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The Voice of Hope - The Great Day of God Almighty: Part 2 || Revelation 19:11-21 · WDAC Podcasts

• 0:00
  Speaker A: I now can sing Since I've been redeemed I'm on the everlasting, everlasting rock I faith in Christ my Redeemer King I'm on the everlasting, everlasting rock Then Ro Ro pillows row Open now the gates of beauty Zion let me enter there where my sou in joyful duty waits for him who answers prayer O blessed is this place filled with soulless light and grace. Gracious God, I come before thee. Come Thou also Gather me where we find. Speak, o God, and I will hear thee and I will be done in thee.
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  Speaker B: May I.
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  Speaker C: Hello and welcome to the Voice of Hope, a Bible teaching program that's produced by Heralds of Hope. I'm your host, Anthony High. In this episode, we continue our study through the Book of Revelation and the remaining details of the Great Day of God Almighty. That's right, this episode is a continuation of the previous episode here on the Voice of Hope. If you missed part one, please visit heraldsofhope.org programs and you can find it there. John's vision of the glorified Jesus Christ returning in power and might is awe inspiring. Take a moment with us as we study this scene From Revelation chapter 19 before today's teaching, I have exciting news about an upcoming event. If you, your children or your grandchildren love to read, check out our annual readathon and visit our website@heraldsofhope.org events to learn more. Now join us as J. Mark Horst continues his teaching from Revelation chapter 19, verses 11 to 21.
• 3:22
  Speaker B: The last time we were together, we began exploring Revelation chapter 19 and verses 11 to 21 under the title the Great Day of God Almighty. And so as we continue our study today, I invite you to follow along as I read that text. Revelation 19:1121 these are God breathed words to us. Now I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse. And he who sat on him was called faithful and true, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should strike the nations, and he himself will rule them. With a rod of iron he himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he has on his robe and on his thigh a Name written king of Kings and Lord of Lords. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, come and gather together for the supper of the great God that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great. And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth and their armies, and gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet, who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These too were cast alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword, which proceeded from the mouth of him who sat on the horse, and. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. This text reveals several details that should fuel our anticipation as we wait for the great day of God Almighty. In the earlier episode, we considered only the first detail our glorious conqueror. And we spent the entire time looking at the awesome description of Jesus that is revealed to John through the opening in the heavens. This time, we'll look at three additional details that should help to fuel our anticipation as we await this awesome day. So the next detail is the heavenly army, and we're introduced to this army in verse 14. I begin with some words from the book of Jude. Now, Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied about these wicked men, also saying, behold, the lord comes with 10,000 of his saints to execute judgment on all, to convict all them who are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. You know, it's amazing to me that this was prophesied before the flood of Noah's day. At any rate, when the Lord Jesus returns, he doesn't return alone. Did you notice the plural use of the word armies? The armies of heaven. Who are they? Made up of his bride, the church, and most likely a host of angels. According to 2 Thessalonians, chapter 1 and verses 3 to 9. I would also point out that the grammar indicates progression. The hosts of heaven are following the King of Kings and the Lord of lords. From Genesis 3:15, the promise was that the seed of the woman would bruise or crush, depending on the Version, you're using the serpent's head. Here it's emphasized that Christ, the seed of the woman, treads the winepress of the wine of the anger, of the wrath of Almighty God. He is Jehovah Sabaoth. He is the God of the armies of heaven. And there are myriads of angelic beings under his command. The armies of the sky are his, and he brings them with him, even those who are the called and chosen and faithful as they are named. In Revelation, chapter 17 and verse 14, the king of kings is mounted on a white horse, and so are his followers. He comes as the warrior, the judge and the king. They are warrior, judges and kings with him who follow in his train. In Revelation, chapter 9 and verses 7 through 11, we learned about demonic cavalry spirit horses that came from the abyss. So why should it be impossible that there are celestial horses? Remember, horses and chariots of fire took Elijah to heaven. You can read about that in 2 Kings, chapter 2. And they also protected Elisha from the Syrians at Dothan. In a similar way, heavenly horses will bring the saints from heaven with Christ for the final subjugation of the world. Revelation 14:20 says that these horses and their riders will face rivers of blood that reach to the horses bridles. These horses, as I said, are all white, like the one that the great captain rides on. Now the question might be raised, are these literal horses or symbolic ones, like those in chapter nine that arose from the abyss? Seiss points out in his Lectures on Revelation that power is an abstract quality. It's incapable of being seen with the eye. It has to be given a shape in order for it to become visible. It's best shown in living forms. And so John wrote down what he saw, a demonstration of power. The character of the revelation differs here from chapter nine. This opening of heaven, the coming forth of Christ with his heavenly