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The Cry of The Martyrs (The Fifth Seal) | Revelation 6:9-11 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Revelation Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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Please let's turn together in the Book of Revelation chapter 6
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as we endeavor to explore 3 verses beginning in verse 9 of
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that chapter. Revelation 6.
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Starting in verse 9, when he opened the 5th seal, I saw under
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the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of
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God and for the witness they had borne.
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They cried out with a loud voice, O sovereign Lord, holy
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and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood
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on those who dwell on the earth? Then they were each given a
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white robe and told to rest a little longer until the number
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of their fellow servants and their brothers should be
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complete, who are to be killed as they themselves had been.
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Father, Your Word tells us through the apostle Peter that
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though You do not see Him, you love Him, and though you do not
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now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is
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inexpressible and filled with glory.
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Lord, we believe that that is our inheritance and we pray that
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You would use the means of grace today to fill our hearts with
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that joy and to know that glory in a tangible, undeniable way.
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We rest in Your promise and we believe that will be our
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portion. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
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Well, hopefully we remember that we are still exploring this
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series within a series of the breaking of the seven seals of a
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heavenly scroll that reveals and explains the initial judgments
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that will be unleashed by Christ upon the earth at the beginning
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of the Tribulation period. And hopefully we also remember
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that the events that we've been looking at here mirror the
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sequence of events that Christ taught when he was giving his
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disciples A thorough understanding of the events of
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the last days in Matthew 24. In fact, the first four seals
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that we've already covered are mentioned by the Lord Jesus in
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Matthew 24, verse one down to verse 8.
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It should be no surprise then that the 5th seal, the seal that
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we just read about, will follow as the next episode in the
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closing moments of human history.
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So after the Lord warns about false Christ's wars and rumors
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of wars, famines and earthquakes, allow me to remind
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you what He said in Matthew 24, nine to 10.
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Jesus says then they will deliver you up to tribulation
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and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for
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my name's sake, and then many will fall away and betray one
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another and hate one another. What is Christ referring to
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here? Global persecution against
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followers of Jesus Christ, one that will escalate during the
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Tribulation like never before. And the hostility against
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believers at that time will be so intense that in verse 10 we
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learned that many will fall away in response to it.
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Many nominal Christians, many empty professors, many who
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enjoyed the benefits of cultural Christianity, many who on the
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surface look like they actually loved Christ.
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When the tribulation comes, Jesus predicted that many of
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those will indeed fall away. In fact, it will be some of
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those who will turn Christians in to the persecutors.
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They will hate one another and betray one another.
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This is something startling to consider.
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However, there is a difference between what Jesus taught in
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Matthew 24 and what John saw in Revelation chapter 6.
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You see, what Jesus explained in Matthew 24 was from an earthly
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vantage point, whereas John saw this from heaven.
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And the heavenly perspective is so crucial to understand because
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it reveals the true meaning of this seal judgement.
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What is its purpose? You see, there are many who have
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made the mistake of believing that when this 5th seal on the
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scroll is broken, it will set into motion this international
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wave of persecution. But that interpretation doesn't
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hold up for one main reason. These seals that will be broken
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speak of Christ's judgement being released.
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And so if you think that that fifth seal means that Christ is
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going to be judging his own people, you have to search a
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little bit deeper and understand that's not how he works.
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Instead, what John sees and explains is that the breaking of
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the 5th seal is directly connected to the prayers of
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these martyrs, and it will be the prayers who plead with God
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here to carry out his vengeance and justly deal with those
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responsible for their cruel deaths.
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That's in view. In other words, it's the prayers
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of the Saints who've been slaughtered that will play a
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major part in the beginning of the tribulation and the events
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that will follow. And so if anybody were to ask us
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what is the 5th seal in Revelation 6 all about, our
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answer should be that it reveals how the Lord Jesus is ready to
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act on behalf of his followers who have been killed for his
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namesake. Here's another way to think
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about it. In Matthew, the Lord Jesus tells
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us what will happen to Christians in the Tribulation.
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And in Revelation 6, we learn what Christ will do for
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Christians in the Tribulation. That's essentially the summary.
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But we're not going to settle for an overview today, are we?
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No, no, no, no. I want us to consider at least
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three elements of the 5th seal. Though it is predictive, though
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it is a prophecy of what will to come, it also has benefit for us
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today. And these three observations are
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neatly divided in these 3 verses. 1 Observation perverse.
