The third message given by the third angel here in Revelation 14 is going to be our main focus today. Of course, we know that each message is urgent, because each message deals with the judgment and the wrath of God. That certainly is coming, and we see that not just in Revelation, but in other places throughout Scripture as well. And of course, all sinners will experience this wrath of God if they don't turn to and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation from their sin. And of course, that applied to us as well. By grace we are saved, and part of the things that we're saved from is the very wrath and judgments of God. But this will especially be true of those who will live during the times of the two beasts, that we learned about back in Chapter 13. So we need to remember that Chapters 12 and 13 and 14 are a prelude to the bold judgments and they are seen together. There's a progression in there. Maybe not in chronology, maybe not in time, but certainly in themes. And it is quite likely that during the same time of those two beasts in Chapter 13, the world will also hear the very messages that we're looking at here in Chapter 14 perhaps through the voice of angels, but certainly through the voice and the mouth of God's own people. And of course, we've already looked at the two prophets, the two witnesses of chapter 11. We've learned about the 144,000 in chapter 7, as well as here at the beginning of chapter 14. And really, all of God's people are meant to go out and share the messages of these angels to call the people of the world unto the Lord. And so the first message, if you remember, which we found in verses 6 and 7, is meant to actually win people from God's judgment, and that is through that everlasting gospel. And of course this is something we've already looked at, but let's read those verses together so we kind of see the progression of these messages. Starting in verse 6 of chapter 14, John says, And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, right above, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come. and worship Him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters." And we all know that the everlasting gospel, if it's everlasting, it means it's always been there. Not just everlasting going forward, but everlasting going back as well. It's the same gospel that we are called to believe. And so this is really a message meant to win people to Christ and to save them from the wrath to come. The second message is just one verse, and this is what we looked at last time. This message is meant to witness to people about God's coming judgment, because those who do not know Christ are living for themselves, and they're living for this world, and they need to know that this world is going to be destroyed, and the things that they are so living for are one day going to be gone. And of course, this is put in terms of the Babylon of this world, but what will be the result of all the things of this world? Verse 8, and there followed another angel, and again, this angel follows behind the first angel, right overhead, right in the midst of heaven, and he says, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. Of course, that is Another way to describe idolatry, the immorality of idolatry, where you set anything and everything above God in your own life. And of course, when you do that, you will know someday that all that you've been living for is going to fall. It's going to be totally destroyed. And of course, verse eight is amplified more for us in chapter 17 and 18. And so we're going to see that phrase again. Babylon has fallen again in chapter 18 as well. This morning, we'll actually be considering this third message, and this one, if you remember, is meant to warn the people of this world of God's coming judgment if they bow their knee to the beast as their Lord, and not to Christ. So if they do not hear and they do not heed the everlasting gospel that the first angel is declaring, and God's people should be declaring, then they will experience the very wrath of God that we find in these verses. These are some hard verses for us to consider, because whereas there is an everlasting gospel for sinners, yet there's also an everlasting judgment for those sinners, those same sinners who do not repent and turn to Christ as their Savior. And so we're going to read verses 9 through 11. That'll be our focus this morning. because we find the third angel, again, followed them. So we have the first angel going overhead, the second angel flying through the midst of heaven, and now we have the third angel going through the same, and he too is saying with a loud voice, and here's his message, if any man worship the beast and his image and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture 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. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever. And they have no rest, day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of His name." This is a warning to those who will not turn to and trust in Christ, of what is yet to come for them personally and individually. Of course, in verse 8 we're talking about the city of Babylon. We're talking about the city and the culture of the world and how it's going to be destroyed. And here we are describing what's going to happen to the individual citizens of that city and those who do not repent and turn to Christ. It's a difficult passage. These are some hard verses for us to consider. But we also notice that this warning is closely connected to the beasts that we learned about in chapter 13. And again, we see it two times. If any man worshiped the beast and his image, there in verse nine, and then that is repeated for us in verse 11, those who worship the beast and his image, they are the ones who will experience this kind of judgment and this kind of wrath. And so this is addressed to the same ones who worship the image and receive his mark. The reason why it