well come back with me this week
to revelation chapter eleven revelation chapter eleven so
we're about halfway through this study of the book of revelation
revelation eleven uh... you can think of it in a way
as a management summary of the remainder of the book you know
we saw the picture of the the mighty angel the lord jesus christ
with a little book in his hand he's already opened some of the
seals the six first seals of the the book in the hand of god
that he took he was the only one worthy to do it and he now
has a little book and i think there's all sorts of interpretation
but i think It's the remainder, it's that which is yet to be
fulfilled. It's the management summary of the end of things.
And so I've called this message a summary of the end. You know,
I spent a long time in business and I, in my time, was involved
in teams writing huge, great proposals to government departments
to provide their IT services and all stuff like that. And
the last thing that you did, when you've got this huge great
volume all together, and done everything that was necessary...
Hold on a second, I'll just close that line. Sorry for people listening, we've
just got a problem with sunlight blinding people. OK, I'll carry
on. So, a management summary. When
you've written your proposal, you wrote something that the
management, the executive, could read in two or three pages that
basically gave them the context, the key issues, and the solution.
So we've seen the seals, we've seen the seventh seal open, and
the seventh seal opening was seven trumpets. And all of it
was intended. Don't forget this, this is so
important. All of these things are sent
by God. All of them are sent by God to
frustrate Satan's intentions of establishing his undisputed
sovereignty in this world. God sends. What did he send?
The first one was a white horse. How does God frustrate the purposes
of Satan? Satan wants a Christless, redeeming
bloodless utopia of men and women. What's the first thing that God
sends into the world to frustrate Satan? He sends the gospel. That's
the white horse. He sends the gospel. Do you know
when he first did it? in the Garden of Eden. When man
had first fallen, he sent the gospel. He sent the gospel. Animals
were killed that Adam and Eve might be clothed in place of
the fig leaves they'd sown for themselves. He sent the white
horse. He sends the red horse of war,
the black horse of socioeconomic strife, the grey pale horse of
death. Then the seal opens and there's
the cry of justice. What's the cry of justice? It's
the blood of the martyrs who have been killed by this world
of Satan, this kingdom of Satan, for the sake of the gospel of
grace. He sends cosmic disruption, and
then the seventh trumpet, the seventh seal is opened and seven
trumpets come out, and the first four of them are all about harming
the potential of the earth to sustain life. They harm the potential
of the earth to sustain life, and then three woes are pronounced. There's the plague of locusts,
which are not real locusts, but it's speaking of the devil, of
the devil's forces, coming with that scorpion sting in their
tail. They come with alluring faces, and the hair of women,
and they look attractive. to the heart of fallen man, but
in their tail is a scorpion's sting. Those locusts. And he then brings war, you know,
when the borders are opened and Gog and Magog roll into what
you might call the civilized, Christianized world. And all
of this goes on. The war brings desolation, brings
pestilence, all to frustrate Satan's purposes. But there's
no repentance. He says they didn't repent. Verse
21 of chapter 9. Neither repented though. They
didn't repent. Despite all of these things that God was sending,
mankind in general did not repent. Lesson? Don't expect a general
conversion to Christ. Don't expect it. Don't expect
to see thousands, millions of people in this world all becoming
Christians. My reading of this book is that it's just not going
to happen like that. They didn't repent, despite all
of these things. But at the same time, don't despair. Because chapter 10 then tells
us Christ is ruling all things. Though these things are sent
into this world, he stands one foot on the sea, one foot on
the earth, with that book, that little book in his hand, and
he's turning the pages of that little book, he's unfolding it
up in complete control of it all. So don't despair. His kingdom
shall come in accordance with the contents of the little book.
It's all going to be unfolded. It will come. And he commissions
his witnesses to preach it, to proclaim it. Who are his witnesses?
The church and the preachers he sets apart specifically for
that purpose. He commissions them to preach
it, but they can't preach it until they've eaten it. They
must eat it. You can give a lecture on history. You can give a lecture on economics
just by knowing objectively the facts. But he says, for the preachers,
they've got to eat it. They've got to take it into them.
