
We read,
And behold, this is Jesus speaking,
I am coming soon.
And he says,
Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.
This whole book is to bless you, Christian,
not to make you feel like you're out of kind of touch
with these kind of pictures and symbols.
It's for your good.
This book is designed to bless you.
So, if you're a parent in the room,
and you got kids,
and your desire, regardless of how old the kids are,
you got little tykes,
you got walkers,
you got elementary school kids,
middle school, high school,
you got kids in college,
and your desire is,
I just want to live a life worthy of the Lamb.
This book will help you in your parenting.
If you're a teenager wanting to live a life worthy of the Lamb,
at Tremper High School,
at CLS,
at Indian Trail,
Bradford,
wherever it may be,
at home,
this book will help you live a life worthy of the Lamb.
If you've reached the,
let's call it,
the sunset years of your life,
and you want to finish well,
living for the glory of the Lamb,
this book will help you close out your days well.
This book is not just for the specialists.
This book is for you, Christian.
You need to be convinced of that.
We've looked at who this book is for.
It's for the everyday Christian.
Now let's look at what this book is about.
The book of Revelation is for you,
so that you can see.
This book is designed to help you see,
to perceive,
to see by faith.
If you look at Revelation chapter 1,
verse 1,
the revelation of Jesus Christ,
what that means is this.
Jesus is both the one revealing these things,
and he's the one that this revelation is about.
And if you want to follow me,
track me.
You ready?
This is who this is about.
Revelation chapter 1, 12 through 16,
we have a vision of the risen,
radiant, and reigning Christ.
Chapter 5, verse 6,
we have a vision of a Lamb who was slain,
who is standing in the midst of the throne,
being worshipped.
Chapter 12, verse 5,
we have a vision of a male child
who will rule the nations.
Chapter 14, verse 14,
we have a vision of a son of man
seated in a cloud
with a crown and a sickle
to reap the great harvest of the earth.
Revelation chapter 19,
verses 11 through 16,
we have one who is the rider
of the white horse,
and he's got four names,
the last of which is
King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
And in Revelation chapter 21 and 22,
we have a vision of a Lamb
at the center of the new heavens
and the new earth
in the middle of the new Jerusalem,
and he is lighting up the place.
The book of Revelation is designed
to make you see,
to give you visions of Jesus.
And it does so in a variety of ways.
It gives you a variety of displays
of the glory of Jesus
and his unmatched worth.
The book of Revelation
is for you to see.
Now, here's where we may get into
a little, a little,
I'm a little nervous to do this
with you this morning.
But, I want to help you
get a sense of overview of the book.
And so, you can divide
the book of Revelation
in a variety of ways,
organizationally.
Here's the most basic way.
It's found in Revelation chapter 1,
verse 19.
The risen Christ is speaking to John.
He says to John,
write therefore the things
that you have seen.
Remember, this is a book
to help you to see
right there for the things
that you have seen.
And then he says two things.
Those that are
and those that are to take place
after this.
The book of Revelation
is a revelation of visions.
And it,
you can split it along two lines.
A vision of what has
already been
and then visions
of what are going to happen.
Of the present,
according to John's time,
and of the future.
And so, at its most basic level,
this book can be divided
into two parts.
John's vision
of how things are now.
That's chapter 1, 9
through the end of chapter 3.
The seven letters
to the seven churches.
And then,
starting in chapter 4, 1,
visions of what will happen.
And that takes place
all the way to chapter 22,
verse 5.
That's the basic structure
of the book.
Present and future
from John's perspective.
But what you need to know
is the bulk
of this book, then,
is a series
of visions
of what will
take place.
And so,
though this book
is about
what will happen,
it's a book
about what will happen
to help us live
for Christ
now.
There's another way
you can slice up this book.
Not just
in what has happened,
and what will happen,
it's according
to visions.
Let me walk you
them through.
There are eight visions
in this book.
It forms
kind of a structure.
The first vision
is chapters 1 through 3,
a vision of the risen,
radiant,
and reigning Christ
issuing seven letters
to seven churches.
The second vision
takes place
from heaven,
the lamb
who was slain.
He starts breaking
the seven seals
of the scroll
of God's plan
for the fullness
of time.
That's chapter 4
through chapter 8,
verse 1.
The third vision
starts in heaven
and consists
of seven angels
blowing seven trumpets,
setting into motion
a series of more judgments.
Chapter 8,
verse 2
through chapter 11,
verse 18.
The fourth vision
starts in heaven.
Chapter 11,
verse 19
through chapter 14
through verse 8.
It's the very heart
of the book
of Revelation.
