Monday, January 27, 2014

High Stakes: Revelation 14:6-20


Anybody remember the anti-drug commercial with the “This is your brain…this is your brain on drugs” illustration?  The commercial illustrates the consequences of certain bad decisions in an effort to move you to make the right decision.  Revelation 14 operates in a similar way.  In Revelation 14:6-20, John contrasts the fate of the saints with the fate of the wicked in order to call the saints to endure (and the wicked to repent).  When one considers just how high the stakes are in this life, there is only one option for people with eyes to see: to surrender everything to Jesus and endure no matter the cost.  Our half-hearted allegiance to Christ in the church today may be evidence that we have forgotten just how high the stakes are.  May the horrors of judgment and the blessings of reward move us to greater repentance and endurance for God’s glory today. 
[6] Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. [7] And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” [8] Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.” [9] And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, [10] he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. [11] And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
[12] Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. [13] And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”
[14] Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. [15] And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” [16] So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. [17] Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. [18] And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” [19] So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. [20] And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia. (Revelation 14:6-20 ESV)

I.              Walking Through

Before we dive into this passage, let’s take a second to remind ourselves of the its context.  Revelation 12-14 describes the Great War between the dragon (Satan) and the woman and her offspring (God’s people).  Chapter 12 gives the background on this Great War and brings you up to speed on the church’s current reality: that the war has been won on the cross, but is not yet over.  Chapter 13 describes the current war that the church faces, and now Chapter 14 contrasts the fate of both sides.  Verses 6-20 neatly divide into two sections: the three angels and their messages (6-13) and the two harvests of the earth (14-20). 

a.     The Three Angels (14:6-13)

The First Angel proclaims an “eternal gospel” to “those who dwell on earth” (6).  This is both a proclamation of judgment and a call to repentance.  I say that because the content of this “eternal gospel” is that those who dwell on earth would “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come” (7a), and “worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water” (7b).  Why would this message be called the “eternal gospel”?  I believe it is because these commands express God’s eternal purpose for mankind.  Mankind was created by God to know God, fear God, worship God, and bring God glory.  Ecclesiastes 12:13 calls this “the whole duty of man”: [13] The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. [14] For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 ESV)
Notice how this passage and the one in Ecclesiastes connects the command to fear, worship, and bring God glory to His being our Creator and our Judge.  Recognizing who God is, our Creator and Judge, should be reason to fear Him, give Him glory, and worship Him. Why fear God?  Why worship God?  Why give God glory?  You should do so because He made you and will judge you.
The Second Angel proclaims the fall of “Babylon the great” (8).  This is an allusion to Isaiah 21:9 & Jeremiah 51:7-8, where the prophets foretold the destruction of ancient Babylon.  There is little doubt that for John’s readers, Rome would be the “new Babylon” (Revelation 17:8).  However, I take “Babylon the great” in Revelation to ultimately be a reference to the world system which Satan rules over, of which ancient Babylon and contemporary Babylon (Rome) were expressions. 
Here, “Babylon the great” is described as a woman who all nations drink “the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality. Her “wine” symbolizes her influence to cause the nations to become passionate about crawling into bed with her and committing “sexual immorality,” a metaphor here for spiritual unfaithfulness to God.  Like a seductive woman who gets a man drunk in order to get him to sleep with her, she wants to influence the nations and you in such a way that you fall in love with money, fame, power, sex, pleasure, materialism, etc.  This proclamation is a warning against the world’s seduction because the idolatrous system of the world along with its idols will be destroyed.
The Third Angel proclaims an ultimatum for mankind (9-11).  “IF” anyone worships the beast and takes its mark, they will be made to drink “the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger” (10a).  This is Old Testament symbolism that communicates judgment that is undiluted by God’s mercy and grace (Ps. 75:8, Jer. 25:15-38).  Notice that verses 10-11 describe what drinking the wine of God’s wrath involves: being “tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb…forever and ever” and having “no rest, day or night.”  Whatever is being symbolized here, we can at least say that what is being described is unimaginable torment.  This torment will be painful (their smoking: burning), never-ending (smoke goes up “forever and ever”), and restless (“they have no rest, day or night).  Hell is not being annihilated; it’s eternal torment.  This is a very offensive message in our culture because we reject notions of authority and judgment and also because we refuse to believe that a loving God would bring about such horrific judgment.  To such a warped understanding of God’s holiness, I want to point out a startling picture here: those who suffer do so in the presence of the Lamb and His holy angels (10). 
After the message of the three angels, there is a Message to the Saints (12-13).  This message is directed to “the saints” in particular, calling them to endure in order to find true rest.  Notice that a believer’s “endurance” is described here as keeping “the commandments of God” and our “faith in Jesus.”  Enduring as saints means to keep obeying God and to keep believing in, trusting in, and relying upon Jesus.  Is this how we could describe your Christian life? 
Another way that believers are called to endure here is through a benediction which holds out the prospect of eternal rest as incentive to endure.  A “voice from heaven” pronounces a blessing upon “the dead who die in the Lord from now on” (13).  This is the 2nd of seven benedictions in Revelation (1:3, 14:13, 16:15, 19:9, 20:6, 22:7, 14). The blessing they receive seems to be “rest” from their labors (Hebrews 4:9-10).  They are deserving of this rest because “their deeds follow them!”  In other words, none of their faithful endurance has gone unnoticed.  On the contrary, all of it will be rewarded. 

