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The Alpha and the Omega (Selected Scriptures) John MacArthur · THE BELIEVER'S CHURCH | Let’s Build Our Faith Together

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: What is Christmas?
• 0:02
  Speaker 2: Is it anything important at all? There's certainly nothing important
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: to begin with about December.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: 25th, the date.
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: Because you see, December 25th came from a pagan observance
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: of the birthday of the unconquered sun, S-U-N.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: It certainly isn't biblical.
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: During that period of time, the pagans held two weeks
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: of feasts, parades, special music, gift giving, lighted candles, and
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: green trees. And some ambitious church members living in that
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: pagan culture decided to Christianize the holiday, and in 336,
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: Emperor Constantine declared Christ's birthday an official Roman holiday. Now,
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: there were some protesters, such as Chrysostom, who rebuked Christians
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: for adopting this pagan thing, but it stuck. You see,
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: we really don't know when Jesus was born. Some say
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: January 6th, others March 29th, some April 20th, others May 20th,
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: and some even say September 29th, but nobody really knows.
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: And December 25th is strictly a grab bag date, really
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: belonged to a pagan celebration, has nothing to do with Scripture.
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: So it isn't the date, it's not like the 4th
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: of July or something that has historical significance. Well, what
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: about the name? Maybe there's something significant about the name,
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: if not the date. Well, it's a short form of
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: Christ Mass, M-A-S-S, a Catholic Mass, a Roman Catholic Mass,
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: which grew out of a specific feast day called Christus Massae,
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: which was established in 1038. So it certainly has nothing
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: to do with Scripture. No, Christmas is not a holy day.
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: Christmas is not a divinely prescribed day. And in fact,
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: it was in 1224 that St. Francis of Assisi really
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: started the baby manger thing when he started a new
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: cult of the worship of Mary surrounding her in the
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: manger with the baby. You say, well, if it isn't
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: the date and it isn't the name, maybe it's Santa Claus. No,
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: I don't think so. You see, it can't be all
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: about Santa Claus because he never existed. Well, the idea
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: of Santa Claus is the result of a fourth century
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: bishop's activity. This particular fourth century bishop gave his possession
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: to poor people. And supposedly, he brought back to life
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: two children who had been cut in pieces. His name
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: was Saint Nicholas. And so it became a kind of
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: a tradition for people to look at Saint Nicholas as
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: a giver of gifts and the one who particularly was
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: meaningfully important to children. Well, Saint Nicholas became very popular
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: in Holland, and he got imported to America by way
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: of Holland. Dutch children expected the friendly saint to visit
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: them on December 5th, and the custom grew that on
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: December 5th, they placed their wooden shoes by the fireplace.
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: To be filled with goodies.
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: Of course, we very capable and fast-thinking Americans know you
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: can get a lot more in a sock than you
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: can in a wooden shoe, so.
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: We made some adaptation.
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: A man by the name of Clement Moore really perpetuated
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: the idea of this Santa Claus and he really made
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: it a thing in America because, you see, it's Clement
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: Moore who wrote the poem The Night Before Christmas. It
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: was published in 1823 in the Troy, New York Sentinel
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: and it became kind of the format for Christmas. It
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: doesn't seem to bother anybody that in recent years Pope
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: Paul defrocked St. Nicholas. You say, well, if it isn't
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: Santa Claus and it isn't the name and it isn't
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: the date, maybe it's the cards, Christmas cards. No. No,
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: Christmas isn't Christmas cards because, you see, that started less
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: than 100 years ago.
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: It can't be that.
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: And it's only really burgeoned when we've been able to print.
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: And this year, America's 50 million families will spend $ 800
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: million on Christmas cards. And we'll spend $ 200 million to
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: mail them. You say, well, if it isn't the cards,
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: maybe Christmas is the spirit of giving. Well, I'm afraid
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: it isn't the spirit of giving anymore. It's the spirit
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: of indulgence. Have you been to Toys R Us lately?
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: $ 10 billion will be spent on 1,500,000,000 gifts.
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: $ 10 billion.
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: Incidentally, that'll all be wrapped in $ 150 million worth of paper.
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: You say, well, maybe it's the tree. No, the tree
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: didn't arrive until the 16th century, and the first person
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: to have a lighted tree was Martin Luther. You say, well,
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: what about Christmas is Christian? None of it. None of
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: it's Christian.
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: None of it's biblical.
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: Not a bit of it's commanded by the Lord. None
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: of it is scriptural. None of it is apostolic, and
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: none of it was ever observed by the early church.
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: In fact, the Puritans, even in early America, called Christmas
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: Romish rags. They deliberately worked on the first December 25th
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: in order to show disdain for the pagan holiday. And
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: in 1644, and this is an interesting note, in 1644,
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: English Puritans passed a law making Christmas Day a working day.
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: And it became illegal to cook plum pudding and mince pie.
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: You say, John, that's a little much. Sure, it's a
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: little much.
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: But what is Christmas? Strip off the date, the name,
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: Santa Claus, the cards, the presents, the tree, and the food.
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: What do you got? Nothing. And that's precisely what Christmas is.
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: It's nothing.
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: It's absolutely nothing. It isn't historical. It isn't biblical. It
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: isn't Christian. It isn't anything. Worse than that, it turns
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: out to be sort of bedlam, doesn't it? You know,
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: it's an interesting thing. The very word bedlam comes from
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: the word Bethlehem. In 1247, the Priory of St. Mary
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: of Bethlehem was founded in London and by 1330 had
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: become a hospital and by 1401 was a hospital for
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: the insane. The noise and the confusion of that insane
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: asylum was known throughout England and it became a byword. St.
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: Mary of Bethlehem was shortened to Bethlehem and then by
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: contraction and corruption it became known as Bedlam. Bethlehem and
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: Bedlam historically and semantically are related.
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: You say, well, John, what about the birth of Christ?
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: That's something. Sure, that's something.
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: Yeah, but that's not something to be celebrated once. That's
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: something to be celebrated every day.
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: Every day.
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: Well, you say, if Christmas is nothing, then are we
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: wrong to recognize it? Not necessarily, if we recognize that
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: it is nothing. Secondly, if we enjoy the time with
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: family and friends and sharing our love.
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: And being together....
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: But mostly, I think Christmas is important because it gives
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: Christians the opportunity to catch a world at least aware
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: of Jesus and give them the truth. That's really what
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: we want to do today. Christmas isn't anything to me.
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: It isn't anything at all. It isn't anything to you
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: if you know Jesus Christ any different than any other day.
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: Because every day is a celebration for us who know
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: and love Him. In fact, Christmas is a depressing time.
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: Did you know that? For most people. I read an
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: article and this is what it says. It was written
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: by Dr. J.M. Stubblebine, who is the director of the
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: California Department of Mental Hygiene.
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: This is a quote.
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: The Christmas season is marked by greater emotional stress and
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: more acts of violence than any other time of the year.
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: Christmas is an excuse to get drunk, have a party,
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: get something and give a little, leave work, get out
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: of school, spend money, overeat.
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: And I'll buy it.
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: Christmas is an excuse for us to exalt Jesus Christ
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: in the face of a world that is at least
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: tuned into his name. And I am ready to take
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: advantage of it. Spurgeon said, look, Christmas is here. We
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: might as well live with it and take the opportunity
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: to exalt Christ. Our prayer is, The same as it
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: is for every time we meet that our Lord Jesus
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: Christ be lifted up. I've entitled the message this morning,
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: which departs from our continuing study in the book of Acts,
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: which we're normally involved in on Sunday mornings, An Apocalyptic
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: View of Christmas. And I don't know whether you've ever
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: had a Christmas message taken from the book of Revelation,
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: but you're about to have one. And the reason that
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: I desire to do that is because I think we're
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: a lot closer to the second coming of Jesus Christ
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: than we are to the first one.
