Revelation Chapters 1-11 Summary /Greg L. Bahnsen/ Revelation Verse By Verse {Part 44 of 63}

So I was severely rebuked last week after I finished the lesson off in the last five minutes of going through about 30 minutes worth of material, my wife tells me that I oughtn't to do that sort of thing. And consequently, what we're going to do today is to recapitulate the last five minutes of last week's lesson and take the 30 minutes that some people feel that it deserves. And so I'd like to do a topical summary some of these promises in the Old Testament of universal triumph for God's kingdom on earth and the New Testament confirmation of those promises. You may recall that a few lessons ago, when we began to look at revelation, the 11th chapter, especially at that climactic declaration that the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, that I thought it was appropriate to go into the biblical background to the coming of God's kingdom on earth and its expansion. And that's what we did. Beginning in Genesis, chapter 13, the Abrahamic covenant, we worked through the Old Testament history and poets and prophets, and then started looking at the New Testament. And we spent some time on the Gospels and then some time on the epistles, showing how the New Testament confirms this optimistic hope that the world nations will indeed belong to the Savior, that a vast majority of men would be converted and brought into the kingdom of God. And then at the end of last week's lesson, I stopped this biblical theological survey from Genesis to Revelation, and I did something of a topical survey that indicates why we should be hopeful as Christians with respect to the earthly prospects of Christ's kingdom. And the first thing that we looked at last week, in closing, was the scope of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. What is the scope of his work in John 1:29, which I think we did read, but not hurt to look at it again, John 1:29, you must recall, of course, that while we're reading about an incident in the earthly life of Jesus, this is nevertheless the theologized summary of that earthly life given by the apostle John in his Gospel. And so as John picks and chooses what element of Christ's life and what things that are said about and during his life, he's concentrating on certain themes. And in the Gospel of John, I want you to note that the apostle thinks it's important to tell us that when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming unto him, he said, behold the Lamb of God, he could have lusted a fat but this is the Lamb, the sacrificial lamb, who takes away the sin of the world. John is very interested in the worldwide scope of the work of Jesus Christ. We recall that John was, toward the end of his life, an apostle who ministered in the area of Ephesus. And Ephesus, as we know from early church history, was a location where there was a great deal of Jewish pride and exclusivism. So much so that when the apostle Paul had to write to Ephesus, when he wrote the Ephesus, he had to take up as one of his themes the fact that the middle wall of partition had been broken down between Jew and Gentiles. He makes quite a point of indicating that the Gentiles are fellow heirs of the kingdom. They are fellow heirs of salvation with the Jews, because the Jews were very exclusivistic and proud. And so we know it was a problem in the area of effortless. And that's where John was ministering as well. Very likely he knew of that difficulty. We know that he tried to approach it head on in First John, chapter two, where he speaks of Christ being the propitiation for the entire world. There I don't think he's talking about Christ dying for each and every man, but he's talking about Christ being a propitiation for all classes of men, be they Jew, Gentile, rich, poor, fat, skinny. It doesn't make any difference. Christ offers propitiation to all men without drawing racial or other kinds of distinction. All men without distinction. So John again repeats that Jesus is the Lamb of God, taking away the sin of the world in John 3, 16, 17, well known passage. For God so loved the world. Excuse me. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, and that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. Christ anticipates that the outcome of his labors will be worldwide salvation. Does that mean that hell will not be populated? No, but it does indicate that that is the scope and the intent and the aim of Christ's redemptive work, that the whole world should be encompassed in it. In chapter four in John's gospel, verse 42. And they said to the woman, the Samaritan woman of the well. Now we believe not because of Thy speaking, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this is indeed and in the title that John wants us to carry away for Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Savior of the world. And then continuing in the literature that the Apostle John offered in the New Testament. Look at first John, Chapter two. I've already alluded to this in the passing first John, Chapter two, verse two. John says, for he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. 