So if you'll turn to Revelation chapter 4
please, and if you've got your little paper
there you will have noticed that I've put
on the little list down the side a
rough survey of what we are going to
look at in this next section, and you'll
see that it's announcing our first parenthesis or
brackets when we are moving up into heaven
and we are going to see something taking
place up there before we go back down
onto the earth to observe what's going to
take place at that place.
Now keep remembering the rules please for understanding
this revelation.
It's not a book called the mystery, it's
a book called the revelation.
You have to hear it, read it, keep
it.
You mustn't take away from it or add
to it.
Try to get the message that's facing you
in the face, the steak on the plate,
and not be too interested or caught up
on digging under every word to see if
there's anything underneath it.
Just get the full-blooded message that comes
staring you straight in the face and you'll
find yourself not wandering too far.
And we found in the first chapter John
is the writer, the information he's receiving is
receiving from the risen Christ, and then he
gave him the key to open up this
for us.
Write the things that you've seen, past tense,
the things which are present tense, and the
things that shall be hereafter.
And we saw that in chapters two and
three last week there were all of the
comments Christ made about the seven churches.
And he referred to their past, and he
referred to their present state, and reminded them
at that present time to make any adjustments
necessary or else it could affect their future.
And each of the letters finished with, He
that hath an ear, hear what the Spirit
saith to the churches, to the churches, to
the churches.
It had nothing whatsoever to do with the
pagans of the world.
But now from chapter four, verse one, to
almost the end of Revelation, you will find
that the comments are spoken to those who
have ears to hear, hear.
That's because whoever's on the earth remaining after
four one is not in the church, they
are in the world.
And even if they end up turning to
faith at that time, they will not be
in the church.
From Genesis through to the cross, all those
who were believers are of a household of
faith and will share the new planet and
the new atmosphere for all eternity with God,
but they are not in the church.
The church is a special organism started at
the day of Pentecost, compiled of individual people
all over the world, in whom Jesus Christ
lives by his Holy Spirit.
They are in Christ, and Christ is in
them.
And when the church ceases at the rapture,
any coming to faith after that will be,
as it were, of the household of faith,
but they won't be in the unique position
of being in Christ, in the church.
And in the book of Ephesians, and chapter
2, Ephesians 2, you will see that there
is a purpose for the church.
In verse 6, we read, "...and hath raised
us Christians up together, and made us sit
together in heavenly places in the key in
Christ Jesus."
It's a position in Christ Jesus.
"...that in the ages to come," now that
term, ages to come, would be better rendered,
"...in the endless ages yet to come, he
might show the exceeding riches of his grace
and his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus."
In other words, the church of Jesus Christ,
in that new eternal kingdom, on his new
earth and new atmosphere, will be a means
of a reminder and a display to all
of those from Genesis to the cross, and
those from the completion of the church, right
through to where on the new kingdom, of
how good he had been by his goodness
to all nations, all down through that period,
in saving people and placing them in that
special body, the body of Christ, the church,
the bride of Christ.
And so, any other remarks in Revelation, right
up until near the end, are made to
the people that are not in Christ at
all.
So now in 4.1, we read, "...and
after this," after what?
After the past and present, we are now
going to move into taking a look at
a future event.
And John is writing, not verbatim, what he's
hearing.
Remember, he's been asked to describe in the
day vocabulary he had, what he is seeing.
So he's limited in words to describe what
he's seeing, and his description is the best
he can make of what is divinely inspired,
and that is the vision.
So don't start digging in behind the words,
thinking is each word Holy Spirit-inspired.
He's been asked to go ahead and describe
in his own vocabulary what he sees, not
what he hears, and he's doing his best
with his vocabulary.
"...and after this I looked, and behold, a
door was opened in heaven, and the first
voice which I heard was it were of
a trumpet talking with me."
Now remember that in the first chapter, we
are told that John heard a voice behind
him as of a trumpet saying, "...and Alpha
and Omega, the beginning and the end, it
was the Lord himself."
So here is the Lord doing the speaking,
saying, "...come up hither."
And it's an invitation from the voice like
a trumpet to leave the earth and come
up hither into heaven.
Now in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 51,
we read these words, "...behold, I show you
a mystery.
We shall not all sleep, but we shall
all be changed.
In a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye at the last trump, or trumpet, for
the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall
be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
And in the first book of the Thessalonians,
and chapter 4, we read in verse 16,
"...for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with a voice of the
archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and
the dead in Christ shall rise first.
Then we which are alive and remain shall
be caught up together with him in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
So shall we be ever with the Lord,
where for comfort one another with these words."
And so in Revelation 4.1, you're having
this vision being described of John of a
future event, which is the rapture of the
church.
The trump of God, the voice of God,
who will sound that voice and say, come
up here, and John as representative of the
church is caught up into heaven.
