Revelation 8: Silence in Heaven

Revelation 8

Snug Gospel Chapel: May 15th, 2016

Good morning!

Were continuing once more our series in the book of Revelation. This week is going to be more of a practical study,
in terms of understanding where we are in terms of the Tribulation timeline seeking to find context, and to place all
of the events weve seen so far into some kind of reasonable overview. Theres more than that in the passages well
be looking at, however so while Ill suggest to you today that there are elements of chapters 7 and 8 that define the
entire tribulation period, but also offer a few surprises. Well also see that these elements tie in with what we saw in
chapter 7: that there is still great grace, even in great tribulation.

Now, Ill warn you in advance: Im going to be introducing some ideas this morning that will be new to many, if not
most of you. Ill give you the Biblical justification for my view, and leave you to make your own decision. What well
see, however, is that these ideas affect the timeline of the tribulation, but not the events, nor the sequence in which
they occur. As such, youre more than welcome to disagree with me, and Id encourage you to do your own study on
the issue.

Before we open Gods Word, lets come before the Lord in prayer. Lets pray.

Father, I thank you once again for the opportunity to open this amazing book, and to study the things youve laid out
for your people. I thank you for the special blessing promised to those who read this book, and to those who spend
time in it. I praise you for the unequivocal way in which the Lord of Glory is portrayed as King of Kings and Lord of
Lords, beautiful and holy and just. I thank you that we have the promise in Your Word that these terrible judgments
are not reserved for us in Christ, and that we can have the full assurance and conviction that the Lamb that was Slain
has born all the wrath and all the anger and all the judgment of a Holy God on our behalf.
Lord, I thank you this morning that you have sealed my salvation in the person of your Son, with the mark of your Holy
Spirit, knowing full well that if it were not for Jesus Christ, I would be lost for all eternity. My prayer this morning is
that those who do not have this conviction would see you, perhaps for the first time, as you are as King, as Lord, as
Lamb and Lion; that they would see and know that salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone, and that He alone is worthy.

Lord, be glorified today. Be glorified in us, be glorified through us... be glorified despite us; for all blessing and honour
and glory and power is yours, forever and ever.

Amen.

Open your bibles with me please to Revelation, chapter 7. Were going to be reading the latter half of chapter 7, which
we also looked at last time I preached, and the first section of chapter 8.

First, Revelation 7 beginning at verse 9.

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples,

and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their
hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the
Lamb!11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces
before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:

Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,

Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.

13

Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come

from?

14

And I said to him, Sir,[b] you know.

So he said to me, These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His
temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and
lead them to living fountains of waters.[c] And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Chapter 8

When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who
stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and
stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden
altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God
from the angels hand.5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And
there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.
6

So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

Weve come a long way now through the book of Revelation, and in terms of context, were an incredible distance
from the sermon I preached in this series, as we saw the Revelation of the King in chapter 1. Weve passed from earth
to heaven, through the throne room of the Lamb, and weve seen the judgment of Jesus Christ preceding from the

throne in the form of four avenging angels. Weve seen six seals broken, watched 144,000 receive their mark of
ministry, and seen an innumerable throng emerging from the tribulation.

What were going to see here in chapter 8 is, for the first time since the series began, a pause. Now, Ive spoken at
some length throughout this series about the idea that there is a great deal of restraint shown in this book. Thats
certainly true, but chapter 8 presents that to us in a way that we havent seen before. Whats important for our study
today is to understand how this pause fits contextually with the events of the Tribulation because there are
significant consequences to the things Im going to show you today.

Before we do that, however, and for the sake of those who perhaps arent so familiar with these things, Id like to give
you a brief summary of exactly what the Tribulation is.

If you look to the screen, you can follow through with me the timeline of the tribulation. At the bottom of the screen,
youll see a complete outlay of the timeline. Now, this particular outline is quite minimal, but it serves our purposes
for today. I do have a much more complete timeline with a lot more detail, but Ill provide that to you at a later date.

