{"id":18952,"date":"2018-06-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-06-17T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sugar-land-bible-church.local\/sermon\/revelation-004-the-day-of-the-lord\/"},"modified":"2018-06-17T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-06-17T05:00:00","slug":"revelation-004-the-day-of-the-lord","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/slbc.org\/es\/sermon\/revelation-004-the-day-of-the-lord\/","title":{"rendered":"Revelation 004 – The Day of the Lord"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","book":[111],"series_event":[490],"sermon_service_type":[472],"speaker":[6],"class_list":["post-18952","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","hentry","book-revelation","series_event-revelation","sermon_service_type-main-service","speaker-dr-andy-woods","no-post-thumbnail"],"acf":{"sermon_title":"Revelation 004 - The Day of the Lord","sermon_date":"20180617","sermon_month":"6","sermon_year":"2018","sermon_notes":5861,"sermon_slides":5863,"sermon_mp3":5865,"sermon_id":"61718116260","series_or_event":490,"service_type":[472],"speaker":6,"books_of_the_bible":111,"chapter_and_verse":"1:9-16","sermon_transcript":"Dr. Andy Woods\n\nThe Day of The Lord\n\n6-17-18\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Revelation 1:9-16\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Lesson 4\n\nGood morning everybody.\u00a0 A very happy Father\u2019s Day to everyone.\u00a0 In fact, raise your hand if you\u2019ve ever in your life had a father?\u00a0 A pretty significant person.\n\nLet\u2019s take our Bibles if we could and open them to Revelation, chapter 1 and verse 9, maybe making it through verse 16 today.\u00a0 The title of our message this morning is The Day of the Lord.\u00a0\u00a0 And we are just sort of creeping into a study we began a few weeks back on the Book of Revelation, spending really our first sermon together talking about the background of the book.\u00a0 And then the two subsequent sermons working our way through the prologue, which is just a fancy way of saying introduction, verses 1-8.\n\nAnd you might recall that one of the things that we observed is that the Book of Revelation has a three-part outline.\u00a0 John was told, \u201cTherefore write the things which you have seen, the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.\u201d\u00a0 Three parts.\u00a0 What John had seen is what we have in chapter 1, the section that we\u2019re going to start looking at this morning, the vision of the glorified Christ on the Island of Patmos in A.D. 95.\n\nThen John is told to write down\u201d the things which are,\u201d that\u2019s the letters to the seven churches, Revelation 2 and 3.\u00a0 And then he is told to write down the things that will take place after these things. \u00a0That\u2019s the largest section of the book, the futuristic section of the book; that begins in chapter 4:1 and goes to the end of the book.\u00a0 [Revelation 4:1, \u201cAfter these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, \u2018Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.\u201d\u2019]\n\nBut we\u2019re in that first part of the book where John is told to write down the things which he has seen.\u00a0 We can take that section and we can divide it into three parts.\u00a0 Number 1, the circumstances of the vision, verse 9-11.\u00a0 Number 2, the content of the vision, what did John see, verses 12-16.\u00a0 And then finally the chapter sort of ends with some interaction, if you will; some communication takes place between John and Jesus, verses 17-20.\u00a0 Let\u2019s see if we can move to the circumstances of the vision, verses 9-11 where we\u2019re given the purpose; the place of the vision, verse 9, the content of the vision, verse 10, the purpose of the vision, verse 11.\n\nNotice verse 9, the place of the vision.\u00a0 Where did these things transpire?\u00a0 Notice it says, \u201cI, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and the kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the Island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.\u201d\u00a0 Here, right at the beginning, we see who wrote the book, the Apostle John, who we have already talked a little bit about him in prior sermons.\n\nAnd then there\u2019s an expression here that a lot of people skip right over and yet it\u2019s so important to interpreting many other things in the book, particularly chapters 2 and 3.\u00a0 You\u2019ll notice that John calls the audience, now who\u2019s the audience? You\u2019re going to see it\u2019s the seven churches. \u201cJohn to the seven churches\u201d [Revelation 1:4] \u00a0refers to himself as [Revelation 1:9] \u201cyour brother.\u201d\u00a0 Was John saved?\u00a0 Yes!\u00a0 Was he a Christian?\u00a0 Yes! Was he filled with the Holy Spirit?\u00a0 Yes, he was!\u00a0 Well, by identifying himself as \u201cyour brother\u201d that means the churches are in the exact same position.\n\nYou say well who cares? Well, it\u2019s shocking how much we should care because many, many Bible interpreters will go through these letters to the seven churches and they will say the sin in these churches is so bad these people just can\u2019t be saved.\u00a0\u00a0 So they\u2019ll say this church is saved, that church isn\u2019t saved; this church is saved, that church isn\u2019t saved.\u00a0 And that\u2019s to ignore what John says here in verse 9 where he identifies himself as their brother.\u00a0 He has the same spiritual status that they have.\u00a0 Just as John is a believer, a Christian, and filled with the Holy Spirit so are those within the churches, even though many of them are going through great struggles.\u00a0 And some of them have succumbed to great temptation.\u00a0 More on that down the road.\n\nBut you\u2019ll notice what John says in verse 9, \u201cI, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and the kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus Christ.\u201d\u00a0 John unloads on us four very important Greek words here.\u00a0 The first is, I have it at the top, [\u03c3\u03c5\u03bd\u03ba\u03bf\u03b9\u03bd\u03c9\u03bd\u1f78\u03c2] I think you pronounce that sunkoin\u014dnos<\/em>, if I have that right.\u00a0 That means fellowship, partnership, partaker.\u00a0 It\u2019s a compound word.\u00a0 When you put two words together like that, similar and fellowship it intensifies John\u2019s solidarity with those he is writing to.\u00a0 In fact, from that word koin\u014dnia<\/em>, we get the word fellowship.\u00a0 In fact, my wife and I, when we were living in the Dallas area attended a Sunday School class called the Koinonia Sunday School Class, basically meaning fellowship.\n\nJohn is saying I\u2019m a fellowshipper with you, not only in Jesus, you\u2019ll notice towards the end of that verse he says \u201cin Jesus.\u201d\u00a0 They have fellowship because of their commonality \u201cin Jesus\u201d but I also have fellowship with you in the area of three other things.\u00a0 Number 1, \u201ctribulation,\u201d that\u2019s the Greek word thlipsis <\/em>(\u03b8\u03bb\u1fd6\u03c8\u03b9\u03c2).\u00a0 Number 2, the kingdom, that\u2019s the Greek word basileia <\/em>(\u03b2\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03bb\u03b5\u03af\u03b1).\u00a0 And number 3, \u201cperseverance,\u201d that\u2019s the Greek word \u00a0hypomon\u0113<\/em>\u00a0 (\u1f51\u03c0\u03bf\u03bc\u03bf\u03bd\u1fc7).\n\nAnd let\u2019s see if we can break these things down.\u00a0 What is John saying when he says, I am \u201cyour brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation\u201d?