Moving on through Revelation 14, let me give just a few words of background. I know that for some, breaking in may seem a little hard, but we really have a new section of Revelation starting in Chapter 12. There's a pattern of going from the first coming to the second coming of Christ, and we have that again, looking at it from various aspects of what's going on. really beginning in verse 12 have what I would say world history from the cosmic aspect of the battle between good and evil. And so we're introduced to the dragon, the devil, the serpent of old, and a child, a male child, which is a Christ child that's born, that the dragon seeks to destroy. But he's not able. He goes into heaven, which would be a reference to the ascension. While he was on earth, the devil tempted Christ, but was not able to succeed. And now he cannot in any way touch it. So what does he do? Well, the remainder of that chapter shows that now the focus is upon the church and trying to do what he can to destroy the church. And it uses several beats. And we saw them in chapter 13. The first is really the government and society trying to do harm, to destroy the church. And then in the last half of the chapter, it's really false teachings, false prophets that try to deceive and destroy the church. And then we came to... Chapter 14, and let me just read from the very beginning of the chapter, but the point to see is that there were 144,000 that are being in the church rhetorics, and we saw that earlier. Those are the ones that are sealed. And the glorious point that's being made in those verses is that not one of God's children is lost. Not one. is missing to somehow fall short of heaven. And so let me read that and go on then to our passage for today. Then I look and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with Him not 139,000, not 143,900, but 144,000 who had His name. and his father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters, like the sound of loud thunder. And the voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. And they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000. who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not befouled themselves with women for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb. And in their mouth no lie was found for they are blameless. And I saw another angel. flying directly overhead with eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, fear God and give him glory because the hour of his judgment has come and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water. And then our focus for this morning, another angel, a second crowd saying, following, following is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality. And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he will also drink the wine of God's wrath, pour it full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the land. and the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever and they have no rest. Day or night, these worshippers of the beast and its image and whoever receives the mark of its name. Here is a call for endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. When I heard a voice from heaven saying, write this, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors for the deeds follow them. There is a sermon outline in the bulletin if you want to use that. As I understand the criminal justice system in this country, there are a couple of different types of cases that can come before a court. You have what are called the civil cases where decisions are rendered based on the preponderance of evidence and a judgment may be made based on that preponderance of evidence and it can be shared. And so if there's an accident or something happens and they look and they might say that this first company was 60% to blame for what happened and this other company was 20% and this individual was 20% at fault. They're able to do that. And if they decide then there's going to be a monetary reward that the first company, if it's a million dollars, would have to pay $600,000 and the second $200,000 and the individual would have to pay $200,000. And that's what happened in O.J. Simpson. He had a civil case and he was found liable for the wrongful death of Ronald Goldman and for the battery of Nicole Brown. And the judgment that was rendered is that the children should receive $12.5 million and that the victim's family should receive $33.5 million. A whole different category are criminal trials where there's a specific charge and the person has to be found guilty or innocent. The jury cannot come and say, well, we think he's 95% guilty or 75% sure that he's guilty. And he should be sent away for, you know, 30 years, but since he's 75% we'll send him away for 22 years. No. There has to be sufficient evidence, really irrefutable evidence that the person is guilty or they're ruled not guilty. And there's only two choices really. You're found guilty or you're found not guilty of the charge that's laid before you. And thus, in O.J. Simpson's case, he was found in the criminal case not guilty. And there are consequences, depending on which verdict is given. If it's not guilty, you're set free, as O.J. was. And if you're found guilty, you've had a presumption that may be prison or could even be the death penalty at times. But the jury has no alternative. Well, he's half guilty. There's no such thing. And I want us to think about that when we look at this passage. And think about the people that are around you. Think about your co-worker. Think about your fellow student. Think about your neighbor across the street. Think about your