to Revelation 19. So we come to the first half
of Revelation chapter 19 this week. It's in the sixth vision
of the seven visions of the book of Revelation. Seven being God's
number which completes his kingdom, the triumph of his kingdom. And
this is the sixth vision which started in chapter 17 and runs
through to chapter 20, I would say, more or less, Thereabouts,
maybe about halfway through chapter 20. But anyway, that's the sixth
vision. The fifth vision, which ended
in chapter 16, was the end of the world. That was the end of
it. That was the battle of Armageddon. That was the pouring out of the
seven vials of the wrath of God. God's holiness in relation to
this world of sin. That wrath is poured out, but
only after the people of God, the believing people of God,
the Church of Christ, have been taken out of the world, because
we see them, in chapter 15, observing those things happen. And in chapter
19, having given us the report of the end of Babylon, which
is this world, we see after these things. So he's going to give
us a different perspective. We've heard the report of the
end. We've heard it described as Babylon
is fallen. What does it mean by Babylon?
When the scripture talks of Babylon, yes, it was a real historical
city in the Middle East. You can see artifacts from it
if you go to the British Museum. But what does it speak of? It
speaks of this world. It speaks of this world that
worships the beast and his image. What's the beast and his image?
Go again and read Revelation 13. The beast and his image is
this global world in opposition to the living God. It follows
the false prophet, the second beast of that chapter 13. The
false prophet is the one who tells lies and and perform signs
and wonders, to delude, to deceive the people of this world into
not believing in God, into following the beast and worshipping the
beast and saying, who is like the beast? There's no match for
the beast, is there? He's wonderful. It's the antichrist
whore of this world's philosophy, that which goes against the truth
of God. God created man holy in the first
place. God created man holy to serve
him and to be with him. But man fell under the deception
of Satan. And his philosophy is against
God. His morals are against God. His
religion is against God. Yes, his religion is against
God. His politics is against God. His science is now pseudoscience. It's science falsely so-called,
which is against God. It is all finally destroyed. Everyone who thrived in Babylon,
in this world, everyone who thrived in this world is destroyed with
it. We've seen that. We've seen how
the merchants and all the trade of the world in chapter 18, the
bewailing and the sorrow and the grief at the destruction
of Babylon, but it's done, it's done, it's finished. As the visions
of Revelation progress, they increase in the detail of God's
judgments on sin. We had the seals of the seven-sealed
book, and the seventh opened as seven trumpets of judgments,
and the seventh opened as seven vials of wrath poured out to
end this world. We get deeper and greater detail
on God's judgment on sin, but we also get brighter views of
heaven the nearer we get to the end of the book. Since the fall
in Eden, this world has been the battleground between Satan
and God for supremacy. Now, the outcome is in no way
in doubt. God will be Lord of all things. God will triumph. It is His kingdom,
not this kingdom of Satan, this kingdom of Antichrist, that will
be triumphant. But it will only triumph on the
basis of righteousness and divine justice. They must both be honoured,
it cannot be without that. In contrast, the kingdom of Satan,
he strives for lordship, promising a utopia based on the lie that
divine justice can be ignored, but it cannot be ignored. God
is the creator and God is holy, and he will have his law and
his justice and his righteousness honoured. If you believe the
gospel, if you believe the gospel, and I know That's a leap, isn't
it? That man said, I mentioned it
earlier in my prayer, he said, Lord, Jesus said, do you believe?
He said, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief. The flesh
is weak. But if you believe the gospel,
you know that God will triumph. You know that his justice will
be honoured. You know that Satan will forever
be defeated. You know that God's people, whom
he loved with an everlasting love from before the foundation
of the world, will be forever with him in eternal bliss. But
we need patience now in this life to wait. Paul writes to
the Thessalonians, 1 Thessalonians 1 verse 3. He says about them
that he remembers without ceasing their work of faith. their labour
of love, their patience of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith,
hope, and love. But there it is, your patience
of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. For we are here, as Jesus said,
I pray not. He said to his Father, I pray
not that you take them out of the world, but that you keep
them for a while in this world. Keep them from the evil, in Satan's
kingdom, in this hostile place for God's sheep. But he has promised
heavenly bliss. many mansions. Remember what
he said at the start of John's Gospel, chapter 14? Don't let
your heart be troubled with all of the turmoil of this life.
