Tonight as we move into our study of Revelation completing the 11th chapter. The title of the messages is The Third Woe. And we're going to be looking in Revelation 11:15-19. And as we think about the meaning of the third woe, I'm going to reach back and do a little bit of review. before we get into the 15th verse of the 11th chapter of Revelation. We go back to what I'll display on the screen which is the 8th chapter of Revelation verse 13 where John said, "I looked and I heard an angel flying "through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice." And there are those three woes. "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth "because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet "of the three angels who are about to sound." So the place that in the sequence where John here's this proclamation about the three remaining woes is after the fourth trumpet has sounded. And this angel proclaims that the three woes pronounced in the eighth chapter in the 13th verse are the final three trumpets which will sound. Trumpets five, six and seven. So with the sixth trumpet having sounded, there was this interlude as we discussed between the sixth and seventh in each of the seal trumpet and bowl judgments, there's this interlude between the sixth and seventh in each of those. In Revelation 11:14 it says, "The second woe is past. "Behold the third woe is coming." And that pronouncement was made between the sounding of the sixth trumpet and the interlude before the sounding of the seventh. So to just display it on a chart, woe one is trumpet five woe two is trumpet six. And then verse 14 said the third woe is coming quickly. That's trumpet number seven. So you understand that for these three woes to be pronounced tells us that the time of the of the end is fast approaching. Now, remember we discussed how in the seventh of the seals everything that follows is really under the seventh seal. The seven trumpets and the seven bowls really are under the seventh seal. And if you want to break it down another step, the remaining bowl judgments are included in the sounding of that seventh trumpet. So there's a sense in which the seventh trumpet is going to unleash the worst of the judgments that will have taken place during the final stages of the tribulation. For instance, you may remember back in the 10th chapter of Revelation, John saw an angel. And he had one foot on the land and one foot on the sea, and the angel in the sixth verse of Revelation 10 made this proclamation that there should be delay no longer. But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel or the seventh trumpet, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished as He declared to His servants the prophets. So what I'm doing is I'm simply saying that if the seventh trumpet is this third woe that was announced in the eighth chapter. And in the 10th chapter the angel with one foot on the land, one foot on the sea, said that just before the seventh trumpet sounds the mystery of God's judgment revealed to the prophets is about to take place. All this means is that the blast of the seventh trumpet brings the end into play. And it is the mystery of the day of the Lord which the seventh trumpet will usher in. Now, there are still bowl judgments that follow the seventh trumpet. But the idea here is that it will all happen in such rapid succession that the seventh trumpet is really what sounds the whistle, blows the horn, literally that the end is upon us. So this is where we pick up in the 15th verse of Revelation 11. The seventh angel sounds, that's the seventh trumpet which is the third woe. And what happened when the seventh angel sounded? John tells us there were loud voices in heaven saying, "The kingdoms of this world "have become the kingdoms of our Lord "and of His Christ. "And He shall reign for ever and ever." So what you have there in verse 15, with the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the third woe, you have this proclamation that there is a final transfer of the power of all of the kingdoms of the world. The power of those kingdoms is transferred to the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, even though that has not happened yet, it is being pronounced simultaneously with the sounding of the seventh trumpet as though it is already taken place. In this narrative, the transfer is announced before it takes place because when God decrees something it's as good as done even though it has yet to occur. And so literally and practically the kingdoms of the world will not have been transferred to Christ. Christ has not yet returned at this point. It is in the final moment of the tribulation period, but the proclamation of the angel with the sounding of the seventh trumpet is it might as well have been handed over to Christ because the judgment of the world is sealed now. And God's wrath is irreversible. The seventh trumpet is a trumpet of magnitude. And this transfer is announced even though it's not taking place. And it reminds me of what Paul wrote about God in Romans 4:17 where he said, "God, who gives life to the dead." And look at this, God calls those things which do not exist as though they did. And that's what I would say Revelation 11:15 is. When the angel says the kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, It's God calling it into existence even though it is not yet materialized. And this ought to encourage all of us that the promises that God has given us are as good and solid and dependable as His very decrees that will come to pass. And we can bank on those. Now, when you think about the kingdoms of this world by this time in the final stages of