(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to
each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted.)
People are naturally curious about the future, both the immediate future and the ultimate future. What will they be doing down the road?
The apostle John is in exile on Patmos, a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Despite his own hardship, he is writing to churches in Asia Minor encouraging them that the difficulties they face are not an indication God is unconcerned or uninvolved with their lives—far from it. God is well aware of their different situations and, through John, gives a critique of their status, church by church. The apostle then relates the vision he received of God's future judgment, including His deliverance of those He redeemed, who will become part of...
* LXIV.The Foremost Congregation
which unites...
What is the largest gathering of people you have ever attended? Perhaps it was a dramatic performance, a sporting event, or a rock concert.
Are you ready for heaven? ...When Linda and I were in Bible College, we knew a couple there with a young but very precocious daughter. One day, we got on the topic of heaven, and I mentioned that she might want to learn Hebrew some day, because that is the language of heaven. The apostle John in his Revelation makes frequent reference to Hebrew spoken by those in heaven, mentioning terms like "Hallelujah" (19:1, 3-4,6) and "Amen" (1:6-7; 3:14; 5:14; 7:12; 19:4; 22:20). Her reply was, "I thought they spoke all languages in heaven."8 ..."Out of the mouth of babes" (Ps 8:2a)—she was, of course, correct, and I, the budding linguist and Bible scholar, was put in my place by a seven-year old.
So, are you ready for heaven? ...While there may be some things to do in preparation, you will not need to purchase a copy of Rosetta Stone, the latest language-learning software. English will work just fine.
The Bible describes conditions in two periods after death, what theologians call the intermediate period, before the resurrection, and the final period, after the resurrection?9 Because the resurrection is yet future, awaiting Jesus' return to reign, the dead currently exist in the intermediate period. The story of the rich man and Lazarus illustrates what those conditions are and how they differ according to people's response to God in this life.
America, because it attracts people from all over the world, is sometimes called a "melting pot," where several heterogeneous cultures blend to form a single homogeneous culture.11 This passage depicts the ultimate melting pot.
Although we are not privy to most workings of the celestial administration, the Bible does offer an occasional peak behind the scenes.13 The place where God dwells in heaven is the exemplar of His house on earth, the temple. Both Isaiah and John describe the primary and perpetual activity there, which is, of course, worship. They also describe some of those present. Isaiah writes in...
I mentioned that speakers in this book use Hebrew terms, one of which appears twice in v. 12: "Amen." It means to be firm or reliable and usually appears at the end of a statement the speaker wants to stress is true. To strengthen an assertion, he may even double it, as in...15
Heaven is significant not just because it is more pleasant that hell but because it is where God the Father operates.[16] So, bear in mind four ways that should affect you from passages that mention the "Father in heaven."
Despite his own hardship, John encourages his readers with a view of what God has in store for them when they join The Foremost Congregation. It is what God has in store for you as well, when all the problems of your life will disappear in the presence of your God.
Having considered The Foremost Congregation, we will look next at The Foremost Confrontation, which marks the prevailing of God, in Rev 19 (vv. 1921).
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
Bob and Doug were not only best friends, they were the biggest of baseball fans. They spent much of their time discussing baseball history, checking the scores, and went to as many games as possible every season. They promised each other that whoever died first would come back and reveal if there was baseball in heaven. One night Bob passed away in his sleep. A few nights later, his pal Doug woke up to the sound of Bob's voice from the beyond. "Is that you Bob?" Doug asked. "Of course it's me," Bob replied. "I can't believe it!" exclaimed Doug. "Tell me, is there baseball in heaven?" "Doug," his friend answered, "I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?" "Tell me the good news first," Doug replied. "Well Doug, the good news is, you bet there's baseball in heaven.... The bad news is...you're pitching tomorrow."People are naturally curious about the future. What will they be doing down the road? While the immediate future may be unclear, the ultimate future is not. One day, you will be part of The Foremost Congregation that John describes in his Revelation.
