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The New Exodus | Revelation 15:1-8 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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Let's meet together in God's Word in the Book of Revelation
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chapter 15. Revelation chapter 15, What you
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and I have before us today is the shortest chapter in the
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entire Book of Revelation, but don't mistake its brevity for
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insignificance. Last time we were together in
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this book, we examine the closing verses of Revelation
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chapter 14, and in it we discovered that God has given us
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a preview of the final judgments that He will unleash upon
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mankind. Namely, they were a prelude to
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the seven bowls of God's wrath, the final series of His justice
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against an evil world before the return of the Son of God.
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Now, as we come to chapter 15, we arrive at their introduction.
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In other words, the trailer for these judgments has ended, and
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the opening scene now begins. But when you read this chapter
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carefully, you'll notice that John is doing something much
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more profound than setting the stage for the culmination of
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God's manifest justice. There seems to be a weaving of
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other things taking place, a profound picture that he is
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putting together. And it's my prayer that we will
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seek to capture it in our time together this afternoon.
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And the best way to start is by just reading the entire chapter.
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It's very short as you know, So let's start here in verse one of
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Revelation 15. Then I saw another sign in
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heaven, great and amazing, 7 angels with 7 plagues, which are
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the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.
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And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire,
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and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the
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number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass, with
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harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses,
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the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and
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amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty.
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Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations.
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Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name for You alone.
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Our holy all nations will come and worship you for your for
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your righteous acts have been revealed.
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After this I looked and the sanctuary of the Tent of Witness
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in Heaven was opened. And out of the sanctuary came
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the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright
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linen with golden sashes around their chest.
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And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven
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angels 7 golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives
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forever and ever. And the sanctuary was filled
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with smoke from the glory of God and from his power.
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And no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven
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plagues of the seven angels were finished.
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Lord, we ask that You would do a work in our hearts as You did to
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Your servant Titus. We read in Your word that Paul
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confessed gladly that You put it into the heart of Titus to have
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the same earnest care for the Corinthians that he had.
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And Lord, we see a promise in that truth that You can take our
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hearts and put in it what You desire.
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So Lord, as your church, we extend our hearts to you.
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We say, put in these hearts your love, a love for you, a love for
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the Word, a love for the church, a love for the lost, a love for
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that which is holy. And use this message to
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accomplish that. We ask these things in Jesus
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name, Amen. A lot of imagery here is
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familiar to us, isn't it? We've seen echoes of this
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throughout the Book of Revelation, and yet there is
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something very unique, one element in what we just saw that
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stands out, a reference to Moses that seems a little strange.
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Moses doesn't appear before this, and Moses doesn't show up
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after this in the Book of Revelation.
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But John is not only making reference to the man Moses, he
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tells us specifically here in verse three that they sang the
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song of Moses. So it's less about him bringing
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our attention to the person and more about us remembering an
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event. We know exactly where the song
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of Moses was sung, and we'll get to that in a moment.
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But this clear reference is absolutely essential to
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unlocking other allusions in this prophetic passage.
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When you see this, you understand that there are other
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details around it, that when you put it together, it forms a
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grand and familiar picture. And that's what I want us to
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see. Keep the song of Moses in the
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back of your mind, and let's look over very quickly the
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verses that we just read. Look at verse one again and I
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think that as we read this, light bulbs are going to go off
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verse one. Then I saw another sign in
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heaven, great and amazing, 7 angels with seven what plagues.
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Verse 2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled
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with fire, and also those who had conquered the beast and its
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image and a number of its name standing beside the sea.
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The ESC writes beside because the Greek word EPI is very
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elastic. It can mean beside, before, on.
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So some of your translations say they were standing on the sea,
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but the ESB renders it beside. Standing beside the sea of glass
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with harps of God in their hands.
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Look at verse 3 and they sing the song of Moses, the CERN of
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God, and the song of the Lamb sang.
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Let's go over to verse 5. After this I looked and the
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sanctuary of the Tent of Witness in heaven was opened.
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Other transitions say the Temple of the Tabernacle of the
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Testimony. This is a clear picture and
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reference to the Tabernacle, verse 6.
