Crucial Takeaways from the Book of Revelation :: By Dr. Donald Whitchard

Published on: by RR10 Category:General Articles

Revelation 20:1-15, 21:1-7, 22:17; Matthew 25:41-46; Hebrews 9:27; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15; Philippians 2:9-11; 2 Corinthians 5:10

Summary: I want to bring my series of messages on Revelation to a conclusion by pointing out some key points to consider apart from its prophetic significance. These points can be used as tools for witnessing as well as giving warning.

There is no shortage of material covering the book of Revelation. Countless commentaries and sermons have been written on the book. Its message of prophetic warning and promised redemption has been proclaimed in pulpits, on the streets, in villages, and in countries whose cultures are wrapped in anonymity and mystery. Faithful men of God have taken the Gospel and the promise of Christ’s return to hungry hearts and desperate souls over the course of the centuries, bearing good fruit and reaping harvests in places that had been inhabited by the vile figures of pagan idolatry and the dark arts.

The Spirit-breathed Word of God (John 17:17; Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21) has not lost its ability to reach the hardest of hearts, and in doing so, change the course of nations and individual objectives.

The late Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer (1912-1984) wrote a book entitled He is There, and He Is Not Silent, explaining that God is at work in the world, drawing people to Himself (John 6:44), using committed brethren to carry on the work of the Gospel and that the Word of God is never silent when it comes to dealing with issues and concerns that people find themselves dealing with every day.

We need to take the time to stop and hear what God has to say in His Word and the work of Christ’s true church to be assured that He has all things under His control (Colossians 1:16-18). The modern church has dropped the ball in presenting this message to a world growing more anxious by the day with seemingly nowhere to turn for answers. We get caught up in the worries and weariness just as much as the world, which is something Jesus warned us about in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:25-34).

We have at our disposal treasures of knowledge and inspiration from the pens and minds of Bible teachers such as David Jeremiah, Billy Crone, L.A. Marzulli, John MacArthur, W.A. Criswell, John Walvoord, Charles Swindoll, Donald G. Barnhouse, R.C. Sproul and others, yet for the most part, their material tends to be unused and unread.

Christian, in these final days before His return, we need to get off our “blessed assurances” and examine our walk with Him to see if we are the real thing or playing some kind of game where we look holy on the outside but are no better than the garden variety pagan next door (Matthew 7:21-23).

Jesus is coming back at a time in which He will not be expected. You can say, “Well, that applies to the unconverted world.” No, it applies to all of us. This is why it is so important to give a reason to the world why we follow Jesus in the first place.

All of what I have written falls in line with what will be my last series of sermons covering Revelation. I want to wrap up the teachings I have presented so far by pointing out that Revelation is not strictly prophecy. It is a call to both the unsaved and the redeemed to get right with God because there will be a day when all the preparations that we were planning to make will come to naught. Revelation is a warning to everyone, believer or not, that God means what he says and is not going to tolerate what is happening much longer.

Aside from the descriptions of the brutal and horrifying time that will come upon the world for its defiance against the LORD and of the certainty that Jesus is returning to make all things new, Revelation has other points worth noting. I pray that you will take them to heart and that you will use them as the LORD leads.

1) Revelation is the final look at what happens when a nation and a world reject God and witness the consequences of such a foolish and dangerous decision.

2) Revelation is a record of the futile attempts by humanity to justify unbelief.

3) Revelation is a record of the rotten harvest of defiance and what happens when the world gets its wish of forsaking God for the drivel of human “wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:18-25).

4) Revelation shows the results of man-centered thinking and actions. It comes to nothing.

5) Revelation is the FINAL call from a Holy and Loving God to humanity (Ezekiel 18:23,31-32; Matthew 11:28-30) to come to Him for salvation before Jesus returns to judge the world (Matthew 25; Revelation 20).

6) Revelation carries the theme of repentance and renewal as much as it does prophecy and warnings to flee from the wrath to come.

7) Revelation shows how God allows evil to take its course, but in the end, it will be judged once and for all. This current world is not all there is, and God, in His mercy, will not let it continue in such a manner (2 Peter 3:1-13).

8) Revelation shows that God will not take excuses or alibis as a way of clearing the guilty. If anyone does not come to Him through the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:6), the unrepentant, along with the devil and his angels, will be cast into the Lake of fire forever. God’s justice will prevail.

9) Revelation is the end of all evil and suffering, all wickedness and malice, all sickness and disease, all poverty and sorrow, and the beginning of eternity in the presence of the Lord Jesus for all time with our brethren who have come to Him for salvation across the spectrum of history (Revelation 21:1-7).

10) Revelation’s final verses call on you to come to Christ now and receive true peace and life that the world can never give. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

As an evangelist, my calling is to do everything possible in the power of the Spirit to warn the world of the coming judgments and to flee into the loving arms of Jesus Christ for salvation before it is too late. If you have not surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, do it now (Romans 10:9-10; 2 Corinthians 6:2). What is written in Revelation is coming to pass before our eyes. Do not be left behind to endure what is to happen to this world. Get into God’s Word and be assured that His promises are true and certain. May He return today.

donaldwhitchard@gmail.com

www.realitycityreverend.com

www.youtube.com/@realitycityreview/streams

 

Radical Religion :: By Sean Gooding

Published on: by RR10 Category:General Articles, Sean Gooding

Titus 2: 1-8

1 “But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: 2 that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; 3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things– 4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. 6 Likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded, 7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, 8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.”