1 John 4, 14. And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son. Then he uses this title with the Samaritans gave to Jesus to be the Savior of the world. And then one more passage now in Paul literature, 2nd Corinthians 4. Paul said that he had been given the ministry of reconciliation, to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself. All right, so we see that the world is the scope of Christ's redemptive work. Christ wishes to extend his redeeming blessings, stating work to the world. And we should be expecting that our efforts in evangelism should see to it that he is called the Savior of the world. And when we do that, I think the Bible gives us reason to hope that our efforts will be accomplished. For the vastness of the redeemed can be noted in Revelation 7, 9, 10. Revelation 7, 9. And these things I saw and behold a great multitude which no man could number out of every nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes and palms in their hands. And they cried with a great voice, saying, salvation unto our God who stood upon the throne and unto the Lamb. Here's the multitude of the redeemed. You see those who cry salvation unto our God and unto the Lamb. And there are multitudes which no man can number, a multitude out of every tribe and nation and tongue. And so the scope of Christ's redeeming work is the world. He is to be the Savior of the world. All the world nations are to be encompassed as a saving work. And when we accomplish the work of salvation God has given us in the great commission delivered to the church. And notice that the people who are saving are innumerable, a vast multitude from every nation. And so again, we have reason to hope that the Old Testament promise of universal triumph and New Testament confirmation of those promises are not in vain. Moreover, the Church has every reason to expect that it is able to accomplish the task given to it, that Jesus Christ would appropriately be called the state. It is the world, as all the world nations will be discipled and will become part of the Church of Jesus Christ. The reason we have reason to hope, the basis for our hope is, it seems to me, Fivefold. First of all, the Bible tells us that Christ is powerfully present with his church. Matthew 18:10. This one to Matthew 10:26 64. In the way same time, in Matthew 26:64 we read Jesus saith unto him, thou hast said. Nevertheless, I say unto you, henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Jesus Christ will be enthroned with power. And of course it was going to be within the lifetime of those who heard his trial. And Matthew 28:18 20 fulfills this. Jesus as resurrected comes to them and speaks, saying, all authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Therefore, having gone with disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age. So Christ is powerfully present. He is the resurrected Lord. He has power. He has been established by God at his right hand, nevertheless passes, and he is present with us. Acts 18:10 let's look at that. I'll read it. Verse 9. And the Lord said unto Paul in the night by a vision, be not afraid, but see if and hold not thy peace, for I am with thee. And no man shall set on thee to harm thee. For I have much people in this city. Okay, the reason why Paul should not hesitate to give his witness is not only that God has many people in that city, wants to be saved, but the Lord promises, Paul assures Paul, I am with thee. The Church should always bear in mind that promise. I am with the the end of the age. All power and authority is mine. And therefore there's no reason why we should hesitate to speak and to draw more men to the Savior. So the first powerful resource that the Church has at its disposal is the presence of Jesus Christ. Secondly, we should note the presence of the Holy Spirit is powerful to that end as well. John 14, verses 16 to 18 and I will obey the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may be with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, for it beholdeth him not, neither knoweth him. Ye know him. For he abideth with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you desolate. I will come unto you. Jesus makes it quite clear that we have the powerful presence of the Spirit of truth with us as a comforter, as an advocate, as a helper in this age, that we are not desolate. We're not like orphans in this world, devoid of power and influence. But we have the Spirit's presence, and in John 14:26, 27. But the comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you, not as the give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. There's no reason for the Church to be fearful or to be beat down by the world, or to be intimidated. For the Holy Spirit has been given to us precisely to avoid that. So Christ assures Paul, I am with thee. You shouldn't be afraid. Christ assures us that the Holy Spirit will be sending to the Church to keep us from being afraid. John 16, verses 7 to 15 shall be read also John 16, beginning at verse 7. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you that I go away. For if I go not away, the comforter will not come unto you. But if I go, I will send him unto you. And he, when he is come, will convict the world in respect of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Of sin, because they believe not on me of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye behold me. No more of judgment, because the Prince of this world hath been judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, that ye cannot bear them now howbeit when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth. For he shall not speak from himself. For what things soever he shall hear, he shall speak. And he shall declare unto you the things that I repent. He shall glorify me, for he shall take of mine, and shall declare it unto you. All things whatsoever the Father hath are mine. Therefore said I, that he taketh of mine, and shall declare it unto you. So the Spirit is present with the Church, keeping it anchored in the truth, and the Spirit is present with the power to convict the world in respect of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Now God tells you that he's going to be with you. If His Son says, all power and authority is mine, and