Heralds Of Judgement

Take your Bibles, if you will, and turn to Revelation chapter 14. Our text for this morning is verses 6 through 13. As you're turning there, let me just say a few words about this coming next few weeks. If you want to know where Mongolia is, look at a map. Look at China. It's north of China.

It's between Siberia and northern China. That's Mongolia, all right? We'll leave Thursday afternoon about 4 from Columbus to Chicago, then from Chicago to Beijing, I think flying over the North Pole is the shortest way. Lay over in Beijing for about 12 hours, and then another two-hour trip to Ulaanbaatar. And then we'll be coming back, same way, with a 14-hour layover in Beijing on the way back.

Now, I spoke for you at one point. Dave said, on our way back with 14 hours, and during the time of the day, maybe we can go into the city. Do you think your church would mind if, you know, we went into the city? I said, no, they wouldn't mind at all. So, thanks for the permission to see in Beijing, all right? So that's what the trip looks like.

A week there. I'm assuming we're going to be in the city, but we have no idea. Davis told us the whole key to this, any kind of ministry with Triumph, is be flexible. You don't know what's going to happen. You do what they tell you to do and go where they tell you to go. So that's what's happening.

So I wish I could tell you where we're going to be. I have no idea. So I'm going to wear my boots and thick socks. I just know that. All right. So you pray as God brings that to your mind. alright we in Revelation 14 we all know where the book of Revelation is right you follow along as I begin reading in verse 6 then I saw another angel flying directly overhead with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth to every nation and tribe and language and people and he said with a loud voice fear God and give him glory because the hour of his judgment has come and worship him who made heaven and earth the sea and the springs of water Another angel a second followed saying Fallen fallen is Babylon the great she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality And another angel, a third, followed them saying with a loud voice, If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger.

And he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. And they have no rest day or night, these worshippers of the beast and its image and whoever receives the mark of its name. Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, write this, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them. Father, would you please help us to see your message, hear your message from this passage to us today in Leroux in this century. Give us insight from your word into the world in which we live and our response to it.

With these warnings, give us hope, we pray for your glory and our good in Jesus name. Amen. you're traveling along, experiencing a wonderful drive, and not paying much attention, all of a sudden you see a squad car behind you with the lights flashing. You pull over, and the policeman comes up, and he says, you're going a little bit fast. I said, well, I'm sorry, officer.

And he takes your license and takes it back to the car. He calls in your name, finds out you've got no warrants on your name, and comes back and says, sir, I'm just going to give you a warning. You were going a little bit fast, and I just want to, I'm going to give you a warning. That's all I'm going to do. You breathe a sigh of relief. But what's that warning supposed to do?

Motivate you to drive a little bit better. You're playing with your brother and you are having a wonderful time and suddenly mom appears in the door and you know you dead But she says to you boys I warning you right now do not continue with that You know that not what I you know that we've told you not to be poking the cat like that. And I'm warning you right now, if you continue to do that, you're going to get a spanking, a warning, another warning, right?

It's going to keep you from taking the stick and poking the cat. You're having a good time at school. Classroom is what you endure for the good time you're having with your friends. And one day the teacher calls you and says, hey, I want you to stay after class. So you stay after class and you sit down and the teacher says, look, you know what? You're just not doing the work.

And you know what? If you continue in the track you're going on, you won't graduate. I'm warning you right now. You start buckling down or you might will just forget about graduation. Warning. Warnings are a part of life.

Right? We're always getting warnings. In the text before us, we have warnings from heaven. In our text, we have a vision of a warning. A warning of God's judgment. Now let's review quickly where we are.

We are in chapters 12. We're in this section that goes from chapter 12 through chapter 15 verse 4 that sits kind of in the middle of the book. It's kind of like a halftime show. We're in the middle right now and we get to see something a little bit differently. We've heard these stories of the church and its persecution and seduction. Now in these chapters we get another angle on all that.

Okay? We get a little different picture. Now this section you remember is composed of seven visions from chapter 12 verse 1 through chapter 15 verse 4 we have seven visions we have looked at four of them up to this point there's a vision of the dragon and the lady showing us satan's unsuccessful attempts to destroy the messianic community then we saw the vision of the beast describing how satan uses successive powerful political forces to destroy god's people by means of persecution.

