Let us commence our service this evening by singing together hymn number 20. The tune is Lasus 875.

Ere the blue heavens were stretched abroad,

from everlasting was the Word.

With God he was, the Word was God,

and must divinely be adored.

Hymn number 20, tune Lasus 875.

Let us read together from the Holy Word of God in the book of the Revelation, chapter 19.

Revelation, chapter 19.

And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying,

Alleluia, salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God.

For true and righteous are his judgments,

for he hath judged the great whore

which did corrupt the earth with her fornication,

and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

And again they said, Alleluia,

and her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down,

and worship God that sat on the throne, saying,

Amen, Alleluia.

And a voice came out of the throne, saying,

Praise our God, all ye his servants,

and ye that fear him, both small and great.

And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude,

and as the voice of many waters,

and as the voice of mighty thunderings,

saying Alleluia for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Let us be glad and rejoice and give honour to him

for the marriage of the Lamb is come

and his wife hath made herself ready.

And to her was granted that she should be arrayed

in fine linen, clean and white,

for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

And he saith unto me, Write,

Blessed are they which are called

unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.

And he saith unto me,

These are the true sayings of God.

And I fell at his feet to worship him.

And he said unto me, See thou do it not?

I am thy fellow servant,

and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus.

Worship God.

For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

And they saw heaven opened,

and behold a white horse,

and he that sat on him was called Faithful and True,

and in righteousness he hath judged and made war.

His eyes were as a flame of fire,

and on his head were many crowns.

He had a name written that no man knew but he himself.

And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood,

and his name is called the Word of God.

And the armies which were in heaven followed him

upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

And out of his mouth went a sharp sword,

that with it he should smite the nations,

and he shall rule them with a rod of iron.

And he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness,

and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God.

that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him, that sat on the horse and against his army, and the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image.

These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone, and the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth, and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

May the Lord bless the reading of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real prayer. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which is an art, an art to come, we come to bow before thy great majesty as a company of poor sinners, each one of us being the sons or daughters of Adam, born in sin, shapen in iniquity, dead in trespasses and in sins.

we come most gracious lord and pray that this evening hour we may feel the quickening power of thy grace in our hearts that we may feel the quickening power of the holy ghost giving life and light and liberty and understanding for lord that is what we need we come lord as fallen sinners and we come to confess those sins.

And we come, Lord, to lay before Thee our worthlessness, our helplessness, our insufficiency. We do not deserve Thy mercy or Thy grace, but we come to Thee in the name of Jesus Christ. And Thy word declares to bring no money, he that hath no money. Lord, we come, poor bankrupt sinners, and we pray that we may be washed in that precious sin-atoning blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, that thou wouldst cleanse us from all our sins and from all our iniquities.

We pray, most gracious Lord, that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the sacred fellowship of the Holy Spirit may rest and abide upon us as we gather around thy word that we may be led of the Spirit of God and that the truth of God may be opened and that the power of that truth may be sealed into our hearts by the Holy Ghost that we might know the truth in its heavenly power, in its divine unction, and that we may be given precious faith to lay hold of that hope that is set before us in the gospel, and may we be given that gracious determination, whether preacher or hearer, to know nothing among men, save Jesus Christ and him crucified.

For this, O Lord, is all our hope, and this is all our desire, and we pray tonight to be led of the Spirit of God, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. May we have that witness of thy spirit with our spirit, that we are indeed the sons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty. May the power that brings salvation be exerted in the word. We do humbly beseech thee.

We pray Most gracious Lord, for those divine drawings of our heavenly Father, drawing us unto his Son, and that we may have the witness of the Spirit, yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn thee. Lord, we pray that thou wouldst graciously grant the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ the eternal word that was made flesh and dwelt among us. May we behold his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, hearts to receive the written and the incarnate word. We do humbly beseech thee.

We pray that thou wouldst bless our deacons with needed grace, wisdom and help in all their responsibilities, both here and elsewhere, and that thou wouldst graciously bless each one of our brethren and sisters in Christ and continue to unite us together in the sacred bonds of Christian love and union and communion. As the dear Apostle says, your hearts being knit together in love, Lord, may we have an increase of faith and love among us. We do humbly beseech thee.

