MPC 2nd May 2004.Revelation 15-16 - "Exodus Again"
Phil Campbell MPC 2nd May 2004.
Sometimes it would be great, wouldn't it, to have someone on your side when you're fighting against the odds. When you're up against what seems like insurmountable opposition.
You get a parking ticket - and you know it's wrong because the meter's malfunctioned. You write a letter - and it's ignored. You. Against the world. And so you give up.
Unless of course you want to call in the Red Tape Busters. A new Brisbane based consulting company, who advertise that they'll take on the biggest battles on your behalf. Who'll fight their way through the red tape so you don't have to. And more than often, win. You might have seen them on the Today Show. Or A Current Affair. Where their director Shane Bowering is going in to bat for people being crushed by bureaucracy.
So there's the guy whose new house is falling down around him. And the Building Services Authority doesn't want to do anything about it. Ignoring his pleas for help. Shane Bowering and the Red Tape Busters step in. And it's sorted. The unfair parking ticket. Shane Bowering and the Red Tape Busters step in. And it's sorted.
And you wipe your sweaty brow and you sip on a cool drink and you think how wonderful it is... to have someone to stand up for you. To go into bat. When you've got no strength to do it yourself.
I wonder who you would have called if you were a first century Christian? Because it would have seemed like everyone was gunning for you. And you didn't have a friend in the world.
First it was the Jews. Who back in Acts 7, drove the Christians out of Jerusalem and scattered them as refugees. Now, a few years later, the power of the Roman Empire is bearing down on them as well.
Who wouldn't feel like giving up?
Maybe you had the same sort of feeling yourself if you read Jim Soorly's column in last Sunday's paper. With the headline, The Christians are Taking Over. [4th item] No we're not!
He says, "There is a rather frightening thing happening in the Federal Parliament - the Christians are taking over." And on he goes to berate the 20 or so politicians from both sides of parliament who hold a prayer meeting every two weeks.
Jim Soorly says, "Maybe we should start a campaign for the next election to 'out' those federal members who think they can ignore our Constitution which clearly spells out the need for church and state to remain separate." And you're saying, wait a minute. All they're doing is meeting to pray together.
Kind of intimidating when you read that sort of thing. In that sort of strident tone. Who's going to stand up for us? When we don't have a friend in the world?
Revelation 15 and 16 has the answer. John has another vision... a great and marvellous sign. Which is encouragement in the form of a history lesson. Maybe at first glance it doesn't look like encouragement. But if you know a bit of Israel's history and the story of Moses and the Exodus, there's a very simple answer to the question who's going to stand up for us. Which it's worth being reminded of again and again.
If you haven't read the story of the Exodus lately, let me suggest you do. It's the second book in the bible. Right after Genesis. And it tells the story of the ancestors of Israel, who were slaves in Egypt in the time of the Pharaohs. The Egyptians used the Israelites to collect mud and gather straw and make bricks. They used them to carve blocks and make pyramids. And the Israelites were crying out in their bondage. Crushed by the world's superpower.
Times were tough. Until at the beginning of Exodus God says, enough is enough. And sends Moses... to lead his people to freedom.
So Moses - after more than a bit of persuading - fronts up to Pharaoh, and he says to him, the God of Israel says, let my people go. And Pharaoh laughs. And persecutes the Israelites all the more. And refuses to repent.
Maybe the story is familiar. God sends plagues. One after the other. He sends sores. He sends locusts. He sends darkness. Turns the rivers to blood. And still, Pharaoh laughs it off. And refuses to repent.
And so finally, God threatens to kill the firstborn from every family. The Israelites get a special mark - the blood of a lamb, sprinkled above their door. And God passes over their houses. But everyone else - everyone without God's mark; everyone without the blood of the lamb... is struck down by God's judgement.
And so Pharaoh finally relents. And lets them go. And you'll remember how they set off into the desert and God opens a path through the Red Sea and the Israelites go through on dry land. Pharaoh has changed his mind and sent his army in pursuit. And the defenceless Israelites look back and they see them coming, and they're terrified. No-one to fight for them.
At which point Moses says this. He says don't panic. Because the Lord will fight for you. It's Exodus 14 verse 4. The Lord will fight for you. You need only be still. And almost as he speaks, the waters that have been held back come crashing down. And the might of the army of Egypt is swept away.
Now that's where most of the Sunday school stories stop. But there's more. Because in Exodus chapter 15, Moses and the people of Israel celebrate God's victory. With a song. It's a song praising the God who saved them. And it's been known as the Song of Moses ever since. "I will sing to the Lord because he is highly exalted. He has thrown the horses and riders into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song... he has become my salvation."