shows us, or is described twice, I think, is to show just how serious and solemn this warning is. And yet we also find mercy in this Because God in his mercy wants to tell sinners what awaits them if they don't turn to and trust in Christ And yet he's already provided that everlasting gospel so that they can turn to and trust in Christ So he's given them hope and so I think this is also an act of mercy Where God shows to John in this part of his vision another great angel another great angel even the third angel And he also has an urgent message to the people of the world. And again, more than likely, this is describing what's going to take place during the time of the beasts, because it's basically warning them, don't follow him. Don't believe in him. Don't take the mark of him. Don't worship him. And so there's a warning going on here. So it's probably taking place during the times of the beast, which we learned about in chapter 13, but this message is for them. Again, verse nine, the third angel follows them, saying with a loud voice. So just like the first two angels would have flown through the mists of heaven, so does this one. And what it shows us is that like the other angels, the scope, the scope of this message is meant to be worldwide. You know, obviously John and the vision is seen right up ahead right up above him. Okay, and this is true of first angel second angel third angel and Anywhere in the world that you go, you're gonna be able to have the midst of heaven And so that's what's going on here This is meant to be a worldwide message so that everyone under heaven might hear and heed the warning that he is about to bring in and of course Isn't this something that Jesus himself said would take place? before his return, that the gospel will actually go out into all the world. And so this is one of the reasons why we can say that. It's a worldwide message. But also, just like the first angel, the significance of his message can be seen in how he brings it. Now, we're not told this of the second angel, but the first angel and the third were told they give this message with a loud voice. It's actually put in the same way as in verse six. And of course, we've seen this before. This is a very common way in Revelation to get the attention of the reader and the listener. And again, in Revelation, it probably was read out loud before the church the first time and the churches for the first time and every time to get our attention so that we might hear and listen. And that's why we have it here as well. It's a loud voice, a loud cry. But then, just as with the other angels, it's the message that really matters. It's the message that is highlighted for us, and so we're then given another great announcement. We've had two so far, and here's the third. And this all, again, deals with the judgment and wrath of God. And I mentioned before, not just on the city of Babylon, that is opposed to God. That's what we saw and focused on last time, but now it's on the very people, the very citizens of that city who are opposed to God. And so this is a very personal message. It's something that applies to them individually and personally. And so the very first thing that the angel announces is the condition for God's judgment. That's why he begins verse nine with the word, if. All right, so if. So it's clearly a warning. Don't do this. Turn to Christ. Don't turn to the beast. Don't show your allegiance to him by taking on these marks of him. Now, this seems to indicate again that this message, as well as the others, likely will be proclaimed to the world during the time of the two beasts. But again, they are meant to warn and keep people from fulfilling the condition for God's judgment that he is about to give us. So make sure that you're not part of this, right? But what is the condition for God's judgment? It's twofold. Again, if you look at verse nine, it says, if any man, and really another way you could translate is anyone, all right? So it's not just talking about men, it's talking about anybody, all right? If anyone worships the beast, if any man worships the beast and his image and receives his mark in his forehead or in his hand. And so obviously, we have two conditions for God's judgment, particularly for those that are going to be living during the time of the beast. They have to worship the beast, and of course, all sinners are prone to this, okay? All sinners worship themselves and certainly worship other than God, who deserves the worship, but there will come a time when there will be a beast, an antichrist, if you will, and there will be a test of even sinners to see how far they will go in their sin. Will they actually commit themselves to this antichrist as their Christ, as their Lord, as their master? And of course, this all brings us back to chapter 13, so keep your finger here. Go back just a page with me. Excuse me. to chapter 13 where we find the business of the beasts and really the second beast who also, if you remember, later in Revelation be called the false prophet. But notice these two aspects to those who are living during the time of the beast, what the beasts want them to do. Verse 15 of chapter 13, we're told that the second beast, the false prophet, had power to give life under the image of the beast and that the image of the beast should both speak and cause that as many as would not worship the beast or the image of the beast should be killed. So that's their first goal for the world, and this is for sinners, too. This is for everyone. So they don't want to just keep them in their sin, they want to harden them in their sin, so that they will actually worship the image of the beast, and he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in the right hand, or in their foreheads. And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. And so, again, what's the condition of God's judgment, especially during the time of the beasts? It is if anyone worships his image and receives