Don't let your heart be troubled. In my Father's house there are
many mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and when I have gone
and prepared it, I will come again and take you to be there
with me. There's an inheritance incorruptible for the people
of God in eternity. Think about this. If there are
any listening who do not believe this gospel, who have not trusted
in Christ, there's an internal inheritance which is incorruptible
in the heavens. This life is without hope in
the flesh. The things of this world, moth
and rust, will all evaporate into nothing. Everyone who had
the beast's mark that we were reading about in earlier chapters.
What's that mark? Where is that mark? They have
this mark in their head and in their hands. In other words,
the way they think and the works that they do as a result. They're
the works of this kingdom of Satan. Those that have thrived
in Babylon, there is nothing other than the dreadful pain
and loss of that is coming and cannot be avoided. There is anguish
and sorrow. There is the eternal agony of
hell. But for all who have suffered
in this world, to whatever degree, as Christ's true sheep, the promise
is the promise of heaven, eternal bliss in the sinless presence
of God. Look at verse 1 of chapter 19.
After these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven,
saying, Alleluia, salvation and glory and honour and power unto
the Lord our God. This is the people of God. We've
seen them earlier in chapter 7 and verse 9. He counted up
the tribes of Israel, the people of God on earth, and then he
said, and I beheld in heaven a multitude which no man can
number. That's chapter 7 verse 9. All
the people of God. All the people who've been gods
from before time, they have arrived on that distant shore, in that
heavenly place. What Christ willed has been fulfilled. How do we know what Christ willed?
He said it, and John wrote it down in John's Gospel, 1724,
in that high priestly prayer. This is what Jesus, the man,
said. Jesus, who is God manifested, said this, Father, I will that
they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that
they may behold my glory. Having hoped and having waited
with patience in this life, with fleshly doubts, rising and falling,
no doubt, there they are now, in heaven, in the holy presence
of God. That presence of God is pictured
in the temple, in the sanctuary, in the middle of the temple,
the inner temple sanctuary. It's a very, very weak but nevertheless
vivid picture of heaven, of the presence of God, of being in
the intimate communion of the One, the Being who has created
and upholds all things by the Word of the power of Christ.
They must all there, this much people in heaven, this multitude
which no man can number, they must be without sin. Yet in this
life all were sinners, all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God. They must be without sin therefore, as Revelation
21, 27 tells us, there shall in no wise enter into heaven
anything that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination,
or maketh a lie. but they which are written in
the Lamb's Book of Life. These are the people whose names
were written from eternity in the Lamb's Book of Life. The
scripture calls them the elect of God. That's not some quirky,
weird, extreme doctrine of religious maniacs. It's the truth of God,
the elect of God. It is God who said, you haven't
chosen me, I have chosen you. This multitude that no man can
number, they were each chosen. Chosen means a deliberate, Intelligent,
conscious, choice. God said, I will have this one,
and I will have this one. A multitude that no man can number.
It says just as he has blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in him before
the foundation of the world, before there ever was a world.
If you're amongst the elect of God, it's not because you did
anything in time, it's because God chose you before the beginning
of time. And these are sinners, but justified
sinners. They're not sinners with their
sin on them. They were sinners, but they're
justified by Christ. They're made the righteousness
of God because of the substitution, which is the heart of the gospel
of God's grace. As it says in 2 Corinthians 5.21,
God made him who knew no sin, that is the Lord Jesus Christ,
for in him was found no sin. God made him to be sin for us. Why? Because He took upon Him
the sins of His people. He was made the sins of His people. There's more in that word made
than I understand, but I know this deep, deep spiritual significance. He, the Lord Jesus Christ, the
God-man, was made the sins of His people, and thereby He suffered,
He bore, the punishment of God that He might pay the sin debt
of His people. Why? So that we, as that text
continues to say, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. And if we're made the righteousness
of God in Him, who can bring any charge against God's elect
to say that that one is not justified to be in heaven? Christ has died. He's risen again from the dead.
This is the essence of substitution in the heart of the gospel. Christ
has redeemed us from the curse of the law, which is a just curse.
