All right, let's take our Bibles
and turn to the book of Revelation chapter 11. We've been looking
at the seven trumpets of judgment which Christ has sent upon this
present evil world and the protection and provision of Christ given
to his people in the midst of all these judgments. And of these
judgments, three of the seven are far more severe than the
rest of them. The rest of them have to do with
wars and have to do with catastrophes like hurricanes and volcanoes
and things like that. But these last three judgments
are far worse than those things. Now, I will say this, of the
first of them, of the judgments, these things are more visible
to the eye. You know, you turn on the news
and a hurricane moves through, and then a few days later you
start seeing pictures of the aftermath. So these things are
visible to the eye, and people see these things. These last
judgments, people don't see them. They don't recognize them. these last three judgments. And
the first is a plague of false religion, which he pictured as
a swarm of, just a veritable swarm of locusts, spiritual locusts. And these locusts, as the insect
would devour the necessary food we eat, these spiritual locusts
devour the spiritual food. They devour that part. which
is necessary to spiritual life. And these locusts are organized
false religion. That's what they picture. That's
what they're talking about. And the second, then, of these
last three woes is the presence of Satan in this world. Satan works in the hearts and
minds of men and women, deceiving them, blinding them to the truth. Paul said, if our gospel be hid,
it's hid to the lost in whom the God of this world hath blinded
their minds, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ
should shine unto them. He works in men and women with
all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness
of unrighteousness in them that perish. And he causes them to
receive not the love of the truth. They'll receive everything else,
anything and everything. They'll receive it, but not the
love of the truth. And Satan himself and his presence
and the permission of God for him to wander in the earth and
bring men and women under his spell is a great judgment and
woe upon men. And these two curses or woes
of judgment are totally unrecognized by men. They totally deny. If you ask the average person
out here going up and down the road, if you just was talking
to him in casual conversation and you told him that Satan dominated
in his life, he'd laugh at you. These woes are totally unrecognized
by men. If you told the average person
out here, just in an average conversation, you're sitting
there talking to him, maybe eating lunch or whatever, and you're
talking to him, or visiting with a relative, and you sit down
and you start talking to him, and you tell him that organized
false religion, which you see on every corner, in every city,
throughout the world, is satanic, antichrist religion, he'll laugh
at you. He'll laugh at you. He's in total
denial of those things. And that's the evidence that
Satan's presence is in this world and that antichrist religion's
doing its job. Men are blinded. The most natural
thing in the world to a fallen sinner is satanic religion. It's perfectly natural for him
to believe those things. The wisest man, old Solomon,
he said this by the Spirit of God. He said, there is a way
that seemeth right unto a man. It seems right, it seems logical,
it seems reasonable. But the end thereof is death. You see what I'm saying? The
most natural thing in the world to a fallen sinner is satanic
religion. It's logical for him to think
that man can, by his obedience and devotion, produce a righteousness
that God will accept. That's just as logical as it
can be. It's harmonious in his heart
and mind that every man has the ability to reconcile himself
to God. He can make peace with God. I
used to hear men say it all the time. We had stand-up testimonies
on our Wednesday night service, and I've heard men stand up,
I've made my peace with God. You made your peace with somebody,
but you didn't make it with God. Christ is our peace. If He hadn't
made peace for you, you don't have any peace. Seems perfectly right to a fallen
man for a man to have a free will to decide his own destiny. And this is all but universally
accepted that anybody can repent and believe without any assistance
from God. They believe that. They teach
that. They preach that in their pulpits. They're not pleading
with God when they're trying to get you down a hill. They're
pleading with you. Why would I plead with you? You don't have
any power to reconcile yourself to God. I'm going to plead with
God. I'm going to tell you what God said, and I'm going to wait
for Him to work in your heart. When He does, you'll make a profession
of it. It seems logical to the natural
man that God can overlook his faults and just act as if he
had never sinned at all, without any regard for his own holy character. So Solomon's right. You know,
and he says that more than once in the book of Proverbs. He repeats
that. The presence of Satan in this
world and the religion he spawned is a curse so deadly that it's
absolutely impossible to escape it except through the person
and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. With those things in mind, here
in Revelation 11, verse 14, John said, the second woe is past,
and behold, the third woe cometh quickly. He's not talking about
the second and third of the seven judgments of God, but the second
and third of these last three judgments. In other words, this
is the final judgment. This is that final trumpet of
judgment. And the last great woe upon mankind
in general is the great and final judgment of God. This is it. There's nothing else after this.
