0:00 In Acts chapter 14 verses sixteen and seventeen, the apostle Paul stood before a group of people in a town called Lystra. And he was conveying to this group of people who were evidently idolaters that the true God throughout every generation has never ever left himself without a witness. Even gentiles who, unlike the nation of Israel, received direct divine revelation were not without evidence of God. Paul goes on to explain that God has made himself known through his providential and gracious provision. He he sent rain and he gave you fruitful seasons and abundant crops and harvest and even satisfied the hearts of men and women with joy and gladness.
0:53 In other words, Paul was communicating by the spirit that in every generation, God in some measure has revealed himself to all nations. And as we continue to explore what God has made known about the final chapter of human history, there are many new things that we have discovered but one thing remains unchanged, that God witnesses to the nations. That God will still, even in that era, make himself so clearly known. The only difference is as the world draws nearer and nearer to its end, God's voice will become louder and louder. And one of the ways this will occur is through, ready for this, unusual angelic activity.
1:48 This is what John sees next in the chapter that we started together in Revelation 14 recently. After getting a glimpse of Christ standing victorious with the redeemed on Mount Zion, shortly after the the brief reign of the Antichrist, there's something else that he is going to see. Extraordinary events during the tribulation period. And in this new passage, we're going to learn that at some point, there will be three angels dispatched from heaven, each carrying a unique message for the world. And we're going to look at these things more closely today.
2:29 And if you want a summary of what we're going to examine this afternoon, it is this, the testimony of three angels. The testimony of three angels, particularly in the last days. Let's read about it in Revelation 14 starting in verse six. Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, fear God and give him glory because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.
3:15 Another angel, a second, followed saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality. And another angel, a third, followed them saying with a loud voice, if anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger. And he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night. These worshipers of the beast and its image and whoever receives the mark of its name.
4:05 Let's pray. Lord, we know that the testimony of these angels are your words, and we ask that you would help us understand them. And though we know that we are looking into the future, we pray that we would hear your voice for today. Give us your guidance, Lord, through these passages. Give us an attentive mind and a receptive heart.
4:30 We pray that your word would build us up and that it would destroy all lies, all deceptions, all dormant sins, all these things that seek to captivate us and draw us away from you. We pray that you would conquer our hearts afresh this afternoon. In Jesus name we pray, amen. You know, as I read this passage repeatedly earlier this week, there were two main questions that arose in my mind that I had to answer before looking at these things in greater detail. The first question that came to me is simply this, are these angels that we just read about, are they to be taken literally?
5:10 Are they real angelic agents? Are they actual messengers from heaven? And the reason why I say that is because with a lot of revelation, there are many who want to see this as symbolic. And there are strange ideas of what these angels represent, everything from, printed Bibles to satellites in the sky, to a picture of believers throughout the ages. But we shouldn't find it so difficult to see these as actual angels, should we?
5:42 Because this is not the first time that we see something similar like this in the New Testament. May I remind you who announced the good news of the birth of the Messiah to a bunch of shepherds on a quiet night. What did Luke tell us in Luke chapter two verse 13? It was an angel with a multitude of hosts in heaven praising God. Now listen, if you're willing to say that these angels in Revelation 14 are symbolic, are you willing to say the same about Luke chapter two?
6:10 I doubt it. So if you're willing to take the angel and a heavenly choir visiting a group of shepherds, literally then why would you be hesitant to see these angels as actual angels? And if we're willing to see these angels as literal angels, which we should, then we can then answer the second question. When will this celestial set of proclamations happen? And though we don't have the exact moment, we are granted the general timeline.
6:42 How? Well, look carefully at the words of the warning of the third angel again. Look at verse nine of Revelation 14. And another angel, a third, followed them saying with a loud voice, if anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand. That's quite telling, isn't it?
