Why are we so
comfortable with evil and sin
00:00:01.66\00:00:06.00
when it hurts us so much?
00:00:06.03\00:00:08.64
Well, we've been studying this
wonderful Book of Revelation
00:00:31.33\00:00:34.10
because it reveals to
us the incomparable Jesus.
00:00:34.13\00:00:40.07
He has no comparison
in the whole universe.
00:00:40.10\00:00:44.01
And we've been to some
pretty serious subjects
00:00:44.04\00:00:47.18
and I can't give all of that.
00:00:47.21\00:00:48.54
I hope you'll be able
to get the whole series
00:00:48.58\00:00:49.91
to get the context.
00:00:49.94\00:00:51.71
But today, we want to talk about
00:00:51.75\00:00:54.02
The Song of Moses and the Lamb.
00:00:54.05\00:00:57.62
But before I go to Revelation,
I want to go to 1 Corinthians.
00:00:57.65\00:01:01.02
1 Corinthians Chapter
10, Paul tells us something,
00:01:01.06\00:01:04.89
gives us a marvelous insight
00:01:04.93\00:01:07.03
into what
happened to ancient Israel
00:01:07.06\00:01:09.23
with the Song of
Moses and the Lamb
00:01:09.26\00:01:12.63
will make more sense here.
00:01:12.67\00:01:14.04
Okay, Chapter
10, looking at this,
00:01:14.07\00:01:15.84
"Moreover, brethren,"
the Apostle Paul is saying,
00:01:15.87\00:01:18.37
"I do not want
you to be unaware,"
00:01:18.41\00:01:20.48
he says, "I want you to
be understanding something
00:01:20.51\00:01:22.61
that all of our
fathers were under the cloud,"
00:01:22.64\00:01:26.01
that's the cloud that led them,
the cloud of fire by night,
00:01:26.05\00:01:30.15
the cloud that
shaded them in the daytime,
00:01:30.19\00:01:33.15
"were under the cloud,
all passed through the sea,"
00:01:33.19\00:01:36.42
we'll talk about that,
00:01:36.46\00:01:38.09
"all were baptized into Moses
in the cloud and in the sea,
00:01:38.13\00:01:42.16
and ate the same
spiritual food," the manna,
00:01:42.20\00:01:47.44
"and all drink from
that spiritual drink.
00:01:47.47\00:01:49.70
For they drink of
that spiritual Rock
00:01:49.74\00:01:51.91
that followed them,
00:01:51.94\00:01:53.27
and that Rock is Christ."
00:01:53.31\00:01:57.25
So Jesus Himself
was actually leading,
00:01:57.28\00:02:01.35
leading the children of Israel.
00:02:01.38\00:02:05.02
Now He wasn't in human flesh,
00:02:05.05\00:02:06.89
He'd not come as
a baby in Bethlehem,
00:02:06.92\00:02:08.92
but it was Christ.
00:02:08.96\00:02:10.29
It was His ministry on earth.
00:02:10.33\00:02:11.83
And while they
couldn't actually see Him,
00:02:11.86\00:02:14.60
Moses saw Him, His back,
he couldn't see His face,
00:02:14.63\00:02:19.03
not in that sinful
condition and live.
00:02:19.07\00:02:21.94
But this is Jesus
that is leading Israel.
00:02:21.97\00:02:26.04
And Paul makes that very clear.
00:02:26.07\00:02:28.34
So now going back to
the Book of Revelation,
00:02:28.38\00:02:32.28
we don't have
time in this series
00:02:32.31\00:02:33.82
to get deep into
the seven trumpets.
00:02:33.85\00:02:36.48
I'll talk a little
bit about them today
00:02:36.52\00:02:38.15
and a little bit
about them next time.
00:02:38.19\00:02:40.69
But I want to give a
little bit of some context here.
00:02:40.72\00:02:43.76
But I want to go to Chapter
15 in the Book of Revelation,
00:02:43.79\00:02:47.80
and it's going to talk to us
00:02:47.83\00:02:50.13
about this very
fascinating picture.
00:02:50.17\00:02:53.54
In Chapter 14, you have
the three angels' messages
00:02:53.57\00:02:56.87
that get people
ready for two reapings,
00:02:56.91\00:02:59.84
the reaping of the righteous
00:02:59.87\00:03:01.98
and the reaping of the wicked
00:03:02.01\00:03:03.88
that get thrown
into the winepress
00:03:03.91\00:03:06.65
of the justice of God.
