The Kingdoms of Our Lord and of His Christ - 31

My sermon this morning is the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ taken from verse 15 of our passage this morning. The subject obviously is the reign of Christ as we think about 15 through 19. And as we consider that subject or that theme.

I've got for headings that I want to guide us as we think through this passage number one.

The proclamation of Christ's reign number two, the redeemed churches response to the right. The reign of Christ. Number three.

The description of the root of the reign of Christ and then lastly, the enjoyment of the reign of Christ is for headings is been a while since we've been in our preaching series.

In Revelation, and because we come to these words in the beginning of verse 17 then the seventh angel sounded, we probably need to stop and just get our minds oriented to what is going on and where we are in the unfolding of John's vision. Let's start back and this will not take but about three or four minutes but I think it's helpful turned back to chapter 8 and verse 13, John says and I looked and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice wall wall 102. The inhabitants of the earth because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound, were in that section of the trumpet judgments.

John gives that instruction there in verse 13 and there is a wall associated with the fifth trumpet judgment judgment. There is a second wall related to the six trumpet, and there is 1/3 will that's related to the seventh trumpet notice with me that first woe. The fifth trumpet begins at chapter 9 and verse one and runs to the end of verse 12.

Notice what we read in verse 12 one of always passed. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things right the second wall begins in chapter 9 and verse 13 and it runs all the way from chapter 9 verse 13 to chapter 11 verse 14 and then we read in chapter 11 verse 14. This the second wall was passed. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly. John says so that's where we are.

We are at the beginning of the third woe the seventh trumpet judgment now give our thoughts to this portion of Scripture that the sounding of the seventh trumpet a startling event occurs, the reader is expecting a terrible judgment to fall since the seventh trumpet is to usher in the third woe. But instead, we hear a heavenly choir lifting their voices and worship to God for what the entire Bible has been longing for and waiting for that is the arrival of the glorious kingdom. The rain the unquestioned rain. The undisputed rain of King Jesus. So let's think number one about the proclamation of the rain of Christ. This choir this heavenly this heavenly choir announces this good news, then the seventh angel sounded, and there were loud voices in heaven, now it's interesting that there is no identification. We don't know whether these loud voices in heaven are angelic.

We don't know if these loud voices in heaven are the redeemed just 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.

The proclamation of the reign of Christ. There's this outburst of praise we look at the entirety of the book of the Revelation, we discover there are 19 occurrences where loud voices are mentioned again. John doesn't mention a multitude or larger groups of angels, but he simply says loud voices and I think that there's a reason for that.

That is to stress the him to stress the content and not draw attention to those who are doing the singing. It's a pretty good pattern follows in we come together to worship what should dominate shouldn't though the words that were singing, shouldn't they dominate wooden we agree that any personality any expression, any attraction is drawn to the one is doing the singing takes away from the main purpose hope you would on agree with me about that and if churches in our day would just honor that principal would be quite a change in a lot of music and a lot of churches, but that's just the point of application. These voices are in heaven and throughout John's writing. He moves from earthly sayings that heavenly scenes and were now considering what's taking place in heaven. And just as the first Advent of Jesus Christ was initiated with a heavenly choir.

So it is with his second advent. The kingdom is no longer of this world, but now all of our Lord and of his Christ. I want you to notice the inseparable link between God the father and of his Christ, the kingdom of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and all of his Christ song chapter 2 in verse two talked of the kings of the earth standing against the Lord and against his anointed one, and after stating that the kingdom belongs to our Lord and his Christ.

What is John say again in verse 15, the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he John switches to the third person singular P to stress the oneness between God the father and God the son know I hear people say waddle see the Trinity anywhere in the Bible. But what they're saying with the what the what they mean by that is I don't see the word Trinity in the Bible, but it's throughout the Bible.

You're just another example of the oneness that there is in the Godhead, so we have the proclamation of the reign of Christ, we have number two, the redeemed churches response to the reign of Christ. Notice verse 16 verse 16 says and the 24 elders who sat before God on the thrones fell on their faces and worship God. The 24 elders we were introduced to the 24 elders in chapter 4 and verse four and we were told there that they are clothed in white robes, and they have golden crowns on their heads and not all commentators are in agreement as to the identity of the 24 elders, but when I preach through that study through that and we came I came to the conclusion that these 24 elders are representative of the redeemed church throughout all the ages say 24.