\u00a0 We have to be very careful about this word \u201ctribulation\u201d because many people see the word tribulation and they think it automatically means the great tribulation.\u00a0 You say where is that described?\u00a0 Just wait till we get to chapter 6-19 and you\u2019ll see plenty of it.\u00a0 In fact you\u2019re going to see so much of it you might even think you\u2019re in tribulation itself studying the whole thing.\n\nJohn is not referring to being in that time period. What he is referring to is the ordinary tribulation and trials that Christians experience before this time period comes.\u00a0 You see, we at Sugar Land Bible Church, and I\u2019ll be giving you much evidence of this as we progress in the series, do not believe that the church will be on the earth during the great tribulation period.\u00a0 But that does not mean that we somehow escape other tribulations.\u00a0 We are candidates for trials of life.\u00a0 Jesus told us in John 16:33, \u201cIn the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.\u201d\n\nWe are candidates also for man\u2019s wrath.\u00a0\u00a0 Paul wrote Timothy and said, \u201cAll who seek to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0[2 Timothy 3:12]\u00a0 We are candidates for Satan\u2019s wrath; that\u2019s why we\u2019re told in Ephesians 6:11-12 to \u201cput on the armor of God.\u201d\u00a0 [Hebrews 6:11-12, \u201cPut on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.\u00a0 [12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.\u201d]\n\nWe are also candidates for the world\u2019s wrath.\u00a0 Jesus, in John 15:18-19 said, \u201cDo not marvel that the world hates you for before it hated you it hated Me.\u201d\u00a0 So if you are somehow in the midst of a trial today, man\u2019s wrath today, Satan\u2019s wrath today, if you find yourself out of sorts with the world system around you, don\u2019t think that somehow you have missed the will of God.\u00a0 In fact, the Bible tells us over and over again that we are direct candidates for these forms of adversity.\n\nPaul, the apostle, in Acts 14:22 says this, \u201c\u2026Through many\u201d not some, \u201cThrough many tribulations\u201d that\u2019s the Greek word thlipsis<\/em> again, \u201cThrough many tribulations we must\u201d not might, \u201cmust enter the kingdom of God.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We are not here teaching a doctrine of escapism, we are not teaching an easy life, we are teaching escape from the wrath of God at a future point but until that time period arises the Christian life can be very difficult and we should not misrepresent the Christian life as something that it is not, because your Bible does not do that.\n\nAnd so John, as he is on the Island of Patmos, in the midst of a tribulation known as the reign of Domitian, Domitian, as I\u2019ll show you in just a moment, was the Roman Emperor who exiled John on Patmos.\u00a0 John says I am in tribulation right now as I speak and you churches are in tribulation.\u00a0 And so I am your partaker,\u00a0 your brother, your partner in these things.\n\nHe also says here in verse 9 that I am a partaker, a partner with you in the kingdom.\u00a0 [Verse 9, \u201cJohn, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are<\/em> in Jesus\u2026.\u201d]\u00a0 And people will point to this verse and say well, there it is, right there in verse 9, we must be in the kingdom now.\u00a0 As you look at the world today does it look like we\u2019re in the kingdom?\u00a0 As Christians are being martyred all over the world does it look like Christians are reigning as will be accomplished in the kingdom?\u00a0 Of course not.\u00a0 That\u2019s the Greek word basileia<\/em>.\n\nWhat does he mean then when he says, \u201cI am your partner in the kingdom\u201d?\u00a0 I am heir of the kingdom along with you.\u00a0 The kingdom is coming, we are heirs in that kingdom but the actual kingdom itself hasn\u2019t materialized yet, but we\u2019re fellow citizens of a coming kingdom.\u00a0 James 2:5 specifically tells us that we are heirs of the coming kingdom.\u00a0 [James 2:5, \u201cListen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?\u201d]\n\nYou might remember when we were, last week I think it was, in chapter 1 and verse 6 where it says, \u201cHe has made us to be a kingdom of priests.\u201d\u00a0 I said don\u2019t interpret verse 6 without chapter 5, verse 10.\u00a0 Chapter 1, verse 6 and verse 9 tells us our heirship, chapter 5 verse 10 tells us when we will enjoy what is promised to us.\u00a0 [Revelation 1:6, \u201cand He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father-- to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.\u201d]\u00a0 Revelation 5:10 says,\u00a0 \u201cYou have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign\u201d future tense, where? \u201cupon the earth.\u201d\n\nAnd the story of the Book of Revelation is how that reign of God, which exists in heaven, is going to come to planet earth one day.\u00a0\u00a0 Aren\u2019t you glad about that?\u00a0 The Book of Revelation is all about this line here, Revelation 11:15, \u201cThe kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; [and He will reign forever and ever.]\u201d\u00a0 Right now there\u2019s an enemy occupier, the devil himself who must be evicted.\u00a0 And the Book of Revelation is an explanation of that, culminating in chapters 20-22 where the kingdom of God finally arrives.\u00a0 One of the things to understand about Bible study is to interpret Scripture with Scripture.\u00a0 And yet so many people see the word \u201ckingdom\u201d in verse 6 and verse 9 and build a doctrine about the kingdom independent of what the rest of the book says.\u00a0 And yet the word kingdom is very easy to understand when we allow the rest of the Book of Revelation to explain it.\n\nRobert Thomas, in his excellent book, commentary, on the Book of Revelation I believe is the best one that\u2019s ever been written in the history of the church.\u00a0 That\u2019s how highly I think of this commentary.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve got a few extra shekels and you\u2019re wondering how to spend them on a Revelation commentary that\u2019s where I would go if I were you.\u00a0 Dr. Robert Thomas observes, \u201cLittle difference of opinion exists over the meaning of basileia <\/em>[kingdom] in 1:9. It is the millennial kingdom described more fully in Revelation 20.\u201d\u00a0 [Dr. Robert Thomas, Revelation 1 to 7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1992), 87<\/em>]\n\nJohn obviously wasn\u2019t in that kingdom now, how could he be marooned on a desert Island if he was in that kingdom?\u00a0 But he says I\u2019m an heir of the kingdom along with you.\u00a0 Life can be tough and difficult in the nasty now and now but there\u2019s a better world coming.\u00a0 Amen!\u00a0 And what a hope we have as Christians because if you\u2019re \u201cin Christ\u201d you are a participant as well.\n\nBut there\u2019s a third Greek word here that\u2019s used; it\u2019s the word \u201cperseverance\u201d translated \u201cperseverance.\u201d\u00a0 In the Greek it\u2019s hypomon\u0113<\/em>, and it says, \u201cI John, your brother and partaker in the tribulation and the kingdom and the perseverance\u201d hypomon\u0113<\/em>, \u201cwhich are in Jesus.\u201d\u00a0 What does that word hypomon\u0113<\/em>,\u00a0 mean?\u00a0 It\u2019s something that God is trying to develop in all of our characters.\u00a0 It\u2019s a capacity to bear up under difficult circumstances.\u00a0 That\u2019s hypomon\u0113<\/em>, perseverance.