A Pause in the Mercy of God, Part 2

Praise God, what's the focus is true worship about us or about God saying you notice what I did work for you. Did you notice how I stood true for you righteous and true are your coral outburst is focused upon and flooded with the exaltation of God. One author wrote generations ago in the perfect presence of God's self is only or someone is in a reminder of all that they've suffered or faced in life. No, they sing of the glory of God.

The focus is on God and God alone. But immediately following this song, seven angels carrying seven bowls of God's wrath for his enemies are sent out what is seen.

This short chapter from Revelation is rich in theology and working to study it next. This is wisdom for the heart.

And here's Stephen Devi with a lesson he's calling applies in the mercy of God.

Some time ago I had to go to the courthouse downtown Raleigh and see somebody regarding my excessive face. My passion for ministry. My single mile never. I knew one of the judges, federal judges normally held court downtown so I came downtown and after I had given my investment to the great state of North Carolina which I love. I stop by his courtroom ayatollahs combined. He said they when you do combine say hello. I stepped inside the door of his car was filled with people. People standing seated he was up there behind the bench on the bench behind the desk and he was in his black robe the bailiff standing there armed to the teeth in court some kind of federal trial was was going on. Court was in session. Sometime I got my neck and interrupt him and so I went to step back outside the courtroom and he spotted me. I did one of those me you don't receive one judge.

Today I want to seek to. So I walked down the aisle stops lawyers turn and look at me I'm walking on the walk to the swinging gate right here. To my right seated are for men shackled together wearing orange jumpsuits. They look up at me and I like them and how you doing just didn't seem fitting and so I still walking is bent and he leaned over to a pastor and he shook my hand and he said court and recess.me back to his chambers talk while praying about something he was heavy on his mind. We left got back on the bench and I left the courtroom and I didn't stick around that I can just about guarantee you he never shook the hand of those for men. I doubt he invited them back to his chambers to those men. He was a judge to me. He was a judge, but he was also my friend, so that those who are standing there.

Yes, he is an awesome holy judge in reflection of his glory. Shimmering the width of the sea, but he embraces them. They are his friend. Although you have a picture judgment swirling around like fire around the bench of these superior judge of the universe. The saints are filled with joy singing because of their invitation by means of faith in the son of God. John describes these believers one more point about verse four before we move on. He describes them rather interestingly to he says of these.

They are those who have been victorious over the beast is the antichrist martyrs, but he refers to them here, as these are they who had been victorious over the beast. This is where God turns everything upside down. They are the winners every time the Christ team blade fell, God says, in effect, I got the victory in that one, and the antichrist. At the same time saying that's another victory for me and the world's eyes. These believers were considered losers. The loser they were captured and imprisoned. They want with it. The real estate with the world and and because of that they were reviled they would worship the true God who had already shown his miraculous splendor, who will because they confess Jesus Christ as Lord alone. The antichrist comes against them, and listen at the moment of their execution. Would there be any other moment like that one that would indicate these people are powerless and helpless insignificant stripped of everything, even life itself and yet the moment after the blade fell there announced as victors over the beast.

God turns the feet upside down to see the perspective of heaven here.

The antichrist is under the delusion that he is demonstrating absolute power.

He's ridding himself of his enemies rightly. All he's doing in reality is running a shuttle service to heaven right here, Christ thinks he's worthy of worship. From the perspective of heaven.

One author wrote it this way, Christ is nothing more than an elevator boy. I love that he's delivering saints, as it were up to glory down on earth, the Christ seems to be winning in the presence of God.

These who died are announced, we have another touring this one is just right. Join the choir. Now the lyrics will follow the titles to these two hymns. Let's look first at the titles, verse three and they sang the song of Moses the bondservant of God and the song of the Lamb. More than likely the song of Moses tracks back to Exodus chapter 15 verses 1 to 19. This is where the children of Israel celebrated their Exodus from slavery. This is where they celebrated and sang of their great deliverance away from Pharaoh. This was the song of their Exodus.

It was stamped upon the memory of every Jew. In fact, it would be song at every Sabbath evening service in the synagogue and to this day.

Orthodox Jewish services include one of two prayers, two prayers, actually one of the two prayers references the song of Moses.

We've Artie been introduced to the song of the Lamb. Earlier in Revelation chapter 15. Here you'll discover just a few nuances are added and a stanza or two to this great scene praises people saying of their redemption from the slavery of sin. Having been brought now into the promised land. Song of Moses's was song of the Red Sea song of the Lamb that was being sung at the Crystal city song of Moses was triumph over Egypt, the song of the Lamb. Here's triumph over Satan song of Moses, saying, of how God brought his people out song of the Lamb sings of how God brings his people in song of Moses is one of the first hymns in Scripture. Song of the Lamb will be one of the last wonderful British expositor John Phillips wrote that the lyrics of these great hymns begin with effectively how great thou art notice verse three great and marvelous are your works, O Lord God the Almighty how great thou art but not only how great thou art good thou art notice. Next, righteous and true are your ways, King of the nation not only how great thou Art and how good thou art but how glorious thou art verse four who will not fear the Lord, and glorify your name.