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And out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven
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plagues, clothed in pure bright linen with golden sashes around
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their chest. In other words, they're dressed
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like priests. Finally, verse 8.
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And the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God
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and from his power. No one could enter the sanctuary
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until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.
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So think about this with me. Plagues, deliverance from a
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global tyrant, singing victoriously by a sea Moses and
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more specifically the song of Moses, a lamb, the tent of
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witness, priestly looking servants of God, and finally the
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sanctuary filled with the smoke of God's glory.
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It couldn't be more obvious. What John is doing here in this
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vision is clearly making an allusion to the Exodus story and
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the journey into the wilderness. But for what purpose?
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Well, by borrowing these details, John is obviously
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bringing to mind this pivotal moment in redemptive history.
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But more than that, he's also describing a new Exodus to come.
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That's what's happening here. It says, oh, the age.
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The apostle is saying you are very aware of God's redemptive
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power, namely what he did for Israel, bringing them out of
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Egypt. But I'm here to tell you by the
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authority and this inspiration of the Holy Spirit that there is
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another exodus to come. And what I want to speak to you
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about is just that, the new exodus.
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Have you ever thought about it? It's promised, it's illustrated,
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it's presented to us right here in this chapter.
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And the way we're going to seek to understand this new Exodus is
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by coming to this text, looking at the major characteristics and
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then comparing it with the Exodus of old, paralleling some
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truths and and contrasting some realities.
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For what reason? So that in the end, we would
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come to the conclusion that what is to come, this great act of
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deliverance, is far more significant, far more powerful,
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and far more glorious than what Israel experienced in Egypt.
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I want you and I today, by the grace of God, to consider 3
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facets of this new exodus, of this exodus that is promised for
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the future. They're very simple to remember.
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Again, there's going to be similarities, but we're also
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going to see how this exodus is greater #1 John wants us to see
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the wrath of God and connection to this act of deliverance.
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That's what he immediately perceives in the opening of this
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chapter. What he sees in this new vision
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is 7 angels who come and emerge with 7 plagues that will
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complete God's wrath on the earth.
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Notice they are the last. This is another clue that the
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Book of Revelation is chronological.
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Some people believe it's cyclical, that it's repetitive,
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that it's just showing different angles of the same scene.
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But this is an indication that no, there's a progression taking
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place in Revelation. We've already covered the sealed
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judgments, we've seen the trumpet judgments, and now these
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bowls of God's wrath. They're the final acts of God's
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judgment. But notice this.
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The same way that God's judgment was the means of bringing total
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and complete deliverance to Israel, so will be for the
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church at the end of the age. Jesus Christ took God's wrath
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upon himself on the cross, yes, and he secured our redemption.
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But there's still more judgment to come, namely upon the wicked
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to make way for our total redemption for the new age, the
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new world, the new Kingdom to come.
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And that's what John is indicating here.
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You and I, we know that the way God accomplished this
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deliverance for Israel was by unleashing 10 plagues.
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But more than that, the final blow against Pharaoh and his
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tyrannical regime was what? Being buried beneath the Red
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Sea. And that's what seems to be
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indicated here, the message being illustrated when John sees
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not just the last plagues, but also a scene of a sea of glass
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mingled with fire. Did you see that?
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Verse 2? And I saw what appeared to be a
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sea of glass mingled with fire. The last time we saw the sea of
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glass was back in chapter 4, but there was no mention of it being
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mixed with fire. It was like crystal.
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It was calm. It's a reflection of God's
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purity, His Holiness, His righteousness, his, his
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consistency. But then now the sea of glass
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before his throne reappears, but this time it's being illuminated
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by flames. It's being stirred, so to speak,
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by fire. That doesn't mean that there's
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going to be a literal splitting of the Red Sea in the
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Tribulation period. What it does show, however, is
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that this glass like mass mixed with fire before God's throne
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conveys that God is about to bring the fatal and total defeat
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of the evil systems of the world, just like the Red Sea did
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in the past. John is deep.
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Clearly, he's being led by the Holy Spirit.
