Please turn with me in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 13. Revelation chapter 13, we will not engage in a strict exposition of 13. Just want to read it by way of context for our consideration of chapter 14. You want an explanation of any of these key figures, the beast from the sea, the beast from the earth.
I know a less than average commentary that you can get for free. If you're interested in that, just see me afterwards and we'll make sure that you get a copy. Revelation chapter 13, beginning in verse one. Then I stood on this on the sand of the sea and I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns and on his horns, ten crowns and on his heads a blasphemous name.
Now, the beast which I saw was like a leopard. His feet were like the feet of a bear. and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads, as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed.
And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshipped the dragon, who gave authority to the beast. And they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?
And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. And he was given authority to continue for 42 months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, his tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.
And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him. whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity.
He who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power. to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand and on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666. Then I looked, and behold, a lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000, having his father's name written on their foreheads.
And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. They sang, as it were, a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn that song except the 144,000 who were redeemed from the earth.
These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.
Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth, to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment has come. And worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water. And another angel followed, saying, Babylon is falling, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If anyone worships the beast in his image and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of his indignation.
He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints. Here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, They may rest from their labors, and their works follow them. Amen. Well, let us pray.
Our Father, we thank you for this, your Holy Word. We pray for your spirit now to minister to us. We pray that you would guide us and direct us in our study tonight. We pray that you would forgive us afresh for all of our sins and unrighteousness and anything that would darken our minds and our understanding.
We pray that we would receive much encouragement from this passage of Scripture. that you would just build us up in our most holy faith, that we would leave from this place, having met with God on this Lord's day, entering into a new week where we may indeed shine as lights in a crooked and perverse generation, and may we indeed hold forth your word of truth. And we ask these things for your glory's sake, and we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Introduction
Well, tonight, specifically, I want to look at characteristics of God's people in Revelation chapter 14. As I said, it's not a strictly expository sermon getting into all of the nuts and bolts and details and the nitty gritty of chapters 13 and 14. But I think to fully appreciate what we find described in chapter 14, we need to appreciate the backdrop of chapter 13. Now, just to identify a few key themes so that we can work our way through chapter 14 tonight.
The 144,000 were introduced in chapter 7 at verse 4. I have some convictions on who these particular people are, but suffice it to say they represent the church, the believer, those who are saved by the grace of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice that in chapter 13, we have this description of the beast from the sea, a description of this beast from the land. And then we shift scenes to the lamb and to his fair army.
There is a direct contrast working between chapters 13 and 14. The followers of the beast. Chapter 13. The followers of the lamb.
Chapter 14. In fact, one man in his excellent commentary on the book of Revelation said this. He says, the immediate juxtaposition of the lamb in 14.1 to the beasts of chapter 13 serves the contrast between the two sides. The point of the contrast is to emphasize that Jesus Christ is true lamb to whom allegiance is to be given in contrast to the false lamb of 1311 and the first beast.
You must appreciate what John is doing here. He is showing us the followers of the Lamb, and then conversely He is showing us the followers of the beast, and then conversely the followers of the Lamb. As well, John is encouraging the people of God, because we see these beasts wreaking havoc upon earth dwellers. We see these beasts captivating masses and entireties of men.
We see these beasts functioning in such a way that despair could set in. But the elect of God are reminded that though the beasts rage, and though the beasts engage in their warfare, and though the beasts carry on in their madness, the Lamb stands on Mount Zion. The Lamb is in control. The Lamb is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Again, another commentator said, John's point is clear. Let the beasts do their worst. The Son of Man has ascended in the clouds and received everlasting dominion over all peoples and nations. His kingdom will never be overthrown.
He will never have a successor. So the people of God are encouraged that though the beasts rage, and make war. Nevertheless, the Lamb of God, the Lamb himself is enthroned. He stands on Mount Zion.
He has his faithful with him. And now we want to consider some characteristics. Now, when we consider these characteristics, these are not imperatives. There's not commands in chapter fourteen, go out and do this.
Rather, these are indicatives. They are descriptions of what God's people look like. Now, that will be true in varying degrees. It will be true in greater strengths and in some weaknesses and all that sort of thing.
