Let's take our Bibles and turn
to the book of Revelation chapter 15. Revelation 15. This morning I'd like to speak
on the subject of a great and marvelous sign. In the closing verses, contained
within the verses of chapter 14. It was related to the church,
her safety in the Lord Jesus Christ. The blessed portion of
Scripture, verse 13 of that 14th chapter, John was told, having
heard a voice from heaven, saying, Write, Blessed are the dead which
die in the Lord from henceforth. Yea, saith the Spirit, that they
may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them."
In verses 14 to 16, we saw and heard of Him who sits upon the white
cloud. He who thrust His sickle on the
earth and the earth was reaped." That is to say, we saw where
the elect of God were harvested into the very presence of Him
who has everlastingly loved them. who lived for them, who died
for them, who was buried with them, raised with them, and He
to whom they shall eternally be with. But not only is the
church comforted in seeing and realizing as she beholds the
grace of God that has given her what truly in herself she never
deserved, but also she is comforted in seeing the mercy of God, that
is, that she did not receive what Almighty God was pleased
to not give her, that is, eternal judgment. So she is comforted. In verse 19 of that 14th chapter,
we saw where there was another harvest, the angel thrust in
his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth
and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of the Lord Himself."
So, now in this fifteenth chapter, we are going to behold the glorious
victory of the saints in her substitute. Ever do we notice
that as the wrath of God is poured out in this earth, the Lord never
fails to comfort His people. It is almost as if we are seeing
continually God's wrath is sure and just, but remember, but remember,
you who believe, remember of God's mercy in grace. So John
says in that first verse of chapter 15, And I saw another sign, another
sign. That word, remember, we saw in
the 14th chapter. He was talking about another
angel and another angel and another. And that word, another, means
of the same sort. Another, of the same sort. So
John saw another angel of the same sort. another sign, I'm
sorry, of the same sort that was a great comfort to the people
of God. He saw this sign in heaven. Now this sign that gave or indicated
the position or the place or the state of the church, that
is, in the eyes of Him who is of purer eyes than to behold
evil and canst not look on iniquity. John saw another sign in heaven. Remember, often, almost without
exception, when heaven is referred to in the book of Revelation,
it speaks of the church, her position, her place, where Almighty
God resides. I know how we think. We think
of heaven and we think up, you know, up. that the Lord ascended
up into the clouds. And so our minds are so geared
to think the heavenlies. But heaven is where the Lord
is. And where the Lord is, that's
where His people are in their position, in their state. So John says, I saw another sign
in heaven, great and marvelous. Now this great and marvelous
sign Or what makes this great and marvelous sign to John and
to all the regenerates, those who have been regenerated by
the precious Spirit of the living God, is that they're looked upon
in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And John sees a sign,
gray and marvelous. There is a fresh token of the
love of God shown to all who realize that while God has poured
out His wrath to the ungodly, He has had mercy and compassion
upon all that He has everlastingly loved for the sake of His Son."
So this is a great and marvelous sign. Here is the evidence of
what Paul the Apostle speaks of as growing in grace. Obviously, when you think of
that statement, growing in grace, it doesn't mean growing in the
sense of grace, the extent of grace. Almighty God has shown
grace and mercy to His people. But when it speaks of growing
in grace, it's talking about the enjoyment or the realization
of the totality of that grace. Growing in grace has two aspects. John saw a great and marvelous
sign. Growing in grace has to do, first
of all, with the realization or the discovery of the increasing
discovery of the vileness of this flesh that is within me.