Remember the little ones and the children that are brought into the sanctuary. Grant that the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom, may be given unto them in their young and tending years. Remember our young friends. May they be brought to live in faith in Jesus Christ. and become true followers of thee and of those who, through faith and patience, inherit the promises. For, Lord, thou hast promised, instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.

Lord, we do pray that thou, in thy great mercy, would remember parents and give wisdom and grace and help to bring up their children, the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and that thou wouldst graciously bless the families as they gather for divine worship and grant thy presence there among them, we do humbly beseech thee.

And Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst bless all in the midst of the journey of life and graciously guide and direct and teach and lead Remember the prodigals that have wandered away and graciously cause them to be in want and cause them to return, we do humbly beseech thee.

We long to see Zion's offspring come. We long to see the fulfilling of those wonderful gospel promises that I will bring thy sons from far and thy daughters from the ends of the earth. and that thou has promised Lord to abundantly bless her provision and satisfy her poor with bread. And we pray that we may see thy work and thy power and thy glory in our midst. We pray that the wonderful glory of gospel light may shine into this village and the surrounding villages and hamlets and many precious souls may yet be gathered in come to the sanctuary with a desire to know thee, to serve thee, to follow thee. O do graciously hear us. O Lord, we do beseech thee for thy great name's sake.

And O Lord, we do pray that thou wouldst remember those of us that are now in the evening time of life's journey and that thou wouldst prepare us for that great change which must come to each one of us that we may be graciously prepared for that great day when heart and flesh shall fail.

Lord, we pray that thou wouldst remember the little hills of Zion up and down our nation, that thou wouldst remember all thy servants as they labour in word and doctrine upon the walls of Zion, that thou wouldst set them free and at liberty and grant that the Lord Jesus may be exalted as a Prince and as a Saviour, for to give faith and repentance and remission of sins. And we beseech Thee to return to Jerusalem with mercies, to rebuild and renew and revive and replenish the little hills of Zion, and grant a godly increase and rebuilding. Lord, only Thou canst do this.

Remember all those in the path of affliction, or sorrow, sadness, bereavement, and undertake for each one of them, O Lord, we do beseech Thee, that for Thy great name's sake, remember all in affliction, graciously draw near to them, sustain them, strengthen them, heal them, if it could please Thee, grant us that spiritual healing as well. Heal us, Emmanuel. Here we are, waiting to feel thy touch. Deep wounded souls to thee repair and save you. We are such.

Remember thy servants. Grant the fresh anointing of thy Holy Spirit. Grant a door of utterance and the spirit of power and the pulling down of the strongholds of Satan. and the setting up of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus in the hearts of sinners.

And, O Lord, we do pray that thou, the great Lord of the harvest, would send true labourers into the harvest, that thou wouldst graciously may bear thine holy arm in the gospel. We pray that the souls of thy people may be fed and watered, that they may eat of the bread of life, that bread of life may be broken and that we may eat of that bread of life and drink of that living water and taste of the wine of the kingdom. Oh, do hear us, Lord. We humbly beseech and come and spread the gospel table here tonight and that there may be a hearing and a seeing and a leading and a guiding.

We thank thee for our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank Thee for the glory of His person and the fullness of His grace. We thank Thee for that profound mystery of God manifest in the flesh. Oh, we do thank Thee, most gracious Lord, that He was made of a woman made under the law and that He has fulfilled that holy law and honoured and magnified that holy, righteous law that Thou hast given, and thereby bring it in. everlasting righteousness for thy people.

We thank thee for that holy and sacred sacrifice of the cross of Calvary, where sin has been put away and divine justice has been satisfied, and God and sinners are reconciled. Oh, do hear us, Lord, we humbly beseech thee. And graciously come and open thy word and open our hearts to receive thy word. We pray for the word as it goes forth on the internet, that it may be richly blessed of thee, that it may redound to the great honor, glory, and praise of thy holy name and to the edification of thy people wherever they may be.

