Well, we come to Revelation chapter
19 this week, and we're reaching the end of the sixth vision of
Revelation. The end of the sixth vision.
That was chapter 17, 18, and 19. And we won't complete it
all this week, but we'll get through quite a bit of it. In
chapter 19 and verse 1 we read these words, and after these
things, after these things, after these, what things? After what
things? Well, we've heard a report of the end. of this space-time
creation. We've heard a report that it's
ended, and that report was the fall of Babylon. God poured out
the seven vials of his wrath, which is the final culmination
of the end of these things. This world that worships the
beast and his image that we've seen in previous chapters, the
beast is world political unity that the devil raises up. Why
does he raise up world political unity? You know the answer. It's
because he's trying to re-establish Babel that Nimrod established
in Genesis chapters 11 and 12 and God came down and confounded
the languages there. God came down to frustrate, because
his purpose is a unified world where there is nothing to do
with the blood of Christ, and the justice of God, and the redemption
that is needed to satisfy the justice of God. This world worships
the beast. Satan's beast, Satan the dragon,
worships the beast. worships his image. This world
is, they say they're not religious. They're extremely religious. They bow down to worship the
things of this world. They follow the teachings of
the false prophet, which are everywhere. Honestly, it grieves
my heart. You see the way the teachings
of the false prophet are infiltrating everything. It seems to be hastening.
I don't know if it's just that we're becoming more sensitive
to it, or whether it is actually increasing. I'm sure it's actually
increasing. It's getting more and more powerful,
is the teaching of the false prophet. It's all about Babylon. That antichrist whore that we
saw, whore, unfaithful woman, the unfaithful woman she's unfaithful
to her husband this is this is that religion which calls it
so you know he saw a woman picture of the church is the woman but
this woman was a whore She was unfaithful to her husband. And
this is religion that calls itself Christianity. You say, I don't
understand, there's so many Christian churches, how come so few of
them are preaching the true gospel? Because they're all the whore.
They're all the whore, which is Babylon, which have gone over
to the teaching of Satan and of this world, its philosophy,
its morals, its religion. even it's politics, even it's
pseudo-science, you see it all around. But we saw last week,
it's finally destroyed. In chapter 18, remember, they're
like news reports of the same event, these visions, but from
different aspects, and starting at different points and finishing
at different points. And it's finally destroyed. In chapter 18 we see the final
downfall of Babylon. We're going to see more of it
later from another reporter in another vision, as it were. And
everyone who thrived in Babylon, because make no mistake, look
around the world The people of the world love the things of
the world, and they rejoice in Babylon, and they thrive in Babylon,
and they trade in Babylon, and they get their kicks in Babylon,
and everything that they do is in Babylon. And what we read
last week was that everyone, all those merchants, all those
traders, all those artisans, every single one of them, whose
hope is in Babylon, will be destroyed with Babylon. And as the visions
progress through this book of Revelation, we have increasing
detail of the end and of God's judgments. They get more and
more. You know, back in the first two or three visions, yes, we
saw glimpses of it, we saw aspects of it, but we didn't get much
detail. And now, like in chapter 18, we had a lot of detail of
the end. We get an increase in detail
of the end of time and of God's judgments on Babylon and this
world. But we also see brighter views
of heaven. And that's what we're going to
see this morning, with God's blessing upon us. Brighter views
of heaven. You see, since the fall of man
in the Garden of Eden, when Satan beguiled Eve, and for the love
of his wife Adam, knowing what he was doing, not deceived, ate
of that forbidden fruit, and sent himself and all of his posterity
into sin, and that's what we are now. We're sinners because
of that. Ever since then, this creation has been a battleground
between Satan and God for supreme lordship, for supreme rule. God will be lord of all things
but only on the basis of his righteousness and divine justice,
because that's the very essence of his being. God cannot allow
anything to happen that does not honour his absolute perfect
righteousness and divine justice. Why is God so hard on sinners?
Because God by nature is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity.
