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THE LAMB'S VICTORY! I. COMPLIMENTARY TEXTS 1. Ezekiel 23 - Harlots, the unfaithful are judged by God. 2. Ephesians 5:23-29 - In contrast, the righteous are as the bride of Christ. 3. Ezekiel 39:17-21 - Judgment pictured as a grotesque banquet for birds. 4. Isaiah 29:6 - Judgment as a consuming fire. 5. Mark 3:22-27 - Satan is bound by Jesus. 6. Matthew 19:28 - Saints reign with Christ. II. MAIN THEME: Revelation
19-20 portrays verbal and visual views of conflict between those for and
against God. The contrast is amplified by the horror of the wicked's defeat and
the victory and blessings of the righteous. 1. TEXTUAL DISCUSSION OF REVELATION 19-20, and related passages from Revelation. A. Heavenly praise for God's righteous judgment of the great harlot, Rome -:1-7. 1.) Praise from the great multitude in heaven - :1-3. 2.) Praise from the 24 elders and 4 creatures - :4. 3.) Praise called for from the throne - :5. 4.) Loud praise from heaven - :6-7. B. In contrast to Rome's end, described in chapter 18, the faithful will celebrate as at a wedding feast - :7-10. 1.) The Lamb is Jesus - Rev 17:14; 22:16 2.) The Wedding dress is the righteous deeds of the saints - :8; 3:4-5; 6:11; 7:9-14 C. The next scene reveals the heavenly leader and his army - :11-16. 1.) The leader is Jesus, who is: a. Faithful - 19:11; 1:5; 3:14. b. True - 19:11; 3:7, 14; 19:11-13 c. Having eyes of fire - 19:12; 1:14; 2:18. d. The word of God - 19:13 e. With sharp sword - 19:15; 1:16; 2:12, 16. f. King of Kings, Lord of Lords - 19:16; 17:14. 2.) The armies are in heaven - 19:14. a. Have righteous deeds - :18; 7:9-14. b. Wage war with righteous thoughts and deeds - 19:15, 21 D. The next scene announces the defeat of those opposed to Christ and his army - :19-21. 1.) The leadership is thrown alive into the lake of fire - :20. 2.) The rest of the enemy army is defeated by Christ - :21. E. The weakness of Satan, in contrast to the King of Kings' power is revealed - :1-3, in that an unnamed angel is able to - 1.) Lay hold of - :2. 2.) Bind - :2 3.) Throw into the abyss - :2. 4.) Shut and seal the abyss over Satan - :3. 5.) Prevent Satan from deceiving the nations - :3, 8. F. Now the focus shifts from the abyss and Satan to thrones in heaven, and the faithful - 20:4-6. 1.) These include those beheaded - :4, and those who refused to worship the beast or his image - :4. 2.) They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years - :4. 3.) This living and reigning is called the first resurrection - :5. 5.) The second death, the lake of fire, 20:14, has no power over these faithful - G. The scene moves back to earth, where Satan wages his last, losing battle with the people of God -20:7-10. 1.) Satan is released, he doesn't free himself, and is able to deceive entire nations -:7-8. 2.) He can only do this a short time, in contrast to his being bound for the 1000 years, and his torment in the lake of fire forever - 20:3. 3.) The nations, pictured as Gog and Magog, gather to wage war with the saints -:8-9. 4.) In the swiftest of word pictures, heavenly fire devours the saint's enemies - :9. 5.) The devil is thrown into the lake of fire, joining his leaders the beast and false prophet, to be tormented forever - :10. H. The final scene of 20:11-15 appears to be the final judgment: 1.) Of humans, according to the way they lived - :11-13, 15. 2.) Of death, and Hades, the abode of the dead - :14 2. Related topics with texts from other books of the Bible A. The Lamb of God and His bride - 1.) The Lamb is Jesus - John 1:29, 36 2.) The bride is the faithful, the righteous - John 3:29; Ephesians 5:25; Heb 12:23. B. The Word of God is a weapon for destroying God’s enemies - 1.) Jesus as ruler will destroy His enemies - Psalms 2:8-9; 1 Cor 15:25-26; 2.) His weapons are powerful - 2 Corinthians 10:3-7; Rom 1:16. 3.) Christians are commanded to use the word as a weapon - Eph 6:10-17; John 6:63; 12:48 4.) Jesus is the Word of God - John 1:1, 14, 18; 14:6-7; Heb 4:12-16. C. God’s judgment upon His enemies is a terrible picture - 1.) Their bodies are devoured by the birds - Ezekiel 39:17-21; Rev 19:17-21. 2.) His judgment is like a consuming fire - Isaiah 29:6; Rev 20:9 3.) He judges His own people also - Ezekiel 23; 1 Pet 4:17-19; Heb 10:26-31 D. The thousand years reigning with Christ and the binding of Satan - (see appendix) 1.) Jesus
reign began after His resurrection - Matt 28:18; 1 Cor 15:23-28; Rev 1:6, 9. 2.) Jesus bound Satan with His power to cast out demons and deliver mankind from bondage to Satan -Mark 3:22-27; Luke 10:17-20; Col 1:13-14. 3.) Those who have been buried with Christ and raised to new life have a part in the first resurrection, which is Jesus Christ - Gal 3:27; Rom 6:3-7; Eph 1:22-23; John 11:25-26; Rev 1:18; 5:9-10 4.) Those who die faithful in Jesus Christ reign with Him - Rev 20:6; 2 Tim 2:12; IV. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS 1. Live in a righteous way - for the righteous will be clothed in white, invited to the marriage feast - 19:7-9. 2. While it is wise to have a healthy respect for any enemy, don't be afraid of Satan or those who serve him - they are not as powerful as God or His forces -19:17-21; 20:7-10. 3. This is probably the most carelessly interpreted passage in Revelation - remember all the interpretive helps the text and common sense give. Use the plain scriptures to understand the mysterious. 4. Don't get bogged down in explaining the details - the big picture is crystal clear - evil will always lose in the end, Christ will always triumph - so who will you put your faith in?!!! V. MEMORY VERSES - Revelation 19:6-7 |