This is permanent. This is final. Revelation 11,
15, and the seventh angel sounded. And there were great voices in
heaven saying, the kingdoms of the world are become the kingdoms
of our Lord and of his Christ. And he shall reign forever and
ever. Now, let me tell you something. The kingdoms of the world are
already his. They're already his. They belong
to him. Nebuchadnezzar saw that, he said,
he ruleth in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of
the earth. He rules. He's on the throne. These kingdoms
have always been his. They're his by right of creation. He created all things. Listen
to this. All things are created by him
and for him. And he is before all things,
and by him all things have their continuance. All things consist. They stay together. All things
keep working. Why? Because of Him. So these kingdoms are His by
right of creation. He created them. And they're
His. David says that over and over
all the way through the Psalms. And then secondly, the kingdoms
of this world are His by right of redemption. God has given him power, he said,
over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many
as thou hast given him. He bought the right to rule over
all things that he might reconcile his elect. In Romans chapter
8 verse 9 it says this, For to this end Christ both died and
rose and revived. that he might be Lord both of
the dead and the living. And then the kingdoms of the
world belong to Christ by right of His power. He tells us not
to go anywhere else. He said, as you've received Christ
Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him. For in him dwelleth all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and we're complete in him. Now
I quote that all the time, but I always leave that last little
piece of that verse off. Maybe I shouldn't. He said, in
him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you
are complete in him who is the head of all principality and
power. He rules over the nations and
the kingdoms of this world. because of his power. People talk about letting Jesus
do that. You don't let Jesus do anything. He does what he will. And Paul said in his day he's
going to show you that. He's going to show you who this
almighty omnipotent king is. That's what he's going to show
you. He's going to show you who he is. He's going to show you
his majesty and his power. And then the scriptures tell
us this, that these things are his and
God has manifested this to men and I believe that's what he's
talking about here in this passage. He's talking about the manifestation
of these things. If you'll read Philippians chapter
2 where he's talking about the mind of Christ and letting that
mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus and so on. He
gets down there and he said because of what he did he's been given
a name above every name and every knee is going to bow and every
tongue is going to confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of
God the Father. And that's what they're going
to do. And that's what's being manifested here at this last
judgment. He's manifesting this to men.
And He has and He is using all men. And I'm talking about unregenerate
men. He the nations for the good of
His church and to fulfill His eternal purpose of grace. And
nowhere can that be seen better than over in Acts chapter 4 where
He talks about the nation of Rome and the nation of Israel. joining themselves together to
do what? What God's hand and God's eternal
decree, God's counsel has determined before to be done. That's exactly
what they did and that's exactly what they do every day that we
live in this world. They're here and God's accomplishing
his eternal purpose of grace by ruling over all these things. There'll never come a time when
his mediatorial rule shall ever cease. Men talk about that thousand
year reign of Christ, and then Satan's gonna appear. He's not
just gonna reign a thousand years, he's gonna reign forever. Isn't
that what it says? He's gonna reign forever. He
never relinquished his reign, ever. And he's not going to. Listen to this, Daniel knew this.
Daniel 7 verse 13, he said, I saw in the night visions, and behold,
one like unto the son of man came with clouds of heaven. And
he came to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before
him. And there was given him, now listen, dominion and glory
and a kingdom that all people, nations, and languages should
serve him. His dominion is an everlasting
dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom, that which
shall not be destroyed. That sound like somebody gonna
sit down after a thousand years? No, he reigns forever. He reigns
forever, and his name shall be called, listen to this, wonderful,
counselor, The mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace, of the increase of His government and peace, there
shall be no end. Upon the throne of David and
upon His kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment
and with justice from henceforth even forever. How's He going
to do it? The zeal of the Lord of hosts
will perform it. That's how He's going to do it.
All right, Revelations 11 verse 16. The four and 20 elders, that
is all the pastors and evangelists throughout the whole of the gospel
age which sat before God on their seats which were given them of
God, they all fell upon their faces and worshiped God. They worshiped God, understanding
the power and the eternal lordship of Christ, along with God's eternal
purpose of grace. And that's what caused them to
fall on their face before Him. They bowed in honor before Him,
and they worshiped Him. I know some folks who profess
to know Him, and some who are on their faces before Him. There's a difference. I know
some who sing His praises in the assembly. They'll sing the
loudest. They'll stand and just sing,
just bellow out the notes and sing in the assembly. I know
some who sing in the cemetery. And there's a difference. Those
who know Him bow to His sovereign rule and dominion and worship
Him for it. And what do they say? What do
these people say who fall on their face before Him? Here's
what they say, verse 17. We give thee thanks, O Lord God
Almighty. Do you know him? Is that who you worship? God
Almighty? That one who rules over the thoughts
and intents of your heart? We give thee thanks, O Lord God
Almighty, which art, and was, and art to come, because thou,"
here's the reason, "'because thou hast taken to thee thy great
power and hath reigned.'" Now they don't just worship him because
he took to himself power, but he took to himself this power
to save their souls. He took to himself this power
that he might accomplish God's purpose of grace. He took to
himself this power because nobody else could. And he did it in
a loving manner, in a merciful manner, in a gracious manner.