the tribulation, the kingdoms of the world will have aligned themselves under the antichrist. And they will hate the Jewish people. And they will hate all people who are saved during the tribulation. And most of all, most importantly they will hate Almighty God the Creator of heaven and earth. And when you see this transfer of power from the kingdoms of this world who are hostile to God over to Christ who will reign supreme on the earth one day, it hearkens back to one of the most powerful Psalms in the Old Testament, which we refer to as Messianic Psalms. Psalm 2 is the first Messianic Psalm, a Psalm that Jesus fulfilled not only when He came the first time, but many of the Messianic Psalms will not be fulfilled until Christ comes the second time. So I thought I would show you Psalm 2:8-9 from the New Living Translation were quoting from God and just imagine this is God the Father speaking to His Son only ask, all you have do is ask my Son and I will give you the nations as your inheritance. The whole earth is your possession. And God says to His Son, "You will break them with an iron rod and smash them "into pieces like clay pots." So in this Messianic Psalm, the second Psalm, God says to His Son prophetically, ask of me and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and you will smash them through your rod of sovereignty and power on the earth. Now we know when Jesus came to the world the first time, He was not given the rod with which to smash the reign and power of the nations into pieces like clay pots. Therefore this Messianic Psalm will only be fulfilled when Christ returns. And here in Revelation chapter 11 this proclamation, the kingdoms of this world have been transferred and have become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. This is a fulfillment of Psalm 2:8-9 where God promised His Son that His Son would inherit the nations of the world and one day rule over them. And that can only happen through a literal return of Christ to the earth to establish His kingdom. What I want you to understand with me is this transfer of power is going to happen. And the angel in verse 15 of Revelation 11 announces it as though it's already taken place. But I love the last part of verse 15. It ends with the words and He shall reign forever and ever. Please underline that in your copy of the Scripture. Revelation 11:15, the last phrase says and He shall reign forever and ever. Now, when you look at the entirety of that verse where these loud voices, these angelic voices and certainly those who are redeemed in heaven are crying out, that the transfer of power has taken place. The kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. It is this verse, Revelation 11:15, that was the lyric for one of the most majestic, musical compositions in the history of music which is from Handel's Messiah the Hallelujah Chorus. The Hallelujah Chorus is inspired by Revelation 11:15. And the lyric is the kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and of His Christ. And then all the parts by God. And He shall reign and He shall reign and He shall reign. And then it goes into, forever and ever hallelujah. You've heard the song. And when you hear it, what do you do? We always stand up when we hear that powerful song of praise. It comes from this verse that inspired the great composer Handel. So with that said, this forever reign of Christ, over a kingdom which shall never end pronounced here in Revelation 11:15. It was that same idea, which Gabriel the angel articulated to the Virgin Mary when he announced that she would have within her conceived the Son of God by the Holy Spirit. He told Mary in Luke 1:33, "And He your son, "will reign over the house of Jacob forever." And look at what's underlined. "And of His kingdom there will be no end." So I want you to understand something tonight. We are part of a forever kingdom and the ruler of the kingdom to which we belong is none other than Jesus. And His reign, His dominion, His power will never ever be curtailed. It is a reign. It is a power. It is a glory that will endure throughout eternity. So now what I want us to do is after this proclamation of these voices in heaven, they announced the transfer of all the kingdoms of the world under the dominion of Jesus Christ. Heaven breaks into a glorious time of worship. Verse number 16, look at it with me. John says, after this beautiful proclamation, the 24 elders who sat before God on their thrones, they fell on their faces and they worshiped God saying, "We give You thanks, "O Lord God Almighty , "the One who is and who was and who is to come." And look at the last line. They're praising Him because they're saying to God, You have taken Your great power and You have reigned. So in the worship of these 24 elders responding to the proclamation of the transfer of power, they are acknowledging God's eternal nature. He was, He is and He always shall be. And I love saying that about God. He is without beginning. He is the eternal. I AM in the present and He forever shall be into the eons of eternity. He is infinite from both eternity past and into the eternity and the infinity of the future. They are worshiping God as this God who cannot be confined by the constraints, who cannot be bound by the parameters of time. But they're also worshiping Him by acknowledging His sovereign power. Now, when you look at what they said there in verse 17. They said, "You have taken Your great power and reigned." Now I want you to think with me for a moment about God's great power. That's what those 24 elders were worshiping God. God You're the one with the great power. But would you agree with me that all of the