Apocalypse: The Revelation of Jesus Christ
04/17/2005 - Hope for the Unfairness of Life
Life is hard, isn't it? Sometimes it gets really hard, doesn't it? We've been through some rough times recently as a family and some of you are going through some hard times right now. Someone has said, "Life's a tough proposition, and the first hundred years are the hardest." I hope they're right!
And one reason life is hard is because life isn't always fair, is it? Early on we discover the unfairness of life when our brother or sister gets more ice cream in their dish than we do or gets to stay up later at night than we do or when we get a B on a homework assignment that we should have gotten an A on. That's not fair, we cry!
But the unfairness of life can go a whole lot deeper than that. Like it does for those who grow up in a home where there's abuse or abandonment and they have to live with that hurt for the rest of their lives. That's not fair. Or for those who are born with a handicap or a disability that affects every single day of their lives. That's not fair. Or for those who are the victims of a crippling disease or a tragic accident that is no fault of their own. What's fair about that?
In his excellent book, Disappointment with God, Phil Yancey interviews a man named Doug whose wife was being treated for breast cancer and in the midst of her chemotherapy treatments he was hit by a drunk driver that left him partially paralyzed. And in the interview he told Yancey, "I'm not disappointed with God. I learned, first through my wife's illness and then through the car accident, not to confuse God with life. We tend to think, 'Life should be fair because God is fair.' But God is not life. If we develop a relationship with God apart from our life circumstances, then we may be able to hang on when the physical reality breaks down. We can learn to trust God despite all the unfairness of life."
Trust God despite all the unfairness of life. Wow! What an attitude! How do we pull that off? Well in the two chapters of Revelation that we're going to look at this morning we're going to find hope for handling the unfairness of life.
This morning we continue our series called Apocalypse: The Revelation of Jesus Christ with a teaching I've called "Hope for the Unfairness of Life." If you have a Bible turn with me to Revelation 14.
If you recall, in the last few chapters of Revelation we've seen Satan ramping up. He knows his time is short and he's on a rampage during the Tribulation. We've seen battles with Jesus, battles with God, battles with Israel, and battles with believers. Satan seems to be gaining more and more power and control. We've seen believers in Jesus being persecuted and killed by a satanic beast just because they refuse to be branded with the mark 666. You don't worship the beast, you die. What's fair about that? Nothing!
Yet through it all God continues to encourage his people to hang in there, be patient, stay faithful. And now in Revelation 14 and 15 we're shown three pictures that bring hope back into our lives when life does us dirty, when life is unfair. These are three truths that give us hope when our world is falling apart, either on a global scale or on a personal one.
I love the way Revelation 14 begins. After looking at the dragon in chapter 12 and the beast out of the sea and out of the earth in chapter 13 we gaze at the Lamb standing on top of a mountain.
Look at Revelation 14:1, Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads, as opposed to the 666 on the foreheads of beast followers.
What a relief! What a joy! In the midst of all this evil, there's Jesus, the Lamb, standing tall. And where Jesus is, there's always hope. And what's he doing?
Look at verse 2, And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
The first picture is of Jesus leading worship! He's being worshiped by the 144,000 witnesses, who stayed faithful and followed the Lamb wherever he went. Remember, these are the 144,000 Jewish witnesses that God had commissioned to share the gospel at the outset of the Tribulation. And the fact that they didn't defile themselves with women not only means that they were celibate, sexually pure, but that they were spiritually pure and fully devoted to their mission of spreading the good news about Jesus.
And even though they were horribly mistreated and unfairly persecuted, they were singing a brand new song. We're not sure if this is a picture of Jesus literally standing on Mount Zion in Jerusalem or whether this is a picture of heaven. Hebrews 12:22 talks about a heavenly Mount Zion where there is worship when it says, But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly. And it's very likely a heavenly scene. Remember, we've been bouncing up and down between heaven and earth all throughout the apocalypse.
But the point is that one day our sorrow will be turned into singing and that gives us hope in the midst of the unfairness of life. One day, for the believer in Jesus, the tears will be gone and like the 144,000 we'll be home and singing that new song. That's the first reality that helps us handle the unfairness of life. One day our sorrow will be turned to singing. That's the great hope of the believer expressed in this first picture of a Lamb leading worship.
The second picture is of angels announcing the truth. Look at verse 6, Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth-to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water."
A key word in this passage and throughout the next few chapters is the word "voice." Verse 7, He said in a loud voice. Verse 9, A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice. Verse 13, Then I heard a voice from heaven. Sometimes it's the voice of an angel and sometimes it's the voice of God. But when we hear the voice everything changes, because when God speaks he gives us hope.
The first angel says, "Worship God. Worship the one who made the heavens and the earth and the seas. Give him all glory." When life is treating us unfairly, worship God. We don't need to wait until we get to heaven to start singing. We need to start singing right now and giving God glory, worshiping him in the midst of the struggle.
The next angel announces in verse 8, "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries." What in the world does this mean? Who or what is Babylon the great?
This is the first mention of Babylon in the book of Revelation. But we're going to see Babylon mentioned again in Revelation 16, 17 and 18. We'll take a closer look at it then, but for now let me just say that Babylon is the term God uses to describe Satan's power structure. It's the way Satan works and gets things done. But now it's fallen and that's good news. Satan's empire is falling apart.