And at the very heart
of the book
of Revelation,
we have a vision
of a great
cosmic conflict.
In chapter 12,
we learn about
the dragon,
the serpent,
the devil.
We learn about
the beast,
chapter 13,
the first half.
We learn about
a second beast,
also known as
the false prophet.
That's the second half
of chapter 13.
And the way that you
need to understand
about the dragon,
the beast,
and the false prophet
is that this
is the anti-trinity.
The dragon is the
anti-father.
The first beast
is the anti-Christ,
who appeared to be
slain and then raised.
And then the false prophet
is the anti-spirit.
And the false prophet
uses all kinds of
wonders and miracles
in order to convince
people to worship
the anti-Christ.
The dragon,
the beast,
and the false prophet
is the anti-trinity.
And they are in conflict
with God and His purposes
and the Christ.
And this fourth vision
ends with Christ
coming to earth
with crown
seated on a cloud
with a sickle
to reap the earth.
Conflict.
The fifth vision,
chapters 15 and 16,
seven angels
pouring out
the seven bowls
of God's wrath.
They're also called
the bowls
of God's plagues.
The sixth vision,
chapter 17,
verse 19,
chapter 17
through chapter 19,
verse 10,
we have the great
prostitute Babylon
in all her worldly
pleasure
and power
and prestige.
She finally is destroyed
in chapter 18.
And here's how you need
to think about
the great prostitute
Babylon.
She's the anti-bride.
She,
those who are part
of this people
bear the mark
of the beast.
They worship
the beast.
And the great
prostitute
is very purposefully
put in contrast
to the bride
of the lamb,
the church.
There's a contrast
between the prostitute
Babylon
and the bride,
the new Jerusalem.
There's a reason
why this section,
chapter 17
through 19,
10,
it begins
with the prostitute
who then falls
and culminates
the section
in the marriage
supper
of the lamb.
The seventh vision
is chapter 19,
verse 11
through chapter 20
through 15.
It starts
with the coming
of the rider
of the white horse
and ends
with the great
white throne judgment.
All the enemies
of the lamb
are conquered
and the faithful
are vindicated.
People are thrown
into the lake of fire.
The enemies
of Jesus,
it's full
and it's final.
The king
of kings
and lord
of the lords,
the lamb
has conquered
the king
and the king
of the king
of the king.
Another way
you can say it
is Jesus
comes back
and ties
up all the loose ends.
And in the eighth vision,
chapter 21,
1 through 22,
5,
all things
are made new.
A new heaven
and a new earth,
new Jerusalem.
God is with us,
wiping away
every tear.
At that point,
we will have
new resurrected bodies.
new joy,
new peace.
These visions
move together
to build
to a climax
fullness of time.
One of the ways
you can think about
these structures
is think about
the visions
that will have
taken place
and the visions
that will take place.
that's like
the skeletal structure
of the book.
And then all
of these visions,
there are like
eight different
muscle groups
on the skeleton
and they make
the book
move.
But there's one
more relationship
that I want you
to see.
it's the relationship
between four of
four of the visions.
Four of these visions
are what called
judgment cycles.
The first judgment
cycle is the first
vision.
The seven letters
to the seven churches.
The risen Christ
judging the church.
Remember,
five out of the seven,
he calls them to repent.
And he calls all seven
of these churches
to overcome.
And then the next
judgment cycle
is another judgment
cycle of seven.
Seven seals
starting in heaven.
The lamb breaks
a seal
and angels
go into action.
And what
I really want you
to see
is this.
That the fourth
rider,
death
on a pale horse,
he's given
authority
over
one-fourth
of the earth.
That's chapter 6,
verse 8.
One-fourth
of the earth.
The third judgment
cycle of seven
are the seven
trumpets.
Starts in heaven,
chapter 8,
verse 2,
and then angels
are put into action
and judgment
falls
on one-third
of the earth,
one-third
of the sea,
one-third
of all waters,
one-third
of heavens.
And so you have
an intensifying
of judgment
from one-fourth
of the seal
judgments
to one-third
of the earth
and the trumpet
judgments.
And then the
fourth judgment
cycle
are the bowls
of God's wrath.
And what we read
in chapter 15,
verse 1,
is that these are,
this is the final
movement
of God's judgment.
It too is enacted
by angels
and it completes
God's wrath
poured out
on the earth.
And instead of being
one-quarter
of the earth,
moving to
one-third
of the earth,
these bowl judgments
are poured out
on all
the earth,
all the inhabitants
of the earth.
And so what you see
here is a progression.