Come up here.
And then we read in the end of
verse 1, "...and I will show you the
things which must be hereafter."
Now that means that he's now going to
view all sorts of events from heaven.
And what we're now going to read from
this point on is after the church is
caught up into heaven.
And he's going to see it from up
there.
Therefore, he is showing us that the church,
in accordance with other scriptures, is delivered from
the wrath to come.
We do not go through this awful wrath
that's going to be poured out, which is
described in another part of Revelation that will
come to it a later week, as the
wrath of the lamb.
We do not get the wrath of a
lamb.
In fact, it's an unusual thing to think
that lambs could be angry.
They're usually peaceful, playful things.
But here, we're going to see a new
thing from heaven.
That's the wrath of the lamb.
Now, of course, John the Baptist said of
Christ, behold, the lamb of God that takes
away the sin of the world.
And in another part of Revelation, the church
is at the supper of the lamb, the
marriage feast of the lamb.
And so for us, he's the lamb that
takes away the sin of the world.
For them, he's the lamb of wrath that's
going to wreak his vengeance on all those
that rejected him and would not have him.
But for us, we do not go through
that.
Now, this has been pictured in type in
the Old Testament.
Jesus was the one that said, as in
the days of Noah, so shall also the
days be of the coming of the Son
of Man.
So if you want a good idea of
what to look for as signs of the
end times, go study Noah.
And everything you see happening in that day
until the day that God shut the door
of the ark, you will discover hints of
what to observe in your society prior to
my coming again.
And if you go back and read Genesis,
you will find that prior to the Noahic
flood, it has these words to state, the
whole earth was corrupt and filled with violence.
So two of the hallmarks of the warnings
of the coming of Christ is corruption and
violence all over the world.
I think we're getting near.
Also, you will discover that the last breakthrough
that really was the limit of God's endurance
of the wickedness of man on the earth
that made him say, that's it, now I
have to take action, was when the spirit
world crossed over the bounds it was not
supposed to cross over and began to openly
physically communicate with people on the earth.
Angels crossing the boundary that they were not
allowed to cross over.
And there was a burst through of the
spirit world to open communication with people on
the earth.
So one of the things you will look
for towards the coming of Christ is when
society is openly beginning to be actively involved
in spiritism and in demon worship and in
getting in touch with the spirit world and
where the spirit world is going to not
only spiritually communicate to people on earth, but
they're going to cross over that barrier again.
And once more, there will be open intercommunication
between the people on the earth and the
spirit world.
Do you know anything of that happening in
your community and in your country?
The answer is yes.
In the last 10 to 15 years, the
vast increase in the occult and in the
dabbling of the things of the spirit world
have increased tremendously, even to physical communication between
that world and this.
And one of the things you will observe
in Genesis 6 prior to the flood was
that the line of distinction between the descendants
of Cain, who were that of that murderer,
an unrighteous person and self-righteous person that
founded the evil side of society, almost that
disappears.
And the godly line through Seth, the two
lines almost that blend prior to the flood
so that they're almost indistinguishable.
And no wonder Jesus says, when I shall
come back, shall I find faith on the
earth?
Will I be able to distinguish between the
Christian and the non-Christian?
Will there be such compromise that the line
of the world and its godlessness and the
line of the Christian that was to be
distinct and separate and holy, will it be
so near to intertwining with each other that
it will be difficult to tell the difference?
I think we're getting pretty near the coming
of Christ.
It's getting that we go to churches now
and you could not tell the difference between
the converted and the unconverted because there's so
much of both of those worlds intermingling with
each other.
But now we're being shown a church that's
been drawn out of that, up into heaven.
And when Noah and his family entered the
ark, they were carried above that judgment.
They could observe it from the windows of
the ark, the floods of judgment over the
entire planet.
And they were safe and harmless, caught up
by the grace of God, sealed in and
shut in by the grace of God to
the ark of the salvation.
A wonderful picture of the rapture of Christ,
that we shall be caught up above the
judgment, sealed into Christ, protected and preserved, so
that we will observe it from heaven, as
John is going to do now in his
vision, but we will not be in it
or of it.
We are out of it.
And all God's people said, Amen.
I don't know if you're relieved, but I'm
relieved.
And I am so glad that when I
read what's going to take place now, I
am glad I'm not going to be there.
That's why I'm not all that concerned about
getting all the details right.
When I see the horrors of what the
unconverted are going to go through that are
left behind, the thing it makes me want
to do is be more evangelistic and get
more of them to escape that awfulness that's
yet to come.
And immediately, verse 2, I was in the
Spirit.
Yes, no longer physical beings.
We're up there in the presence of God,
and we're worshipping him in spirit and in
truth.
And behold, a throne was set in heaven,
and one sat on the throne.
And he that sat was to look upon
like a jasper and a stardust stone.
