Latest / Reformed Thinking / The Slain Lamb Who Reigns Over All History (Revelation) | Thomas R. Schreiner

Transcript

The Slain Lamb Who Reigns Over All History (Revelation) | Thomas R. Schreiner · Reformed Thinking

0:00
Welcome to the deep Dive. This is Reformed Thinking, the
0:03
place where we dig into biblical theology and try to make it
0:07
clear and, well, useful for you. Today is going to be a big one.
0:11
We're setting out to do a pretty detailed analysis of the general
0:15
epistles and on top of that the Book of Revelation.
0:18
And for this, we're drawing heavily from Thomas Shriner's
0:21
work, The King and His Beauty. It's a huge biblical theology
0:25
and we're going to try and distill some of it for you.
0:27
Our mission, so to speak, is to give you the key insights on
0:30
what it means to live as a Christian in the last days.
0:34
And just to be clear, that's the period we're in right now.
0:36
It's the whole stretch of time from Christ's resurrection until
0:40
he comes back. Right.
0:41
And we want to connect that to the certain hope of God's final,
0:45
perfect Kingdom. We're hoping to show you how all
0:47
these pieces of scripture connect into one big story, so
0:51
we're looking at two big chunks today.
0:53
The first is the general epistles, so that's Hebrews all
0:55
the way through Jude. These are very practical letters
0:58
about how to live a godly life when things are hard.
1:01
And the second part. The second part is the Book of
1:03
Revelation, which gives us that huge cosmic vision of Christ's
1:08
victory and his total rule over everything.
1:11
So we're really building a bridge here.
1:13
We're going from the day-to-day stuff of faith.
1:16
How to keep going when you're suffering?
1:18
All the way to the biggest picture you can imagine.
1:21
Christ is on the throne and His Kingdom is coming.
1:24
It's like pairing the theology of perseverance with the
1:27
certainty of victory. That's a great way to put it,
1:29
and that's the thread that ties all of this together.
1:32
Now, these letters weren't originally collected as one book
1:35
on a single theme. No, they were written to
1:38
different people at different times.
1:40
But Shriner makes a convincing case that they all share one
1:43
major idea. The Lordship of Jesus isn't just
1:47
some title. It's a reality that has to be
1:50
lived out actively in every part of a believer's life.
1:53
OK, so let's start with that practical side, Section 1.
1:56
Living in the last days. If we had to boil down the main
2:00
message of all these general epistles, what would it be?
2:02
The consistent call is for believers to hold on to godly
2:06
conduct and moral purity, and specifically to do that even
2:10
when they're facing, you know, serious opposition from the
2:12
world around them. The world they lived in was not
2:15
friendly to the Christian faith. No, it was often hostile,
2:18
sometimes violently so. So the instruction of these
2:20
letters is a direct summons. You have to persevere in your
2:23
faith until the very end of your life.
2:25
And you cannot under any circumstances abandoned Christ
2:29
just to get out of some physical or economic trouble.
2:32
Exactly. Don't trade your savior for a
2:34
little bit of temporary comfort. That brings up a huge question
2:37
right away. What do these writers mean by
2:40
true faith? Well, James gives us the most
2:42
famous answer, right? He really presses the point that
2:45
genuine faith, a living faith, is never just a mental thing.
2:48
It's not just agreeing with a set of facts.
2:50
It has to show itself. It always expresses itself
2:54
outwardly in action, in works. And this focus on the visible
2:58
fruit of faith, this is consistent with the rest of the
3:01
New Testament. I think people sometimes try to
3:03
pit James against Paul. They do, but as Shriner shows,
3:06
they're really in harmony. Paul himself said that the only
3:09
kind of faith that has any value is faith working through love.
3:14
James is just insisting that there has to be visible proof of
3:17
that inner reality. So if your faith is real, it's
3:20
going to change how you act. It has to.
3:23
It changes your behavior toward God and toward your neighbor.
3:26
It can't not. I think we need to pause here
3:28
for a second because in a discussion like this, the moment
3:31
you bring up works, yeah, people get nervous.
3:34
They hear works, righteousness. Can we clarify how the source
3:37
material deals with that? Oh.
3:39
Absolutely. That's a key point.
