Address—Robert Boulard
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Well, I thought we'd look at.
Revelation chapter 19 just to.
Look at the appearing of the Lord Jesus. You know, there's two comings of the Lord. There's the coming of the Lord for his Saints, and that's the rapture, and there's the coming of the Lord with his Saints. That's the appearing. And largely the Christian world is confused on those two comings, and they confuse the part of the portion that Israel has with the portion that Christians have.
And so our portion is going to be a wonderful portion and this really takes in here the appearing of the Lord Jesus. I'm going to just I wish I could read the whole chapter, but I'm going to just mention.
In the 1St 6 verses we have 4 hallelujahs or hallelujahs it means praise the Lord.
And let's read it 19 chapter 19 and verse one says after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying Hallelujah.
Salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God.
For true and righteous are his judgments, and he hath judged the great core, which did corrupt the earth, and with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said Hallelujah, And her smoke rose up forever and ever in the four, and 20 elders and four beasts fell down, and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying Amen, Hallelujah. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God of Nip that renith, let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him, for the marriage of the Lamb is coming. His wife hath made herself ready, and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness, or the righteousness of the Saints. And he saith unto me, Right blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.
And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, Seed, I'll do it not. I am a fellow servant. Thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Now that brings us right up to the appearing and I'm going to read Lord willing hear from verse 11 down a little bit later. But in chapters 17 and 18 we have details given the Spirit of God gives us details to the judgment of political Babylon and religious Babylon and the false church, the one that exalts herself today and sits as and seeks to rule the kingdoms of this world and will as we.
Noticed earlier.
In chapters.
Two and chapter 2 of Revelation really in connection with Thyatira that she will rule and in some of the subsequent chapters the Roman Catholic Church is going to rule the revived Roman Empire, the United States of Europe.
And things seem to be shaping up that we can see just very vaguely through a glass, darkly, as it were. We can see that things are shaping up that way. Well, she's going to be judged. And we didn't read the details of those judgments, but the results of those judgments. And you and I are going to be intelligent as to those things that are taking place upon the earth. And all heaven will rejoice, and those that are in the earth as well. But really, the scene here is in heaven.
Much people in heaven in verse one saying Hallelujah salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God so the first Hallelujah is really.
Called forth and really the attributes of God Himself in His Holiness and His righteousness.
And are told forth true and righteous are his judgments Reeth judged the great ***** that did corrupt the earth with her fornications that avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And so all heavens going to rejoice that the false church has been judged and dealt with on a righteous basis and because of the holiness of God, he's dealt with her. And then the second Hallelujah here is in verse three. They again they said alleluia.
And her smoke rose up forever and ever, and the four and 20 elders and the four beasts fall down and fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne saying Amen, Hallelujah. So the second Hallelujah is in connection with His holy judgments. He's judged her because of His Holiness. The third Hallelujah is the worship.
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For all that God has done, and the four and 20 elders, as I say, are those that represent the church.
And the Old Testament Saints.
And then the 4th Hallelujah is in verse six, right at the end of verse six there, and it's really an expression of joy that's really from the whole of the heavenly company, a great multitude, and the voice of many waters, the voice of mighty thundering, saying Hallelujah for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
So it's a result.
Really.
All heaven is going to burst out in joy and Thanksgiving worship to the Lord, because that which presented a false picture of Christ and exalted herself as judged. And now that that system is judged, then the church is presented, Then the bride is presented here, and it says, let us be glad and give him honor, for the marriage of the Lamb is coming. His wife hath made herself ready, and as I mentioned, she's presented as a wife in connection with administration.
In the earth and so the bride of Christ will be used of God, you and I a part of that bride in any measure of responsibility and and faithfulness to God that we have been acted in faithfulness to him, devotion to him, obedience to his word and the principles of the word of God in connection with how we ought to conduct ourselves and glorify him in this scene and.
He's going to reward us and He's going to use us in administration in the earth. And then he comes a little bit later on, He'll give some details. And it says to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white for the linen. The fine linen is the righteousness of the Saints. And so instead of the false bride presenting herself in all kinds of glorious garments and so on, the Lord displays his bride with a righteous garment. A garment of white speaks white, you know, as a color of victory and purity.