7:06 Because this warning determines the context of it. What do we see here? That clearly, for the angel to say this means that the Antichrist marking system is already in operation. And if we can accept that, then we know according to Revelation 13 that the peak of the Antichrist control, his fiercest control will happen in the last three and a half years before Christ's return. And so we know that these angels making their appearance, racing through the skies to make this very important announcement, few announcements, will occur in the latter portion of the tribulation period namely the great tribulation just before...
7:52 Shortly before Christ comes back. But just because they are saying these things in the future, just because this is predictive, doesn't mean that they can't speak to us now. In fact, they do. And I want to simply divide our thoughts here with these distinct messages and consider what they have to say about the world and what they have to say about us as followers of Christ. So let's consider message number one from angel number one.
8:19 What will be said to alarm the world before the last set of judgments will be poured out and Christ cracks open the sky and makes his way toward the earth? It's not surprising. The first message is the gospel. It shouldn't surprise us that the first thing that is heralded to those who dwell on earth is the eternal gospel. And look at that.
8:42 The spirit of God is so precise. He didn't just say gospel, he said eternal gospel. And that means more than just the fact that this gospel is the means to eternal life, it speaks about how it is the ageless message. There is no room for alternative interpretations of what this gospel can be. There is no room for any other ideas.
8:59 For it to be the eternal gospel means it's the gospel that we've always known about. It's the gospel that has been prepared from eternity past. It's the gospel that the prophets of old have prophesied about. It's the gospels that the apostles spread to the nations. It's the gospel, the same gospel that is still saving souls today.
9:18 It's that very same gospel. And what moves me about that very important detail is that even in the last hour of all things, the gospel is still the only hope for humanity. That message hasn't altered. It hasn't diluted. It's still the same saving message.
9:36 It's the eternal gospel. In fact, the ministry of this angel at this time could very well be the fulfillment of one of the things Jesus said would happen before he returned. Do you remember what he said on the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24 verse 14? He promised in Matthew twenty four fourteen, and this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come. So it is true that up to this point, we've seen the ministry of the 144,000 who very likely were preachers.
10:15 And we know that there will be believers here during this time preaching. And we know that in Revelation 11, there are two witnesses in Jerusalem with great power preaching the truth, preaching repentance. But on top of all of that, you have an angel who's suspended in the sky, flying through the skies and amplifying the gospel ensuring that not one part of the world, not one nation, not one tribe, not one hidden clan would miss it. This is God's grace. This is his incredible mercy to a very undeserving generation who have ignored much of his warnings and his pleas and yet still one angel is sent from heaven to declare this gospel, which is an exception because we know that in this age, that privilege has been given to who?
10:59 Believers. Angels don't preach the gospel. We preach the gospel. Even when the angel visited Cornelius, I've always wondered, why set up a whole meeting with Cornelius and fetch for Peter and give Peter a vision and have have them meet together in Cornelius' home? I mean, you already made it there to Cornelius' house.
11:15 Why don't you just tell him the gospel? Right? Because that honor has been given to us. So let's not waste it. Let's not hide it.
11:25 But this is a different era. This is a different time. This isn't surprising. The gospel is the first message. But what may surprise us is the content of the message.
11:39 Supposing that we didn't read these verses, this is just me telling you upfront without any further information that there will be an angel preaching the eternal gospel to this last generation. What would you think he would say? Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead? What about there is no other name given among men? No other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
12:08 There's salvation and no one else. Would you think that the angel would say something like that? Those are not wrong. Those are indeed messages that pertain to the gospel. But look again at verse 15 what he says.
12:22 Fear God and give him glory because the hour of his judgment has come and worship him. Fear God? Eternal gospel? How did these two truths relate? Well to some they don't.
12:44 And that has led some to actually say, because of this message, the gospel this angel is preaching must mean something different than how the New Testament generally summarizes it. But remember, this is the eternal gospel that's being exclaimed here, which tells us something very very important about the good news of Jesus Christ. Fearing God is the appropriate response to it. There's a lot of misconception about the fear of God, especially among Christians. And as many of you already know, one of my favorite passages to offer clarification is Psalm 33 verse eight.
