Sermon notes from Sunday 22 October 2018
Revelation chapter 10
I want us to turn back to the book of Revelation. Such an important book but it is difficult to understand it at times. The apostle John is on the Isle of Patmos not because of anything he had done but rather he was there for the testimony of Christ. He was there because he preached the unsearchable riches of Christ. People did not like him and he was taken to Isle of Patmos. People thought that was him, banished there, would not hear from again. Although he was on the Isle of Patmos the Lord was not finished with him. He took him up again. Sometimes in our lives we feel we would be better off somewhere else. The Lord wants to use us where we are. The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the second time when he was locked up in the prison house. He was there and God was using him. The apostle Paul lay in the prison house but glorified God because the word of God went through him to the many churches in Minor Asia. God wants a life totally given over to him, fully surrendered to him. That is what he found in John. He was beloved of the Lord, he wrote the gospels and epistles and now would be used once more. He was given the instruction in chapter 1 verse 19 "write these things which thou hast seen." That is what John did - he wrote about those things he had seen, about the churches and the messages to the churches and the things that he seen when he was carried up to the throne and the things which should be hereafter. That is where we take up John. Now he is writing about the things that will come after. It is easy as we read through the book of Revelation to slip into the mode of thinking of seeing something from a science fiction movie. No we are not looking at some movie but something that will one day take place on this earth. God is not finished with the world yet. These things strange as they are will take place on this world. When Jesus takes every saved man and woman to be with him at his side we will see the reign of the anti-Christ come to bear. These are the times John is writing about here.
A very quick recap. We read in Revelation chapters 1 to 3 that John is writing about the various churches, the 7 churches of Asia. Chapter 4 is in the form of a picture. John is taken up like the rapture when Jesus comes to the air and calls his church to heaven. In chapter 5 paints a picture of certain things about heaven. He speaks of a book in the right hand of the one who sat on the throne. No-one there to open it but then John sees the Lamb, the Lord steps into centre of heavens glory. He takes the book and begins to open it. Chapter 6 as the book is opened certain things happen on earth as a consequence. See the different things - death, dearth, destruction, the rise and reign of the anti-Christ. Chapter 7 reveals to us the 144000 sealed of God and the great multitude that came out of the tribulation standing around the throne worshipping God. In chapters 8 and 9 awful things are being revealed. Chapter 9 sees the opening of the bottomless pit, the abyss that God speaks about. One day Satan will be handed the key to open that pit. Out of that pit will come every evil, demonic spirit that could never be let loose before. Jude and Peter talk about the spirits that had to be chained in the very pit of darkness. They could not be allowed to roam the world. Remember the fear of the man of Gedarra. He was filled with demons. When the Lord came to him the demons were afraid they would be cast out into the abyess. One day Satan will release these demons. That is the word of God. We need to be careful we do not tamper with something that God has commanded us not to tamper with.
Now we come to chapter 10 - this is a parenthesis, a little lull when God will explain a few things that are happening.
The wonder of John`s vision - verse 1. Somehow this brings a calm to John`s mind. He has been dealing with death, slaughter, suffering on a grand scale. Man being tormented by demonic spirits, given over to the worship of false gods, permitted to follow the anti-Chrst. Man`s hearts are hardened toward God. John gets a visit from this heavenly visitor as if all the world is out of control. Then comes the word that God is in control. John is seeing everything in this world is falling apart. Then we see an angel coming from heaven with a message in his heart and there is a ray of hope. Sometimes we can get into situations where we don`t see much hope. Bereavement and sickness are things in which we can see no way out of. In the midst of it all God comes with this angel, comes the radiance shining through him of hope from heaven. "John I am still in control" God was saying. He has a book in his hand, sets his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the earth. This is in the midst of the 7 last years on earth, entering into the second half of the great tribulation. Never like this before and never be again. We are told we are entering into the last 3 years. The anti-Christ is in full control. He stamps the number of his followers on their brow or on the right hand but God says I am in control. When Moses was in Egypt he was sent for the purpose to bring the people out. When he went into Pharaoh, Pharaoh said "who is this God that I should obey him?" Moses said to him after God had sent his plagues in Exodus 9 verse 29 "thou mayest know that the earth is the Lord`s." Psalm 24 verse 1 "the earth is the Lord`s and the fullness thereof; the world they that dwell therein." "Heaven and earth shall pass away but my words shall not pass away." (Matthew 24 verse 35) Notice the appearance of this angel - clothed with a cloud - speaking of authority. Remember the cloud that led the children of Israel by day across the wilderness and the Lord ascended up into the cloud when he returned to heaven. It is speaking here of authority. Then we hear of the rainbow upon his head - a reminder of the covenant God has with men. Remember when he sent it in the time of Noah, promised there would never be a flood like it again. His face was as as it were the sun - shining with heavens glory. Remember when Moses came down from meeting God in the mountain he had to veil his face when he came into the presence of his people. His feet as pillars of fire. A ray of hope coming down to earth. Sometimes it is good to get an image of heaven in our own lives, just a word from the Lord in that situation. Joseph was espoused to marry Mary, planning a great wedding. As he received the word that Mary was pregnant he pondered all these things. The angel came to him one night "fear not the child will be the Saviour of the world." God was in control. Peter lying in prison house in Acts 6 was chained to the guard, next day to be taken out and killed. The angel stepped down that time and released him. God was in control in Israel`s darkest day. Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah asking him "is there any word from the Lord?" (Jeremiah 37 verse 17) We need to get back to the word of God.
The worship of John`s vision. This angel came from heaven where God is worshipped and praised by multitude of angels. Some commentators would say this is the Lord himself. If the Lord was the angel he would not say a mighty angel. They are created beings. We would be speaking here of the angel of the Lord. John in Revelation chapter 1 when the Lord came to where he was fell to his feet. Here he recognised it was an angel. Verse 5 a symbol of submission here to God. See that in the life of Abraham in Genesis 14. Abraham went out to bring back his nephew Lot. He had been carried away following the invasion of Sodom. When he came back the King of Sodom wanted to reward Abraham but he wouldn`t have any of it. "I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth." (Genesis 24 verse 22) He submitted his life to the Lord in battle. The battle was the Lord`s. Here in this chapter he is claiming all of God`s creation to the Lord, lifting up his praises to him and him alone. It is good to offer praise to the Lord. Abraham wanted nothing of the riches of the world, told the King of Sodom he wanted nothing from him. God helped him through the battle entirely. Think of Moses, we can see it in his life too. Joshua and Aaron were down in the valley while Moses was on the hill raising his hands to the Lord, submitting it to him in prayer. As Moses kept this stance the children of Israel prevailed. When his hands fell because of tiredness and weariness the children of Israel lost the battle. Teaches a great lesson today - we need to have our hands raised to God constantly in prayer and thanksgiving to him to pray for our loved ones, our families, our church, our fellowship, to pray for people to come in. As our hands lower the enemy prevails. We see our children and the world they are growing up in, their mothers and fathers no interest in church meetings, perhaps the only time they will hear of Jesus is here on a Sunday morning. This angel came down, a ray of hope in the midst of doom. He sets the standard and claims all of God`s creation.
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