Things look very bad now. False religion abounds on every side. Papacy has risen again to the position of prominence and acceptability throughout the world. The idolatrous superstitions of Rome have become acceptable and pleasing, even in those churches which were born in the great Reformation under the leadership of Luther, Calvin, Zwingli and Knox. The poisonous errors of Pentecostalism have spread throughout the world, to the ruin of millions of unsuspecting souls. The fundamentalists' doctrines of easy-believeism, descisionism, free-willism and works salvation, parading through the world under nearly ever denominational name, have spread darkness throughout the world. And liberalism, in its many pompous forms, continues to sway the minds of multitudes who are ready to embrace anything other than the Word of the living God. Add to these heresies the increased acceptability of Islam, Judaism and the mystic religions of the world, and one might almost sink in utter despair. The world today is more religious than it has ever been in history. But the world today is more godless than it has ever been in history. As always in history, the more popular false religion is, the more perverted society is. The more men preach up the free-will of man, good works and law, the more man exercises his free-will to do evil and live in lawlessness. It appears that we are living in that day when God's true witnesses lie as dead men on Main Street in the City of False Religion, which is called Sodom and Egypt – (11:7-8). The religion of the world appears to have trodden down the holy city of our God. It seems that satan has been loosed out of his prison for a little season, to once again deceive the nations of the world – (20:7). The time of apostacy has come – (II Thess. 2:1-12). But there is no cause for despair.
There is a Better Day Coming! The Spirit of life from God shall once again enter into his Church. His faithful witnesses shall once again stand forth upon their feet. And by the power of the gospel we preach fear shall fall upon our enemies (11:11)! The gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church of God. Truth shall prevail at last. Without political force, without legislative power, without carnal weapons of any kind, the cross of Christ, the simple preaching of free-grace by God's appointed, all-sufficient Substitute, shall destroy the religion of antichrist. Babylon and all her daughters shall fall like dominoes before Zion, by the mighty arm of the Lord, when the everlasting gospel is preached "unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people" (14:6). This is the great and marvelous sign which John saw in heaven and describes for us in Revelation 15:1-8.
NOTE: This vision, like the ones before it, runs throughout this entire age, It gradually builds up to and culminates in the last days immediately proceeding our Lord's glorious second advent.
Proposition:Throughout the vision John is telling us, "There's A Better Day Coming!" In the end the Church of God shall triumph and be victorious over antichrist and all false religion by the gospel.
Divisions:I will call your attention to three things in this chapter.
I. In verse 1, John describes The Preparation of Wrath.
God's acts of judgment are not sudden outbursts of passionate wrath. Judgment is always the just and righteous retribution of God upon men and women who, by their sinful rebellion and unbelief, have "filled up the wrath of God." Those seven last plagues, which John saw poured out upon the world were, in his mind's eye, acts of astonishing wrath and justice.
This sign in heaven is a sign of our Lord's approaching advent and of the destruction of antichrist. It is "great," glory of the Church and the kingdom of Christ. And it is "marvelous," when you consider that these great things are to be accomplished by a very simple means which the world despises. They are to be accomplished by the preaching of the gospel. As the walls of Jericho fell by the sounding of rams' horns, antichrist and the empire of false religion shall fall by the preaching of the gospel.
A. The "seven angels having the seven last plagues" are GOSPEL PREACHERS, REPRESENTATIVES OF AND SPOKESMEN FOR THE CHURCH OF GOD.
B. The "seven last plagues" are the judgments of God upon men and women in these last days, by which their eternal ruin is sealed.
Once a man has filled up the measure of the wrath of God, by willfully rejecting and despising the gospel of his grace, that man is past all hope. The door is shut. His doom is certain. For such a man, the wrath of God is prepared.
II. Secondly, John saw The Victory of God's Church (vv. 2-4).
Without question, these verses may be applied to the glory and triumph of the Church in glory. But in the context these verses speak directly of the triumph and victory of God's Church in this World by faith in Christ and by the preaching of the gospel. Notice how John describes the saints of God in the world.
A. FIRST AND FOREMOST, IN THE CHURCH OF GOD, JOHN SAW "A SEA OF GLASS MINGLED WITH FIRE."
There is an allusion here to the brazen sea in the temple and the laver of brass in the tabernacle in which the priests must wash before they entered upon the service of God. This "sea of glass" represents the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. All of God's people stand before him upon the basis of Christ's precious blood's atonement.
When Christ Jesus was made to be sin for us, he endured the fire of God's wrath for our sin and drowned our sins in the depth of the sea of his own blood. This is our acceptance with God!
B. Then John saw "them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name."
They got the victory over the beast by standing "on the sea of glass," by the blood of the Lamb, by their close and constant, preserving adherence to the gospel of Christ. Antichrist could not deceive them or destroy them, because they are:
"We are more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Rom. 8:35-39).
C. Even in the MIDST OF TRIALS, TROUBLES AND PERSECUTIONS, ALL OF GOD'S SAINTS ARE FULL OF PRAISE IN THEIR HEARTS, "having the harps of God."
The hearts of God's people are in excellent frame, tuned and inclined by God to sing his praise and show forth his glory. Believers are men and women who in their hearts celebrate the praises of God with joy and gratitude, giving thanks always and for all things.
The allusion here is to the people of Israel, Moses and the men, Miriam and the women, singing and dancing beside the Red Sea as Pharaoh and the Egyptians were drowned (Ex. 15:1-21).
1. We give praise to God for the defeat of our enemies.
2. We give praise to God for redemption by the blood of the Lamb (5:9-10).
3. We give praise to Christ, our Lord God Almighty, for all his great and mighty works – (Covenant – Redemption – Providence – Grace).
4. We give praise to Christ as our Sovereign, Mediatorial King.
5. And we give praise to Christ by ascribing to him alone all reverence, glory, holiness, worship and righteousness – (v. 4).
NOTE: God's saints see the righteousness of God in both mercy and in judgment.
III. Thirdly, John describes for us The Instruments of Judgment – (vv. 5-8).
A. JUDGMENT PROCEEDS FROM THE MERCY-SEAT ITSELF – (v. 5).
The basis of judgment is twofold:B. THE INSTRUMENTS OF JUDGMENT ARE GOD'S PREACHERS – v. 6).
"By by Gospel" – (Rom. 2:16; Heb. 13:17).C. THE VIALS OF WRATH ARE THE JUDGMENTS OF GOD UPON THOSE WHO REFUSE TO REPENT – (v. 7).
D. THOUGH JUDGMENT FALLS UPON THE WICKED, THE CHURCH OF GOD SHALL BE FULL OF GOD'S GLORY AND POWER IN THE LAST DAY (v. 8).
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