All right, the lesson this morning
is in Revelation chapter 19. We're gonna be looking at the first
four verses. A title to study this morning
after these things. And once we get into these things,
I think you'll see why. Our subject is still the judgment
of Antichrist Babylon. The great whore of religion.
But what's different in this chapter is that John is now seeing
her judgment through the eyes of God. Now he's seeing things more clearly. He's seeing things as they are. I heard my pastor, Brother Henry
Mahan, He said real early, when I was back in my 20s, he made
this statement. He said, if most of so-called
Christianity knew what heaven was like, they wouldn't want
to go there. It's just like the God they worship,
the heaven that they look forward to, is of their own imagination,
just like the God they worship. Heaven's not at all like this
world makes it out to be. I've heard people talk about
fishing and doing all the things that you do in this life up in
heaven, but I don't find that anywhere in the scripture. And
when he said what he said, at the time, I didn't know what
he was talking about. He kind of went over my head,
and I didn't doubt that what he was saying was true, but I
didn't understand it. I didn't have any depth of understanding
whatsoever. But in time, I come to see what
he was talking about. Now, this verse begins this way,
after these things. What things? Well, those things
we've been looking at for the last three or four studies, after
these things, after worldly religion was stripped of her disguise.
I don't think most people realize that religion is in disguise. It's in disguise. In 2 Corinthians
chapter 11 and verse 13, Paul said, for such are false apostles. Deceitful workers, now watch
this, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
No marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of
light, therefore it's no great thing if his ministers, his ministers,
also be transformed as ministers of righteousness, whose ends
shall be according to their works. They appear as ministers of righteousness. But it's not the righteousness
of God, it's self-righteousness. In Matthew chapter 7 and verse
15, our Lord said, beware of false prophets, which come to
you in sheep's clothing. They don't come with a sign saying,
I'm a false prophet. They come in sheep's clothing. They come saying, I'm one of
God's elect. They come saying, I'm a believer.
They come submitting to the ordinances. They come in sheep's clothing.
But inwardly, they're ravening, ravening wolves. I don't know. False religion,
I wrote this down. They don't appear with a pitchfork
and horns. I think most people, all these
I don't even know the names of all of them. I just consider
them as evil depictions of Bible truth, and I don't even watch
them. But I know that there are several movies that Hollywood's
made about the coming Antichrist. And they always depict him as
a man of evil. He's an evil man. He's doing
this and doing that. They don't depict him. Antichrist
religion comes in sheep's clothing. It's in disguise. They appear
as ministers of righteousness. They go by the name Christian. Listen to this. Many walk. Where
do they walk? In our midst. He's talking about
the walk of faith now. He's talking about the man who
says, I'm a believer. Many walk, he said, of whom I've
told you often and now tell you even weeping that they are the
enemies of Christ. But they're walking. They're
walking. They're claiming to be Christians
after these things. What things? After the mystery
of iniquity is revealed, after her disguise is taken from her,
After her wicked works are made known. After she's revealed in her true
character, anti-Christ, against Christ, contrary to Christ. That's what anti-Christ means,
contrary to Christ. She has a different goal. Completely different goal. False
religion is about self-glorification. My decision, I remember the time,
I remember the place, I remember the words, I remember the experience,
I remember, I, I, I, all through. It's about self-glorification,
my will, my works, my peace, my experience, my determination,
my God. But the religion of God is God-glorifying,
not of works. lest any man should boast. Having declared the sinner's
nature and God's free justification by grace in Christ, Paul asked
this question in Romans 3, 27. Where is boasting then? Where is boasting in all of this? If this whole thing was accomplished
by the free grace of God, where does that leave boasting? Well,
he gives us the answer, it is excluded. It's excluded. Antichrist religion has a different
goal, self-glorification, and she has a different means of
salvation. She talks about the means of
righteousness by her obedience to the law. Galatians chapter 2, verse 21,
says that that type of thing frustrates the grace of God and
makes the death of Christ just a vain attempt. And she promotes
and confesses a different spirit. It's a spirit of natural reform, changing of habits, changing
of the mind. It's a spirit of natural reform.