greatness of God's power is currently in restraint. There there is no other conclusion to draw than that. I mean, if God's power were not in a state of restraint, then how could there be so much evil that goes unchecked for the moment? How could there be so much darkness? How could there be so much demonic activity, so much wickedness, so much injustice, so much mistreatment of man to fellow man. It's because God's sovereign power is in a state of restraint right now. And the restraint of God's divine power flows from the attribute of God's divine wisdom. God is restraining His power because in His perfect wisdom it is only at a later time when He will turn the spigot so to speak and unleash the power that throughout history has been held in restraint by His wisdom. In the moment when God so determines, His power will be unleashed through anger and wrath and holy judgment. And that's what John is seeing take place. So in other words, at this moment the 24 elders are responding to this transfer. The kingdoms of the world are now under the dominion of Christ. It's being proclaimed as though it's already happening even though it is still remaining to take place. What they're saying is God the power that you have held in restraint you have now unleashed because you have handed the nations of the world to your Son, just as you promised Him. So when they said you have taken your great power, I believe what these elders are saying, that is a power God has held back, but they're saying you've taken it now and you have driven the flag pole in the ground and you've run the flag of Christ up the pole. And it is flying over Jerusalem. You have taken the power, which was under restraint and now you have reigned with it. And this is kingdom language. This is the language of a Messianic kingdom when Jesus is vindicated, because God takes His power and He reigns with it through His Son who will live on this earth and have an earthly kingdom. Oh, this is exciting. What a passage for us to end on this year. So now I want us to look in verse 18. These elders are continuing to give God praise. They say, "The nations were angry and Your wrath has come. "And the time of the dead has come "that they should be judged "and that You should reward Your servants "the prophets and the saints "and those who fear Your name small and great. "And that You should destroy those who destroy the earth." I want you to underline there in verse 18 in your copy of Scripture, the nations were angry. Because if you'll remember, we just went back to the second Psalm a moment ago but this idea of the nations being angry, being spoken of here in the 11th chapter of Revelation, that language comes directly from Psalm 2 yet again. And in Psalm chapter 2 beginning in verse 1, the writer asks the question, why are the nations so angry? Remember we just read in verse 18, the nations were angry. But the Psalmist asked, why are the nations so angry? And why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle, the rulers plot together against the Lord and against His Anointed One. Let us break their chains they cry, and free ourselves from slavery to God. But the writer goes on to say in Psalm 2:4, the one who rules in heaven laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. Then in anger He rebukes them terrifying them with His fierce fury, for the Lord declares, I have placed my chosen King on the throne in Jerusalem on my Holy mountain. Now let me ask you a question. Did any of that happen when Christ came the first time? No it did not. But I'll tell you when it is gonna happen. God is laughing at the nations who rage against Him. He is laughing in derision at their arrogance because He knows they're going to receive His wrath as they defy Him, blaspheme Him and rebel against Him. And yet He says here, they will feel my wrath when I establish my chosen King who will rule on His throne in Jerusalem. That can be none other than Jesus and that can be referring to a time none other than the culmination of the tribulation when Christ returns to the earth. So you see what we've done even on two different occasions, we've gone from the 11th chapter of Revelation back to Psalm chapter 2. And my how vivid the line of connection is. And I want you to understand something with me. This is why I am so deeply and passionately opposed to globalism. To any type of global order, because listen, you don't just ask what feels good, looks good and makes sense. Now you ask the question, you always ask the question, where is this leading? You always ask the question, where is this going? Where is the destination? Not does it feel good to be on the road we're on, but where is this road taking us? And you know, when I'm listening to some of the announcements that have been made recently by a leader who will most likely represent all of us in this country. And I hear about for instance, one of the leaders that he's tapped from California who believes in late term abortion and other types of worldviews that are espoused in this smorgasbord of appointments. I just want you to understand something. If we eventually move into the global alliance, listen to me when I tell you, it all comes down to the kingdoms of this world and Israel over whom Christ will rule. And ultimately the kingdoms of this world are going to be mocked by God as He sends Christ to consume them in His wrath. So we need to interpret things not in light of personality, not in light of rhetoric, not in light of people saying things the wrong way. We need to put our big boy pants on, pop the hood on the automobile and look at the engine and see what it's made of. Let's get over all of this petty