Christ Reigns After Defeating His Enemies

Okay, good morning, good morning, good morning. Hello Robin, it's like you're the early bird. No play on words. All right, Beatrice and Carol and Marlena, good morning, good morning. How are you all doing? Good morning to Rod as well. I know he is here and this is the day after the, I guess, what's called the Black Friday. So good Thanksgiving and maybe some people went out and shopped yesterday. Okay, but let's get started. This morning we are discussing the book of Revelation and today we're looking at chapter 11 and verse 15. So we will begin there and look at the reign of Christ and what's going on with that. So, and I would recommend a book, there are several books that, you know, of course, that I use at times in studying and preparing the lessons. One of them, of course, that I've used is, well, I just had his name, I can't think of it. Anyway, I'll think of it and I apologize for that, but I just had a memory lapse. But nevertheless, there are some good books out there that you can consult. So today we're going to look at the encounter of the seventh angel and this is attended by loud voices in heaven to look back at woes that were pronounced. You have, in the days of Ahaz, six woes that were pronounced upon Judah and Jerusalem by Isaiah and those can be found in Isaiah 5 and verse 8, verse 11, verse 18, and verses 20 through 22. And they were woes for the nation's sins. God would visit the nations in the army of the Assyrians, but only six woes were pronounced. One short of a scene signifying the wrath would stop short of total desolation. The flood of foreign armies would reach even to the neck, as the text says in Isaiah chapter 8 and verse 8, it would come to Jerusalem, the capital city, but God would defend her and not let the Assyrians within her walls. And by way of contrast, Jesus pronounced seven woes signifying the complete desolation. The final woe was denounced upon this capital city as a result of shedding the blood of the prophets. He said in Matthew 23 and verse 29, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous. And again, in Luke 13, verse 34 and 35, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her, how often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing. See, your house is left to you desolate. And assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see me until the time comes when you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Now, when we look in the book of Revelation, with each blast of the seven angels in Revelation, a woe was suffered upon the earth. And you can see this in chapter 8, 7 through 13, which we discussed when we were there. And you see, you know, the various angels who are sounding and you see the woes that are mentioned in connection with the sounding of those trumpets. And of course, there was a series of seven trumpets. Not all of them were sounded, of course, in the eighth chapter. The last three woes signified the end. The first and second of these loosed the abomination of desolation, the legions of Rome against the Jewish people or against Israel and the nation. And that's Revelation 9 in verse 1, where we talked about the angel that descended out of the bottomless pit. And we looked also in verse 12, where he says one woe is passed. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things. And then in verse 13, it says the sixth angel sounded. This is 9 and 13. And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before God. And then you have all the events that transpire during the time of the sounding of the sixth angel until the end of what we had covered in the past lessons regarding the two witnesses and, of course, the events of chapter 10 as well. But then after this, it says in verse 14 of chapter 11, the second woe is passed. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly, Eric says. So with so many images wrapped up in the two witnesses, could this also be a vengeance of the martyr's motif? I think that's involved, Eric. So I wouldn't dismiss that at all in the discussion that we are looking at here. Then we have the third woe, which he said was coming quickly. But this comes as a result of the seventh angel sounding. In chapter 10 and verse 6 and 7, the text says, and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be no delay or no longer. Some translations read time and that causes people to think that this text is about the end of time, but that is not the idea here. It's saying that there should be delay no longer in terms of these events and the outpouring of God's wrath and ultimately the consummation of all of these things in the time of the first century. And so he says in verse 7, but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished as he declared to his servants, the prophets. And so this is speaking of the completion and the fulfillment of the mystery of God. Now in verse 15 of chapter 11, we have the text that says the seventh angel sounded. And this means that the shaking of heaven and earth would cease as the scripture tells us in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 27 and 28. Now this yet once more indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, that as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receiving or are receiving a kingdom, which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. This would mark the end of the days of vengeance found in Luke chapter 21 verses 20 through 22, when the text says, but when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those who are in the midst of her depart and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance that all things which are written may be fulfilled. That's perhaps one of the most disrespected, dishonored verses that we have in the discussion of eschatology and the time of the end is Luke 21, 20 through 22, which clearly ascribes the time of the desolation of the city of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple with the time when all things written are fulfilled. This is the time when national Israel would have fallen, which has nothing to do with the state of Israel today. And of course, or many people believe that, especially if they're of the dispensationalist persuasion and many others as well, but this has nothing to do with them. This is about national Israel that existed in the first century when Christ was on the earth and the time that the temple would have been burned and raised