In this life, in this world, the best of Christ's people still struggle with remaining corruption. They still find themselves in that Galatians 5.17 reality. The spirit lusts against the flesh. The flesh lusts against the spirit.
These two are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you want. There is that reality. But by and large, those who by God's grace have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ will look something like these saints described here in chapter 14. And
Marked with God's Name
the first thing we ought to notice is that they are marked with God's name. Notice in verse one. Then I looked and behold, a lamb standing on Mount Zion and with him one hundred and forty four thousand having his father's name written on their forehead. Now that's in direct contrast to what he's already indicated about the subjects of the beast.
Go back for just a moment in chapter 13 at verse 16. He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name. I know this text has been taken to teach that we ought to be aware of UPC codes. We ought to be aware of social insurance numbers.
We ought to watch the big amalgamation of banks trying to press on us the reality that we have to have a chip inserted so that we can do business transactions in commerce. That's not what John is talking about here. This mark indicates ownership. This mark indicates possession.
This mark indicates allegiance. And while the beast has his followers, while the beast has his loyal subjects bearing the mark on their forearm, bearing the mark on their forehead, God Almighty has his mark upon his elect by his grace and for his glory. I think Vern Poythress explains this very well with reference to the mark of the beast. He describes or he explains it is a counterfeit for the seal of God's name on the saints.
The beast owns those who are marked and they are his slaves. A mark denotes spiritual allegiance and ownership, both in the case of God's mark and in the case of the beast's counterfeit mark. In both cases, the mark is at root spiritual rather than visible. So don't go looking for that code.
Don't go looking for that sign. Rather, as God's people, by grace alone, through faith alone, you are marked with His seal. Poitras goes on to say, the multitude of speculations about a visible mark are beside the point. You can study all you want, you can read all you want, you can look all you want, but the point is clear.
The beast has his followers, they are marked. God has his followers, they are marked. That's the point. It's spiritual rather than visible.
Now, I'm not suggesting you ought to go out and get implanted with computer chips. That's not my particular point. But that's not, in my estimation, what John was talking about. He is talking about God's seal of ownership.
Anything that mark is the Holy Spirit, according to Ephesians chapter 1 verses 13 and 14. The second characteristic that we ought to observe with reference to the fair army of the Lamb.
Worshippers of God
Secondly, they are worshipers of God. They are worshipers of God. And I think at times we as Christians take worship Not so seriously. Worship is what we were made to do.
God created Adam in his image to function as a prophet, priest, and king, and to worship God the Lord, to extend the garden temple, to encompass the entirety of the earth, so that all of creation would give glory and honor and praise and worship to God most high at the entrance of sin. Obviously, we needed redemption in redemption. We have been saved. Yes, to serve God.
We have been saved. Yes, to be husbands. We have been saved. Yes, to be wise.
We have been saved to be workers. We have been saved for all those myriad of things. But we have been saved to worship. Worship is spectacular.
Worship is wondrous. Worship is what the creature was created to do. I like what John Piper says with reference to this whole idea of worship. He says that missions and evangelism are not final.
They are means to an end. What goes on into the eschaton? What continues into the eternal state? Not missions.
Not evangelism, but worship. Missions and evangelism exist now to make worshippers of our triune God. And when we look at this fair army, we notice in verse 2, And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps.
They sang as it were a new song, notice, before the throne. before the four living creatures and the elders, and no one could learn that song except the 144,000 who were redeemed from the earth. We are saved to worship the living and true God. Again, in contrast to the followers of the beast. Notice in chapter 13 and verse 8, all who dwell on the earth will worship Him, except, of course, the elect. whose names have not been written in the book of life of the land slain from the foundation of the world.
Notice in verse 12, and he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed. Do you know what this indicates? It indicates that at essence, man is a worshiping creature. Worship is an inescapable reality.
You will most certainly worship something. And notice, when you are freed from the clutches of the beast, you become a worshipper of God Most High and the Lamb who stands on Mount Zion. It is a wonderful and blessed contrast that we find here, describing the followers of the beast against the followers of the Lamb. Worship, brethren, is not something we ought to treat lightly.