his mark. And so we find this going on even in chapter 13. So yes, the beast will try to force everyone to worship the beast and receive his mark. However, the way it's put here is that each person also will be given a choice and will be held personally responsible for their allegiance to the beast. This is something that everyone will be required to do, and yet they will also have a choice. Will they actually do it? Sadly, it's clear that there will be many, in fact perhaps even most, who will fulfill the ultimate conditions for God's judgment, which in Revelation actually becomes the point of no return. Those who actually, during the time of the beast, do take his mark and do bow down and worship the beast, There is no further mercy for them. This is the point of no return. Of course, we're getting very, very close to the time of the end. We're coming very, very close to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, but up until this time, the everlasting gospel is still out there. But as the everlasting gospel is heard, if it's not heeded, their hearts will be further hardened, and they will take that step of no return by committing themselves and aligning themselves and really showing their absolute loyalty and allegiance to this beast. And that's why when the bold judgments are first poured out, since there's only just a page over, go now to chapter 16. Go back to chapter 16 because, excuse me, remember chapters 12 and 13 and 14 are the prelude to the bold judgments. And when the bold judgments are poured out, who will they be poured out on? Look at verse one. John says, I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, go your ways, pour out your vials, pour out your bowls of the wrath of God upon the earth. And so, verse two, and the first went and poured out his vial upon the earth, and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon whom? Upon them which had the mark of the beast, so they received the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshiped his image. And we could say that the other bowls are also likely poured out upon those who worship the beast and received his mark. Now, what will cause someone to do this? To actually worship this beast instead of God and actually take the mark and number of his name? Why will they do that? Ultimately, it's because they personally and willfully reject the first message of these angels. They personally and willfully reject the everlasting gospel that is provided to all men through the message of salvation in the Word of God. And of course, through the testimony of the witnesses, through the testimony of the 144,000. But the time will come when God's holiness will demand His justice and His judgment. And of course, that's what we're told next about in verse 10, where we learn about the character of God's judgment. What will God's judgment entail for those who not only ignore but deliberately reject these three messages that are, again, meant to win them and witness to them and warn them from God's wrath? On the first part of verse 10, we're actually given what we can say is the full expression of God's judgment. It's put in symbolic terms. It's sort of an illustration of what is going to happen. Verse 10, the same. So those who fulfill the condition of verse 9, those who worship the beast and his image and take and receive the mark of his name, They shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation." So here is a symbolic expression of God's judgment. Actually, the first part is put in similar terms to the sin of the city of Babylon, if you remember. In fact, I put that there on your lesson guide, but really, all you have to do is look back at verse 8. Because really, what was the sin of the city of Babylon? Well, verse 8, they're the ones who made all nations, and look at the words, they're very similar. They made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. So we have several words that are parallel to what we have here in verse 10. Referring to those who worship the beast and receive the mark, the same shall drink of the wine, of the wrath, and yet here is of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation." Obviously, there's a reason why they're parallel here. In fact, the word for Wrath is the same underlying Greek word in both and yet it's probably Put in a different way. It's probably has a little bit different of a meaning We mentioned last time that in verse 8 this wrath can also be translated passion That is it's not that she's committing immorality in an angry way but rather she is passionately pursuing sin, and unrighteousness, and ungodliness, and immorality, and idolatry. She's just doing it with a gusto, if you will. Whereas here, the wrath of God is truly His wrath. It's a passion for holiness, and a passion for righteousness, a passion for truth, and a passion for Himself. So both the wickedness of the world, in verse eight, and the wrath of God, here in verse 10, are actually described as wine. And the idea is that it's something that will be consumed by the world. in opposition against God. And so those who would worship the beast and receive his mark, when it comes to the culture of this world, they are intoxicated with it. It's like wine to them. They're just drinking it all up, and they're doing it with a passion. They want more of it. They want more of it. They want more of it. And so what we have here in verse 10 is God saying, well, if you want to drink something, I'll give you what you need to drink. And that is the wine of his true wrath. and the true passion of His holiness. And what this indicates is that their punishment will fit their crime. One of the things that we know about God is that God is holy and just. He's just. Which means that if someone deserves a punishment, when someone deserves His wrath, when someone deserves His judgment, It does not exceed what they deserve, nor is it less than they deserve. It is exactly what they deserve. A lot of the