Sermon Cloud

Summer of 1987, Wrestlemania III. 93,173 fans are crammed into the Louisiana Superdome to watch the match of the century. On one side was the world champion, greatest athlete in the world, hero of little kids everywhere, Hulk Hogan. Trying to take the Hulkster's WWF title belt was an opponent who seemed more like a small island than a human being, Andre the Giant. Jesse the Body Ventura called it "the biggest match in the history of wrestling." An irresistible force against an immovable object."
All of you who grew up as hulk-a-maniacs know the script of a Hulk Hogan title match. He comes out going crazy, posing, ripping his shirt off. Who didn't try ripping their shirt off as a kid? Working up the crowd. But it never takes long for the Hulk to find himself in trouble.
The opponent always seems too strong at the beginning. In this 87 title match, Hogan tried to pick up the Giant and he threw his back out. The Giant is throwing him around the ring, showing no mercy. Then the Giant catches Hogan in a sleeper hold.
Hogan struggles for a bit and then his body seems to go limp. The referee grabs Hogan's right arm, let's go and the arm flops back down. One count. . Picks the arm up again, flops back down. One more time and the match is over, Hogan will lose his title. Referee picks his arm up a third time, lets' go, Hogan's arm flops down, but stops halfway down.
And the arm starts shaking. And the kids start screaming. Adrenaline is running through the crowd, running through Hogan. And hulk-a-maniacs all know what's coming next. It happened every year. Whether is was against Andre the Giant, Rowdy Rodey Piper, or the Macho Man, it was always the same. Hogan breaks free from the sleeper hold and starts playing to the crowd. Andre the Giant punches Hogan, but he doesn't even feel it. Hogan picks up the giant (this time he has no problem) and then slams him down for the three count. Match is over. Hogan's still the world champion. And everything is right again in the world.
I was in awe at the end of every Wrestlemania. How in the world could Hulk Hogan overcome such incredible odds every year? No matter how bleak things looked, Hogan would somehow come out on top.
What I didn't get as a kid, was that the match had been decided long before the opening bell. That the champion had been determined way before the actual title match.
To be honest, as we've walked through the book of Revelation, the imagery in this book doesn't seem much different than a pro-wrestling match. Crazy characters all throughout this book. Dragons with 7 heads, locusts with human heads, a beautifully dressed but ultimately repulsive prostitute.
But the real characters are John's churches. Those watching the battle between the beast and the lamb. Trying to decide which side to offer their allegiance. And the spectators have more than just a vested interest. Their eternal destiny rests upon their decision. Do they support the side that looks to be winning? The powers of the beast and the prostitute. Or the one who's victory has already been determined. The lamb who was slaughtered and yet now sits on the throne.
John is starting to wrap up the letter to his churches. He's going to drive home the theme he's been reiterating over and over. Despite evidence to the contrary, Christ's victory has already been decided. Even though so many have sworn allegiance to the beast, despite the awesome power of the Roman empire, we know who wins in the end. The champion has already been determined. Despite how it feels to those in John's churches being beheaded for Christ, it's really not a contest.
For both John's churches and for us, the battle seems to be dragging on. Why? Is it because God is incompetent? No, it's because God is being patient. He's giving ample opportunity for his creation to repent. Even allowing people to suffer the consequences of their sin, if that's what it will take to wake them up to their need to repent.
It seems like God and evil are slugging it out in a great cosmic "squared-circle". But that's just our perception. The reality is that when God declares the end of evil, it will all be over. Evil is defeated, the lamb is victorious.
To let his churches know why they must continue to live for Christ, no matter what it's costing them, he gives them 7 dramatic images that point toward Christ's final victory. Remember the significance of the number 7. It's the perfect number in apocalyptic literature. 7 points to the perfection of Christ.
And remember, as we've been discussing during this entire series, how we're to view John's images. Despite whatever books are flying off the shelves at Christian bookstores, these images are not to be approached as a code by which we predict the future. These images are not propositional and they're not even chronological.
We're to look at them as metaphors. Word pictures that point to a deeper reality than the symbols themselves. We're going to walk through those 7 images and discuss their meaning.