We ought to work and labor to understand the biblical doctrine and to present ourselves accordingly before the Lord God Most High. There is this statement in the Psalter. In Psalm 87, too, we read, The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. It's a beautiful testimony and statement, isn't it?
The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. It doesn't mean he hates family. It doesn't mean he hates individuals. It doesn't mean he's against those things.
But rather, what it is highlighting is that he loves the gates of Zion even more so because it is there that the people of God gather collectively. It is there that the people of God present themselves to the triune God. It is there that they offer up their spiritual sacrifices to the Father through the Son, by the Spirit. And in this, the Father is glorified.
Worship is a blessed privilege that the saints of the land enjoy. In Hebrews chapter 12, Hebrews chapter 12 verse 28, it says, Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire. I think it's very important for us. to take that spiritual barometer from time to time to ask ourselves, what is our view of worship?
What is our view of church life? Now, it could very well be that you're at a dead church. I'm not suggesting this one particularly. I hope not.
But it could be the case where you're at a place where the gospel is not preached, the truth is not administered, the sacraments are not practiced, worship is irreverent, all those sorts of things. There could be that case. But if you're at a church where the Word of God is sought to be applied, and it's dead and cold and dry, maybe the problem isn't necessarily the church. Maybe we need to examine ourselves with reference to these high privileges that the Lord has entrusted to us.
Maybe we need to ask the question, why am I not benefiting? Why am I not receiving? Why am I not enjoying the glory of God Most High? Again, if you're a Calvinist and you go to a Pelagian church, there might be the problem.
That's certainly to be, you know, acknowledged. That's certainly to be looked at, to be sure. But if a church is seeking to faithfully preach and teach the word of God, and it's like nothing but dead, dry, cold, hard sand and, you know, rubbish. Again, not exonerating any preacher, the one here notwithstanding.
Could just be gravel spilling forth. You know, sometimes you hear sermons and it's like the water of life and you just, you know, it's great. Sometimes it's like gravel just spilling forth. Hopefully there's a little water interspersed with that gravel from time to time.
Hopefully. Right. The church, the saints of Christ are a worshiping people. Worship ought to be primary in the lives of God's people.
Spiritually Chaste
Thirdly, notice they are spiritually chaste. Verse four says, these are the ones who are not defiled with women, for they are virgins. I don't believe this has a physical reference. I don't believe that God sanctions abstinence over marital bliss, over the conjugal relationship.
I think when we compare Scripture with Scripture, there is a spiritual application of this particular reference. These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. Rogers and Rogers say it seems best to take this description of chastity in a figurative sense, indicating that they have kept themselves pure from all the defiling relationships with the pagan world. Remember, the grand criminal will be marched out not too long from this point in Revelation chapter 17.
How is she described? She is described as the mother of harlots. She is described as one who is unchaste, who is unfaithful, who is ungodly. So identification with her is a bad thing.
These, in contrast, These, over against that fact or over against that reality, these are the ones who were not defiled. These are the ones who are spiritually chained. James uses this convention in James 4.4. It says, Do you not know?
He calls them adulterers and adulteresses. He says, Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? That's what's in view. Paul uses the language in 2 Corinthians 11 too.
I wanted to present you, the Corinthian church, as a chaste virgin to Christ. The idea here is not that abstinence in the single life is better, more holy, and more noble than us poor married slobs that have to get married. That's not the point. Spiritual chastity.
Spiritual fidelity. God made marriage. It's good. Physical.
Blessed union. talking about a spiritual reference with reference to these followers of the Lamb. One man says fornication and harlotry throughout the Bible are potent metaphors for apostasy and idolatry. The Lamb's army gathered about him on Mount Zion is chaste, faithful to him and single-mindedly consecrated to the holy war they are engaged in. Notice fourthly, a fourth characteristic.
I imagine that a cook takes a basic recipe and then adds something of himself to that recipe. As a preacher, I often seek to preach as I think preaching should be, as I would like to hear preaching. And I remember early on as a hearer when the preacher would announce, I have 15 points. Something in my head would just go, wait a minute, I don't know if I'm ready for 15 points.
I'm just not that sharp and I don't know that we have that much time. So if you notice, I conspicuously did not tell you how many characteristics. I didn't want anybody to do that initially and say, oh, we just can't handle this. I promise you, we will go no later than what we normally go.
