Sermons on Revelation (Page 4)
“The Enduring Witness of the Church” (Revelation 11:3-14)
The Enduring Witness of the Church (Rev. 11:3-14) Symbolism in apocalyptic literature is not meant to soften the impact of the passage. Revelation is filled with pictures and illustrations of the truth that magnify our sense of purpose and deepen our confidence in God’s plan. John is recording this Revelation from exile on the island of Patmos around A.D. 95. He had been banished there by the government. Whether he was preaching against the idolatry of the people in Asia…
“Safety in Numbers” (Revelation 11:1-2)
Safety in Numbers (Rev. 11:1-2) Two weeks ago we saw, from chapter ten, how John was commissioned by the Mighty Angel—a theophany of Christ portrayed with global dominion. John was re-commissioned to proclaim the revelation of judgment that he was receiving. Chapter eleven transitions from John’s personal commission to the church’s global mission. Some scholars consider this passage to be the crux of the entire book of Revelation because it forces us to pick a particular interpretive approach in order…
“Anticipating the Final Trumpet” (Revelation 10:1-11)
Anticipating the Final Trumpet (Rev. 10:1-11) Between the breaking of the sixth and seventh seal there was an interlude in chapter seven where John was given a vision of the church militant and triumphant. The saints on earth are promised protection from the harm of the judgments and given a vision of their future reign in glory. Following that same pattern, we have another interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpet. This interlude transitions from the demonic forces that were…
“The Futility of Idolatry” (Revelation 9:13-21)
The Futility of Idolatry (Rev. 9:13-21) One frustrating tendency of Christians is their incessant search for innovative ways to worship God. We crave novel means of approaching God because we don’t like the results we are currently achieving. People who are generally dissatisfied with the depth of their spiritual experience—which is all of us at some level—are prone to look for creative approaches to worship. This is why being grounded in historic orthodox Christianity is crucial if we are going…
“The Misery of Unbelief” (Revelation 8:13-9:12)
The Misery of Unbelief (Rev. 8:13-9:12) John is writing from exile on the island of Patmos to the Universal Church in order to prepare them for the trials they will inevitably face and encourage them to persevere. The vision includes warning and encouragement. Heavenly glory is followed by divine judgment. Last week, we began the second cycle of judgments looking at the first four trumpets. With each successive blast another judgment resulted in the de-creation of a third of the…
“The Sound of Trumpets” (Revelation 8:6-12)
The Sound of Trumpets (Revelation 8:6-12) Two fundamental truths about the world is that (1) God created everything good, but (2) sin has corrupted everything. Without this understanding, much of life is nonsense. This explains why our desires are so often at odds with what is truly good for us. Man has fallen into an estate of sin and misery that the Westminster Shorter Catechism defines as “the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the…
“The Sound of Silence” (Revelation 8:1-5)
The Sound of Silence (Rev. 8:1-5) I have loved Simon & Garfunkel ever since my mom chose “Bridge Over Troubled Water” for her brother’s funeral back in 1990. Since then, they have been one of my favorite musical artists. Hands down, their best song is “The Sound of Silence”. Paul Simon wrote the song at the age of 21 in 1963. It was recorded in March 1964 and included on their debut album. The song was a flop until a…
“The Church Triumphant – Part 2” (Revelation 7:9-17)
The Church Triumphant – Part 2 (Rev. 7:9-17) How does the Church Militant become the Church Triumphant? How does our experience on earth, translate to our experience in heaven? Last week we looked at the first two points in your outline. 1. The Salvation of the Church Triumphant (9-10). 2. The God of the Church Triumphant (11-12) . We noted the several allusions to the Exodus out of Egypt and their preservation and suffering in the wilderness. In heaven, everything…
“The Church Triumphant” (Revelation 7:9-17)
The Church Triumphant – Part 1 (Rev. 7:9-17) I spend time each week wrestling over the purpose of the passage I’m going to preach because I want to be faithful to present that purpose to you in a way that you can understand and apply immediately. I want to do justice to the author’s intent, both the human author and especially the divine Author of Scripture. As I began thinking about how to do that for this passage, I was…
“The 144,000 Sealed” (Revelation 7:1-8)
The 144,000 Sealed (Rev. 7:1-8) Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that prior to 1935 144,000 people were anointed to enter heaven. Latter Day Saints believe there are 144,000 high priests who have been ordained according to the holy order of God. Christians have their own confusion about this number. With so many confusing interpretations, we must remember the context of the original audience. Late in the first century John received a revelation from God of which he was to make a written…