What is the significance of 24 well, we don't have the time to to turn to the passage and look at it but it is the combination of the names of the 12 tribes of Israel with the 12 apostles, which make the 24 this is the redeemed's churches response to the reign of Christ, no doubt, you picked up when I read verse 15 those famous words, the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever, when Handel's Messiah was performed at a concert in Ireland in 1742. There was a great crowd assembled and among them was King George II of England and he was so moved by the hallelujah chorus that he stood for that part of the performance and thus the tradition remains to this day. Audiences stand for the Holly of course. What a contrast the great monarch, the king of England standing in the redeemed church falling on its faces before the reigning Christ. That's the redeemed churches response to the reign of Christ in his satisfying and is engaging his worship is in our present state church redeemed brothers and sisters when he does think on long and long for that day when we are there in that place where we can worship without distraction, without hindrance, without opposition, without remaining sin.

III can't.

I can imagine what that's going to be like. But it is going to be glorious. What follows this redeemed the redeemed churches response to the reign of Christ is a hymn of thanksgiving. Notice the 24 elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, we give you thanks old Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who was and who is the to come because you have taken your great power and reigned three times in this book God is been addressed is the one who is the one who was in the one who is to come to one in verse four, chapter 1 in verse eight. Chapter 4 in verse eight, but in verse 17 something that's added thanksgiving to the one who is and who was and who is to come. But what's added in verse 17 the one who has taken up his power and begun to rain because you have taken your great power and reigned.

The final consummation of the kingdom obviously was future. From John's vantage point and it is yet future.

From our vantage point, but it has happened from the perspective of those who are offering this heavenly praise of thanksgiving. We give you thanks old Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who was and who is to come because you have taken your great power and reigned. Now the actual event of the reign of Christ is the details that are given to us in chapters 18 through 22. But as I studied and I thought about this. I thought an anticipated questions that we might have.

You might have in the question that seems to dominate Elise my thinking and I perhaps your thinking is is Christ ruling and reigning in his kingdom today or is that still yet future. Is it still yet future. He selects a challenging question. I like to address that question by reminding you of a theological paradigm that I think is very very helpful and it is that paradigm of the already in the not yet there is a sense in which Christ is ruling and reigning he ascended from this earth after his resurrection to take his seat beside God the father and he's there ruling and reigning in this world there is no creature who can thwart his will. There is no government that can rise and overcome his reign. Psalm 110 verse one says the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. There is a sense in which Christ is reigning in this world. It is not a undisputed reign. There are powers the devil is at work to challenge the reign of Christ to subvert the reign of Christ. But even the devil and all of his cohorts cannot afford and undermine the rule and reign of Christ, the devil is an on willing servant of Jehovah, and it should cause us to marvel that that God allows sin in this world. He allows opposition and rebellion in this world, and although he allows it, it's still within his rule and reign as sovereign King. So there's a sense in which he is already raining, but not yet in the full sense of the word because there is a day future that John is drawing our attention to where his reign will be in undisputed reign.

All of his enemies will be brought into subjection to him put at his footstool.

So the already in the not yet P is ruling over this broken world and all of its sin and all of its rebellion to accomplish his degree dance and as a child of God. We should never wonder in question. What this what is this world coming to. Well I tell you what is coming to its coming to God's decreed in. He has decreed he has a script and he is following that perfectly unerringly and we can rest in that confidence that nothing is going to upset the plan of God, nor thwart the purposes of God, he will one day rain finally and completely with all of his enemies defeated and subdued. He must reign until he puts all his enemies under his feet so we've seen the proclamation of the reign of Christ was seen the redeemed churches response to the reign of Christ was consider number three. A description of the reign of Christ out again. Keep in mind that what John has what we have here through John is just a portion of a description. It's not complete in any way, but it's what God is determined to tell us in this particular context. So the description of the reign the reign of Christ.

