Well….it’s been a fun year. I’ve loved digging into the Word with you all who have participated in this blog. I’ve grown and learned a lot from doing this….and from reading your responses. I hope you have too. Here in this final chapter….it is so fitting that Gods final message to us is an invitation to heaven. I don’t know about you but the more I know and experience life on earth….the more attractive heaven is. These ending chapters do make one things pretty clear. When this world ends, we will know God. We will walk in His light, freed from the curse of sin. Free to serve Him, to see His face and to love and worship Him as we really should. No wonder John, who has seen it all, says “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus.”   So “take heed”  and “come”. Respond to Jesus’ invitation. Wouldn’t it be awesome if He returned this year! 

“a new heaven and a new earth”. I guess there isn’t any place in eternity for a universe that has been corrupted by sin. If its necessary for God to replace our current universe with a new one because of human sin….it must be pretty bad.  Come to think of it…..for God to send His only Son to die on the cross to pay the price for our sin…..it must be pretty bad. And for God to send unrepentant sinners to eternal hell….it must be pretty bad. Sin cannot be tolerated by our our Holy God. But the real story of revelation and the Bible….is that, although we are all sinners, God has provided a way for us to have eternal fellowship with Him. The real story is not all the details of what life may be like when our time on earth is done (although it’s fun to read and dream about that)…. The real story is that God is inviting us to make God our God and Father. Gods promise that “he will be my son” (vs.7) is an awesome statement/invitation. The fact that we will dwell with Him forever is an awesome thought…..and truth. All made possible by Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Lest we get caught up in the details of this prophetic chapter, I want to give us another 30,000 foot perspective. I’m always amazed at how dogmatic people can be about “end times”. A rapture for Christians before the tribulation? A special resurrection  for tribulation martyrs? Another for OT saints? Pre-trib, post-trib, mid-trib, Pre-millennial , post-millenial? They say……”well God wouldn’t do anything like that!”  it must be wonderful to know God well enough to grasp His intentions.  For me….I’m not ready to be dogmatic on things that aren’t crystal clear in scripture. I think Gods plans are far more complex and multifaceted  than any of us can imagine on our most creative days.  What is clear….if your name is NOT written down in the Book of Life, you are in for  unhappy and God-less eternity. The Book of Life is appropriately named. This book is a record of those who know and love God. Mal.3:16 calls it a “scroll of remembrance which was written in His presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His name.”. Being found here is the difference between eternal life and eternal death. How great it is to KNOW that when we trusted Jesus as our Savior, our names were recorded there. Now thats the basics….and that’s the truth!

“Hallelujah!”. The scene here shifts to heaven. Babylon and all that she stands for is wiped out and this is a cause for rejoicing. God now reigns and all the saints will celebrate at the wedding supper of the Lamb. Remember the wedding feast in Matthew 22:1-14? It’s mentioned here again in verses 6-9. It’s where the bride finally sits down with the bride-groom…..and from here on out, all of life will be new! Gods people are finally united with Him and earth’s tragic story is coming to an end. Can you imagine…sitting around the table talking with Jesus about our future together? It’s cause for celebration! I can’t imagine how sweet that will be but I know I want it……now!  Come quickly Lord Jesus.

“for in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste” (vs. 17).  If
we don’t realize it by now….that “things” in life are so fragile, so
temporary….we better reevaluate and start understanding that. Babylon
symbolized ultimate world power and wealth and now, we see all that going
up in smoke. Gods evaluation of worldly society is strongly evident here.
He doesn’t like that we desire luxuries over justice. He doesn’t like our
greed and craving for power. (review I John 2:15-17 if you need a
refresher). He doesn’t like anything that has replaced Him in our lives.
I’ve heard it said that, “the greatest danger in having many possessions
is that in time they begin to possess you”.  Lawrence Richards said:
“Enjoy the things God gives you. But in your heart surrender them so
perfectly to God that if He should take them all, you would suffer not one
moments grief”. Wow….that’s something to think about. Perhaps we too
need to evaluate and see if we have a “Babylon” mentality in our life and
“come out of her, lest you to take part in sins”.(vs.4)

“judgement of the great prostitute” (vs.1) All through Scripture false religion has been identified with adultery and prostitution. In Gods book, the worship of false gods is a big no no. There is only ONE God and to abandon or replace Him with something else is called adultery and prostitution. At first….this term is somewhat shocking to us but make no bones about it….this type of “religion” is the enemy of God and requires a strong label in order for people to understand that. Lest we chalk this off as something we do not need to concern ourselves with, remember, False religion can take many forms.  There are many cults today that replace the real God with their own…..but false religion can be fairly subtle as well.  Replacing God with anything…is false religion/idolatry. We all need to dig deep to see if we have put our trust in anything other than the “Lord God The Almighty”. I’d say we should deal with that quickly…..before God does.

“they did not repent and give Him glory” (vs 9). Why do you think God has
chosen to give us a glimpse of this coming destruction in the book of
Revelation? Remember the promised blessing in chapter 1:3? Blessed are
those who read this prophesy, and hear, and keep that which is written.
In other words….those who “take heed” or “take to heart” the message of
this book and respond to God rightly will be blessed. I remember Bruce
Wilkenson telling us that God uses basically 3 motivations throughout
scripture to move people to respond to Him (one way or the other). They
are love, rewards and fear. This chapter uses fear…..and people
definitely respond. They choose to reject and curse God.  I really don’t
get that…..BUT it leaves me to believe that if people are not moved by
the LOVE of God as exhibited through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (the
Gospel) our Savior,  most will not respond out of fear. “By this we know
love, because He laid down His life for us”. He has provided a way out of
this mess we are in…..and a way out of the the mess they are
experiencing in chapter 16….it’s up to us to respond rightly.

“those who had conquered the beast and it’s image” (vs.2).
Ummm…….someone here must have a different definition of what
“conquered” means.  Other translations say “victorious”. In the context,
it’s obvious that the people who were victorious over the beast and were
praised for it have died during his persecution of believers. That would
not be my definition of victorious…..but evidently it is Gods. Why?
Because they resisted to join the powers of evil. It seems as though the
fact that they suffered and died was irrelevant. What matters is that they
remained faithful and true to God. By doing that, they were victorious!
They conquered. I guess it may not matter what we lose here on earth….or
how bad we have it…..or how weak we feel. If we lean into Jesus and His
Word and trust Him with our circumstances and our very lives despite the
cost….we are conquerors. And He is pleased.

I read this morning that the images of Revelation 14 were the inspiration for Julia Ward Howe to pen the words of the “Battle Hymn of the Rebublic”. Verse 19 specifically talks about an angel gathering the grape harvest of the earth and throwing it into the wine press of Gods wrath. Somewhere in the great struggle of our American Civil War, Julia sensed the triumph of Gods truth. Our nation had ignored the evil of slavery for too long. Every evil is like slavery. Undealt with it festers in the soul…..and it MUST be dealt with. If we turn to Christ….he washes away our sin but for those who don’t, the swift sword of Gods truth awaits them just like what happens here in Revelation 14. I’m so glad that in Gods mercy….He has provided Jesus!

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:

He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;

He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:

His truth is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;

He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:

Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!

Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:

As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,

While God is marching on.

(Chorus)

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

His truth is marching on.