And yet he did it in the full satisfaction of God's holiness
and justice. He's not going to save anybody
at the expense of God's justice. Oh, I'm telling you, what would
this world be, what would it be like if he didn't reign? You ever thought about that?
What would it be like if he didn't reign? If he did not reign over creation,
it would have long since destroyed itself. If everything was just
going in an uncontrolled pattern, and this planet was going that
way, and this one going that way, and this sun was blowing
up, and that one wasn't, and all this, this creation would
have destroyed itself long since. What if the storms had not his
finger upon them? I've been watching the Weather
Channel. I'm interested in these hurricanes. I like to watch them,
listen to them. And these guys will stand up
when they first spot it, and they'll take their finger on
that computer, and they'll say, here's where it's going to go.
And then it's going to come down here, and it's going to move
over, and it's going to go up there. That thing never does what they say.
Never does. And then when time comes, oh,
well, this high moved over, that low moved over, this wind was
dry, and on and on and on it goes. What would it be like if
God's finger didn't control those storms? We first moved down here. We get some tornadoes in Kentucky,
but not like y'all do down here. And we turn our TV on, it'll
say tornado warning, you know, or tornado watch, and that's
all you ever get. Well, man, I turned my TV on
down here, and there's a whole grid work come up. And they're
following this thing, you know, county to county, and where it's
at in Texas, and where it's going, and what it's doing, and showing
you the thing inside out, and all this. And this very first
storm that Kathy and I watched was headed right for Taylor.
I mean, we were just the bullseye of it. And that thing came over,
and before it got to Bradley, it went south. Went right around
Taylor. and went over and had the courtesies
right in the bullseye. Went over that way a little bit
and went south again. Went right around El Dorado and
went on down the road. Went over toward Vicksburg. What
would it be like if God's finger wasn't on that stone? Huh? If it did not rain over creation,
it'd be nothing but chaos. And think about this, what if
he didn't reign in providence? What if he didn't reign in providence?
What if everything was left to man's will? What if God didn't
have a providence? If he didn't have things fixed
to where man couldn't corrupt it or man couldn't mess it up?
What if he had no providence? How would lost sinners ever have
the opportunity to hear? How would God's preachers ever
know where to preach? How would God's judgments and
restraints be exercised at the exact right time? Except God
controlled His providence. Listen to this scripture. This
is just one. I could stand here and quote
scriptures for an hour. But listen to this. When the
fullness of the time was come. What time? that time fixed in
God's providence from all eternity. When the fullness of the time
was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under
the law to redeem them that were under the law. And then think
about this. What if God did not reign over
Satan and satanic religion? What if he just turned them loose?
What if the Savior could not put the chain upon Satan's neck? What if there was none strong
enough to put the leash on the strong man? False religion would
rule and Satan would have the throne. That's exactly what would
happen. But he does rule. He does rule over Satan. And I tell you, if you're a believer,
you'll find that a comfort to you. The devil's God's devil. You remember that. He does rule, and he rules when
he will and where he will. And what if Christ did not reign
over his church and in the hearts and minds of his elect? What
if he just turned the whole thing over to you and said, okay, you
better ball up your fists, you better clench your teeth. It's all up in your hands now.
You're going to have to keep yourself. You'd be gone in a
shadow. You'd be gone. How far could
you go on your own will and determination? How far could you get without
the Spirit of Christ preserving you and keeping you? Listen to this, David said, my
help cometh from the Lord. That's where it comes from, it
comes from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not
suffer thy foot to be moved. He that keepeth thee will not
slumber. The Lord is thy keeper. And those who know him and trust
him, declare him to men, they worship him on their faces as
their reigning king. And without him, We can do nothing. But this verse must be read in
the context of the greatest woe pronounced on men, the great
and final judgment of God. And in the light of this great
and terrible day of the Lord, you do not find God's saints
weeping or running amok from the throne of God. You find the
world fleeing from his face. They're fleeing from His face.