little insult in who said this and who said that? And let's think about people's worldview and lining up people's beliefs with the Word of God. And at the end of the day, you have to line up beliefs beside Scripture and you have to align yourself with whoever has more in common with a scriptural worldview. I mean, I'm gonna be honest with you. I don't get the question. I don't get the dilemma. When we're studying this Book you see where it is all heading. So I'm just, I'm wanting to just call your attention to this. Be alert, be sober, be aware. It doesn't matter who's in charge. It doesn't matter who got elected or reelected. I'm telling you, I look objectively, with no bias, no prejudice at anyone who is in leadership over this country. And I have plenty of criticism for the current leader. And if our new leader is installed, I will have plenty of him I'm sure already do. Why? Because I am an equal opportunity persecutor (laughs). I believe that we should critique leaders in light of Scripture, but enough about that. So back to verse 18. He says the time of the dead that they should be judged. This proclamation, that the time of the dead for the time for the dead to be judged. This anticipates the resurrections that will precede the final judgments that God prophesies in Scripture. Now we're gonna talk about this at a later time. But for the moment, I just thought I would display for you several resurrections which are talked about in Scripture. We know that when the rapture takes place, the dead in Christ will be raised. So there is the resurrection of people who've died during the church age which has lasted for 2,000 years. If the rapture happened right now, every Christian who's died from the day of Pentecost through today would be resurrected. There is also the resurrection of the Old Testament Saints which will occur after the Tribulation. Then there is the resurrection of the martyrs. Those who died during the Tribulation, they did not live during the Old Testament dispensation or period. They lived during the Tribulation. They were saved during the Tribulation but they lost their lives or died in some way in the Tribulation, they will be resurrected. And then there is the unbelieving dead, the resurrection of all unsaved at the end of the Millennium. As I said, we're gonna talk about that later on in our study. But thinking about this idea of there being a resurrection of Old Testament believers, they are not raised in the rapture when believers from the church age are raised. Did you realize that? Daniel had this revealed to him. In Daniel chapter 12, the angel said, "At that time Michael shall stand up, "the great prince who stands watch "over the sons of your people. "There shall be a time of trouble "such as never was since there was a nation "even to that time. "And at that time your people shall be delivered. "Everyone who is found written in the book." So he's obviously talking here to Daniel about the people of Israel. And this is the period of the great Tribulation. Jesus quoted Daniel 12:1. So we're in the great Tribulation. The angel said to Daniel in verse 2, "Many of those who sleep "in the dust of the earth shall awake. "Some to everlasting life, "some to shame and everlasting contempt." So Daniel's prophecy here, it was revealed to him that at the end of the Tribulation his people, Jewish people will be resurrected after the Tribulation. And let me tell you something. The rapture is what brings an end to God's program for the church, the age of the Gentiles. But the Tribulation is what brings to an end God's program for the Jewish people. So in the same way that we as Christians will be raised at the end of the day church age, the rapture. So remember in Daniel 9 there were 70 weeks, or 490 years appointed for the Jewish people. And that Tribulation period is the 70th week or the last seven year period in God's program assigned to the Jewish people. It is only fitting there for that just as after the short history of the church age dead believers will be resurrected after the final week or set of seven years, the 70th week which will complete the program for the Jewish people, the resurrection of Old Testament believers will happen at that culmination point. I hope you're following that. Jesus talked about future resurrection. In John 5:28-29 He said, "Don't be so surprised. "The time is coming when all the dead in their graves "will hear the voice of God's Son and they will rise again. "Those who've done good "will rise to experience eternal life. "Those who've continued in evil "will rise to experience judgment." And I believe in that prophecy, Jesus was talking about two different resurrections, the resurrection of the righteous, the resurrection of the unrighteous, and they are separated by periods of time. In Revelation 20:4-6, we are told by John that before the Millennial reign of Christ begins, and I don't know how closely this will be linked with the resurrection of Old Testament Saints, but it's in that same period between the end of the Tribulation and the beginning of the 1,000 year reign of Christ there will be a resurrection of the Tribulation Saints as I mentioned in the list. That's in Revelation 20:4. And then after the Millennium is when all unrighteous dead will be raised and judged and sentenced to the Lake of Fire. We'll talk about all this later, but I'm wanting to plant seeds in your mind, give you stuff to chew on because we're gonna be offline in our study for a long time until January the 6th. The point of verse 18 in Revelation 11. If you didn't follow any of what I just said, the point of verse 18 is that these resurrections and subsequent rewards