b.    The Two Harvests (14:14-20)

Many Old and New Testament passages speak of the end of the world as a great harvest.  There are two that take place here.  First, there is the Harvest of Grain (14-16).  I call it such because the Greek word here for “ripe” means “dried up,” indicating that this is some type of wheat or barley harvest.  It is carried out by one like a “son of man” (14).  This title was a reference to Jesus in Revelation 1:12.  It is a messianic title form Daniel 7:13-14, and was Jesus’ favorite title for Himself in the gospels (used over 80x).  That He is “seated” on a “white cloud” and has a “golden crown on His head” also point to the fact that this is probably Jesus.
I take this first harvest to be a harvest of believers because it seems to be carried out by Jesus and also because it seems to be a contrast to the next harvest, which is clearly a harvest to judgment (19-20).  This first harvest is probably the event Jesus spoke of in His Olivet discourse: [29] “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. [30] Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. [31] And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:29-31 ESV)
The second harvest seen here is the Harvest of Grapes (17-20).  This is a harvest of unbelievers and is another graphic description of the fate of the wicked.  The angel that has this “sharp sickle” plays the role of an angel of death.  Notice also that the other angel that gives to command for him to reap comes “out from the altar” (18).  In Revelation 6:9-11, “the altar” was the place where souls of the martyrs were resting and crying out for vengeance upon those who dwelt upon the earth.
Grapes, not grain, are harvested here to maximize the impact of the judgment imagery.    These clusters of grapes are thrown into “the great winepress of the wrath of God” and are “trodden outside of the city,” resulting in “blood flowing…as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia” (184 miles).  It really is ironic that a culture so offended by imagery like this of God’s judgment is at the same time enamored with blood and gore on the big screen.  This is “unrated,” gruesome imagery.  In Revelation 19:15, we see another gruesome image: Jesus is covered with the blood of His enemies when He returns.  These passages are an allusion to Isaiah 63:1-6, which describes the day of the LORD’s vengeance: [63:1] Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.” [2] Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? [3] “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel. [4] For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come. [5] I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold; so my own arm brought me salvation, and my wrath upheld me. [6] I trampled down the peoples in my anger; I made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”

II.            Stepping Back

In the passage, we see 3 angels, 2 harvests, and 1 point: that our only hope in life is to respond to Jesus with utter reliance and utter allegiance.  There are three reasons in this text why this is our only hope.  First, the gospel demands a response of utter allegiance.  The gospel demands that we fear, worship, and give glory to our Creator and Judge.  That is what every one of us is responsible to God for and will answer for.  The God who created the world will also end the world and judge the world, and the measure of our judgment will be: did we fear God and give Him glory?  This is bad news for us because we are incapable of fearing God properly and giving Him glory the glory He deserves (Romans 3:23).  Our only hope is to rely upon what Jesus did to pay for our failure to do so and surrender to Him as Lord of our lives.
The second reason that utter reliance and utter allegiance to Jesus is our only hope is because the love of the world is a futile affair.  We see the end of the world system, “Babylon the great,” here: she will be destroyed, along with all of her idols.  If you spend your life pursuing the things of this world, you will waste your life.  Heed the words of 1 John 2:15-17, which calls us to avoid the love and lure of the world because it will not last.
The final reason that utter reliance upon and allegiance to Jesus is our only hope is because the stakes are TOO HIGH to not swear allegiance to Jesus.  This chapter is a series of contrasts, meant to put on vivid display the horrors of hell and the blessings of reward so that you will see just how high the stakes are.   Consider first the horrific judgment for the wicked.  Imagine the unimaginable for a second: you or someone you love burning and never dying, never getting even a moment’s rest, all the while seeing the One whom you’ve rejected and scorned.  Passages like this are meant to “scare the hell” that is in us “out of us.” Meditating upon passages like this should result in repentance, weeping, and witness.  This is the price of not fearing God and giving Him glory.  It is certainly a higher price than martyrdom. 
But consider also the unimaginable reward for the saints.  They experience eternal rest, never to be tormented again.  Those who refuse the wine of Babylon will drink from “the spring of the water of life” freely and forever (Revelation 21:6).  There is no comparison!  This is your life surrendered to Jesus: unimaginable reward.  This is your life apart from Jesus: unimaginable torment.  Any questions? 
There is a way to avoid this horrific fate.  It is interesting that those who are trampled in the great winepress of God’s wrath are trampled “outside the city,” because Hebrews 13:12 says that Jesus was crucified “outside the gate” of the city.  He was crucified there so that we would not be crushed there.  He bore all the horrific, eternal judgment we read about in these chapters in a matter of hours upon the cross for you and me.  He took our hell on the cross so that we could find our rest in Him.  I leave you with the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30: [28] Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Come to Him today and find rest for your souls!

