Stand and turn with me in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 1. We'll read verses 9 through the end of the chapter. I call this the foreword of the book of Revelation because it prepares us to enter the actual revelation itself. It's kind of the introduction as to how John received this revelation and explanation as to why he's sending it to these churches. And there will be three parts to this forward before we come into the letters to the churches in chapter 2. And this is the first part this morning. Revelation 1 verses 9-20. I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice as of a trumpet, saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, And what you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. And in the midst of the seven lampstands, one like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes like a flame of fire. His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters. He had in his right hand seven stars. Out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and his countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last. I am He who lives and was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of death. Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches." Let's pray. Father, we look to You now this morning as we continue on through this glorious book. of Scripture. We thank You, Lord, for the message that we have already seen in the introduction up to this point, and we pray that You would help us so that as we enter into this book further and further and behold these mysterious symbols and the revelation that we would understand Your will and purpose for these things. And we know clearly, Lord, that in the introduction of this book we are told that these things are meant to be obeyed, and that those who hear these truths and obey them are indeed blessed. Father, may we be those who are blessed. May we not just hear the words, but may we obey them. And may we respond in such a way, Lord, that we bring glory to this great and glorious, almighty, conquering Savior. And we pray this in His name. Amen. Please be seated. Having brought forth a glorious salutation, doxology and declaration, John now moves on to provide his audience with an explanation for the revelation he was now delivering over to the churches. He informs them of what prompted him to write down and deliver the message that is about to follow. And as you examine the description of how John received this revelation, you will find that there are some very stark similarities, at least three, to how Ezekiel began to receive revelations when he was first called to be a prophet in Ezekiel 1. Both John and Ezekiel describe very vividly the way in which God had approached them and the way in which they were taken up by the Spirit to behold the vision that was given them by God. I want you to notice just these three main similarities between the two of them receiving these visions. First, in Ezekiel chapter 1, 1-3, we find Ezekiel who was a priest standing among the Babylonian captive exiles. He was in exile with the Jews and Jerusalem was about to be destroyed altogether, was about to be conquered. It was currently under siege. But he had already been exiled and he was at the River Chebar when God had opened up the heavens and set His hand upon him. And here then in Revelation 1, verses 9 and 10, we find John the Apostle in exile on the island of Patmos. And on the Lord's Day, he was in the Spirit, we're told, as he was carried into his first vision. And so both Ezekiel, who was the priest, and John, who was an apostle, were in exile, and they were undergoing some hardship when they were first approached by God. And then in Ezekiel 1 again, verses 4-28, we see that Ezekiel immediately sees this glorious vision of God. He is approached, he looks, and he sees this glorious vision of God. We've seen it before described where he is riding upon the cherubim with great power and majesty and splendor. Very descriptive details of the glory of God that were meant to impact Ezekiel. And John, after hearing a loud voice behind him here in Revelation 1, in verse 12, we see that he turns to see where this voice is coming from, and he as well beholds a glorious vision of God as well, only he sees the glory of Jesus Christ with power and majesty and splendor. And so both Ezekiel and John begin by beholding, before receiving the revelations that they were to receive, we see them begin by beholding an illustrative display of the glory of God. And then lastly, thirdly, After seeing the vision of God's glorious splendor, we're told in verse 28 of Ezekiel chapter 1, that Ezekiel then fell on his face. Before being commanded and enabled by God to stand on his feet, he fell down prostrate, fell on his face when he saw this vision. It overwhelmed him. And then after seeing the glorious vision of Christ here in Revelation 1.17, we're told that John likewise fell. He fell on his face at the feet of this exalted, glorious Christ as if he were dead. And then Christ laid His hand on John and reminded him of who he was and enabled him to move on to see the vision, to regain his strength, just like Ezekiel, to see the vision. And so both Ezekiel and John fall down on their faces when they behold the glory of God before being helped up so that they could receive the messages that they were to deliver. And in fact, Daniel has a similar experience with one of the visions that he receives in the book of Daniel where he sees this glorious vision of the Ancient of Days and sees some of the things that are going to happen and he falls down as well without any strength. Of course, Daniel was fasting at the time as well, but he was without any strength until God strengthened him so that he can get up and continue on with his work in beholding the vision. Just some conclusive thoughts about this analogy. Clearly, in both instances, we find God equipping His prophet for the significant task at hand by giving him a taste, giving his prophet a taste of His glory as a preface to the message. And this visual display served as a means of sobering both the messenger and those who were to receive