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: He came 2,000 years ago.
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: I'm quite confident it will not be another 2,000 before
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: He returns. And I'm confident also that the world is
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: happy to let Jesus Christ be a baby in a manger,
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: but not willing to let Him be the sovereign King
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: and Lord that He is. And so my approach this
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: morning is to see Jesus Christ as He shall be
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: and as He is and will be revealed in His
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: second coming in contrast to the first time He came.
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: At the end of the book of Revelation, and you
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: need not turn to it, we read the words of
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: Jesus as He summarizes the book of Revelation. I, Jesus,
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: in the churches.
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: I am the root and the offspring.
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: Of David. The question is always asked, who is Jesus Christ?
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: And here at the end of Revelation, he says, if
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: you're wondering who that offspring is, that one born in
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: Bethlehem of the lineage in the house of David, I
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: am the offspring of David. But he also adds, I
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: am the root of David, which is an astounding statement.
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: For in it he is saying, not only am I
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: the one born of the seed of David, but I
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: am the one who made David in.
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: The first place.
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: Now if the book of Revelation is then to be
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: a presentation of this child, this root, and this offspring
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: of David, then we need to back up into the
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: book of Revelation and see clearly who He is. And
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: that's what we want to do. The Lord Jesus Christ
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: whom we exalt today is not just a baby in
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: a manger. He is not a children's story.
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: He is far more.
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: The first time He came, He came veiled in the
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: form of a child. And not too many really knew it.
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: The world didn't take much notice.
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: Some did.
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: Most did not.
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: But the second time He comes, the next time He comes,
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: and soon we believe it will be, He comes unveiled.
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: He comes without the robe of human flesh in terms
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: of an infant. And when He comes, it will be
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: abundantly clear and immediately clear to all the world just
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: who He really is. The first time He came, a
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: star marked His arrival. The next time He comes, the
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: whole heaven will roll up like a scroll and all
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: the stars will fall out of the sky and He
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: Himself will light it. The first time He came, wise
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: men and shepherds brought Him gifts. The next time He comes,
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: He will bring gifts, rewards for His own. The first
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: time He came, there was no room for Him. The
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: next time He comes, the whole world won't be able
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: to contain His glory. The first time He came, a
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: few attended His arrival, some shepherds and some wise men.
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: The next time He comes, every eye shall see Him.
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: The first time He came as a baby, soon He
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: comes as sovereign King and Lord. Now in Scripture there
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: are many portraits of Christ. And we could approach Christmas
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: perhaps as we did in years past from the Old Testament,
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: seeing Him presented in Isaiah as the Messiah, the Child,
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, All of those things,
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: the Prince of Peace, the Father of Eternity. We could
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: look at all the Old Testament pictures. We could study
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: Him as the angel of the Lord, as the one
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: co-equal with God in the Old Testament. Or we could
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: go into the Gospels, and we could study Matthew, Mark,
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: and Luke, and John, and we could see Him there
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: as a gentle baby, as a unique child, as a
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: humble man, as a loving friend, as a powerful miracle worker,
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: as a suffering Savior, as a risen Lord, as an
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: ascending Lord. We could study the Gospels and see that Christ,
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: whom we exalt. Well, we could study the epistles, and
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: we could read about all of those marvelous things about
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: Him as a sustainer, as the strength of His saints,
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: as the mediator, as the great high priest, as the
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: kind shepherd, all of those things that He is to us,
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: the head of His church. But for this morning, we've
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: chosen to go to the book of Revelation and see
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: Him as we see Him there. And I'm convinced that
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: there are no more powerful and no more vivid portraits
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: of Jesus Christ and those found in the book of
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: Revelation meant, meant by the word of our Lord Himself
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: so stated to show us who is this child, this
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: offspring of David. Now, I want to share with you
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: five things from the book of Revelation about Him, His person,
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: His preeminence, His praise, His promise, and finally, His plea
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: as the book closes with an invitation. Notice, first of all,
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: His person, chapter 1. Revelation chapter 1. And time does
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: not permit us to go into great detail, but just
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: to pick out those things directly in reference to Christ.
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: Verse 5, Revelation 1, beginning with the words, Jesus Christ,
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: Jesus Christ, the faithful witness. The first of three titles
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: in verse 5, the faithful witness. Who is this babe?
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: Who was this one born of the seed of David?
• 14:49
  Speaker 2: First of all, the revelation says the faithful witness. In
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: Isaiah 55, 4, God predicted that there would come a
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: witness to the peoples. In Psalm 89, God said of him,
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: I will make him a faithful witness. That means reliable, trustworthy,
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: able to be believed, always speaking truth. And Jesus spoke truth,
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: you know that. He came into this world not to
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: learn truth, but to deliver truth. He is no baby
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: who must be taught. He is no cooing child. He
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: is the Son of God who speaks the mind of God.
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: Jesus Himself said, To this end was I born, and
• 15:33
  Speaker 2: for this cause came I into the world, that I
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: should bear witness to the truth. That's why He came.
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: John 18, 37. And then He is secondly called the
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: first begotten of the dead, the first among those resurrected. Now,
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: the term first begotten does not mean of all people resurrected,
• 15:55
  Speaker 2: He was the first one in line. No, He was
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: not the first raised from the dead, was He? Some
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: in the Old Testament were raised from the dead. Jesus
• 16:02
  Speaker 2: Himself raised some from the dead before He ever died.
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: What it means is that of all those ever raised,
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: He is the chief. You say, well, who is raised? Listen,
• 16:14
  Speaker 2: before it's all over, every person who ever lived in
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: the history of the world will be raised from the dead.
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: Every one. Some to the resurrection of life, John 5, 29.
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: Some to the resurrection of damnation. But all who ever
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: lived in the history of the world shall be raised
• 16:30
  Speaker 2: from the dead. And among all of those, the chief
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: one is Christ, the Exalted One. And for the sake
• 16:41
  Speaker 2: of truth which He spoke, He was willing to die
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: and rise again.
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: And so this is not just a born baby.
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: This Jesus is not just a born baby, but a
• 16:51
  Speaker 2: resurrected God-man. And then thirdly, He has another title, the
• 16:58
  Speaker 2: Prince of the Kings of the Earth. He is the
• 17:01
  Speaker 2: supreme monarch in the world. Oh, yes, some wise men
• 17:06
  Speaker 2: assumed to be kings in their own right, bowed to
• 17:09
  Speaker 2: Him as a baby Every king and every man in
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: the earth and under the earth shall ultimately bow to
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: him as they did. He ranks over all. In Daniel 4, 37,
• 17:23
  Speaker 2: He's called the King of Heaven. In Matthew 2, 2,
• 17:26
  Speaker 2: He's called the King of the Jews. In John 1, 49,
• 17:29
  Speaker 2: He's called the King of Israel. In 1 Timothy 1, 17,
• 17:32
  Speaker 2: He's called the King of the Ages. In Psalm 24, 7,
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: He's called the King of Glory. In Revelation 15, 3,
• 17:39
  Speaker 2: He's called the King of the Saints. And in Revelation 19,
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: He is called, in a summary fashion, King.
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: Of Kings and Lord of Lords.