literature on Revelation put forth this Latin phrase as the principle for the punishment fits the crime. And the Latin phrase is lex talionis, and I'm pretty sure I didn't say that right. Maybe we should have had Eva here. She would know it, right? She's been taking Latin even in fifth grade, sixth grade, something like that. But that's what it is here. And I think that's one of the reasons why we have the phrase in verse 8 and in verse 10 so clearly similar. But God's holy passion and wrath against sin will match the unholy passion of the world for sin. And that's what we see in these verses. And of course, the sins of the world is especially idolatry, which is put here in terms of real absolute immorality. They will turn, they have turned against God and they will continue to do so. Now there's quite a bit of background to this expression of the wine of the wrath of God, especially in the Old Testament. You don't need to turn these places, but you might want to look at them another time. But in Job 21, verse 20, Job says that the wicked shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty. And so this is a very common way to describe God's wrath and judgment coming on a world of sinners that has not turned to Christ, and in fact, has actually aligned themselves with the devil, with the beasts, and really will not turn back. And so again, they shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty. This is what we see again going on in the bold judgments. In Isaiah 51, verse 17, And in Jeremiah 25, verse 15, God's judgment and wrath is described as the wine cup of His fury. The wine cup of His fury. So we have another picture of what is going on there, and probably the best passage that kind of informs our understanding of this passage is in Jeremiah 25, 15, all the way through the end of the chapter, because basically he's telling Jeremiah, go to this nation, go to that nation, go to this other nation, and make them drink of the cup of my wrath and my fury. And that's gonna happen one day for those who have truly shown their allegiance to this beast and did not heed the everlasting gospel. And yet, we also need to remember when we're talking about the wrath of God, God's passion and wrath is not like our passion and wrath. You know, sometimes when we get upset over something, right, we can lash out very easily at something. Well, that's not what God is. God possesses the same wrath against sin as He always has. It is an ever-abiding holy wrath." I like how George Eldon Ladd puts it. He says, God's wrath is not a human emotion. And that's something we need to remember, is that even though there are emotions that are ascribed to God in the Bible, and they're put in terms of our emotions so we can have a little bit of an understanding of what it means. Yet, He does not possess human emotions. They're divine emotions. That means they are fully divine. And so God's wrath is one of those, and it's not a human emotion because it is the settled reaction of His holiness to man's sinfulness and rebellion. Sometimes He acts on His wrath in more visible ways than others. But just because he reserves his wrath for this time and this place in its greatest sense doesn't mean that that wrath hasn't been abiding on sinners from the very beginning. because it is a settled holy wrath." And what this means is that those who refuse the mercy and grace of God through the gospel must be judged, they must be held accountable, and they must be punished for their sin and the rebellion against Him. And you know, this is actually part of the everlasting gospel that we learned about there in verse 6. Because in order to be saved, you need to be saved from something, right? And this is one of the things that you need to be saved from, not only your sin, but the very wrath of God that abides on those who have sinned against Him. And what we learn from this is that the punishment of sinners will be as pure as God's holiness and as potent as God's power. That is a very sobering thing when it comes to God's wrath and God's judgment. And this is, I think, why the judgment is further expressed in verse 10 as how it is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation. Now, the indignation, again, is the cup of fury that we learned about in Isaiah that we find there in Jeremiah as well, but this poured without mixture is sort of an interesting phrase. It actually has the same word in two different ways. For example, poured out has the idea of something that is mixed, all right? So I don't know anything there is to know about alcohol, praise God. However, my understanding is that sometimes when you, people would go to a bar, they'll ask for certain drinks and what they'll do is they will pour different alcohols together to mix that drink and to have that particular flavor or potency or whatever it is, all right? And so the idea here is not just being poured out, but it's been mixed. It's been mixed. And yet, it also says, without mixture. So to be fully mixed or to be fully poured out here has the idea that it is as potent as God's power. That is, it is all of God's wrath and all of God's judgment all into one thing, and yet it is also as pure as His holiness. That is, it will be poured out without mixture. Everything that God's judgment is, is found in this way, it's expressed in this way to show that The judgment is going to be severe, and it's going to be eternal. It's going to be absolutely unmixed. It's an interesting phrase, but it shows us, again, His punishment will be as pure as His holiness and as potent as His power. Now, this part of God's punishment begins in chapter 15 and ends in chapter 16. These bold judgments are poured out. But I think all that will lead to what we find in chapter 19. In fact, you can go there if you want to. In chapter 19, verse 15, when we're finally coming to the return of Christ, this is something we've been anticipating all throughout Revelation, right? The theme of Revelation, all