So we're on number four for those who are taking notes. The fourth is this.
Following the Lamb
They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. A great description of Christ's people. They're not whiners. They're not grumblers.
They're not complainers. They're not babies. They're not murmurers. They don't say, Why, Lord?
They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. That's what verse 4b says. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. Again, a contrast between the followers of the beast.
Notice in chapter 13, verse 3. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. Again, following is an inescapable concept. Prior to your conversion to Christ, you follow the beast, whatever its representation is in your life.
As followers of the Lamb, we do so happily. We do so joyfully. We don't do so perfectly. And when we falter, when we sin, when we stumble, we confess it.
We forsake it. We seek mercy from on high. We plead the promise of 1 John 1, 9. But what is indicatively true of a Christian is that they follow Jesus Christ.
Imagine that. Now, John, Chapter 10, just to go to another place of a similar author, John the Apostle wrote the Gospel of John. He also wrote the Book of Revelation. Notice in John, Chapter 10, the teaching of Jesus Christ as the true shepherd.
John 10, verse 4, And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him. For they do not know the voice of strangers. Dropping down to verse 25, Jesus answered them.
I told you and you do not believe the works that I do in my father's name. They bear witness of me. But you do not do not believe because you are not of my sheep. As I said to you, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.
What a great description of a Christian. Is that you? Is that define you? Is that true of you?
You follow the lamb? Again, I'm not saying perfectly. In this world, we still have remaining corruption. Sometimes we have great intention, we're going to get up at four, we're going to read our Bible for three hours and we're going to follow Jesus all throughout life.
We wake up at seven, we don't read our Bibles, we run out the door and we immediately conclude it's all over. Well, you know, that's unfortunately the experience of a lot of God's people. By and large, all in all, what is the general trajectory of your life? Is it one of following the Lamb wherever He goes?
Jesus taught this conspicuously. Jesus taught this often. He told us we are to take up our crosses daily and follow Him. And in the context, the cross obviously meant death.
Be willing to follow Jesus each and every day to the death if that is necessary. Now, praise God most high. For most of our 365 days in a year, we are not called upon to die for Jesus. We are called upon to live for Jesus.
We are called upon to follow Jesus as individuals. That means when no one's watching, when no one's around, we seek to be faithful to our King. We are called to follow Jesus in our home and implement such passages like Colossians chapter 3, where husbands love their wives and they're not embittered against them, where wives are submissive to their own husbands as unto the Lord, where children obey their parents, where fathers do not provoke their children. This is what it means to follow the Lamb.
There's this idea that to follow the Lamb, you've got to quit your job, you've got to go get seminary train, and you've got to go out to China and be a missionary. Absolutely not the case. God does call some to do that, but for the most of us, He calls us in our regular, normal, everyday, mundane existence, and He calls us to follow Him in that particular sphere. That's what a Christian is.
He is one who follows the Lamb wherever He goes.
The Redeemed of the Lamb
The fifth characteristic is found in verse four as well. Notice, these are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. And the next section, these were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. They are the redeemed.
They're not the great performers. They're not the exceptional ones. They're not the ones who were wise enough to avoid the beast. They were not the ones who were good enough to avoid the beast.
In the final analysis, brothers and sisters, we will stand before God and be accepted by Him on that day, not because of our righteousness, not because of our works, not because of our good doing, but because we were redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God. It's a great description, isn't it? If you had to identify one particular Christian, what is it? I'm redeemed.
What is redemption, biblically speaking? Redemption presupposes sin. Redemption presupposes bondage. Redemption speaks of the work of Christ coming into this world to redeem us from our sin.
Remember, Israel of old was in Egypt. God redeemed His people. He took them out of there and brought them into blessed liberty. Christ does that.
Christ brings His people out of darkness into marvelous light. Christ redeems them through His own precious blood. He does this by having become a curse, according to Paul in Galatians 3.13. He was made a curse for us.
Galatians chapter 4 indicates that in the fullness of the time, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law. In Ephesians 1, when the apostle is celebrating the work of the triune God, the Father chose the Son redeems. He says, in whom we have redemption through His blood. This idea of redemption should never, or may it always cause us to reflect upon the necessity of the blood of the Lamb of God.