1 & 2) The Return of Christ and the Great Battle 19:11-21
Those in John's churches are wondering whether it's worth following Jesus. Should I really continue to give my life for this Galilean peasant when the power of Rome seems like such a sure thing? John is encouraging his churches by giving them this awesome image of Jesus. The one who is "Faithful and True," a king whose eyes are like fire, whose kingdom is so large he needs several crowns. The rider on the white horse is the one you want to follow.
And John shows us Jesus ready to open up a can on all evil. He's taking on all the sins we discussed last week; the idolatry of an unholy patriotism, economic oppression and widespread violence. Jesus has declared an end to all the sin in our world.
But before you get all Braveheart on us, you must notice how John describes Jesus. Jesus is not your typical warrior. Jesus does not wage war in the same way the world wages war. Most warriors would have a weapon hanging on their side. What does Jesus have on his side? The title "Word of God" is tattooed on his thigh. Jesus' weapon is not a sword, it's the Word of God. Jesus comes armed with his understanding of God's intention for our world.
Don't you think that if John wanted us to picture Jesus hacking away at all sinners in the world, he would've put the sword in his hand? Instead, the sword comes from his mouth. Heb. 4:12 When we're confronted with God's word, the deep parts of our heart are laid bare. If our deepest desire is to follow Jesus, then that will be evident. If the real king of our heart is self, then that will be obvious, too.
Jesus has entered our world, declared God's plan for the world and people have chosen sides. Are they for God or against God? Those who have rejected God are struck down by the Word of God.
And something else strange, Jesus is bloody before the battle even begins. And rather than being the blood of his enemies, it's his own blood! Jesus has conquered evil, not in slaughtering evildoers, but in being slaughtered himself.
When Jesus was hanging from the cross, he could've called down the armies of God to defeat his enemies and get him off the cross. But he chose instead to allow himself to be killed.
Jesus rides on his white horse to confront the nations. Not as the one showing up to slaughter all the nations, but the one who has already suffered for the nations.
I've heard preachers use this image to justify violence against God's enemies or to at least get all excited about that great day when we'll see all God's enemies slaughtered. But that's not what John is showing us here. First of all, these preachers are usually deciding for themselves who are God's enemies. And it's always those who don't vote like us, believe like us or share the same ethical standards. But it's not our role to declare someone else an enemy of God. Secondly, people who take this approach fail to notice that there is no actual battle here. John does not describe a battle. Jesus doesn't need to fight now, because the battle was already won at the cross. And the battle was won not with a sword, but through giving his life. John is turning our world's use of power and violence upside down. The conqueror is not the one with the strongest sword or army, but the one who gives up his life for what is right.
And Jesus' armies behind him are wearing white robes. This was not standard military-issued gear. Jesus' army isn't dressed to fight, because they aren't going to fight. They don't need to fight, the battle has already been won. Where was it won? At the cross. And their white robes represent purity. The purity that was given through Jesus' shed blood on the cross.
In verse 17 we see the vultures preparing to eat the flesh of all God's enemies. This is a gruesome image. Just like the plagues from earlier chapters, this is John's picture of the destructive nature of sin. Sin destroys. And when sin is finished with its host, all that's left is a carcass.
In verse 20, the beast and all who worshipped him are thrown into a lake of fire. Remember, the beast represents all that is less than Christ. 666 is less than 777. John is telling his churches "you must choose. If you aren't giving your life for Christ, you're giving your life to the beast."
3) Satan Bound 20:1-3
Dualism is the belief that God and Satan are battling it out and we're not sure who will win in the end. This image points to why we reject dualism. Satan, the personification of all evil, has already been defeated. We see Satan on a leash. Satan can still inflict damage, but evil's power is limited.
If you saw a vicious dog on a leash, what would you do? You'd cut a wide path in front of that dog. Probably the same thing we should do with evil. You can't get too far away from sin.
4) 1,000 year reign of Christ 20:4-6
We've seen it all throughout Revelation, John uses number to communicate meaning. Ten represents power and sovereignty, used to represent God. 10x10x10 is God to the max. This is John's poetic way of saying, "God is ultimately in control." God reign is complete. His victory was finalized on the cross.
Although they had a belief in the resurrection and heaven, the main hope that energized early Christians was not life beyond the grave, but the reign of Christ on this earth. They had this inspiring picture of what it would be like when Jesus ruled every corner of the world.