For Lord, we are clearly instructed in thy word that thy people come from every nation, kindred, tongue, and tribe, and people. We thank thee for our house of prayer. We thank thee for all the abundance of thy mercies, which are new every morning, and great is thy faithfulness. We thank thee that through our Lord Jesus Christ, we know the love, and power, and grace of our Heavenly Father, and through him we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Come and touch one's lips with a live coal from off the heavenly altar. We ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

Let us now sing together hymn number 796. The tune is St Ursula, 606.

When we pray, or when we sing, or read or speak or hear, or do any holy thing, be this our constant care, with a fixed and constant faith, Jesus Christ to keep in view, trusting wholly to his death, in all we ask or do.

Greatly feeling to need the Lord's gracious help, I will direct your attention to the chapter that we read, the book of the Revelation, chapter 19, and we'll read from our text, verse 13. Revelation chapter 19, reading verse 13 for our text. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and his name is called the Word of God.

We've often observed as we meditate in the Book of the Revelation that we should never forget the first clause of the Book of the Revelation. The revelation of Jesus Christ. And if we do not observe that we will lose our way in this book. In each chapter there is a revelation given to us of Jesus Christ. And the book of the Revelation covers the period of time from the first coming to the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. So it covers the days in which we live. And it's recorded to graciously help the Lord's people in this wilderness journey.

We read here that there are constant battles taking place. We often read of the work of Satan and the powers of Antichrist, which are all prevalent, especially in the day in which we live. You know, some say that we're in a day that, you know, the second coming is not far off. Well, that may be the case, but it may not be the case. some of the most godly men in history, some of the very godly Puritan preachers who were very well versed in the Word of God and the original languages, they felt that in their days they were living in the last days and that the coming of Christ wouldn't be far off. But here we are over 400 years later and we're still here. The Lord Jesus He said, no man knoweth the day nor the hour when the Son of Man cometh. We do not know.

We do know that the Word of God is very clear that there will come a falling away and that we take that to mean in the church and certainly we live in such a day as that, as a great falling away. Few come to Zion's solemn feasts. go back even a hundred years and the churches many of them were full but now we're greatly depleted. But you go back to the time just before the great awakening in the 1700s and what do we find there? A terrible state and condition that the nation was ill in and that the Church of God was in. then the Lord poured forth his spirit and sent forth mighty men of God like George Whitfield to preach the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ, Daniel Rowlands, Howell Harris in Wales and a great outpouring of the spirit in Scotland and so we see there was a tremendous awakening right across the country

So we need to be very careful of speculating that we're here or we're there in history. The fundamental teaching of the Book of the Revelation is this, that there will be great tumults, there will be times when the Church of God is brought very low, there will be times when the enemy of souls seems to have the upper hand, and the wicked seem to prevail, but every single time that that happens, right the way through the book of the Revelation, eventually the Lord Jesus Christ prevails and overcomes his enemies and the light of truth shines forth and the power of it. You see, it's one of the reasons that this book was written. to show that the Lord is in control.

In this chapter, in verse 6, we read and are heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the voice of many waters, and of the voice of mighty thundering, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God, omnipotent reigneth. I often feel that that really is what we would call the watchword of the book of the Revelation. Alleluia, for the Lord God, Omnipotent reigning, you know The devil would love you to believe that he reigns The devil would love you to believe that he is in control He had the temerity to even tempt the Son of God That he was in control and that the world was his to give See my beloved friends What we have taught in Holy Scripture is the Lord reigneth. Many times we read that in the book of Psalms. The Lord reigneth. And he does. He's in control. Although it may appear at times that Satan seems to be in control. But the Lord is in control. He's the sovereign ruler. the skies. He's ever gracious, ever wise. All my times are in thy hand, all events at thy command, everything is in the Lord's hand. And really that's the message given to us in the Word of God. The Lord is in control. And it's certainly in the message here in the book of the Revelation that the Lord is in control.

