Morning Sermon

February 24, 2008

The Day of Reckoning

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The day of reckoning has come. We've been through the cycle of seven seals, the seals of the judgment of God. We've been through the seven trumpets, reemphasizing and reiterating that same judgment. And now in the third cycle of the description of God's wrath being poured out, we come to another great and marvelous sign of seven angels ready to pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God upon the earth. v.1

"This new sign initiates the climax of the book...They comprise the final outpouring of God's wrath." In the perspective I have maintained throughout our study, this is completion of the great judgment against the Jerusalem that finally and permanently abolished the Old Covenant world-order once and for all. (Chilton) That judgment clearly gives us a picture as well of the judgment that yet awaits the return of Jesus in his final triumph at the end of this age.

But notice where we begin. After a study of the fiery red dragon and the beasts from the earth and the sea, we have a victor's triumph. After studying the mark of the beast, a mark of his utter failure, we saw last week the great picture of the wrath of God being poured out upon the wicked, the earth is reaped like grain in a field.

Rev. 14:18 "And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe." 19 So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses' bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs."

That was the judgment. And now is the triumph. The picture of that vision of victory is the sea of glass.

I. THE SEA OF GLASS: A VISION OF VICTORY. v.2

We saw this throne in, Rev. 4:5 "And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. 6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back."

So what of that "sea of glass, like crystal." What should we make of that? Nothing less than the clean water with which our robes are washed. The sanctifying power of God himself, cleansing us with clean water as he promised.

Ezek. 36:24 "For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."

The glassy sea before the throne of heaven is nothing less than the clean water with which God cleanses his people from all their sins. Yet, that glorious symbol of God's mercy is mingled with fire. Clearly, there, a reference to judgment as we studied in chapter 14.

It is also the judgment Jesus came to inflict by the power of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist reports it this way:

Mat. 3:11 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

So we come to a description of,

A. The triumphant conquerors. v.2 "...those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass."

Those who have victory over the beast. Those who have victory over the mark of the beast. Those who have victory over the number of his name. Now, let me ask you, when you normally hear about the mark of the beast or the number of the beast, do you hear immediately of their destruction! Do you hear an emphasis upon the triumphant conquerors of the beast? Do you hear of the destruction of the number of the beast?

No. So much contemporary teaching on Revelation is intended to terrify you of the beast. So much contemporary emphasis is upon the danger of the beast, upon sensational descriptions of his power and success. But that's not the emphasis of the book of Revelation. For this is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, and this is the revelation of those who will triumph gloriously!

The beast is an utter failure, never measuring up to that perfect 7. He languishes with the failure of his number, 6. 666 is the number of utter failure. The sea of glass mingled with fire is the description of victory. And whose victory is it? Why those who sing,

B. The song of victory. They have harps of God, according to verse 2. And who has the harps? The church, represented by the twenty four elders of the Old Covenant and New Covenant joined together.

Rev. 5:8 "Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."

That's what began this whole sequence of judgment with the seven seals. The church of God's true people, singing his praise as Jesus sits upon the throne of heaven. And notice how this song of victory is defined and described, as "the song of Moses." v.3-4

Now think for a moment. When was the song of Moses sung? Upon the occasion of the great deliverance of the Old Covenant, the time of redemption for the Old Covenant people of God as they were brought up out of Egypt by the powerful hand of God.

That was the redemption of Israel pictured in the history of Old Covenant Israel. And the sung they sang was a song of deliverance. A song of salvation. It was the song of Moses, whom God used to lead them in that deliverance.

Let me note again the emphasis upon victory! The song of Moses was the song of victorious triumph. Look at it with me in,

Ex. 15:1 "Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying: "I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! 2 The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him. 3 The LORD is a man of war; The LORD is His name. 4 Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea. 5 The depths have covered them; They sank to the bottom like a stone. 6 "Your right hand, O LORD, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has dashed the enemy in pieces. 7 And in the greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath; It consumed them like stubble. 8 And with the blast of Your nostrils The waters were gathered together; The floods stood upright like a heap; The depths congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, My hand shall destroy them.' 10 You blew with Your wind, The sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters. 11 "Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders? 12 You stretched out Your right hand; The earth swallowed them. 13 You in Your mercy have led forth The people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength To Your holy habitation."

Note also, Deut. 32:34 "Is this not laid up in store with Me, Sealed up among My treasures? 35 Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them.' 36 "For the LORD will judge His people And have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their power is gone, And there is no one remaining, bond or free. 37 He will say: 'Where are their gods, The rock in which they sought refuge? 38 Who ate the fat of their sacrifices, And drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise and help you, And be your refuge. 39 'Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand. 40 For I raise My hand to heaven, And say, "As I live forever, 41 If I whet My glittering sword, And My hand takes hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to My enemies, And repay those who hate Me. 42 I will make My arrows drunk with blood, And My sword shall devour flesh, With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the heads of the leaders of the enemy."' 43 "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people."

There is another paraphrase of this song in, Is. 12:1 "And in that day you will say: "O LORD, I will praise You; Though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; 'For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.'" 3 Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation. 4 And in that day you will say: "Praise the LORD, call upon His name; Declare His deeds among the peoples, Make mention that His name is exalted. 5 Sing to the LORD, For He has done excellent things; This is known in all the earth. 6 Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!"