That curse of the law is the curse of sin. that everyone who
does not continue always, in every detail of the law and justice
of God written in the book of the law, if everyone who does
not continue always, without fail, without utter perfection,
to keep that law, is under the curse of God. And what's the
curse of God? The soul that sins, it shall die. But what is the
glorious gospel's response Christ has redeemed us from the curse
of the law. How? By Him, substitute, being
made a curse for us. And thereby, as Colossians 1.12
says, He has qualified us. He has made His people meet,
fitting for heaven, to partake of heaven. Do you have a good
hope that you are numbered among them? Do you? Have you believed? Not what have you done, not how
good, how righteous are you. I'm asking you this, have you
believed on the Son of God? For you know what the scripture
says, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but
should have everlasting life. He who has believed is not condemned,
but he who does not believe is condemned already, for he has
not believed on the name of the Son of God. Has God's Holy Spirit
given you faith to trust Christ? Because if you're saved from
your sins, it is by grace that you are saved, by grace. Through
faith, faith is the means by which you apprehend it and sense
it and know it. By grace are you saved through
faith, and that, that faith, not of yourselves, no, it's the
gift of God. Has God's Holy Spirit given you
faith to trust Christ? When we have the communion service,
we read those verses in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 about eating and drinking
the body and blood of the Lord, the symbols, the remembrances
of it, unworthily. And to eat and drink unworthily
is to not discern the body and blood of the Lord. Do you discern
His body and blood, purchasing your redemption from sin's just
penalty? Are you amongst the true circumcision
of God? The true people of God? The Israel of God? Are you amongst
them? Do you worship God in the spirit? Do you rejoice in Christ Jesus? Do you have no confidence in
the flesh? Then be assured, If you answer
yes, then be assured you are among this much people that John
heard in heaven. He saw them in chapter 7 as a
multitude. He beheld a multitude that no
man can number. Now he hears a great voice of
much people in heaven. You are among them in heaven. Do you know, I know we live in
a realm of space and time. and time so controls our thinking
and understanding of things. I believe what John heard, what
John saw in that multitude in chapter 7 verse 9, and what he
hears of this much people in heaven. Do you know, if you're
amongst those who believe the Lord Jesus Christ, I believe
that what John saw is you and me there. You and me there, outside
of this realm of time. You know, that's what he saw
in this vision of heaven. Much people, it was the whole
people of God there. If it was the whole people of
God there and you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you're
there, outside of time. Always outside of the time. As
Jesus said to the thief on the cross, who was dying next to
him in agony on the cross of Calvary, And that thief said
to him, when it came to him, by Holy Spirit conviction, and
the light of God shining into his heart, and giving him a sight
of that marvellous light of God, Lord, remember me when you come
into your kingdom. And Jesus, dying next to him
on that cross, said to him, verily, verily, I say unto you, This
day you shall be with me in paradise. As you depart this life you shall
be instantly in your consciousness you shall be with me in paradise.
Doing what? Doing what? Praising God. Look,
hallelujah, salvation, glory and honor, power unto the Lord
our God. I am sure that words come nowhere
near expressing the depth and the truth and the power of this.
But they're praising God with a loud voice, giving glory to
God. What is the glory of God? You
know, this scripture tells us. Moses said, Lord, show me your
glory. And he said, this is my glory.
You cannot see my face, but this is my glory. I will be gracious
to whom I will be gracious. I will have compassion on whom
I will have compassion, salvation, honor, and power, unrivaled omnipotence. They're all there in this praise.
And it's all Praise for the just retribution of God. 4 verse 2,
True and righteous are his judgments, for he hath judged the great
whore, Babylon, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication,
and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And
they say, Alleluia! And her smoke rose up for ever
and ever. There's praise because God's
justice is vindicated. It's upheld. It is honorable.
All accounts, all accounts, in the divine books have been rightly
settled. As it said, where was it we read
it? In chapter 16 toward the end,
just as Christ on the cross when he died said, it is finished,
there in chapter 16 it was pronounced, when all the wrath, the vials
of wrath had poured out on this earth, it said, it is done. It is settled. The payment is
made in full. It's an eternal thing. And the
whole redeemed church of God is there. Look at verse 4, the
four and twenty elders, and the four beasts fell down and worshipped
God that sat on the throne. This is heaven, achieved, attained. The whole redeemed church of
God, symbolized by these four and twenty elders, twelve of
the Old Testament, twelve of the New Testament, they're there. The restored creation, the four
beasts, they speak of creation which is marred, and we read
in Romans chapter 8 that this creation groans in travail that
it might be restored to that situation of perfection before
sin came in. Verses 5 and 6, 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, as the voice of many waters,
and the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord
God Omnipotent reigneth. This is praise for unrivaled
supremacy and power. So, verse 7, 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. All things are
ready for the marriage of the Lamb. This is the culmination
of the weight of the history of time. It's the event to which
all things have been building. This is the eternal union of
God and His people, which is pictured in marriage between
a man and a woman, but only pictured Nevermore will there be the impediment
of sin in the relationship between God and His people. There will
be no more need to rely on faith, the sight of the soul, and hope,
and hope that these things are true and right, because Why?
