The War of Worship

We have arrived at Revelation fourteen. And as we've come here to Revelation chapter fourteen, I think it's important that we pause for a moment and take a look at where we are in the grand scheme of things. We have come through the introduction in the first chapter and then looked at seven churches in chapters two and three. After those seven churches, we saw a scene of heavenly worship in chapters four and five, and that will be significant as we examine chapter fourteen. After that scene of heavenly worship, we saw the breaking of the seven seals and the unleashing of judgment for the first time in chapter six one through eight five. Then in eight six through eleven nineteen we saw the seven trumpets and a retelling and intensification of this picture of the judgment of God poured out against sin. Then in chapter fifteen, verse five through sixteen twenty one, we'll see the seven bowls of judgment. But between those seven trumpets in eight six through eleven nineteen and those seven bowls in fifteen five to sixteen one, there is a recap, if you will, of this story of judgment and redemption that takes place in twelve one through fifteen four, and that's where we are. This recap also consists of seven major events. So can you see that there's an important number here, this important number of seven, These seven churches, these seven seals, these seven trumpets, these seven bulls, And of these seven events that happen as a recap, what are those seven events? Well? Number one the conflict of the serpent with the woman and her seal in chapter twelve. Number two, the persecution by the beast from the sea thirteen one through ten. Number three, the persecution of the beast from the land thirteen eleventh through eighteen. Number four, the Lamb and the one hundred and forty four thousands standing on Mount Zion fourteen one through five, which is where we are today. Fifthly, the proclamation of the Gospel and of the judgment by the three angels fourteen six through thirteen. Then sixthly, the son of Man's harvest of the earth fourteen fourteen through twenty. And then finally, the seventh event is the saint's victory over the beasts and their victory song, which takes place in fifteen two through four. So as we look here in chapter fourteen, understand that we're in the midst of this hiatus between the seven Trumpets and the seven bulls, and we are also right in the middle of these seven events. And in the middle of these seven events, there is this picture of what I like to refer to as the war of worship. There is a picture of the war between the Beast, the unholy Trinity of the Dragon and the Beast, and the false Prophet and the Holy Trinity of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And in the midst of this, right in the middle of those seven events, we find Chapter fourteen, verses one through five, and there is this picture of worship. Listen with me as we read, and you'll see elements that are reminiscent of Chapter seven. Then I looked and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him one hundred and forty four thousand, 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. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their hearts, and they were singing a new song before the Throne and before the four Living creatures, and before the elders, no one could learn their song except the one hundred and forty four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth. It's these who have not defiled themselves with women for their virgins. It's these that follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as first fruits for God, from the Lamb, for God and the Lamb, And in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. Look at the juxtaposition of chapters thirteen and fourteen. In chapter thirteen, there is a lamb. In verse eleven, he's the false lamb. In chapter fourteen, verses one and four, we see the true lamb. Chapter thirteen, he comes out of the earth in verse eleven. Chapter fourteen, we see the lamb on Mount Zion. Chapter thirteen, verse twelve, there is the worship of the beast. Chapter fourteen, verse one, there is the song of the one hundred and forty four thousand. Chapter thirteen and verse eighteen, there is the beast's number. In chapter thirteen, verse sixteen, everyone is enslaved. In chapter fourteen, verse three, the saints are redeemed. In chapter thirteen, verses sixteen and seventeen, there is the mark of the beast. In chapter fourteen, verse one, there is the name of the Lamb and of his father. And in chapter thirteen, verse fourteen, there is the deception of the beast. But in chapter fourteen there are the one hundred and forty four thousand with no lie in their mouth. Clearly there is a juxtaposition of these two chapters. And the essence of this, I believe, is this war of worship. In this war, there are several things that point us to the ultimate outcome and why it is that this is placed here for the saints to take heart. First, there is the presence of the true Lamb, which means that the adversary in verse thirteen is opposed. The Lamb is present. Notice that he doesn't arise like the other beasts. In thirteen one, and I saw a beast rising out of the sea thirteen eleven. Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. But in fourteen one, he says, I looked and behold the Lamb on Mount Zion. He stood there on Mountain Zion. Not he came down to Mount Zion. Now he rose up to Mountain Zion. Not he walked to Mountain Zion. He's us there, and he's just standing in the clamor of Chapter thirteen. The beasts are going about and doing and raging and trying and warring, and there is chaos and calamity everywhere. This picture of rising out of the sea, which is chaos and calamity, this picture of rising out of the earth, which is chaos and calamity. And all of a sudden, as we read about Marx and about war and about people not being able to buy or sell, I looked and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb. There is a contrast here, and the contrast speaks volume that in this war of worship, the adversary is opposed. We see this because of the presence of the lamb. This is also a strategic location. Standing on Mountain Zion. Now we know that he's speaking here symbolically, and there are a lot of things that point us to the fact that this is symbolic. When we get into the song arising out of Heaven and so forth, we know that this is symbolic. This is symbolic of the redemption of God's people. The term Mount Zion only happens in the Old Testament nineteen times. Nine of those nineteen times it's a picture of the redemption of God's people. And here it is precisely that, a picture of the redemption of God's people. But it's hearkening back to something very familiar Psalm number two. Listen, why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take council together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, let us burst their bond apart and cast away the cord from us. He who sits in the heavens laughs. The Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath and terrify them in his fury, saying, as for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill. I will tell of the decree the Lord said to me. You are my son. Today I've forgotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like Potter's vessels. Now therefore, O kings be wise be warned. O rulers of the earth, serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the sun lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are those who take refuge in him. This is what John has in mind as he sees the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, as chaos breaks, and as there is the dragon, and there is the beast, and there is the false prophet, and there are all of these who are bowing down and worshiping and receiving and accepting his mark. The question must come, what hope do the saints have. The answer to that question is found in the first phrase. I looked, and they're standing on Mount Zion. Here's the Lamb of God. Notice that he's always there. Notice that he doesn't have to come. See that's how we speak when we pray, is it not? When difficulty comes our way, we always say, Lord, please come and rescue me. Newsflash, God doesn't have to come anywhere. He just is. The lamb doesn't have to get on his horse and ride, so to speak, He just is. The cavalry doesn't have to hear about what's happening and somehow try to get there. Just in the nick of time. God is never late because he never has to get anywhere. He just is. And that's the picture of the Lamb standing here on Mount Zion. Besides this presence of the Lamb, which says that the adversary is opposed in this war of worship, there is the authority of the Lamb, which says that the adversary is inferior in this war of worship. Notice that the Lamb is a member of the Holy Trinity, whereas this false Lamb is a part of the Unholy Trinity, attempting in many ways to mimic God. Down to this idea of the symbolic number. But I want you to notice also that the Lamb has inherent authority, while the beast and the false Lamb are granted authority. In Chapter thirteen, verse five, the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words. Again thirteen five, it was allowed to exercise authority for forty two months, again for a specific period of time. It's not only allowed authority, but it's limited authority for a limited period of time. In thirteen seven, it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. It was allowed to again in thirteen seven, authority was given it over every tribe and people, and language and nation. Then there's the second Beast in thirteen fourteen, the sign that it is allowed to work in the presence of the Beast. It deceives those who dwell on earth. And in thirteen fifteen it was allowed to give breath to the image of the Beast. Notice it was allowed, it was given, It was allowed for a time, it was given. This authority is granted to the Beast. I believe it was Martin Luther who said, even the devil is God's devil, he has no authority of his own. And so the first comfort that comes to the saints is in the fact that this unholy trinity is merely doing what it is allowed to do in the sovereignty of God, and that the Lamb stands there not afraid, not fearful, but it stands there in authority, in his own authority, in his inherent authority. Notice also this mark which points to his authority. The mark of the Beast is a product of fear and loss again sixteen and seventeen. Also it causes all both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slaves, to be marked on the right hand and the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark that is the name of the beast and the number of its name. There is the fear of loss. We heard about this earlier. Secondly, this