Revelation: Tale of Two Cities

it's if you would open your Bibles to the Gospel according to Matthew the Gospel according to Matthew chapter 24 Gospel according to Matthew chapter 24 if you're new to your Bibles this is the first of the four Gospels we call it one of the synoptic Gospels there are three Gospels Matthew Mark and Luke that our synoptic means that you can see them together you can run them alongside one another at many points the Gospel of John according to John's a little bit different not part of the Synoptics but you have four Gospels Matthew's the first Matthew is the most Jewish of all the Gospels in terms of the clear Jewish language this the association with the Old Testament references and texts Matthew is clearly gearing this gospel to those who understand the Old Testament revelation of God and he's using the Old Testament he's quoting from it copiously over and over and over again which should be the signal for all of us to make sure that as we open the Gospel according to Matthew or really any of the New Testament but in particular the Gospel according to Matthew that we are familiar with the Old Testament revelation that we know that God has spoken in history yes amen God speaks right now outside with general revelation he is shouting to the world and every person in it about his glory about his character and about his persons God is speaking to us in all of creation constantly but God has also given special revelation he's walked in the world among us as you took on flashing the person of Jesus Christ and spoke and God has given to us special revelation like this his word right now you're holding in your laps we're on your phones amazingly this is God's revelation God has spoken in history and the Gospel according to Matthew is another moment of God's special revelation connected to all of his revelation in history here's the points God has stepped into history and he has touched us yes amen he has touched us he has spoken to us he has kept his promises and as you opened Matthew 24 and you read about things like the end of the age and the judgment that was about to fall on the covenant breakers just know this isn't something just dropped into history with nothing connected to it it's part of a whole story from God a symphony a symphony now watch want to know what you understand two things to be open the text today I'm about to read it here one understanding the symphony connected to the Olivet discourse and the Great Tribulation is vital what did God promise about his coming and how does that connect to the end of the age and the next thing is in order to understand to understand who Jesus truly is we have to understand what all of scripture says about Jesus yes amen because you can have a moment in the New Testament where Jesus refers him to himself as a son of man or the son of God and people can grab that text rip it out of context and say see Jesus is the Son of God he was created by the father he wasn't pre-existent but in order to understand the revelation of Jesus Christ you have to understand what Jesus says about himself that he actually calls himself I am and go ami Yahweh he takes the divine name of God for himself and says to Jews who are monotheists they believe in only one God that before Abraham sprang into existence ago Amy I am and they knew exactly what he was saying because they picked up stones to kill him why because you being a man make yourself God we can't rip verses out of the Bible out of their context that is ultimately destructive and sinful dishonouring to God we need to believe in not just Sola scriptura that the Word of God is the foundation the sole and fallible rule of faith and practice for the church but we need to believe in tota script ora all of Scripture interpret scripture and that's my goal today you guys ready yes all right I'm gonna do my very best to condense all of this by about 5:20 you guys believe in miracles today yes we can do it all right so if I go fast today just know that today's purpose I even was talking about a wife this week I really want today to really bring the whole story together in order to really understand today's message you do need to go back and listen to the others okay so today we'll do B the whole story and I wanted to do it in a way today that helps you to remember the points okay so we're gonna start today I'm not gonna read the entire chapter today Matthew chapter 23 and let's start in verse 34 here now the words of the living and the true God Matthew 23 34 therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes some of whom you will kill and crucify and some of you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth and the blood of righteous abel to the blood of zechariah the son of berechiah whom you murdered between the sanctuary in the altar truly I say to you all these things will come upon this generation o Jerusalem Jerusalem the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it how often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings and you were not willing see your house is left to you desolate for I tell you you will not see me again until you say blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord Jesus left the temple and was going away when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple but he answered them you see all these things all these do you not truly I say to you there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down as he sat on the Mount of Olives the disciples came to him privately saying tell us when will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age thus far as the reading of God's Holy Word let's pray father please bless today by your spirit God please teach please get me out of the way help me Lord to be faithful to your people please speak through me through your word by your spirit to your people open our eyes to your truth our minds to your truth in our hearts pray Lord for anyone in