Revelation 19:17-20:3
Purpose: To show the awful consequences of rebelling against God.
Aim: I want the listener to love and revere God so much that sin becomes very sinful.
INTRODUCTION: One day a man, out hiking in the country, happened to see a magnificent golden eagle flying upward into the sky. He watched it with delight and admiration as it soared higher and higher. But suddenly, something went wrong! The eagle seemed incapable of going any higher. As a matter of fact, it began to fall, and before too long it lay on the ground, dead. What possibly could have happened? No human hand had touched it. No sportsman gun had reached it. Filled with bewilderment, the man went over and examined the bird only to discover an astounding sight. Still curled up in the talons of that great bird, was a little weasel, no doubt the prey of the bird that had been carried off up into the sky. As that weasel had been drawn in close to the big bird’s body for flight, it had managed to worm itself partly out of that great grip and had bit into the breast of its enemy and proceeded to suck out the lifeblood of that great eagle. [1]
The nations of the earth have rejected God’s right to rule over them. David put it this way: Ps 2:1-3 1 Why are the nations in an uproar, and the peoples devising a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed: 3 "Let us tear their fetters apart, and cast away their cords from us!" (NAS)
Last time we learned that Jesus is described eleven different ways. Today we see that same Jesus in action.
The world has rejected God, and for a time they soared with the apparent freedom of an eagle. But, God will bring them down.
This portion of Revelation also pictures the doom of every individual who is attempting to clutch sin and soar away from God. Let’s see how God’s great victory will come about.
REVIEW:
1:1-20 I. John’s Vision of the Past "the things which you have seen"
2:1-5:14 II. Christ’s Vision of the Present "the things which are"
Ch.6-22 III. John’s Vision of the Future "things which will take places"
6-7; 12-14 A. Satan’s war against God’s creation: the first six seals
8-11; 13:11-18; 15-18 B. The wrath of God: the seventh seal
Ch.19-20 C. The worship of God
19:1 1. A description of worship "salvation...glory...power"
19:2-6 2. Four reasons to worship God "true and righteous"
19:7-10 3. The Believer’s eternal union with Christ "marriage of the Lamb"
19:11-16 4. The King appears
Vs.11a a. Jesus is reliable "Faithful"
Vs.11b b. Jesus is real "True"
Vs.11c c. Jesus is right "in righteousness He judges"
Vs.12a d. Jesus reveals all things "eyes are a flame of fire"
Vs.12b e. Jesus is beyond measure "name...which no one knows"
Vs.13a f. Jesus is the conqueror "robe dipped in blood"
Vs.13b g. Jesus is the revealer of God "The Word of God"
Vs.14 h. Jesus is the leader of heaven "armies...following Him"
Vs.15a i. Jesus is the manager of His enemies "He will rule them"
Vs.15b j. Jesus is the executer of God’s wrath "tread the wine press"
Vs.16 k. Jesus is the ultimate royalty "KING OF KINGS"
LESSON:
19:17-20:3 5. The King acts
Vs.17-18 a. The expectation of the King’s victory "great supper of God"
Maybe the angel is blocking the sunlight. If so, then this is fulfilling what the prophet Joel said: Joel 2:31 The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. (NAU)
This is the seventh time in the book of Revelation that a loud voice is heard. It always indicates a very important event.
Even before the battle begins God is declaring His victory.
"ARMAGEDDON [ar mah GED un] (mountain of Megiddo) -- the site of the final battle of this age in which God intervenes to destroy the armies of Satan and to cast Satan into the bottomless pit (Rev. 16:16). Scholars disagree about the exact location of this place, but the most likely possibility is the valley between Mount Carmel and the city of Jezreel. This valley (known as the Valley of Jezreel and sometimes referred to as the Plain of Esdraelon) was the crossroads of two ancient trade routes and thus was a strategic military site and the scene of many ancient battles." [2]
The Antichrist and the False Prophet refused to let the bodies of the two Jewish witnesses be buried; here we see that God will not even let the bodies of His enemies the dignity of a burial. The vultures of the earth are called to pick the flesh off of the bones of the bodies of those who opposed Jesus Christ.
Jesus talked about this same event in Matthew 24:27-28 "For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. "Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. (NAU)
Ezekiel also described this same event: Ezekiel 38:4 "I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords; (NAU)
Ezekiel 38:9-11 "You will go up, you will come like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, and many peoples with you." ’Thus says the Lord God, "It will come about on that day, that thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil plan, and you will say, ’I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will go against those who are at rest, that live securely, all of them living without walls and having no bars or gates, (NAU)
Ezekiel 38:14-16 "Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, ’Thus says the Lord God, "On that day when My people Israel are living securely, will you not know it? "You will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly and a mighty army; and you will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I am sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog." (NAU)
Ezekiel 38:18-23 "It will come about on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel," declares the Lord God, "that My fury will mount up in My anger. "In My zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare that on that day there will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. "The fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence; the mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse and every wall will fall to the ground. "I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains," declares the Lord God. "Every man’s sword will be against his brother. "With pestilence and with blood I will enter into judgment with him; and I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire and brimstone. "I will magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the Lord." ’ (NAU)
Last time we learned about the "Marriage Supper" and here we learn about "The Supper." At the "Marriage Supper" believers will feast with Jesus Christ the Lamb of God. At "The Supper" unbelievers will be the supper.