mark of the Lamb is different because it's the product of faith. First of all, it's completely counterintuitive. We're in this world, there is war being waged against the saints. The saints are being devoured. There is this dragon and this beast and this false prophet. The whole world is in chaos, and they say, you cannot buy or sell without our mark. You can't eat, you can't survive, you can't do anything without our mark. And so logically we assume that there is pressure on believers to receive this mark because of the fear of loss. And it seems counterintuitive not to accept this mark if you can't even feed your family without it. And yet this one hundred and forty four thousand don't have that mark of that beast on their forehead or on their hand. They have the mark of the name of the Lamb and of his father. In spite of the fact that it seems that the only way to survive is to the beast. This is reminiscent of the seal in chapter seven, and if you remember, the seal in chapter seven was the answer to the question in chapter six and six seventeen, the question is for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand? So chapter seven follows on chapter six in order to answer the question who can stand? And the answer is those who are sealed. Those who are kept are the only ones who can stand. In the midst of this, chapter thirteen raises a question who can survive if you have to have this mark? Certainly only those who will somehow compromise and get this marked but still be worshippers of the No no, no, no no, because along with this mark is the worship of the beast. So if God's people are not going to blaspheme and worship the beast, how are they going to survive? So there's a question at the end of chapter thirteen that's implied, just like a question at the end of chapter six, who can survive? Who can stand? He reintroduces the one hundred and forty four thousand Have you forgotten? I have a mark? I have a seal? The Unholy Trinity is not the only one with a mark and with a seal, nor is this idea new and redemptive history. And Ephesians after one beginning of verse eleven. In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be to the praise of His glory. In him, you also, when you heard the Word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it. To the praise of His glory, you shall be kept. How I mean, if you have to have that mark to buy and sell, how folks, if God could feed his people in the desert with manna from heaven, he can feed us while the nation's rage. He can provide for us without us having to compromise at all. Then there is, of course, this symbolic number. This six hundred and sixty six number was symbolic. It's short of seven. It's not seven seventy seven, And so the beast is going forth, and he is waging war, and he is getting those individuals to worship him, and he is marking them. And his mark is six hundred and sixty six. There are these three sixes, and we know that seven is God's number of completion. He falls short of completion. Forty two months is half of seven years. That means it falls short of completion. He falls short. But what's God's number? Twelve times twelve times one thousand, that's the number. What's twelve? It's the number of the completeness of the people of God. Twelve times twelve times a thousand. What's a thousand? A thousand is just a ridiculously large number. So what are we talking about? The complete number of the people of God times the complete number of the people of God times a ridiculously large number. To whom do we refer everybody? All the people of God? Just like that first one hundred and forty four thousand we demonstrated was absolutely not a reference to a literal number of Jews converted after the rapture. That's absolutely not what that number referred to. We demonstrated that this number is reminiscent of that number, and it is a reference to the totality of the people of God, to the perfection of God's ability to accumulate for himself a people, a perfect people, a complete people. You know what this number means. God is not going to be missing anyone in heaven. Amen, He's not going to be missing anyone. There is no one whom God will desire to save that will not be saved. These true worshippers of the Lamb, they mean that the adversary is doomed. We've already seen that the presence of the Lamb mean the adversary is opposed, that the authority of the Lamb means that the adversary is inferior. And now the worship of the Lamb demonstrates that the adversary is doomed. What's he after? He's aft to worship all the worship, complete worship, to be completely worshiped as God. He's not going to get it. How do we know verses two and three. And I heard and again, remember remember what we saw in chapter seven. First he hears, and then he sees. Now he sees and then he hears. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters, and like the sound of loud thunder. 