this room that does not truly know you as Savior and Lord they have not received peace with you God that you would grant that today by your grace and mercy illuminate Lord your word today by your spirit let us see and understand bless us and allow us God to see the word that is before us in a way that is consistent and faithful in Jesus name Amen so as we come to this text remember the background briefly Jesus it has been said over and over and over throughout the Gospel according to Matthew has promised judgment upon this generation he has promised all these things upon this generation your house is left to you desolate he says all the blood of the righteous upon this generation we know from the beginning of Matthew the Gospel according to Matthew you have little seeds dropping that begin to grow and sprout into a larger story of judgment that's about to fall on that generation John the Baptist was the messenger that was promised before Messiah before the Messiah he enters he comes in Matthew three and he says repent for the kingdom of heaven kingdom of God the rule of God in history has come upon them it's at the fingertip reach John the they expected Jesus said John the Baptist was the Elijah the one calling Israel to repentance that they had anticipated was coming what's that mean prophecy get it again prophecy this is unique about scripture understand this the Word of God this book these books and letters 66 compiled together of God speaking in history over a hundreds and hundreds of years through multiple generations through all these different authors this revelation is unique get this God speaks and he actually tells us people you want to know how you know someone's a false prophet if they tell you the future and it doesn't come to pass it fails Deuteronomy 18 false prophet not from me why because only God is sovereign only he wields history and controls it only he can say this will happen guaranteed with full assurance no question it's gonna happen in history that is unique about the Bible you might say pastor Jeff not really unique religions do that all the time they give prophecy all the time and I would say to that yay and amen and they fail all the time example two cults and religions Mormonism Joseph Smith Brigham Young Orson Pratt Orson hide all the Mormon prophets and apostles in the first century a first generation of Mormonism they gave false prophecy after false prophecy and what do cult members and leaders do when there's false prophecy they move along write anticipated why cuz humans we err we fail give him a break give him a chance so what he failed God says false prophecy false prophet you're done you don't represent the true and living God look at jehovah's witnesses bible and tractors the Watchtower Bible and tract society Charles taze Russell judge Russert Robert Rutherford predicted the coming of Christ in their generation and failed in the 1970s the Jehovah's Witness organization lost a massive portion of their membership because of false prophecy that injured people they gave away their goods and their money they lost family and they lost their lives because of false prophecy and now they just keep on moving along notice the difference between the revelation of God and these false religions God speaks in history he tells us history before it happens and he gets it right every single time let me say pastor Jeff why'd you bring that up again we understand that I would say this understand that this moment before us with Jesus is fulfillment of prophecy a story God had laid down long before Jesus came into history now understanding that fundamental point will help you to understand the meaning of Jesus mission and his message right here in this moment for example if you read the Old Testament revelation you would understand the person of Jesus what the Bible say about Jesus long before he comes Isaiah 9:6 through seven it says that one is coming who has a son and what a child and he will be called wonderful counselor el gabor it's a Hebrew term that's used exclusively for the one and only God what's that mean el gabor the mighty God is coming as a son and as a child of the increase of his government end of peace there will be no ends that God is going to bring a messiah into the world who is oddly a human son and child and yet he is el Gabor the father of eternity the eternal one is coming as a son as a child you see God has told us history before it happens we know that God's coming as a man Micah 5:2 that it's coming to he's coming to Bethlehem and the one coming to Bethlehem is from old his goings forth are from everlasting from eternity the one coming to Bethlehem is the eternal one we know from Isaiah 53 that this Messiah who's coming is going to be crushed for our iniquities the God's going to lay on him the iniquity of us all that by his wounds will be healed that the father would be pleased to crush him putting him to grief and yet it says that he was going to die a violent death Isaiah 53 about 600 years before Jesus comes but yet it says after he dies that violent death he would justify the many he would declare them righteous justify them before God burying their sin that he would see his offspring he would prolong his days after he dies that's prophecy about Messiah we understand that as Christians right we're always trying to share that with our Jewish friends our atheist friends our Muslim friends we're saying look what the Bible says about Jesus just read read the revelation for yourself read what God said about Jesus who he was what he was going to accomplish but capture this for today that's story of history not only about Jesus salvation but also about what was it take place here in the first century is all laid down ahead of time and to properly understand the great tribulation in the Olivet discourse we need to know what the Old Testament said was coming now watch we know in terms of hermeneutics hermeneutics is the art and science