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In 1893, James Milton Black
penned the hymn when the Roll Is

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Called Up Yonder.

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Black was a Methodist Episcopalian.

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He was a Sunday school
teacher, and he was inspired to write

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this hymn based on the absence
of a child from his Sunday school

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class when the attendance was taken.

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The idea of someone being not
in attendance in heaven haunted Black,

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and after visiting the child's
home and calling on a doctor to attend

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her for pneumonia, he went
home and he wrote the song after

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not finding one on a similar
topic in his hymn collection.

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And the song's lyrics were
first published in a collection titled

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Songs of the Soul.

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And the song has since been
translated into at least 14 languages

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and sung all over the world in
a variety of Christian denominations.

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And although, yes, it comes
from the Book of Revelation, it is

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based on the Book of Life
mentioned seven times in Revelation,

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particularly in the latter
chapters that we'll come to.

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But it is the sounding of the
seventh trumpet that draws us into

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the opening verse, because
Black writes, when the trumpet of

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the Lord shall sound and time
shall be no more when the morning

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breaks eternal bright and fair
when the saved of earth shall gather

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over on the other shore and
the rule

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is called up yonder, I'll be there.

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And we had one lady in our
choir in kedy that when it came

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to sing the chorus of when the

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Rule is called up yonder, she
gave her all, whether in tune or

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not, she belted out the chorus
when the rule is called up yonder

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as it finishes, I'll be there.

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And we do sing this hymn, and
particularly this first verse with

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great gusto to the tune that
we know for it.

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And before anyone starts to
guess if we're going to be singing

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it as our closing hymn this
evening, we won't.

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But we do get to see in

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this opening verse some hope
and some

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urgency, an urgency to ensure
that our names are written in the

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Lamb's book of life and the
hope that springs eternal of being

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welcomed into home heaven.

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And that's what we see in
verse 15 as we hear the seventh trumpet

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sound.

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And this is what John records
for us in verse 15.

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Then the seventh angel blew
his trumpet, and there were loud

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voices in heaven saying, the
kingdom of the world has become the

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kingdom of our Lord and of his
Christ, and he shall reign forever

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and ever.

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So as these seven trumpets
have been sounded, taking us from

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chapter eight through the end
of chapter 11, we've been told what

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is to occur in these last
days, where the seven seals opened

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in chapters six to eight.

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And there we were introduced
to the warmth of God being brought.

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Sorry, the wrath of God being
brought on those who rejected him.

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And from a different
perspective now, the sounding of

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the trumpets, we see in this
same time period the wrath of God

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intensifying.

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But there was a warmth to God,
to his people, because with all of

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this, we see the martyrdom of
God's people, but also his care for

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them.

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And in the opening of the
seals, we hear the voice of the martyrs

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as the fifth seal is opened.

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And we hear them cry, how long
before the Lord will act his judgment

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on the nations for their
disobedience and their sin?

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And as the sixth seal is
opened, we see the persecution.

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Sorry.

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The sixth trumpet is sounded.

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We see the persecution against
the two witnesses of God as they

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take their stand for the truth
of the Gospel.

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And so through their
martyrdom, they are risen then from

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death.

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And in verse 12, they hear
these gracious words.

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Then they heard a loud voice
from heaven saying to them, come

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up here.

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And they went up to heaven in
a cloud, and their enemies watched

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them.

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That's how we ended.

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That's the scene of those
witnesses who had been martyred for

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their witness of the Gospel,
taken up into heaven, and who watched

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on but their enemies.

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And so now, just like the
opening of the seventh seal, as the

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seventh trumpet is sounded, we
are brought into heaven to witness

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an act of worship

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of the host of heaven.

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And human history comes to an
end in this sounding of the seventh

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trumpet.

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And the kingdom now belongs to
the Lord and his Christ forever.

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Again, verse 15 tells us that
the seventh angel blew his trumpet

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and there were loud voices in
heaven saying, the kingdom of the

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world has become the kingdom
of our Lord and of his

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Christ, and he shall reign
forever and ever.

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And so the blasting of the
final trumpet represents the third

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and final woe, signifying that
the final judgment is at hand and

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history has reached its conclusion.

