Don't mess with a man's bride.
00:00:01.36\00:00:02.86
You might just make him mad.
00:00:02.90\00:00:05.13
Really mad.
00:00:05.37\00:00:07.44
When Babylon is overthrown,
this wretched thing that is
00:00:30.39\00:00:34.70
going to bring so much
sorrow and tragedy to the world,
00:00:34.73\00:00:38.73
there's a lot of
rejoicing going on in heaven.
00:00:38.83\00:00:41.24
We find that opens
to us in Revelation 19.
00:00:41.27\00:00:45.51
And it says,
"After these things,"
00:00:45.67\00:00:47.14
John sees this scene in heaven,
he says, "I heard a loud voice
00:00:47.18\00:00:51.28
of a great multitude in
heaven, saying, 'Alleluia!'"
00:00:51.48\00:00:55.35
So there's a lot
of happy people there,
00:00:55.58\00:00:57.52
that Babylon
has been overthrown.
00:00:57.55\00:00:59.09
We'll hear that.
00:00:59.12\00:01:00.46
It says, "Salvation..."
They're singing in heaven now.
00:01:00.49\00:01:03.02
"Salvation and
glory and honor and power
00:01:03.43\00:01:09.10
belong to the Lord our God!"
00:01:09.13\00:01:11.20
Salvation and honor and power.
00:01:11.23\00:01:13.74
It's going to be a wonderful
thing someday to hear those
00:01:13.77\00:01:15.94
heavenly choirs sing.
00:01:15.97\00:01:18.07
We can only get the words
here, we can't get the music.
00:01:18.21\00:01:21.08
But it's going to be a marvelous
thing to see that and hear it.
00:01:21.11\00:01:24.01
And then it goes on,
they're continuing to sing,
00:01:24.51\00:01:27.25
"For true and
righteous are His judgments..."
00:01:28.38\00:01:32.19
God is
righteous and God is true.
00:01:32.75\00:01:35.92
And then it goes on to say,
00:01:36.42\00:01:37.96
"...because He has
judged the great harlot,"
00:01:37.99\00:01:40.53
that's Babylon, "He
has judged the great harlot
00:01:40.56\00:01:43.23
who corrupted the earth..."
00:01:43.26\00:01:45.83
In other words, that
is just a quick sentence,
00:01:46.40\00:01:48.94
but I'm telling you,
Babylon does a lot of damage.
00:01:48.97\00:01:52.37
Huge amounts of
damage, and sorrow, and misery.
00:01:52.41\00:01:56.81
Think of the people that
will be lost in the end of time.
00:01:56.85\00:01:59.85
That's a terrible thing
for somebody to be lost.
00:01:59.88\00:02:03.08
We just kind of take
sometimes that for granted.
00:02:03.65\00:02:06.09
Listen, to be lost is the
most awful of awful things.
00:02:06.12\00:02:10.76
And think of how
many people are influenced
00:02:11.39\00:02:13.66
to be lost by Babylon.
00:02:13.70\00:02:15.76
It says, "...who corrupted
the earth with her fornication;
00:02:15.80\00:02:19.80
He has avenged on her the blood
of His servants shed by her."
00:02:20.54\00:02:26.78
So the martyrs who have been
shed, now vengeance has come
00:02:26.81\00:02:31.21
through those
seven last plagues.
00:02:31.25\00:02:32.75
And we've talked about
the epic failure of Babylon.
00:02:32.78\00:02:37.35
God brings her down.
00:02:37.39\00:02:38.72
Verse 2, "For true and
righteous are His judgments..."
00:02:38.75\00:02:42.39
It says it again.
00:02:42.42\00:02:43.76
Several times the
Bible says, even before the
00:02:43.93\00:02:45.79
seven last plagues,
"Just and true are Thy ways,
00:02:45.83\00:02:48.96
Thou King of saints."
00:02:49.00\00:02:50.70
Here, the singing in
heaven says that, "Just and true
00:02:50.73\00:02:54.57
are Your ways."
00:02:54.60\00:02:55.94
They're affirming the fact,
they've seen the whole thing,
00:02:55.97\00:02:58.91
and they're saying, "God is
just and good in His justice."
