Voices From Heaven

- we've been studying the second half of the tribulation

period, sometimes referred to as the great tribulation

- last week we talked about about the unholy trio - Satan,

the Antichrist, and the false prophet

- we said that this group tries to substitute themselves for

the real trinity

- they even set up an image of the antichrist and demand that

individuals worship the image of the beast

- those who do will be given a mark of the beast which

permits them to buy and sell--those who won't worship the

beast will be severely persecuted

- we concluded our time reminding ourselves that John said

that the antichrist spirit (attitude) is alive and well

today

- Satan loves to use that substitute method where people

worship and serve someone or something other than the true

God

- we even talked about a number of the things that he has

substituted in place of a right relationship with God

- its important for us to keep that context in mind as we

move into these next verses because they help us understand

why these verses are arranged the way they are

- let's look at the voices from heaven (read 14:1-5)

- the passage talks about:

I. Voices of the 144,000

A. Who they were

INPUT - how does the passage describe them?

1. hadn't been defiled with women (not that physical

relations in marriage are dishonorable - the

writer of Hebrews made sure we understood that -

Heb. 13:4)

2. followed the Lamb wherever he went

3. redeemed from amoung men

4. first-fruits unto God

5. no guile - without fault

- so these are the 144,000 sealed witnesses who

are now in heaven

- INPUT - what does the passage say they are

doing?

B. What they did

- sang a new song before the throne

- INPUT - why do you think God wanted this

information to directly follow the chapter

we studied last week about the unholy trio?

(to communicate that while many had fallen

for the "unholy trio's" deception, not

everybody had)

- it could be pretty easy to get discouraged thinking

about all those who will worship the antichrist and

reject the savior, but God puts that in balance

when he remindes us that even then there will be

those with a different song in their mouths

- we need to hear that

- because people who believe in Christ and believe

the Bible are clearly in the minority

- you may be the only believer in your office

- or the only believers in your neighborhood or in

your family

- you look all around and see those who are following

the antichrists, the "instead of's", the things

substituted for a personal relationship with Christ

- if we're not careful, we'll fall into the Elijah

syndrome (I'm the only one who cares about living

for God - what's the use) - God had to tell Elijah,

"I've got seven thousand who haven't bowed the knee

to Baal"

- thats encouraging to know that there are others who

are battling in their area of ministry and standing

for God

- thats one of the great things about being in a

church

- on those days when you feel discouraged you can

say, wait a minute, Mr. "so & so" is handling a

tough situation and he's staying faithful

- Mrs. "so & so" is facing a real trial and she's

staying faithful - I better stay faithful in my

area of ministry

so even though the tribulation will be filled with

individuals bowing and worshipping the Antichrist,

there will be a host in heaven singing a different

song

- now the passage is going to shift to some different voices

in heaven -

II. Voices of the Angels

- read 14:6-7

A. Judgement is coming

- while it is our job to share the gospel today, in

the tribulation there will also be some angels

charged with spreading the gospel of Christ and the

judgement that is coming to those who won't trust

Christ

- read 13:8

B. Babylon is fallen

- we'll study more about Babylon in coming weeks.

This is the name given to the world system the

antichrist constructs. We'll study this in more

detail when we get to Rev. 18

read 13:9-10

C. escape God's wrath

- another angel is summoned to tell the people of the

world not to take the mark of the beast because of

the wrath of God that is coming quickly

last angel in this chapter comes in verse 14

- read 14-16

D. the harvest is ripe

- the final part of the vision pictures Christ as a

reaper where the harvest is ripe

- usually harvest in the Bible is the picture of

winning lost people to Christ, but here the picture

is of terrible judgement, where in the final battle

of Armageddon, those who followed the antichrist

will be destroyed

- John even uses hyperbole when he writes in verse

20

- you look at that and say - thats shocking

- in fact, its the second shock in as many chapters

- at the end of 13, John told us about the

abomination of desolation, and how people would

actually be worshipping the antichrist, and about

the mark of the beast

- now he turns right around and shows us this graphic

picture of God's judgement at the end of the

tribulation

- but John is about to do the same thing he did

before

- after telling us about the Antichrist - he

immediately switched to the heavenly scene of the

144,000, to put that shock of the Antichrist in

perspective

- thats exactly what he does at the beginning of

chapter 15

- because there are some more voices from heaven

- and look how their testimony puts this graphic

picture of judgement in perspective

- read 15:1-4

III. Voices of the Redeemed

A. who they were

had gotten victory over:

1. the beast

2. his image

3. his mark

B. what they are doing

- singing the song of Moses

- just like the Israelites had been delivered by the

blood of the lamb smeared on their doorposts

- afterward the Egyptian army was overthrown in

the sea

- the Israelites stood on the shores of the Red Sea

and sang the song of Moses

- "The Lord is my strength and song, and he has

become my salvation"

- now in another period of time, some of God's people

have been delivered from judgement, and so while

that judgement is being described in chaper 14, its

important to put it in perspective with what these

believers are singing about in chapter 15

- in fact, I think a good title for this parenthetical

section would be - "but there are the believers..."

- yes, you have the antichrist, and his image, and his

mark in chapter 13

- and a person who didn't know God might get

pretty discouraged about the way evil seems to

be triumphing

- but there are the believers - in chapter 14, singing

a new song before the throne, the first fruits among

men

- yes, you do have this vision of Armageddon at the

end of chapter 14, and the and the heavy judgement

that will be meeted out at the very end of the

tribulation

- and the person who doesn't know God might say,

thats pretty severe punishment

- but there are the believers in chapter 15, reminding

all who will listen that God's works are great and

mighty, just and true

- see, in a time like the tribulation where the truth

of God could surely be skewed, there are the

believers -- who live lives and have testimonies

and sing songs that show forth the truth of God

- Can I ask you tonight - is that kind of ministry

needed today?

- you bet it is - surely we live in a day where the

truth of God is skewed

- in fact, this very week is perhaps the week where

God's truth could potentialy be skewed the most

- do you know why I say that?

- easter, the day set aside to comemorate Christ's

resurrection - is more potentially dangerous to

satan and his host than any other day of the year

- if individuals truly understood the purpose of

Easter and the resurrection, they would be a

significant step toward understanding salvation

- so its not surprising that the world has produced

all kinds of ways to cover over or skew God's truth

about this special day

- and some folks will be so caught up in the easter

egg hunt, and the chocolate bunnies, and getting a

reservation for lunch

- that the truth of the ressurection could be

completely missed

- but hopefully, just like in these chapters we've

studied tonight, then there are the believers

- they have a different song in their hearts and on

their lips

- they have looked for and they have found creative

ways to share the truth of the resurrection

- people all around have the option to believe the

truth of God if they choose because the believers

around them have been faithful in proclaiming that

truth

- I don't know about you--but I can't think of a

better place to be on Friday night and Sunday night

than right here at the Easter Drama Musical

- Sure, there are hundreds and thousands of things

the world would have to offer to detract from the

meaning of Easter

- but then there the believers:

- who are trying to live under the shadow of

the cross

- are trying to proclaim the message of the

cross

- and have been inviting folks to come hear

the truth of the cross

- have been praying that folks would receive

salvation because of the cross

- because of that - the believers are singing a different

song - the song is - Jesus Christ is risen, and he

liveth forevermore

- see, I think the question we need to ask tonight

is:

- what would have happened if my life or your

life was substituted in these chapters?