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And in this third and final
woe, the wicked will face just as

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much

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hardship as they have done
before, because

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the last judgment has arrived.

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And loud voices in heaven
declare the time of fulfilled promises

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that it now has come, the
kingdom is now the Lord's.

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And the kingdom of the world
has been transferred to the kingdom

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of our Lord and of his Christ,
and he will reign forever.

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And in Peter's sermon on the
day of Pentecost in Acts, chapter

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two, he declares to the people
that Christ already reigns at the

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Father's right hand, but in
the seventh trumpet his enemies are

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vanquished and are made his footstool.

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That's the Beauty of Psalm 110
and of what it foretells when the

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psalm is right, the Lord says
to my Lord, sit at my right hand

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until I make your enemies your footstool.

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The Lord sends forth from Zion your

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mighty scepter rule in the
midst of your enemies.

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And so long before the coming
of Christ, the psalmist foretold

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of this end time reality when
the trumpet of the Lord would sound.

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And as the reality of this
moment is recognized in heaven, so

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it in a way pulsates with joy
as the elders fall on their faces

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and they worship God.

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Now this isn't new to us.

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We've seen them do this before.

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But their worship is filled
with thanksgiving to God because

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his reign has begun.

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And this is what they declare
in verse 17.

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We give thanks to you, Lord
God Almighty, who is and who was.

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For you have taken your great
power and begun to reign.

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Now we've heard part of this
praise before.

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In chapter one and John's
greeting to the seven churches, he

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speaks of the Lord in this I
am the Alpha and the Omega, says

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the Lord who is and who was
and who is to come?

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The Almighty.

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Well, we've already heard of
thanksgiving given to the Lord God

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Almighty, and we've also heard
of the one who is and who was.

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But here in chapter 11, we see
that the truth of the eternal nature

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of God is seen before us.

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We don't need to use the
future tense of what's here in chapter

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one of the One who Is to Come,
because that time has now come.

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God is now with his people.

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His reign has begun.

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And the 24 elders give their
praise to God because he has taken

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the power he has always had
and has begun his reign for all eternity.

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Revelation regularly
identifies God as Almighty, and this

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should draw us back to Exodus
3 and verse 14 in identifying God

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as the one who is and who was.

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He is the God of the universe.

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He always was the God of the
universe, and now he reigns forevermore.

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And we see that the reign of
Christ also means the reign of God.

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God and Christ are not in
competition, but reign, as it were,

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in concert, in that being in a
concert hall with those different

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instruments coming together to
give us this beautiful sound.

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And so, as the praise of the
elders continues, their song becomes

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a testimony of the work of
God, because those who hated the

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rule of God here called the
nations, are now punished for their

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disobedience of his laws and
their dishonoring of his name.

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They sing of his judgment of
the sinful and the blessing given

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to his servants who are
described as prophets and saints

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who fear God's name.

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Now, it's difficult to know
how many different groups are actually

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being talked about here.

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So they've been categorized
for us as

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his servants, described as
prophets and saints.

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And so we'll take these two
groups, prophets and saints, because

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often in the Old Testament,
the prophets are identified as God's

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servants, and so they are
probably the group that is being

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referred to here.

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The saints then are described
as those who fear God's name.

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And the words small and great
probably further describe the saints

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who do fear the name of God.

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But what we're learning about
God is that he is impartial and grants

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the same reward whether one is
deemed important or unimportant in

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society.

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And we'll see this again in
Revelation 19.

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But on the other hand, as
opposed to those who are his servants,

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we hear about the wicked and
what's going to happen to them.

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Well, they're going to be judged.

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Those who destroyed the earth
will themselves be destroyed.

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When the kingdom comes,
everything will be set right.

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The righteous will be
vindicated and the wicked will receive

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what they deserve.

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So the reign of Christ means
the wicked are judged for the righteous

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reward and the righteous rewarded.

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And this judgment of the
wicked then explains why this is

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the third woe.

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Although a wonderful day in
heaven it will be for those who believe

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in Christ.