00:02:58.94\00:03:02.78
Is justice a good thing?
00:03:02.88\00:03:04.41
Justice is a good thing.
00:03:04.91\00:03:06.31
You don't want to
live in a sinful world
00:03:06.35\00:03:08.68
without good
judges, otherwise chaos.
00:03:09.05\00:03:13.05
We live in a universe
right now where sin has entered.
00:03:13.09\00:03:16.93
And there is going to
be judgment and justice,
00:03:17.13\00:03:20.13
and all of these things.
00:03:20.16\00:03:21.50
Let's go back to the Scripture.
00:03:21.53\00:03:23.16
"...the great harlot
who corrupted the earth
00:03:24.33\00:03:26.07
with her fornication;
He has avenged on her
00:03:26.10\00:03:28.50
the blood of His
servants shed by her.
00:03:28.54\00:03:30.37
Again they said, 'Alleluia!
00:03:30.64\00:03:33.38
Her smoke rises up
forever and ever!'"
00:03:33.58\00:03:35.48
We'll talk about
that smoke in one of our
00:03:35.51\00:03:38.11
future times together.
00:03:39.21\00:03:41.88
"And again they
said, 'Alleluia!'"
00:03:42.25\00:03:44.45
"And the twenty-four elders
and the four living creatures
00:03:45.29\00:03:48.39
fell and worshiped
God who sat on the throne,
00:03:48.42\00:03:51.66
saying, 'Amen!'"
So be it. "Alleluia!
00:03:51.69\00:03:55.93
Then a voice from
the throne came, saying,
00:03:57.17\00:04:00.67
'Praise our God,
all you His servants
00:04:01.40\00:04:04.57
and those who fear
Him, both small and great!'"
00:04:04.61\00:04:08.34
Now this is
being done in heaven.
00:04:08.38\00:04:10.45
"And I heard, as
it were," John says,
00:04:10.98\00:04:13.68
"the voice of a great multitude,
as the sound of many waters..."
00:04:13.72\00:04:19.99
I can hardly
imagine what that means.
00:04:20.02\00:04:22.06
"...voice of a great multitude,
the sound of many waters,
00:04:22.72\00:04:25.59
and as the sound of mighty
thunderings, saying, 'Alleluia!
00:04:25.69\00:04:32.33
For the Lord God
Omnipotent reigns!'"
00:04:33.34\00:04:36.74
In other words, God is
taking things into His own hands
00:04:36.77\00:04:39.97
with these seven last plagues,
and He's overthrown Babylon.
00:04:40.01\00:04:43.75
In that seventh
trumpet they praise God because
00:04:43.78\00:04:47.18
He's taken his power and He
reigns, He rules, as it were.
00:04:47.22\00:04:53.32
Verse 7, "Let us be
glad and rejoice..."
00:04:54.16\00:04:59.39
Now here's
something else they're really
00:04:59.43\00:05:01.03
happy about in heaven.
00:05:01.06\00:05:02.43
They're seeing
this great controversy
00:05:02.53\00:05:04.23
finally come to a close.
00:05:04.27\00:05:06.00
They're seeing human
suffering finally getting ready
00:05:06.03\00:05:08.57
for its last front
to the God of heaven.
00:05:08.60\00:05:12.74
They're seeing
this great controversy
00:05:12.77\00:05:14.28
begin to wind down, as it were.
00:05:14.31\00:05:17.25
And they're happy.
00:05:17.48\00:05:18.81
They're happy to
see it coming to an end.
00:05:18.85\00:05:20.88
It will be a wonderful
day when evil is overthrown
00:05:20.98\00:05:24.99
and good and love, unselfish
love, reigns in the earth.
00:05:25.02\00:05:30.09
That's going to
be a wonderful day.
00:05:30.13\00:05:31.83
And then they go on, because
they're still very happy.
00:05:32.23\00:05:34.80
"And I heard, as it were,
the voice of a great multitude,
00:05:35.73\00:05:38.80
and of mighty waters..."
00:05:38.83\00:05:40.17
I'm sorry, let me go
back down to verse 7.