of biblical interpretation right like for example we could do this with the Bible the Bible says about Judas it says Judas wouldn't hang himself right I could take that verse Judas wouldn't hang themself and I can take another verse in the Bible that says go now and do that likewise or what you do do quickly people can abuse scripture in that way with people right Judas wouldn't hang themselves now go and do it quickly I can abuse scripture in that way I could take passages in the Bible and I could abuse people with those passages I need to read scripture as a whole story not merely parts and pieces taken out of context so what we need to do is go to a text and say what does the text say in front of me but then here's the next question watch is what I'm reading here consistent with the rest of God's revelation what does God say as a consistent story throughout the Word of God how does all this hold together and so what I'm going to do today is give you this remember the number two the number two I'm gonna give you two things in different categories today one I want you to remember that the Old Testament told us a story about the Messiah that connects here to their question at the end of the age it told the story about salvation and judgments - next the Bible told us in the Old Testament about two ages Old Covenant age and the new covenant age or the age of the Messiah and finally the Bible tells us a story about two cities an old Jerusalem and a new Jerusalem today we're going to talk about that harlot in the book of Revelation and the New Jerusalem that follows you guys ready for that yes so 2:1 salvation and judgment is promised in the Old Testaments when Messiah comes it's twofold salvation and judgments next there's two ages what are they Old Covenant age and what New Covenant age and finally there's two cities what are they old Jerusalem and what new Jerusalem there you go so remember the number two today and you'll have walked away and you have learned something quickly I'll say this those two things promise in the Old Testament salvation and judgment we often remember as Christians that Jesus is promised to bring salvation when he comes into the world yes salvation and a kingdom you heard Jerry actually quoted today from Psalm 72 he shall have dominion from sea to sea from the river to the ends of the earth those kinds of passages from the Old Testament those are there we see salvation but we need to remember also that the Bible promises judgment upon the covenant breakers and today I'm gonna give you the verses write them down go read them later God promises judgment in Isaiah 65 Isaiah 65 it's a powerful passage remember when it was written at least 600 years before the Ministry of Jesus God gives you entire picture of the Messiah and his ministry who he is what he's gonna accomplish his death his resurrection all of it's there but listen to what else it also tells you what God's gonna do with the covenant breakers Messiah is coming yes he's coming to bring justice to the ends of the earth he will bring justice to the ends of the earth he's coming now to save his people and the nation's to draw them up to the mountain of God but get this he's also bringing judgment upon the covenant breakers he says to the covenant breakers and pastor Luke was talking this week about this passage he said that when he read this passage this is where the lights came on for him years ago Isaiah 65 God says to the covenant people he says you're gonna be thirsty my people are gonna eat you're gonna be hungry or sorry they're gonna drink you're gonna be hungry my people eat he says I will call my people by a new name he's gonna judge the covenant breakers and bring his salvation around the Earth Malachi chapters 3 & 4 it says when Messiah comes first he's gonna have the messenger that precedes him and then it says this listen closely Malachi 3 that when the Messiah comes he's gonna come to his temple the Lord is gonna come to his temple and when he does he's gonna bring salvation and he's gonna judge the covenant breakers those who swear falsely so watch this watch this if you've been reading for the 400 years before Jesus came into the world in his ministry if you've been reading Malachi over and over and over again waiting in anticipation for Jesus when he comes you understand every aspect you hear him talking about eternal life and forgiveness and cleansing of sin and you go that's what you're supposed to do that's the identity of the Messiah and then lo and behold you see him departing Jerusalem sitting on the Mount of Olives declaring that the Covenant people are about to be judged you say hey that sounds like Malachi 3 that sounds like Malachi 4 my goodness that sounds like Isaiah 65 here is Jesus now coming to bring salvation and lo and behold what's he saying to the covenant breakers your house is left to you desolate all the Bloods gonna be upon this generation he says you are gonna be judged your house is left to you desolate these are the days of vengeance these are the days of vengeance now watch again if you're a faithful Jew and you've been reading those Scrolls for all those years between when God stopped giving revelation from the Old Covenant until Christ's arrival you know that this is the story of the Messiah it surprise you that Jesus is speaking like this next Joel to promises that in the last days careful we see the last days terminology in the Bible and what do we immediately think the last days of human history but that terminology is used in the Old Testament not necessarily to refer to the last days of human history but to the last days of the Old Covenant age God promised in acts 2 sorry Joel 2 that in the last days he would give signs and wonders that he would speak through his people that there would be miracles all these amazing miracles and then listen blood and fire pillars of smoke before God's judgment fell now watch you know this you know Pentecost acts 