Why would you need hope? Why would you need faith when
you're there in the presence of God? This is the consummation
of the betrothal between Christ and his people, Christ and his
church, when it was placed in eternal union with him before
the beginning of time. What do I mean by that? Again,
the scripture speaks. Look at 2 Timothy chapter 1 and
the end of verse 8. because we'll just pick up God
and put that in place of the who at the start of verse nine.
God has saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according
to our works. Oh, praise God. Not according
to anything I do, or have done, or shall do. Not according to
our works has He saved us from the just condemnation of sin,
the curse of the law. He's called us with a holy calling.
Not according to our works, but according to what? According
to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ
Jesus, when? Before the world began. Before
God said, in the beginning, let there be light, and there was
light. Before God breathed into the nostrils of Adam, whom he
formed from the dust of the earth, the breath of life. Before that
was this holy calling. made and set in eternal purpose
and grace. It was given us in Christ Jesus
then. A legally binding promise, sworn
by God on the honor of God. He can swear on no higher than
his own honor. It's pictured throughout the
scripture. It's pictured in the relationship between husbands
and wives. Ephesians 5, 25. Husbands, love
your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself
for it. That's how Paul goes on to say,
I speak not about husbands and wives, I'm speaking about Christ
and his church. Now, in this life, the church
in this world experiences simply the betrothal, the engagement,
the promise, but all the time separated from that intimate
union. There is anticipation, but not
consummation. And then, there is marriage.
And the marriage is unbroken, eternal union, which is the essence
of heaven. This marriage supper, look, there
it is, the marriage of the Lamb has come. Verse 9, Blessed are
they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.
These things are true. The marriage supper is the wedding
breakfast, or the reception as we call it in our culture. The
celebration of the fact that this marriage is there, and is
announced, and is public, and is going to be consummated. What
do we read here about the Lamb's wife? Verses 7 and 8. 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. And to her was granted that she
should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine
linen is the righteousness of the saints. Here we have the
Church, God's elect people, whose names, each one, are written
in the Lamb's Book of Life. Remember that. Every time you
see about the judgments of God falling according to the things
that are written in the books, every time you read about we
all must stand before the judgment seat of Christ and receive the
things done in the body, never forget, child of God, if you
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. If your name is written in the
Lamb's Book of Life, you have a perfect hope. You have a perfect
plea. Jesus, the Lamb of God, has died
for me. That is my plea. That's the judgment. Your judgment has taken place.
They looked for the sins of Judah and Israel, says Jeremiah 50
and verse 20, and none were found. Why were they not found? Because
Christ has taken them all away in redeeming grace. This much
people in heaven, this is the church of God here, every guest
at the marriage supper. And it isn't just a marriage
supper, then we all go our separate ways. It lasts eternally. It is never not the marriage
supper of the Lamb. And how do you get there? You
are called, verse 9, they which are called unto the marriage
supper of the Lamb. You know, Jesus spoke about this
in Luke chapter 14, illustrating this with a parable. In Luke
chapter 14 and verse 15, One of them that sat at meat with
him, with Jesus, heard these things. He was talking about
the kingdom of God. And he said unto them, he said unto him,
to Jesus, the man said, blessed is he that shall eat bread in
the kingdom of God. Then said he unto him, a certain
man made a great supper and bade many, invited many, and sent
his servant at suppertime to say to them that were bidden,
that had the invitations, come, for all things are now ready.
