Revelation: An Unveiling Of Near Events / Chapters 1-3 Summary/ Greg Bahnsen {Part 17 of 63}

With a word of prayer. Father, we come to you this day asking that you would accept us and hear our prayer. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. We would confess that we have sinned and transgressed against your law, that we have no right to stand before you except in the merit of Jesus Christ and covered with the robes of his righteousness. We pray, Father, that you might make us mindful of how good you have been to us. You might make us aware also, Lord, of the truth that you present to us in Scripture and the promises, the hope that is set before us. We ask you, Lord, that as we in gratitude, look upon what you have done, and in expectation, look at what you promised to do, that you would make us different people this day, that you would enable us to respond obediently and in faith, that we might indeed become the overcomers, the victorious believers that you wish us to be. For it's in Jesus name that we pray. Amen. Well, we've been studying the book of Revelation for some time now, since beginning of January. And last week we finally concluded our initial comments on Revelation 3. So we've looked at the first three chapters, and I'd like to take today to do some recapitulation. I'd like to summarize for you what we have seen in Revelation 1, 2 and 3, and especially, more especially, look at the theme of overcoming as it is prominent in the letters to the seven epistles, the seven epistles to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3, and then how that theme will be picked up again at the end of the book of Revelation. So it becomes something of a structuring device, a structuring theme for the entire book. We noted then, by way of rehearsal of what we've seen, we've noted that the Book of Revelation was likely written prior to the fall of Jerusalem. Not just likely, but I think rather necessarily written prior to the fall of Jerusalem. Since the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 is predicted in the Epistle, it is prophesied, and that is one of the signs that God is avenging the blood of the martyrs, that he is bringing vengeance against those who have done despot to his kingdom and who have brought injury to his people. Written by the Apostle John. However, the book begins by saying, declaring that it is the Revelation, the unveiling of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show unto his servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass, he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John. So there's a real order of authority, a passing down of this message, which is clear here. This is the revelation of Jesus Christ. Of course, now God gave it to Jesus Christ. It's the unveiling he received from his Father, which he then gave to an angel who gave to John, who is now passing it on to the servants of Jesus Christ. And what has been given is an unveiling. It's an apocalypsis in Greek. It's an unfolding, a making clear of the things which are shortly to come to pass. Now, there are two things that must be emphasized when we say that. The first is that the Book of Revelation is not contrary to what I think is perhaps the pervasive opinion. The Book of Revelation is not an enigma. It is not some big mental puzzle we've got to work through. It's not some obscure undergrowth we've got to chop away and finally straighten out on our own. The Book of Revelation is given precisely to make very clear what things are going to happen in history. The Book of Revelation is an unveiling. It's not an obscuring of the truth. It's a revelation of the truth. And I think that observation calls for a reorientation for most of us when we approach this book, because most of us consider it, if not a theological battlefield. You know, so many people have different opinions as to the course of history and the nature of the millennium and all the rest. If it's not just a theological battlefield, it is at least a grand puzzle. Something which no common, ordinary, run of the mill, seven day a week Christian can understand. Now, of course, I don't like the perspective that's ingrained, you see, in that kind of approach to the subject. This is an unveiling I'm making clear of what is shortly to come to pass. Now, that's the second thing that I want to emphasize. John tells us the time frame of the Revelation. He says these are things shortly to come to pass. We notice Also in Revelation 22, the last chapter, he twice says that he has revealed things shortly to come to pass. Now, the only way around that, and the only purpose for trying to get around that is, has got to arise from having a preconceived dogmatic opinion as to what the Book of Revelation could be talking about. You see, if you assume that you know the Book of Revelation is speaking about things far and distant in the future. If you know, as a matter of fact, even before you get to the Book of Revelation, that it cannot be talking about things except way in advance. For instance, there are many today who would say you will not find the word church in chapters plural 4 through 19 of the book of Revelation. 4 through 18 in particular, perhaps 19 as well. Now, since the word church does not appear there clearly, this cannot talk about the church age. And if it doesn't talk about the church age, the book of Revelation must be prophesying events in the distant future. Now, I'm saying now, if you come with that perspective, if you know that quote, unquote, if you know that in advance, and when you read, then you read John saying Both in chapter one and chapter 22, these are things shortly to come to pass, then you must engage in some sort of reinterpretation. Shortly. Well, that must mean one short in God's perspective. That is, everything in God's perspective is very much shortened. You know, like a thousand years is as a day with the Lord. And so very shortly, if you take the divine view, well, that's hardly very comforting to a church that needs to know right then and there what their plight in this world is and what history holds for the Christian church and the kingdom of God. Moreover, you don't have any