Now here in this chapter, we see the Lord come into judgment. We also see the church of God. You see it starts in the chapter, and after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying, hallelujah. salvation and glory and honor and power unto the lord our god it's a celebration of the lord's power and in the previous chapters to this one chapter 16 we have a clear revelation of armageddon which is the end of time and then we have the clear Revelation in chapter 16 of the fall of Babylon The mystery of Babylon the great the mother of harlots in the abomination of the earth And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints And with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus you see it we see the fall of The great apostate church the Mother of Heavens. I do not believe that that exclusively means the Roman Catholic Church. Yes, the Roman Catholic Church is an anti-Christian church and it is one of the great antichrists, but it's only one. You think of all the churches here in this country that nominally go under the name of Protestant and yet they're false religions. false religion that they're anti-christ anti-christ there's the only true one true church of god but the call to the lord's people here in the book of the revelation is come out from her my people come out from her my people there's a divine call to separate from the false church.

You see here in the beginning of this chapter, he says in verse 2, for true and righteous are his judgments, for he hath judged the great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his sermons at her hand. And again they said, and her smoke rose up for ever and ever. You see, God is in control. That's the message. And then we read of the church of God here, the true living church of God. Verse seven, let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him for the marriage of the Lamb is come. and his wife hath made herself ready. This is the church of God. For to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. It's the righteousness of Jesus Christ. That's what she's clothed with.

You know, I believe it's wrong to think that the book of the revelation is written in some chronological order because it isn't. We read of the seven vials of wrath and we read of the seven angels and they all come at different times right the way through the book. We read in the seventh chapter It says in verse 12, Amen, blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might be unto our God forever and ever. Amen.

And one of the elders answered saying unto me, what are these which are arrayed in white robes, and whence came they? And I said unto him, sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, these are they. which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple. And he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun lighten them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

It's like we said at the commencement, the revelation of Jesus Christ. Now, here in this revelation that we have that surrounds the word that we have before us, It begins in verse 11, and I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse and he that sat on him was called faithful and true and in righteousness doth he judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire and on his head were many crowns and he had a name written that no man knew but he himself. he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and his name is called the Word of God.

Of course we have that beautiful Word in the first chapter of John's Gospel and the Word is written with a capital W the same as it is in our text and the Word was made flesh. It's the glorious divine person of the Son of God. He's called the Word. And notice how it's worded, and the Word was made flesh. The Son of God became a man. And here he's portrayed before us, and he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. the eternal word.

My mind seemed to be drawn this afternoon in thinking of this word to the Acts of the Apostles and in the Acts of the Apostles in chapter 20 we read there that the Apostle Paul as he speaks to the elders of the church at Ephesus and he says in verse 28 take heed therefore unto yourselves and all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood and then he says in the verse 32 and now brethren I commend you to God and to the word of his grace I commend you to God and to the word of his grace those that are much more learned than me, many of them say it's pointing to the person of Christ, the word of his grace.

And his name is called the word of God, the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. The word of his grace, the word that was made flesh. and dwelt among us. There's that very well-known scripture in the first epistle of John and chapter 5, where it again speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Word. And it says in in verse six of the fifth chapter of the first epistle of john this is he that came by water and blood even jesus christ not by water only but by water and blood and it is the spirit that beareth witness because the spirit is truth for there for there are three that bear record in heaven the father the word and the holy ghost and these three are one

One blessed, infinite, almighty and eternal God. Usually it's spoken of as the Father, the first person, the Son, the second person and the Holy Ghost, the third person of the blessed Trinity. But they are co-equal and they are co-eternal together. Each one individually is called in the Word of God Jehovah. The Father is called Jehovah, the Son is called Jehovah, the Holy Ghost is called Jehovah, the Spirit of the Lord, this one only and true God.

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the word and the holy ghost and these three are one in paul's epistle to the hebrews he speaks there so beautifully the spirit of god is left on record in in in chapter 4 in verse 12 of hebrews for the word of god i do not believe it entirely means the written word it can definitely be applied to the written word but if you carefully read this these two verses you find that it's speaking of a person for the word of God is quick that means living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner, this is a person, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight. You see it's a divine person, it's the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal Word. But all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do and his name is called. the Word of God. You see, the glorious person of the Son of God is the eternal Word that was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory.

