The Battle Behind The Battle

Chase: Good morning, Point Church. Morning. This morning we have a book reading from the Book of Revelation, chapter 13, verses 11 through 18. Then I saw a second beast coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf. and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth, It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could come so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the numbers of its name. This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is six hundred sixty six. This is the word of God. Thanks be to God. Friends, you may be seated. What a fun passage of scripture for the middle of the summertime. Good morning, everyone. For those of you who are joining us for the first time this morning, or if you know just came back from vacation, all of that fun stuff. This summer we decided to you know take it easy, relax, go with a nice, simple, straightforward book of scripture, and we're like, why not just take on the book of Revelation? The most fought over, confusing, debated book in not just the Bible, but honestly, probably the whole world. Like, every time there is some major news event, especially in the Middle East, you hear the book of Book of Revelation thrown out on both the left, both the right, both the religious, both the non-religious. So we said, you know, maybe instead of letting YouTube disciple us, let's let the Bible do that. So that's why we're here. I I'll be very honest, after the first Sunday, I was like, man, maybe ten people will come back. And and y'all are crazy enough that we're in chapter 13 and y'all are still here. So I don't know, maybe this is the week that you're like, I've had enough of revelation. Or maybe you're like, I gotta fin see this thing to the end, and it gets good, y'all. It's a really good story, let me tell you. Let me begin with a little bit of a recap and what this book is, what this book isn't. This book is a book of scripture that is telling us the good news of who Jesus is and what his plans are for the world. What this book is not. Is a political tool to beat up people we don't like. It's not a way to necessarily directly one-for-one world events or political figures are exactly talked about in the book. It's not meant for that. It's not a way to try and fear-monger, get money out of people, create a grift, anything like that. I think I shared that on the first Sunday here, that the amount of people, specifically pastors, I'm gonna air quote pastors who use the book of Revelation to say, this is coming. This is fire and it will destroy you. But if you send a check for this amount, you and your family will be spared. And I was like, boy, if I ever just decide, I don't know, to get rid of my integrity, that's not a bad way to go. I do have to answer for Jesus, though, and I'm not gonna do that. So let's begin with a little bit of a recap so we know where we are in the story. Sound good? The book of Revelation, not Revelations, one revelation. One revelation. This is the Apostle John. Writing on behalf of the message that Jesus gave him. John was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, and he was like the inner circle, one of the three that were with Jesus like all the time, inner, inner circle, okay? John is the only disciple who was there at the end of Jesus' life at the crucifixion. John spent a lot of time with Jesus, okay? John would have been the one when he goes up to heaven to say, Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, I'm here to see the big guy, my buddy. Jesus, you know what I mean? Like John knows Jesus. We know Jesus. John's like, I know how tall he is, I know the color of his hair, I know the sound of his voice. He knows Jesus. He is exiled on the island of Patmos, and that's when Jesus shows up. And they have this, I guess you could call it a conversation, a vision. A foretelling of what is to come for how to navigate what the church is going through in that time, what the church will be going through, and how the world comes to an end. So, chapter one is the revealing of Jesus in his glory. Jesus comes back in full glory, and John, who knew him all his life, falls at his feet and weeps, is like, I am not worthy to be in the presence of you. That is who Jesus is. This is who he is, the ruler of Of the world and the universe. Then he says, I have a message for the seven churches of Asia Minor. They're not the only churches in Asia Minor, but these are seven of them. And he lays out the same pattern. Here is my authority to say these things. Here is what you're doing well. Here is where you're struggling. And here's the promise if you remain faithful. And he follows that pattern for two chapters, two and three, okay? The promise. What will hap like where you're struggling? What you can hope for in Jesus, okay? Over and over and over. And we said, what is the template for what a church looks like that Jesus is looking for? Is it big budget, big building, big everything, or is it faithfulness? It is faithfulness in all things. Jesus is looking for that above anything else. Are you faithful to me in the time that you're living? No matter what the temptation is, no matter what the culture is saying, are you faithful to Jesus Christ above all? Chapters four and five, we said it pulls back the curtain, almost like the Wizard of Oz, and says, Okay, what's going on behind the curtain? And we get a peek into the throne room of God, how God is sitting on the throne and there's no competition in heaven that No one is competing for God's seat. Everyone is worshiping him over and over and over. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. And he's surrounded by these heavenly beings and 24 elders who throw their crowns at his feet, saying, You are the only one worthy. And then the one sitting on the throne has a scroll and says, Now it's time to make the world right again. But who is worthy to open the scroll? And no one is found in heaven or on earth. No one is worthy to open the scroll until John begins to weep. And one of the angels says, do not weep, for the line of Judah draws near. So he hears it's the line of Judah, but he turns and sees a lamb who was slain. Is Jesus who comes forward and begins opening the seven seals. And we said those seven seals, the first four, are addressing the pain and the problems of this world: conquest, war, famine, and death. This is what happens when people rebel against God, seek only what we want. This is why our world is broken. Seal five is the martyrs crying out: How long, O Lord, is this going to last? Sixth seal is the day of the Lord. When the God comes and says, All right, all evil is done. All those who belong to me will be gathered up. And then the seventh one. Is who can endure the day of the Lord? Chapter 7. And we said it is those who have put on the white robes, those who have given their hearts to Jesus, not those who are extra super special, holy, or talented, or better than anyone else. It is those who said in their hearts, I need Jesus. That's who can endure the day of judgment. It is not about your resume, it is not about your criteria, your talent, your money, any of that stuff. It's do you know Jesus and have you made him Lord of your heart? And then he can be your savior. And then we talked about the trumpets. In the declaration of the gospel that must go out, that was last week. And we said it's repeating the same story that the world is broken. We cry out for justice, and the answer for the broken world is the gospel, trusting in Jesus. He's the only one who can heal the world. Now we turn to chapter 12. And as we do it, I encourage you, as a note taker, please, please. Be a note taker. I heard a quote once that if the Lord speaks to you, write it in ink or write it in blood. Write down what the Lord is speaking to you. Let's begin with some definition of terms. First one. And if it's a little small, I'll say them out loud. When reading these particular chapters, it's helpful to know what these metaphors stand for, okay? So that we're not guessing. We don't want to do that. We want to know what the truth is. So, first one: the serpent slash dragon, same being, it's the devil. Next to the devil, you could write bad guy. Just in case you need that clarification. Another one you could write is the only enemy. We said this last week. The enemy of this world is not Republicans or Democrats or Iranians. Or Ukrainians or people on the other side of the world, it's not your ex-spouse, it's not your problematic employee or your horrible boss, to which Pastor Chase was a little too loud in his amen. So we've resolved it. It's fine. He's given his two weeks. Just kidding. Yeah. But it's not a person. The enemy of your life is not people. Jesus died for all people. The enemy is. The serpent, the dragon, the devil. Next, when it talks about in chapter 12, it talks about that the dragon will be pursuing a woman and her child. That can feel very confusing. But in this chapter, the woman is referring to Jesus, the Messiah, the Savior. We're gonna unpack it in a second. And the child of the woman is the church. Babylon doesn't necessarily get talked about in this chapter, but it's in Today's message, Babylon, specifically in the New Testament, refers to rebellious governments. Those who are rebelling against the authority of God, trying to prop themselves up as if they're God. They have the authority of God, the power of God. That's what Babylon represents. Just like in a few words. The beasts are the forces of the governments, how they enact what they want to do to try and claim that they're God and they can rule the world. That's the beast that we're gonna read about in 666. What everyone is dying to know, you're gonna have to wait. We're gonna get there in a second. So, chapter 12. Chapter 12 is If you have your Bible and you didn't grow up Catholic like me, you're more comfortable writing in your Bible. But if you grew up Catholic, let me tell you, it's okay. You can do it. I'm getting over it. But feel free to write in the beginning of chapter 12: cosmic battle. This is what's going on behind the scenes. This is what's happening in the spiritual realm, the cosmic battle. This is explaining why the world is broken in the way that it is. Have you ever asked that question? Why is the world like this? Revelation 12 gives you the answer. And the answer is the serpent. It talks about in verse 7: then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down, that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world astray, he was hurled to the earth and his angels with him. Is that a future event? It's a past event. They're saying this already happened. We talked about last week when Jesus said, I saw Satan fall like lightning, cast down. The rebellion that the devil tried to do to say, I'm gonna be God, and he got one-third of the angels to join his side, was cast down into the earth, and then he begins to tempt the people of God, starting with Adam and Eve. So the first sin was the devil in heaven, his pride trying to take the place of God. This is why there's a serpent in the garden. He's in rebellion against God. He wants to harm the people of God. Now It says that he's pursuing the woman and pursuing her child, that he's he's going after Jesus and he's going after the church now. He's going after that message. Where does this come from? We said this over and over and over. The book of Revelation is callbacks. The whole thing is like callbacks to the beginning of the story of Scripture. If you have your Bible, Revelation chapter 3, you know this story, but read it afresh. This is right after they pick the fruit. They're not supposed to. Genesis 3. Verse 15 is gonna be on the screen, but let me read 14 for you as well. It says, So the Lord said to the serpent, there's that word again, because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals. You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers. He where does he come from? I have a guess. We'll crush your head and you will strike his heel. Any guess? He it's on the wall. Changes everything. That on the cross, the devil struck Jesus a death blow, but he comes back, resurrected life. But on the cross, the victory was won. Christus victus. That Jesus has won the war, and now we're just waiting. For the judgment day of the devil. So, what he's talking about in chapter 12 is in the meantime, the devil is trying to bring as many people down with him as he can. So, this is why, when I say up here on stage, everything must be submitted to Jesus, not just some areas of your life. Because the devil doesn't care how he brings you down. He does not care. He's like, if I can get you with money, I'll get you with money. If I can get you with sex, I'll do that. If I can get you with power and make you prideful, sure, let's do that. If I can get you addicted, if I can get you, I don't know, seeking approval of people more than God, I'll do that. I don't care. He doesn't care how he brings you down to his level, how he gets you in the darkness. This is why we say it doesn't matter what someone's sin was when they walked into those doors. Who cares? Who cares if you were an addict? Who cares if you had the divorce, if you had the affair, you went bankrupt? All of us were in darkness. How silly to compare how we got there. What matters is has Jesus brought you out of darkness and into the light? That's what we should worry about. Not, well, at least I didn't do that. You were in darkness, bro. What it doesn't matter. So that's why anyone who comes into those doors, we're like, thank God. Praise God. I don't care how you got here, but Jesus went after you just as he went after me, just as he went after all of us. Amen. This is what we're saying over and over. And then it's like, devil doesn't care. He'll get you any way he can. This is why I am on high alert when I hear phrases in culture like my truth. I get terrified by, or you do you. I'm gonna live life my way. Kinda sounds like a modern version of did Jesus really or did God really say? Kinda sounds like a modern version of Eden. Yes, he did. And this is truth. He doesn't care how he twists the truth, he'll twist it any way he can to get you to believe the lie. It doesn't matter which one you buy. The devil is a liar. Doesn't matter. Did God really say? Yes, he did. Yes, he did. Did God really come for me? Yes, he did. Yes, he did. Which is why from stage and we are living out over and over. Jesus is Lord of everything. Jesus is Lord of our marriages. Jesus is Lord of how we are as employees. Jesus is Lord of how we're parents. Jesus is Lord of our finances. Jesus is Lord of our anger. Jesus is Lord of how we treat our enemies. Jesus has to be Lord over everything. Because the devil don't care. What area you want to hold back? He's like, you don't have to worry about that. No, no, no. Lord over everything. It's the only way to life. This is over and over and over. So how do we resist the dragon today? Do we go make a bunch of signs and start protesting people on the streets? no, don't do that. That pushes people further from God, not closer. Have you ever noticed that? It's always like three crazy people with a megaphone. And no one really like. breaks out into prayer or revival. It don't work. We don't fight fire with fire. It starts with your heart becoming holy as he is holy. And the proof of a changed heart comes out in how you live your life. That you have given your heart to Jesus so you live differently. It says that over and over that the Christians would rather be killed than kill their enemies. Turn the other cheek. Forgive your enemies. We have to do life the Jesus way. And the only way to do life the Jesus way is with a new heart. Become holy as I am holy. Place him first and foremost. Revelation 12, verse 17 says this. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman, you can translate Messiah, Jesus, went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring. That's us. Those who keep God's commands and hold fast to their testimony about Jesus. So he's gonna throw stuff at you. Faithfulness to Jesus. Give him your heart, give him your mind, give him your actions, give him everything. And then what can the devil throw at you? Nothing. He'll try. But this is why we have to do it the Jesus way, not on our own strength. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever tried to break free of sin on your own power? How were those like thirty six hours for you? Probably like exhausting, tiring. You probably felt good the first like thirty minutes. You're like, Yes, I'm awesome. I'm crushing it. Like you know what I mean? Like doing so good. Not I haven't been prideful once today. Like, I am so awesome. And then you're like, wait a minute, does that count? You cannot overcome sin on your own power. It's through a new heart, through the power of the Spirit, from Jesus being mobilized through the Spirit to be like, I don't even desire that anymore. And yes, it's a process, but it's over and over and over, returning to Jesus. How do you love your enemies? The power of the Spirit. How do you forgive those who've hurt you? How do you let go of past wrongs? How do you show generosity? A new heart. You become light from the inside out. This is how we live differently. We said this last week. This is what changed hearts and minds of the people. It wasn't all the plagues and the pain. It was the fact that people were willing to die to give them the message of Jesus. That's what caused repentance. That's what caused heart change. Revelation twelve, verse eleven. They triumphed over him as in we triumph over the dragon by the blood of the lamb and by the word of the testimony, and not love our lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore, rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them, but woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you. He is filled with fury because he knows his time is short. The cosmic battle. All right. 13. Earthly battle. devil doesn't like that he gets thwarted and that he's losing, so it says he empowers two beasts to come forward onto the earth. One comes from the sea, one from the land. One he gives the power to wage war, and the other one, you know, can do many signs and wonders, but then all of a sudden begins to focus on this idea of that you can't buy, trade, or sell unless you have the mark of the beast. just quick question. Anyone ever been curious about that idea, Mark of the Beast? I mean, I could skip it if we want. Like, we don't have to do that. But I'm sure a lot of us are like, nah, dude that's kind of why I'm here. I want to know what that is and if I got it or not. So, Beast One represents. This goes this is ancient historical interpretation of what these beasts represent. It's tempting to think Godzilla versus King Kong. Okay? Don't think that. This is the beast. The power, the forces of Babylon, of wayward rebellious governments, use these two beasts military power and economic force. If think about it, every government that is propping itself up to try and dominate, conquer the world their way, these are their two main tools to do it: military power, economic force. Let's take a simple example. Let's take our the birth of our own nation. What caused the birth of our nation? Economic power struggle. And they said, We'd like to have a conversation. And England said, Well, we'd like to shoot you. That's my interpretation of US history. And no, I wasn't in an A P class. So, Gen Ed. Military power, economic force. These are the patterns. This is the pattern. Over and over and over. This is what they were experiencing in the first century from Rome. Read the gospels. When they're like, wait, the Messiah's here? Does that mean we don't have to pay taxes to Caesar? You remember that scene? He's like, Give to Caesar what is Caesar's? Give to God, what is God's? And then he had others saying, like, so when are we gonna overthrow the Romans? Let's get some military force in here, Jesus. Nope, my kingdom's not like that. Two main powers are still at play. First century church breaks out. They are being taxed so heavily, the people of God. And when they refuse to say Caesar is Lord, they were or refused to serve in the military, that's when they were put to death. So John is saying this is a pattern. But the enemy still isn't the Romans, it's the dragon. Who's manipulating and pulling the strings behind the scenes to go after the people of God? Tim Mackey from the Bible Project puts it bluntly, but he puts it so straightforward. He says, Nations become beasts when they use military power and economic force to demand allegiance to themselves instead of God. Now the mark of the beast. Always a fun one. If this is your first time here, please fill out a visitor's card. We would love to connect with you. When I was growing up in the nineties, the mark of