A third angel comes in verse 9, A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If any worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, 10they, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name."
This is one of the most sobering passages in the Bible. This is a description of hell. And there's something inside me that wants to ignore this passage, pretend it wasn't there, but I can't because it's part of the gospel message. Not only will Satan's power structure collapse one day, but all those who follow him will be buried alive underneath the burning rubble.
This is one those passages that forces us to come to grips with just how holy and righteous and pure God is and how wicked and offensive and serious our sin is. I don't like to think that some very nice people that I know and love may end up here someday. I'd rather think that everybody is going to heaven, and we'll all end up worshiping the Lamb, making up new songs, singing around the throne. But that's not reality. This is.
So how does this picture of fury and wrath and torment fit with the gospel, the good news? It fits because this is where I was headed until Jesus climbed up on a cross and took the punishment for my disgusting sin so that I could end in a different place by simply trusting him alone. That's good news. And what he did for me, he did for you too.
Those who believe, Jesus said in John 5:24, have eternal life. They will not be condemned. They have crossed over from death to life.
Sometimes we have a hard time believing there's a real hell. That's because we don't understand how desperate our situation really is without God. We were all headed there until Jesus rescued us.
Look at verse 9 again, If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, 10he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.
The word "too" is extremely important in verse 10. Hell is not a place God made for people. It's a place God made for Satan and his angels. That's what Jesus says in Matthew 25:41 also, Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'
Hell was made for the devil and his angels. But if someone wants to worship Satan, and follow Satan, and be with Satan, and resists God's efforts to rescue them, then God is loving enough to give them what they want. He will never force anyone to love him.
Look at verse 12, This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. 13Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."
Someone has said that there are really only two ways to die. We can either die in the Lord or we can die in our sins. Jesus used that phrase in John 8:24 when he said, I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.
This is sobering stuff. But there's the hope again. And the hope is that one day we will rest from our labor. That's part of the gospel message too! When life gets hard and seems unfair, it helps to know that one day we will rest from trying to make life work out the way we want it to work out. We'll rest from trying to make every wrong turn out right. We'll rest from any and every kind of suffering or persecution we experience, every heartache or hurt.
The first hope comes from a Lamb leading worship. One day our sorrow will be turned into singing. The second hope comes from angels announcing good news. One day we will rest from our labor.
Now look at Revelation 14:14-16 and see the great harvest that gives us hope. I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one "like a son of man" with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, "Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." 16So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
Jesus told a story about this event that's worth looking at. It's called "The Parable of the Weeds" and is found in Matthew 13:24-43, Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' 28"'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' 29"'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'"
Drop down to verse 36, Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field." 37He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40"As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Those who have ears, let them hear.
In this parable, Jesus talks about this same harvest happening at the end of the age. There are actually two harvests mentioned in Revelation 14,the first described in verses 14-16 and the second in verses 17-20.
Look back at Revelation 14:17, Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, "Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe." 19The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath. 20They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
The first harvest seems to be a wheat harvest and the second is a grape harvest, but the results are the same. There is a separation that is taking place between the wheat and the chaff, between the grapes that are ripe and ready and those that are not. And in the imagery the grapes are gathered and put into a winepress and trampled on until the juice, or the blood of the grape, flows up to the horses bridle for a distance of 1,600 stadia or 200 miles.
What is going on here? God is settling the books. That's what's going on. He's being true to himself and to his perfect sense of justice. He's being fair. The world around us is ripening for judgment. The harvest is coming, not too early, but not too late either. God will give full opportunity for everyone to come to him. But then the sickle will swing.
There's something intuitive inside all of us that senses that someday evil has to be punished, someday all that's wrong and unfair with the world needs to be made right and that gives us hope.
So in this third picture of the harvest we're reminded that when life is unfair remember that one day God will settle the books. One day there will be a harvest when the wheat and the chaff are separated. That day is coming at the end of the Tribulation. God has waited long enough. It's harvest time and evil will finally be finished. Things aren't fair now, because things aren't finished yet.
The first hope comes from a Lamb leading worship. One day our sorrow will be turned into singing. The second hope comes from angels announcing good news. One day we will rest from our labor. And the third hope comes from the great harvest at the end of the age. One day God will settle the books.
Which brings us to chapter fifteen and the drum roll for the final series of judgments, the seven deadly bowls. Revelation 15 is sort a prelude to the pouring out of the bowl judgments.
Look at Revelation 15:1, I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues-last, because with them God's wrath is completed. 2And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God 3and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. 4 Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."
Before the seven last plagues begin we're taken up to heaven where we see a victory celebration. There's a sea of glass mixed with fire and beside it is a throng of people who have been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name. They're playing harps and singing songs of worship and having a great time. And once again we're reminded that there is no panic in heaven. God has everything under control. He always does. He always will. And we'll need to keep that in mind because the next series of judgments will be the most intense of all as we come to end of life as we know it on this planet.
Look at verse 5, After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened. 6Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. 7Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. 8And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
At the end of his interview with Phil Yancey, Doug stood up from the table and made one final point about the unfairness of life. He said, "I challenge you to go home and read again the story of Jesus. Was life 'fair' to him? For me the cross demolished for all time the false assumption that life will be fair."
One day our sorrow will be turned to singing. One day we will rest from our labor. One day God will settle the books. One day, not this day, but one day.