And there was a rainbow round about the
throne in sight like unto an emerald.
And round about the throne were four and
twenty seats.
And upon the seats I saw four and
twenty elders sitting clothed in white raiment, and
they had on their heads crowns of gold.
So John at the present time is now
viewing a scene in heaven.
And there is the Lord on his throne.
And at either side of them are twenty
elders clothed in white raiment.
Who are they?
We're not told.
Speculators have come up with the idea you're
twelve apostles and the twelve heads of the
tribes of Israel.
Who knows?
We're not told.
All we know is that there in heaven
is the king on his throne, and he
has his leadership around him, his elders for
eternity with him.
And they had on their heads crowns of
gold.
And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and
thunderings and voices.
And there were seven lamps of fire burning
before the throne, which are the seven spirits
of God.
Now remember that seven is the scriptural number
of divine perfection.
And so what you're seeing here is a
description of the absolute total holiness and perfection
of the one sitting on the throne.
And before the throne there was a sea
of glass like unto a crystal.
And in the midst of the throne and
round about the throne were four beasts full
of eyes before and behind.
And the first beast was like a lion.
The second beast like a calf.
The third beast had the face of a
man.
And the fourth beast was like a flying
eagle.
And the four beasts had each of them
six wings about him.
And they were full of eyes within.
And they rest not day and night saying,
holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was
and is and is to come.
Now if you go back in your own
reading time we haven't tonight and read the
first chapter of Ezekiel, you'll see it is
a replica description of the seraphim.
The seraphim that are the winged creatures with
four faces of Ezekiel's vision that he saw
around the throne that spent their time day
and night giving glory to God.
Glory to God.
And so here you're seeing again that same
throne and this glorification of God and this
great focus in on his holiness before we
see his judgment.
Now that is an order that you know
that he is just in what he is
going to do.
And that he would not be God if
he were not just.
And the old philosophy of the enemy that
surely if God is love he would never
spank any of us for being naughty.
God is holy.
God is pure.
God is just.
He will never forgive sin.
He has never forgiven sin.
He punished Christ for it.
By our trusting Christ we are not punished.
We are forgiven because Christ took the punishment
that God has never forgiven sin.
And even in the days of Noah the
warning went out for 400 odd years.
And then for a final hundred and twenty
as it got nearer he is declaring I'm
warning you it's coming.
The judgment's coming.
Don't leave me with an alternative.
But to do it you could just repent
that they wouldn't.
They left God with no alternative.
He has to meet out his just judgment.
But he's not in a hurry.
He's very long suffering and even the book
of the Old Testament finishes with the people
of God getting impatient and saying why don't
you come and do something about this.
Why do people in our community get away
with raping women on the way home.
Mugging old ladies and robbing their handbags.
All of this immorality and debauchery and permissiveness.
Countries being crooked and robbing left right and
center.
Misusing charity funds and stealing killing the poor
and all of this and terrorism.
Why God don't you come and judge them.
And he says in Malachi chapter 3 oh
I'm coming.
Don't panic guys I'm coming.
But you understand when I come I start
with the church.
Oh could you make it next month.
Have a few things to tidy up before
you get here.
Then if you want mercy for the church
allow me the dignity of allowing the world
as long as I can give them to
change their mind because I'm not willing that
any should perish but that all should come
to repentance.
Please allow me more time to get the
message out and more time to see if
men will change.
But I am so holy so righteous so
just that if they leave me with no
alternative when the time comes judgment will come.
And that's why these creatures are saying holy
holy holy Lord God almighty which was and
is and is to come.
And when those beasts give glory and honor
and thanks to him that sat in the
throne who liveth forever and ever the four
and twenty elders fall down before him that
sat on the throne and worship him that
liveth forever and ever and cast their crowns
before the throne saying thou art worthy oh
Lord to receive glory and honor and power
for thou has created all things and for
thy pleasure they are and were created.
Now would you please note one of the
basic reasons for the creation of everything including
you and I by God was to bring
pleasure to his heart.
How much pleasure since we last week have
you brought to the heart of the almighty?
Has he had lots of fun and joy
and happiness and pleasure?
Has it been a delight to know that
he gave you life?
Has it been a delight to know that
he forgave and saved you for Christ's sake
and forgave your sins?
Has it been a week where he's been
thrilled that you're his child?
Here is the purpose of God behind our
creation to bring pleasure to his heart.
Isn't it amazing that these creatures who are
created to worship God do so that we
the mere human beings created in his image
that they are not created in.
We are the ones created in the image
of God and have the capacity to receive
total God in our lives and to have
freedom to worship.
I wonder if we've ever really worshipped like
that.
You know the more I listen to services
the more I'm convinced the Christians haven't a
clue what worship is.
They have no real thankfulness, glory, honor, majesty,
power, dominion to him.