the beast was a was a barcode. Anyone heard that one? Like a barcode you'd get on your forehead? Okay. I guess we read different books. most recently I heard it's a QR code. I really hope not, because there's one in front of every one of your chairs. So I really hope it's not. Or that it's a tattoo of some sort. So what is it? What does it mean? Let's start with that. Why why a mark in the first place? Because the beast, the dragon, demands allegiance. They want to mark who their people are. And where they mark it matters. It's on the forehead and on the hand, as Jeff read earlier. Why? Because the mark of the beast is known as the anti-Shema. Can you say that word with me? Shema. Shema is a prayer, it's an ancient Old Testament prayer. It's a very famous prayer. Even if you haven't heard that word, you know these verses. Because Shema is Hebrew for the word hear and obey. They're the same word. Wouldn't that be nice, parents? Like when you say you're not listening to me, it means I'm not questioning if you're deaf. I'm questioning you're not doing what I told you to do. Hear and obey, same thing. You're not listening. But to listen is to obey in Hebrew. So this is the Shema, Deuteronomy chapter six. We have it on the screen, and you're gonna go, in just a second. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your strength. These commands that I give you today are to be on your hearts, impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home. And when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up, so just like all the time. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. What God is saying is this prayer, this understanding of who God is and the goodness of his commands, because this is the chapter after the Ten Commandments. Teach your children these, live these way. The forehead means with all of your thoughts, the hands with all of your deeds, with everything you think, with everything you do, have it be in allegiance of honoring your God. Everything you do, even the most mundane, doing dishes, grocery shopping, thinking about your future, whatever, can all be an act of worship and prayer. God, what do you want me to do? How do you want me to live? This is what the Shema means. The beast, the dragon, wants that kind of allegiance to himself. He's making us choose. Are we gonna have our thoughts and actions pointed towards God or towards the dragon? We have to pick. We have to choose. This is what the mark of the beast means. That's why they want marked. Who are the people of God and who are those who are wanting to follow the dragon? It's a choice. Now, what does it mean? What does 666 mean? Did you know if you go to Chick-fil-A, you can't be charged $6.66? I think they'll round down because they're a generous company. We had a girl in middle school friend of mine who refused to have that as her locker number, which good call. And it sat vacant like for two years in the middle school because they're like, nah, that like no one else wanted it. So what does 666 mean though? To us, it's a mystery. It's a mystery. Like what does that mean? But if we saw someone at the Americana Festival with a tattoo on their forehead of 666, you might cross the road just in case. Just be like, we're just not gonna, not today. But what does that mean? Because as we just read, it says it is the number of a man, and that number is six six six. But he says he calls for wisdom. So I took a screenshot of a video that's been very helpful from the Bible Project, a great resource, use them. And instead of making Joey download a neak new keyboard for Greek and Hebrew, I was like, I'll just screenshot it, make your slides easier. The Apostle John spoke two languages, primarily: Greek and Hebrew. Greek because that was the language of the empire, and Hebrew because he was Jewish, and that's what their scriptures were written in. The reason we don't know what 666 means is because we speak English. And English wasn't spoken back then. Are we are we together on that one? That makes sense? Okay, cool. Unless someone's like, I'm reading the Hebrew, in which I'm like, good on you, you're preaching next week. So in both Greek and Hebrew, letters can be transformed to mean numbers. Are you with me so far? So if you were to interpret the word beast in Hebrew and add those numbers up, it would come out to beast, as in the same beast. We've been talking about since the Garden of Eden. First century audiences would have been like, yeah, duh, the serpent. Yeah, of course. That's that's who the beast is. That's the enemy. That's the one who is the enemy of God. But in the Greek translation, those same letters added up translate to Nero Caesar. Now, before we get ahead of ourselves, does that mean Nero is the Antichrist? No. What it means, though, is the most recent iteration of the beast, of the devil, in the world is being shown by the Romans, specifically the Roman leader, that he is the one who is currently persecuting the people of God. As we said. In the past. Nero, is he the beast? No, he represents the beast because he represents Babylon, who is in opposition to the people of God. You could put it like this: there was a tower of Babel. Do you remember this story? Because