Participants: Ranko Stefanovic
Series Code: RCK
Program Code: RCK000014
|
00:24 Welcome again to our program
00:26 that we have titled "Revelation of the Coming King." 00:32 I'm Ranko Stefanovic, 00:34 professor at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, 00:37 Andrews University. 00:39 And I'm so excited to be with you here. 00:43 The question is why. 00:44 I hope that you who are here and our viewers, 00:49 they have our textbook 00:52 for studying the Book of Revelation. 00:53 As you know that each presentation 00:56 that we have here is a part of the series 01:00 in which we cover-- 01:01 we try to cover the entire Book of Revelation. 01:04 It's impossible to cover everything, 01:06 but at least to get a glimpse into those different visions 01:12 of which the Book of Revelation is composed and made. 01:17 So I'd like to encourage you to have this textbook with you. 01:21 I'm in love with this book 01:22 because I know through this book God changed my life. 01:26 And the Book of Revelation, it had the special, 01:28 special role in my conversion. 01:31 When I discovered, when I found Jesus Christ through the book. 01:35 You understood it already that 01:36 it was the revelation of Jesus Christ. 01:39 Actually I fell love in Him 01:41 and He's the first and last in my life. 01:45 As you know, that all our lectures 01:51 are not the complete coverage of the Book of Revelation, 01:54 so we would like to encourage you 01:56 to study the Book of Revelation, 01:59 once this presentation is over, for yourself. 02:02 And if you have already provided for yourself 02:06 the copy of this commentary titled 02:09 "The Revelation of Jesus Christ," 02:11 I'd like to tell you that the pages of this commentary 02:15 that we will be dealing together with are from page 313, 02:21 page 313 until--sorry-- 02:25 until the page 323. 02:30 And then we will skip several pages, 02:33 then we will move to page 365 to page 370, page 370. Okay. 02:47 As every time we have done it, 02:49 I'd like to invite you once again 02:51 that we ask the One 02:53 who is the greatest expert in the Book of Revelation. 02:55 He knows everything about that book 02:57 and He can help us, human beings, 03:00 just to have a glimpse into the content of this book 03:03 and to understand how this book 03:05 is the true revelation of the coming king. 03:10 Our heavenly Father, we want to give You 03:13 once again our deep gratitude 03:16 and thanks for giving us this revelation of Jesus Christ 03:22 that is the true gospel in which Jesus Christ 03:24 wants to speak to us who live in these last days, 03:30 prior to the second coming of our King. 03:34 Please be with us and give us Your Holy Spirit 03:36 as we're trying to understand 03:39 this difficult section of the Book of Revelation. 03:42 And we pray all of this in the precious name 03:45 of our Savior Jesus Christ, amen. 03:51 I believe that so far you could see 03:53 that we are dealing with 03:56 the most difficult section of the Book of Revelation. 03:59 And I know so many times people are taking one text 04:02 with the Book of Revelation and they're using rhetorics, 04:05 "this is very difficult text." 04:08 But if you take any serious 04:11 commentary on the Book of Revelation, 04:13 you will see that everybody agrees 04:16 that chapters 8 to 11 of the Book of Revelation 04:18 is probably the most difficult section of the book. 04:22 It's not easy to read it. 04:24 It's not easy to lecture on this section 04:27 and it's not easy really to understand 04:29 all those symbols that are found there. 04:31 But praise God through Holy Spirit 04:34 we have given enough insight into the section 04:37 and I believe that the Holy Spirit can speak to us 04:40 through the section of this book, 04:42 like through any other section of the Book of Revelation. 04:47 So we are in the section of Seven Trumpets. 04:52 Let me one more time remind you that 04:55 what we saw in the very beginning in chapter 8 04:58 where the section begins that actually 05:01 The seven trumpets are the divine judgments 05:07 sent to the inhabitants of this world as the answer 05:14 to the prayers of God's people. 05:17 So one more time let's put it in different way, 05:20 is that actually those seven trumpets, 05:23 as we call them, they are a series 05:28 of God's intervention in history 05:33 in answer to the prayers of His people. 05:37 And let us be reminded once again 05:39 that the seven trumpets, 05:41 they cover the same period of history as the seven seals. 05:49 They both begin with the 1st century, 05:52 the both series, they conclude 05:55 with the second coming of Christ. 05:57 Not necessarily that seven trumpets 05:59 and the seven seals, they cover, okay, 06:03 its period at the same time, 06:05 but they cover the same historical period 06:08 between the two coming-- the two comings of Christ. 06:14 Let's be reminded one more time 06:16 that actually how the trumpets are organized. 06:19 They go in pairs, in two. 06:22 We saw that the first two trumpets 06:25 are the divine judgments on the crucifiers of Christ 06:30 and those who were involved 06:32 in the persecution of the early church, 06:35 the first and the second trumpet. 06:37 Then after that we are 06:39 going to the third and the fourth trumpets. 06:41 They deal-- they actually herald 06:43 God's judgments on the Christian church 06:48 and the secular world of the Middle Ages 06:52 and the post-reformation period. 06:56 Now this brings us to the fifth and the sixth trumpet 06:59 and we saw that the fifth trumpet 07:02 actually deals with the secular world, 07:05 the western world. 