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Did you notice how in verse 9 John saw an assembly, an
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assembly, a particular group of people found in a different
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realm? Given a very unique description?
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There is an assembly that we have to consider.
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But from this assembly we learn in verse 10 that there is an
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appeal made, an urgent request made unto God that is worth
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meditating on. And finally we come to the final
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verse there of our reading and we'll learn about encouraging
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assurance, assurance that God gives to this assembly who make
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this appeal. Let's look in our Bibles now in
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verse 9 again, what do we read? When he opened the 5th seal, I
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saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the
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word of God and for the witness they had borne.
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That's the first thing that caught John's attention.
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He noticed this group of souls who are under an altar in
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heaven. And there are two questions that
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we have to answer here. Number one, who are these souls?
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We don't have to guess. The very same verse tells us
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they are the souls of those who were slain because they stood
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for the truth, because they were not ashamed of their allegiance
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to the Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel, They were murdered.
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But does John see here the innumerable Saints of all ages?
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Is he looking at those who have been persecuted unto death from
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the beginning of time? Some would say yes.
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I'm convinced that it's not the case.
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I'm convinced that what John is looking at here are the group of
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Christians who will be killed during the Tribulation.
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Here's a hint. Look at verse 10 and carefully
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observe what they cry out to God for as they ask Him to avenge
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their blood. They request that the Lord would
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bring justice to those who dwell on the earth.
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Implying what? That their persecutors and
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murders were still alive at the time of the breaking of the
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seal? And if we're looking at the
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initial judgments of the Tribulation period, then the
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conclusion is obvious. And it becomes even more clear
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in Revelation 13, where we discover that the Antichrist is
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the mastermind behind this global campaign to target and
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hunt down Christians, those who refuse to take his mark, those
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who refuse to worship him or anybody else.
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What's especially curious, though, is that these souls are
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seen under an altar. Under the altar in heaven.
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What are they doing there? That's a very unusual place for
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disembodied spirits to be. Well, John, by the spirit is
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assuming that you and I know our Old Testament well, and there
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should already be a connection between the concept of something
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being slain and an altar, right? There should be, but not just an
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altar, the base of the altar. They are under this altar and
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there's something that comes to mind from Leviticus 4, verse 7.
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Listen to these instructions for some of the sacrifices in the
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Levitical system. Levitical, Leviticus 4/7 is your
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reference that you want to remember.
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It says here, and the priest shall put some of the blood on
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the horns of the altar, a fragrant incense before the Lord
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that is in the tent of meeting, and all the rest of the blood of
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the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt
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offering, that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
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So this was a common practice with many of the animal
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sacrifices, that some of the blood would be placed on the
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horns of the altar, that brazen altar that the first thing you
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would see when you entered into the temple courts, But with the
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rest of the blood, it would be poured out at the base of that
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instrument of worship. And Jesus Christ borrows that
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imagery and he applies it to these believers who willingly
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laid down their lives because in his sight that was an act of
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worship that he will choose to remember for all eternity.
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This shouldn't be so foreign to us.
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Even the Apostle Paul does something similar when he speaks
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about his impending death. Do you remember when he wrote to
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his spiritual son Timothy and his final letter?
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He says the following in Second Timothy 4/6 For I am already
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being poured out as a drink offering and the time of my
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departure has come. But Paul is more specific.
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Why, out of all the offerings that you could have offered
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under the Old covenant, does he speak about his departure and
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likens it to the drink offering? Can I tell you why he is so
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spirit LED? Brilliant.
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So again, I understand that many people's attempts to read
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through the Bible ends at Leviticus.
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I get it. But you can't enjoy Revelation.
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You can't even translate Paul's words without that book, without
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Numbers, without Deuteronomy. Let me show you an example why
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Paul is so precise. Because according to Numbers
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1510 drink offerings were to be 1/2 hen of wine.
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Now, half in, in today's measurements would be closely
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equivalent to 3/4 of a gallon. And when you look there, numbers
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15, you'll realize that this drink offering often accompanied
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an animal sacrifice. And it was to be poured out, in
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a sense, upon that animal sacrifice almost as a final act
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of worship once everything out has been laid out.
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And Paul even uses this in another place.