this message from the messenger, so that they might carry the divine seal in both an audible and visible way as they considered the message that was to follow. You see, God has a way of gripping, empowering, and humbling people. And while these moving images of His person are not literal descriptions of God's personal appearance, that's not the point here. It's not to say that this is what God looks like. At the same time, in keeping with the apocalyptic nature of Revelation, they reveal what really is in the light of what seems to be. In other words, the description here given of Christ and what Ezekiel saw when he beheld the glory of God, these descriptions tell a story about the person who is envisioned. They say something about the character and the power and the glory of that person and are not meant to be viewed in such a way as to think that this is just an outward a visual of what they really look like in their persons. This glorious description of Christ revealed to John a divine glory to be sure, served as a means of describing some of the glorious characteristics of Christ. Not His visible characteristics, but His invisible characteristics and deity. To the end, that all who hear the message of the revelation would first, before hearing the message, before hearing what's going to happen and what's expected of them, would first and foremost have their minds and hearts etched with a description of the attributes contained by the divine author, by the one who sends this message. Well, Lord willing, brethren, we will look more closely at the specific details of this vision of Christ and His glory, which John beheld next time. For this morning, I want us to first simply consider the content of verses 9 through 11, where John begins to explain how he had received this revelation. And there are three things that I want to look at with you to this end. First, we will consider the blessed way in which John relates to his audience. I talked about this briefly several weeks ago, but now it's more defined and in detail here. Secondly, we will consider the context within which John received the revelation. We're told something about the context within which he received this. And then thirdly, we will consider the introductory comments given to John as he prepares to receive the revelation and as he prepares to see this first vision of Christ in His glory. First then, the blessed way in which John relates to his audience. John begins to explain how he had received the revelation by first relating to his audience as one who shares in the same experiences of life in the kingdom. John is with them, in other words. And in doing this, once again, it serves as a reminder that the one chosen to convey this revelation shares in the very same sufferings and hopes as all the people of God experience as well. He shares in them. Though he was an apostle, a great apostle of the church, John wanted to identify with his audience so that they would view him as one who understood very well, and firsthand he understood, what their temptations, trials, and afflictions felt like. He wasn't someone who was sitting somewhere in some glorious castle, eating all the wonderful foods that he loved to enjoy, free of all kinds of harm and disease, and giving orders and instructions to those who had to suffer these things. He was among them. He was one of them. And he wanted them to know that. Notice how John effectively does this in verse 9. He says, I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. And so John here identifies with his audience both relationally and experientially. He wants them to know that he is not above them, but that rather he is one of them. He is both their brother and companion. That is, he shares the same family and inheritance, and he travels along with them down the same difficult road that leads to this inheritance. All who are in Christ will suffer with Christ, and John was no exception. He is their brother and companion, we're told, in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. And I want to just briefly consider those three elements that he gives here with you. He is their brother and companion, he says first, in the tribulation of Jesus Christ. John shared in the same trials and experiences which his audience had experienced and will soon experience in Christ. He will soon speak of in the upcoming chapters the suffering which the church must suffer and endure until Christ returns. But he does so as one who has himself been cast out into exile on the tiny, stony island called Patmos. Not a lot of room to get around on that island. Not the most comfortable place to be. Stony island. of Patmos. It was his testimony, we're told, in Christ and his faithfulness to the witness of the Gospel, his preaching of the Gospel, his being faithful to Christ that put him there as an outcast of society and as a leper to the world. John is an example of one who is enduring, of one who is responding faithfully, who is obedient to the revelation itself. and is suffering for that very obedience. We're told he was on the island that is called Patmos for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. And secondly, he is also, he says, he is their brother and companion also in the kingdom of Christ. He says in the tribulation and the kingdom. John shares in the same kingdom. And in the sacrificial calling that is associated with that kingdom. Just as His audience is a part of that same kind of a kingdom, He is as well. And the Christian's kingdom, as we see all throughout Scripture, is the kingdom of Christ. And the kingdom of Christ is not of this world. It is a kingdom that begins by bearing a cross. It is a kingdom that begins by denying oneself and it continues on and walks the path to Golgotha to be crucified with Christ. That is the kingdom in this world. It is a kingdom that comes into its ultimate fulfillment, into the glorious rest of this kingdom. It enters that rest only when Christ returns. It looks beyond the temporal joys of this world for the eternal joy to come. It endures the cross and despises the shame with Christ, who is the Head and King of this glorious