First, lets begin with the church age. These are the seven churches that we studied while looking at the seven letters
Jesus Himself penned in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. Each of the churches and their place in history are detailed for
you on the screen from Ephesus to Laodicea.

At the close of the Church Age, we encounter The Rapture a doctrine that has rightly been called the most
preposterous belief in Christianity. This is detailed for us in 1 Thessalonians 4:7, where the apostle Paul states,

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of
God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
(1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

The tribulation itself follows soon after the rapture takes place. Some scholars believe that there may be a period of
time between the rapture and the tribulation. My timeline below reflects this, though personally it wouldnt surprise
me either way; and whether there is, or is not, a break between the rapture and the tribulation is not something youll
find an argument for either way in Scripture.

This then leads us to the tribulation.

The tribulation itself is probably best broken down in the book of Daniel, chapter 9. Im going to put this verse on the
screen, because its important that you see this verse with your own eyes to take it in.

Daniel, chapter 9, verse 27.

Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;

But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.

There are three things to note here, and each forms a key point in the tribulation timeline.

Point one: the tribulation period commences with a covenant and one that is designed to last for one week; that
is, seven years.

Point two: in the middle of the week, the Antichrist will bring an end to sacrifices and offerings in the temple, making
it desolate by introducing an abomination to the Holy of Holies.

Point three: the final event of the Tribulation is confirmed; that is, a consummation, which is poured out on the
desolate. Note the language there, because well see something else that is poured out in the book of Revelation
as we progress. This is a reference to the bowl judgments that occur in Revelation 16. This indicates that, in contrast
to what many scholars have suggested, the bowl judgments are a brief period of utmost wrath at the very end of the
tribulation and do not extend throughout the entire second half.

So, thats the sequence:

The Tribulation commences with a 7-year agreement, has its midpoint at the Abomination of Desolation, and ends
with the bowl judgments being poured out on the desolate.

Now, if anyone doubts that (and there are those that do), there is a further breakdown offered in Scripture. In chapter
7 of Daniel, an angel describes to the prophet two phases consisting of a time, times, and half a time. In chapters 8
is also given specific day counts of 1,260 days, as a clear indication that this time is both literal and sequential. So each
half of the tribulation consists of 1,260 days; 3 and years in the Jewish calendar. Now, that point is important,
because the Jewish calendar is a 360 day lunar calendar, not a 365 day solar calendar, as ours is.

Now, there is a lot more detail in Scripture in terms of day counts, and additional events that occur after the Lords
return, each of which are given specific time frames, but thats probably enough information for one day, so Ill leave
that there but what I would like to do is give you something to think about in terms of how we view the breakdown
of events within that period and Id like to do that by examining the language that is used in Revelation 7 and 8. Turn
with me back to Revelation 7, and well begin again there.

The Great Tribulation: A New Understanding

We saw the last time I preached that the ministry of the 144,000 leads to the redemption of a great multitude which
no one could number, of all tribes, peoples and tongues chapter 7 verse 9 but there is a conversation that occurs
in this passage that is often glossed over and one that doesnt fit neatly with most peoples views on the tribulation
timeline. Look at verse 13.

13

Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come

from?

14

And I said to him, Sir,[b] you know.

So he said to me, These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb.

When I last preached, I suggested to you that the 144,000 were sealed prior to the riding of the four horsemen. I also
read to you from Revelation 14, where the 144,000 are seen on Mount Zion at the Lords return. If this interpretation
is consistent, then Revelation 7 presents to us a picture of the redemptive plan of the King even through severe
judgment throughout the entire 7-year period of the Tribulation.

but theres a conflict here, between that view, and what is so often taught from this book.

Look at verse 14 again.

So he [that is, the elder] said to me, These are the ones who come out of The Great Tribulation, and washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Do you see the conflict? What the Elder states here in verse 14 is that this multitude comes out of The Great
Tribulation and yet Ive just told you that the multitude stems from the entire 7-year ministry of the 144,000. Where
the confusion comes in is that Bible scholars almost without exception use the phrase The Great Tribulation to refer
to the latter half, the final 3 years, of the tribulation timeline. Id like to suggest to you this morning that this is not
the correct application of this term and the evidence for that is here in these verses. I dont want you to just take
my word for that, though so let me justify it for you.