They've got to imbibe it. They've got to make it part of
them. When it's part of them, they will preach it from the
heart. and so it is. They have to take it in, they
taste the sweetness of that gospel in their mouths but then when
that goes down inside them that gospel clashes with the flesh
and with the world all around. And what is it that they're to
preach? Two things. This is all summarizing the last
couple of weeks. They're to preach the certainty of judgment and
they're to preach, in the midst of the certainty of judgment,
they're to preach the gospel of escape by blood. Blood? The blood of Christ. The blood
of the gospel, of God's grace. The temple that was to be measured,
that refers to the church. The New Testament has several
references to the temple being the church in New Testament days. He says, don't bother with the
court, don't bother with the holy city, don't bother with
that, leave that out, don't bother measuring that, let's just focus
on that which is the true church of God. It's only those who trust
Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, those who
are called the true circumcision, they're the witnesses of God.
Those who are not preachers are just to witness it by their life.
by their attitude, by their philosophy of life. Those who are set apart
to be preachers are to proclaim it clearly, the certainty of
judgment, and the gospel of escape from that judgment by the blood
of Christ. That is what they're to preach.
They're the true circumcision. The true circumcision, Philippians
3.3. Worship God in the spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, have
no confidence in the flesh. They must preach it and witness
to its truth. How? In sackcloth. What does
that mean? In a spirit of repentance, calling
for repentance, calling for repentance and faith. And not only that,
in sackcloth. Sackcloth isn't attractive without
any of the gimmicks and the allurements that the world and worldly religion,
worldly religion is constantly using gimmicks and popular approaches
to try and convince men like salesmen, convincing people to
buy things, convincing them to accept this. No, not to do that
at all. They must preach it, and they
must witness to its truth for 1260 days. And remember, we saw
that that was a long time, but a limited time. It's not a real,
it's not an actual literal time, it's symbolical. It's a symbolical
time. It's three and a half years of
30 months, 30 days a month. Three and a half years of it.
It's the New Testament dispensation. Three and a half is half of seven.
Before Christ, after Christ. Seven, it's three and a half.
It's the time that we're in now. And all the world, all the time
that that's going on, the world tries to make its Christless,
redeeming bloodless utopia. And how does it do it? 6, not
7, 6, the number of man, falling short, not good enough, not 7,
times 7, 6 7s, 42 months. In the 1260 days, or three and
a half years, exactly the same time is 42 of these 30 day months.
42 is man's attempt. All the while that God is doing
his this purpose in this world to
bring about his kingdom all the time his witnesses are to witness
in this world man is trying to make this utopia this utopia
of Christless optimism when there is no optimism and it's six times
seven it's forty two months and all the time we're told all the
time we're told it's not by might that this is accomplished no,
not by might not by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of
hosts until verse 7 of chapter 11 when they shall have finished
their testimony that's how long it goes on when they shall have
finished when God will have called out by his spirit everyone of
his elect that the father gave to the son before the beginning
of time when all judgments are pronounced when it is finished
and then the end comes man today as in all days godless man unbelieving
man scoffs at the idea of the end coming that's not there's
not going to be an end that's not coming they scoff at the
idea of judgment falling you know judgment is coming God is
going to judge this world the end is coming look at what we
just read in second Peter chapter three verses three and four knowing
this first that they shall come in the last days scoffers walking
after their own lusts and saying where is the promise of his coming
you keep telling me that the god has promised he's coming
again no he's not he's look at it just goes on and on for since
the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the
beginning there's nothing going to happen you don't need to worry
about the end coming god's not coming back and he goes on to
say but beware you may think it's going on a long time but
a day with God is as a thousand years and a thousand years as
a day don't be like this scoffing generation remember what we've
read several times recently as it was in the days of Noah as
it was in the days of Noah if we would be wise we would learn
to live on what somebody has written and I think it's a good
expression live on the tiptoe of faith looking for the coming,
looking for the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus
Christ, on the tiptoe of faith, looking for it, expecting it.
You see, science, and as Paul writes to Timothy in 1 Timothy
6.20, much of it is falsely so-called, science is knowledge. Science,
much of it falsely so-called, indicates the universe, I'm talking
about, you know, the theories of Einstein and all modern physics
and Stephen Hawking and all of this, the Big Bang Theory, which
all indicate, even this creation that everybody scoffs at, written
into it, it would appear in the laws of physics, is the idea
of it emerging from what they call a space-time singularity. Now, I must confess here, I do
have a physics degree from a recognised good university in this country,
but would I call myself a physicist today? No, I don't think so.