07:07 After the age of enlightenment, 07:12 it started with the French revolution, 07:14 their-- We saw 07:17 that when people rejected the Bible 07:20 and replaced the Bible with reason, 07:25 use human intellect as the normative 07:28 for what is the truth and what is not, 07:32 actually gave an opportunity for unleashing 07:35 of the demonic forces. 07:39 People who really replace the religion 07:42 with the human intellect and the human reason, 07:45 they replace God with the humanity 07:49 and what human beings can offer. 07:52 Actually they experience 07:53 the consequences of their decision, 07:58 but I hope that you still keep in mind 08:00 what we saw that actually those demonic forces, 08:04 they could not harm those who have the seal of God. 08:09 Those who belong to God, those who are on God's side, 08:12 they are protected from the harming 08:18 and working influences of those demonic forces. 08:24 Even though they have judgments, 08:26 but we saw that those judgments are mixed with mercy. 08:29 It is during the time God is still trying 08:32 to reach the human beings, 08:34 to touch their hearts and to tell them, 08:37 "wake up and come back to Me," 08:40 because the mercy is still available to the human beings. 08:45 I'd like you to keep this in mind 08:47 because the sixth trumpet-- keep in mind, 08:49 the trumpets are running into pairs. 08:51 The sixth trumpet actually builds on the fifth trumpet. 08:56 So I'd like you now to know to turn to your Bibles 09:02 and to chapter 9 of the Book of Revelation, 09:06 chapter 9 of the Book of Revelation 09:08 and this time we are going to verse 13, 13, verse 13. 09:15 We'll read the first two verses. 09:18 "Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice 09:24 from the four horns of the golden altar 09:27 which is before God, one saying to the sixth angel 09:32 who had the trumpet, 'Release the four angels 09:37 who are bound at the great river Euphrates.'" 09:43 We already spoke about this last time. 09:45 Let us just be reminded. 09:47 So when the sixth angel, okay, blows his trumpet, 09:54 John hears a voice 09:56 coming from the golden altar of incense. 10:01 Usually the students of the Book of Revelation, 10:05 they overlook the small details. 10:08 And I'd like to ask you, what is the significance of this 10:12 that the voice is coming 10:15 from the golden altar of incense? 10:19 I'd like to bring you back 10:21 to the beginning of the seven trumpets. 10:23 Do you remember in chapter 8, 10:26 when that angel who was standing 10:27 there at the altar took the prayers of God's people 10:31 there from that altar of sacrifices, 10:33 you remember? 10:34 And he offered there before God. 10:37 Then suddenly the judgments in terms of the seven trumpets 10:41 are poured out on the inhabitants of this earth. 10:45 So this is very, very important, 10:46 actually telling us that the fact 10:50 that the sixth trumpet 10:52 is initiated from the altar of incense 10:55 shows that the prayers of God's people 10:58 are still remembered 11:02 and that the door of salvation is still offer. 11:05 Keep in mind that intercession 11:07 is still going on there in the heavenly places. 11:11 But we come here to another significant--significant detail. 11:17 The voice that coming from the golden altar 11:23 announces and says, "Release the four angels 11:27 who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 11:33 The significant term here is the Euphrates River. 11:39 And I know that usually the Bible students 11:43 are debating about this 11:45 and people are going from literalism 11:48 to the fancy interpretation of this. 11:51 But I'd like to suggest to you something is 11:55 what the Old Testament indicate was. 11:58 If you go to the Book of Genesis 15, 12:00 for instance, and the chapters that follow, 12:04 you can recall that God made a covenant with Abraham. 12:10 And God promised to Abraham telling him 12:13 "To your descendants, I will give this land." 12:18 And now there is something very interesting is 12:21 that actually God specified the territory, 12:26 how the territory will stretch. 12:28 And God says, "I will give to your descendants 12:30 the territory that goes all up to the Great Sea," 12:33 which is Mediterranean Sea here. 12:35 And it says, "All up to the River Euphrates." 12:40 You see, what comes between this Great Sea 12:44 and the River Euphrates is the territory 12:47 where God's people live. 12:49 Who is beyond the River Euphrates? 12:53 The enemies of God's people. 12:57 Those who do not-- those who do not belong, 12:59 belong to God. 13:01 I'd like to invite the viewers, 13:05 if you later have some time to open the Book of Isaiah 7:20 13:10 and Jeremiah 46:10, 13:12 you will see how the River Euphrates 13:15 is always mentioned at the boundary, 13:19 dividing line between God's people and their enemies. 13:22 But I'd like you that we turn our Bibles 13:25 to the Book of Isaiah, 13:27 to the Book of Isaiah 8:7-8. 13:33 You will see whenever, 13:35 whenever on God's people disaster 13:39 and the divine judgments are coming on, 13:42 they're coming from above the River Euphrates. 13:47 Okay, and so many times those enemy nations 13:50 that are coming from the River Euphrates, 13:54 they are described as the overflowing waters of Euphrates, 14:00 sweeping Palestine and destroying God's people. 14:03 Please, Isaiah 8, chapter 8, 14:07 we will read verses 7-8, 14:11 just one verse, one Biblical text. 14:15 It says, "Now therefore, behold, 14:17 the Lord is about to bring on them the strong 14:21 and abundant waters of Euphrates." 14:24 Even the King of Assyria who's coming from Mesopotamia, 14:28 because this territory was called Mesopotamia 14:31 between Euphrates and Tigris. 