It's a spirit of self-reconciliation. I made my peace. It's a spirit of self-teaching,
self-righteousness, and self-glorification. And they deny the presence and
power of the Holy Spirit as He's set forth in the Word of God.
after they say you see what he said after her damning influence upon
the world is revealed you know the very first time
anti-christ appeared to me and without a snack as a snack because
that's what it is bill sharp back in the garden And then picture,
if you can, the Pharisees. Boy, I'm telling you, they were
something to look at. These preachers today kind of
remind me of them. I see them in those big gowns,
and they get in those big elevated pulpits, go up a story and a
half, and they come out there in those big gowns and big old
broad hems going around it and hanging down, and the cuffs hanging
clear down to their hands. stand up, they've got everything
on but a crown, and they stand up there and begin their eloquent
speeches and things which they've prepared. So picture if you can
the Pharisees adorned in those long robes and having their broad
phylacteries in plain sight. And the high priest with his
entourage And our Lord saying to them as
they approached him, he said, you serpents. That's what he saw. He saw a
den of snakes. He said, you serpents, how shall
you escape the damnation of hell? Or of every natural man who walks
according to the course of this world, Paul said, the poison
of asps is under your lips. after these things. What thing? After her influence upon our
closest kin is revealed. Boy, that was a shocker. See,
religion always has sin way out in the world. Down at the bars. Sneaking around at night. Down
at the casinos. I've heard them talk that way.
They always have sin way out there. Our Lord said a man's
foes shall be they of his own household. How'd they get to be foes? Antichrist
religion. That's how. He said a man shall
be set at variance. He wasn't at variance when he
was little. You fed him and clothed him and took care of him, but
boy, you get a little age on him and watch out. Starts about
12 or 13, or it did when I was growing up. That's when that
rebellion starts to really show its ugly face, isn't it? He'll be set at variance against
his father, the son, and her daughter against her mother,
and her daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Sin and rebellion are not out
there in those distant places in the world, but in our own
houses and in the hearts and minds of our own children. Antichrist
has their influence on them, and philosophy preached to them
and taught to them. Where? In the schools, by their
friends, and in nearly every newspaper
and magazine in the land. after these things. What things?
After we're enlightened and experience her warfare against the new man
that's in us. The flesh lusteth against the
spirit, being drawn by the powerful cravings of the flesh and the
spirit against the flesh, that is restraining and denying and
resisting. And these are contrary, the one
to the other, so that you cannot do the things that you would. after these things, after every
experience of the judgment of God upon her daily influence. We see it all the time in the
world. And men call it freaks of nature. That's what they call
it. But what is it? It's the judgment
of God. after the culmination of a lifetime
of her ungodly encounters and even more so in that day when
we shall stand with the Savior with perfect minds and wide open
eyes and hearing ears and shall see her exposed by the Lord in
eternal judgment. After these things. Revelation
19.1, and after these things I heard a great voice of much
people in heaven. Now we're still talking about
the judgment of the great whore, we're talking about the judgment
of this world. And I heard a great voice of
much people in heaven saying hallelujah. Salvation and glory and honor
and power unto the Lord our God. I'm going to tell you something.
I'm 68 years old. And to my knowledge, I've never
won a single battle against anti-Christ religion. Not one. Or those under her influence,
armed only in my flesh. I've never won a battle. But
still, we like to buttonhole them, don't we? We like to push
them up in the corner and say, now let me tell you something.
I've never won a single battle that way. Armed only in the flesh. If there's been any victory anywhere,
it's entirely owing to the power of God's spirit. Every bit of
it. These words of gratitude and
praise are being offered up by those who now fully understand They understand her power and
wickedness and influence on this world, upon her own children. 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 servants at her hands. Let me tell you something about
this. God's judgments are based completely on truth and righteousness. I've heard men talk about men
who didn't live a very good life, but that was their brother, their
sister, and they said, well, they're going out to meet a merciful
God. Oh, my soul. That's not so. That's not so. God's grace and
mercy, His love and kindness, His tenderness and compassion
have no place in the judgment of this world. Think about it. These things were all purposed,
provided, and given to God's elect in Christ Jesus before
the world began. His love is a particular love. His sacrifice is a particular
sacrifice. He said, I'll be gracious to
whom I will be gracious, and to whom I will I'll harden. These things were all purpose-provided
and given to God's elect in Christ Jesus before the world began,
and their sins and iniquities were judged in the Savior. His
justice was satisfied in the Savior, who bore their sins in
His own body on the tree. And this world wanted no part
of Him. They didn't want any part of
Him. They didn't want any part of His gospel, His grace, His
blood, or His mercy. They want any part of it. I wouldn't
worship a God like that, one man told me. No, but you'll stand before him. You'll stand before him. And
in that day, they shall have their desire. Beloved, judgment
is about truth. In that day, every thought, every
imagination of the heart should be revealed, every false motive,
All your hypocrisies, every act of self-righteousness, every
act of enmity against the God of glory shall be brought into
light and judged. No consideration of mercy or
forgiveness or kindness or compassion, nothing but the righteous wrath
of an offended God. Hear what our Lord said. Brother
Barnard preached a message on this years ago, made the hair
stand up on my back. He said, fear not them which
can kill the body. There are people out here that
are willing to and can and do kill people. But he said, don't
you fear them which can kill the body. and not able to kill
the soul but you fear him which is able to destroy both soul
and body in hell you fear him you fear him revelation nineteen three here's the elect of god and they're
shouting hallelujah And they're telling you why,
for true and righteous are his judgments. He's right in the
things that he said. And again, verse three, they
said hallelujah. And her smoke rose up forever
and ever. Now whatever this smoke and torment
is, it's not that of a temporary fire. It said her smoke rose up forever
and ever. It's the fire of eternity. Isaiah
said, fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrite. Came on him in
an instant. He wasn't looking for it. He
wasn't thinking about it. He was just practicing his hypocrisy. Practicing his lying about God. Practicing his false profession
of faith. He might have been teaching Sunday
school. He might have been in the town square all dressed up,
leading the town in prayer. He was practicing his hypocrisy
and fearfulness has surprised the hypocrite. And then he asked
this question, who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with
everlasting burnings? The Lord said it'd be better
to enter into life maimed. He's talking about if your eye
offends you, pluck it out. If your hand offends you, cut
it off. And he said you'd be You'd be better to enter into
life maimed than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire
that never shall be quenched. I mean, I'm not talking about
one verse of scripture over here that might be misunderstood.