\n\nNow how can God develop that attribute in our lives unless He puts us into what?\u00a0 Difficulty.\u00a0 How can I develop the ability to bear up under difficulty unless the Lord puts me under a difficulty?\u00a0 Amen!\u00a0 John was under difficulty, he was exiled.\u00a0 The churches, as we\u2019re going to study, were under difficulty, having reaped many times the consequences of their own sin.\u00a0 Two of the churches are under direct persecution by governmental authorities and John is saying I\u2019m a partner with you, I am a fellow shipper with you in these things.\u00a0 I share the tribulation with you, the current tribulation, the Domitianic reign.\u00a0 I share heirship in the coming kingdom and I am persevering with you in God.\n\nIt\u2019s interesting that when the Lord calls us to persevere under trial He equips us for the job.\u00a0 Galatians 5:22-23 says, \u201cBut the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,\u201d what\u2019s the next one? \u201cpatience, [kindness, goodness, faithfulness,\u00a0 [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.\u201d]\u00a0 Lord, give me patience and give it to me right now, we pray.\u00a0 But it\u2019s an attribute of the fruit of the Spirit that the Lord is trying to produce in His children.\u00a0 Endurance, long-suffering, not just throwing in the towel at the first obstacle but standing up under divine power.\u00a0 It\u2019s just something that God wants us to do and has equipped us to do it, in the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 God doesn\u2019t call us to do this through white knuckling and human willpower.\u00a0 He does it through the enablement of the Spirit of God which is within us.\n\nSo John, in verse 9, says \u201cI\u2019m a partaker with you in these things.\u201d\u00a0 And also in verse 9 John, as I mentioned before, gives us his location or his place of writing.\u00a0 He says, \u201cI was on the Island called Patmos,\u201d now where exactly is that?\u00a0 We\u2019ve noted before it\u2019s a little Island about 60 miles southwest of Ephesus, it\u2019s in the Aegean Sea, a tiny Island that so small it doesn\u2019t even appear on most modern day maps.\u00a0 And you\u2019ll notice that John was in a very remote place and yet he was directly in the will of God because from this remote place he was going to be given the final vision of the end, the final word of God in the biblical canon.\n\nAnd it\u2019s interesting to me how God works with us and through us, not necessarily when we\u2019re in the limelight, not necessarily when we\u2019re winning the popularity contest, but He does very strategic work in our lives when we\u2019re in some remote, almost God-forsaken place.\u00a0 And I say that as a word of encouragement to many of you, to many of us, because sometimes we don\u2019t fully understand the pattern of our lives.\u00a0\u00a0 Why am I in this remote place over here where nobody knows my name, I don\u2019t have any significance, I\u2019m toiling away at some 9:00 to 5:00 job, the organization I\u2019m in is so big no one even knows my name, I don\u2019t even appear on the organizational chart.\u00a0 Lord, what are You doing in my life?\u00a0 It could be that\u2019s exactly what God has for you right now.\u00a0 And it could be something very, very big for you is on the horizon.\n\nI mean, I don\u2019t think John thought he was going to receive what he received when he was stranded out there on this remote place.\u00a0 You\u2019ll notice that Patmos is a place of geography, just like Asia, verse 4.\u00a0 Just like the seven churches.\u00a0 When you see geographical locations in the Book of Revelation they\u2019re always, as far as I can understand, to be interpreted literally which is going to become a big deal in Revelation 17 and 18 where I\u2019m going to make the very radical case (ready for this) that the word \u201cBabylon\u201d means \u201cBabylon.\u201d\u00a0 You say well how can you conclude that?\u00a0 I mean, how can you just interpret it like it says?\u00a0 Because that\u2019s what it says!\u00a0 Patmos is Patmos, Asia is Asia, Ephesus is Ephesus, so is Babylon Babylon.\u00a0 In fact, I\u2019m going to be giving you so much information about Babylon I\u2019m going to title the miniseries we do on Babylon babbling on about Babylon, so that is on the horizon.\n\nIt\u2019s interesting, and we\u2019ve made reference to this, that in the writings of Eusebius this is what Domitian did.\u00a0 You see, Nero, who reigned in the 60\u2019s, would just decapitate people.\u00a0 We have many historical records of this.\u00a0 Domitian, who came to the throne late in the first century, exiled people.\u00a0 And we have this reference to somebody in Eusebius\u2019 writings named Domitilla who was banished, not on Patmos but an Island of Pontia for the testimony of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 It\u2019s very interesting to me that John, on Patmos, during the reign of Domitian, fits the exact same circumstances.\u00a0 It\u2019s interesting that geography and archeology and history\u2014when you study it\u2014 always has a tendency to come alongside and not contradict but corroborate the biblical record.\u00a0 And that\u2019s what we have going on here.\n\nAnd you say well, what did John do?\u00a0 How did he get marooned on this remote place called Patmos.\u00a0 If you look very carefully at the rest of verse 9 he tells you exactly why he was there.\u00a0 He says, \u201cbecause of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.\u201d\u00a0 Not his own words, not his own thoughts and philosophies, and how he thought the world ought to work.\u00a0 He got himself into trouble because he got involved with the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 The word for \u201cword\u201d is logos<\/em> there, which is also used to describe Christ Himself.\u00a0 And the word for \u201ctestimony\u201d is martoria <\/em>where we get the word what?\u00a0 Martyr, martyrdom.\u00a0 What is a martyr?\u00a0 Martyr is basically someone who testifies about Jesus Christ and finds themselves out of sorts with the system of the world that doesn\u2019t like the message.\n\nThe Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ will get you into trouble every single time.\u00a0 These are the two things that got John marooned, exiled on the Island of Patmos, during the reign of Domitian.\u00a0 Paul, writing to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:12 says, \u201cIndeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will\u201d parenthesis, not might, \u201cwill be persecuted.\u201d\n\nYou start standing up in your family and in your workplace under God\u2019s resources for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ and you can start expecting problems to come your direction.\u00a0 That\u2019s how it is.\u00a0 And you say well, Pastor, things are running in my life pretty smoothly, I don\u2019t seem to have the problems that John and others face.\u00a0 Could it be, and only you can answer this, that you\u2019ve gotten a little soft on those two things, standing for the Word and standing for the testimony of Jesus Christ, because if you start standing on those things, and I\u2019m not talking about being obnoxious because a lot of Christians get persecuted (and frankly they deserve it) because they\u2019re rude, crude and obnoxious in how they go about it.\u00a0 I\u2019m talking about having Christ-like character and firmly planting your feet in divine truth and standing on it.