This phrase, The Great Tribulation, appears only once in Scripture, and its here, in Revelation 7. The word
tribulation itself is used numerous times in Scripture, but it is only here that we see it used as a proper noun, THE
Great Tribulation this is a title, not just a general reference to a period of judgment and wrath.

There is an instance in Scripture and only one, I should add (though it appears in two gospels), where the term great
tribulation is used though in this case, its not used as a title, but as a general description. Turn with me to the book
of Matthew. Matthew chapter 24, and well begin at verse 15.

15

Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation,[c] spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy

place (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is
on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his
clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your
flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the
beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Now, weve already discussed in some measure the event that Jesus is describing here. This is the mid-point of the
tribulation, wherein the Antichrist defiles the temple by setting up an idol in the Holy of Holies, the Most Holy Place
where the Shekinah Glory of Almighty God Himself, once shone. So we know that when Jesus refers to great
tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be, he is referring
to the latter half of the seven year period.

What Im suggesting to you is this:

That these two phrases, The Great Tribulation, and great tribulation, such as has never been seen before, no, nor
will be again, are not interchangeable.

The first term is a title, not merely a description, and is a reference to the entire 7-year span. The elder in chapter 7
makes this clear, defining that period as commencing with the sealing of the 144,000 and the restraint of the four
horsemen, and ending with the 144,000 standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion.

The second term is a far more specific and narrow designation, and refers more particularly to what Ive previously
referred to as the time of Jacobs Trouble, the latter half of Daniels 70th Week.

Now, I realize that this is a big call to make. I understand that scholars have, for many, many years, referred to the
final 3 years of the tribulation as The Great Tribulation; however, I absolutely believe that this is not the picture
that Scripture presents. More than that, Id suggest to you that this error has for many years caused confusion that is
in desperate need of correction. There are a number of passages in Scripture that benefit from the clarity that this
view provides. Many of the arguments between pre-tribulation and post-tribulation rapture believers can be resolved

simply by getting our terminology straight, and allowing Scripture to speak for itself, rather than substituting terms
into Scripture to explain concepts on our behalf.

Theres more than that, though even in a practical sense, the corrected view of these two terms has a significant
impact. Id suggest to you that the placement of Chapter 7 at this point in the book makes no sense if the angel is
referring to a multitude from the final 3 years. At the beginning of chapter 8, we are still placed very early on in the
Tribulation before the trumpets, before the bowls, and certainly before the midpoint of the Tribulation, which we
wont reach until chapter 12. The view that the latter 3 years is The Great Tribulation is sequentially, textually and
theologically flawed, and needs to be done away with.

So what Im suggesting to you is this: a new understanding of our Biblical terminology and this is what it looks like:
(next slide)

Here we have an overview of the entire tribulation; broken into two three-and-a-half year periods, the latter of which
is known as great tribulation, such as has never been seen before, and the entirety of which is known as The Great
Tribulation.

but theres more detail here in these verses, and it allows us to place the seal judgments that weve recently studied
in an even more specific context. Lets move on.

Placing the Seals in Context

Look at Revelation 8, beginning at verse 1.

When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

Over the past few sermons, weve stumbled into a number of passages that are contentious, several of which scholars
have had great difficulty with. This verse, as short as it is, is another. There are many, many conjectures about what
on earth this verse could possibly mean, and what the significance of it is. Most scholars quite literally have no idea
how to interpret the idea that there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

Throughout this series, Ive suggested to you, both directly and indirectly, that there is nothing in the book of
Revelation that cannot be understood at least in some measure if we take the whole counsel of God, and look to
Scripture to provide the interpretation. This verse is no exception.

Turn with me back to Revelation 3.

Let me remind you of the context here. This is the letter that the Lord Jesus Himself wrote to the church at
Philadelphia, penned by the apostle John and communicated through the angel over that church. This is one of just

two churches in this series of letters that receives no criticism from the Lord. Bear that in mind, and look at verse 10.

