The Revelation of Jesus Christ

Transcription

1 The Revelatin f Jesus Christ Crnerstne Church f Alexandria MN Pastr Darryl Knappen May 2016 ( ) Message Title: The Future f Jerusalem in Prphecy Part 2 Tday s Passage: Revelatin 17:9-18 & Chapter 18 Intrductin Verses Nine-Ten The angel s explanatin f the wman riding the beast [9] This calls fr a mind with wisdm: the seven heads are seven muntains n which the wman is seated; [10] they are als seven kings, five f whm have fallen, ne is, the ther has nt yet cme, and when he des cme he must remain nly a little while. As yu recall, here is what Jhn saw: (Revelatin 17:3 ESV) And he carried me away in the Spirit int a wilderness, and I saw a wman sitting n a scarlet beast that was full f blasphemus names, and it had seven heads and ten hrns. This is ne f the tugher passages f Scripture that requires mre meditatin and study than mst parts d. That is why the angel said this explanatin requires peple wh have minds with wisdm. The Bible is a bk meant t be understd by everyne, nt just experts. Hwever, it is nt a pleasure nvel that requires little thught. There are prtins that take extra effrt t pnder, research and dig fr truth. This is ne f thse passages. What happens if yu depend nly n yur pastr t teach yu what the wrd says? What if yur pastr is taken frm yu? Hw will yu be able t pen the wrd n yur wn t knw what will happen next? The angel said that the seven heads represent seven muntains, which represent seven kings. Muntains are used in Scripture as a symbl f strength. In the future, Jerusalem, i.e. the leadership f Israel will be married t the anti-christ and his kingdm in an unhly alliance. Instead f wrshiping the true Gd they were created fr, they nw have chsen t wrship a false gd, the human instrument f Satan, anti-christ himself. This is mre than an alliance, it is a pledge t accept the anti-christ fr what he claims t be, divine. They will chse t wrship this demnically cntrlled agent f Satan. Of the seven kings (under the cntrl f anti-christ) the angel says five have fallen, i.e. they have died. The kings representing the empires f Egypt, Assyria, Medes, Persian, Greece have died, Thse empires are n mre. When the angel says that ne f the kings nw is, he is saying that the king wh rules the current empire (Rme) is still living, r that Rme as an empire is still in existence (since the king and kingdm here are interchangeable). When the angel says that the seventh king is yet t cme and that his rule and reign will be fr nly a shrt while, he is referring t the cming anti-christ wh will reign fr nly seven years.

2 Verse Eleven [11] As fr the beast that was and is nt, it is an eighth but it belngs t the seven, and it ges t destructin. One pssible understanding f this verse is t refer t the beast that was (Rme as it existed then) and is nt (Rme as it will be in the future, a nn-empire) and when it is revived thrugh the Revived Rman Empire it will be an eighth kingdm Satan will use t defeat Christ and althugh it might appear t be an eighth kingdm it is really an extensin and cntinuatin f the previus Rman Empire. This kingdm, when it is revived, will quickly g t its destructin. Verse Twelve [12] And the ten hrns that yu saw are ten kings wh have nt yet received ryal pwer, but they are t receive authrity as kings fr ne hur, tgether with the beast. The angel cntinues t explain, that in the future, this final kingdm will be ruled ver by 10 kings (peple f presidential pwer) but thse peple will nt necessarily represent a particular natin. This makes me believe that the future Revived Rman Empire des nt need t be cmprised f 10 natins but f a ruling bdy f 10 very pwerful peple wh act like kings in their authrity. The ne hur is a reference t a very shrt perid f time, nt literally a 60 minute perid. Verse Thirteen [13] These are f ne mind, and they hand ver their pwer and authrity t the beast. The purpse behind these 10 pwerful plitical figures, r 10 business magnates, r a cmbinatin f bth, is t empwer the anti-christ. He will be unable t cnquer withut their cperatin and financial/plitical supprt. Verse Furteen [14] They will make war n the Lamb, and the Lamb will cnquer them, fr he is Lrd f lrds and King f kings, and thse with him are called and chsen and faithful. It almst seems t be an absurdity that these earthly kings, wrking tgether with the anti-christ can pssibly think that they can win a war against supernatural frces, exclusively the Lrd ur Savir in his military glry and the saints f the ages with him wh get t witness His might and their destructin. This war is the Battle f Armageddn ccurring during the Seventh Bwl judgment f the wrld. That war r battle will ccur at the end f the Great Tribulatin. Exact chrnlgy is nt the angel s cncern here since he will sn be talking abut the hatred twards Jerusalem s leadership in the very next verse, a turning which ccurs midpint in the 70 th week f Daniel, r 3.5 years in. Ntice the wrds used t describe the saints. They are: The called: (1 Peter 2:9 ESV) But yu are a chsen race, a ryal priesthd, a hly natin, a peple fr his wn pssessin, that yu may prclaim the excellencies f him wh called yu ut f darkness int his marvelus light. (Jhn 6:44 ESV) N ne can cme t me unless the Father wh sent me draws him. And I will raise him up n the last day. The chsen: (1 Thessalnians 1:4-5 ESV) Fr we knw, brthers lved by Gd, that he has