00:03:06.68\00:03:08.45
And then Chapter 15
opens up this way, it says,
00:03:08.48\00:03:13.29
"And I saw something
like the sea of glass
00:03:13.32\00:03:16.12
mingled with fire,
00:03:16.16\00:03:17.99
and those who
had gotten victory,"
00:03:18.03\00:03:20.36
now listen carefully,
00:03:20.40\00:03:21.93
"over the beast, over his image,
00:03:21.96\00:03:24.43
over his mark, and over
the number of his name."
00:03:24.47\00:03:28.50
This again, there's going
to be a whole host of saved.
00:03:28.54\00:03:31.47
But this is particularly talking
00:03:31.51\00:03:32.97
once again about those people
00:03:33.01\00:03:34.44
that go through
this great tribulation,
00:03:34.48\00:03:37.15
that number 144,000,
00:03:37.18\00:03:39.75
that I think personally symbolic
00:03:39.78\00:03:41.88
of a great innumerable
that cannot be numbered,
00:03:41.92\00:03:45.02
multitude that will be
saved in the end of time.
00:03:45.05\00:03:47.39
I've said it
before, say it again.
00:03:47.42\00:03:49.02
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus
00:03:49.06\00:03:50.76
is not going to
end in a whimper,
00:03:50.79\00:03:52.19
it's going to end
in a mighty victory,
00:03:52.23\00:03:55.60
a wonderful victory.
00:03:55.63\00:03:57.40
And so their picture
there after this great reaping,
00:03:57.43\00:04:01.04
their picture,
00:04:01.07\00:04:02.40
"They're standing
on the sea of glass,
00:04:02.44\00:04:04.47
and they have the harps of God,
and they sing," the Bible says,
00:04:04.51\00:04:09.01
"The Song of
Moses and the Lamb."
00:04:09.04\00:04:12.71
That's an
interesting combination.
00:04:12.75\00:04:14.62
So it's a flashback
to the Old Testament
00:04:14.65\00:04:17.39
as well it's a flash
forward to the New Testament.
00:04:17.42\00:04:20.76
But I want to make
something really clear,
00:04:20.79\00:04:22.72
when they sing The
Song of Moses and the Lamb,
00:04:22.76\00:04:25.76
they're not singing
it, this side of heaven.
00:04:25.79\00:04:28.60
This is the song they sing,
00:04:28.63\00:04:31.00
after Jesus has
redeemed them from the earth,
00:04:31.03\00:04:33.94
after He's redeemed
them from the power,
00:04:33.97\00:04:36.10
the mark of the beast,
00:04:36.14\00:04:37.54
and the Babylon and
all of those terrors,
00:04:37.57\00:04:40.48
in the great time of trouble,
00:04:40.51\00:04:42.91
this is after
Jesus has delivered them.
00:04:42.94\00:04:47.38
This song is sung in
heaven, on the sea of glass.
00:04:47.42\00:04:52.69
Now I'd like to be
part of that crowd.
00:04:52.72\00:04:54.16
Wouldn't you like to
be part of that crowd
00:04:54.19\00:04:56.22
singing the Song
of Moses and the Lamb?
00:04:56.26\00:04:59.03
Well, in order to
understand this better
00:04:59.06\00:05:00.80
we need to
understand the Song of Moses,
00:05:00.83\00:05:03.67
and then we'll come
back to the Song of the Lamb,
00:05:03.70\00:05:06.03
because it's a double song,
00:05:06.07\00:05:07.80
Song of Moses and
the Lamb put together.
00:05:07.84\00:05:11.97
So I want to go back to
the story of the Exodus.
00:05:12.01\00:05:15.14
Now most people know
the story of the Exodus.
00:05:15.18\00:05:17.08
But I want to recap
some of the great highlights
00:05:17.11\00:05:20.95
of that story
00:05:20.98\00:05:22.32
and then we want to focus
00:05:22.35\00:05:23.69
on that crossing of the Red Sea.
00:05:23.72\00:05:26.05
You know, Israel
was God's firstborn
00:05:26.09\00:05:29.42
and He told Pharaoh
right from the get go,
00:05:29.46\00:05:32.49
"This is my firstborn,
and you better let them go."
00:05:32.53\00:05:36.30
And God was merciful.
00:05:36.33\00:05:37.93
I mean, those 10 plagues
building up to that last plague
00:05:37.97\00:05:40.97
was God was doing
everything on His side
00:05:41.00\00:05:44.04
to get Pharaoh's attention
to overcome his stubbornness.
00:05:44.07\00:05:47.68
You know, stubbornness
is not a nice thing.
00:05:47.71\00:05:50.28
Stubbornness can get
you in a lot of trouble
00:05:50.31\00:05:52.48
if you're stubborn
against the Word of God,
00:05:52.51\00:05:54.25
and you ought to be
stubborn against sin,
00:05:54.28\00:05:56.79
unfortunately, it seems
like it works the other way.