they were trying to get to God. They were in rebellion from God. That's where Babylon was started. Then you fast forward to Egypt. Pharaoh thought he was God, the beast behind the scenes. Then you have the actual kingdom of Babylon that took the people of God out of exile. That's who was coming against people God. Then you had Persia, then Greece. And in this writing of the book, it's Rome. The beast is using worldly forces to come against the people of God, to come against the church. But before we say all Caesars and God can't save, God can't redeem, just a few generations later, it was the Caesar who made Christianity the official religion of Rome. It's the beast is using worldly power to manipulate and harm and bring people into his kingdom. Are you with me? 666, kind of anticlimactic, but at least we know what it is and what it isn't. Because what it isn't Is again a weapon to say, you know, that famous politician I don't like is going to do something like the mark of the beast. Or this is a s no. Stop that. Jesus died for everyone, all people, even ones we don't like. Amen. We should not denigrate people in that way, because that means. That we are judge and jury. Rather, we say, yes, they might be under the influence of the beast, they might be doing things that are against God, but we pray for them that someone would preach the gospel to them and change their hearts. That's what the church is called to do. We are called to resist the beast, not the people he's manipulated. Chapter 14 continues. It says, So who can withstand these beasts? Who can withstand all of this that's coming at us, being thrown at us, all this pain, all this temptation? Chapter 14, it says, It's the lamb and the 144,000. We talked about the 144,000 earlier, but just as a reminder, this is a military statistic, which means a multitude upon a multitude, okay? Because when John looks at the 144,000, he says, I can't count them. He can't even count. It's people from every tribe, nation, and tongue. Everyone is invited to be a part of the army of God, to be a part of the gathering of the Lamb. The mark that's written on their forehead, though, is the Shema. We have sworn allegiance to Jesus. We have sworn allegiance to God. And what they are doing in these first five verses is they are singing a song of victory. The war is over. It's what we just sang this morning. Yes, there are battles happening, but we know that at the end of this life, at the end of this world, The war is over. That love has won. That sacrificial love of Jesus has issued in the victory. And the devil's just scrambling because he knows his time is limited. And he says, All those who want to come can come out of darkness because they have been covered in the blood of the Lamb. They have offered Jesus their hearts. These are the ones who have accepted the invitation to the wedding feast. And it's gone out to all of us. Have you accepted your invitation? This is this is who has victory. The next passage, verses six through thirteen, there's three angels, and each of them has a message that they're declaring. The first angel is saying, the eternal gospel, the eternal good news, the good news for all people goes out into every corner of the world, every tribe, nation, and tongue. That we have been lost, but our shepherd has come and has found us and carried us back to the flock. The good news that's being preached at this church, churches all throughout this city, all throughout this state, all throughout this nation, that there are believers coming to know Jesus right now all over the world because of this message. There are people in the underground church in China, in Iran, in Ukraine, in Russia, in England, in Spain, in Argentina, and Anyone else who played in the World Cup or didn't qualify 'cause I realize that's where my list went real fast. But all over the world, the message of Jesus is bringing people out of darkness. It's for everyone. That's what the angel's declaring. Preach this gospel. Second angel comes and also gives good news. Babylon has fallen. The great enemy of God is no more. It's been defeated. It's over. Come out of Babylon, is what the third one says. The third one calls everyone: come out. Come out. The empire's collapsing. Come out. There's only gonna be one kingdom at the end of the world that's gonna survive. It's the kingdom of God. But it doesn't know boundaries, it doesn't know language, it doesn't know culture, it's everyone, everyone who accepts Jesus as king can come into this kingdom. The third one is saying, but if you do not come out, if you choose to reject the message. If you choose to remain in Babylon, if you choose to stay under the influence of the dragon, if you swear allegiance to the beast, then you will suffer the fate that they have before them. It was a choice that you made. That is the heartbreaking thing. C.S. Lewis says the gates of hell are locked from the inside. People who chose anything other than God. The last part of the chapter are two harvests. Two harvests. The first is celebratory, and the second quite painful. The first is the harvest of grain. Anyone grow up on a farm? Curious? We had a few, awesome. Harvest time, as a kid who grew up in the suburbs, and