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Revelation 14:1

Jesus Judges the Nations and Comforts His People

A sermon by Pastor Joe Haynes

Preached on September 22, 2019 at Beacon Church

As we return to our series in Revelation this morning, I want to give you something of a recap of the first 13 chapters of Revelation, and then look briefly at chapter 14.

In the most frustrating novel C.S. Lewis ever wrote (as far as I’m concerned!), he tells the story of a very clever ape who convinces his friend, a donkey, to help him take back the kingdom from the oppressive, mean king, and make a new home where all animals can live free at last. Some of you are thinking, C.S. Lewis wrote Shrek? But no, the ape convinces the dim-witted donkey to dress up in the skin of a lion, and convince everybody he is the true King—and it works—and they forge an alliance with a foreign kingdom who begin to help them in their scheme. And until you discover that in that story, the Son of God is a powerful lion named Aslan, and that’s who the donkey is impersonating, the story makes no sense. Even once you know the plot, it’s a really frustrating story—at least it was for me. Maybe you feel a bit like that about Revelation? As we get ready to resume these sermons in the Book of Revelation, I want to help you see the plot so far.

If you read Revelation without seeing the plot, it’s either boring, or terrifying. God gives a scroll to a lamb. The lamb opens seven seals. Seven angels blow their trumpets. And seven more angels pour out their bowls. That’s the basic design of the Book of Revelation. It’s inspired novels, movies, and operas. And dozens of super cheesy TV shows and horror movies. It’s easy to get scared by Revelation, but without the plot it’s pretty hard to get excited about it.

If you know and personally believe in the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then when you read how Jesus is introduced in Revelation 5, you can get pretty passionate because you understand what Christ has done—it becomes personal.

9 And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,  10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth." (Rev. 5:9-10 ESV)

But there’s more shouting at the end of the plot of Revelation, and I think the reason most people don’t get excited about it, is that they don’t understand what all the fuss is about. When we read about the incredible joyful shouting of innumerable multitudes of gloriously happy people praising God after they see the end of the story of Revelation, we have to wonder, what are they so happy about?

6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.  7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; (Rev. 19:6-7 ESV)

Most Christians today don’t see much reason to celebrate when they read Revelation, or when the learn about Christian history.

THE STORY OF CHRISTIANITY ISN’T VERY HAPPY

This book was written after the last living disciple of Jesus, a man named John, had a dream-vision and was told by Jesus to write down everything he saw in a book. The only people directly addressed as the original intended readers of this book were Christians living in seven cities at that time—cities that were then part of the land ruled by the mighty Roman Empire, at a time when Rome was just entering an era of peace and prosperity. But the Roman government was getting irritated by Christianity, and for Christians things slowly got worse and worse. 1900 years have gone by since John wrote this book, and they have been horrible centuries. In fact, the more you learn about history, the more tragic it becomes. There’s very little to be happy about.

When things started going wrong in a big way, in the Roman Empire, people started blaming Christians (because they figured the gods of Rome were angry about the Christians refusing to worship anyone but Jesus). Civil wars broke out, the economy collapsed, famine, disease, and plague wiped out huge portions of the population. And the persecution of Christians got so bad it seemed like that would be it for Christianity. That was all within about 200 years from the time John had this dream-vision. And then, like a miracle, the paganism Rome was famous for was overthrown, and the emperor endorsed Christianity. For a while, things were good, but then the church became corrupt, unbelievers became priests and bishops, corruption and scandal became common in churches, and the corrupted Christians started persecuting the remaining faithful Christians.

Then, within a century, barbarian tribes attacked Rome in wave after wave, and that ancient city finally was overthrown. It was like if the United States was overthrown by North Korea and they replaced all the famous paintings in the Met with portraits of Kim Jong-un. The civilization took a thousand years to recover from the knowledge and culture that was lost. During that time, in the east, the city of Constantinople was the new capital of the rest of the empire, but waves of Muslim invasions weakened and then finally conquered that great city in 1453. Western civilization has never really recovered from the fall of Constantinople. And Islam came to dominate all the lands of the Middle East and Africa that had been evangelized by the early Christian movement. The history of Christianity seems mostly discouraging doesn’t it?

But that’s not the worst of it. From the ashes of the city of Rome, a Christian leader rose up to eventually claim authority over all Christians in the world, as if he was supreme representative for the Son of God—a donkey dressing up like a lion—and while much of their Bible teaching was technically correct, they left out the life-changing power and hope of the Gospel message. The Christian religion was overrun by unbelievers dressed in fancy robes preaching in a language nobody spoke but them, and making sure nobody but themselves was allowed to read the Bible. But finally, Martin Luther and others like him began rediscovering the Bible, preaching it so that ordinary people could hear it in their own language, translating it and publishing it so that everybody could have a copy, and the Popes could no longer prevent the Gospel from spreading all over Europe. But it didn’t really last, did it? Within a short time, Protestant churches grew cold too, while philosophies like humanism, materialism, and rationalism snuffed out the flame of the Christian Faith in Europe. Not to mention a lot of wars, the Renaissance, and the French Revolution. So what in the world do those multitudes of rejoicing people at the end of Revelation have to be so happy about?

The story of Christianity isn’t very happy. But there is comfort in knowing Jesus judges our persecutors and never leaves us or forsakes us.

JESUS IS ALREADY RULING THE NATIONS

In the first chapter, John identified the Lord as,“…Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth,” (Rev. 1:5 ESV; emphasis added). The last 1900 years happened. Rome. Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire. Barbarian invasions in Western Europe and Muslim invasions in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. No matter how you interpret Revelation, those things all happened, and Jesus is the King of Kings. But as I’ve taught through the first 13 chapters of Revelation in earlier sermons here at Beacon Church, I’ve tried to show that according to this prophecy, there is so much reason for hope and comfort! Because that summary of the 1500 years, from when John saw this dream-vision, until the Protestant Reformation, was all predicted. It wasn’t just random; it was Jesus judging the nations who persecuted His people.

