The Revelation of Christ – Part 44: The Judgment of Evil

The Revelation of Christ –

Part 44: The Judgment of Evil

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

Online Audio Files | HOF Church Facebook | Truth Digest Facebook

 

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SERMON INTRODUCTION

Today we are going to look at the next part in our series in The Revelation of Christ and see judgment has finally come for those who waged war against The Lamb.

 

Often I have people say to me, “why does God allow evil on earth?” or “why doesn’t God just destroy them?”

 

The simple answer is this, for God to remove (destroy or take away) evil people from the earth, He would have to “Judge” them.

 

We need to remember that God is no respecter of persons, (Romans 2:11) therefore if He were to judge one He would most certainly have to judge ALL, including you, me, and those who have not yet submitted their lives to the Lord, even though they will do so in the future!

 

God cannot go against His word because that would make Him out to be a liar. So He set aside a “Judgment Day,” where ALL will stand before God to be judged, good and evil, great and small, free and slave. (Revelation 20:12)

 

Today we are looking at Revelation 19:15-21, where the beginning of punishment on the evil and wicked is being doled out.

 

SERMON SERIES

 

THE THINGS WHICH SHALL BE – The Coming Judgment

Part 35 – The Seven Angels with the Seven Plagues

Part 36 – The First Bowls

Part 37 – The Last Bowls

Part 38 – The Punishment of the Great Prostitute I

Part 39 – The Punishment of the Great Prostitute II

Part 40 – The Punishment of the Great Prostitute III

Part 41 – Rejoice Babylon the Great has Fallen

Part 42 – Threefold Praise of God

Part 43 – The Second Coming

 

 

TODAY’S SERMON - THE THINGS WHICH SHALL BE – The Coming Judgment

Part 44 – The Judgment of Evil

 

 

SCRIPTURE READING

 

Revelation 19:15-21

 

Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

king of kings and lord of lords.

¹⁷ And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, ¹⁸ so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”

¹⁹ Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. ²⁰ But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. ²¹ The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

 

             I.        THE SHARP SWORD TO STRIKE DOWN THE NATIONS

a.    Coming out of His mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations

                                                 i.    Ephesians 6:17 tells us that the “Sword of the Spirit” is the Word of God

 

                                               ii.    The imagery here is that the Lord is “Speaking the Word of God.”

                                             iii.    “Sharp” signifying its perfect ability to accomplish what it is for, a dull sword is of no use, while a “sharp” one is perfect for its goal, so this Word of God being spoken by the Lord is perfect.

 

                                              iv.    How does He strike down the nations with it?

 

                                               v.    Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

 

                                              vi.    This sharp sword, perfect speaking of the Word of God by the Lord against the nations, is a judgment against them.

 

                                            vii.    Thus, striking them down.

1.    Remember, God “Spoke” everything into existence, Creation from Words; He can also destroy with words as well.

 

2.    Speaking He strikes down nations…there is no “battle,” no “fight,” there is no waging war against the Lamb of God!

 

3.    With a word, His enemies are brought down!

 

 

b.   He will rule them with an iron scepter (Psalm 2:9)

                                                 i.    Psalm 2:1-10 “Why do the nations conspire
    and the peoples plot in vain?
² The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
    against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
³ “Let us break their chains
    and throw off their shackles.”

⁴ The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
    the Lord scoffs at them.
⁵ He rebukes them in his anger
    and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
⁶ “I have installed my king
    on Zion, my holy mountain.”

⁷ I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;
    today I have become your father.
⁸ Ask me,
    and I will make the nations your inheritance,
    the ends of the earth your possession.
⁹ You will break them with a rod of iron;
    you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

¹⁰ Therefore, you kings, be wise;
    be warned, you rulers of the earth.

 

                                               ii.    The Psalmist speaks of those who partner with Satan to wage war against the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, …and scripture even warns the Kings of earth to be “wise,” but we know, not all will listen.

 

 

c.    He treads the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty

                                                 i.    Who walks the wine press?

                                               ii.    On His robe (He that treads) and on His thigh He has this name written:

                                             iii.    KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

                                              iv.    Jesus Himself

 

           II.        THE GREAT SUPPER OF GOD

a.    I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried out in a loud voice to all the birds of the air

                                                 i.    Standing on the sun simply means this angel was in the sky, and a light shone about it

 

                                               ii.    Remember the “loud voice” could mean authority, volume, multitudes, but here it appears to mean authority as the angel commands the birds of earth

 

 

b.   “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,”

                                                 i.    This imagery makes me think of the old westerns when the buzzards would circle above the dead and those who were close to dying.

 

                                               ii.    “Come, gather together.”