Next appears the vision of the second beast, the false prophet, describing the alliance of the religious forces with those political forces to destroy God people through compromise and seduction The fourth vision that we saw last time gives us a glimpse of the victory celebration on Mount Zion This portrays those victors who refuse the mark of the beast and who instead carry the mark of the lamb and of his father on their foreheads. Now, in verses 6 through 13, is our fifth vision. Three angels, three heralds, proclaiming a message, a warning of God's judgment.

Now, let me remind you again, this book is a letter written to seven churches in Asia Minor. Religious and political forces were at work persecuting them, seeking them to deny or to compromise their faith. They were also forces that were intent on seducing them to compromise their faith. And this book was written in order to show them how to overcome the persecution.

That is, how to remain faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of persecution and seduction. That's what this book is about. The triumph of the Lamb as seen as His people remain faithful to Him until He comes in power and glory and triumph. And so this book was written to us just like any other book in the New Testament, written to us for those same reasons.

And be reminded again, this is apocalyptic literature, that it is laden with symbols. So don't figure on waking up some morning and looking up and like the jet streaking across the sky, you're going to see three angels streaking across the sky shouting about judgment. That's not going to happen. Neither should you be looking for Babylon to be resurrected on the Euphrates River in present day Iraq to become this Babel in the great that we read about here.

That's not going to happen. These are symbols. Remember that. Symbols intended to communicate truth to us in a different way so that it sticks. Okay? Now, as we come to chapter 14, verse 6, the scene shifts from the redeemed people of God celebrating on Mount Zion at the end of time, celebrating their victory. the scene now shifts in verse 6 to the unredeemed enemies of God and the warnings of judgment that God gives them.

But even though you hear warnings of judgment against the unbelievers of the earth, the focus remains on the people of God. Now this is important for us to see. Look again at verses 12 and 13 that we read a minute ago. Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, write this, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.

Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them. These warnings, these three warnings are written so that you will endure and that you will find comfort. OK, so even though it's talking about the judgment that comes on unbelievers, the whole purpose of it is to give you strength and hope. OK, so even though we find this aimed at unbelievers.

It is really told it is really revealed to us so that we as believers will find strength to endure and hope in the midst of persecution and seduction. So let's look at the passage together. Now, let's understand what God is saying to us today. What does he want us to understand? First of all, hear the warnings of God's judgment. verses 6 through 11 hear the warnings of God's judgment the first angel appears the first angel appears warning of the arrival of God's judgment verses 6 and 7 then I saw another angel flying directly overhead with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth to every nation and tribe and language and people and he said with a loud voice fear God and give him glory because the hour of his judgment has come and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.

He addresses the message to the unbelievers of the world. Now remember, Revelation uses this term earth dwellers through the whole book to describe unbelievers. These are the ones who are very earthbound in everything that they do and think. Their horizons go no farther than the earth. Their values, their outlook, their goals, their loyalties are all earthbound.

There's nothing transcendent about them. Everything is all about this life, this world, this age. They're not concerned about the transcendent things of God. And they come from every people on the earth Now this phrase that we see here has been used several times in the book every tribe nation tribe language and people to talk about those from whom God through Jesus redeems, whom the Lamb redeems, but it is also used to show the universal rebellion against God.

So these are earth dwellers from every nation, people, language, and so forth. and the angel proclaims the certainty of god's judgment against them and that judgment is this they will be coerced into confessing the truth about god they will confess the sovereignty and the power of god it will be coerced from them but it will come from their mouths they will fear god they will give him glory they will fall prostrate before him you say why do you say that That sounds like it's saying the gospel is all about fearing God and so forth. But notice this phrase. This is a commandment from this angel.

Fear God and give him glory. Why? Because the hour of judgment has come. The hour for repentance has passed. The repentance is no longer possible. Judgment has come.

Therefore, because judgment has come, you will fear God. You will declare his glory. you will fall prostrate before him. The hour of judgment has come. The time for repentance has passed and the time of judgment has remained. Those who remain unmoved in their rebellion, who have never feared God, who have never glorified him, who have never worshipped him, will be made to confess that God is their sovereign judge and he will be glorified in his judgment of them.