There's so very little real worship these days
and I saw in the right hand of
him that sat in the throne a book
written within and on the backside sealed with
seven seals and I saw a strong angel
proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy
to open the book and to loose the
seals thereof.
Who has a right to open this book
and pour out the commencement continuation and conclusion
of a just judgment on godless people in
the godless world and the answer is not
us.
We are not the judges and no man
in heaven nor on earth neither under the
earth was able to open the book neither
to look thereon and I wept much because
no man was found worthy to open and
to read the book neither to look thereon.
One of the elders said unto me weep
not.
Behold the lion of the tribe of judah
the root of david have prevailed to open
the book and to loose the seven seals
thereof.
Yes he has already done all the work
necessary to earn the right to be the
only one to break each of these seals
of judgment that are about to be broken
to release their judgments on that godless world.
He's waited a long time no wonder he
set his face like a flint to the
cross put up with the ignominy having the
hair pulled from his face being spat on
his back whipped like a plowed field a
crown of thorns jammed on his head being
told he was indwelt by the prince of
demons that he was a madman that he
was of the devil and they despised him
they rejected him yet they couldn't accuse him
of one sin and yet he didn't resist
and he allowed them to take him and
crucify him because he knew my turn is
coming.
I will truly earn the right to have
my revenge in my enemies and I beheld
in law in the midst of the throne
and of the four beasts and in the
midst of the elders stood a lamb as
it had been slain suddenly he sees the
lord in all his redemptive glory standing there
as the one that took the punishment for
sin having seven horns and seven eyes which
are the seven spirits of god sent forth
into all of the earth and here you're
being shown beyond a shadow of a doubt
his equality with the almighty god already declared
to be seen in the throne it is
your father son and holy spirit in totality
our one god three in one all co
-equal co-existent with each other and here
he too is being shown to be that
very god of very god and at that
moment the whole world will know all the
theological discussions all the university debates on whether
or not jesus christ was indeed divine will
no longer be essential they will agree of
course they didn't need to wait that long
they should have gone and asked the demonic
kingdom for the demons even when christ was
on the earth were the first to declare
what are we to do with thee thou
son of the most high god thou holy
one it always amazes me that the demons
always recognize christ is divine it's just the
theologians that have the problem why don't they
go and ask the devil he would agree
because he believes and he trembles that's the
amazing thing the demonic kingdom are evangelical and
don't ever forget that they believe every word
of this book james tells us the demons
believe and tremble because they're so sure of
what's coming that's why when he marched on
earth into the first synagogue at capernaum that
the people saw him waiting to read the
scrolls that were brought to him and as
people came in probably they knew without looking
at the sound of footsteps coming down the
aisle who was coming next oh that's all
aggie you can tell aggie's coming in she's
got that wee bit of a shuffle that's
her with that weathered hand she's coming in
we know her shuffle we needn't look around
that's nobody new we don't need to see
who's that stranger we know that it's aggie
oh there's all there's all there and now
we can tell that heavy grunt and that
heave of his big fat body down the
aisle to his usual old seat we can
tell him yes they knew everybody that came
and had their own seat in the synagogue
so much so that even their hips had
created an impression in the stone seat you
didn't dare sit in somebody's seat that's my
sheet i've been sitting here for nigh on
95 years you know yes and jesus stood
up to read the scriptures and one of
their most regular old members suddenly stood up
as a spokesman for the demonic kingdom and
said what are we to do with thee
thou son of the most high god have
you come to torment us and it was
a demon suddenly speaking through somebody that was
regarded up until now as a very religious
person all was in the right place in
the lord's day as it were every sabbath
there he was and now he's a spokesman
on behalf of the whole demonic kingdom and
he's saying are you here early the actual
greek is have you come to annihilate us
before the time you see they so fear
and tremble their coming judgment that when christ
started to preach his very first sermon in
capernaum they thought oh is he here already
oh what have we got to do with
you you son of the most high god
have you come to annihilate us before the
time and jesus cast the demon out of
the man then the theologians began their discussion
about how can this man has he been
through our seminary where did he get his
learning isn't this the carpenter's son let's have
a debate on it they couldn't even see
that the demon kingdom was in their terror
thinking he'd come to judge already and now
the craft of the enemy is to teach
you to be philosophically more modern and intelligent
and surely in these modern days you don't
still believe in a devil do you and
they're trying to get you to disbelieve what
they believe to be true and they tremble
and here he is holy god total god
on the throne and he came and took
the book out of the right hand of
him that sat on the throne and when
he had taken the book the four beasts
and four and twenty elders fell down before
the lamb having every one of them harps
and golden vials full of odors which are
the prayers of saints it's amazing harps you
know who created the first harp can you
remember the mention of the first harp in
the bible it was the descendants of cain
the murderer they were the first to produce
music incidentally were the offspring of the murderer
something of the very harmony and melody and
inner deep joy of heaven went out when
cain refused to repent and went out into
