Revelation 1:4-6 Greg L Bahnsen / Revelation Verse By Verse Part 2 of 63

Our Father, we thank you for who you are, how you reveal yourself, your nature and your works to us. In your word. We pray that you would give us a genuine appreciation for your person, Lord. Teach us to love you for what you have done for us. We thank you, Father, that we have an opportunity to study your word. We pray that we might take good advantage of it, that you might give us diligent hearts, that we might hear your truth. That, Lord, we might apply it to our lives. We might live in a way which advances the kingdom of Jesus Christ in this world. We pray we'd be spurred to that end as a result of reading in the Book of Revelation. For it's in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Let's begin reading in Revelation chapter 1 at verse 1. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show unto his servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass. And he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John, who bear witness of the word of God and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, even of all the things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written therein. For the time is at hand, John, to the seven churches that are in Asia. Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits that are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth, unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, and to be priests unto his God and Father. To him be the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with the clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over him even so. Amen. In our previous lessons, we have discerned that the Book of Revelation is just that, a revelation of the truth, an unveiling of the truth as God wants us to see it, and not an obscuring of the truth. We've learned that the Book of Revelation is a book that comes as a blessing to the Church of Jesus Christ, a book which is to be obeyed by the Church of Jesus Christ. And therefore, if it's to be a blessing to us, if it's to be a source of guidance for us and something we're to obey, we must understand it. And God makes provision that we can in fact understand this book. In our second lesson, we discussed the date of the writing in which we found that the internal evidence of the book itself lends very strong credence to the notion that this book was written prior to the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. So, contrary to what is a common point of view, at least in this century, among premillennialists, the book of Revelation is not to be dated in the reign of Domitian at the very end of the century, but is to be dated in the reign of Nero prior to the fall of Jerusalem. And then last, we began looking at verses four and following, we notice how John writes the seven churches. However, in writing to these seven churches, he is giving us truth. He's giving us a message from God which is applicable to every age and applicable to our own age, to our own lives right now. And what John begins by saying, although it may appear rather minimal when you first read it, turns out to be just pregnant with theological meaning, really. He says, grace to you and peace in the midst of the legalistic religion of the Jews. Grace. I don't say the religion of the Old Testament, but the perversion of the Old Testament made by the Jews. John says grace to you. And in the face of the persecution the martyrdom brought because of the Roman Empire, peace be unto you. And this grace. And this peace comes from the triune God. And we're noticing how very significant the titles given to the three members of the Trinity are. John says, this comes from the triune God, from the Father, him who is and was and is to come, if you will, the Eternal One, the unchangeable One, the dependable One, Jehovah of the Old Testament, the I am that I am. This God guarantees the promises. This God is with his people in the very midst of suffering and persecution. It's this God that delivers and is Almighty to save. And he says, grace and peace to you from the seven spirits which are before the throne, which is an Old Testament designation for the Holy Spirit of God. Especially we find in Zechariah, the fourth chapter, that the seven spirits of God are used as a designation of the Spirit to tell the people that God's program of building the kingdom will not be thwarted by any sort of external opposition. A whole mountain of opposition is to become a plain, says Zechariah the prophet, for not by might, but by my Spirit it shall be accomplished. And so this Holy Spirit of God will accomplish the purposes of God despite the external opposition. So don't despise the day of small beginnings. Don't Think that because the church is now small, only a kernel, indeed only a mustard seed, if you will. Don't despise the idea that it shall eventually become a great tree in which the birds of heaven will eventually flock into it. And then we at the end of our class saw that the grace and peace pronounces a benediction upon us and upon the church as a whole, comes from Jesus Christ. And then this is a fascinating description of Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. You can see John kind of rehearsing, if you will, by way of three categories. The ministry of our Savior, the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ as he came as a first faithful witness. You can see him rehearsing the ministry of Christ in his death and resurrection, the one who was firstborn from the dead, and then the present exalted ministry of Jesus Christ, the one who now is the ruler of the kings of the earth. Well, another way that this can be seen as one of our friends in the class mentioned at the end last week, is in terms of the three offices of Christ as well. Not only does this summarize in a certain sense the ministry of Jesus Christ, his earthly ministry, the ministry of his life and death, resurrection, and then the ministry that he now has is exalted. But you can see