Worshiping a God of Judgment
Revelation • Sermon • Submitted
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· 2 viewsWhy do we struggle with a God of judgment in the Bible? Why does this bother us? At the same time, why do we want a God of justice in our world? How do we make sense of this God? And how can we actually get excited, be in awe of, and worship a God of justice? What difference does believing in a God of justice and judgment make for us now?
Notes
Transcript
Good morning!
If you have your Bibles, please turn to Revelation 14. Revelation 14:6 and following.
Just wanted to begin by saying thanks for your prayers and supports during a difficult time for our family as Jamie’s father passed away. We really appreciate it and would ask that you keep praying for us.
I want you to think about your favorite worship song right now...
it could be a song from last ago or current.
what is it?
Now think about the lyrics...
What do those lyrics teach us about God?
we live in a great age of worship music constantly be published—it’s amazing!
For instance, the song Same God by Elevation Worship, incredible song says this:
O God, my God, I need You
O God, my God, I need You now
How I need You now
O Rock, O Rock of ages
I'm standing on Your faithfulness
On Your faithfulness
another great song is by Phil Wickham right now called “Our God” and the chorus says this:
This is our God
This is who He is, He loves us
This is our God
This is what He does, He saves us
I looked at some other great songs like A Thousand Hallelujahs, I Speak Jesus, the Goodness of God…all incredible songs....
as I looked at the top 10 songs, unless I am looking at the wrong list...
BUT…there is one characteristic of God that we rarely worship Him for…at least in modern songs...
What is it?
Let’s read Revelation 14:6-13 and find out. see if you can see what attribute of God we are to worship Him for.
and remember this is God giving the Apostle John a vision for the church to continue and persevere in following Him.
6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people.
7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
8 A second angel followed and said, “ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”
9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand,
10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
so John sees 3 different angels...
all having to do with God’s what…His judgment.
we don’t see many worship songs with this theme unfortunately. yet it is a big part of who God is.
the first angel says the hour of God’s judgment has come. and he calls it gospel—the eternal gospel. gospel means good news—there is good news in God’s judgment. That seems strange.
the 2nd angel deals further with God’s judgment saying Babylon the Great has fallen. Babylon stood for all the world and its systems opposed to God. In John’s day—it would have most likely reminded them of the Roman Empire persecuting them.
and the 3rd angel talks about that if anyone worships the beast and not Jesus, they will drink the wine of God’s fury. and the smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever.
this is hard stuff for our modern ears to hear, and yet the Bible calls us to worship God because of it. To fear Him and give Him glory b/c of His judgment.
let’s keep reading a little bit more about God’s judgment.
verse 14.
Revelation 14:14–16 (NIV)
14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man (Jesus) with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
15 Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.”
16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
God’s judgment here is pictured as Jesus and angels harvesting people. and it is most likely here that this first part is referring to God gathering his own people to be with Him forever.
but then look at verses 17-20. the judgment continues.
17 Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.
18 Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.”
19 The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.
20 They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
the 2nd half is most likely referring to God’s judgment against unbelievers, those who don’t know and follow Jesus Christ.
it is pictured as a winepress. it is terrifying!
One Biblical Scholar says this:
Revelation The Winepress of God’s Wrath
The treading of the winepress further depicts the terror of God’s judgment in the day of his wrath. In biblical times, a winepress would be built of rock or brick. Grapes were placed in an upper trough where they were trampled on by feet, so that the juice flowed down a channel into a lower trough that collected the fluid. It is hard to imagine a more vivid picture of God’s terrible violence in judging his enemies.
What are we to make of it? I will talk about why it bothers us in a moment.
But notice some features of God’s judgment.
God’s judgment is both:
corporate and individual (it’s both!)
look at verse 8—corporate
8 A second angel followed and said, “ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”
but it’s individual...
9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand,
10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
God’s perfect judgment is both
eternal (vs. 11)
11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
not only does it have eternal consequences, but it lasts forever and ever.
powerful (look at this vivid imagery)
look at verse 10 again
10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
it’s equated to drinking the wine of God’s fury - (that image is used in the OT (Is. 51:17, Jer. 25:15)
it’s like burning sulfur
11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
Revelation Worldly Idolatry Punished
Some scholars urge us not to take this imagery literally. Revelation speaks in symbols, after all, so “fire and sulfur” should be taken symbolically. That is surely true, but we still must ask what is being symbolized. Revelation uses the symbols of the dragon and his beasts, the reality of which is actually more deadly: Satan and his antichrist. If the fire and sulfur of hell is a symbol, the reality can only be much worse in hell’s punishment of bodily and spiritual torment.