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It will be a terrible day for
those who do not know the forgiveness

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of the sin Savior, who do not
know the forgiveness of their sins

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because they refuse to come to
the Lord

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and that salvation that he offers.

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And Jesus warns of this day
and hits hard against those who think

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that because they are Jewish,
they will be okay.

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He says this in Matthew 8, 10, 12.

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When Jesus heard this, he
marveled and

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said to those who followed
him, truly,

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I tell you, with no one in
Israel have I found such faith.

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I tell you, many will come
from east and west and recline at

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table with Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob in the

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kingdom of heaven, while the
sons of

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the kingdom will be thrown
into the outer darkness.

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In that place there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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Now, you may be familiar with
the common joke about this place,

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particular passage from
Matthew chapter 8.

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And one preacher is asked, but
what about those of us who have no

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teeth?

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And the reply came, teeth will
be provided.

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But that's not the point of this.

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It's the image, it's the picture.

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It's a place where there will
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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It is a place of dire destruction.

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But it is a place that is deserved.

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And it is deserved because
people do not come to the Lord for

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the forgiveness of sins.

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And what a terrible day of woe
it will be for those who think

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they're okay, but are really not.

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And that's what this verse is
getting at.

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Because whenever Jesus says
that while sons of the kingdom will

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be thrown into outer darkness,
he's describing those whom he sees

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in front of him.

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The religious leaders who were
charged to lead the people, but were

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not.

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They thought they were okay
because of their oversight of others,

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because of their so called
authority, because people looked

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to them to tell them what
scripture meant, and so they thought

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they were okay.

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And they who should have known
better completely rejected the Savior.

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And so those who thought they
were going to be in heaven are actually

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going to be the ones who will

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be found in the outer
darkness, that place of weeping and

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that place of the gnashing of teeth.

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And so at this point, we
should be forced to stop and ask

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ourselves the question, am I
truly a member of the Kingdom of

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God?

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That's what we're confronted
with here as we learn from this song

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of heaven from the 24 angels,
that punishment will be wrought on

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those who do not trust in the Savior.

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And so the question is, am I
truly a kingdom of God?

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And only you can answer that.

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But you can't fool yourself
because you know deep down whether

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it is a true answer or not.

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And God knows your heart
better than you know it.

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And he knows the true answer.

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You see, the only way to know
is if you're trusting in Jesus every

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day for your salvation.

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It's every day looking to the
Savior to guide you and to lead you.

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And if you think that you're
good enough or it'll work out in

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the end, then you're not truly
part of the kingdom of God.

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There's only one way, and
Jesus himself told us that he is

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the way, the truth, and the life.

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No one comes to the Father,
except through him alone.

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See, this is what is at stake here.

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Eternal light

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or outer darkness.

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One of the movies that we've enjoyed

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at Home is the 1990s Disney
movie the Lion King.

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00:14:35,500 --> 00:14:39,500
And Simba is told that
everything that the light touches

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00:14:40,060 --> 00:14:42,940
is his Father's kingdom, and
that one day it will be his.

250
00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:47,640
And Simba looks standing at
the top of Pride Rock, looking across

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00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:49,320
to the shadowlands.

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00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:52,760
And he says, but what about
that land over there?

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00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:56,440
And his father tells him,
that's beyond

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00:14:58,120 --> 00:15:01,080
our borders, never go there.

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00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:05,160
Of course, Simba goes under
the encouragement of his Uncle Scar.

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And what he finds there is a
place of darkness, of coldness, of

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00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:12,100
death and torment.

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Now, if you've seen the movie,
you'll know something of that.

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00:15:16,700 --> 00:15:20,020
And that's just an image of
what we're describing here.

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00:15:20,660 --> 00:15:22,460
Last week we described it as the

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Shadowlands as well, and here
again, stronger terms, outer darkness.

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00:15:30,420 --> 00:15:35,020
So are you truly a member of
the Kingdom of God, or are you still

263
00:15:35,020 --> 00:15:36,420
in the Shadowlands?

264
00:15:36,940 --> 00:15:41,020
Because to remain there means
a day will come when Christ will

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00:15:41,020 --> 00:15:43,660
come and you will be thrown
into outer darkness.