Unfortunately, too many Christians have given up hope of the kingdom of God in this life and are just waiting on heaven. Nothing wrong with looking forward to heaven as long as we do all we can to help God's kingdom take more and more territory in this world. And that happens through the church. But more on that in September.
5) Satan's Last Stand 20:7-10
Satan is loosed for a moment, but all Satan is really doing is marching from death row to the death chamber. But he takes people with him. John names them Gog and Magog. Gog and Magog were to Jewish Christians what the Nazis are to us. Former enemies that have long since been defeated, but now stand as representatives of all evil.
Even though Satan has been put on a leash and locked up for 1,000 years, he's still able to deceive people. And he's still working to steal, kill and destroy. God knows Satan will never change, so he's thrown into the lake of fire along with the beast. Folks, that's the last we hear of Satan in the book of Revelation.
6) The Last Judgment 20:11-15
We see two books in this scene, the book of deeds and the Book of Life. People were judged according to their deeds, what they'd done in life. And they were thrown into the lake of fire if their names were not in the Book of Life.
John has created a tension in this image. Tension between our actions and God's grace. The book of deeds, the book of life. Listen to James 2:14 and 24. What we do matters. But God's grace matters, too. Ephesians 2:8-9.
Do you feel the tension there? We're to live with that tension in our lives. Your good deeds are necessary for your salvation. Living by Kingdom values is God knows whether or not you're a part of his kingdom. And yet, your good deeds are worthless without God's grace. It is through Jesus' death on the cross that your sins are forgiven and your name is written in the book of life.
Can God look at your life and say, "yeah, they're mine, they're living for me." If not, then make some changes. Start honoring God with your life.
Have you come to the place where you've realized you could never do enough good to make up for all the sin in your life? If so, you're right where God wants you. You're standing in desperate need of the love of God that was demonstrated in allowing his son to take your place on the cross.
7) New Jerusalem 21
I want you to notice a few things about the New Jerusalem. 1) The New Jerusalem comes down. People are always talking about going up to heaven. Rob Bell once joked about all the people who will one day be floating up to heaven while watching God coming down to earth, "where are you going?" God's going where he wants to go, to earth.
If Christians could get this image of God's city coming down to earth, we'd transform our world. We'd realize it's not about escaping this terrible world so we can go to heaven. It's about making God's kingdom a reality in this world. God wants to bring heaven to earth. He wants to make all things new on this earth!
And as we help people make the reign of God a reality in their lives, we will see our world, not some pie in the sky place but this very world, transformed.
2) The city is huge. 1,500 square miles. This is equivalent to the western half of the United States. Bigger than any landmass John would've known of. John's point - there's room in God's kingdom for you.
3) There are a lot of gates. 3 gates facing north, south, east and west. And these gates never close. God's plan is that people from every corner of the world would find a home in his kingdom.
4) The city is a cube. 1,500 x 1,500 x 1,500 miles. Weird shape for a city. John's making a reference to the Jewish temple. The inner sanctuary, where the presence of God was concentrated, was a perfect cube. The New Jerusalem is a sanctuary, the place where we encounter the presence of God.
But in the old Jerusalem, only the high priest could enter the sanctuary. But in the New Jerusalem, all are invited to God's presence. All are welcome into God's presence. There is a place for you and a place for me among God's presence in the New Jerusalem.
5) vs 8 Cowards don't make it. These are the ones who gave up. It was too hard to stay faithful to Christ. So they turned away. Cowards don't make. Life is hard. Sometimes it doesn't seem like Jesus is going to win. But if you don't persevere, you don't make it.
On May 7th, 1945, the Allied armies of WWII accepted Hitler and the German armies unconditional surrender. That was the day the bullets stopped flying. But wasn't the day the Allies won the war. The Allied armies took control of Europe and defeated Hitler, on June 6th, 1944. D-Day. The day thousands of Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy and broke through the Hitler's Atlantic wall. It was still a struggle, there were still casualties to come, but when we took the beach we won the war.
Folks, we're living between D-Day and V-E day. The cross was D-Day. The empty tomb shows us that Jesus has conquered. Jesus is the unchallenged champion. There's no question about that. The only question is whether you and I will persevere and continue to live for Christ until the day his kingdom is fully established on this earth.
John's word pictures are screaming to us, "hold onto your faith. Don't give up now. Don't compromise. The victory has been won. The lamb will welcome home all those who persevere.