\u00a0 You do it in your church, you do it in your place of employment,\u00a0 you do it in your family, you do it with Christian love, \u201cspeaking the truth in love, \u201c\u00a0 [Ephesians 4:15, \u201cbut speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,\u201d] don\u2019t expect an easy time.\u00a0 That\u2019s what got John in trouble; that\u2019s what gets us into trouble.\n\nWe move from the place of the vision to the actual content of the vision.\u00a0 Notice, if you will, verse 10, \u201cI was in the Spirit on the Lord\u2019s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound<\/em> of a trumpet,\u201d what does he mean here when he says \u201cI was in the Spirit\u201d?\u00a0 What does that mean?\u00a0 Is that some kind of dream?\u00a0 Is it some kind of ecstatic state?\u00a0 NO, it\u2019s talking about the doctrine of inspiration, how the Holy Spirit came upon the writers of Scripture and literally dragged them along, carried them along respecting their individual gifts and literary styles and personalities and in the process they penned God\u2019s message.\u00a0 It\u2019s an experience that John had along with every other writer and author of Scripture.\n\n2 Peter 1:20-21 says, \u201cBut know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter<\/em> of one\u2019s own interpretation, [21] for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 That word \u201cmoved\u201d is so interesting; it\u2019s the Greek word for phero, which is used in Acts 27:15 and verse 17 of wind that propels the sails, fills the sails in a sailboat thereby propelling the boat.\u00a0 [Acts 27:15, \u201cand when the ship was caught in it and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and let ourselves be driven along.\u201d\u00a0 [17] \u201cAfter they had hoisted it up, they used supporting cables in undergirding the ship; and fearing that they might run aground on the shallows of Syrtis, they let down the sea anchor and in this way let themselves be driven along.\u201d]\n\nThat\u2019s what happened to these writers.\u00a0 The Spirit came upon them and literally pushed them along, propelled them along, carried them along, and consequently they wrote, in 2 Timothy 3:16, \u201cAll Scripture is inspired by God.\u201d\u00a0 [2 Timothy 3:16, \u201cAll Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;\u201d]\u00a0 \u201cInspired by God,\u201d that\u2019s a word in the Greek language that\u2019s only going to appear one time and it\u2019s in this verse; it\u2019s theopneustos<\/em>, it\u2019s a compound word, God in Spirit, God and breath.\u00a0 That\u2019s what the biblical writers claimed; when they are communicating in written form in the original manuscripts they are communicating the very breath of God.\u00a0 May I say it this way: the very saliva of God.\u00a0 And John was caught into the Spirit and he began to see this vision and he began to record what he saw.\n\nYou\u2019ll notice in verse 10 that he says that this particular experience happened to him \u201con the Lord\u2019s day.\u201d \u00a0[Revelation 1:10, \u201cI was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,\u201d]\u00a0 And people say well, that was Sunday, right?\u00a0\u00a0 The Lord\u2019s day!\u00a0 The problem is when you study when the early church met we all understand that Hebrews met on Saturday, that was the Sabbath.\u00a0 That was true for 1,500 years; they met not on the first day of the week, the last day of the week.\u00a0 Suddenly Christ rose from the dead, a remnant believes, the church is formed and they start meeting on Sunday, the first day of the week. And we\u2019ve been doing that for 2,000 years.\u00a0 And many people see this expression here, \u201cthe Lord\u2019s day\u201d and they say well this obviously happened on Sunday.\u00a0 Maybe it did happen on Sunday, I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s really what\u2019s being said.\n\nWhat\u2019s being said here is a Lordian day, \u00a0Sunday as the first day of the week is called just that in Acts 20:7 and 1 Corinthians 16:2.\u00a0 [Acts 20:7, \u201cOn the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.\u201d\u00a0 1 Corinthians 16:2, \u201cOn the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper so that no collections be made when I come.\u201d]\u00a0 Here it doesn\u2019t say the first day of the week. What it says is a Lordian day. There is an adjective that\u2019s used here, \u201cLordian,\u201d kurikos.<\/em>\u00a0 It only shows up one other time in the whole Greek New Testament to describe a special supper, 1 Corinthians 11:20, called the Lord\u2019s Supper.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 [1 Corinthians 11:20, \u201cTherefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper.\u201d]\u00a0 The supper of the Lord.\n\nWhat John is saying is this is the day of the Lord.\u00a0 And many people, including myself, don\u2019t believe He\u2019s describing the time of the week in which he saw this vision, he\u2019s describing the contents of what is going to be expressed in this book.\u00a0 What is the Book of Revelation about?\u00a0 If one were to ask you this afternoon over lunch, \u201cwhat is the Book of Revelation about?\u201d\u00a0 A very simple answer, it\u2019s about \u201cthe day of the Lord,\u201d a Lordian day.\n\nAnd you say well, what is \u201cthe day of the Lord\u201d?\u00a0 The day of the Lord is a time period in history where God intervenes and settles accounts.\u00a0 There have been past days of the Lord, the flood of Noah\u2019s day, the Babylonian captivity; many examples I could give.\u00a0 And there is yet a future \u201cday of the Lord.\u201d\u00a0 We think all these people are getting away with something.\u00a0 Not if you understand \u201cthe day of the Lord.\u201d\u00a0 The only thing that\u2019s happening today is the wrath of God is being stored up.\u00a0 It\u2019s almost like a dam holding back water; the water gets so voluminous that finally the damn breaks. That\u2019s \u201cthe day of the Lord.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s what\u2019s described in the Book of Revelation, \u201cthe day of the Lord.\u201d\n\nAnd isn\u2019t it interesting that when you go back to the Book of Genesis, chapter 1, where we first run into the concept of days it says of the six creation days there was evening and there was what? Morning, day one.\u00a0 It says that six times: evening, morning, first day; evening morning, second day; right on through the six days of creation.\u00a0 The \u201cday of the Lord\u201d that is coming upon the earth has the same two parts. There is an evening\u2014a time of darkness, a time of judgment\u2014followed by the morning, the glorious breaking forth of the sun, which is the kingdom of God.\n\nIn the book of Revelation we\u2019re going to be reading bad news, the evening; we\u2019re going to be reading good news, the morning, the light that breaks forth at dawn.\u00a0 Jesus called the earth during this time period birth pains, pains versing what?\u00a0 Getting us out of the even into the morning when the glorious kingdom of God breaks forth on the earth.\u00a0 That\u2019s what the Book of Revelation is about; it\u2019s about a Lordian day.\u00a0 The subsequent chapters give us great, great detail about this coming day of the Lord.\n\nYou look also at verse 10; what else does it say here?\u00a0 \u201cA loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,\u201d [Revelation 1:10]\u00a0 Now what is the word \u201clike\u201d here?\u00a0 It\u2019s the Greek word hos<\/em>, which means as or homios<\/em> which mean like.\u00a0 What kind of figure of speech is this?\u00a0 It\u2019s a simile.