Jesus as prophet, as priest, and as king. As prophet, he is the faithful witness, as priest he is firstborn from the dead, and as king, of course, he is ruler over the kings of the earth. Let's look at each one of those three designations, and when we do so, I think you're going to find some substantiation for the claim I made last week that when John alludes to the Old Testament, he expects you to take the whole context of the Old Testament passage into account and to bring that whole context, the meaning of the passage as a whole, to bear in his allusion. And we'll see that as we look at the three titles of Jesus Christ, first of all, then the faithful witness in chapter three of the book of Revelation, verse 14, and to the angel of the Church in Laodicea, write these things, saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God, the faithful and true witness, following, of course, upon the statement that he is the Amen. In what sense is Jesus the Amen of God? Well, in two senses. First of all, in Christ, all the promises of God are yea and Amen, as Paul tells us in the Book of second Corinthians, chapter one. Every promise is made good in the Savior, Jesus Christ. But also in terms of his own character. He is the Amen. To say amen, whether you be speaking in Hebrew or in Greek, of course, means to say it stands firm. It is dependable, it is reliable. So be it. Jesus is the dependable one. He is the faithful witness. You'll notice that John himself summarizes the ministry of Jesus as the witness of God. We don't usually think that way today. I think the categories as they're presented to us in most of our churches, and I'm sure according to your own Christian background, it's been that we are witnesses. Jesus is the Savior, and we witness to the Savior. But it's interesting that Jesus comes precisely as the witness of God. That's how it's prophesied in Isaiah, chapter 55, verse 4. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and a nation that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of Jehovah, thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel, for he hath glorified thee. When this Messiah comes, he will be sent as a witness to the nations. Jesus Christ comes as the prophet of God, the prophet par excellence. When Moses was given the supreme honor in the Old Testament, being designated the greatest of God's prophets, it was at that very point qualified. He was the greatest of the prophets until that great prophet, God's Son, would come. Jesus is the witness, is the prophet of God. And thus John in his Gospel pursues this theme of the faithfulness of Jesus witness throughout his ministry. Let's just look very quickly at some verses in John. First of all, chapter three, a chapter that I'm sure we're all familiar with because it rehearses. The interview of Nicodemus with Jesus tells us that that central salvation verse for God so loved the world, tells us that ye must be born again. Well, in this very chapter, which is so close to the evangelical heart, which is so close probably to a good number of our conversions, that's meant so much to us in terms of communicating in very simple and clear language the good news of God. This chapter emphasizes that Jesus comes not just to give his life a propitiation for sins, but to come as the faithful witness of God. John 3:11. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that which we know and bear witness of that which we have seen. Look at verses 32 to 34. What he hath seen and heard of that he beareth witness, and no man receiveth his witness. He that hath received his witness hath set his seal to this, that God is true, that God is the Amen. He is dependable. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God. Jesus comes speaking the words of God, witnessing to what he knows to be the case. And thus you can put your trust in him, and you can put the seal upon it that God is true. Look at John 8:14. In verse 13, the Pharisees have said unto Jesus, you bear witness of yourself, and your witness is not true. Jesus answered and said unto them, even if I bear witness of myself, my witness is true. For I know whence I came and whither I go, but ye know not whence I come or whither I go. Jesus, you see that toe to toe, that nose to nose controversy with the Pharisees can be summarized in Jesus saying, you don't know my origin, you don't know my destiny, but I know it, and my witness therefore is true, contrary to all that you may say against me. My witness shall stand true, it shall be dependable. John 18:37 brings it all to a head in terms of John's gospel. Pilate therefore said unto him, art thou a king? Then Jesus answered, you have said it, to this end have I been born, and to this end am I come into the world that I should bear witness unto the truth. I think you will find it a fascinating study, if you should ever be interested to pursue it, to just trace in the New Testament the statements, the very simple formulas given for why Jesus came to earth. Jesus tells us, for instance in Matthew the fifth chapter, I've come not to destroy the law of the prophets. I've come not to destroy, but to confirm. Jesus tells us elsewhere in the Gospels, I've come to send a sword. Earth. We read elsewhere that Jesus came to give his life a ransom for many. Jesus came not to be ministered unto, but to serve others. And here we have another summary statement in John's Gospel, a summary statement of the very purpose for the incarnation in the ministry of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, for this very purpose have I been born, to be a witness unto the truth. And see John having that clearly in mind. Remember he's the author of this Gospel of John. John, having that clearly in mind, records in the Book of Revelation that Jesus Christ is the faithful witness. His earthly ministry summarizes the prophet of God. But then John goes on from that, having told us that Jesus is the reliable one, of course. What's implicit in saying that Jesus is reliable, but that his church can trust