Kingdom. John was a brother and companion to the churches of this eschatological kingdom, a kingdom that has, yes, begun in this world. It has come to us already when Christ came. It has begun in this world, but it does not consummate in all of its glory. And the experience of all of the true rest and perfection and glory does not happen until Christ returns. And then thirdly, with respect to this first point, John also says that He is their brother and companion in the tribulation, in the kingdom, and in the patience of Jesus Christ. John shared in the persevering patience that all who are in Christ must have if they are to make it home to glory. Everyone is required of this patience. Everyone must have this patience and must endure. John knew, in other words, what it meant to wait and to wait and to wait and wait upon the Lord with an open-ended view, not knowing when certain things would take place, when He might be perhaps released from Patmos, if He ever would be released from Patmos, though He was an apostle and a prophet. He was not given all of the details regarding times and what's and how's and why's, etc. Sometimes, brethren, we think about the prophets in Scripture, and we look at them and say, wow, these men were so blessed. God spoke to them and gave them revelation. Yes, that's true, but God spoke to them periodically, when it was in God's timing. It wasn't like they could just go to God all the time and receive revelation. There were times when they sought His will and God revealed it immediately. But there were times when they had to wait and did not know what would happen and when it would happen. You look at Jeremiah. He was a very sorrowful, somebody who was constantly weeping because of what was happening to Jerusalem. These men suffered. Like us, brethren, the Apostle John was called to patiently endure suffering in trial. Like us, he was called to grow by these very means and to strengthen his faith in Christ, clinging to the same promises that we have been given by means of the revealed Word. He depended on the same promises that we depend on even now in the present. And so in all these things, John wanted to make sure that his audience that even we, in the year 2011, understand that He, as our brother and companion, knows what it's like to travel the very difficult and painful path of the Christian walk. John knows. He's been there. He has suffered tribulation. He has looked forward to a kingdom that was not yet consummated. He has had to develop and maintain the patience that is required to follow and serve Christ. The patience of the unknowns, and the endurings, and the perseverings. Like his brother James, in James 5, verse 17, John could say these words, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. In other words, brethren, there are no superhuman sufferers in this world. The John Calvins and the Charles Spurgeons and the Jonathan Edwards of the past and the R.C. Sprouls and the John Pipers and the John MacArthurs of the present are all men like us. They are our brothers and companions in the tribulation. and the kingdom and the patience of Jesus Christ. And so we cannot say, well, they have no idea what it's like because these men have these kinds of excellent gifts. No, brethren, they are as frail as you and I. And they are with us in the battle even as the Apostle John himself was. And furthermore, thanks be unto God, brethren, that we have a Savior a high priest who can even sympathize with our weaknesses, who was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4.15 And so, brethren, as we study the revelation, we must do so as those who are as capable and as responsible as the Samson of theologians to obey the voice of Christ in our faithfulness to the calling that comes with the Kingdom. We cannot say, well, I am not the Apostle John. Well, I am not this person. I'm just little so-and-so. We have everything that we need to persevere. in the kingdom and in the patience of Jesus Christ. Let John's opening statement here encourage us to know, brethren, that we're all in this together. Secondly, I want you to notice as well the context within which John received this revelation. It's something small that he gives us besides the fact that he is on the island of Patmos. We know that already. He is exiled because of his faithfulness to the testimony of Jesus Christ. But furthermore, we're given this little nugget in verse 10, something significant that we're told this and that this even happened in this way. He says, I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice as of a trumpet saying, such and such that's to follow these words. He was in the Spirit not on Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday or Friday or Saturday, but on the Lord's Day is when he received this revelation. He was in the Spirit on that day. Though he was banished from the general population, John was celebrating the Lord's Day on the Isle of Patmos. He was meditating upon and worshiping God when he had received this vision. And brethren, I find it quite significant that John actually tells us the specific day upon which he had received the revelation as if to declare that while he was honoring the day, while he was especially focused and concentrated on worshiping the Lord on his day, God met with him in this vision. Significant that it's on that day that he received the revelation. Upon looking into other texts given in the New Testament, and upon studying the practices of the early church fathers, we find the Lord's Day, of course, to be the first day of the week in accordance with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the day that the people of God gather together as one body to worship God, having replaced the Jewish Sabbath as the new one day in seven that is to be kept in keeping with the fourth commandment of God's moral law, the Ten Commandments. And on this new Christian Sabbath, we are called especially to celebrate Christ. in His person and work. And in light of our union and fellowship with Him and His people. The Lord's Day is the Christian's rest. And it ever points forward to the final rest that will come when Christ returns. We have not entered that final rest yet. The Lord's Day anticipates that. And so we rest. Today, in worship of our God and Christ, in Hebrews 4, 9-11, we're told these words, There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. It has not come yet. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For He, that is Christ, who has entered His rest, has Himself also ceased from His works, even as God did from His. Christ has entered that rest. Let us therefore, because we haven't yet, let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example, the Israelite example in the wilderness of disobedience. Brethren, is it any mere coincidence that John had received the revelation on this particular day of the week? Perhaps, we can assume that the very context within which John received the revelation was meant to remind them throughout the duration of their sufferings and afflictions, which are going to be given throughout this book, to remind them of the fact that our ultimate rest, which is pictured in the Lord's day, is yet to come. In other words, the very timing of John receiving this vision is an encouraging reminder to both John and his audience of the eternal rest that we have coming to us in Christ, of which we have received the firstfruits in our regeneration and our salvation. The very time that John receives this revelation, in other words, reinforces this idea of a coming rest. that we look forward to as we agonize through the trials that are revealed in this book. For it is only proper that a vision that points to the ultimate consummation of the kingdom of Christ, bringing about the eternal unrest of the damned, and the eternal rest of the people of God, it's only proper that this kind of a vision should be given and received on the Lord's day. Consider these words, brethren, in Revelation 14. We'll get there when we get down the road. Revelation 14, verses 9-13. And it goes hand in hand with Genesis, where that rest was lost. Well, here it is in verses 9-13 of chapter 14. This important topic of rest that we look forward to as we endure. 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, and we will see when we get there that the entire world outside of Christ is described right here. That's everyone who is outside of Christ. 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. 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 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. But listen to the contrary, to the other side of the coin. Here is the patience of the saints. Fourteen chapters have gone by. Much is described as to the suffering that Christians must endure, as well as the judgments that will come upon the world. And he says, here though, is the patience of the saints. Here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Right. 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. Without reading this, Christian, let me ask you this. Do you long for that rest? Aren't you tired of fighting? Don't you want to go home? Don't you want to get to glory? We long for that. And so we need this reminder. It's telling us it's coming. It's coming. Endure. Persevere a little while longer. Just hang in there. Whatever happens, even if your body is torn in the process, stay put. The rest is coming. And all of that is pictured in the very time that John received this revelation on the Lord's Day. I believe, brethren, that the Lord would have us understand here that part of the glorious blessing of celebrating the whole of the day, not just three or four hours, the whole of His day, is that we are refreshed and encouraged by the reminder of all that we have in Christ, of all that we are in Christ, and of all that is to come in Christ. What was lost at the fall rest. Adam and Eve, Adam was, they were placed at rest in the garden and then they sinned and now they had to toil and labor, whether it's giving birth to children or laboring in the field where the ground would be cursed. Unrest would be replaced by rest for the people of God in Christ. And the Lord's Day carries us, brethren, along through all of our trials, reminding us of this coming end. The Lord's Day is a means of grace. It's a means of grace for the people of God. It's one of the means, it's one of the ways that God uses, the vehicles He uses to dispense His grace upon His people so that they are comforted in light of the things that we suffer in this life. The Lord's Day is one of the means God uses to comfort us, to encourage us, to keep us going and enduring. And so, brethren, is it any wonder that we should buckle under the pressures of life? that we should faint beneath the trials and hardships that come upon us in this world, that we should find ourselves drifting into the lustful sway of the world, into the sway of busyness, the tyranny of the urgent or material things, losing sight of the glory of the eternal gospel if we are not properly celebrating the Lord's Day. I would venture to say, and I've said this from this pulpit probably at least a number of times, I would venture to say, and I say this with firm conviction, that the great regression of the American church the loss of zeal and excitement for the glory of Christ that would lead us to take giant risks and to cast ourselves upon the altars of Christ's service. The great regression, I believe, has its roots in our failure to give proper due to honoring the Christian Sabbath the whole of the day. I believe that with all my heart. If you are simply here on Sunday mornings, You come in to the church at 11, and you leave right at the end of the service, and that is the extent of your Lord's Day, and you go home and do everything else under the sun that you normally do every other day of the week. You treat it like any other day. You don't hallow the day. If that describes you, I believe that you are crippling the very welfare of your soul. I believe that with all my heart. God met with John in a special way. when he was honoring the Lord's Day. The Holy Spirit of God would have us be reminded specifically as a preface to this revelation that John received this vision on the Lord's Day. Let me close this point