Revelation III

01Nov09

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11.1.09

Revelation is a Symbolic Vision
John saw this vision (52x “saw”)

seeing things not as they appear to the naked eye
but the reality behind appearances
presented in a Symbolic form

The vision is not a physical vision of the future

shows symbolically their true identities
the opposite of their appearance in the world

does not predict a sequence of events as though it were history written in advance

Even the numbers are not literal
they are symbolic
4, 7, 10, 12

*
Revelation is the climax of Old Testament prophecy
the last great prophecy

prophecy in OT and Revelation
does 3 things

1. prophecy addresses the original context of those addressed by the prophet

Revelation addresses the first century church and what would soon take place to them
relevant to immediate context
what it means to first hearers

Revelation is written to the first century to a church under attack
under the great Roman Empire
tempted by its wealth and pleasures
persecuted by its power

“what must soon take place”
1.1-3
22.6-7, 10

The Beast is the Roman power and religion and wealth
period of conflict between the church and the beast
great persecution from the first to third century

Roman empire eventually conquered by church

2. Prophecy establishes principles that repeat throughout history

(relevant to Christians at whatever time they live in the last 2000 years)

beast comes in many forms during history
to contest God’s rule

whatever empire the hat fits should wear it
more than just the original reference

the assault on the church comes in different forms in different times and places

3. Prophecy reaches complete fulfillment only on the last day when Christ returns

Isaiah predicts the
restoration of Israel after exile in Babylon
but some of the great hyperbolic things he says do not happen at that time
but will only happen when Christ returns

much of what is said in Revelation only reaches complete fulfillment in the future when Christ returns
did not happen in the first or second century in the fullest sense

*
What should Revelation do to us?

Help us to See in a new way
(see things from the true perspective)

1. See the powers from the true perspective

nations and institutions are not what they appear to the eye
they seem great and powerful

but this is what they are

13.1b-10

the Beast is any powerful government
that does not worship and obey God
that persecutes and hinders God’s people

we should not look to the powers for deliverance
we should not be surprised when the powers turn against us

the wealth and pleasures of the great nations and powers are attractive to us
but this is what they are

17.1-18

as the Lamb has a Bride
so does the Beast- the prostitute
the great city that rules over all the earth
(Rome) is a whore

18.1-17

the Powers will fall and all their wealth will be taken away

We are to come out of her (vs. 4)
which does not mean to physically leave her
but to not assimilate and be like her

2. See the Christ from the true perspective

we can’t see Jesus so we forget about him
and don’t live in confidence of his power

1:12-18
19.11-21
This is Jesus the Victor, the Conqueror

Is this the Jesus you worship and serve?
Do you see him? Do you live every day with this Jesus before you?

3. See the Church from the true perspective

we often think of the church as small and insignificant
as weak and sinful

19:1-10
21:9-27

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Reformation Sunday

25Oct09

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10.25.09
Jeremy Coenen preached.

Ezekiel 11
Theme: The Lord will cleanse his people and give them a new heart, for his glory.

What is Reformation Day?
The church is a group of people created by God to be his own. The church has been more or less pure from its very origin. But even from the Garden, the Lord has been working to call to himself this people. He has been the one to make right what we have messed up. In the earliest centuries following the earthly ministry of Christ, the church was busy sorting out what is true and what is false. But, not only was doctrine important to the early church, living out the gospel was equally important. When the pagan families around the Christians had an unwanted baby, they left it out to die of exposure. Would the Christians allow this? No. Who cared for the outcasts of society? The church. Throughout the last several hundred years, try to think about the origins of hospitals and schools. These too came out of the church. Why did these early Christians have this kind of redemptive presence? Because they understood God’s love for sinners. They recognized they were unworthy except for the mercy they received from God himself. As a result, they showed love and mercy to their fellow man.
Now, this all sounds good, but the church surely has had its faults. Throughout the middle ages, the leaders of the church increased in wealth and power. As this happened, these leaders worked to solidify this prestige. Gone was the humble origins.
Now the church needed to fight for the truth and purity of the gospel. Through the 1400’s and into the 1500’s there was a sort of re-awakening to the text of the Scriptures. There are several important people we could mention here, but I’ll leave that for your own study. The main figure we mention at this point was Martin Luther.
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk, preacher, and Bible professor at Wittenberg Germany, nailed his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral. One of the main issues in the Ninety-five Theses was the common practice of the selling and purchasing of indulgences, which was said to reduce time in purgatory for the purchaser. By nailing the Ninety-Five Theses to the Cathedral door, he was simply stating the intellectual problems he had with Roman Catholic teaching and was calling for a debate on these topics. But, over time, the event has come to mark the beginning of a new era for God’s people. Over the centuries leading up to the Reformation, the Roman Church had clouded biblical truth with tradition and ceremony. In Luther’s day, some began reading the Bible according to the teaching of Augustine and the Church Fathers like him, and started to question church teaching as a result.
So, what did Luther and the later reformers rediscover? The sovereign grace of God. Just as that early church lived lives of grace to their community, so to did the reformers.
This point leads us to our theme for today. Grace. Grace is God giving us the blessings that we need, but do not deserve. Yet, don’t think of grace as just getting something from God; it is getting something we cannot earn for our selves.
I hope you will see this as we read from Ezekiel 11. Please follow along.