what I've heard. It's a time of celebration. All of your hard work has paid off. You gather up, look at the bounty, look at the goodness. Labor, you collect the harvest, and you rest, and you enjoy all that has grown up. This is what is to come at the end of the age. Jesus will come and gather all of his people, all that hard work. Everything that the church strived for, every time that we push back against the darkness, will be over. It'll be no more because the darkness is no more, the evil is no more, the devil is no more. And we will enjoy the bounty, the harvest at the end of the age. We will all be gathered at the feast of the Lamb. The good harvest. The second is a harvest of grapes. Friends, you harvest grapes to crush them. To stomp on them. And Jesus is warning: this is the second harvest. For those again who rejected the message, this is how evil will be dealt with. This is how it will be stomped out. It'll be crushed. It's that same language from Genesis. He will crush your head. Anyone who doesn't come out of Babylon, anyone who says, I swear allegiance to the beast. It's like we want to pull our hair out and scream and cry and say, What are you choosing? Why would you choose that? This is the fate. And the Bible is making no mistake about it. It's not putting an asterisk, like, it's not gonna be that bad. No, it is. It's going to be that bad. But it's a choice. But it's a choice as the church we have to give people. We have to go out and tell them the good news. That it's a choice, that everything you're looking for is not found in the beast, it's found in the lamb. The true joy you seek, peace, love, grace, a new heart are found in the beast, or are found in my goodness, are found. We have had spiritual warfare all day, and that is the worst. Is found in Jesus Christ alone. But the beast will promise it. The devil will promise it and over and over again. Let me get you back with this last one as the band comes forward. This book is quite detailed, quite heavy. Amen. Not always the most fun, cheerful message. This is a book about new life, about new birth, about all that is to come. I can remember when Melissa was pregnant with our children that we spent far more time. How are you today? How are you feeling? Did you feel the baby kick? Do we need to paint the nursery? What do we think about names? Should we have a baby shower? A diaper party? Do we have the go bag ready? It was in preparation for the baby coming. How much time do you think I spent after work sitting on the couch after and be like, gosh, are you ready for all this pain? I wouldn't be up here right now, friends. If all I focused on was saying this is gonna be the most pain you've ever felt in your life and it's gonna be horrible and tra what? No, what what sane human being would do that? Why? It is the most pain, right? From what I've been told, versus a man cold, which is just as bad. Email chase at the point nine three seven dot org with any comments and questions. Even though it is the worst pain a human can endure. Every time that baby comes, mothers will say, it's like I felt nothing to hold this new life, have them hold my finger and look up at me for the first time and hear them cry. Many will say it's the greatest thing I've ever done. This book is describing that on an infinite level. The goodness when Jesus comes and new life, new heaven, and new earth is formed is beyond imagination. I want you to just think about this for a moment with me. You will never again experience disease, death. The influence of the dragon, there will be no darkness, no pain, nothing for all eternity except goodness in life. Seriously think about that. You will never once again feel tension in your body from stress. You will have no more migraines in the new heaven. You will not have another sleepless night. Are the kids okay? Is my marriage gonna make it? Is this gonna be? Those thoughts will not exist. What is better than the new heaven and new earth? That's what we long for. That's what we push for. That's what we push the darkness back now in preparation for that coming day. Yes, there will be pain involved, but the goodness in the life will far outshow it, even on the worst moments. Would you pray with me? Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we long for the day when you come for harvest. We long for that day. And we pray that it draws soon. And in the meantime, would you set our hearts ablaze to not be content, to not be asleep, to be radically ready by telling others the good news, by inviting them into the kingdom of God, calling them out of Babylon. I used to be there. Come out. Come experience life. Come experience grace. Lord, thank you for bringing us out of darkness and into the light. I pray for my brothers and sisters right now who feel like they're wrestling between Babylon and the kingdom of God, who feel like there is both light and dark swirling within them. Jesus, would your light come? And stamp out any lies, any darkness, any temptation. Give us a new heart and a passion for you and you alone. Lord, we love you, we thank you, and we sing in victory as the army of God. Is your name we pray? Amen.

Revelation 13:11–18 Revelation 3 · chapter mention Revelation 12:17