indication that John is speaking by way of transformation. From a divine perspective. He seems to be giving as comfort to the saints in tribulation right then and there. It's only a short while before God will avenge the blood of the martyrs. Another approach is to say that it's not so much short in God's perspective. That requires quite a, I think, a straining of the imagination to think that John is importing what Peter says about a thousand years is a day. Oh, and you mustn't forget that you see, a day is a thousand years too. And so if it is God's perspective, is it the shortened perspective or the lengthened perspective that God is able to bring to bear on the situation? We're never told that by the reinterpreters. Another approach is to say the things which must shortly come to pass refer to those things which will quickly happen when they eventually start to happen. You see, the word shortly here can be taken both in the sense of near at hand or suddenly, almost unexpectedly, very quickly. When it does eventuate, the same difficulties, I think, afflict this opinion as the previous one. And I'm not going to spend a great deal of time on it since we've had some lessons on this already. But by way of rehearsal then, John is making very clear to us it is an apocalypse. It is an unveiling of the truth about history, and he's bringing this to the servants of Jesus Christ. They might know what things are going to happen very shortly. Now, let me point out also, especially in light of this morning's sermon, that it's interesting how John doesn't distinguish between the authority of himself, John speaking, and the authority of Jesus Christ, the one who sends him to speak. This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, and yet you read down a few verses that it's John who writes. John doesn't seem to think there's any disparity between those things. He doesn't seem upset that the word of God must be mediated through human instruments. And therefore there is no lack of authority, no lack of clarity, no lack of sufficiency, necessity. There's no lack of inspiration, inspiration, a divine quality about what John is going to say. Now, verse three is something that I hope will be a rebuke to those who are inclined not to have read the Book of Revelation. Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written therein. And then John repeats, because the time is at hand, he goes, blessed are those who read this book. Now, for the most part, people who come to the Book of Revelation don't feel that they leave with much of a blessing. They leave scratching their head and saying, what could that possibly mean? What is this supposed to do for my daily living? Now, it's interesting that John adds here, blessed are those who keep the words of the prophecy. Obviously, the Book of Revelation calls for obedient response. Those who in faith read the unveiling of what's going to happen in history are going to do something about it. Blessed are those who keep the words of this prophecy. And I think it goes without saying, doesn't it, that it's pretty hard to keep the words of the prophecy if one has not first read and understood the prophecy. And so all the more reason why we need to spend time, and I hope justifiably, a great deal of time in this book, as we have so far. Now, verse four begins John, to the seven churches that are in Asia. This book has been written to seven particular churches. As we get to the various epistles that are written to the seven churches, you'll notice that each one closes a blessing upon the one who has ears to hear. These things have been written to the churches, plural. And so while the local seven churches are the occasion for the writing of these epistles, nevertheless, the message given to each one is appropriate to the church throughout history. Whatever church there may be, whatever believer there may be, can find benefit in this. And I Liken that to the Book of First Corinthians. Obviously, First Corinthians was written to a local, particular occasional situation, a local church in Paul's own day, and he addressed particular past events in that church and situations there. And nevertheless, we read the Book of First Corinthians with profit. We read it and consider it the authoritative word of God speaking to the church living right today. And so it is with the letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor, written to particular situations, but beneficial to the Church in every age. Now, in the remainder of chapter one, John does two basic things. First of all, he gives a very extensive ascription of prayer, praise to Jesus Christ, and a benediction upon the church. And in a certain sense, the whole message of the Epistle, theologically speaking, is summarized in those opening words, verses four through eight. And I can't take time to rehearse for you this morning because it would just take too long. All the significance of the wording as John applies it to Jesus Christ, especially as he draws upon the 89th century Psalm and sees Jesus as now the ascended Messiah who has established his kingdom and rules over the kings of the earth. It's an important thing for a church that's undergoing persecution to know that Jesus rules over the kings of the earth, that they are in the palm of his hand and they do only his bidding. And therefore there's always a restraint, always control, always an end to the amount of suffering the church will have to undergo. Verse 9, John gives his situation. He says, if you found it hard to believe the things I've just told you about Jesus Christ, the one who is in control, remember that I too am undergoing persecution, just like you. I'm on Patmos. You see, I've been exiled here for the. For my adherence to the Word of God, for the testimony of Jesus. And while here on the Lord's day, the significance of that for Sabbath observance, I hope will be clear to you. John specifically designates the day of the week on which he receives this message as the Lord's Day. He distinguishes one day out from among the seven, just as we do in coming this morning to worship on the Sabbath, the Christian Sabbath on the Lord's Day. He heard a great voice. And