14:34 Mesopotamia means territory between the two river. 14:38 Meso, between and Potamus means river. 14:40 Territory between-- between two rivers, okay. 14:44 And it says, "I will bring the King of Assyria 14:48 and it will rise up over all its channels, 14:51 and go over all its banks. 14:53 Then it will sweep on into Judah. 14:55 It will overflow and pass through 14:59 and reach even to the neck and the spread of its wings 15:03 will fill the breadth of your land of Immanuel." 15:06 You can see here one typical Biblical text 15:08 from the Old Testament, 15:10 that telling us really what it means 15:12 when the River Euphrates, okay, over floods Palestine, okay. 15:20 So this is what we have here. 15:23 Now as we go, keep on reading 15:26 in the Book of Revelation verse 15, 15:28 where it says, "And the four angels, 15:31 who had been prepared 15:32 for the hour and day and month and year, were released, 15:37 so that they would kill a third of the mankind." 15:42 Boy, if this is surprise to you, what can you say about verse 16? 15:48 "And the number of the armies of the horsemen 15:51 was two hundred million, and I heard the numbers." 15:59 Let's walk quickly here through few details. 16:04 The four angels, according to the text, 16:08 were prepared to release demonic powers 16:12 for an hour, a day, months and a year. 16:18 Okay, would you be with me? 16:21 If I tell you I wanted to accomplish the task 16:24 and that task was set 16:26 for a minute, for an hour, for a day, for months, 16:32 what is that I try to communicate to you? 16:35 That when appointed time, okay, 16:39 when appointed point of time 16:41 was set for the accomplishment of this task-- 16:46 so we're dealing here 16:48 about a huge army of the demonic forces. 16:51 Keep in mind that the sixth trumpet 16:52 is built on the fifth one. 16:55 And the task of these demonic forces 16:57 was to kill one-third of the humanity as we will see. 17:02 By the way, if we go to verse 18-- 17:04 we'll come to the text-- 17:07 we see there clearly that it was not actually the angels 17:12 who are doing this killing, but the demonic forces. 17:16 But the demonic forces evidently, okay, 17:20 are not allowed to begin the harmonal work 17:24 until the time that was appointed to them by God. 17:28 At the sound of the sixth trumpet, 17:31 the restraining angels are ordered to unleash 17:34 the demonic horse to kill one-third of the humanity. 17:39 Now there are few here-- there are few details here 17:43 that really we should look very, very carefully, okay. 17:50 John sees a huge army, 200 million, 17:58 okay, soldiers troops. 18:00 They appear on the scene. 18:04 And he uses here an expression in verse 16, 18:08 "And I heard the number." 18:10 Are you familiar with this expression, 18:12 "and I heard the number?" 18:16 Have we met already this phrase before? 18:20 It's in chapter 7, where we have 144,000. 18:24 It is only in chapter 7 and chapter 9, verse 16 18:29 in the entire Book of Revelation that this phrase is used here. 18:33 But there is something more. 18:37 So the conclusion is that there's a huge army, 18:40 200 million, stands in contrast to 144,000 18:45 those who are sealed, who belong to God, 18:48 those who are the last generation of God's people 18:51 living before the second coming of Christ. 18:56 The demonic locusts that inflicting 18:59 human beings in the fifth trumpet 19:01 and they were not allowed to kill anybody. 19:04 Now we can see here the situation completely changes. 19:08 Now they're really killing. They do killing. 19:11 Something that did not happened 19:14 in the scene of the fifth trumpet. 19:16 Okay, now they both kill and inflict those who are alive. 19:24 Before we draw similar-- line of similarities 19:28 between chapter 9 and chapter 7, 19:32 we would like to see just in few moments 19:35 the way how John describes these demonic forces. 19:39 You'll notice here as you will hear 19:42 through the text from verse 17 19:46 that actually John has a hard-- 19:50 a hard time to describe these forces. 19:54 The language is lacking, okay. 19:58 He has a trouble to describe them. 20:00 And please I'm going here through my notes 20:04 instead to the text just to summarize it here. 20:06 He says that the riders on the horses have 20:09 a fiery red, smoky blue and yellow breastplates, 20:15 the reflection of the fire, smoke, and sulfur 20:20 emanating from the horse's mouth. 20:23 This is very unusual picture 20:26 because the appearance of these horses is very terrifying. 20:31 The purpose of this vision is to communicate 20:34 to the readers of the Book of Revelation 20:36 something very, very significance. 20:40 The heads of these-- of the horses of this army, 20:45 it's like of lions. 20:48 And out of their mouth comes fire, smoke, and sulfur 20:51 by which they kill human beings in vast numbers. 20:57 Let's stop here for a moment. 20:58 If we go to the Old Testament, 21:02 we will find that the fire, smoke, and sulfur 21:09 are usually a means of executing the divine judgments. 21:17 There are many Biblical texts pointing to that. 21:19 I would like you to turn to the Book of Ezekiel 38:22. 21:24 The Book of Ezekiel 38, chapter 38, 21:29 just that we see 21:31 how in the Old Testament language provides for us 21:35 the key for the understanding 21:37 of what John saw here in the vision. 21:39 So Ezekiel 38:22, okay. 21:45 It says, "With pestilence and with blood 21:50 I will enter into the judgment with him. 21:53 And I will rain on him and on his troops 21:56 and on the many peoples who are with him, 21:58 torrential rain, with hailstones, 22:01 fire and brimstone," which is sulfur, okay. 22:04 The same we can find-- 22:05 let's go another text 22:07 which is Psalm 11:6. 