[0:00] But this morning, Paul Brennan is back in the book of Revelation, and we're going to be over these next few weeks finishing off this book, which he's been studying with us on and off over this last year.
[0:15] And this morning, we're going to read together in Revelation chapter 19. Revelation chapter 19. And if you need a Bible, there's some at the front, some at the sides.
[0:26] Go and pick one up so you know where we are. If you have one of those church Bibles, I think the reading is on page 1039. At any rate, it is very, very near the end of whatever Bible you've got. Paul's going to be looking at verse 6 to the end, but I think we'll read in from the beginning of chapter 19 to set the scene.
[0:46] After this, John says, I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven crying out, hallelujah. Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.
[0:59] For his judgments are true and just. For he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.
[1:11] Once more, they cried out, hallelujah. The smoke from her goes up forever and ever. And the 24 elders and four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne.
[1:24] Saying, amen, hallelujah. And from the throne came a voice saying, praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.
[1:34] And then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of many peals of thunder, crying out, hallelujah.
[1:48] For the Lord our God, the almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory. For the marriage of the lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready.
[2:00] It was granted to her to clothe herself with fine linen, pure and bright. For the linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, write this.
[2:15] Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb. And he said to me, these are the true words of God. Then I fell down at his feet to worship him.
[2:27] But he said to me, you must not do that. I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
[2:40] Then I saw heaven opened. And behold, a white horse. The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True. And in righteousness he judges and makes war.
[2:54] His eyes are like a flame of fire. And on his head are many diadems. And he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood.
[3:07] And the name by which he is called is the word of God. And the armies of heaven arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.
[3:18] From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. And he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
[3:34] On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun.
[3:47] And with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead. Come, gather for the great supper of God. To eat the flesh of kings. The flesh of captains.
[3:59] The flesh of mighty men. The flesh of horses and their riders. And the flesh of all men. Both slave and free. Both small and great. And I saw the beast. And the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who were sitting on the horse.
[4:15] And against his army. And the beast was captured. And with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast.
[4:28] Who had worshipped his image. These were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest was slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse.
[4:44] And all the birds were gorged with their flesh. Amen. And may God bless to us this.
[4:56] His word. A word of solemn glory. And solemn truth. Well good morning folks.
[5:08] Please have those verses from Revelation 19. Have those open in front of you. As we spend a few moments in this chapter together.
[5:19] Do you not yearn to know that everything is going to be okay?
[5:33] We endure many heartaches and disappointments in this life. We have to watch evil flourishing. We not only hear of wars and rumors of wars.
[5:47] But we must live through them. What hope is there? We have to contend with the sufferings and hardships of daily life. Of which we are all too aware at this time as a fellowship.
[6:01] We'll all be okay. Where is history going really? Where is my life going really?
[6:13] Is everything going to be okay we wonder? Am I going to be okay? There are massive, massive questions.
[6:24] That are answered in these latter chapters of Revelation. It is absolutely crucial. That we get the message of these chapters. Into our bloodstreams.
[6:34] Into our hearts. Because they give us real hope for the future. Revelation is here to give us absolute clarity.
[6:45] On the biggest questions that we face. Revelation is not here to confuse. But to give clarity and certainty. It is not here to encourage speculation.
[6:58] But to bring an end to it. And what is very clear in this chapter. Is that there are only two destinies for humanity. Only two.
[7:08] Because there is a coming decisive last battle. The ultimate warrior will come. Our Lord Jesus Christ. He has already come.
[7:19] Proclaiming his gospel of salvation. Urging people to repent now. Before it is too late. But he will come again. But this time.
[7:30] His second coming will be a coming in judgment. Final judgment. And that is what we see in these last chapters of Revelation. The final battle.
[7:40] When Christ comes with his sharp sword. With which he will strike down the nations. He will tread. The wine press of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
[7:52] Yes. He will do that. But he also. Will bring his bride home. For eternity. He will come to claim his people. Forever.
[8:02] Forever. And there are in the end. Only two suppers. Two feasts. Two banquets. And these are the feasts that come after the decisive battle in any event.