00:05:40.20\00:05:42.04
"Let us be glad and
rejoice and give Him glory
00:05:42.07\00:05:45.24
for the marriage
of the Lamb has come,
00:05:45.47\00:05:49.78
and His wife has
made herself ready."
00:05:49.91\00:05:54.12
Now we've talked about
this, "making herself ready."
00:05:54.82\00:05:57.82
I'm not going to get
into a lot of that today.
00:05:57.85\00:05:59.52
But there's something
that the bride has to do,
00:05:59.55\00:06:02.12
that the church has to do.
00:06:02.16\00:06:03.73
It has to get
ready for Jesus to come.
00:06:03.76\00:06:06.76
And it almost sounds
like that they're saying,
00:06:06.86\00:06:09.86
"Finally, finally, she's ready."
00:06:10.10\00:06:14.70
And they are so happy
because the King doesn't come
00:06:15.07\00:06:18.84
to get His
bride, the Lord Jesus...
00:06:18.87\00:06:20.98
This is in symbols, of course.
00:06:21.01\00:06:22.54
...He doesn't come
to get His church...
00:06:22.64\00:06:24.61
That's not a symbol.
00:06:24.65\00:06:25.98
...until she's ready.
00:06:26.51\00:06:28.82
But you've got to
remember that this bride,
00:06:29.38\00:06:32.42
this bride has been
under a lot of duress.
00:06:32.65\00:06:36.12
The great red
dragon has chased her,
00:06:36.16\00:06:38.79
the remnant has gone
through the mark of the beast,
00:06:39.09\00:06:42.83
they've dealt with Babylon.
00:06:42.86\00:06:44.50
They're haggard almost.
00:06:44.73\00:06:46.40
But there's something
that she does to get ready.
00:06:46.43\00:06:48.20
It's not talking
about an outer garment.
00:06:48.24\00:06:50.37
It's talking about the
beauty of her character.
00:06:50.41\00:06:53.78
And through all of this
she demonstrates to the world,
00:06:53.81\00:06:57.18
the church
demonstrates to the world,
00:06:57.21\00:06:59.31
the wonder and the unselfish
love of the Lord Jesus.
00:06:59.35\00:07:04.09
And the world gets a glimpse.
00:07:04.19\00:07:05.65
And I think
that's why so many people
00:07:05.69\00:07:08.76
in the end of
time are converted.
00:07:08.79\00:07:10.89
Certainly not the majority.
00:07:10.93\00:07:12.33
Certainly a very,
perhaps a small minority.
00:07:12.63\00:07:15.16
But there's seven plus
billion people in this world.
00:07:15.20\00:07:19.30
And to think about
the fact that even 10%,
00:07:19.60\00:07:23.30
as I've mentioned before.
00:07:23.34\00:07:24.74
But that's because the
bride reflects the character,
00:07:24.91\00:07:29.44
the church
reflects the character,
00:07:29.48\00:07:31.61
and she shines
it out to the world
00:07:31.65\00:07:33.42
in this whole final end process.
00:07:33.45\00:07:36.28
And she makes herself ready,
00:07:36.58\00:07:38.95
by the power and the grace
of the Lord Jesus, of course.
00:07:39.25\00:07:42.76
That's what it's saying here.
00:07:42.79\00:07:44.26
"And it was granted to her
to be arrayed in fine linen..."
00:07:44.29\00:07:47.46
Granted to her.
00:07:47.60\00:07:48.93
This robe of
righteousness is given to her.
00:07:48.96\00:07:51.67
"...clean and
bright, for the fine linen
00:07:51.77\00:07:54.60
is the righteous
acts of the saints."
00:07:54.64\00:07:57.51
So the saints in the end of time
are going to show the universe,
00:07:57.54\00:08:00.84
they're going
to show this world,
00:08:00.88\00:08:02.44
every nation,
kindred, tongue, and people
00:08:02.48\00:08:04.15
are going to see
operating in their midst
00:08:04.18\00:08:07.35
the church of the living God.
00:08:07.38\00:08:09.78
And they're going
to see the reflection
00:08:09.82\00:08:11.65
of the power and the love
of Christ in those people.