\u00a0 You\u2019re comparing two things with the words \u201clike\u201d or \u201cas.\u201d\u00a0 This is going to happen over and over and over again in the Book of Revelation.\n\nIn fact, you\u2019re going to see examples where John is sort of struggling how to describe it.\u00a0 I mean, how do you describe the things that are going to come upon the earth in the 21st<\/sup> century or beyond.\u00a0 How would you have the vocabulary to describe it.\u00a0 He just says well, it\u2019s like such and such; it\u2019s as such and such.\u00a0 And I think for the very first time he begins to use a simile as he\u2019s using something from his own vocabulary and background.\u00a0 You know, the Lord didn\u2019t really give him a lot of time to sit there and cooly, calmly reflect on what he was saying.\u00a0 The command, as I\u2019ll show you in a minute, is to write.\u00a0 He saw and he was to write.\u00a0 How do you write about things that you don\u2019t have a vocabulary to grasp?\u00a0 You just use analogies from your own time period.\n\nI mean, how would Benjamin Franklin, one of the greatest minds that\u2019s ever lived, describe going to an airport and seeing a giant airliner take off or come down the runway.\u00a0 How would he describe it?\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t say it\u2019s a 747 or whatever.\u00a0 He would say it\u2019s \u201clike\u201d, maybe he would say like something he knew from his own time period, a giant bird.\u00a0 Or Benjamin Franklin flew kites, it was like a kite.\u00a0 Maybe that\u2019s what he would say.\u00a0 John is under that same pressure here as he\u2019s been given a divine command.\n\nAnd why is God revealing all of this stuff?\u00a0 The purpose is to communicate to the seven churches.\u00a0 Look at verse 11.\u00a0 He says, \u201csaying, \u201cWrite in a book what you\u201d what? \u201csee, and send it<\/em> to the seven churches:\u201d\u00a0 well who are those? \u201cto Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0You\u2019re going to see something in the Spirit through inspiration and I want you to write it down and I\u2019m not going to give you a lot of time to think about it, so John is going to keep saying it was \u201clike\u201d this, it was \u201clike\u201d that.\u00a0 He says that in Revelation 8:8. [Revelation 8:8, \u201cThe second angel sounded, and something<\/em> like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood,\u201d]\u00a0 \u00a0I mean, what is that in Revelation 8:8.\u00a0 How would you describe something coming out of the sky and hitting the ocean and contaminating the ocean?\u00a0 You say well, that\u2019s easy, that\u2019s a nuclear bomb.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s what it is, maybe it is, maybe it isn\u2019t.\u00a0 John can\u2019t say nuclear bomb or atomic bomb. How would he know what that is?\n\nSo what does John say, \u201cThe second angel sounded, and something<\/em> like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood.\u201d\u00a0 So he\u2019s told to write these things down in a book and this is why John is using so many similies, h\u014ds<\/a><\/em> and homios<\/em>, like or as, used so frequently in the Book of Revelation.\u00a0 Why didn\u2019t John do this in the Gospel of John?\u00a0 Different circumstances.\u00a0 He\u2019s reflecting on the life of Christ; the Spirit is bringing things to his remembrance.\u00a0 He\u2019s got time to sort of codify, to reflect, to figure out his literary style.\u00a0 That\u2019s not what you have happening here.\n\nAnd so he\u2019s to see these things and write these things.\u00a0 And by the way, those are commands. In the Greek, verse 11, we call this the imperative mood.\u00a0 It\u2019s not why don\u2019t you try this, John, and see how it works.\u00a0 Or why don\u2019t you turn in your first draft and I\u2019ll go over it with you and make some spelling corrections.\u00a0 It\u2019s a divine command, you\u2019re going to see and I want you to write.\u00a0 And where are you going to send it to?\u00a0 You need to send that off to city hall because we need to make America great again.\u00a0 I say that sort of tongue in cheek, I\u2019m not against trying to make American great again.\u00a0\u00a0 But let me tell you something about God; God is a lot more interested in things happening in the church house than He is the White House.\u00a0 Instead of MAGA, Make America Great Again, why don\u2019t we get some red caps that say MCGA, Make Christian Great Again?\u00a0 Make the Church Great Again.\u00a0 Because America is falling apart.\u00a0 Do you know why? \u00a0Because the church fell apart a long time ago in this country.\u00a0 The church has been given over to all sorts of perverse and bizarre and aberrant non-biblical ideas.\u00a0 Jesus is not concerned about what\u2019s going on in city hall in Ephesus.\n\nI\u2019m not saying it\u2019s wrong to be involved in those kinds of issues.\u00a0 I\u2019m involved in them a lot myself.\u00a0 There\u2019s a place for that.\u00a0 But I think sometimes we get our priorities out of order really quick.\u00a0 Whether America becomes great again or not is really not the priority of the Christian; go vote and do all that stuff, I\u2019ll do that with you.\u00a0 But the reality is what about the church?\u00a0 What about God\u2019s unique temple?\u00a0 Instead of worrying about all of the compromise taking place in the world of politics, as if that\u2019s a shock\u2026 do you all know there\u2019s compromise in the world of politics, and on the media?\u00a0 What about the compromise in our own lives?\u00a0 What about the compromise within the four walls of our churches?\u00a0 Well, Andy, you\u2019ve got to be careful here, don\u2019t you realize that the IRS is monitoring sermons?\u00a0 Well, I\u2019d say praise God, maybe some of those folks will get saved.\u00a0 Monitor away as far as I\u2019m concerned, assuming it\u2019s a good sermon.\n\nBut you see, what is on the mind of Jesus is oftentimes so different than the way we think. \u00a0But you\u2019re going to see, and I want you to write it down and I want you to send it to these churches. And you say, \u201cWell, Andy, what is the spiritual meaning of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea?\u00a0 What do those words really mean?\u201d\u00a0 Here\u2019s the answer: they mean Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.\u00a0\u00a0 That\u2019s what they mean.\u00a0 These are actual churches functioning in the first-century world.\u00a0 You say well, what about other churches that we read about in the New Testament.\u00a0 I mean, why isn\u2019t the church of Rome mentioned here?\u00a0 What about Colossae and Philippi and all of these other churches.\u00a0 I believe this, that these seven churches were strategically picked by the Lord.\u00a0 Of all the churches He could have picked He wants these seven addressed.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because these seven churches contain within them problems.\u00a0 Did you all know that there are problems within churches?\u00a0 As long as you have people you\u2019re going to have problems, and if you have a church without any problems, that means you have a church without people. And that means you\u2019ve got another problem\u2026 an empty building.\u00a0 Every church is going to have problems; every Christian is going to have problems.\u00a0 The Lord, 2,000 years ago says I\u2019m going to pick seven churches that represent all kinds of different problems that will show up over and over again and I want to give you my prescription for dealing with these things.