22:14 Psalm 11, we read verse 6, 22:20 "Upon the wicked He will rain snares. 22:24 Fire and brimstone and burning wind 22:27 will be the portion of their cup." 22:30 It is just few text which explain to us, 22:34 telling us that the combination of these elements are 22:38 fire, smoke, and sulfur points to God's judgment. 22:42 May I ask you one question? 22:44 When we talk about this, 22:46 of God's divine judgments falling on the wicked 22:51 described in terms of these three elements, 22:55 what the scene suddenly comes to your mind 22:57 from the Old Testament? 22:59 Yeah, you're right if you're thinking about that. 23:01 It's the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 23:06 These are just insight, here in my commentary 23:09 you have many more texts and you can study more for yourself. 23:14 By telling us that here in the scene of the sixth trumpet, 23:18 we are dealing with the divine judgments, 23:22 but only to describe this judgment, 23:24 the inspiration uses 23:26 the language of the Old Testament 23:28 or the execution of the divine judgments 23:30 on the wicked in the Old Testament times. 23:34 There is something more 23:36 that actually we learn here from these texts. 23:40 John is telling us-- 23:41 let me go back to the Book of Revelation, 23:46 if you go to verse 19, we read, it says, 23:49 "That the power of the horses." 23:50 So chapter 9, verse 19, 23:53 "That the power of the horses 23:55 is in their mouth and in their tails, 23:59 for their tails are like serpents and have heads, 24:03 and with them they do harm. 24:06 And the rest of the mankind 24:07 who were not killed by these plagues 24:10 did not repent of the work of their hands, 24:12 so as not to worship demons, 24:14 and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass 24:18 and of stones and of wood, 24:20 which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 24:23 They did not repent of their murderers, 24:25 not of their sorceries, not of their immorality, 24:28 not of their thefts." 24:30 We're another difficult passage of the Book of Revelation. 24:38 Pay attention to one element that we have here. 24:41 It says, "That the power of the horses 24:45 is in their mouth and in their tails." 24:51 Does something come to your mind? 24:52 Do you remember in the fifth trumpet 24:55 the tails are mentioned 24:58 and the power of the demonic forces 25:00 in the fifth trumpet was in the tails? 25:03 Let me remind you one more time 25:05 what we read in Isaiah 9:14-15, 25:08 that actually provide the clue to us, 25:10 telling us what symbol of the tails is all about. 25:14 Actually, Isaiah uses the expression tails 25:18 with reference to false prophets 25:21 who are replacing the word of God 25:24 for their inventions and for the lie 25:26 that they try to preach people. 25:30 So while in the fifth trumpet, the tails of the demonic forces 25:36 inflict the plague on the inhabitants of the people 25:40 that people suffering anguish to the point of death. 25:46 We see that here in the sixth trumpet, 25:50 the harm is not really with the tails, it's with the mouth. 25:56 And the mouth, they're killing the inhabitants of this world. 26:02 Now there is a question. 26:05 What does the mouth stand as the symbol of? 26:09 By the way, we really do not need now 26:13 to go to the Old Testament 26:17 because there is one text that really parallels 26:21 the scene of the sixth trumpet. 26:23 It's Revelation chapter 16. 26:25 And I would like you, if you can turn 26:27 with me to Revelation chapter 16, 26:30 where we have the mouth as the weaponry, okay, 26:39 of those who are against God 26:42 and His people in the final conflict 26:44 before the second coming of Christ. 26:47 It's Revelation chapter 16 from verse 13. 26:52 It says, "And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon 26:58 and out of the mouth of the beast 27:01 and out of the mouth of the false prophet, 27:04 three unclean spirits like frogs. 27:07 For they are spirits of demons performing signs, 27:11 which go out to the kings of the whole world 27:14 to gather them together 27:16 for the war of the great day of God the Almighty." 27:23 Do you see that here? 27:28 If you compare Revelation chapter 9 with chapter 16, 27:34 you can see here the strong parallels. 27:37 The two texts they talk about the same events, 27:41 which we called, according to the Book of Revelation, 27:43 the preparation for the battle of Armageddon. 27:52 I would like us to have little bit closer look 27:58 into the two texts together with Revelation chapter 7 28:01 because I'd like to make very clear statement 28:05 that the key to the understanding 28:08 of the sixth trumpet finds in the connection-- 28:11 connecting this text with Revelation chapter 7 28:15 and the Revelation chapter 17. 28:16 If you put the three texts and parallel them, 28:21 put them there together, 28:22 you can see the common concept. 28:25 You can see many parallels in terminology 28:28 and expressions that are used. Not only that. 28:35 Can I ask you one question? 28:38 We saw that the sixth trumpet deals with the time of the end, 28:42 prior to the second coming of Christ. 28:44 Do I need to remind you that Revelation chapter 7 28:47 deals with the same period? 28:50 When God's people-- when God's people are sealed, 28:53 when you go to chapter 16, 28:55 the text that we just read deals with the same time period 28:59 with the preparation for the battle of Armageddon. 29:01 So the three texts, they must be put together. 29:04 Unfortunately, the time does not allow us to go 29:07 and to analyze all these three texts in details 29:10 and to draw all those numerous parallels 29:13 between the three texts. 