his promises? Jesus tells us that he has overcome the world. It's not just in John today, but it's today that I think we have to probingly ask people, do you really believe that? I mean, can you watch the 6 o' clock news and say, Jesus has overcome the world? Is Jesus the true witness of God? Is he reliable in what he says? Jesus says, I have overcome the world and I am with you always, even unto the end of the age. Jesus says, the gates of hell shall not prevail against the march of my church. Do you believe these things? Is Jesus the faithful witness of God? John, of course, is strengthening the church by that kind of a designation. He goes on to remind us that not only is he the faithful witness, but he's the firstborn of the dead by the resurrection, by Jesus own resurrection from the dead. He's been exalted to a position of firstborn son in the family of God. He is the firstborn, meaning that he has sovereignty, that he has rule, that he's at the right hand of the Father. The Book of Romans, in a sense summarizes the same message for us, telling us the implications of the resurrection in Romans 1:4. The first seven verses, of course, recognized by most commentators to be a summary of the entire theology of the Book of Romans. The central place of the resurrection in the Book of Romans comes out here in verse 4. Who was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, even Jesus Christ, our Lord. Jesus Christ is declared, is appointed, is installed as Son of God with power. Was he not the Son of God prior to the resurrection? Some people get hung up that sort of consideration, but of course, that isn't what we're being told. It's not that Jesus became God's Son either at his baptism or at his resurrection, but rather that he became installed. He became appointed as Son of God with power. You see, there are two phases to the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. You have his humiliation where the power is not evident because he gives his life as a ransom for many and submits to the punishment of men. But after his humiliation, there is exaltation. Jesus tells those who are on the road to emmaus in Luke 24, behooved it not the Christ to first suffer and then enter into his glory. Paul says, this one who was born in the seed of David, was by the resurrection made Son of God in power. And so John also in the book of Revelation, is telling us, by the resurrection, Jesus Christ has been exalted to a position of sovereign power as the firstborn son. In First Corinthians 15, verse 20, Paul will designate Jesus Christ the first fruits of them that sleep. Here we find that he is firstborn from the dead. Paul says, first fruits of them that sleep. The substance of the teaching is not identical, but at least overlaps in that Jesus is the one who has come forth from the grave first as our sovereign, the one who leads a host over the powers of death and darkness. Jesus is the first fruits. God's pledge that if he rose, so shall the whole crop come later. Jesus, then you see, is the guarantee as the firstborn, that all those who are adopted sons of God shall be with him in glory, as well as he makes us through raise from the dead. Well, we can talk about Romans 1 and 1st Corinthians 15 as being interesting. I think New Testament parallels to this, but time won't allow pursuing that. We need to go to the very heart of the matter and you'll see that what John is teaching really is taken or is an allusion to Colossians 1, verse 18. So let's turn to Colossians, the first chapter. I'd like to read verse 17 to give you the context. He is before all things, and in him all things cohere. And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence. The resurrection of Jesus Christ indicates that in all things he deserves and is to have, and by his power claims the preeminence. He has triumphed over the bondage that comes to his people because of sin. In Hebrews the second chapter, verses 14 and 15, the significance of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is given to us in that he has defeated Satan. Hebrews 2, 14, 15. Since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood. He also himself, in like manner partook of the same, that through death he might bring to not him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and might deliver all them, who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. John is writing to a church that faces martyrdom, to a church that knows the Roman Empire can snuff out the life of each and every single member at any time, all of their life. Are they subject to the bondage of the fear of death, though no. In all these things we are more than Conquerors through Jesus Christ who loved us, you see, through his death he destroyed the one who had the power of death. And in so destroying Satan, Jesus has delivered us from fear, he's delivered us from bondage. He's released us from the grip of death. And so in First John, of course, remember John, here is the author again the book of Revelation and this epistle. First John, chapter three, verse eight. These summary statements. Why did Jesus come to the earth? How can you, in just a short phrase, summarize his life and its purpose? First John 3, 8. The last part of verse 8 to this end was the Son of God manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. Jesus said, for this purpose have I been sent to earth to be a witness to the truth. John says, and for this end was he manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. Jesus in his earthly life as the prophet of God, of course, has declared the coming of God's kingdom, the coming of God's domain, the coming of God's rule. It would appear though, that in his death God's king has been destroyed. In the resurrection, Jesus shows that God brings victory even out of the very jaws of defeat, that God can by the resurrection, exalt his son to the position of right hand son, firstborn sovereign ruler, the one who is supreme over all things. And when he does this, he destroys the works of the devil