Because you have kept my command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon
the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no
one may take your crown.

Now, I want you to note three things here.

The first is that the Lord Jesus refers to the tribulation as the hour of trial. Thats a clearly defined time frame, and is
the equivalent of what weve just seen as The Great Tribulation; a seven year period of Gods judgment upon man.

Second, he promises to keep this church from that hour of trial. This church, unlike many of the others that we studied
in chapters 2 and 3, is a faithful, believing remnant. They, as the Lord has consistently promised, are not appointed
to wrath, but to obtain salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

Third, if you doubt either of the first two points, the Lord reinforces them both with a reminder behold, I am coming
quickly!. There can be no doubt at all that this is indeed a reference to the Lords return to the rapture, to The
Great Tribulation, and to the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, file that away in your minds for a moment the tribulation is referred to as the hour of trial and turn with me
now to Revelation 14. Revelation 14, beginning at verse 6.

Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on
the earth to every nation, tribe, tongue and people saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to Him, for
the hour of His judgment has come

Now, in case theres any confusion here, let me clarify it for you: this angel is not indicating that Gods judgment has
just begun, here in Revelation 14. The words used here, (the hour of His judgment) has come, are the Greek lthen.
This word is aorist, active and indicative. What on earth does that mean? Well, it means that the angel, declaring the
good news as he is here at the end of the Tribulation, is announcing to the world that the hour of the judgment of the
Lamb has come, past tense, and is now drawing to a close.

So whats the conclusion here? Well, I would suggest to you that the terms weve studied so far this morning the
hour of trial, the hour of His judgment, and the Great Tribulation, are synonymous. They all refer to precisely the same
event, and the same time frame: the seven years of Daniels 70th week.

and if the Great Tribulation, the seven years of the wrath of the Lamb, are referred to in Revelation as an hour,
then that context has significant implications for the verse we read in chapter 8.

Turn back now to Revelation 8, and lets read verse 1 again.

When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

I mentioned to you before that this is a verse over which scholars have debated, and written a great deal of conjecture.
There is absolutely no need for such confusion. Revelation itself makes it abundantly clear that it uses the word hour
as a descriptive term for the entire tribulation.

Now take that understanding, and look at verse 1 again.

there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

What the apostle John is saying here is that there was silence in heaven for a period almost equal to half of the
tribulation. Thats a big deal.

Once youve absorbed that, there is something else to note here. This sentence, unlike almost everything else weve
seen in the book of Revelation, is not precise. Thats really unusual and its not something that the Holy Spirit has
done in a casual manner. Nothing in Scripture is accidental; nothing is without its own significance. So lets be really
clear about this: what were seeing here isnt silence in heaven for half an hour, its about half an hour. What does
that indicate to us? Well, it indicates to us that the period of silence in heaven not only consumes much of the first
half of the tribulation, but also leaves room at the outset for the breaking of the first six seals.

So lets update our timeline. If you look to the screen, youll now see how the seal judgments fit in our view of the
tribulation.

(next slide)

The logical consequence in understanding the hour of trial is that the seal judgments, detailed for us in chapter 6,
now occur in fairly rapid succession at the outset of the tribulation, followed by a period of almost three and a half
years wherein God the King pronounces no further judgment upon the earth. This likewise pushes the trumpet
judgments, which well begin to look at in my next sermon, into the second half of the tribulation. Now, I dont want
to go too far into this and pre-empt my later sermons, but this makes a lot of sense, as well come to see. When we
study chapters 8 and 9, we see that the trumpet judgments are far more consequential than anything weve seen up
to this point in the book: a third of all the trees on earth are burned up, and all green grass. A third of the sea turns to
blood; a third of the sea creatures die, and a third of the ships on the water are destroyed. A star falls from heaven
and poisons a third of the rivers; a third of the sun is darkened, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars. Thats
just the first four judgments.

In that context, we can begin to understand exactly what this silence is for.

Now, dont misunderstand me on this point there are many good scholars out there who view this silence as an
ominous sign of judgment. Thats not necessarily incorrect, but if we look at the way in which Scripture uses silence,
we find a slightly different implication.

