In verse one, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Angel of the Covenant, is seen coming down from heaven to reveal and accomplish the eternal decrees of God. With the little book of God's decrees open in his hand, our glorious Savior sovereignly rules the world for the glory of God and the good of his church. It may seem strange to us that the book of all God's purposes, containing every decree of the Almighty and all the names of his elect, should be called a "little book" But remember, this book is in a mighty big hand!
When John saw the Lord in this passage, he was "clothed with a cloud." That intimates that both our Savior's Person and his works of grace and providence are hidden from an unbelieving world (Matt. 11:25-26). His face shone as the sun in its noonday brilliance. This was a familiar picture to John. He had seen Christ Jesus transfigured on the holy mount. His face, shinning as the sun, represents to us the transcendent excellence and glory of our divine Savior. The crown upon our Lord's head had the appearance of a rainbow, intimating his faithfulness to all his covenant engagements and promises as our eternal Surety. His feet were as pillars of fire, portraying his purity, immutability, firmness and irresistible power. Then, in verse two, we see our Savior standing as Lord over all things. With his right foot upon the sea and his left foot upon the earth, he rules all the universe according to the book of God's decrees. Because Christ Jesus has been exalted as sovereign Lord over all things, "the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand." Nothing can be more comforting to a believing heart than the knowledge of Christ's glorious sovereignty. Our Substitute rules the universe! Knowing this, even in the worst of times, we are assured that all is well. In verses three and four, John heard the Lord Jesus cry with a loud voice, like the roaring of a mighty lion. The all prevailing, conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah roared with the seven thunders echoing throughout the universe. Now the whole creation stands at attention. The Son of God, our glorious Lord and Savior, lifts up his hand to take an oath.
Read verses five, six and seven. This is our text for tonight. "The angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And swear by him that liveth forever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he-shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets."
These verses describe the final end of all things in time and the ultimate? accomplishment of God's eternal purpose in all things. When the end of time shall come, John tells us that the mystery of God shall be finished. That is, all that God purposed and promised from eternity, all that is revealed in the writings of the prophets and apostles shall be perfectly fulfilled.
Proposition:These verses of Holy Scripture are calling our attention to eternity. They tell us that everything in his world, both the evil and the good things of this world, are all temporary. Our Lord is telling us that life in this world is brief, our time in this world is unalterably fixed, and when the time of put existence here is ended we must enter into eternity.
Divisions:Will you give me your attention for a little while tonight. I call upon you to pause for a little while to give serious' though to the subject of ETERNITY. May God the Holy Spirit give me your hearts' attention and enable me to preach to you with power. Let me show you four facts about TIME AND ETERNITY from the Word of God.
I. OUR TIME IN THIS WORLD IS A FIXED AND UNALTERABLE BRIEF PERIOD OF EXISTENCE.
Our times are in the hands of God. Our good times and our bad times, the beginning of our days and the end of our days, the time of our birth and the time of our death, and everything between the beginning of our time and the end of our time, has been unalterably fixed by God in eternity. God has fixed the time of the earth's duration and set the limits of every man's existence upon it. The Scriptures are abundantly clear about this. "Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth?" Man's "days are determined, the number of .his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass." "All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee." (Job 7:1; 14:5,14,15)
Nothing in this world happens by chance. You were not born by chance. You do not live by chance. And you will not die by chance. Everything that ever comes to pass in time was ordained by God in eternity. It comes to pass because God ordained that it come to pass. It comes to pass when God ordained that it come to pass. And it comes to pass in exactly the way God ordained that it come to pass (Rom. 11:36). God's ultimate end in all that he brings to pass in time is the eternal salvation of his elect and the glory of his own great name (Rom. 8:28-31, Isa. 63:12,14).
David said, "My times are in thy hand" (Ps. 31:15). He wisely acknowledged, submitted to and trusted God's total dominion over all things. You and I would be wise to do the same thing. God is not in our hands. We are in God's hands. He can do with us what he will. If ever you come to see who God is, you will trust him! If God never makes you see who he is, you will never truly trust him.
II. If God has fixed the period of our existence upon this earth, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO PROLONG IT BY ANY MEANS.
At God's appointed time, you are going to die. When the Lord Jesus says, regarding you, "that there should be time no longer", your time on earth will be ended. And there is nothing you can do to add one second to it. I know that God has, in all things, appointed the means as well as the end. But when your time is up, you are going to leave this world. It will not matter how strong and healthy you are. And you will not leave this world until your time is up, no matter how weak and unhealthy you are.
A. NO STRENGTH OF CONSTITUTION OR PHYSICAL HEALTH CAN WITHSTAND THE STROKE OF DEATH.
"One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet. His breasts are full of milk (full of life), and his bones are moistened with marrow. And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure. They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them" (Job 21:23-26).
B. When your time is up, NO PHYSICIAN'S SKILL CAN ADMINISTER A CURE, OR EVEN A PROLONGING MEDICINE.
I have great reason to be thankful to God for wise and good medical doctors. They are instruments of God to accomplish his will. But no doctor can counteract or overturn the purpose of the Almighty. Both the king in his palace and the beggar by the roadside will immediately obey the summons of God. At the time, appointed, you will die.