• 17:49
  Speaker 2: And so His kingdoms is a superior kingdom to any other. Listen,
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: this is no helpless infant. This is the sovereign ruler
• 17:58
  Speaker 2: of the universe. Now notice, having given three titles, it
• 18:04
  Speaker 2: then goes on to speak of His work, verse 5,
• 18:07
  Speaker 2: unto Him that loveth us and washed us from our
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: sins in His own blood.
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: I love that.
• 18:13
  Speaker 2: You know, Jesus could have come into this world and
• 18:16
  Speaker 2: been all of those things, but if He had never
• 18:18
  Speaker 2: paid the penalty for sin, it would have done none
• 18:19
  Speaker 2: of us any good. And so He washed us with
• 18:23
  Speaker 2: the only detergent that gets sin out, His own blood.
• 18:29
  Speaker 2: His own blood. And I like one little thought, and
• 18:32
  Speaker 2: I could spend a lot of time just on that phrase,
• 18:34
  Speaker 2: but I won't. I like one thought, unto Him that
• 18:36
  Speaker 2: loves us, present tense. You know, I think when we
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: think about the love of God, we think of it
• 18:42
  Speaker 2: in a past sense. We kind of think God's love
• 18:44
  Speaker 2: peaked out at Calvary. And we always say, He loved us,
• 18:48
  Speaker 2: past tense, so much that He died. Listen, He doesn't
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: love us.
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: Any less now.
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: He loves us and washed us. Yes, He washed us past.
• 18:57
  Speaker 2: He loves us present. If He loved us when we
• 18:59
  Speaker 2: hated Him, could He love us any less now that
• 19:01
  Speaker 2: we love Him? No. And that's why being saved is
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: one thing and dying on the cross is one thing
• 19:08
  Speaker 2: in point of history, but living the Christian life is
• 19:10
  Speaker 2: ever and always the same expression of His love as
• 19:13
  Speaker 2: was the point of our salvation or the point of
• 19:15
  Speaker 2: His crucifixion. Now notice verse 6. Beyond His redemptive work
• 19:23
  Speaker 2: is His transforming work. He made us a kingdom of
• 19:25
  Speaker 2: priests unto God and His Father. You know, in the
• 19:28
  Speaker 2: Old Testament, the only people who could get into God's
• 19:30
  Speaker 2: presence were the priests. And Jesus Christ changed us into priests,
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: threw open the Holy of Holies, and invited us into
• 19:38
  Speaker 2: the presence of God. Oh no, this was no baby.
• 19:45
  Speaker 2: This was no baby subject to the religious structure. This
• 19:49
  Speaker 2: was no baby structured by the ceremonies of Judaism. This
• 19:53
  Speaker 2: is the one who had the access to God Himself
• 19:56
  Speaker 2: and who could tear the veil from top to bottom
• 19:58
  Speaker 2: and open the way for everybody. He was no one
• 20:03
  Speaker 2: subject to a religion. He was the one who framed truth.
• 20:10
  Speaker 2: Look at verse 8. Of Him... He says, I am
• 20:16
  Speaker 2: Alpha and Omega. Alpha is the first letter in the
• 20:19
  Speaker 2: Greek alphabet. Omega is the last. I am the beginning
• 20:23
  Speaker 2: and the ending. In other words, He is the eternal God.
• 20:28
  Speaker 2: Before there was anything, I was. That's what He's saying.
• 20:32
  Speaker 2: Eternity belongs to Him. Listen, that life didn't begin at Bethlehem.
• 20:36
  Speaker 2: That wasn't the beginning of the life of Christ. He
• 20:39
  Speaker 2: was alive for all eternity prior and shall live forever.
• 20:45
  Speaker 2: I am the one, he says, who is and who
• 20:49
  Speaker 2: was and who is to come, the Almighty. And if
• 20:56
  Speaker 2: you can even imagine the power that it takes to
• 20:58
  Speaker 2: be eternal and to create and destroy as He is able,
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: you understand something of the term Almighty. Now look at
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: verse 10. I, said John, was in the Spirit on
• 21:12
  Speaker 2: the Lord's day. And I heard behind me a great
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: voice as of a trumpet. It's interesting that God sounds
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: like a trumpet in many places in the Bible because
• 21:20
  Speaker 2: of that piercing, brilliant, loud, clear cry that a trumpet gives.
• 21:24
  Speaker 2: And God is likened to a trumpet. For example, at
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: Mount Sinai, the thunders and the lightnings, and then He
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: heard the voice as of a loud trumpet. And what
• 21:31
  Speaker 2: is the thing that's going to be picturing the voice
• 21:33
  Speaker 2: of the Lord at the rapture but a trumpet? And
• 21:36
  Speaker 2: so here John hears this blast of a trumpet. It's
• 21:39
  Speaker 2: the voice of God saying, and it's really Christ speaking,
• 21:42
  Speaker 2: I am Alpha, verse 11, and Omega, the first and
• 21:45
  Speaker 2: the last. And here comes this dramatic statement that He
• 21:49
  Speaker 2: is eternal God. Anyone who ascribes to Jesus less than
• 21:57
  Speaker 2: absolute deity blasphemes His character.
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: This is no baby.
• 22:03
  Speaker 2: This is God incarnate. Well, John heard this voice and
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: he naturally turned to see where it came from in
• 22:11
  Speaker 2: his vision. And that's verse 12. And I turned to
• 22:14
  Speaker 2: see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned,
• 22:17
  Speaker 2: I saw seven golden lampstands. And these represent the church.
• 22:20
  Speaker 2: You can check that with verse 20. The seven lampstands
• 22:22
  Speaker 2: which you saw are the seven churches. And so he
• 22:25
  Speaker 2: sees in his vision the seven lampstands representing the church.
• 22:28
  Speaker 2: Seven being the number of completeness. This is the picture
• 22:30
  Speaker 2: of the total church. And he sees the church. And
• 22:34
  Speaker 2: in the midst of the seven lampstands, verse 13, one
• 22:36
  Speaker 2: like the Son of Man, here is Christ ministering to
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: His church. As the priest went through the lampstand, trimming
• 22:43
  Speaker 2: the oil and making sure it was lit and going,
• 22:45
  Speaker 2: so Jesus Christ moves in and out among the believers
• 22:50
  Speaker 2: in the church. He sees Christ in the church. Now,
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: this is not just, as I said earlier, this is
• 22:59
  Speaker 2: not a man subject to a religion.
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: This is the head of the church.
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: This is not just one presented at the temple to
• 23:08
  Speaker 2: be blessed by the priest, as in the case when
• 23:10
  Speaker 2: Jesus was brought and Simeon was there, but this is
• 23:12
  Speaker 2: the one who dominates, who rules, who controls, and who
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: gives life to the church through all the agents. He
• 23:20
  Speaker 2: is not a subject. He rules. Now look at verse
• 23:24
  Speaker 2: 13 and let's see what he had on. He was
• 23:27
  Speaker 2: clothed with a garment down to the foot and girded
• 23:29
  Speaker 2: around the breast with a golden girdle. Now he has
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: on a floor-length robe and a girdle of gold about him.
• 23:35
  Speaker 2: That's a pretty... glorious attire. And I want to show
• 23:39
  Speaker 2: you something interesting. The word garment there, potoress, is the
• 23:42
  Speaker 2: word for robe, and it was a floor-length robe. That
• 23:44
  Speaker 2: word potoress appears in the Old Testament several times, the
• 23:48
  Speaker 2: same word in the Greek form of the Old Testament,
• 23:51
  Speaker 2: which is called the Septuagint. Now, I want to show
• 23:53
  Speaker 2: you what this means. You say, well, what's so significant
• 23:55
  Speaker 2: about that? I'll show you something exciting. Clothes with a
• 23:58
  Speaker 2: garment down to the foot and with a golden girdle
• 24:00
  Speaker 2: or golden belt symbolizes three things. One, That is exactly
• 24:04
  Speaker 2: the garb of an Old Testament priest and the high priest.