and releases us from the bondage of fear. And that's why in the book of Revelation verse 18, we're told that the resurrection is the pledge of our salvation. In verse 5 we have read that Jesus is the firstborn of the dead. And so in verse 18, John says describes for us Jesus saying that he is the living one and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. And thus have the keys of death and Hades. Jesus has the key. He is the one who controls the portals of death and Hades. Jesus is the one who is supreme over even that domain because of his resurrection. And thus the pledge of our salvation is secured. The firstborn of the dead makes it secure. We've seen Jesus in his prophetic role then, as the true witness. We've seen Jesus in his priestly role, as saving his people, as being firstborn from the dead, delivering them from the bondage of Satan and death. And then finally John tells us, and he is the ruler of the kings of the earth. Outwardly, it might seem, of course, to a troubled church that imperial Rome ruled. That imperial Rome ruled autocratically and with unrestrained, unprincipled might. But in actuality, those who have the curtains drawn aside for those to whom God has unveiled the truth and made it not obscure any longer, Christ is actually exalted to the right hand of God. And it's Christ who rules as the Lord. The Lord with sovereign disposition to govern all of creation as he sees fit. The Lord who rules with moral authority, calling all kings to obey him. And so John tells the Church, don't shake and don't tremble before the might of Rome and the threat that they might bring even of death. For you see, the assault of kings is yet under the sovereign dominion of. Of the King of kings and the Lord of Lords. Back of all political might stands the one who is designated in chapter 17, verse 14. In this these shall war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them. For he is Lord of lords and King of kings. And they also shall overcome that are with him called and chosen and faithful. Jesus Christ, the faithful prophet of God. Jesus Christ, the firstborn of the dead, the pr. Priest of God is also the King of God's choosing. And no matter what opposition may come to the Lamb of God, the 17th chapter is telling us he yet remains the Lord over all other lords. He remains the King over all other kings. And for that reason those who are called and chosen and faithful, they will triumph with him. John is trying to assure us that notwithstanding the bitter opposition of Rome, Jesus rules. Look at chapter 19, verse 11. And I saw the heaven opened, and behold a white horse. And he that sat thereon called faithful and true. And in righteousness he doth judge and make war. And his eyes are a flame of fire, and upon his head are many diadems. And he hath a name written which no man knoweth but he himself. And he is arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood. And his name is called the Word of God. We skip down to verse 15. Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron. And he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God the Almighty. And he hath on his garment and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. What a marvelous depiction of the personality and the character and the work of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He comes forth riding on a white horse, a traditional emblem of victory in the Roman Empire. He comes on the white horse and he has on his head many diadems. Every king must give up his rule in the face of Jesus Christ. And the march of his church. Jesus Christ has a sword proceeding out of his mouth with which he's going to smite the nations. He's going to rule them with a rod of iron. And since the sword proceeds out of his mouth, John looks to the leg of Jesus Christ where the sword should have been found, where the sheath would be found. And there, instead of finding a sword of iron with which Jesus can smite the nations, you find instead written Lord of lords and King of Kings. You see, Jesus rules by his own sovereign disposition, in virtue of his own person. Jesus doesn't need to come back to earth again and use military might to establish a kingdom. Jesus already is the king. He's established as the almighty king over all creation. By the resurrection, Jesus has all the diadems upon his head. He's the king over every king. So that's the vision John wants you to get. In Revelation, chapter one, we have the faithful witness, the one who is true. We have the firstborn from the dead. Death no longer holds us in bondage. And we have the king of kings, the one who is ruler over every king on the earth. That's especially significant, especially significant in light of the coming context of John's own day. For in the Roman Empire, emperor worship was especially popular, especially in Asia where the seven churches reside to whom John writes. For instance, Ephesus. You will find there that Claudius, Vespasian, Titus, all of these emperors had given to them the designation the term edivis, which of course means divine, the divine one. The coinage of the Roman Empire is a testimony to the blasphemy me of the Roman emperors that they would designate themselves God. What a reversal. Here you have these piddly, low down rulers of the earth arrogating to themselves the name divine. John says it's just the other way around. The one who is by his very nature divine has been given to him rulership over all the kings of the earth. Jesus, because he's divine, claims rule, whereas meek and lowly rulers try to claim the designation divine. Now Jesus is the one who is in control of the situation. Now here's the fascinating thing about these three designations. You'll find that all three of them come from the very same psalm of the Old Testament. I'd like for us to turn to that in the old Testament, Psalm 89, It appears to me fascinating because you see, you can read the book of Revelation, these three designations, you can get not just two Sunday school lessons out of it, but I dare