3:40
The general epistles are very, very clear on this.
3:43
The ability for any believer to change their life and to live
3:47
righteously is chalked up entirely to God's grace.
3:50
His undeserved favor. Completely.
3:52
It is not a merit system. You're not earning points with
3:54
God. So the whole argument is really
3:56
built on the big doctrines of salvation.
3:58
It starts with God. He chose them.
4:00
He called them to Himself. Right on his own initiative.
4:03
And then he equipped them with the Holy Spirit so they could
4:06
live righteous lives, and he promised to keep them, to
4:09
preserve them until the very end.
4:12
So the gospel itself is the thing that changes people.
4:14
It is. It's the good news that God
4:17
doesn't just forgive you and then leave you stuck in your
4:20
sin. He actually changes you from the
4:22
inside out so that your life starts to reflect His own
4:24
holiness. The fact that a believer lives a
4:27
good life is the evidence of God's saving grace.
4:30
Not the reason they get that grace in the first place.
4:32
And this whole transformation is only possible because of who
4:35
Jesus is. He's the reigning Lord.
4:37
Yes, and this is where these letters, especially the book of
4:40
Hebrews, give us this incredibly detailed picture of Christ's
4:44
status and his work. Hebrews lays out how Jesus
4:48
fulfills the three great offices that you see throughout the Old
4:51
Testament prophet, priest, and king.
4:53
Let's take them one at a time. First Prophet.
4:56
The book of Hebrews opens with this incredible statement.
4:59
It says that in the past God spoke in various ways through
5:02
the prophets, But in these last days, the final the definitive
5:07
word from God has been spoken in his Son.
5:09
Jesus is the ultimate revelation.
5:11
All the other prophets were just pointing to him.
5:13
OK, so he is the final word. What about his role as priest?
5:19
That seems even more a radical. It is.
5:22
He's not just another priest in the line of Aaron and the
5:25
Levites. He is a priest according to the
5:27
Order of Melchizedek. And the big deal with
5:29
Marquisadek is that he was a king and a priest, and he came
5:32
before the whole Levitical system was even set up.
5:34
Which shows that the Levitical system was always meant to be
5:36
temporary. It was flawed.
5:38
It was a shadow Jesus, as this Milky Zdeckian priest offered
5:42
the final perfect effective sacrifice for sins.
5:46
Once for all time. Once for all.
5:47
And because of that one single sacrifice, the old system of
5:51
repeated sacrifices is now obsolete.
5:53
The veil in the temple is torn. Believers can now go into God's
5:56
presence with confidence all the time.
5:59
And finally, he is the King. This is where his rule over the
6:03
entire universe is established. Right.
6:05
And it combines his human nature and his divine nature.
6:08
He has sat down at the right hand of God.
6:10
This is the posture of a reigning king.
6:13
This fulfills a couple of major promises from the Old Testament,
6:16
doesn't it? It does.
6:17
It fulfills the Commission given to Adam and it fulfills the
6:20
promises made to David. Adam was told to rule the earth
6:23
under God, but he failed. And David was promised a king
6:27
from his line would sit on the throne forever.
6:29
And Jesus, by ruling as the God man, is the perfect human who
6:33
succeeds where Adam failed. He is the eternal Son of David
6:38
who fulfills that dynastic promise.
6:40
He is bringing all things in creation back under His
6:43
Lordship, in harmony with God's will.
6:45
So the practical point here is when you're suffering, you're
6:48
suffering under a king who is also your perfect high priest
6:51
and the very source of all truth.
6:53
He gives you everything you need to keep going.
6:55
And that shifts us to the next point.
6:57
Who are these people who are persevering?
6:59
The general epistles give us a really cohesive picture of God's
7:02
new people. First, Peter, for instance,
7:04
teaches that the church made-up of both Jews and Gentiles who
7:07
believe in Christ is the new and restored Israel.
7:10
And that's a huge point of biblical theology.
7:13
It means that all those special promises and titles that were
7:16
given to national Israel in the Old Testament.
7:18
Things like being a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy
7:22
nation. All of those are now applied
7:24
directly to the Church. They find their true completion
7:27
in the followers of Christ. And Hebrews helps define what it
7:32
means to be in that family. It says that to be part of
7:35
Abraham's family, you have to have Jesus as your brother.
