So this is a talk that I prepared for giving at Oasis tonight. I really prepare everything I say when I speak, even things like, "Thanks for listening," otherwise I forget.
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WORDS
So you guys have been looking at the book of Revelation over the last few weeks. What have you looked at so far? I know my wife Penny talked to you about the general vibe of Revelation, and that it's a bit weird. Tonight we're going to look at what the book of Revelation has to say about the people of God. And then we'll look at what we should learn from this for ourselves.
In fact, I'm going to tell you right now what the book of Revelation has to say about the people of God. It says that they're chosen, that they suffer, that they are comforted, vindicated and saved. To each one of these topics I've given a Bible verse from Revelation. What I want you to think about is this: when I read the Bible verse, I want you to tell me whether you think John is talking about the people of God in the past, the people of the God during his time, the people of God now, or the people of God in the future, at the end of time. So before John, during John's time, during our time, or at the end of time.
We start off with the fact that God's people are chosen. There's obviously more than one verse in Revelation that makes this point, and all these points - that's what makes them important points. But I've chosen one that just highlights the point well. Rev 18:4-5. The context is important. Its telling of a great city called Babylon, which is being used to represent the wicked ways of this world - lusts, cravings, desires, addictions. The confusing thing is that the city is then also pictured as a woman. But just think about it for the moment as if God was talking about this city in the same way captains talk about their boats - like a woman. "She's a good ship," "She's a beautiful city," that sort of thing. So here's this city that represents all the sickness of humanity living apart from God, and John says, "Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes."
The point is here that God is calling out his people from this city of ungodly lifestyle. God doesn't call everyone out of the city - there are people who are going to get punished with plagues and so forth - all the stuff we know and love about Revelation. But some people are chosen by God to be called out, to not associate with the sin, to escape the punishment. So my question is: is this referring to the past before John, is it referring to John's time, is it referring to our time, or is it referring to the end of time?
The answer is that it is referring to all of them. God has always called and chosen a people for himself. He has always wanted them to be separate from the way the world does things. And at the end, when he punishes the sins of the world, his people will be stood apart from that. The people of John's time could be as encouraged by that thought as we can be now, because we are called to be his people in the same way - to separate ourselves from sin, so that we are separated from punishment, which will be the ultimate result at the end of time.
The second point is that God's people suffer. Again, lots of verses, but I've chosen this one, Revelation 13:6-8. The context, well. chapter 13 is all about the beasts coming out of the sea, so it's pretty weird. The main thing to know is that the beasts represents the enemies of God, both on earth and in the spiritual sense, so Satan. So when we get to verse 6, we find that the beast "opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb." The enemies of God make war against the people of God. And in war, people suffer. Do you guys know what celebrated its 60th anniversary on Wednesday? It was the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, which exist to protect the rights of people captured in war, people wounded in war, and civilians caught up in the middle of war. They exist because we know full well that in war, people suffer. There is a war between good and evil, and as people of good, God's people will suffer in that war, specifically because they are oon God's side. So, is John in Revelation talking about God's people suffering in the past, during his time, during our time, or at the end of time?
The answer is that God's people have always suffered. They suffered in Egypt and they suffered exile. In John's time, they suffered persecution, torture and death. And during our time, they suffer the same. More Christians are killed for their faith today, in modern times, than in any other time in history. So the answer is before, then and now. We have to take note of this - it shows just how seriously you should take being a Christian. Are you prepared to suffer for it? Because you will be called to suffer, to give things up, to go without. It can be painful.
The question is then, will God's people continue to suffer? John tell us in the book of Revelation that God's people will be comforted, they will be vindicated, and they will be saved. Revelation 21:4,6-8 say, God "will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." 6He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
The context of this verse is at the end - when John is being given a vision of the new heaven and new earth, where God's people will be with him forever. So when is he talking about? The past, his time, our time, or the end of time? The clear and obvious answer is that he's talking about the end of time - when his people have been saved from the punishment of sin, where his people will find eternal comfort after lives of suffering, and where they will be vindicated by God's judgement of those who made war against them for being his people. Don't get me wrong, the Bible makes it clear that when you become a Christian, you are saved, on the spot as it were. And during suffering, we can always look to God for comfort - we don't have to wait till heaven. But John's message in Revelation is all about sticking it out to the end, so he focuses on the end point for our final salvation, comfort and vindication in the face of judgement.
Because that's the lesson John is giving to the people of God who read this - both back then, and today as well. And it comes out right at the start of the book, in Revelation 1:9 "9I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus." He has lived the Christian life, he knows what it's about. It's about suffering, it's about the kingdom, and it's about patient endurance. We can't control the suffering - God's people will suffer, because the enemies of God will always make war against us. We can't make the kingdom come any faster - it will come, but in God's time. So our job, then, is to have patient endurance. In a way, the whole book of Revelation has that message - be patient, endure the hard times, and when you overcome, you will be rewarded.
It's easy to get angry when things go bad, and especially when things go bad for you when you're trying to do what's right by God. We've all been there. Once some Christian friends and I met this mentally disabled guy, about 19, who got kicked out of his parents' house and had nowhere to go. We gave him a place to sleep, and to repay us he smeared pooh everywhere and stole our rent money. Ouch. If you do things God's way, you will suffer. But we have to overcome with the patient endurance that God gives us, if we ask for it, and one day we will be rewarded.
Thanks for listening guys.
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