You find the world trying to hide in dens and caves of the
earth, crying for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them,
but you don't find God's people doing that. God's people are
on their faces worshiping Him. You see what this passage is
saying? As He begins to pronounce this last and final woe upon
men, those who trust in Him and love Him and are resting in Him,
they fall on their faces and they worship Him. You find him giving thanks to
the Almighty for taking that rule to himself. You don't find
him running from the throne, but bowing down in gladness before
it. In chapter 16, he pictures the
islands fleeing from his presence. And then in chapter 20, earth
and heaven fleeing from his faith, but not his church. Not his church. Because God has made provision
for his elect in Christ who is their judge. Their judge is their
savior. That's why they're on their faces
before. You think about that. Boy, I had to go to court one
time over a traffic ticket, and I knew I was going to lose my
license. I just knew it. And I thought, boy, I hope I
know this judge. I got there, and I didn't. And
boy, my heart just sank. Now, he let me off the hook,
but how much better would I have felt if I'd have known that judge,
grew up with that judge, if that judge had been my savior? How
much more confident could I have been? They have neither the judge nor
his justice to fear. for they're one with him and
they fully satisfied the justice of God in the crucifixion of
Christ. And therefore they worship Him
and praise Him for His sovereign intervention on their behalf. All right, verse 18, Revelation
chapter 11. But the nations were angry. They were angry. And they said, thy wrath is come,
and the time of the dead that they should be judged. He's talking
here about the spiritual dead. Now, there are spiritual dead
who are physically dead, and they'll be raised under judgment.
But here, he's talking in a general sense to the spiritual dead,
those who've been dead all their life, and they laughed when the
preacher told them they were dead. One man attended our services
down at the other church. And he sat back there, and the
longer I preached, it just happened to be the subject I was on. You
hath he quickened who were dead. And I was talking about that.
And when he left the building, he told Russell, he said, dead,
dead, dead. That's all that man knows is
dead. Well, now he not only dead spiritually, but he dead physically. And when this judgment comes,
he'll face that second death. from which there is no mercy,
and there is no grace. The day of the dead, the day
should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy
servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that
fear thy name, small and great, and shouldest destroy them which
have destroyed the earth. The nations were angry. Why? Why would they be angry? Because
everything they gloryed in was exposed for what it is, folly. That's why. And they were angry. They get angry right now when
I tell them. You can't imagine what they'll do at that time. And they were angry because God
took the stone that they disallowed and made it the head of the corner.
That which they trampled under their feet and laughed at and
mocked, God made him the head of the corner. He's the judge. Isn't that what broke Israel's
heart? They said, we've crucified the King of Glory. We crucified
the Lord. What are we going to do? There's only one thing you can
do, repent. Repent and call on Him. This judgment will expose in
that day the folly, those things which we reveled in, those things
which we thought were so good and so good for us. They'll be
exposed for what they are. Cain stood before his altar.
We're not told what he brought, but I'm assuming he brought carrots
and things that he grew in his garden. They looked to him to
be much more appeasing than a bloody lamb. Abel brought a lamb as he was
instructed, an old bloody lamb, and laid it out there before
God, because he understood what it stood for. He understood what
the tithe was about. Cain didn't. And he just thought
to himself, well, I'll get the best I can get. And he gathered
up all these things and put them out there on the altar. And the
Lord went by and looked at them and just kind of kicked them
aside and went on. Had no respect whatsoever for
his offering. But he respected Cain's because
he offered the lamb, which was a picture of Christ. You know what happened? Cain
was angry. He was angry. And his brother
Abel came to him in the field and he said, brother, Let's talk
about this. Let me tell you why the Lord
honored my sacrifice and spit on yours. Let me talk to you
about it. He was so angry, he rose up,
took a rock, and bashed his brother's brains in. He didn't want to
hear it anymore. And that's the way men are when you preach the
gospel of God's grace to them. They don't want to hear it because
it exposes that nonsense they've been trusting in. How this world hates and despises
the preaching of the imputed righteousness of Christ, telling
you that all your righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Now there's
two pictures of that in the scripture. Both of them are considered unclean.
One is a menstrual cloth from a woman, and the other is the
rag that the leper covered his pus-covered face in, and he had
to cover his mouth and his nose so he didn't breathe on anybody,
and because they couldn't see that outward cancer of sorts
eating, just eating him up. He was dead while he lived. And he said that's how he describes
our righteousnesses. The best that we can do. You
can get angry at that. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness. My righteousness is Christ. And how this world hates that.
Salvation by sovereign grace with no regard for the works
of men. Men hate and despise the preaching
of the grace of God. Now this is just the beginning
of this last judgment and the Lord willing we'll take it up
from here next week.