Listen to them say that one word of their suffering because now it is seen with the perspective of glory.

One word of complaint process. Even though I have to get there is a wide 1973 why this difficultly in my life. In 1984 is my job in 2005 significant things to us. Now that we ask God for wisdom about when you are.

You see the sea of glass, and the throne of sovereign God and and were there.

By the way this company of martyrs and singing and were were listening and enjoying it.

All the sudden everything change won't even say who died horrific deaths following torture and ridicule and abandonment suffering greatly. All they can sing about is him knows every pronoun has to do with God great and marvelous are your works, W, saying, did you notice what I did work for you know, did you notice how I stood true for you righteous and true are your ways, who will not fear and glorify your name. This coral outburst is focused upon and flooded with the exaltation of God. One author wrote generations ago in the perfect presence of God self is wholly forgotten. Heaven is a place where we finally forget about ourselves and remember only God will that be wonderful. I just why does this choir redeem tribulation saints thing were given three with the Greek. I was called hottie clauses three because clauses look first for because you alone are holy because all the nations will come and worship before you, because your righteous acts have been revealed, people from every Tom tribe and nation love believed in Christ alone. They will have survived the rampage of the antichrist. They will live to see Christ, they will enter the millennial kingdom to worship and serve King Jesus and will talk about what that implies about nations and cultures, and worship in the millennial kingdom.

Fascinating. But the Bible records Isaiah to Michael for Zechariah 14, all refer to the nation will come to worship the ratings sovereign what John sees. Next is further amazingly diversified and after these things I looked in the temple of the tabernacle of testimony and have been was open. The word Temple is the word Neos a reference to the holy of holies in the air was the place of the ark of the covenant which housed inside of that the Golden box those two tablets of the law written by the finger of God upon stone earthly tabernacle was merely a representation of the heavenly tabernacle.

So you have in this vision, this heavenly tabernacle and were taken medially to the Neos, the holy of holies, and it's open in verse six says look there, and seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around her chest.

Golden sashes know they look just like Christ was described back in Revelation chapter 1 why because they represent him in this act of judgment. Remember Jesus Christ is as we said in our last session is either your great Redeemer or the Grim Reaper right and he's now going to bring judgment and he uses the hosts of heaven to do his bidding is ready to unleash final judgment. Judgment has been given to him by the father John 522 and you notice here in this text. These angels are dressed in linen row is the address of the high priest. Thus, the Angels present the image they are at this point, the representatives of God.

They happen to have a message from God. And it's not very good to deliver.

So there merging the text indicates some kind of ceremony will be there watching seven angels March perhaps in single file out of the holy of holies, representing the very place where the law of God has been So to speak, or given a mission then why because mankind has done nothing but violate the law of God. We been told already in Exodus chapter 34 that God will never allow the guilty to go unpunished. You either have the guilt of your sin punished in Christ or you will bear the punishment yourself. But guilt must be punished. So God if he does not judge sinners is unjust if God sweeps sin under the carpet of some distant galaxy. He is holy.

I was just judge. He is in fact what we would call a crooked job who is inconsistent and winking that sin. The prophet Habakkuk asked in chapter 1 does God pervert justice does the Almighty pervert what is right and David answered is all 19 that the judgments of the Lord are true.

They are righteous altogether so these angels have been given the authority of Christ to receive their saucers, their bowls of divine retribution and with some ceremony that would be amazing to behold everyone of us who believe in faith by faith in Christ will be here watching this scene unfold the seven angels file either. They come up to to the four creatures before the front of Gallagher's seven then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever in the Temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished hours. Nobody can go in and ask for mercy.

This is effectively for this period of time. The end of mercy. No one can sprinkle anything for any kind or act of atonement. So it's pictured by the smoke of the glory of God filling the temple and nobody's letting until these plagues are delivered in this final expression during the tribulation of the wrath of God be absolutely horrified. The apostle Paul is already taught us that the wrath of God is being stockpiled.

You could translate stored up literally stockpiling sin upon sin. Romans to God could judge every sin of every person immediately could. Paul is already written Romans to forgot however is forbearing. The word forbearance means to hold back to delay one of the gifts of grace toward unbelieving mankind is that they're allowed to take another breath and even though they mock him and denying him in and defy him, he allows them to enjoy the sky in the rain.