say a whole series of sermons, if not a Commentary in itself on the person and work of Jesus Christ is summarized in just that one verse. There's just that much wealth there. Which is to say that the verse hangs together of its own accord, that what John is saying makes perfectly good sense all by itself. It's good theology on its own two feet. But it turns out that John is really bringing together an illusion out of the Old Testament for us in Psalm 89. Let's look at verses. I think it's 27 and 37. Yes, at verse 37. First, in terms of John's order of mention. Well, verse 36, to give you the context. His throne shall endure as the sun before me. It shall be established forever as the moon. And as the faithful witness in the sky, the the throne of Jesus Christ, you see, is the faithful witness, precisely the designation that John gives to the Savior himself. Then verse 27, I also will make him my firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. The faithful witness in the sky the throne of Jesus Christ, you see, is the faithful witness, precisely the designation that John gives to the Savior himself. Then verse 27, I also will make him my firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. Now, John, you see, is bringing together these two verses out of Psalm 89, and he's saying to a church that was steeped in Old Testament literature, see, if I want to get my point across to you, I need to resort to such cultural images that are in your mind because of the local media, because of the kind of theater and motion picture industry we may have because of popular music. Those are the images you see that inform our cultural outlook. But in John's day, especially with respect to the people to whom he wrote, their outlook was shaped culturally in terms of the language of the Old Testament. And John, when he refers then to Jesus Christ as faithful witness, as firstborn of God, and as ruler highest over the kings of the earth, the people to whom he wrote would understand, of course, the whole context of Psalm 89. Well, then, what is Psalm 89? What is John telling us in this cryptic way? Well, Psalm 89 is a paraphrase of 2nd Samuel. I'm sorry, chapter 7, verses 8 to 16. What is 2nd Samuel, chapter 7. Then, in terms of this detective work, tracing this down, second Samuel, chapter seven is the covenant promise of God made to David. God promises David that he will establish one upon David's throne who will rule eternally. David is assured that there will be a descendant who comes after him. The seed of David is going to rule in the kingdom eternally now, Psalm 89 is a paraphrase of the promise of God made to David that his Son shall rule in this way. And let's look at it very quickly, beginning at verse 20. I have found David my servant. With my holy oil have I anointed him. The anointing with oil was a symbol in the Old Testament of the descent of the Holy Spirit. The anointing with the Spirit of God, with whom my hand shall be established, mine arm also shall strengthen him. Verse 22. The enemy shall not exact from him, nor the Son of wickedness afflict him. And I will beat down his adversaries before him and smite them that hate him. But my faithfulness and my loving kindness shall be with him. And in my name shall his horn be exalted. The exalted name of Jesus Christ. Then you see in the horn, in the strength of God is set forth. All his enemies will be beat down. The blessing will come to those who are in him, those who trust in him. Verse 25. I will set his hand also on the sea, and his right hand on the rivers. See this cosmic image for the fact that this king of God's choosing is going to rule over all the earth, that the boundaries of his kingdom, kingdom are going to be extended internationally. He shall cry unto me, thou art my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. Verse 27. I also will make him my firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. You see, it's in terms of this build up the Davidic promise, the Davidic covenant, that somebody is going to rule over David's kingdom eternally. And when he does so, he's going to extend the boundaries of the kingdom over all the earth and all opposition will be put down. And then he is described as firstborn ruler over the kings of the earth. And that's what John's picking up on. And we could read on. The same sort of message is found till we come down to verse 37. Well, verse 36. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne is the sun before me. It shall be established forever as the moon and as a faithful witness in the sky. God who speaks these promises is faithful. God cannot lie. God has given an enduring promise to David and to the Son of David that he shall rule internationally. Then can you affirm what John says, that Jesus is the faithful witness? Do you believe his promises today in the light of the six o' clock news, do you still believe his promises? Do you trust in his saving might as the priest of God's choosing? The one who is firstborn from the dead, the one who has conquered death and has released you from the power of death and the fear of death. Well, if so, then how can you hold back from saying that he must in all right and by might, rule as king over all other kings, the ruler of the kings of the earth. Now, if you go to the background of Psalm 89, that kind of affirmation, that kind of profession of faith, that kind of confession of orthodox theology can mean nothing less but that the kingdom of Jesus Christ is going to be international in its extent and that all opposition is going to be put down. That Jesus rules over all the kings of the earth and over all the nations of the earth, and over all the inhabitants thereof. Everyone who opposes him shall be crushed. Well, look at the majestic figure then, the utterly reliable one, the conqueror of death and the international potentate. That's our Savior. It's from him that John pronounces grace and peace upon you. And John goes on to revere Christ by way of doxology for the benefits that he brings to us as the reliable one, the covenant keeping God, the one who conquers death, and the one who rules over all other kings. If he is the one who is reliable, John says he has benefited us by loving us. If he is the conqueror of death, he has benefited us by redeeming us by his blood. And if he is international potentate, he can make us the priestly kingdom of the Father. So these three other sources of consolation are found not only in the designations of the Savior, but in the work of the Savior on our behalf. Let's read verse five and six then, together. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth, unto him that loves us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom of priests unto His Father. The parallel, I think, is quite evident. The faithfulness of Christ means for us his love. The resurrection power of Christ means to us salvation. And the reign of Jesus Christ is shared with us who come to him for that salvation. And accordingly, all three of these consolations can be dwelt upon here for a moment in the Greek, where we read that Jesus loves us. It's important to notice the present and continuous sense in which John expresses this. He is loving us is the way he puts it. It's a permanent kind of love. It's an abiding kind of love. And that love has been proved by. By the atonement. Look at Romans 5:8. But God commendeth his own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. You know, you just simply have to stop and let that sink in. It has before. You've been taught it before. That's not going to be new to anybody in this class, I don't imagine. But don't you see? That's the way God loves in that while we're sinners, his son dies. God loves by giving up himself. God loves sacrificially self sacrificially. His own being. Beloved Son gives his life in our behalf. Well now, if God has so loved us in this manner, how shall he not also give us all things? That's the logic of the book of Romans in terms of this chapter. If God loved us while we were still enemies, how much more, now that we've been reconciled to him, shall he provide every single need of our lives? John says this Jesus, who is the faithful witness, he loves you. He loves you in that way. Can you have any doubt but that he's going to make provision for your life? He's going to protect you from the wrath of the Roman Empire persecution of the Jewish church, no doubt at all. To those who are in fear of distress, they are not to doubt the constant love of God. John goes on to say that Jesus not only loves us continually, but he has freed us from our sins by his blood. Now, in some of your your versions, you'll find that Jesus has washed us by his blood. And that I think, just to make things simple, let me just say that's a later scribal error that's creeped in. The two words are close to each other in Greek and it's not an unusual type of thing to find that kind of mistake. And of course it doesn't change the theology a great deal. But I do want you to see that there is this to be seen for the original. That he has freed us from our sins, that we are not merely cleansed. There are a good number of churches that preach a kind of salvation, a kind of good news that says that we who are saved are merely washed from our previous sins. That is, the slate has been washed clean. And now, if you will, we've returned to a point of neutrality in God's sight. That is at the point of the confession of our sins, Jesus takes the penalty for all priests previous transgressions. But then, you see, at that point, what are you going to do from then on? If you sin after that point, there is the Possibility that you will really belie your salvation, that you will fall from God's grace. Don't you see the type of reformed theology that's backed into that one word? Not just washed, freed. You see, we are free from sin. The power of sin is broken. For those of us who have the resurrected Savior as our Lord Jesus sees to it that sin no longer has dominion over us. And if sin no longer has dominion, we need not fear that salvation is a momentary and fleeting experience. But salvation shall be eternally secured. Not only this. You'll notice that this redemption that he brings, this frame freeing us, comes by means of his blood. It's at the cost of Jesus own blood that we're redeemed. John will return to this theme, for instance, in chapter five, verse nine. And they sing a new song saying, worthy art thou to take the book and to open the seals thereof. For thou wast slain and didst purchase unto God with thy blood men of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. It's with his blood that Jesus redeems us. Chapter 7, verse 14. And I say unto him, my Lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, these are they that come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white. How? In the blood of the Lamb. What a striking image. If you've come out of a fundamentalist or evangelical background, you've heard it enough times that I. I dare say the striking nature of that image has worn off. Well, just stop and think about it. Washed in blood, and it comes out white. Jesus, at the cost of his own life, by his own blood has cleansed us and freed us from sin. Well, now Jesus has done that, then you can see that his work must be a finished work. Can Jesus apply His blood to any man's life and that man not be washed clean? Can Jesus be the Savior of any man and that man not be freed from the bondage of sin and death? Of course not. John talks in terms of accomplishment. He tells us that Jesus has done something on our behalf. Has he done it? Because we have participated with him. We have cooperated with him. We have engaged in the work of salvation and held up our end of the deal. John says, no, this Jesus, he is the one who washes you clean. He frees you. Now, of course, if Jesus so washes and frees us, we can't run back to bondage. We can't run back to the filth of our sins. Jesus has accomplished the work of redemption. And if he's accomplished it Then we must dare say that Jesus