2 the holy spirits poured out you ever wonder what's happening in that moment where all of a sudden there's these miraculous gifts poured outs where the people of God are speaking in other languages preaching the gospel people are hearing them in their own languages and it's it's a miracle that they can communicate the gospel and a language they'd never learned before in this one moment the gospel exploded in one moment bang and everyone went across the Empire with the gospel in one day and what's Peter say when they all see these miraculous things happening that day he quotes Joel 2 and he says this what you're seeing now with this miraculous stuff happening is that is what Joel was talking about that in the last days of what the Old Covenant age God was going to display that the judgment was about to fall through what signs and wonders all the miraculous events you see happening in the New Covenant in the New Covenant documents that was anticipated that was understood as to come before the judgment fell upon Jerusalem so there is things promised in messiahs ministry what are they salvation and what judgments so when you read Matthew 23 and 24 Luke 21 mark 13 you understand what's happening next the Bible promised two ages what are they Old Covenant and what's new covenants or the age of the Messiah quick thing Old Covenant age what comes with that remember this is overarching today guys stay with me what comes with the old covenant age what's the story fall sin promise right sin enters into the world there's the fall God promises Messiah God then makes a covenant with Abraham and says to Abraham in you shall all the nations be blessed through Jesus the story continues to move through history God is faithful to his people and then God delivers his people from Egypt out of Egypt and he gives to them his law in the Deuteronomy chapter 4 God says to his people that his law was supposed to be their wisdom in the sight of all the people people were supposed to see God's law watch and say what kind of God a God that is so near to his people like this and what look at these laws how righteous and perfect these laws are how many guys saw the conversation I had with Doug Wilson this week go check it out it's on apology of Studios thinking oh really bless you guys he made a comment there very important - about the law of God listen closely to this the law of God will save nobody amen it can't save you God is holy we're sinners it will not save you but God's law is a blessing right when you have you have a culture in a society that has God's laws the foundation that society will be blessed and it will experience the blessings and the benefits of God's law amen yes which kind of society would you like to live in a society that has God's standards of loving him and loving neighbor or a society that is a humanist society that says anything goes which would you like to live in God's law was a gift to his people and God in the Old Covenant he condescends listen you'll get it if you get this he condescends and gives his people as law as a gift and a blessing but he promises them this this special relationship he has with them is coming with blessings and what curses and in Deuteronomy 28 he tells his people I'll bless you if you obey and these are the curses if you disobey God came into a special covenant with the people of Israel it was a covenant relationship with blessings and curses I'll bless you if you obey I'll curse you if you disobey and throughout the history of the Old Testament what do you see constantly Israel does well with God's law they break it they disobeying they turn away from God and so what do you see throughout the Old Testament God actually in Ezekiel 16 calls his wife Israel he says he was a husband to her he calls her a harlot and he says what about her you're different than other harlots he says because they get paid for what they do and you don't you offer yourself to everybody and you could paid nothing he says even though I made you beautiful I gave you jewelry and all the special stuff to make you so beautiful he says you still turned away from me even though I was your husband you broke my law you broke my Commandments that's what God says to Israel throughout the Old Covenant he makes a covenant relationship with the people of Israel he says blessing and curses and they turn away from God over and over so God does this he promises a new covenant and in Jeremiah 31:31 he says this to his people he says the days are coming when I'll make a new covenant with the house of Israel he says not like the Covenant before the one they broke even though I was a husband listen to the language and you will understand the end of today's message he says to Israel you broke the covenant even though I was a husband to you and he says the new covenant I will put my law within you and I'll cause you to observe my statutes all these glorious promises God makes listen of salvation of the Messiah coming of God pouring out his spirits of God cleansing of sin of God and dwelling his people of God empowering his people to obey Him of God putting his law within people to aegis-1 Old Covenant age and to what New Covenant age or the age of the Messiah now finally I'm gonna make it I think guys 10 minutes we can do this finally I told you two things about the Old Testament what are they salvation and what judgment in the coming of the Messiah I told you the Bible promises two ages what are they Old Covenant age and what New Covenant age so now it makes sense when Jesus says the temple is going to be destroyed not one stone upon another they go when will these things be what's the sign of your coming in judgments and the end of the age which age the Christian age does the temple represent the Christian age or the Old Covenant age so they say what's the sign of your coming and the end of the age what is it Jesus they understood what it means for the temple to fall finally here we go the