00:05:56.82\00:05:59.25
People embrace sin and
are stubborn against God.
00:05:59.29\00:06:03.93
But you shouldn't be
stubborn with the Lord
00:06:03.96\00:06:05.39
because He loves you.
00:06:05.43\00:06:06.76
He's got your
best interest in mind.
00:06:06.80\00:06:08.90
And God is trying to
get Pharaoh's attention.
00:06:08.93\00:06:10.60
But Pharaoh was one
of the most stubborn men,
00:06:10.63\00:06:13.84
I think on the
face of the earth.
00:06:13.87\00:06:15.84
In fact, if we understand
ancient history correctly,
00:06:15.87\00:06:19.17
he actually was not maybe
supposed to be on that throne,
00:06:19.21\00:06:22.44
kind of got on that throne
00:06:22.48\00:06:23.81
through some
unique circumstances.
00:06:23.85\00:06:26.15
The Apostle Paul kind of
hints at that in the sense
00:06:26.18\00:06:28.65
that he says that God
basically raised him up,
00:06:28.68\00:06:31.65
not because God predestined
him to be what he was,
00:06:31.69\00:06:37.23
but because God knew his heart,
00:06:37.26\00:06:39.73
and God knew that
when he reached out to him,
00:06:39.76\00:06:41.96
he would only be
met with stubbornness,
00:06:42.00\00:06:44.10
stubbornness like Lucifer.
00:06:44.13\00:06:45.83
And so those 10 terrible plagues
00:06:47.54\00:06:49.50
finally ended
up taking the lives
00:06:49.54\00:06:51.17
of the firstborn of Egypt.
00:06:51.21\00:06:52.54
Because God said,
00:06:52.57\00:06:53.91
"I'm not going to let
you kill my firstborn.
00:06:53.94\00:06:55.81
I'm not gonna let you
enslave them any longer.
00:06:55.84\00:06:57.61
You're going to let them go
00:06:57.65\00:06:59.05
and if it takes me
taking away your firstborn
00:06:59.08\00:07:01.28
that's what's going to happen."
00:07:01.32\00:07:03.18
And that's what did happen.
00:07:03.22\00:07:05.35
And now Israel is free.
00:07:05.39\00:07:06.89
They're moving
towards Palestine,
00:07:06.92\00:07:09.22
right up the coast.
00:07:09.26\00:07:10.99
And then something
very interesting happens.
00:07:11.03\00:07:15.16
They actually turn back,
00:07:15.20\00:07:19.37
kind of, if I
remember correctly, south.
00:07:19.40\00:07:22.00
Now I'm going to just
say this as little side note,
00:07:22.04\00:07:24.11
but the Mount Sinai
00:07:24.14\00:07:25.71
that most people
think about today,
00:07:25.74\00:07:27.08
that's not the real Mount Sinai.
00:07:27.11\00:07:28.81
The real Mount Sinai is
actually in Saudi Arabia,
00:07:28.84\00:07:31.51
and I don't have
time to go in that.
00:07:31.55\00:07:33.31
And the Gulf of Aquila is where
they actually really crossed.
00:07:33.35\00:07:36.95
There's a great,
huge sandy part there.
00:07:36.99\00:07:38.99
But anyway, they're
being led by the cloud,
00:07:39.02\00:07:41.72
and they're being led by Jesus,
and He leads them through that,
00:07:41.76\00:07:45.83
and it's a
wilderness, that wilderness,
00:07:45.86\00:07:49.53
and they finally
come to the Red Sea,
00:07:49.56\00:07:52.33
that extension there.
00:07:52.37\00:07:54.80
And they're
standing there on the Red Sea
00:07:54.84\00:07:57.97
and they can't go north
and they can't go south,
00:07:58.01\00:08:01.04
say as it were, and
they can't cross the sea.
00:08:01.08\00:08:03.75
And then Pharaoh,
he gets back in Egypt
00:08:03.78\00:08:07.05
and his stubbornness comes back.
00:08:07.08\00:08:08.52
And it's hard to believe.
00:08:08.55\00:08:11.49
You know, people can
make excuses for everything.
00:08:11.52\00:08:13.39
They're making excuses.
00:08:13.42\00:08:14.76
Well, all this was just,
you know, just natural habit,
00:08:14.79\00:08:17.26
this sound like the
evolutionists today.
00:08:17.29\00:08:18.76
All this is just natural stuff,
you know, that just happens so.
00:08:18.79\00:08:21.96
Yeah, right.
00:08:22.00\00:08:23.33
Selectively, all
the firstborn destroyed.