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. This song originates from heaven. This is important. There is a voice from heaven. We've seen this before in chapter ten, Chapter ten, verses four and eight. We'll see it again in eleven twelve, or saw it again eleven twelve. We'll see it again in fourteen thirteen, and again in eighteen four. This voice from heaven. So we know that this worship is originating from heaven. Now, this worship of the beast originates from Earth, not from heaven. This worship of the lamb originates from Heaven. It's superior worship, its authentic worship, because it originates from heaven. Then there's the idea of many waters. He says, like the sound of many waters. We've heard this before in chapter one and verse fifteen. Listen talking about Jesus. His feet were like burness bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. This is the voice of ultimate authority. So there is worship that is originating in heaven and has a voice that is reminiscent of Ultimate authority. In Revelation nineteen six, then I heard what seemed like the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters, and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder. This is an overwhelming sound of worship. Then there's the idea of thunder. We see this in four six, six', one, eight, five, ten three through, five, eleven nineteen, sixteen, eighteen nineteen. Six but listen to the idea of harps in chapter, five verse. Eight WHEN i had taken the, scroll the four living creatures and the twenty four elders fell down before the, lamb each holding a harp and golden bowls full of, incense which are the prayers of the saints fifteen to. Two AND i saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with, fire and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its, name standing beside the sea of glass with harps Of god in their, hands heavenly. Harps so this, sound this worship originates in. Heaven it is absolutely, overwhelming and it is beautiful and. Glorious this song is echoed on. Earth look at verse. Three and they were singing a new song before the, throne and before the four living, creatures and before the. Elders no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty four thousand who had been redeemed from the. Earth you've heard of the song of the. Redeemed that's what we refer to. Here it is the song of the, redeemed and only the redeemed can learn. It anybody can. Sing everybody, worships but only the one hundred and forty four, thousand the totality of the people Of, god learn this song of the. Redeemed there is a sense in which only those redeemed Of god can offer him. Worship every knee will, bow and every tongue will confess That jesus Is lord to the glory Of god The, father and it will Glorify god on that. Day it will Glorify. God his wrath against the wicked will bring glory to his. Name his destruction of the wicked will bring glory to his. Name it will be. Worshipful but that is not the same as what we speak of. Here this is the worship offered by the people Of god as a direct result of being redeemed by The, lamb and not everybody can do. This notice that there is a. Distinction although the worship that is offered on earth and the worship that even we offer here is informed by this worship From, heaven it's not the. Same the worship That john is experiencing here would be unsustainable by. Us first of, all it would be physically unsustainable by. Us our voices cannot sustain this kind of. Worship our ears cannot survive this kind of. Worship our bodies cannot endure this kind of. Worship it's a real sense in which we await our new glorified bodies in order to enter into this. Fully it's also emotionally. Unsustainable you can't sustain the kind of emotional intensity that's being referred to. Here your mind can't concentrate sufficiently in order to do what's being done. Here it's spiritually. Unsustainable your sin hinders. You you are still a, sinner and so there is still a sense in which you are tainted when you attempt to Worship. God you still Worship, god oftentimes out of your own, selfishness out of your own self. Indulgence you want it to be for. You you want it to be what you. Like why because you're. Sinful you're not there, yet your thoughts betray. You you say something About god that you know and believe to be, true and, oftentime right in the midst of saying, that you, go, really you don't have to admit. THIS i know. IT i know. It there have been times when you were right in the midst of the, worship listening to a sermon and somebody says something that you don't, like and immediately your flesh. GOES i think that has to be. Wrong why because you're interpreted the passage. Yourself, no because it pierces you in your heart and you don't like, it because it gets to a beloved and cherished sin that you're not ready to get rid of or repent. Of this is what happens to us in the here and the now as we attempt to Worship. God so know that what we're talking about here is, far in a, way more than anything that you AND i have ever experience or. Encountered and yet everything that we do in the worship of Our god is informed and influenced by. It and just like this authentic. Worship the only worship that is, authentic the only worship that is worthy to be offered To, god is worship that originates in heaven and not on. Earth what DO i mean by? That WHAT i mean by that Is god tells us how to worship, him and we worship him in that. Way we don't invent ways to Worship. God the one hundred and forty four thousand are. Here they're standing before The. Lamb they don't stand there and, Say i'm overwhelmed by this moment AND i think WHAT i really want to do Is. No they're standing there and there is the sound of rushing waters and the sound of thunder and the glorious sound of harpists on their heavenly, hearts and there is a song from heaven around