7:38
So kinship isn't about your physical bloodline or whether
7:41
you follow the Mosaic Law anymore.
7:42
It's defined entirely by your relationship to Jesus Christ.
7:46
If you belong to Christ, you are the true people of God.
7:49
And this shared identity, this common struggle, it leads to a
7:53
shared hope, and that hope is centered on a future judgement,
7:56
the day of the Lord. Exactly.
7:58
And this isn't just some abstract idea for them, it's a
8:01
real active motivator for how they live every day.
8:04
The certainty that Christ is coming back is mentioned all
8:07
over these letters. Oh yeah, Hebrews, James, first
8:10
and second Peter, Jude, they all talk about it.
8:15
And his return isn't just a quiet event, it's a massive
8:18
intervention. He's coming to judge the wicked
8:21
and to bring about a full public vindication for the righteous
8:25
who have suffered. For the original readers who are
8:27
facing down the power of Rome, the question must have been will
8:31
this ever end? Will we ever see justice?
8:34
And the letters answer with a loud yes.
8:37
It points them to this cosmic certainty.
8:39
Which is why Hebrews talks about the present world being shaken.
8:43
The source quotes from Hebrews 12 talk about a total cosmic
8:46
reordering of things. Right.
8:47
Everything that's temporary, everything that relies on human
8:50
power or, you know, the stability of this world, it's
8:53
all going to fall away. The only thing that will be left
8:55
standing is the unshakeable Kingdom that Jesus rules over.
8:58
That sounds terrifying on one level, but for believers, it's
9:01
presented as a comfort. So what's left after all the
9:04
shaking is done? What's left is the full arrival
9:06
of the new heavens and the new earth.
9:08
Second, Peter describes it as a world filled with righteousness
9:11
and peace. And this connects all the way
9:13
back to Genesis, doesn't it? It's about fulfilling Adam's
9:15
original job. It is the task to subdue the
9:19
earth, to rule it for God's glory, which Adam failed to do,
9:23
will be successfully completed. But not by us, by Jesus Christ.
9:27
He's the one who conquered the devil and sin through his life,
9:30
death, and resurrection. We get to participate in that
9:33
rule because we are united to Him.
9:34
And that successful conquest leads us right to the final
9:37
rewards for persevering believers will finally see the
9:41
king in his beauty. So what are some of these
9:43
promised blessings? Jew talks about great joy.
9:46
James mentions the blessing for those who endure testing.
9:49
And a big one is that believers are delivered from death and
9:52
from the fear of death that paralyzes so many people.
9:55
Hebrews explains that Jesus defeated the devil who held the
9:59
power of death. So instead of fear, the reward
10:02
is rest, eternal rest, the city to come, the heavenly Jerusalem.
10:06
It's an eternal security, and of the whole basis for this joy and
10:10
rest is the finished work of Christ.
10:13
Believers get to stand gladly in God's presence forever because
10:17
Christ took the penalty for their sins on Himself.
10:20
His sacrifice was final. It was fully effective.
10:23
And that cleansing work allows believers to have boldness, not
10:27
arrogance, but confidence to enter God's presence.
10:32
They stand there without guilt before a holy God because Christ
10:35
has taken all their guilt away. That is the final hope.
10:38
Full, secure, unending fellowship where they see the
10:42
King in his beauty. OK, now let's make the
10:45
transition. If the general epistles teach us
10:48
how to endure suffering from Rome today, Revelation shows us
10:51
the eventual fate of that opposition, right?
10:54
Revelation provides the visual proof that our perseverance is
10:57
worth it. We're moving from the day-to-day
10:58
application of faith to the grand climactic vision of God's
11:02
rule. And Revelation really does wrap
11:04
up the whole biblical story. It's focused on God's reign, the
11:07
vindication of the righteous, and the punishment of the
11:09
wicked. But before we get to the
11:10
glorious end, we have to go through the great bitter
11:13
conflict between good and evil. The book immediately identifies
11:17
the enemy. The Roman Empire, which was the
11:19
source of so much persecution for the early church, is given a
11:22
symbolic name, Babylon. And that name is deliberate.