What is he tell us when there are three aspects here that make up the description we have the wrath of God. The judgment of God and the rewards of God the wrath of God. The judgment of God and the rewards of God. Let me read those verses, verse 18. The, the nations were angry, and your wrath has come in the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that you should reward your servants the prophets and the saints, and those who fear your name, small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth. The first description of the, the reign of God is the wrath of God. Verse 18 begins with a reference to Psalm two and verse one what are the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing.

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, let us break their bonds in pieces, and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall hold them in derision, then he shall speak to them in his wrath and distress them in his deep displeasure.

Yet I have set my King on my holy hill. The object of the nations wrath and empty plots is the Lord their anger is directed toward the Lord and his anointed one.

In God's response there and Psalm two is alluded to in the next phrase of verse 18 of our text, the nation's were angry. Angry at home, angry, or angry at God angry at his authority. Angry at his reign and your wrath has come. Your wrath has come every reference of the word wrath in the book of Revelation concerns the time of the final great outpouring of God's wrath at the end of history at the end of the age the judgment of God, not just the wrath of God, but the judgment of God. This is a reference to the final judgment, the nations were angry in your wrath is come in the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that reference to time is not chronological speaking of God's appointed time.

God has a time that he has appointed where he will judge this world and we can we won't take the time to turn but when you look at Revelation chapter 20 verses 11 through 14. We have their a description of the great white throne judgment and the dead are judged according to their works. I think the reference to dead there in verse 18. Again, Revelation 11, verse 18. The time of the dead, that they should be judged is a reference to not all the dead, but unbelievers wicked doers.

The unrepentant civil why do you say that because believers are in a different category. There him to be addressed. When he speaks of the matter of rewards later on in this passage, so I think the reference thereto.

The dead are the unregenerate unbelieving people.

This is a from one of the commentators that I've studied behind this commentator says this John is not alluding to chronological time, but to the right moment that God ordained for the day of judgment. It is a time God is appointed for the last judgment. The sixth seal, the seventh trumpet and the sixth bowl all refer to the moment when the great day of judgment comes in again. I think it's good to just be reminded of the cyclical nature of John's writing John wrote about the seven seals that he goes back and he speaks about the seven trumpets and the nobody. The seven bowl judgments or the seven vials judgment is so you can see the same event. The final judgment is mentioned in all three of those occasions.

So if you're reading the book of the Revelation chronologically you think that it is a record of sequential historical narrative. The obvious question you're going to have in your mind when you get to the end of this chapter.

Why isn't this the end of the book. Why is this only the end of chapter 11. Why is there chapters 12 through the end of the book well again it's because of the cyclical nature of John's writing now very quickly look at Revelation 6 and verse 17, Revelation 6 and verse 17 this is a description of the end of the age of got the time to read this so just follow as I begin to read it verse 12 through verse 17 and ask yourself the question is, they are these is this a description of just minor disturbances in the cosmos or is this a description of the final judgment the end of the age. I looked verse 12 when he opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood in the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind than the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place in the kings of the earth.

The great men in the Richmond. The commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the cave and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb for the great day of his wrath has come in who is able to stand. There's a description of the great day of his wrath. The final judgment the end of the age. Chapter 6 and verse 17. That's what we're reading here in chapter 11 in verse 18 the nations were angry, your wrath is come the time of the dead, that they should be judged the same. Of redemptive history and then chapter 16. Turn to chapter 16. Why are there just to stay there minute.

Let me again just reinforce what were trying to observe here there in chapter 6 it was the the sixth seal judgment. The seventh seal washers in the seven trumpet judgments. Where are we in Chapter 11. It is the seventh trumpet judgment and then we turn to chapter 16 in verse 14. While, read beginning at verse 12, down through verse 16.

But where are we. We are now at the end of the bowl judgments or the viral judgment notice again. Chapter 16 verse 12 then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the day of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw there unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the Dragon out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame. And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon than the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air in a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne saying it is done and there were noises and thunderings and lightnings, and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. There again, God's judgment at the end of the age so back to Chapter 11 for giving attention to the description that John is been given through inspiration. The description of the reign of Christ, we seen the wrath of God. We've seen the judgment of God.