266
00:15:43,660 --> 00:15:46,060
Even though you think you'll
be okay, you will not.

267
00:15:46,780 --> 00:15:51,540
It will be a place of great
torment and great sorrow and great

268
00:15:51,540 --> 00:15:54,460
pain, where indeed there will
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

269
00:15:54,700 --> 00:15:57,540
And the only way to come to
the Kingdom of God, that kingdom

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00:15:57,540 --> 00:16:00,540
of light, is through the risen
Lord Jesus Christ.

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00:16:01,820 --> 00:16:09,200
So be warned, to be without
Christ is woe to you, and a terrible

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00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:14,880
woe it is to be in Christ is
one of great blessing.

273
00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:21,320
As he looks to his servants,
his prophets and his saints to bless

274
00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:23,920
them, he thinks of them, he
regards them

275
00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:28,640
so that they will be welcomed
into his glorious eternity.

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00:16:30,250 --> 00:16:34,290
And so, as this chapter
concludes in John's account of the

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00:16:34,290 --> 00:16:40,170
events of that seventh trumpet
blast, we read in verse 19, he then

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00:16:40,170 --> 00:16:44,410
sees God's temple in heaven
opened, and the Ark of His covenant

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00:16:44,410 --> 00:16:46,090
was seen within his temple.

280
00:16:46,650 --> 00:16:50,410
There were flashes of
lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder,

281
00:16:50,490 --> 00:16:52,410
an earthquake and heavy heel.

282
00:16:53,850 --> 00:16:56,890
So here we have now a new
picture of what's going on in heaven,

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00:16:57,690 --> 00:17:01,210
and we see God's temple in
heaven opened up.

284
00:17:01,850 --> 00:17:03,850
Now, what that looks like, we
do not know.

285
00:17:03,850 --> 00:17:09,730
But what John sees then is the
Ark of His Covenant, and it represents

286
00:17:09,730 --> 00:17:12,490
the full and final access to God.

287
00:17:13,130 --> 00:17:16,450
But there's also a thunderous
storm of judgment for those who have

288
00:17:16,450 --> 00:17:17,450
refused his rule.

289
00:17:17,450 --> 00:17:21,250
Now, this kind of mixed image
that we're looking at here presents

290
00:17:21,250 --> 00:17:25,340
to us the closing scene of the
seven trumpets and the closing scene

291
00:17:25,340 --> 00:17:26,100
of human history.

292
00:17:26,580 --> 00:17:30,980
And perhaps we're surprised
here to see the Ark of the Covenant.

293
00:17:31,940 --> 00:17:33,940
If we recall, it was lost.

294
00:17:36,020 --> 00:17:39,940
And of course, it had its own
tremendous journey as it made its

295
00:17:39,940 --> 00:17:40,339
way

296
00:17:40,580 --> 00:17:42,980
through the wilderness and
into the promised

297
00:17:42,980 --> 00:17:44,260
land and into the temple.

298
00:17:44,580 --> 00:17:49,300
And then through exile, was
taken and never to be found.

299
00:17:50,670 --> 00:17:52,750
But what is the Ark of His Covenant?

300
00:17:53,870 --> 00:17:57,550
Well, throughout the Old
Testament, the Ark of His Covenant

301
00:17:57,550 --> 00:18:00,510
always represented his
presence with his people.

302
00:18:01,310 --> 00:18:04,430
And that presence was to be
found within his temple.

303
00:18:04,590 --> 00:18:07,990
And so, as we see this image
now of the Temple of Heaven opened

304
00:18:07,990 --> 00:18:12,390
and the Ark of His Covenant
inside, we see now that he will come

305
00:18:12,390 --> 00:18:16,120
to dwell amongst his People,
that's what God will do.

306
00:18:16,120 --> 00:18:18,040
That's where his kingdom comes.

307
00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:23,800
And all of those who have
ignored the warnings, who raged against

308
00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:27,160
the God of heaven, who
hardened their hearts against the

309
00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:32,120
God of grace, who rejected and
sought to silence the gospel of grace

310
00:18:32,360 --> 00:18:36,640
declared by God's people, will
finally and fully receive what they

311
00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:37,800
rightly deserve.