Read Ezekiel 11.
Notice first the perspective of those remaining in Jerusalem. They believed that they were in a strong position simply because they were in Jerusalem – God’s city. After all, who could have imagined that God would allow his city, his temple, his people to be destroyed. How did this people refer to themselves? The meat in the pot. What does that mean? They were the best. In relation to the food being cooked, where is the flame? Outside the pot. They were safe from the flames within the walls of the city / cooking pot. Those who were taken out earlier were the ones in trouble according to those in the city. Also, when you are cooking, what part of the meat do you discard? What we call offal, or waste. These twenty-five truly thought they were better than those who were exiled earlier. God’s perspective is that “these are the men who are plotting evil and giving wicked advice in this city.” And again see verses 5-6, “Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon me, and he told me to say: “This is what the LORD says: That is what you are saying, O house of Israel, but I know what is going through your mind. 6 You have killed many people in this city and filled its streets with the dead.”
What do these verses mean for us? It is a warning against having a false sense of security. Many of us are trusting in the blessings we have rather than the one who has given us the blessings. We attend a solid Bible-believing church. Many of us are fairly stable financially. We have many material and spiritual blessings. We feel secure. This is not unlike those who remained in Jerusalem after that initial wave of exiles left. Those who stayed thought they were protected. But, in reality they were about to be judged for their sins. If these people were sinners, how could they feel secure in God’s city? They believed God was absent or at least unable to see them. Flip back to Ezekiel 8:12. “He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.’””
What of our ‘secret’ sins? Do we still have confidence in our religion that we will not be judged for what we do in private? On the exterior, everyone of us looks safe. How is this different than those who lived in the middle ages who trusted in the church or trusted in the relics or trusted in buying indulgences?
Did God actually forsake those who were deported to Babylon? Did they need to trust in the temple of God? Were they even able to trust in that? Think about the bigger picture. God stripped them of everything. All their idols. Their businesses. Even their legitimate religious things like the temple and the priests. In a sense, taking them out of the promised land was the best thing that could have happened to them. What did they have left? NIV Ezekiel 11:16 “”Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’” We tend to get hung-up on the created things that God gives us. Look at the church 600 years ago. They were hung-up on the things of their version of Christianity. The church of 2600 years ago was no different – “We are safe, we have the temple and we live in Jerusalem.” What about us? What are our hang-ups? What created thing is keeping you from fully trusting in the creator?
What is the solution to this problem? Let me give you a story from an analogous situation. As Sarah and I are attempting to raise Andrew as a child of the Lord, he is learning to obey authority. When he explicitly disobeys what we tell him to do, he gets a punishment of some sort. After his punishment we talk with him about what happened and give him a chance to repent. As we are talking he will often say, “It is so hard to obey.” Now, I think that is such a perfect line. You and I have more sophisticated ways of saying why we don’t obey the Lord, but wouldn’t we all say, “it is so hard”? What needs to change? How can we obey? How can we put our trust in God and not his created things?
Look on at Ezekiel 11:17. Who is in charge? The Lord. We understand that when we speak of the one true God, his name is, in English, the Lord. But Ezekiel and some authors often refers to him as the Sovereign Lord. This is significant. What does the word sovereign mean? We often think of royalty as being sovereign. But our God is no human king. He is the King of kings. Look at the word sovereign and look at how it is spelled. The one who is truly sovereign reigns over everyone else. God sovereignly reigns over us, even when we are seemingly far from him. Do you feel that you are in the far off nations? Do you perceive that God is distant from you? Does God say to you, walk back to me. Does he say pull yourself up by your bootstraps and commit yourself to me? No. The Sovereign Lord says, I will bring them back.
Why does Andrew say “it is so hard to obey”? Because it is. We have a divided heart. We say we want to obey God, but we often do otherwise. Read on at verse 18.
God will do that heart surgery that each of us needs. God will graciously take us back for himself. Everyone of us is born with a heart that is naturally unresponsive to God. In Ephesians, Paul wrote that we are ‘by nature objects of wrath.’ What God does is change who we are from the inside. On our own we cannot even believe in him. He inclines our hearts to him. A heart of stone is a cold dead heart, but a heart of flesh is alive and can pump blood. If God changes us, we can live. But then, what of our sins? Does God just simply forget about them? Earlier we read together that the Lord removes our sins as far as the east is from the west. But on what basis? For the exiles, it couldn’t be on the basis of their temple sacrifices right? They couldn’t offer sacrifices because they lived in Babylon. The OT sacrifices were effective as far as they could be, but really they were a symbol that pointed to something more real and permanent. They pointed to the final sacrifice that God himself would sovereignly provide – Jesus Christ. His death on the cross was what God’s people really need for forgiveness. We deserve to be punished for our sins, but Jesus was our substitute. He took our place. On that basis we are made right with God.
Do you have a heart of stone and need a heart of flesh? Or do you trust in the things God has made as opposed to God himself? The solution is the same for both. The Sovereign Lord needs to give us grace to return to him. Trust in God.