to the ground. Jesus said, once again, do you not see all these things in Matthew 24 and verse two, assuredly I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down. So that was his prophecy regarding the end times events. And of course the destruction of the temple and city that would take place within that generation. And hence they asked the question, well, when will these things be? What will be the sign of your coming or parousia and the completion of the age? Now with the fall of Judaism, Christ's enemies are made his footstool. Christ enters upon his eternal reign. David said in the 110th Psalm verses one and two, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies, your footstool, the Lord shall send the rod of your strength out of Zion rule in the midst of your enemies. So when we look at verse 15, which says then the seventh angel sounded and there were loud voices in heaven, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. This marks the time that the kingdoms of the world become subjugated to Christ. And a lot of people don't believe that either. They don't accept the fact that, you know, this is the time of the victory of the kingdom of God and the putting down of the enemies of God and God Christ reigning and subduing all the kingdoms of the world. They think when they look out, you know, across maybe on the TV screen and they hear all of these wars and rumors of wars that are taking place in today's modern time, that this is evidence that there has been no conquering of these kingdoms. But that of course is an incorrect way of viewing the scriptures because the Bible is giving us the timelines for the fulfillment of these things. And some also think that when we're talking about the enemies of Christ, that we're looking at those that were outside of the scope of scripture. But in Revelation 19 and verse 12, the scripture says of Christ, his eyes were like a flame of fire and on his head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except himself. And of course, in this context, you have Christ subduing and defeating his enemies. And in that chapter, you also see where Jerusalem has been destroyed, where judgment has been pronounced upon them. And again, you find that the enemies against whom he fought were cast into the lake of fire. And so this demonstrates the fact that he has subdued them and that he continues to reign. That Christ's reign would never cease, that it would never end, is indicated from several passages in the Old Testament. Thank you, Michael, and I appreciate you as well. In Daniel chapter 2 and the verses 44, the Bible says, and in the days of these kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will 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. So the Bible is telling us that the kingdom of God would destroy, would break in pieces all those kingdoms and it would stand forever. Now, the problem is people think that Christ was going to take up military artillery and use, you know, F-16 and other modern hypersonic jets, etc., and destroy the world. Blackhawk helicopters, we hear some of them say when they're talking about Revelation chapter 9, and destroy the world. But that's not the means by which Christ fought against his enemies. We have to see these enemies largely as spiritual in nature, even though there were those who, of course, were in material flesh. But the point was the major aspect of this battle and war against the church and against Christ was a spiritual one. That's why in 2 Corinthians chapter 10, verses 3 through 5, he talks about the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God in the bringing down of strongholds. He says, and every thought that is against Christ and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. That wasn't a good quote, so I'm going to go over there and look at the passage because, you know, it deserves to be seen from the light of how it's actually written. But also in connection with that was the text in John chapter 18, when Jesus is before Pilate, and Pilate asked him if he were a king, and Jesus tells him, you know, he says, yes, I am, but he says, my kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews. So if you see a war engaged like that, and people want to ascribe this as a holy war, that's not what is taking place and what is being referred to in the scriptures. In that text in 2 Corinthians, for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. So he says, though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. And so this war was being fought spiritually. And again, even in Ephesians chapter 6, where we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenlies. So the crux and the core of this war had to do with things that were focused in the spiritual realm that were attacking the kingdom of God, because the kingdom of God does not come with observation, Luke chapter 17 and verse 20. And therefore, it's not a material kingdom, as we would see, that has all of this physical and material warfare. But the text says that it would consume, it would break in pieces and consume all those kingdoms, and it would stand forever. Then again, in Daniel 7 and verse 14, then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all people's nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom, the one which shall never be destroyed. So this is a dominion that's never going to pass away. This is one that would never be destroyed. And that was in the midst of the enemies that it had to face, as we see in the text. Again, in Daniel 7 and verse 27, then the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people, the saints of the most high. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. It is through the reign of Christ and the power of Christ that the servants of Christ also receive power with him to reign over these kingdoms. That's indicated both in Revelation chapter 2, as well as in Revelation chapter 19. In Revelation 2, he says, but hold fast what you have till I come, verse 25, and he who overcomes and keeps my works to the end, and we'll talk about the end here in a moment. A lot of people think that's the end of time, but it is not. To him, I will give power over the nations, and he shall rule them with the rod of iron. They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessel. Now again, we can go back to Revelation chapter 19 and look in verses, let's say around verse 13 through 15, and we will get a better understanding of what this rod of power is. The text says, he was clothed with the robe, dipped in blood, and his name is called the word of God, and the armies in heaven, that would be the saints, the heaven dwellers, as opposed to the earth or land dwellers, and the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, and you can notice that they have the same clothing as the bride in Revelation 19 and verse 8, and so he says they are clothed in fine linen, white and clean, this is priestly garments that's being referred to here, and also tabernacle which followed him on white horses. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, and that with it, he should strike the nations. Now look at what he's striking the nations with, with the sharp sword that goes out of his mouth, so it's the power of the word of God, and he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of the almighty God, but the texts are teaching us and telling us that Christ's reign will continue without end. In Daniel 9, excuse me, in Isaiah 9 and verse 7, the text says, of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. So there are people who have difficulty with the Bible talking about the reign of Christ and how long it continues, and they argue over the word Olam and other terms, but here's the scripture saying of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. So there should be no obfuscation, that's a hard word to say, over the fact that the reign of Christ has no end, and you see that repeated in the New Testament in Luke chapter 1 verses 32 and 33, where it says he will be great and will be called the son of the highest, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. Luke 1 32 and then verse 33 says, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. So regardless of what a person wants to make of the word forever or reigning to the age, it says of his kingdom there would be no end. Now and Eddie, Sally says we would break his commandments if it was a physical fight, that is true. Now then we have the text in first Corinthians 15 that says beginning in verse 24, then comes the end when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God and to the father when he shall have put down all rule, all authority and power. And some people believe that when the text is saying that, that what's being referred to is Christ putting down his reign, but that's not what the text is saying. The text is saying that he's putting down the reign of the enemies. That's why the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. So in looking at first Corinthians 15, when the Bible says, then comes the end, this is the end of the age of Moses. It is the end of the old covenant world that has been spoken of several times in scripture. For example, in Matthew chapter 24 and verse 14, which is a parallel to the text as far as the time reference of the end is concerned, the scripture says, and this gospel of the kingdom must be preached in all the inhabited earth as a witness to all the nations, then the end will come. We will have to see all the nations referred to there in the context of the inhabited earth, which is spoken of in the text. And just another point regarding that in the second chapter of Luke, the Bible talks about in the time of Augustus Caesar, a decree went forth that all the inhabited world would be taxed, but it tells you this taxing or a census was being made. And he says, and this census was taken during the time that Corinthians was governing Syria. So he gives you a historical timeframe for that event, but he says all the world would be registered in this census that was taken. Well, he wasn't knocking on your door or my door, you know, counting us in that census, but it happened in all the inhabited world at that time. So all the nations would have been those that formed the nations at that particular time. And that's how we are to understand that. So the end there, when it says this gospel had to be preached in all the inhabited earth as a witness to all the nations, then the end would come. We have clear evidence that the gospel had gone to all the nations in the first century from passages like Romans one and verse eight, Romans 10 and verse 18 clearly says that it had gone to all the inhabited earth and to all the land and Romans 16, 25 and 26, that says it had gone to all the nations for the obedience of faith. This was done around the late fifties to early sixties. And again, in Colossians one versus five and six, Paul said it had come to the Colossians as it had in all the world and was bearing fruit. And in verse 23, he says it had been made known to all the creation. So the gospel had been preached to all the world in the first century and therefore the end would come following that event in the first chapter of Corinthians. And of course, this is a passage that is offensive to some as well, because it says the saints would be confirmed until the time of the end through the power and the work of the Holy spirit. And this would be the miraculous work of the eschatological spirit in verse six, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you. Now he's talking about being enriched in a, by him in all utterance and all knowledge. And then he says, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, well, they confirmed the word through the signs that's and verses 19 and 20, when the Bible talked about the outpouring of the gifts and the work of the apostles, just prior to the ascension of Christ, when he is giving them the great commission and then telling them that certain signs would follow those who believed the words of the apostles, he says in verse 19. So then after that, or after the Lord had spoken to them, he was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. So when the scripture says, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you in first one and verse six, it's speaking of miraculous confirmation of those living in the first century, which would have been the Corinthians to whom Paul and the apostles taught the gospel as he says, so that you come short in no gift eagerly waiting for the revelation or the apocalypsis of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end that could only be spoken of those living in that day in time, they would be the ones who would be confirmed to the end in order that they would be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. So that's showing you that this end was taking place in the first century. And