And the bride of Christ is going to be pure. Can you imagine Heaven is going to be filled with those of the church age.
And all of the sorrow and all of the disobedience and rebellion that we've seen and experienced in this world, in the church, those that are real believers and all of those that seem to perhaps have failed in one measure or another.
That's all going to be just.
But after the judgment seat of Christ, what he's going to see is a fair bride, and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in finally, and he only sees the righteousnesses of the Saints. And then there are those that are the friends of the bridegroom, the Old Testament Saints and.
Perhaps the martyred Saints during the Tribulation period, they're not presented here, but it says those that are blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb, those that are the redeemed. But those Old Testament Saints that are not a part of the bride.
So their friends, the bridegroom, and so they're spoken of. John the Baptist spoke of them as well.
And the Lord spoke of the friends of the Bridegroom and.
Here we have them just mentioned here Solo John, you know he saw these things.
He saw them, he was a witness, he heard these things, he heard these hallelujahs and all heaven just bursting out like fireworks of a display of glory and just fell at the feet of the Angel. The Angel was a servant, and the angels are servants forever. They don't have a place in the family of God at all. They're only servants. And the Angel had to rebuke him. I think there's three times that the angels have to rebuke John. Say don't do it, don't worship us. We're only servants. I am thy fellow servant, my brethren.
Of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus worship God. And then he gives us the key to understanding all of the prophetic scriptures. Not only these, but even in the Old Testament, he says the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. In in essence, what he's saying is to understand prophetic scriptures, you have to remember that the subject of prophecy is the Lord Jesus himself. Now every verse of prophecy may not mention the Lord Jesus himself.
But it mentions His, His 'cause His people, His earthly people in the Old Testament, and His glory, His future glory. Remember the two things that the prophetic scriptures taught is the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. And they all lead down that same path, those two themes of the prophetic scriptures. And so this Angel just brings it up. Now he comes to the point where the Lord Jesus is going to claim the kingdoms for himself.
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Verse 11. He says, 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, on his head were many crowns. He had a name written that no man knew but himself, And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood. And his name is called the word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed and fine linen white and clean.
And out of his mouth go with a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron. And he he treads the wine Press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written King of kings and Lord of Lords.
And I saw an Angel standing in the sun, and he cried with a loud voice, saying, To all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, come.
And gather yourselves together under the supper of the great God.
That you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them.
In the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast.
And the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him, but sat on the horse and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image.
These both were cast alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone, and the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth, and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
You know the culmination of the wickedness, the audacity and the wickedness of man.
And John must have wondered at this as he saw this. But the audacity of man who has been.
Sitting under the sound of the Gospel of the grace and kindness of God in the Western world received many, many mercies because of the privileges of Christianity and the blessings of Christianity.
And he rejects Christ, he rejects all the blessings, he rejects Christ, he rejects the grace of God, he rejects the testimony of the church, He rejects the testimony of the Word of God. And the last thing we read up in chapter 19 at the appearing of the Lord Jesus when he comes to claim the kingdoms for himself, is that man himself, energized by Satan, seeks to fight against the Son of God, the Lord Jesus, the Savior, who loved him, who loved those dear ones.
Everyone and who had made full provision that they could have salvation, they could have their sins forgiven, man will rise up and fight against the Lord Jesus the beast. In verse 19, the Roman ruler of the revived Roman Empire and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together.
To make war against him that sat on the horse and against his army. Now who's with him in his army? It's really the army, the armies of the Saints coming with him. And just a little different terminology than he gives us in other passages of Scripture where he comes with 10 thousands of his Saints. Here he's going to come as a conqueror and he's going to have us with him. And no doubt all of the heavenly Saints are going to be displayed in that company. But really he's the central focus of it. And here speaks of a White Horse in verse 11 and it speaks.
Not only of righteous judgment, but it speaks is the color of victory, and it's the color of purity. But really specifically here, it's the color of righteous judgment and of victory. You know how you sometimes read a book? I just picked up a book.