God by nature dwells in unapproachable light. He will be Lord of all
things, but only on the basis of righteousness, true righteousness
and divine justice At the same time, Satan strives for lordship,
promising eternal security, but his promise is based on a lie. Jesus said he was a liar from
the beginning. His promise is based on a lie. The lie? That
divine justice can be ignored. that you don't need blood redemption,
that you don't need sin to be paid for, that you don't need
justice to be satisfied. That's Satan's lie. And that's
the battleground. And it always has been and it
will be until the very end. If you believe the gospel, the
true gospel of God's grace, you know that God will triumph. You
know it. How can it not be? He's God.
He will triumph. Justice will be honored. His
law will be honored. Satan will be forever defeated. God's people will be with him
forever in eternal bliss in heaven. You know those things. But we
need patience to wait. Here and now we need patience
to wait. Again and again in the epistles, The churches are exhorted
to be patient, they're commended for their patience. I'll give
you one example, 1 Thessalonians 1 and verse 3, remembering without
ceasing, Paul's writing to them, he remembers without ceasing,
your work of faith, your labor of love, your patience of hope
in our Lord Jesus Christ. Patience, patience of hope, patience. This is what the people of God
are waiting for now, is for that culmination of all things in
eternal glory. I used the illustration last
week of the last year or so, 18 months of World War II, where
people were waiting. They knew the end was certain.
They knew it was coming, they knew there was a terrible struggle
ahead, they knew an awful lot of people would die on both sides,
they knew an awful lot of people would die, but they knew the
end was coming and there would be celebrations. And it came,
and there were. But it took a lot of waiting
for. It's like now, for us, we have to wait. Patience of hope. It's more like, perhaps, in what
we're going to look at this morning, like waiting for a wedding. You
know, there's all of the planning, there's all of the anticipation.
But in this case, all the planning is already done. When we read
chapter 19, we can run the wedding video now. And following that
vision that John has given us, we can see how it will be. What
is the situation when Babylon has been destroyed? You know,
we've seen the picture of it in chapter 18. What is the situation
when Babylon has been destroyed? It's a situation of huge contrasts. On the one hand, all who thrived
and rejoiced in the prosperity of Babylon will be in dreadful
pain and loss. How many times does the Lord
Jesus Christ say, as he said in the parable we read in Matthew
22, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth? I didn't say
that. Gentle Jesus, meek and mild,
said that. He said that. there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth. The situation when Babylon is
destroyed is that all those whose hope and rejoicing and pleasures
and prosperity resided in this world will be in dreadful pain
and loss and anguish and sorrow. And that will be the case for
all who thrived in Babylon. for all who suffered in Babylon
as Christ's true sheep, for all who suffered in Babylon to varying
degrees, the people of God, you suffer when you find yourself
completely at odds with the teachings of the false prophet, which I
do every single day. I find I listen to the news,
I watch the television, I even watch children's programs when
the boys were with us. there was a program on, and honestly
fleetingly, the philosophy, even in our children's programs, is
to teach our children the philosophy of the false prophet. It's the
evil of this false world, and we suffer as a result of it.
But, when Babylon's destroyed, all who suffered as Christ's
true sheep in Babylon will be in heaven, will be in eternal
bliss, We'll see more of it as we get towards the end, but there'll
be no more sorrow, no more crying, no more pain, for God will wipe
away every tear from the eyes of his people. Look what he saw.
Look what he heard. After these things, verse one,
I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying, hallelujah,
salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God.
much people in heaven. Much people in heaven. This is
what he saw in chapter 7 verse 9 where he says he saw a multitude
which no man can number of every tribe and tongue and kindred.