[8:16] Any time in human history where there is a decisive battle. These two things happen. There is celebration. But there is also the grim reality of death. And both those feasts.
[8:29] Are what we see here in chapter 19. These feasts. Unlike every other battle in history. Have a different scale altogether. This is the ultimate magnitude and scale of battle.
[8:43] There is a feast of victory. And the feast of the defeated. Just read again these words. Hear these profound words. Because these words describe a coming and certain reality.
[8:58] Look again at verse 6. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult. And give him the glory.
[9:10] For the marriage of the Lamb has come. And his bride has made herself ready. It was granted to her to clothe herself with fine linen.
[9:20] Bright and pure. For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me. Write this. Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.
[9:34] That is supper number one. That's the first feast. Supper number two is a very different kind of supper. Look at verse 17. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun.
[9:47] And with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead. Come gather for the great supper of God. To eat the flesh of kings.
[9:57] The flesh of captains. The flesh of mighty men. The flesh of horses and their riders. And all the flesh of men. Both free and slave. Both small and great. Between these two suppers.
[10:12] These two feasts. Is the decisive event that precipitates both of those feasts. The key moment at the end of human history is the ultimate.
[10:25] The final battle. When Christ will come. Our warrior king. The king of kings. And the lord of lords. That's what we see right in the middle of this chapter.
[10:37] Verse 11 to 16. It is his coming that brings about both of these feasts. Both banquets come. Because Christ has come. The battle which brings an end.
[10:53] To the enemies of God. And which brings about the response of rejoicing in his own people. Hallelujah is the cry that comes from the lips of God's people. Verse 6. It has become.
[11:03] It's because Christ has come. You see history ends. Not with a bang or a whimper. But with an hallelujah. That is the end of history.
[11:16] It is God's people praising him. The last word is not defiance and death. But praise. An everlasting life. The shared life of God.
[11:27] The lamb. And the praise of the loud and unashamed. Heaven is not embarrassed. At the judgments on evil that we see here. The last word is worship.
[11:38] Praising God because of who he is. And what he's done. God's righteous judgment. Is a great cause of rejoicing. For God's people then.
[11:50] On that great day. God's people then. But also for us now. As we look forward to it. Because these events. What we read of here in Revelation 19.
[12:02] Is surely coming. These events are a sure thing. The glorious marriage supper of the lamb. Is one that you'll one day take part in.
[12:14] You will be there. If you're a follower of Jesus this morning. You can know certainly. That on that day. You will be there. At that great marriage banquet. That is your destiny. And that glorious supper.
[12:28] That great wedding feast. Is possible. Because judgment on evil. Has fallen. There can be no marriage supper. Without judgment. And what we see taking place.
[12:43] In these last chapters of Revelation. Is the final defeat. One by one. Of all the enemies. Of Christ. And his people.
[12:55] Chapter 18. We saw that. A couple of months ago. The great defeat of Babylon. Here in chapter 19. Is the two beasts. That we encountered. In Revelation 13.
[13:06] They are defeated. And next time. Next week. In chapter 20. We'll see the defeat. Of Satan himself. One by one. The great enemies. Of God. And his people. Are destroyed.
[13:18] Fully. And finally. But let's consider the detail. Of this passage. A bit more closely. That's the big picture. But let's consider this more closely.
[13:30] As we've seen. It's a tale of two suppers. The marriage supper of the lamb. Verses 6 to 10. And what is described. In verse 17. As the great supper of God. That's a very sobering.
[13:42] Graphic depiction. Isn't it? Of the birds. Feasting on the dead bodies. Of those defeated. By the one. Whose name. Is king of king. And lord of lords. And in the center.
[13:54] Of this passage. Between those two suppers. Between those two feasts. In the center. Is the event. That brings about. Those two feasts. It's a glimpse forward. In time.
[14:05] To the final judgment. Of God. The final battle. When Jesus will. Bring his enemies. To ultimate. And final justice. So let's look first.