then, brethren, by reminding you of the precious, timeless words of Isaiah 58, 13 and 14. Isaiah 58, the whole chapter speaks of spiritual realities, eternal spiritual realities. What kind of fast does the Lord look for? He's not looking for you to stop eating and all that. He says remember the poor. Stop putting burdens upon those who are poor and don't have. Give to those who are in need. And then He comes to the end of verses 13 and 14, and interestingly enough, He says these words, if you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, in other words, if you turn away your foot from trampling on it, from just coming to Saturday night and then just stepping right into Sunday, in our case, in the new covenant, just stepping on it without any concern, without any reverence for the day, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight. the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the Lord. And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken. There's refreshment there. There's the enjoyment that comes simply from understanding who we are in Christ. What He has done. Those kinds of things. Eternal, lasting fulfillment. Those kinds of enjoyments come to those who honor the Sabbath. So John was in the Spirit. He was carried away in the Spirit as it were on the Lord's day. And then thirdly, the last point for this morning, the introductory comments then given to John as he prepares to receive the revelation. We have already considered two things. We saw the blessed way in which John can relate to his audience. We have seen the context within which he receives this revelation on the Lord's Day. And now, there are these introductory comments. Very briefly, we're told in verses 10 and 11 of Revelation 1, I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice as of a trumpet saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. And what you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. Here we are told, brethren, that when John hears this loud voice as of a trumpet, he is commanded then to write what he sees in the upcoming revelation. He is to write that in a book or a scroll. And he is to send this to the seven listed churches which are in Asia. And this loud voice prefaces this command with a divine seal that is almost identical to the divine seal that had been spoken a few moments earlier as a means of authenticating John's words concerning the final coming of Christ where He will return to judge the world. Look at verses 7 and 8. We read these words last time. Even so, amen. And then we have this seal that God places upon that declaration. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. But then now we see in verse 11 these words when John says, I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me the loud voices of a trumpet. He says, saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. And what you see, write in the book, send it to the seven churches, etc. Again, brethren, we have here language from the Almighty. A first-person declaration that is meant to now authenticate the content and the urgency of this entire revelation. Only this time, it is not God the Father speaking. When John turns to see where that voice is coming from, in verse 12, he is led to behold this glorious, almighty, reigning Christ among the lampstands. And we're meant to understand by this, brethren, that this Christ, who is the Son of God, shares the divine essence, power, and authority that belong to God alone. And as such, an authority, Even as the Father has authenticated the final return of Christ by referring to His own eternal character and being, Christ now commands and authorizes John to deliver this revelation over to the churches by referring to His own character and being. And the loud voice, we're told, sounded like a trumpet, as if a trumpet would have all the more added weight to this divine declaration, reminding John of the voice of God in the Old Testament when he called for Moses in the hearing of the Israelites to meet him on the mountain as God was preparing to speak. His Ten Commandments and the hearing of the Israelites. Look with me to Exodus chapter 19, brethren. Go to chapter 19 of Exodus. And we'll read verses 9-19. I want you to see what I believe is being alluded to here in Revelation. Exodus 19, and we'll read verses 9-19. We'll begin to see some of the significance of this idea of the trumpet being blown. And you see this throughout the Old Testament, how God used that trumpet as a call to the people either to rise up and to move on. as He was going to lead them through the wilderness, or even a warning for battle, etc., depending on how many times it was blown and so on. But here we're told in verses 9-19, And the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you and believe you forever. So Moses told the words of the people to the Lord. Then the Lord said to Moses, Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. And let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow, whether man or beast. He shall not live. When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain. So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. And he said to the people, Be ready for the third day. Do not come near your wives. Then it came to pass on the third day in the morning that there were thunderings and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of the trumpet was very loud. so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai on the top of the mountain, And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. Here we see that God is using this means to convey to the people that He has put His authority upon Moses. He's using this sign to the people. They have not heard the voice of God directly as of yet. This is probably the only time that they hear His voice directly, is when He's going to give them His law in Exodus chapter 20. And He does. He begins this as they see all these clouds, the thick cloud and the lightning and thundering. He begins this with this loud trumpet that just goes on and on as they prepare to hear God speak. And then immediately after the Israelites had received the Ten