Revelation Worldly Idolatry Punished
Moreover, the angel describes the torment of hell as eternal and never-ending: “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name” (Rev. 14:11). Some Christians have tried to interpret this and similar statements as describing annihilation, so that the condemned do not suffer eternally but are everlastingly destroyed. The problem is that this view conflicts directly with too many Bible passages. Revelation 20:10 tells of the casting of Satan, together with the beast and the false prophet, into the lake of fire and sulfur, where “they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Verse 15 then adds that “if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire,” which teaches that the servants of the beast suffer the same fate as their satanic masters (see also Rev. 21:8).
These are hard things to accept for the average modern American.
because we love a God of love.
we love love. that’s much easier to swallow. not this.
we are not really that bad are we? Do we really deserve this?
Is God righteous to do this? Who does He think He is to do this?
can wrath and love really co-exist in God? aren’t they opposed?
most of our modern worship songs don’t talk about this aspect of God—and yet the Bible is full of this kind of language.
and I would argue that we need this kind of God. why?
Why do we need and even want a God of judgment?
it helps us persevere in the Christian faith, to keep following Jesus.
12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.
God’s judgment here is so necessary for John and the early church who were suffering.
Remember the over-arching purpose of this book is to encourage John and the early church to keep going.
they were facing persecution—from the Roman Empire—so the fact that one day God was going to do something about this—and punish “Babylon” was a reminder to keep following Jesus! don’t be intimidated. God is the real king. Not Caesar.
furthermore, even if you are not being persecuted....all the time we are tempted to do what verse 8 says.
8 A second angel followed and said, “ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”
Babylon is like the world—calling us to, “look at me. follow me…if you just live the American dream, have lots and lots of money you will be happy. that true success is always achievement driven, or based on money, or sexuality.”
God’s judgment reminds us “don’t be duped!” The way of the world leads to destruction and disappointment.
in fact look at 14:11. again.
11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
no rest! even now in this life, sometimes if you and I pursue what we think will bring us happiness—it doesn’t really bring the rest we want and crave. instead it is disappointing.
i actually believe that this disappointment is a sign of God’s judgment now—and his grace—b/c He is showing us to wake up—turn to Jesus. only in Him will you find the rest.
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
God’s judgment reminds us that He will bring perfect justice to our world.
this past week we learned of another mass shooting—this time at Michigan State—this is the 71st or so mass shooting in the US alone—defined as shooting or killing 4 or more people. 71!
think of war—if you define war as causing 1000 or less deaths in the past calendar year—approximately 45 countries are at war. What is God going to do about this?
what about corrupt governments, racism, abuse of women and children, murder and rape…systemic injustice…what will God do about this?
what about guys like Hitler, Stalin, Putin...
Don’t we want a God who doesn’t look the over way—who hears the cries of the oppressed and intervenes and helps.
The Book of Revelation says — we got a God like this!
God’s justice and God’s love are so related. His wrath and love go together! because He loves us—he intervenes in wrath to take care of that which is oppressing others.
b/c He loves us, He sometime disciplines us—that is love.
b/c He loves us, He will do something about the sin destroying us and our world.
it certainly seems like he is delaying—do it sooner! but He will eventually and finally bring justice—what everyone and every nation, what this world deserves. He is the perfect judge, fully righteous, filled with truth.
this is even practical in personal relationships. it’s hard for us to know how justice should be dispensed in such big, worldwide matters...
but practically, people hurt us and we hurt others. what enables us to forgive? what enables us not to take revenge? Part of the answer is God’s justice. I can forgive in the long run b/c Jesus has forgiven me…but I can also rest knowing that God will ultimately deal with perfectly and fairly the person who has hurt me so much. I don’t have to always take justice into my hands or get revenge. God’s got it.
God’s judgment reminds us there is urgency now to follow Him and help others follow Him.
One of our Sunday School classes is currently going through the book Confronting Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin. great book. it has a chapter on why would a loving God send people to hell.
she also a book 10 questions every teen should ask and answer about Christianity.
and she quotes Taylor Swift.