312
00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:43,380
The cries of the martyrs will
have been heard coming under from

313
00:18:43,380 --> 00:18:44,740
with under the altar.

314
00:18:45,300 --> 00:18:47,780
How long will now we see?

315
00:18:48,340 --> 00:18:50,340
God hears and God answers.

316
00:18:51,460 --> 00:18:54,860
But all those who have come
under King Jesus will enter into

317
00:18:54,860 --> 00:18:59,460
the blessing that Jesus gives
to his people and

318
00:18:59,460 --> 00:19:01,940
has granted to us by his grace.

319
00:19:02,900 --> 00:19:06,460
That's the image we get of
knowing that this ark of the covenant

320
00:19:06,460 --> 00:19:10,340
of the Lord is there, telling
us his presence is with us.

321
00:19:10,980 --> 00:19:12,580
And so as his people, this is

322
00:19:12,580 --> 00:19:14,860
the great hope that we have as

323
00:19:14,860 --> 00:19:16,580
we see this passage before us.

324
00:19:17,780 --> 00:19:21,940
And what we have then in this
seventh trumpet is a wonderful truth

325
00:19:21,940 --> 00:19:23,540
that we need to know deep within.

326
00:19:24,340 --> 00:19:25,620
And this is what it is.

327
00:19:26,420 --> 00:19:28,660
History won't last forever.

328
00:19:29,460 --> 00:19:30,980
Evil won't triumph.

329
00:19:31,540 --> 00:19:36,580
Good will triumph and God and
Christ will reign and forever.

330
00:19:38,580 --> 00:19:41,940
Now, don't we need to hear
that on a day, particularly like

331
00:19:42,020 --> 00:19:46,820
today, where we're hearing of
ballistic missiles, where we're

332
00:19:46,820 --> 00:19:50,820
hearing of countries being
attacked, not just one against the

333
00:19:50,820 --> 00:19:52,260
other, but multiple countries?

334
00:19:52,260 --> 00:19:57,220
Well, history won't last
forever and evil won't triumph.

335
00:19:59,940 --> 00:20:04,380
They will take the reins of
history into their hands and dispense

336
00:20:04,380 --> 00:20:05,540
justice to everyone.

337
00:20:07,380 --> 00:20:11,900
God and His Son will reward
the righteous and will punish the

338
00:20:11,900 --> 00:20:12,420
wicked.

339
00:20:13,620 --> 00:20:19,340
Things are currently off
kilter and evil often profits the

340
00:20:19,340 --> 00:20:19,780
wicked.

341
00:20:20,580 --> 00:20:23,620
Believers are tempted to
despair and discouragement.

342
00:20:23,620 --> 00:20:27,780
But we should be full of
optimism and hope, for the triumph

343
00:20:27,780 --> 00:20:29,780
of evil is short lived.

344
00:20:30,690 --> 00:20:32,450
The end is coming.

345
00:20:33,090 --> 00:20:36,810
The perfect world that we long
for, the world where Christ reigns

346
00:20:36,810 --> 00:20:38,290
will become a reality.

347
00:20:39,090 --> 00:20:44,930
But we must live this reality
now, while the enemies of Christ

348
00:20:45,010 --> 00:20:47,250
must stand in his terrible judgment.

349
00:20:47,330 --> 00:20:49,970
The time for believers to
stand is now.

350
00:20:50,290 --> 00:20:54,250
If the 24 elders in heaven who
fell on their faces praising God

351
00:20:54,250 --> 00:20:58,210
are any indication, we will
fall down in adoration of our Savior

352
00:20:58,210 --> 00:21:02,670
on that day, casting at his
feet the crowns that has given us.

353
00:21:03,550 --> 00:21:07,390
But now, as we await his
coming, we are to stand as those

354
00:21:07,630 --> 00:21:11,550
who know what song will be
playing when history comes to its

355
00:21:11,550 --> 00:21:11,870
end.