People all over the world because that's why God so loved the world. He loved the world, not just
Jews, he loved the world of sinners. And gave his only son that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. And
this multitude is the multitude of his people, a multitude which
no man can number. And look where they are. They're
in heaven. They're in heaven. They have
arrived. on that distant shore. You imagine
when people first started going to America in boats, what an
enormous great leap into the dark that must have seemed. Can
you imagine setting off from Plymouth in a wooden sailing
ship and heading west against the prevailing winds to arrive
on that distant shore 3,000 miles away? And what a thing it must
have been, and there was no way of letting people know that you
had arrived there. But then word comes back Eventually
a ship comes back and months and months later the message
comes back, they've arrived on that distant shore. Well here
John's seeing much people in heaven. This is what Christ willed. and it's been fulfilled. He willed
that his people would be there. John 17 verse 24, in his prayer
before he went to the cross, Father, I will that they also
whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold
my glory. Much people in heaven. Having
hoped, having waited patiently with the patience of faith There
they are, in heaven. Where's that? In the holy presence
of God. there was only one place in the
Old Testament dispensation there was only one place in this space-time
creation that could be called the holy presence of God and
it was the inner sanctuary of the temple and nothing that defiles
could enter in there only the high priest and only once a year
and only then with an acceptable sacrifice made in the way that
God had prescribed absolutely precisely Only then could he
go into that Holy of Holies in the temple. But here are all
of his people, much people, in heaven. They're there, in the
holy presence of God, in the inner temple sanctuary. Why?
Because our high priest has gone into that sanctuary before us.
And what has he taken in as an acceptable sacrifice? Not the
blood of goats, and of calves, and of bulls, and of sheep. He's
taken his own precious blood. And that blood is accepted, for
he raised him from the dead. He raised him for our justification.
And they're all there on that basis. The veil of the temple
has been torn from top to bottom, as it were, in that symbolism,
the Old Testament temple. And it's a symbol of his people
going through into eternal glory, on the basis of justice satisfied,
because our high priest has gone with his own precious blood.
And these people, much people, in heaven, They must be without
sin. They must be. They cannot be
there if there's any trace of sin. Why? Well, you have to read
on in a couple of chapters, Revelation 21 verse 27. There shall in no
wise enter into it anything that defileth. Neither whatsoever
worketh abomination, or maketh a lie, but they which are written
in the Lamb's book of life. This much people in heaven is
those who are written in the Lamb's book of life. They're
the elect of God, the chosen ones of God, chosen in Christ. He's chosen us, Paul to the Ephesians,
Ephesians 1.4, chosen in Christ. When? Before the foundation of
the world. 2 Timothy 1 verse 9, He saved
us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to what? His purpose and grace, which
was given us. Grace in Christ Jesus. When? Before time began. These are
sinners. who were sinners on earth, but
they're justified by Christ. There's not a stain remaining.
They're ones who have been made the right... How holy do you
need to be to go to heaven? To be amongst these who are much
people in heaven? You need to be the righteousness
of God. Praise God in the gospel of His grace. Christ, He who
knew no sin, was made to be the sin of his people, that his people
might be made the righteousness of God in him. Not counted as
if, but made the righteousness of God in him. I saw a good little
article by Scott Richardson, now long departed, but Evelyn
knew Scott Richardson very well. a good friend of Henry Mahan,
he said, when the Lord Jesus Christ made the pictures of water
into wine, he didn't make it smell like wine, he didn't just
make it taste like wine, he didn't stick a post-it note on the outside
of the thing saying, regard this as if it were wine, he made it
wine. And when he made the Lord Jesus
Christ to be the sin of his people, don't ask me to explain because
it's completely beyond my human logic, but he made him. to be
my sin, to be your sin, if you trust him. If you're of his sheep,
he made him to be your sin, and there at Calvary he satisfied
his own justice. The law says what? The soul that
sins it shall die. The soul that sins it shall die.