13:26 In that verse, we read here, let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. Poetry was different in that time and we know here that this is Hebrew parallelism at work. What's Hebrew parallelism? Well, one way it works is when one line is given, the second one either expounds on that first thought or clarifies it or repeats it with different words and that's what's happening here.
13:52 Let all the earth fear the Lord. And then the second line says, let all the inhabitants of the world which mirrors, let all the earth stand in awe of him, which is the same as fearing the Lord. Fearing the Lord is being in awe of the Lord. And awe is a complex emotion. It can mean different things, but it definitely doesn't imply that to fear God means to be an absolute slavish dread of him.
14:22 That would cause a lot more problems in our bibles and our understanding of how to worship and relate to God. But if it means to be in awe of him, then it makes complete sense. Now you might still be wondering, but hold on, I thought the fear of God is more of like an Old Testament mosaic kind of emphasis. But I wanna remind you that this angel tells us that it's the right response to the gospel. In fact, this is something that the New Testament confirms elsewhere.
14:55 Turn with me to first Peter and look at these verses with me in chapter one. First Peter chapter one, Peter is obviously addressing Christians, and notice what he says in verse 17 down through verse 19. Peter says, and if you call on him as father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile. Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. This is a fascination to to me.
15:50 This is staggering to me because in between the glorious truths of calling God as father in verse 17 and being ransomed with the precious blood of Christ in verse 19. You have the charge for us to fear God throughout our pilgrimage on earth. Calling God as father, being ransomed by the precious blood of Christ and in between that is what? Fear God. Well, again, you might run into some issues if fear means to cower away from God, but if it means to stand in awe of him, then it makes sense.
16:29 I get to call this holy Godfather? Oh, that's awesome. I've been ranting. My soul has been paid for. Not with things like silver and gold but with the blood of the son of God.
16:43 He's worthy of my awe. So even in this we see that there are gospel realities attached to the response of standing in awe of God, fearing God. And that teaches us many things and one of the things it tells me that if someone professes Christ but lacks reverence, is void of seriousness, does not even have a hint of majesty in their worship or in how they relate to the Lord. I question if they've really tasted the gospel. Professing Christians who are overly casual make me nervous because fearing God is the appropriate attitude that one will possess and grow in if they really understand the gospel.
17:32 You can't be trivial with this gospel. You don't become buddy buddy with Jesus because of this gospel. You fear him. You revere him. Yes.
17:44 You embrace him as the lover of your soul, but oh, he is still king. He is still holy. And as we're about to find out, even the lamb supervises hell. And so we consider these things. What the angel is saying, hopefully, is becoming more clear to us.
18:06 But you may be wondering why this emphasis? Why couldn't the angel have highlighted a different component of our faith? Why why not come with a different angle concerning the gospel? Well, when you factor in the state of the world, you realize that this angel is actually being very strategic with his message. What's happening in the world at this point?
18:28 The Antichrist is ruling and reigning and because of that you have the masses standing in awe of him, glorifying him, adoring him. And so this celestial being now comes and he trumpets this message, fear God. Fear God. Not this man, not this deceiver, Not this false savior. Fear God.
18:55 Glorify him. Worship him. And notice he highlights also that God is the creator of all things. This man didn't do anything even close to that. So the problem with the nations at this point is not legalism.
19:14 The nations are not struggling with self righteousness here. They're not drowning in their shame here. What's their problem? Idolatry. And it's being confronted with this message.
19:28 Misdirected adoration, that's the issue that this gospel presentation is pressing on. But it's still relevant for us today. Listen, as a gospel people, you and I are called to be God fearers. We're called to be God fearers. And I wanna exhort you before we move on with this one thought from Proverbs 23 verse 17.
19:52 Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day. I love that last part. All the day. Is it possible to fear God some part of the day? I I think so, depending on your environment.
20:08 Like in this place right now, it's much easier to stand in awe of God here. With the right music and a sermon and maybe even a building and its aesthetics, they give us that impression that we're in a holy space. But you know what this charge says? Fear God all the day. Not just on Sunday afternoon.