that is the end that is referred to when it says in first Corinthians 15 and verse 24, then comes the end when he would have delivered up the kingdom to God in first Corinthians 10 and verse 11. It says that the end of the ages came upon that generation. Now, all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages have come. So the end of the ages came upon those in the first century. And again, in Hebrews nine and verse 26, he then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world. But now once at the end of the age or end of the ages, he has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. So Jesus died in the end of the age, but he died in the first century. Now he didn't die at the very end of the age, but his death was within the last days within the end of that old covenant age and thus marked the fulfillment of all things written through his death, the outworking of the preaching of the gospel in manifesting his death and resurrection, culminating with the fall of the temple that consummated the age in Matthew 24, verse three, and also verse 34, which says, assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. And hence Luke's statement again in Luke 21 and verse 22, that these were the days of vengeance that all things which are written may be fulfilled. Now in Acts, the third chapter, verse 19, another text that is parallel to Luke chapter 21 in talking about events that relate to the fall of the temple. But we have this text that shows that it's in connection with the parousia, with the coming of the Lord. He says, repent therefore verse 19 and be converted that your sins may be blotted out so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send Jesus Christ who was preached to you before. So remember Christ had ascended back to heaven. We have that in Acts one in Acts and in Acts two, and now sitting at God's right hand, the Bible says that the time would come when God would send Christ who had preached to them before. And then he says, whom heaven must receive. Now this is important. Whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God had spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the age began. Now that statement, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God had spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets. And by the way, if you pick up that statement on the restoration of all things from Acts chapter one, when the apostles came to Jesus and they asked him, Lord, will you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And Jesus tells him it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the father has put in his own authority. So when we're talking about the restoration of all things and the restoration of the kingdom, we're talking about the time of the end. We're talking about the time of the parousia and the coming of the Lord. But notice there is no gap. There is no break. There is no interim coming pre mid or post millennial thousand years reign between that timeframe. It is simply Christ would remain in heaven until the restoration of all things. If he were to come at any point short of the that restoration of all things, then it would have been before all things were restored because these people who advocate a thousand years reign, a literal thousand years reign, I would say on earth with Christ reigning in Jerusalem, admit that's not the end. The end doesn't happen until after that event. But you see the Bible says Christ doesn't move. And when I say move, I'm using that of course, loosely, but he doesn't move until all things are restored. The heavens retain him until that time. So here's the point, since he's putting this in the context and the framework of the fall of Jerusalem in the first century, that means whatever we think about the thousand years reign, it has to fit within that time. It has to fit within that framework. And so when the scriptures tell us that the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, this is what that text is referring to as far as the time is concerned. And so as we read further in this text, and we're going to have to close here because we are out of time. He says, repent therefore, and be converted that your sins may be blotted out so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send Jesus Christ who was preached to you before whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration. Now watch this of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all his prophets since the age began. And then he starts with Moses, the one who penned Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus numbers, and Deuteronomy. He says for Moses truly said to the fathers, the Lord, your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren. Him shall you hear in all things, whatever he says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. Yes. And all the prophets that's the third time he said so from Samuel and those who follow as many as have spoken have also foretold these days. Those were the days that were then running their course in the first century. And he marks it out by the judgment upon Jerusalem. Now we're going to have to pick up on this when we return on next week. But the point here is that there is no interim or break or coming or intermediate reign pre mid or post literal thousand years between Jesus's ascension and his return from heaven. It says that the heavens must receive him until the restoration of all things spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets. I was speaking with the dispensationalist on one occasion and I made that point with him and he had nothing to say about it because it really doesn't give you any room to wiggle on that particular point. Nevertheless, that's where we're going to stop. I want to thank you for tuning in this morning. We appreciate all of you and Raymond's good to see you, Eddie, Michael and Deb, Eric, of course, Carlos and Ron. We have Yaya. I'm not sure what that how to pronounce that name. And I think we had a few more here. Let's see. Elvin Israel, of course, and Richard. So if I missed anybody, charge it to my head and not to my heart, maybe to my eyes, but I'm scrolling through and there is Steven. That's OK. You came in at the last hour. You still get full pay. You just have to go back and watch it on video. All right. Well, we appreciate all of you. Have a great Sunday morning and thank you for tuning in. And we're going to close out at this at this point.