this gets us into the first vision, then the Book of Revelation. And as I think I better stop and note for you also how there is this pattern of hearing and seeing in John. John says, I heard a voice and turned and saw. I heard and turned and saw. Now this is going to happen at a Couple of crucial interpretive points in the book. It's clear that what John hears and what John sees are consistent with one another. They are part of one complex. They're identical. I can give you an example in future interpretation of this book where that pattern will become significant. John hears of 144,000 saints. At one point in the book of Revelation, he hears of them, and then he turns and sees something. And when he turns and sees, then what we have described for us is an innumerable host of saints from every nation, tribe, tongue, and so forth. Now, why is that significant? Well, because in terms of the symbolism of the book, it's appropriate to describe an innumerable group of people, those which cannot be numbered as 144,000, a definite number, that is. There's a symbolism involved in the 144,000 which mustn't be overlooked earlier on in the revelation than that John will hear of the Lamb of God, takes away the sin of the world, of course, hears of the Lamb of God. Jesus, in his humility and meekness, he turns and sees a line of the tribe of Judah. Does that mean that there are really two beings to be perceived or really two aspects of the same person, the Savior and Lord Jesus Christ? Obviously, it's the latter opinion I think, that is accurate. So anyway, we see that beginning already in chapter one, John hears behind him a great voice. Then he turns and he sees. And the vision that he sees is that of Jesus Christ walking in the midst of seven candlestands. And then there's an extensive description of Jesus Christ. And that's rather significant because the. The elements of that Description in Chapter 1 will reappear throughout Chapters 2 and 3 in the introductory portion of each one of the letters to the seven churches from the one who is. And then, you see, you'll get this description which is pretty much rooted in chapter one as Jesus is described there. Okay, you have this magnificent picture of Jesus Christ, and he's walking in the midst of the seven candlesticks, and he has seven stars in his right hand. What does that mean? Well, the very end of the chapter tells us the mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand. And the seven golden candle stands. Well, before we get to what they actually mean, it's significant that Jesus wants John to understand. Yes, the symbolism is ornate, it's rich, it's very significant. But Jesus doesn't want the significance lost. And so he interprets for John what this means. In chapter 17, an angel will be sent to interpret For John, the meaning of the beast and the harlot and all the rest that he has seen. And so that just reinforces what I told you already. The book is meant to be understood. God has not given the book so that it might become an enigma, a battleground in the church. Well, the mystery is this, or the interpretation of the vision is this. The seven stars are the end angels of the seven churches. The seven candlestands are the seven churches. And so Jesus, the sovereign resurrected Messiah, walks in the midst of the churches. He is the light of the world. It is his light that must be reflected upon the candle stand which is the church. And he is the one who holds the pastor of the church. The pastor. The pastors of the churches in his hand. They are under his side, sovereign bidding and control. And so we have this introduction. The whole thing is geared to get us prepared to understand the situation of the seven churches. And so right from there, John goes in chapters two and three to individual epistles to each one of the seven candle stands, to each one of the seven churches. And so chapter two begins. To the angel of the church in Ephesus, write. And he goes through all the seven churches. Now, when he is finished speaking to the seven churches and talking about the situation that is presently the case in the church, chapter four begins. After these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven. And the first voice that I heard, a voice as of a trumpet speaking with me, one saying, come up hither and I will show thee the things which must come to pass hereafter. So here is a clear break you see in the Epistle. This is a major division in the Book of Revelation. The outline of the Book of Revelation had already been foreshadowed for us. In chapter one, verse 19, you'll notice where John is given this commandment. Therefore, write the things which thou sawest. That is the vision he has just encountered of Jesus Christ walking in amidst the candle stands, and the things which are the situation in the seven churches presently, and the things which must come to pass hereafter. Chapter four begins, come up hither. I will show thee the things which must come to pass hereafter. And so, in a sense, two thirds of the Epistle is past. Now, the two elements, what John has already seen, what John is going to find out about the present situation in the churches, and. And now the things that take place hereafter. Well, how long hereafter? We've already said the book is bracketed in chapters one and 22. It's the declaration, the Time is at hand, things shortly to take place. And so, beginning in chapter four, we're going to see what's going to happen in the early age of the Church as God brings victory to his people and advances his kingdom in the world. Have you any questions to this point about the basic structure and the placing of the letters to the seven churches, the initial site of Jesus Christ the victorious Savior, walking in the midst of the church? And then finally, after the letters of the seven churches, we're going to get to the things that are shortly to come to pass, what God's going to do to avenge the blood of the martyrs and all the rest. Now, sandwiched in between those two things is the message to the Church presently in John's day. I'll wait a moment if you have any questions on that. Sure. How are you going to do that? I'm going to