00:08:11.69\00:08:14.92
So do you think Jesus
wants to come back and get her?
00:08:16.02\00:08:18.53
Don't you think He's
anxious to have His church?
00:08:18.66\00:08:21.36
Just like a man looks
forward to his wedding day.
00:08:21.46\00:08:23.93
He's anxious for
that wedding day.
00:08:23.97\00:08:26.84
He's anxious to have
that woman to be his wife.
00:08:26.87\00:08:30.57
And it's such a happy time,
it's such a wonderful time.
00:08:30.61\00:08:33.94
But if you want
to make that man mad,
00:08:34.28\00:08:36.24
I mean really mad,
00:08:37.11\00:08:39.01
maybe worse than mad,
00:08:40.12\00:08:42.52
mess with his bride.
00:08:43.15\00:08:44.55
Well the Lord Jesus
has been very patient.
00:08:45.55\00:08:47.42
He's put up with it long enough.
00:08:48.16\00:08:50.03
And He's going to put an end
to Satan messing with the church
00:08:50.26\00:08:55.40
of the living God.
00:08:55.43\00:08:56.90
He's going to put an end to it.
00:08:56.93\00:08:58.27
And that brings us to
this picture of the 1000 years.
00:08:58.30\00:09:02.40
Because really, Revelation 19
00:09:02.44\00:09:04.97
sets the stage
for Revelation 20.
00:09:05.01\00:09:08.18
And so when you go
down to Revelation 19,
00:09:08.44\00:09:12.41
we want to look, we
want to continue here,
00:09:12.45\00:09:14.22
and let's look, if you
don't mind, at chapter 19:6-9.
00:09:14.25\00:09:19.45
And this is what Jesus said.
00:09:19.49\00:09:21.16
"Let us be glad and
rejoice and give Him glory..."
00:09:21.19\00:09:25.36
Glory; Jesus
gets the glory because
00:09:25.56\00:09:28.90
the wife, or the
church, has made herself ready.
00:09:29.23\00:09:33.00
Now down in verse
11, it pictures Jesus
00:09:33.03\00:09:37.41
as a mighty warrior.
00:09:37.44\00:09:39.21
He comes as a mighty warrior.
00:09:39.61\00:09:40.94
Again, we don't talk
about Jesus being this way.
00:09:40.98\00:09:43.24
But He comes as a mighty
warrior to get His bride,
00:09:43.35\00:09:46.72
to get the church.
00:09:46.75\00:09:48.18
The church He gave His life for.
00:09:48.68\00:09:50.65
The church that He's worked
tirelessly during the last
00:09:50.95\00:09:54.46
2000 years to save
her and protect her.
00:09:54.49\00:09:58.43
The church that the devil
told Him that He couldn't,
00:09:58.53\00:10:01.83
He wouldn't have
a church to deliver.
00:10:01.86\00:10:03.67
But He's brought the
church through the antichrist.
00:10:03.70\00:10:06.74
He's brought it through
the cold icy fingers of delay.
00:10:06.77\00:10:10.04
He's brought His church
through the terrible chaos.
00:10:10.07\00:10:13.88
Brought her through Babylon.
00:10:13.98\00:10:15.54
He's brought her
through the mark of the beast.
00:10:15.58\00:10:17.58
He's brought her
through all of these things.
00:10:17.61\00:10:20.02
He's brought her through.
00:10:20.05\00:10:21.68
And He's coming to get her.
00:10:22.42\00:10:23.79
And He's mad at the people
that have tried to hurt her.
00:10:24.32\00:10:28.69
He's mad.
00:10:29.09\00:10:30.43
And I mean mad in a good way.
00:10:30.86\00:10:32.89
If that is such a thing.
00:10:33.53\00:10:34.86
But not mad that's off
the rails in that sense,
00:10:34.90\00:10:37.47
but mad with justice.
00:10:37.50\00:10:39.27
A judicial anger.
00:10:40.00\00:10:42.44
The wrath of God is justice.
00:10:43.17\00:10:45.81
And Jesus is
coming with justice.
00:10:46.11\00:10:48.38
And he goes on to say that,
00:10:49.31\00:10:50.65
"His eyes were
like a flame of fire..."
