Armageddon

I invite you to turn in your Bibles to the last book of the Bible, Revelation chapter 16. I struggled with what to title this message. I just titled it Armageddon, and maybe that raises your interests. If I had said the coming Armageddon, I could have made a million dollars, but I didn't do that. Somebody wrote a book and said that and made a lot of money. Sermons don't get that, though. But this morning, we are going to look at this very important passage from Revelation chapter 16. There's a lot here. Keep in mind the big picture that we have been studying. The Lord is delivering His people. He will deliver His people. But we have to have a good understanding of what's happening in the earth. What the Lord is doing in the world. And understand how He is bringing things to a closure. So that we don't fall into despair when we see the things that are happening. because nobody can deny the state of this world and where it's going and what you're seeing is alarming in many ways. Revelation gives us perspective through all of that. That's the intention of especially chapter 16 of this morning. This is the word of the Lord. Let's give our attention to it. Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God. So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth. and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea and it became like a blood, the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea. The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water and they became blood. And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say just are you oh holy one who is and who was for you brought these judgments for they have shed the blood of saints and prophets and you have given them blood to drink it is what they deserve and i heard the altar saying yes lord god the almighty true and just are your judgments the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun and it was allowed to scorch people with fire they were scorched by the fierce heat and they cursed the name of god who had the power over these plagues they did not repent and give him glory the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast and its kingdom was plunged into darkness people nod their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet three unclean spirits like frogs for they are demonic spirits performing signs who go abroad to the kings of the whole world to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed. And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne saying it is done and there were flashes of lightning rumblings peals of thunder and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth so great was that earthquake the great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations fell and god remembered babel on the great to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath and every island fled away and no mountains were to be found and great hell stones about 100 pounds each fell from heaven on people and they cursed god for the plague of the hell because the plague was so severe and there ends the reading of god's word as revelation progresses and as we move to the end of the book we are seeing progressions and it's been a little bit more of a struggle to preach, at least pastorally. I have a harder time with these sections particularly, not because I can't see what's going on. I can see what the text is telling us. We'll look at that today. The Lord gives great insight into this and helps us by His Spirit to understand this. But I struggle because it's not easy for me, even as a pastor, to talk of judgment, especially as an American. This is hard. I remember Howell Jones used to always tell us, be very careful as pastors when you talk about hell and judgment. Never do it angrily. Maybe you remember and have heard pastors who, you're going to go there if not. That kind of approach that everyone reacts to today. And Howell Jones was absolutely correct to warn us against that. it should come with a tear in the eye, shouldn't it? His point was, you need to be really careful doing this because you can't forget in this the goal of ministry. You can't forget the goal of where this is all going, especially with what is happening. The goal is to bring people freedom and the news of forgiveness of sins that people would turn, turn and live. This is the Lord's statement in the Old Testament. With that in mind, the last time, the main point was really clear, wasn't it? God is completing a cycle of wrath on the earth. He said that in the Old Testament. He gave glimpses of that to the nation of Israel. Remember when he said, I'm not going to let you go into the land and receive your inheritance until the iniquity of the Amorites is complete. As the iniquity of the Amorites, as their cup of iniquity was filled up, as that cycle went on and it grew and it got worse and worse in that given society, the Lord poured out His wrath in proportion to that. and once those nations were judged, God gave them the land. Well, that's what chapter 15 was telling us, that when finally the seven angels have poured out their seven bowls of wrath, when that is completed, it is finished, is the language. We looked at that. When that's completed, we enter the land. It's finished. We pass through. So this is all taken and borrowed from the Old Testament to help us understand that to understand these things we began this section looking at this clearly last time in chapter 15 of verse 1 where john recorded and received a vision where we read i saw a great and marvelous sign magnificent seven angels having the seven last plagues and it ended with god commanding the angels to begin pouring out the seven last plagues on the earth and once they were completed it's over we enter into glory so it's not like things are just willy-nilly going out of