And the way to think
about it is,
think about a series
of telescoping judgments.
Starting with the church,
chapters 2 and 3,
click out to chapters 4
through 6,
the seals,
click out chapters 8
through 11
for the trumpets,
click out to chapters
15 and 16
for the bowls
of God's wrath.
Increasing judgment
poured out
on the earth.
It's designed for us
to see it.
To see the effect
progressively.
God is in control
and He is
gradually
pouring out
His wrath
in greater and
greater measures
of the earth.
All these things
I want to put
before you
to help you
understand
what this book
is about.
It's designed
to help you see
by faith,
to orient you
to where we are
right now.
What God is doing.
God is at work.
It's designed
to orient you
to live,
to see,
in order to live
for Christ
today.
So we've looked
at who this is for.
This is for you.
We've looked at
what this is about.
We've seen
a variety
of different things.
Mainly,
these are eight
visions
in the book
of Revelation
for you to see.
And they're to
have an effect.
There's an
intended effect
that we don't
go to the book
of Revelation
in order to
fill our brains
with interesting
facts.
The book
of Revelation
is to have
an effect
on us,
to compel
us
to live
lives
worthy
of Jesus.
Let me
share with you
some of the
intended effects
that this
book
should have
on you.
The first
effect
is that
the book
of Revelation,
when you see
what Revelation
reveals,
it should
make
you
awe.
It should
awe
us
as a church.
the scope
of God's
plan,
the scale
of his
progressive
wrath,
what he
would do
for sinners
and saving
them through
the blood
of Jesus,
spectacular
visions
of Christ.
Out of an
awe-filled
heart,
the mouth
sings.
When you're
experiencing
awe,
the way
that will
culminate
is through
worship.
What this
book will
do for us
as a church
is it will
make us
sing.
All throughout
the book of
Revelation,
we have
worship chorus
after worship
chorus of the
Lamb.
This book is
full of awe,
it's full of
worship,
and one of the
intended effects
is to make
you feel of
awe,
make you
worship.
another
effect
is to
warn
us.
Particularly
in that
first
vision
of the
seven letters
to the
seven churches,
that first
judgment cycle,
we see
these churches
threatened
by physical
violence
because they're
followers of
Jesus,
we see them
threatened
by false
teaching,
we see them
threatened
by moral
compromise,
and all of
these should
serve for us
followers of
Jesus as
warnings,
because the
threat exists
and persists
today.
There can be a
cost to life
and livelihood
for being a
follower of
Jesus today.
There are
certainly
temptations
to blur
the biblical
distinctions
we find in
God's word,
and just
kind of
drift into
false
teaching.
There are
temptations
abound
to indulge
the flesh
in sexual
immorality
and greed,
to go to
bed with
Babylon.
These are
warnings in
the book of
Revelation,
and the
effect is for
us to take
stock of
our lives
so that we
can walk
faithfully,
to stay
true to
the Lamb.
There's
going to be
the ongoing
threat of
violence,
the threat
of false
teaching,
the threat
of moral
compromise,
but because
of this
book,
we see it
in our
able to
stay true
to the
Lamb.
Another
effect of
the book
of Revelation
is to
sober us
as a
church.
And here's
what I mean
by this.
I don't
know what
was going
on inside
of you
when I
was describing
these judgment
cycles on
greater and
greater measures
of the
earth,
but it's
really sobering
to see God
gradually pouring
out His
wrath on
His creation.
He's not
sparing
creation.
And what's
even more
sobering as
you read
through the
book of
Revelation,
you might
want to
scratch these
verses down.
Chapter 1
verse 7,
chapter 9
verses 20
and 21,
chapter 14,
9 through
11,
chapter 16
verse 9,
16 verse 11,
16 verses 20
and 21.
And what all
of these
verses point
to is as
God's wrath
is poured
out, you
would think
humanity
would repent.
But what
these passages
show is that
even in the
midst of
progressive
pouring out
of God's
wrath,
there are a
majority
of people
who are
like,
whatever,
God,
we curse
you.
That's
sobering.
And furthermore,
you start
realizing what
are the stakes
for stuff
like that.
And then you
read a passage
like Revelation
chapter 12,
17,
which talks
about the
devil being
thrown down
to earth as
a result of
the cross
work of
Jesus,
and he
is enraged.
We've got
an enemy
prowling around
like a lion
seeking for
someone to
devour.
It should
sober us.
We live in a
spiritual war
zone with
eternally high
stakes.
So when we
see through
the book of
Revelation,
when it
orients
us,
we start
feeling the
weight of
how high
the stakes
are and
the kinds
of enemies
we have.