\n\nSo those are the circumstances of the vision.\u00a0 Now notice as we move into verses 12-16 the content of the vision.\u00a0 What was this vision?\u00a0 Write down \u201cthe things that you have seen.\u201d\u00a0 What was the whole thing about?\u00a0 It was about Jesus, that\u2019s what it was about.\u00a0 John here, in these verses, verses 12-16, gets a glimpse of Jesus that he has never seen before because John, as a very young man who was with Christ in His earthly ministry, sixty years earlier, whose head leaned against Christ\u2019s chest in the Upper Room, remembered Jesus as the meek and mild Lamb of God.\u00a0 And here John is given another glimpse of Jesus as the coming Judge and King; not the Savior but the Lord.\u00a0 Not the lamb but the lion.\u00a0 And that is equally part of God\u2019s character, just as much as was His humiliation in His incarnation.\n\nSo what does John see?\u00a0 He sees, number 1, Christ\u2019s appearance among the churches, verses 12-13. He sees His clothing, the rest of verse 13.\u00a0 And he sees His body; different body parts are emphasized, verses 14-16.\u00a0 Notice the first part of this, Jesus amongst the seven churches.\u00a0 Look, if you will, at verse 12, \u201cThen I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands.\u201d You say, \u201cWell, what are the seven golden lampstands?\u201d \u00a0What you\u2019ll discover with the book of Revelation is the book of Revelation will interpret itself.\u00a0 In fact, 26 times in the same chapter the symbol will be interpreted for you so you don\u2019t have to rely upon your sanctified imagination as to what the symbol means.\u00a0 We have too many people that are way too imaginative with the book of Revelation.\u00a0 It\u2019s not that difficult to figure out when you just follow how the symbol itself is interpreted.\n\nThere\u2019s no guesswork involved here because when you go down to the end of the chapter, verse 20 Jesus says, \u201cthe seven lampstands are the seven churches.\u00a0 [Verse 20, \u201cAs for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.\u201d]\u00a0 What churches?\u00a0 The churches we just read about in Asia Minor.\n\nNow, is it not interesting that these churches are in Asia in chapter 1?\u00a0 But you get to chapter 4, the heavenly scene and what happened to these seven lampstands and presumably the lamps within the lampstands?\u00a0 Chapter 4, verse 5 says, \u201cOut from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before\u201d where? \u201cthe throne\u201d of God.\u00a0 Where is the throne of God?\u00a0 It\u2019s up there.\u00a0 How did they get from Asia to heaven?\u00a0 I think we have an explanation for that beloved.\u00a0 It\u2019s called the doctrine of the pretribulational rapture of the church.\u00a0 The church is always portrayed in heaven before the events of the tribulation period are even described.\u00a0 You\u2019ll notice also verse 13, the first part of the verse, it says, \u201cand in the midst\u201d it literally means middle in the Greek, \u201cin the midst of the lampstands I saw<\/em> one looking like a son of man.\u201d\n\nAnd you say well, who\u2019s \u201cthe son of man.\u201d\u00a0 We\u2019ve just finished Daniel, haven\u2019t we?\u00a0 Daniel 7:13 calls Messiah \u201cthe son of man.\u201d\u00a0 In fact, when Jesus claimed the title \u201cthe son of man\u201d and claimed to be the fulfillment of Daniel\u00a0 7, the high priest, the Jewish high priest tore his clothes, Mark 14:63, and said, \u201cWhat further need do we have of witnesses?\u201d [64] \u2018You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?\u2019 And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.\u201d\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because Jesus took a divine title that they all understood and applied it to Himself and in their minds that was a violation of Leviticus 24:16 which says a blasphemer shall be stoned to death.\u00a0 [Leviticus 24:16, \u201cMoreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death..\u201d]\n\nThe only problem is, Leviticus 24:16 doesn\u2019t apply to Jesus because He really is the Messiah and the Son of Man.\u00a0 There\u2019s no doubt who this Son of Man is; it\u2019s none other than Jesus Christ.\u00a0 And where exactly is Jesus Christ?\u00a0 Verse 13, He is exactly where you would expect Him to be, fighting bad first amendment decisions in the court system\u2026 NO!\u00a0 Battling pornography on the airwaves\u2026 NO!\u00a0 He\u2019s in the middle of the lampstands, \u201cI saw one like the Son of man.\u201d\u00a0 The lampstands, as we saw earlier, represents the seven churches of Asia Minor.\u00a0 Why wouldn\u2019t Jesus be amongst the churches?\u00a0 After all, He is the builder of the church, Matthew 16:18.\u00a0 He is the chief cornerstone of the church, Ephesians 2:20.\u00a0 He is the groom of the church, Ephesians 5:22-25.\u00a0 He is the head of the church, Colossians 1:18.\u00a0 And He is the One who has purchased the church with His own blood, Acts 20:28.\n\n[Matthew 16:18, \u201cI also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Ephesians 2:20, \u201chaving been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone.\u201d\u00a0 \u2018Ephesians 5:22-25, \u201cWives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.\u00a0 [23] For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.\u00a0 [24] But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.\u00a0 [25] Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, [26]\u00a0 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.\u201d Colossians 1:18, \u201cHe is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.\u201d\u00a0 Acts 20:28, \u201cBe on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.\u201d]\n\nOf course, He\u2019s amongst the lampstands. Of course, He\u2019s is amongst the churches.\u00a0 Of course, He is cognizant and aware of what\u2019s happening within His church.\n\nThe description goes on and we get a description here of His clothing.\u00a0 You see that in verse 13.\u00a0 Apparently, clothing and the way priests are arrayed is a big deal to God.\u00a0 We studied Exodus 28, we studied in detail the colors, the tapestry, the length of the garments of the high priest.\u00a0 Why wouldn\u2019t there be a reference to Christ\u2019s clothing? \u00a0He is functioning currently as high priest, not after the order of Aaron, but after the order of Melchizedek.\u00a0 The whole book of Hebrews is about that.\u00a0 Of course, he would be wearing priestly clothing.\n\nIf you look at verse 13 there\u2019s a brief reference to His robe.\u00a0 It says, \u201cand in the middle of the lampstands I saw<\/em> one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet,\u201d just like Aaron, who had the bells on the hem of his garment.\u00a0 And there\u2019s also a reference here, verse 13, to his golden sash across his chest, verse 13, \u201cclothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.\u201d [Revelation 1:13]\u00a0 The high priest, Jesus Christ, not yet the reigning King, functioning as a high priest.\n\nI hope you understand, I hope we understand that Jesus, although He\u2019s not yet on David\u2019s throne reigning over the earth is very active at the right hand of the Father.\u00a0 That\u2019s called the present session of Christ, an area of theology, Christology, which is sorely neglected today.\u00a0 It\u2019s an area of the doctrine of Christ which explains, not what He did in the past, we know a lot about that.\u00a0 Not what He will do in the future, we know a lot about that, but what is He doing now?