And the song goes on. Praising God's justice. In destroying the enemies that boasted against him. Praising God's holiness. And praising the way God guarantees to lead his people to the place he's got prepared for them. The promised land.
Now that's Moses. And the Israelites. At the beginning of Israel's history. Standing by the Red Sea singing a victory song. God's victory. The God who fights for them.
Come back with me to Revelation 15. Where you've got almost the same picture again. At the other end of history. You've got a crowd of people standing by the seashore. Another sea, in John's vision. This one like a crystal fire. And the crowd, John says, is made up of those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. Who as we saw last time keep refusing to bow down to the powers of the world. Who refused to bow to Caesar and his statues. And have presumably died for it. They're standing safely in heaven. And they're singing; singing... the song of Moses. And the song of the Lamb.
The two great leaders. Who have led God's people to freedom. And stood by - while God does the fighting for them. Their song is the same song Moses sang. And it's about exactly the same things. Moses looks how God has wiped out the power of Pharoah and he sings, Who is like you, majestic in holiness? Which is the same idea as verse 4.
Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.
Which can I say for the first Christians reading John's words might not have looked all that likely. As they're being told to bow down to the Emperor, to worship his image. The song in heaven puts it in perspective. God alone is the holy one. Worthy of worship. God alone is just. And true. The King not just of Rome but King of the ages.
The picture John's vision is going to paint for us is simple. The God who made the world, the God who rules the world... is also going to judge the world. With absolute justice. And bring victory for his people. Which according to the singers at the side of the sea, is absolutely marvellous.
And they watch. As in John's vision seven angels pour out the seven last bowls of God's wrath. The angels are dressed in spotless white robes with golden sashes, they've got seven golden bowls, and the bowls are full to the brim with the anger of God.
Which again I want to suggest are also loaded with some strong reminders of Eqypt. And the book of Exodus. So far we've had a reminder of the Song of Moses in Exodus 15. But that's just the start. By my count there's a total of 8 parallels between John's vision, and the Exodus from Egypt. So I want to run through them quickly and then see what it all means.
For example, the tabernacle of testimony in verse 5. Which is a reminder of the tent they used as a temple back in Exodus.
There's more. Follow down the list in the outline.
Because if you remember the story of the Exodus, God saves his people by sending plagues on the people of Egypt. Painful sores in Exodus 9. Pussy boils. To make Pharaoh come to his senses.
And it's the same here in chapter 16 verse 2.
The first angel pours out his bowl on the land... and ugly and painful sores break out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.
Who's in charge now? God's done it before back in Egypt. And in John's vision he's doing it again.
Back in Exodus 7, Moses strikes the water with his staff and the water turns to blood. Take a look here in verse 3 and 4.
The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died. The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.
It sounds revolting. But you know what? It's absolutely fair. Read verse 5 and 6. God is just. Because they're getting exactly what they dished out. God is just. Because the punishment fits the crime. God is just. They've shed the blood of the saints and the prophets... and God's given them blood to drink as they deserve.
Exodus chapter 10 verse 21. There's a plague of darkness over the whole land of Egypt. Revelation 16 verse 10.
The fifth angel pours out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom is plunged into darkness.
If you want more connections, how about the evil spirits that looks like frogs in verse 13? Which are a vivid reminder of the frog plague God sent on Egypt. And the river drying up in verse 12; like the Red Sea. And the huge hailstorm in verse 21; which makes a pair with Exodus chapter 9.
All of which I'm sure you noticed if you've been in a Growth Group through the week.
And again, the point is very simple.
We live in a world that's rejected God. Back in the Old Testament it was Egypt on the front foot. For the first century Christians it was the Jews in Jerusalem and then the Romans in Rome. And the faithful people of God are repressed and they're oppressed and they wilt under the onslaught of the powers of the world.
At which point John's vision paints a picture of a whole new exodus. And a whole new promised land. And of a people safe... on the far side of the crystal sea. As God finally pours out his just judgement on the forces that opposed him. No one else is on their side. But God... is.
And in the midst of it all, instead of seeing how stupid they've been, instead of bowing at the power of God, instead of realising how pitiful they are in the face of the power of God, they're absolutely intransigent.
Maybe you've seen that yourself. The incredible arrogance of the self made man. It's a bit like the famous Monty Python skit with the Black Knight which I'll leave for the Monty Python fans to ponder. The sort of independent Godless people who rage against God. As if they're in control of their lives and their prosperity and their circumstances. And something happens; you're thinking, that's gotta make them face reality.