You say, but wait a minute. This doesn't sound like the gospel. Doesn't it say that the angel is streaking through the heavens and he's proclaiming an eternal gospel? That's true. But this is the judicial side of the gospel. Those who reject the gospel will not find themselves in the hands of God's mercy.

They will find themselves in the court of God's justice. Listen, the gospel isn't just about. the gospel is not just good news that says it is good news don't get me wrong gospel means good news but in the good news is always a little bit of bad news but to remember that the gospel encompasses God justice it it not that gospel is the good news that God can forgive sinners and still be a just God But the gospel does not say that God does not remain, that God forgets about his justice. Consider this.

Consider John chapter 3. We all love the gospel of John, right? The gospel of John tells us the good news of this one. Why was the gospel written? John tells us, these were written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. But in the corpus of that gospel, he says things like this.

We all know John 3.16, don't we? Great. But what about John 3.18? Whoever believes in him is not condemned. But whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. That's also the gospel.

Those who don't believe remain in a condemned state. So this is the judicial side of the gospel. This is part of the gospel. Fear God. You will fear God. Either you fear him now and glorify him now and worship him now, or you will later.

When the time of judgment comes, this will happen. every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. Philippians chapter 2. You say, but how is that good news? Let me ask you, as one who believes the gospel, what is your heartbeat? You know what my heartbeat is, and I think it's yours too? That people everywhere will acknowledge and glorify our God.

That people will bow in submission to God and call Jesus Lord and acknowledge God as one who is worthy of worship. That's my heartbeat. Isn't it yours? Isn't it marvelous to see people who are rebellious against God, who shake their fist at God, who have nothing to do with God or his people, subdued by the grace of God so that now they worship and love God, right?

Well, this is the good news, that everyone will do that. Everyone will do that. And it's good news because it speaks of our vindication. Again, a major theme in this book that we have seen, is it not, that part of our hope is this. We are ridiculed. We are abused We are persecuted We are considered the scum of the earth in the eyes of the world right Okay Take this for what it worth all right Tim Tebow Now he may not be a great quarterback I don't know that much, you know.

Is his time from here to here, it's not quick enough to play pro ball? I don't know. I don't know football that well. The experts tell us that he's just not that good. But you know what? A lot of people say, you know, that guy gets mocked and hated just because he's genuine about his faith.

And, you know, players on other teams have mocked him. I mean, they've just made fun of him. And doesn't it just kind of make you a little bit mad? I mean, come on. The guy's leading his team in victories. Give him a break.

The world naturally hates us. Does it not? I mean, you know, you just talk about Jesus for a while and people just say, you are a nut. Leave me alone. Right. And you know what?

A lot of your friends think you're crazy today for being here today. And it goes, we haven't experienced this yet. But around the world, there are people who are abused physically and thrown into jail and starved because they claim the name of Jesus. you know what the good news is that even though the world looks at us as fools and idiots and people and you'll hear this you hear this in our country we are the evil people because we just don't accept everybody we have the audacity to say that's sin you've got to repent and we're called evil for that you've heard that haven't you sure well the good news is this the world all these centuries has called us fools, has abused us, on that day, on that day we will be vindicated.

God will say, they were right about me. You didn't listen to them. Now you will fear me. And we will be vindicated. And there is nothing wrong with that. There is nothing wrong with rejoicing in vindication.

Some of you might be thinking right now, oh yeah, you know, then we're just standing in heaven going, na-na-na-na-na, that we were right, you were wrong, you know. It goes beyond that. I mean, frankly, suppose you're accused of murder and you're innocent. Is it wrong for you to desire vindication? Is it wrong for you to desire to be proved right? No.

Justice will have its day. And God's people will be vindicated, and we need to take hope in that. That's the good news. This is the answer to the prayer of the martyrs in heaven. Do you remember them? Long ago in chapter 6.

Let's turn back there. This is the answer to their prayer. This is why it's good news. Chapter 6, verse 9. When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who'd been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, O sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?

Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who would be killed as they themselves had been. This is the answer to their prayer. This is God's just, right vengeance. So there is coming a day when the time of judgment comes. Everyone will fear God.