Monday, January 20, 2014

Abortion & the Sanctity of Human Life


Today is Sanctity of Life Sunday, the Sunday once a year where we celebrate the sacredness of human life.  Normally this is primarily a time for people to raise anti-abortion awareness, and rightly so.  I have never preached a sermon specifically on the Sanctity of human life, and after preparing to do so this week, I feel like I have enough to say to preach a sermon series that would last several months!  One of the more profound things that stuck out to me while meditating upon how human life is sacred is how this truth affects so much more than just abortion. 
This sermon will primarily be about abortion, but it would be wrong to reduce the sanctity of human life to only an anti-abortion issue.  Biblically, when we talk about the sanctity of human life, we are saying that all human life is sacred, human in the womb, human life that comes in different genders, human life that comes in different ages, human life that comes in different ages, human life that is disabled and mentally challenged, etc.  A Biblical understanding of human life touches all of these areas.  It should cause us to be just as outraged about genocide in South Sudan as are about the more than one million abortions that take place in this country every year.  So again, today will mainly be about abortion, but just remember that this is about more than just abortion.  My desire today is for us to become more informed and equipped on the Biblical case for the sanctity of human life and also be challenged to action in standing for this cause. 

·      From 1973 through 2008, nearly 50 million legal abortions have occurred in the U.S. (AGI).
·      2008: 1.21 million abortions in US
·      2009: est. 1.16 million abortions in US (3,100+ daily, 2+ a minute, close to 200 in the time it takes us to sit through this worship services)
·      2009: 8,167 abortions in Louisiana reported by CDC

I.              Biblical Foundations:

a.     All human life is sacred, regardless of age, race, gender, etc., because all human beings bear the image of God their Creator (Genesis 1:26-27).  
                                              i.     Bearing the image of God means that human beings are like God (in several ways) and represent God on the earth.  This means that an assault on the sanctity of human life is actually an assault on God.  (Picture of school principle example…)
                                             ii.     Genesis 9:6: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”  The death penalty is predicated upon the reality that human beings bear the image of God. 
                                          iii.     James 3:9: With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.”  The simple truth that human beings bear the image of God makes it an offense to God to even curse another human being.
b.    The killing of a baby in the womb was considered murder in the Old Testament: Exodus 21:22-25: [22] “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. [23] But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, [24] eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, [25] burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” 
c.     The closest thing to abortion in Bible would be infanticide (the killing of infants), which is consistently condemned by Scripture (Lev. 18:21; 20:2-5; 1 Kings 11:7; 2 Kings 3:27; 2 Kings 16:3; 2 Kings 17:17; Is. 57:5; Jer. 7:31; Ezek. 16:20-21)
d.    Scripture describes fetal development as the person-forming work of God.  Therefore, “Abortion is an assault on the unique person-forming work of God”[1]Psalm 139:13-16: [13] For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. [14] I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. [15] My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. [16] Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
e.     Furthermore, Scripture never describes life in the womb as being anything less than human.  There is no essential difference between a being in a mother’s womb and a being outside of it in Scripture. 
f.     “Many Christians involved in abortion turn a deaf ear to the Bible when it says that the growing life in the womb is the unique creative work of God knitting together a being in his own image (Psalm 139:13; Job 31:13–15); or when it speaks of babies in the womb with the very same words as babies out of the womb (Genesis 25:22; Luke 1:41; cf. 2:12, 16; 18:15); or when it warns repeatedly against shedding innocent blood (Psalm 106:38); or when it calls again and again for the protection of the weakest and most vulnerable members of the community (Psalm 82:3–4); or when it says that God alone has the right to give and to take human life (Job 1:21).”[2]
g.    Didache 2.2: “thou shalt not murder a child by abortion nor kill them when born.”
h.    What about hard cases?  Rape, Incest, Danger to the Mother…most important question to answer is: “Is the baby a human being?”