Let me give you a couple of examples from Scripture. Im only going to read a couple, for times sake, but youll find
that each of these verses is representative of a greater concept, and Scripture is consistent in the way it uses this
image.

First, Zechariah 2:13. In this passage, men are commanded to be silent before the Lord, in reverence: Be silent, all
flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!

and in contrast, 1 Samuel 2, verses 9 and 10. In this verse, the wicked are rendered silent, as the Lord comes in
judgment. In this passage, it makes the point that men are left without excuse, and have no argument against the
Lord: the wicked shall be silent in darkness. For by strength, no man shall prevail. The adversaries of the Lord are
broken in pieces; from heaven He will thunder against them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.

So, Scripture presents two primary contexts for silence both are in regard to the silence of man, not God either in
reverence for God, or in submission to God. Never is God Himself presented as being silent before man in judgment.
In fact, quite the opposite.

This is Isaiah 65, verses 6 and 7: "Behold, it is written before Me: I will not keep silence, but will repay - even repay into
their bosom - your iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers together," Says the LORD, "Who have burned incense on
the mountains and blasphemed Me on the hills; therefore I will measure their former work into their bosom."

The same picture is also represented in Psalm 83, which reads:

Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold your peace, and do not be still, O God! For behold, your enemies make a
tumult; and those who hate you have lifted up their head. O my God, make them like the whirling dust, like the chaff
before the wind! pursue them with your tempest, and frighten them with your storm. Fill their faces with shame,
that they may seek your name, O Lord. (selected verses, 1-2, 13-16)

This is the consistent representation of Scripture: That Gods silence is the absence of judgment, while the judgment
that does occur is always accompanied with a great deal of noise: whirlwinds, fire, lightning, tempests, roaring, burning
and thundering.

When we take this knowledge in to Revelation 8, we can see both contexts exist side by side.

We saw in verse 1 that the silence here is in heaven in its totality. I can understand completely the angel throng, the
elders, and the living creatures, falling silent. Gods judgment has been unleashed upon the earth, and the worst is
yet to come. All of heaven falls silent before the impending judgment of God, in holy reverence. In that sense, this
could be, for want of a better expression, the deep breath before the plunge.

but it isnt just angels and men that are silent. Look at verses 5 and 6.

Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises,
thunderings, lightning, and an earthquake. So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to
sound.

Dont gloss over this. there were noises, thunderings, lightning and an earthquake.
Where have we seen this before?
This is the sound that emanates from the throne of God. It is the voice of God Himself, as we saw in chapter 4.

and so this noise, this lightning, thundering, and quaking, is the noise the breaks the silence.
This is God Himself. The silence, sustained for almost three and a half years, is broken only when the Lamb of God
gives leave to the angel to fill the censer and cast it to the earth, which triggers the seven trumpets and the judgments
that are to follow.

So what am I suggesting?

The silence in heaven isnt another judgment from God and its not just an ominous silence before the trumpets
sound and the wrath of the Lamb begins anew. Its more than that.
and the answer, as always, is in the context.

A Multitude out of the Great Tribulation

Last time I preached, we studied chapter 7. We saw the sealing of the 144,000, and a multitude that no one could
number coming out of the great tribulation. This is the context of chapter 8 verse 1. Dont be distracted by the chapter
divisions, theyre a human invention. This is the immediate context of the silence in heaven, and the two go together.

Id like to take you back a little bit to a sermon that I preached several weeks ago now. When we looked at the third
and fourth seals, I argued that even in judgment, God showed great mercy in removing every impediment from
mankind, to drive away blindness and to open eyes to see that Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Id

like to suggest to you this morning that this is exactly what the seal judgments including the silence in heaven are
all about.

Let me put it in these terms. If the book of Revelation were a movie, the seal judgments would form the opening
scenes of a far greater act, all of which is designed to show not only Gods righteous judgment against sin, His anger
against our rebellion, but more than that, to show His grace even in Tribulation because even here, after six seals
are broken and the wrath of God is revealed, even after the heavens themselves are torn aside and the throne room
of God is unveiled, after the earth reels to and fro like a drunkard, and the sun is black, and the moon blood red even
here, after all the war and famine and suffering and sorrow God waits to see if any would repent and turn to Him.