control here something has to be finished first just as we looked at jesus said it's finished so on this unbelieving world there has to be a cycle of plagues just like in egypt that are finished before we exit now we study what that looks like What's happening then at the end as we move to the end of the world? We've been saying that the seals and the trumpets, remember, we looked at, they were progressive judgments in the earth in this present age. And now we come to these bowls, the escalation and completion, if you will, the culmination of all the judgments, especially as we come to the end. There's progression. That's why it went from seals to trumpets that announce and now we're in chapter 16 as we come to the end we've got bowls poured out. So that's capturing that for us. The specific purpose of chapter 16 then is to show us how this happens, how this end is brought about, and how the kingdom of darkness is ultimately brought down. That's the emphasis of chapter 16. How the kingdom we've been studying of darkness is brought down with its false system with its false trinity with its antichrist system the world as we know it in its values and its system how the whole thing comes down that's chapter 16 and that's really important because it's it's giving us perspective on the climax of the struggle just as israel was in egypt and things before they came out got really bad in those 10 last plagues and then they were brought out and there was a final last battle everything is captured in those terms here to capture that before the very end and so in that he's saying something very important to us we'll come back to the only if you have red letter bibles only one sentence of red letter is in the midst of all this. We'll come back to that in the end, but it's essentially saying, don't lose heart, watch, which is what Jesus constantly said in the ministry, didn't he, when he was here. Be ready. I know it seems like you're losing, but let me tell you how this is going to go. Let me show you the great power which I have to deliver you and take you across the sea so that you are singing the song of Moses and the song of the lamb in glory all of you there not one loss we've been looking at that so this is all about that let's begin with it here we have seven bowls in front of us and i thought how do i break this down none of you wanted seven points today did you i didn't think so i there has to be a structure to this and i looked at this and i thought there there really is in these first four bowls something about creation that's being captured and something to help you. You'll notice here that the first four are really focusing on the issue of idolatry having to do with creation and then in the fifth and the sixth bowl you're looking at plagues on the false kingdom that we've been talking about of darkness and then in the end you're it's leading to a final plague that leads to the great conclusion to all of this. I hope that helps to give you some kind of structure to this. We're looking at idolatry with these first four plagues, and then the fifth and sixth having to do with a kingdom in darkness, the kingdom of darkness being dealt with, and then the final battle that leads to the conclusion of everything. Let's look here at these plagues, specifically the first four having to do with idolatry. Beginning at verse one, And then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God. So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth. And harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshipped its image. The seven last plagues, here the number of, remember, perfection, seven. The seven last plagues are recalling the last plagues in Egypt, you'll remember, the plagues that we studied. And it begins with saying, as a sort of introduction, that there are going to be really painful sores that God is sending in this first bowl upon people, upon people. Now remember, we've been looking at all the symbolism here and that symbolic language is being used throughout the entire book we have to get to what these symbols are teaching us about the judgments of God again I suppose I should just say are we really looking to expect big sores to hit people is that how we're in other words are we looking for those sores on bodies stay with me I think you'll see exactly what he's doing here this is what begins to happen The angel begins to pour out the bowls. And you'll notice here, there are these judgments now, these bowls as it comes in its worst form. These terrible sores come upon people who have received the mark of the beast, it says. And as Revelation has contrasted the whole time, worshipped its image. That was what was set up with the false trinity. Now we've learned so far that this entire counterfeit system, no one is neutral, are they? It's not that you have darkness and light and you're dangling somewhere in the middle. By nature, we're all darkness. But you'll notice here, if you're not worshiping Jesus and brought into the kingdom of light, you still have not been conveyed out of the kingdom of darkness. That's the blessing of the gospel. When it says you are blessed because you've been conveyed out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His Son in love. Light, the kingdom of light. In these first four plagues, you'll notice here that He's addressing something very specific. Something that we have been studying that the Lord has been showing us throughout the book of Revelation. What do we call the problem of not worshiping the only true God? Idolatry. We confess this in the Heidelberg Catechism. worshiping anything other than the only true God, putting our trust and confidence in anything else. The first four plagues are God here, bowls, showing the Lord punishing idolatry in the earth, using creation to do it. You'll notice here that in