I'm with you always. If he says the Holy Spirit, the second comforter is yours as well, and has these powers resonant in himself, then the Church must be very confident, in bold, with such powerful resources at his disposal. But not only should we see that the second Person of the Trinity is present with us in the powerful working of the prison of the Trinity is there as well. But it is the Father's delight that we should accomplish this kind of work in terms of our evangelism, that we see this kind of success. Ezekiel 18:23 God says, have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked? Saith the Lord Jehovah. Am not wrong that he should return from his way and live. Through a poetical question, the answer is obvious. God does not have pleasure in the death of the wicked. He would rather that the wicked would turn from his way and live. He would much rather that the wicked would repent of his sins and turn to the Savior. And so it's the Father's delight to save him. It isn't his delight to damn them, it's his delight to save them. We see this also in 1st Timothy 2, verse 4. He does harden people's hearts. He does hate people. He hated Esau even before he was born. Even before he done anything good or evil. He does reprobate men in the sense that he does not choose men unto eternal salvation. He leads them in their sins. But nevertheless, the Bible says that there is still in God the delight in men turning to him, and that it isn't his delight that men should be destroyed that the wicked would not turn. And so we have here, it seems to me, something analogous to as Calvinists, we recognize there is in God a defeated witness, will and a prescriptive will. That is, God says, thou shalt do such and such. Thou shalt not do such and such. That's his prescriptive will. He prescribes for us things we are to do. We find that in his revealed law. Nevertheless, God also has a decreed of will. While he wishes to have men, for instance, not commit murder in his good pleasure, he does choose by his sovereign counsel and decree that some men were murdered. Isn't that right? I mean, we see that in Acts the fourth chapter, where Peter says that it was by the foreordained plan of God that men with wicked hands crucified the Lord of glory. Wicked hands. I mean, how could men be held accountable if it was according to the plan of God? And yet that's besides the Peter says that God foreordained it, and yet men were held accountable and were wicked for it. And so there is, you see in God both a decretive will and a prescriptive will. And I think with respect to a passage like Ezekiel 18 we've been looking at, we should see also that God has a. Well, how can we put it? A will or a A desire, you might liken it to say, an emotional longing. We're speaking anthropomorphically, obviously, as well as what he chooses to have done. God may prefer that it were the case that all men, when presented with the gospel claims, would submit. Nevertheless, he has not willed that, and all men would do so, just as God commands all men to repent. And nevertheless he does not provide in his defeated will that all men will repent. Granted, it's a very difficult thing, very mysterious thing, to look into the character of God and to study these things. But seriously, the Bible says that it is his delight that men turn and that we must understand that if all men turn, the Father would be delighted. Nevertheless, he does not decree that all men will turn. Do you want to follow up on that at all? I mean, that's just the beginning of an answer. Maybe I'm not getting to. It's a difficult concept to be sure, but I'm not sure that once you've understood the difference between God commanding certain things, then decreeing contrary to them, that it should become very difficult to in parallel fashion, say God desires certain things, but decrees contrary to them. Well, by extrapolation or inference you might say that what's his desire that man did not fall into sin. I don't know that there are passages of Scripture that say that, but I'm sure that you can infer that legitimately for the fact that the Lord is upset, I mean emotionally disrot over the fact that men have disobeyed Him. But nevertheless, that doesn't take away from the decretive will of God by which he has ordained that Adam fall into sin and that men disobey him. For us, Yes, it seems to me though there's in God's presence and tradition to be found in man, and that's all wisdom. I mean, there is a wise reason why God sees to it that he brings glory to his name, both in terms of the judgment of man and the salvation of man, and that while it is nevertheless true that he delights in men turning to him, he does not provide in his sovereign disposition in his wisdom he does not provide that all men shall do so, and that we must believe that brings even greater glory to his name because it magnifies not only the mercy and goodness of God, but His terrible and just judgment as well. And so we see the mercy as well as the justice of God in that. 1 Timothy 4:2 another passage that raises questions like this often for people. I'm sorry, 1 Timothy 2:4 we had it back there, 1st Timothy 2, 4 says, who would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Now, that probably can be understood in the sense that he would have all men without distinction to be saved. That is, he does not wish for his saving mercies to be limited to one group of people or one race of mankind. He rather wants these things extended to all men in all places and in all times. Where is Timothy a minister? Anybody want to remind me? First Timothy Ministry at Ephesus. Right. Remember Ephesus? They mentioned that a few minutes ago, the place where Paul had difficulty with Jewish