Everyone will glorify him. And everyone will fall prostrate before him. Now the second herald of judgment appears, describing the judgment of God against those who love security and self-indulgent luxury. Verse 8. another angel a second followed saying fallen fallen is babylon the great she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality now we will come and find more about babylon when we get to chapter 17 and 18 so let's zero in and say what could he be talking about here now first of all we have to understand babylon must be a symbol because Babylon is gone forever.

For those who would approach this book and say, well, the Bible says Babylon's going to rise up and fall again. Well, the problem with that is the Old Testament consistently says at least five times that that's never going to happen. For example, Jeremiah chapter 50. Therefore, wild beasts shall dwell with hyenas in Babylon, and ostriches shall dwell in her She shall never again have people nor be inhabited for all generations as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities declares the Lord so no man shall dwell there, and no son of man shall sojourn in her.

There is no literal Babylon that will ever rise on the Euphrates River again. God has cursed that city. Now the question is, why did God curse that city? Because it is the epitome of evil in the Old Testament. It is that powerful nation that God used to judge his people, but it is a nation that persecuted and oppressed the people of God and with all its glories while they were in captivity sought to seduce them to idolatry.

And so Babylon becomes the symbol for evil pagan nations. And so to a first century Christian hearing this, Babylon was the symbol of the pagan power now oppressing them. Rome and the world system it embodied. It was the seat of overwhelming power. If we were to go back in the first century Christians, we'd be part of this empire that was overwhelming in its power.

No one could stand against it. much like our country today. And it offered prosperity and luxury beyond imagining. The empire was great. It was prosperous. As we see, we get to chapter 17 and 18, it talks about all their merchants and all the stuff that people could have as part of that empire. It was a seat of overwhelming power and incredible luxury and seduction.

And Babylon offers a wine that causes a passion for her sexual immoralities. What happens when someone is drunk? Their inhibitions fly out the window, don't they? What happens to someone who loves drink? That person will do anything to get it, right? because of Romans power she offered economic prosperity to the nations that submitted there was luxury, there was self indulgent pleasures to be had through all that prosperity now if you haven thought about it it sounds a lot like us and our country We live in a country of overwhelming power and prosperity You say, well, we're going through economic hard times, folks.

Can I tell you something? The places I've been in these last eight years, I've seen people trying to sell stolen drills, you know? Electric drills. We stop for gas. There's someone trying to sell. And you know it's hot.

Everybody knows it's hot. Those people are poor. We're not that poor. Yeah, we're going through economic hard times, but folks, we live in luxury. We live in luxury. And we have prosperity more than people have ever imagined.

And there have been many prosperous cultures and nations over the centuries. And they have offered incredible security and great luxury. And folks, let me tell you something. The American dream, as we have defined it, is ungodly. That is, give me freedom so I can get all the stuff I can get with no one keeping me from getting all the good life. That is an ungodly dream. it's not liberty for the sake of promoting the gospel, it's liberty for the sake of getting more stuff.

And what does God say? What does He say? There's judgment coming because of that. Let's quit saying that luxury is what we ought to be striving for because it brings the judgment of God. We become self-indulgent and we become involved in an idolatrous culture of possessions and of power. And we do not live for God.

We live for stuff. And we live for comfort. And we live for as much as we can get. I'm frightened by this verse. Because we think God's going to judge all those homosexuals. He's going to judge all those sexually immoral people.

And he's going to judge all these people and that people. He's going to judge people who love luxury. Who will not deny themselves for the sake of Jesus Stand for Jesus and lose pleasure Stand for Jesus and lose your job That what they looked at in the first century Stand for Jesus and you lose your job. Well, then let's just compromise a little bit. There's security to be had.

There's the seduction of security and self-indulgence, and it's powerful. It is powerful. Many would have the pleasures of Disney World over the pleasures of God. There are many who prefer job security over the security of Christ. And God hates that because it is idolatry. Prosperity and pleasure above God will lead to judgment.

Drink the wine of Babylon today and you will drink the wine of God's wrath tomorrow. Now is God a killjoy? Some of you are thinking right now, does that mean I need to go sell my pickup truck that I just bought? Does that mean I can't go to Disney World? You're missing the point. God is not a killjoy.

But God says there are pleasures in me that fire away the transient temporary pleasures of this life? Do you want eternal pleasures? Or do you want just these temporary pleasures? Which do you want? Which is greater to you? I'm reminded of this.