armies into the battle, the destruction that is wrought and the victory won. The kingdom set up is so essentially literal in every detail that it's hard to find room in the record for any other conclusion than that these horses are as literal as their riders. At the very least, they are pictures of holy power carrying the king and his hosts to the battle and to victory over literal armies. Now, further, the riders on the horses, we're told, are clothed in pure linen, white and clean. And we learned earlier in this chapter that these white robes represent the righteous acts of the saints. There's another significant detail here, and that is that the heavenly army wears no armor and they carry no weapons. This is Christ's personal victory in accordance with 1 John 3, 8, which says, for this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. He bears the only sword, and he's the only one who uses it. He treads the winepress of the wrath of God alone. Those who accompany him in the scene of conflict are immortal, so they don't need any weapons. The sword of their captain is enough. Their defense is in him, and their victory is in him. They follow up the achievements of his sword. They ride through the blood that it causes to flow, according to Psalm 5810. They wash their feet in it because it is up to the horses bridles. But what about the armies that are encountered? Well, that leads us to the next detail of the great day of God Almighty. And that next detail is the gathered enemy. And there's no uncertainty about who the enemy armies are. The text says, I saw the beast, the kings of the earth and their armies gathered to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army. And further, Revelation 17:12 14 defines this army. The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for he is lord of lords and king of kings, and those who are with him are called chosen and faithful. Revelation 16:12 14 tells us how these armies are gathered. Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up so that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits, like frogs, coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world. Now listen to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Now we may wonder how can rational men impulsively rush into such an absurd attempt to fight against Almighty God? 2nd Thessalonians 2, 9:12 Tell the coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power signs and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason, that is because they didn't believe the truth. For this reason God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. The lie is that the Antichrist is invincible. And Revelation 13:3,4 proclaim him as such. So these deluded men are persuaded of his invincibility. And so they marched their armies into that field of blood, never to return. The psalmist wrote the heathen rage. The people imagine a vain thing. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us. But he who sits in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall hold them in derision. Then he shall speak to them in his wrath and distress them in his deep displeasure. That's Psalm 2:1:5. Never was there a more wicked or disastrous madness among men. But you know, when men are cut loose from the bonds of obligation to their Creator, there's no limit to the delusions that they will expose themselves to. There is no enormity of daring or wickedness into which they are not liable to be betrayed, because they think it is true wisdom. And so the kings of the earth and their armies gather toward Jerusalem, thinking that they can conquer the Son of God and crush out his rule and his kingdom forever. Why is there a war? It is to settle for all time the who will reign supreme, Christ or Antichrist? And the answer for us is not long in coming. And it leads us to the final detail of the great day of God Almighty, the final detail I've called the total victory. As John is watching this scene unfold, he sees an angel standing in the sun. I picture an image of brilliant light, probably speaking about the glory of God. And the angel that John sees cries out with a loud voice that signifies that he has something important to say. We've witnessed this phenomenon numerous times now in our study throughout the book of Revelation. His loud cry invites the birds of the heavens to come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great. This invitation is a prediction of what? Total defeat for the forces that are arrayed against Christ and his heavenly armies. There's something interesting here. A contrast appears in chapter 19 and verse 9, where the saints, other than the church, are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. As I understand it, supper was the principal meal of the day. And the word that is used for supper in nineteen nine, and here in our text is the same in both verses. But the events couldn't be more different. One is eternal life, the other is eternal death. This is a graphic picture of the battlefield after the Messiah's victory. It will be a sacrificial feast spread on God's table for all the vultures and carrion eaters of the sky. And you know something? Jesus spoke of this very event in his powerful olivet discourse in Matthew 24:26, 28. As John continues watching, what the angel predicted comes to pass before the battle even begins, the beast that would be the Antichrist is captured. And with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Now, listen. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone, and the rest were killed with the sword, which proceeded from the mouth of him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. So the rider on the white horse strikes the head and the leader of these armies first. You know, that's a common military tactic. The Antichrist is not a system, or he would not fall until many of his supporters fall. He is a person, just as truly as the one who opposes him. Christ is a person. Antichrist is distinct from his armies just as Christ is distinct from his, or he could not be taken before his armies. Antichrist is a supernatural being, a man resurrected from the dead by the devil's power. And he's seemingly incapable of bodily death because he's not killed. No sword stroke kills him. He does not die. In contrast with everyone except his companion, the false prophet, it is specifically stated to us in the text that he is taken alive and cast alive into the lake of fire. Now, his worshippers held him to be invincible, but without the striking of a single blow, and with all of his fanatical followers in arms surrounding him, he is taken. I get the picture. Much like a lion seizes his prey, he's dragged from the field as a helpless prisoner. And so, with all of his supposed power and greatness, resurrection, vigor, and immunity from death, he's still taken alive with greater ease than the Jewish mob took the unresisting Jesus. The sitter on the white horse catches the Antichrist away from the very center of his armies. All the resistance he would make is futile. He cannot help himself, and his armies can't help him. He must Go where his mighty captor takes him. He sinks into the lake of fire, never to rise again. Now, it's important, I want to reinforce this, that two beings are taken alive. They are two chief conspirators who have repeatedly appeared in this book. The Beast and the False Prophet. They represent the civil and religious leaders of what we might call the final United Nations. They will be Satan inspired and Satan directed right up to the very end. These, too, are cast alive into the lake, burning with fire and brimstone, where a thousand years later, they are still suffering the vengeance of that eternal fire, according to Revelation chapter 20 and verse 10. And that proves to me that the lake of fire is not annihilation and it is not purgatory. It does not annihilate or purify these two demonic foes of God and man, even after a thousand years of judgment. And then what is the fate of the followers of these two deceivers? The text says the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of him who sat on the horse, and all the birds of the air were filled with their flesh. So evidently the wicked dead were not immediately cast into the lake of fire with the beast and the false prophet. I believe that awaits the final judgment. Zechariah 14 adds more details to this frightening scene. Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle. And the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled. But the rest of the people will not be cut off from this city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. And in that day, his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. You will flee by the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azael. Yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, King of Judah. Then the Lord, my God will come, and all the Holy ones with him. And the Lord will be king over all the Earth. In that day, the Lord will be the only one, and his name the only one. Now this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem. Their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth. On that day a great panic from the Lord will fall on them. They will seize one another's hand, and one hand will be lifted against another. You know, friend, I do not want to be among the enemies of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and neither do you. And so, if you have not yet surrendered your life to Christ, I urge you to repent. Because the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness. But is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. That's 2 Peter 3:9. On the other hand, if you are already a Christ follower, then let these words challenge and change you. The night is almost gone and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh regarding its lusts. Romans 13:12 14 thank you, J.
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  Speaker C: Mark, for sharing these details of the great day of God Almighty. I want to go back to the final thought of the episode. If you haven't surrendered your life to Christ, please don't wait. And before we close, consider another sobering reality. One in three People around the world lack access to Bible resources Pastors, ministry leaders, and seekers are often left without the tools that they need to grow or to disciple others. At Heralds of Hope, we believe that everyone deserves access to Bible teaching and discipleship resources in their own language. One way that we're responding to this need is through Hope for Today, a Bible teaching program that's now available in 50 languages. Here's what one of our listeners in Zimbabwe says the creation account is usually a lesson to Sunday school kids, but I am amazed at how this study in the Book of Genesis is speaking to me and making me realize how great God is. Thank you for taking us back to the basics, basics that we sometimes get used to diluting our understanding of who God is. May God bless you. If today's teaching has encouraged you, we'd love to hear from you. Your stories and responses mean so much to us. You can reach us@heraldsofhope.org contact. You can email us at hope heraldsofhope.org or by phone at 866-960-0292 to explore more Bible teaching and encouragement, Visit our website, heraldsofhope.org programs. You can also listen to and share the Voice of Hope wherever you get. Podcasts As I mentioned at the beginning of the program, our annual readathon is coming up and we'd love to have you join us. You can learn more by going to heraldsofhope.org events. Join us the next time as we continue our journey through Scripture. Until then, may God's Word strengthen your faith and remind you that his work in the world is far from finished. Thank you for listening to the Voice of Hope.
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  Speaker A: Let us sing a song that will cheer us, by the way In a little while we're going home for the night will end in the everlasting day In a little while we're going home In a little while In a little we shall cross the billows fall we shall meet at last when the stormy winds are past In a little while we're going home. We will do the work that our hands may find to do In a little while we're going home and the grace of God will our daily strength renew In a little while we're going home In a little while In a little while we shall cross the billow's home we shall meet at last when the stormy winter passed In a little while we're to going, going home.