29:14 But these three texts they must be put together. 29:19 When you compare these three texts, 29:21 when you put them together, 29:22 you can see how many common elements are found between them 29:27 which actually leads the conclusion 29:30 that the sixth trumpet really deals 29:32 with the preparation for the battle of Armageddon. 29:37 We have in Revelation 9, we have four angels, 29:44 who are now supposed to release those demonic forces. 29:48 I don't know what comes to your mind, 29:52 but if you go to Revelation chapter 7, 29:53 we have four angels. 29:55 What are they doing there? 29:57 You remember they're holding back those winds not to blow. 30:01 But now we have here is that those angels 30:04 are commanded to unleash those winds. 30:07 Now we do not have here the winds, 30:09 we have the demonic forces. 30:10 Are you still with me? 30:12 The-- but he's telling us 30:15 that actually the weaponry, the power, 30:20 and the authority of these demonic forces 30:23 is in their mouth. 30:25 What they're doing? 30:26 Telling us, friends, that the final events 30:30 is not about the military 30:31 and literal battle there in Middle East. 30:34 Unfortunately, many dear Christians 30:36 that I know and I highly respect actually mistakenly-- 30:40 mistakenly understand and try to interpret here 30:44 these texts of the Book of Revelation. 30:47 The final events is not the military, 30:52 it's a battle for the minds of people. 30:56 You see, friends, if we connect the sixth trumpet 31:02 with the previous one, with the fifth trumpet, 31:04 you remember what we saw, that the people rejected God. 31:07 They replaced God with the atheistic teaching, 31:11 with human reasoning and people suffered 31:14 those consequences in the post-enlightened period. 31:17 But now we have here 31:19 even the deepening of that end time crisis 31:23 when people who really will experience 31:27 and please allow me to say, 31:28 people are actually experiencing the consequences 31:34 of distancing themselves from God, 31:36 rejecting God, and one side replacing God with atheism 31:44 and human teaching, human intentions 31:48 and explanations to the other side of people 31:52 who are simply taking really generally of emotions replacing, 31:59 taking it to replace the clear teaching of the gospel 32:03 and the message of Jesus Christ 32:05 that touches the hearts of people and the minds of people, 32:09 in order to communicate that message 32:11 who actually we as human beings are 32:14 and what God wants to happen in us. 32:18 Simply replacing it with religion of emotions, 32:22 nothing else and taking from the hearts of people 32:26 that clear gospel message that is based 32:29 really on that loving God and His attempt 32:34 to bring the human beings to themselves. 32:39 So the sixth trumpet really brings us 32:41 to that very, very time of the end. 32:44 He's telling us about the preparation 32:47 for the battle of Armageddon, 32:50 as God by sending to the inhabitants of this world 32:54 His everlasting gospel, 32:56 which is in Revelation chapter 14 portrayed. 33:00 We will come to that text as the three angel messages, 33:03 where God is calling people to fear Him and to worship Him, 33:09 God who created the heaven and earth 33:12 and everything that is in the universe. 33:18 As God is sending His message to the people 33:20 to telling them not to trust the human institutions 33:24 and what human beings have done in order to replace God 33:27 and to take God from the hearts and minds of the people, 33:31 at the same time-- at the same time 33:33 because of people there by rejecting God 33:35 and rejecting the gospel, 33:37 it gives a good occasion for the demonic forces, 33:41 who are coming while the fifth trumpet 33:43 only tormenting people, but here leading people to despair, 33:48 killing people, and depriving them of that gospel message 33:53 and that eternal kingdom. 33:57 Yes, according to the Bible, 34:02 what people have decided, 34:06 people reap the consequences of the decisions. 34:11 But praise God, this is not 34:13 the main message of the Book of Revelation. 34:16 Fortunately, wherever I go, I find people 34:19 who read the sixth trumpet and everything they read, 34:21 everything they try to find is, how many people will be killed. 34:24 Friends, the Book of Revelation is not about killing. 34:27 Yeah, it is there, whether physical or spiritual killing, 34:34 that's not the point here. 34:36 But the main point is that God even wants to save those people 34:42 and that's why He's sending to them His everlasting gospel 34:46 as we will see when we reach there Revelation chapter 14. 34:51 Unfortunately, I would like that 34:54 this vision has different ending than it is here. 34:58 What is the conclusion of this vision? 35:03 Sorry, let's go back to Revelation chapter--it says, 35:07 "And the rest of the mankind 35:10 who were not killed by these plagues, 35:13 did not repent of the works of their hands, 35:17 so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold, 35:21 and of silver, and of brass, and of stones, and of wood, 35:25 which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk. 35:28 They did not repent of the murderers, 35:30 not of their sorceries, 35:32 nor their morality, not of their faith." 35:35 If you go to Revelation chapter 21, 22, 35:38 you will see that all the sins that are listed here 35:41 characterize those people who would not be able 35:44 to enter New Jerusalem, 35:48 as the modern world has made so many idols 35:54 and man made religion that replace God, 35:57 and actually to God 35:59 and the gospel message from the hearts. 