It's an awful long time since I actually looked into it in
any great detail. The last 30 years I've barely,
barely looked at anything, so I don't claim to be any sort
of an expert, but I'm pretty sure I'm right. The latest theories
are that the universe we see emerged from a space-time singularity,
and there's a strong suggestion that it goes back. to a space-time
singularity, an end. Even the latest theories of physics
suggest that there's an end. You know, when man is scoffing
there isn't going to be one, even the latest theories suggest
there is, there is. But they say, oh, it's so many
billions of years ahead, we don't need to bother about it. But
the book of God maintains it. Look at verse 6 of chapter 10. Verse 6 of chapter 10. This is
the mighty angel, Christ, who holds up his hand to heaven and
swears by him that lives forever and ever, who created heaven,
and all things that are in it, and the earth, and the things
that are in that, and the sea, and the things that... And look
what he says, that there should be time no longer. There should be... It's coming
to an end. This creation, this world, this
universe, is coming to an end. God has said clearly. Could words
be any clearer? There should be time no longer. How do you think about that?
Do you fear it? Do you fear that? Do you want
this world? People say, oh, I've got so much
more to do. Well, yes, you have. But just take every day as it
comes as a gift from God to use, knowing this, it's not going
to go on forever, not by any means, it's not going on, time
will be no longer. Do you fear it? Well think of
the alternative. Do you want this world, with
all its woes, to continue? Are you a child of God? If you're
a child of God, what did Jesus teach his disciples to pray?
Thy kingdom come. We should be looking. Hearts
and minds set on things above where Christ is. That's where
our affection should be. Not on the things of this world,
not on the possessions and things of this world. Just take them
as fleeting things that come, the things that we have. I'm not saying don't enjoy them.
Do, by all means. do visit places, do do things,
but we need to live on the tiptoe of faith, looking for the glorious
appearing of our great God and Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Think about getting older. Yes, there's life, but then think
about when you get to the sort of age that Christine and I are
now, and we're sort of heading into that retirement period,
and they're saying, oh, how good it is that people live longer.
Don't we know of so many people whose quality of life in their
last days is just dreadful. It's dreadful. Do we want that? What are the believer's prospects?
Above all, these are the prospects for believers, above all. Number
one, while this earth continues, to be kept by God from evil. How do I know that that's right?
Because our Lord Jesus Christ prayed for it. John 17, I pray
not that you will take them out of the world, but that you will
keep them from the evil protect them and you know we've seen
in the blowing of all these trumpets and the loosing of all these
seals the believers are physically possibly touched by them but
they're spiritually immune from them kept from evil and also
to be taken safe to glory now look at verse twelve of chapter
eleven verse twelve of chapter eleven they heard a great voice
from heaven saying to them These are the people of God. There
is going to be a day when a great voice will be heard from heaven.
How will it be physically? I don't know. But I know this.
Whatever this is symbolizing, the truth of it is that the people
of God will be taken to be with Christ in eternal glory. They
will be taken there. They will be taken up to join
the multitude in eternal bliss and the perfection of heaven.
