Morning Sermon

January 13, 2008

The End of the Beginning

Text

v.15 "Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!"

I begin there this morning because above all the differing questions about how to interpret and understand this book of Revelation, at the end of the day, this is what we will glory in. "And He shall reign forever and ever." If the music that George Frederick Handel wrote to accompany those words comes to your mind, then all the better, for the music captures the triumph of the words. I would sing it myself if I could sing anything other than the bass line. "And he shall reign forever and ever."

That's something every true Christian shall agree on. That shall be our song in eternity. Jesus shall reign. As King of Kings and Lord of Lords. "And he shall reign forever and ever."

When it comes to other matters that will take place first, especially the matter of the thousand year millennium, it is quite fashionable for people to say, "I am pan-millennial." Not post-mil. Or pre-mil. Or a-mil. But pan-mil. It will all pan out in the end. I'm not satisfied when a minister of the gospel takes that approach, because I think the Word deserves more serious study from those who teach, but in a certain sense, we all have to reach that point. We don't know all the preliminary details, for God has not revealed them to us. Nor do we as Christians even agree upon those things that might seem clear to us. But with this seventh trumpet, with the song of the loud voices in heaven, we are united in ascribing glory to the great king of all heaven and earth. His name is Jesus.

And that's where we are this morning. All other interpretations aside for the moment, let's begin there. Jesus Christ reigns as king. And he shall reign forever. And ever. And ever. And ever. That's the seventh trumpet! And what that seventh trumpet call proclaims is the,

I. CORONATION OF THE KING. v.15

Let's study that kingdom a bit more closely. What is "the kingdom of this world?" I think that kingdom is singular there, not the plural kingdoms, as if referring to the variety of nations and governments that inhabit this world. Instead, much more broadly, it refers to all of them together, the kingdom not of a particular nation but of this whole world. The kingdom demonstrated by our life and presence on earth, ruled by men on earth, all over the earth. That kingdom of this world will become Jesus' kingdom. The point is that,

A. Jesus reigns over a worldwide kingdom. And how that fits into this immediate context of the destruction of Jerusalem is obvious. Before the first coming of Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God was the kingdom of Israel. The throne of God was the throne in Jerusalem where David and Solomon had sat. And the judgment upon Israel, the very destruction of that kingdom is the necessary contrast introducing the kingdom of this world. The kingdom of Israel, God's kingdom, has become the kingdom of this world. God claims the whole world, all the nations, as his kingdom.

As one commentator puts it, "The catastrophe of Jerusalem really signalized the beginning of a new and world-wide kingdom, marking the full separation of the Christian church from legalistic Judaism." The kingdom is universalized.

That is what Jesus prophesied, as he applied the parable of the landowner to the unbelieving Jews.

Mat. 21:42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD'S doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes'? 43 "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 "And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."

This kingdom is, I believe, the fifth kingdom prophesied by Daniel in Daniel 2. There we read of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, interpreted by Daniel. The first kingdom would be Babylon. The second the Medes and Persians. The third Greece. And the fourth Rome. But those kingdoms all end. Then we read,

Dan. 2:44 "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 45 "Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold--the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure."

It is universal. And it is everlasting. Jesus reigns over a worldwide kingdom, and,

B. Jesus reigns over an everlasting kingdom. A new king is enthroned and his kingdom shall never end.

Now, of course, the question is, when? What timeframe does this refer to? In one sense, in the fullest, ultimate sense, it is still future. In terms of the restoration of all heaven and earth to be freed from the curse of death and destruction, the kingdom is still future. In terms of every knee bowing to Jesus and every tongue confessing that Jesus is Lord, why surely it still future. In terms of what we see, what we experience in our own lives, it is still future. Jesus will appear a second time.

Heb. 9:27 "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation."

2 Peter 3:7 "But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men...10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up."

All of that is true. That is our great hope, our living hope. A new heaven and a new earth.

1 Cor. 15:22 "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power."

But then listen to the next verse.

1 Cor.15:25 "For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death."

So Jesus already reigns as king, over a worldwide kingdom and an everlasting kingdom. His coronation is what we find in our text in Revelation 11 this morning. And so we read,

Ps. 2:1 "Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, 3 "Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us." 4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision. 5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: 6 "Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion."

He has already done it!

Ps. 110:1 The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool."

Jesus is already sitting on the throne, at the right hand of God.

Eph. 1:18 "...that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."

Jesus took his seat as King with the symbolic fanfare of this seventh trumpet. And there he shall sit forever and ever. The identity of the nation of Israel is ended. The universal, worldwide kingdom of Jesus is established. But before we look more thoroughly at the beginning of that new age, let's not skip over that which is most important, namely,

II. THE WORSHIP OF THE KING. v.16

Remember the 24 elders, representing the whole church from all ages, symbolizing the 12 tribes of Old Covenant Israel added to the 12 apostles of the New Covenant church. And their worship is clearly a model for ours. As they worship, notice they fall on their faces. An outward sign of abject humility. As obvious an outward evidence of reverence and as could possibly be imagined. They fell on their faces. That's what worship is, we fall down before God. We recognize his glory. And his honor. His majesty. Authority. Power.