This pops into my head. Turn back to Psalm 16. This is a verse that just pops into my head right now, so I hope it's there. I don't even know the verse. I know it's in the left-hand side of my Bible, in the left-hand column. All right?

Psalm 16. The last verse, verse 11. You make known to me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. God is not against pleasure.

But what kind of pleasure means the most to you? What kind of pleasure means the most to you? most to you. God calls you to the supreme pleasure of knowing him in Jesus, but many trade eternal pleasures for the passing pleasures of sin and luxury. Today, this is what I see. I see a culture where things that God loves, things like justice, things like faithfulness, things like honesty, things like sacrifice for him, they don't matter.

You know why? Because my belly is full and I've got enough entertainment to keep me happy. And when it comes to thinking about people across the other side of the world who are starving, okay, I don't have time for that. I've got a movie to go to. When it comes to faithfulness to God, we'd rather go see a movie than spend time with the people of God. And God says that kind of luxury is going to lead to judgment.

Now you're saying, man, you're really raining on my parade. Well, friends, I think our friends across the world know what it's like to be in the Babylon of oppression. We need to know what it's like to be in the Babylon of seduction. And I'm sad to say that many Christians are being seduced. They're being seduced. Now, Now, some of you are going to ask me, I can see it.

Well, does that mean I should get rid of this or do that? You have a conscience. You deal with it before God. You need to be asking yourself, what has my heart? All right. What has my heart?

Judgment awaits those who prefer self-indulgence to God. Make no mistake about it. We get drunk on the wine and we will wake up in judgment. Finally, the third messenger appears proclaiming eternal and final judgment for those who serve the beast. Who have received the mark. And another angel, a third followed them saying with a loud voice, If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, He also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger.

And he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever and they have no rest day or night these worshippers of the beast and its image and whoever receives the mark of its name Now remember this mark is not a literal mark. Remember that if you do not have the mark of the beast you have the mark of the lamb and his father on your forehead. Now, obviously then the mark of the beast is symbolic.

Because none of you, as I look at this congregation, I don't have the special glasses that show me whether you got the mark of the lamb and his father on your forehead. Nor can I tell whether you have the mark of the beast. It's symbolic. Remember, the mark on the forehead indicates ideological commitment. I believe in what you represent. And the mark on the hand indicates the outworking of that commitment.

I will serve you and I will serve those beliefs. That's what it means to have that on your head and on your hand. And he says, anyone who would serve the anti-gospel powers, be they political, the first beast, or religious, the second beast, will suffer God's wrath. you have the mark of the beast and experience prosperity or you have the mark of the lamb and experience physical you may experience prosperity under the mark of the beast but you'll have eternal rest with the mark of the lamb and he says those who do not serve god but the beast will drink the unspeakable horrors of god's wine of wrath he says no it is pulled It is poured full strength into the cup of his anger.

Now, I'm no expert on this. But what I've read, it says that wine, when it's produced, comes out with a 15% alcohol content. But the ancients would not drink their wine that way, unlike we do today. They would cut it with water to about 3%. That's the wine they drink. When you see them drinking wine in the Bible, they have cut their wine from 15% alcohol content to normally three.

But he says these worshipers will drink the undiluted wrath of God There will be no dilution to the anger of God on the day of judgment It is undiluted Now when we look at the wrath of God throughout history we see it over and over We seen God's wrath poured out in the Old Testament. Do you remember? Read Lamentations, read Jeremiah, and you read how God is going to judge Israel.

And Jeremiah tells these people that at certain points the siege of Jerusalem is going to get so terrible that a mother will hide her dead daughter so she can eat her. All right. That's the wrath of God poured out. You think you've seen the wrath of God? Do you think you've seen the wrath of God and the utter destruction that came upon Nazi Germany, the displacement, the utter just absolute destruction that happened in that country? and when you look at what happened after World War II the Allies just destroyed that country you think you've seen the wrath of God? do you think you've seen the wrath of God in tsunamis that kill people by the tens of thousands? do you think you've seen the wrath of God? we have not seen anything yet is what John is trying to tell us here do you think you've seen the wrath of God? you have not seen it yet in its final form.