That's what's going to happen. The people of God are going to
be kept. However bad it gets, the people of God are going to
be spiritually immune and safe. and then the voice is going to
come and we're going to be taken to join that multitude in eternal
bliss and perfection. Is that not the most incredible
comfort? It really is. Oh yes, I enjoy
life, I enjoy the years that I've got, I know that they're
fleeting, I know how fast the last forty have gone since it
seemed like I had an eternity ahead of me, and they've gone
in no time flat. No time flat, absolutely amazing
how quickly it appears. Things that I think back to that
seem like they were only last year, and I count up and they
were 30 years ago. 30 years ago! And it seems like
it was yesterday. That kind of thing. These things
happen, happen very quickly. We're going to be kept, we're
going to be kept spiritually immune, but if you're a child
of God, you're going to be taken to that place. It doesn't yet
appear what we shall be, but we know this, when we shall see
him, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. This
is a glorious prospect. Children of God, there's a glorious
prospect ahead. But there's some things to happen
first. You see, Before we're taken, look at verse 7 of chapter
11. Look at verse 7. When they shall have finished
their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless
pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and
shall kill them. the beast that ascends out of
the bottomless pit, this is Antichrist, we'll see in later chapters,
this is Antichrist, Cullens, demonic, satanic, this is Antichrist,
will make war against the witnesses of God, the church, and will
overcome them and kill them! That doesn't sound like a good
prospect, does it? Verse 8. Their dead bodies shall lie in
the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom,
and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the
people, and kindreds, and tongues, and nations shall see their dead. Shall see them! lying in the
street three days and a half, and shall not allow, not suffer
their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon
the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall
send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented
them that dwelt on the earth." What's it picturing? Before we're
taken to eternal glory, The opposition of Antichrist
and all false religion and all self-righteous attempts to reach
heaven without Christ, all of that will rise up against the
true church, the true witnesses, and the true church and its ministers,
its preachers, will effectively be silenced. They'll be disrupted. They'll be non-functioning as
living churches. Don't we see so much of that
now? don't we see so much of it? As far as the world is concerned
we, a little group of believers meeting here, we're non-functioning
as a church, we don't count as a church we don't have a building
we're forced into this situation our congregation is largely ones
and twos scattered around this country and around other parts
of the world who are on their own and it's only by the means
of the internet which has come on the scene practically in the
last ten or fifteen years for most people that these individual
believers are enabled to remain in touch with bread from heaven
by the preaching of the Word of God. But in every other respect,
does it not appear as a functioning church? We're lying dead in the
streets. We're just lying dead in the
streets. The religious world treats us with utter contempt.
They've got nothing to bother about with us. We're finished.
We've silenced. Our witness is ended. Is this
not the days we're living in? It's what it says in Amos chapter
8, listen to this. Behold the days come, saith the
Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of
bread, nor a thirst for water, there'll be plenty of that, but
of hearing the words of God. And they shall wander from sea
to sea and from north even to the east and shall run to and
fro and seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it. people
in general there's nowhere you can go think how it was in the
days of Spurgeon let's say and where thousands would gather
to hear him preach in Metropolitan Tabernacle think about how it
has been in various other times today today the church the true
church is lying dead in the streets, and the internet is only being
used to keep in touch with the ones and twos scattered here
and there, for God will always have his 7,000 who have not bowed
the knee to Baal, were lying as it were dead and unburied
in the streets of Sodom, Egypt, Pharisaical Jerusalem. What does
that mean? It's symbolical, it's the world
which crucified Christ It's the world whose sin, the sins of
his people were what he paid for, but the world, as it says
in Acts, it was the determined counsel and foreknowledge of
God that sent him to the cross in the purpose of salvation.
But as they said to those Pharisees, you by wicked hands, this world
crucified him by wicked hands. They crucified him by wicked
hands. It's in that world. And they're rejoicing over it.
They're rejoicing over the silencing of the witness. Sin is unrestrained,
as we read in verses 10 and 11. They're rejoicing over it. Look
at our society. Am I making this up? Look what's
happened to the laws of our land. Look what's happened to public
morals in the last 40 or 50 years. And the world around, hearing
me say this, The world around hearing me say this would say,
and it's a good thing too, that you have been silenced with your
gospel. That our parliament has now finally enacted all these
laws which have liberalised everything that 40, 50 years ago, according
to the word of God, was held in society as fundamentally immoral. And that's where we are. verses
10 and 11. They're rejoicing over it! They
think it's morally good! That's where we are. But don't
be alarmed. Don't be alarmed. What we see,
you know, you'd be alarmed if you were surprised by it, wouldn't
you? But don't be alarmed, because it's exactly what God has told
his people. There's no surprise here, in
what's happening. It would be surprising if it
didn't happen. Outside of the temple, in the holy city, and
the temple court, they're symbolical of Christian religion in general.