36:02 The message of the sixth trumpet is the warning message 36:05 to telling people that their only hope is in God. 36:09 That's actually the purpose 36:10 of the three angel messages of chapter 14. 36:13 God is sending His message, calling people back, 36:17 telling them that their only hope 36:19 is in God and in the gospel. 36:23 Unfortunately, the conclusion of this message, 36:25 how many people will respond to that call of God? 36:31 Not too many. Not too many, unfortunately. 36:36 But praise God, as we will see in our next presentation 36:43 during this time God will have His people. Amen. 36:49 Unfortunately, they will not be the majority. 36:53 They will be the minority, but God will have His people 36:58 who will choose God, 37:00 put God and give Him the place number one 37:04 in their hearts and in their lives. 37:07 And this is actually 37:09 what Revelation chapters 10 and 11 is all about, 37:14 because you will notice here 37:15 something, something very, very interesting. 37:17 Please, can you look there in the text? 37:20 So far we cover the sixth trumpet. 37:23 Okay, okay, are you with me? 37:28 The first angel sounded the trumpet. 37:32 The second angel, the third angel, 37:36 the fourth angel, the fifth angel, 37:40 the sixth angel, what do you expect now next? What is it? 37:46 You'll now notice in chapter 10, then in chapter 11, 37:50 there is no seventh angel. 37:52 We have to wait until chapter 11, chapter 11:15. 38:00 There is an inter load inserted 38:03 between the sixth and the seventh trumpet. 38:06 But in order to bring the trumpet series 38:10 to its conclusion I'd like to suggest to you 38:13 that we move to the seventh trumpet. 38:17 In our next two presentations we will try to understand 38:21 what we have in these inter load in chapter 7:11. 38:24 Do you agree with me? 38:25 Let's bring seven trumpets to its conclusion. 38:28 So please, can you go to chapter 11:15? Okay. 38:35 Let's see about the seventh trumpet. 38:40 "Then the seventh angel sounded. 38:43 And there were loud voices in heaven saying"-- 38:46 okay, can you help me? 38:49 What time period historically does the sixth trumpet portray? 38:55 The time prior to the second coming of Christ, 38:57 the preparation for the battle Armageddon. 38:59 Can we say the time in which we exactly live today? 39:03 We live today in the time of the sixth trumpet. 39:07 So the seventh trumpet, it must come after that period. 39:13 It brings us to the very second coming of Christ. 39:16 So please keep this in mind. 39:18 "So the seventh angel sounded. 39:21 And there were loud voices in heaven saying, 39:24 'The kingdom of the world has become 39:27 the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, 39:31 and He will reign forever and ever.' 39:35 And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones 39:38 before God fell on their faces 39:46 and worshiped God saying, 39:49 'We give You thanks, O Lord God, 39:51 the Almighty, who are, who were, 39:56 because You have taken Your great power 39:59 and have begun to reign.'" 40:02 Did you notice here one element in verse 17? 40:05 Let me go back, let me go back. 40:07 It says, "We give You thanks." Are you there? 40:11 "We give You thanks, O Lord God, 40:13 the Almighty, who are and who were, 40:19 because You have taken Your great power 40:21 and have begun to reign." 40:22 Did you notice here something very unusual? 40:26 Did you notice before, in the Book of Revelation, 40:29 how does God identifies Himself? 40:33 The One who was, who is and who is to come. 40:39 What do we have here in this text? 40:42 God who is, who was-- what is lacking here? 40:46 What is missing here? 40:48 He is coming. Why? 40:50 Because He has come already. 40:53 You see the seventh trumpet brings us 40:56 to the very, very moment of the second coming of Christ. 41:01 And you can see here, you can see here in this text it says, 41:05 verse 15, "That the kingdom of the world has become 41:10 the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, 41:15 and He will reign forever and ever." 41:18 Let's go to verse 17, verse 17. 41:22 "We give You thanks, O Lord God, 41:24 the Almighty, who are and who were, 41:26 because You have taken Your great power 41:30 and have begun to reign." 41:32 Did you notice here? 41:34 Evidently, the seventh trumpet 41:38 is probably the easiest to interpret. 41:42 Finally, I can say it with little bit easy attempt 41:48 to going to see what all these elements are all about. 41:52 So the sounding of the seventh trumpet signals 41:55 the conclusion of this earth history. 41:58 The proclamation of the gospel is complete 42:01 and the case of every person is decided. 42:05 And now the voice from heaven makes declaration 42:09 of the ultimate establishment of God's kingdom on the earth. 42:14 This rebellious planet that has been 42:18 under dominion of Satan for many thousand of years 42:23 will finally come back under God's dominion and roll. 42:27 And I don't know what suddenly comes to your mind, 42:30 but to my mind comes that famous text 42:33 from the Book of Daniel 2:24. 42:38 You know this text, "That in days of those kings 42:43 the God of heaven will set up a kingdom 42:45 which will never be destroyed. 42:48 And that kingdom will not be left for another people, 42:52 it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, 42:56 but it will itself endure forever." 42:59 Yeah, finally we have the fulfillment of this prophecy 43:02 from the Book of Daniel chapter 2. 43:06 Let us be reminded of something that we talked before. 43:10 It was after His death on the cross 43:12 and His subsequent ascension to heaven 43:15 that Christ was recognized as the co-ruler 43:18 with the Father over the universe. 