11:26
It connects the current persecuting empire to the great
11:29
enemy of God's people in the Old Testament.
11:32
It makes Rome the ultimate city of man, which is set up in
11:35
direct opposition to this city of God.
11:38
And this Babylon is portrayed in pretty disgusting terms.
11:43
She's a harlot drunk on the blood of the Saints.
11:45
And Shriner points out that the main sin here is idolatry.
11:48
It's not just about sexual sin. In the Old Testament, harlotry
11:51
was the classic symbol for spiritual unfaithfulness,
11:54
worshipping other gods, breaking the covenant with the Lord.
11:57
So the nations of the world are joining in this spiritual
12:00
prostitution. They're giving their ultimate
12:02
allegiance to wealth, to riches, to luxury.
12:05
They're serving the dragon instead of the lamb.
12:07
The contrast is shocking. To an outsider, the Roman Empire
12:10
might have looked glorious, powerful, sophisticated.
12:13
But John's vision just rips that mask away.
12:15
It exposes Rome for what it really is, a seductive whore, a
12:19
scheming witch. Her wealth and splendor are
12:22
built on a corrupt trade in human souls and idolatry.
12:25
And this opposition, this evil, is structured in Revelation as a
12:29
kind of unholy Trinity. It's a deliberate, wicked parody
12:33
of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
12:36
So you have the dragon, the first beast, and the second
12:39
beast. The dragon is the source of all
12:41
the evil. He's clearly identified as the
12:43
devil himself, the serpent from the Garden of Eden who is now
12:47
deceiving the whole world. He's the author of Rebellion,
12:51
and he gives his authority to the first beast.
12:53
And this first beast comes up out of the sea.
12:56
It represents the entire political and military might of
13:00
the Roman Empire. Yes, and the description is full
13:02
of Old Testament imagery. It combines the features of the
13:05
leopard, the bear and the lion, the scary beasts that
13:08
represented the empires that oppressed God's people in the
13:10
book of Daniel. They're all merged into one
13:12
final terrible creature. And blending them together like
13:15
that shows just how evil this empire is.
13:18
John calls it a beast to show that Rome was fundamentally
13:21
dehumanizing, vicious, and cruel.
13:23
It wasn't some benevolent force for good.
13:26
Its main job in the narrative is to conquer and kill those who
13:29
refuse to worship it and who insist on worshipping the true
13:32
God instead. OK, so that's the dragon and the
13:35
first beast. What about the second beast?
13:37
The Sidekick. The second beast comes up from
13:39
the earth. It acts as the propaganda
13:41
machine for the first beast. It likely represents the
13:44
organized religious and cultural system of the Roman Empire.
13:48
The part of the system that worked to justify the Empire's
13:51
claims to divinity. Exactly.
13:53
It's a counterfeit Christ. It looks harmless, like a lamb,
13:57
but it speaks with the voice of the dragon.
13:59
It performs signs and wonders to trick people into worshipping
14:02
the first beast. And its wickedness becomes very
14:04
practical. It practices economic warfare.
14:07
Yes, it forces people to take the mark of the beast if they
14:10
want to buy or sell. It makes the conflict over
14:13
allegiance a matter of daily survival.
14:15
Now this Total War that the serpent wages against the
14:19
church, It's limited, isn't it? The text refers to a short time.
14:23
It is. The short time is the whole
14:25
period from Christ's resurrection to His return, the
14:27
entire era of the last days, And it's described with a few
14:30
different symbolic time frames. 12160 days, 42 months or a time,
14:36
times and half a time. That's a strange calculation.
14:38
It's picking up on language from Daniel.
14:41
What's the significance? Well, in the Bible the number 7
14:44
often represents perfection or completeness. 3 1/2 then is a
14:48
broken 7. It's a deformation of what is
14:50
perfect. So it symbolizes a period that
14:53
is intense but also limited. It's restrained.
14:56
It's incomplete. Exactly.
14:57
It symbolizes the reign of terror carried out by Satan, but
15:00
a reign of terror that is on a divine leash.
15:03
The devil is full of fury because he knows his time is
15:06
short, but he's fundamentally limited by God's sovereign
15:09
calendar. The beast is only allowed to
15:12
exercise authority for a set time.