pride, where John had to address himself to the idea of Christ, the propitiation of the entire world. And since the mutility is following the example of the apostles here, expressing that Christ wishes to be savior of the entire world, he would have all men to be saved, not just Jews, not just the select group. So it's the Father's delight nonetheless here that men be saved and they come to him. David, if it is, if God does take delight in the idea of saving people, since are people terribly wrong and insane to another person or in evangelism that God loves you or that God loves the world? Well, the Bible says that God loves the world. Yeah, but I mean, a lot of people just really are hostile towards other Christians that use that type of evangelism that would tell a person that God loves them and that they should turn to fear. I suppose a great deal rests upon what you mean when you say that God loves you. I mean, if the presentation of the love of God is God savingly loves you, that is, God has made your salvation, he has accomplished your salvation, he loves you, he has saved you, his son has died for you and that sort of thing, then I would think that if we were wanting to be true to the whole counsel of God, we would be a little sensitive about that. If the Bible does not teach that Christ died for every individual, I'm going to be preaching two sermons on that scene today. But there is a legitimate sense in which God does love the world and does love each and every man, because every man is a creature of His. You notice that when Paul goes to the Lystra and evangelizes, he opens with the theme, hasn't God been very good to you people? He has provided for the crops to grow. He is the one who supplied every one of your needs. Now, in light of that, in light of the love of God towards you, oughtn't you to be ashamed of your sins? And shouldn't you submit to the Savior. I don't see how you could balk at that evangelistic technique. After all, it's apostolic in its orientation, where people have difficulty with what you're considering. The first spiritual law, that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life, or God loves you apart from what kind of plans you may have. People are sensitive about that because it is often presented in the light that you are now stepping Christ has provided your salvation. What you need to do is to fill in your name on the blank check. God loves you savingly. And what I'm saying is God loves men to turn to Him. He delights in their salvation. And secondly, that God as the Creator, loves all men, provides for their needs. So that Paul can actually say that the goodness of God in common grace is something which will draw me into even further damnation in the final day because they despised his goodness toward them even in their sin. So I think there's a legitimate and an illegitimate sense in which you could go up to somebody on the street and say, did you know that God loves you? Well, in general, God loves anybody to turn to him. And specifically he does show his mercy toward all men and that he sustains their lives. But now whether God in fact loves that man redemptively would be very difficult for me to say. In fact, I think the Bible would teach us to replace and trying to say. The background, I think, of one Timothy 4:10 has to do with men being desiccated saviors because of their mighty acts of redemption and release and securing for them safety and providing for their needs and that sort of thing. And it seems to me what Paul is saying here is that Christ is the Savior of all men. He operates as the One who gives good gifts to men. He is the Redeemer and the mighty captain of all men. But nevertheless, he is in a special sense, the Savior. That is, in the special sense, in the technical sense, the Savior of those who are believers. What's that? He's the Savior of all men and that he has delivered all men. That is, he provides for their needs. Men were called Saviors. The Greek word being used here is cloud, common enough for a person to be called a savior when he has delivered people from oppression or has saved them in terms of some distress facing them. And Christ is the Savior of all men in that sense. But he is not the Savior in the technical sense. That's why Paul goes on to say, especially those who believe. The funny thing is, while this verse is often used by people who have an Arminian Orientation salvation. And they think this really helps them in terms of their approach to evangelism. Christ saved all men, and then you must believe on him. Isn't that what it's saying? He's a savior of all men, especially believers. But you see, it's just that, especially believers that ruins the Arminian scheme. Does this mean that all men are in fact saved, but then those who are believers have a higher place in Heaven? He's the Savior of all men, but even in greater degree, those who are believers? Or does it mean that in fact he doesn't save all men eternally, even though it says so right here? And he's especially saviors of believers. That is, he saved all men, but he's really only saved believers. That is what we find in the verse of self contradiction, a magnification of degree. I mean, our many has a very difficult time explaining how Christ can be the savior of all men, in fact, and yet be, especially of believers, the Savior. It seems to me what you must understand is that the word savior is being used in two ways. In a general sense, that Christ provides the created needs of all mankind. And then in the special redemptive sense of being the Savior of those who believe on him, he can either choose, you know, between two senses of belief, two senses of salvation. Yes. I'm a little confused, I guess, about