3 chsen yu, because ur gspel came t yu nt nly in wrd, but als in pwer and in the Hly Spirit and with full cnvictin. The faithful: (Ephesians 1:1 ESV) Paul, an apstle f Christ Jesus by the will f Gd, T the saints wh are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Verse Fifteen [15] And the angel said t me, The waters that yu saw, where the prstitute is seated, are peples and multitudes and natins and languages. The city f Jerusalem (the prstitute here) is ccupied nw (in ur future) by every peple grup that cmprises the anti-christ s empire. Ntice that the angel did nt say all peples and natins and languages since there will be peple grups utside f the anti-christ s cntrl mid-pint during the Tribulatin perid. Verse Sixteen [16] And the ten hrns that yu saw, they and the beast will hate the prstitute. They will make her deslate and naked, and devur her flesh and burn her up with fire, Just as Daniel predicted, s the angel predicts here that the anti-christ will turn n Israel and attack. The previus treaty, r cvenant, was nly a ruse t gain the trust f Israel s that Satan culd later use the Revived Rman Empire t turn n Israel and destry her like he has always wanted t d. (Daniel 9:27 ESV) And he shall make a strng cvenant with many fr ne week, and fr half f the week he shall put an end t sacrifice and ffering. And n the wing f abminatins shall cme ne wh makes deslate, until the decreed end is pured ut n the deslatr. Accrding t this prphecy, the anti-christ and his 10 puppet kings will kill as many Jews as they can. Jerusalem will be deppulated (made deslate). This defeat will be an utter humiliatin fr Israel, she will be shamed amng the natins (made naked). Her flesh will be devured a symblic picture f what beasts d, they eat the flesh f their prey. Finally Jerusalem will be burned with fire. The anti-christ, having I am sure remved his headquarters frm the city, will burn the city t the grund. Verse Seventeen [17] fr Gd has put it int their hearts t carry ut his purpse by being f ne mind and handing ver their ryal pwer t the beast, until the wrds f Gd are fulfilled. The anti-christ and his puppet fllwers will think it is their will they are carrying ut but in reality, accrding t the angel, it is Gd s will they are carrying ut in terms f His ultimate judgment f unfaithful Israel. Remember, by nw the faithful remnant has fled and is being cnstantly prtected by the Great Eagle (Gd the Father) in Jrdan. This cmbinatin f Gd putting a desire in man s heart is either passive r active. In the case f Nehemiah, it was certainly active (Nehemiah 2:12; 7:5). In the case f Artaxerxes, it was prbably active as well, literally putting thughts and ideas int the heart f the king t beautify the huse f the Lrd in Jerusalem (Ezra 7:27). In the case f Pharah it was passive. Pharah hardened his wn heart in nt wanting t let the Israelites g (that was his wn desire) but accrding t Exdus 9:12, Gd als hardened Pharah s heart meaning that Gd allwed the riginal desire that was already there t be the predminant desire. If Pharah was debating abut