Calvin prayer.
Almighty God. Since we have utterly perished in our father Adam, and there remains in us no single part which is not corrupt, as long as we bear in the soul as in the body grounds for wrath, and condemnation, and death, grant that, being reborn in the Spirit, we may more and more withdraw ourselves from our own will and our own spirit, and so submit ourselves to you, that your Spirit may truly reign within us: And afterwards, grant that we may not be ungrateful, but considering how inestimable is this benefit, may we dedicate our whole life and apply ourselves to glorify your name, in Jesus Christ our Lord. — Amen.

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Revelation II

18Oct09

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10.18.09

Revelation: three principles of interpretation

1. Revelation is a symbolic vision not a literal vision of the future
John is not seeing the actual literal future like a camera would record it

some say “interpret all details in the literal sense where this is possible”
rather be wary of any attempt to make it literal (even numbers)

2. Revelation is not complex outline and detailed plan of the future with many different stages in it

the sort of thing you get in prophecy charts, teachings, conferences
I do not believe in the rapture or the “left behind” approach

3. Revelation is not in sequential order of future events: not an outline
it a series of visions about the same thing

Major theme of the whole book:
The Messiah’s War

The Messiahs fights a war
leading an army of his followers
against all oppressors
defeating the pagan powers who contest God’s rule
conquering them
liberating the people of God
and establishing the rule of God

because the book is symbolic
this is not a literal war
with Jesus leading a literal army in a war
unseen spiritual war going on even now

three stages: first stage
1. conquered by his death and resurrection

5.1-10
he conquers but by his sacrifice
when he is killed
he wins the victory

he purchases men for God
they will reign on the earth
because of his victory at the cross

second stage
2. his followers continue the war now in the present and they are called to conquer

chapters 2-3
2:7, 11, 17, 26
3:5, 12, 21

this is a present call to the churches
also at the end of the book

21.7
He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
12.11
They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
15.2
And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name.

we are called to participate in the Messiah’s war against evil: Satan and the nations
we are called to fight now and conquer
not simply wait for Christ to come

7.4-8
144,000 an army
census of the tribes of Israel
only males of military age are counted
to build an army

this is you! the church, Christ’s conquering army
not ethnic Jews
or some special elite group

14.1-5
they are an army
virginity is a symbol of preparedness
you don’t sleep with your wife during the military campaign
1 Sam 21.5

11:3
two witnesses
all this speculation about who are these two witnesses and at what stage of the final events will this happen

this is you!
this is the church
this is how we conquer
this is how we fight this war
by bearing witness and being faithful unto death

Why two? Deut 19.15 (not literal)
standard Biblical idea of two witnesses

sackcloth: message of judgment and a call to repentance

1260 days (42 x 30) same as 42 months
not literal (half of seven years)
time of assault by enemies (vs 2)
but also time of their prophetic work
this is the church age in which we live now

4
lampstands are symbols of the church in chapter 1

5
protected by God so they can preach

6
imagery of prophecy from the OT
Elijah and Moses
not waiting for great prophets…
we are the prophetic word to the world when we proclaim Christ and the gospel to them

7
the Beast which is the power of the Roman Empire
but also all nations which have great power and oppress the church of God
this is the war we are called to fight not by violence but by witness