I'm talking about a multitude of scriptures, and every one
of them talks about hell being everlasting. He said, where their, T-H-E-I-R,
their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And in
the full view of God's elect, the great horse cast into the
lake of fire, and all those who followed after her. Revelation 19.4. And the four and 20 elders and
the four beasts fell down and worshiped God that sat on the
throne saying, Amen. So be it. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Now in these four
verses, all of God's elect, including all his prophets and apostles
and all the evangelists and pastors and all God's elect are found
singing praise unto God and worshiping God. worshiping God as he turns
this wicked world into the lake of fire. On this great day of retribution,
every glorified soul singing with the pure hearts and minds
of resurrected saints are found rejoicing as God sends this world
to hell. Now what's that mean? All right,
let me bring it a little closer to home. At this judgment is Christ the
judge. We shall all stand before the
judgment seat of Christ. There's Christ the judge passing
sentence on Jerusalem over whom he wept. Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how
often would I have gathered thee as a hen would her chicks, but
you would not. And now he sets in judgment without
tears, without weeping, without mercy, without plea over Jerusalem. And here's Paul singing the song
of praise as his kinsmen for whom he was willing to give his
life are being cast into hell. And over here on this side is
David. And he's worshiping God as Absalom,
of whom he wept and fasted and prayed, broke his heart about
Absalom. And here he sits, and he's worshiping
God as God cast Absalom into hell. And they're not singing because
they like to see suffering. They're not singing because they're
mean or vindictive. They're singing because they
have the mind of God. It's a righteous thing with God
to punish sin. And I'm going to tell you something.
And you're going to learn this if God's Spirit ever, if you're
ever born of God's Spirit, you're going to learn this. You're going
to get on God's side on this thing of judgment. And it's gonna
start with you. I was thinking about that scripture,
judgment shall start in the house of God. I'm not so sure there
he's talking about judging men in the church, although that
is our duty. From time to time, things that
get out of hand and things that could affect the whole congregation,
we have to make judgments of them. But I don't think that's
what he's talking about in that verse. I think he's talking about
judgment begins right here in your heart. You get on God's
side on this thing of judgment against yourself. You'd be right
if you sent me to hell. I'm gonna tell you something,
when you get on God's side with your own condemnation, you're
not gonna have a problem if he judges your son or your daughter
or your mother or your father. You're going to get on God's
side in this thing, and you're going to stay on His side. And
the more that mind grows in faith and knowledge of Him, the more
you're on His side. And then that day with a perfect
mind, as we watch these being judged of God, we're going to
worship God. Worship God, even in His judgment. They sing him because they have
the mind of God, and it's a righteous thing for God to punish sin,
and all God's elect, even here, will concur wholeheartedly in
that condemnation. But even more so then, with a
perfect heart and a perfect mind. And by their eternal ruin, wicked
men shall magnify the justice, majesty, and power of God. That's
what they're gonna do. And the eternal ruin of the wicked
in hell will be an eternal reminder to the saints of the debt we
owe to God for his matchless grace. Believers believe God. And they
bow to his son, our righteous savior and redeemer, and they
all take sides with God against themselves and his righteous condemnation
of sin. Now, I do not know, nor will
I pretend to know, if the saints in heaven shall literally see
the smoke of judgment forever. I know that smoke will rise up
forever. And I wouldn't be a bit surprised
that the saints in glory will see that smoke forever. But whether
they see it with a literal eye or not, that sight of the smoke
of God's judgment on this world will be so indelibly burned into
their memories that they'll never forget it. And they'll praise
God for it and for his grace to them throughout eternity. And that's what he's saying here.
That smoke of that judgment. was rising up and will continue
to rise up for all eternity and god's people are feared and me
not only that they should have true and righteous are here all
night lord the holy spirit may give us some understanding of
what i've just