the. Throne and what do they? Do they, say we can outdo. That, no they learn the song and they offer it to The lamb because there's nothing that they can do that would be more. Significant the worship that we offer To god is the worship That god requires of. Us, next we see the followers of the True, lamb and this tells us that the adversary has failed in this war of. Worship they're described. Here, first it is these who have not defiled themselves with, women for they are. Virgins, again this is one of the things that absolutely obliterates the idea that what we're dealing with here is is literally one hundred and forty four Thousand jews converted after the. Tribulation this is not speaking about individuals who have never had physical intimacy with a. Woman if you put it in its, context it's clear what's being referred to here In revelation two and verse. Twenty BUT i have this against you that you tolerate that Woman, jezebel who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrifice to. Idols notice the connection between sexual immorality and. Idolatry What's chapter thirteen all about? Idolatry the worship of the, dragon the worship of the, beast the worship of the false. Prophet it's. Idolatry and so the idea of idolatry and sexual immorality are juxtaposed frequently In. Revelation thinking here about individuals who've not committed, idolatry in chapter, seventeen verses three and. Four and he carried me away in the spirit into a. Wilderness AND i saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous, names and it had seven heads and ten. Horns the woman was a rayed in purple and, scarlet and adorned with gold and jewels and, pearls holding in her hand a golden cup full of abomination and the impurities of her sexual. Immorality this is the picture of that great Beast babylon The great verses six and seven in chapter. Seventeen AND i saw the woman drunk with the blood of the, saints the blood of the martyrs Of. Jesus WHEN i saw, HER i marveled. Greatly but the anger the angel said to, me why did you? MARVEL i will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast with the seven heads and the horns that carries. Her it's a. Mystery in other, words he's not speaking directly about sexual, immorality but about a picture of idolatry that's personified here in this sexual. Immorality, ephesians chapter. Five that first paragraph we see a very similar idea of idolatry and covetousness and sexual immorality all. Intertwined so when he refers here to these individuals one hundred and forty four thousand being, pure saying that it is these who have not defiled themselves with women for their, virgins his reference is to the fact that they have not engaged in the idolatry of chapter. Thirteen they have not defiled themselves by worshiping at the altar of the. Beast, next they are faithful. Followers it is these who follow The lamb wherever he. Goes what a beautiful. Picture there is a contrast here in thirteen. Three one of the heads seemed to have a mortal, wound but its mortal wound was, healed and the whole earth marveled as they followed the. Beast, now what's? Happening the one hundred and forty four thousand follow The lamb wherever he. Goes this is the only appeal to the idea of formal, discipleship following this terminology of discipleship and following that is found outside The gospels and acts in The New. Testament this is a distinctive of true. Worship notice we haven't left the idea of true, worship and it is a byproduct of. Redemption, see when we Worship, god there are a number of limitations that we. Place first of, all when we say, worship we almost always refer exclusively to. Singing we're gonna have some, worship and then somebody's gonna preach help, Us. Lord nothing could be further from the. Truth here's the other mistake that we make is that we mistakingly think that our worship is merely limited to those things that we do in our formal association and. Services but the idea here is of following the. Lamb they followed the false. Lamb these individuals are following the real. Lamb this is a byproduct of their, redemption and it is a fruit of their. Worship worship always manifests itself in obedience when it is authentic. Worship if we're not walking in, obedience then we're not really. Worshiping, Amen, Lord we've gathered here to say that you're. Worthy we want to sing that you're, worthy we want to preach that you're. Worthy we want to gather around these elements that say that you're, worthy and then we want to leave and live in a manner that is completely contradictory with everything that we just, said and call what we did authentic. Worship that dog won't. Hunt authentic worship always manifests itself in. Obedience and so in this war of, worship the adversary has failed mainly because these individuals are. Pure they haven't given into his, idolatries and they follow The lamb wherever he. Goes is this not pictured in the way that we. Worship this is that right here and right now impact of our. Worship in our, worship we always worship in three. Tenses there is the past tense of our, worship and so we praise The lord for who he is and for what he has. Done and when we, worship we always look back at what has been. Accomplished that is an essential part of our. Worship there is also that sense in which we look forward and anxious, anticipation and so we worship The lord and anticipate