has accomplished it only for those who are his own. For if Jesus so accomplished this salvation as so freedmen who do not trust in him or who will not trust in him, if Jesus has so washed them clean, then there is no ground upon which the Father can consign them to eternal damnation. So one is faced with two options. Either universal salvation because Jesus has freed all men of their sins in light of his work as the Savior, or He has freed only his people. The announcement to Mary his mother was that his name should be Jesus, for He'll save his people from their sins. Jesus lays down his life for the sheep. He gives up his life for his friends. He sheds his blood for the church. And all of that you see is consistent with what John is telling us about the finished and accomplished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. He has loved us and loosed us by his blood. And then finally John says, and he's made us a kingdom, priests to God, even His Father. Christians are said now to be constituted the kingdom of the One who rules over all the kings of the earth. And that is explained in that they are priests. It's a priestly kingdom. And if every member of Christ's Church is a priest to God, then there are no privileged positions in Christ's Church. It isn't as though in the Roman Church you have special people, designated priests, who in some special way have access to God, who can in some special way make plea for our salvation, and who must in some special way hear our confession of sin. Each one of us is a priest. Each one of us has access to the Father through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. So there's no hierarchy, it's a kingdom of priests, all on the same level, all with the same privileges of salvation. But of course we are a kingdom in this earth, which is a kingdom much different than the other types of earthly kingdoms. We're not one nation among many nations, as though there's a Christian nation here. And then you have of course Germany and France and the United States and all the rest. We don't constitute a kingdom in that sense, one among the many political organization borders of the earth. We are rather a kingdom that affects those governments, to be sure, as we're going to see in just a moment. But we affect every government upon earth as the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as the redeemed humanity. We constitute an international kingdom. And so you see, you don't slice the pie this way, as though you can put France here and America here and the Christian Church here. But you slice it this way. You see, in all kingdoms of the earth, one will find the kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We who reign under Christ reign not in terms of a physical sword, not in terms of political might, but we reign by his word and by His Spirit. Of course, the sword of the spirit is the word of God. That's the sword with which the Christian rules the nations. The sword of the Spirit is our weapon and the Scripture is our constitutional authority. That's the type of kingdom we're talking about. Well, time won't allow for that. I do want to give you a couple of quotes by way of contrast to what John is now teaching us. He says, Jesus Christ has established a kingdom of which we are its priestly members. You will find in a rather popular commentary in the book of Revelation, There's a new world coming. Subtitled the Prophetic Odyssey by Hal Lindsey. The statement by Mr. Lindsey goes something like. When we see the mess the world is in, it's sometimes hard for us to believe that Christ is actually the prince of the kings of the earth. This is because even though Christ has the right to rule the earth, he isn't exercising this authority over kings and kingdoms. At this time. Satan has won a temporary legal right to rule the kingdoms of the world. Christ didn't dispute Satan's temporary legal claim to these kingdoms. The Lord knew that when his work on the cross was finished, Satan would be finished too. Now it's only a matter of time until Christ comes back to earth and claims his role as king of kings and Lord of lords over the rulers of the world. What a day that will be. You'll find that on page 26 of his commentary. Now you see, the distressing thing here is not so much one one writer on eschatological themes opposing another. I don't bring this before you today just so we can, as we do in a seminary class, analyze the various theologies. But what I want you to see is the impoverished theology that Mr. Lindsay presents to the world. What a day that will be when Jesus will be Lord of Lords and King of kings. When he will then take away Satan's temporary legal right to the nations of the world. That's not the theology of John. If that were the theology of John, he need not have written the book of Revelation. He says, grace and peace to you in the very midst of your affliction, in the midst of the tribulation that we all know as fellow believers. In the midst of that tribulation Jesus is king. He rules over all other kings of the earth. He is the Lord of lords. He is the King of kings. And for that reason, you are his kingdom. He has established you as such. He has loosed you from your sins. The bondage of death is gone, and you now are priests to his Father. And as priests in his kingdom, he has established a rule. And that rule shall grow, shall conquer the earth. Another commentator in the same general school of thought, although not precisely the same as George Eldon Ladd and Dr. Ladd, tells us in his commentary in the book of Revelation. Something which I think is any Christian ought to, if he just stops for a moment and thinks, see through the coming of the eschatological kingdom. And we don't want that vocabulary to scare anybody off. What he means is the kingdom pertaining to the end times, the kingdom that God has prophesied through history, the kingdom which is going to be consummated by the Savior. This eschatological kingdom is an essential part of the redemptive work of Christ. Well, now, that