20:27 Not just on Wednesday night, not just not just on Friday evening, all the day. When in your car, fear God. When you're when you're at work, fear God. When you go on vacation, fear God. Stand in awe of God always.
20:40 And I can assure you this, if you and I fear God all the day, it's much more difficult to sin throughout the day. So stand in constant awareness of the majesty of God, the beauty of God, the holiness of God. And the way you do that is you coat your mind with the scriptures. You spend time with him. You pray without ceasing.
21:02 You include him in your plans and your worries. Let him be in the forefront of your thinking, your meditation. Fear God all the day. I love Joseph in that story when he's alone with his boss's wife. Nobody's in sight.
21:19 They could have gotten away with it. But you know what Joseph had? Had it with a very difficult history and past. He had an awareness that God is in this place. How can I do this great evil against God?
21:35 I wonder how Potiphar's wife reacted to that. I would love to have gotten a picture of her face. No, no, no. It may be you and me here but listen, I know God is here actually. So we may get away with it with your husband, we may get away with it from the employees but God sees it all.
21:57 That's a man who fears God. That's a man who fears God all today. May we be the same. So the first message that the first angel preaches is the eternal gospel, but the emphasis here is fearing God, which teaches me that if I really know the gospel, there's gonna be in seed form this fear of God and that's gonna grow the more I know my God, the more I understand the depths of the gospel. Message number two from angel number two.
22:26 Look back again at Revelation 14. We go from the eternal gospel to the world will pass away. That's the second message. Look again at verse seven and verse eight. Verse eight says another angel, a second followed saying, fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.
22:55 Shu made all nations drink the wine of passion of her sexual immorality. Babylon? Why is Babylon, this ancient capital city of a former world empire being mentioned here? Here. Interestingly, this is not the only time it appears in the book of Revelation.
23:18 This is the first time it's gonna show up a total of six times in this book. And so we're considering this Babylon and we're going to see this in greater detail especially in chapter seventeen and eighteen where chapters 18 details the destruction of this Babylon. Here's how we make sense of this. Babylon according to the Bible is more than just a historical city. It is actually a symbol of a worldly system that opposes God, that rebels against God, that hates God.
23:50 It is often a picture of a center of idolatry that promotes hostility against God's word, his will, and his people. And that is something that is acknowledged in this way elsewhere in the new testament, primarily with Peter. Turn in your bibles to first Peter in chapter five and look at how he ends this letter to his audience. First Peter five verse 13. Peter says, as he is wrapping things up, she who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings and so does Mark my son.
24:36 Babylon. Some are satisfied to say that Peter's speaking about literal Babylon here. But it's more likely that he's using coded language to his audience to describe a location of a particular saint or a church that is sending their greetings. This audience that Peter's writing to is aware of, she who is at Babylon. So you have to understand that there was persecution in Peter's day and even their letters could have been confiscated by the government.
25:10 And so in order to protect those, especially who are under persecution, he would use cryptic language to identify them. And that seems to be what's happening here. But what's more important is that this proves that this Babylonian analogy was common to the early church and it's no different with John in Revelation. Why is John applying Babylon here in Revelation chapter 14? Because he wants to use it to describe the empire of the Antichrist.
25:40 That the system the antichrist has built in these final hours carries the same defiance spirit that we see in Genesis 10 with Nimrod who founded Babel and the Tower Of Babel in Genesis chapter 11. As though to say that what we find here at the final moments is the culminating expression of this Babylonian spirit. One of the main features of Babylon in the bible is that it seeks to create a one world government and unified false worship. Again, think about the Tower Of Babble. You have the collective world coming together to build this edifice, to make a declaration that we want to have governance apart from God.
26:33 That's what that was. Come, let us make a name for ourselves. And you fast forward and you go to Daniel and you realize that Babylon is still in existence and it's at its strongest point ever. Nebuchadnezzar is the king. And what does he do?