Bible tells you about two cities two covenants two cities an old Jerusalem and a new Jerusalem just mark this down and then go read it and by the way I think you're gonna be very surprised when you read Ezekiel 16 with the language that God uses in his word when he speaks about sin it is blunt it is a serrated edge God does not pull punches God tells the truth and when God speaks about Israel his bride in covenant with him and her adultery's turning away from him he speaks in a very honest in a very graphic way that's Ezekiel 16 there's an old Jerusalem an Old Covenant Matthew 23 Jesus speaks to that Jerusalem what does he say Jerusalem Jerusalem who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her he says upon you shall be all the blood of the righteous these are the days of vengeance and one more thing remember I said this to you how when I saw it after I'd read it a thousand times it shocked me like it seems so out of place Jesus is on the way to the cross he says very few things from his judgment to going to be crucified but on the way to the cross there's this moment recorded where Jesus actually says to the women who are crying he says don't weep for me weep for yourselves and for your children and he promises to those women on the way to the crucifixion that they ought to be weeping for themselves because they're about to be judged the judgment is coming upon that old City that old Jerusalem not one stone would be left standing upon another before that generation had all passed away and brothers and sisters it happened on time and as plans that Jewish temple was taken apart stone off of stone and it was levelled and destroyed did you know that when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans the three-and-a-half year war of the Romans versus the Jews did you know that the Jews were stuck in the city the only people who escaped the judgment on Jerusalem were the Christians because Jesus Jesus told them what to look for and when to flee and not to risk going to get anything but to leave the city immediately and they did as a matter of historic record but did you know the Jews that were stuck in the city those covenant breaking Jews that they had to try to survive by eating dung that they ate their own children to survive they actually at some points would kill one another over morsels of food that when the Roman guards and armies came into the city they saw the Jews so starving from famine these people were so broken in terms of their evil and their wickedness that they would watch these Jews dying a famine they would let them live so they would suffer more from the famine and if they saw anybody that looked like they were full or had food they would kill them and cut their bellies open there were so many Jews crucified in that generation that if you actually walked outside of Jerusalem during the time of the war and all these things that took place it was like a forest of trees with human bodies on them they crucified so many Jews the Romans did that it looked like a forest of crucifixes and humans surrounding the city Josephus recorded that the blood was flowing through the streets like a river that is what came upon Jerusalem in that generation before they all had died that old Jerusalem was judged just as jesus promised next turn to buy any Bible of revelation 17 now I know that it's tempting it's very tempting to say let's start unpacking the book of Revelation passage up and I would say that would be dangerous to do in one day but know this the book of Revelation we believe was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD if you want a good book on that read before Jerusalem fell by Kenneth Gentry it's a it's powerful powerful book however the book of Revelation is over four hundred verses over half of those verses are quotations from the Old Testament or allusions to Old Testament passages the Apostle John is using the imagery that is so well understood from the Old Testament revelation and he is using that imagery in a way that early Christian Jews would understand so in revelation 17 you have a story of a great harlot a a prostitute and it says that this harlot come I will show you verse 1 the judgment of the great prostitute who was seated on many waters with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality and with the wine of whose sexual morality the dwellers on earth have become drunk now read Ezekiel 16 see the description there what God says about his covenant people the harlot bride and you'll see the same language it says this and he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness brothers and sisters quick test here is the wilderness good or bad it's bad who was in the wilderness Israel why because they obeyed God no cuz they were disobedient to God so they wandered in the wilderness for what a generation so who do you have now in the spirit in the wilderness you have a harlot an adulterous woman in the wilderness and it says what about her that she's committed sexual immorality with the kings of the earth what does God accused Israel of in Ezekiel 16 exactly that and it says this I saw the woman sitting on a scarlet beast it was full of blasphemous names and they had seven heads and ten horns and you might ask the question pastor Jeff how do you say that this is Old Covenant Israel how are you saying this is the old Jerusalem why is she riding a seven-headed ten horn beast this is just whetting your appetite brothers and sisters here but rome was known as the septum antium it was on their coins the septum antium the city of Seven Hills Rome had ten Imperial provinces so you might be saying what is this woman doing riding this seven headed ten horn beast and how is that Jerusalem well brothers and sisters what happened to the trial of Jesus Pontius Pilate a Roman governor has Jesus now in his grip and he says to the Jews of his day in Jerusalem he says shall I crucify your king and the old covenant will the