Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

Special thanks to Steven Furtick and Elevation Church for the use of the resource materials and the inspiration for this sermon series. Also, special thanks to Perry Noble of New Spring Church for content used in this week's message.

We have made it to the last message in our New Thru 30 series. In this series, we have come together as a church to read through the entire New Testament in 30 days. And if you were on schedule, then you finished the reading this past Friday.

If you completed this challenge, I want you to know as your pastor that I am so proud of you. This challenge wasn’t easy. Especially if you have never really read the Bible before. If you weren’t used to reading the Bible, then this really took you from zero to 60 in about 2 seconds. But it was worth it, wasn’t it? It wasn’t easy, but it was so worth it.

For others of you, you may be a little behind. Just because you’re behind doesn’t mean you have to stop. Keep going. Finish the challenge. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t but into the thinking, “I’m such a loser. I didn’t finish in 30 days.”

You know what’s more important than reading the New Testament in 30 days? Reading the New Testament period. Just being in the Word is what really counts. Keep going.

Now, if you’re finished with New Thru 30 and you’re ready for a new challenge, we’ve got one for you. I actually we’ve got four for you.

We’ve got four different reading plans you can choose from. They’re available in the foyer and they’re also on our website.

They all have varying degrees of difficulty. We have one that is a 14 day reading plan. Not too bad. But then, we have the beast. The entire Old Testament in 60 days.

But here’s the point…now that you’ve got some momentum and you’re starting to develop some Scriptural muscle, keep going. Find something that works for you; something that will keep you in the Bible with regularity.

In Isaiah 55, God says, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11, NIV)

God’s Word will not return to Him void. It will not come back to Him empty-handed. When God sends His Word, it will accomplish His purpose.

When we receive the Word, it will accomplish the purpose that God has for it in our lives. That makes Bible reading an incredibly personal experience. God has specific purposes for you, and through His Word, those purposes will be accomplished. And I hope you’re already seeing some of those purposes accomplished after you spent the last 30 days in His Word.

Today, we’re going to wrap up this series with the book that we just read on Thursday and Friday. The book of Revelation. How many of you understood every single thing that you read in Revelation? Raise your hands.

That’s what I thought. Now, did you notice that my hand wasn’t up, either? This book is tough. This book is weird. Brian Morrissey is leading a small group on the book of Revelation right now. All I’ve got to say is better you than me.

This book has always confused me. And, it sounds weird to admit this as a pastor, but this book has always intimidated me. I mean, the dragon and the beast and the prostitute. It has always just confused the heck out of me.

Here’s the thing…there are parts of this book that are confusing. There are parts of this book that have never been explained to me in a way that made me say, “Oh, I get it. It all makes sense now.”

But then, for every one of those times, there are other times where it is so clear. Where the message is unmistakable.

So here’s how we should view Revelation. In the places where it is intimidating and confusing, we should be thankful that we have a God that is so far beyond our ability to comprehend. The Bible is the Word of God, and our God is incomprehensible. So it makes sense that some parts of the Bible are going to be tough to wrap your head around.

But in the parts of Revelation that are crystal clear, we should thank God for the truth that He gives us. And these truths in Revelation are life and death important. You can’t overstate how much these truths matter. And we’re going to talk about several of those truths today.

It’s impossible to do this book justice in one message, so I’m not even going to try. I’m not going to preach every theme and picture and truth that is developed in Revelation. Instead, we’re just going to talk about a few of them. We’re going to look at several snapshots in the book of Revelation. These are incredible pictures. They are life-changing, eternity-altering truths. And we’ll watch these snapshots come into focus for us right after we pray.

1. The first snapshot we’re going to see from Revelation is an accurate view of Jesus.

There are people who love to talk about Revelation. They will use big flipcharts and graphs to talk about the book. They’ll point to current day events as proof of the prophecy in the book of Revelation. Things like the unrest in Egypt. Anytime something happens in the Middle East, the Revelation chart guy has a field day.

There are so many people who love to talk about this book. They love to examine modern-day events through the lens of this book. They are consumed with this book. And yet, they never once mention Jesus. People can talk about the entire book of Revelation and never mention Jesus.

We get obsessed with the beast that had seven heads and ten horns. We get caught up in debates about the thousand years. We get so mired in the controversial issues in Revelation that we miss the point of Revelation. The point is Jesus.

