We've been studying the book of Revelation for some time. We have come to the climax of the book in chapter 19, which focuses on the personal bodily return of Jesus Christ to earth to destroy his enemies, to deliver his people and to establish a kingdom over which he will rule and reign in righteousness. The book of Revelation is built around the coming of Christ. So, even though only a small portion of the book, chapter 19, verses 11 to 21, deal with that return, everything before this has been leading up to it. Everything following is a result of His return to earth. We have a compacted, condensed summary of His return in chapter 19. We're going to be looking at some further details related to His return to earth and the battle of Armageddon in some studies that we'll do after we're done chapter 19. The summary here is very clear and very direct. All that's been recorded in Revelation regarding judgment on the earth and the return of Jesus Christ to earth in judgment is directed to us as the church of Jesus Christ. to encourage us and challenge us in our walk with God in these days. Back in chapter 1 of Revelation, verse 3, there was a blessing pronounced on those who would read and heed the words of this prophecy. Chapter 1, verse 3, Blessed is he who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it, for the time is near. Verse 7, Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so, Amen. That's the theme verse of the book of Revelation. That is the point that we are at in the last part of chapter 19. Turn over to Revelation chapter 22. Now as we've covered the main body of the book, Jesus Christ ties it together. and drives home the point of this revelation. Behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book. Verse 12, Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me to render to every man according to what he has done. Verse 14, Blessed are those who wash their robes that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter by the gates into that city. Verse 16, I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things for the churches. Verse 17, And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let the one who hears say, Come. And let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. Verse 20, He who testifies to these things says, Yes, I am coming quickly. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The book begins and ends with an emphasis on the soon return of Jesus Christ. The book concludes with His dramatic, passioned call to respond to the invitation to life while there is opportunity. The book concludes with the reminder that the Church of Jesus Christ, the Bride, is to join with the Spirit, is to join with Jesus Christ, our Savior, in calling men, women and young people to come to Christ, partake of the water of life. Our study of coming judgment, future prophetic matters, is not just to satisfy some curiosity that we might have. Rather, it is to stir our souls as we realize that history is moving toward a dramatic climax and confrontation with Jesus Christ. The full display of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty will be poured out on men and women who have not responded to the invitation to come and partake of the water of life without cost. Our role in this, in the day in which we live as the church of Jesus Christ, is to be passionate about living for Christ in light of future events. To be passionate in carrying the message of life to men and women in light of the fact They are rushing toward judgment, and there is no hope except the salvation that God has provided in His grace. In Revelation chapter 19, we're going to draw to a dramatic close a conflict that has unfolded down through the ages of time, beginning with the rebellion of Satan, and his angels against God, followed up with the rebellion of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden in Genesis chapter 3, there has been a relentless ongoing conflict between God and his forces and Satan and his followers. That conflict continues to build and is moving toward the ultimate resolution which is what we commonly know as Armageddon. The Bible presents God as completely holy and completely righteous, as requiring and demanding the allegiance, submission and worship of His creation. But because of sin, fallen angels and all humanity alike are joined in rebellion against God. God in His grace provided salvation through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, so that men and women who had come to believe in Christ might be cleansed of their sin and born into God's family. All the human race divides into two groups. Sinners who persist in their rebellion against God, and sinners who have been redeemed by the grace of God. This rebellion against God, sin of fallen man is the explanation for all the corruption and all the depravity that exists in the world today. All the crime, all the immorality, all the lying, all the deception, all the evil flows out of the hearts of men and women who have been corrupted by sin. It's all a reflection of their rejection of the authority and rule of God in their lives. They, according to Romans 1, suppress the truth in unrighteousness. They don't want to know about God. They are offended when they are confronted with the truth of God. And that rebellion and battle persists and goes on. It will come to a head at Armageddon. There will be no resolution. until we come to Armageddon in Revelation chapter 19. And here Christ will intervene with the forces of heaven and bring