“Conquers” the two witnesses
13.5-7 says the exact same thing about the same era:
the ones who are conquered by the beast are the saints or Christians

this is not an eternal conquest
they conquer by killing us
we conquer in our faithful witness to the point of death– this is our victory

from the perspective of the world, the beast or the empire has won
from heaven’s perspective, the witnesses or the church has won

the Christians were so powerless against Rome, they must have often despaired and given up the war
this revelation given to strengthen them

8-10
the Roman Empire celebrated the destruction and killings of the Christians

11-12
image of the victory we will win by resurrection and ruling with Christ
as Christ was killed and raised
we will be as well

this revelation given to strengthen us
we will be raised
we will have the ultimate victory

third stage
3. Final victory at his coming

11.15-18
at the end Christ will conquer and
“the kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord of his Christ” 11:15

you have begun to reign
the nations opposed you
you destroyed the destroyers of the earth

17.14
14They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

19.11-21

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Revelation I

11Oct09

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10.11.09

Revelation 1:1-18

You must understand the way I interpret the book of Revelation

1. I do not believe Revelation has a complex and detailed plan of the future with many different stages in it

with chapter 4 and on being taught as the distant future, the end of the world
this is taught in prophecy conferences and teaching on Revelation and Daniel
although I respect and love many of the people who teach these things
I reject it all and think it is all bunk

I do not believe in the rapture
I believe there is a day when Jesus will come to us

2. Revelation is a symbolic vision not a literal vision of the future

what John sees is a symbolic vision of not only the future but also the present

some say “interpret all details in the literal sense where this is possible”
No. This will lead you into a hole.

3. I do not believe that the book of Revelation is in sequential order

it a series of visions about the same thing
there are separate visions
not one long visions setting things out in some kind of historical order about what is going to happen in the future

*
1.4
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come
1.8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
4.8
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
21.6
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.

Christ says the same of himself
1.17
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.
22.13
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Alpha: first, Omega: last
beginning, end
the one who is, and who was, and who is to come

1. The past of God is that he made all things

the Alpha, the first, the beginning, the God who was

4.11
“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”
10.6
And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it,
14.7
“Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

also in the past he raised Jesus from the dead
1.5
Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead,
1.18
I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

2. The present of God is he is the sovereign Lord of all history, he rules everything that happens
“who is” 1.4, 8

he sits on the throne now

4.9
Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever.

chapter 4 is a symbolic visions of a throne room
meaning that God is on the throne right now in the present

on earth it appears others have power
but John sees a symbolic visions of who is really on the throne

Chapter 4 and 5 are a symbolic vision of the worship of God

a scene of continuous worship which should draw us in
heavenly beings whose existence is entirely fulfilled in the worship of God
wider and wider circles

if you really know God in the present you worship him
to know the God who sits on the throne as the ruler of all things is to worship him

Chapter 4: God worshiped
Chapter 5: Christ worshiped
5.9-10
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth.”

12″Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”
13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”

3. The future of God is that he will come to his creation
the Omega, the Last, the End, “the one who is to come” 1.4, 8

God’s purpose for the universe is to overcome all opposition to his rule
what is true in heaven now will be brought to earth
God will bring his rule in heaven to earth

God is coming and Christ is coming
1.7
Look, he is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.
22.12
“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
22.20
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

in Christ’s return the God that begins all things will end all things

First, Judgment

11.18
The time has come for judging the dead,
and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your saints and those who reverence your name,
both small and great—
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”
destroying the destroyers of the earth
God is faithful to his creation
will not abandon it
he must destroy the destroyers in order to deliver creation from evil

4:5 lightning and thunder
From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder.

echoed at seventh seal 8.5
Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

seventh trumpet 11.19
Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm.

seventh bowl 16.18
Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake.

Second, New Creation

God who gave life to the world in creation will give life to the world again in the new creation

21.1
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,
21.5
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done.

Gen 6.13
13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.
17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.

the flood was the power of chaos undoing the creation and returning it to chaos

21.1
and there was no longer any sea.

not a second flood but the removal of the flood

Three, Resurrection
1.5
Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead,

it is new life that Christ entered at his resurrection that all will share
our bodies will be raised as Jesus was raised
no longer mortal and corruptible bodies
but immortal and incorruptible

1.18
I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
20.14
Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
21.4
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

he now has authority over death
and destroys death and the grave

the God who gave life to creation
will give life to the dead

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Missions Conference

04Oct09

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Sandy Willson preached.

October 2, 3, 4

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