 

                                             iii.    I can see large clouds of birds forming, preparing to feast upon the dead

 

                                              iv.    The enormous amount of dead will be provided by God wiping out His enemies who have gathered to make war against Him, thus, “the great supper of God” provided to the birds who were called to gather.

 

 

c.    “so that you can eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”

                                                 i.    All who have taken the number of the Beast, and worshiped his image, they have all waged was against the Lamb, and will soon be fodder in a field, supper for the birds.

 

 

         III.        THE BEAST AND ALL WHO WORSHIP ITS IMAGE

a.    Then I saw the Beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider and His army

                                                 i.    The legitimate rider upon a white horse (opposed to the imitation rider who came upon a white horse during the Apocalypse who came in peace but prepared for war, the Antichrist)

 

                                               ii.    This ride is the Lamb of God and those who belong to Him who ride with Him

1.    Not because He “needs” an army, but because the Lord has chosen to include us in His retaking of Creation and as a witness to the destruction and punishment of evil.

2.    In the same way, God created the garden and everything in it before Adam as a witness, now, we, followers of Christ, will be the witnesses to the New Creation!

 

 

b.   But the Beast was captured and with it the false prophet who had performed signs on its behalf

                                                 i.    With these signs, he (the Beast) had deceived those who had received the mark of the Beast and worshiped its image

 

 

c.    The two of them (the Beast and False Prophet) were thrown alive (because they are human) into the fiery lake of burning sulfur

                                                 i.    The rest (the kings, generals, armies, all people alive who had received the mark of the Beast and worshiped its image) were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse

 

                                               ii.    And all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh

 

CONCLUSION –

The Lord will stand on that day upon a great white horse covered in the name: King of Kings and Lord of Lords with all who serve Him.

The Beast and the False Prophet will be cast alive into the Lake of Burning Sulfur. All of those who stood against the Lamb (kings, generals, armies, people great and small, free and slave) and took the sign of the Beast and worshiped its image, will fall dead from the Sword proceeding from the mouth of the Lord and be eaten by the birds of the air.

Next week we will look at the 1000 year reign, the Judgment of Satan, and Judgment of the dead.

 

 

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Paul's Epistles – I Timothy – Part 7: Truth Versus Apostasy

Paul's Epistles – I Timothy – Part 7:

Truth Versus Apostasy

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org | Online Audio Files

SERMON INTRODUCTION

This letter from Paul to Timothy will be the next “epistle” examine.

Immediately on his release from his first imprisonment before he visited Spain (Romans 15:24; Philemon 22), Paul more than likely visited Macedonia, Ephesus, etc. Not being able to stay long at Ephesus, he left Timothy to take charge of the work.

This parting was a tough trial to Timothy (I Timothy 1:3; II Timothy 1:4).

To encourage and instruct Timothy (who was sensitive and timid, and not strong (II Timothy 5:23 frequently upset stomach because of nerves), Paul wrote and forwarded this letter from Corinth.

PREVIOUSLY

Introduction of I Timothy

False Doctrine and the Law

The Lord’s Grace and Timothy’s Charge

Pray for All

Requirements for Elders and Deacons

Paul’s Reason for writing Timothy this letter

TODAY’S SERMON

Truth Versus Apostasy

 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE

I Timothy 4 (65 AD)

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. ² Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. ³ They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. ⁴ For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵ because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

⁶ If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters,^[a] you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. ⁷ Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. ⁸ For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. ⁹ This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. ¹⁰ That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.

¹¹ Command and teach these things. ¹² Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. ¹³ Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. ¹⁴ Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

¹⁵ Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. ¹⁶ Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

  

The overall message of this epistle to the church is;

“We are designed to accomplish” - I Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

The purpose of this letter is given in I Timothy 3:15 “if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.”

I. DECEIVING SPIRITS

a. In later times (near end times) some will abandon faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons

                                                                 i. Deceiving spirits, i.e. seducing spirits or religious spirits

                                                              ii. who make thing seem like what it isn’t

1. The Heretic - a person who teaches what blatantly contradicts an essential teaching of the Christian faith. He is a gregarious figure, a natural leader teaching just enough truth to mask his deadly error. Yet in denying the faith and celebrating what is false, he leads his followers from the safety of orthodoxy to the peril of heresy.

a. “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1).

b. The Heretic continues his evil work today, sometimes by contradicting the truth and sometimes by adding to it. He may reframe the doctrine of the Trinity, as Arius did in the third century and as Oneness Pentecostals do today. He may, like Marcus Borg and other prominent scholars, deny the virgin birth or the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Like Jehovah’s Witnesses, he may alter God’s finished word, or like Mormons, he may add to it. Always, he boldly tampers with “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3)