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However, there is a difference between what we see here in this
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experience of a future exodus for the Church, for the redeemed
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in Christ, and what Israel knew. There is a clear order of
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events. When you go back to Exodus, what
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do you find? The plagues being poured out
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upon Egypt, and then the Red Sea.
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And then after the Red Sea, what on the other side of the shore,
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The people of God looking upon their enemies, drowning in the
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in the water and rejoicing. They were singing then, but now
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we come here and what do we discover?
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We have mention of plagues. We have even this connection
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with the idea of a sea, and they're singing.
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But when are they singing? Well, keep in mind the plagues
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are being introduced in this chapter, in chapter 16.
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They're going to be triggered. They're actually going to be
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released. They haven't been released yet,
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and yet the redeemed in heaven are singing.
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They're singing before it happens.
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Why? Because they know that the
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outcome is guaranteed. This is a declaration of faith.
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This is a demonstration of absolute trust.
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There's a contrast here. The redeemed in the Old
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Testament erupt and praise after God achieved his promise, which
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is wonderful. But the righteous here who are
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in heaven, namely they choose to praise God and glorify Him
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before anything plays out on the earth.
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This is obviously a look into a future end times event, but the
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worship of these Saints instructs us about our worship.
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You and I cannot afford to reserve our praise only when God
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does something for what He has accomplished in the past.
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He's worthy of that. We must continually acknowledge
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Him for the good that He has allowed us to experience and
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enjoy. Yes, but broaden your worship,
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my brother and sister. You and I have permission and we
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are invited. More than that, we are commanded
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to praise God for what He will do, what He what He promised
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that would happen. Not just what He has performed,
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but what He has promised will take place.
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And the reason why we can sing about those things with absolute
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fervor and zeal and rock solid confidence is because He said it
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would happen. Because He said it, He will do
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it. And so the explosiveness of our
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worship, yes, rightly so, should be in response to what the Lord
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has done, but also what He will do.
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And this is what we find here. These Saints are not
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experiencing yet, but they are still glorifying God.
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Now Speaking of singing, we come to the second feature of this
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new exodus that is so important. We looked at the wrath of God,
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but when? Now we have to look at the song,
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the songs that they are singing in verse three and four, and
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they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God and the song of
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the Lamb. Now there is a harmless debate
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about this singing taking place here, and here's the discussion.
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Is this speaking about two songs or one harmless?
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Your salvation doesn't count on it, thank God.
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So is this 2 titles for the same song?
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Others will say and argue, no, no, these are two separate tunes
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blended together like a medley. And then there are a minority
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who say no. This is clearly indicating that
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there are two separate songs being sung here.
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If you and if you take the text at face value, it seems to be
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just that. There's the song of Moses and
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then the song of the Lamb. If it was one song, you would
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think that it would say something like and they sing the
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song of Moses, the servant of God and the lamb.
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But that's not what happens. You have two songs here being
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mentioned. Now, why is that distinction
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important? I think one reason why it's
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important is because when we look at the song of Moses, we
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are aware that this is the people of God rehearsing God's
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past faithfulness. This is something that we find
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in Exodus 15. And so they are looking back and
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they are even echoing what the Saints of old were rejoicing
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about. But the song of the Lamb appears
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to be a new song. And John gives us a glimpse into
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some of the lyrics of this new song.
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And before we look at these lyrics, consider what this means
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for us on this side of the cross.
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This is so glorious. We as followers of Christ have
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more to sing about than those who went before us.
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The prophets of all. They had insight into the
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future. There is.
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There is obvious clues in even the Psalms about Messiah and
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what He will do and what He will accomplish on behalf of the
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world. But in reality, the redeemed of
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old sang about a shadow. You and I get to sing about the
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fulfillment. We have the complete picture.
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We have our eyes opened because the New Covenant grants us
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clarity, more revelation, more testimonies, and as a result, it
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should stimulate and encourage greater worship.
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We have more to sing about. It's not just the song of Moses
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that's been there from nearly the beginning.
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We also have the song of the Lamb.
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This is one of the advantages that we have as followers of
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Christ today. I want you to turn to a verse
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that is so important for us and being able to answer why we are
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more blessed in the new covenant.