15:14
And that brings us right to the heart of the Book of Revelation
15:17
and the main source of comfort for the suffering Church, God's
15:21
absolute total sovereignty. The fact that the word Throne
15:24
appears 47 times in this one book is not an accident.
15:27
No God is established right away in chapter 4 as the sovereign
15:30
Creator. He's worthy of all worship and
15:33
praise from every created thing. He is the holy, Holy, holy One.
15:37
And knowing that God rules from that fixed central throne is
15:41
meant to be a comfort to believers in their suffering.
15:45
It assures them that their struggle isn't just random fate
15:47
or bad luck. It's not chance.
15:50
Everything is securely in God's hands.
15:52
But if God is in control, then we have to face a very difficult
15:56
theological point. You said the beast is allowed to
15:59
operate. This is a critical detail.
16:01
It is a stunning paradox. The authority and the power that
16:05
are given to both the 1st and 2nd beasts were explicitly
16:08
granted to them by God. The Greek phrase a doth it was
16:12
given shows up 21 times in Revelation.
16:15
And in every single case, the one doing the giving is
16:17
ultimately God, Yes. So God is the one who permits
16:20
the evil empire to persecute his own people.
16:24
How do we reconcile that? How is that supposed to be a
16:26
comfort? The comfort is found in the
16:28
scope of God's control. This detail makes it clear that
16:31
evil is never outside of God's sovereign domain.
16:34
The powers of evil are not independent.
16:36
They're not running wild. They operate only within the
16:38
boundaries that God has set for them.
16:40
Yes, defined and time limited boundaries.
16:43
Now, God is not the author of sin.
16:45
He remains pure and separate from the evil actions
16:48
themselves, but He is the ultimate source of the power
16:52
that allows the beast to function.
16:54
And this means that every bit of suffering, every injustice, it
16:58
all fits into a larger predetermined divine purpose.
17:01
It assures the Saints that the devil is, to put it bluntly,
17:05
God's dog on a leash. That idea of God's control over
17:08
evil is shown even more clearly in how the whole evil system
17:12
eventually collapses. That's detailed in Chapter 17.
17:14
It is the source material points to Revelation 17, where the
17:18
Beast and the 10 Kings, the political powers, they turn on
17:21
the harlot, roam and they destroy her.
17:24
It shows the the basic insanity of evil.
17:26
Yes, wickedness is by its very nature self-destructive.
17:29
It turns on itself. It cannibalizes and implodes.
17:32
But again, the text doesn't just leave it to random self
17:33
destruction. God is actively orchestrating
17:36
this revelation 17.2 and teen says that God put it into their
17:39
hearts to carry out his purpose. So in the very act of turning on
17:43
each other and destroying one another, the forces of evil are
17:47
actually fulfilling God's sovereign plan.
17:50
It might look like evil is winning in the short term, but
17:53
God has already planned for the whole dynasty of evil to unravel
17:56
itself, guaranteeing that the Saints will reign in its place.
17:59
And flowing right out of God's sovereignty is the absolute
18:02
supremacy of Christ. Revelation gives us this
18:05
incredibly high view of Jesus's divine status to assure the
18:10
suffering church that he is in complete control.
18:13
He is called the ruler of the kings on earth, and he holds
18:16
that position because of his deity, yes, but also because of
18:19
his successful humanity. He is the one who fulfills the
18:22
promises made to Adam, Abraham, and David.
18:24
He's the king of history. And he's conquered the ultimate
18:27
enemy, death itself, through his resurrection, he says.
18:30
I died and behold, I am alive forevermore and I have the keys
18:33
of death. The meaning is so clear.
18:36
Death does not have the final word.
18:38
Jesus reigns over it. His power over life in the
18:40
afterlife is absolute. And this dual nature, the God
18:43
Man, is shown visually in that vision of the Son of Man in
18:46
chapter 1. He's the Son of Man from Daniel
18:49
7, which means he's the human representative for Grounds
18:51
people. But at the same time, he shares
18:53
the identity of the Ancient of Days from that same chapter in
18:56
Daniel. His hair is like white wool,
18:59
like snow, which signifies that he is the eternal one existing
19:03
outside of time. His identity merges the human
19:06
and the divine. And this combination shows his
19:08
intense holiness. His eyes are like a flame of
19:11
fire. And that symbolism, that flaming
19:14
fire, it represents A holiness that sees everything and detects
19:17
and destroys evil wherever it is.