It will be a wrath of undiluted strength. Babylon's wine is strong, but it wears off. This wine will not. The horrifying nature of God's judgment almost defies the power of words to describe it. As I meditated on this passage this last week, It occurs to me that words can't carry the weight of what God says about his final judgment. This judgment produces torment, it says in verse 11.

And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. Judgment produces torment. this particular word is always used in this book and in the rest of the New Testament and in 99 of 100 uses in the Old Testament as always referring to conscious torment. This is not a judgment as some would like to say and there are reasons why There are some folks who are trying to be biblical and put it all together and say no God judgment is final annihilation where when people go to hell, they are annihilated and their existence ends.

And there's some reason, as you look at the Bible, to think, well, that might be the case. But as I come to this verse, he uses the word torment here, that is always used, with one exception in the entire Bible, always used of conscious torment. We see it, for example, in chapter 9. Turn back to chapter 9, verses 5 and 6. They were allowed to torment them, these locusts.

They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them. And their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee them. You remember that passage? People are so tormented.

They will long to die, but they can't reach death. This is talking about conscious torment. Okay? It's a torment that lasts forever. Use these two phrases here. Forever and ever.

And day or night. It lasts forever. Have you ever thought about forever? Have you ever thought about that? I can remember as a little boy laying down in my bed at night and trying to think of forever. I know, some of us were really strange.

Just like I thought my head was going to explode. I just can't hardly conceive of it. We are so finite. We always think there's always an end point, isn't there? There's always an end point. This job is lousy.

Well, I'm not going to be in this job forever. this life is hard it's going to end this sermon is long you know it's coming to an end there's always these end points to us but in this there is no end point it will never end it's frightening does that even capture what that means it's a torment that's made worse by the all-seeing eye of the Lamb. It's in the presence of the Lamb and His angels. One writer put it this way, the presence of the Lamb which brings joy and comfort to His redeemed people unmitigated anguish to those who have staked their lives on the dragon's lies.

The lamb, the lamb will bring unmitigated anguish. And here's one that just, notice this phrase, and they have no rest, day or night. It is a torment of unceasing unrest. Unceasing unrest. Have you ever worked a double shift? You've worked a double shift, and you come home, and you find out that you've got no water in the house.

You know? And now, you desperately want to go to bed, but you've got to have water in the house. And so you spend the next eight hours trying to get everything figured out, trying to get the pipes together, trying to get the plumbing done. And you get it done, and guess what? It's time to go back to work. Now, you talk about anguish?

Think about unceasing unrest forever. No rest! That's the kind of torment we're talking about. No rest! what is this judgment what is this hell like is it a literal fire you know what I don't know it may not be a literal fire but if it isn't a literal fire it's worse than a literal fire I'm not going to get hung up whether hell is literal fire or not I just know this that the words cannot carry the weight.

They just kind of give us a little bit of an understanding of what it's like. All of these descriptions make me think that the torment of this judgment Far exceeds any words we could use to describe it. Do not take these horrifying descriptions lightly This is ultimate reality We have been told for about 200 years now Christianity is all about life now.

And that's true. It is. It's about, the Gospel is about raising my children. The gospel is about being a good worker. The gospel is about all those things. But if we lose sight of this, that there is a hell to be shunned and a heaven to be gained, our vision is too small.

This is the ultimate reality that we must grasp. This puts life now in a different perspective. So what's the point of this vision? What's the point of these three heralds' warning of judgment? What's the point? Here it is.

Hear the call of God, or hear the call and the comfort of God's judgment. We've just talked about the horrific judgment of the wine of God's wrath. And yet, it is intended to call us and to comfort us as believers. How so? because it says in verse 12, this is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith and the faith of Jesus.

This is a call to endurance. Wisdom now will tell you that the temporary suffering inflicted by the dragon and the transient pleasures promised by Babylon will never compare to the rest and the pleasures of eternity. Wisdom will tell you that now. Wisdom will say, endure, endure. and he says who are these saints they are the ones who keep the commandments of god and the faith of jesus i think if you have an esv there's a little footnote there and not the faith in jesus but the faith of jesus talking about being loyal to the faith being loyal to the faith that's the definition of a saint one who has been changed by jesus will never deny him And you will endure knowing that defeat at the hand of the beast means that Jesus will vindicate you when he comes in judgment You will persevere in faith and obedience not despite our enemy present power but because of their future destruction You will endure because you know they will be destroyed and you will be vindicated.