a crushing defeat to all of His enemies. By the time we get into the book of Revelation chapter 20, all of Christ's enemies will have been removed from the face of the earth. We will have a kingdom on earth over which Christ rules. In chapter 19 of Revelation, the return of Christ begins in chapter 11. Verses 11 to 16 focus on the character and person of Christ as He returns to earth in glory to take possession of the earth. Then verses 17 to 21 focus on the destruction of His enemies that will take place at His return to earth. We've looked down through. Verse 14 of chapter 19. Let me just review some of the highlights with you in verses 11 to 14. Heaven opens in verse 11. And we noted that the second coming of Christ will be a dramatic event that all the world will behold. Matthew chapter 24 says it's like the lightning that will flash across the sky. And all the world will be aware of the glorious return of Christ. He comes on a white horse as the victorious conqueror. He is called faithful and true because in Him all the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament regarding the judgment of the wicked, the salvation of the righteous and the establishing of a kingdom on earth will be brought to fulfillment and realization. In righteousness He judges and wages war. The emphasis in Revelation on His return is on judgment. on dealing in righteousness with sinful men who have persisted to rebel against Him. It's the climax of the seven-year tribulation. The 70th week of Daniel. Verse 12, His eyes are a flame of fire. He sees everything as it is. It's a purifying, refining gaze. When He exercises judgment, it will be a judgment impurity. He won't have misinformation. There'll be no misunderstanding. But He will judge in accord with reality and the true condition of hearts. He's clothed in verse 13 with a robe dipped in blood. This is not emphasizing His work of redemption where He shed His blood on the cross, but rather His work of judgment, the background being Isaiah 63, where His garments are stained with blood from the crushing of His enemies. His name is called the Word of God in verse 13. He is the One. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us and we beheld His glory. Glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father. He has explained or declared Him. John wrote that in his Gospel, chapter 1, verse 1, verse 14, verse 18. Jesus Christ is the one who most fully and clearly reveals the Godhead. God the Father, God the Spirit, as well as God the Son. He is accompanied in this glorious return from heaven with the armies of heaven. clothed in fine linen, white and clean." And that includes you and me as the redeemed of the church today. Earlier in the chapter, back in verse 8, the Bride of Christ, the church, was clothed in fine linen, bright and clean, for fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Back in chapter 17, verse 14, In the context of anticipating the battle at Armageddon, these will wage war against the Lamb. The Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings. And those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful. It is the redeemed who are called in Scripture, the called, the elect or chosen. They are the ones who demonstrate their election, that they are called by being faithful to God. We also noted that the angels of heaven will be included in this glorious return. In Matthew chapter 25 and verse 31, we read, But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, the holy angels of heaven, along with the redeemed resurrected saints, will join in this triumphal return to earth of Jesus Christ. And you know, it's fitting. The relentless war between God and His enemies has been carried out down through history between the angels, first of all, because when Lucifer, Satan, rebelled against God, a whole host of angels joined with him in that rebellion. And so the battle between good and evil, the forces of God and the forces of Satan, has continued on in the angelic realm, and we see glimpses of this. Daniel chapter 10, where there is conflict in the spirit realm between two angelic beings recorded. The book of Jude records conflict between Michael and Satan over the body of Moses. Then, this conflict entered the human race in Genesis 3 with the fall of Adam. And the human race divides between those who are followers of the living God and those who are followers of Satan. So it's fitting as we come to the last and final dramatic conflict that Jesus Christ should be joined by the angels and redeemed humanity to do battle against Satan and fallen humanity. The outcome will be a crushing, overwhelming defeat of the forces of Satan. Back in Revelation chapter 19, The description of Christ goes on in verse 15. And from his mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it he may smite the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, and he treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty. You know, the study of the book of Revelation is not an easy study. But one thing it impresses upon your heart and mind as you study through it Our God is a God of judgment. Not a popular view of God today. But if you don't understand that God in His holiness and righteousness is going to pour out a fierceness of wrath that will destroy and crush His enemies, then you do not have a true, honest understanding of the living God. This verse brings that to our attention again. From the mouth of Christ comes a sharp sword. It was described this way in chapter 1, verse 16, when John