breakers of the Old Covenant the first century Jews say to a Roman governor we have no king but Caesar how is Jerusalem riding Rome they declared we have no king but Caesar that's not our king crucify him give us Barabbas we'll take Rome and you wonder how the Apostle John can say this harlots is riding Rome that she's in the wilderness and it says this it says the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality hmm what is this harlot doing wearing the priests colors why is the harlot riding Rome wearing the priests colors just consider it an honor forehead was written a name of Mystery Babylon the great mother of prostitutes and of Earth's abominations brothers and sisters think about it for a moment now where else in the Bible do you hear about stuff on people's foreheads and their hands Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4 shema yisrael Yahweh lokay know Yahweh God here o Israel the Lord our God the Lord is what 1 and God says to his people there in that passage he says you shall talk about this when you rise up when you walk along the way you should put it on your doorpost and he says this you shall put it as a sign on your head and your hands was that literal Jews were literally supposed to walk around with like things dangling on their forehead in their hands like everywhere there went that would get very uncomfortable and annoying right at night you go to bed you got to take off the thing off your hand on your forehead right it make kissing kind of awkward right strange it means watch forehead represents ownership who do you belong to your hand your right hand symbolize two Jews what you do your activity your labor your work so to have the one and only true and living God as your God and your submitted to him that was he owns you it's on your head everything you do is in God now interesting this harlot this riding Rome wearing the priests colors she's got a different name on her forehead what'd she have on her forehead Babylon brothers and sisters ready good thing or bad thing Babylon go to bed bad who went into exile to babylon the jews for what covenant unfaithfulness so you seeing it now are you seeing the old jerusalem are you seeing the covenant breakers this harlot woman wearing the priests colors in the wilderness riding Rome with Babylon on her forehead and it says this I saw the woman verse 6 drunk with the blood of the Saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus hmm who did Jesus use of killing God's people Jerusalem Jerusalem who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it what did Jesus say to the covenant breakers in Matthew 24 he says I'm gonna send to you prophets Wiseman scribes he says you're gonna kill and you're gonna crucify them what is this woman doing she's drinking the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus she's killing the early Christians as a matter of historic record the two greatest antagonists to the Christian Church in the first century were Jerusalem and Rome now watch this think about this for a moment and we're finishing up here think about this you're an early Jewish Christian in the first century enduring hardship and persecution you know Jesus rose from the dead and you know he said he's about to destroy this temple but your people are being killed by thoes covenant breakers and by Nero Nero is rounding up Christians in the street he's killing the Apostles he's setting Christians on fire for his garden parties to use them as Roman candles he's eating Christians while they're tied to a stake Nero was he was a beast and now John is telling these Christians don't worry hang on the harlot is about to be judged and he promises as much here he says that this woman I'll let you read this last part here verse 15 and the angel said to me the waters that you saw where the prostitute is seated and there are people's and multitudes and nations and languages and the ten horns that you saw they and the Beast will hate the prostitute they will make her desolate and naked and they devour her flesh and burn her up with fire here's the promise that harlot that you see persecuting the Christians riding Rome in league with Rome don't worry the Beast is about to turn on her make her desolate burn her with fire that old city that old Jerusalem that old covenant representative is about to be judged that beast she's riding it's about two burner and make her desolate and burn her with fire and brothers and sisters within a matter of a couple of years of this composition of this being composed Rome turned on Israel sacked the city annihilated Israel that old city that prostitute city was judged remember I told you two things in the Old Testament what are they salvation and what judgment there are two ages what are they Old Covenant and what New Covenant and there are two cities old Jerusalem and what's New Jerusalem so watch when Jesus says this temple is about to be destroyed I'll make a desolate it's a left to you desolate before you all die before this generation passes away they say end of the age the Old Covenant it's over this being wiped away New Covenant is here now John says in the first century this harlot is about to be judged guys it's about to happen make her desolate burn her with fire and then John gives us this amazing imagery this beautiful story of a new city turn over from revelation 17 21 you've got the harlot city judged the old age is over and then John has another vision then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more all biblical symbols and imagery and I saw the holy city New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God stop pause look up here for a second don't look anymore at the page wait look up here don't do it don't I know it's tempting don't we've read this as Christians as Gentiles admit it you open the book you say man hoppers rioting beasts four horsemen whatever does it mean you just start getting creative and people do but if