There is today such utter blasphemy that masquerades as worship, when the goal is not a focused delight in the glory of God, but in the comfortability and satisfaction of man the worshiper. Beloved, there is nothing comfortable about falling on your face before God. There is nothing in that designed to build up your own self-esteem. Just the opposite. It is the evidence and sign of humbling yourself before God, a sign of your own humiliation that the one whom you honor might receive all the glory.

That's worship!

More specifically, there is,

A. A song of thanksgiving. v.17

Thanksgiving. That is at the very heart of what worship is all about.

Ps. 105:1 "Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! 2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! 3 Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!"

Ps. 106:1 "Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 2 Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? Who can declare all His praise?"

Ps. 107:1 "Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, 3 And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south."

That's what we continue to do. That's what we must continue to do. And in the language of the New Testament,

Heb. 13:15 "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name."

But this is mindless emotionalism. This giving of thanks is not some sort of mood stirred up by loud or exciting music that beats on endlessly measure after measure. The giving of thanks to God in worship is not so much a mood as it is the specific expression of the heart for the specific goodness of God. It is,

B. A confession of faith. And what we find in our text is that the Elders give praise to the Lord for the inauguration of his kingdom. The specific focus of thanksgiving is this coronation of a king that has brought a glorious kingdom into existence. v.18

And so it is, on this great and historic occasion, that,

III. A NEW AGE IS BORN. And it is not the age of aquarius. It is the age of the Messiah. The Messiah King. And how does that new age begin? It begins with the destruction of the temple on earth in order that the temple in heaven might be opened and made visible.

v.19 "Then the temple of God was opened in heaven."

A. The true temple is in heaven. Now let's think for a moment about the significance of the temple on earth no longer standing. In my understanding of this whole book of Revelation, that is the focus-the destruction of the temple along with all of Jerusalem in AD 70. Now turn with me to Hebrews 9, where the contrast between the Old and New covenants is explained.

Heb. 9:1 Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; 3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail."

Like the writer of Hebrews, let me just mention that and then move on.

Heb. 9:6 "Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance; 8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience-- 10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. 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."

So Jesus entered the true temple, with his own blood, in order to satisfy the demands of God himself. "With His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption."

And what of that old, earthly temple? "The way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing." That's what the Holy Spirit is teaching us! While the old temple stood, while the administration of the Old Covenant was still in effect, because it was only symbolic, the way into the very presence of God in heaven was hidden. You only had the outward form, and it pointed to the inward reality. But now, with Jesus' arrival on earth in the flesh, the reality is fully revealed. The earthly temple is torn down, it would no longer be standing on earth, so that you and I would now be able to understand the truth of the gospel, as Hebrews 9 continues,

Heb. 9:24 "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; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another-- 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself."

And so the destruction of the temple serves to reveal Jesus Christ, our great high priest who ministers in the true temple in heaven.

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. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. 4 For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; 5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain." 6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises."

And so, with the destruction of Jerusalem, with the tearing down of the Old Covenant temple,

B. The mystery of the gospel is fully revealed. Again, v.19 "Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple."

The ark of His covenant was seen. Before, it was hidden. Behind the inner curtain. It was seen only by one high priest, once a year. But now the curtain is torn down. And what do we see? The glorious presence of God, as symbolized and represented by that ark of the covenant, covered by the mercy seat.

What a glorious, glorious image! We can see God, as least as he reveals himself in these symbols.

This is where God meets with his people, at the mercy seat. And so we read in the Old Covenant about the Old Temple as it would be built,

Ex. 25:22 "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."

But now we read in the New Covenant, Heb. 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

He is no longer hidden. The mystery is no longer concealed.

Thus what Paul wrote at the end of the book of Romans is fully made evident,

Rom. 16:25 "Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began 26 but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith."

"With the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the revelation is complete and definitive; the mystery is no longer mysterious." (Chilton)

And so we see the,

C. Signs for a new age. v.19 "And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail."

Those signs are very similar to the description of God's presence in the Old Covenant as well. For example,

Ps. 18:7 "Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry. 8 Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it. 9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet. 10 And He rode upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters And thick clouds of the skies. 12 From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire. 13 The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire. 14 He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them."

And so the new covenant has come. The old is finished. And "the fall of old Israel was not 'the beginning of the end.'" Instead, "it was the end of the beginning." The old age has ended, and a new age had come. This "was the sign that Christ's worldwide Kingdom had truly begun, that [the] Lord was ruling the nations from his heavenly throne, and that the eventual conquest of all nations by the armies of Christ was assured."

By way of application, all of this is for us a source of great encouragement and hope. It is not the uncertain hope that some candidate for President of the United States can bring change to our country and our world. This is not a temporary, political-based hope built upon the eloquence of political rhetoric, but rather the sure and certain hope that Jesus Christ will build his church. It is Jesus who gives us that hope, and our commission, for it is he who says to us,

Mat. 28:18 "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

As we set out to accomplish that commission, this is our confidence, that Jesus shall reign as king for ever and ever. That age is upon us. It began when the universal reign of Jesus was made evident and the temple in heaven. "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ."

And it is that great king whom we worship, to whom we give thanks. "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned."

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