Would you turn with me to the
book of Revelation? Revelation chapter 4. I'd like to begin just by reading
two verses, the first two verses in Revelation chapter 4. After this, I looked, John says,
I looked and behold, a door was opened in heaven. And the first
voice which I heard was, as it were, of a trumpet talking with
me, which said, come up hither, and I will show thee things which
must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the
spirit, and behold, the throne was set in heaven, and one sat
on the throne. Someone asked John Calvin why
he didn't write a commentary on this book, the book of Revelation. I have Calvin's commentaries.
And they start, or rather they stop with Jude's epistle, the
book prior to this one, Revelation. And when asked why he didn't
write one on Revelation, though he wrote one on every other book
of the Bible, he said, because I don't understand that book.
That's a good reason. I don't understand the book of
Revelation, and I confess that there's much about it that I
don't understand, but I know this. The Lord himself said that
the entire word of God was about him. The Bible has as its theme
the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what he
said to his disciples. When he arose from the dead and
met them on Mount Olivet for the last time, before he ascended
back into heaven and sat down on the right hand of God, he
said, it's written in Moses, that's the first five books,
and the prophets, and the Psalms, that was it. That was the entire
Bible at that time. All those things concerning the
Son of Man. And we're told, then he opened
up their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures.
Christ is the key. Christ is the key to understanding
Scriptures. It's all about Him. what he's
done, what he is doing, and what he will yet do. And Revelation
does the very same thing. Look in chapter 1, the first
verse of chapter 1. It says, "...the revelation of
Jesus Christ which God gave unto him to show unto his servants
things which must shortly come to pass, and he sent and signified
it by his angel unto his servant John." The revelation of Jesus
Christ. Not the revelation of John, but
the revelation of Christ. It was Christ's revelation to
John and to his church. And notice it doesn't say revelations
plural, but revelation singular. It's all about him. When John
was on the Mount of Transfiguration, with his brother James and Peter. And they saw the Lord transfigured
before their very eyes. They saw a glimpse of Christ's
glory. And Peter, being dumbfounded,
and that's understandable, not knowing what to say, caught off
guard, overwhelmed, He said, this is good, good that we're
here. Let's make three tabernacles.
You know the story very well. One for Moses, one for Elijah,
those with whom our Lord had conversed, and one for you. And you remember what God said.
This is my beloved son. Hear ye him. He's the one in
whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him. One revelation showing
what Christ has done in this book, what he is doing, and what
he will yet do. One commentator, I think it was
Adams, John Adams, he said that the Word of God is about God
the Word. And that's pretty accurate. That's
pretty accurate. Look again, if you will, at verse
1 in chapter 4. After this, I looked and behold,
a door was opened in heaven. Immediately after the warnings
to the churches in chapters 2 and 3, after being told by our Lord
concerning the loss of their first love, the church at Ephesus,
And then concluding with the warning to the church at Laodicea
concerning their lukewarmness, after that, John says he sees
a door opened in heaven. Yes, they had changed, that is,
the churches that he addressed those letters to, they had changed,
and they were exhorted to come back to their first love and
so forth, but Christ remains the same. We just now sang it. So comforting. I hope that we
pay attention to the words of these old hymns. O thou who changes
not, whether I'm living, whether I'm dying, O thou who changes
not, abide with me, stay with me. What does it matter? What does it matter who crowds
around my bed, if it be in that fashion, in my dying hour, if
he's not with me, Lord? What does it matter? What will
it matter what some preacher says if he doesn't say of me,
I am his and he is mine? He's one of my own. O thou who
changes not. My immutable Lord and Savior
abide with me." Yes, these churches had changed, but thank God our
Lord hasn't changed. He remains the same forever. Look, John says, Behold, not
a door closed to his people, people who have left their first
love, people like you and I, people whose love fluctuates,
whose feelings before their Lord goes up and down, the door is
not closed to them. People who sin, what happens?