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I mean, look at this later. Talk about it at the picnic
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where he says in Philippians 217 that he is willing to even be a
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drink offering upon the sacrifice of the Philippians.
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So Paul even elaborates in that place to speak about how that
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drink offering was to be given. It was one of the last things
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that you would do once everything else has been
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prepared. You would take out a half hint
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of wine and pour it out upon that sacrifice.
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And it's as though Paul is saying to Timothy, Timothy, just
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as the drink offering was poured out last after everything else
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was done. I'm ready to follow in that
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example as my life has been a living sacrifice consecrated
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unto God day and night. My willingness to die for the
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gospel will be my final act of worship to Him.
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Here I am now, and I smell my execution.
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But I want to let you know, Timothy, that I'm consecrating
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this final moment as a drink offering.
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My death will be a drink offering.
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What an amazing man of God. And it's thrilling as this is.
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I'm not sure how these insights resonate with American
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Christians because you know this very well, that we live with an
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unusual level of peace and measure of tranquility in
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comparison to the rest of the world.
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But I will say this, should persecution arise suddenly, and
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persecution has a tendency of arriving unannounced, read the
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Bible carefully. Very rarely are people warmed up
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to it. It tends to crash on the scene.
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Should that happen in our lifetime?
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Remember these truths when you go back to Revelation 6, verse
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9. Did you notice that John says
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that he saw souls, the souls of those who had been slain?
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That comforts me for many reasons.
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One, because even though these precious Saints were killed, as
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Jesus says, don't fear those who can kill the body.
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But what cannot destroy the soul?
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What can a murderer really do? OK, Yeah.
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He kills you. To what end?
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To usher you into a greater reality.
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I saw the souls of those who have been slain.
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The souls the soul untouched, safe, set apart.
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I don't know about you. Let me just say this as a side
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note. This is just another verse that
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dispels the notion of soul sleep.
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If you don't know, the belief of soul sleep is that when a person
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dies, when a Christian dies, when a believer in Christ dies,
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apparently their soul becomes unconscious and dormant and
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remains in that state until the resurrection or final judgement.
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There are millions of people who believe this, but that certainly
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doesn't match the description we find here, does it?
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They were slain for the word of God and their souls were in
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heaven totally conscience speaking, aware in community
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that should infusing you a fresh confidence and greater level of
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bliss even in the face of death, no matter its 'cause why?
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Because the moment you and I die, we will enter into a
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reality of such glory that it will compare, won't be able to
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compare to anything that you've experienced with this earthly
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frame. Nothing.
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And I understand that this is a unique vision with a specific
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message, but I want to take the opportunity to say this to those
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who have lost believing loved ones who have left you behind in
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your pilgrimage. If they trusted in Christ,
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they're home. They're not waiting to be home.
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They are home right now as we speak, as we're here hearing
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about the Word of God, as we're here speaking about Christ.
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They're in His presence, unfiltered, face to face like
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these souls that we find here. Look at verse 11.
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The Lord addresses them and He tells them something
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interesting. We'll explore it in a few
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moments. He tells them to rest a little
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longer. Implying what?
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That they are in a place of heavenly calm.
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They are enjoying complete security.
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They are swimming an endless refreshment.
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That's where the souls of those who belong to Christ are at this
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moment. And I'm sure these brief details
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to the original readers of John's writing would have really
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appreciated what he was saying here.
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As they themselves are being persecuted in their own
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churches, their own families, some of their own leaders being
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killed, John, in this one vision says these souls, they're safe.
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They're savoring glory, and that is our future as well.
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This is the assembly that John sees, but the encouragement only
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continues. As you look at verse 10 and
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recognize the appeal that they make, you can almost say that
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this is the first recorded prayer in the Book of
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Revelation. Look at verse 10.
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Once more they cried out with a loud voice.
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O sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge
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and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?
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It's fascinating that one of the first prayers that we find in
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this book is not one of people, the Saints, praying for their
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enemies, but praying against them.
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They're not asking here for pardon.
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They're asking here for judgement.
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And I understand how that can be challenging to us at face value
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because we remember the the teachings of Jesus who told us
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to do what and pray for your enemies over and over.
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He said that in so many different contexts.