So often today, we hear that people want to make an ‘impact.’ Some genuinely do; others want to make an impact for themselves. Sadly, too many of the Lord’s churches are looking more and more like the world in practice, and they do a dis-service to our Lord and King. A lot of people, yes, even the Lord’s people, are looking for the emotional rollercoaster of life. They want the next thrill, and as such, they tend to move from church to church searching for the next high.

This is seen even in the work situation; very few young people choose a career and stick with it for a very long time. It is not weird to see resumes for many 30-year-olds; they have had several jobs, all lasting about 2 or 3 years, and then they move on. Now, to be fair, in some cases, they realize they could not do the job, but in many cases, the job loses its shine, and on to the next new shiny object they go.

In the book of Titus, we meet a young pastor who is being mentored by the apostle Paul. When we open the book, Paul is encouraging the young man to stay in Crete and help set things in order in the local church there. In this particular passage, Titus is instructed by Paul to lay out clear roles for the genders and clear roles for men and women based on their ages as well. The whole purpose of this ordering is so that “one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.”

We are surrounded by an evil culture that is defying God. This month in North America is pride month; this is when the sexual deviants of the world try to tell us in every way possible that sex between same-sex persons is normal. That a man who identifies as a woman and the reverse is a normal thing. Increasingly, they want us to accept that sex between adults and minor children is normal. It is in this atmosphere that we are called to live radical lives for the Lord.

What we are about to explore will seem normal, but in our climate, normal is revolutionary. God calls us to seemingly mundane lives at times. There is no rush to the next high, just consistent and obedient living in submission to God’s clearly stated will. What revolutionary instruction did Paul leave with the young Titus that will turn us into radical Christians? Notice also, in Titus 2:1, that what we are about to explore is ‘sound doctrine.’ As we approach with some haste, the last days will require that the Lord’s churches be more and more radical. What God considers radical is not what we think; come and see with me.

  • Radical Older Men in Our Churches, verses 1-2

Older men are to be sober and right-minded; this is not just about alcohol and other things that may alter the way we think. But in a phrase a few words down, older men are called to be ‘sound in the faith’; this means that one reads, studies, and is able to teach the scriptures. Older men are to be physically sober and spiritually sober, to think right about life. They are also called to be reverent, to hold the Lord in high regard; temperate, to be self-controlled, and this naturally leads to patience. These are radical traits in our men today. Godly men should have or at least be cultivating these traits under the power and leadership of the Holy Spirit.

  • Radial Older Women, verse 3

These older women are called to be reverent like the men, and sober as well. There is a word here as well: not to be ‘slanderers’; don’t be gossiping about other women to each other. This kind of character assassination has sadly been the downfall of many churches over the years. All too often, people do not know the whole story, do not know what is truly going on, or what people are truly enduring behind closed doors. Too many are afraid to talk about the hurt and pain for fear that they will be even more downtrodden by their church family rather than be lifted up and loved. These older women are to be teachers to the young women in the Lord’s churches as well. That means young women need to be teachable; there are some things Google does not know.

  • Radical Young Women, verses 4-5

Young women should love their husbands. This is a radical move today that young women, and young men for that matter, should be married. Don’t just sleep around and engage in sex outside of marriage. Get married and have a lot of fun exploring your sexuality with your spouse. To love children, thus to have them young. They should be homemakers (this is almost a swear word to many young Christian women, but it is a command of God for sound doctrine in the Lord’s churches). Young ladies, be chaste (keep sex for marriage and with your husband) and discreet; stop trying to draw attention to yourself. That is the complete opposite of many people, young and older, even in the Lord’s churches today.

Do you want to be famous? Be famous with God; love your husband, have kids, teach them about Jesus, serve your husband, and you will be famous with God. One of the commands is very radical, and we tend to shy away from this in our churches today. Young women, the Bible teaches you to be ‘obedient’ to your husbands. This is almost like blasphemy to a lot of young women, but I will remind you that God is not a feminist. Men and women are different, have different roles and responsibilities, and will face different judgments before the Lord. Find a godly man who loves God first, and obedience will not be an issue.

  • Radical Young Men, verses 6-8

Sober-minded: we explained this earlier. To do good work, don’t waste your youth on frivolous living. Too many young men use their youth as an excuse to live ungodly; that should not happen in the Lord’s churches. Live with integrity (how you live when you think no one is watching), be incorruptible (not easily bought with fame or fortune), and have proper speech. Is your language colorful, and when you speak, is it the truth?

This kind of radical living is completely opposite to the culture around us. But the Lord’s churches have been called to be living like this from the very first century. There is nothing new; rather, we need to obey the Lord and, by doing so, glorify His name.

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding

Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

How to Connect with Us

On Facebook (live broadcast of Sunday’s Message at 11 am): https://www.facebook.com/MississaugaMissionaryBaptistChurch

Join us on Zoom every Sunday (10:30 am) for Sunday Service AND every Tuesday at 8:00 pm for Bible Study: Meeting ID: 700 794 460 Passcode: 032661; https://us02web.zoom.us/j/700794460?pwd=M3NFRG91ZW5Sa2Z3amVyWkFnYXd6QT09

Online: https://www.mmbchurch.ca

Email: support@mmbchurch.ca

Sign Up To Be A Part of Our Bible Study Community: www.mmbchurch.ca/drawclosertogod