do that in terms. Well, you see, as I see it, the things shortly to come to pass are described in chapters four through 18. And in there you have, nevertheless, a proleptic vision of what's going to take place on the final judgment. That is, it isn't as though in referring to the judgment to come historically upon Jerusalem and Rome, there isn't some foreshadowing of what God's going to do in terms of the whole world. And after the destruction of rome in chapter 18, the response is given in chapter 19. Because the church will at that time become victorious following upon Christ riding upon a white horse and all the rest. It will describe for us very briefly what will take place after the things shortly to come to pass, to the end of history. But the vision is given primarily in the substance of the book. It turns out the weight of the book is given over to a description of the fall of Jerusalem and the fall of Rome. That. In other words, I don't read John as saying this in such a way as to preclude mention of what will happen after that, but as saying what the substance of the book is about. For instance, I might summarize the book of, say, Colossians. Let me say, I think the book of Colossians deals primarily with the Colossian heresy, the worship of angels and the bringing in of worldly thought and submission to ordinances of men. Now, that wouldn't preclude that the book of Colossians mentions the lordship of Jesus Christ, the resurrection, and other things. But in summarizing the book and saying what the thrust of the book is, I could still indicate that one thing. And so John says, these are things shortly to come to pass. That doesn't mean that. In fact, one would almost expect that if he's going to be talking about how Jesus is Lord of history, he might very well refer to the whole span of history as well. The final judgment will be brought in at the very end of the book, of course, as John explains what. What has happened in history, how it's possible the kingdom has seen the victory that he's going to describe. Chapter 20 gives that explanation about the millennial rule of the saints and the binding of Satan. And that leads him very naturally to think of what's going to take place at the end of the binding of Satan and the final judgment. So it really does all hold together. I mean, one can see the stream of consciousness, you know, there. It's not as though there are big gaps. It very naturally leads John to describe this and that. But the substance of the book, the Chapters 4 through 18, is dealing with what's going to take place in the ancient church. There's another hand, I think. Yeah. As you see, the whole span of history. Is it possible that some of the things that he's talking about have happened many times? Oh, yeah, sure. In the same way that what happened in Corinth in Paul's day has repeated itself throughout church history. And the way God deals with that situation in the church is the way he deals the way he dealt with Corinth in Paul's day. God's very consistent, I think he operates according to law and according to plan and principle. And accordingly, when situations that approximate the historical situation of the ancient church arise again in church history, it's not unbecoming to find the Lord responding in the same way. Yes. And so we find political rulers like Nero that rise up and demand the type of allegiance that Nero did, and they are dealt with in the same way. Where are kings and empires now? You notice the only kingdom that has endured the assaults and the flux of history has been the kingdom of Christ. So, yeah, that's a good point. And that is important, I think, to say that also in light of one of the approaches to the Book of Revelation, which is called the idealist interpretation of the book. The idealist interpretation says that what you find in Revelation is not history, but foretold, rather, you know, whether it's, you know, shortly to take place or in the distant future. You don't find history described, but rather you find principles, theological principles, axioms, divine axioms by which God operates. And therefore it has a very general message. Well, I guess what I want to say is you do not lose the ideals, you do not lose the axioms or the principles by saying this is a historical, historical revelation because the fact that it's historical doesn't preclude it from, as you've already pointed out, repeating itself throughout history when situations become, you know, similar. And so the principles are taught, just like principles are taught in First Corinthians. And yet it's a historically rooted book, an occasional book, technically. That's what we mean. It is addressed to an occasion, a local circumstance. These are good questions. I'll be glad to take the rest of the hour if we have more like that, other things. Well, if you do, don't hesitate to raise your hand. And I do have a tendency to, you know, to get on my horse and really get riding here. And don't let that stop you, please, from stopping me. I want you to, you know, at any time in search of question, for clarification or, you know, extend something that I've already said. Well, we see the position then, of the letters of the seven churches. And what I want to do this morning is ask, what is the theme? What is the recurring, the pervasive, the unifying theme to the seven churches when these epistles are written? What is the one thing they all have in common? Well, we know there's a basic structure. Jesus begins with a description of himself. He says, I know what your situation is. He rebukes. He calls the church to greater allegiance. He promises things. But throughout, you'll find this phrase, and to him who overcomes, to him who overcomes. The necessity of overcoming is clear already from the first chapter. The church is in the midst of persecution. The church is very likely depressed and discouraged about its plight in history and about the response it's receiving. But Jesus was the one who was dead and made alive forevermore. Jesus is the one who overcame. And now he writes to a church that is sharing in his suffering, and he says to the to the one who overcomes, to the one who will be victorious, to