or judgment, both of which were mentioned in verse 18, these are pronounced in Revelation 11:18 as being eminent. And it stands to reason, because two resurrections are gonna happen at the end of the Tribulation. Resurrection of Old Testament Saints and resurrection of Tribulation believers who died during the seven year Tribulation. So that resurrection is just moments away from this sounding of the seventh trumpet as it was depicted to John. So here's what this proclamation is proving. The doctrine of the resurrection, of judgment, of reward. It's proving this, that what God has prophesied in His warnings to judge and in His promises to reward will be fulfilled. And God has prophesied both. He has warned that there will be a time when He will raise all the dead to a judgment seat. Ultimately unbelievers to a great white throne. And that God has promised those who live by faith and are made right with God by grace Will be raised to face a reward. And this pronouncement is just reminding all of us that what God has said would happen, the resurrection unto eternal life, the resurrection to eternal damnation. These are realities. They will take place. And sometimes I tell you, I'll tell you the most difficult doctrine for me to absorb is eternal damnation. I mean, you know I think about how many times I've been in places where I've been miserable, or I've been so uncomfortable. And with all due respect some of those times have been on mission trips Where it was hot and humid. The mosquitoes were eating me up and I had (laughs) pardon the graphic description here, but dysentery and all the intestinal thing. I never go anywhere out of the country that I don't have some kind of problem with my stomach. And you know, there's nothing like being somewhere in the middle of nowhere, you hear the mosquitoes buzzing around you. You're sick to your stomach. You're in a primitive setting. You are in utter misery. And but there's something that tells you if you'll just hang on you're gonna be back home one day, you're gonna get back in an air conditioned home. You're gonna be back in your bed. You're gonna be back in a safe, comfortable, and convenient environment. As much as we all hate to be in miserable circumstances and we hang onto the fact that eventually we can end up somewhere better, the idea that people will have, who don't know God, who don't believe in Jesus Christ, the idea that they will go to a place of eternal darkness and torment and damnation, and don't matter how miserable it is, there is no escaping it. That's the hardest truth for me to get my arms around. And I've been preaching this Book all of my adult life and eternal torment torments me when I think about even people that I've known and loved who may even be there now. And I think about how the masses of humanity alive right now, who when they die will one day face hell's flames. I don't understand how all that works. I just know the Bible teaches it. I have to believe it, but if I focused on it and thought about it too much I would never get any sleep because of the brokenness that I have in my heart for people who are headed there, it's real. And we're living our lives we think COVID is bad. Let me tell you something, hell is worse than COVID. Hell is worse than anything that anybody's ever experienced on planet earth ever. So let's look in verse 19. It says after all of this, the proclamation of the kingdoms of this world being transferred to Christ, the worship of the 24 elders, he says, "Then the temple of God was opened in heaven. "And the Ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. "And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings "and earthquake and great hail." Now as you may remember, the phenomena of lightenings and noises and thunderings, these were first introduced to us in chapter 4 when we saw John transported into the throne room of God. And we realized that those lightenings and thunderings and voices and all of those things that were described, we realized that those things were manifestations of God's holiness and God's righteous power. And those noises and those images, the claps of thunder, the streaks of lightning, these things symbolize the Holy character of God. And here they are appearing again after this seventh trumpet sounds. This time there is great hail that accompanies those phenomena. And when you think about hail, hail pieces of ice that fall down from heaven to the earth and accomplish great damage, hail is a sign of judgment. So all of the imagery and the proclamations are that the wrath of God is about to be unleashed in its fullness after the sounding of this seventh trumpet. But what I wanna focus on as we wrap it all up tightly tonight is that John mentions the temple in heaven. He says after this transfer of power is announced by the voices in verse 15. And after these elders are worshiping God for His eternal character and nature, that He's taken His power and He's reigned. And that He's going to consume these nations that have been so angry and rebellious with His wrath. He's gonna establish His King, His Anointed One. All those things we just looked at, the next image is the temple in heaven. And we've not taken a lot of time to talk about this but he says there in verse 19, the temple of God was opened in heaven and the ark of His covenant was seen in the temple. Now you have to be a little bit familiar with the temple from the Old Testament. As you may know, the Ark of the Covenant was housed inside the temple in the inner most compartment of the temple, a room that was called the Holy of Holies. The Ark was the most sacred piece of furniture. It was like a box