43:21 Satan was kicked out from heaven 43:26 and Christ was proclaimed to be the true ruler of the earth. 43:34 Christ has become the ruler of our universe. Amen. 43:38 But not yet over the planet earth. 43:43 This rebellious world 43:46 is still under Satan's dominion. 43:53 We saw in Revelation chapter 5, 43:56 that Jesus at the Day of Pentecost, 44:00 He started His rule as the co-ruler with the Father 44:05 there at the Day of Pentecost. 44:06 You remember? We talked about that. 44:08 And according to Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, 44:13 it was at that occasion, 44:16 at that atonement on the Day of Pentecost 44:18 that the Father has put all the enemies under His feet. 44:25 However, not yet. 44:27 According to the same text, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, 44:31 Paul is telling us that Christ has to reign 44:34 in the midst of His enemies. 44:37 This rebellious planet is still rebellious. 44:42 But the time is coming, according to Apostle Paul, 44:47 when finally God will 44:52 put into Jesus' hands 44:56 all the kingdoms of this earth 45:00 and then finally all the rule 45:02 and all the power antagonistic to God 45:06 finally will be subjected to Jesus Christ. 45:10 But that day is still in the future. 45:12 We are waiting for the day 45:14 and here the vision of the seventh trumpet, 45:18 that long awaited day finally has come 45:23 and Jesus began to reign with a great, great power 45:29 and the great authority. 45:32 Yeah, the seventh trumpet brings us 45:36 to the very time of the second coming of Christ. 45:41 But you will notice that the Book of Revelation 45:44 does not conclude with this section. 45:47 It just concludes one section, but brings us to the last one 45:53 which is the eschatological one, 45:55 bring us really to the time of the end. 45:58 And I'd like you some-- 46:01 if you can go with me to verse 18, 46:04 because at this point verse 18 is very, very important. 46:09 Keep in mind Revelation 7 brings us to the end, 46:12 but the end is not yet, okay. 46:16 Verse 18, "And the nations were enraged. 46:21 And your wrath came, 46:24 and the time came for the dead to be judged, 46:28 and the time to reward Your servants the prophets 46:32 and the saints and those who fear Your name, 46:36 the small and the great, 46:39 and to destroy those who destroy the earth." 46:44 In this text that we have just read, 46:47 actually we have the outline of what last 11 chapters 46:52 of the Book of Revelation are all about. 46:57 Chapter 11, verse 18, in a nutshell, 47:03 give us the entire content 47:05 of the last 11 chapters of the Book of Revelation. 47:07 Are you still with me? 47:09 So if you really want to learn what the last 11 chapters 47:12 of the Book of Revelation are all about, 47:14 just read verse 18 of chapter-- let me put it this way. 47:19 What is the first--it says, "The nations were enraged." 47:24 Okay, why are the nations enraged? 47:29 We will see very, very soon that in chapter 12:17, 47:34 Satan becomes enraged. 47:38 Then he associates himself with the two beasts 47:42 that represent us political powers, 47:45 gathering all the nations of the earth 47:48 for themselves who become enraged. 47:50 Why? Against God and His people. 47:54 So really these nations were enraged. 47:56 The background of this text is in Psalms 2. 48:00 Actually it's elaborated in chapter 13, 48:04 then going also chapters 14, 15, and 16, 48:09 telling us about the nations that are enraged, 48:12 in that anger enraged they're preparing themselves 48:14 for the battle of Armageddon. 48:17 Then it says, "Your wrath came." 48:21 Where do we have that the wrath of God has come? 48:25 If you go to Revelation 15:1, 48:30 so chapters 15 and 16 we read, 48:33 "Then I saw another sign in heaven." 48:35 Chapter 15:1, "Great and marvelous, 48:39 seven angels who had seven plagues, 48:42 which are the last, 48:43 because in them the wrath of God is finished." 48:47 Here it says, "Your wrath has come." 48:49 You see the seven last plagues are the expression 48:52 of the wrath of God upon the rebellious humanity 48:57 who have sided with Satan, 48:59 have received the image of the beast 49:03 and they are eager to destroy God's people. 49:05 You see that, we have now 49:07 the content of chapters 15 and 16. 49:09 And now it says, "That the time for the dead to be judged." 49:15 Where do we have the judgment over dead? 49:18 Of course, Revelation chapter 20, after the millennium. 49:22 But keep in mind that the judgment has two aspects. 49:27 It has the positive and has a negative. 49:31 In chapter 19, God's faithful people are vindicated. 49:39 They are judged rightly before God 49:41 and now the Kingdom of God that portrayed 49:45 as the bride waiting for the bridegroom to come. 49:50 It's the wedding supper, supper of the Lamb. 49:53 But then we have the negative aspect of that judgment. 49:57 And which is the negative aspect? 49:59 Is to destroy the destroyers of the earth. 50:05 Please allow me, we have few minutes left. 50:09 And now I'd like just to take this remaining portion of time-- 50:13 this few minutes that are left 50:15 just a little bit with this phrase, 50:17 "to destroy the destroyers of the earth." 50:20 And I just want to show to you 50:22 how it's so easy that we take one phrase 50:26 from the Book of Revelation 50:27 or one text with the Book of Revelation 50:29 and read all kind of different ideas that we have there. 50:35 For many people Revelation 11:19, 50:39 "The destroyers--to destroy the destroyers of the earth," 50:42 that this text refer to the ecological concerns, 50:47 the earth being destroyed by modern technology. 