The apostle John is in exile on Patmos, a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Despite his own hardship, he is writing to churches in Asia Minor encouraging them that the difficulties they face are not an indication God is unconcerned or uninvolved with their lives—far from it. God is well aware of their different situations and, through John, gives a critique of their status, church by church. The apostle then relates the vision he received of God's future judgment, including His deliverance of those He redeemed, who will become part of...
* LXIV.The Foremost Congregation
which unites...
- The people of God (Rev 7:9-12)
Rev 7:9 ...I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne [of God] and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." 11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"The Bible, especially in Matthew's gospel, describes the contrasting conditions of heaven and hell, that heaven is a place of comfort for the righteous, whereas hell is a place of torment for the wicked.1
- For the righteous, the description of their situation is certainly something to anticipate, with terms like...
- "great...reward" (5:12),
- "treasures in heaven" (6:20; 19:21),
- "abundance" (25:29), and
- "inheritance" (25:34).2
- For the wicked, the description of their situation is in excruciating detail, with terms like...
Choosing between these two destinies should be a "no-brainer." As Jesus says, however, the vast majority of people will make the wrong choice.
- "unquenchable fire" (3:12),
- "leads to destruction" (7:13; cf. 10:28),
- "thrown outside" (8:12; cf. 22:13; 25:30),
- "into the darkness" (8:12; 22:13; 25:30),
- "eternal fire" (18:8, cf. 9; 25:41; cf. "burned" 13:30; 'fiery furnace" 13:42, 50), as well as the most common phrase...
- "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (8:12; 13:42,50; 22:13).3
Matt 7:13b For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.Thankfully, you made the right choice, and what lies ahead for you is all that Matthew describes, and more. You will gain admission to a venue that is by invitation only. As John notes...
1. Your presence will be with the redeemed company in heaven,4 recognizing the activity of God (vv. 9-10).When Jesus says that "few" enter the gate to life, it is relative to the "many" who will enter the gate to destruction, but that first group will still be a substantial number, "a great multitude that no one could count" (v. 9).5
What is the largest gathering of people you have ever attended? Perhaps it was a dramatic performance, a sporting event, or a rock concert.
- The largest music hall in the world is the Metropolitan Opera auditorium in NYC, which seats over 4,000 people.
- The largest sports arena in the U.S. is the Salt Lake Stadium, which seats over 120,000 people.6
- • The largest rock concert (almost7) was at a farmer's field in Woodstock, NY (1969), which saw over 400,000 people.
Are you ready for heaven? ...When Linda and I were in Bible College, we knew a couple there with a young but very precocious daughter. One day, we got on the topic of heaven, and I mentioned that she might want to learn Hebrew some day, because that is the language of heaven. The apostle John in his Revelation makes frequent reference to Hebrew spoken by those in heaven, mentioning terms like "Hallelujah" (19:1, 3-4,6) and "Amen" (1:6-7; 3:14; 5:14; 7:12; 19:4; 22:20). Her reply was, "I thought they spoke all languages in heaven."8 ..."Out of the mouth of babes" (Ps 8:2a)—she was, of course, correct, and I, the budding linguist and Bible scholar, was put in my place by a seven-year old.
So, are you ready for heaven? ...While there may be some things to do in preparation, you will not need to purchase a copy of Rosetta Stone, the latest language-learning software. English will work just fine.
The Bible describes conditions in two periods after death, what theologians call the intermediate period, before the resurrection, and the final period, after the resurrection?9 Because the resurrection is yet future, awaiting Jesus' return to reign, the dead currently exist in the intermediate period. The story of the rich man and Lazarus illustrates what those conditions are and how they differ according to people's response to God in this life.
- For the unrighteous after death, they will be "in hell," experiencing "torment" (Luke 16:23).
- For the righteous after death, they will be in paradise (a.k.a. "Abraham's bosom" KJV v. 22), experiencing "comfort" (v. 25).