As David Chilton so well comments, "It is important to note that both Songs of Moses are firmly rooted in history: Both proclaim that the salvation God provides is His victory in this world, over the heathen of this world."

John's revelation of this song recorded here in chapter 15 doesn't quote word for word from Exodus 15 or Deuteronomy 32, but alludes to reference after reference from the Old Testamant. The point of identifying this song as the song of Moses is not to emphasize one specific quotation but rather the theme of God's victory. And judgment upon his enemies. And as John records the song under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, there is reference after reference from the Old Testament history of God's saving work on behalf of his people. Again, Chilton notes that, "It is probably impossible to track down the Song's Old Testament allusions completely." There are simply too many of them. It is a compilation and compendium of references all emphasizing the glorious reality of the victory of Jesus and of his people. Look at the words:

v.3 "Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty!"

That's from Exodus 34 and Deuteronomy 32. Also 1 Chronicles 16, Psalm 92 and Psalm 139:14.

"Just and true are Your ways." Again, Deuteronomy 32, and also Psalm 145 and Hosea 14.

O King of the saints!" Psalms 22, 47, and 82.

"Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?" That's Exodus 15 and Jeremiah 10.

"For You alone are holy." Exodus 15, 1 Sam. 2, Psalm 99, Isaiah 6 and Hosea 11.

"For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested." Those words make reference to 1 Chronicles 16, Psalm 2 and numerous other psalms, Isaiah 26 and 66, and Jeremiah 16.

The point is that God's people sing of their salvation and deliverance, even as they sing of God's judgment in triumph upon his enemies. That judgment is about to be declared and imposed with these seven final bowls, proclaimed to us here with a vision of heaven that comes from,

II. OPENING THE TABERNACLE. v.5

This is the true tabernacle, the tabernacle in heaven. The very dwelling place of God. The tabernacle on earth was but the copy and shadow. We are of this true tabernalce in,

Heb. 8:1 "Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man."

Heb. 9:11 "But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption."

Heb. 9:23 "Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us."

Notice John refers to "the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven." The testimony was the record of the covenant, most specifically the decalogue or ten commandments, and that "testimony" was kept in the tabernacle, inside the ark of the covenant underneath the mercy seat.

Ex. 25:10 "And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 "And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around. 12 "You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side. 13 "And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 "You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. 15 "The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16 "And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you. 17 "You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. 18 "And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 "Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 "And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. 21 "You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. 22 "And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel."

That's what was opened! And it was opened, as I emphasized at the beginning, with reference to,

A. The completion of God's wrath. v.1

We have read of those who will receive this judgment, and drink of these bowls.

Rev. 14:10 "...he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb."

The clothing of these priests of the New Covenant who pour out the bowls of God's wrath clearly reflects the image and likeness of the Lord. They were "clothed in pure bright linen," according to verse 6, like the Old Covenant priests ministering before the Lord. And their chests were "girded with golden bands." We saw that description of the Lord himself in,

Rev. 1:13 "...and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters."

Those angels were then called upon to apply the curses proclaimed by the seven trumpets. v.7

William Hendriksen comments, "This sanctuary is now opened, so that we may understand that the wrath which is about to be revealed is God's wrath. Out of the opened sanctuary the seven angels proceed...These bowls are of gold, for they are used in the service of god. They are full, to indicate the fierceness and unmitigated character of God's wrath. It is everlasting wrath for it proceeds from an ever-living God."

Indeed, what is evident and obvious in all of this is,

B. The glory of God in his judgment. The glory of God. In the smoke of his wrath! v.8

We know the Old Covenant tabernacle built by men upon the earth was filled with the smoke of the glory of God.

Ex. 19:18 "Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly."

But now that smoke testifies of God's wrath, the power of his judgment and justice. And just as "Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle," so now, "no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed."

Let me make an additional comment about this in reference to the judgment upon the nation of Israel as the Old Covenant nation of God. This makes such good sense, that while this Old Covenant shadow and type was still standing, the New Covenant church of God's people could not fully occupy the true temple. David Chilton remarks, "For the Church to take full possession of her inheritance, for her to assume her proper place as the New Covenant Temple, the corrupt scaffold of the Old Covenant had to be thrown down and demolished."

"No one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed."

In a futurist sense, this, too, reveals God's truth. For until this judgment of God is completed at the end of this age, until the seven bowls of his wrath are fully poured out, until his enemies are fully and completely conquered and destroyed, we shall not obtain our eternal inheritance. Thus, throughout this age, we can only groan in anticipation of that future glory.

Rom. 8:23 "Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body."

And so all of this becomes an evangelistic invitation of the gospel, that those who think that they can somehow escape this judgment and wrath of God without faith in Jesus Christ might repent! Such a great warning we have of the terrible, terrible wrath of God.

And yet, that warning is for us who believe, the foundation of a great song of praise. It is the subject of our worship, the song of Moses. Just as the people of Israel sang of the destruction of Pharaoh's armies in the Red Sea, so we sing of our salvation in the same terms. It is that song which I call you to sing in your own heart and soul today as we worship our great God together. This is the song, the song of the Lamb, the song of Jesus:

v.3 "Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! 4 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested."

So sing, people of God. Sing the song of the lamb. Sing according to the words of,

Ex. 15:1 "I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! 2 The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him."

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