saw Him in His resurrected glory. From His mouth comes a sharp sword. This represents the power of His Word in judgment. Out of His mouth, the words that come are a sword that is going to be used to smite or Crush, cut to pieces if you will, crush the nations. Back in Isaiah chapter 11, chapter 19 of Revelation is saturated with allusions to the Old Testament. In Isaiah chapter 11, great messianic passage, the opening verses speak about Jesus Christ. Then we're carried to a future event. The first three verses have to do with His first coming to earth. Verse 4 carries us to his second coming in Armageddon where we are. But with righteousness he will judge the poor and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be the belt about his loins, faithfulness the belt about his waist. You see, Armageddon and the destruction of the wicked at Armageddon is the beginning of the reign of Christ, which will be characterized by severe judgment and the rule of a rod of iron. Here we see in verse 4 of Isaiah, He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth. With the breath of His lips, He will slay the wicked. In other words, the word that He speaks will be enough. He doesn't have to enter into hand-to-hand combat. But His Word brings the destruction of the wicked. In 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, another great prophetic chapter of Scripture, we're talking about the man of lawlessness here, the Antichrist, the beast in Revelation. We're going to see the beast cast into hell at the end of chapter 19. That's the man in view, the man of lawlessness of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Verse 8 says, Then that lawless one, will be revealed, whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming." You see, the return of Christ will result in the Word going forth which will destroy the lawless one, the Antichrist, the beast, back in Revelation 19. This fits. Hebrews 4.12 says, the Word of God is alive and powerful. and sharper than any two-edged sword." So here, the Word of God is wielded as a sword in the mouth of Christ, bringing destruction to the wicked. This sword is in His mouth in Revelation 19.15, so that with it He may smite the nations. And that word, smite, indicates that the emphasis here is on judgment. He will smite the nations. He'll speak the word that will result in their destruction. It doesn't necessarily mean he has to lay a hand on them or hit them with a literal sword. But as he proceeds forth, the word going from his mouth will send forth a plague. And Zechariah 14, 12 says that their flesh will rot on them. Their eyes will rot in the sockets. Their tongues will rot in their mouths. They're devastated by the plague before the fury of the coming of Christ. We'll be looking back at that passage later. That's the picture here. This word, desmite, was used in the book of Acts, chapter 12, verse 23, the context of the destruction of Herod. Herod went and made a proclamation to some people who were dependent upon water from his area of realm. And they began to proclaim, He's a God, He's a God. And he accepted that acclamation. And in Acts chapter 12 verse 23 we're told, immediately an angel of the Lord struck him. And that word struck is the same word we have translated smite in verse 15 of Revelation 19. The angel of the Lord smote him. Struck him. Didn't have to actually hit him, but he spoke forth the word and Herod was eaten by worms and died. And secular history supports the fact. that this Herod died an excruciatingly painful death. He was smitten by God. It gives you an idea of the connotation of the word. The nations of the earth, back in chapter 19, verse 15, are smitten. So here you see, the armies of the world have been gathered at Armageddon to do battle against Christ. And as He returns, He smites the nations to destroy them. Go on to say, "...and He will rule them with a rod of iron." This is the beginning of the reign of Christ. It's the end of the seventieth week of Daniel, and it will mark the beginning of the reign of Christ, the destruction of His enemies, the first phase of establishing His reign over the earth. And to rule with a rod of iron is not just to rule in a stern way. But it carries the connotation of destroying as well as ruling. So anyone who opposes you is crushed. And that will characterize the reign of Christ through the millennium. That doesn't mean it will be unpleasant for believers. But it means there will be no tolerance of rebellion and sin. I mean, what kind of reign in righteousness would it be if there was murder and rape and stealing? going on in the kingdom that's characterized by righteousness, ruled by the righteous king. That will not be tolerated. It will result in the crushing and destruction of any who would attempt such sinful deeds. Back in chapter 12, verse 5, in regard to the birth of Christ almost 2,000 years ago, we're told in 12.5, Israel – that's the reference to the she – she, Israel, gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne. He came to rule. Unto you this day in the city of David is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord, the Messiah, the Sovereign Master. He came to rule. But he was rejected. He will come again. The background for this is the second psalm. Go back to Psalm 2, Chapter 2. Great messianic psalm. Has to do with the event we're talking about. Carries us on into the millennium. Psalm 2. Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand. The rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed. Let us tear their fetters apart. Let us cast their cords from us. He who sits in the heavens laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury. But as for me, I have installed my King upon Zion, my holy mountain. Verse 9, Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. Thou shalt shatter them like earthenware." See that picture? It's like you take an iron rod and hit a clay pot, you smash it to pieces. That's the destiny of the enemies. That's the fate of those who would oppose Him and His rule. That begins at Armageddon at the second return, but that will carry through the millennium. Anyone who would openly rebel against Him will be like a clay pot hit with an iron rod, smashed to pieces. That's the picture of what will take place at Armageddon. A total crushing of His enemies. So, verse 11, "...worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, lest ye become angry and you perish in the way. For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him." They don't like to talk about the wrath of God. They like to speak of Christ as some weak, wimpy, kind of person, you understand, when he comes back to take possession of the earth, his reign for a thousand years will be a rule of a rod of iron. Unkind, unloving? No, not at all. But intolerant of sin. When you stop and think about it, wouldn't that be nice? Wouldn't it be nice to know that no one could murder, no one could rape, no one can steal? You say, oh, that's not nice. That wouldn't be a nice place to live. That's going to be the kingdom. They're going to be unredeemed people in the kingdom. We're going to talk about this in our future studies. Some of them may give vent to their stifled, sinful desires, but before they can carry out their deeds, they will be crushed by the angry ruler. That's the picture. Now, of added interest here is the part that the redeemed play in this rule of a rod of iron. We will be returning with Christ. We will rule and reign with Christ. Just what part we play in that destruction of Armageddon is not clearly laid out. But the Scripture does indicate that we will share with Him in that rule of a rod of iron which begins in Armageddon. So even though many good commentators say that the armies of heaven joined with Him will not be part of the battle, the indication of Scripture indicates that it may well be otherwise. Look in Psalm 149 while you're here. Before we go back to a New Testament passage, Psalm 149, verse 5. Let the godly ones exult in glory. Let them sing for joy on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand to execute vengeance on the nation. and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron, to execute on them the judgment written. This is an honor for all His godly ones. Praise the Lord." You see, we are joined with Him in the subjugation of His enemies and their judgment. Come over to Revelation chapter 2, verse 26, a promise to the overcomers. At the church at Thyatira, verse 26, "...and he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I have also received authority from My Father." You know, we are joined with Him. God has given to the Son. this authority and he gives it to the overcomers. So we shall have the rod of iron and be his representatives in ruling and reigning and exercising judgment over those who would be disobedient. What all that entails, I don't know. But at least that much is clear. He's going to rule with a rod of iron and we are going to share in that and we'll also rule with a rod of iron that begins according to Revelation 19, with the events of Armageddon and the destruction of His enemies. It may well indicate that we begin here, and the armies of heaven accompany Him, because we will share in shattering His enemies who are our enemies. Chapter 19, verse 15 continues. At the end of the verse, He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty. He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty. The reference again is back to Isaiah 63, 1-6. The picture of the Messiah trampling the wicked like grapes in a wine vat. They are crushed under him and the blood splatters, staining the garment. The wicked are like grapes in the wine press. We read in our scripture reading, Joel chapter 3, verse 13, Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come tread, for the wine-press is full. The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great." It's called in Revelation 19.15, the wine-press of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty. That's an awesome statement. You ought to underline it or mark it. The fierce wrath of God the Almighty. Those fierce wrath are two different words for wrath or anger. It's the wrath of His anger. And you put the two words together to emphasize, and so fierce wrath is a good translation. This is angry wrath. And again, people's concept of God today is a God of love. And He is a God of love, but their concept of love is without any framework. That means He is tolerant of everything and angry about nothing. But the God who is presented in the Bible is a God who is first, fiercely, unrelentingly, angry and full of wrath over sin, who has a passion to bring destruction on sinful men and women. And in that context of the display of His holy and righteous character, He intervenes in mercy and love to provide salvation for sinful beings by having His Son go to the cross and bear the full brunt of that fierce wrath in paying the penalty for sin so God can give a free gift of eternal life to those who will believe in His Son. The