family members. that all of them, all of us, without exception, will someday stand before God. And we will hear one of those two verdicts. We will either hear guilty or not guilty. They will hear one of those two decisions. And depending upon which one, That person here is your neighbor, your co-worker, your best friend. If they hear guilty, they will face eternal punishment. If they hear not guilty, they will be in a state of eternal blessedness. There is no third alternative. There is, and God is not going to send anyone, You're guilty, but because you're a nice person. You're guilty, but since you were so sincere in your life. You're guilty, but you worked hard. You tried hard. You will be pardoned. And this portion of Revelation really emphasizes that point to us. There are only two possible destinies. as you stand before God. Two verdicts and two destinies. There's no reincarnation, there's no limbo or purgatory, either blessedness or misery. And so the first point, and we really need to take this in deeply to understand it, there is a first destiny that involves punishment, eternal punishment. Because that person stands before God condemned. You see this as you look at verses 8 to 11, a reference to Babylon and to those who worship the beast and receive its mark. These are the ones who are condemned before God, who will feel his wrath. And I begin by saying, why Babylon? Why choose that reference here? Well, the first thing we need to realize is that Babylon represents the world as it's opposed to God. Where do we find Babylon first in Scripture? Well, it's in Genesis 11, this place called Babel, which later on is called Babylon. And what do they do there? They build a tower. And what was that tower? It symbolizes the rebellion and the pride of man, because God had commanded mankind to go and fill the earth. And there's this group here that rebels, who instead of going out, stays there and builds this tower, signifying their pride, their arrogance, their rebellion against God. And so from the very beginning we see Babylon standing as a symbol of the world as it's opposed to the commands of God, the things of God, trying to undo what God would have done in this world. It's a world that's built on man's pride. An earthly kingdom that focuses on this present world and trying to accomplish something in this life. But there's more. Because you notice it's called Babylon. It's called Babylon the Great. And where do we see that? The title? Well, we'll see it later on throughout from now on through the Book of Revelation. But it's used only one other place in Scripture. Daniel 4.30. And it's on the lips of King Nebuchadnezzar. And you may Remember the incident? He's given a dream, and Daniel warns him that he's going to become prideful and arrogant, and God is going to judge him for that. And even though he's told all that a year later, he's looking at Babylon, and what is he saying to himself? Is this not Babylon the great that I have built? And immediately, God's judgment comes upon him. In essence, he falls. He becomes like an animal. And for seven years, he's out of his mind. He's eating grass like an animal does. He's outside, exposed to the weather and all the rest. And it's because of this self-glorification, this great Babylon that I've built. that he falls. And so we see that same image. And what's going on as you think about what is happening to God's people? Well, Babylon was persecuting the people of God. And you might think of the early chapters of the book of Daniel, what was happening? Well, you know, effort was made to eat them food that they wouldn't. And they had to fight against that. Then they had to worship the image. And Daniel's friends wouldn't. And then there was command not to pray to any other god. And Daniel was thrown in the lion's den. And then there was the dinner where they used the utensils from the temple. And again, there's judgment. And God was showing that he was stronger than this pagan government, these pagan kings. But it also is an indication of how they were opposed to God's people. And so very relevant, as you think in terms of the book of Revelation, the persecution taking place. And in the first century, it would have been the ungodly Roman Empire with its social systems and its political system and its economic system that focused on the worship of the emperor. And would persecute, would often cause believers to not be able to be involved in the trade deals or even to be put to death if they refused to confess Caesar was Lord. Well, it's still the same sort of thing going on today. Do you realize there are 53 nations in this world that right now it's illegal to print John 3.16 in their land? There's still that opposition. Then we can think of Hollywood and all around us. Notice what happens to this world in opposition to God. Verse 8, Fallen! Fallen! Babylon the Great. As you read that Babylon the Great, there's a little bit of sense of, I think, irony there. You know? Why is it great? Well, originally it was great in Nebuchadnezzar's eyes. He was the one who called it great. And we see a nation that's not so great that it can't be destroyed. That it can't fall. So we see the world in opposition to God falling. And notice the repetition. And whenever we see something repeated in scripture, like Jesus, when he says, truly, truly, he's trying to make a point. He's trying to emphasize that we're here. When we see fallen, fallen, it means it's utterly fallen and destroyed. And the verb tense is very interesting, and I know that Dan will like this. It's aorist, and you can talk to him later, but it's past tense. Now, it's talking