26:48 He gets a dream of succession of kingdoms. He's the first one and he's to be replaced and that one's to be replaced and that bothers Nebuchadnezzar. And so what does he do? Well, if I'm the gold part of that statue and I'm only part of it, I'm gonna make a golden statue of myself saying I'm not going nowhere. No kingdom's gonna replace me.
27:10 From head to toe, if this statue symbolizes the timeline of history, then Babylon is going to rule and reign forever. Worship this image. So again, this combination of one world government and unified false worship. With the Tower Of Babel, they were dispersed by God's power. With Nebuchadnezzar, both he and Babylon were humbled.
27:34 Now we come to Revelation and Babylon is making a comeback. And it will reach the highest point of its success. It will achieve what it's always longed for, global dominance. Babylon is here, John is telling us. And we're gonna learn more about it because the Revelation...
27:55 The book of Revelation has a lot to say about it, but what we have learned up to this point is enough for now. What should grip us, however, is how we see here that this angel is speaking about the fall of Babylon as though it had already taken place. Did you notice the language? Fallen fallen is Babylon The Great. Well, hold on for a second.
28:18 The fall of Babylon doesn't occur until chapter 17, namely chapter 18. So why is it being spoken of here in Revelation 14 as a past event? And this is why. This angel is declaring that the future doom of this evil wicked system is so certain that we can address it as though it had already occurred. Fallen fallen is Babylon The Great.
28:45 You can imagine just how astounding and alarming this would be for those who hear this resounding proclamation. You gotta remember the nations here are gonna be under a very complex infrastructure and a network of commerce and military and policing. It's gonna be something that the world has never seen before. It's going to be so impressive and so widely accepted that this Babylonian system that the Antichrist is going to support will appear indestructible. In fact, look back at Revelation 13 verse four, what the people said about the beast.
29:29 Revelation 13 verse four. And they worshiped the dragon for he had given his authority to the beast and they worshiped the beast saying, who is like the beast and who can fight against it? So they're under the spell thinking that no one can defeat Antichrist and with that no one can overthrow the empire that he has built. And all of a sudden this angel whisks through the skies and he says, fallen fallen is Babylon the Great. Why is he saying that?
30:03 Remember, he's addressing the nations, all the earth dwellers. He's saying that to help them believe the first angel's message. Fear God. Glorify him. Worship him.
30:16 The world as you know it with all its pomp and all its possessions and all its pleasures and all its promises will come to nothing one day. This world is passing away and you're giving your soul to something that will vanish? You're trading eternal life for something that's gonna be taken away? For something that is so certain to be demolished and destroyed that we can speak of it as though it already happened? This is a message that the world needs to hear now.
30:49 And if we're honest, this is a message that Christians need to hear from time to time. The same John who's telling us what this angel will say to the masses of unbelievers tells us this in his first epistle. In first John two verse 17, and the world is passing away. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. I love that.
31:15 This is in the same breath where he tells believers, do not love the world or the things of the world. Don't love it. And he gives the reason why, at least one reason, because it's all passing away. You and I are just walking through the corridor. There is a door that's gonna lead us into eternal life, which is true life.
31:32 Don't camp in the corridor. Keep walking. Keep your eyes ahead. This world is passing away with all its desires, all those cravings that keep you up at night, all the things that you slave over, all the dreams that you wanna see fulfilled, all of that is gonna disappear. Those things that you think will bring fulfillment and identity and wholeness, that's gonna pass away as well.
32:00 It's not lasting. It's not designed to. It has an expiration date on it. But those who do the will of God, they will abide forever. Forever and ever and ever.
32:12 This world will pass away. Then we come to the final message and you almost get the sense that they're building on one another. We have the the eternal gospel, then we have a reminder of this world that has unfortunately sabotaged so many people's faith and trust in Christ to this last message here in verse nine down to verse 11. Hell is real. And another angel, a third, followed them saying with a loud voice, if anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he will also drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength.