And what is the glory, my beloved friends, that we behold in Jesus Christ? It's the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace. truth that's the wonderful glory that we behold in Christ in that holy life that our Lord Jesus Christ lived here upon earth all the efficacy and the wonder and glory of that holy life is he's the Son of God and that righteousness that he brought out for his people it's an eternal righteousness Thy righteousness, it says in Holy Scripture, is an everlasting righteousness. That righteousness of Christ for the Church is an everlasting righteousness. It's eternal righteousness. Why? He's the Son of God.

And it's the same when we look at the sacred and holy sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. He's the Son of God. Wasn't it the Roman centurion when he stood by the cross and he saw the death and heard the death of our Lord Jesus Christ? Truly, he said, as he looked on that scene, truly, this is the Son of God. This is the Son of God. He gave witness to it.

It's a wonder of wonders, when Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were in the fiery furnace that Nebuchadnezzar put them there because they wouldn't worship any other god but the Lord Jehovah only and we read that Nebuchadnezzar was astonished as he looked into that furnace those three Hebrew children and he said did we not cast three in the fire Behold, the fourth is like unto the Son of God. You see, I am with thee. I am with thee. Fear not, I am with thee. And he was with them in that burning, fiery furnace. And he delivered them from it. Why, that's something that's utterly impossible, isn't it? Naturally speaking. Even his mighty men that The captains of his guard that put them into the furnace died because of the heat when they put them in there. And yet here we have these three Hebrew children preserved, kept. It's a message there in the book of Daniel of the wonder working power of this great God. Same as the message that we have here before us in the word of God tonight.

and he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and his name is called the Word of God. The Word of God. Now this revelation that we have here of Christ with his eyes were a flame of fire. It says in verse 14, the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses clothed in fine linen, white and clean. That's the saints of God that follow Christ. We read in the epistle of Jude, and it speaks there that Jude, he quotes from the book of Enoch, doesn't he, that he beheld the Lord coming with 10,000 of his saints and all his holy angels. coming to judge the world in righteousness. The armies which were in heaven followed him. This great captain of our salvation.

Again, here in the book of the Revelation, in the sixth chapter, we read there in chapter six of the Lord Jesus going forth to do battle. And again, he's riding on a white horse. And I saw the When the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, come and see. And I saw, and behold, a white horse. Again, he's on a white horse. And he that sat on him had a bow, says Christ. And a crown was given unto him. And he went forth conquering, and to conquer. That's in the gospel. Jesus Christ in these last days going forth, sending his servants into every nation, kindred, town and tribe and people to preach the everlasting gospel unto poor lost sinners. He had a bow and a crown was given unto him and he went forth conquering and to conquer.

And we have the witness, do we not, through the centuries of how the Lord has conquered some of the most obdurate, obstinate sinners who hated his very name and yet they were brought under conviction of sin and brought to the feet of Jesus to worship him and to accept him as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, this glorious Saviour. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and his name is called the Word of God, and the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. Covered in the righteousness of Christ, this army of saints. We read in the Song of Solomon, terrible as an army with banners. That's the church of God here on earth. Terrible as an army with banners. Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.

John Knox was a very valiant man for the truth of God and for the ways of God. He suffered much in persecution. A Mary, Queen of Scots, known usually as Bloody Mary because of the slaughtering of the Lord's people under her reign. She said to her aides, I fear the prayers of John Knox more than an army of 10,000 men." What a witness that was. See, to the power of prayer.

And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and he traith the winepress, of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. That is why it says in our text, and he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, it's the blood of his enemies when he comes to judge the world in righteousness. And then we read of him, this name is called the Word of God and in verse 16 he says, and he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That's who our Lord Jesus Christ is. He's the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. You see, he's coming to judge the world in righteousness.

There's some very graphic language that is used here in the context and how that the beast was taken See, it says in verse 19, I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armors gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse and against his army and the beast was taken within the false prophet that wrought miracles before him and with which he deceived them which had received the mark of the beast and then that worshiped him in his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. It's when Christ comes to judgment and the remnant was slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse. Which sword proceeded out of his mouth and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. It's when the Lord Jesus comes in power and in great glory. to judge the world, to receive his saints.