We still have an advocate. Jesus Christ the righteous, behold,
not a door closed, but a door yet opened in heaven. The Lord
told John years before this, in my Father's house, are many
mansions, John. Remember? Remember what he told
his disciples there? That night, just hours before
his arrest, just before he was betrayed by Judas, just before
they would all forsake him and flee, just like he told them
they would, just before he was crucified, before he would take
their place under the sword of divine justice, yet he comforts
them. He's about to trod the winepress
alone and of the people, and that would include those very
ones that he called to himself to follow him, that were with
him for three and a half years. Of those people, none were with
him. He trod the winepress alone,
and yet, what a faithful shepherd, he comforts them. He comforts
them. In my Father's house are many
mansions, but only one door. Only one door. Only one way to
enter in. And he said in that same passage
in John 14, and I'm the way. I'm the way. No man comes under
the Father except by me, and that hasn't changed. Christ is
still the only way to God, the only way to glory, the only way
to heaven. I've been accused. When I insist on that, that I'm
narrow-minded, I'm a bigoted. See, we live in a politically
correct age. Some people think it's proper
to acknowledge that all religions are just different avenues going
to the same destination. It really doesn't matter what
you believe as long as you're sincere, you'll still enter into
glory. No, no. Christ said, no. There's only one avenue. There's
only one highway. There's only one door to glory. There's only one entrance to
heaven. There is only one way for any
sinner to be accepted by the Holy God. And John says, I saw
that door. opened in heaven, and that way
of access to God is Jesus Christ himself. Look, if you will, in
Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5, we're told
this in so many places in scripture, but let's look at one or two
familiar ones. Romans 5 verse 1, therefore being
justified, that's where the comma ought to be after justified. Therefore, being justified by
faith, we have peace with God." How? Peace with God? Now, that's no small blessing,
is it? Peace with God? The holy Lord God is at peace
with me? and I have peace with him? How's
that possible? Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein
we stand. We stand in that grace and rejoice
in hope. Oh, that's a good hope in Christ,
a good hope in grace wherein we stand and rejoice in the hope,
in hope of the glory of God. Christ is that door of access
to God. Turn, if you will, to Ephesians
chapter 2, and we're told the same thing here. Ephesians 2, verse 13. Ephesians 2, verse
13, But now in Christ Jesus, ye who
sometimes were far off are not far off anymore. You're made
nigh by the blood of Christ. You're as near as Christ is.
For he is our peace, Christ himself, who had made both one and had
broken down the middle wall of partition between us. having
abolished in his flesh an enmity, even the law of commandments
contained in ordinances, were to make in himself of twain one
new man, so making peace. and that he might reconcile both
unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby,
and came and preached peace to you which were afar off and to
them that were nigh. For through him, the door, we
both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." And you remember,
What he said to those Pharisees after healing the blind man,
whom they booted out, and the great shepherd found his sheep,
and the Pharisees were standing there, and he told them, you're
not the door. You're not the shepherd. You
claim to be, but you're not. In chapter 10, he's still talking
to the Pharisees. And he said to them, I am the
door. I am the door. By me, not you,
by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved. He speaks matter-of-factly. No
doubts. No ifs, no perchances, no maybes. Any man that enters in by Christ
the door shall be saved. He'll be saved today. He'll be
saved tomorrow. He'll be saved with an everlasting
salvation. That door is Christ. By him, I was brought nigh to
God. And when I leave this world,
my entrance into heaven will be on the same footing will be
the same way for the same reason, Jesus Christ the door. I'll enter there through him. Oh, behold, John said, I saw
a door opened in heaven. Paul said, we know, we know. Paul believed God. He believed
that what God promised he was able to perform. He believed
his Lord and Savior. We know, he wrote, therefore,
if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we
have another house, a home not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens, and we'll enter there one day through that door, our
Lord Jesus Christ. I hear folks say from time to
time, I've heard this expression referring to usually folks that
they call carnal Christians. Those are folks who accept Jesus
as Savior, but they never bow to Him as Lord. Oh, they're just
growing... by the minute, just multitudes
of them. They fill our churches. There's
no such person. There is no such thing as a Christian
who's never bowed to Jesus Christ. They're not a carnal Christian
that's going to lose a little reward. They're rebels against
God who are deceiving themselves. But it's usually in the context
of those folks that I've heard say, well, they'll be saved,
they'll be saved, but by the skin of their teeth. We're not
saved by the skin of our teeth. We're saved by the grace of God,
and that grace is sure and certain and effectual because it's in
Christ Jesus. Verse 1, after John was caught
up and saw that door open in heaven, the first voice which
I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me. a mighty voice
and said, come up hither and I will show thee things which
must be hereafter. Which must be hereafter. First,
who says so? That kind of makes all the difference,
doesn't it, Louis? Who says so? Whose voice was
this that John heard? And of course, it's the Lord
himself. That matters. That makes all the difference.