4 letting the children f Israel g r nt g in Exdus 9:12, Gd made sure that the desire t release the Israelites was suppressed and the desire t hld the Israelites in captivity was brught t the frefrnt. Therefre Gd was nt putting evil desires int the heart f Pharah, he was simply (if that were pssible here) directing Pharah s wn desires t bring abut the mst glrifying utcme fr Gd. That will be the same in the future when Gd puts it int the hearts f the kings t massacre Jews in Jerusalem. This will be what they want anyway but there will always be cnflicting emtins and desires within each f the kings. Gd will direct their desires t accmplish his purpses by bringing this desire frward and winning ut, the desire t turn against Israel and annihilate the ppulatin. This is a huge miracle f curse because hw d yu get 10 pwerful peple t agree n anything! Yet thrugh Gd s svereignty it will happen in rder t bring abut judgment upn the very grup f peple wh shuld knw better than t chse a false gd (unfaithful Israel). This dctrine f Gd s svereignty and man s free will has ften been called the dctrine f cncurrence. If yu wuld like t explre this antinmy feel free t check ut resurces that teach this dctrine frm a Gd-hnring way. Here are a few mre verses that teach this dctrine: A man's steps are frm the LORD; hw then can man understand his way? (Prverbs 20:24 ESV) The plans f the heart belng t man, but the answer f the tngue is frm the LORD. (Prverbs 16:1 ESV) The heart f man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. (Prverbs 16:9 ESV) Many are the plans in the mind f a man, but it is the purpse f the LORD that will stand. (Prverbs 19:21 ESV) Whatever the LORD pleases, he des, in heaven and n earth, in the seas and all deeps. (Psalm 135:6 ESV) fr truly in this city there were gathered tgether against yur hly servant Jesus, whm yu aninted, bth Herd and Pntius Pilate, alng with the Gentiles and the peples f Israel, t d whatever yur hand and yur plan had predestined t take place. (Acts 4:27-28 ESV) Verse Eighteen [18] And the wman that yu saw is the great city that has dminin ver the kings f the earth. Here the identity f this city is clearly revealed. The angel calls this wman the great city. That can be n ther city than Jerusalem since Jerusalem was already called the great city earlier in the Bk f Revelatin. (Revelatin 11:8 ESV) and their dead bdies will lie in the street f the great city that symblically is called Sdm and Egypt, where their Lrd was crucified. Her identity is als revealed by the fact that she rules ver the kings f the earth. She will d this under the rulership f the anti-christ. That partnership is reasn fr Gd s judgment upn her because she has s wickedly chsen t link up with the false Christ rather than the true Messiah. Chapter Eighteen - The Destructin f Jerusalem [1] After this I saw anther angel cming dwn frm heaven, having great authrity, and the earth was made bright with his glry. [2] And he called ut with a mighty vice, Fallen, fallen is Babyln the great! She has becme a dwelling place fr demns, a haunt fr every unclean spirit, a haunt fr every unclean bird, a haunt fr every unclean and detestable beast. [3] Fr all natins have drunk the wine f the passin f her sexual immrality, and the kings f the earth have cmmitted immrality with her, and the merchants f the earth have grwn rich frm the pwer f her luxurius living. [4] Then I heard anther vice frm heaven saying, Cme ut f her, my peple, lest yu take part in her sins,

5 lest yu share in her plagues; [5] fr her sins are heaped high as heaven, and Gd has remembered her iniquities. [6] Pay her back as she herself has paid back thers, and repay her duble fr her deeds; mix a duble prtin fr her in the cup she mixed. [7] As she glrified herself and lived in luxury, s give her a like measure f trment and murning, since in her heart she says, I sit as a queen, I am n widw, and murning I shall never see. [8] Fr this reasn her plagues will cme in a single day, death and murning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; fr mighty is the Lrd Gd wh has judged her. [9] And the kings f the earth, wh cmmitted sexual immrality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail ver her when they see the smke f her burning. [10] They will stand far ff, in fear f her trment, and say, Alas! Alas! Yu great city, yu mighty city, Babyln! Fr in a single hur yur judgment has cme. [11] And the merchants f the earth weep and murn fr her, since n ne buys their carg anymre, [12] carg f gld, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple clth, silk, scarlet clth, all kinds f scented wd, all kinds f articles f ivry, all kinds f articles f cstly wd, brnze, irn and marble, [13] cinnamn, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, il, fine flur, wheat, cattle and sheep, hrses and charits, and slaves, that is, human suls. [14] The fruit fr which yur sul lnged has gne frm yu, and all yur delicacies and yur splendrs are lst t yu, never t be fund again! [15] The merchants f these wares, wh gained wealth frm her, will stand far ff, in fear f her trment, weeping and murning alud, [16] Alas, alas, fr the great city that was clthed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adrned with gld, with jewels, and with pearls! [17] Fr in a single hur all this wealth has been laid waste. And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailrs and all whse trade is n the sea, std far ff [18] and cried ut as they saw the smke f her burning, What city was like the great city? [19] And they threw dust n their heads as they wept and murned, crying ut, Alas, alas, fr the great city where all wh had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! Fr in a single hur she has been laid waste. [20] Rejice ver her, O heaven, and yu saints and apstles and prphets, fr Gd has given judgment fr yu against her! [21] Then a mighty angel tk up a stne like a great millstne and threw it int the sea, saying, S will Babyln the great city be thrwn dwn with vilence, and will be fund n mre; [22] and the sund f harpists and musicians, f flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in yu n mre, and a craftsman f any craft will be fund in yu n mre, and the sund f the mill will be heard in yu n mre, [23] and the light f a lamp will shine in yu n mre, and the vice f bridegrm and bride will be heard in yu n mre, fr yur merchants were the great nes f the earth, and all natins were deceived by yur srcery. [24] And in her was fund the bld f prphets and f saints, and f all wh have been slain n earth.