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: And so what you see here is Jesus Christ as priest.
• 24:13
  Speaker 2: And you see He is mediating. He is moving in
• 24:15
  Speaker 2: among those in the church in the priestly work, caring
• 24:20
  Speaker 2: for the lamps, lighting, and trimming. You see Him as
• 24:22
  Speaker 2: a priest. He is our great high priest. Oh, what
• 24:26
  Speaker 2: a high priest He is. He can be touched with
• 24:28
  Speaker 2: the feelings of our infirmities because He's hurt where we've hurt.
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: He can be a sympathetic mediator. But there's more to
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: it than that.
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: The same word potoress, the same kind of robe, and
• 24:38
  Speaker 2: the same indications of costume appear in the Old Testament
• 24:41
  Speaker 2: in the case of Saul. And Saul was not a priest,
• 24:45
  Speaker 2: he was what? He was a king, King Saul. And
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: so it not only is the robe of a priest,
• 24:52
  Speaker 2: but it's the robe of a king. And so Jesus
• 24:54
  Speaker 2: is not only seen in priestly character, but He's seen
• 24:57
  Speaker 2: in the robe of royalty. Then I found an interesting passage.
• 25:01
  Speaker 2: Daniel chapter 10, Daniel has a messenger. The messenger comes
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: from God, verse 5, and it describes what the messenger
• 25:08
  Speaker 2: was wearing, and it says he was wearing a poterace
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: in the Septuagint, the same robe, and he was wearing
• 25:13
  Speaker 2: a belt of gold from Euphas. That's the same robe
• 25:18
  Speaker 2: worn by a messenger. God's messengers are prophets, and so
• 25:24
  Speaker 2: we see Jesus here as a prophet, king, and a priest.
• 25:29
  Speaker 2: That's his character, isn't it? Listen, beloved, when you look
• 25:33
  Speaker 2: at Jesus, this is not a baby to be presented
• 25:35
  Speaker 2: to a priest.
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: This is the high priest.
• 25:37
  Speaker 2: This is not an infant to be hunted by a
• 25:39
  Speaker 2: wicked king. This is the king of all kings. And
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: this is not just a child to be prophesied by prophets,
• 25:47
  Speaker 2: but this is the greatest prophet who ever lived. Prophet, priest,
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: and king without equal, and all of it seen in
• 25:54
  Speaker 2: the simplicity of just the fact that he wore a
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: robe and a gold belt. Then John begins to describe
• 25:59
  Speaker 2: the vision of Jesus detail by detail. Look at verse 14.
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: His head and his hair were white like wool and
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: as white as snow.
• 26:07
  Speaker 2: We'll stop there. He sees, first of all, his head
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: and hair, and it's just white. You know, back in
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: Daniel chapter 7, verse 9, it describes God as having
• 26:18
  Speaker 2: that white like wool hair. It's called the Ancient of Days.
• 26:22
  Speaker 2: To the Jew, white hair was a symbol of wisdom.
• 26:26
  Speaker 2: but it also is a symbol of purity because it's
• 26:28
  Speaker 2: so highly emphasized. It's not only his hair that was white, wisdom,
• 26:33
  Speaker 2: but his head. In other words, he really is, he's
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: absolute purity personified as well as wisdom. Now listen, this
• 26:43
  Speaker 2: is not just a baby to be taught to obey.
• 26:46
  Speaker 2: He is absolute righteousness. He cannot disobey. This is not
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: a baby to be taught facts and truths. This is
• 26:55
  Speaker 2: God who is wisdom personified. And so it's far more
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: than the manger. This is God. Verse 14 at the
• 27:08
  Speaker 2: end says, his eyes were like a flame of fire.
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: What does that mean?
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: Searching, penetrating, nothing hidden.
• 27:18
  Speaker 2: In Hebrews chapter 4, there's a very interesting verse, verse 13.
• 27:22
  Speaker 2: We usually quit with verse 12. We shouldn't. 13 says,
• 27:24
  Speaker 2: neither is there any creature that is not manifest in
• 27:27
  Speaker 2: his sight, but all things are naked and opened under
• 27:29
  Speaker 2: the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: And who is it?
• 27:33
  Speaker 2: Seeing then that we have a great high priest, it's
• 27:36
  Speaker 2: Jesus Christ. Listen, do you know that nothing in your
• 27:40
  Speaker 2: life escapes His gaze? Absolutely nothing. His eyes penetrate, and
• 27:44
  Speaker 2: it's the eyes of judgment. They penetrate to the deepest
• 27:47
  Speaker 2: recesses of your heart, and He reads you like a billboard.
• 27:50
  Speaker 2: He's God. In John's gospel, it was said that no
• 27:53
  Speaker 2: man needed to tell Him anything, for He knew what
• 27:56
  Speaker 2: was in the heart of a man. He reads you
• 28:01
  Speaker 2: like a book held in your hand. He reads you.
• 28:07
  Speaker 2: You say, that bothers me. It bothers you? Then there's
• 28:09
  Speaker 2: two reasons. One, you don't know Jesus Christ. Two, you're
• 28:11
  Speaker 2: a Christian living in sin. Look at verse 50. His
• 28:18
  Speaker 2: feet like fine bronze as if they burned in a furnace.
• 28:22
  Speaker 2: You know, there's something about little babies that I like,
• 28:26
  Speaker 2: a lot of things. But one thing that I think
• 28:28
  Speaker 2: is really cute are the feet of little babies. Now,
• 28:31
  Speaker 2: my wife strictly goes for hands, but I like feet.
• 28:36
  Speaker 2: You know, you see those little pink, tender, soft, chubby feet.
• 28:41
  Speaker 2: And I know that when Jesus was born, it was
• 28:43
  Speaker 2: so with him. But beloved, that's a far cry from
• 28:46
  Speaker 2: what you just read, isn't it? His feet were like
• 28:50
  Speaker 2: fine bronze or brass as if they were burned in
• 28:53
  Speaker 2: a furnace. You ever seen a blacksmith with a piece
• 28:55
  Speaker 2: of steel or a piece of metal in a furnace,
• 28:57
  Speaker 2: pull it out and it's white hot? That's the way
• 28:58
  Speaker 2: his feet are. You say, what is that? That's the
• 29:02
  Speaker 2: feet of judgment. The feet of a ruler or a
• 29:05
  Speaker 2: monarch represent a judgment because kings are always elevated. And
• 29:08
  Speaker 2: when a subject was brought beneath his feet, it was
• 29:10
  Speaker 2: the symbol of authority over him. And so feet held
• 29:12
  Speaker 2: the position of judgment. Even the Bible talks about the footstool,
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: the enemies of Christ being his footstool.
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: And so here are feet.
• 29:19
  Speaker 2: Of flaming fired brass or bronze ready to stamp out judgment.
• 29:27
  Speaker 2: A far distance from those little feet wrapped in swaddling
• 29:31
  Speaker 2: clothes in Bethlehem. Verse 1 of chapter 10 of Revelation,
• 29:35
  Speaker 2: I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed
• 29:37
  Speaker 2: with a cloud and a rainbow upon his head and
• 29:39
  Speaker 2: his face.