Why is holding back.

God allows him to live in offers him throughout his entire life pardon, which he persists in refusing and when they will give an account for having resisted and refused the truth of God that he knew there will come a time when grace is withdrawn, so to speak. This is the end of mercy and mankind, as these bowls are poured out as we'll see later will do nothing more than curse God with even greater hatred. Robert Ingersoll is a lawyer, a brilliant orator and an agnostic who lived in the mid-1800s when Alina did a little reading of him. I've heard of them, and reference this many years ago was matter-of-fact I found it interesting.

I didn't know number of things about him is 500 been a Presbyterian pastor for years and one point his father served as an associate of Charles Finney, the evangelist even preaching for Finney when Charles Finney was in Europe was an Arminian evangelist created more trouble than help. But Robert grew up in that environment and the Robert Wood dropped into defy any accountability to God. In fact, A.B. Simpson, the founder of the Christian and missionary alliance called Robert Ingersoll this daring blasphemer at the height of his fame. He would deliver speeches delivered Republican national party's opening speech, they would buy a dollar ticket to come hear him speak in a dollar in the mid-1800s was an enormous amount of money to hero and he would help hold him spellbound for 23 hours.

Often when he spoke, he would speak against the existence of a personal God, and he would stand on the stage before thousands of people and they had discussed them often. He did this he would take out his pocket watch and he would say if there is indeed a God. I challenge him to strike me dead within 30 seconds and then he would open his pocket watch me stand there and it counted down people, of course, officially, that would gasp and you'll say anything like the challenge God approves existence, people would faint counted down to 987654321 BC. There is no God said the fire God. I would wait till he got the 32 he disappeared his watch would just hit the stage and roll around, and then you'd hear a voice booming from heaven. Anybody else that I would do him near the forbearance of God. God does. This is a picture of our world. Ladies and gentlemen today. Bob Ingersoll's walk the streets by the millions they teach in classrooms. They live in your neighborhood. They work at your job. We will live our lives the way we want. Evidently he doesn't seem to bother there must be no God and wears God, he is seated upon in this picture thrown upon the sea of glass, taking notes and we will see him open the books that have been recorded of every thought and deed and sinful act and mankind will be judged accordingly, and this is another warning for us today, God will eventually some of his angels and Satan now now no holding back no more delay. Those who rejected the gospel of God will be judged by the law of God and with full law of God, there is no mercy. Look at verse eight.

Again, the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God from his power, and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. No one can stay his hand.

In other words, once the time of judgment is calm, the time for intercession is passed. One author put it this way. Christ is no longer knocking on any door he's entering to act in sovereign judgment, the world would perhaps say right. To that that scary stuff again. Sounds like the word world to me.

It does, and it will be because as these are poured out, they will encompass the battle of Armageddon which will get to in the world at war is just around the corner. This is no hoax. This is not some religious drama with special effects to scare people into the church. This is the truth.

God does not cry Wolf, but in his patients. He warns by his grace. He invites how long would you invite someone to come to your home before stopping a week a month a year no warrant and invited people 400, and Christ has invited every generation to join his church to thousand years. I wonder how long has he been inviting you, I would say after the chapter like this. It's time he took his warning seriously and accepted his invitation person whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be what what a great word same safe from anything certain say from this coming wrath of God is not fun to think about about the wrath of God but God's wrath is a serious and terrible thing for those who will experience it. But, as Stephen pointed out today, God's wrath is not some scare tactic it's real, and because it's real.

The only loving thing to do is to warn those who are about to face it and so friend if there are people in your life who don't know Christ. I hope you'll take the time to show them the reality of their condition and invite them to respond to the gospel and for those of us who are believers.

Our response is one of praise and gratitude for what we've been spared God's wrath.

This is wisdom for the heart with Stephen Devi and today's lesson concludes our current series entitled a preview of things to come. I hope it helps you. We have a resource on our website and on our smart phone app that can help you share the good news of the gospel with others.

If you go to wisdom online.org or look at the landing page of the wisdom international app there's a resource there called God's wisdom for your heart provides a concise and thorough presentation of the gospel message. You can call up your phone and opened that app and take someone through that presentation again. You'll find God's wisdom for your hearts on our website or on our app and as I mentioned, this was the last lesson in a series called a preview of things to come. If you'd like this series in your collection of biblical resources we have it available as a set of CDs that you can own and you can also download the series is a collection of MP3 files when you do that, you'll also receive the written manuscripts of each lesson course you can always listen online or on the all of those are available@wisdomonline.org so this or call us at 86 648 Bible, and of course join us tomorrow for more wisdom