But notice with me. The rewards of God the middle of verse 18, and that you should reward your servants the prophets and the saints, and those who fear your name, small and great rewards.

The reward of the faithful is spoken here in the context of the judgment of an unbelieving and wicked world and I wonder if part of the reward will be there vindication when God judges their enemies. You remember back in chapter 6 when the martyrs were crying out for vindication. Revelation 610 they cried with a loud voice saying how long the Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth than a white robe was given to each of them and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. Again, I'm just wondering if it isn't part of their reward that God vindicates their plea for judgment to come upon those who were their persecutors and we think about rewards. What are art rewards tokens of God's free grace that they're not earned they're not meritorious because if they were there would be room for us to boast of what I've earned what I've merited to be no boasting in heaven.

So rewards again are tokens of God's free grace. Anything we do anything we accomplish is energized and directed in and enabled by the indwelling spirit of God. God is at work in us both to will and to do according to his good pleasure. So when we will and do according to his good pleasure. Do we get rewarded for that you got rewards us for what he's doing in us is an amazing thing. We are what we are brethren, by the by the free grace of God there are three phrases the John uses to identify those who are going to be rewarded. Notice what he says you should reward your servants who are the prophets and the saints, so I seem really to get to categories of people servants who are prophets and the saints, and all the saints are those who fear God's name, both small and great rewards. And again it's not a detailed what exactly those rewards are, we can rest that God is going to take note of what we do when rewarded when we read in the Gospels that even a cup of cold water given in his name will receive a reward.

We know that God will grant rewards to those who've been faithful doing so for headings here. The proclamation of the reign of Christ the Redeemer church's response to the reign of Christ.

A description of the reign of Christ, but number four the enjoyment of the reign of Christ, the enjoyment notice with me. Verse 19 that says then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of his covenant was seen in his temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, and earthquake and great hail. The enjoyment of the reign of Christ, the temple of God, that place given by God in the Old Testament where his manifold presence was most obvious and manifested the temple of God speaks of the very presence of God and yet chapter 21 verse 22 of this same book we read this. This is a description of the new Jerusalem.

John says but I saw no temple in it for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple so God will not be confined to a temple he will be identified with the ark of the covenant, although that is also in picture here.

We will enjoy an aspect of the presence of God unknown in this broken fallen world. We will know unhindered fellowship and communion with our God. We will enjoy the reign of Christ, the ark of the covenant was that will get. It was a vivid reminder of God's presence and power. John is drawing many many times in in his giving of this vision of Old Testament narrative you go back and read Joshua and the fall of Jericho and the instructions that God gave they were to take trumpets and they were to march around the city blowing trumpets and on the seventh day they were to do that seven times over to go around the.

The walls of of Jericho and those who were blowing the trumpets with were leading, followed word. The priests carrying the Ark of the covenant, and then the rearguard were other soldiers and what happened. The blowing of the trumpet when we have here in Revelation chapter 11, the seventh trumpet, God brought victory there in Joshua chapter I think three or four but what is being pictured here for us is the enjoyment of the reign of Christ, and we will know him. His presence will be so conspicuous, so assessable to us that we will enjoy that without any hindrance without any obstacles and what a day that will be so the reign of Christ.

The proclamation of the redeemed church's response to the description of it, then the enjoyment of it by the people of God, let us pray. Father, we thank you again this morning for your word and the richness of it for granting us insight concerning what awaits the redeemed church. What awaits the people of God, and we say eyes have not seen years have not heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man the things that you will God are prepared. We thank you for so great a salvation. We thank you that you have redeemed us, reconciled us to yourself, made us children of yours. Thank you for our family privileges.

Thank you that there is a day coming that there will be no separation, no hindrance.

It will know you in a way that we could only and barely ever even think about in this life. I we thank you for those of gone on before us and what they are enjoying create a longing in our hearts of God for the consummation of your kingdom and for the reign of Christ, and grant us believing faith in this troubled world and all the chaos we see in all the defiance of your rule and reign to know that there is a day coming when all of that will be put under the feet of King Jesus you love your your redeemed church enough that we will be with you forever and ever and ever because your church to rejoice in this truth today. I pray Christ name, amen