That's the call to endurance. Endure! Because these who seem so powerful now will, what? will be destroyed. Will be destroyed. And notice that the promise of God's judgment should bring you comfort. That's what he says in verse 13.

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, write this, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them. Dying in the Lord means blessing. If you are a believer and you die in the Lord, you will die in the Lord if you're a believer. But dying in the Lord means blessing.

And it means blessing because it means rest. It means rest. The persecutors and the compromisers will find restful security in this life. But those who endure through the hard, exhausting labors of faithfulness to Jesus will find eternal rest. Do you notice this? Notice this.

Please see the contrast in verse 11. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. And what? They have no rest day or night. That's true of those who compromise. That's true of our persecutors.

But what's true of us who remain faithful? Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest. Our enemies will have no rest for out eternity. us, we on the other hand, who remain faithful to Christ, will have eternal rest and peace. You see the contrast? Yes, there's rest now, but it will end and it will result in eternal unrest. But those of us who suffer now will find rest for eternity.

If you ever worked really hard. You've worked the overtime. You worked hard You given and you given and you given And no one seems to notice Moms you know what that like You work day in, day out, doing the laundry, taking care of the kids, cooking the meals, and no one seems to notice. They just show up at the table and eat your food. They put your clothes on that have been cleaned.

They just don't even say a word. You know what that's like, don't you? Here's the good news. you remain faithful to Jesus you'll notice because the record of your faithfulness will follow you to heaven that's what he says here when he talks about that they may rest from their labors for their deeds follow them, what deeds? the deeds of exhausting labor of remaining faithful to your Lord Jesus Christ those deeds will follow you God does not forget.

He never will. Every bit of faithfulness to Him He keeps track of. Someone might say to me, but what about my unfaithfulness? Well, that just doesn't show up on the record. Because it's been forgiven. But your faithfulness will be remembered.

And your hard, exhausting labor of remaining faithful to your Lord Jesus will follow you. You know what? God does not forget. God will keep the record. Though the strength of the dragon and the beasts and Babylon seem intimidating, keep on believing that your champion is stronger. How do you know he's stronger?

Have you ever thought of this? His victory over Satan, his victory over the most powerful evil force in all of the universe, his victory over Satan, was accomplished at the point of his greatest weakness. Our champion defeated our foe at the point of his greatest weakness. Do you think your champion is stronger? Do you think you can keep trusting in him?

At the cross, he destroyed the power of sin and Satan over his people. At his resurrection, he was declared the overwhelming victor. and when he comes again in power everyone will see it. The world doesn't see it now. The world doesn't see his victory but you do. You know that you're championed stronger and you know that he's coming again in power and he's been raised from the dead and declared beyond question as the one who has conquered our greatest foe Satan, sin and death.

So you know this that when he shows up again, the whole world is going to know. Our champion is stronger. It's intimidating. It will be intimidating tomorrow. It will be intimidating for you every day of your life until Jesus comes. But always keep in mind, keep on believing that your champion is stronger.

You've seen the vision. Have you heard the angels? they warn us of judgment that is sure and certain they warn us of a horrifying judgment they have spoken of a judgment that is deserving you know what someone has said this our biggest problem is God because the nature of sin means we stand under his righteous just anger But our biggest solution is God Because He's provided the way of reconciling us to Him and not coming under that righteous and just anger. This is the call to endurance and the promise of comfort.

Hear the warnings so that you will endure. Hear the warnings so that you will find comfort in what God will remember. Father, you have given us a glimpse of what is in store for those who are obstinate in their unbelief and rebellion. you have told us father these things so that we might endure and remain faithful in the midst of hardship and seduction father would you help us when things are hard help us to see our champion lord when we are seduced by the luxury and the security of life here remind us that our Savior has achieved for us pleasures that exceed any kind of words.

Father, we have heard of your judgment. Now give us strength and hope that we might live for you in ways that honor and glorify your name so that we would be, in this age, those who fear God, those who glorify him, and those who worship him. Work in our hearts, we pray. In Jesus' name, amen.