[14:16] At the marriage supper. Of the lamb. This is verses 6 to 10. And John hears. An almost. Unimaginably loud. Voice. A loud volume.
[14:27] Praising God. Look at verse 6. I heard what seemed to be. The voice of a great multitude. Like a roar of many waters. Like the sound of mighty peals. Of thunder. Think about the greatest.
[14:41] Crowd you've ever. Been part of. When everyone's been singing. At the top of their voices. Just think of that moment. Perhaps Murrayfield. The Calcutta Cup.
[14:52] As the Scots sing. Flower of Scotland. Or as I know. Some of you were at Murrayfield. Recently for a different concert. A certain Miss Swift. Just think about the volume.
[15:03] You can feel the music. In your chest. Can't you? The first gig I ever went to. Was U2. Slaying Castle. Around about 2004. I think I probably peaked too soon.
[15:15] In terms of my concert going. It was epic. But we were late arriving. The concert already started. But I could feel. As I walked towards the venue. I could feel the music. You could hear the crowd roaring.
[15:27] But that is like nothing. Compared to what is described here. What is described here. Blows that out of the water. This is far. Far greater than 80,000 people. Singing at the top of their voices. This is a great multitude.
[15:40] This is a multitude we've seen before in Revelation. This is all God's people gathered together. At the end of history. An unnumbered. Vast multitude. Singing. Praising the Lord.
[15:51] Hallelujah. Singing. You can feel. Pulsate. Through your body. You can feel it in your chest. The ground beneath you is moving.
[16:04] It's like the sound of mighty peals of thunder. And they're praising God. They're singing hallelujah. Praise Yahweh.
[16:15] Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. And that praise. Is in response. To God's judgment. Look at verse.
[16:27] Two and three. They're praising because. He has judged Babylon. All heaven is celebrating. The victory over Babylon.
[16:38] Celebrating rejoice. But God has been seen to be just and true. Verse two. God's righteousness. Is displayed. Through the defeat of evil.
[16:50] And the right response to that. Is to praise God. The defeat of evil. Makes the marriage supper of the lamb possible. And that too is a great cause of rejoicing.
[17:03] And singing hallelujah. And what is this marriage supper. Of the lamb. That we read about here. From verse six and seven and eight and nine.
[17:16] Seems quite strange language. Isn't it? This marriage supper of the lamb. What's that all about? What's it talking about? Well this is the great destiny. Of Christ and his people.
[17:27] Jesus Christ. Is the lamb. The one who laid down his life for his people. It's the lamb of Revelation five. The lamb who was slain.
[17:38] Whose blood. By whose blood. He rants unto people for God. From every tribe and language and tongue and nation. The lamb is Christ.
[17:49] And his bride. His bride is the church. This is the church. All through history. Who are gathered at that great day. And Christ is at this moment.
[18:02] That we're looking forward to here. Christ will. Fully and finally be joined with his people. With his bride. The church. And the apostle Paul uses this marriage language in Ephesians.
[18:15] To describe Christ as the bridegroom. And the church as the bride. He says therefore. A man shall leave his father and mother. And hold fast to his wife. And the two shall become one flesh.
[18:27] This mystery is profound. And I'm saying that it refers to Christ. And the church. Same imagery. Christ being the bridegroom.
[18:39] And the church. Being the bride. And the illustration of marriage. And this picture of the marriage supper. Is helpful. Particularly when we understand how marriage works.
[18:51] In those days. When this was written. Within the Jewish culture at the time. The first stage of marriage. Was a betrothal. And this is much stronger.
[19:03] Than what we would call an engagement. A betrothal is much stronger. Legally. It's a recognized binding arrangement. They were legally speaking already married.
[19:13] But the wedding feast. Has not yet taken place. There would be a time of waiting. Between the betrothal. And the wedding feast. And when the marriage supper would come.
[19:24] When that great feast began. The bridegroom would come. To collect his bride. And take her to be his wife. At his home. There would be a marriage supper. At that point. And that's the imagery here.
[19:35] We are. As Christ's people. Already betrothed. It's a sure thing. But we're waiting for the marriage supper. We're not yet there. We belong to Christ now.