a separateness from god by choice and it
was his descendants that grew up aware that
something's amissing and invented music it's amazing they're
still at it trying to fill a vacancy
within with a song of man's making rather
than the very song or melody of the
lord in a person's life bringing back in
the real harmony from heaven there's a difference
between the harps of cain and the harps
of heaven and the golden vials full of
odors which are the prayers of the saints
the church members people all down the ages
who've been ascending up with prayers all those
prayers were stored this is god's evidence not
only his own holiness not only the holiness
of a lamb slain but the holiness of
every prayer that was ever put up saying
oh lord see what they're doing to us
avenge us from the blood of abel and
all the prophets right down the age of
the martyrs every prayer latimer and ridley their
prayer all the prayers that have gone up
because of being put to death for the
truth of the word of god god says
i heard them you thought i didn't because
they still put the match to the faggots
and burned you to death because they still
stoned you they still took you put you
between planks and sawed you in two as
they did with isaiah i saw it i
heard your cry i stored it up these
prayers are my evidence that i am just
in what i'm about to do you see
all of this scene in heaven is giving
us the meat on the plate that before
we ever see any of those seals open
don't say when it happens it is not
fair it is not fair i'm a god
that made you for my pleasure you've never
given me any pleasure i'm the god that's
still almighty and on the throne that's truly
worshipped in heaven but not in the earth
i am the very lamb i'm the very
god of god that came to the earth
and beyond a shadow of a doubt took
the punishment for the sin of the whole
world and i am the lamb slain and
i'm here with the proof and the marks
and my hands and my feet for what
you have done to me when i was
on the earth and you hear the music
of the melody that i put in the
hearts of my people different from your earthly
music that always leaves you empty and see
bring forth the proof of all my prayers
the cries of all those that have suffered
for the truth of god and they sung
a new song saying thou art worthy to
take the book and to open the seals
thereof for you were slain you have redeemed
us to god by your blood out of
every kindred and tongue and people and nation
and has made us unto our god kings
and priests and we shall reign on the
earth yes we were the minority but we
are going to be the majority hang on
guys everybody that laughs at you down your
street for being one of those jesus freaks
one day we are going to be the
majority and i beheld and i heard the
voice of many angels round about the throne
and the beasts and the elders and the
number of them that was ten thousand times
ten thousands and thousands of thousands how many
you can't count them that's what it's saying
an innumerable number saying with a loud voice
worthy as the lamb that was slain to
receive power and riches and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing in every
creature which is in heaven and the earth
and under the earth and such as are
in the sea and all that are in
them heard i saying blessing and honor and
glory and power be unto him that sitteth
upon the throne and unto the lamb forever
and ever and it would appear that even
the very creatures of creation can communicate to
their maker and give him glory and honor
and the four beasts said amen so be
it and the four and twenty elders fell
down and worshiped him that lived forever and
ever and i saw when the lamb opened
one of the seals yes he has the
right to do this all the evidence is
there that's what that chapter showing the evidence
of his right to do what he's about
to do and i heard as it were
the noise of thunder one of the four
beasts saying come and see he didn't say
go and be in it but come and
see yes as a church you're going to
observe it but now you will see the
value of all those years of being misunderstood
all those laughs and jives and taunts from
people that thought you were a jesus freak
and one of those silly believers now you're
going to be able to observe their end
and i saw and behold a white horse
and he that sat on him had a
bow and a crown was given unto him
and he went forth conquering and to conquer
just turn over quickly to revelation 19 and
verse 11 and i saw heaven opened and
behold a white horse and he that sat
upon him was called faithful and true and
in righteousness he does judge and make war
his eyes were as a flame of fire
and on his head were many crowns and
he had a name written that no man
knew but he himself and he was clothed
with a vesture dipped in blood and his
name is called the word of god and
john wrote in john 1 1 and the
word was with god and the word was
god and the word became flesh and dwelt
among us jesus christ himself the risen conquering
king of kings and lord of lords now
having his chance to unsheathe his sword and
to arm his bow and to go forward
to conquer and when he had opened the
second seal verse 3 i heard the second
beast say come and see and there went
out another horse that was red and power
was given to him that sat there on
to take peace from the earth and that
they should kill one another and there was
given unto him a great sword a great
sword in matthew 10 in verse 34 matthew
10 and verse 34 we read these words
think not says jesus that i am come
to send peace in the earth i am
come not to send peace but a sword
for i am come to set a man
at variance against his father and the daughter
against their mother and the daughter-in-law
against their mother-in-law and a man's
foe shall be they of his own household
he that loveth father and mother more than
me is not worthy of me and he
that loveth son or daughter more than me
is not worthy of me and he that
taketh not his cross and followeth after me
is not worthy of me he that findeth
his life shall lose it and he that
shall lose his life for my sake shall
find it and in that great future time
there will be the release in full vent
and fury the one who's given the power
to take peace from the earth and yet
men today are are working hard to bring
about peace but there shall be no peace