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And what about the first Christian martyr, Stephen, who
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while he was being stoned said, Lord, do not hold this sin
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against them. So what we find here in this in
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this verse of chapter 6, are we looking at a group of believers
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who in the heat of frustration disobeyed Christ?
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Are we looking at Christians who are less sanctified?
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Than Stephen and other martyrs throughout the ages.
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Absolutely not. If we want to figure out this
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apparent dilemma, context, context, context.
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And the one thing that we need to establish is when was this
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prayer made? I'm not sure if you remember,
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but a few weeks ago I made the following comment when we were
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discussing the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
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Common grace will become less common when the tribulation
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begins and progresses. Common grace will become less
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common as a tribulation starts and as it advances.
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This is time for judgement. That's what's happening here,
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and I believe that will be reflected in part in how prayers
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are made and answered during this period.
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In other words, we all know that one day God will bring an end to
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this period of grace the world has known for two millennia, and
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there is an appointed time where He will pour out his act of
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wrath instead, and prayers for His judgement will be entirely
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acceptable then. So this is not an example of
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everyday prayer. This supplication can't be
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categorized as such for the simple reason that it's not
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being offered within a typical period of time.
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Christ is unleashing His judgement.
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So it makes sense then that His people, in tune with His Spirit,
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in tune with His mind, are asking for the same.
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Lord, bring judgement. If you think that's challenging,
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wait till we get to the end of Revelation where the people in
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heaven are actually singing and rejoicing in God's judgement.
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Not a lot of worship songs about that, but it says something
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about how our minds will be transformed in that place.
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That's for another time. So if this is not the best
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example for typical prayer, day by day, though, you can make a
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sense about the, you can make a case about the imprecatory
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Psalms in the Book of Psalms. Let's just stick with this
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context. What can we learn from it then?
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Well, I think there's something very important to learn from it,
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and it is this. You and I must be willing to
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accept that the God that we worship is not one of only great
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grace, but of judgement. God is a God of justice.
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God is a God of wrath. God is holy, and he will not
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tolerate iniquity. He will deal with it with
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ferocious righteousness. And beware of those who
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propagate and believe in a Jesus that is empty of wrath.
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He doesn't exist. He's another Jesus.
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And I thought to myself the other night, how can we
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demonstrate this? And I want to take you to a
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book, the book right before the Book of Revelation.
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It's a little epistle called Jude.
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And I want you to see a couple of verses with me.
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Now, this will be especially helpful if you hold the ESV
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translation in your hands. But if you don't, I'll explain
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how this can still benefit you. Look at verse 5.
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There are no chapters Jude 5 and notice what is said here, Jude
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says. Now I want to remind you,
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although you once fully knew it, that Jesus who saved a people
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out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who
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did not believe. So the same Jesus who delivered
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the people out of Egypt is the same one who destroyed many of
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them in the wilderness. Now if you have any other word
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for word translation, like the new King James, the King James,
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the NESB, or any other really popular English translation,
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you'll notice that where Jesus is named here is rendered as
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what Lord Lord, so it would read.
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Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it,
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that the Lord who saved the people out of the land of Egypt
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afterward destroyed those who did not believe.
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So is the ESV including something that's not in the
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original text? Are they forcing Christ to try
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to promote a pre-existing Christ, an eternal Christ?
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No, that's not what's happening at all.
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The main reason why the ESV went with this translation is because
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of manuscript evidence and some of the earliest and most
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reputable Greek manuscripts of Jude 5 actually say Jesus
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instead of Lord. And I can name those different
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manuscripts. This is widely available if you
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want to look into it. It's fascinating.
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And so the the minds behind this translation saw what was
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available, especially as we advance in archaeology and
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discovered these greater things that some of the earliest
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manuscripts, some of the most reputable ones have the name
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Jesus there. And so they decided to use this
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manuscript variant for their English translation.
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Now, for those who might even just struggle with the idea that
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Christ was somehow present during the Exodus, it's not such
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a foreign concept in the Bible. We're going to come back to
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Jude, but let's just go on a little bit of a rabbit trail
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here. Do you remember what Paul said
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to the Corinthians in 1st Corinthians 10 for when he spoke
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about the rock that followed the Israelites in the wilderness,
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and he said that it was a spiritual rock.
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And he says this, that rock was who?