what you're saying, Narming. And the point of view of salvation is in that I've heard that the Neo Orthodox was evangelized by dying. The world, you know, already saved to realize it. But I don't know any group person that I know of that would say that. Oh, yeah, can you be specific about that? Sure. I can give you a very. Well, I'm not going to name groups just because I don't think that's profitable. I'll give you an incident that's perhaps the most dramatic illustration of it. But it's just part and part of the evangelistic techniques of any number of groups that I've been in touch with. I happened to come home one day from university and drove up to my driveway in our house in Manhattan Beach. And there in the garage door handle, there was a little trap had been placed in these personal approaches to evangelism where you get the tracks off your garage door handle. And so I took the track out, and the gist of it was, won't it be terrible for you to spend eternity in hell with your sins forgiven? And I said to myself, that would be terrible. Not for me. It would be terrible to have A God who sends people to hell with their sins forgiven. And so, I mean, right there, what they were saying is your sins are forgiven, but you must do something in order for it to really count. He's the savior of all in, but especially those who make it count. And that just amounts to a very subtle but nevertheless insidious work salvation. Well, let me ask you this. Is there a denominational group that believes that or is there just a group? Yes, Wesleyans believe this historically a good number. When you see denomination I. It's hard to pin down some groups like Baptists and Congregationalists who don't tend to have denominational standards. But a large number of Baptist and Congregational groups believe this sort of thing. Christ died for all men. I mean, like I say, I'm going to be preaching two sermons on this and I'm very concerned. In fact, come to think of it, let me choosing Kim's for the service today. I find it very difficult, of course, in terms of a non reformed hymnal to find things that are particularly good. But the one which I was very tempted to use until you read the last stanza and it's absolutely contradictory is the. Let me see. I thought I had the title. Yes, okay. I knew it was by Zinzendorf, Translated by John Wesley interact hymn number 67 notes that are in our pews. Listen to this fantastic theology in the first. Jesus. Thy blood and righteousness my beauty are my glorious breast. Midst flaming worlds and these arrayed with joy shall I lift up my head Bold shall I stand in thy great day. For who ought to my charge shall lay Fully absolved through these I am from sin and fear from guilt and fully absolved because of Jesus blood and righteousness. Lord, I believe thy precious blood, which hath the mercy seat of God forever doth for sinners plead for me he for my soul was shed. Jesus died for me and made full absolves. He fully absolves me of my sins. And I thought, well, you know, that's really consistent with of the message, especially this morning when I'm preaching, I'm going to read the fourth verse. Fully absolved are those for whom Jesus died. Lord, I believe we're sinners. More than sands upon the ocean shore Thou hast for all a ransom paid for all a full atonement made. At first I was thinking I still want to use this because I left the tomb and you know, and the theology is really great up to that last line, but you just can't miss it. Lord, I believe we're sinners more than sands upon the ocean shore. He's talking about individual grains of sand. We're sinners. As many as the ocean sands. Thou hast for all a ransom faith and for all full atonement made. There are people who believe that Christ in fact is the Savior of all men in the saving test. And yet Jims and ghosts did not believe all men would end up in hell. He's the Savior of all men, but especially of believers. Now, I've heard, I've heard this coming out of a savage background, but never that people's sins are forgiven and yet they'll sin finally. Yeah. So what does that say? Fully absolved, their sins are forgiven. Full ransom has been made. Now, unless that person is a universalist, he would have to say, some people, just like the tract said, will spend eternity how their sins forgiven. I attended campus led by him. And for one holy antidepressant, It really is common enough that I. I didn't want to resist just naming people and groups and so forth. But you can take me at my word. There are plenty of people who are. And what it amounts to is not so much their hearts are wrong toward God by any means. What it amounts to is theological inconsistency. I mean, how could a man write a terrific sin like that and then turn right around and say that while each and every person had his sins wholly absolved, they would nonetheless spend eternity in hell? But anyway, my answer here was the Arminian has really more difficulty with this passage than he realizes when he starts to say, especially of believers. At first it looks like to fit that pattern of Christ died for all. But then only believers get the benefits of it. And I think it's a difficult passage for anybody to be sure because we read our Bibles with pretty much an evangelical vocabulary filling our minds. And, and we take this vocabulary very much in a technical place. If anytime we see the word savior, we immediately think we're Savior in terms of eternal salvation. We mustn't forget that in the day and age of Paul, in the New Testament and Old Testament, the word soter was also used for mighty captains who delivered people and people who made provision of food for the hungry. They were called saviors. And I think, as confusing