is, return anticipate our being with him. Forever but there is this present tense sense of our, worship and that is how the worship Of god in the here and now impacts and affects our. Life let me give you two. Examples baptism and The Lord's, supper important aspects of, worship the two ordinances that The lord left. Us what do we do in, Baptism, well we look. Back why don't we dip the person in the. Water there is a picture Of christ being buried when he. Died we raise the person. Up that's a picture Of christ being. Resurrected and so past, tense that's what we look back. To there's also a future. Tense what do we look forward to in the. Future, well this person who's being baptized is also going to, die and when they, die they are going into the ground like they're being pictured going into the. Water but Because christ has, risen they too will rise. Someday what about the? Present i'm right now being buried to my old life and raised to walk in newness of lives in the here and the, now there is the, past there is the, future and there is the. Present in our worship The Lord's, supper when we gather around this table in a few, moments what are we going to. Do we're going to look back to the broken body and shed blood Of Jesus christ and rejoice over our redemption because he died and rose. Again and then we're going to look. Forward as often as you eat this bread and drink this, cup you proclaim The lord's death until he. Comes but there's also a right here and the right. NOW i am going to eat AND i am going to, drink and it is going to be a picture and a reminder of my need right here and right now to constantly feed On. Christ this picture of following The lamb wherever he goes is a picture of this present impact of our. Worship they're the first fruits verse. Four these have been redeemed from. Mankind it's first fruits For god and The. Lamb we said this, before but it bears mentioning. Again you're hearing this in the first. Century there aren't that many people on Planet earth in the first. CENTURY i, mean they can't imagine a planet was seven plus eight billion people on. It they just that's, unfathomable absolutely. Unfathomable and in, fact this number one hundred and forty four, thousand this means very little to you and to me when we live in a country that calculates its DEBT i think in. Zillions, now it's not that big of a number to. US a thousand to the first, centry, mind that's, huge almost. Incalculable we have sporting events that have this many PEOPLE. NASCAR nascar has racists with more people than, This so we don't even have to imagine this. Number you can actually go see this. Number but to a first Century, christian they can't wrap their minds around this. Number this number is, Huge this number is, overwhelming it's. Unimaginable and Then john says it's first, fruits which means it's representative of even larger. Number it's a picture of the totality of the people Whom god will save and redeem on the, earth and that number is bigger than anything you can. Imagine there's going to be more people redeemed than you. Think, amen all of us tend to underestimate the number of people who are going to be. Redeemed you can't imagine the number of people Whom god has saved and Whom god is going to, save and how gloriously magnificent it will be when that number is finally. Revealed contrast this with what happens in thirteen fifteen when they worship the beasts for a limited period of. Time, finally these people are Truthful verse, five and in their, mouth no lie was found in their. Mouth no lie was, found by the, Way, again another example or another proof that we're not talking about a literal one hundred and forty four thousand. People nobody's that. Saved Amend did you catch? That nobody's that? Saved all, Right he's not literally saying there's one hundred and forty four thousand virgins who've never. Lied that's, ridiculous that's. Ridiculous that's not what he's talking, about you, Know and enough already with all, this, well you, know salvation now is not like. That but in the last, days you, know after the rapture and so on and on and so, forth a millennial, kingdom then you're gonna have a different kind of salvation and different kind of. Salvation, no, no, no he's not being. Literal it's not one hundred and forty forty four thousand virgins who've never. Lied all have sinned and falls short of the glory Of. God. Amen but what's being referred to, here there's a. Contrast looking thirteen five and, six and the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous, words and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty two. Months it opened its mouth to utter blasphemies Against, god blaspheming his, name and just, dwelling that, is those who dwell in. Heaven he's. Blaspheming notice the use of. Blasphemy there's, blasphemy and he's. Blaspheming what is it to? Blaspheme to lie About? God to speak Against, god to say that which you ought not to say About, god to say that which is not true About. God that's what it is to. Blasphere what's the contrast in this war of? Worship the contrast Is god's people speak. Truth there's a juxtaposition here of those who follow the beast and those who follow The. Lamb and in this war of, worship it is very clear that the beast has failed and The lamb has, Succeeded that the beast has lost and The lamb has. WON i Believe chapter fourteen is here to