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Christ, Christ. And that's something for us to
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consider because the apostles and the teachers who laid down
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the foundation of the doctrine of the church understood that
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Jesus Christ was present with Israel from the moment they were
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delivered throughout their journey.
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And so it's not so confusing that I hope that when Jude says
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here that Jesus was done who saved them out of the land that
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land Egypt and destroyed some of them that it's in alignment with
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the rest of the New Testament. But let's just say that you
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don't have the ESV and you you really enjoy your King James,
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your new King James or any other translation.
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Does this still apply to Christ? Can it?
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And I want to make the case that even if you have Lord there in
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Jude 5, that this strongly suggests that the Spirit of God
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had Jesus in view here within the Godhead.
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Here's just one example. And I'm just going to give you 1
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because if if we if we go beyond this, we'll be in Jude for the
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rest of the service. Look at the verse immediately
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before Jude five. Look at verse 4.
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For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were
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designated for this condemnation.
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Ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality
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and deny our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ.
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Again, it might be rendered a little differently if you have
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those other translations, but what a staggering claim that
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Jude makes about Christ. And I believe that this is more
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accurate to the Greek, our only, our only, our only master and
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Lord Jesus Christ. Now again, those other
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translations, it will say what? Lord Jesus Christ, right?
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It'll say Lord Christ. This is something to expound on
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at another time, our only master and Lord Jesus Christ.
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But notice here the context, the last reference to Lord is Jesus
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Christ, and immediately following that he talks about
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the Lord saving a people out of Egypt and destroying them.
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So contextually, if you honor the flow of thought, even though
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you don't have the ESV, even though it's not Jesus in your
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translation, who is supposed to come to mind when Jude speaks
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about Lord in verse 5, the Lord of verse 4, Jesus Christ, and
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more can be said about that. But here's the point that I want
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to make. When Kora Dathan Abiram and
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their followers were swallowed up by the earth, that was
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Christ. When the Israelites complained
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to Moses and Aaron following that incident and fiery serpents
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were released to strike the heels of those stubborn
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Israelites, that was Christ. When the Moabite woman came into
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the camp and seduced the men and so many of them engage with them
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sexually and worship their gods, so plague was unleashed and
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24,000 of them died, that was Christ.
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I think you get the point. When we understand Jesus role in
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the Exodus, we limit him to what?
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He's the greater Passover lamb. He's the one who faithfully
29:23
brought them out. It's his blood that we apply in
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our lives as we hide from the destroyer.
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Don't limit Christ there. Jesus Christ is also the one who
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destroyed those who approached the promised Land and did not
29:36
believe that God can bring them through.
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Is that your Jesus? That's the Bible Jesus.
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That's the complete Jesus. Not just the Jesus who saves,
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who delivers us from bondage, but destroys those who refuse to
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be free and trust him to bring him into the promised land.
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Jesus is the one who's saved and the one who destroys.
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That's the balanced view. And Revelation is helping us be
30:07
balanced. Don't forget that as we're going
30:10
through these seals that the one who's breaking them is the Lamb
30:12
of God. The Lamb of God who was slain
30:16
standing in victory is the same one who's pouring out judgement
30:19
on the earth. I'm afraid many professing
30:24
Christians will not even be able to recognize Christ when he
30:26
returns. But stick your face in the Bible
30:31
and let the Bible inform your vision and your understanding of
30:35
who He is. Not culture, not popular
30:37
preachers. The Word.
30:42
So this is the appeal that they make.
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O sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge
30:48
and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?
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And we come to the final point now of this message, the
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assurance that is given in verse 11.
30:59
Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a
31:02
little longer until the number of their fellow servants and
31:06
their brothers should be complete, who are to be killed
31:09
as they themselves had been. The response of the Sovereign
31:14
Lord who represents the Father in this vision is so comforting
31:17
and wonderful if you think about it, because He does 2 initial
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things. He gives them two things.
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The first first thing that He offers them is a white robe.
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And what does that represent? We may not know how that works
31:34
with disembodied spirits, robes, spiritual beings.
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That may not be clear, but the message is, do you remember what
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Jesus promised one of the churches in the letters if they
31:45
would be faithful until the end? Look what He said to the church
31:48
in Sardis back in Revelation 3, verse 5.
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The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments,
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and I will never blot His name out of the book of life.
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I will confess His name before my Father and before his angels.