It's what
Martin Luther
wrote about.
Our ancient
foe seeks
to work
us woe.
But boy,
our great
God.
Another
effect is
this.
revelation
will motivate
us to
witness.
To witness.
Our
glorious
God is
giving all
the inhabitants
of the
earth time
to repent.
That's what
you see with
this progressive
pouring out of
God's wrath.
He is giving
everyone opportunity
to repent.
To turn from
their sins and
turn to
Christ.
Like I said,
there will be
many who
refuse to
repent,
but there
will be a
definite few
who will
respond in
repentance and
faith upon
hearing the
chapter 14,
7,
the eternal
gospel
proclaimed,
fear God
and give
him glory
because the
hour of his
judgment has
come and
worship him
who made
heaven and
earth and
the sea and
the springs of
water.
We get to
tell people,
come,
worship the
lamb who
was slain for
you.
Escape the
wrath to
come.
When you
are oriented
by the
book of
Revelation,
it's going
to compel
you to go
make disciples
of the
nations.
The stakes
are high.
Another
effect is
that it's
to assure
us.
this book
of Revelation
assures us
that our
great triune
God is not
only reigning
on high,
not only in
full control,
but he is
bringing about
his purposes.
And so the
words of
chapter 17,
verse 14,
should ring in
your ears.
They, the
enemies of the
lamb, will
make war on
the lamb,
and the lamb
will conquer
them.
he must
win.
He will
win.
Not only
will the
dragon be
thrown down,
not only has
he been
thrown down
by the
cross of
Christ,
but when
Jesus come
back, he's
going to
grab the
dragon by
the scruff
of its
neck and
throw it
into the
lake of
fire forever.
Forever.
The second
death.
be assured
of it.
We win.
Jesus comes
back, ties
up all the
loose ends.
What this
does is
convinced of
God's
sovereignty,
despite the
raging of
the devil,
we remain
faithful in
the face of
hardship,
because it's
worth it.
Jesus is
worth it.
this book
will make
you see
that the
lamb will
conquer
finally and
forever.
The last
effect.
It makes
you long.
This book,
when you
are oriented
by it,
it will
stir longing
in your
heart for
the lamb,
to see
Jesus,
to be with
him.
I've already
shown you that
the book of
Revelation is
packed full of
these glorious
visions of
Jesus,
and those are
designed to
make you long
for him.
Revelation
closes with
an epilogue.
It's chapter
22,
verse 6
through 21,
and in that
epilogue,
the risen,
radiant,
reigning lamb
who was slain,
he says three
times,
22-7,
22-12,
22-20.
He says to
his waiting
bride,
I am
coming soon,
baby.
Hold on.
And in
chapter 22,
verse 20,
John responds,
and it's the
response of
all of our
hearts,
amen.
Come,
Lord Jesus,
longing,
longing for
the lamb.
This book
is for you to
see by faith
in order to
long for
Jesus.
When a
church is
seeing by
faith what
God has
revealed through
the book of
Revelation,
and they
experience greater
measures of
all worship,
they sense
God's ongoing
warning, so
they steer clear
of the threats,
they are sober,
they understand
the stakes,
they witness
because they
see God's
patient mercy,
and they see
the opportunity
to call people
to worship
the lamb.
when we are
assured that
Jesus will
win, and
when we have
this growing
longing in
our hearts,
do you know
what all
these do
together?
They give you
strength to
endure.
It's the one
big intended
effect of the
book of
Revelation,
and it's in
chapter 13,
verse 10.
Here is a
call for the
endurance and
faith of the
saints.
To live life
worthy of the
lamb.
Until you
breathe your
last, or
until he
comes back.
This morning,
I've tried to
convince you of
three things.
I've tried to
convince you that
the book of
Revelation is
not just for
the specialists,
it's for you.
And secondly,
it's not just
for the specialists,
it's for you to
see by faith.
And it's for you
to see by faith
in order to
live a life
worthy of the
lamb today.
When you're
oriented by the
book of
Revelation,
the book of
Revelation will
orient you to
the way things
really are,
and you live a
life worthy of
the lamb,
with joy in
your heart,
all the way
through.
Next week,
we will see the
risen lamb
opening the
seven seals.
Let me pray.
God in heaven,
press this into
our hearts.
God help us to
press on together,
to be faithful to
you, Lord Jesus.
You are worthy.
You have won the
victory,
and you will come
back and tie up
all the loose
ends,
and we will see
you face to face,
and you will wipe
away every tear.
Put strength in our
hearts now,
in Jesus' name,
amen.
Amen.