00:08:23.37\00:08:27.14
Selectively, is it
calls on natural causes?
00:08:27.17\00:08:30.51
I don't think so.
00:08:30.54\00:08:33.07
So he decides, he's
going to go after them,
00:08:33.11\00:08:35.88
decides he's not
gonna let them go,
00:08:35.91\00:08:37.25
after what all
he's been through.
00:08:37.28\00:08:38.65
He's angry now.
00:08:38.68\00:08:40.02
He wants vengeance.
00:08:40.05\00:08:41.38
He takes what's
left of his army,
00:08:41.42\00:08:43.55
takes the army of the Egyptians
00:08:43.59\00:08:45.65
and he heads out and
suddenly Israel sees him coming.
00:08:45.69\00:08:51.19
And they are petrified.
00:08:51.23\00:08:52.69
You can hear their
cry, in Exodus 14:11-12.
00:08:52.73\00:08:57.83
And then they said to
Moses, they're afraid.
00:08:57.87\00:09:02.14
There they are trapped.
00:09:02.17\00:09:03.87
"They said to Moses,
00:09:05.21\00:09:06.78
'Because there
were no graves in Egypt,
00:09:06.81\00:09:09.98
have you taken us to
die in this wilderness?'"
00:09:10.01\00:09:14.32
It would have
been better, they said,
00:09:14.35\00:09:15.68
if we could have
just served the Egyptians
00:09:15.72\00:09:17.45
and died in Egypt.
00:09:17.49\00:09:18.85
You know, it's amazing
how quickly people forget.
00:09:18.89\00:09:21.52
They forgot the
awfulness of slavery.
00:09:21.56\00:09:24.16
They forgot what it was to
be beaten by the taskmasters,
00:09:24.19\00:09:27.40
to have no time
for their families,
00:09:27.43\00:09:29.60
to see their little boys
00:09:29.63\00:09:31.00
thrown to the
crocodiles in the Nile River.
00:09:31.03\00:09:34.27
They'd
forgotten all the horrors,
00:09:34.30\00:09:37.24
and they had forgotten
God's great mighty power.
00:09:37.27\00:09:40.54
You know, we need to
remember God's power,
00:09:40.58\00:09:43.71
we need to be
thankful and give Him glory
00:09:43.75\00:09:45.68
for all the goodness
He's done in our lives.
00:09:45.71\00:09:48.68
And then we wouldn't be so quick
00:09:48.72\00:09:51.32
to make statements like this.
00:09:51.35\00:09:54.36
But Moses responds,
00:09:54.39\00:09:56.66
and he says to
them, "Do not be afraid."
00:09:56.69\00:09:58.43
Sounds like Jesus, doesn't?
00:09:58.46\00:09:59.79
All through the New
Testament you hear Jesus say,
00:09:59.83\00:10:01.50
"Don't be afraid."
00:10:01.53\00:10:02.86
Sometimes we
talk about the things
00:10:02.90\00:10:04.23
are going to
happen in the end of time,
00:10:04.27\00:10:06.07
and, but we need
to be telling people,
00:10:06.10\00:10:08.54
"Don't be afraid."
00:10:08.57\00:10:09.90
Want to talk about the
close of probation, I say,
00:10:09.94\00:10:11.47
"Don't be afraid.
00:10:11.51\00:10:12.91
Jesus is still
going to be in your heart.
00:10:12.94\00:10:15.41
He still got you covered."
00:10:15.44\00:10:18.61
No, you're not going
to sin during that time,
00:10:18.65\00:10:20.92
because Jesus is
going to seal you.
00:10:20.95\00:10:22.88
You're just not going to do it,
by His grace, and by His power.
00:10:22.92\00:10:26.25
It's all by His grace and power.
00:10:26.29\00:10:27.86
The Heavenly Father who
loves you and sent His Son,
00:10:27.89\00:10:29.92
He's still on the throne.
00:10:29.96\00:10:31.49
And the Holy
Spirit, who's transformed us
00:10:31.53\00:10:34.53
is still with us and helping us.
00:10:34.56\00:10:38.23
So we shouldn't be afraid.
00:10:38.27\00:10:39.60
So Moses says in the
midst of this crisis,
00:10:39.63\00:10:41.24
"Don't be afraid.
00:10:41.27\00:10:42.97
Don't be afraid."
00:10:43.00\00:10:44.34
And then he goes on to say this,
00:10:44.37\00:10:48.58
he says, "Stand still."
00:10:48.61\00:10:50.95
Sometimes we have
to wait on the Lord.