He was made sin, the sin of his people, and he satisfied the
law's demands in his death on the cross of Calvary. But having
died, God didn't leave him dead. God accepted fully the sacrifice. The debt is paid. He raised him
from the dead. He delivered him up for our transgressions
and raised him for our justification. Made the righteousness of God
in him. He redeemed this much people. from the curse of the
law, for the law says, cursed is everyone that does not continue
in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them. And he redeemed them, he bought them back, he paid the
purchase price to free them from the curse of the law. How did
he do it? Galatians 3.13, having become a curse having been made
a curse for us. In bearing our sin, he was made
a curse, for cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree, hangs,
dies the death of crucifixion. Colossians 1 verse 12. How are
they there in heaven? How have they got there, this
much people in heaven? How are they there? He's qualified
them. Colossians 1 verse 12. He's made
them meet. He's made them fitting to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. He's
qualified them to partake of heaven. Are you numbered among
them? Are you there? Have you believed
the Son of God? How do you know you've believed
the Son of God? Has God's Holy Spirit given you
faith to trust Christ? Because this is the only way
you know that you're among them. Do you discern his body and his
blood, purchasing your redemption from sin's penalty, discerning
knowing it, feeling, I am only right with God because of what
He has done. Do you worship God truly in the Spirit? Not like
all of this outward ceremonial nonsense that goes on in the
name of worship, but nothing of the sort. The true people
of God worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and
have no confidence in the flesh. If you can say yes, then you
can be assured. You are among this much people. You know, it's like running a
video of something that happens in the future, and you look and
you go, I'm there, look! She's there! And he's, look,
look! much people in heaven. You're
there, you're among this much people that John saw in this
vision in heaven, doing what? Praising God, with a loud voice. And what are they praising? Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Salvation and
glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God. Salvation. What's God's greatest glory?
Moses said to God in Exodus chapter 33, he said, show me your glory. Show me your glory. And God said
to him this, I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and
I will be compassionate to whom I will be compassionate. That
is God's greatest glory, is His salvation of sinners. This is why, praise the Lord,
salvation belongs to our God. Salvation is because of our God. Salvation is entirely His doing
from start to finish. And because of it, He gets all
the glory and all the honor and the power, His unrivaled omnipotence. We praise Him for His unrivaled
omnipotence. It was challenged throughout
this space-time creation. But now no more, Babylon's destroyed,
and here he is. Power unto the Lord our God. And verse 2, because why? Another
reason. 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 just retribution this is honorable justice all
of the accounts are rightly settled god is praised and glorified
oh how dreadful it will be for those in hell do you know when
we're there we will be praising God, not with a vindictive spirit,
but because of his justice, and because of his right judgments. Verse 3, and it's eternal. They said, Alleluia, and her
smoke, this is the smoke of the whore rose up forever and ever,
the Babylon that he's destroyed. It's telling us it's eternal.
It's eternal. It will never, ever come back
to affect the people of God in glory. And the whole redeemed
Church of God, verse 4, the 4 and 20 elders represent the whole
redeemed Church of God, 12 of the Old Testament, 12 of the
New Testament. They fell down and worshipped
God, and the four beasts which I think refers to the restored
creation, creation that's had the sins swept out of it. You
know in Romans 8 the creation is groaning and waiting for that
day? Well I think the 4 indicates creation, 4 is the number of
this earth, of this creation. And they're worshipping God,
they're praising God. And a voice came out of the throne,
verse 5, 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. like
Niagara Falls, like these great falls around the world. You know,
Niagara Falls, there is such a roar of it. It's one of the
loudest sounds you can hear without damaging your hearing. The voice
of mighty thundering saying, alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent
reigneth. So 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. Things are ready for the
marriage of the Lamb. Things are now ready. They're
there in heaven. Babylon is defeated. They're
there praising God. We're here. We're here in heaven,
giving glory to God for what he has done. Now all things are
ready for the marriage of the Lamb. This is the culmination.
You know, the patience of the saints, the wait, this is the
culmination of it. This is the event to which all
things have been building. What is that event? It is the
eternal union of God and his people. How many times do you
read in scripture God saying, I will be their God and they
shall be my people. will be in eternal blissful union. This is the highest thing to
which a man can attain. You know, this is the highest
thing to which we can attain, which is to walk. We sang in one of the hymns,
more secure than before we fell. When Adam walked with God in
the Garden of Eden, this was something like that perfect union
of Creator and his creation walking together. But in this situation,
There's no probation. There's no possibility of us
falling. Babylon is forever defeated.