Last night off of Brother Jerry and our sisters bookshelf about Robert E Lee. Just a small little book and apparently it was a real believer. I read the flyleaf and then just to see how the story turned out.
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I turned to the last page and I read the last page of the book just to see exactly, you know, roughly how it turned out.
There's a real dear believer who died at 63 years of age of natural causes. He was ill, but he died really, you might say, of natural causes and went to be with the Lord. And I read that. So I began to read the first part of the story, and I have enjoyed it. But here the Spirit of God records that you and I are on the winning side, there's no doubt.
Prophecy is history.
Written ahead of time and God has told us the end of the story in the end of the story is that the Lord Jesus is not going to allow.
The rebellion to continue indefinitely against him and God is not going to allow man to.
Publicly dishonor his son for a long time, for indefinitely. He's going, his patients will run out. And so here he comes with great glory, great honor, and we don't have time to go through all of these little types and so on, but he comes to judge.
And he seizes this wicked man, the ruler of their revived Roman Empire, and his false prophet, the one that was in the land of Israel and led the nation of Israel into apostasy, and he wrought false miracles.
He just.
Gone seizes them both. The Son of God seizes them both. Judgment is delivered into the Son of God. You know it says I think it's John's gospel chapter 5. I meant to read this earlier in these series of meetings, but I think it's.
John's Gospel chapter 5 and verse 22. It's it's something that we need to understand as a principle as we read the New Testament and even the Old Testament.
John 522 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.
And so the one that's going to sit on the great white throne is the Son of God. It's the Lord Jesus, the one who comes on this White Horse, it's the Lord Jesus himself. Well, then we come to chapter 20 and I may just read that very brief. That makes some very brief comments on it because.
There is a finality, there are eternal consequences to the rejection of Christ. And while it's the love of Christ that constraints us, the love of Christ for you, constrains you, doesn't it? To walk for Him, to live for him, to devote your life to him.
Isn't it the love of the Lord Jesus that just works with you and you remember the love of the Lord Jesus, you come on the Lords day morning, you just want to return some of that affection to him and give him the desire of his own heart to have you there with him in his presence. Well, the eternal consequences of those that reject Christ are presented to us here in this chapter. And then we have the really the in chapter 21, the eternal state, a little picture of the eternal state for the 1St 8 verses and I'd like to look at that in a little more detail, but let's read chapter 20.
And get a little bit of a an outline of the finality of that scene. And I saw an Angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent which is the devil and Satan, and bound him 1000 years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more till the 1000 years should be fulfilled.
And after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw a throne, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them. And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received His mark upon their foreheads or in their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ 1000 years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.
This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath no power.
But they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him 1000 years.
And when the 1000 years are expired, Satan shall be loose out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog to gather themselves and them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, encompassed the camp of the Saints about, and the beloved city, and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the Devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are.
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And shall be tormented day and night, forever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, on it, from whose face the heaven and the earth, the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God.
It's really God. The sun and the books were opened and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and the death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works. And Death and hell were cast, or Hades, Death and Hades were cast into the Lake of fire. This is the second Death. And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of Fire.
Well, at the appearing of the Lord Jesus, there's going to he's going to come. He's going to set up his Kingdom. He's going to take the kingdoms for himself. And we know that there are going to be enemies in the land. God is going to use the children of Israel as they they he comes and he reigns with them. They'll still be some enemies in the land and he'll and about in some of the nations round about them and he'll use.
Some of the children of Israel newly come into the land and having been terribly humbled because of the destruction in the army of the north coming down and so on. And he'll use them to subdue those kingdoms. But he's going to take at the beginning of his reign, he's going to take and bind up Satan. He's there's not going to be temptation. Satan is not going to be loose and able to tempt men in this world for 1000 years.
And that hasn't been in existence, that hasn't taken place since the creation of this world for the last 6000 years.
Man has been tempted by Satan and demonic. His demonic agents, those that are fallen angels and that have followed him also do his evil work. They'll be bound in the abyss. And it says specifically of Satan and calls them four things, the dragon, bold serpent, the devil and Satan. It's really.
The completeness of character of evil.
And so he gives this name. The dragon is really his character as a destroyer. And that's given to us in Revelation Chapter 9, verse 11. I think I read that a couple of nights ago, but we might turn to it.