Turn over to Romans 7. Romans 7.23. This is growing Two sides of it. Number one,
it is the ever-increasing and the discovery of the vileness
of my flesh. Those of you that are around
me very much, have been around me often, realize that I will
admit to myself and to you how much more I discover the vileness
of that which I know opposes these scriptures. In the past
few days, I've been trying to get some things done, and how
many times have I had to be reminded, reminding myself of Romans 8,
28, things just don't go my way, I think. How often I'm reminded,
I think to myself, I stand here and preach, that all things work
together for good, and I know they're so. I know they're so. But growing in grace is a realization,
a greater realization of the violence. Look at verse 23 of
Romans 7. Paul says, I see another law
in my members warring against the law of my mind, bringing
me into captivity to the law of sin that is in my members. A believer growing in the understanding,
growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Secondly,
it is an ever new discovery of the glory of Christ in His redemptive
work for me, an understanding of growing of it. Look at verse
25. I thank God, Paul says, through Jesus Christ our Lord, so then
with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the
flesh the law of sin. Two natures, two distinct natures. One of them that absolutely loves
Almighty God, a new mind, born of God, that which is born of
God does not sin. That which is born of God does
not sin. It cannot sin, John said, because
His seed, the seed of God Himself remains in him. Paul said, I
see another nature in my flesh. warring against the law of my
mind. So John sees a great and marvelous
sign that gave great comfort to the heart of John because
of God's mercy toward him. John says that I saw this great
and marvelous sign. Here's what it was. Seven angels
having the seven last plagues, for in them is filled up the
wrath of God. Now remember, we just looked
back at verse 19 in the 14th chapter that said that the vine
of the earth was cast into the great winepress of the wrath
of God. Now John sees a great and marvelous
sign and there are seven angels that are holding, they have these
seven last plagues. This evening I want to preach
on actually what these seven last plagues are. I'll just try to deal with that
in the last part because I'd like to look at the first four
or five verses this morning, and then this evening look at
those seven last plagues. But suffice it for the moment
to say that John saw this great, marvelous sign. Seven angels
holding these seven last Now though at this time, remember
that as we're looking at this picture that is being revealed
to John and to the church, we're seeing that even at this time
that these two witnesses, you remember the two witnesses that
were apparently to the world killed in the streets, and to
the world it appeared as though that these two witnesses, which
is a picture of the bride herself, the church, the two witnesses,
she has the appearance of death in the streets of Egypt and Sodom,
which were the spiritual cities of religious rebellion, though
they appeared to be dead, you know that the Lord always has
a witness. To the world, the marvelous gospel
of free grace. Sovereign, saving grace. God that chose a people before
the foundation of the world. This message is to the world. Dead. Ah, nobody believes that. That's ridiculous. Who in the
world, in fact, as not but just a few of those places even around
that even preach that. Oh, you know, we like the contemporary,
you know, with the times. We've got to appeal to the masses,
you know. This free grace that you're talking
about, it's dead. Now John is seeing what the Scripture
reveals shall be on how Almighty God, a marvelous sign, he sees
this is how God is going to execute His wrath. Seven angels. Seven angels in the same sense
that John heard the Lord Jesus Christ back in Revelation 1.20.
Just turn back there. Remember when John saw the revelation
of Christ Himself. Look at Revelation 1.20. The
Lord showed John as He revealed Himself to him. He said that
There were seven stars and seven candlesticks. He said, The mystery
of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, in the
hand of his power, and the seven golden candlesticks, the seven
stars are the angels of the seven churches. The seven candlesticks
which thou sawest are the seven churches. So these seven angels
that John saw, Revelation 120 reveals who the seven angels
are. They're preachers. God's preachers. Not just seven in the sense that
there were only seven, but the number seven is the number of
perfection. God Himself. The perfection. The number of God Himself. You know, we looked at 666. Always
short. Always lacking. All have sinned
and come short of the glory of God. 66666. It never made it
to seven. but the number of seven here.
It's seven angels, the preachers of God's Gospel. Seven angels
that represent all the preachers. I was thinking this morning as
I was kind of going over my notes and looking to see as we were
preparing for this, I thought to myself how thankful I am. I know to the world I realize
to the world that the preachers that God has raised up, I realize
that they look on them with scorn and they find fault with them.
And I mean, hey, ask any of them. They'll find fault with themselves.
I understand that. But when you think about the
mercy of Almighty God, I mean this just as sincere. I've listened to that passage
that Brother Scott just read a few moments ago. Yeah, he fought
a good fight. There is none good but God. So
therefore, if he fought a good fight, it was God's fight in
the proclamation of the free grace of Almighty God. But for
this community right now, I thank God, Brother Scott. I thank God,
Brother Henry. I thank God, Brother Don and
Greg and Paul, these men that the Lord has been pleased to
raise up just in themselves, nobody. But John said, I saw
a great and a marvelous sign. God raised up some preachers.
That's what John was saying. And these seven angels that John
saw as being a great and marvelous thing. Think about it. That God
would send a preacher across your path. That God would cause
a man to have a heart to preach His gospel and He give you a
heart for it. There's a lot of folks that are
just never hearing what's the difference in you and them. The grace of Almighty God. You're here by God's grace, by
the express privilege to be here. Just to have the opportunity
to sit and hear the gospel And God give a man a heart for that.