That is why and how we stand in acceptance with God the Lord. It's a blessed, blessed concept.
Speaking the Truth
Notice, sixthly, they speak the truth. Now, they don't speak the truth in order to be saved. They're saved because they're redeemed through precious blood. But having been redeemed, having been justified freely by His grace in the life of sanctification, get this, they speak the truth.
They don't lie. They take seriously the ninth word. They do not bear false witness. They do not gossip.
They do not slander. They do not twist things. in the mind of the author, if we can project, is probably Psalm 15, which is a description of the perfect man, Jesus Christ. But those who by God's grace are in union with Christ will strive by his grace to speak the truth. This is what the text says.
And in their mouth was found no deceit. The dragon, the beast from the sea, the beast from the land operate through deceit and lies. The people of God operate through truth and they operate through honesty. This is why the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4 says, let no corrupt speech flow from your mouth.
Speak those things which are necessary or unto necessary edification. It says we are to no longer lie. What a value! What a prize!
We're to esteem the truth. God is the Lord God of truth. How dare His people speak lies? How dare His people not be precise?
How dare His people tear off the edges of truth and play loose with it? We need to be a people who speak the truth. Back in Psalm 15, it tells us that He swears to His own hurt and does not change. You make an agreement with someone, you carry it out.
You covenant with somebody, you carry it out. You agree to financial obligations that are crazy, carry it out. We don't have the prerogative of the beast followers. Well, you know, I'm just full of deceit and lies and corruption and wickedness.
No, not as a Christian. Jesus said, they will know you by the love that you have for one another. As well, truth ought to play into that equation. We ought to speak truthfully.
Blameless Before God
Notice, seventhly, they are blameless, for they are without fault before the throne of God. And we might just project and say, well, in the eschaton, in the heavenly state, in heaven itself, of course, we'll be without blame. We are without blame positionally by virtue of our union with Christ. He is without blame.
God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. So not only in the heavenly state, but here on earth, we ought to pursue blamelessness. We ought to be upright. We ought to be men and women of our word.
We ought to be men and women of good character. Again, not perfect. There's not anybody on this earth that's never going to see a sin. There's always somebody who can come to you and say, wow, I saw that.
That was inconsistent. That was wretched. That was horrible. Don't say, no, it wasn't.
You know, I'm great. No. Yeah, you're right. Please forgive me.
They ought to see that as well. Blamelessness before God and men. Paul said, I strive, I strive to maintain a conscience void of offense toward God and toward men. That's an amazing thing.
Strove for that. That's what made him tick. Have a conscience void of offense toward God and toward men? Absolutely.
This could be summarized or these concepts could be summarized in the eighth characteristic of verse 12.
Keeping God's Commandments
They keep the commandments of God. Here is the patience of the saints. Here are those who keep the commandments of God. We realize that the law does not justify.
The law can never bring us into acceptance with God, because we're sinners, because we're undone, because we are not perfectly righteous. But having said that, when we are justified freely by His grace, the law serves as the rule or pattern or standard for life. The Reformers called this the third use of the law, the normative use of the law. In other words, how does God want me to live as a justified believer?
God wants you to live in virtue of His holy law. Look to the law. Turretin says it something like this. The law sends us to Christ for our justification.
Christ then sends us back to the law for our sanctification. I think that is a great construct to put on the biblical data. And that is precisely what is described here in verse 12. Here is the patience of the saints.
Here are those who keep the commandments of God. Again, John writing the gospel, it was there that Jesus says, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. It's a no brainer, isn't it? Well, wow, that's amazing.
You would think it is in the modern evangelical and reform. What, you mean I got to do what God says? You mean I have to obey? But I was saved by grace.
You are saved by grace. You're saved in order to obey God. That's why. The law is a good thing.
It's a holy thing. It's a wise thing. The people of God love the law. Look at that man in Psalm 1.
Look at that man in Psalm 119. Look at the Lord Jesus Christ. It was a delight for him to do the law of the Father. So, as the born-again people of God, we ought to be pursuing obedience to the law of God.
This should flesh itself out in our interpersonal relationships. Oh, no one anything, Paul says, except to love one another. For he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, you shall not commit adultery.