unless they come to know their god and
people will end up killing one another and
there was given to him a great sword
and families will be turning against families people
will be killing people left right and center
violence no respect even for relationship ties no
loyalty anymore within a family a child will
slay a father a mother a mother will
slay a child i preached an attempt not
too far from here a few years ago
and observed a lady bringing in a whole
group of teenagers some of whom came to
christ that night and i heard two weeks
later she was now in jail for having
stabbed her husband to death with a carving
knife in their kitchen yes people who can
pretend to be godly or as paul put
it to timothy in the last days there
will be people with a form of god
likeness but denying the power thereof and it's
no surprise that when that rapture takes place
the world has people like that and there
will be just absolute lawlessness but it is
part of the judgment upon them they're getting
what they wanted the right to do their
own thing they are doing their own thing
and it's all folding in on top of
them that is one of the things that
this seal reveals and when he had opened
the third seal i heard the third beast
saying come and see and i beheld and
lo a black horse and he that sat
on him had a pair of balances in
his hand and i heard a voice in
the midst of the four beasts saying a
measure of wheat for a penny three measures
of barley for a penny and see thou
hurt not the oil in the wine great
time of scarcity of famine of food shortage
all over the world one begins to think
the imminent return of christ could be any
time and when he had opened the fourth
seal i heard the voice of the fourth
beast saying come and see and i looked
and behold a pale horse and his name
that sat on him was death and hell
followed with and power was given unto them
over the fourth part of the earth to
kill with the sword with hunger with death
and with the beasts of the earth there's
going to be an awful event at that
time on the earth here it's being announced
up there in heaven john's watching all this
and he's being shown what's going to take
place down there once christ says the time
has come for the judgment to begin and
there's not only going to be famine there's
going to be a quarter of the world's
population be destroyed with the sword wars through
hunger through all sorts of cataclysms and the
question that often jumps into the mind of
a person is that well surely if the
world suddenly saw tomorrow that quarter of the
population was being diminished they would say revelation
said that it's true let us believe no
they're getting so inured to death so hardened
to it by the spirit of the age
that we turn on our radios or television
and it says today a wave went up
the bay of bengal 20 000 people died
we say when's eastenders on when's eastenders on
have we missed neighbors a great earthquake in
south america landslides mudslides thousand died hurricane sweeping
people being dead by the thousands all over
the place i wonder if miss martle's on
tonight you know within two days so what
so what i'm still here you know when
i was in belfast this year about two
minutes to 11 a massive explosion took place
and i leapt out of bed in fact
i think i leapt out of my pajamas
and the bed and i dashed into the
hallway and the man of the house just
looked into the hallway and said billy have
you heard it it didn't hit you go
back to bed and i went back to
bed and put my radio on for the
11 o'clock bbc news and it said
we've just had a bulletin come through from
northern ireland that a mortar rocket and shell
attack on the main police headquarters has just
taken place and they're not too sure just
what has happened that was just a few
yards around the street from where i was
but i was amazed at the calmness of
the man billy have you heard that it
never hit you go back to bed a
sense in which we're still here and death
doesn't mean much anymore death doesn't mean and
of course lots of the media is hardening
us day by day for these kind of
things even in a christian school i'm ashamed
to say that we took them on a
bus trip two weeks ago to see the
james herriot country all creatures great and small
around the dales those lovely little runs that
you get on that movie and we brought
them back and we thought how better now
to show them for the evening the video
of all creatures great and small one of
the long videos by the time the video
emptied and the lights went up there was
only about four or five still waiting to
see the end of it even in a
christian school they yawned and left why it
was clean even for christians a movie is
no longer a movie unless there's blood and
guts pouring downstairs people being knocked through windows
with glass spears through their eyeballs and dead
we're so hardened to death it doesn't matter
so in a bond film you blow up
a whole airline there are 400 people to
get the kgb agent that was sitting in
seat six who cares and we watch these
things and we little realize that we're being
slowly hardened to the loss of life that
just doesn't matter anymore an announcement is made
thousands died and we say it's for breakfast
they won't notice even at that future time
that john's describing the world will have a
morning bulletin and a reason acceptable to the
rest of the community as to why these
events have taken place and when he had
opened the fifth seal i saw under the
altar the souls of them that were slain
for the word of god and for the
testimony which they held and they cried with
a loud voice saying how long oh lord
holy and true dost thou not judge and
avenge our blood on them that dwell in
the earth and white robes were given unto
every one of them and it was said
unto them that they should rest yet for
a little season until their fellow servants also
and their brethren that should be killed as
they were should be fulfilled and i beheld
when he had opened the sixth seal and
lo there was a great earthquake and the
sun became black as sackcloth of hair and
the moon became as blood and in the
book of isaiah you get the prophecies regarding
the end times where there is going to
be a great conflagration in the stars where
planets and heavenly bodies are going to move