What a great and marvelous sign. And these men, these seven angels,
they have the seven last plagues. The spirit of Antichrist shall
not be judged, destroyed by man's might and man's power, but by
the Word of God Himself. seven angels that hold the seven
last plagues. What John sees is that these
seven angels, preachers of the gospel, are delivering because
the Lord has entrusted to them as servants, has delivered the
message of the last dealings that God will have with the wicked. These last seven signs, these
last judgments, these last plagues. And here again, and I don't want
to get into this evening's message right now, but I'm going to tell
you, we think chronologically. And so therefore, we're thinking,
okay, these last seven plagues, are these last plagues, seven
plagues, are at the end of. These last plagues have always
been here. The last plagues that are held
by the seven angels, the seven last plagues is not something
that's coming up in the future. They've been here since the fall.
And I'll show you tonight, but we'll deal with that, Lord willing,
tonight. But these seven angels that have the seven last plagues
says, for in them is filled up the wrath of God. Filled up.
It's the end. It's the accomplishment. It's
the pay. It's bringing it to a completion. Now, these seven last plagues,
there is a final day of judgment. You know that. The great white
throne that we'll, Lord willing, look at as we come to. There
is a final day of judgment. But these last plagues that shall
bring us to that final judgment in every generation, there has
been seven last plagues. Well, here again, let's look
at verse 2. John says, I saw as it were a
sea of glass mingled with fire. And them that had gotten the
victory over the beast and over his image and over his mark and
over the number, of His name stand on the sea of glass, having
the harps of God." Now, here again, we're reminded. You think about this. John saw
a great and marvelous sign. It was seven angels that held
the seven last plagues that were filled up of the wrath of God. What he's saying is this. God's
going to judge. God's going to pour out judgment.
But he sees here a reminder. of the glorious victory that
is given the bride, even as the seven angels have those seven
last plagues of the wrath of God in view. John sees them. God Almighty is going to. This
victory is for the total good of the bride, and it is of the
total merit by the accomplishment of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Paul said in Romans 8, 37, and all these things, We are more than conquerors through
Him that loved us. We are being born along, kept,
protected, taught, reminded totally by the grace of Almighty God. All of the work is His work. All of the victories, His victory
and ours in Him. We are more than conquerors through
Him. that loved us. So John sees on
this sea of glass, and he says this sea of glass, now remember,
this sea of glass is a picture of this world in which is found
all men, all vessels of honor, and all vessels of dishonor.
The sea, we read that. We can go back. If you want to
read it again, it's Matthew 13, 47 to 50. The Lord Himself says
that the kingdom of God is like a net that's cast into the sea.
And it's gathered in. All of the fish are gathered
in. And the good ones are taken and
preserved. And the bad is cast back. So we see the sea. So John sees
a picture. Seven angels, they have the seven
last plagues of the wrath of God. And he says, and I see this
sea of glass that's mingled with fire. Now this sea, remember,
wrath is going to be poured out. So John is looking at a sea. It's said that the great harlot,
the religion of Antichrist, comes from the sea. That is found in
Revelation 13, 1. There was a beast that came out
of the sea, out of the world. But here, this sea is said to
be glass mingled with fire. So I know that it has to do with
the world. But this fire, mingled with fire,
the raging sea of the world, the sea of the world has been
overcome and stilled for God's people in its ability, that is,
the world's ability, the sea's ability to overcome them and
to eternally harm the church. Now, this sea that these saints
are standing on truly is mingled with fire, and in that I see
two things that I know could be so. Either one, I'm not saying
that I understand perfectly, But there are two things that
I see. John says, I see a sea of glass mingled with fire. Either the fire that is coming
out of that sea of glass is the trials and the troubles that
spring from it, or it could be the judgment of God that shall
be upon it. In John 16.33, The Lord Jesus
Christ said, These things have I spoken unto you, that in me
you might have peace. He said, In the world you shall
have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. Therefore, it is a sea of glass
to God's people. Judgment is found within it,
upon it, but they walk in peace and comfort. And them that had
gotten the victory, The Scripture says over the beast and over
his image and over his mark and over the number of his name,
they are standing on the sea of glass. 1 John 4, the Lord
speaking through the prophet says, Ye are of God, little children,
and have overcome them, because greater is he that is in you
than he that is in the world. And these that are standing,
the Scripture says, over on this sea of glass, they're having
the hearts of God. The hearts of their hearts is
what is, you know, we see these pictures and we say, oh, it's
supposed to be an angel and it's supposed to have this harp and
stuff. God is the one to be praised
for the ability to be able to sing in the heart. We sing songs, and we sing some
of the same songs that so many of the false churches sing. They sing Amazing Grace. They'll
sing Amazing Grace in every denomination that you can think of. But because
they sing a song that is truly good, good words, it doesn't
change the reality to you. They sing the song. They sing
the songs of Zion, the songs of praises. What can wash away? I sang that song, What Can Wash
Away My Sin? Nothing But the Blood of Jesus.