Revelation 9 verse 11, that the Angel of the bottomless pit, whose name is in the Hebrew tongue of Aden means destruction, but that's in Hebrew. But in the Greek tongue has his name Apollon. That means destroyer, really Satan.
He doesn't create anything. He doesn't make anything. He destroys what God has created and he destroys. He wants to destroy your life and mine. He doesn't care how long. He, he, he's very patient, if I could put it that way. He, he doesn't care what stage of life he destroys. He just wants to destroy you so that there isn't any fruit for God. Oh, May God keep us and preserve us from the destruction of the enemy. He gives him that name. The first title is a dragon and then the old serpent. He means he's a very experienced deceiver.
He knows how to deceive.
He's been at it for 6000 years. He knows his business well. He can deceive the Saints even.
And then it says the devil, and so is the devil. He's a tempter. He tempts us. It's Matthews Gospel chapter 4. Remember he the devil came to tempt the Lord and to test him. And so he tempts you and I to sin against God, to dishonor the name of Christ. And then it says here his last character, Satan. And I think we remember in connection with.
Satan is first Peter chapter five, he says that he walketh about his roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. And so he's an adversary. That's his name, his name. Satan really means adversary. So he's an adversary, he's a destroyer, he's a deceiver, old is old and very experienced deceiver. And the devil, he's a tempter and he's an adversary, bound him for 1000 years. And so this world is going to know what it's like to have a perfect world government. If I could put it that way, you and I are going to reign with the Lord Jesus in heaven.
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And he's going to have his Saints in this world, We read a little bit later on, the 12 apostles are going to have a special place in the Kingdom. The Lord told them that.
In fact, we might read it right now since I mentioned it now. 19 Matthew 19, verse 28.
Let's read verse 27 to get the connection. Then answered Peter, and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and have fallen, and followed thee, what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon 12 Thrones judging.
The 12 tribes of Israel. So the regeneration really is referring to the Millennium. He's going to regenerate the earth and there's going to be a renewal and disease and sickness is going to cease and death will cease. The effects of death and men and women are going to live for the whole 1000 years if they don't sin publicly against God. But isn't it nice that the Lord Jesus, he says there's going to be the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory.
And those dear apostles are going to be associated with him. They were despised. They were rejected of this world. They were martyred. Perhaps most of them were martyred. Some of them died a natural death. I believe John perhaps died a natural death. There may have been another, but many of them were murdered. And they're going to reign with the Lord Jesus. They gave up all that they had. They gave up their homes, they gave up their lives, all of their ambitions for prosperity in this world.
As a Jew and for an inheritance in the earth, and the Lord says you're going to reign with me. They're going to have a special place. So then he speaks of the resurrection. There are two resurrections. There's a resurrection of adjust and there's the resurrection of the unjust. There's not just one general resurrection. There's two resurrections. And we mentioned this, that there's three installments to the first resurrection. The first resurrection, the Lord Jesus was the first one that was raised from among the dead. He's a glorified man.
In in heaven right now seated at the right hand of the majesty on high. And then you and I are a part of the 2nd installment. We're going to hear the voice of the Lord Jesus and we're going to rise all those that have Old Testament Saints and the New Testament Saints until they have those that have died and those that are alive will all be caught up together to be with the Lord. And then here in chapter 20, he says to those that were martyred. Remember we read in in.
Revelation chapter six of two companies of martyrs, those that were going to be martyred in the 1St 3 1/2 years and those martyred in the last 3 1/2 years of the seven years of tribulation. Those that martyred in the beginning of sorrows under the rule of the Roman Catholic Church. And those that are martyred under the rule of the beast and the false prophet and they're raised, they live in verse four at the end it says they lived and reigned with Christ 1000 years.
They have a heavenly portion just like you and I, but you and I have a better part than they have. They have a good part.
It's hard to believe. It's hard, I shouldn't say, to believe, but to understand why the Lord Jesus would give us the closest place in heaven, the closest place in association with Him for all eternity, the closest association with Him while he rules in his Kingdom for 1000 years. The closest, the nearest, the best, he says to the prodigal son, the Father says.