When I was a boy at home, I had four brothers and four sisters.
And my brothers would come to me and say, you've got to do
thus and thus. It's your turn to do this or
that. And I'd say, I don't have to. You're not my boss. You don't tell me what to do."
And they're saying, I'm not. I'm telling you what daddy told
you to do. I'm delivering the message from
him and I say, well, now that makes a difference. That makes
a difference. I knew I had better do it. It
makes a difference who says so. When we hear these words, these
things must be hereafter. Who determines that? The one
who does the speaking. He said, I will show thee things
not that might be hereafter. Oh no, that doesn't sound like
anyone worthy to be called God. Someone who says, I hope that
things might happen this way. I hope that my purposes are fulfilled. No, that's the way you and I
talk. But the great God and Savior,
He doesn't speak that way, does He? No, He sounds more like this
one. Look again in chapter 1, verse
10. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's
day and heard behind me a great voice. That's Him. That's Him. That's our great God and Savior.
He speaks with authority. He speaks with finality. He speaks
with certainty. He speaks with all power. A great voice as of a trumpet. As when before the world was when He created
all that is and said, let there be light, The result was light. The literal translation of that
is this. Let light be and light is. That's it. Let light be and light
is. He speaks with authority. His
is a great voice. He says, peace be still. And what happens? There's a great
calm. And I know he spoke that to a
stormy sea and the waves lay down at the command of their
creator's voice, but he does so also in the troubled breast
of his people, does he not? When they're transversing stormy
seas, when storms of life are raging around them, Can He not
speak with that great voice and produce the same great calm? He can speak as never a man spake,
can He, brother-in-law? He can speak peace to you when
others have tried with no effect. They tried to comfort you. Oh,
but He comes, He comes, and He says, He just drops a word of grace
into your heart like, I'm here. I'm here. Everything's in control. I'm not forgotten you. I'm with
you always. You're mine. I've redeemed you. When you walk through the fire,
you'll not be burned. When you go through the waters,
they'll not overflow. They'll not overwhelm you. They'll
I'll be with you. Oh yes, his is a great voice. Now, if anyone's beyond the reach
of any human help, it would be Lazarus. But here comes that
one. And what does he say? With that
great voice, that one that John heard, Lazarus, come forth. And
what do we read? He that was dead came forth. That's what I want, don't you? That's what I want. My children
for years have heard my voice. Often they've heard my voice.
My hope doesn't lie in that, no. My prayer is that they hear
His voice. When they hear His voice, They're
dead right now. They're dead in sin. Oh, but
when they hear His voice, the same thing will happen that happened
to Lazarus. They'll come forth. They'll arise
to walk in newness of life. They'll follow the Redeemer. They'll bow to Him. Oh, come
forth. Speak. Speak to them, O Son of
God. Yes, it matters. Who does the
talking? Otherwise, what comfort would
there be? Any promise of God's Word. This was not the voice of a mere
man, but the voice of him who we read and declares himself
to be that one who is the mighty God. Wonderful Counselor, the
Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. That's the
voice John heard. 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. The zeal of the
Lord of hosts will perform this. It's God's work and he'll bring
it to pass. Remember what the angel told
Mary. Mary, you'll conceive and that
holy thing, that holy thing that'll be conceived
in you by the Holy Ghost, the Son of God. Call his name Jesus. Remember what the angel said
to her? Call his name Jesus. He shall be great. He shall be
great. You pick up history books and
read about a fellow named Alexander who had the audacity to be referred
to as Alexander the Great. What did that pygmy do? What did he do to deserve the
title of greatness? Caesars and great dynasties,
what did they do? What did they do? Where are they
now? Oh, but this one that the angel
said should be great? Oh, he well deserves the title,
does he not? Because he's the great God and
Savior. He's the great mediator. Mary,
he will be great in his condescension. He was already great as God,
but now he'll be great as the God-man. He'll be great as our
Redeemer. He'll be great as our Savior. And afterwards he told Joseph,
call His name Jesus for He shall. How great is He? He shall save
His people from their sins. Can anything compare to that
that any earthly king has ever done? He saved His people. He bowed His head upon the cross. And just before doing so, exclaimed,
this wasn't a cry of defeat. This was a cry, this was a declaration
of the greatest feat that was ever done. It is finished. He obtained eternal redemption
for his people. He brought in an everlasting
righteousness. He bore all the sins of a multitude
of elect. He bore them all away. Yes, He shall be great. The God-man, the great I Am. That's who spoke these words
to John. Turn back, if you will, to Psalm
29. Look what we read here concerning
the voice. of our God, Psalm 29, verse 1. Give unto the Lord,
O ye mighty. Give unto the Lord glory and
strength. Ascribe it to him. Give unto
the Lord the glory due unto his name. Worship the Lord in the
beauty of holiness. The voice of the Lord is upon
the waters. The God of glory thundereth.