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So this white garment primarily speaks about reward for
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faithfulness. You finished the race, you
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crossed the line, you kept the faith.
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Here's your graduation robe. So they were clothed with
32:21
dignity, they were clothed with glory, They were clothed with
32:24
God's pleasure. But beyond that, we realized
32:28
that He also provides a word, not just a robe.
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They were told to rest a little longer.
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Meaning it was not a matter of if the Lord was going to judge
32:38
those earth dwellers, but when He would do it, but at an
32:44
appointed time. And He could not vindicate His
32:46
people at the very moment they asked for it.
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For what reason? Why the delay?
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Because there was still more to be killed in the tribulation.
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This is amazing. God has a number in mind of how
32:58
many were to be slain before He says enough is enough time to
33:02
judge. He has a number of mind and I
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don't want to get ahead of myself here, but this one verse
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alone is so rich with application.
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Just verse 11 to begin. I don't know about you.
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I was tremendously helped by being reminded of one of the
33:22
ways God answers our prayers. Sometimes yes, other times no.
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And the one that we struggle with the most.
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Wait, wait, how long? Go, Lord, just rest a little
33:37
longer. And again, I understand this is
33:41
a unique vision with a precise message.
33:44
But here's here's a wonderful way of reading your Bible.
33:46
Draw out the principle. What's the principle?
33:52
The more I study my Bible, the more I'm convinced of this one
33:57
truth concerning the character of God.
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You ready? He's never in a rush.
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You and I are. He's not ever.
34:06
When he makes and molds his men and women, he takes his time.
34:10
Sometimes he sticks them in the wilderness for a few years.
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He's patient with the process. And here's what's so striking
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when we come to the final script of human history.
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He's not in a rush either. How long, O Lord?
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Just wait a little longer. We're the antsy ones.
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We're the ones who try to push his hand.
34:33
We're the one who tried to convince him to go ahead because
34:36
maybe he's busy, He doesn't understand what's really
34:37
happening. And at the same time, not only
34:41
do I learn something about the Lord, I learned something about
34:44
how we can wait. Well, what does he say?
34:49
Rest a little longer. Rest while you wait.
34:57
Relax. And if you need any motivation,
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no matter what you're trusting God to intervene for, be fixated
35:09
on the reality of how He is sovereign over every detail.
35:13
It's even here, I mentioned it already before.
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The Sovereign Lord here understands that there is a
35:20
particular number when His Saints are going to die and how
35:25
they're going to die. He's fully aware of this.
35:29
He's supervising that element of their existence.
35:32
And so if God here is clearly in charge about the way you and I
35:36
exit this world, is He not equally careful about the
35:42
moments and the milestones of your brief existence?
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He is so Lord, how long? I've been here for a while.
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Remember verse 11? I think what he says to them
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applies to us. Rest.
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Rest in my sovereignty, rest in my knowledge, rest in my wisdom,
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Rest. But more than that, I mentioned
36:13
brief existence. I said this earlier and I'll say
36:18
it in closing. Notice here in verse 11 how God
36:24
refers to the heavenly dwelling place as also a place of rest.
36:29
And that description comes up more than once in the Book of
36:31
Revelation. And this blissful reality not
36:35
only gives us hope for tomorrow, but it also must transform how
36:38
we function and operate. Until then, I want you to go to
36:42
another place where the Lord talks about the the Saints and
36:46
the tribulation who will be slain.
36:47
Look here at Revelation 14, verse 12.
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Again, we're looking at Revelation chronologically.
36:54
So at this point some time has passed and yet even in chapter
36:59
14, there's still more Christians who will die for the
37:04
gospel as this world is governed by this Antichrist system.
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Notice what the Lord says in Revelation 14.
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Scroll down to verse 12. Here is a call for the endurance
37:16
of the Saints, those who keep the commandments of God and
37:19
their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven
37:22
saying, write this, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord
37:26
from now on. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit.
37:30
Oh, I guess the spirit talks. He's not an impersonal force.
37:34
He's not just an energy, He's not just power.
37:38
He talks. Blessed indeed, says the spirit,
37:41
that they may rest from their laborers for their deeds follow
37:48
them. Here is yet another description
37:53
that the world to come will be a place of rest.
37:59
Maybe you've met these Christians.
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I've met they're they're especially prevalent in America.