Take the best robe and put it upon him, and choose upon His feet. We have a place of blessing and favor that is astounding. And so he speaks of those that the rest of the dead live. Not again until the thousand years were finished.
And there there's only one resurrection of the dead that are wicked dead and those are going to stand before the great white throne. I just mentioned this that at the end of the thousand years after 1000 years of raining the Lord Jesus brings in tremendous.
Blessing.
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There's no sickness, there's no disease. There's blessing, just blessing. Just flows like a river out of Jerusalem. Men have never had it so good. There's no war, there's no disease, there's nothing but just prosperity in the earth. And the Lord Jesus has brought it to into existence. He subdued all that Satan.
Brought in because of sin, but the 1000 years are over, the rain is over as it were, comes to a close. And the enemies of the Lord Jesus, those that have no faith, the enemy of Satan is loose to gain, and he coves and he tempts them. He deceives them to think that they can rise up and destroy Jerusalem, the holy city, and to set themselves free from the restraint of the Lord Jesus.
Because you know, it says that he'll reign with a rod of iron. They won't be able to sin. But man in his natural state loves to sin. He wants to sin and he'll know that he can't sin. If he does sin publicly, it's death immediately. But when he comes, when Satan is loosed, he'll say, this is my last chance. I'm going to see if I can break loose from the creator. And it says in verse nine, they went up upon the breath of the earth encompassed the camp of the Saints about.
And the beloved city.
And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them, and the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are actually tormented day and night, forever and ever.
So man, deceived by Satan, is going to, at the end of the perfect reign of the Lord Jesus, come up just a few of them.
As the sand of the sea, a multitude that is innumerable to try to destroy the city of Jerusalem against the city, the beloved city, and fire came down from God out of heaven. So it just proves to us that it doesn't matter what man's condition is, what his environment is, what his circumstances are. It doesn't change the flesh, doesn't improve man. So today people find themselves in the legal system.
And they say it's not my fault. I, it was the circumstances I was brought up in. I was abused as a child, all those kinds of things. It's not my fault. It's somebody else's fault. But no, under perfect circumstances, they're going to rebel against the Lord Jesus. And so he points this out. So man is thoroughly corrupt and he needs, the Lord needs to be intervention of God himself. And So what a privilege it is for us to bow the knee to our Lord Jesus Christ in this life.
Then he brings in the the Great White Throne. It says there that.
And him that sat on it in verse 11 from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them. Let's just read in second Peter just to.
Get a little more detail. Second Peter, chapter 3.
The new, the old heaven, the old earth are going to be destroyed. The earth that we're walking on right now.
Going to be burned up. It's going to be utterly consumed, it says.
In second Peter chapter 3, verse 10, the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which that's the end of the day of the Lord. The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then there are all these things shall be dissolved. What manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation?
And godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God. Remember, that's the eternal state. That's the day when there's no enemies, and the Lord Jesus is going to devote Himself to His bride. We're in the heavens. Being on fire shall be dissolved, and the element shall melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Well, that's really pointing towards the eternal state.
But I read that because the dead, small and great stand before God.
The Earth doesn't exist. The atmospheric heavens here in the.
Um, celestial heavens, the outer space, we might say, in all those planets and everything, they don't exist.
And they come, they stand before the Son of God.
Seated upon his throne, they stand in outer space suspended to be judged by him. And the last thing that those ones are going to see is the face of the one that loved him, that loved them. None of them is going to be able to say that Christ didn't love them. Judas couldn't say that Christ didn't love him. He's called Judas a friend, and yet he went into a lost eternity because he rejected the love of Christ. And so they're going to see the Son of God. And it says the books here, their works according their works are freely the work.
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Did they have a work of faith? Did they accept the word in the Old Testament times? Did they operate on the principle of faith or did they operate on the principle of rebellion, rebellion against the authority of God and exercising their own wills? And so it just speaks of the books here and it speaks to us the of the fact that what is going on today, God is keeping a record of he's keeping a record of it. And in the coming day he's going to hold accountable.
Every single man, woman and child. And so he says that they were judged according there.