[19:49] We've not yet enjoyed the marriage supper. We don't yet reign with him over creation. We're waiting for that. Our enemies have not yet been fully and fully defeated. We are waiting.
[20:01] But it's a sure and certain thing. Just as surely. As a betrothal would lead to a wedding feast. We will just as surely reign forever with Christ.
[20:16] In the new creation. Because Jesus has come. He did die. He did rise again. And we do belong to him. As we repent. And believe.
[20:27] We are betrothed to Christ. The marriage supper to come. Is a sure thing. And it's a wonderful future. Notice the words.
[20:39] Verse 9. The angel said to me. Write this. Blessed. Are those who are invited. To the marriage supper of the Lamb. To be invited to this wedding supper.
[20:53] It is the greatest invitation we could ever receive. This is not an invitation to be apologetic about. This is not an invitation to downplay. No.
[21:03] This is the greatest invitation anyone could ever receive. And the thing is we do nothing to deserve it. Do you notice that?
[21:15] It's granted to us. Verse 8. It is granted not earned. Let us rejoice and exult. And give him the glory. For the marriage supper of the Lamb has come.
[21:26] And his bride has made herself ready. It was granted her. To clothe herself with fine linen. Bright and pure. See there's an image here of the bride getting herself ready.
[21:39] Verse 7. The marriage has come. The bride is making herself ready. But the bride is given the clothes. It was granted to her to clothe herself.
[21:50] It's a great picture isn't it? Of how sanctification works. The apostle Paul in Philippians 2 says. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
[22:02] For it is God who works in you. To will and to act according to his good pleasure. So as we are working out our salvation. It is God who is working it out in us.
[22:18] Ultimately it is granted to us. We are given the clothes. That prepare us for the wedding feast. We see the same thing in Isaiah.
[22:32] Chapter 61. It says. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall exult in my God. For he has clothed me. With the garments of salvation.
[22:43] He has covered me with the robe of righteousness. As a bridegroom decks herself. Like a priest. With a beautiful headdress. And as a bride adorns herself with jewels.
[22:55] See it's the Lord who clothes us. He is the one. Who enables us to be part of this wedding feast. Everything we need has been given to us.
[23:05] By the Lord Jesus. Everything we need for this wedding supper. Has been granted to us. And be in no doubt.
[23:17] To be invited to the wedding supper. Of the Lamb. It is to be blessed. Do not miss out. On this wedding supper. And can I ask you.
[23:30] Do you know. Jesus. As your saviour and king today. Do you have certainty. That on that great. And terrible day.
[23:42] That we are reading about here. When Christ comes. Do you have certainty. That you will be amongst. That vast multitude. Singing praises to Jesus.
[23:54] Enjoying the wedding supper. If you do not have that certainty. Then make sure you do. Repent. And believe.
[24:04] In the Lord Jesus today. Do it now. There is nothing we bring to the table. It is granted to you. All you need to do is receive. Accept.
[24:16] The clothes he is giving you. That will enable you to stand on that day. In that wedding feast. Please do not walk out of this door. Without knowing for certain.
[24:28] That you along with many others here. Are betrothed to Jesus. Jesus. And for all who have. Accepted this invitation.
[24:40] Notice. The imperative there. Verse 10. Worship God. Our response.
[24:51] Here is to worship God. John is rebuked there. At the end of the section. In response to this astonishing vision. In the words of the angel. Verse 9. His response is to fall down. At the feet of that angel. But the angel is very quick.
[25:04] Isn't he? To correct him. You must not do that. John. I'm a fellow servant with you. And your brothers. You hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God. Not me.
[25:14] And so our response. To this glorious wedding invitation. Is not to honor. The messengers.
[25:26] The preachers. The speakers that we. Perhaps so. Venerate online. No. We're to worship God. He is the one at the center of human history.
[25:36] He is the one to whom we owe everything. Praise him. Worship the Lord. God. John was tempted to worship the angel. Who brought this message. But the angel said no.