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: Was as though it were the sun and his feet
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: like pillars of fire.
• 29:42
  Speaker 2: That's Christ. And he had in his hand a little
• 29:45
  Speaker 2: scroll open. He set his right foot on the sea
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: and his left foot on the earth, and he cried
• 29:49
  Speaker 2: with a loud voice as when a lion roars, and
• 29:51
  Speaker 2: when he cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And there's
• 29:54
  Speaker 2: Christ with his burning feet, stamping one on the land
• 29:56
  Speaker 2: and stamping one on the sea as he takes back
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: control of the earth from Satan. Feet of judgment. Look
• 30:03
  Speaker 2: at verse 15, second part. And his voice like the sound.
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: Of many waters.
• 30:08
  Speaker 2: When he spoke, he spoke with authority and majesty and dominance. Listen,
• 30:14
  Speaker 2: that little voice that whimpered and cried in the stable
• 30:18
  Speaker 2: was the same voice that settled the sea, was the
• 30:22
  Speaker 2: same voice that called the dead out of the graves,
• 30:26
  Speaker 2: and it's the same voice that that someday is going
• 30:29
  Speaker 2: to speak and the universe will go out of existence
• 30:32
  Speaker 2: just as fast as it came into existence when he
• 30:34
  Speaker 2: spoke the first time. Look at verse 16. And he
• 30:43
  Speaker 2: had in his right hand seven stars, and those represent
• 30:45
  Speaker 2: the ministers of the churches. That's in verse 20. He
• 30:48
  Speaker 2: controls the pastors. He controls his church. And out of
• 30:53
  Speaker 2: his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword. Now the word
• 30:59
  Speaker 2: sword here is ramphaya and it refers to a great, huge,
• 31:02
  Speaker 2: broad sword that was wielded with two hands and it
• 31:04
  Speaker 2: was used to just chop heads off or split people.
• 31:09
  Speaker 2: And here he is seen with this sword going out
• 31:11
  Speaker 2: of his mouth.
• 31:13
  Speaker 1: This is judgment, my friend. This is judgment.
• 31:15
  Speaker 2: There's another sword, the machaira, which is a little dagger,
• 31:18
  Speaker 2: and that's used in Hebrews 4.12, for the Word of
• 31:20
  Speaker 2: God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword.
• 31:23
  Speaker 2: You see, in that verse it means it convicts, but
• 31:27
  Speaker 2: here it judges. Jesus Christ can use the word to convict,
• 31:33
  Speaker 2: but He can open His mouth, and another sword comes out,
• 31:35
  Speaker 2: and that's a sword of judgment. Listen, this is not
• 31:40
  Speaker 2: just a baby subject to His mother and father. This
• 31:44
  Speaker 2: is the sovereign, and the whole universe is subject to
• 31:47
  Speaker 2: His judgment. John reacted to this vision. How could he not?
• 31:53
  Speaker 2: The end of verse 16, His countenance was as the
• 31:55
  Speaker 2: sun shineth in its strength. He saw His face. Countenance
• 31:58
  Speaker 2: means face. And it was glowing like the sun. He
• 31:59
  Speaker 2: saw him in the blaze of glory. And he fell
• 32:02
  Speaker 2: down at his feet as though he were dead, verse
• 32:05
  Speaker 2: 17 says. If it hadn't been that he was in
• 32:08
  Speaker 2: the spirit, verse 10, he probably would have died. He
• 32:11
  Speaker 2: couldn't handle that. He fell down as dead. And then
• 32:16
  Speaker 2: the Lord tapped him, it says. He laid his right
• 32:18
  Speaker 2: hand upon me, saying unto me, fear not. Don't be afraid.
• 32:23
  Speaker 2: I am the first and the last. I am He
• 32:26
  Speaker 2: that liveth and was dead. And behold, I'm alive forevermore.
• 32:29
  Speaker 2: So let it be and have the keys of Hades
• 32:32
  Speaker 2: and death, the grave and death.
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: This is the one who conquered death.
• 32:36
  Speaker 2: This is the one who can be victorious as He
• 32:39
  Speaker 2: always has been. I like the statement, has the keys
• 32:43
  Speaker 2: of Hades and death. Listen, this is no baby. This
• 32:47
  Speaker 2: is no little child susceptible to childhood diseases. This is
• 32:51
  Speaker 2: no child that needs to be fed and wrapped and
• 32:53
  Speaker 2: kept warm lest it die. This is the sovereign who
• 32:56
  Speaker 2: rules death and calls death to his own summons. So
• 33:01
  Speaker 2: we see his person, and what a person. Secondly, we
• 33:04
  Speaker 2: see his preeminence, verse 5 of chapter 5. His preeminence.
• 33:11
  Speaker 2: That's who he is, and there is none like him, secondly.
• 33:15
  Speaker 2: Before we come to verse 5, let me just set
• 33:16
  Speaker 2: the stage. God is on the throne. The church has
• 33:20
  Speaker 2: been raptured. It's time for the tribulation to begin. And
• 33:23
  Speaker 2: the seven-year tribulation is the time when Christ takes back
• 33:26
  Speaker 2: the earth from Satan.
• 33:28
  Speaker 1: And the scene is heaven.
• 33:29
  Speaker 2: God is on the throne. And God's holding in His
• 33:32
  Speaker 2: hand a scroll. And the scroll is the.
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: Title deed to the earth.
• 33:36
  Speaker 2: And God is waiting for the rightful heir who will
• 33:39
  Speaker 2: take the scroll and take back the earth. Verse 1.
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: Just as a background.
• 33:44
  Speaker 2: I saw in the right hand of him that sat
• 33:45
  Speaker 2: on the throne a scroll written within and on the back.
• 33:47
  Speaker 2: Sealed with seven seals. The Roman law said you had
• 33:49
  Speaker 2: to seal a will seven times. So a strong angel
• 33:51
  Speaker 2: came with a loud voice. Who is worthy to open
• 33:54
  Speaker 2: the scroll and loose its seals? Who's going to take
• 33:55
  Speaker 2: back the earth from Satan? Who's going to bring it
• 33:57
  Speaker 2: back and get the kingdom on the way? No man
• 34:00
  Speaker 2: in heaven, verse 3, nor in earth, neither under the earth,
• 34:02
  Speaker 2: was able to open the scroll, neither look on it.
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: Nobody came.
• 34:05
  Speaker 2: Who's going to take back the earth? And John got
• 34:08
  Speaker 2: all upset, verse 4, and he started crying. I wept
• 34:11
  Speaker 2: much because no man was found worthy to open and
• 34:14
  Speaker 2: read the book.
• 34:14
  Speaker 1: I need to look on it.
• 34:17
  Speaker 2: Is there anyone worthy? Verse 5. Anybody who possibly is
• 34:21
  Speaker 2: so righteous, so powerful that he has the right and
• 34:25
  Speaker 2: the power to take back the earth from Satan. Is
• 34:27
  Speaker 2: there one? Verse 5. One of the elders.
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: The elders represent the church.
• 34:31
  Speaker 2: Said, weep not.
• 34:32
  Speaker 1: John, don't cry.
• 34:34
  Speaker 2: Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root
• 34:37
  Speaker 2: of David, hath prevailed to open the scroll and loose
• 34:40
  Speaker 2: its seven seals. There is one. Yes, a preeminent one,
• 34:45
  Speaker 2: a one above all others who can take back the earth.