The Lord is upon many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful.
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the
Lord breaketh the cedars, yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars
of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like
a calf, Lebanon and Syrian, like a young unicorn. The voice of
the Lord divideth the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord
shaketh the wilderness. The Lord shaketh the wilderness
of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord maketh
the hinds the calf, and discovereth the forest, and in his temple
doth every one speak of his glory. The Lord setteth upon the flood
above it. above it, ruling over everything. He saideth above the flood, everything's
beneath him. Yea, the Lord saideth king forever. And the Lord will give strength
unto his people. The Lord will bless his people
with peace. And now back in Revelation 4, let's consider what John saw. We spend a few minutes about
what John heard, that voice. Now, what did John see? Verse
2, and immediately, I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne
was set in heaven, and one sat upon the throne. A throne set,
fixed. We just read it. The Lord setteth
king forever in Psalm 29. This throne set is fixed and
permanent. This word throne in just these
two chapters, chapters 4 and 5, is mentioned 17 times. Just in those two chapters alone.
John's thoughts are taken up with this throne. He says, look,
look, I saw a throne and one, one sat upon the throne. Well,
that's as it should be. It's His throne. Who else would
sit upon it? This is the throne of the King
of Kings and Lord of Lords. And this throne set tells us
that God has ruled, that He is ruling, and He will continue
the rule. This is the same throne that
Isaiah saw. In that year that the earthly
king Uzziah had died, Isaiah said, I saw also a throne, the
Lord setting upon a throne high and lifted up above the throne
of any earthly king. He's where He's always been,
in the heavens, ruling everything for His own glory and the eternal
salvation of His people. John is seeing not only heaven
when he's caught up, but from this perspective, he sees the
entire universe from the viewpoint of the throne. this picture of
the throne and that one, that glorious one setting up on it
tells us that all things are ruled by Him. and are under his
dominion. As he said, Father, you've given
me power over all flesh. As he said afterwards, after
rising from the dead, all power is in heaven and in earth is
given unto me. This view of things from the
perspective of the throne, this vantage point, oh, what comfort
to God's people. This is as they journey through
this life. Turn, if you will, to Psalm 73.
Here's a good example, I think, of what I'm trying to say. Psalm 73. You read the first 16 verses,
well, really, verses 2 through 16. David tells us the occasion of
this psalm. He says in verse 1, truly God
is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. Then
in verse 2 he says, but as for me, my feet were almost gone. My steps had well nigh slipped. And then he begins to tell us
why. Down through verse 16. In retrospect,
we won't read it all, but just look at a few verses. Verse 3,
for I was envious at the foolish. Here's a child of God, He's gotten
his eyes off Christ. And he says, in doing so, I was
envious at the foolish. Why in the world would you envy
the foolish? The lost man. When I saw the prosperity of
the wicked, for there are no bans in their death. That wasn't
true. That's not so. But that's what
David thought at the time. But their strength is firm. They
are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued like
other men. But David changes his vantage
point. Like John, he's, so to speak,
caught up. In verse 16, or rather verse
17, until I went into the sanctuary of God then, then I understood
their end. When I got in the presence of
God, I saw things not as I thought, because I was wrong. I saw things
as they really are. These people that are envied,
that are envied rather, look what David now says from this
vantage point. He says, surely thou did set
them in slippery places, thou castest them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation
as in a moment? They are utterly consumed with
terrors. He doesn't envy them anymore,
does he? He doesn't even sound like the
same man. He has an entirely different
perspective. looking at things from the vantage
point of God's throne, God's presence. Look what he says in
verse 21. Thus was my heart grieved and
I was pricked in my reins. I was ashamed of myself. So foolish
was I and ignorant. I was as a beast before thee.