[25:47] Do not worship me. I'm a fellow servant. Worship God. And so do we. Is he the one? We pray out to him.
[26:00] Cry out to him. And praise. Worship God. He is the one at the very center of everything. And it is the Lord Jesus to whom we are now drawn to.
[26:15] In the middle section of this chapter. He is the one at the very center of this passage. The very center of human history. He is the one who brings about this decisive end. He is the one who brings about these two different suppers.
[26:30] So look now to the middle part of this chapter. From verse 11. Where we see the great Lord Jesus Christ. The great warrior. Verse 11.
[26:42] Then I saw heaven opened. And behold a white horse. The one sitting on it. Is called faithful and true. And in righteousness he judges.
[26:54] And makes war. Look on to the end of verse 16. His name. King of kings. And Lord of lords.
[27:07] This is an utterly spectacular vision of Jesus. And it's a vision we don't often encounter or consider. This is Jesus.
[27:19] The warrior king. The heavenly warrior. He has come. To bring war. To bring his just judgment on the wicked. And to bring salvation for his people.
[27:33] Jesus comes. For the last battle. And he is a figure of immense power. He is leading. A vast army.
[27:46] He strikes down the nations. And that's what we read. Elsewhere in the New Testament.
[27:57] The apostle Paul speaks of these events in 2 Thessalonians. He said. Since indeed God considers it just. To repay with affliction those who afflict you.
[28:09] And to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us. When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven. With his mighty angels and flaming fire. Inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God.
[28:21] And on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They will suffer. The punishment of eternal destruction. Away from the presence of the Lord. And from the glory of his might.
[28:32] When he comes on that day. To be glorified in the saints. What we are seeing here.
[28:43] Is what Paul. Anticipated there. In 1 Thessalonians. The great day when Jesus will come. In all his power.
[28:54] And glory. And majesty. His great. Immeasurable army behind him. And he is coming to bring final judgment. Notice his activities here in Revelation.
[29:09] Verse 11. In righteousness he judges. And makes war. He strikes down the nations. Verse 15. He will rule the nations. And tread the winepress.
[29:21] The fury of the wrath of God almighty. It's very sober isn't it. To read these words. To read of this judgment.
[29:33] This total judgment. Of all. All the nations. Will be.
[29:45] Rules. By Jesus. This is all strong. Warrior language isn't it. Jesus is not.
[29:56] To be messed with. Jesus is not. To be taken lightly. He comes. To bring war. On his enemies. And this is the final.
[30:07] And ultimate reality. That all. Who oppose God. And his people. Must reckon with. There can be in the end. No avoiding.
[30:19] This warrior king. For his eyes. Which flame like fire. They will see all unrighteousness. He will bring all. To justice. And this is a reality.
[30:34] That we. Must have firmly. In our minds. It not only presses upon us. The urgency. Of reaching out.
[30:44] To a lost world. Because this is the destiny. Isn't it. Of all those. Who oppose him now. We've got an urgent message. To proclaim. To rescue people.
[30:54] From this coming judgment. But it's also a great comfort. For God's people. Because evil will not. In the end. Flourish. It seems to us today.
[31:07] Doesn't it? Evil does flourish. There is no justice. The wicked. Get away with things. But will not always be so. Willie quotes Psalm 37.
[31:21] In his new book. On the Psalms. Which reminds us. That God will judge the wicked. Ultimately. Even when he's not judging them right now. Psalm 37 says.
[31:33] Turn away from evil. And do good. So shall you dwell forever. For the Lord loves justice. He will not. Forsake his saints.
[31:44] They are preserved forever. But the children of the wicked. Shall be cut off. Wait for the Lord.
[31:55] And keep his way. And he will exhort you. To inherit the land. And you will look in. When the wicked are cut off. And what the psalmist anticipates there.
[32:09] We now see unfold. In Revelation. As the warrior king comes. To bring justice. To punish the wicked. And that is.
[32:21] A real comfort. To suffering Christians today. You think of our friends. In India. Who have seen loved ones. Put to death.