• 34:47
  Speaker 2: He has the right to the earth. He has the
• 34:49
  Speaker 2: power to do it. And who is it? Well, first
• 34:56
  Speaker 2: of all, he calls him a lion. The lion of
• 34:58
  Speaker 2: the tribe of Judah. Judah was the lion tribe and
• 35:02
  Speaker 2: Jesus is the lion of the lion tribe.
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: This is Messiah.
• 35:07
  Speaker 2: Notice, he's called the root of David. In other words,
• 35:11
  Speaker 2: he wasn't only born of the seed and lineage of David,
• 35:14
  Speaker 2: he was the one who created David. I don't see
• 35:18
  Speaker 2: how people can get away from the deity of Jesus
• 35:20
  Speaker 2: Christ and his absolute nature as God just from phrases
• 35:22
  Speaker 2: like that.
• 35:24
  Speaker 1: The root and offspring of David.
• 35:26
  Speaker 2: Here, the root of David. He created David. No, this
• 35:31
  Speaker 2: is a lion. We think of the manger and there's
• 35:34
  Speaker 2: a little baby all warm and cuddled up in there,
• 35:37
  Speaker 2: and we see a whole lot of little gentle animals.
• 35:41
  Speaker 2: Throw that scene out and imagine him not as a
• 35:43
  Speaker 2: baby amid some gentle animals, but as a lion amid
• 35:46
  Speaker 2: some men. And you see the apocalyptic Christ. Now, John
• 35:55
  Speaker 2: turns around to see this lion, and you know what
• 35:58
  Speaker 2: he sees? Fantastic. Verse 6, And I beheld, and lo,
• 36:01
  Speaker 2: in the midst of the throne and of the four
• 36:02
  Speaker 2: living creatures, those are special angels, not just ordinary ones,
• 36:05
  Speaker 2: but special ones. And in the midst of the elders
• 36:07
  Speaker 2: stood a what? It wasn't a lion when he turned
• 36:10
  Speaker 2: to look. It was a lamb. A lamb as though
• 36:14
  Speaker 2: it had been slain. And the word in the Greek
• 36:15
  Speaker 2: slain there is violently slain. A lamb that was all
• 36:18
  Speaker 2: violently slain and bleeding and had seven horns and seven eyes.
• 36:25
  Speaker 2: And the horns most likely represent power. The horn of
• 36:29
  Speaker 2: an animal was its power. And the seven eyes are
• 36:33
  Speaker 2: representative of the sevenfold Holy Spirit. You can compare Isaiah
• 36:36
  Speaker 2: 11 with that if you want to get into it deeper.
• 36:38
  Speaker 2: But he turns and he sees this lamb.
• 36:42
  Speaker 1: That's interesting.
• 36:43
  Speaker 2: Let me give you just a little footnote. There's a
• 36:45
  Speaker 2: Greek word for lamb is amnos. And that's just a
• 36:49
  Speaker 2: regular word for lamb as opposed to sheep, lamb. But
• 36:52
  Speaker 2: there was another word, and that's the word arneos. And
• 36:55
  Speaker 2: arneos was used only twice in the New Testament, and
• 36:57
  Speaker 2: it refers to a little, tiny, baby lamb. It refers
• 37:01
  Speaker 2: to a pet lamb. The difference between an omnos, an
• 37:04
  Speaker 2: omnos would be running around in a herd. An arneos
• 37:06
  Speaker 2: would be in the house with the kids, part of
• 37:10
  Speaker 2: the family. And you remember if you study the Passover, incidentally,
• 37:13
  Speaker 2: arneos is used here, the little pet lamb. But you
• 37:16
  Speaker 2: remember in the directions for the Passover, what the family
• 37:18
  Speaker 2: was to do? They were to go out, and they
• 37:20
  Speaker 2: were not to slay just any lamb, right? They were
• 37:22
  Speaker 2: to find a little pet lamb and they were to
• 37:25
  Speaker 2: find one that was without spot and without blemish. Perfect
• 37:27
  Speaker 2: little pet lamb. And they were to bring it in
• 37:29
  Speaker 2: the house and leave it there for four days. And
• 37:32
  Speaker 2: for four days they were to fall in love with
• 37:34
  Speaker 2: that little lamb. And that little lamb was to become
• 37:37
  Speaker 2: a part of their life. To be cherished and adored
• 37:41
  Speaker 2: and given over to the hearts of the household. And
• 37:44
  Speaker 2: then at the Passover they were to take that little
• 37:46
  Speaker 2: beloved pet lamb and slay it. You say, what in
• 37:52
  Speaker 2: the world was that for? Because that was a perfect
• 37:55
  Speaker 2: picture of Jesus Christ. You remember what it was like
• 37:58
  Speaker 2: for those disciples when they gathered around and saw their
• 38:01
  Speaker 2: master slain, whom they had grown to love? What a
• 38:06
  Speaker 2: picture of Jesus, the violently slain pet lamb, who came
• 38:13
  Speaker 2: into the world to offer His love and men slew Him. No, no,
• 38:21
  Speaker 2: this is not a cared for baby. This is a
• 38:23
  Speaker 2: slain lamb. This is not a baby cherished and kept
• 38:29
  Speaker 2: from injury. This is a little pet lamb that was
• 38:32
  Speaker 2: violently bloodied in death. But you see, it wouldn't have
• 38:38
  Speaker 2: been any good to just be the lion if you
• 38:40
  Speaker 2: weren't the lamb, right? Because the only way Jesus could
• 38:43
  Speaker 2: activate His power in our behalf was when He gave
• 38:46
  Speaker 2: sacrifice for our sin, right? So he had to be
• 38:51
  Speaker 2: a lion. That's his strength, but he had to be
• 38:52
  Speaker 2: a lamb. That's the sacrifice for sin. So he has
• 38:56
  Speaker 2: the right because he was a lamb, and he has
• 38:58
  Speaker 2: the power because he's a lion. Oh, the preeminence. Now,
• 39:04
  Speaker 2: in verse 7, he came, and he took the scroll
• 39:07
  Speaker 2: out of the right hand of God, sat on the throne,
• 39:09
  Speaker 2: and he got ready to take back the earth. Well,
• 39:13
  Speaker 2: that fantastic scene of the preeminence of Christ leads thirdly
• 39:16
  Speaker 2: to his praise. Look at it. Verse 8. And how
• 39:20
  Speaker 2: could you comment on this? I mean, it's overwhelming. I mean,
• 39:22
  Speaker 2: I can't even imagine it myself. Verse 8, And when
• 39:26
  Speaker 2: he had taken the scroll the four living creatures and
• 39:27
  Speaker 2: four and twenty elders, that would be those super angels
• 39:30
  Speaker 2: who are around God, those four, and the four and
• 39:31
  Speaker 2: twenty elders represent the church, and they all fell down
• 39:34
  Speaker 2: before the Lamb. John sees this whole bunch fall down
• 39:37
  Speaker 2: before the Lamb, and every one of them had harps
• 39:40
  Speaker 2: and bowls, golden bowls full of incense, which represents prayer.
• 39:43
  Speaker 2: They're all praying, and they're there with their harps, and
• 39:46
  Speaker 2: all of a sudden, they start to sing. Verse 9,
• 39:47
  Speaker 2: they sang a new song. Listen, friends, something new has happened.
• 39:50
  Speaker 2: Something new has happened. Say, what's so new? Well, those
• 39:54
  Speaker 2: four angels are singing. You say, what's so new about that?