the way back in chapter 1, verse 7, John says, behold, he comes with the clouds. And so we've been waiting for this time. We've been waiting for this moment. And it seems like during the sealed judgments, as theirs are going on, it gets us right to the cusp right to the very threshold, and then brings us back, shows us there's going to be more judgments, the trumpet judgments. And they bring us again right to the very threshold of the return of Christ, and we're hoping for Him to come, we're waiting for Him to come, and yet there's more. And then we come to the bold judgments here in chapters 15 and 16. And finally, after the fall of Babylon in chapter 17 and chapter 18, when we come to chapter 19, Jesus returns. And look at verse 15. Jesus comes and it says, the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And so keep in mind the picture of the wine of the wrath of God. The wine of the wrath of God. Well, where does this wine come from? It comes from the very treading of the grapes of God's wrath in the wine press. And again, these are all symbolic pictures, but the final judgment of God, the final wrath of God comes at the return of Jesus, where He will take, again, we find the false prophet and the beast, they're cast in the lake of fire, and then everyone that was in their army who would have devoted themselves by worshiping the beast and taking the mark of His name, they too will be utterly destroyed by Jesus at His return. And so again, we see that picture there. But, when we come back to chapter 14, even that won't be the end of God's judgment. Remember, God's judgment is an eternal thing. In fact, in the rest of verse 10, here is the full experience of God's judgment by those individuals who give themselves over to the beast. Not only will they experience His wrath, but or and, he, and notice this is personalized, this is individualized. Verse eight described the city, now we describe the citizens. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. That clearly refers to God's judgment and God's punishment beyond the place and beyond the age of this world. And so, yes, Jesus is going to come and tread the winepress of God's wrath for this age and for this world, and yet there is another place and another time that will be eternal in which those who have given themselves over to the beast will also experience this torment with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. We find from this that God's eternal judgment will be a painful judgment. since those who have worshiped the beast and received his mark shall be tormented with fire and brimstone." Torment is actually found five times in Revelation, and it means what it sounds. It means to experience extreme and vexing pain, a pain that perhaps none of us have ever felt. If you think about people that have been even tortured in this world, or maybe experienced fire themselves, and had to go to a burn unit. And even that pain is excruciating. The idea here is that as excruciating as pain is in this world, in this place of judgment, and in this period of God's judgment, it's going to be even worse and more vexing. And this torment with fire and brimstone seems to be closely connected with the lake of fire and the lake of brimstone that we actually find later in chapter 20 verse 10 where the beast and the false prophet will be cast out or cast into when Jesus returns and later on the devil himself will be cast into this lake of fire and brimstone and be tormented there also day and night forever. So it seems like those who worship the beast will experience the same judgment and punishment and more than likely even be in the very same place with the dragon and with his beasts. And so that is true torment. That is true torment. Of course, fire and brimstone is a well-known way to describe God's judgment, and that all starts beginning with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Back in Genesis 19, 28, if you remember, God told Abraham what he was going to do to Sodom and Gomorrah. And Abraham appealed to God, Lord, if there's just anyone, even just a few that are righteous, God said, in his mercy, if there's a few, if there's even a handful, I will not destroy Sodom. And yet there was only just a few. lot really God rescued them and destroyed the the place and he rained down fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah in the cities of the plain Real destruction And ever since then, fire and brimstone is the symbol of God's wrath on sin. Now, there are quite a few today who try to look at this verse, and others like it, and see it as just a symbolic way to describe the extreme anguish of God's judgment that sinners will experience. However, when we come to this verse, as well as other verses like it, I don't think that there's any reason to not take this literally. In fact, Jesus Himself talked about the fires of hell in places like Matthew 5.22 and 18 verses 8 and 9. And so, there are quite a few that will say, well, I suspect there won't be fire. And yet, it denies the very clear, plain teaching of Scripture. of a place of fire and brimstone where they will experience the very fires of hell. And yet, as painful as God's judgment will be to the physical senses of sinners, now, we know that there are two resurrections. We know there's the resurrection of the just and the resurrection of the unjust. The resurrection of the just are where those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and are saved by the Lord will receive their glorified bodies. and will be able to enjoy eternity in a body that is free from all of those ills. And yet, also, there will be a resurrection of the unjust where even those who are dead, apart from Christ, will receive a body that will be able to sense and feel the very torments and pain of hell forever. And so we see that as well. But as painful as it will be, I think we also find in verse 10 it will be even worse, because it's going to be also a very personal judgment. A