This is a permanent situation, never more impeded by sin. You long, if you're a child of
God, you long for sweet fellowship with God. But don't you find,
as long as we're in this flesh, it's impeded by sin. But when
we're there, never more impeded by sin. Here and now there abideth
faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love. Why
is the greatest of these love? Because it endures. When we're
there, now we need faith to believe Him. Now we need to hope patiently
for what will be accomplished. But when we're there in heaven,
who will need faith? For we will see we will see direct,
it will be our primary experience, the presence of God. Why will
we hope for it? You hope, the children hope for
Christmas Day to come until Christmas Day comes and then they stop
hoping for it. Why? Because Christmas Day has come
and they've got the things that they were waiting for and hoping
for. This is the consummation of the betrothal which began
when the church the people of God, the bride of Christ, was
placed in eternal union with Christ, and when was that? It
was before time began. It was before this creation began,
when God chose a people in Christ before the foundation of the
world. This betrothal, you know, things have changed in our society
in regard to marriage it used to be uh... those of you that
know gilbert and sullivan and uh... trial by jury the thing
the story's all about a breach of promise to marry and uh... i forget the guys, Egwin wasn't
it, was the one who broke his promise to marry and i can't
remember the girl's name but never mind but you see it used
to be that it was regarded as such an important legal thing
that you could sue and get damages for a breach of promise to marry.
Well, that's all changed in our society. Surprise, surprise.
But in the annals of heaven, in the courts of the living God,
this betrothal of Christ to his church was legally binding. And it was a promise. And who
swore that promise? God swore that promise. God did. And because he could swear by
no greater, he swore by himself. This is a promise which is on
God's own honour. God's own honour. and because
he is God, and because he's in control of all things, and because
he upholds all things, that is a legally binding promise which
he will keep. It's pictured throughout scripture.
For example, Ephesians 5 and 25. Husbands, love your wives
even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. Christ loved his bride, the church. The bride of the Lamb, his wife,
hath made herself ready. This is the church, this is his
people. Now, we're in the engagement, in the betrothal. And there's
the promise, but there's the periods of separation. And there's
the periods, there's the longing of anticipation. But then, much
people in heaven, then it will be ready for the marriage of
the Lamb. The marriage of the Lamb is come,
and that marriage is unbroken eternal union, and that's the
essence of heaven. And then there's the marriage
supper, verse nine, blessed are they which are called to the
marriage supper of the Lamb. The marriage supper, we call
it the wedding reception these days, don't we? And the speeches,
and all those things that go with it. That marriage supper
is not like a wedding reception, which is a one-off thing and
then everybody goes away. This is an eternal wedding reception. an eternal one look at the lamb's
wife verses seven and eight 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 saints the lamb's wife verses seven
and eight the church this is who it is who's the lamb's wife
the church God's elect people Those whose names are written
in the Lamb's Book of Life. There is a Lamb's Book of Life.
Those whose names are there are the ones whom God chose before
the foundation of the world. This is the much people in heaven.
In fact, it's every guest at the marriage supper which lasts
eternally. This is it. And verse 10. They're all together, all having
the common faith. This is the angel who's telling
John these things, the angel that started these revelations
in chapter 17. I fell at his feet to worship
him. And he said, and he's an angel, he's a heavenly being.
