Lesson
14
Revelation Chapter 6
The Beginning of
the Pouring Out of Judgment
Intro: Preparation for Judgment
- When was the
last time God directly intervened into human history with a major judgment?
- When the world
is as it was in the days of Noah, watch closely, the Day of the Lord is near. Mt 24:37-39
- Since the time
of the flood what has man done?
As we prepare to study and understand this
time of coming wrath it is important to look at and understand this delay;
- Because of the
time lapse, man has become desensitized to the reality of the wrath of God.
What
is their problem?
* The reality is that Jesus
Christ could return at any moment, anytime!
The reality is that anyone
of us might be promoted face to face at any time!
* The Word of God
over and over again exhorts us to be ready, to be alert spiritually, at all
times, not to fall asleep by becoming so wrapped up in the present, building
our treasures on earth that will rust, fade away.
* The first
preparation needed to become ready is to believe in Christ;
** It is also important to know with
assurance that the great day of His wrath, the wrath of the Lamb will come!
Veracity demands it!
2 Pet 3:3-13
Give us some clues as to the Reasons for the delay!
#1. Setting of the
context: temporally is described here as
"in the last days"; evpi, = at/during
(genitive); thought is that during the
last days of the church age
Context: "Mockers
will come with mocking"
- Idea here is
that the day will be filled with mockery of the very thought that our Lord will
return!
What is a scoffer,
a mocker as used here?
- A scoffer is one
who treats lightly that which ought to be honored and taken seriously.
- Why are they
scoffing and mocking the truth? Last
phrase!
"following
after their own lusts,"
they are actively pursuing the lusts of their sin nature, don't you dare interfere with what I want.
#2. The challenge
presented by the mockers "during the last days" is seen in vs:4.
Where
is the promise of His coming?
- Their thinking
is this, nothing dramatic has happened so far, for all this time, Why should we think that there will be
something dramatic now?
**
The challenge then of vs:4 is that "all continues as they were!"
#3. Vs:5-6 Correction of Viewpoint is expressed. Read vs:5
- As status quo
people they are ignoring a 2nd very dramatic event and that is the flood! read vs:6
#4. What is the
application of all of this for us today? 3:7-10
is being kept by the word of God destined for
judgment! In His timing!
1. We must not forget how God keeps
time! vs:8 =
warning!
Remember How God keeps time! He's outside of
time.
Cognizant of time
but not governed by it as mankind is.
- Whatever your
conception of time is, forget it when attempting to apply it to God, He doesn't think
that way at all!
2. We must not forget what time means to
man! 3:9
-
DVPT is God is not slow as it might appear to us to be!
Time is a gift from the patience of God
giving us an opportunity to establish the most important relationship in life;
that is with Him!
The fact that the clock is still ticking
before this judgment begins is an example of God's great patience with man,
that's grace!
3. Vs:10 gives us a
characteristic of that coming day of the Lord.
"it will come
as a thief"
The essence of a
thief is that he is unexpected!
When we know and understand God's prophetic
revelation and time table it should highly motivate us to holy living. 3:10-13
A Second important aspect we need to
consider is the misinterpretations of the delay in judgment. Eccl 8:11
- Look at Eccl 7:29
- devices - chashebon !AbV'xi schemes,
inventions, devices all the production of the sin nature seeking a way, any way
but God's.
Observations:
1. As a result of the fall, man has found many alternatives to the
POG.
2. Our most basic problems are not above us; they're within us.
3. Man-made
devices will never bring us to God. (cannot attain +R
through any works system)
4. Some questions we should ask ourselves at this point.