50:51 You probably heard about that interpretation 50:55 and I just want to tell you, friends, 50:57 the Book of Revelation is not about modern technology. 51:00 The Book of Revelation is not about ecology 51:03 and our modern concerns today that we have. 51:06 Of course, we as Christians we have to care about environment. 51:10 We have, but the Book of Revelation is not about ecology. 51:14 It's about the plan of salvation. 51:16 It's about the conclusion of this great controversy 51:19 between God and Satan 51:23 and finally the establishment of God's eternal kingdom. Amen. 51:29 So what is the meaning of the phrase, 51:31 "to destroy the destroyers of the earth?" 51:34 Please unfortunately, I'd like to do something, 51:39 but I'm not able to do it here. 51:41 I simply would like to refer to you 51:43 and the text will appear there on the screen, 51:47 at least the reference there. 51:50 I want to show to you how it's important to allow 51:53 the Bible interpret itself. 51:56 The first background to the phrase, 51:59 "to destroy those who destroy the earth," 52:03 it's found in the Book of Genesis 6:12 and 14. 52:12 If you have in front of yourself 52:15 the English translation of the Bible, 52:17 any English translation version, 52:19 it will not be of great help to you. 52:23 But let me put it how it looked both in Hebrew Bible. 52:28 The Bible of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew. 52:30 And how it looks into the Hebrew translation of the Hebrew Bible 52:35 into the Septuagint in Greek. 52:37 Both are the same and it looks like this way. 52:40 Please let me now paraphrase it. 52:41 It says, "God saw from heaven how every flesh on earth 52:48 was destroying the earth." 52:50 In our English translation it says, 52:52 "They were corrupting the earth." 52:55 Actually it's the same Hebrew and also Greek word is used. 52:59 They say, "God saw how the Antediluvians 53:03 were destroying the earth." 53:05 And God says, "Because they're destroying the earth, 53:09 I am going to destroy them from the earth." 53:13 How were those people destroying the earth? 53:16 With immorality, with corruption, 53:19 distorting that image of God there. 53:24 But there is another text also in the Bible 53:27 that somehow sheds a light to the meaning of that. 53:31 It's Jeremiah 51:25. 53:35 So Jeremiah 51:25, 53:39 there the prophet identifies 53:44 the historical Babylon-- historical Babylon, 53:47 the arch enemy of God's people 53:49 in the Old Testament as destroying mountain. 53:54 Now again in Hebrew and in Greek, okay, 53:56 who destroys the whole earth and God says, 54:00 "I am coming against you, you destroying mountain, 54:05 and I will destroy you from the earth." Amen. 54:10 So tell me, when we have here as that in that final judgment, 54:17 just before God establishes His kingdom 54:20 God will destroy destroyers of the earth, 54:23 who are those who are destroying the earth? 54:25 You see this is not simply about ecology. 54:28 Of course, ecology comes as the result of everything 54:31 what people are doing on the face of the earth. 54:34 Actually it's about the end time Babylon. 54:38 The Babylon is destroying the earth 54:42 by those corrupting influences, by rejecting the gospel, 54:47 turning the hearts and the minds people away from God, 54:52 and God is now coming to destroy Babylon 54:57 because the Babylon was destroying the earth. 55:00 You see how it's important that we take the Bible 55:05 and to allow the Bible to interpret itself. 55:08 Now in conclusion let's go-- 55:10 that you'll see how actually the Book of Revelation 55:13 explain to us what is destroying of the earth is all about. 55:16 It's Revelation 19:2, Revelation 19:2. 55:22 Revelation 19:2. Are you there? 55:27 It's the conclusion of the battle of Armageddon. 55:31 You remember we just mentioned, 55:33 it's about those judgments of God, 55:35 positive judgments on His people and negative judgments 55:38 on the enemies of God's people. 55:40 So Revelation 19:1 and 2, 55:44 "And after these things I heard something like a loud voice 55:49 of a great multitude in heaven saying, 55:52 'Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.'" 55:57 Please pay attention now, 55:58 "Because His judgments are true and righteous, 56:01 for He has judged the great harlot 56:04 who was destroying the earth with her immorality, 56:08 and He has avenged the blood of His servants and her." 56:12 Who was the entity that was destroying actually the earth? 56:16 You see that it's the great prostitute Babylon 56:19 that we will meet and discuss about 56:23 and to deal with when we come to Revelation chapter 17. 56:27 It's Babylon, it's Babylon 56:31 is the entity in the Book of Revelation 56:33 that destroys the earth. 56:35 If you go to Revelation 18:5, 56:38 we have the destruction of the earth by Babylon. 56:40 It says, "For her sins have piled up as high as heaven, 56:45 and God has remembered her iniquities." 56:49 It's about the Babylon. 56:51 It's Babylon that destroys the earth. 56:53 Yes, it is with the seventh trumpet, 56:58 finally the prayers of God's people, 57:03 they are at the altar, beneath the altar, 57:06 calling upon God and asking for the vengeance 57:09 and vindication finally will be answered. 57:14 This is all what we can say about the seventh trumpet. 57:18 Yes, we have a wonderful God. 57:21 People are reaping the consequences of the decision, 57:25 but God still want to save human beings. He saved me. 57:29 And, dear viewers, He wants also to save each one of us. 57:33 May God be with you, amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17