very personal judgment. Again, verse 10, they will all experience it in the presence. Another way that is put is before the very face of the holy angels, and in the presence, or before the very face of the Lamb. All throughout Revelation, who's the Lamb? the Lord Jesus Christ, right? This means that they will be prisoners in a place of God's judgment, wherever that may be, all right? We don't know where in this new universe that God creates with the new heavens and the new earth, where this place of judgment will be, but they will be imprisoned there, and they will be under the ever-watching eyes of angelic guards, so again, before the very face of the holy angels, and they will also be under the ever-watching eyes of God himself. Because the Lamb of God is Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ is not only the Son of God, He's very God the Son. Which means there's no escape. There's no relief. And I think this also might be what is referred to all the way back in chapter 6, verse 16. If you remember when we looked at the seals, right? The seals of the scroll were being loosed. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and of course, the sixth seal. After that's loosed, it seems like, again, it brings us to the very cusp of the return of Christ before we're brought back to see even more of this. But in chapter 6, verse 16, all those who were banded together against God, they actually sought to be hidden. Remember, they said to the rocks and the caves, fall on us. Why? They wanted to be hidden from the wrath of the Lamb, Jesus, for the great day of His wrath had come. And that's what we find going on here. That's what we find going on in chapter 19. The sad thing is they had already made their true allegiance clear, and by then it will be too late. By then it will be too late. And so I think there's a parallel that points us back to that verse in chapter 6. Now this does not mean that Jesus will be physically present in this place of punishment in his own body. Okay, we know that as the Lamb of God, as Jesus, he does possess a glorified body, which we will also anticipate as well, because we also saw in the very first part of this chapter, right? Let's see here. Oh yeah, in verse one, the Lamb stood on the Mount Zion, right? And then verse four, We're told that those 144,000 are those that follow the Lamb wherever He goes. So if the Lamb is personally, physically present in the place of the judgment that goes on for eternity, then 144,000 are going to follow Him there. That's not what it's describing here. But rather, remember, Jesus is also God. There is a divine omnipresence to Jesus. just like there is to God the Father, just like there is to God the Holy Spirit, and His own wrath and His own judgment will be present and abide on these people and the dragon and the beast and the false prophet forevermore. So He will be present, not in body, but in His wrath and in His judgment, in His divine omnipresence for eternity. That is the kind of judgment that we're told about, not just here, but in other places. Jesus is, I've heard it said, and I think it's true, that Jesus is the one that talked about hell the most. And so it is something that is real. It's going to be very painful. It's going to be very personal. With this kind of judgment in view, is it any wonder that we're told in Hebrews 10, 31, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God. As I was going through this, in my study time months ago, and even through the lesson preparation this last week. This breaks your heart. It ought to. It ought to move us. This is where we were headed, apart from God's grace in giving us the everlasting gospel so that we might turn to and trust in Christ. And yet, there's a whole world out there, and they're headed here. And they deserve it, just like we did. And God is going to do the lex talionis. Punishment will fit the crime. And yet, Jesus actually took the punishment for us, didn't he? He took it. So the punishment that we deserve isn't just eliminated, it's given to our Savior. who suffered the eternal pains of hell for us, even while he was on the cross. That's remarkable. And that's what the judgment is. And we're getting closer and closer to the end of Revelation. And we need to pray that God will lead so many more of every nation, people, tribe, and tongue to himself. And to give us the courage, we need courage to tell others about him, the everlasting gospel. But it continues. If you look at verse 11, we also see the certainty of God's judgment, right? The certainty of His judgment. Look at verse 11, first part. Again, we have that same word that we saw in verse 10. Now, just like some may deny the literal pain of fire and brimstone, for those who devote themselves to the beast." And again, there are people that believe the Bible and they interpret this symbolically. However, there are also some who deny the eternal nature of God's judgment as well. That is, they'll say that even those who go experience God's judgment, it will only last for a period of time. And they're not even talking about purgatory. They're not saying that people will have their sins refined out of them so that they can finally go to heaven, but rather they believe that hell will only be a place of judgment and destruction until the soul of a person ceases to exist and is completely annihilated. And so That is the way some people look at it. And I think that the reason why people look at it this way is because this doctrine of an eternal, everlasting hell is hard for our human sense of justice and judgment to really grasp. And I think I like how Robert Mounts puts it. He says, really, the doctrine of hell is offensive to modern people, right? And then that's so. And that could be for unbelievers for sure, but even those that, there are some that are Bible-believing, and yet they still struggle with this. They still grasp this. But whether this appeals to our human sense of justice and judgment