• 39:57
  Speaker 2: Angels always sing. No, they don't. You can't find anywhere
• 40:02
  Speaker 2: in Scripture, really, where angels sing, except here and one
• 40:06
  Speaker 2: other place. You say, what about when the angels sang
• 40:09
  Speaker 2: when Jesus was born? It doesn't say they sang. It
• 40:10
  Speaker 2: says they said something. What do you mean by that?
• 40:13
  Speaker 2: Two times you find the angels singing. One is way
• 40:17
  Speaker 2: back in the book of Job. I think it's chapter
• 40:20
  Speaker 2: 38 and verse 7. And it says this, the morning
• 40:23
  Speaker 2: stars sang together.
• 40:25
  Speaker 1: You know when that was? Before the curse, before the fall.
• 40:29
  Speaker 2: Now watch. Here the angels start to pick up a
• 40:33
  Speaker 2: song again. Ah, they don't get into it too heavy.
• 40:36
  Speaker 2: Just these four super angels begin to do it. When
• 40:38
  Speaker 2: the rest of the angels join, look at verse 12.
• 40:41
  Speaker 2: Does it say singing with a loud voice?
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: What does it say? Saying with a loud voice.
• 40:46
  Speaker 2: But there's a little bit of an opening here. At
• 40:48
  Speaker 2: least these four inside angels are singing again. You say,
• 40:52
  Speaker 2: what's happening? Listen, it was before the curse that they sang,
• 40:56
  Speaker 2: and it'll be after the curse that they'll sing again.
• 40:59
  Speaker 2: When Jesus comes and takes back His earth, removes the curse,
• 41:03
  Speaker 2: conquers sin, and the angels are starting to leak a
• 41:05
  Speaker 2: little bit right here and begin to sing. In the meantime,
• 41:08
  Speaker 2: they've just been saying and chanting. Well, I like to
• 41:13
  Speaker 2: think that they're going to be singing a song. You
• 41:14
  Speaker 2: could just apply the new song to the 4 and
• 41:16
  Speaker 2: 20 elders, but I kind of think the angels would
• 41:18
  Speaker 2: just really like to sneak in a note or two
• 41:21
  Speaker 2: because they know what's coming. And the song says, Thou
• 41:24
  Speaker 2: art worthy to take the scroll and open its seals,
• 41:26
  Speaker 2: for Thou was slain and is redeemed to God by
• 41:30
  Speaker 2: Thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people
• 41:33
  Speaker 2: and nation and made us unto our God a kingdom
• 41:35
  Speaker 2: of priests, and we shall reign on the earth. They're
• 41:38
  Speaker 2: singing because the kingdom is coming and they glorify Christ
• 41:41
  Speaker 2: because He was slain and redeemed us to God by
• 41:45
  Speaker 2: His blood, made us a kingdom of priests and kings
• 41:49
  Speaker 2: to reign on the earth.
• 41:51
  Speaker 1: What a song.
• 41:53
  Speaker 2: Well, that's 24 elders and the four living creatures singing.
• 41:56
  Speaker 2: The church is singing. They get joined by these four angels.
• 41:58
  Speaker 2: And then verse 11. Oh, that wasn't the song's end.
• 42:01
  Speaker 2: I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels
• 42:03
  Speaker 2: around the throne and the living creatures and the elders,
• 42:05
  Speaker 2: and the number of them was 10,000 times 10,000 and
• 42:09
  Speaker 2: thousands of thousands. John doesn't have one of those little
• 42:12
  Speaker 2: handy-dandy pocket adding machines, so he just threw in a
• 42:16
  Speaker 2: whole bunch of thousands there.
• 42:18
  Speaker 1: Verse 12, And they.
• 42:18
  Speaker 2: Were all saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the
• 42:21
  Speaker 2: Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and
• 42:25
  Speaker 2: wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. I'm
• 42:28
  Speaker 2: going to be in that choir, boy, and sing it.
• 42:30
  Speaker 2: Those are gorgeous words. And every creature that is in
• 42:33
  Speaker 2: heaven and on the earth and under the earth and
• 42:35
  Speaker 2: such as are in the sea and all that are
• 42:37
  Speaker 2: in them heard I saying, blessing and honor and glory
• 42:39
  Speaker 2: and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne
• 42:41
  Speaker 2: and under the lamb forever and ever.
• 42:43
  Speaker 1: And the four living creatures said, amen. So let it be.
• 42:47
  Speaker 2: And the four and 20 elders fell down and worshiped
• 42:49
  Speaker 2: him that liveth forever and ever.
• 42:51
  Speaker 1: Boy, that's a scene of praise, isn't it? What are
• 42:54
  Speaker 1: they praising Him about?
• 42:55
  Speaker 2: Because He conquered sin as a lamb and He will
• 42:59
  Speaker 2: conquer Satan as a lion.
• 43:06
  Speaker 1: And so Jesus Christ is no helpless baby.
• 43:11
  Speaker 2: He is a lion. And He is no child to
• 43:14
  Speaker 2: be doted on. He is a lamb who was executed
• 43:18
  Speaker 2: for us. And all of heaven sing. And it's amazing
• 43:21
  Speaker 2: to me that there was such a large choir. Why
• 43:23
  Speaker 2: even bother to come down and redeem us just to
• 43:25
  Speaker 2: add us to the chorus? But that's what he wanted.
• 43:28
  Speaker 2: He wants the praise of all his creatures. And so
• 43:30
  Speaker 2: he came and redeemed us that we might sing with
• 43:32
  Speaker 2: the rest his praises. So let it be and let
• 43:36
  Speaker 2: it be forever, verse 14. So we see his person,
• 43:39
  Speaker 2: his preeminence, and his praise. Look at his promise in
• 43:43
  Speaker 2: chapter 22. His promise. You say, well, John, that's all
• 43:51
  Speaker 2: fine about who he is, but what does that do
• 43:53
  Speaker 2: for me?
• 43:53
  Speaker 1: I mean, if I approach Jesus Christ, what am I
• 43:59
  Speaker 1: going to get out of it? How do I get involved?
• 44:01
  Speaker 2: Look at this.
• 44:04
  Speaker 1: Verse 7, behold, I come what?
• 44:08
  Speaker 2: Quickly. Verse 12, behold, I come quickly. Verse 20, surely,
• 44:14
  Speaker 2: I come quickly.
• 44:15
  Speaker 1: And the word means suddenly.
• 44:17
  Speaker 2: Now watch. Jesus is coming again, and we believe it's soon,
• 44:20
  Speaker 2: don't we? He's coming again. And He's coming suddenly when
• 44:24
  Speaker 2: you don't think about it, when you're not ready for it.
• 44:27
  Speaker 1: In a twinkling of an eye. And He's going to
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: take those who are His own.
• 44:31
  Speaker 2: That's right. Say, well, what's in it for those who
• 44:35
  Speaker 2: know it? Look at verse 7. First of all, blessing.
• 44:39
  Speaker 2: Blessed is He that keepeth the words of the prophecy
• 44:42
  Speaker 2: of this book. The word keep means to obey. If
• 44:45
  Speaker 2: we're obedient to this word, this book does one thing. Watch.
• 44:49
  Speaker 1: This book does one thing. It exalts Christ.
• 44:51
  Speaker 2: If we join that exaltation and make Him the Savior
• 44:54
  Speaker 2: and Lord of our lives, we've kept the words of
• 44:56
  Speaker 2: this book, right? This is the revelation of Jesus Christ.
• 45:00
  Speaker 2: If we believe that and we accept Him as revealed
• 45:03
  Speaker 2: in this book and imply His death in our behalf
• 45:06
  Speaker 2: by faith, then we have kept the words of this
• 45:08
  Speaker 2: book and blessed is He. Secondly, Not only blessing, but reward.