the one who will not allow the circumstances in which he is living, the sin that perhaps is marring his life, or the heresy that is destroying the church, or the external persecution that is coming upon believers. He will not let these circumstances hold him down, but he will in fact become God's man in God's situation and do God's bidding, and will be victorious. Now, that's important, I think, to notice that pervasive theme of overcoming these epistles, because in chapter 21, John will return to that. You See, the book will then take as its overarching theme the theme of overcoming. Blessed are the ones who overcome. And then in terms of the revelatory or the prophetic portion of the book, John will show us how God is going to see to his kingdom overcoming. Well, we're going to be studying this in detail, so I'll come back to Revelation 21. The first point I want to make this morning in terms of the theme of overcoming is that Christ has overcome. And Christians who are joined to their Savior, who are in union with Jesus Christ, not only share in his sufferings, but they also share in his overcoming. And let's do something of a scriptural study of this. Now, Christ is the one who overcomes. John 16:33. Jesus is summarizing his apostles before he goes to Gethsemane. These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye may have peace. Peace in the world ye have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. Now that's rather fascinating in light of the fact that the next thing you read is that he goes to Gethsemane and prays with great drops of blood from his forehead because of the fact that he has to go to the cross. But Jesus says proleptically, prophetically, in terms of what he knows be the truth of God's word. I have overcome. I've overcome the world. Revelation 12:11, verse 9, by way of introduction, has said, and the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the devil, and Satan the deceiver of the whole world. That's rather significant in light of chapter 20 will describe Satan. Satan is the one who wants to deceive the nations. This one who is the deceiver of the whole world. He was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. And I heard a great voice in heaven saying, now is come the salvation and power and kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony. And they loved not their life, even unto death. They overcame because of the blood of the Lamb. The book of Hebrews, chapter two teaches us that Satan was destroyed in his attempt to destroy the Messiah, that through death Jesus brought to nothing the one who had the power of death. And so Jesus has overcome the world. Jesus has overcome Satan. In Revelation 17:14, you'll notice how Jesus is described as Overcoming all his enemies. 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. Now, the reason we're reading these particular verses is because they all make use of that term, overcoming. Jesus gains the victory over the world. Jesus gains the victory over Satan. Jesus gains the victory over his enemies. We've had occasion in the past few weeks to be referring to the 72nd Psalm. I'd like to do so again this morning. Look at Psalm 72. It's one of the clearest descriptions in the Old Testament of the nature of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. David says, give the King thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the King's son. He will judge thy people with righteousness and thy poor with justice. The mountains shall bring peace to the people and the hills in righteousness. He will judge the poor of the people. He will save the children of the nation, and he will break in pieces the oppressor. They shall fear thee while the sun endureth. And so long as the moon throughout all generations he will come down like rain upon the mown grass and showers that water the earth. In his day shall the righteous flourish and abundance of peace till the moon be no more. He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him, and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall render tribute. The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him. All nations shall serve him. For he will deliver the needy when he cries, and the poor that hath no helper, he will have pity on the poor and needy, and the souls of the needy he will see saved. He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence. And precious will their blood be in his sight. It's for that reason you see that the avenging of the martyrs is important in the book of Revelation. The blood of the martyrs is precious in the sight of Jesus. And they shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba. And men shall pray for him continually, and they shall bless him all the day long. There shall be a handful of grain in the earth upon the top of the mountains, and the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon. They of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. His name shall endure forever. His name shall be continued as long as the sun and men shall be blessed in him. All nations shall call him happy. Blessed be Jehovah God, the God of Israel, who only doth one wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name forever. Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen. And again Amen. You see a definite revelation of the nature of Jesus. Kingly rule. All nations shall serve him. All kings shall bow before him. All tribute shall be brought to him. He will save the needy when they cry. He will lift oppression from those who are being beat down. The blood of the martyrs is going to be precious in his sight. And his enemies will lick the dust. Jesus has been victorious over the world. Jesus is victorious over Satan. And Jesus is victorious over each and every one of his enemies. Now Christians, because they are in union with Jesus Christ, are victorious as well. You notice how John especially describes the victory of Christians in virtually the same terms as he describes the victory of Jesus Christ. Look at first John, chapter 2, verses 13 and 14. I write unto you fathers, because ye know him who is from the beginning. I write unto you young men because ye have