I came up in a denomination that was nothing but Arminian free
will. I've sung that song all my life. But one day, the Lord taught
me the meaning of that. And I rejoice in that. I rejoice,
but just because someone has taken a song, a false prophet,
and has made this false prophet, this member of the harlot, and
has used, you know, I come, Jesus I come, just as I am. I'm going to tell you something,
it doesn't change the reality of it for me. It's good. So these are having These harps,
it says they see it, they have the harps of God. Paul said in Ephesians 5, 19,
speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. So they have the harps of God
themselves. And John says in verse 3, and
they sing the song of Moses. the servant of God in the song
of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord
God Almighty. Just and true are thy ways, thou
King of saints." It's not that they sing the identical song
or the words from the song that Moses taught the people back
in Exodus chapter 15. You remember when Moses and the
people were delivered by the Lord Himself from the Egyptians.
when God destroyed the Egyptians. You go back in Exodus 15 and
you can read the song of Moses, of God's deliverance. But as
the Lord delivered them from the extinction by the Egyptians
in the Red Sea, the people celebrated their deliverance in the singing
unto the God of heaven. So these that have overcome by
the blood of the Lamb, they sing in that manner. Not that they
sing necessarily the song of Moses, but they sing of His deliverance. And they sing the song of the
Lamb. Turn back to Revelation 5. Revelation
5, 9 and 10. They sing the song of the Lamb.
Look at these verses again. And they sung a new song saying,
Thou art worthy to take the book. Here was the one that they looked
upon and they saw Him. There was one likened to the
Lamb of God, slain. Thou art worthy to take the book
and to open the seals thereof. For Thou wast slain and hast
redeemed us to God by the blood out of every kindred and tongue,
people and nation, hast made us unto our God, kings and priests,
and we shall reign on the earth." The seals that were opened, broken,
and revealed by the Lamb." Those seals was the revelation of how
God has kept and protected. Those seals were open. Every
one of them revealed how. Who was worthy to reveal what
Almighty God has eternally done for His people? Who was worthy?
One. One. The One that has overcome. The One who was slain. The One
who has redeemed us. to God by His blood. So they sing the song of Moses. They sing the song of the Lamb.
And these who had gotten the victory over the world, over
Satan, over self, they sing of Him who is their Deliverer. Great and marvelous are Thy works,
Lord God Almighty. Just and true are Thy ways. Thou King of Saints." If you
look in your margin there, that word saints there is interpreted,
nations of the ages. You're the victor. You're the
one who has delivered because of your justice, your truth,
your ways. You're the King of all the ages,
of all the nations. You have manifested mightily. the wonderful acts in our redemption. You who are the uncreated One,
the eternal upholder of all things, you have executed justice. You
have executed truth in all of your dealings. You are the King.
You are the Master. Scripture says in verse 4, Who
shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou
only art holy. For all nations shall come and
worship before thee, for thy judgments are made manifest."
And here the saints are continuing in their praise and their adoration
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Who shall not fear thee? Who
shall not give you reverence? Every knee is going to bow and
every tongue is going to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to
the glory of God. Who shall not give thee? Now
some shall be given a new heart, made willing in the day of His
power to bow and to confess the indescribable mercy and grace
and compassion of Almighty God from Him who has looked upon
them and seen them and viewed them in the person of the Lord
Jesus. Some are going to bow and confess
grudgingly, but they are going to bow. They're going to bow.
They're going to be bowing, being found in Adam. They're going
to bow. But they're all going to bow. Who shall not fear thee? Who shall not glorify your name? Who shall not render honor to
you and admit it in glorifying you that you've done that which
is pleasing in your sight? I'm telling you, all are going
to bow. All are going to confess that
He is Lord, even in judgment. They are going to have to admit,
you are just, you are right. No man is going to not bow. Every knee is going to bow in
your electing and redeeming, calling, in your keeping grace. Who shall not honor you? For
thou art holy. John is being shown this. Lord, You are right. The word holy has to do with
right. Right. You get the word righteousness. For You only are holy. Only You hate sin. and love righteousness. We, as
the Lord's people, we hate sin and we love righteousness, but
only in our representative. In ourselves, we love sin. In ourselves, in our old nature,
we love sin and hate righteousness. That's what we are by nature.