the second and the third, all the waters and the seas are turned to blood. In the fourth, the sun is scorching people with great heat. This all has to do with creation. This all has to do with a kind of unraveling of creation on people, an undoing of it. So we put it together, begins with this soar, and on people who have really accepted this system and worshiped this system and the beast, notice what is said here. The heart has been taken captive. They're given over to idolatry. It's describing how God is punishing that in the earth. Why did God turn the sea to blood in Egypt? Why did he do it? Remember? Well, Pharaoh would walk out to the river every morning. The beast. He'd have his false prophets out there. And he'd worship an image, didn't he? He would give idolatrous worship to the Nile. I don't know if you remember that hymn that I quoted so long ago, but just listen to it again. Oh, all men who uphold the Aeneid, Fear you the majesty which His Son, the All-Lord, has made by making verdant the two banks. This has been dug up, by the way. So it is verdant art thou. So it is verdant art thou. So it is verdant art thou. I think I remember saying this was the modern praise song of our day. Seven words, 11 times, right? Verdant art thou. Verdant art thou. Verdant art thou. What was he saying about the Nile? You give life. The sea represented life. When God filled the seas at the beginning, what did he do? He filled them with teeming creatures. And all the fish of the sea and the whales and everything that we know in the seas, he filled the sea with these teeming creatures and it symbolized life was there. All of it was turned to blood. What's happening here? Well, the first four starts off with a great sore. What do sores cause? Pain. Great pain. You all know it. The last thing you want to get is a boil. That happened in Egypt, by the way. The last thing you want to get is some kind of skin problem, right? Shingles. It's terribly painful. Here's what God's saying. God is plaguing what are naturally the sources of His good creation. He's plaguing them now through them to make people's idolatry incredibly painful. Painful. You have described here the absolute pain in full measure of what idolatry brings and God letting it fall. God unleashes the effects of the hopelessness of the heart in idolatry. I think that begins to capture it. He's unleashing the effects of the hopelessness of idolatry on this world, especially as it climaxes towards the end. We've always said this. We've always said this. The Bible's always said this. You become what you worship. If you worship an idol, you become dead too. You become dead. It's lifeless. You become like it. The judgment then is that God unleashes the full effect of pain in people's lives that idolatry brings. just go through a few with me for a minute. And I'm not singling out. I'm trying to give you a perspective of what you already know. What are drugs intended to do to people? It has one goal. Destroy them in the end. We could go down the line here. I had a lady walk up to me the other day at the auto parts store in Escondido and she chose me to level me with cussing and cussed me out. I wasn't doing anything. And everyone's looking why this lady singled me out. And what I realized as I was listening to her is that the mind was completely fried on drugs. Completely fried. It made me have complete pity on her. It was gone. She had ruined her life. The mind was gone. What does alcoholism do? Destroy your kidneys. What does greed do? It never satisfies, does it? I always want more. I never have enough. I mean, we just keep going. What does hatred in the heart do to people? It's not just sitting there. It's working its way out. And in its end-worst form, it leads to what? Actual murder with the hands. What does sexual immorality do to you? It's a form of idolatry, the Bible links it together with, that so harms the mind that in the end you can't even have a normal relationship in marriage. It leads to the destruction of marriage. What does gossip do? Now I'm assuming here in its worst form, God restrains, doesn't He, all the time. We talk about common works of God in providence and He's restraining and holding back the full effects. But what if He said, this is where we're going? What does gossip do? Gossip is sorest when it has completely destroyed the reputation of somebody. Destroyed. What does stealing do? In its worst form, it destroys a society. So you have these natural restraints built in by God Himself. You've got natural restraint in your own heart and a conscience that God gave people. You've got a natural restraint that God gave in a family that He gave you to be raised in with parents who taught you what is right and what is wrong. You've got a natural restraint in civil authorities. There's three areas there, aren't there? Conscience, family, civil authorities. Think about God bringing the sore down in these areas. When idolatry reigns, what happens to the sore hitting the conscience? It sears it. And idolatry reigns and it brings all this pain. What if God brought a sore on the family? What would it look like? would children stop honoring their parents would we have a society of misfits and parents no longer leading in the home would it would it say that marriage is no longer for life would it say that it should no longer be between a man and a woman would divorce become the norm would we legalize same-sex marriage sore what's the result what does all this bring destruction of the family another restraint gone of civil authorities i think we're having a struggle there if god were to pour a sore on this when idolatry reigns when we do not honor the governing god given authority structures and everyone's just attacking them all the time and we live in this society where that filth is always hitting us what