Look at the first five words of the book of Revelation. Revelation 1:1 says this book is, “The revelation of Jesus Christ…” (Revelation 1:1, NIV)

It does not say that this book is the revelation of end times. It doesn’t say that it is the revelation of televangelists who think they can predict when the world will end. It doesn’t say it is the revelation of premillienialists or postmillienialists or amillienialists. (Some of you have no idea what those words mean. You’re better off for it.)

Revelation 1:1 says that this book is the revelation of Jesus Christ! You don’t have to be an expert on the book of Revelation to figure out what this means. It means that this book is about Jesus! This book was written so we could know Jesus. It was written to tell us that, one day, we will see Him as He is.

For some of us, Jesus is our buddy. Maybe you’ve seen those t-shirts that used to be popular that said, “Jesus is my homeboy.” That’s how some of us see Jesus.

For some of us, He’s our tooth fairy or our Santa Claus. He’s there to give me stuff.

For some of us, He’s our Terminator. He’s out to get you.

A lot of us have these ideas of who Jesus is, but if you want to know who He really is, you’ve got to go to the Bible. And in the book of Revelation, we get a clear, accurate picture of who Jesus really is.

One of the most powerful prayers you could pray is, “Jesus, reveal yourself to me so that I could know you more.”

I absolutely think that is a prayer that every believer should pray, but I’ll tell you this…be ready. If you pray that prayer, then be ready for it to be answered. That prayer is powerful, but it is also dangerous. Because when Jesus truly reveals Himself to you, everything changes.

That old religious tradition that you’ve held onto your whole life…Jesus might really mess that up.

That nice, safe plan you’ve laid out for your life…Jesus could come in and wreck the whole thing.

That sin you’ve kept on ignoring…Jesus will blow that up and it will hurt.

When Jesus really reveals Himself to you, it is a frightening, dangerous, wonderful thing. Our small ideas of Jesus aren’t enough to rock our world. But when you see who Jesus really is…not who you believe He is, but who He really is…it will wreck you.

Look at how the prophet Isaiah reacted when He saw Jesus. In chapter 6 of His book, Isaiah says, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.

And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” (Isaiah 6:1-5, NIV)

When Isaiah saw Jesus, he didn’t say, “Yeah, man! This is awesome! Slap it high!”

The first words out of his mouth were, “Woe to me! I am ruined!”

When you see Jesus for who He really is, it will wreck you. Jesus isn’t a snuggie. He’s a wrecking ball. He will destroy any part of your life that doesn’t bring glory to Him.

That’s how we see Jesus in Revelation. Look at how He’s pictured in chapter 19. “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:11-16, NIV)

That’s not the Jesus that we know. The Jesus that we know is a soft, cute, cuddly baby in a manger. The Jesus that we know was a wonderful teacher. The Jesus that we know was a compassionate healer. The Jesus that we know was humble, and gave Himself up for us on the cross.

That’s who Jesus was during His earthly life. He came in gentleness and humility. But that is NOT how He will come back. He will come back as a warrior. And for those who have been saved by His blood, He will rescue. For those who are not covered by His blood, He will destroy.

That’s not the warm, fuzzy, snuggie Jesus that most of us know. That too bad, because this is who He really is.

2. A second snapshot from Revelation: Confirmation of His Word.

The whole Bible is important. We’ve been drilling the importance of the Bible throughout New Thru 30. But when Scripture starts to repeat itself, we’d better pay special attention. Whenever you see something repeated in the Bible, it’s because God absolutely, positively wants to be sure that we don’t miss this.

This phrase appears 7 times in Revelation 2 & 3: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

God repeated that seven times in just two chapters. I think that means that God is passionate about us hearing Him. He is passionate about you and me, and He is passionate that we hear His voice.

So here’s my question: what is God saying to you? Don’t tell me nothing, because that’s just not true.

Many times, it’s not that God is not speaking, but that we don’t want to hear Him because we’ve already got our mind made up.

What is God trying to say to you?

Is he speaking to you about your bitterness issues? “Well, you don’t understand what this person did to me.” And Jesus responds by saying, “Look at the cross. Did that person do anything to you that comes close to what people did to Me? And I forgave them while they were doing it. We need to deal with your anger and bitterness and unforgiveness.”

