###Date: 18 oct 2008
###Cat: MyGod
In the last great war my father served with Montgomery's 8th Army in North Africa. He was in the Royal Army Service Corps, which meant he and his men delivered battle tanks to the front line against Rommel's Afrika Corps Panzers. They also went in to the battle zone at night to retrieve damaged tanks. So much of any army's success depends on keeping its supply lines open, and that where Dad served.
Now, when an army's supply line gets too long, they can get into real trouble, as Napoleon and Hitler discovered in their Russian offensives.
Well, we started with this fascinating, confusing, startling and vital book of The Revelation about 2 years ago, so you might say our supply line is getting a bit long. So a lot of what we cover today will be reviewing where we've come so far, and then quick tour of these 2 chapters.
- its a book of history in pictures, in symbols. We must keep asking "what do these symbols mean?"
- its not a straight-line history book, nor a tourist map, but more like one of those coffee-table travel books like "Images of Tibet"
- its meant to do us good, and not harm
- Jesus, the Lion Who is the Lamb, is the ultimate focus and the ultimate answer.
_(here we run through the slideshow from chapters 1 through to 14)_
- 1st, Chapter 6 covers the opening of the 7 seals on the book of destiny. It begins with Jesus the Lamb (ie, the Saviour who sacrificed Himself for us) ends with THE END, the last judgment of the Great Day of God
- 2nd coverage of the same history is in chapters 8 to 11, and covers the blowing of the 7 trumpets. It too ends at THE END, with the crowning of King Jesus and the destruction of all evil.
- 3rd coverage is ch. 12-14. No 7 hear (we can never rely on the patterns to stay the same, and that's OK). It starts with the birth of Jesus, shows us the opposition of Satan and the hatred towards Jesus' people, who have trusted in Him, and ends with THE END again: with the victory of Jesus the Lamb and His people, and the judgment on all wickedness.
- this is about God's Wrath. We've been on a helicopter ride over the forests of Revelation, but this time its a more like a gunship we're flying in!
- not what we really like to hear - "can't I just have 'God is Love'?"
- No! for then He would not, could not be God. He cannot be Goodness and Love and tolerate evil forever. One day He must and will act against all evil. He cannot be Light and not drive out Darkness.
- But not like our outbursts of wrath - He never flies of the handle, loses His cool. He knows everything evevyone has done, and He is Holy, and He is Just.
- note: 15:1 "the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished" - It does indeed end with The END.
- note: the sea of glass in v2 - we saw this in ch. 4&5 before God's throne in heaven, in the Control Room of the Universe. But there it was as clear as crystal. Now it is mingled with fire. There is wrath, just anger against all evil (and we, broken as we are, share this, we get angry and great evil, like rich cheats who feed on others' poverty, or child-abusers)
- Who? Same as in ch. 7 and 14. The numberless crowd from all nations and languages who have washed themselves in the blood of Jesus the Lamb. That is, they have recognised that they are not really good, but broken, fallen people who cannot be Holy like God, and cannot be happy without Him (Solshenitzin - a sharp line between good and evil, and it runs down the middle of every man).
- There is therefore HOPE. You don't have to be on the receiving end of God's just wrath. He still offers free forgiveness and sure hope of happiness simply through faith in Jesus the Lamb. Romans 3:26 "he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus"
- What Song? that of Moses and the Lamb. Image is that of Moses and the Israelites standing on the shore of the Red Sea, safe beyond hope, and looking at the ruin of their pursuers. Just so "Jesus rescues us from the wrath to come" 1 Thess. 1:10
- Great and Amazing works of God
- Just and True in His ways
- He is the King!
- Who wouldn't rightly fear/reverence Him, and gladly come to Him? (sadly, many)
- temple in heaven - these plagues come from God. We can't escape the fact, and won't escape the reality except we trust in Jesus (His name means "He Saves"
- the 7 angels are pure and holy. God does not use demons and tyrants for His final judgment, though He can and does overrule them to make them unwillingly and unwittingly carry our his purpose.
- The 4 living creatures hand over the 7 bowls of wrath. They who stand for God's noble creation have a hand in its cleanup campaign. All creation was ruined when Adam sinned, and all Creation (ie, all facets of it) will be redeemed at last.
- Awesome - the temple is filled with glory and smoke - none can enter till the mighty work is done - just as at the dedication of Solomon's Temple. Then even the earthly priests had to leave off their work. God is Great!
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