You shall not murder. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. You shall not covet.
And if there is any other commandment, they're all summed up in this saying, namely, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. That's Romans 13, 8 to 10.
You see, the law isn't contrary to the child of God. I've often thought in light of John's language in 1 John 5, if we hate his law, we really ought to take stock of our spiritual position. 1 John 5, verse 1, whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and everyone who loves him who begot also loves him who is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God that we keep as commandments.
And His commandments are not burdensome. Are the commandments burdensome? You look at the law and say, oh, how I hate your law. Oh, what a bondage is your law.
Oh, what a drag is your law. You take Sunday, for instance. Three hours. Three hours out of a busy, long week filled with hours for you to do whatever you want.
I mean, not whatever you want. You can't go out and kill people or fornicate or do sinful things. But for the most part, for the most part, we look at Sunday and we go, oh man, I've got to go to church. Again, it could be a bad church.
It could be gravel, spouting gravel, just blowing gravel. In which case, find a place where there's water being shot forth. But the attitude, Oh, church. Oh, what a drag.
Isn't this what John is saying? Isn't this what John is condemning? His commandments are not burdensome. Blessed is that man in Psalm 1 whose meditation is upon the law of God day and night.
What was Joshua's mandate before he went in to the land of Canaan to conquer? God says to meditate upon my law. Then your way will prosper. Then you will have blessing.
You take some of the other commandments. Take any of the commandments. What do you mean? I can't have idols?
If that's the disposition of your heart, then grace hasn't been there. See, grace liberates us from bondage to the beast and brings us into that blessed place of the worship of the Lamb. No longer do we reject the law. No longer do we count it as our great grief and burden, but rather we steam it.
Rather we love it. And rather, as John describes in the book of Revelation, here is the patience of the saints. Here are those who keep the commandments of God.
Holding the Faith of Jesus
And then the ninth characteristic follows on the heels of that, Revelation 14, 12b. Here is the patience of the sage. Here are those who, first of all, keep the commandment of God. And then notice, secondly, and the faith of Jesus.
Faith of Jesus. Now there, I don't believe he means their personal faith in Jesus, but rather the objective truth of Christianity. Something that we looked at on Wednesday night in Jude 3. Jude says, contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
I'm not talking about your hold on Christ. He's talking about propositional revelation as it comes to us in the 66 books of God's Holy Word. You contend earnestly for that faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. It is the body of doctrine that reveals unto us the glory of God, the way of salvation, and man's duty with reference to his Father.
That's what's in view here in Revelation chapter 14. They keep the faith of Jesus. This is absolutely crucial in the context. Because what was happening or what the threat was in the churches in Revelation was to turn back from Christ, was to not overcome, was to not persevere, was to not finish strong.
In fact, if you look at all of the seven letters in chapters two and three, there is a promise given to those who overcome. What's his point? His point is persevere. His point is go forward.
The point is, don't give up. The point is, don't stop. You know what, brethren, sometimes a Christian life is hard. Sometimes it's difficult.
Sometimes it's trying. Sometimes it's punctuated with trials and afflictions. There's disappointments. I just got word of Johnny Farese.
I hope you all read that email and I hope you're all praying for that brother. He's a servant of God. immobilized, cannot move. And for the last 14 years, I actually think it's longer. I don't know if his sister missed something there, but I remember getting Faris letters back in Palmdale before I ever got here.
This man couldn't move at all. Muscular atrophy, I think, is the name of the particular disease that he has. He's the oldest living person with it. You just don't get to his age with this particular disease.
I mean, he can't move. He uses a breath powered computer system. Is that correct, Pastor Cam? I had the privilege to visit him several years ago.
I wish I could have been, you know, fly on the wall with Cam on that particular day. Ask him, Johnny, has the Christian life been easy for you? Is it easy to serve the Lord Jesus Christ knowing that you can't even move? Ask God's tried people at times.
Is it easy? They may not say it's easy, but it's certainly worth it. The message of the book of Revelation, and this is what's so unfortunate. People don't read it.
People are afraid of Revelation. People get more enamored with or more consumed with the beasts and the rage and the maladies and all that sort of thing than the corrective offered to deal with those men or deal with those madmen. The message of Revelation is that in this world, you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world." That's it in a nutshell.