00:10:50.68\00:10:53.72
Now you've got that
picture in the book of
00:10:54.22\00:10:55.85
Revelation
chapter 1, but there Jesus
00:10:55.88\00:10:58.32
is our Priest, but now
He's come back as a warrior.
00:10:58.49\00:11:00.69
His eyes are still
like a flame of fire.
00:11:00.72\00:11:03.26
"...and on His
head were many crowns.
00:11:03.76\00:11:06.36
For He had a name written
that no one knew but Himself.
00:11:07.13\00:11:10.23
He was clothed with a
robe dipped in blood..."
00:11:10.47\00:11:14.24
Now this is not the
blood of the cross, per se.
00:11:14.27\00:11:17.81
This is the blood, I believe,
that's going to be a symbolic
00:11:18.44\00:11:22.04
picture of the
death of the wicked.
00:11:22.08\00:11:24.38
You can find reference to
that in the Old Testament.
00:11:24.48\00:11:27.52
But let me go ahead here.
00:11:27.55\00:11:29.48
"His name written that
no one knew but Himself.
00:11:30.42\00:11:32.32
Clothed with a
robe dipped in blood,
00:11:32.35\00:11:33.69
and His name was
called, The Word of God."
00:11:33.72\00:11:37.03
The apostle John in
John chapter 1 calls Jesus,
00:11:37.26\00:11:41.23
"The Word who was
with God and who was God."
00:11:41.26\00:11:45.47
"The armies of heaven, clothed
in fine linen, white and clean,
00:11:46.37\00:11:51.77
followed Him on white horses."
00:11:51.81\00:11:53.48
Now that the bride
has got herself ready,
00:11:53.51\00:11:57.18
she can join them.
00:11:57.21\00:11:58.88
Because her
character is white and clean.
00:11:58.91\00:12:02.65
And her character matches the
character of the heavenly hosts.
00:12:02.68\00:12:07.56
So they are
happy to get her too.
00:12:07.66\00:12:10.03
They're thrilled to come
to get the church of Jesus.
00:12:10.06\00:12:12.99
So now it comes and
it says, he goes on,
00:12:14.46\00:12:17.63
"Now out of His
mouth goes a sharp sword,
00:12:17.67\00:12:20.04
that with it He
should strike the nations.
00:12:20.40\00:12:23.14
He Himself will rule
them with a rod of iron.
00:12:23.17\00:12:25.94
He Himself treads the
winepress of the fierceness
00:12:26.31\00:12:29.71
of the wrath of God.
00:12:29.74\00:12:31.31
And on His robe and on
His thigh is a name written:
00:12:31.41\00:12:35.42
KING OF KINGS
AND LORD OF LORDS."
00:12:35.52\00:12:40.32
Now the question is, how
many of those who oppose Jesus
00:12:40.89\00:12:44.96
survive this battle?
00:12:45.03\00:12:47.06
This is another
picture of the coming of Jesus.
00:12:47.10\00:12:49.56
Well, let's just let
the Bible answer that.
00:12:49.60\00:12:51.30
Revelation 19:17-18
00:12:51.33\00:12:54.10
"Then I saw an
angel standing in the sun;
00:12:54.14\00:12:57.91
and he cried with a loud
voice to all the birds that fly
00:12:57.94\00:13:01.41
in the midst of
heaven, saying, 'Come, gather
00:13:01.44\00:13:04.18
to the supper of the
great God, that you may eat the
00:13:04.21\00:13:06.72
flesh of captains,
the flesh of mighty men,
00:13:06.75\00:13:09.78
and the flesh of all people..."
00:13:09.82\00:13:13.05
So those who oppose
Jesus, the people of the earth
00:13:13.76\00:13:18.79
who are angry at Jesus,
how many of them survive?
00:13:18.83\00:13:23.00
And the answer to that is, none.
00:13:23.23\00:13:26.57
Those who oppose Jesus
who are living on the earth,
00:13:27.14\00:13:31.47
they do not
survive the coming of Jesus
00:13:31.57\00:13:36.21
as King of kings
and Lord of lords.
00:13:36.24\00:13:39.31