encourage, us and we need it after chapter, thirteen and then we need some encouragement after we walk through chapter. Thirteen chapter thirteen just looks, bad and just look. Bad it is. Bad he's allowed to war against the. Saints we're. Dying you can't, buy you can't, sell you can't. Eat they hate. Us it's just. Awful we need some. Encouragement do you know WHAT i? Believe all we need is verse. One THEN i looked and, behold On Mount zion stood The, lamb and with him one hundred and forty four thousand who had his name and his father's name written on their. Foreheads no matter how dark the days, get if you look To, zion you will see The. Lamb and no matter how dark the days, get The lamb never stands On zion. Alone those of us who are sealed with his name and his father's name stand right along with. Him As paul says In, ephesians seated in the heavenly. Places that's your birthright as a born again follower of the True. Lamb this doesn't mean that days aren't, dark but it means that in the midst of those dark, days the adversary is, opposed the adversary is, doomed the adversary has failed because The lamb will be. Victorious but the question still. Remains whose name is on, you whose seal is on? You whose number is on? You you know what's interesting about thirteen is that when you AND i look At chapter, thirteen it's written in such a way that it's very easy for us to. Discern and if you were to bring anyone chapter thirteen in chapter fourteen and ask them do you want chapter thirteen or do you want chapter? Fourteen they would say give me chapter. Fourteen of, course there'd be some people out there who's you, KNOW i love the, devil give me chapter, thirteen, Whatever but most, reasonable rational people are going to, say give me chapter. Fourteen but here's what you've got to keep in. Mind chapter thirteen looks like it does to us because we're Reading god's. Revelation you know what it looks like to a, lost hurting and dying. World that dragon looks Like. God that beast he looks like The. Sun that second beast looks like the spirit pointing back to the. Sun those three sixes are really close to three sevens if you're not looking. Carefully and after, All god is the one who says that we're obligated to take care of our, families, right so certainly someone who says do this so that you can buy and sell and take care of your families as someone to whom we ought to. Listen. See the sad reality is there are many people who think they're in chapter, fourteen when in fact they're in chapter, thirteen because chapter thirteen only looks disastrous from a heavenly. Perspective but if you don't have, that it just looks like the way everybody. Lives it looks like your decent neighbor down the street who's just a good. Person it looks like grandma who never went to, church never served The, lord but was good to you and took care of you when you were. Sick it looks like your, uncle who was so much fun to be. With now you absolutely love him to. Death and if he calls you, today it, says let's go to the ball. Game there's nobody that you're ready to go to the ball we can go out game. With you're just a good. Dude you. Know he's all over chapter. Thirteen they're not looking to the lamb who was standing On Mount. Zion their mark is three. Sixes their worship is being offered to a False christ and the False god and the False. Spirit and if you were to tell them, that they would fight you tooth and nail and call you all sorts of horrible. Names why because the dragon, deceives that's what he. Does what is our. Hope our hope so. Far there's more coming to this, chapter but our hope so far is that we make a clear distinction between the Authentic trinity and the false. One our hope is that the worship that we offer to The lamb is not just lip, service but life. Service our hope is that we examine the mark carefully and ask to whom do we? Belong in other, words our hope is careful inspection of our own lives with a view toward radical obedience to The lamb and offering him the worship that he is. Due let's, Pray, father as we. Bow we bow before you as a grateful, people grateful to you for how clearly you have articulated these, truths grateful to you that you've revealed this to, us and yet confessing to you that even those of us who are redeemed have, been at one time or another, Deceived and for, many if not, most of, us coming to salvation was first and foremost an acknowledgment of the fact that we'd been. Deceived that we thought we were righteous but we were. Not that we thought we were worshiping The lamb but we were. Not that we thought we were looking To Mount, zion but we were. Not that we thought we were one hundred and forty four, thousand but we were. Not and if that is true of many of us who know and love and serve The, lamb then certainly it is true of. Others, god would you grant by your grace that those under the sound of my voice would be given eyes to see and ears to. Hear grant that none would leave here, deceived but that instead we would see and worship The lamb who was, Slain that we would be numbered among the, redeemed that we would be sealed With his name and, yours and that we would offer worship that originates in heaven and manifests itself on the, earth and that ultimately impacts the way we live our. Lives as we followed The lamb wherever he, goes H grant this we, pray And christ's, name and for his sake amenh