happens we'll rip it apart and we'll self-destruct will overthrow all the authority structures of police. You see, we're ruining what God gave that was good. And we're worshiping the creature rather than the creator who is forever blessed. Amen. The beast has promised in the middle of all of that happiness for you. He's promised you happiness in all this. He has said, listen, the world and its system is the answer here. It's the payoff for you. Even though the Lord's saying it's paying off with death. so so you see that the description here it's a sore on idolatry in all these areas of god's providence and his goodness uh hasn't the sun just to prove my point hasn't the sun always been viewed in the bible and used as a display of god's common goodness to everyone it's it's the marker isn't it the sun rises on the just and the unjust when the sun shines on people and they're enjoying the sun, and they're out in the desert having a good time, or out at the beach, it's used as a figure to show God's kindness on them, the warmth they enjoy in this life. But hasn't the sun been turned into history a great object of worship? Here's what's happening. The sun shining upon them in rays and beams of His goodness is taken away, and it scorches. See, it's the same thing what is the response as things get harder and harder what is the world's response to this same as egypt same as pharaohs they're being plagued and what are they doing in the midst of all this blaspheming god and they refuse to repent and give him glory isn't that what you see i think it's here we have a hard time this is not easy stuff is it it's at the heart of this third bowl that we have a reminder from god that this is very right i he is so wise he knows just what to interject just at the right time because he knows what people think he knows that people are saying this is too much why would a good god do this it's what they do and the lord says do you know what the world has done to your brothers and sisters that have come before you're very my optic it's slaughtered them you forget them don't you forget all your brothers and sisters in the lord who've been martyred and killed for standing up for jesus you've had it so good you've forgotten that and so this angel comes as the waters become blood and i heard an angel in charge of the water say just are you oh holy one who is and who was for you brought these judgments for they have shed the blood of saints and prophets and you have given them blood to drink it is what they deserve it is and i heard the altar saying yes lord god the almighty true and just are your judgments truth be told and i have to i have to take this seriously as a pastor especially in proclaiming this if we struggle with the just judgment of God isn't it because we first and foremost have forgotten that this really should include us don't you think that it would be just as David said and blameless if you put us under all this if you're struggling with the judgment of God we've got to go back there because we've done the same things God in mercy has enlightened your eyes he's loved you. He's pulled you out. He's given you Jesus. But anyone who knows the grace of God in Christ and what he's capable of will say, just with David, you are blameless when you judge and just when you speak, Psalm 51. It's all righteous. It's all righteous. Now, that's how the first four are categorized as I was studying it this week. The next two can be categorized as plagues that bring the destruction on the counterfeit kingdom. What do I mean? Notice it was on the people, and here we're now on the kingdom itself. The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores, and they did not repent of their deeds. So in this particular, fifth and sixth now, God in this plague is shown as plaguing the throne of the beast. This false system. I think you can get it this way. If people have refused the throne of Christ, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he is Lord. He's the king. He's the king of kings and the Lord of lords. If they have exchanged that and accepted the lie and they have believed in the world and its system, what are they essentially adopting? They're essentially adopting a system of deliverance for them that they believe will deliver them. There is a promise in the midst of this system of the world to people. That's why it's so attractive. There's promises in both kingdoms, right? we have all these promises we cherish from jesus there are promises from the beast don't you see how behind the thought if you look at the collective thought of mankind in the world of humans in the world that the one great purpose is to unite in the goodness of the human spirit to unite everyone to save the planet to eradicate what they call hate to build a humanity that is all on love. We've been singing, all you need is love for a long time, right? This is you 60s people. This is their motto. We need to find a universal solution where we come together, a global. We live in a global society where we're going to solve humanity's problems and cultivate the goodness of the humankind spirit. I don't know if I'm capturing it, But I see it. I don't know if you see it. There's a spirit behind this system. There's a promise of deliverance in it. Put it this way. It's Babel. Go back to Genesis 11 and it becomes like a power grid, as one pastor said. It combines political, military, economic, religious, social causes, and strength to achieve deliverance. The world system. What did they say at the Tower of Babel? Remember what they said, boys and girls at the Tower of Babel? Come, let us build ourselves a city, a city antithetical to God's city that he's building. Let us build that city and a tower whose top reaches into heavens. And let us make, remember this, a name for ourselves. There's the