Things Which Shall Be Part V

By Pastor Tim Hitchcock

 

Introduction:

--John's outline for the book of Revelation is found in Revelation 1: 19.  We are on the final point, which is "Things which shall be."  Thus far, we have considered the seven seal and seven trumpet judgments.  Last week we looked at the seven vials of wrath.  This puts us very close to the end of the tribulation.  Every army is heading for the battle of Armageddon.

--In chapter seventeen, we saw the downfall of the apostate church of the end time.  This spiritual harlot seated in the seven hilled city (Rome) is identified with the ancient religion of Babylon.  In 1858, Hislop traced this religious system to Catholicism.  When emperor Theodosius of Rome made Christianity mandatory pagan idol worshippers became Christian idol worshippers.  This opened the door to the Babylonian apostasy.  During the Tribulation, God will put an end to it.

 

I.) Chapter Eighteen:

--In chapter eighteen we see the fall of commercial Babylon.  Keep in mind that the false prophet is the one who instituted the mark of the beast. (Revelation 13: 11-16)   This should not surprise us.  False teachers have always been about money (II Peter 2: 1-3).

--At the beginning of the chapter, John saw an angel with great power who lights up the earth with his glory (vs. 1-3).  The angel announces that Babylon is fallen.  The great earthquake (Revelation 16: 19) collapses the cities of the world.  Rome itself falls.

-- Observe that all nations of the earth participated in the spiritual harlotry of the apostate church.  One reason for this false church's success is money.  The merchants of the world get rich off of it. Jim Baker had his spiritual Disneyland.  Rick Warren has his purpose driven coffee mugs.  Christian bookstores and even Wal-Mart are filled with merchandise.

--We could spend a fortune decking ourselves out in various baubles and bangles that supposedly flaunt our Christianity.  Or we could put on the spirit of humility and spend ourselves in true Christian fashion.

--God tells his people to get away from this stuff (vs. 4-6).  We ought to be very wary of the merchandising of Christianity.  We do not need to wear a cross to live the cross.  God is going to judge all of this merchandising of His people with a double dose of judgment.

--The reason for God's judgment is the pride that is in all of this pseudo-Christianity (vs. 7-8).  God will judge this city in a day.  It will be utterly destroyed.

--Notice who will mourn its fall (vs. 9-19).  Every one that made money off of it will mourn.  Why will that be?  In verse 11 it says, "for no man buyeth their merchandise any more."  Kings, merchants, sailors, and shipmasters will all weep, wail, and bemoan the fall of this great merchandising venture.  Truthfully, we can be all that God wants us to be with nothing more than a Bible and not a particularly expensive one at that.

--On the other hand look who rejoices at her fall (vs. 20).  Holy apostles and prophets of God rejoice.  Why?  They see this as God taking vengeance for what this apostate church has done to them.  Friends, this mass-merchandising mega ministry is no friend of the saints of God.

--God will exercise just judgment (vs. 21-24).  The angel tosses a great millstone in the sea (see Matthew 18: 6).  The blood of the prophets and saints will be avenged.  This pretender will be unmasked and the true saints revealed.  Observe though the last phrase in verse 23.  The nations are deceived by her sorceries (Greek-Pharmaceia).  This foul and disgusting religion is like an intoxicating drug.  People get all caught up in the religious trapping to their own destruction.

 

II.) Chapter Nineteen:

--The fall of Babylon leads to a party in heaven (vs. 1-6).  This is like a New Year's Eve celebration--only without the booze.

--There is whooping and hollering.  There are shouts of Alleluia.  There is praise and thanksgiving.  And there is worship.  "Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."

--This is the prelude to the marriage supper of the Lamb (vs. 7-9).  Christ takes His bride to Himself (Ephesians 5: 25-32).  Woven together in this passage is the marriage of man and a woman as well as the marriage of Christ to the church.   God guards the marriage relationship jealously, even saying that He hates divorce (Malachi 2: 15-16).  Why? Marriage is a picture of the relationship that Christ has with the church.

--We should note that in these last days the very nature of marriage is under fire.  Satan tries to pervert everything God does.  The bride and grooms assumes the form groom and groom or bride and bride, but that perversion is not part of the marriage supper of the Lamb.  We are blessed to be called to it.

--John was so overcome by the scene that fell down to worship the messenger (vs. 10).  He was quickly informed that we are only to worship God.

--Then John saw heaven opened (vs.11-16).  Previously, we saw the imposter (Revelation 6: 2).  Now we see the true Christ seated on the white horse.  The first was a mere man.  This is the God/man.  He is glorious with eyes of fire, many crowns (not merely one given to him), a name written and known only to Him, and vesture dipped in blood.  This is The Word of God--the Lord Jesus Christ.

--Notice that the armies in heaven follow Him mounted on white horses and clothed in a white uniform of linen.  We are that army!!!  We are the good guys in white ready to set Christ on His rightful throne.

--Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp sword.  He will smite the nations and rule them.  He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

--John saw another angel (vs. 17- 21).  The nations of the earth gather at Armageddon to do battle with Christ and His army, but it is futile.  The beast and the false prophet are cast alive into the lake of fire.

--Christ defeats the armies with a word and the battle is over.  The buzzards feast on the bodies of the beast worshippers.

 

III.) Chapter Twenty:

--Then John saw an angel with the key to the bottomless pit (vs. 1-3).  The tribulation is over.  Satan is bound up in the bottomless pit for a thousand years. 

--Then John saw thrones (vs. 4-6).  Those who are martyred during the tribulation and those who are part of the true church reign with Christ on earth for a thousand years.  The rest of the dead do not live again until the end of the millennium.  Those who survive the tribulation are the nations we will rule over.  They will marry and have children.

--After the thousand years end, Satan will be unloosed for a season (vs. 7-10).  The thousand years will be a period of incredible utopia on earth (Isaiah 11: 1-10).  The lion and the lamb will lie down together.  A child will play harmlessly on the hole of a poisonous snake.  A child will be a hundred years old (Isaiah 65: 18-25).  In spite of all that, Satan will gather an army against Christ.  Then there will be one final battle at the holy city of Jerusalem.  The rebels will be once again defeated and the devil will be cast once and for all into the lake of fire.

--That will culminate in the Great White Throne judgment (vs. 11-15).  The lost will appear before God at this judgment.  The books will be opened revealing the sins of mankind and the just condemnation of men.  Then the book of life will be opened.  Since they did not receive the salvation that is only in Christ, they will be condemned by their works, and will be cast into the lake of fire.

 

Conclusion:

"He that hath the Son hath life;

And he that hath not the Son of God

Hath not life."

(I John 5: 12)