Commandments, that's right before the Ten Commandments were given by God vocally from that mountain. Right after they received the Ten Commandments, directly spoken from God, we're told in Exodus 20, verse 18, Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. And when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. And so brethren, when we hear this idea of like the voice of a trumpet, we're meant to understand that our Lord here in Revelation, when He spoke, He spoke with divine authority. and the revelation of His character and person, which we will consider next time, Lord willing, will serve to conclude the effect of this divine authority that is meant to seal the certainty and severity of the revelation. He wants, even as God wanted to assure the people that He had called Moses, and to take what Moses says seriously, and to respect His authority and ministry, Jesus wants us to hear what the book of Revelation has to say, to take it seriously with a sense of urgency, to obey it and not to take it lightly. And so, brethren, as we near the very doorway of the Revelation which John received, we come now with an understanding That all of God's people, including John the Apostle himself, share in the trials and the perseverance of the kingdom of Christ. That the whole of the Lord's day, when faithfully observed, is a celebrated rest which reminds us of the glory and rest to come when Christ returns. We need that reminder constantly as we endure the very trials and sufferings that are revealed in this book to us. And also we are reminded as well of the certainty of all that is stated in Revelation and how it is authenticated and guaranteed by the Lord Jesus Christ who is our eternal God in the person of the Son. And now this revelation would be sent out by some courier, first to the seven churches in Asia, listed in the order in which each church would receive the revelation according to the logical plan of travel in proximity to the land, the island of Patmos, and then to the churches of all times. And so next week, Lord willing, we'll consider the vision itself of the Lord Jesus Christ and what that has meant to convey to us about His character. Let me ask you this morning, let me just close and ask you this morning, for those of you who are outside of Christ, does any of this impact you in any way when you see the glory of this Christ revealed here? When you see God speaking in this way, when you see that when God speaks, and when He says, I am the Alpha and the Omega, I am the Beginning and the End, I am the Almighty, and He puts these words up against these declarations by John about Jesus returning to bring judgment upon those who are outside of Christ, upon those who are His enemies. Do these things bring any sense of fear to you? Or are you just content to go on living life as if none of this ever matters, as if the voice of the Creator who created all things and assures us of these very things that will take place, and who has never let a promise or a judgment fall to the floor all throughout all of history, to just go on as if they mean nothing. You will face a time where the Christ returns during your lifetime or whether you die, Before He returns, you will face a time like the time of Noah when everybody was given in marriage and everybody was happy and partying and doing all the things that they did. Not technologically advanced as we are, but they enjoyed themselves. And they did all these wonderful things and enjoyed life and they didn't want to hear Noah the preacher. And they ignored him and said, oh, that's nonsense, this flood. What are you building this boat for? You're a lunatic. You're a holy rower. until judgment came. And when it came, God judged the whole world with the exception of Noah and his immediate family and the wives of his three sons. Will you face that judgment unexpectedly and not ready? Will you face that judgment outside of the ark, outside of Jesus Christ? Because that's what the ark points to. I want to challenge you this morning as we read these words to say take these things with the utmost sincerity If you're not saved today, if you're still living in your sin, if you say, well, there's certain things I would still like to do and I know God would expect this from me, so I'm not ready to do this, maybe some other time. If that's you, let me encourage you and warn you and say to you, please, repent of your sins today. They're not worth it. Come to Jesus Christ. Be forgiven for all of your sins and serve Him. You were meant to live for His glory. Do that now before you are forever ruined and damned to hell. which is what the Scriptures promise to those who are outside of Christ. Believe into Christ and repent of your sins. Be saved before it is too late. Let's pray. Father, as we would conclude this morning, we confess that it's hard to appreciate what the prophets Ezekiel and Daniel and John had experienced and these visual displays of your glory and what it meant to them. And these were men who were close to you, who loved you. John was an apostle who laid his head on the breast of Christ when Christ was here on earth. And yet here in this vision, when he beholds the great glory and power of Christ, he falls down as if dead beside his feet. Lord, help us to get that kind of an appreciation of Christ, not just to see Him as the glorious Savior He is. His mercy is amazing and awesome, and it fills your people with great love. But Lord, may He not be the Savior that people in this world view Him as, as if He is impotent in some way, or small, or does not care about sin. Help us to see as well the holiness of this Christ, who promises to come and judge the hypocrite. Those within the church who are insincere, and those outside of the church who do not know Christ and who are still in their sin. And so, Father, we lay these things before You and ask You to impact our hearts. Help us, Lord, to celebrate the Lord's Day, the whole of the day, together even as a body as much as possible, but to gear our hearts towards celebrating and pondering this Christ. And may we ride upon the hills of Jacob. We pray these things in Christ's name. Amen.