Spirit. Lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth. If you understand what the Spirit is and understand the spirit of Babel, it was saying, let us unite together and overcome the curse, ourselves. That's on us. This is what the world's trying to beat, death, isn't it? If we just come together, we can accomplish anything. We hear it all the time on a smaller level. If you just put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. There's a whole system there, a whole spirit there that's constantly pushed on us. life is good. I don't have a t-shirt, but you've seen it, haven't you? It's a process. You hear it speech all the time we looked at with the false Holy Spirit. What is God doing in the fifth and sixth? He has just plunged the entire kingdom into what? darkness darkness in other words he has poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast and plunged the whole thing into darkness they can't see and you know they can't see they cannot achieve what they're so desperately living to achieve this is what the world would do and god hits the whole thing with darkness can't you see it what's happened right now are we united as a people look at all the separation look at all the tensions so emotionally charged that no one can listen to each other today look at the warfare between the nations look at the conflicts look at the lack of unity what is the result people are chewing their tongues in despair they're massively disoriented to the state of things aren't they massively this is why the bible is constantly saying christians don't be don't be only the kindness of god the true god of heaven and earth can achieve lasting peace and it first starts with a peace between god and man which the world has no knowledge of only god can bring true these promises that he has made of what the world is trying to collectively do under the beast's life. The Lord's plunged it into darkness. That's why it's called the kingdom of darkness. There's only one kingdom of light. Now, I don't want to lose the gospel here. Everything that you are receiving in a kingdom that cannot be shaken is different, isn't it? When Jesus is worshipped and He is the center and He is the loyalty of your hearts and you are worshiping Him, He has told you everything that happens to you in this life. He will turn for good. He's promised that to you, hasn't He? You have to believe that promise. I understand at times it's really hard to believe that promise, but that's what faith is. Faith is believing that promise. And when it's dark, that's your light. You have a king on a throne. Remember chapter 4? First thing Revelation began with after the study of the seven churches, and I looked up and there was a throne fixed in heaven. That's not like the beast's throne being plagued on earth into darkness. That throne is light and that throne is fixed. It's not going anywhere. You've got to live by faith in that, don't you? His throne is an everlasting kingdom that will never come to an end. You're a member of that. Here, as you have joined and been a part of His church on earth. It's governed in righteousness and in peace. It's a gift. a free grace to you as we unite as one people of every tribe, tongue, people, and nation and actually accomplish it through the blood of Jesus. We actually accomplish this and will in full and glory. It's really awesome to see the Lord over all this, isn't it? But you should see that the confusion right now in our world is akin to the confusion that happened at Babel when the whole thing was separated and the world is in a desperate attempt to unite the only healing of that wound happened it we'll consider tonight at pentecost when the spirit bridged the gap so the gospel would go out to the nation but the confusion in the kingdom of darkness continues now the sixth plague so it's been plunged into hopelessness the sixth plague describes the beast's last attempt to unite the world this last attempt you'll notice it the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river euphrates verse 12 and its water was dried up prepare the way from the kings from the east and i saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon now the mouth of the beast now the mouth of the false prophet three unclean spirits like frogs for their demonic spirits performing signs who go abroad to the kings of the whole earth to assemble them for battle on the great day of god almighty and they assemble i'll come back to 15 they assembled them at the place that in hebrew is called armageddon you have major symbols from the past here in the bible it's not complex it's actually very simple euphrates was a symbol of assyria babylon and the wicked world whole thing dries up and just like the red sea the egyptians walked into the dry sea after israel so this last sixth plague has opened it up so that they can gather one more time it's a picture of the nations coming together against the lord and against his people and his anointed revelation captures the end of the world as a grand battle and a grand struggle it's not meant to say grab your guns that's not what we're talking about there's one great final gathering of babylon against us in other words god allows at the end of the world the world to come against the church with everything it has he allows that one last time everything it's got it's coming against us and and and you know this right this is the red sea they plague sit egypt they come out they're backed up against the red sea they don't have weapons in their hands and there they come the mighty egyptians marching with all their weapons and their war chariots and and what happened god allowed that to give one final death blow the place armageddon a long history of symbolism it was the mountain where many battles were fought in israel you'll think of of um in judges where cicero was