19:20
It's the ability to search hearts and render perfect
19:23
judgment. And this equality with God is
19:25
really driven home by the titles he's given.
19:28
Jesus is called the 1st and the last and the Alpha and the Omega
19:31
titles that are used for God the Father elsewhere in the book.
19:34
It's a theological shorthand really.
19:36
It asserts Christ's full deity and His Co rule with the Father.
19:40
And for the church that was being afflicted, this was
19:42
everything. It assured them that God and
19:44
Christ are jointly ruling all of history.
19:46
Nothing is spinning out of their perfect control.
19:49
The beast can rage, but the Lamb is King.
19:51
We see that equality between Christ and God most clearly and
19:55
how they are worshipped. In chapter 4, God is worshipped
19:59
as the Creator. Then immediately in chapter 5
20:02
the Lamb is praised as a Redeemer.
20:04
He's given the same divine status.
20:06
The keyword in chapter 5 is worthy.
20:09
The whole drama of the chapter bills to the declaration that
20:12
the Lamb is worthy to be praised and adored.
20:15
Blessing and honor and glory are given equally to God on the
20:19
throne and to the Lamb. Salvation itself is said to come
20:22
from both God and the Lamb. And the Lamb is called Lord of
20:25
Lords and King of Kings. There's no higher title.
20:29
This absolute rule brings us back to the reality of suffering
20:32
and judgment after the judgments start to fall.
20:34
This critical question is asked in Chapter 6.
20:37
The great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?
20:40
The whole world is collapsing and people are hiding in terror
20:43
from the wrath of God. And the wrath of the Lamb in
20:45
Chapter 7 gives the immediate, comforting answer, Who can stand
20:49
those who are sealed and protected by God?
20:51
Those who are redeemed. And this is where Shriner gets
20:53
into the identity of the 144,000.
20:56
OK, but this isn't a literal number of people, is it?
20:59
No, it's highly symbolic. The number is 12 * 12 * 1000.
21:04
It's a perfect representation of the complete people of God.
21:07
Built on the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles.
21:10
Right. It symbolically describes the
21:12
entire people of God, both Jews and Gentiles.
21:16
And this is confirmed just a few verses later when John sees a
21:19
great multitude that no one could number standing before the
21:21
throne. It's the same group.
21:23
And these redeemed people are described with specific
21:27
spiritual imagery. They are redeemed from the
21:30
Earth, which means they've been freed from their sins.
21:32
And they're also described as virgins who haven't defiled
21:36
themselves. Again, this is symbolic.
21:38
It means they refuse to commit spiritual adultery with the
21:40
harlot Babylon. They kept their devotion purely
21:43
for the Lord. They didn't compromise.
21:45
So this huge crowd is standing before the throne in white
21:49
robes, rejoicing because they've been saved.
21:53
They've made it through the tribulation.
21:54
The question is, why are they there?
21:56
What's the basis for their redemption?
21:58
The answer is stated very clearly.
22:00
They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of
22:03
the Lamb. That is the only reason they are
22:05
standing there. Forgiveness and cleansing are
22:08
available only through Christ's shed blood.
22:11
It's not their own endurance that save them, it's the
22:13
sacrifice of the Lamb that enabled them to endure.
22:16
Precisely. And that brings us to the
22:18
pivotal moment of the whole book, that central scene in
22:21
Chapter 5. John is weeping because no one
22:24
in heaven or on earth is worthy to open the sealed scroll.
22:28
The scroll that contains God's plan to bring history to his
22:30
conclusion. If it stays sealed, there's no
22:33
hope. But then an elder speaks up.
22:36
He announces that someone is worthy.
22:38
The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has
22:41
conquered. This is the conquering king
22:43
everyone was waiting for. And yet, when John turns to see
22:46
this powerful lion, he sees something totally different.
22:49
He sees a lamb standing that looked as if it had been slain.
22:52
And that is the profound central truth of revelation.