and the earth itself its axis will change
and this earth like a spinning top slowing
down is going to reel and totter and
there'll be awful havoc on the earth and
the stars will be part of that program
and the stars of heaven fell to the
earth even as a fig tree casts her
untimely figs when she's shaken of a mighty
wind and the heaven departed as a scroll
when it's rolled together you don't need to
go into revelation go and read your science
books and say that the whole of our
milky way is spiraling towards its climax and
we are going to end up with some
great conflagration in the heavens and our system
will implode upon itself and all the black
hole theories etc etc all explain the bible
states it in john's language the heavens will
be departed as a scroll when it's rolled
together and every mountain and island when moved
out of their places is going to be
an awful to do up there it will
affect the whole planet earth surfaces will move
tidal waves chaos around the planet and the
kings of the earth and the great men
and the rich men and the chief captains
and the mighty men and every slave and
every free man hid themselves in the dens
and in the rocks of the mountains and
they said to the mountains and rocks fall
on us you'll notice there is no sign
of repentance none of this is moving them
to repent and hide us from the face
of him that sits in the throne and
from the wrath of the lamb there it
is because now the world is beginning to
admit he's coming this is the judgment but
we're not repenting for the great day of
his wrath has come and who shall be
able to stand who shall be able to
stand yes the sixth seal and when we
come together next week you will find that
we're going to move into another parenthesis before
we end up in chapter 8 seeing the
opening of that seventh seal and moving on
again to what's futuristic but we'll stop there
for now and just ask if on the
basis of what was said tonight there may
be a question or two before we hand
over yes yes but remember to whom he
is speaking in matthew 24 he's not addressing
a church he's addressing israel and his people
israel a church commenced in acts 2 he
is telling the reply of a question by
his disciples about the tell us about the
future and they are still thinking as jews
as israelis even right up until the day
of ascension peter's question to the lord before
he ascended having been with him for 40
days as a risen christ is when are
we going to get the kingdom back to
israel when are we going to become a
power on the earth and he simply said
to him the times and the seasons for
that are in the father's hand that's none
of your business in a few days time
you're going to get dynamite you're going to
get power and be witnesses of me in
other words that's nothing to do with you
you're going to be in something completely new
called the church the body of christ which
is separate altogether from your feeling that you're
part of that old testament history and that
you're wanting to see the conclusion of all
of those messianic promises about israel again on
the earth with their king their god is
their king ruling over them that's yet to
come that's yet to come and he was
describing in matthew something that had to do
with his own people it had nothing to
do with the church of god that was
still a hidden mystery had the princes of
this world known they would not have crucified
the lord of glory he said to his
disciples the things of the kingdom are still
a mystery he only used the word church
once in his whole ministry on the earth
because it was something yet to come it
was something that man could not understand hebrews
chapter two and even into the epistles of
peter even the prophet prophets were searching and
inquiring what is this special salvation this special
thing that's coming they couldn't understand even the
things that prophesied because it was being hidden
from the enemy that there was to be
this special thing the church and when we
are told that we are delivered from the
wrath to come how can we then turn
around and say that surely we should go
through it as far as i can see
one has to always remember that you can
read all of scripture and know it's written
all to us but not all specifically spoken
to us and we can certainly learn a
lesson from what we read and say what
lesson is there in this for me but
it's not all specifically spoken directly to us
and we have to put it into its
historical context and those remarks in matthew were
before he went on to his passion his
death his resurrection his ascension and today the
commencement of his church and i know that
there is a sense in which people want
to go through tribulation well let them want
to they'll get a prize all right now
yes but i have already said that there
will be those that will come into faith
after the call out of the church who
will be attached it was my opening remarks
tonight who will be attached to the household
of faith of those from able right to
the commencement of the new creation in the
new heavens and new earth that are not
particularly in the body you see that's why
jesus said that the littlest baby christian in
christ in the church will be better than
john the baptist who was the greatest and
last of the prophets at that time that
he spoke in other words if two seconds
before the rapture you're sitting in your kitchen
and lead a little child to christ and
that child is just finished saying lord jesus
come into my heart and be my personal
savior and suddenly the rapture takes place that
child is greater than john the baptist than
any old testament saint why because that child
is in christ in the church john the
baptist was never in the church had peter
died the evening before pentecost he would have
joined all the household of the old testament
saints of faith but would never have been
in the church and so after the church
is removed there will be those who will
come to faith those who did not get
a chance to hear now that is clarified
quite clearly in the second book of thesalonians
and in chapter 2 when we read of
the antichrist being released in the world to
do his wicked work verse 8 and then
shall that well if we look in verse
5 remember ye not that when i was
yet with you i told you these things
and now you know what's preventing the antichrist