And he said, don't worship me. I'm your fellow servant and of
your brethren and have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God for the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. They've all got
the same common faith. There are no degrees of fitness
to be there. Because the only fitness, the
only fitness, is that which Christ has accomplished for all of his
people. Irrespective, irrespective of who they are, how great, how
small, how big a sinner, how small a sinner, all are there
on the same basis of the common faith. And the dress? The dress? In a real wedding, everybody
wants to see, what's the bride's dress? Has the bride got her
wedding dress ready? To her was granted that she should
be arrayed in fine linen. It was granted. It was given. It was given by grace, it wasn't
earned by works, it was given by grace. And she's arrayed in
fine white linen, which is saints' righteousness. Is that righteousness
that they've done? No, it was given. It was granted. And actually, where it says saints'
righteousness, it's literally righteousnesses. all the righteousnesses
that we do Isaiah 64 verse 6 tells us we are all as we are in this
flesh as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as
filthy rags so clearly this garment is not the works that believers
do we establish no personal righteousnesses by the works of the law for as
Paul tells the Galatians in Galatians 2.21 If righteousness comes by
the works of the law, then why did Christ have to die? But it
doesn't. Righteousness does not come by
the works of the law. The righteousness of the saints
does not come by the works of the law. It does not. It comes
by the justification that Christ wrote. True faith, obviously,
produces good works, but this is rather the righteousness of
God that I talked about earlier. when Christ was made sin, that
we might be made the righteousness of God. And it's a righteousness
that is imputed to us, credited, accounted to us. When your bank
account has a deposit put into it, you could say it has been
imputed to it, this sum of money has been imputed to it, it's
accounted to it, it's put on the plus side of the balance
sheet. Romans chapter 4 and verses 3 to 5 talk about Abraham's faith,
and how that faith was counted to him for righteousness. Do
you remember I've told you many times, it was not Abraham's work
of believing, oh, he's believed God, I'll tell you what, we'll
count that as a load of righteousness. No, that's not righteousness.
No, God doesn't count righteousness because of a work that we do,
even if that work is believing. What does count for righteousness?
The thing that counts for righteousness to the people of God is what
Abraham believed in. What did he believe in? He believed
in the redeeming blood of a substitute. That's what he believed in, the
redeeming blood of a substitute, that the seed of the woman had
to come to make him right with God, and that was counted for
righteousness. Our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians
1.30, is made unto us wisdom from God and Righteousness. This righteousness
of the saints is what He makes us. And it's not only imputed
by justification, it's imparted in regeneration. Because Peter
says to his hearers, 2 Peter 1, 4, that he's made his people
partakers of the divine nature. He's given a holy nature. He's given that righteous nature
in salvation. He's clothed his people. Isaiah
61. Don't you love these words of Isaiah 61 and verse 10? I will greatly rejoice in the
Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my
God. Why? For he has clothed me with
the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe
of righteousness. As a bridegroom, decketh himself
with ornaments. And as a bride, adorneth herself
with her jewels. there. What more beautiful picture
could there be? He's covered his people with
his righteous robe, of his right, the righteous, we are made the
righteousness of God in him. That's what he's done. And without
this robe of his righteousness, you can't enter in. Remember
the parable we read earlier, Matthew 22, 11 to 13. The king
comes in and sees a man there without a wedding garment. Every
guest must be arrayed in this wedding garment of the white
fine linen which is the righteousness of saints which Christ gives
them and clothes them with. And there was one there that
didn't have it and he's trying to gate crash without the right
qualifications. And the king says send him, send
him out into outer darkness, bind him, there will be wailing
and gnashing of teeth. No, you must have this robe and
know how blessed it is to be called. Verse 9, blessed are
they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.
And he said unto me, these are the true sayings of God. In the
face of Satan's lies in this world of Babylon and corruption,
these are the true sayings of God. Blessed by being called. Not just bidden by preaching,
but effectually called by the Holy Spirit. You know, many people
hear preaching, many people like the ground have the seed of the
Word fall on them, but they're either the wayside or the stony
ground or the thorny ground, but praise God for the good ground
of His grace. Blessed, Psalm 65 verse 4, blessed
is the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach thee.
Why do they come? Do they come willingly? Psalm
110 verse 3. He makes them willing in the
day of his power. Oh, to be among the blessed of
God. Do you not think that? Oh, to
be among those who are these blessed. Blessed are they which
are called. Oh, to be among the blessed of
God, called and saved by grace, granted faith to believe and
to hope in Christ for that eternal bliss in union with our glorious
God. Do you count yourself among those
who are called? Blessed are they which are called
to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Now, we must briefly, and
we'll come back to this next week, look at the bridegroom.
The Lamb. The Lamb. The marriage of the
Lamb, verse 7, is come. Why the marriage of the Lamb?