22:56
The lion wins by being the lamb. Yes, Christ's victory is not
23:00
achieved through brute force, not by destroying his enemies.
23:03
It's achieved through suffering, through self sacrifice, through
23:07
death for the sake of salvation. His weakness is his strength.
23:10
His death is his victory. So even though the cross isn't
23:13
mentioned on every page, Christ's death is the absolute
23:16
center. It's the hinge on which all of
23:18
history turns. Without a doubt, it's his blood
23:21
that frees us from sin in chapter 1.
23:23
It's the fact that he was slain that makes him worthy in chapter
23:26
5, and even the cosmic war in heaven in chapter 12.
23:29
Michael's victory over the Dragon is based on the work of
23:32
the cross. Believers conquer the accuser,
23:35
the devil, by the blood of the Lamb.
23:38
The decisive victory over the serpent happened at the cross.
23:41
The devil's time is short because Christ's victory is a
23:43
finished historical fact, and only those who rely on that
23:47
cleansing can enter the city of God.
23:48
OK. The dual certainty of God's
23:50
sovereignty in Christ's victory means that the world will be
23:53
held accountable. The judgments, the seals,
23:56
trumpets and bowls show God's control and the disclosure of
23:59
His Holiness and wrath. And it's so important to clarify
24:03
the character of that wrath. The source material is clear
24:06
that these judgments aren't random or just vindictive.
24:10
They are just. Revelation says repeatedly that
24:13
God's judgments are just The unbelievers are getting what
24:16
they deserve for persecuting the Saints and spilling their blood.
24:20
Right. Babylon is repaid for her sins.
24:23
Justice is finally served for God's oppressed people.
24:26
And you see this in the reaction in heaven when Babylon falls.
24:29
They don't mourn, they shout Hallelujah.
24:31
They declare that God's judgments are true and just.
24:34
The triumph of God is secured when his justice brings down the
24:37
harlot, the beast, and finally the devil himself.
24:40
The defeat of the beast happens when Jesus returns on a White
24:43
Horse, judging righteously as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
24:47
And after that, all of humanity faces the Great White Throne
24:49
judgement. Everyone is judged according to
24:52
what they have done. Which brings us full circle.
24:54
This certainty of final judgement is the foundation for
24:57
the call to endure, which connects Revelation right back
25:00
to the general epistles. The letters to the seven
25:02
churches all stress that believers have to conquer and
25:05
overcome if they want to receive the reward of eternal life.
25:08
And that is tied directly to being faithful during
25:11
persecution. The promise is that only those
25:14
who are faithful to death will receive the crown of life.
25:17
The mission for believers is clear.
25:20
Keep Jesus's commands and endure to the end.
25:23
That comes with a very solemn warning.
25:26
Any believer who gives their primary allegiance to the beast,
25:29
who compromises with the culture and commits spiritual idolatry,
25:33
will face the same eternal punishment.
25:34
It's a warning against blending in.
25:36
They have to persist in their separateness.
25:38
The choice is stark. Either wash your robes in the
25:41
blood of the Lamb and conquer, or take the mark of the beast
25:44
and be judged with him. So we finally arrive at the end
25:46
of the story, the new creation in Revelation 21 and 22.
25:50
This new world is the total fulfillment of everything that
25:53
was promised in the Garden of Eden and then some.
25:56
The scope is just massive. Adam was meant to be a king and
25:59
priest in the garden. Now all those who conquer will
26:02
be kings and priests in the new creation.
26:05
The promise of the land in the Old Testament is expanded to
26:08
cover the entire universe. The whole cosmos becomes God's
26:11
temple. And the New Jerusalem comes down
26:13
from God, described as a bride. John's description mixes 3 key
26:18
images. It's a city, which means
26:21
security and community. It's a temple, which means God's
26:23
presence. And it's a garden, which means
26:26
life and beauty. And the symbolism is so thick,
26:29
for instance, when it says there is no more sea, it's not a
26:32
literal weather report, right? The sea in Revelation represents
26:35
chaos. It's where the beast came from.
26:37
So no more sea means the complete end of chaos, evil and
26:40
opposition to God. The very architecture of the
26:43
city is symbolic. It's a perfect cube.