Is God telling you that this relationship that needs to be broken off? “God, you don’t understand. I’m still in Single Station and this is the last train out of here,” and God is saying, “Let the train go. Don’t get on board.”

Is He telling you, “You know it’s time for you to cross that line and finally come to Me? You know the gospel is true. You know I love you. You know I died for you. Why are you putting this off? You know you need to repent and be baptized into Me? Stop ignoring me and let’s do this.”

What is God saying to you? God IS speaking. There’s no doubt about that. We often just don’t want to hear Him because His Word is going to lead us in a different direction.

But one day, every Word He has spoken will be confirmed. That’s one of the big themes of Revelation. Every Word that God has spoken will come true. When Jesus returns, no one will be arguing with Him. No one will be saying, “Yeah, but…” We will all see that every Word that God has ever spoken is true. It will all be absolutely confirmed.

The key for us is to not wait until that day. The Word of God will be completely confirmed then, but it is the truth for you to live by today. Where have you been ignoring the Word of God? What is God saying to you? And what are you doing about it?

3. A final proclamation of the gospel

Parents, do you ever go to bed and pray, “Dear God, will there ever be a day when I’m not frustrated anymore?” I do. I love my boys, but they frustrate the fire out of me. And they’re only 3 & 6 right now. When they’re teenagers…dang.

But I’m praying that I can be the godly father that I need to be. And part of that involves discipline. Because I’ve known a lot of parents who just tell their kids, “Stop that. Stop that. Listen, you need to stop that. If you don’t stop that, then I’m really going to get serious and I’m going to tell you to stop that.” Nothing but warnings.

I don’t want to be that parent. And I hope you don’t want to be that parent, either. My boys get a limited number of warnings, and then there is punishment. That’s how God, our Father, works.

Look at what the Bible says in Revelation 14. “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. 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.” (Revelation 14:6-7, NIV)

This is so significant because it’s the last time in the Scriptures that the gospel is ever proclaimed. No more warnings. After this, it’s either reward and wrath. This is the final chance to repent and receive Jesus.

Here’s why this is snapshot is so serious. That could be God’s message for someone here today. I asked you, “What is God saying to you?” For some of you, this is it. This is what He’s saying to you. He’s saying, “This is your last time to hear the gospel. You’d better do something with it.”

God doesn’t give unlimited warnings. The day will come when no more warnings are given. The day will come when those who have accepted Christ will be rewarded, and those who have rejected Christ will be punished. And for someone in this room, that day is coming a lot sooner than you expected.

“Hey, you’re just trying to use fear to get me to make a decision.” I’m not using fear. I’m using truth. And sometimes, the truth is downright scary.

If this was the last time you heard the gospel proclaimed, what would you do about it? Because it very well could be. This could be your last chance.

4. The wrath of God

“I don’t like to talk about the wrath of God. It makes me uncomfortable.” Yeah, that’s why it’s not called the Snuggie of God. (I’m all down on the snuggie today.) The wrath of God is supposed to make us uncomfortable. When God unleashes His wrath, things get blown up. That’s not comfortable.

But here’s where a lot of us go with that. “I don’t like it, therefore it’s untrue.” How faulty is that line of logic?

I don’t like the sex trade, but it’s true. Girls as young as 5 years old are forced to have sex with men. Up to 30 a day. I don’t like that. It makes me uncomfortable. And it’s true. It’s actually happening.

Just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean it’s not true.

But here’s what I’m discovering…the more you know Jesus, the more you will actually come to like and appreciate the wrath of God. You know why? Because it destroys everything is wrong.

It destroys poverty. It destroys hunger and famine. It destroys unspeakable things like the sex trade. It destroys everything that is wrong. It makes everything right again. The more you walk with God, the more you come to appreciate the cleansing and purifying power of His wrath.

Here’s how it is pictured in Revelation 16. “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.”” (Revelation 16:1, NIV)

God’s wrath is so powerful it has to be poured out seven times. One time won’t do it. Five times won’t do it. His wrath is so huge and so powerful that it must be unleashed seven times.

God’s final wrath is coming, and it will make everything right again. If you’re in Christ, then you don’t need to be afraid because God’s wrath for you fell on Jesus. Jesus took the wrath of God for you on the cross.

If you’re not in Christ, God’s wrath will fall on you. Jesus Himself said as much in John 3. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” (John 3:36, NIV)

That’s not comfortable, but it’s true. If Jesus Christ isn’t the Savior and Lord of your life, God’s wrath will fall on you.