Works Death in hell or Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death you know, after this verse here.
Really, this is after the Millennium. Sin will never exist again. Sin will never disturb our rest.
They'll never be another sin committed. They'll never be another disobedient thought. There will never be another Angel or another power that disobeys God and brings in some disorder into that eternal scene. And so that's why we have here in in chapter 21 and we'll read the 1St 8 verses. It speaks of the eternal scene and the blessedness of it.
I saw a new heaven and a new earth.
For the 1St heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was number more sea. And I, John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride.
Adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
And there shall be no more death, neither saw nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.
For the former things are passed away, and he that sat upon the throne said, Behold.
I make all things new. And he said unto me, Right, for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him. That is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son, but the fearful and unbelieving and abominable.
And murderers. And ************. And sorcerers.
And idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake, which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
So he paints a little bit of a picture. There's not too many passages of Scripture that give us a little glimpse of the eternal state we have.
A little bit of teaching in First Corinthians chapter 15, I think perhaps maybe verses 24 to 28, something like that. And we have the passage of Scripture that we just read in Second Peter chapter 3 in connection with the.
New heavens and the new earth, the old earth being destroyed. And then we have this passage, 3 passages, I believe that we're told about the eternal state. And here John.
It's the last vision in this book. It's the 8th vision and he sees a new heaven and new earth. I wonder what he saw.
He saw its figurative language, but no doubt he saw some representation of that new heaven, that new earth not marred by sin at all, and something that would be quite suitable for the eternal blessing of man and a place that God could.
Enjoy the people of God, the people that he is redeemed with precious blood of Christ. And he says the 1St heaven, the first earth were passed away.
All those memories of the sin and rebellion and the wars and all the sickness and sorrow and the abuse and all of those things just go. Just the memory of them perhaps erased in our minds, as it were, and we're not ever going to feel.
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Sorrow in that scene, because this is what it says, God is going to dwell. He's going to Tabernacle with us, He's going to dwell with his people eternally, with men, and God himself shall be with them and be their God. And he mentions 5 things that are going to be.
Just for our finite minds, just to remember and to just describe the eternal state, he says in verse 4, There's five things that won't be there.
All because of sin. Tears. God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. There's a lot of crying going on tonight. There's a lot of crying, isn't there? Children are crying.
Men are being tortured and they're crying. They're crying out to God. The Lord Jesus cried on the cross. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
There was weeping at the tomb as the Saints at that time didn't understand what really had taken place. There was weeping. There's a lot of weeping, There's sickness, there's sorrow, there's separation. But not in that day, not a tear. That eternal state. There shall be no more death. Death is a part of sin. Sin has brought in death, the wages of sin.
Is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And so there's going to be a scene.
We can hardly imagine it. We drive down the road, doesn't take many miles, and we see an animal that's laid out on the road.
On the roadway or a deer laying in the ditch.
Just some evidence of death, and then we see evidence of death in connection with men.
In this scene doesn't take long, we don't have to be very old and we see something of death. First experience of my mind in connection with death was my grandma who my mother's mother.
1961 January 1961 She went to be with the Lord and she raised four children and she was prayed for those children.
And I could tell you some stories, but she went to be with the Lord, and I saw her in her coffin as a little boy and had the comfort of being told this little boy that grandma was with the Lord. And here there's not going to be any death, neither sorrow.
All those little things that come in to bring sorrow, and there's sorrows of hearts in connection with our children, their sorrow, heart and connection with some of the things that we see go on in the assembly, all these things that are broken.
In this world.
Neither crying. There's not going to be an audible note of any discord. Neither shall be any more pain for the former things that are passed away. Anybody here have pain tonight?
We all have a little bit of pain, don't we? And the older we get, the more that we get more pain we get, but not in that scene, not in the glory. Those that have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior, that have cried to the Lord Jesus said, God be merciful to me as Sinner, and he receives them as sons into his family. And he says, there's not going to be any of these things in heaven in that eternal day. The former things are passed away. And he that sat on the throne said, behold, I make all things new.