00:10:50.98\00:10:53.18
"Stand still
00:10:53.21\00:10:54.62
and see the
salvation of the Lord,
00:10:54.65\00:10:56.15
what He will
accomplish for you today,
00:10:56.18\00:10:59.75
for the Egyptians
that you see today."
00:10:59.79\00:11:03.56
Now, the
Egyptians had long knives,
00:11:03.59\00:11:06.76
and what they were
going to ready to do
00:11:06.80\00:11:08.16
to Israel was not nice.
00:11:08.20\00:11:09.90
In fact, that's
an understatement.
00:11:09.93\00:11:11.80
They were going to
cut those men to pieces.
00:11:11.83\00:11:13.90
They were going to enslave
their women and their children.
00:11:13.94\00:11:17.67
It was going to
be a very horrible,
00:11:17.71\00:11:20.41
unbelievable scene.
00:11:20.44\00:11:22.21
These guys were evil,
like the Nazis, they were evil.
00:11:22.24\00:11:28.22
"For the
Egyptians, you see today,
00:11:31.12\00:11:33.46
you shall see them
again no more forever."
00:11:33.49\00:11:38.13
And that is an implied promise
that someday sin and evil
00:11:38.16\00:11:41.46
are going to be thrown away.
00:11:41.50\00:11:44.17
The lake of fire,
00:11:44.20\00:11:45.53
we'll talk about the
lake of fire at some point,
00:11:45.57\00:11:46.90
it swallows up
death and the grave.
00:11:46.94\00:11:50.07
And that's a good thing.
00:11:50.11\00:11:52.21
He says, "The Lord
will fight for you."
00:11:52.24\00:11:54.28
You just don't think
about Jesus being a fighter,
00:11:54.31\00:11:57.08
but Jesus is not only gracious,
He not only forgives our sins,
00:11:57.11\00:12:01.28
He not only comforts our hearts,
00:12:01.32\00:12:02.82
He not only gives
us the beatitudes,
00:12:02.85\00:12:04.59
but Jesus is a great warrior.
00:12:04.62\00:12:07.16
And here, Moses is
saying, this Jesus,
00:12:07.19\00:12:11.59
this incredible Jesus, He
is going to fight for you.
00:12:11.63\00:12:15.43
The Book of
Revelation pictures Jesus
00:12:15.46\00:12:17.47
as a great warrior who overcomes
00:12:17.50\00:12:20.10
and overthrows Babylon,
00:12:20.14\00:12:21.70
so to send you the picture
here to the Book of Revelation.
00:12:21.74\00:12:25.64
And so we have
this fascinating moment
00:12:25.67\00:12:30.11
that I've got to
describe for you.
00:12:30.15\00:12:32.18
So Moses...
00:12:32.21\00:12:33.78
God tells Moses to
stretch out your rod.
00:12:33.82\00:12:36.89
It must have been in the evening
00:12:36.92\00:12:41.82
with that happened.
00:12:41.86\00:12:43.19
Now to keep Pharaoh's
army from destroying Israel,
00:12:43.22\00:12:47.40
that cloud, that Jesus is in,
00:12:47.43\00:12:52.30
the wonderful or
the incredible Jesus,
00:12:52.33\00:12:55.24
the wonderful
Jesus, He's in that cloud.
00:12:55.27\00:12:57.87
And He moves between that cloud,
00:12:57.91\00:13:02.34
between Pharaoh
and between Israel.
00:13:02.38\00:13:07.02
And when Israel woke up
the next morning, as it were,
00:13:07.05\00:13:10.79
they saw before them
the Red Sea wide open,
00:13:10.82\00:13:16.56
wall of water on each
side, it's not a narrow.
00:13:16.59\00:13:18.59
The wind had blown all
night, dried out the land,
00:13:18.63\00:13:21.93
and they went
forward across that Red Sea.
00:13:21.96\00:13:26.84
And while they
were going across there,
00:13:26.87\00:13:28.67
I can just imagine
00:13:28.70\00:13:30.04
what was going
through their head.
00:13:30.07\00:13:31.41
I think they must
have been awestruck.
00:13:31.44\00:13:32.94
At the same time,
that cloud of darkness
00:13:32.97\00:13:35.78
is holding back Pharaoh.
00:13:35.81\00:13:37.45
Now, that's a huge
crowd to move through.
00:13:37.48\00:13:39.38
So it takes all day
00:13:39.41\00:13:41.85
and just about
all the next night
00:13:41.88\00:13:44.15
to get them
through that Red Sea,
00:13:44.19\00:13:47.12
but in the
morning Moses is told,
00:13:47.16\00:13:51.43
"Look, stretch out your rod."
00:13:51.46\00:13:54.00