[32:33] Their church buildings. Sent up in flames. They need to know. The reality of Revelation 19. The Lord will bring it to justice.
[32:47] It is a powerful. Overwhelming image. Isn't it? This great warrior king. And his power. And might. Is further underlined.
[32:58] By what we read of. In the next paragraph. The final. Passage. In this chapter. Because the last battle. Which we've been building up to. This last battle. Which we've been preparing.
[33:09] Ourselves for. It isn't really much. Of a battle at all. It is something. Of an anti-climax. As we see. Jesus snuffs out. His enemies. In a moment.
[33:19] Let's look on. As we read. From verse 17. The end. This is the supper. After the last battle. And it begins.
[33:29] With this confident. Announcement. Of impending doom. For the enemies of God. Verse 17. John sees an angel. Standing in the sun.
[33:41] And with a loud voice. He called. To all the birds. That fly directly overhead. Come. Gather. For the great supper. Of God. The battle.
[33:52] Hasn't even begun. But the outcome. Is so certain. That this invitation. To the birds. Has been issued. Come. Verse 18.
[34:03] To eat. The flesh. Of kings. The flesh. Of captains. The flesh. Of mighty men. The flesh. Of horses. And their riders. And the flesh. Of all men. Both free.
[34:15] And slave. Both small. And great. And great. This is a very different. Kind of. Supper invitation. Isn't it? Both.
[34:27] Feasts. Both. Suppers. Are a consequence. Of the last battle. The saints. God's church. Well.
[34:37] They take part. In that great. Wedding banquet. But the wicked. They will be the banquet. Upon which. The scavengers feed. The battle itself.
[34:51] Is described. In verse 19. And I saw. The beast. And the kings. Of the earth. With their armies. Gathered. To make war. Against him. Who was sitting.
[35:01] On the horse. Against the army. And the beast. Was captured. And with it. The false prophet. Who. In its presence. Had done the signs. By which. He deceived those.
[35:12] Who had received. The mark of the beast. And those. Who had worshipped. This image. Now you read. That first sentence. And we're expecting.
[35:22] Something. Cataclysmic. Aren't we? We get the two sides. Lining up. Here's. The great. Warrior king. On his white horse. With his hordes. Of. Army.
[35:33] Behind him. On the other side. Are the great beasts. And their armies. Two sides. And these are the beasts.
[35:44] Described for us. In Revelation 13. Think back. To those two beasts. The great enemies. Of God's people. Who look so fearsome. And powerful. And here they are.
[35:54] Gathered. With all the kings. Of the earth. They're ready to make battle. On Jesus. And his army. Perhaps you've watched. The Lord of the Rings.
[36:06] Movies. The great battle scenes. In the second. And third films. Or even better. You've read the books. But the ebb. And the flow. Of those great battles. The great armies.
[36:17] Clashing together. Victory hangs in the balance. That's what you anticipate here. Isn't it? But there's none of that. Verse 20.
[36:27] Just a simple statement. The beast was captured. And with it. The false prophets. It is a non-event. There is no great detail here.
[36:39] Because there's nothing to describe. This is not a long. Protracted battle. Most battles. In our. Earthly. Experience.
[36:51] Are long. And drawn out. But this is swift. And short. The enemies of God. In the end. Are no match for Jesus. How could they be?
[37:04] As one writer put it. What we must learn here. Is that God is not stretched to the limit. To overcome his enemies. As if. It were only with difficulty. That he could gain the victory.
[37:16] His. Is an easy superiority. This is. A total mismatch. Jesus.
[37:28] Snuffs out his enemies. In a moment. And friends. We can take comfort. In that reality. The enemies. To which we so fear.
[37:39] The enemies. That strike fear. Into our hearts. Today. They will not stand. The last battle. Isn't really a battle. At all. The great beasts.
[37:50] We considered. Some months ago. From Revelation 13. Remember them. The assistance. To Satan. Beasts. Which manifest. Themselves. In our worlds. In oppressive.