• 45:14
  Speaker 2: Verse 12, my reward is with me to give every
• 45:16
  Speaker 2: man according as his work shall be. God is not
• 45:20
  Speaker 2: only going to bless us for coming to Jesus Christ,
• 45:23
  Speaker 2: but he's going to reward us for serving Jesus Christ.
• 45:28
  Speaker 2: So blessing and reward. But thirdly, and I love this,
• 45:32
  Speaker 2: the third thing that we as Christians have is not
• 45:34
  Speaker 2: only the promise of blessing and reward, but the third
• 45:36
  Speaker 2: thing is hope. How could we live without hope? Look
• 45:40
  Speaker 2: at verse 20. He who testifies these things saith, Surely
• 45:43
  Speaker 2: I come quickly.
• 45:45
  Speaker 1: Here's our hope.
• 45:46
  Speaker 2: Amen.
• 45:47
  Speaker 1: Even so, what? Come, Lord Jesus.
• 45:51
  Speaker 2: The only person who can say that is a person
• 45:52
  Speaker 2: who has hope. And hope maketh not ashamed. I'm not
• 45:59
  Speaker 2: ashamed that it's coming. No, no, this isn't a baby. No,
• 46:02
  Speaker 2: this isn't an infant. This is King. King of kings
• 46:06
  Speaker 2: and Lord of lords. Oh, what a promise. Blessing. reward,
• 46:11
  Speaker 2: and hope. Lastly, His plea, not only His person and
• 46:17
  Speaker 2: preeminence and praise and promise, but His plea. And you know,
• 46:21
  Speaker 2: with all the majesty of Revelation, He closes this out
• 46:24
  Speaker 2: with a plea to everyone who reads.
• 46:27
  Speaker 1: Listen.
• 46:30
  Speaker 2: Verse 13, I am Alpha, chapter 22, and Omega, the
• 46:36
  Speaker 2: beginning and the end, first and the last, Blessed are
• 46:40
  Speaker 2: they that wash their robes. And what did I say
• 46:42
  Speaker 2: is the only detergent? The blood of Christ. That they
• 46:47
  Speaker 2: may have right to the tree of life.
• 46:48
  Speaker 1: Where's that? Heaven.
• 46:52
  Speaker 2: And enter into the gates into the city. That's the
• 46:54
  Speaker 2: heavenly Jerusalem. Oh, you mean if we wash our robes
• 46:58
  Speaker 2: in the blood of the Lamb, we'll be in heaven?
• 47:00
  Speaker 2: That's what it says. But outside are dogs and sorcerers
• 47:06
  Speaker 2: and fornicators and and murderers, idolaters, whosoever loveth and maketh
• 47:13
  Speaker 2: a lie. His plea is, look, there's blessing if you
• 47:18
  Speaker 2: wash your robes in the blood of the Lamb, but outside, outside,
• 47:24
  Speaker 2: what a word, outside God's presence forever. Then in verse 16,
• 47:33
  Speaker 2: he says, I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify
• 47:38
  Speaker 2: unto you these things in the churches. I am the
• 47:41
  Speaker 2: root and the offspring of David. And I love this,
• 47:45
  Speaker 2: and the bright and morning star. One of the promises
• 47:50
  Speaker 2: to the church in the early chapters of Revelation is
• 47:53
  Speaker 2: the Lord says, if you're really an overcomer, I'll give
• 47:55
  Speaker 2: you the morning star.
• 47:57
  Speaker 1: Christ is ours.
• 48:00
  Speaker 2: That day in Bethlehem, a star announced His coming. That
• 48:02
  Speaker 2: was a star announcing the birth of a star. Jesus
• 48:07
  Speaker 2: Christ is the dawn star before the kingdom. But he says,
• 48:12
  Speaker 2: I am the root and offspring of David. You're looking
• 48:14
  Speaker 2: at a manger. You're saying, who is it? Who is it?
• 48:16
  Speaker 2: Who is it? It is I who have been presented
• 48:18
  Speaker 2: through these 22 chapters. It is I. Say, well, that's fine, Jesus.
• 48:24
  Speaker 2: Appreciate your person. I see your preeminence. I understand the
• 48:29
  Speaker 2: praise of all those in heaven. I even hear your
• 48:31
  Speaker 2: promise about blessing, reward, and hope.
• 48:33
  Speaker 1: And I can even hear your.
• 48:35
  Speaker 2: Plea that you need to wash your robes and all
• 48:37
  Speaker 2: of this, but what do I do? What do I do?
• 48:40
  Speaker 2: And he comes with a closing invitation, the last one
• 48:42
  Speaker 2: God ever gave in Revelation, verse 17.
• 48:44
  Speaker 1: He says this.
• 48:46
  Speaker 2: I love this. And the Spirit and the bride say,
• 48:50
  Speaker 2: keep the Ten Commandments. Is that what it said? The
• 48:54
  Speaker 2: Spirit and the bride say, do your best. Spirit and
• 49:00
  Speaker 2: the bride say, be religious. Spirit and the bride say, come, come.
• 49:09
  Speaker 2: And let him that heareth say, come. We want to
• 49:13
  Speaker 2: repeat that. And let him that is a thirst, come.
• 49:18
  Speaker 2: And whosoever will, let him take of the water of
• 49:20
  Speaker 2: life what's that last word freely.
• 49:23
  Speaker 1: Don't you like that.
• 49:26
  Speaker 2: Listen there's some things there you need to see first
• 49:29
  Speaker 2: you got to be thirsty then you got to come
• 49:35
  Speaker 2: and then you take right first you're thirsty Then you come.
• 49:42
  Speaker 1: Then you take.
• 49:44
  Speaker 2: Jesus is available if you're thirsty.
• 49:47
  Speaker 1: All he says is come and take. Nothing to do,
• 49:49
  Speaker 1: nothing to earn. It's free.
• 49:52
  Speaker 2: Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Father,
• 50:01
  Speaker 2: we thank you for the revelation of Christ. Thank you
• 50:05
  Speaker 2: for what we've seen this morning hour. And even though
• 50:08
  Speaker 2: we recognize that Christmas in itself is nothing, thou art everything. Father,
• 50:15
  Speaker 2: protect us from seasonal occupation with you. Help us to
• 50:21
  Speaker 2: be occupied with you every waking moment of every day. Father,
• 50:26
  Speaker 2: we thank you for the unspeakable gift of Jesus Christ.
• 50:31
  Speaker 2: Thank you for all that he means to us, for
• 50:34
  Speaker 2: all that he is in himself. And Lord, we would
• 50:38
  Speaker 2: recognize that there are some friends and dear ones gathered
• 50:41
  Speaker 2: in our auditorium this morning who do not know Jesus
• 50:45
  Speaker 2: Christ as Savior. They do not know the promise of
• 50:50
  Speaker 2: blessing and reward and hope. And they have not come
• 50:56
  Speaker 2: and taken of the water of life. We pray that
• 51:01
  Speaker 2: this might be that hour when they do. that Jesus
• 51:05
  Speaker 2: may not be some historical baby, but that He may
• 51:08
  Speaker 2: be the living Christ, reigning within them. Lord, we pray
• 51:16
  Speaker 2: that this end, in Christ's name, and alone for His glory. Amen.
• 51:23
  Speaker 2: You've been listening to John MacArthur, Bible teacher with grace
• 51:26
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• 51:30
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• 51:33
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• 51:40
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• 51:51
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