He said unto me, right? For these words are true and faithful. He wanted us to know that with a certainty that the sin and the destruction, what sin is brought into this world is going to be conquered. And God is never defeated by sin. Never. His purpose was to create man that there would be blessing and that there would be fruit for him for all eternity. And he's going to have his way. Thank God, He's going to have His way. So you know what it says in Luke chapter 14? Compel them.
To come in that my house may be filled. Now we have the water of life freely. The fountain, fountain of the water of life freely. I will give unto him that is a thirst. The fountain of water of life freely. You know what that speaks of is refreshment. Water always speaks of refreshment in this way in the scriptures. You and I are going to have a thirst forever for affection from the Lord. He's going to have a thirst to have our company.
And to be in our presence and to enjoy our company. But you and I are going to have a thirst, just a, a yearning and a thirst to be with Him. And we're going to have our thirst satisfied. We're going to be satisfied as much as we're going to have. I will give unto them that is him. That is a thirst, the fountain of water of life freely. You're going to have as much of Christ as you want when you're in that glorious scene above. And you're going to have a heart that's refreshed for that whole eternal scene.
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Then he points out something else that's eternal, and that is the consequences of disobedience and rebellion against God. The fearful, the unbelieving, the abominable. I think there's eight things here. And murderers, ************ sorcerers, idolaters, liars, all have their part in the lake of fire that burneth with brimstone, which is a second death. There are eternal consequences.
And there's no such thing as annihilation, no such thing as purgatory and getting out of purgatory and all that sort of thing. It's all men's imagination. And the deceit of the enemy is not found in the Word of God. Men and women that are created in the image of God are going to exist for eternity. And there's only one of two places. And this is what he brings out here. These words are true and faithful, and so we can use them in the gospel of the grace of God, but that we can use them.
As a warning to others, but we can use them too to encourage one another. Then he speaks from verse 9 down really to.
Perhaps verse 27.
Of the millennial scene and how the church is displayed during the Millennium and how she has a place of.
Responsibility in the Kingdom, and we mentioned in verse 12 That speaks of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel. They're going to have a special place. There's going to be.
Joy. There's going to be rejoicing. There's going to be a fixed.
System of things.
In the city of the new city of Jerusalem, there's going to be an earthly city of Jerusalem and there's going to be a heavenly city of Jerusalem. You know what the name Jerusalem means? It means the abode of harmony, the possession of peace. God wanted His people to dwell in the possession of peace. He wanted them to live in a state of peace and in a spirit of harmony.
Forever. And in that scene above, there's going to be an earthly city and then a heavenly city that's just above that.
Earthly city, we don't know what the distance is, but the earthly Saints are going to be able to see something of the heavenly city. And you and I is really a picture of the church. The church is presented here as a city, and she's going to be used in government, displayed in government. Well, there are a lot of things we could say about this chapter, but I want to just focus the last few minutes of this little meeting.
From chapter 22.
And.
Verse 6.
Actually, that millennial scene continues from chapter 21, verse nine down to the end of verse five. Chapter 22, verse five, that's all the Millennium and you'll notice in chapter 22 verse.
One, it says in the midst of the street of it.
On either side of the river there was a tree of life, which bear 12 manner of fruits yielded her fruit every month leaves the tree worth feel healing the nation's so on. He just presents the a little picture of the Garden of Eden, the Garden of the Lord.
You know a garden is a picture of fruitfulness for God.
Does God have much fruit in this world today?
He has a little bit of fruit. We thank God for it.
He's going to have an abundance of fruit in the Millennium. His people are going to bear fruit continually, every season, every month. And he just presents here the first book of the Bible, Genesis. In chapter two, he speaks of the garden of the Lord. He tells us about the river that flows forth and divides into four heads and brings refreshment and and.
Waters the earth from the source was really.
Where the tree of life was a little picture of Christ, although the Lord Jesus has never said to have lived in the Garden of Eden. But here he's presented in the last book of the Bible, the last chapter of the book of the Bible. He presents a little picture of the Garden of the Lord. And the blessing just flows forth from under the throne of God and of the land in New Jerusalem. And the blessing just flows throughout the millennial earth. And he's blessed. He just longs to bless.
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And there's fruit for him as a result. Then he says from verse six of the last chapter down to the end.