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It's in Second Timothy one verse 10.
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This will confirm the argument that I'm trying to make here.
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Listen to what Paul says about one of the treasures of being in
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Christ, what Christ was able to offer us in Second Timothy 110
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in describing the power and the privilege of the gospel.
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Notice what he mentions Paul says, and which now has been
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manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who
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abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through
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the gospel. We know that when Jesus came, He
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destroyed death, but he did more than just destroy death.
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It says here that He brought life, that is eternal life, life
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now, and immortality to light through the gospel.
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In other words, when Jesus Christ entered into the scene
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and did what he did and taught what he taught, he turned the
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light on. In the Old Testament they could
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see, but it was almost like entering into a room with a very
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faint light. And so you can make out the
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shapes and and you can touch and see.
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Maybe this is what this object is.
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But when Christ comes into this whole picture of redemptive
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history, he flicks on the light and we can see everything.
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And we know what we need to know by God's grace concerning
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immortality, everlasting life, what's what's going to happen
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after death and about life now. So the Old Testament, they had
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their songs, but we have more, They had their insights, but we
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have greater. And this is what I find here,
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that there is a principle that reminds us of our great treasure
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in Christ, not just the song of Moses, but the song of the Lamb.
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Now let me add something that I know I don't need to convince
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you of. I'm aware who I'm preaching to,
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but it's good to be reminded about it anyway.
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The fact that these Saints who are in heaven, we're going to
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discover that they're, they're the Saints who were martyred
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during the Tribulation period. The fact that they're singing
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the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb teaches us that the
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Old Testament and the New Testament are consistent, that
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they're in harmony. The old does not contradict the
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new and vice versa. The new completes the old.
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And this is this is illustrated here because I'm afraid that
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there are many people who are under the illusion that there is
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disagreement or even different versions of God or that because
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we're New Testament believers, this really gets me going.
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So I'm that because we are not followers in Christ and we are
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enjoying the new covenant and Christ inaugurated this New
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Testament, we don't need to really look into the Old
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Testament that there's not much benefit for us there.
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We're in the last book of the Bible.
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And guess what they're doing? They're singing the song of
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Moses. I jure you.
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And again, I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but just in
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case there's one who's listening to this and has been convinced
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that we can disconnect ourselves from the Hebrew Scriptures.
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No, no, no, no, no. God bids us to explore and
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examine and relish in what came before, especially because we
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have the complete picture now in Christ.
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We have the flashlight to look at everything that's found in
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what came before and see it for what it really is.
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Why would you miss out on that? I'm telling you, there's a
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growing trend within the evangelical circles of
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dismissing the Old Testament, of ignoring the Hebrew Scriptures,
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and that's creating a lot of problems theologically.
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I'm going to take my cue from the Saints found here in the
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Book of Revelation. They didn't just sing the song
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of the Lamb. In fact, you Can't Sing the song
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of the Lamb unless you know the prior songs, the Lamb.
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Where does that come from? Well, if you know the song of
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Moses, it'll make more sense. So here's the application.
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Read your Old Testament, enjoy it.
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Enjoy it enough where you can sing about the truths you find
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in it, and that'll always point you to Christ.
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So they sing. Now we'll look at some of the
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lyrics here. We can't look at every detail.
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I want to just mention one thing and it's how the words you and
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you are repeated over and over again.
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Again, we can spend a whole message just on the lyrics here,
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but consider this. Your deeds, your ways glorify
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your name. You alone are holy.
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Worship you for your righteous acts. 6 times in the stanza.
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God and God alone is the object of this choir's adoration and
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affection. You, you, you're, you're, you.
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And that becomes even more meaningful when you remember who
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it is singing these truths. Go back to verse 2, it says
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here. And I saw what appeared to be a
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sea of glass, mingled fire, and also those who had conquered the
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beast and its image and the number of its names standing
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beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands,
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Those who had conquered the beast.
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And what way do they conquer the beast?