that had a lid on it, and its contents were symbolic of God's holiness and of God's faithfulness to His people. And these golden, carefully crafted cherubs were mounted to the top of the lid that covered this box, this Ark of the Covenant. And that lid was called the mercy seat and those cherubs or cherubim as they're called in the plural. They symbolize the presence of God. And it's because it was such a holy place. God's presence dwelling between the wings of those cherubs that were mounted to the top of the Ark of the Covenant. That the high priest could only go in there one time a year, one day a year. Now here's what I want you to think about. When you consider the fact that it was the cross of Jesus Christ and the final death of Jesus where the veil was torn, we think about that giving us entrance into the holiness of God which is what it symbolizes. But isn't it fascinating that now that we're at the end where everything's gonna be pushed fast-forward and think the bowls are about to be poured out. And the end is near, that John's attention is directed to a heavenly temple, and he sees the Ark of the Covenant. And whereas we usually think about us being able to approach the holiness of God because of the torn veil through the shed blood of Christ, I believe what this is symbolizing is that the holiness of God and the presence of God housed between the cherubs on the Ark of the Covenant described here, that holiness of God is about to come out of the heavenly temple. And the hurl down to the earth in God's judgment. God's holy power is about to be unfurled. So, I thought I would take a moment to talk about the temple because there have been several temples and there will still be other temples. And I wanna show you this chart. Solomon built the first temple. He was David's son. And the temple provided a permanent structure for what had been a temporary tent that Moses had built, the tabernacle. So Solomon built the first permanent temple there on Mount Zion in Jerusalem on the temple Mount. Then after Nebuchadnezzar destroyed that, the Jews started returning from Babylon and Zerubbabel led a restoration of the temple after the exile. Then King Herod came along and completely refurbished the temple and gave to it a quality of grandeur and glory that made it one of the architectural masterpieces of the Roman empire. And it was Herod's temple that was standing when Jesus was on the earth. And then in 70 AD the Romans destroyed it along with all of Jerusalem. But we have reason to believe that there will be a temple built in Jerusalem during the Tribulation. Because the antichrist according to Daniel and according to Jesus, the antichrist is going to commit the abomination of desolation by standing in the temple and defiling it, which means there will have to be a temple for him to defile it. And so we believe there'll be a Tribulation temple. And then Ezekiel talks about a Millennial temple that there will be a temple in Jerusalem during the 1,000 year reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. So I just thought I'd give you a little snapshot of the history of the temple in Jerusalem and of what we believe prophecy teaches us about a temple that will be rebuilt. And I don't know how all of that's gonna jive with the dome of the rock and Aksum mosque. But I can tell you this, if God wants that temple on the temple Mount, that temple is gonna be built on the temple Mount. Dome of the rock or not. And you talk about bringing the wrath of the Islamic people but they need to know that temple is not for Muhammad. That temple is for the glory of the Son of the Living God. The Son of the Living God is not only a prophet of God. Mohammad claimed to be a prophet but Jesus was God in human flesh. And when Jesus comes back to Jerusalem I'm telling you if there's no temple there He will clear it off with the fire of His breath. But in the end, there will be no mosque. There will be no golden dome on the temple Mount Jerusalem. There will only be the temple of Jehovah God where the throne of His exalted, glorified Son Jesus is established. Well, I'm telling do you feel how passionate I am about this? We need to be preaching this. This is powerful stuff. But when you get in the book of Revelation, do you realize there are 10 references to the temple in heaven in Revelation. Now think about it. Not Solomon's temple, not Zerubbabel's temple, not Herod's temple, not the Tribulation temple or Millennial temple, but 10 references to a temple in heaven. So what's this thing? Is it an earthly temple or is there a heavenly temple? And the answer is yes. When the sixth seal was broken, remember the first set of seven, the sixth seal was broken. John saw a multitude of the Tribulation martyrs, and they were standing before the throne of God. And one of the elders told John who these were and he added in chapter seven in verse 15. Therefore they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night where? In His temple, that's in heaven. Another mention of the temple is in the 15th chapter of Revelation. I'm gonna show you that reference along with a reference from Exodus. In Revelation 15:5 John writes, "After these things, I looked and behold "the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony "in heaven was opened." The temple of the tabernacle of the testimony. When you get down to the reference just beneath that from Exodus 38:21, it says, "This is the number of the things "for the tabernacle which is the tabernacle of the testimony "as they were counted according to the command of Moses." Where Moses is describing there all of the things that were included for the furnishings of the