II.            Gospel Application: how do we apply the gospel here for those (1) in need of forgiveness and repentance and for those (2) in need of someone to stand and speak for them because they cannot? 

a.     The Gospel Offers Hope and Forgiveness to Fallen Image Bearers: all sin, sins like abortion, supporting abortion, performing abortions, and even being indifferent to abortion are nailed to the cross of Jesus Christ for those who trust Him. 

b.    The Gospel Calls Those Who’ve Been Forgiven to Action: “Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.” (Proverbs 24:11 ESV)

                                              i.     Pray
                                            ii.     Be Biblically & Culturally Informed: caseforlife.com, abort73.org
                                          iii.     Consider Adoption:
“If we want to see abortion eliminated in America, are we prepared to act in response to an influx of unwanted children?  Are our churches being encouraged to follow the path of “pure religion,” which involves visiting orphans in their distress James 1:27)?  Are we following the model of our Savior, who rebuked his confused disciples for their wrong view of the kingdom, and who invited all the children to come to him (Luke 18:16)?  Are we mimicking the culture in simultaneously making comfort an idol and children an inconvenience?  Or are we actively seeking to cultivate a counter culture where life if prized and treasured, and children – even those unwanted by others – are cared for and celebrated?  Let us not only commit to being “pro-life,” but to being “whole life,” working for the good of our neighbors and the dignity of human life in all stages of life, from the womb to the tomb”[3]
                                            iv.     Support Crisis Pregnancy Centers and other like ministries you’re your time, talents, and treasures.
                                             v.     Exercise your right to vote
                                           vi.     Exercise your right to speak the light of truth to dispel the darkness of lies: there are so many inconsistencies and holes in the arguments for abortion; expose these lies…
1.     Piper’s 15 Pro-Life truths to speak:
·      Existing fetal homicide laws make a man guilty of manslaughter if he kills the baby in a mother's womb (except in the case of abortion).


·      Fetal surgery is performed on babies in the womb to save them while another child the same age is being legally destroyed.


·      Babies can sometimes survive on their own at 23 or 24 weeks, but abortion is legal beyond this limit.


·      Living on its own is not the criterion of human personhood, as we know from the use of respirators and dialysis.


·      Size is irrelevant to human personhood, as we know from the difference between a one-week-old and a six-year-old.


·      Developed reasoning powers are not the criterion of personhood, as we know from the capacities of three-month-old babies.


·      Infants in the womb are human beings scientifically by virtue of their genetic make up.


·      Ultrasound has given a stunning window on the womb that shows the unborn at eight weeks sucking his thumb, recoiling from pricking, responding to sound. All the organs are present, the brain is functioning, the heart is pumping, the liver is making blood cells, the kidneys are cleaning fluids, and there is a fingerprint. Virtually all abortions happen later than this date.


·      Justice dictates that when two legitimate rights conflict, the limitation of rights that does the least harm is the most just. Bearing a child for adoption does less harm than killing him.


·      Justice dictates that when either of two people must be inconvenienced or hurt to alleviate their united predicament, the one who bore the greater responsibility for the predicament should bear more of the inconvenience or hurt to alleviate it.


·      Justice dictates that a person may not coerce harm on another person by threatening voluntary harm on themselves.


·      The outcast and the disadvantaged and exploited are to be cared for in a special way, especially those with no voice of their own.


·      What is happening in the womb is the unique person-nurturing work of God, who alone has the right to give and take life.


·      There are countless clinics that offer life and hope to both mother and child (and father and parents), with care of every kind lovingly provided by people who will meet every need they can.


·      Jesus Christ can forgive all sins, and will give all who trusts him the help they need to do everything that life requires.[4]
“It is hypocritical to speak as though choice were the untouchable absolute in this matter and then turn around and oppose choice in matters of gun-control and welfare support and affirmative action and minimum wage and dozens of other issues where so-called pro-choice people join the demand that people's choices be limited to protect others. It's a sham argument. All choices are limited by life.”[5]

Gospel is that human beings have marred the image of God, but that Jesus Christ came to restore it…


[1] John Piper, Understanding Why We Murder the Unborn: James 4:2, ©2013 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org
[2] John Piper, Abortion: Shall We Listen to Men or God? ©2013 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org
[3] Justin Taylor, Abortion: Why Silence and Inaction are Not Options for Evangelicals, in Don’t Call It a Comeback: The Old Faith for a New Day, ed. by Kevin DeYoung, 188
[4] John Piper, Fifteen Pro-Life Truths to Speak, ©2013 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org
[5] John Piper, Exposing the Dark Work of Abortion, ©2013 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org