love of God without any understanding, it is not put in the context of sin and wrath. This is the great demonstration of God's love, Paul wrote to the Romans, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. We are sinners. Christ died for us. That's the wrath of God being displayed in the payment of the sin and the penalty for the sin. Now you understand love. You remove the concept of sin. You remove the concept of God's anger and wrath in dealing righteously with sin, then His love is meaningless. It's what? It's an acceptance of whatever you choose to do and be, which is not the concept presented in Scripture. He is a God of fierce and awesome wrath. That's emphasized here when He's called the Almighty. It's the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, the One who is all-sovereign, all-powerful. That's the God we're talking about. It's the fierce wrath of the God who has power over all. You know, I don't really believe that we, even as Christians, give enough consideration to this issue of the character of God as a God of fierce wrath. We develop this idea that it's okay. He's tolerant. He understands. And He is a gracious God, but He's never tolerant of sin. So, I really understand that people without Christ, my family, my friends, they are on their way to a confrontation with the fierce wrath of God the Almighty, and the only hope is the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's why this is all presented, and then we come to chapter 22, and it closes. The Spirit and the Bride say, Come! Let him who hears say, Come! In light of the return of Christ, we invite men and women to come to Christ. Christ is coming to earth. You better come to Him for salvation. Oh, we as believers, we settle back and become oblivious to the reality of the fierce anger of the Almighty God and become relatively indifferent to the lostness of the world around us. Verse 16, as we move on in chapter 19, On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the majestic God. He is sovereign. He is King over all kings, Lord over all lords, Master over all masters. It's written on Him, on His garment, on His thigh. He has come to take possession of that which is His. This is the climax, verse 16. of the description given of Christ in verses 11 to 16. King of kings, Lord of lords. Now we turn the attention to the destruction of the wicked. We see some of it in his character as it was described. Now we see that destruction implemented. There is a rather summary description here. I saw an angel standing in the sun. And he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, Come, assemble for the great supper of God." He talked about the wedding supper in verse 9. Now we have the counterpart to that, a gruesome feast. And an angel stands with the sun behind him. An awesome event as the sun is brilliant and here stands out this angel. declaring to all the birds that fly in the sky, come to a banquet. And the banquet is that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses, those who sit on them, the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, small and great. The dinner provided for the birds of the air, the dead bodies of the men and animals, that have opposed Jesus Christ. Keep in mind, Armageddon is the judgment of the living on the earth at the return of Christ. We'll see more of this as we talk further about events around Armageddon in future studies. The final judgment of the wicked in sentencing them to hell is a thousand years away. But here we're seeing the full display of the wrath of God against the living unbelievers on the earth. Just as the seven-year tribulation has been the pouring out of the wrath of God on the living on the earth, so Armageddon is the climax of this judgment of the living on the earth. The final sentencing to hell will occur a thousand years later at the great white throne, at the end of chapter 20 of Revelation. Remember in Matthew chapter 24, in connection with the return of Christ to earth, when He told His disciples, that it would be like the lightning flashing across the sky in Matthew 24-27. Matthew 24-28 says, wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. There the vultures will gather. It's a reminder in connection with the coming of Christ. There is going to be mass destruction of humanity. Millions of people being destroyed at Armageddon. So that as Revelation chapter 14 verse 20 says, the winepress was trodden outside the city and the blood came out from the winepress up to the horse's bridle for a distance of 200 miles. The whole length and breadth of Palestine be saturated in blood from the destruction of the armies assembled for the final climactic battle of Armageddon. Back in chapter 19, And you know, there is no distinction here. You have kings and commanders in verse 18. At the end of the verse, you have all men, free men, slaves, small and great, consumed in the destruction that will take place on this occasion. Verse 19, I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against him who sat upon the horse and his army. That's the summary of the battle. Verse 20 and 21 tells us the beast and false prophet are taken, cast into hell. We're ready for the kingdom. John doesn't go into all the details. The Old Testament is unfolded, presupposes that understanding. He just gives a summary of what happens at the return of Christ, the final defeat of all his enemies. You want to know the details? You go back and look at what the prophet said about it, and we will do that in the next