[38:01] Political power. And corrupt religion. Those powers. Those enemies. Which we see around us. They seem. Don't they? Insurmountable to us. They seem. All powerful. They strike fear.
[38:14] Into our hearts. But here. Is their destiny. Verse 20. Thrown. Into the lake of fire. That burns with sulfur.
[38:25] And all those. Who follow the beasts. Verse 21. Slain by the sword. That came from the mouth. Of Jesus. And the birds.
[38:35] Gorged on their flesh. It's sober. Isn't it? Very sober. But in the end.
[38:47] Jesus will. Bring judgment. Upon those. Who have rebelled against him. He will. Bring justice. He will judge. In righteousness.
[38:58] That is the real warning here. But there's also real comfort. For God's people. Jesus.
[39:09] Our king. Your king. Is king of kings. He is lord of lords. He is a powerful. And mighty warrior. He will defeat his enemies.
[39:20] And our enemies. So take comfort. We don't belong to a weak. Or impotent king. No he is almighty. And powerful. And we can.
[39:32] Can't we. So easily. Be taken up. With. The dark side. Of our experiences. In this world. We. Can only see. The dark clouds. Overhead. And.
[39:43] There are dark clouds. Things are hard. But don't miss. The glorious notes. Of this chapter. Don't miss. The glorious destiny.
[39:55] Because our destiny. Is that wonderful. Marriage supper. Of the lamb. Assure. And as certain. As the destruction. Of evil will be. So sure.
[40:06] And certain. Is the delight. Of Christ's church. On that day. A day. When we'll stand. Amongst countless others. Singing praise. To our great God. And savior. That is our future.
[40:18] That is our destiny. History. Ends. In these two suppers. These two feasts. Fix your gaze. On our warrior king.
[40:31] And be about. The task. Of calling others. To respond. To his invitation. To this marriage supper. Of the lamb. There is an urgency. Here isn't there? This day is coming.
[40:44] And everyone. In this world. Will be in one of these. Two suppers. There are only. Two destinies. In the end. And would it not be. A wonderful thing. If every one of us.
[40:57] Saw. On that day. Someone that we know. And love. Who is there with us. Singing hallelujah. To Jesus. It would be a wonderful thing.
[41:08] Wouldn't it? A wonderful thing. If over the coming months. And years. In our church. If all of us. If every one of us. Knew someone. Who started to follow Jesus.
[41:19] We have a full church. But that would be a good problem. To have. Wouldn't it? Why don't we pray. To that end. Pray. For the salvation.
[41:30] Of people you care about. Because this day. Is coming. There is a glorious. Wedding feast. And we would love to see.
[41:41] Many. Of those we know there. The day is coming. Jesus is at the moment. Being patient. Now. Is the day of salvation. And perhaps today.
[41:53] Is that day for you. You don't yet follow Jesus. But you've heard. His call today. Will you respond. To him today. Will you repent.
[42:04] And believe today. But for all of us. Is everything going to be okay. In the end. Really.
[42:14] Is everything going to be okay. Well yes it will. We are. Betrothed to Jesus. He is our warrior king.
[42:27] He is coming. And he's coming. To claim his bride. The church. He's coming to defeat our enemies. Blessed. Blessed.
[42:38] Are those. Who are invited. To the marriage supper. Of the lamb. Do you believe that. Do you know. In your heart. This is our great destiny.
[42:52] Let me pray. And then we'll sing to close. Father God.
[43:05] You know. The aches. Of our hearts. You know. Our deepest anxieties. And fears. Lord.
[43:18] Please. Draw near to us. Reassure us. Of these great. Things. And awesome. And awesome realities. That we belong to Jesus. A warrior king.
[43:30] And those enemies. We so much fear. Will one day come to nothing. And we. Your people. Will reign forever. In that great marriage supper.
[43:42] Of the lamb. Will. So fill our hearts. With the certainty. Of these things. And help us. In the here and now.
[43:53] To not walk. By what we see. To not walk. By sight. But to walk. By faith. Help us. We ask. In Jesus name. Amen.
[44:04] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[44:15] Amen. Alabama. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[44:25] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.