We notice in chapter 20, it speaks of a thousand years. Now many godly people, such as John Gill, I think J.K. Popham also, took the view that Christ will actually reign here literally a thousand years upon the earth. I personally cannot see that. I believe that the thousand years spoken of is when the Lord Jesus goes forth sending his servants to preach the gospel. It doesn't mean a literal thousand years, it means a long season.

And it says in the beginning of chapter 20, I saw an angel come down from heaven having the key of the bottle in his pit and a great chain in his hand and he laid hold on the dragon the old serpent which is the devil and satan and bound him a thousand years. Now what does it mean? What is this symbolic language? It means the gospel would be spread throughout the world in this period which is a it says a thousand years but it's already been over two thousand years. The gospel will be spread throughout the nations of the earth satan will be bound how by the gospel of jesus christ

then it speaks in verse four and after or rather verse three it says after the thousand years should be fulfilled and after that he must be loosed a little season that is satan and personally i wonder if that is what we are seeing now If you look at the evil that prevails in the day in which we live, and the wickedness that prevails in the day in which we live, and the unrighteous men that are our rulers.

And then it says in verse four, after this little season, and I saw thrones and they sat upon them and judgment was given unto them. and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark in their foreheads or in their hands, and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. And the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years was finished. This is the first resurrection. says in verse 6, blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath no power. What is the first resurrection? Those that believe in the rapture and the coming of Christ to reign here upon the earth, they would call that the first resurrection. I do not believe that is a right interpretation.

first resurrection is when a poor sinner is brought from spiritual death into spiritual life. They're born again of the spirit, they're resurrected from a state of spiritual death into a state of spiritual life and he says he blessed and holy is he that part in the first resurrection on such a second death.

What is the second death? It's at the time of the judgment when Christ will say to those on his left hand, depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire. That's the second death.

Indeed, very graphically in chapter 20, we have the Lord Jesus sitting in judgment. And I saw a great white throne and he that sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, this is the day of judgment. And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

It's a solemn thought, isn't it? The coming end, the end of all things is at hand. Heaven, my beloved place, is a is a prepared place for a prepared people. In writing he says, now my God prepare my soul for that great day and wash me in thy precious blood, take all my sins away. Prepared. Are you prepared? Are you being prepared for that great day when we must stand at the judgment seat of Jesus Christ.

And this is what all these things that are set before us here, this is what is set before us, the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The reason that I cannot feel that it's right to teach that Christ will literally reign here for a thousand years on earth, it is the people that propound it, they say he will come, second time and He will reign here upon earth and then he'll come a third time to judge the world in righteousness

But the scriptures are very clear Christ only comes twice His first coming which he came when he When the word was made flesh and dwelt among us. That's his first coming and the second coming is when he comes in power and great glory to judge the world in righteousness. How we need a preparation for that great day, to be made ready. It's what Christ means, isn't it? And be also ready. For at such a time as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh.

And we're given so many more warnings in the word of God of the second coming. clear word in Hebrews chapter 9 unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation and he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and his name is called the word of God

You know, in relation to this, and we've often drawn your attention to it, in the prophecy of Isaiah in chapter 63, we read there of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ when he comes to judge the world in righteousness. And I've heard it expounded as being his first coming. But it cannot be when you read the context. Who is this that cometh from Eden with dyed garments from Bozrah, this that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save, that's our Lord Jesus Christ.

Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine fat? I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the people there was none with me, For I will tread them in mine anger. This is Christ coming the second time.

I will tread them in mine anger and trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments. And I will stain all my raiment, for the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to help. And I wondered that there was none to uphold. Therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me and my fury. upheld me and I will tread down the people in mine anger and make them drunk in my fury and I will bring down their strength to the earth.

You see that's Christ coming the second time just as we have here in our text and he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and that's the blood of his enemies dipped in blood. and his name is called the Word of God.

May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn number 1062. The tune is Saint Benedict, 885.

King of kings and Lord of lords, these are great and awful words. Tis to Jesus they belong. Let his people raise their song.

Hymn 1062. Tune Saint Benedict 885.

Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each both now and forevermore. Amen.