study. Go back to Zechariah 14. We'll look a little more in detail at Zechariah 14 in our next study. But you see a familiar passage. that records what is summarized in Revelation chapter 19 and verse 19. I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against him who sat upon the horse and against his army. Zechariah 14, next to the last book of the Old Testament. Says in verse 2, For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle. The city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, half the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as when He fights on a day of battle. And in that day, His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley. And that will provide a way of access to flee from the destruction for the remnant of Israel. That will be a unique day because there will be no light. Verses 6 and 7 say, look down while we're here, verse 12, Now this will be the plague which the Lord will strike all the people who have gone to war against Jerusalem. Their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet. Their eyes will rot in their sockets. Their tongue will rot in their mouth. It will come about in that day a great panic from the Lord will fall upon them. And so on, moving into the millennial kingdom. Awesome time of destruction when Jesus Christ personally plants His feet on the Mount of Olives. personally intervenes on behalf of Jerusalem. You see, the emphasis in Revelation 19 is to focus on the destruction of His enemies. But Old Testament passages tie this to the deliverance of Israel and the elect. And in this context, we'll see the judgment of the remnant living who are not destroyed as part of the armies of Armageddon. It's recorded in chapter 19. Back to chapter 19 of Revelation. These armies were gathered, incidentally, under the sixth bowl judgment in Revelation chapter 16, where the demon spirits came out of the mouth of Satan, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, in verse 14 of chapter 16 of Revelation. Spirits of demons performing signs which go out to gather the kings of the whole world. For the war of the great day of God, the Almighty, and in verse 16, they gathered them together to the place in which in the Hebrew is called Armageddon. Armageddon. Now, chapter 19 is realizing that. In verse 19 of chapter 19, you have all the armies assembled. Verse 20, the beast was seized. That's the Antichrist, the political ruler. The false prophet who performed the signs in his presence by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. The first two inhabitants of hell, the beast and the false prophet, cast alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. The emphasis on their being cast alive is they are alive in that lake of fire. A thousand years later, in chapter 20, verse 10, Satan will join them. The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also. They're still there. And they shall be tormented day and night forever and ever, enduring eternal suffering, eternal destruction. without ever dying. That's what the lake of fire is. So, the destruction of Armageddon is a destruction of the wicked living, which is preliminary to the final sentencing to an eternal hell of all the enemies of God. When you talk about the fierce wrath of God the Almighty, you are talking about a wrath that goes beyond human comprehension. You say, oh, I don't like to think about a God like that. Well, we ought to think about Him like that more often. so that we realize the utmost necessity and urgency of fleeing from the wrath to come by, as the song said, embracing the cross, laying hold of the finished work of Christ by faith. That's the only hope. Immeasurable love or immeasurable wrath. So, the point is clearly made. They were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. Brimstone, that sulfurous material that is found in the air in the context of volcanic activity. It's used to denote indescribable suffering and burning. So, it's not just a fire, but it's fire burning with brimstone. The suffering and torments endured in the lake of fire goes beyond description. They don't think so. Go light a fire and hold your hand in it. Say, oh, that's unbearable. But it's not like hell, because hell burns with fire and brimstone. It goes beyond what you can even describe in just fire. And it's a lake of fire. And people say, oh, that can't be, and all that's wrong with that description. Scripture is clear and repeated. We'll talk about this more when we get to the end of chapter 20. That's when the final sentencing of all the wicked to an eternal hell takes place. But the God who is infinitely righteous and infinitely holy has an infinite anger against sinful beings. He is not angry against sin, but loves the sinner. He is filled with infinite anger against sinful people. But in infinite love and mercy, He has provided forgiveness for those sinful people. Amazing. The rest, verse 21, were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of him who sat upon the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. You know, only the beast and false prophet are thrown alive into the lake of fire. Hell. The rest of the wicked are executed bodily. They suffer physical death. in excruciating ways, as we read in Zechariah 14, with the rotting of their flesh on their bodies as they stand on their feet. But their spirits go to Hades to await final sentencing to hell. They are not sentenced to hell at this point. That will happen at the end of chapter 20, after the thousand years. With that, the