from revealing himself that he might be revealed
in his time for the mystery of iniquity
doth already work satan's already hard at work
in this planet with his spirit of antichrist
only he who now prevents him from having
full sway will prevent him until he be
taken out of the way now that's the
presence of the holy ghost in the church
and then when the church is out of
the way shall that wicked be revealed whom
the lord shall consume with the spirit of
his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness
of his coming even him whose coming is
after the working of satan with all power
and signs and lying wonders and with all
deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish now
why are they perishing because they received not
the love of the truth that they might
be saved in other words they heard it
but they did not receive it for this
reason god shall send them a strong delusion
that they should believe a lie in other
words god is going to make part of
his judgment descending into this earth of some
great delusion some great lie that they all
might be damned who believed not the truth
but had pleasure in unrighteousness in other words
all of that future judgment once the church
is out of the way will be upon
those who have the truth didn't love it
had pleasure in unrighteousness and rejected it but
there will be masses of people in the
world at that time who never got the
opportunity to hear and therefore did not reject
so they will be evangelized at that time
and as we'll see as we progress next
week in all probability the jews themselves are
going to become the world's evangelists once they
believe and turn to god and will go
around the world again trying to get people
to believe in him before the final onslaught
of the last battle okay anything else yes
we are
a special bride of christ we are his
private property all through eternity the others have
faith in god but they are not his
bride they are not his special ones and
we are with them at always like a
man and a wife but they are relative
they are our relatives as it were but
they're not the wife yes they're going to
be in the new planet and in the
new earth they're saved but they are not
in christ positionally in christ is a position
for those who are saved in the day
of grace and in the church the body
of christ but after that body's complete and
taken to heaven they'll never be in the
body they'll be members of the new system
but not especially in christ no the earth's
going to be destroyed eventually and we're getting
a new one which i'm looking forward to
very much and we're all going to be
in the new one we'll find by the
end of revelation that on that new earth
and atmosphere will be the church all your
old testament saints and all those who believe
that come out of the tribulation plus god
and we're going to have a great time
see you there yes anything else before we
hand back yes well we'll all be in
that new system but again we have to
differentiate between his special group of people called
the church the body of christ in particular
within which there is neither jew nor gentile
bond or free male or female but all
one in christ jesus okay so don't fight
for your equality down here ladies you're going
to get it but the people who will
not at the commencement of your period after
the rapture there will be nobody down there
that believes jesus is lord and left behind
no there won't be anybody in christ when
that rapture takes place all that's left on
the earth are those who have been rejected
and those who didn't hear but then after
that when they are evangelized they will go
through the tribulation they will be they have
to die a mortal death yes everybody is
appointed unto man once to die and after
that the judgment all men have to experience
physical death yeah well everybody tastes death everybody
even at that rapturous moment when in the
twinkling of an eye will change suddenly those
of us who will be caught up to
be in the air at that moment that
will be almost the same thing experiencing death
at that moment but suddenly realizing that now
we've gone through that door we're alive forever
more but it's appointed unto men once to
die so every man must taste death can
you look ahead well you can have a
look ahead but doesn't mean to say i'll
answer if i think you're going to be
naughty i'll yeah well i would think that
you see john is trying to describe something
he's seen but remember outside of the kingdom
the blessed kingdom of lord everyone who is
godless and who never repented of those things
and was forgiven jesus said they are going
to where their worm dieth not and where
there are wailings and gnashing of teeth so
outside of that blessed state there are the
lost who are lost for eternity but conscious
of the judgment of all the sins that
they ever committed and you see you do
not tell a lie to become a liar
you're up you tell lies because you are
one you do not eat constantly to become
a glutton it's because you're a glutton you
eat constantly you see therefore outside of those
who are not saved and have access to
the tree of life are sorcerers whoremongers murderers
idolaters and whoever loveth and maketh a lie
and that's because they are that by nature
and never repented of it and had their
characters change and therefore they're in a lost
eternity in the reality as they are with
no possibility of change in all probability uh
well there you see what you're actually seeing
is a reversal of everything that shut down
in genesis access to the tree of life
was barred here you're seeing the tree of
life access opened up all through your old
testament period even right until today men are
trying hard to gain control of the city
of jerusalem and bash it into some sort
of holy city fit for god to live
in and god says no i don't want
the earthly one there's a new one coming
so he's showing the reversal of everything that
man wants to do in his independence what
he's going to do in reality so it's
all picture form john's trying to describe in
a vision that he's seen that everything that
was broken down through sin and genesis is
being reversed in revelation and so it's picture
form all right so we'll close we'll close
with our last hymn which is 238 thine
be the glory