Psalm 2:4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. (NAU)
Vs.19 b. The intent of the King’s enemies "war against Him"
Revelation 17:12-14 "The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. "These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast. "These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful." (NAU)
The armies of the world may have gathered to destroy Israel, but when they arrive they find that they are opposed by God Himself. Like is says in Ezekiel 38:12 [the armies of the world will come] to capture spoil and to seize plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places which are now inhabited, and against the people who are gathered from the nations, who have acquired cattle and goods, who live at the center of the world.’ (NAU)
Vs.20-21 c. The defeat of the King’s enemies "birds will filled with their flesh"
The Beast is the Antichrist, the one-world political leader. The False Prophet is the Antichrist’s sidekick who heads up the new one-world religion. They wind up being the first of millions who will be cast into the lake of fire. Matthew 25:41 "Then [Jesus] will also say to those on His left, ’Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; (NAU)
PERFORMED THE SIGNS Revelation 13:14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. (NAU)
"Brimstone is a yellowish, sulfuric rock that often attends fire and smoke in Revelation (14:10; 19:20; 20:10). Common in the Dead Sea region, when ignited such deposits melt and produce burning streams and suffocating gas." [3]
"The world at the highest development of its material and spiritual power is but a decorated carcass round which the eagles gather." [4]
In the Bible we read of two men who went to heaven without dying: Elijah and Enoch. Here in Revelation we see two men who go straight to hell without dying. By the way, we know that hell does not annihilate those who are cast into it because in the next chapter, when Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire, the False Prophet and the Antichrist are still there (Rev. 20:4).
Vs.1-3 d. The binding of the King’s rival "bound [Satan] for a thousand years"
Vs.1-2 The enemy that is imprisoned here is called by four names:
DRAGON which is a large snake with a keen power of sight. We read about him in Revelation 12:3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. (NAU)
SERPENT OF OLD refers to the serpent that first appeared to Eve in the Garden of Eden. 2 Corinthians 11:3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. (NAU)
DEVIL is an accuser or slanderer. Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. (NAU)
SATAN is an adversary. Satan is our enemy. He hates what God created and that includes you and me.
Vs.3 This seal on the bottomless pit will not be broken until God breaks it, unlike the Romans who tried in vain to seal Jesus’ tomb.
1 Thessalonians 5:2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. (NAU)
"The future ’Day of the Lord’ which unleashes God’s wrath, falls into two parts: 1) the end of the 7 year tribulation period (cf. Rev. 19:11--21), and 2) the end of the Millennium. These two are actually 1,000 years apart and Peter refers to the end of the 1,000 year period in connection with the final "Day of the Lord" (cf. 2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. (NAU); Rev. 20:7--15). Here, Paul refers to that aspect of the "Day of the Lord," which concludes the tribulation period. A thief in the night. This phrase is never used to refer to the rapture of the church. It is used of Christ’s coming in judgment on the Day of the Lord at the end of the 7 year tribulation which is distinct from the rapture of the church (see note on 4:15) and it is used of the judgment which concludes the Millennium (2 Pet. 3:10). As a thief comes unexpectedly and without warning, so will the Day of the Lord come in both its final phases." [5]
"This Day of the Lord was seen by Isaiah (66:15, 16), Joel (3:12--21), Ezekiel (39:1--4, 17--20), Paul (2 Thess. 1:6ff; 2:8) and our Lord (Matt. 25:31--46)." [6]
APPLICATIONS
#1 God will take revenge on all those who mistreat His followers.
Romans 12:19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. (NAU) Zechariah 2:8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, "After glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye. (NAU)
#2 Believers need to focus on faithfulness.
1 Corinthians 4:2 ...it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. (NAU)
#3 The wrath of God is real.
Jeremiah 10:10 But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure His indignation. (NAU) Fighting God is useless. Isaiah 45:9 "Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker-- An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, ’What are you doing?’ Or the thing you are making say, ’He has no hands’? (NAU)
#4 All should heed God’s warning.
Psalm 2:10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. (NAU) In verse 18 we see that God does not discriminate when He judges. Everyone who is not fully trusting Christ’s offer of forgiveness will be punished. No one will escape. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 ... the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. (NAU) Matthew 10:28 "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (NAU)
#5 Millions who are alive today are headed for God’s judgment.
2 Corinthians 4:4 ...the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (NAU)
CONCLUSION: "Now He rides not a donkey but a mighty stallion. Now His eyes are not filled with tears but with fire. Now He does not wear a crown of thorns but a crown kingly victory and authority. Now His clothes are not stripped from His bleeding body but are spotted with the blood that marks mankind as guilty. Now He is not abandoned by His friends but followed by all the armies of heaven. Now He does not come to bear the wrath of God on the cross but to pour out the wrath of God upon those who reject the cross." [7]
Who is your king? If you are holding on to sin, you are like the eagle who was clutching the weasel and you too will be brought down. If you are holding on to your own goodness to take you to heaven, then you will experience the wrath of God.
The cross is the lightning rod of grace that short-circuits God’s wrath to Christ so that only the light of His love remains for believers.
A. W. Tozer in "The Old Cross and the New." [8]
[1]Submitted by Mark Chester, Lakeshore Missionary Church, North Bay, Ontario, canada.
[2]Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., Harrison, R. K., & Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1995). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible dictionary. Rev. ed. of: Nelson’s illustrated Bible dictionary.; Includes index. Nashville: T. Nelson.
[3]MacArthur, J. J. (1997, c1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed.) (Re 9:17). Nashville: Word Pub.
[4]Jamieson, R., Fausset, A., & and Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (electronic ed.) (Re 19:20). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[5]MacArthur, J. J. (1997, c1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed.) (1 Th 5:2). Nashville: Word Pub.
[6]MacArthur, J. J. (1997, c1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed.) (1 Th 5:2). Nashville: Word Pub.
[7]From Suffering to Singing By Bob Marcaurelle Page 49
[8]10,000 sermon illustrations. 2000 (electronic ed.). Dallas: Biblical Studies Press.
