WELL KNOWN PASTORAL FIGURE“In Revelation, Jesus is a pride-fighter with a tattoo down His leg, a sword in His hand and the commitment to make someone bleed. That is the guy I can worship. I cannot worship the hippie, diaper, halo Christ because I cannot worship a guy I can beat up.”

#1 How does God practice warfare &how does He bring about judgmentin the book of Revelation?

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER…

#1 How does God practice warfare &how does He bring about judgmentin the book of Revelation?

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER…

#2 What is John trying to say about Jesus& does that connect w/Jesus in the gospels?

#1 Babylon = Evil empires of the world

IMAGES TO KEEP IN MIND

#2 Beast = Ferocious violence of the empires

#3 Prostitute = Immorality/idolatry of the empires

#1 Babylon = Evil empires of the world

IMAGES TO KEEP IN MIND

#2 Beast = Ferocious violence of the empires

#3 Prostitute = Immorality/idolatry of the empires

Is the dragon going to crushthe humble little Jesus movement?

Do the powers of the worlddefeat the power of the cross?

Does death = defeat for God’s people?

DRAGON = deception (crucifixion = death)

DRAGON = deception (crucifixion = death)

CRUCIFIED LAMB = truth (death = victory!)

Revelation 5Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

Revelation 5And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven-fold spirit of God sent outinto all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne.

Revelation 5“Worthy are you to take the scroll and open its seals, because you were slain and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

#1 The Lord is a LION who fights like a LAMB

WHAT DOES ALL THIS TELL US?!

Revelation 7:4 – What John Hears…144,000 from all the tribes of Israel…*Culturally assumed to be a violent army that would join the Messiah in forcibly destroying Israel’s enemies & reestablishing Israel as a sovereign nation

Revelation 7:4 – What John Hears…144,000 from all the tribes of Israel…*Culturally assumed to be a violent army that would join the Messiah in forcibly destroying Israel’s enemies & reestablishing Israel as a sovereign nation

John HEARS a “Babylon” thing,but SEES a “Calvary” thing,

& what he SEES turns what he HEARDupside down & transforms its meaning

Revelation 7:9 – What John Sees…a great multitude…from every nation, tribe…*Encouragement from God that this small, isolated band of Christ-followers is part of something far greater than they can currently imagine

Revelation 7:9 – What John Sees…a great multitude…from every nation, tribe…*Encouragement from God that this small, isolated band of Christ-followers is part of something far greater than they can currently imagine

*Their palm branches represent battle & victory through worshipping the Lamb & confronting the powers of the Beast

Revelation 14:3-4And they sang a new song before the throneand before the four living creatures and the elders.No one could learn the song except the 144,000who had been redeemed from the earth. These arethose who did not defile themselves with women,for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes.

Revelation 14:3-4And they sang a new song before the throneand before the four living creatures and the elders.No one could learn the song except the 144,000who had been redeemed from the earth. These arethose who did not defile themselves with women,for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes.

Only those who follow LAMB power can learn& sing this song; Babylon power CAN’T teach it to you!

Revelation 7:14These are they who have come out of thegreat tribulation; they have washed their robesand made them white in the blood of the lamb.

To have blood splattered on you in battlemade you ceremonially unclean; had to be washed;

these folks aren’t washing their enemy’s blood OFF,they’re washing their captain’s blood ON!

Revelation 12:11They triumphed over (Satan) by the bloodof the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;they did not love their lives so much as toshrink from death.

Revelation 12:11They triumphed over (Satan) by the bloodof the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;they did not love their lives so much as toshrink from death.

VICTORY in the Kingdom comes from ourwillingness to FIGHT like the LAMB;

what LOOKS like death/defeat in BABYLON eyesis seen to be life/victory in the KINGDOM

#1 The Lord is a LION who fights like a LAMB

WHAT DOES ALL THIS TELL US?!

#2 The Lamb’s PEOPLE need to fight as HE does

Revelation 19:11-16Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.

Revelation 19:11-16From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

This King slays LIES, not PEOPLE;he already allowed HIMSELF

to be SLAIN BY the people!

Revelation 14:14-20Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crownon his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.

Revelation 14:14-20Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

Revelation 14:14-20And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle (about 5ft deep)

for 1,600 stadia. (about 185mi)

Revelation 14:14-20And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle (about 5ft deep)

for 1,600 stadia. (about 185mi)

What does this passageIN CONJUNCTION WITH the rest of the book

tell us about God’s judgment?

Revelation 16:6You are just in these judgments, O Holy One,You who are and who were; for they haveshed the blood of Your holy people andYour prophets, and you have given themblood to drink as they deserve.

Revelation 16:6You are just in these judgments, O Holy One,You who are and who were; for they haveshed the blood of Your holy people andYour prophets, and you have given themblood to drink as they deserve.

The JUDGMENT of Godcomes in the DRINKING of the grapes’ blood,

not from the SQUISHING of it!

Revelation 14:9-10If anyone worships the beast and its image andreceives its mark on their forehead or on their hand,they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which hasbeen poured full strength into the cup of His wrath.

The JUDGMENT of Godcomes in the DRINKING of the grapes’ blood,

not from the SQUISHING of it!

Revelation 14:14-20And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle (about 5ft deep)

for 1,600 stadia. (about 185mi)

The blood from the winepress is that of the MARTYRS (witnesses);

they don’t overcome by KILLING their enemies,but by being willing to DIE for/like the Lamb;

Revelation 14:14-20And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle (about 5ft deep)

for 1,600 stadia. (about 185mi)

The blood from the winepress is that of the MARTYRS (witnesses);

they don’t overcome by KILLING their enemies,but by being willing to DIE for/like the Lamb;

In Revelation this is shown as the judgment of God due to sin

DRINKING BLOOD…

It’s also shown as something God’s enemieswant to do! They’re not made to, but choose to

Revelation 17:6I saw that the woman was drunk with the bloodof God’s holy people, the blood of those whobore the testimony of Jesus.

The prostitute is DRINKING blood,which becomes the very JUDGMENT against her;

her sin collapses back onto itself and destroys her;God’s judgment is a matter of the inherent

destructive power of sin coming back onto us

Psalm 7:14-16Those who are pregnant with evil conceive troubleand give birth to disillusionment. Those who dig a holeand scoop it out fall into the pit they have made.The trouble they cause recoils on them;their violence comes down on their own heads.

Ezekiel 29:18I made a fire come of you (Satan)and it consumed you.

God calls the very CHARACTER of Satan out, and that fire CONSUMES him, so he

ends up SELF-DESTRUCTING…This is EXACTLY what happens on CALVARY!

#1 The Lord is a LION who fights like a LAMB

WHAT DOES ALL THIS TELL US?!

#2 The Lord’s PEOPLE need to fight the same way#3 God will be FAITHFUL to work out judgment& He ALONE has the power to RESCUE from it