about something that's going to happen, but as John sees it, it's always if it has already happened. There's no uncertainty. There's no question. Will it fall in the future? He sees it as already being fallen. And the reason is brought out in the last part of verse 8, as it talks about Babylon, she who made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of their sexual immorality. And of course, it's talking spiritually. Of playing the harlot, of seeking after false gods, of the corrupting influence that the world has of wanting dragged God's people away from the truth and true worship of him and all the rest. And whether it be a feeling with a sense of compromise, you know, it's not that big a thing to worship Caesar. You know, can't you surely you can't can't you say Caesar's Lord? Why do you have to insist on Jesus as Lord? Just give a little bit on that. Or whether it be the deceptive teaching of the false teachers. I think there's only one way to God. That all roads lead to the same place. It's impurity that brings God's wrath upon them. Thus, those who fall after this, who fall after the pattern of Babylon are still in their sins. And they stand before a holy God as guilty. Be there further described in verse 9 as worshiping the beast and its image and receiving a mark on his forehead and on his right hand. And it's repeated again down in verse 11. That's the description of the unbeliever that goes back to chapter 13, verse 16. And there we saw it, talking about it's a dictation of someone who, with his mind and with his hands, is not serving God, but is actually serving the devil. And even though they may not know it, their actions are in accord with what the devil wants. And so they're guilty before a thrice holy God. It's a description of the unbelieving world that may be very nice, that may do very commendable things. But the point is, at the most basic level, as you would think about where the most basic allegiance is, It's not to serve in Christ, but it's for serving the beast, of doing his will, and forwarding his agenda on the earth. We'll see that their destiny, we see the outcome of this way of life, and there's only one destiny, and that is eternal punishment. If you reject Jesus Christ, and thus serve the dragon, and serve Satan, you can only expect the consequences of that choice. You cannot sin and have it ignored. And so there's punishment. And notice how it's pictured here in really very frightening terms. It's a punishment that's going to be in full measure. It's going to be with great pain. It's going to last forever. and from which there is no respite. So it's a punishment that's in full measure in verse 10. And I have says he will drink the wine of God's wrath, pour full strength in the cup of his anger. And literally, it's. Talked about that wrath that is mixed, unmixed. And the image there is in those days is a would normally prepare some wine, they would mix it with something. They would dilute it with water or put spices into it. But this will have none of that. That's sort of what happened in the days of Prohibition. You know, men would make that homemade brew. And it would taste so bad. It had mixed drinks and they developed during Prohibition because the stuff was so terrible no one could drink it straight. And it's really saying to us that myths without myths. There's nothing added to it, nothing that eludes it. You're going to receive it in full measure. The wrath of God. And presently the wicked do escape the full measure of God's wrath. As they live life on earth, they experience good things from this physical world. They're able to enjoy food, pleasures, recreation. They're able to enjoy relationships, marriages, and that sort of thing. But it won't always be that way. There'll be a time when all I taste will be the wrath of God. It also is a punishment involving great pain. As you look at verses 10, 11 and notice the word torment that's used there. And they're tormented with fire and sulfur, the older form would you say brimstone. And verse 11, the smoke of their torment. And these are the ones who on earth often tormented the Christians. Persecuted them. And sometimes sent them to death in the arenas as they cheered and clapped. For the situation is going to be reversed. They will be tormented and notice that their audience in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the lamb. And implication is their torment will be seen as fair, as right, as just. You might just notice with sulfur, with brimstone, whenever that's used in association with fire, it really has the idea of intense suffering. And so too here. Third thing about their judgment is going to be on ceasing torment. As you go on to verse 11, the smoke of their torment goes up. forever and ever. Now, this is a truth that many do not like to face today. And many would prefer to think of unbelievers as being annihilated. You know, the consequence of their unbelief is the fact that they're destroyed and they no longer exist. But as we look at the scripture, We cannot take that. It goes on. Not just next week, not just next year, not just for the next century, but it says forever and ever. Those who reject Christ and serve the beast face never-ending punishment and forth They're given no rest, but verse 11, they have no rest day or night. Perhaps like me, you've had an illness of some sort and it's very painful. You try to rest and you can't and you go to bed and you just lay there in pain, wrapped by pain. And maybe two or three in the morning, you finally fall asleep. And you sleep for three or four hours, and how good that is. So when you wake up, even though