tabernacle. So the tabernacle was called the tabernacle of the testimony, but what John saw in heaven was the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony. So you've got a connection between earthly tabernacle which would become a temple when Solomon built it, and heavenly temple. Let's go back to the 25th chapter of Exodus. God told Moses, "Let them make Me a sanctuary "that I may dwell among them. "According to all that I show you," this is God talking to Moses. "That is, the pattern of the tabernacle "and the pattern of all its furnishings, "just so you shall make it. "And see to it that you make them according to the pattern "which was shown you on the mountain." Now, why am I pointing this out from Exodus? Because God is saying to Moses, remember the pattern or the model that I showed you up on the mountain. And what we believe is that the pattern that God showed Moses on the mountain of the tabernacle and its furnishings that he was to build on the earth to represent God's presence among Israel, that the pattern God showed him on the mountain was the heavenly temple and it's furnishings in heaven. So there is a temple in heaven that provided God with an object lesson, a visual for God to transport Moses into a heavenly realm and say, what you see go down the mountain and teach the Israelites to build something just like what I've shown you up here on the mountain. This is fascinating me. So then in Hebrews 8:4 it says, "There are priests who offer the gifts "according to the law." And what do they do? They serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. Because God said to him, and we just saw where this is taken from, Exodus 25. God said, see that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain. Now, why would I chase this rabbit trail? Because the temple in heaven is mentioned 10 times in the book of Revelation. And then we know there's gonna be a Tribulation temple and a Millennial temple. So what is the deal with this temple in heaven? What I want you to know is John sees it these 10 times in Revelation, but we have reason to believe it is not a permanent temple even though it's in heaven. And when you get to the 21st chapter of Revelation verse 22, John says he saw the new Jerusalem. And guess what? In the new Jerusalem, which is where we're gonna live forever. He says, I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. Now significance of this is that the temple has been called the place where heaven and earth share the same space. It represents the place where God and man intersect. God's holiness collides with man's sinfulness in the Holy of Holies of the temple of God. And the fact that we go from there being 10 references to a heavenly temple which John saw all of those times to there being no temple at all in Revelation 21 when John sees the new Jerusalem, our eternal habitation, no temple at all in the new Jerusalem. It tells us that finally, in the eternal state there is no longer the need of a temple, no longer the need for the symbol of a temple. Instead, it says that what the temple symbolizes, where God who is Holy and man who are sinful intersect, what that temple symbolizes In heaven, where it was a pattern for what Moses would fashion on earth. And eventually what Solomon would pattern his temple after all of that will become a memory of the past because instead of us needing a temple in the new Jerusalem symbolizing where God and man intersect, we will now be in the new Jerusalem where God and man redeemed mankind, saved mankind are permanently and indivisibly united. And it said there that God was going to be the only temple we need. In other words, we will live in God because God is our temple. So this reference in the last verse of chapter 11 in Revelation where John sees the temple of God open and the Ark of the Covenant, that is one of the last glimpses of that heavenly temple that is about to announce the final outpouring of wrath on the earth in the last moments of tribulation, even that temple will pass away. So that in the new Jerusalem, the only temple is Jehovah God and His Son the Lamb of God who is the Lord Jesus Christ. So I hope that you will live in the final temple (laughs) who is God Himself. And when I consider how awesome heaven is gonna be, when I consider the fact that those who are saved are gonna go to heaven, it causes me to realize that as much as hell plagues me and the thought of people going there torments my heart out of compassion. I'm thankful to know that when we get in that eternal city, the new Jerusalem we will never again be haunted by the idea of torment, by the idea of pain, by the idea of sorrow. Because no matter how many times we've been miserable in this life and long for a better we will finally be in that place. And there will never be a better place than that. We will listen, I'm gonna tell you something. We may think that there's no place like home in the homes that we live in, in the beds that we sleep in. But listen to me, when we get to the new Jerusalem for the first time in our existence, we are going to finally, and completely, and honestly, and wholeheartedly say, this, this is really my home. Father I thank you for all of these truths that we looked at tonight. Packed full of so much information. I pray it doesn't overwhelm us, but that we just see that where this is all headed is unsaved people will perish and saved people will be saved forever. May this cause us to share our faith and to pray for people to be saved, but O may it cause us to take great comfort and delight in knowing our ultimate abode is in the new Jerusalem. And I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.