or not, these ideas of no fire and no eternity of God's judgment, it doesn't seem to square with verses like these. or with the justice and judgment of a holy God towards sin." I think there's other verses that you can look at that indicate this. But I do like what Thomas Schreiner, how he puts it, even though he does not necessarily believe that there will be a literal fire and brimstone judgment. I mean, he does believe there's going to be extreme anguish, but he doesn't believe that there's going to be fire and brimstone in this lake of fire. But he does say this, and I do agree with this, Verse 11 pictures continued existence and restlessness and anguish, not obliteration and cessation of consciousness. That is, souls were created to be eternal, and there will never come a time when a soul that was born into this world or even conceived into this world will cease to exist. And so I think that that's something that we see here, especially when we come to the idea that his judgment will be a continual thing. The phrase that is really puzzling in verse 11 is that the smoke of their torment is ascending up forever and ever. the smoke of her torment, of their torment, is ascending up forever and ever. Now, what is said here, in this verse, is actually said a little bit later about the city of Babylon itself, in chapter 19, verse 3, where it talks about her smoke rose up forever and ever. And we'll talk a little bit more about what that could mean there. All of these references take us, again, to the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah, when the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. And here in verse 11, though, it seems to describe this place of punishment that is apart from the world, and even apart from the new heavens and the new earth that God will create. This is talking about something that is everlasting, an everlasting judgment. So there are some who see it as just another symbolic way to describe the timeless, eternal nature of God's judgment. Or, there might even be some kind of smoke that will remind even God's people forever that God's judgment is there, and is right, and is just, and it might be still something that is going on for His people to see in a visible way. It won't take away from the joys of heaven, but it will certainly remind us of this aspect of God's character and of God's judgment. This is a tough one for us to really grasp and understand. Will we in the new heavens and the earth be seeing the smoke of their torment rising up forever and ever? It seems that way. And yet, it does seem clear that God's judgment on sin and sinners will be eternal. But it will also be a conscious thing. Look at verse 11 again. So, no rest from God's wrath, no rest from God's fire, no rest from the brimstone, no rest from God's presence, no rest from God's torment, I think what Jesus taught about the rich man and Lazarus seems to illustrate this very well for us. We won't take the time to read Luke 16, but it's a good reminder for us. But the no rest that the unbelievers will experience here is actually put in contrast with the rest that God's people will enjoy. If you look down at verse 13, when it says that they shall rest from their labors, and we'll look more closely at that next Sunday. So there will also be a conscious restlessness in their souls that will last forever. But then we come to the last part of verse 11 and we find that we're really reminded again of that cause for God's judgment, because who will experience this? Those who worship the beast and his image and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. So again, the emphasis is on the personal choice of an unbeliever to both worship the beast and receive his mark. So the message of this third angel begins and ends with those who will not hear and heed its message. They will not heed the warning, but they will go on and take the mark. Now even though this judgment applies in a particular way, we could say, to those who pledge their allegiance to the beast during the time of his life and reign, I think in a general way it applies again to all who are aligned with the devil because of the sin in their hearts. This is something that is in store for all who do not turn to Christ. And that's because things that are done in this world will have everlasting effects. The last line there, moral choices have eternal consequences. So we need to remember. And that's what we need to tell others as well. The choices that they make in this world, morally, will have eternal consequences. And of course, this message by this angel is meant to get out as well through the voices of his people, God's people. Father, we thank you again for this day. We thank you again for your word. We thank you that you sent Jesus Christ into this world to give us the everlasting gospel. so that we might escape the wrath that is to come. And Lord, even though we've talked about your judgment and wrath here from these verses, yet, Lord, we know it's very real, and we know it's very severe. And yet, Lord, we also know it's very holy, and it's very right. And Lord, I pray that you'll give us a heart for those who are at this stage in their life and existence, heading down the very road that will lead them to worship the beast and take the mark. Because, Lord, we know that this is the end result of all sinners who do not receive the gospel. And so, Father, I pray that you'll give us the courage to share that widely. But, Lord, we also pray for our brothers and sisters who are going through severe trials and tribulation even now. We pray, O Lord, for your grace. We pray for your comfort. We pray for your strength. And we pray, O Lord, also that you might give them a holy outlook so that they might see themselves even as the 144,000 that will receive the final reward for their faithfulness to you, even as you have been eternally faithful to them. Father, we pray that you will bless our service to follow, in Jesus' name, amen.