\u00a0 If He\u2019s not King now, if He\u2019s not reigning as King, if He\u2019s just sitting up there and sort of bored and twiddling His thumbs\u2026 on the contrary, there are numerous things He\u2019s doing, cleansing daily sins to restore fellowship is one.\u00a0 Building the church, giving the church spiritual gifts, all of these things that He\u2019s doing at this unique time in history as He\u2019s functioning as high priest.\n\nWe move into verses 14-16 and we start to get a description of His body.\u00a0 Notice verse 14, \u201cHis head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire.\u201d\u00a0 You\u2019ll notice His hair, His Head is white, it says here \u201clike snow.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s a simile, like wool; isn\u2019t that what His ministry to us is all about?\u00a0 Isn\u2019t He the One who said, Isaiah 1:18, \u201cCome now, and let us reason together,\u2019 Says the LORD, \u2018\"Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 And you say well, I\u2019m holding out for a better deal.\u00a0 You\u2019re not going to get a better deal than this.\u00a0 In a nanosecond, by way of faith,\u00a0 you\u2019re made just as righteous as Jesus Christ Himself.\u00a0 As He is white like snow, like wool, that\u2019s what happens to the sin-soaked, sin-stained life at the point of faith alone in Christ alone.\n\nYou\u2019ll notice also in verse 4 His eyes are mentioned, \u201cand His eyes were like a flame of fire.\u201d\u00a0 Fire is used to describe judgment, introspection.\u00a0 1 Corinthians 3:13 says, \u201ceach man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man\u2019s work.\u201d\u00a0 He sees in people, to people, through people.\u00a0 It sort of reminds me of when Jesus found Nathanial under the fig tree, John 1:47, Jesus immediately looked into his heart.\u00a0 He said, \u00a0[\u201cJesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him,] \u2018Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!\"\u2019\u00a0 How could He do that?\u00a0 Because He\u2019s God.\u00a0 His eyes, like fire.\n\nYou\u2019ll notice in verse 15 there\u2019s a reference to His feet, \u201cHis feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.\u201d\u00a0 What do you do with feet burnished in bronze?\u00a0 You stamp out judgment with those feet.\u00a0 This is why the judgments in the Book of Revelation are described as the winepress that was trodden down.\u00a0 Having traveled to Israel myself we actually had the chance to walk in a real live winepress.\u00a0 And you step on those pieces of fruit grapes and the wine is made that way. And you say that\u2019s what the Lord is talking about; that\u2019s why His judgment is analogized to this wine press being \u201ctrodden down.\u201d\u00a0 And that\u2019s why there\u2019s a reference here in verse 15 to His feet.\n\nAnd what a voice, \u201cHis voice was like the sound of many waters,\u201d I don\u2019t know what to make of that.\u00a0 We have another simile here, perhaps it was like the roaring of an ocean, ocean waves.\u00a0 But that\u2019s what it sounded like to John.\n\nAnd I want you to notice something in verse 16, what is in His right hand.\u00a0 \u201cIn His right hand He held seven stars.\u201d [Revelation 1:16, \u201cIn His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.\u201d]\u00a0 \u00a0And you say \u201cseven stars,\u201d what does that mean?\u00a0 I think I\u2019ll go in with my sanctified imagination and interpret the seven stars; don\u2019t you dare, to back to verse 20.\u00a0 \u201cThe seven stars are\u201d the what? \u201cangels of the seven churches.\u00a0 \u201cIn His right hand\u201d are the seven angels of the seven churches.\u00a0 There is sort of a debate as to who these seven angels are.\u00a0 I mean, does every church have an angel?\u00a0 Does Sugar Land Bible Church have an angel\u2026 that would be kind of neat, but I don\u2019t think that\u2019s what it\u2019s talking about because as you look at the method of communication you\u2019ll see it descending from greater to lesser.\u00a0 The message starts with the Father and then is passed over to the Son.\u00a0 The Son is still God but He is submissive to the Father in terms of role.\n\nThen it goes to an angel, and that would be a real angel; then to John, then to a book, and then it goes back to an angel, you\u2019re no longer descending but what?\u00a0 Ascending, because man is created a little under the what?\u00a0 The angels.\u00a0 So I don\u2019t think the second angel there is an actual angel; I think it\u2019s an angelos<\/em> or a messenger.\u00a0 You say well, does the Bible support that?\u00a0 You bet, you do a word study on angelos<\/em> you\u2019ll see angelos,<\/em> angel, is used to describe John the Baptist, Matthew 11:10.\u00a0 [Matthew 11:10, \u201cThis is the one about whom it is written, \u2018Behold, I send My messenger ahead of\u00a0 you, who will prepare your way before you.\u2019\u201d]\u00a0 \u00a0The messengers that Christ sent out to preach the kingdom to a Samaritan village, Luke 9:52, and messengers who were received by Rahab, the harlot, in the land of Canaan, James 2:25.\u00a0 [Luke 9:52, \u201cand He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him.\u201d\u00a0 James 2:25, \u201cIn the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?\u201d]\n\nSo then who is this second angelos<\/em>?\u00a0 I think it\u2019s the pastors.\u00a0 Pastors or the preachers over the seven churches of the seven congregations in Asia Minor, and I want you to notice something very specific here\u2014the pastors or the preachers are in, not His left hand, His right hand.\u00a0 You say how do you know that.\u00a0 Because it\u2019s on the internet?\u00a0 NO, it\u2019s in the text.\u00a0 It says there in verse 16 these pastors are in His right hand. \u00a0\u00a0Now study the doctrine or the concept or right hand in the Bible.\u00a0 The right hand is always the place of honor.\u00a0 After all, when Jesus ascended He\u2019s at the what hand of the Father?\u00a0 The right hand!\u00a0 In the sheep and the goat judgment, the sheep are on the right, the goats are on the left.\u00a0 When Jesus says, \u201cI say to you do not resist the person but whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.\u201d\u00a0 [Matthew 5:39, \u201cbut whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.\u201d]\n\nAnd people want to apply that to self-defense.\u00a0 It\u2019s talking about an inner personal insult, someone dishonored you with the metaphor on the right.\u00a0 The fact that these pastors or preachers or messengers are in Christ\u2019s right hand shows you what Jesus thinks about pastors that are called by God.\u00a0 They\u2019re not to be manipulated; they\u2019re not to be resisted by the sheep.\u00a0 They are the people in the place of honor.\u00a0 1 Timothy 5:17 says, \u201cThe elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.\u201d\u00a0 You say well,\u00a0 you\u2019re up here making stuff up.\u00a0 No, I\u2019m not. It\u2019s right there in the Bible.\u00a0 And the reason I surface this and bring this up, I don\u2019t have any issues here at this church but I hear the horror stories of my fell pastors elsewhere.\u00a0 It is astounding how badly the church will mistreat its own pastor.\u00a0 They won\u2019t give him the room to actually be a shepherd; he\u2019s almost like a hired hand who\u2019s supposed to start speaking at this point and stop speaking at this point and don\u2019t say this and emphasize this.\u00a0 And the guy\u2019s whole life is choreographed; it\u2019s almost like he\u2019s a puppet on a string.