ATN42 "Called and Chosen and Faithful"

“All Things New”

• The Revelation of John is what is, what was and what is to come. It’s a manifesto for the Kingdom of God – a public declaration of God’s intentions; things which “are” and “are to come”

• “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Shema levot: Hb.“hearing hearts.” To hear is to obey, belief takes form ONLY in action. The entire book is about covenant keeping – and the justice which God adjudicates for Himself, His Church and the human race at large

• With Chapters 1-3, we started out on earth with the Seven Churches           

• With Chapters 4-8:5, we ascend into heaven to see things that are, and are to come – the Seven Seals as a panorama of history

• With Chapters 8:6-11:19, we see the judgements of the Seven Trumpets, with God beginning to take up His rule over the Earth

• With Chapters 12:1-14:20, we see Heaven’s perspective of Satan’s mater plan – and his defeat!

  • The complete control of government, religion and commerce, through and evil theocracy – will reoccur throughout all of history and ultimately in the final Anti-Christ/unholy trinity at the end

  • The Lamb and The 144,000: A vision of assurance

  • “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.” Don’t give in to the pressure of the world system to compromise – and be saved from destruction

1.      Choose to acknowledge and worship the true Father

2.      Choose to align with the Kingdom government of the true Christ

3.      Choose to worship the one true God in the Spirit of Truth, in spirit and truth: John 4:23-24

• The Harvest of the Earth (14:14-20)

1.      The First Harvest – first, Redemption

2.      The Second Harvest – then, Wrath

• The tribulation and the Kingdom and the patient endurance. Yet, it is all “in Jesus” – making it both possible and hope-filled (2017: Jeremiah 29:11)

The Unfaithfulness of Human Society (Revelation 17:1-18:24)

• Yet another perspective of events, here likened to God’s judgement of ancient Babylon (as the previous one’s were from Egypt’s judgement)

• “Babylon” – the greatest human society is pictured as a whore, but arrayed as a queen (which is why John marvels in 18:6)

• “Seated on the Dragon” – undergirded and reliant upon the Devil, the one who brought his rebellion to earth

• 17:8 – the unredeemed will marvel at the beast, but not the saints, the faithful will not be deceived

• “Seven mountains/seven kings” – again, the entirety of human kingdoms and rulers in their fallen alliance with the Devil will resist Christ and His church, but will ultimately fall to the King of kings, and Lord of lords! (17:14)

• The key to this section is found here: “called and chosen and faithful”

  • The Parable of the Wedding Feast: Matthew 22:1-14

  • Vs. 1-6: The initial invitees reject the King’s offer, killing his servants

  • V. 7: judgement comes, along with destruction

  • Vs.8-10: a second invitation

  • V.11-12: the man has no wedding garment, which means he rejected the Kings offer of provision – and is speechless

  • V.13 – cast into ga-Hinnom, the valley of Hinnom, hell

  • V.14 – many are called, few are chosen – even fewer are faithful

  • The passage in Revelation is a call to endurance in covenant-keeping

• V.15-18 – the kings of the earth turn on the “great city” and bring God’s judgement, while simultaneously surrendering their power to the Enemy. The faithless prove themselves faithless, and are trapped by their own treachery!

• 18:1-3 – The destruction of human power – “Babylon”

  • False religion destroyed: covenant–breaking judged

  • Rebellious human government which are aligned with the Beast, and not with Christ, are destroyed

  • Destruction of economic dominance of the Beast destroyed

• 18:4-5 – the saints are called out of Babylon

  • Don’t participate in her sins

  • Don’t suffer her judgments

• 18:6-24 – judgement will be completed with astounding speed, “single day,” a “single hour” - the saints will rejoice, the world will mourn

• 19:1-5: another heavenly interlude of celebration of God’s victory, an encouragement to endure

• 19:6-10: The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

  • The called and chosen and faithful are united with Christ as His eternal companion

  • V.8: “It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure” – those who accept the righteousness of Christ as a free gift

  • V.10 – “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” All true revelation has at its core Jesus’ testimony to the faithfulness of the Father!

How This Applies to Us

• Like all of the previous sections of the Book of Revelation, the call here is again towards faithful covenant-keeping

• Humanity, with all its politics, economic systems and false religions cannot bring the human wholeness which is found solely in Christ. Everything else has been judged and found lacking

• Many are called, fewer respond to God’s free gift in Christ, and among those who do, not all are faithful: Hebrews 6:1-12

• Like the Jews returning from the Babylonian exile, we are called to come out of “Babylon” – we cannot get caught up in the culture of the world, and participate in the sins which it promotes

• As God delivered His people from both Egypt and Babylon, God wants to set us free from our spiritual captivity: Luke 4:18-19

• If we receive the “fine linen” of Christ’s righteousness through faith in Him, we have the hope of ultimate deliverance and unification with Christ as His eternal companion! Philippians 3:9

• Our test for all true revelation is this: does it glorify the Father, pointing people to Him and His loving future for their lives?

• We have been called, and if we have responded to Christ, we have been chosen. Now we need to keep covenant, and be faithful! 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24