38:04
Christians who spend all their energy and all their resources
38:07
trying to make this world as close to heaven as possible.
38:16
Nothing else is a priority to them.
38:19
My comfort, my luxury. I want to do as much as I can,
38:25
build as much as I can, spend as much as I can, invest as much as
38:29
I can, forgetting that this is not your permanent home and the
38:37
you can't deny this. The Lord delights in US enjoying
38:40
things on this earth. There is no doubt they are
38:42
expressions of His grace and goodness, your focus and mine.
38:46
Brother and sister, our priority is not to plant ourselves in
38:50
this world. There is a place of rest that
38:56
awaits, and until then, Christ and His work is our goal.
39:02
His Kingdom is what we advance. His purpose is what we push.
39:07
His plan and His person is what we endeavor to know more and
39:12
more. And it's the greatest joy of
39:13
all. Look what the Spirit says.
39:17
He says that those who die in the Lord will rest from their
39:20
laborers. You know what the Greek word for
39:23
laborers is taking a beating. Now you can limit this to how
39:30
the Tribulation Saints will finally rest from all the
39:33
harassment and the difficulties of trying to cling to their
39:37
trust in God and the truth of the gospel while everything
39:40
around them is against them. Sure, you can say that, but you
39:45
can also understand it as the exhausting work and faithful
39:48
service rendered to the Lord at that time.
39:54
Their deeds will follow them. Now is the time to serve Him
40:01
with everything that is in you. And one of the motivations to do
40:05
that with such devotion and sacrifice is that our deeds,
40:11
whatever we do here, will follow us and we'll be remembered and
40:15
rewarded by our God. And here's what came to my mind
40:18
this morning. Coming getting ready to come to
40:20
church today. Whenever I get called home, I
40:24
don't want crumbs to follow me because I got so wrapped up and
40:32
I got bamboozled by the American dream.
40:39
I don't want crumbs of good works to follow me.
40:42
Now notice the good works follow.
40:46
I'm not saved by good works. They follow us, We go marching
40:52
into that place with our confidence in the finished work
40:55
of Jesus Christ. At the same time, though, I am
41:01
covered in his blood, though I am clothed in his righteousness.
41:04
If it says here that my deeds follow me, I want to come with
41:09
something of worth. I don't know about you, but
41:16
that's what we learned here. Blessed are those who die in the
41:20
Lord. And the Spirit says indeed,
41:23
because rest is their promise. Anything that you know of pain,
41:29
of disturbance, of difficulty in your faith for Christ is
41:33
temporary. It's temporary, 10 seconds into
41:38
eternity and all those things that seem to last for an
41:42
eternity will disappear. All of those scars, all those
41:48
challenges, all those things that made days feel like weeks
41:51
and weeks feel like months, all of that will dissolve the moment
41:57
you step foot into that golden shore.
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Before I get ahead of myself and say more, let me just end it
42:09
here. Actually, I'm fully aware that
42:12
if we, as we've been looking at this 5th seal, this assembly,
42:16
this appeal, and this glorious assurance that some in this very
42:21
room right now do not know the Jesus that I speak of, it's very
42:26
possible. The Book of Revelation is a
42:29
fascinating book. It can draw in a curious amount
42:31
of people from different backgrounds and different
42:34
intents. But let me end it with this
42:38
thought. The Lord says blessed are those
42:42
who die in the Lord. Every single one of us has an
42:48
invisible expiration date on our lives.
42:51
We don't know what it is, but it's certain we will all die.
42:58
Church to tell people that all the time.
43:00
By the way, because we have this invincibility complex, we think
43:05
that we're immortal. No, you're going to die.
43:09
The preacher's going to die. We're all going to die.
43:12
But here's what I want to tell you.
43:13
We can all die differently, not the way we die, but spiritually
43:18
how we die. Here we learn that you can die
43:22
in the Lord. That sounds good.
43:28
The Spirit says it's actually a blessing.
43:31
What's the alternative? Let me tell you what Jesus said
43:34
in John 824. I told you that you would die in
43:38
your sins. For unless you believe that I am
43:43
He, you will die in your sins. Those are your only two options,
43:48
friend. You'll either die in the Lord or
43:51
die in your sins. One promises glory, the other
43:56
one promises condemnation. So here's the question.
44:00
How do I transfer from dying in my sins to dying in the Lord?