you still have the pain, you just feel a little bit better. The pain isn't quite so intense. And you wake up thinking, what would it have been like if there had been no interruption of that pain? What's saying here, there is going to be no relief from God's wrath. And we really need to take to heart what this is teaching us about the reality of those who refuse Christ. Modern man hates to consider this, but if the Bible is true, and it is, then we dare not ignore it. Those who are without Jesus Christ face the most fearful of destinies. We may try to blank it out. We may try to ignore it. We may be like the person who thinks that, you know, in January in Terre Haute it's going to be sunny and warm. And you go outside in your swimsuit. And if six inches of snow and it's zero degrees, you're going to freeze to death. The reality will catch up with you. And the reality of judgment catches up to all who are without Jesus Christ. So the second point is there is a second destiny, and we'll look at that briefly. Verse 13, it's described as blessedness. Blessed are they. And that's the idea. Being in a happy situation, a place of peace and wholeness. And notice the description. It's the dead who die in the Lord from now on. In the Lord. Implies to have a relationship. Who are trusting in Jesus Christ. As such, That will be received by God. They will hear the not guilty, not because we haven't sinned, but because Jesus Christ has paid the penalty, has taken away our sins and His righteousness is placed on us. And when we stand before God, we will hear not guilty. Their blessedness has already been described in chapter 7. You can go back there and even in the first few verses that we read and the essence of those verses is that we're with Christ. And from now on, since Christ has been raised, everyone who's died in him goes to be with him, to see him face to face. And we can think of Stephen in the book of Acts, that first martyr. as he sees into heaven and sees Christ standing at the right hand of God. Second, we can notice their reward. In verse 13, it's rest. Blessed that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them. And that word labor is a word that has a sense of toils. To work to the point of exhaustion. to weariness. And so it's not saying that there's not going to be any work done. But the futility, the harshness of the work will no longer be true. Here on earth we can labor and you know, you build a house and you put it on the shore in North Carolina and the hurricane Irene comes along and suddenly it's gone. You labor for nothing. Or even using the metaphor of the church, you see a church being built up and a false teacher comes along and destroys the church. You never saw it in heaven. And notice it says that their deeds follow them. The implication is their deeds are going to go, and our deeds are going to go beyond this grave. And what are those deeds? Well, one of the things in terms of spiritual harvest is you take and share the goodness of Jesus Christ and see those who are converted. You will see them in heaven. The character that God is building into you. will be seen in heaven. The relationships with believers we have will continue on, and we could continue that way. And then the encouragement we have as we await that day, as we live here on the earth, as we often suffer hardship, verse 12, here is a call for the endurance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus Christ. It's really saying, don't waver in your faith. Don't let the present troubles that you have experienced undermine your faith and your dedication to God. Consider the ultimate realities. Be steadfast. Hold on to God's Word. Hold on to your faith in Jesus Christ. And as such, it's intended to motivate us to persevere. That in Christ, the church is victorious. The enemies that persecute now will face the wrath of God, which is indeed certain. For application, I would have you really let it sink in the lostness of those who are around you who are without Jesus Christ. They may be Truly nice people. They might be the best friend you'd ever want. They might exceed you in the good works, their acts of charity, their giving to good causes. And yet, if they do not believe in Jesus Christ, their situation is dire. Because what awaits them is that verdict of guilty and the wrath of death. It should encourage us to be bold in our witness how those around us need to hear Christ. It should encourage any who have not come to Christ today is that day. It should also encourage us when we go through hardship, when we're persecuted, when someone reacts against us because they know we're a Christian, that God will vindicate. They may be able to do great harm in this life, but they will face The wrath of God poured out in full strength and full measure. So we're to be encouraged. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we look at the book of Revelation and we see the battle that's going on between good and evil, between Satan and his ones allied with him, as they would be battling against the kingdom of heaven, trying to undo the work of Christ. And yet we see pictured here the fact that they cannot in any way succeed. And that you will one day vindicate your people. They would judge every wrong that is done. So help us to be steadfast as we would face adversity. That that would in no way cause us to lose hope or to doubt. But more than that, that we would see that the need of those who are without Christ, the men and women around us, how much they need to hear the message of salvation. that's found in Him. Help us to be bold. We pray these things in Christ's name, Amen.