Keep the faith of Jesus. Keep it. Don't let go. Don't hold it like some...
You know you ever shake those guys' hands and they hand you like a lent noodle? Shake my hand, man! Shake my hand. There's Christians out there that put out a limp noodle.
Shake the hand. Grab that doctrine. Hold on to the faith. Don't let it go.
Understand the truth. Know the Gospel. Know the Scriptures. Know that body of truth that was once for all delivered to the saints.
And do not let it go. Spurgeon said, Would you have me silence the doctrine of the blood of sprinkling? Would any one of you attempt so horrible a deed? Shall we be censured if we continually proclaim the heaven-sent message of the blood of Jesus?
Shall we speak with bated breath because some affected person shudders at the sound of the word blood? Nay, verily, we will sooner have our tongue cut out than cease to speak of the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We need more men and more women of the caliber of the Apostle Paul. He's saying something of it in 429.
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Why, Paul? For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, that just as it is written, the just shall live by faith. You could sooner bring the moon down into your front yard than to shut the mouth of the Apostle Paul when it came to gospel preaching.
For I determined to know nothing among you except Christ and Him crucified. God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. That's the kind of attitude and the mentality that we ought to adopt and imbibe. Young people and children, it isn't cool to reject Christ.
Young people and children, it is righteous to hold the faith of Jesus. We don't know what's coming in the future. You don't know how many of your liberties are going to get taken away. You don't know what kind of benefit and privilege you may enjoy in the coming weeks, months, or years.
You need to hold the faith now. If God has provided liberty, if God has provided a blessing, use this time to prepare so that if it comes to pass that these liberties are threatened, you are holding the faith still. I guarantee you, you will never hold the faith in a time of persecution. if you ain't holding it in the time of liberty. Why would you?
What's Daniel do? What's Daniel do when it is a prohibition against worshiping the true and living God? He opens his window and he prays as was his custom. We say, at least pull the shade, Daniel, so they don't see you.
He says, I've done this every day, three times a day for my entire life. I don't care one whit about this prohibition. I am going to pray to my God. That's what the Lamb, the fair army of the Lamb does.
They hold the faith of Jesus.
Eternal Rest of the Saints
And then the final, we have ten total, they will have eternal rest. Verse 13, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit. that they may rest from their labors and their works follow them. Again, a fitting and an encouraging word to the church under trial, to the church under difficulty, to the church under affliction.
This is the promise, excuse me, held out by God to his people that they may rest from their labors and their works follow them. Blessed are the dead. who die in the Lord from now on. Gill says, to die in the Lord is to die interested in him, in union to him, which union is not dissolved by death and which preserves from all condemnation at death or at judgment and secures the soul's immediate entrance into happiness and the resurrection of the body at the last day. And therefore, such must be blessed.
Praise God Almighty that that is what is in the future. Praise God Almighty that 599 is going to be realized in each of our lives. The bride eyes not her garment, but her dear bridegroom's face. I will not gaze at glory, but on my king of grace.
Not at the crowning gifteth, But on his pierced hand, the land is all the glory of Emmanuel's land. That's our future. That's our hope. That's where we're heading.
And that ought to cause us to imbibe these characteristics with, as one brother often prays, a spring in our step. We ought to be a hope-filled, happy, joyful people as we pursue that heavenly bless.
Application
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ tonight, do not take this list and say, I have to go out and tell the truth. I have to go out and be blameless. I have to go out and be spiritually chaste. No, you have to look to Christ.
You have to believe the gospel. You have to look to the one who lived, who died, who rose again, the one who alone redeems through his precious blood. Look to Christ, believe his gospel, and you shall be saved. Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank you for this, your holy word. We thank you for this contrast. between the followers of the beast and the followers of the Lamb. We thank You, God, that by Your grace You've numbered us among this fair army. We thank You, God, that by Your grace You've redeemed us through the precious blood of the Lord Jesus.
We pray that this Gospel would run swiftly and be glorified and that a multitude would believe and be saved. God, go with us now. Watch over Your people and grant us the grace to bring honor to You in this world. And we pray through Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.