They're just carrying on. Why are they carrying on? They
don't threaten Satan's intentions, do they? They don't threaten
Satan's intentions. Religion, worldly religion, you
know, a new church starting up down the road, the Church of
Christ, so-called, that doesn't threaten Satan's intentions,
why not? I saw a little book, not a little book like this little
book, the other day, a booklet, right, which I looked at, which
was supposedly a very good book, and I read it, and it's extremely
well written, and it's got some very compelling arguments for
believing in Christianity, but it makes statements which are
fundamentally contrary to the gospel of God's saving grace,
of unconditional election, of limited atonement, of irresistible
grace. It fundamentally disagrees with,
and those things are biblical things, they're biblical doctrines,
and purporting to be for the kingdom of God, it is actually
for the kingdom of Satan, because what it says undermines and denies
the very truth of this book that we seek to preach. No, these
things are exactly as God has told us they will be, but three
and a half days later, look in verse 11, And after three days
and a half, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of life from God entered
into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell
upon them which saw them, and then they were called up to heaven.
Shortly. Three and a half days? Yeah,
you know, it's symbolical again, isn't it? Time, times, and half
a time. It's limited. But because it's
only three and a half days, it's shortly. these that look dead
lying in the street we that look dead to the world and the religious
world especially we're not dead we're not dead will stand on
our feet, I don't know how but God will make it plain, he will
vindicate his true people he will vindicate his true church
and great fear because it says the rest of the world will see
it and fear will fall upon them and the voice will be heard,
come up here there is an end coming, turn to 1 Thessalonians
which we read last week 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 1 Thessalonians chapter
4 and verse 16 listen this is describing the same scene 1 Thessalonians
4 verse 16 For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore,
comfort one another with these words believers comfort one another
he's coming again behold he cometh he is coming again look at chapter
5 verse 6 therefore let us not sleep as do others in other words
let's not be slothful, let's not be unprepared, let's not
sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober, for he is
coming again. What about you? Are you ready
for it? Anybody listening, are you ready
for it? Are you living on the tiptoe of faith, looking for
the blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God, our
Saviour, Jesus Christ? But what is ultimately going
to become of this world? Look in verse 15, chapter 11,
the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven,
saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms
of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and
ever. Here we have it announced, as
if it had already been accomplished. Right? All the details to be
worked out in chapters 12 to 19. That's where all the detail
will be worked out. We'll see it. But here's the
management summary of it. Here's the end in a nutshell. As if it's already accomplished. You know I love the King James
Version as a reliable translation but I think from what I've read
that the original doesn't actually say the kingdoms plural, it's
the kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord. Our Lord, our God, has assumed
unrivaled sovereignty of the kingdom of this world that was
the kingdom of Satan. It doesn't just mean France,
Germany, Australia, China, it doesn't just mean the kingdoms,
it means this whole world that is the kingdom of Satan. He's in charge of it all. He's
the prince of this world, the prince of darkness. But here
it is announced that that sovereignty has become the sovereignty that
belongs to our God. It's finally realised, it's the
prayer of his people that God's kingdom should come, finally
realised in unchallenged supremacy. God is sovereign now, isn't he? We believe God is sovereign in
all things, but his sovereignty is constantly challenged and
opposed by Satan. and by the kingdom of darkness,
his kingdom of lies. Although God is sovereign, his
sovereignty is constantly challenged. You know, in the beginning, God
created the world perfect. and he put it under the rule
of Adam as his viceroy. You know viceroy? His viceroy,
vice king, his vice king. He put it under the rule of Adam.
But in the fall, in the Garden of Eden, Adam subjected himself
and all his race with him and the kingdom of this world to
the prince of darkness, to Satan. Gave over sovereignty to him.
And so it has continued right through this time. And then the
seventh trumpet sounds. Great voices. It's loud, great
voices from heaven. The kingdom of this world has
become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ. Christ is
now Viceroy. He's the new Viceroy. He's the
second Adam over creation, opening the seals and instigating the
trumpets. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter
15, verse 22. Let me read this to you. Verse 22. for as in Adam all
die even so in Christ shall all be made alive but every man in
his own order Christ the firstfruits afterward they that are Christ's
it is coming then cometh the end when he shall have delivered
up the kingdom to God even the Father when he shall have put
down all rule and all authority and power for he must reign till
he hath put all enemies under his feet the last enemy that
shall be destroyed is death for he hath put all things under
his feet. But when he saith all things
are put under him, it is manifest that he is accepted, which did
put all things under him. And when all things shall be
subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject
unto him that put all things unto him, that God may be all
in all. You see, it's the complete assumption
of unrivaled sovereignty is what is announced, is what is being
spoken about. And it summons in, it brings
in eternal blessedness, eternal righteousness and peace. What
comfort for us as God's persecuted, reviled people. Just as Paul
said, Romans 8 verse 18, I reckon that the sufferings of this present
time are not worthy to be compared. Oh, we're having such a hard
time. pale into insignificance. The sufferings of this present
time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us. Look at verse 16. Let me just
take you through these verses quickly. Verse 16. And the four
and twenty elders which sat before God on their seats fell upon
their faces and worshipped God. All the redeemed. That's the
church. Twenty-four elders is representative
of the church. Think back to chapter four. That's
representative of the church of God in heaven. All the redeemed
give reverential worship. Everything we now experience
in this life here, in the flesh, in this world, of the seals,
of the trumpets, of the vials that we'll see later on, It's
all over. It's finished. We've got there.