America, because it attracts people from all over the world, is sometimes called a "melting pot," where several heterogeneous cultures blend to form a single homogeneous culture.11 This passage depicts the ultimate melting pot.
Rev 7:9 ...a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, [was] standing before the throne. 10 And they cried out... "Salvation belongs to our God...."Regardless of what else you may be doing in Paradise, it will include this, when your presence will be with the redeemed company in heaven, recognizing the activity of God. ...More than that...
2. Your presence will be with the royal court of heaven, recognizing the attributes of God (vv. 11-12).In addition to the "great multitude" of saints in attendance, John mentions three other groups.
- The angels are supernatural beings who serve as messengers for God, and they play a major role throughout the book.
- The elders are a group of twenty-four individuals (natural or supernatural) who serve as representatives of the believing community (Beale 1999:322).12
- The four living creatures (seraphim) are supernatural beings who serve as ministers to God.
Although we are not privy to most workings of the celestial administration, the Bible does offer an occasional peak behind the scenes.13 The place where God dwells in heaven is the exemplar of His house on earth, the temple. Both Isaiah and John describe the primary and perpetual activity there, which is, of course, worship. They also describe some of those present. Isaiah writes in...
Isa 6:1 ...I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the [heavenly] temple. 2a Above him were seraphs, each with six wings.... 3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."Likewise, John writes in...
Rev 4:2 ...there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.... 6b In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures.... 8a Each of the four living creatures had six wings ....Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."This is what occurs continually in the heavenly court: the worship of God by the creatures of God. Lest we think that participation is limited to these four seraphim, John observes that the court is filled with angelic beings. He writes in...
Rev 5:11 ...I...heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne....In the heavenly court, the praise of God is paramount,14 and the scene chapter 7 presents is another example.
I mentioned that speakers in this book use Hebrew terms, one of which appears twice in v. 12: "Amen." It means to be firm or reliable and usually appears at the end of a statement the speaker wants to stress is true. To strengthen an assertion, he may even double it, as in...15
Ps 41:13 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.
Ps 72:19 Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.
Ps 89:52 Praise be to the LORD forever! Amen and Amen.In the unique formation of Rev 7:12, the elders place it before and after their statement, like bookends, to emphasize their confidence that God is, indeed, worthy of these attributes. We use this term, "Amen," regularly to conclude our prayers, mainly as an oral punctuation mark, like Porky Pig's, "That's all folks!" But it does not just mean, "the end, I'm done." For the elders, especially as it follows the physical act of prostration, they want their verbal acclamation of praise to be equally sincere.
Rev 7:11 b They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"Regardless of what else you may do in Paradise, it will include this, when your presence will be with the royal court of heaven, recognizing the attributes of God.
Heaven is significant not just because it is more pleasant that hell but because it is where God the Father operates.[16] So, bear in mind four ways that should affect you from passages that mention the "Father in heaven."
- Your referral is toward heaven, as you direct other's praise to God. Jesus said...
Matt 5:16 ...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Your referral is toward heaven.
- Your request is toward heaven, as you direct your petitions to God. Jesus said...
Matt 6:9 "This...is how you should pray:" 'Our Father in heaven....
Your request is toward heaven.
- Your relief is from heaven, as you seek aid from God. Jesus said...
Matt 7:11b ...your Father in heaven give[s] good gifts to those who ask him!
Your relief is from heaven.
- Your recognition is from heaven, as you seek approval from God. Jesus said...
Matt 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father...in heaven.
Your recognition is from heaven.One day you will be in heaven with God the Father, but you can and should prepare for that privilege while you are still on earth.
Despite his own hardship, John encourages his readers with a view of what God has in store for them when they join The Foremost Congregation. It is what God has in store for you as well, when all the problems of your life will disappear in the presence of your God.
Having considered The Foremost Congregation, we will look next at The Foremost Confrontation, which marks the prevailing of God, in Rev 19 (vv. 1921).
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted)
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Jim Skaggs