C. When your time comes, NO FRIENDS OR RELATIVES WILL BE ABLE TO SECURE EVEN ANOTHER MOMENT OF LIFE FOR YOU. If you are sick, call for the elders of the church to pray for you, anointing you with oil. And, if it is the will of God, "the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up" (Jas. 5:14-15). But if it is not the will of God, if your time is up, all the prayers of all God's saints cannot add one moment to your life! When your time is up, you are going to die!D. This is what I am telling you, SOON, AT THE TIME APPOINTED, YOU ARE GOING TO DIE; SO BE WISE AND PREPARE TO MEET THE LIVING GOD! (Amos 4:6-12)
Prepared or not, when your time is up, you are going to have to face the living, eternal God in judgment (Heb. 9:27). If God has said, concerning you, "This night thy soul shall be required of thee", then this night you will surely die. You may be living securely, without the least thought of sickness or death. It may be that you are right now planning, one of these days to begin seeking the Lord. You may be planning to see the preacher tomorrow. But tomorrow will be too late. Hear the preacher now. Today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart! Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, today is the day of salvation!" Trust Christ right now. Repent and bow to the claims of Christ this very moment. Look, look right now, to the Lamb of God, and live! When the appointed hour of your death comes, your lack of preparation and your good intentions for tomorrow, will not give you even one added moment. It may well be that, before I am done preaching this message to you, the Lord Jesus shall come, without a moment's notice, and take you out of this world to stand before him in judgment (Matt. 24:48-51; I Thess. 5:2-3).
III. SOON THERE WILL BE AN END TO ALL THINGS AS THEY NOW ARE.Everything in this world is temporary. Nothing here is lasting. Oh, how I wish God would teach us the vanity of all things temporal! We are living in a world where all things are temporal. We are going to a world where all things are eternal. God, cause my heart to be weaned from all things temporal and fixed only upon those things that are eternal (I Cor. 7:29-31; II Cor. 5:18). What fools we are to love that which is perishing and neglect that which is eternal! What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mk. 8:36-37).
A. WHEN I AM IN THE GRAVE, ALL MY EARTHLY CONNECTIONS SHALL BE FOREVER DISSOLVED.
I will no longer rejoice in the wife of my youth. I will never again embrace my darling daughter as my daughter. I will never again embrace mother, or father, or sister as such. Hopefully, I will see some of these whom I now cherish in heaven. But on the other side flesh and blood will be insignificant. Let me not be overly, affected by them now. I do not mean that we should neglect our earthly responsibilities. We dare not. But we must never allow our earthly relations to hinder us in worship, service, or obedience to Christ.
My family is the family of God. If my kinsmen hate my God, shall love for them interfere with or disrupt my obedience to my God? Perish the thought! (Luke 14:26-27)
B. When my time on this earth is over, ALL EARTHLY POSSESSIONS, COMFORTS AND PLEASURES WILL APPEAR AS THEY TRULY ARE, VANITY!
"A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15). I am 'thankful that God graciously allows me to enjoy a comfortable existence upon this earth. But I dare not set my heart upon the temporary, vanishing things of this world. Oh, may God give me grace to die daily to this world. If I am dead to the world, the world cannot greatly affect me. Neither my peace nor my joy can be determined by the things of this world. Let me not love this world (Matt. 6:19-21, 31-34; I John 2:15-17).
C. When my appointed time has come, ALL MY NOBLEST PLANS AND ASPIRATIONS WILL PERISH.
Whatever it is that I plan to do for the good of God's church, the glory of Christ and the furtherance of the gospel must be done now. I must not put off until tomorrow what God gives me grace, ability and opportunity to do today (Psa. 146:1,2,4).
D. When the time has come for me to depart from this world, ALL MY TROUBLES, TRIALS AND SORROWS WILL COME TO AN END (Rev. 21:4-5)
For the present time, trials, tribulations and sorrows are necessary. By these things our heavenly Father graciously and wisely disciplines his children.
But, blessed be God, there is a day coming, when all our trials shall be turned to victories, all our trouble to comforts, and all our sorrows to songs of praise.
All of these things are comforting and cheering to the children of God. Yet, there is a solemn word of warning to you who believe not.
E. When your appointed time comes, EVERY OPPORTUNITY OF MERCY, GRACE AND SALVATION WILL BE ENDED (Luke 14:15-24).
All things are now ready. The Holy Spirit is ready to quicken. Christ is ready to cleanse. The Father is ready to receive. The oxen has been slain. The feast of mercy is ready. The robe is ready for every prodigal who returns to the Father's house. But I warn you, if you despise God's mercy in Christ, so freely proclaimed to you in the gospel, when your appointed time comes, when the sweat of death is upon your brow, there will be no mercy for you! (Pro. 1:23-33). Death is not only the end of life, it is the end of mercy and the end of hope.
IV. WHEN THE TIME OF OUR EXISTENCE ON THIS EARTH HAS ENDED, OUR ETERNAL DESTINY WILL. BE IRREVOCABLY FIXED (Rev. 22:11).
There is no hope in the grave. If you die without Christ, you will be without Christ forever! If you die under the wrath of God you will be under the wrath of God forever! If you die a rebel to God, you will be a rebel to God forever! And you will forever eat the fruit of your own ways in hell! God help you now to seek. Christ and his righteousness by faith.
And, children of God, there will be no change for you beyond the grave either. Yes, we will enjoy the blessings of grace more fully then than we do now. And we will drop this robe of flesh that now hinders our devotion to Christ. But in heaven's eternal glory, we will be exactly what we are right now in Christ Jesus. The only change that will occur is this: Old Adam will be in the grave, where he belongs!
Death for us is not a matter of dread and fear. It is our ultimate triumph, victory and salvation.
Application:
1. This very night may be your last upon the earth.
2. The present moment is of infinite importance to us all. It is all that we can call our own; and on this eternity depends. Let us therefore live as those who live for eternity (Col. 3:1-3).
3. At God's appointed time, the end of all things shall come, and "the mystery of God shall be finished!" (See John 10:16; Eph. 1:10; 2:7; Rev. 5:9-14)
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