32:51 Highlight that, poured full strength into the cup of his anger and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the lamb. We'll pause there before we go to verse 11. If you remember Revelation 13, what we have there is instruction to believers of how difficult it will be for those at that time to refuse the mark of the beast. You won't be able to buy or sell. You won't be able to do the things that you think are your rights today.
33:27 And the reason why I know that it is in part addressing believers because in Revelation 13 verse 10, the last part of that verse, there's an there's a call for the endurance of the faith of the saints. So yes, it's speaking about the future and yes, it is addressing what the world will look like, but what God has in mind through his word is the believers in that time to be able to endure because it will be challenging to reject the mark of the beast on a daily basis. But then you come to Revelation 14 and you have this angel informing the unbeliever how difficult it will be to embrace the mark of the beast. And even though this is a warning to the lost, it still carries instruction for the Christian. How do I know that?
34:17 Peek at verse 12 of Revelation 14. Here is a call for the endurance of the saints. Those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. He's talking about hell here in verses nine down to verse 11 and immediately after he addresses Christians. What do Christians have to do with hell?
34:41 It's not really about hell. It's about comparing and contrasting experiences. Again, Revelation 13, it's gonna be challenging for those to stand for the truth and reject this mark, but it's gonna be even more tragic for those who take it. One thing to learn from this is that we must view our sufferings from heaven's point of view. This angel is not only warning the lost, he's also reminding believers.
35:15 Your suffering will be temporary, their suffering will be eternal. You know, one of the ways for you and I to endure anything, even the maniacal dictatorship of the Antichrist, is to frequently meditate on eternity. To compare everything in light of eternity. To inform your heart that there is something more real and more lasting than whatever you're experiencing now. And I wonder if one of the reasons why eternity is not spoken of as much as it should in Christian circles is because it forces us to confront an aspect of eternity that makes people very uncomfortable, namely the reality of hell.
36:02 And if pastors and churches don't erase hell from their teaching and their evangelism entirely, they try to redefine it to make it more palatable. But whatever theologians or podcasters may say about hell, no matter how clever or compassionate they may seem, every claim and every conclusion has to be measured with scripture. And given the recent debates about hell among prominent evangelicals, my question is this, do the most prevailing interpretations agree with the testimony of this angel? Is hell eternal? What does this word say?
36:52 Is hell a conscious place? What does this word say? Is hell a place of uninterrupted torment? What does the Bible say? And according to this testimony, hell is eternal, hell is conscience, and hell is unending torment for the wicked.
37:18 Doesn't mean it's easy to speak about it. That doesn't mean that we should enjoy thinking about it. But what it does mean is what God says is true and we need to submit to the truth no matter what. You know, I've come to realize that one of the main reasons we struggle to understand hell is because of our inability to truly grasp God's holiness. If we're honest, sin rarely outrages us, even the best of us.
37:52 And that's partly because we are tainted by sin. And if you can testify, however, that there are moments where you have sensed righteous indignation and disturbance, or being unsettled due to wickedness around you or even in you, then how much more does the Lord feel being infinitely more pure and holy than us? There is something to say about the eternality and the severity of hell and God's holiness. And how sin is not just about us fooling around here on earth, it's an assault against God and his law. I won't say more about hell now because we will see it again at the end of this book.
38:46 But one thing I wanna highlight is how Christ is identified in this sobering passage about hell. Look with me here again in verse 10. He will also drink the wine of God's wrath poured full strength. You know what that means full strength? Undiluted.
39:06 There is no mercy mixed with this wine. Full strength of God's wrath. Into the cup of his anger and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the lamb. This would make more sense perhaps to us if it said in the presence of the King, capital k, in the presence of the Lion, in the presence of the Judge, in the presence of the ruler of rulers, in the presence of the lamb. You know this very well that the lamb is a consistent symbol associated with Christ's substitutionary atonement and sacrifice.