Guilty, guilty. So it is. But look what he says
in verse 23, nevertheless. Don't you like that? We often
have to confess the same way. Foolish at lost people. Envious,
rather, of lost people. And have to confess, oh, I've
been so foolish, so ignorant, so unthankful. But nevertheless,
in spite of myself, in spite of myself, I am continually with
thee. Thou is holding me by my right
hand. Nothing's changed. Thou shall
guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth
that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Yes, there's a throne John saw in heaven and one sat upon that
throne. And that one is he who has his
way in the whirlwind and declares that the clouds are but the dust
of his feet. He who is in the heavens doing
whatsoever he has pleased." That's who John saw. That one who never
can neither that king found out, ruleth in the armies of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his
hand. None can stay his hand or say
unto him, What doest thou? That's the one who says to John,
I'm going to show you some things that must be hereafter. He that speaks this word is able
to perform all that he's promised. He sets perfectly in control
not fretting, not pacing, not looking over the banisters of
heaven like I've heard some ignorant preachers say, hoping that somebody
will do something with the redemption of his son. Oh, no. He's sitting
in absolute calmness, absolute majestic serenity. He's not fretting
because he knows he shall not fail. I read this story just
yesterday, I think. about this janitor who cleaned
a high school. And on Saturdays, these businessmen
in the town where the school was would come in and play basketball. And a janitor would have to wait
for them to leave so he could lock up. While they played their
game, he would sit. This janitor was a believer.
He would sit and read his Bible. This particular Saturday evening
while they played their game, he was reading in the book of
Revelations. And after they finished their
game, one of them walked over, kind of smart, and said, do you
understand what you're reading there? The book of Revelation,
is that what you're reading? Do you understand it? And he
said, yeah, I understand it. He said, I'll tell you, Jesus
is going to win. Jesus is going to win. That's
how it'll end up. He hath prevailed. And notice
secondly, don't forget to whom our Lord was speaking. Who was
he speaking to? Of course, it was John, the beloved
disciple. But not of John alone do we read
these words. Having loved his own which were
in the world, he loved them unto the end. He loves all of his
elect, you and I. He's loved all of his elect with
an everlasting love. There's not a time that God began
to love us. He's always loved us. He so loved
us, that's why he sent his Son. Christ's death upon the cross
didn't enable God to love us. God gave His Son for us because
He loved us everlastingly. Turn, if you will, to 1 John
chapter 4. This is what we're told. 1 John,
this apostle that was caught up and solved the throne, and
he that sat upon the throne, Look what he writes in his first
epistle, chapter 4 and verse 9. And this was manifested in
the love of God toward us because that God sent his only begotten
Son into the world that we might live through him. Herein is love,
not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son
to be the propitiation for our sins. And remember what he wrote
in chapter 3, behold, behold, Oh, take time. Take time out of your busy schedules
to behold this wonder. Don't get over this. What matter
of love the Father had bestowed upon us that we should be called
the sons of God. Again, who was our Lord speaking
to? John, an apostle. Yes, he was
an apostle. a called one, a disciple of the
Lord Jesus Christ, and yet he was just a man, Lord. He was
just a man with all the weaknesses of a man, with all the frailties
of a man, with the sinful nature of a man, just like you. He's
no different than you and I. He said so in his epistle. If any man says that he has no
sin, he's a liar. He's alive. We've seen. But if
we've seen, John said, we have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous. John, we're told in chapter 1,
he said he was cast out on this isle for the testimony of Jesus
Christ. John was put out on this deserted
island covered with just about nothing else but volcanic rock
for the gospel's sake. This was during a time of severe
persecution. And now John was an old man.
