Heaven or Hell: The Choices We Make

Transcription

1 Revelation 14 Heaven or Hell: The Choices We Make HCC Feb, 2017

2 No sugar coating, no jokes Hell is real I don t want to go there I don t want anyone I know or love to go there

3 Why hell? God is love God is just and holy

4 From Last Week People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, Who is like the beast?... It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. Rev 13:4,16

5 Revelation 14: Two Paths with Different Outcomes The Worshippers of the Beast (v 6-11) The Worshippers of the Lamb (v 1-5) HELL Angel of Fire Harvest of Grapes and Blood (v 17-20) HEAVEN Son of Man Harvest of the Earth (v 14-16)

6 Rev 14: Choosing your path 1. Worshippers of false gods suffer eternally 2. God s people persevere and are victorious 3. Judgment is coming although not yet here

7 Rev 14: Choosing your path 1. Worshippers of false gods suffer eternally 2. God s people persevere and are victorious 3. Judgment is coming although not yet here

8 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name. Rev 14:9-11

9 Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth s vine, because its grapes are ripe. The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God s wrath. They were trampled in the wine press outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia. Rev 14: 17-20

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11 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. (Hebrews 13:12) Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (Romans 5:9)

12 Colton Burpo

13 Hell is for Real It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell (gehenna), where the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:48)

14 To say that the Scriptural image of hell-fire is not wholly literal is of no comfort whatsoever. The reality will be far worse than the image. What, then, are the 'fire' and 'darkness' symbols for? They are vivid ways to describe what happens when we lose the presence of God. Darkness refers to the isolation, and fire to the disintegration of being separated from God. Away from the favor and face of God, we literally, horrifically, and endlessly fall apart. - Tim Keller, The Importance of Hell

15 God is just This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord 2 Thes 1:6-8

16 Hell begins with a grumbling mood, always complaining, always blaming others... but you are still distinct from it. You may even criticize it in yourself and wish you could stop it. But there may come a day when you can no longer. Then there will be no you left to criticize the mood or even to enjoy it, but just the grumble itself, going on forever like a machine. It is not a question of God 'sending us' to hell. In each of us there is something growing, which will BE Hell unless it is nipped in the bud. - C.S. Lewis

17 "Scripture sees hell as self-chosen... Hell appears as God's gesture of respect for human choice. All receive what they actually chose, either to be with God forever, worshipping him, or without God forever, worshipping themselves" - J.I. Packer, Concise Theology

18 Rev 14: Choosing your path 1. Worshippers of false gods suffer eternally 2. God s people persevere and are victorious 3. Judgment is coming although not yet here

19 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as first fruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless. Rev 14:1-5

20 The example of the 144,000 God s People: Find their identity in Christ Experience joy and freedom Stand up and fight

21 God s people find their identity in Christ Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 They were purchased from among mankind and offered as first fruits to God and the Lamb they are blameless. Rev 14:1-5

22 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2) I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

23 Who or what defines you? What is your God? Everyone worships something People worshiped the beast and asked, Who is like the beast? (Rev 13:4)

24 Who or what is your god? Your god is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning. - Dr John Ng

25 Idolatry isn t just one of many sins; rather it s the one great sin that all others come from. So if you start scratching at whatever struggle you re dealing with, eventually you ll find that underneath it is a false god. Until that god is dethroned, and the Lord God takes his rightful place, you will not have victory. Idolatry isn t an issue; it is the issue.

26 God s people experience joy and freedom Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. Rev 14:1-3

27 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Psalms 40:1-3

28 Because of the LORD s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

29 Freedom and Rest in God Exodus 25 31: building God s temple You must observe my Sabbath. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come (Exodus 31:12) Genesis 1: And God saw that it was good Drew Fralick, Tim Keller

30 Are you experiencing joy and freedom?

31 God s people stand up and fight Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 They follow the Lamb wherever he goes No lie was found in their mouths Rev 14:1-5

32 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6

33 (The beast) forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. Rev 13:16-17

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35 Are you standing up for Christ?

36 Rev 14: Choosing your path 1. Worshippers of false gods suffer eternally 2. God s people persevere and are victorious 3. Judgment is coming although not yet here

37 Revelation 14 A Message of Hope

38 Fire Insurance?

39 Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything, they say, and so everything can remain as it was before. D Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

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41 Rev 14: Choosing your path 1. Worshippers of false gods suffer eternally 2. God s people persevere and are victorious 3. Judgment is coming although not yet here

42 Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken

43 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13

44 Questions for this week: 1. What path are you on? 2. Do you know Christ and the joy and freedom He gives? 3. Are you telling others about the God s grace?