356
00:21:12,430 --> 00:21:16,270
We are to stand for God's
truth in our teaching and living,

357
00:21:16,830 --> 00:21:21,430
stand for his mercy in our
gospel outreach, and stand for his

358
00:21:21,430 --> 00:21:25,510
glory and kingdom by living
holy lives and refusing to swear

359
00:21:25,510 --> 00:21:27,510
allegiance to the kingdom of
this world

360
00:21:27,510 --> 00:21:28,410
in of spite sin.

361
00:21:28,810 --> 00:21:33,130
And if we stand in faith by
his grace, we will hear the Joy.

362
00:21:33,290 --> 00:21:37,650
Or we will hear with joy the
trumpet sounding on that day and

363
00:21:37,650 --> 00:21:41,970
the voices of heaven crying
out in wonder, as we too will declare

364
00:21:41,970 --> 00:21:42,370
when the

365
00:21:42,370 --> 00:21:45,690
rule is called up yonder, I'll be

366
00:21:45,930 --> 00:21:50,410
there, as the writer of
Hebrews encourages us in Hebrews

367
00:21:50,410 --> 00:21:51,770
12 and verse 28.

368
00:21:52,090 --> 00:21:55,770
Therefore, let us be grateful
for receiving a kingdom that cannot

369
00:21:55,770 --> 00:21:56,330
be shaken.

370
00:21:56,570 --> 00:21:58,330
And thus let us offer to God

371
00:21:58,330 --> 00:22:02,070
acceptable worship with
reverence and awe.

372
00:22:02,310 --> 00:22:05,790
This idea in Hebrews of
offering to God acceptable worship

373
00:22:05,790 --> 00:22:07,030
is not simply singing.

374
00:22:08,310 --> 00:22:11,190
This acceptable worship of God
is living for Him.

375
00:22:11,750 --> 00:22:15,350
It's what we're to do now, to
take our stand now for what is true

376
00:22:15,350 --> 00:22:19,910
and what is right, so that
while there is still time, those

377
00:22:19,910 --> 00:22:23,790
who are lost in their sin will
come to know the Savior and join

378
00:22:23,790 --> 00:22:27,450
us in that joy of salvation,
knowing sins, forgiveness.

379
00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:32,880
So, as we conclude this
chapter, this evening we once again

380
00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:35,760
fall one side or the other.

381
00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:42,480
This third woe will be of
great hope to believers.

382
00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:44,760
Not that we will delight in what

383
00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:47,280
will happen those who don't
believe, but

384
00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:52,400
that we are given a picture of
what our future will be of what is

385
00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:56,200
the song we will sing when
gathered around the throne and bowing

386
00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:57,900
down in adoration before God?

387
00:22:58,770 --> 00:23:00,850
We will declare the truths of
who he is.

388
00:23:00,930 --> 00:23:04,930
We will declare the truths and
wonders and awesomeness of our God.

389
00:23:05,570 --> 00:23:09,970
We will recall his righteous
punishment on those who have rejected

390
00:23:09,970 --> 00:23:10,290
Him.

391
00:23:11,010 --> 00:23:13,570
And we will be his forever.

392
00:23:14,930 --> 00:23:16,690
Evil will not win.

393
00:23:17,170 --> 00:23:19,810
History will come to an end.

394
00:23:20,530 --> 00:23:25,610
Therefore, my brother and
sister, take hope, take heart.

395
00:23:27,450 --> 00:23:29,770
The best is yet to come.

396
00:23:30,970 --> 00:23:32,330
Don't fear the missile.

397
00:23:33,210 --> 00:23:34,730
Don't fear the bomb.

398
00:23:35,290 --> 00:23:39,570
Don't fear the attacks of the
evil one, as hard as they may be

399
00:23:39,570 --> 00:23:40,250
to endure.

400
00:23:41,290 --> 00:23:44,330
But Christ is coming, and he's
coming soon.

401
00:23:45,050 --> 00:23:48,530
And we have been given a
beautiful picture of what our future

402
00:23:48,530 --> 00:23:49,850
with him will be.

403
00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:52,560
That's one side.

404
00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:57,120
The other side, sadly, is a
side of woe.

405
00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:01,280
Woe to you who reject Christ.

406
00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:07,120
Woe to you who think you're
okay, but are not.