And they all with one consent, is this not the human race in
general, began to make excuses. The first said unto him, I've
bought a piece of ground, I must needs go and see it. I pray thee,
have me excused. Another said, I've bought five
yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them. I pray thee, have me excused. And another said, I have married
a wife and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came and
showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house,
being angry, said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets
and lanes of the city and bring in hither the poor and the maimed. Oh, you wouldn't want them at
your wedding, would you? The poor and the maimed and the halt
and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it
is done as thou has commanded and yet there is room. And the
Lord said unto his servant, Go out into the highways and hedges
and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I
say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden, invited,
shall taste of my supper. So they're there, the ones that
are called effectually, are there, the whole people of God, chosen
in Christ before the foundation of the world, all having the
common faith, the common faith that Paul writes to Titus about,
the common faith. There's no degrees of fitness. Right. Blessed are they which
are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. They come
with the righteousness of Christ and in Him alone. There are no
degrees of fitness. No degrees. Don't get the idea.
Those that tell you there are degrees of rewards for how well
we behave in this life, I do not see that in Scripture at
all. The reward of the true child of God is exactly what it was
for Abraham. God said to Abraham, Abraham,
I am your exceeding great reward. And so what are they clothed
with? The granted address. To her was granted that she should
be arrayed in fine linen. Granted! Granted speaks of grace. It's by grace. And what is she
arrayed in? What is this church? What is
this multitude that no man can number arrayed in? The saints'
righteousness. Or actually, what the word really
is, is the saints' righteous acts. Do you know that Isaiah
64 verse 6 says this? We are all as an unclean thing,
and all our righteous acts, righteousnesses, are as filthy rags. So clearly,
the righteous acts of the saints, which is the linen with which
we're clothed for this marriage supper, is clearly not the works
believers do, other than the work that God does in us. They
said to Jesus, what work should we do that we do the works of
God? And he said, this is the work of God, that you believe
on him whom he has sent. You know, it's faith in what
Christ has accomplished. Do you know what it says in Romans
chapter 4 about Abraham? Chapter 4 of Romans verse 3,
what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God. and it
was counted to him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the
reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly,
his faith is counted for righteousness. As I've told you many times before,
It isn't Abraham's act of believing that is counted to him for righteousness,
but it's what Abraham believed in that is counted to him for
righteousness. And what did he believe in? He
believed that of his line, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah,
the promised seed of the woman would come and would redeem his
people from the curse of the law, and thereby we are made
righteous in him. He saw, he believed what 2 Corinthians
5.21 says, that he who knew no sin was made sin for us that
we might be made the righteousness of God in vain. No, we establish
no personal righteousnesses by the works of the law for as Paul
says to the Galatians, chapter 2 verse 21, he says, if righteousness
come by the works of the law, then Christ is dead in vain. No, no, not by the works that
we do. No, true faith does produce good
works, but no, rather it's the righteousness of God, that He
makes His people in imputed justification and imparted righteousness in
regeneration. You know, we read in 1 Corinthians
1.30 that Christ is made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness
and sanctification and redemption. Christ is made unto us those
things. It's imparted in regeneration, as Peter tells his readers, that
we're made partakers of the divine nature. A divine nature is put
in each of his believing people. That robe of righteousness is
put upon him. As Isaiah says in Isaiah 61 and
verse 10, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. my soul shall be
joyful in my God, for he hath clothed me with the garments
of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride
adorneth herself with her jewels. That's the righteousness of God,
with which he clothes his people. It was the best robe When the
prodigal son came back from his wayward wanderings, the father
said, go and find the best robe in the house and put it on him.
It's the prodigal son's best robe. And without this robe,
you can't enter. Read the parable in Matthew 22,
where Jesus talks about one coming to this feast. It's a parable,
it isn't, it didn't happen, but it's a parable. that one tried
to come without this robe of righteousness, the fine linen,
the righteousness of the saints, which is that garments of salvation
with which God clothes his people. You cannot get in there without
that. It's only in him. And verse 9, blessed, blessed
are they which are called, blessed by being called. You see, when
the gospel goes out in preaching, as I hope it's doing now, it's
not just hearing with the ear, It's that the Holy Spirit comes
and opens the heart. It's that the Holy Spirit takes
the words of a mere earthen vessel, the treasure that's held in a
mere earthen vessel, and by His grace and divine power applies
that truth to the heart of a sinner that we look only to Christ and
rest only in Him. Psalm 65 verse 4 says, Blessed
is the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto
thee. Not all men Just a few, a little flock, a multitude that
no man can number. Blessed is that man whom thou
choosest and causes to approach unto thee. And how does he do
it? It says in Psalm 110 and verse 3. He, God, makes his people
willing to believe him in the day of his power. Oh, to be among
the blessed of God, called to the marriage supper of the Lamb,
saved by His grace, granted by gift of grace, faith to believe,
and given a solid hope for eternal bliss in union with our glorious
God. Is that you? Is that me? Ask
yourself. Examine yourselves, whether you
be in the faith. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall
be saved, is what the Scripture says again and again. Call on
the name of the Lord whosoever you are. Read the little piece
by Don Faulkner I've put in the bulletin. Call on the name, whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Oh well
that can't include me because of this that. Whosoever shall
call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Look at the bridegroom,
the Lamb, verse 9. The marriage supper of the Lamb.