This is just the summary. This is it as if it's completed.
God's children are confirmed safe in eternal glory. And what
does that bring forth? Worship and praise. What comfort. What comfort. Look at verse 17. This is what they say. We give
thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art and which wast, and
again, as I understand it, there's a mistake. It shouldn't say and
art to come because it's picturing the time when it has come. It
has come. Time is no more. There's nothing
to come. It's there. He was, he was, and
he is, but now it's happened. Because thou hast, why are they
praising? Because God has taken to himself
his great power and has reigned. Unrivaled! unrivaled sovereignty
satan's kingdom is no more taken away it's unchallenged what comfort
verse 18 and the nations were angry and thy wrath is come and
the time of the dead that they should be judged and that thou
shouldst give reward unto thy servants the prophets and to
the saints and to them that fear thy name small and great and
shouldst destroy them which destroy the earth Verse 18, final judgment
in a nutshell. That's it. Management summary.
That's what's going to happen. The nations are angry. Why? Because
of the reward of God's servants. They don't like it. They don't
like that God's people have been taken to glory, have been redeemed,
have been declared just and righteous. They don't like it. And they're
mad because of the impending judgment of them for their sin
and rebellion. And verse 19, The temple of God
was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark
of his testament, and there were lightnings and voices and thunderings
and earthquake and great hail. The temple of God opened in heaven. seen from the perspective of
the earth. All the earth is going to see it. All the earth is going
to know it. Those who reject it, they're
going to know it. They're going to see the Ark. The Ark of the
Covenant was that box that was in the holiest of holies. You
know, the temple was made after the pattern that God showed Moses
on the mount. It's the pattern of heaven. There's
the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies, the symbol of
God in his covenant greatness, with the mercy seat and with
the blood. And there's judgments to follow
so that all rebellion is subdued and judgment is pronounced as
revealed in all of the following chapters, and God reigns in unchallenged
sovereignty. That's what we see there, the
temple of God opened in heaven. The ark is the symbol with its
blood of the mercy seal. This is how you get to heaven,
and you unbelieving world will now see it, that that is the
only way to be right with God. Let me conclude this. Do you
despair at the sorry state of the true church today? You must
do. I mean, those of us that have
been around a while. Think back even 40 years, where there were
thriving congregations, evangelical congregations, preaching the
true gospel of sovereign grace to congregations of 100 to 200
people. They were there, weren't they?
40 years ago. Look now. All of those that were
regarded as places where you could confidently expect to hear
the truth are utterly compromised. Utterly compromised. with compromised
versions of the scriptures that are no versions at all, with
a philosophy which is more the philosophy of Arminianism than
it is of biblical Christianity. That's the way it is. There's
increasing wickedness in world society. There's actually, as
we look at the news, there's a state of real hopelessness
in the face of what I see in the politicians of unfounded
optimism. The political leaders, they've
got unfounded optimism. Young people, any young people
listening, I would say this. Is this world where all your
hopes and aspirations are founded? Is it just in this world? Middle-aged
people, can you not hear the clock ticking as time goes on? Can you not hear it? It's ticking.
Elderly folk, don't you long for a better prospect than failing
health and increasing dependency? Hear what God clearly says and
flee to Christ for refuge. The promise of God in Christ
is eternal bliss. God, as he said to Abraham, I
am your exceeding great reward in his triumphant kingdom of
peace and righteousness.