26:45
Which is a direct reference to the Holy of Holies in Solomon's
26:47
temple. That was also a perfect cube.
26:51
It signifies that God's presence now fills the entire city
26:54
perfectly and immediately. The goal of God dwelling with
26:57
his people is finally reached on a global scale.
27:00
Which is why there's no literal temple building in the new city.
27:03
Exactly. There's no need for one.
27:05
The Lord God and the Lamb are the temple.
27:08
They are the light. Their living presence is what
27:10
makes the place holy. So the greatest benefit, the
27:13
greatest joy of the new creation is just the unveiled continuous
27:17
presence of God. That's it.
27:18
God will Tabernacle with his people.
27:20
He'll live among them, and in his presence there's no more
27:23
hunger, no more thirst, no more tears.
27:26
What refreshes human beings forever is seeing God's face.
27:31
And the symbolism also communicates total security and
27:33
unity. The city has a high,
27:35
impenetrable wall, yet it's gates are never shut.
27:39
It's a beautiful paradox. The gates are open not because
27:42
it's vulnerable, but because there are no enemies left.
27:45
The darkness of evil has been completely and eternally dealt
27:48
with. The security is absolute.
27:50
And the unity of God's people is shown in the very foundation of
27:53
the city. You see the names of the 12
27:55
tribes of Israel on the gates, and the names of the 12 apostles
27:58
on the foundations. It shows the one unified people
28:01
of God, the Church built on the witness of both the Old and New
28:04
Testaments to Jesus Christ. The final image is the garden
28:07
restored. A river of life flows from the
28:10
throne of God and of the Lamb, and the Tree of life is there,
28:14
available to all. And this brings us to a really
28:16
fascinating detail that sets up our final thought.
28:19
The text says the nations will bring their glory and honor into
28:22
the city. All that is beautiful and
28:25
lovely. So this means that everything of
28:27
true value and worth from the old creation, the beauty of
28:31
human art, culture, skill, it's not all just burned up and
28:34
forgotten. No.
28:35
It's incorporated into the new creation.
28:38
It's purified and perfected and brought in to give glory to God.
28:42
Nothing truly good is lost. That's a powerful counterpoint
28:45
to the idea that this world doesn't matter and we're just
28:48
waiting to escape it. It had real worth because God
28:50
made it, and the new creation preserves and perfects that
28:53
worth. OK, to try and bring this whole
28:55
deep dive together, we've covered a huge amount of ground,
28:58
from the practical call to persevere in the Epistles to the
29:01
final vision of history and Revelation.
29:03
I think the first big take away is that the Lordship of Christ
29:06
requires our godliness and perseverance right now in the
29:09
face of opposition and knowing that real faith will always show
29:13
itself in a life changed by grace.
29:16
Second, God's sovereignty covers everything, even evil.
29:21
He grants the beasts their limited authority for his own
29:24
good purposes, which means the conflict is always under his
29:27
control. 3rd The victory of the lion is won through the
29:30
suffering of the lamb. It's his blood that cleanses us
29:33
and disarms the devil, and it's the only reason we can stand
29:36
before God. And finally, the goal of all of
29:38
history is the new creation where the whole universe reverse
29:42
becomes God's Holy of holies, the place where he lives with
29:45
his people forever. The job given to Adam to rule
29:47
the world for God has been successfully completed by Jesus,
29:50
and the final glorious goal will be reached for all who endure.
29:54
They will see his face. They will see the King and his
29:56
beauty. This whole discussion leaves us
29:58
with one last powerful thought to chew on.
30:01
Revelation shows us that the new creation will include the whole
30:04
universe as God's temple, and crucially, that everything of
30:08
value from the old creation, the beautiful and lovely things,
30:12
will be brought into the new. But at the same time, the text
30:15
insists that our highest joy, our greatest satisfaction, will
30:18
be found in seeing God's face. So here's the question.
30:22
If seeing the King and his beauty is our ultimate reward,
30:25
how does that certainly change the way you view, use, and value
30:29
the beautiful and lovely things of this world right now?
30:32
Do you treat them as disposable plunders to be consumed or as
30:35
precious things that are destined for purification and
30:38
perfection? Think about how the way you
30:40
value beauty today reflects the hope you have for the future.