you know the Old Testaments you know these are biblical images and symbols and we don't have the right as Gentile Christians to make it malleable to say what we want it to say we need to interpret it biblically amen yes so we see the story of a new heavens and a new earth and a new city and we say oh that's heaven one day really heaven only that's what it represents heaven one day at the end of history question then why does the text say coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband what is the New Jerusalem called the bride what do we have the story of the old city judged the harlot wife put away and destroyed and now we have a New Jerusalem coming down to the heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband and you know the glory of this New Jerusalem it's amazing actually it says that it's a city that's actually a square do you ever think about that let me just say this if this is literal about heaven that's the strangest experience for all eternity we're gonna be in a box for all eternity do you think about it a cube for all eternity that's heaven but be honest that's very strange and isn't it weird that the Space Shuttle flies what is it 200 miles above Earth and him I know that number it's about 200 miles is that right can someone check me on that how many okay so let's say the space shuttle flies 150 to 200 miles about the earth do you know the city is described as 1,500 miles squared 1,500 miles that means that the city is up over the Earth's atmosphere by 1,300 miles above where the Space Shuttle flies this cube so you go wait a minute what is this really saying that it's a city that's a queue now come with me now do you know your old testament where else is there a cube in the Old Testament who knows oh I think I failed here okay we're gonna read more of the Old Testament where else is there a cube in the Old Testament a place that is a cube drew okay give me give me though a place there's a place don't get though what is it who said it the Holy of Holies watch in the Jewish temple there was a place behind a veil that was a perfect cube it was the Holy of Holies and it symbolized watch the very presence of gods remember the priests of the go in there and like it's scary because he's a sinner he's going into this Holy of Holies it represents God's presence it was a fearful terrible place because we are a wreck because we're sinners that was the Jewish temple a little cubed room that was the Holy of Holies to symbolize God's presence are you catching this the New Jerusalem the entire city is God's presence he indwells his bride all of us get him he is present in all of us the entire city the New Jerusalem the entire place God indwells it's not like the old city with a veil and a little Holy of Holies place this time the entire city gets the presence of God and then there's something else with this New Jerusalem we're gonna end it here look at it it says in chapter 22 verse 12 behold I am coming soon brothers and sisters there's no way to make soon 2000 years soon he's promising judgment on that generation I'm coming soon bringing my recompense with me to repay each one for what he has done I am the Alpha and the Omega the first and the last the beginning and the end blessed are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates watch outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and practices false said brothers sisters listen closely here's the story old age over old Jerusalem judged New Jerusalem new city hits the earth God's presence with his people watch if this is literally heaven someday in the future then what in the world are sinners doing hanging out outside the city do you think in heaven one day we're gonna be in this perfect cube and outside are dogs and immoral and sorcerers and sinners is hanging out like throwing Tomatoes of the city or something are you getting the imagery here now the presence of God is with his people and now his people enter into his gates they receive eternal life outside of the kingdom of God are those who are fallen and need Jesus but what's the invitation that comes out verse 17 the spirit and the bride say come and let the one who here say come and let the one who is thirsty come but the one who desires to take the water of life without price come what is the call coming out of the City of God now what's the call coming out of the New Jerusalem now the rivers of life are here the word goes out to the world come drink from the river of life come receive eternal life and salvation come enter the City of God come enter the rule of God in the world the harlot has been put away the Old Covenant age is over this is the age of salvation and the Messiah come and drink from the waters of life that's the call you seeing it so what's the Old Testament promise with the coming of Messiah two things what is it salvation and judgments what are the two ages promised Old Covenant and what and what are the two cities in Scripture old Jerusalem and what amen how'd I do I was close let's pray father thank you for your word thank you for the time we had in your word please bless us help us to understand this even more and as we open up Matthew 24 in the coming weeks help us Lord to understand how you keep your promises and what a terrible and fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of the Living God in Jesus name Amen

Channel: Apologia Studios

Views: 37,045

Keywords: jeff durbin, apologia studios, apologia church, best sermons, sermon jam, jeff durbin sermon, book of revelation, end of the age, end of the world, jim bakker buckets, left behind movie, left behind trailer, rapture movie, great tribulation, is jesus coming soon, jesus is coming soon, signs of the times, end times message, book of revelation study, steven anderson sermon, post tribulation, pre trib rapture, kirk cameron movie

Id: pHy6OBRlvx4

Length: 53min 37sec (3217 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 05 2019