Taylor Swift has a song “False God.” and says her relationship with her boyfriend is like worshiping a false god. Heaven is when they’re together. Hell is when they fight. Rebecca McLaughlin says “strange as it may sound, this idea of heaven and hell is similar to what the Bible teaches us about heaven and hell.”
“because in the Bible, heaven and hell are about our relationship with God. heaven isn’t a place to which God sends us if we’re good. Heaven is being in perfect, happy, everlasting relationship with God and each other (shalom!). It’s Jesus and his people together forever in an unimaginable whole new world.”
“Hell is the opposite. Hell means facing the judgment of God forever and being shut out of his kingdom. Taylor Swift says “Hell is when I fight with you.” According to the Bible, hell is when God fight with us.”
some skeptics of Christianity say that it’s weird that God would make believing in His Son Jesus the way we get to heaven. but heaven is all about being with Jesus. hell is all about being away from Jesus.
why does Jesus matter so much to this?
she goes on to say — we imagine that plenty of people live happy and fruitful lives without Jesus. but if Jesus is truly who He says He is..think of this:
If Jesus is “the light of the world” (John 8:12), then being without Jesus means living in terrible darkness. If Jesus is “the bread of life” (John 6:35), then being without Jesus means being desperately hungry. If Jesus is “the way” (John 14:6), then being without Jesus means being eternally lost. And if Jesus is “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), then being without Jesus means being finally, utterly, everlastingly dead. Jesus isn’t a guru or a life coach. He didn’t come to make our lives better. He is the life. Without him, in the end, there is no life for us at all.
(McLaughlin, Rebecca. 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity (p. 172). Crossway. Kindle Edition.)
we may say “that doesn’t seem fair that is all hinges on Jesus still. Is God really fair to judge us?”
you see most of us love the idea of a God who brings justice corporately in our world—but the individual justice He will bring in our lives—that doesn’t seem fair. Am I really that bad? I am not as bad as others?
“You know when you’re reading a comic book and there’s a cloud-shaped bubble over someone’s head, showing that character’s thoughts? Imagine for a minute that you had one of those bubbles over your head in real life. Imagine all your thoughts would ping up there, moment by moment, so anyone could read them. What would people think of you? Try an experiment between now and this time tomorrow. Notice what you’re thinking and imagine other people could see your thoughts. Scary, right? If that happened to me, all my relationships would be ruined—even with the people I really like! It’s not that all my thoughts are bad. But many of them are. Even when I’m doing something good, I always have some messed up thoughts mixed in. And here’s the thing: the Bible tells us God can see our thoughts. It’s like he has x-ray vision to see right through us, even when we’re looking pretty good to other people. And God’s standards are really high.” McLaughlin, Rebecca. 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity (p. 174). Crossway. Kindle Edition.
God sets the bar high. Our junior quizzers are memorizing Matthew 5, 6, and 7. the sermon on the mount—in it Jesus raises the bar. anger is like murder. lust is like adultery. we are all guilty before a holy God who made us and loves us. we are all more sinful than we can imagine...
and yet—we are all most loved...
it talks about drinking the wine of God’s fury...
the amazing thing about God—is He sent his Son to drink the wine of God’s fury against sin.
42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
the cup of God’s wrath—Jesus Christ drank fully—as He hung on a cross, the bible says he was bearing the wrath of God against all sin, all injustice he took on, and he took on your sin and mine and its punishment.
Jesus experienced being trampled in God’s winepress on the cross. he was squeezed like grapes in a winepress—his blood flowing freely…this was for our good. His blood was the precious blood of Christ, poured out for many—enabling us to be forgiven
But God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were still sinners…Christ died for us.
we are more sinful than we thought
and we are more loved...
Jesus can read our deepest darkest thoughts and desires—he knows all—yet loves us to the core--
all we have to do is to admit that we need Jesus, we are sorry for failing him and sinning, and trust that he truly drank the wine of God’s fury on our behalf. He was harvested for us. he was trampled for us.
God’s judgment may seem harsh—but God provided a way, to avoid it because His Son took it on. Turn to Him before it’s too late. you can ha e the bread of life, the resurrection and the life, life and joy and peace with Jesus Christ now—and that makes a huge difference.
one of the sobering realities of a passage like this—is we all know those who don’t believe what Revelation 14 says. Tell others before it’s too late for them.
Let’s pray.
Let’s worship a God like this...
3 and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations.
4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”