It's his marriage to his bride. This is our great God. The Lamb
is our great God appearing in his substitutionary, sacrificial
role as his people's sin offering. It's the one by whom alone God
and His people can be married for eternity. Do you remember
back to when the seals of the seven-sealed book, no one was
found worthy to open them, and John wept much because no one
was found worthy? And the elder said to him, don't
weep, look, The lion of the tribe of Judah has triumphed. Look
into the throne of God and see there the lion of the tribe of
Judah. A lion speaks of power. This is the divine. Look there
and see the one who is worthy to open the seals of the book
which accomplishes the kingdom of God. And he looked and he
didn't see a lion. He saw a lamb as it had been
slain. He saw the one by whom alone
God and his people can be married for eternity because it's only
in the sin-atoning blood of the Lamb, in his accomplishment of
the satisfaction of divine justice for his people, that the kingdom
of God can be completed, because the kingdom of God is only completed
when he has there a multitude that no man can number, of those
that were sinners but are saved as brands from the burning, from
the kingdom of Satan, and made his bride, made his special jewels,
as it says elsewhere. If you would see God, you must
behold the Lamb of God. You know, God said, no man can
see me and live. No man can see my face. If you
would see God, oh, show me your glory. You must behold the Lamb
of God. You see, Satan has a lamb as
well. We saw him back in chapter 13. Satan's lamb is the false prophet,
who deceives the multitude with his lies and his signs and his
technological wizardry and wonders in this creation. Yes, he has
a lamb, but he's a false lamb, a false prophet. But God's lamb
is Jesus, who saves his people. Though a lion in regal, royal
majesty, yet as a lamb he defeats Satan, because hell he takes
away from him. His ability to deprive anybody
of the kingdom of heaven. Though God the Father is hidden
from mortal man, as Jesus the man, God manifests Himself to
us. He manifests the unknowable God.
John said, no man has seen God at any time. The only begotten
Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known,
He has declared Him. In John chapter 14 verse 9, again
one I often quote, Philip said to him, Last supper, night before
the crucifixion. And there they all are. And Philip
said to Jesus, Lord, show us the Father and that will suffice.
Just show us the essence of God. And Jesus said to him, Philip,
have I been so long with you and you have not seen me? He
who has seen me has seen the Father. I am in the Father and
the Father in me. Though He laid His glory, His
heavenly glory, aside for a little while, Philippians 2 verses 5
to 8, He came down, He humbled Himself, was obedient unto the
death of the cross. For a little while, says Hebrews,
He was made lower than the angels for the suffering of death. He
who is God was made lower than the angels for the suffering
of death. Why? To redeem His people from the
curse of the law. Though He did that, we who believe
shall see him in the full glory of God. Father, I pray that my
people shall be with me, and you shall show them my glory,
the glory that I had with you from before the beginning of
time. This is the church's bridegroom, glorious, but one who is still
meek and lowly of heart. This is the true gospel. The
church's bridegroom, glorious but meek and lowly of heart,
The church's lover, I love that hymn, Jesus, lover of my soul,
let me to thy bosom fly. The church's lover, the sinner's
friend, I call you no longer servants, but I call you my friends,
for I've told you all the secrets of eternity. What's the result? What's the response? Verse seven,
let us be glad and rejoice. Let us be glad and rejoice. Babylon
is eternally ended, Heaven is attained. Look at it there. See
it as it is in reality. Oh Lord, I believe. Help thou
mine unbelief. Help me to believe. Heaven is
attained. The eternal marriage supper is
before us. I'll just close with the next
to the last verse of the book in chapter 22 and verse 20. He
which testifieth these things saith, surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.