And you will feel the truth of Hebrews 10:31. “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31, NIV)

I know this is uncomfortable…and that’s a very, very good thing. Every week, I stand up here looking at some of you who desperately need to make a decision for Jesus. You and I both know that every week you walk out of here, putting it off.

All I’m saying is that this is the truth. Heaven is real. Hell is just as real. God’s grace is incredibly real, but God’s wrath is just as real. What if this was the last time you had a chance to respond to the gospel? What would you do?

5. Peace.

We live in a disappointing world. Have you ever had an experience that was a real letdown? Everybody really built it up to you, but when you finally experienced it yourself, it was disappointing.

That happened to me not too long ago. And I already know that I’m about to make some lifelong enemies with this story, but I’m going ahead anyway.

I love a good burger. There’s nothing better than a burger that is cooked to perfection. So everyone started telling me, “You’ve gotta go to Terry’s Turf Club. It’s the best burger in the city. It was even featured on the Food Network. It’s an unbelievable carnivorous experience.”

So, Nicki and I finally decided that we were going to go. This place was built up to the point where I was expecting to experience heaven on a bun.

And we were both disappointed. Especially me. I had built this experience up so much in my mind, but the reality of it was nothing like what I was expecting. At best, the burger was ok. But actually, I think that is even being generous.

I know people love it, but I know that I’m not going back. And I also know that there are some people who aren’t going to listen to another word that I say because they’re so mad about what I said about Terry’s Turf Club.

That’s what happens on this side of eternity. Experiences get built up, and many times we are disappointed.

You’ve got to go to college. But when that doesn’t fulfill you, then you’ve got to get a job. And that really doesn’t do it, so you decide you’ve got to get married.

That will make everything better. Yeah. One sinner marrying another sinner is going to be awesome all the time, isn’t it?

So when our marriage doesn’t live up to our expectations, you decide that the best thing you can do is have kids. That will simplify your life and make everything better. Yeah.

That’s what happens in our lives. On this side of eternity, we always think, “this will make my life better” again and again. We’ve put our hope into something just to be let down.

In heaven, we won’t have our hopes dashed anymore. No more letdowns. No more disappointments.

In Revelation 21, the Bible says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:3-5a, NIV)

Everything will be made new. Everything will be made right. This is actually my favorite Scripture in the entire Bible. Cover to cover, this is my absolute favorite. Because it tells us that we will experience joy and happiness and peace unlike anything we’ve ever experienced in our lives.

No more tears. No mourning. No crying. No pain. No heartbreak. No disappointments. No discouragements. No brokenness. The old order of things has passed away.

Don’t you long for that day? Don’t you hunger for that day?

That day is coming, and those of us in Christ, it’s going to amazing. It will blow you away. It will make the most wonderful experience you ever had in this world look pathetic and pitiful.

If you’re not in Christ, that day of God making everything new will not be a good day for you. In fact, you won’t have anymore good days at all. Heaven is very real. Hell is just as real.

But the beautiful thing is we’ve been given choice. We get to choose whether God’s wrath falls on Jesus or falls on us. We get to choose whether we go to heaven on the merits of Jesus or go to hell on the merits of ourselves. We get to choose. The choice is real. The choice is now.

Your eternal destiny is found in the book of Revelation. It is either the world with no more death or mourning or crying or pain. A world where God will make everything new.

Or it is found in Revelation 20:15. “Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15, NIV)

This is the hard, uncomfortable truth from Revelation. If you believe in the heaven that Revelation describes, then you must believe in the hell that Revelation describes. And for someone in this room, that hell will be your eternal destiny unless you come to Jesus.

In 1 Thessalonians 5, the Bible says, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ…” (1 Thessalonians 5:9, ESV)

You need to know that God does not desire wrath for you. He would much rather give you Jesus. But the ultimate decision is yours. Allow Jesus’ death on the cross to be the payment for your sin, or pay yourself. Allow Jesus to accept God’s wrath on your behalf, or accept it yourself.

When you put it like that, it’s not exactly a tough choice is it? But it’s a choice that we’re going to invite you to make here and now.

Mike Edmisten

Tags: Bible, eternity, God's final judgment, heaven, hell, Jesus, New Thru 30, Revelation