39:51 It speaks of his humility. It speaks of his lowliness. It speaks to his willful surrender for our salvation. What is it doing here in a passage about eternal wrath? And I believe one reason it's there is to highlight as a reminder that hell is ultimately for those who have rejected the one who drank the cup of God's wrath on our behalf.
40:17 That's what hell is ultimately all about. Notice the imagery here. The wine of God's wrath poured full strength into the cup of his anger. That's a a very common symbol in the Old Testament. A cup speaks of God's judgment being poured out.
40:37 There are different cups in the Bible and this should remind us of the words of Jesus in Luke when he was in the garden in chapter 22 verse 42 he said, father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. What was that cup? It was the cup of God's wrath. God's anger and justice against every sin that has and will ever be committed. That was what was in the cup.
41:05 And what Jesus asked here was, if it's possible father, let it be removed from me, yet not my will but yours be done. And guess what? It was the father's will for Christ to drink the cup. And he drank every drop of it. You turn that cup over and there is not one drop that will come out.
41:25 He absorbed all of God's justice for our sin. And here's what the gospel looks like. It's you being willing to admit and joyfully accept the truth that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, drank your wrath. And here's what millions are doing today. They reject that and because they reject that, there's another cup reserved for them and that's the wine of God's wrath.
41:56 You reject the cup of salvation, you will have the cup of God's wrath to drink and it is eternal. It will never run dry. It is ongoing. Jesus Christ drank the cup of God's wrath and for those who choose not to believe it and surrender to the truth associated with it, there is a cup they will have to drink. It will be forced down their throats.
42:28 And they will be reminded for all of eternity that the reason why they are drinking it is because they have denied the Son of God's salvation. The lamb of God. And the question for us today, though I hope that all of us here are followers of Jesus Christ, is if you have put your trust in the finished work of Jesus. You know what's amazing here is the first angel began with the gospel and he ends with wrath. The third angel comes to complete the message.
43:09 And this is very descriptive. It's very direct, but it's needed for a generation that has been lulled to sleep because of a Babylonian empire and system. Let's not think that we're more wise than God and how we should address the lost. Are there different vantage points and ways of communicating the gospel? Absolutely.
43:36 But for you and I to deny the reality of hell is a great disservice to a people who need to know what's coming if they don't receive the free love of Jesus. The testimony of three angels for a future time are so relevant for us today, are they not? The eternal gospel, the world as we know it will pass away, and hell is real. Let's pray. Father, we thank you that you have given us a snapshot, another snapshot of how you are willing to go so far to get the attention of a lost world.
44:41 And Lord, we think about this message this afternoon, how it is an extension of your grace also because love warrants. Lord, we pray that we would be faithful to the word no matter what. No matter the trends that are being set by people who have great platforms online, Help us stay true to your word, every part of it. And Lord, thank you for the wisdom of your word that in the same imagery of hell, we have vision of the lamb. We pray that even through this message, people would see Christ and his love and sacrifice and they would embrace him.
45:30 And Lord, for us who have put our faith and trust in you, help us grow in our fear of you. Help us not get entangled by the things of this world. Help us see it as all passing away. Our money, our bank accounts, our clothes, our cars, our homes, it would all pass away and the only thing that will last forever is the will of God, our service to you, our obedience to you. So Lord, we pray that even this message would recalibrate us.
46:01 And Lord, even with the subject of hell, help us to know how to communicate it, when to warn about it. May that message even energize us to be more zealous with the gospel. Lord, so much was said but we trust that you'll help us retain it. And now, Lord, we wanna worship you because you have saved us from hell. We never have to fear going there.
46:27 It is not our portion. We will rest with you forever and ever and we are undeserving of it. Thank you for drinking the cup of God's wrath. Thank you that we don't have to take a sip of it. We are free forever.
46:43 And for this, we glorify you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. If you are free in this place because of the gospel, sing with your heart knowing that even though everything is taken from you, no one can take your salvation. No one can take my salvation.
47:02 I am secure forever in Christ Jesus, and so are you. Let's stand and worship the Lamb of God.