Only in our substitute. Therefore, it can never be said
that the love of righteousness and the hate of sin ever originated
with us. I know in Christ we hate sin. Jeremiah said, I loathe myself. I despise myself. I disappoint
myself. Ever disappointed yourself? He
said, man, I wish I wouldn't have done that. I wish I wouldn't
have said that. I wish I could have thought that through. Man,
if I had just, I had half a brain. Only you, only you, Lord, are
holy, for thou only art holy. Holiness is you. The Lord God is holy. In Job 4.18, The Scripture says,
Behold, he put no trust in his servants, his angels he charged
with folly. The angels that never failed,
the angels that never rebelled, he put no trust in them. He charged them with folly. They
never failed. Why? Because you only are holy.
Job 15, 15, Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints. Yea, the heavens are not clean
in his sight. You are holy. For all nations,
John said, shall come and worship before thee. Now here, after
having seen that every knee is going to bow, every tongue is
going to confess to the Lordship, of Christ Himself in mercy and
in judgment, we see the fruit of the mercy and compassion of
the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord had told Moses that
this was His glory. Remember, Moses asked the Lord,
he said, show me Your glory. Would You show me Your glory?
Remembering that the Face the bottom line of glory is opinion,
the opinion of Almighty God. What is your glory? Show me your glory. What is your
opinion? That's when the Lord said, I
will be merciful to whom I'll be merciful. I will show compassion
to whom I'll show compassion. This is His glory. This is His
right. This is His ability. This is
His will. This is His glory. This is His
opinion. So John says, all the nations
shall come and worship before Thee. All without distinction? Oh no. Not lovingly and willingly,
but all nations shall. Turn back to Revelation 5 again.
We just looked at Revelation 5 and 9. Let's look at one other
part. They sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book,
to open the seals, for Thou was slain and has redeemed us." Who? His people. "...to God by the
blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation."
So the Scripture says back in Revelation 15, the Scripture
sets forth that all nations, some out of all nations, not
all without distinction, Willingly, but all that the Lord has chose
out of all nations, they're going to come and they're going to
worship before Thee. All nations, every race presented
before Him worshipping, reverencing, adoring, bowing to, kissing His
hand for worship. That's the meaning truly of worship. Kissing the hand and appreciating. Why? Well, because our judgments
are made manifest. That's why. The two beasts have
been overthrown, shall be overthrown, or being overthrown, the beasts
of this world and the beasts of false religion. And the saints,
they worship, they sing the song of Moses and the song of the
Lamb. They bow before Him. In Isaiah,
Isaiah 26. Let me just read this to you.
Isaiah 26.9. The Scripture says, With my soul,
with my heart, have I desired thee. I've longed for and I've
coveted. I've coveted, desired thee in
the night. That means in the adversity.
In the midst of what's going on right now. seeing what's in
this world and what's inside me right now. I've desired You. I've longed for and coveted.
Yea, with my heart, with my life, with my spirit that is within,
that's within me, I'm going to seek You early, earnestly. For when Thy judgments, when
Your sentence, when Your verdict is in the earth, the inhabitants
or the settled ones of the world will learn, will be taught righteousness. John sees a great and marvelous
sight, a sign. This is the great sign that he
sees. He sees seven angels, and they
have the seven last plagues of God's wrath, and while John is
watching, seeing what is about to happen, how the Lord God Himself
is going to pour out wrath. He sees a sea of glass mingled
with fire, and there are standing upon that glass, that sea of
glass that is mingled with fire, all of God's redeemed, and they
have harps, the harps of God, and they are playing, singing
in their and singing unto the Lord Himself, singing the songs
of Moses, the song of Moses, the song of deliverance, and
the song of the Lamb, the song of redemption. And this is what
they're saying. Great and marvelous are Your
works. Lord God Almighty, You're just. And You're true. You're true
to Your Word, true to Your covenant. You never change. You're the
King of all the nations. Who's not going to reverence
you? Who's not going to bow to you? What knee is not going to
bow to you? All knees are going to bow. And
they're going to glorify your name. They're going to say, Lord,
what your opinion is, what your glory is, you've done that which
is right. Lord, you've been right to choose
a man for yourself because it pleased you to do so. And Lord,
you're right to leave a man to you. They're going to glorify
your name. Why? Because you only are holy. The holiness, Lord, is You. It originates with You. And all
the nations are going to come and they're going to worship
before You. Every one out of every nation and tribe and tongue
that You set Your affection on, Lord, You're going to bring them
to Yourself. Why? Because Your judgments are made
manifest. Lord, You're right. You're good.
The comfort of God's people is found totally in the Lord God
of heaven, because He's right. And this evening I'd like to
deal with the last verses of this 15th chapter and look at
what are these last judgments. Actually, what are they? Because
in the next chapter, chapter 16, we're going to see those
judgments that are actually being poured out. But this evening,
what are they? Lord willing, we'll deal with
those verses tonight.