2. The Charlatan - a person who uses Christianity as a means of personal enrichment.

a. “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain” (1 Timothy 6:3-5).

b. Simon the sorcerer was motivated by the love of money when he tried to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:9-24)

c. The Charlatan has appeared in many forms, always seeking prominence in the church so that he can live in extravagance. When Pope Leo X famously commissioned Tetzel to sell indulgences, the profits not only funded the reconstruction of St. Peter’s Basilica, but also his luxurious lifestyle. In the 1990s, televangelist Robert Tilton brought in tens of millions of dollars each year by exploiting the vulnerable and gullible. Today Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, and a host of others peddle the prosperity gospel to enrich themselves from their followers’ gifts.

3. The Prophet - Claiming to be gifted by God to speak fresh revelation outside of Scripture—new, authoritative words of prediction, teaching, rebuke, or encouragement. In reality, though, he is commissioned and empowered by Satan for the purpose of misleading and disrupting Christ’s church.

a. John offered an urgent warning about him. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).

b. John declared that God has spoken fully and finally in Scripture and offered the most solemn warning against anyone who claims to bring revelation equal or contrary to Scripture. “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19)

c. The Prophet appears throughout the history of the church. As early as the second century, Montanus and his disciples claimed to speak on behalf of the Holy Spirit. In the nineteenth century, Joseph Smith claimed to receive The Book of Mormon from the angel Moroni. Today the airwaves are chock-full of people claiming to speak in the name of God through the power of the Spirit. Personal prophecies are just a phone call away. Sarah Young, author of the top Christian bestseller of the decade, boldly claims that her book contains the very words of Jesus. The Prophet continues to speak, to lead astray.

4. The Abuser -  uses his position of leadership to take advantage of other people. Usually, he takes advantage of them to feed his sexual lust, though he may also desire power.

a. Both Peter and Jude were aware of the Abuser’s lechery: “And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed” (2 Peter 2:2).

b. “For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 4)

5. The Tickler - is the false teacher who cares nothing for what God wants and everything for what men want. He is the man-pleaser rather than the God-pleaser. Paul thought of him as the ear-tickler:

a. “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

b. The Tickler is as old as the church itself. In the nineteenth century he was Henry Ward Beecher, and in the twentieth he was Norman Vincent Peale and Robert Schuller. Today he is Joel Osteen, pastor of the largest church in America, who is known equally for his toothy smile and his vacuous content. He preaches an empty gospel to a packed out church. Like the false prophets of Jeremiah’s day, he and the thousands like him say, “‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14).

b. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars

                                                                 i. Designed by Satan to draw believers away from God

                                                              ii. Whose consciences have been seared with a hot iron

1. They (hypocritical liars) are NOT acting under delusion, but deliberately and against conscience

c. They (deceiving spirits and demons teaching through liars)

                                                                 i. Forbid people to marry

1. This is an attack against the home

2. Even an attack against God’s original plan for a husband and wife as the foundation of His society (Genesis 2:23-24)

                                                              ii. Order people to abstain from eating certain foods

1. They taught keeping some man-made laws would bring about holiness

                                                           iii. Of which God created to be received with Thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the Truth

                                                            iv. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with Thanksgiving because it is consecrated (set apart, sacred, sanctified, made holy) by the Word of God and Prayer

II.      BE A GOOD MINISTER OF CHRIST JESUS

a. Point these things out to the brothers and sisters

                                                                 i. You are nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed

b. Have nothing to do with

                                                                 i. Godless myths

                                                              ii. Old wives tales

                                                           iii. Train yourself to be Godly

c. This is a trustworthy saying and deserves full acceptance

                                                                 i. Physical training is of some (LIT. profitable for a little) value to the body

                                                              ii. But godliness have value both to the present life as well as the life to come

                                                           iii. That is why we labor and strive because our hope is in the living God

III.   COMMAND AND TEACH THESE THINGS

a. Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young

b. BUT, set an example for the believers

                                                                 i. in speech (things you say in general conversation)

                                                              ii. in conduct (lifestyle)

                                                           iii. in love (I Corinthians 13)

                                                            iv. in faith

                                                               v. and in purity

c. Until I arrive

                                                                 i. Devote yourself to

1. the public reading of scripture

2. and to preaching

3. and teaching

CONCLUSION – do not neglect your gift

Which was given you through the prophecy when the Body of Elders laid their hands on you

Be diligent in these matters

Give yourself wholly to them so that everyone may see your progress

Watch your life and doctrine closely

Preserve them

Because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers!

 Next Paul will address Widows, Elders and Slaves

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