407
00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:13,520
For a day is coming not of joy
and jubilation, but a day of great

408
00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:18,190
weeping and gnashing of teeth,
a place of outer darkness.

409
00:24:20,110 --> 00:24:23,470
My heart yearns for you, and I

410
00:24:23,470 --> 00:24:29,910
cry to you to repent of sin,
to receive this kingdom that is being

411
00:24:29,910 --> 00:24:31,230
made ready for us.

412
00:24:31,550 --> 00:24:34,230
A kingdom that you can be
assured tonight that as you place

413
00:24:34,230 --> 00:24:36,270
your trust in Jesus cannot be shaken.

414
00:24:37,150 --> 00:24:41,310
And as his child, you can
offer acceptable worship to him with

415
00:24:41,310 --> 00:24:44,770
reverence and with honor, awe
because of his goodness to you, while

416
00:24:44,770 --> 00:24:46,130
there is yet time.

417
00:24:46,130 --> 00:24:51,810
Because time will run out once
the clock of human history stops.

418
00:24:52,610 --> 00:24:53,410
That is it.

419
00:24:55,410 --> 00:24:56,530
There is no more.

420
00:24:57,650 --> 00:25:03,410
But what is foretold, the
punishment of those who have rejected,

421
00:25:05,730 --> 00:25:07,410
and what a place that will be.

422
00:25:08,780 --> 00:25:13,340
The words of Jesus himself, as
I've said now repeatedly, of weeping

423
00:25:13,420 --> 00:25:14,940
and gnashing of teeth.

424
00:25:15,900 --> 00:25:19,740
And it's all foretold here in
Revelation 11.

425
00:25:20,780 --> 00:25:25,620
As the sounding of the seventh
trumpet ends human history, and we

426
00:25:25,620 --> 00:25:29,900
are given these two pictures
of great hope and great woe.

427
00:25:31,340 --> 00:25:33,020
Which side do you fall on?

428
00:25:34,630 --> 00:25:35,750
It's one or the other.

429
00:25:36,630 --> 00:25:37,910
There's no middle ground.

430
00:25:39,270 --> 00:25:45,350
Only in Christ can you be sure
of a heavenly home.

431
00:25:46,230 --> 00:25:51,430
And as we sung those words
this morning, a hope that springs

432
00:25:52,070 --> 00:25:56,630
eternal trust in the Savior.

433
00:25:56,870 --> 00:26:03,680
Do not delay so that when the
role is called up yonder, indeed

434
00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:07,040
you can say that you will be there.

435
00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:09,040
Let's pray.

436
00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:12,400
Our Father God, we thank you
for this.

437
00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:13,360
Your word.

438
00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:18,280
Your word that opened to us,
shows us what is the end of human

439
00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:18,640
history.

440
00:26:19,760 --> 00:26:24,240
And it presents us with a song
that's around your throne, of giving

441
00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:28,080
thanks to you, the Lord God
Almighty, the one of power whose

442
00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:29,080
reign has begun.

443
00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:35,080
But it also tells us of those
who have raged against you, those

444
00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:39,800
who have denied you and have
not gone your ways, of your wrath

445
00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:43,400
that will come upon them,
where indeed they will be judged.

446
00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:48,680
And those who have destroyed
the earth will be destroyed themselves.

447
00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:52,360
Father, that is a warning, a
stark warning.

448
00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:55,850
A third woe to those who
reject you.

449
00:26:56,650 --> 00:26:58,810
But what hope it is for your people.

450
00:26:59,530 --> 00:27:03,930
What great hope that as we
take the next step, we need not fear

451
00:27:03,930 --> 00:27:07,090
the world around us, but we look

452
00:27:07,090 --> 00:27:09,450
ever to Christ, whose kingdom
is coming.

453
00:27:10,250 --> 00:27:13,770
And we will delight in that
day when we are brought home.

454
00:27:14,810 --> 00:27:19,850
So, Father, may we respond
well to you this night, as we seek

455
00:27:19,850 --> 00:27:22,350
you and as we seek to know you more.

456
00:27:22,670 --> 00:27:25,150
In Jesus name, amen.