He speaks of his coming three times.
And while it was John that wrote these things, it's the Lord Jesus himself that addresses himself to the church. He addresses himself to you and I. And three times he tells us he's coming again.
And so the first time here he says in verse 7, Behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
And so it's really an exhortation, just an encouragement to us to remember that the Lord Jesus is coming.
And to make it have an effect upon our lives. Now we wake up in the morning, we say, wow, he didn't come last night, but he might come today. And I better conduct myself today as if he's coming today. That's really what he's saying here. He's saying, blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. We have the Book of Revelation. It tells us the end of the story. We've read the last page, as it were, and we know that we're on winning side and we know that the Lord Jesus is coming very shortly.
Because we have a sense of it as we've read the details of this book. And he says, now let it have an effect upon your life practically. And then he says a little bit later on, he says in verse 12.
Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha, Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they. It should not say that do his commandments put brackets around that do his commandments they It's not a good translation. Blessed are they that wash their robes that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter into through the gates into the city.
Without our dogs and sorcerers.
So he says, behold, I come quickly. None of us is ever going to get into heaven because of our works. And so that's why it shouldn't say do his commandments. There's nothing that you could do to merit the favor and blessing of God, is there? You couldn't please God in the flesh.
But you could wash your robes, you could be washed in the blood of the land. And so that's why there's a blessing. But he says I come quickly, quickly in. My reward is with me. It anticipates the fact that there is going to be a judge. The judgment seat of Christ will take place.
Very shortly after the Rapture and he's going to reward us.
You're going to get a reward. You know, Brother Gordon Hale used to say every one of us is living our lives in view of the day of reward. It should motivate us. It should encourage us. And every one of us has a little box, as it were, that we're preparing for the Lord. Every day we're putting a little bit of something in that box.
Did you have something here this, this, this chapter 21 and then and that says?
16 and you know that how high is that going to be from 16 down to 17? How high is that going to be?
I don't know, someone said. Someone said 1500 miles by 1500 miles by 1500 miles. That's a long way. Halfway across North America and halfway down, you know, it's, it's a long way. There's going to be lots of room.
But here it's really the judgment seat of Christ. Everyone of us is preparing a little gift to give to the Lord Jesus. When we see him face to face, we're going to present to him our little box and say, this is what we thought about you. This is how much we valued your relationship. We've we've, we've collected this little box of treasures just for you, Lord. Some of us are going to have some pretty small boxes.
But he's going to reward us.
And he's gonna long to reward us. He longs to the last page of the book of the Word of God.
He says, I'm coming back and I just want to give you a reward, as large a reward as I can. And so it should be a motivation to us. Now he says in verse 17, the Spirit and the Bride say come and let him that heareth say come, let them that are him that is a thirst come. And whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely. There's a little response here from the bride. And then it says surely in verse 20, I come quickly. Amen.
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Even so, come Lord Jesus. So there's a response from us because we want others to be saved. Whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely, we can use that in the gospel because the Lord is coming. And in a positive way, preach the gospel and tell others because we know the Lord Jesus, the brides, the Spirit and the Bride say come.
And that nice response, you know what the bride speaks of is one who is precious to the heart of the Lord Jesus. And it speaks of the Pearl in the chapter 21 as well. It speaks of the Pearl and the Pearl is very precious, very expensive, and every single Pearl is unique, different to any other Pearl. There's no two pearls and they're the same. And so you and I are part of the bride. But he says in the last verse here, in the second to last verse of the Bible which testifies, he which testifies these things sayeth surely I come quickly, I'm in Even so come Lord Jesus.
So that's the response of the bride. Even so, come Lord Jesus, and may our hearts be tender towards that blessed One who loved us and gave himself for us. And this world is designed to make your heart cold against the Savior, to deaden the affections for Christ, to distract you, and to make their priorities your priorities. To build the treasure cities of Pharaoh and to build pyramids for Pharaoh, and to do anything but live for Christ.
In view of his affections for us and so he says last verse, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. And so it's really the spirit of grace that he desires to see in his people. Last words of the apostle John written here. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Let's just commend ourselves.