enemies of the Lord on earth have been destroyed. The wicked have been removed from the earth. The first three verses of chapter 20 record the binding of Satan in the abyss for a thousand years. And we are ready for the kingdom. Only the righteous are left on the earth. Enter into the kingdom prepared for you, Jesus says in Matthew 25, with the point of chapter 19 as it concludes. All the enemies of Jesus Christ have been destroyed. We are reminded at the end of this chapter, in the last two verses, that the bodily destruction of the wicked is not the end. They have endured the full brunt of His fierce wrath in their physical destruction. Now they await the fullness of that wrath in sentencing them to an eternal hell. The Word of God is clear. God is a God of holiness and righteousness. Sinners will be dealt with. Sinners will be dealt with with the fierce, unrelenting wrath of an infinite, all-powerful God. If that doesn't make your knees get weak, I don't know what would. It's no wonder to me that people don't want to believe this about God. But He's the God who is. You know what is more amazing in it all? that God should so clearly unfold His character and His righteousness and His holiness, so clearly unfold His absolute, pure hatred of sin, that He should so clearly set down the destruction that is going to come upon the wicked, physical and eternal, and men and women would turn and walk away unmoved and unchanged. That is simply a display of how sinful humanity really is. That God should say, come, the end of Revelation, chapter 22, verse 17, let the one who is thirsty come. You long for the water of life? Let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. Think about it. Without cost. You can drink the water of life that will give you eternal life. Wash away your sins and make you pure in His sight. Bring you His righteousness. What do you have to do? Ah, the hard part. You have to bow before Almighty God. A proud man will not do it. I knew there was a catch. Now you want me to humble myself before God. You want me to acknowledge that I am a sinner, wretched and vile and deserving of hell and without hope. Yes, that's required. It's required. You cast yourself on the mercy of God. Recognize there is no hope. You must turn from your sin and claim His mercy. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you, a hell-deserving sinner. When you do, then you drink of the water of life with all its refreshment, with all its power. You're cleansed from your sin. You're born into God's family. You'll have the righteousness of Christ credited to you. And no longer are you destined for destruction, but you're destined for eternal glory as a child of God. But those are the only options. People working as hard as they can, being as good as they can, being as religious as they can, all thinking they're going to earn their way to heaven. That's an affront to a holy God who says your sin deserves eternal damnation. Your sin is so serious it has eternal consequences. And you want to join a church to get forgiveness? You want to be baptized to be forgiven? That's an affront to a holy God who says only the death of his son on the cross of Calvary could satisfy the demands of his holiness. No choice but this choice, partake of the water of life freely at no charge or endure destruction in the face of the eternal wrath of God. Men and women hide from it. by trying to ignore the reality of it. They don't want to be told they're sinners. They don't want to be told about hell. We're like little children who cover their faces, shake their head no, as though the reality goes away. Let God be true and every man a liar. This is the message you have as a believer in Jesus Christ, that we have as the Church of Jesus Christ. Do you as a believer in Jesus Christ really believe in the fierce wrath of God the Almighty? Do you really believe in the coming destruction of the wicked, physically and eternally? If so, it's a rather small thing, isn't it, that people would make fun of us? That we should be embarrassed over the presentation of the gospel, which is of eternal importance? Why are we reluctant to confront men and women? I have to back up and say, do I really believe in the message I preach? Do I really believe in the gospel that I say I believe? Ought we not to have a passion to lay hold of every family member, every friend, everyone we come in contact with and urge them, flee from the wrath to come by believing in the same that God has provided? Let's pray together. Father, You are gracious beyond words. In mercy again, you have given us another opportunity to open the eternal truth of your Word and be reminded of the greatness of your person, to be reminded of the greatness of your salvation, to be reminded of the greatness of your wrath and the destruction that will come upon the wicked. Lord, as the redeemed, we bow humbly before you and thank you for forgiveness of sins. Lord, we bow and acknowledge the need to be impressed again with the reality of your wrath and coming destruction. We need a sense of urgency in carrying the message of life to family and friends and acquaintances and strangers who are moving toward their own destruction. Lord, I pray for those who are here today. who are on that road to destruction, blinded by their sin, comfortable in their lostness. Lord, I pray the Spirit might convict them of the seriousness of the matter. By Your grace, may they be turned to believe in Christ, who alone can provide salvation. And we pray in His name, Amen.