The symbolic opening of the seven seals of the scroll, and the blowing of the seven trumpets—these are like the bullet points that provide the outline for chapters 6-13 in Revelation. Seals and Trumpets are just not exciting though. The events that began to happen right away after John’s vision, and that kicked off this intricate series of events still unfolding today, didn’t happen by themselves. They were planned. They were ordained. They were commanded to happen. The best part of the whole book of Revelation is who’s in charge. Remember, it all started with the opening of seven seals—and the seventh kicked off the seven trumpets, and so on. But look at who opened the seals to begin with:

He is Lord and King and directly involved in ruling. But He is not an impersonal King; He is Saviour.

JESUS IS WITH US EVEN NOW

I’ve explained before that the seven trumpets are an image in the vision that’s like a picture-quote from the book of Joshua in the Old Testament, when the obstacle in the way of God’s people entering into the Promised Land, was a massive fortress city called Jericho. At God’s command, instead of attacking the city, the people marched around the city with trumpets, and the seventh time, they blew seven trumpets, and the walls of the city came crashing down. The conquest of the Promised Land had begun. But what’s most encouraging about that story is what happened just before. The Israelite general, Joshua, was out for a walk to do some reconnaissance, when he ran into a man with a sword in his hand.

When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?"  14 And he said, "No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?"  15 And the commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, "Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.  (Jos. 5:13-15 ESV)

This was no angel. Not the way Joshua worshipped him. Not the way He tells Joshua even the ground is now holy. It was Christ the Lord. He said, “Now I have come…” and, “the place where you are standing is holy.” Just like Christ conquered Jericho, Christ opened the seals of the scrolls, and Christ ordered the seven angels to blow their seven trumpets, and Christ conquered the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and when the seventh trumpet launches into the seven bowls of God’s wrath, we will see it is Christ who is judging the nations.

He is judging the nations, but he is with His people. In chapter 1:12, John sees Jesus standing among the seven lampstands that stand for His churches—He is with His people dressed like a High Priest:

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,  13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. (Rev. 1:12-13 ESV)

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last,  18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.  19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.  (Rev. 1:17-19 ESV)

Jesus was giving John a message of comfort and hope to strengthen His people:

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,  2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.  3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. (Rev. 1:1-3 ESV)

The blessing Jesus promises if you read and take this message and heed it, doesn’t just come from knowing Jesus is on the throne and ruling the nations—more than that, you will be blessed as you discover that Jesus is your High Priest interceding for you, ministering to you, and to every believer for the last 1900 years! So many people in the world who think of themselves as Christians, pray to statues showing Jesus when He died. But Jesus is not dead. You won’t find Him in a grave, and you won’t find Him on a cross. At the beginning of Revelation 6, you find Jesus at the throne of God, opening the first seal; as the seventh trumpet is blown, and the bowls of wrath are about to be poured out on the earth, where do you find Christ? “Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads,” (Rev. 14:1 ESV). Make no mistake—these are the people of Jesus Christ. It says there are 144,000, yes, but before this, in Revelation 7 it said the same thing, and then said, “After this I looked and behold a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…” (Rev 7:9). Why does it describe an innumerable multitude as 144,000? It’s a symbolic way of saying ever single man, woman, and child Jesus died for is accounted for—not a single soul is missing. Where is Jesus? He is with His people and He has saved them all—each and every one.

The best part of Revelation 14:1 is that Jesus is the Lamb. A Lamb. Before He opened the first seal, expected to see a Lion, but saw a Lamb instead:

5 And one of the elders said to me, "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals."  6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, (Rev. 5:5-6 ESV)

The blood of the Passover Lamb saved His people in Egypt; Christ our Passover Lamb covers our sin with His blood, redeems us from death, but He is alive, up from the grace, and He is with us now!

Compare our risen, victorious, Saviour standing among us and with us, with the way in which false religion puts Christ up on a cross at the front of the church, dying forever; prays to him in the form of a statue; keeps distant from him by feeling more comfortable with idols of lesser beings and prayers to his mother; or the way in which false Christians bank on the facts they know about Christ, thinking He loves them because they think these “facts” are true; the way they look way up to Christ as powerful and aloof, or look down on Christ as mild-mannered, meek, and always-there-when-you-need-him; with the way that Christ is shown in Revelation: not mild, but sovereign—ruling over the kings of the earth; not distant and aloof but present with His suffering and struggling people—tending the flame of His lampstands so that the fire never goes out in His Churches! Christ is with us, in every generation, sustaining the faith and love of His beloved when the boot of the Roman Empire pressed down on the necks of the faithful; when the heavy-hand of the official Church kept a choke-hold on the Bride of Christ; when the worries of the world, the wants of the sinful nature, or the weakness of our flesh betray the love of our souls—for 1900 years so far, when we do not deny Jesus with our lips, but depart from Him in the ordinary little moments of our lives—Christ our great King puts on the robes of a priest of Israel, and ministers to the humiliated and sorrowful flock He loves; He stands with us, cries with us, prays for us, and rejoices with us! He is not a statue on a wall or scowling down from Heaven! John’s vision begins with the sight of Jesus here, present among the lampstands of His churches and in 14:1 He stands with us still! The Alpha & Omega, the Living One, the Lord who rules all, leads us by the hand even today, and He will never let us go.

The story of Christianity’s past isn’t very happy. But the hope of Christianity is future. And yet, in the present there is comfort in knowing Jesus judges our persecutors and never leaves us or forsakes us.

"And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Mat 28:20 ESV)