44:03
Well, Jesus said it. You must believe that He is who
44:06
He says He is. That's the way.
44:10
And I want to present to you the Jesus of the Bible.
44:13
You heard a little bit about Him.
44:16
He is holy and He is love. He is God who took on flesh and
44:24
He came to this world for a purpose to make a payment for
44:28
your sins. Everything that you have done,
44:31
every wicked deed, every carnal thought, every rebellious
44:36
decision that you've made was accounted for.
44:38
Jesus in His massive mega love, instead of destroying us, and
44:46
yet every right to do so, instead extended an olive
44:50
branch. And he chose to pave a way for
44:53
us to be reconciled, though we were enemies, not just
44:57
indifferent enemies. I'm not an enemy of Christ.
45:00
The Bible says you are if you don't have him as Lord.
45:04
And even though we were hostile against them, even though we
45:08
hated His righteousness, even though we chose to be our own
45:11
gods, and his great affection for us reaches out and says, I
45:17
will do whatever it takes for you to be redeemed and
45:19
reconciled unto me. And that's what he did on that
45:22
cross. And now we are living in a
45:26
period of grace. What you just heard in this past
45:28
50 minutes speaks about a future time where that door of the
45:33
grace of God being extended to humanity for centuries upon
45:36
centuries. We're still in it.
45:38
We'll come to a close and it'll be much more difficult during
45:43
this time to accept Christ, with the cost for doing so being so
45:47
severe. But while we're in this period,
45:52
you have an opportunity to bend your knee to receive His
45:56
forgiveness, and to live for why you were created.
46:01
He wants to forgive you of every degree of offense and wrong and
46:06
more than that, not just empty those things out, but fill you
46:10
with His glory, His joy, His purity, and His purpose.
46:14
You're saying this sounds too good to be true.
46:16
It must require something of me. Well, this is what gospel means.
46:20
Good news, good news. I come to you with good news
46:24
today. You can be redeemed, you can be
46:28
transformed, and you can know the God who made you.
46:33
What do I do? You acknowledge who He says He
46:36
is. I am the way I am the truth.
46:39
I am the life. No one can come to the Father
46:42
except through me. You acknowledge that if you say
46:46
you're the only Savior, and you say that I'm a Sinner, that I
46:48
humble myself. I'm not here to argue with you.
46:50
I surrender. And in that moment, if you do so
46:53
in sincerity, something supernatural will take place.
46:56
You're not going to get some kind of certificate.
46:59
You're not going to just get welcomed into some kind of a
47:01
nonprofit organization. No, no, no, the breath of God,
47:03
the life of God will fill you and you'll walk out of here
47:08
lighter and you'll walk out of here knowing I'm saved, I'm
47:13
saved, I have nothing to fear. I belong to Him.
47:19
Do you have that assurance? You can have it today.
47:26
Today can mark the day where you have heaven as your home and you
47:32
can know the abundant life. Until then, this is the good
47:35
news. Lord, we thank you for the
47:37
service. We thank you how you've spoken
47:40
to us in these three passages, these 3 verses, and we thank you
47:45
for the glorious gospel. Lord, help us take advantage of
47:55
the freedoms we have in this nation.
47:57
Lord of these Saints, we're willing to be slain for the word
48:00
of God and the testimony of Jesus.
48:03
Help us be willing to live for it where there is no danger or
48:09
threat for doing so. Only You can stimulate the heart
48:13
in that direction by Your Spirit we just ask for it.
48:17
So Lord, for the believer in large our hearts that mean we
48:19
may run in the way of Your commandments, quicken us that we
48:22
may call upon you. And Lord, for the person here
48:25
who doesn't have the assurance that they are saved, may Your
48:28
spirit go with them and convict the deepest parts of who they
48:33
are, and hear Your voice and Your voice alone until they
48:38
realize the sweetness of it, the joy of it, and give themselves
48:43
to it. But we love you and we worship
48:45
you. Even as we explore this 5th
48:48
seal. We do not fear, for our future
48:53
is a hopeful 1. And even if our bodies are
48:57
killed, we should fear You instead.
49:01
And we choose to give you our awe.
49:02
This afternoon, in Jesus name we pray, Amen.
49:07
Let's stand together, Church, and let's rejoice in our
49:10
Redeemer.