defeated deborah all the all that we have this this mountain described it also can mean the mountain of meeting it the point is it's one final point and place of deception and god allows it and the sixth plague opens it up so it'll happen and these two kingdoms of darkness and light have a final collision it's the red sea event remember when um what happened at the red sea moses's words to israel they're just panic and Moses says stand still and the Lord will fight for you today you shall see the Egyptians no more forever it's this same kind of moment where the beast gathers for one last time with all that he has his darkness and the plague made the way for it to happen and that's the climax here that's the seventh the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne saying it's done and there were flashes of lightnings rumblings peals of thunder and a great earthquake such as there never had been since man was on the earth so great was that earthquake the great city babylon was split into three parts and the cities of the nations fell and god remembered babylon the great to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath and every island fled away and no mountains were to be found and great hailstones about 100 pounds each fell from heaven on people and they cursed god for the plague of the hell because the plague was so severe we'll get to the end here um in this last section of revelation where the judgment day happens but but you know what was just described every victory that you've ever read about in the bible was climaxed into one that's what was just described every victory you've ever read about in the bible of the lord delivering his people just climaxed into one. Hail on Egypt. The breaking apart of the Tower of Babel and spreading them. The overthrow of Sodom. The flood of Noah's day. It's here at the end all climaxed and notice what's happened. I'm pouring out my cup on this world. It's collective stance against the truth. The Christ is over. Dennis Johnson says it this way. The power grid of human culture, political, economic, military, religious, social, is so tightly interlocking that when its heart is shattered, the whole edifice crumbles. See how quickly things could crumble in the world? And with Babylon's fall, the world's cities fall. It's like dropping 100-pound boulders on cities. It's over. What did he just do? He just shattered apart Babylon. He shattered apart all of its strength. He broke it apart and put an end to it. And then what happens for us? We pass through. We enter in. That's the message the Lord wants for us to understand that's happening in the earth. He wants you to know that even though at times it seems like we're losing and at times it's hard, it will feel like our message has been crushed. The Lord will come and He's going to put on display the most awesome display of deliverance like you've never seen before. You're going to marvel the glory of the Red Sea deliverance will be nothing as to what is to come when Jesus is revealed on the clouds of heaven to come get you and to put an end to this just and true and righteous are your ways oh Lord it's right it's right he has one message for you one line for you in the midst of all this to encourage you it's that red letter that red sentence isn't it You see it? Verse 15. Behold, I'm coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and see his shame. He's not saying, go do this, then you will be blessed. You know what he's saying? He's pronouncing a blessing on you. Blessed on you. Blessed are you who are watching. You're a blessed people. Do you know how blessed you are? Do you know how blessed you are I've blessed you to watch I've blessed you to keep my your eyes on the Savior this is not a time to fall for Babylon's allure this is not a time to go after it it's plagued everyone who is listening to its lie look at their sorrow they don't have happiness true happiness they don't blessed is the man that means happy happy is the man who has the Lord as his God you're a blessed people and so in the next chapter he's going to say come out come out of babylon be separate to me your name is written in the lamb's book of life the cross has made that so but the world the whole thing you need to know is under judgment don't believe it's lie and it's promises it can't deliver you don't believe that you can be happy doing what you want don't believe that all the highs you can get and all the sex you can go have is going to bring you happiness it's going to destroy you it's all coming down don't be alert by it instead remember your savior's coming loves you and he's blessed you you are blessed in jesus you know right now if you have heard this message, and you believe, you are blessed. You hear him? I've blessed you. I've blessed you. He who promised is faithful. He will do it, and he will deliver you and your children. Put your trust in the Lord. Let's pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for these words that give us clarity on what's happening in the world. Who can dispute it? It's happening right in front of our eyes and you've given us such clarifying perspective but we know we're a mess we know so easily if left to us sin is so powerful we'll run into it tomorrow but we're also thankful that you never take your blessing from your people and they're never ever ever removed from the lamb's book of life so keep us in your promises let us not love the world or the things in the world let us see that these idols and idolatry could ruin us and let us always remember the grace of god in christ that has pulled us out to be able to see and bless so that we might worship today the true king of kings and lord of lords we give you praise thank you for instructing us today in your will and your word. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.