He was in his 90s. He was 90 in his 90s when this
was written, nearly 100 years old when this took place. The
other apostles were all gone. Can you just picture this old
man? This old soldier of the cross, still preaching the gospel,
that's why he was put out there, alone on that deserted island. Peter's gone. James, we're told,
John's brother in the book of Acts is the record of his being
murdered. But Peter's gone, and Matthew's
gone, and Andrew's gone. They're all gone. And there's John. But he could very well take the
words of David for his very own, couldn't he? He can say, I once
was young, and now I'm old, and I've never seen the righteous
forsaken. Never, never. And John wasn't. While he was cast down on that
isle, he was given this revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus has promised
John and you and me and all of his own that I'll never leave
you nor forsake you. Our dear Savior is one, a friend
that sticketh closer than a brother. And our Lord said, John, I will
show thee things that must be hereafter. We'll only mention
them and then dismiss. But look in chapter 5. Here's
one of those things that must be and has been. Remember, this
was written nearly 2,000 years ago. Much of what John saw has
already taken place, and some will yet take place. But they
all must be. And here's one of those things
in chapter 5. John saw in the right hand of him that sat on
the throne, verse 1, a book written within and on the back side and
sealed with seven seals. And someone said, who's worthy
to open the book and loose the seals thereof? And no man was
found in heaven or in earth. And John said, that broke my
heart. I wept much. No one can bring
God's decrees and purposes to pass. Is no one able? Is no one worthy? In verse 5,
weep not, behold, behold, John, look, look. God, help me to look. Help me to look. The line of
the tribe of Judah The root of David hath prevailed. These things must be. He hath
prevailed to open the book and loose the seals thereof. Verse 9, And they sung a new
song, saying, Thou art worthy to open the book and to open
the seals thereof, for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to
God. by thy blood out of every kindred
and tongue and people and nation. Let's look at another must-be
in chapter 7. Chapter 7, verse 9. After this
I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of
all nations and kindreds and people and tongues, they stood
before the throne. and before the Lamb, clothed
with white robes and palms in their hands, and cried with a
loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which set us upon
the throne, and unto the Lamb." Verse 13. And one of the elders
answered, saying unto me, What are these, John, which are arrayed
in white robes? And whence came they? And I said
unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are
they which came out of great tribulation. Seven years? No, a lifetime of tribulation. Through much tribulation you
must inherit the kingdom of God. These are they which came out
of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb." They came out. What testimony
of the sufficiency of God's amazing grace. They all endured tribulation. Not one was exempt from trials
and troubles and tribulation. But they all came out. My soul, is there a greater battle
for the child of God in this world greater than the one that
takes place in here 24-7? Oh, wretched man that I am. Oh, but they all came out. Oh,
what enemies they had. The world, the flesh, and the
devil. But you look on that battlefield,
that King Jesus, the captain of our salvation, is in command
of, and you see all the enemies of his people, all the enemies
of the church are slain, but not one, not one casualty among
that army, that multitude that none can number. John, these
things must be. What a Savior. Turn, if you will,
to chapter 14. Another must be. Chapter 14,
verse 1. John says again, and I looked
and lo, a lamb stood on the mountain Zion and with him, with him,
with him a hundred forty and four thousand, having his father's
name written in their foreheads. Verse 5. These are they which
were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are
they which follow the Lamb, whether so ever he goeth. These were
redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and
to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found
no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God."
That must be. John, these things must be. Turn to another one, chapter
21. Chapter 21. Again, John says, I saw a new
heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the
first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. And
I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, the church. Coming
down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband. And she's perfect. She's perfect. The bride in Solomon's song said
concerning her beloved, he's perfect. There's no fault in
him. And he said the same thing concerning her. She's perfect.
No fault in her. Coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great
voice. that great voice again that John heard at the first.
Out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with
men and he will dwell with them. And they shall be his people
and God himself shall be with them and be their God. These
things must be. And God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes. And there shall be no more death,
nor sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain,
for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the
throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto
John, These things must be right, for these words are true and
faithful. One more, one more. Chapter 22,
verse 3. Verse 3, chapter 22, and there
shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb
shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him, and they shall
see his face, and his name shall be in their foreheads, and they
shall see his face. Verse 20, in the same chapter.
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly,
even so come Lord Jesus." Like the janitor said, he's going
to win. These things must be, and the
response of every redeemed sinner must be this. Even so, come Lord
Jesus, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Amen. God bless you. Thank you for your attention.