Who is this Lamb who is getting married in heaven? This is our
great God. and it's our great God as he
appears in his substitutionary, sacrificial role as his people's
sin offering. This is who he is, this is how
he appears to his people. He appears as a lamb, the one
by whom alone God and his people can be married for eternity.
You cannot be married to God as his people for eternity any
other way than it being by God in the being of the Lamb, in
the appearance of the Lamb. If you would see God, would you
see God? Show us our God, show us the
Father. If you would see God, you must
behold the Lamb of God. Remember who said that? John
the Baptist. when the man Jesus was coming
to be baptized of him. Behold the lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world. You see, Satan's lamb, he's got
a lamb, we saw him in chapter 17, Satan's got a lamb, you know
the second beast out of the earth, looked like a lamb with two horns.
But blasphemy all over him. Satan's lamb is the false prophet
who deceives multitudes. God's lamb is Jesus. Why was he called Jesus? call
his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins though
he's a lion in regal majesty look at the lion of the tribe
of Judah remember right back chapter four chapter five that
when the scroll and nobody was found worthy don't weep says
the angel to John don't weep look at the lion of the tribe
of Judah and I looked and what did he see? a lamb as it had
been slain a lamb. Though in regal majesty a lion,
yet as a lamb he defeats Satan. Though God the Father is hidden
from mortal man, no man can see him. As Jesus the man, he manifests
the unknowable God. 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 manifested Him. John 14,
Philip, you know it, I've told you many times. Show us the Father,
and that will suffice. Philip, have I been so long with
you, and you have not seen Me? He who has seen Me has seen the
Father. If you would see God, you must
see the Lamb of God. Though He laid His glory aside
for a little while, He did. Let this mind be in you, which
was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God, but laid his glory aside
and humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even that
shameful death of the cross. He laid that glory aside for
a little while, made lower than the angels. Why did he do it?
Because only as a man in this world, subject to his law, could
he redeem his people. We who believe shall see him
in the full glory of God. Because before he went to the
cross, this is what he prayed. John 17, verse 5. Restore, Father,
restore to me the glory that I had with you before the worlds
began. Restore to me that glory, that eternal glory, and we shall
see him. We shall see our God as the Lamb. He will be the husband of his
bride, the church. in verses 11 to 13. Look who
he is. We'll come back to it next week. I saw heaven opened. See, nothing
in the way. This isn't a glimpse through
a little chink in the window. Heaven opened and I saw a white
horse and he that sat on him was called faithful and true
and in righteousness he does judge and make war and his eyes
were as a flame of fire and on his head were many crowns. Obviously
it's a vision, isn't it? It's symbolism. It's not literal. One crown on a head looks regal. When you start to put two or
three crowns on a head, it looks silly. It isn't literal. It's
symbolism. It means much power, all power.
Many crowns. He had a name written that no
man knew but himself. And he was clothed with a vesture
dipped in blood because everything that he does must be by blood
to satisfy justice. It's his blood that satisfied
the justice of God. That's why he's in a vesture
dipped in blood. There is no peace with God, there is no marriage
without that. And his name is called the Word
of God. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God. and the Word was God. Can you
imagine? This is the apostle seeing this, who wrote those
words in John's Gospel. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And here he
sees him, and he sees in heaven, in this heavenly vision, the
name that is on him, the Word of God. He is the one. He is
the one. Glorious. This is the church's
bridegroom. Glorious. Glorious. Awesome in
majesty. But Matthew 11, 29, he says,
come unto me. I am meek and lowly of heart. You will find rest for your souls
if you come to me. He's the church's lover. Yes,
he's regal in majesty. He's all-conquering in power.
But he's the church's lover. Jesus, lover of my soul, let
me to thy bosom fly. I call you no longer servants,
but I call you my friends. I tell you all things that I
have done. I call you my friends. Jesus, the sinner's friend. How
should we react? Verse seven. Look at the first
bit. Let us be glad and rejoice. Babylon is eternally ended. Heaven is attained. The eternal
marriage supper is before us. We'll see more of it next week.