\u00a0 That\u2019s not a shepherd; that\u2019s a hireling.\n\nA shepherd is someone\u2026 and I\u2019m not promoting here authoritarian leadership styles at all.\u00a0 What I\u2019m saying is a shepherd called by God is to receive basic honor from the flock that he is ministering to.\u00a0 That is the divine blueprint.\u00a0 One man put it this way\u2014your typical pastor today is treated like a pi\u00f1ata, it\u2019s someone you beat with a stick until he throws candy your direction.\u00a0 And just looking at the statistics, the number of pastors (I wish I had the number in my head) that will resign tomorrow because pastors, after a disastrous Sunday will typically resign on a Monday.\u00a0\u00a0 The vacancies as a President of a seminary trying to fill these positions and pulpits, I see all the e-mails \u2026 if I were to tell you the stuff I know you would probably never want to go to church again.\u00a0 Churches beat down their own pastors.\n\nNow I understand that the opposite is true, you can get authoritarian pastors who beat down their flocks and that\u2019s equally wrong as well.\u00a0 But the pastor is a position, not for someone to throw verbal darts at, he\u2019s to be respected, honored.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t like the way a pastor is functioning you\u2019ve got about 4,000 options in the Houston area to choose from.\u00a0 And people attack and are derogatory towards pastors for just the mildest of reasons today because we\u2019re living in a culture that really doesn\u2019t accept authority, they don\u2019t accept the blueprint of God, they don\u2019t accept authority in the workplace, they don\u2019t accept authority in the home.\u00a0 So why would they ever accept it in the church!\u00a0 And yet Jesus is holding these angelos<\/em>, these shepherds in His right hand.\n\nVery quickly, concluding with verse 16, it says there, \u201cand out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword;\u201d just jot down Revelation 19:15 because that\u2019s a big deal when Christ comes back.\u00a0\u00a0 [Revelation 15:19, \u201cFrom His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.\u201d]\u00a0 And if you\u2019re interested in taking notes jot down Isaiah 11:4 and 2 Thessalonians 2:8 where Jesus just speaks: He just gives a word and the whole regime of the antichrist comes to a screeching halt in violent destruction.\u00a0 The Word of God is a sharp double-edged sword.\u00a0 [Isaiah 11:4, \u201cBut with righteousness, He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.\u201d\u00a0 2 Thessalonians 2:8, \u201cThen that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;\u201d]\n\nAnd then finally, verse 16, notice His face, \u201cAnd out of His mouth came a sharp double-edged sword and His face was like\u201d notice the simile, \u201clike the sun shining in its strength.\u201d\u00a0 I mean, it was like looking at the sun, John says, and it was so bright it was hard for me to absorb.\u00a0 1 Timothy 6:16 says God, \u201calone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, [whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.]\u201d\u00a0 1 John 1:5 says, \u201cThis is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.\u201d\u00a0 You say is that physical light or spiritual light, and the answer is yes.\u00a0 And people say well, you know, how could God say \u201cLet there be light\u201d in Genesis 1:1 when the sun, s-u-n, wasn\u2019t created until day four?\u00a0 Answer that for me Mr. Theologian.\u00a0 And I think to myself, is that the mystery they often come up with?\n\nGod Himself is light; He is showing at the beginning of human history you don\u2019t have to depend on that light bulb or that light bulb or the radiance of the sun, He is light Himself which He can generate at will, even compassing it in a secondary source, like the sun, s-u-n.\u00a0 Why is that a big deal?\u00a0 Because in history people would worship the sun, not the s-o-n, the s-u-n sun and how foolish is that since God Himself is the Creator of the sun, s-u-n, as His face itself His head radiates light. \u00a0Not exactly the type of description we read about in the Gospel of John, is it?\u00a0 And yet this fills out our understanding of who Christ is.\n\nAnd what\u2019s John going to do in verses 17-20?\u00a0 He\u2019s not going to wrap his arm around Jesus and say God\u2019s rad, He\u2019s my dad.\u00a0 He\u2019s going to fall down as if He were dead, is what\u2019s going to happen.\u00a0 He\u2019s going to scare [can't understand word].\u00a0 This is no garden-variety pagan we\u2019re dealing with here; this is John the apostle.\u00a0 Even John the apostle would drop as though he were dead in the presence of this vision.\u00a0 And yet Jesus is going to, as we\u2019re going to see, comfort him.\n\nYou know, on Father\u2019s Day wouldn\u2019t it be great to enter a relationship with God where God is no longer your judge but your Father?\u00a0\u00a0 See, if you\u2019re outside of Christ the only relationship you have with God is He\u2019s your judge.\u00a0 And yet trusting in what He has done for us through the gospel, through his provision, changes our whole status.\u00a0 No longer is He our judge but He is our Father.\u00a0 In fact, according to Romans 8:15 we can actually call out to him, Abba, Father, changing our relationship to God, to Jesus away from judge, to God the Father, to the role of Father is possible only through trusting in what Jesus has done, which is His death, burial, resurrection, that happened 2,000 years ago.\u00a0 [Romans 15:18, \u201cFor you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, \u201cAbba! Father!\u201d]\n\nYou can only receive that as a gift because the work has already been accomplished.\u00a0 If a person will not receive that as a gift their status before God is judge, and what a judgment it\u2019s going to be.\u00a0 But how different it is for the child of God who trusts in what Christ has done through His provision for our sins and we are called His children who call Him, \u201cAbba, Father.\u201d\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t it be great on Father\u2019s Day to change your status? That\u2019s something you can do as the Holy Spirit places you under conviction.\u00a0 The Spirit of God has come into the world to convict us of our need to trust in Christ and Christ alone for salvation.\u00a0 It\u2019s not something we raise a hand to do, join a church to do, walk an aisle to do, fill out a decision card, it\u2019s a matter of privacy between you and the Lord where you hear the gospel, you trust in its provision; in the quietness of your own mind and heart then your whole status before the Holy One changes; you\u2019re no longer judged but now\u00a0 your Father, it\u2019s something you can do right now as I\u2019m talking.\u00a0 If it\u2019s something you need more explanation on I\u2019m available after the service to talk.\u00a0 Shall we pray.\n\nFather, we\u2019re grateful for this vision that we see of Your coming Son becoming King and how little teaching we get on this today, even in the 21st<\/sup> century.\u00a0 I ask, Father, that\u00a0 You would fill out our knowledge of who it is exactly we\u2019re dealing with in Jesus Christ and I ask that we would walk out these things by way of faith this week.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be careful to give you all the praise and the glory.\u00a0 We ask these things in Jesus\u2019 name, and God\u2019s people said\u2026. Amen.","series_sermon_number":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t