Kerry Packer. Australia's richest atheist. Clinically dead after a heart attack on the polo field a few years back. Revived by a paramedic on the side of the field. You'd kind of be expecting Kerry might rethink things a bit at that point. Re-evaluate his priorities. Be humbled a bit. But since then Kerry Packer has been more determined to make money. He's quoted as saying, "I've been to the other side... and there's nothing there." An expert. Because his heart stopped for a minute or two. Refusing to consider that there's anything more to life than building his empire.
Or the sort of people when they're hit by a family tragedy are angry with God.
Let me suggest it may be if your heart is hard and you're thinking you're the God of your own domain, then when hard times come they're meant to be a reminder that you're not. Whether it's tragedy or trouble on a family scale. Or an earthquake or disaster on a global scale.
Take a look at chapter 16 verse 8 and 9. The fourth angel pours out his bowl on the sun, and the sun is scorching people with fire. Verse 9 says, "They were seared by the intense heat..." and what happens? "And they curse the name of God who had control over these plagues... but they refused to repent and glorify him."
Verse 10 and 11, same again. "The fifth angel pours out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom is plunged into darkness..." just like back in Egypt. And "Men gnaw their tongues in agony..." and what happens? Verse 11... "and they curse the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores... but they refuse to repent of what they've done."
And they refuse to treat God as God. For which in John's vision they face terrible consequences.
Which brings us, briefly, to a place called Armageddon. The plains below the Mountain of Megiddo. Famous battleground in the history of Israel.
Which again, is one of the hotspots in the book of Revelation. On the Internet, there are 977,000 websites that mention the word Armageddon. Together with another 82,000 that spell it wrong. 10 years ago in the first gulf war, the word Armageddon was a one word headline on the newspaper. With a question mark.
And the legends that have grown up around Revelation 16 verse 16 and the theories and the predictions are almost endless. Usually surrounded by incredible fear. Particularly that somehow when Armageddon comes, you might somehow be left behind.
Can I point out that in spite of the fact that you can buy over 4,700 books devoted to explaining Armageddon... all the bible says about it is 15 words. The fifteen words you can read for yourself in verse 16.
Back in verse 14, you've got the dragon and the beast and the false prophet in John's vision, and they go out to the kings of the world and they gather them for battle. And verse 16 says, "Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon."
Now I'm not sure how you'd ever write 4,700 books about that. Because the fact is, that's fundamentally where the story stops. In the midst of it you've got the words Jesus said. I'm going to sneak up on you by surprise. Behold, I come like a thief. Stay awake.
And then as the kings are gathers in all their power and their worldly might and authority... what happens?
Verse 17. When you're expecting the tumult of the final battle... you get this. "The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'It is done!'"
At which point there comes lightning and thunder and an earth-shattering quake. And God pours out his justice. Verse 19 says:
The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.
And so whether it's the powers of Jerusalem that persecuted the first Christians, or it's the cities of the nations that persecuted them after that, in John's vision, there's a reminder that God's justice over-rules. With no apparent effort from us.
And that the ones who trust in the Lord Jesus do have one who fights for them. As we stand by the crystal sea singing the song of the great salvation of God.
I don't know what you want to think about Armageddon. But the main point is, it doesn't much matter. So long as you're confident that it's god who fights for us. And there's nothing to fear.
Unless of course you're among those who in the perversity so common in the human race still persist in making themselves the centre of the universe. Instead of putting God there.
Funny comment. John Laws and Alan Jones, Australia's two leading broadcasters it called them in the paper. They've been at each other's throats through the week, you've probably followed the story. And it said in the paper yesterday John Laws was asked why they don't get on. He said, "Only one reason really." He said, in the end, "It's all about religion. The problem is, I don't think Alan Jones is God. And he does."
Which is typical of the people who no matter what God throws at them just want to curse him in return. And not repent. As you see in verse 21.
If you're like that, of course, there's no good news here at all. And can I urge you to reconsider.
But for the ones who keep on trusting Jesus in the hard times, the ones who keep on trusting Jesus in the times of threat, the ones who hear the acidic words in the media, who face the derisive comments in the workplace; re-assurance. Keep on if you can, calmly testifying about Jesus. That's all you need to do. Because there's nothing to fear either now or in the future. Think on the words of Moses in Exodus 14 all over again.... "Don't be afraid. Stand firm. And you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Lord will fight for you... you need only be still."