can't be disputed. That's what John is saying. If Jesus is the faithful witness, if he's the firstborn from the dead, then he is ruler over all the kings of the earth. His redemption includes redeeming every order of life, including the political order. And so he rules over politics. All right. The coming of the eschatological kingdom is an essential part of the redemptive work of Christ. Amen. But now this, what he did on the cross remains forever unfinished until the ransomed enter into their kingly reign with Christ and until faith is changed to sight when God comes to dwell in the midst of his people that kingly reign, the redemptive work of Christ is forever unfinished until Jesus takes up the scepter as king. Well, now, the reason I think any Christian should be able to see through that is because you all know what Jesus said upon the cross when he was accomplishing our redemption. Is his work forever unfinished until he becomes king? God forbid. Jesus said it is finished. And when he had given up his life, he had done all that was necessary to enter into his exalted office as prophet, priest and king. The eschatological kingdom doesn't await some future day, but praise the Lord, we're all members of it already. John says, you are a kingdom of priests unto the Father, because you belong to Jesus Christ, who is the king over all other kings of the earth. Christ's kingdom, according to the New Testament, is a present kingdom. It is prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ. It is right now remember what Jesus said to the Pharisees. And if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God upon you. What has he just done? Just cast out demons by the finger of God. By the very power of God he says. Now if I'm doing that, the kingdom of God is here. In Revelation chapter one, verse five, we read that it is over the kings on earth that Jesus reigns. Right now he rules over all earthly kings. Verse six, he has made us. Who's the us? The seven churches of Asia Minor. Those seven churches of Asia Minor in John's own day were already made. The kingdom of God and his dominion will then last forever. We're not waiting for it to stop. Start. It started and it's going to go on for all eternity. And thus the Christian must be world affirming, strange as that may sound. The incarnation is God's pledge that he cares about this physical earth. His Son came in the form of human flesh. And the resurrection shows that God intends to redeem all of earth too. It's a world affirming religion. Then Christ's kingdom has been established in time and it shall last through all time. As verse four tells us, the eternal God is the one that rules in this kingdom. And so I would recommend rather that we end today with some more thoughtful words by another commentary, the book of Revelation. This was a triumph. We are told by another author to be revealed in history. And the priesthood and the kingship of of the believer likewise have reference to history as well as to eternity. To deny the triumph of Christ in time is to undercut the validity of the resurrection and its implications for history. It is to reduce Christianity to an otherworldly cult and to make retreat from life the essence of faith. And he goes on to say Christ's resurrection was not a surrender of history and the material world to the devil, but what a declaration of his lordship over creation and the promise as the first fruits of them that sleep of his victory within time. By his virgin birth, his perfect obedience to the law and his resurrection, he became the last Adam, the fountainhead of the new humanity, and hence the fulfillment of time and history. Not the means of escape from time and history. Premillennial and amillennial thinking has so obviously. I'm sorry, has so often implicit in it a latent dualism between time and eternity. And then finally the earth is the Lord's and the area of the Lord's victory. The issue of the kingdom's battle will be no more a flight from history than was the Incarnation and the atonement. God the Son did not enter history in order to surrender history to Satan. He came to redeem his elect, assert his crown rights, make manifest the implications of his victory, and and then to recreate all things in terms of his sovereign will. Now that's more in accord, I think, with the message that John is bringing before us, that he has made us a kingdom of priests. And we want to take up at that point next week with a few last comments about the Church as the new Israel. But I'd like to end today's class with a final question quotation which I found appropriate. You'll find this in the really noteworthy commentary of it is the supremacy of the world which Christ has acquired for his people. This kingdom was, even then, that is, in John's day, manifesting itself. But however important might be the conquest which were then in process of being made on the territory of heathenism, such were only a small pledge of the glorious realization which should not reach its climax until the whole heathen world lay at their feet. A spirit of fresh, undaunted courage before the persecuting heathen world ought now to fill their bosoms. That's what John's saying. You're persecuted by legalistic Judaism. Grace to you. You're persecuted by tyrannical Rome. Peace to you. And if you find it hard to believe that grace and peace can be in your hearts, remember it comes from the Eternal Father, the Almighty Spirit in the conquering Son. He's made you kings, and he has the right to do it because he is the King of kings and Lord of Lords. Let's Father, we pray that you would indeed instill in us a fresh and undaunted courage. That though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God has willed his truth to triumph through us. A prince of darkness Grim we tremble not for him. His rage we can endure. For lo, his doom is sure. One little word shall fail him. Lord, fill us with your word this day and teach us to conquer in your name. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.