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These are Christians during the regime of the Antichrist, and
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they clearly refused to bow the knee to him, and because of that
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they lost their lives. These are those who have shown
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great strength and resilience, those who have shown absolute
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and total devotion to Christ, those who overcame unspeakable
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difficulties in the world because of their love for the
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Lord Jesus to the point where they had to lose their heads in
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order to prove it. You might say these are super
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Christians, right? You might say these are very
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impressive believers who have displayed such incredible
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faithfulness to the cause of Christ.
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And indeed, these are Saints that we can applaud.
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But I love what I find here, that these victorious,
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triumphant believers, when it comes to worship, give all the
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glory to God. You, your, it's all about you.
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Again, we're learning about how to worship.
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We're learning what worship is in the Book of Revelation.
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Do you, do you notice how much there is about worship in this
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book? True worship is being able to
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acknowledge that no matter what I do for Christ, no matter what
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I accomplish in his name means nothing.
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My boss is in the Lord alone. Anything that happens in me,
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anything that happens through me, should cause me to recognize
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that God is the source of it. And if it wasn't for him, then I
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wouldn't be able to do any of this anyway.
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And so these Saints here who did great feats, who accomplished
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great things for Christ in the darkest hour of human history,
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were able to still give God all the glory.
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Because that's what true worship looks like.
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The song of this new exodus, but finally the tent for the third
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and final time. In this particular vision, John
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tells us that his attention is turned to something, and it's
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found in verse 5. After this, I looked in the
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sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened.
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So this sanctuary of the tent, this is speaking about another
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translation of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle that is in
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heaven. And what what John highlights is
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that this tent opens and as it opens, something's going to come
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out of it. Now, the reason why this tent is
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highlighted, it's because the Holy Spirit uses that through
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John to keep the theme of the Exodus alive, to keep our minds
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still connected to that motif. And I trust that we're all aware
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that the Tabernacle is a very obvious symbol in the Old
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Testament, that after the people escaped Egypt and went into the
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wilderness, God called them to build a dwelling place for his
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presence with his people on the earth.
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The Tabernacle was God's temporary home on this planet.
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So that's what we have in mind. This tent speaks about God's
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presence, it speaks about His, the hosting of his glory, which
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then causes us to interpret that what's about to transpire and
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emerge from this Tabernacle means it's coming directly from
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God. What John is about to see next
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because of this tent means that this is issuing from the
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undefiled, pure, glorious presence of the Lord.
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And what is John? See next, 7 angels with 7
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plagues. That will be the punctuation
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mark of God's judgement upon humanity.
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And there's no confusion here. They're not operating with their
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own authority. They're not doing this
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independently. These angels were dispatched
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from the presence of God. That disturbs some people.
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And in case that might agitate you, this truth is further
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confirmed in that this is not only something coming from God
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the Father, this is also something that Jesus Christ
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affirms. How do we know that?
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It's very subtle, but it's profound at the same time.
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Did you notice how they were dressed?
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Bright linen garments? But more than that, John tells
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us that they had golden sashes around their chests.
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Does that remind you of anything?
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The last time we saw anybody wearing a golden sash was back
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in Revelation chapter 1, Revelation One.
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Look at this in verse 13. This is John's experience of the
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glorified Christ, and this detail shows up about Him here.
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Revelation 113 And in the midst of the lampstands, one like a
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Son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash
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around his chest. What is happening here?
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Many chapters later now we see angels with a golden sash around
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their chest. And here's the point that's
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being made. These angels who are reporting
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for duty are resembling and reflecting the nature of Jesus
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Christ. They are about to do something
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that is in complete alignment with the will and desire of
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Christ himself, and that irks people because they have
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developed a theology about the person of Jesus Christ that
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completely disassociates him from any judgement against
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sinners. Now these angels who are walking
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towards the bulls are actually reflecting Jesus, representing
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Jesus, and showing that what they're about to do is what
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Christ wants to do. God's judgement is real.
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And not only is it real, nothing and no one can change that
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reality. And that becomes even more
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obvious when we see what happens next with this Tabernacle.
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Look at verse 8. And the sanctuary was filled
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with smoke from the glory of God and from his power.
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And no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven
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plagues of the seven angels were finished.
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So these 7 angels come towards the bowls.
