Revelation 14:9-13
4 Messages from Heaven
– Part 2
“Would you open your Bibles with me to...”
Pray
Introduction
√ Messages from heaven
We’ve be looking at 4 different messages from heaven…
3 to unrepentant Mankind
1 to the saints living in the Tribulation
We left off last week in the middle of the 3rd message so that we could look at the content of the message in greater depth.
The message…
Hell is a real place!
While Christians won’t be going there, none the less, it is vital that we have a Biblical understanding of this awful place.
Why?
So that we might have a greater passion for communicating to the people of our generation how they can avoid it!
That we might have a greater appreciation for what Jesus has saved us from!
The only path that leads away from hell is the path that goes through the Person of Jesus Christ.
Ap. A passion for the lost
May the Lord grant us a heart like His so that we pray for, and look for, opportunity to share the Gospel with the people in our lives.
Message 3 – Hell is a real place (vs. 9-11)
Rev 14:9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand,
Rev 14:10 "he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
Rev 14:11 "And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."
√ Hell is a real place
In our study last week we established that hell is a real place…
The Bible speaks of it as such
Jesus warns people against going there
The apostles expound on it
…and the 3rd message from heaven here in Revelation 14 warns the inhabitants of the earth that hell is the destination for those who follow the Antichrist.
Additionally, this section of scripture also tells us something about this place called Hell.
What is hell like?
Let’s look!
1) What’s in a name?
There is more than just a little confusion among Christians regarding the nature of this place called “hell” because of the work of the KJV translators.
They unwisely chose to translate 4 different words in the Bible into English as the word “hell”.
The problem (and confusion) is that they don’t all speak of that final place of judgment.
Sheol = Hebrew (Ps. 16:10)
“The grave” or “The place of the dead”
Hades = Greek (Matt. 11:23)
“The grave” or “The place of the dead”
Tartaroo = Greek (2 Peter 2:4)
“Incarcerated”
Gehenna = Hebrew (Matt. 10:28)
“
It is this last word that the Jewish people used in Jesus’ day to speak of the “lake of fire”, that place of eternal judgment.
Most modern translations including the NKJV have corrected this mistake so that we won’t be confused about what the Bible is talking about when it says…
…”hell”.
What’s is this place called Hell like?
2) A place without God's mercy
"he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation." Vs. 10
The wine drank in the days of John was often diluted with water. Wine was the beverage of the day - no cola, no coffee etc.
Wine wasn't drank full strength except by those seeking to get drunk.
The symbolic picture here is that when God pours out His wrath in the Tribulation that it will be full strength - not diluted with His mercy.
Those who drink of His wrath will experience the full repercussions of His wrath.
We all enjoy the mercy of God today – think for example of what happens when we sin…
…we’re not smote by lightning! That’s evidence of God’s mercy diluting His wrath.
Ap. The cup of God’s wrath
Remember Jesus drank the cup of the Father's wrath when He hung on the cross (prayer in the garden).
The Father has already made provision for the cup of His wrath to pass from us to Jesus!
However, for those who refuse the provision of God they remain under the wrath of God.
As Jesus said...
Joh 3:36 "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
Let Jesus take that wrath for you!
So, hell is a place where there is no mercy.
3) Hell is a place of torment.
"And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb." Vs. 10
When I was a kid we used to talk about the worst way to die...
Gun shot
Drowning
Plane crash
...we almost always came to the same conclusion - the worst way would be to be burned alive! L
Here we're told (along with dozens of other scriptures) that hell is a place where those banished are tormented with fire!
Is that “fire” literal? Probably not since those who will be in hell do not have material (physical) bodies.
Rather, it is probably best to understand this to mean that the torment they experience will be like fire.
Yet, John doesn’t use the word “like” to describe the fire of hell which leaves open the possibility that it is a literal fire!
Ex. A fever – you’re not really on fire, but you “feel” like your on fire!
So, we understand that the experience of hell is like being burned alive without any escape…
…including the escape of death!
Not a place anyone should be.
4) Hell is forever
"And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night,” Vs. 11
Perhaps the most sobering aspect of hell is that it is not a momentary, or passing judgment…
…rather, hell is forever!
Literally the Greek means…
"into the ages of ages"
…it is the strongest expression of eternity that the Greek language is capable of expressing.
The point? For the person who refuses to receive the Lord’s provision for sin there is…
No 2nd chance
No parole for good behavior
No hope of the torment ending
To me that is the most fearful aspect of all. That the destination of the person who rejects Christ is a place of no return where the torment never ends.
Ap. Remember, God doesn't send anyone there - each person chooses their eternal dwelling place.
For a person to end up in Hell they literally have to walk all over the Body and Blood of Jesus!
So, the 3rd message from Heaven is both a warning and a last SOS to the people of the world that should they chose to follow the Antichrist instead of The Christ…
…then they are headed for Hell.
Message 4 - hang in there Saints!
Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
Rev 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' " "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them."
√ Message 4 – hang in there Saints!
The first thing we notice about this message is that...
It is for the saints.
It comes straight from God - not by way of an angel.
The saints - who are they?
Those of us raised in the Catholic church immediately think of statues and those the church has canonized as saints.
Ex. Harry Ironside (pastor Moody Memorial) & the nuns on a train
But what does the Bible say regarding who is a saint?
"Saint" = "a holy one"
Used in the New Testament to identify anyone who is a member of the Body of Christ.
That is, from a Biblical perspective a saint is anyone who has trusted in Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior.
For it is in that faith that a person is made holy!
Note also that vs. 14 tells us who is a saint…
"Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."
A perfect description of those who have been redeemed from the world and set apart as holy by their faith in Jesus.
They keep the commandments of God (moral commandments – evidence of their conversion)
They have the faith of Jesus (trust in Him for their right standing before the Father.)
So we see that all of us this morning who have trusted in Jesus as our Lord and savior are "saints"! J
Ap. You’re a saint!
Not because of who you are, or what you’ve done…
…rather, because of Who Jesus is and what He’s done!
So, don’t run out and have a jeweler make you a “Saint Me” medallion!
√ Encouragement
The message to the saints who are alive during the Tribulation is one of encouragement to…
"hang in there"
…during that extended time of persecution.
The temptation in that day will be to take the "easy" way and bow before the Antichrist to preserve one's life.
But the Lord tells His saints to remain faithful to the end, even if it means death, because to do so will be a blessing to them.
How is death a blessing? The world sure doesn't see death that way!
For the Christian Death is simply a door through which we pass to the Kingdom of heaven where God's blessings are so awesome that they defy human comparison.
Secondly, the Christian is assured "rest" from the labor and persecutions they suffered on earth.
Finally, to choose Christ over the Antichrist means to avoid hell, which we have already described as a place we don't want anything to do with!
Jesus said...
Mat 10:28 "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
The message then to the saints during the Tribulation is that suffering, even to the point of death for Christ is far superior to the destiny of those who worship the Beast.
Ap. There's a cost associated with choosing Jesus over the world.
Loss of opportunity.
Loss of friendship.
Loss of fame.
But the Lord promised that nothing given up for His sake would be futile.
Rather, Jesus has promised that He will reward those who are faithful to Him far and above anything they gave up to serve Him!
Close
√ Four Messages from Heaven
1) Worship the Creator
2) The kingdoms of Men are finished
3) Hell is a real place
4) Hang in there saints!
Ap. Saints – stand for Jesus in our generation!
Make a difference in the place that He puts you.