as it may be to us, that that's what Paul's doing when it says that Christ is the Savior of all men. But he becomes in a special sense, in the technical sense, the Savior of believers. That's the sense in which I've always been well at understanding. Well, that's good. That's good. I think that's right. I guess what still confuses me a lot of terms that I hear, I don't think people tend to equate Armenians and Baptists. Haven't really figured out why, because that's the bad thing to do. There are plenty of reformed Baptists running around. I mean, that would be a bad equation. What that amounts to is a hasty generalization from past experience, narrow as it may be. Some people have always run into Baptists held such views, ergo Baptists hold those views. But that's just a generalization that's hasty, it seems to me. Well, that's true. Presbyterians can be less than self conscious about their own doctrinal standards sometimes they all can. Well, the point I'm trying to make here though is while this becomes for some Calvinist embarrassing material, he's the Savior of the world, takes away the sins of the world, God so loved the world and all that. But if you're a post millennialist, there's a very natural sense in which you can understand these passages, as B.B. warfield just wants to do. And it's not embarrassing at all. Christ died for the elect. Well, we happen to believe that God's intention is to show us through history that he has elect throughout the world. And he wants in fact it to be generally true that the world has been saved by Christ's presence. And the Holy Spirit's presence is to that end. The Father's delight is to save people. Let's look at the Gospel's power as a fourth powerful resource the church has the church has Christ presence, the Holy Spirit presence, the Father's delight backing up evangelism, then the power of the gospel. Romans 1, verse 16 it's interesting how the New Testament writers look at the Gospel as dynamite, you know, as dunamis power. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation. The gospel is powerful to accomplish salvation. First Corinthians 1:18. For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness and unto us what say it is the power, the dunamis of God, the Dynamite of God. 1 Corinthians 1:24 but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Of course Christ. Here is the heart of the Gospel in Paul's declaration. Then the fifth powerful resource that I mentioned last week was prayer. Prayer. In addition to the power of the Gospel, the Father's delight, the powerful presence of the Spirit and the Son should enable us to accomplish the end of evangelism throughout the world. The power of prayer is seen in Matthew 21, verses 21 and 22. Answered and said unto them. Verily I say unto you, if ye have faith and doubt not, ye shall not only do what is done to the fig tree, but even if ye shall say unto this mountain, be thou taken up and cast into the sea, it shall be done in all things. Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believing ye shall receive. John 14:12, 14. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, and the works that I do shall he do also. And greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto the Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, that will I do so the question is, is the Church asking in faith and in the name of Jesus Christ that the world nations be given to the Savior? And the answer is, the Church is not praying that because the Church has pervasively been taught that you can't expect that that isn't God's plan and it isn't his intention. He said, the Church is faithless and prayerless with respect to worldwide conversion, to worldwide revival. And I realize that when I talk this way, I hold not in this class, but there are many people who will still consider me a religious craving maniac. Worldwide revival. And I say yes. If we ask that in faith, if we ask that in the name of Jesus Christ, it shall be granted. After all, it's the Father's delight to do it. Christ is present. The Holy Spirit is present. The Gospel is power. It's dynamite. Why shouldn't it happen? Notice the promise given to us in Revelation 2, verses 25, 27. Nevertheless, that which ye have, hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh and 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 the seeds of my Father. Same powerful authority over the nations that Christ has been given, he shall share with his followers, if they are faithful to the end. And then Revelation 3, 7, 9. Christ opens a door that can't be shut for evangelism. These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David. He that openeth and none shall shut, and that shutteth and none openeth. I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee a door opened which none can shut but thou hast a little power in which keep my word and didst not deny thy name. Behold, I give away synagogue of Satan are them that say they are Jews and they are not. But behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved thee. Christ will take even the pseudo Jews that in reality worship Satan and he will even convert them and bring them to the feet of the Church. Yes, he's opened a door before us that no man can shut and he intends for us to indeed capture the world nations for him. So at the end of last week lesson, that's the little summary I gave in five minutes you can see why my wife is rebuking me then the scope of Christ's work, the world, the vastness of the redeemed, innumerable, the church's powerful resources, the presence of the Savior, the presence of the Spirit, the Father's delight, the power of prayer and the power of the gospel and the promise of an open door.