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One of the four living creatures gives them the actual
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instruments symbolically, and they're going to pour them out
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in the coming chapters. We'll look at that next week.
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But notice what John sees. He sees a cloud, the tangible
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presence of God filling this heavenly Tabernacle.
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And my question is, why do I need to know about it?
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Is this just cinematic drama? Is this just to add more color
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to the scene? Is this just to make us realize
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the seriousness of the moment? In part, yes.
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But again, we're looking at the new Exodus.
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Again, we're looking at the Holy Spirit making connections and
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references for us to understand the deeper message here.
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And you know your Old Testament well enough, I'm sure, to
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understand that we've seen a similar manifestation in the
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past, that the earthly counterpart to this heavenly
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Tabernacle also once hosted the manifest presence of God's
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glorious cloud. Do you remember in Exodus
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chapter 40? Let me read this to you don't
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have to turn there, but listen to what happens in Exodus 40,
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verse 35. And Moses was not able to enter
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the tent of meeting because the clouds settled on it, and the
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glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.
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This actually happens not with the Tabernacle, but with the
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temple when Solomon builds it in Jerusalem.
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Listen to this in First Kings 8 verse 10, First Kings 8, verse
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10. And when the priest came out of
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the holy place, a cloud filled the House of the Lord, so that
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the priest could not stand to minister because of the cloud,
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for the glory of the Lord filled the House of the Lord.
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So both times in the past when the earthly counterparts hosted
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God's cloud, the same thing occurred.
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The leadership, namely the priest, could not enter in and
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do what they were supposed to do.
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What's 1 of the main duties of a priest?
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To intercede and stand in the gap on behalf of a sinful
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people. So keeping that pattern in mind,
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now what do we have? We come to the New Testament, We
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see the true Tabernacle, the heavenly one that the earthly
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ones copied from, and a cloud fills it.
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Same thing. So then we must assume that the
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same outcome is here. What do I mean by that?
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In the same way that the priest could not enter in to do what
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they were supposed to do, the fact that a cloud comes to this
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temple in heaven suggests that God will not allow intercession
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to take place. In other words, as he is
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prepared to pour out these bowls of judgement, he will not accept
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any prayers, he will not accept any intercession, he will not
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receive any cry to stop his hand.
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The Tabernacle be closed for service until every drop of
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those bowls is poured out. So this is an illustrative way
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for the Holy Spirit to describe one of the most frightening
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components of the period of the bold judgments.
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God will not hear any prayers during that time.
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It will be too late. He gave way too many chances.
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And so He will do what He is going to do, and it will be
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unstoppable and it will be irreversible.
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You know, this brings to mind Jeremiah's language when he
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wrote in that short book called Lamentations, of what happened
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when God allowed Babylon to be the instrument of his judgement
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against his own. Listen to these words from
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Lamentations 3, verse 44. Ready for this?
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Jeremiah writes. You have wrapped yourself with a
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cloud so that no prayer can pass through.
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There are times when God has done that.
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We're a nation where people have since so grievously, so
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consistently, so rebelliously that he wraps himself in a
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cloud, so to speak, and not one single prayer can penetrate it.
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It will fail. And what we find here in this
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vision is it has reached that point at the end of time.
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So it doesn't matter how strong the nation's cry out, it doesn't
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matter how much they plead, it doesn't matter how long they
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fast. In fact, as we're about to
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discover with these judgments, they're going to be in such
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rapid succession, there'll be virtually no time to be able to
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pray anyway. We've come to a very important
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turning point in our understanding of Bible prophecy.
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This is the end of the end. But here's how I want to end
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this message today. The status of the Tabernacle in
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heaven is a hopeful one. This afternoon.
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It's a hopeful one. There is no cloud wrapping
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around it where no prayer can pass through.
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You know, it's amazing when you read the book of Hebrews.
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Oh, I love Hebrews. When are we going to go through
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Hebrews? It's too deep.
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Need a little bit more time. The more you study, the more you
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realize that the author is showcasing how Christ is more
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brilliant, more awesome than virtually everything.