I want to do something a little unusual, in closing, and take you to the book of Amos. For the sake of time, Im going
to read this to you, and pick and choose my verses a little, but I hope youll understand the point. This is from Amos
chapter four.

I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities,

And lack of bread in all your places;
Yet you have not returned to Me, says the Lord.

I also withheld rain from you

Yet you have not returned to Me.

I blasted you with blight and mildew.

When your gardens increased,
The locust devoured them;
Yet you have not returned to me.

I sent among you a plague after the manner of Egypt;

Your young men I killed with the sword,
Yet you have not returned to Me.

I overthrew some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,

Yet you have not returned to me.

Therefore, thus will I do to you, O Israel;

Prepare to meet your God.

Do you see what the Lord is saying here?

Thanks to the blood of Jesus Christ, Gods vengeance is never without mercy, and His justice is never without grace;
and so here, even as Israel turned her back against the Lord, even as the Lord Himself sought to drive Israel to her
knees to worship Him, through suffering, through shortage, through sorrow even in pain and tribulation, there was
grace, because it all took place to drive them back to God.

and so it is here.
So it is with the seal judgments.
Yes, these are the righteous judgments of an angry God, but likewise there is grace in them, that God, who bore the
sin of the world, who lives with the rebellion of our hearts, our corruption, our worldliness, our stubbornness, our
refusal to pray, and study, and read, and cry out to Him upon our knees, the God who gave up everything for us,
becoming in very nature, human, taking the very likeness of a servant and being obedient unto death, even the death
of a cross, the God who DIED for us, to reconcile us to Him

Extends His hands in grace. even in Tribulation.

In this series so far, weve seen much of the wrath of God. Weve seen judgments on churches, whose unbelieving
pew-warmers will be flung headlong into the tribulation; weve seen war, and famine, and disease, and bloodshed;
weve seen the earth split open, and the stars falling to earth; weve seen the sun veiled black, the moon like blood,
and the throne room of heaven itself unveiled, that the men and women of earth might be shown without excuse
before the King.

and in all of these things, in every step, in every word, in every sentence, weve seen grace.
so Id like to close with this.

These judgments are not fiction.

The things written in this book were detailed in advance so that you might believe; and in believing, that the saving
grace of Jesus Christ, bought with His own precious blood, might be applied to your account on His behalf.

These things are coming upon the earth.

Ive said it before, and Ill say it again: time is short. If you dont believe me, talk to me after the service and Ill point
you in the direction of events unfolding on this earth as we speak that are spoken of in Scripture events that tie in
with this very book. We stand today on the very threshold of these things and for a world living in rebellion it will
indeed take such great judgment, and such great suffering, to make them see their need for Jesus Christ.

but ultimately, this book isnt merely about a series of future events, or the righteous judgment of God upon a fallen
world its about Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is righteous, and holy, and true, and we all, here
and now, have to contend with who He is.

You see, Jesus Christ isnt just the judge of the tribulation Hes also its only source of grace.

The book of Romans puts it in terms we can understand, here and now:

But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then,
having been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. (Rom. 5:8-9)

This is the truth of the gospel: that here, and now, if you havent been justified by the blood of Jesus Christ, youre
already under wrath. You dont have to wait for tribulation and judgment, you dont have to wait until the world caves
in and the heavens fall, youre under condemnation now, because your sin has separated you from God.

So if you havent found peace with God through the blood of Jesus Christ, which washes us from all unrighteousness,
then either here, today, or tomorrow, in judgment, you must contend with the Lamb that was Slain.

Without Him, you are already under judgment but in Him, through His blood, there is healing and there is such
great grace.

and let me close with this.

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches.
I am the Root and the offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come!
And let him who hears say, Come!
And let him who thirsts come.
Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

He who testifies these things says, Surely, I am coming quickly.

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Lets pray.