overcome the evil one. They have overcome the evil one. I write unto. I have written unto you little children, because ye know the father. I have written unto you fathers, because ye know him who is from the beginning. I have written unto you young men, because ye are strong and the word of God abideth in you. And ye have overcome the evil one. You see, that word of God dwelling in the heart of the Christian is sufficient to overcome Satan. James puts it this way. Resist him and he will flee from you. Isn't it amazing when you read of all the powers of Satan throughout Scripture, all the terrors that he can bring, the Bible says simply resist him. That's the power of the word of God in the heart of the Christian. Resist him and he'll flee. That's all you have to do. You have overcome Satan. First John 4:4 tells us further. Ye are of God, my little children, and have overcome them. Because greater is he who is in you than he that is in the world. Because the Holy Spirit lives within the Christian and the Holy Spirit is more powerful than Satan, the one who is in the world. We have overcome the Antichrist as well. That is those who defect from the truth, those that would mislead the church, those who have gone out from their midst. The Antichrist is overcome because the Holy Spirit lives within the Christian spirit heart. So we've overcome Satan, we've overcome the Antichrist that appear throughout history. First John 5. Now chapters 2, 4. Now chapter 5. We look at verses 4 and 5. For whatsoever is begotten of God overcometh the world, and this is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith. And who is he that overcometh the world? Well, now, John was standing right there when Jesus said, I have overcome the world. And he asked the question, who is the one that's overcome the world? You say, well, obviously it's Jesus Christ. But that isn't John's answer. Not that he would deny it, but notice how he says, and who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? You see, believers partake in Jesus overcoming of the world. Jesus has overcome the world. He's overcome Satan, he's overcome his enemies. Believers overcome the world, overcome Satan, overcome all the Antichrist, all the enemies of the Messiah. And then finally, believers overcome in the face of death as well. First Corinthians 15, beginning at verse 54. But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy victory? O grave, where is thy sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord, well, how can they know that? How can they be steadfast? Because the Lord has overcome death. That's why, you see, Jesus was put to death, but in his death he brought to not the wonder who had the power of death, which is to say the devil. Jesus in his resurrection shows that he is the victor. And so we know that we too are going to be raised from the dead, that there is no victory of the grave over us. We're victorious over death. And for that reason we can always be abounding in the work of the Lord. Because we know in the resurrected Messiah's work, nothing we do is vain. So Jesus over overcame death, and in so doing overcame the world, Satan and his enemies. We have the promise that we too shall overcome in the face of death, and we overcome the world, Satan and Christ's enemies. All of this except for the one passage here in Paul. It's interesting to me that it's John who is using this pervasive vocabulary of overcoming. It's the same, same Greek word in each case, those who gain the victory? Those who overcome. Well, that's the theme of the letters to the seven churches. What Jesus wants to know, what he wants the churches to know is that he calls them to overcome. He wants them to know their victory in him. And so notice the promises that are given to the people who will respond in optimistic and obedient faith. Those who will be clear that the kingdom of God shall be victorious on earth. It won't require some cataclysmic intrusion on the part of Jesus at the end of history to set things right, that in fact he has already come and established his kingdom and is going to march through history and gain converts and overcome the nations. Those who will take that kind of outlook and believe that if Jesus overcame and the face of death, they too will overcome. Even in the face of persecution and death, these promises are given to them. Revelation 2:7 he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh to him will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise or the garden of God. Verse 10 Fear not the things which thou art about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation 10 days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life. So the tree of life and the crown of life are promised to overcomers. In verse 11. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. So the second death cannot hurt believers who overcome, because they have the crown of life on their head, and they partake of the tree of life for their sustenance. Verse 17 he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh to him will I give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone. Stone. And upon the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth but he that receiveth it, the hidden manna. Sustenance that the world cannot see and knows not of. In the midst of what appears to be death, God will sustain his people just like he gave manna in the wilderness and a white stone. We will enter into the banquet feast of Jesus Christ with the entry ticket of that white stone, and upon it a new name written, a new character given to us. Then, in light of these things, verses 26:28 and he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works Unto the end to him will I give authority over the nations. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron as the vessels of the potter are broken to shivers. As I also have received of my Father, and I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. Is our repeating of this phrase over and over again perhaps pricking you that you might hear it? Have you the ear to hear? He that hath an ear, let him hear this. Hear this. John says hear this. And he says, hear it again. To him who overcomes, I will make you to rule, rule over the nations. And then he describes. I mean, and if it weren't given by divine inspiration, you'd almost be willing to say it approaches blasphemy, doesn't it? Because the second psalm says that Jesus is the one who rules with a rod of iron. Jesus is the one who breaks into shivers like a potter's vessel. That's a describes. I mean, and if it weren't given by divine inspiration, you'd almost be willing to say it approaches bright blasphemy, doesn't it? Because the second psalm says that Jesus is the one who rules with a rod of iron. Jesus is the one who breaks into shivers like a potter's vessel. That's applied to Jesus Christ. But here Jesus through John applies it to believers. They shall rule over the nations with a rod of iron. And he will give them the morning star, of course, which is himself. Now going into chapter three, verse five. He that overcometh shall be thus arrayed in white garments. He will be dressed in purity the righteousness of Christ. And I will in no wise blot out his name from the book of life, but will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. If you have an ear, hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. We'll be arrayed in white garments. We'll wash with Christ. And our name will permanently be written in the book of life. And our name will be confessed before the Father by Christ, just as we confess his name before the world. Verses 9 and 10 say that we will conquer over our enemies and be protected in so doing. Behold, I give of the synagogue of Satan of them that say they are Jews and they are not, but do lie. Behold, I will make make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved thee because thou didst keep the word of my steadfastness. And I also will keep thee from the hour of trial. Jesus says that he will protect his people. And he'll make those who oppose the church to bow at the feet of the church eventually. And then verse 12, he that overcometh I will make him appear pillar in the temple of my God. He shall go out thence no more. And I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God and mine own new name. So we're made permanent fixtures in God's temple. Pillars in the temple of God, going out, no longer having the name of God, the name of the New Jerusalem, and the name of the Savior written upon us. Then finally, Revelation 3:21, perhaps the most stupendous of all, he that overcometh, I will give him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father in his throne. You notice there, Jesus says, I overcame. Those who overcome will share in the benefit of my overcoming. I had to overcome. And when I did, I was exalted on high and sat down on the Father's throne. And to those who in this life will overcome and be obedient to death, they too will inherit the benefit of sitting on the Father's throne. Really incredible. The promises to overcomers, the tree of life, the crown of life, not being heard of the second death, having hidden manna, a white stone with a new name upon it, having authority over the nations, having the morning star in their hearts, arrayed in white garments, walking with the Savior, having their names permanently written in the book of life, conquering all enemies, being protected by God in history, made permanent fixtures in the temple of God, given the name of God, the New Jerusalem and Christ written upon themselves. And finally being enthroned with Christ upon the Father's throne. Maybe that's what why John had to say it so often. The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches, to all the churches. I mean, do you really have an ear that you can receive that in faith? The only way you're going to believe that those things are really going to happen in your life and that those things are really going to happen for the kingdom of Jesus Christ in history. The only way you're going to believe that is if you submit wholeheartedly to the word of God. And you can only do that if the Spirit of God, God has softened your heart and has enlightened your eyes and made it possible for you to understand and to obey. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying. To the churches. Now, that you see is pervasive. When you kind of, you know, put it together, you compile the evidence. It's amazing what Jesus is promising the church that will be victorious. Chapters two and three then bear that theme. And then revelation comes back back to that same theme in chapter 21. So let's turn to chapter 21 and read verses two through seven. I want you to notice now how all of the promises of chapters two and three are going to be reiterated perhaps in a little bit different imagery, but the substance of all the promises comes back now at the end of the book. What is the. How can. I've given all the metaphors, all the symbols, if you will, of the early promises, chapters two and three, what they come down to is the believer is promised eternal life and security. Eternal security, eternal life. The one who overcomes is promised a new character, a new name, and the fact that he'll be clothed in righteousness. The one who overcomes his promise, sustenance from God. The one who overcomes his promise that he'll be enthroned with Christ and as such will have authority over the nations. And then finally, the one who overcomes his promise, the presence of God, Christ himself, the bright and morning star. Okay, so eternal life and security, a new character, and being clothed in righteousness, sustenance from God, enthroned with Christ so that we might rule over the nations. And finally the presence of God, Christ himself. All these things are promised in the letters to the seven churches to those who will be victorious, those who will overcome and conquer in the name of Christ. Now, Revelation 21, beginning at verse two. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from. From God made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them. And they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them and be their God. And he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. And more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more. The first things are passed away. And he that sitteth on the throne said, behold, I make all things new. And he saith right, for these words are faithful and true. And he said unto me, they are come to pass. I am the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit these things. And I will be his God, and he shall be my son. Notice all the promises now are summarized. And he that overcometh shall inherit all these things. And what things will he inherit? Verse 2. He will inherit citizenship, the holy city of God with its adorning. I saw the holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. Citizenship in the holy city. In chapters two and three, the overcomers had been promised eternal life and security and a new name so that they'd be clothed in righteousness. And now they'll be adored, adorned as a bride, ready for Christ, and they will have citizenship in the Holy city, eternal life and security. Chapter 21 teaches us in verse 3 that the tabernacle of God will be with them, and so God will dwell with his people. In the letters to the seven churches, we had already read that God promises his presence and the presence of Christ himself to those who will overcome. And then in verse 4 of Revelation 21, and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore. The first things are passed away. There will be no more pain, sorrow or death. Just as in the letters to the seven churches, it was promised that those who are believers will receive sin, sustenance from God in the midst of tribulation. And they will be enthroned with Christ so as to rule over the nations. They will not undergo the suffering and humiliation that they have known in history. They won't undergo it always. And then verse seven brings it all to a head. It seems to me verse 7 summarizes not only chapters 2 and 3, but chapter 21. In all of the promises, promises, it's all brought and expressed just in a drop, if you will. He that overcometh shall inherit these things. Which is to say, I will be his God, and he will be my Son. That in the most basic and fundamental and primal way. That is the way all of the covenant promises of God are expressed throughout the Scriptures. And I will be be a God to you, and you will be my people. See, that's the way the covenant promise comes to Abraham. That's the way the covenant promise comes to Israel. That's the way the covenant promise comes to the Jews. That's the way it comes to David. And through the prophets. You are my people, and I will be your God. The most basic, fundamental covenant promise of all, then, is what is given to those who will overcome. And I will be to him a God. Then he will be to me a son. So that leads us in studying the promises given to those who overcome to look at what the covenants of God promised throughout the Scripture and time will escape us if we look up all the verses that I have here. So for the sake of your notes, you may want to put down some of these. We won't be able to read them all. Ephesians 2:12, however, is important to notice, because there Paul says, with respect to the covenants, ye were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise. Paul speaks of the covenants, plural of the singular promise, if you will. That is a very clear expression of what we call the covenant of grace in Scripture. The one gracious promise of God is unified, is the unifying theme of all the covenants, the covenants of the single promise. And that covenant is an eternal covenant. Psalm 105, 7, 11. He is Jehovah, our God. His judgments are in all the earth. He hath remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations, the covenant which he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac, and confirmed the same unto Jacob for a statute to Israel for an everlasting covenant, saying, unto thee will I give the land of Canaan the lot of your inheritance, when they were but a few men in number, yea, very few and sojourners in it, an eternal covenant made by God. And all the covenant promises are unified around the one gracious promise that was delivered to Abraham. And I think in light of our time, what I would like to do is come back and finish this up next week, and that will give me an opportunity to add some other thoughts to it as well. Basically, what I'm driving at then is this. The Book of Revelation has the structure of chapter one, introducing the letters to the seven churches by way of the image of Jesus walking in their midst. Chapters two and three give the theme, the pervasive theme, that Jesus requires of the church, that it be victorious in Revelation 21. We'll come back to that at the end after describing how the Church will be victorious. History, I mean the fall of Jerusalem and the fall of Rome and the conquering of the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ. As the church is victorious in that way, then all the promises delivered in chapters two and three will be fulfilled in the new Jerusalem and the New Jerusalem. The promise of it is summarized in a drop, as I said, with the promise that God will be our God and we will be his people. The central covenant promise of Scripture. And so the bottom line is this, that what John is saying in the Book of Revelation is all the covenant promises of God wait for those who will be victorious in the name of Jesus Christ. All the covenant promises of God are the promise given to those who will overcome. Let's pray. Our Lord, we do ask that you would strengthen our faith and give clarity to our perception that we might indeed behold what great things lie in store for your people. Lord, strengthen us and embolden us as we see what is going to take place, what you intend to do in the midst of history, in the midst of individual lives, and what you will confirm for all eternity. Comfort us with such thoughts, enable us to strive after the promised blessings and give us by your spirit working through the Word, an ability to overcome in your name. We do trust that we shall overcome, that we will do this because you yourself have overcome for us and we would pledge ourselves to you and ask that we be found in union with you. We would indeed lay hold of you in faith in Jesus name. Amen.