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And we're familiar with the comparison of Jesus being our
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great high priest and the Levitical priest, and how the
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different components of the Levitical priesthood is inferior
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to Christ. But I was reminded through this
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when I went to Hebrews last night, late last night, looking
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at the Tabernacle, there's a heavenly one.
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It's the one that actually God called Moses to look at, to
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imitate when he built this physical one on earth.
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But in Hebrews 8, verse one and two, we're actually told that
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Christ does what He does as our high priest in heaven in the
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true Tabernacle. And why is he teaching that at
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that point in his book? Because he wants to tell the
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Jewish Christians who want to so badly go back to the ironic way
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of worship and atonement that Jesus Christ is not only a
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greater high priest, He does his priestly work in a more superior
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place. You want to go back to the
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temple? Do you realize that the temple
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is just a copy of a greater and a heavenly?
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1 Jesus, our great High Priest in the New Covenant, is there on
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our behalf, and not only is He there, he's doing something
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there. Here's what he's doing right
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now. Hebrews 7, verse 25.
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Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost of those who
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draw near to God through him. Since He always lives to make
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intercession for them, He always lives to make intercession for
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them. That's now.
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There's a time coming that there will be no intercession.
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It will only be judgement. Nobody can do anything about it.
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But between now and then there is One who is willing to take
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anybody who humbly comes before him by faith, and he will enter
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into this heavenly Tabernacle, so to speak, and bring that
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request on your behalf, and it will be answered.
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Listen, there is an open door in this heavenly Tabernacle for
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mercy and for our needs to go in.
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But in Revelation 15, it will be open for judgment to come out.
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Don't wait. Now is the time to understand
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that I have an open heaven above me, that there is something
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greater than what Moses built. And I can connect to that
39:55
reality by faith and say, oh, this Jesus who rose from the
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dead, He didn't stop ministering.
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He stopped ministering on the earth, but in heaven.
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Now he's willing to actually represent me before God the
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Father. And he remains the single
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greatest unending high priest. He will never be replaced.
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He will never die. He doesn't borrow from heavenly
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lambs and ox and bulls. He brings His eternal blood
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every single time. And so this is a prophecy of
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doom in Revelation 15. But let me end it on a note of
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great hope and joy today. If you don't know Jesus Christ
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and you cry out to Him, He will hear it.
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He will hear I'm talking about the real Jesus of Nazareth.
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He will hear you. I say this often that apart from
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salvation itself, one of the greatest thrills and ecstasies
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that you can know in this life on this side of eternity is when
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God answers prayers. I'm talking about real prayers,
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not like, was that God or was that coincidence?
41:06
No, no, no, no, prayers like that was God.
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And one of the strongest ways you can know God answering your
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cry is when you cry out for salvation.
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You'll know when you're saved. You will know.
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You know how you'll know because you won't recognize yourself.
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Not perfect, but new direction, not instantaneously glorious,
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but set on the path of sanctification.
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And the only way that is possible now is because we're in
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the age of grace and that heavenly Tabernacle is still
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open. And this priest is willing to
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take your request and bring him to God and make it real in your
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life. Let's thank him for these
41:51
truths. Father, we thank you from the
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bottom of our hearts that though we can rejoice with the song of
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Moses, of what you've done for Israel and Egypt, we can look
42:05
forward to a new exodus where you will destroy the Antichrist,
42:10
his system, all the oppressors of the people of God for all
42:13
time in a single moment, and we will enter into the Promised
42:17
Land. We thank You that we have more
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songs to sing on this side of the cross.
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We thank You that even now there's a greater Tabernacle in
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our favor, one in heaven that we have access to.
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And so, Lord, if one here doesn't know what this means, we
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pray that you would open their eyes to experience the reality
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of the great work of our great High Priest.
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Lord, for us who are here and know you and enjoy you and love
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you, may everything that we heard in this message only stir
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us to see the majesty and the brilliance of Your word.
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We are amazed and we stand amazed before you.
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We ask these things in the name of the great High Priest, one
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who will never be replaced, one who has infinite mercy
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available. Jesus, Amen.
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Let's stand church, let's rejoice Christ and our
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deliverance that is to come at the end of the age.