Heaven's overture

I'd like to read with you, please, first of all from the shortest chapter in the book of Revelation. That will be chapter 15. Revelation chapter 15.

We'll read of verse 1. And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them is filled up the wrath of God. And I saw, as it were, a sea of glass mingled with fire, and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty.

Just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints, or King of the nations. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For thou only art holy. For all nations shall come and worship before thee, for thy judgments are made manifest.

Now that is the song. Now down to verse 7. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials, or bowls, full of the wrath of God, who liveth forever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power.

And no man was able to enter into the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. Now let's go back to the Old Testament, to the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 32. Deuteronomy, chapter 32.

And we'll just take a few verses here. This is the song that Moses sang, verse 35. To me belongeth vengeance and recompense.

Their foot shall slide in due time, for the day of their calamity is at hand. And the things that shall come upon them make haste. And the Lord shall judge his people, and so on.

Verse 41. If I wet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. 43.

Rejoice, O nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land and to his people. And Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he and that will be Joshua, the son of Nun. That's our reading.

We trust with the Lord's blessing upon it. I want to speak to you about Heaven's Kingdom Overture that we've read about, the song of Moses and of the Lamb. By chapter 15 here in the book of Revelation, we've come quite far through the happenings of the book.

John has seen and heard many wonderful things. And the climax of things is about to unfold here, beginning in chapter 15. So I want us to focus upon this song that we have read, the song of Moses and of the Lamb.

And I'm calling it Heaven's Overture. There are choruses of songs in the book of Revelation. The word song occurs three previous times.

First time, of course, is in chapter 5. That throne room scene where you have them singing a new song in verse number 9. You're familiar with the words. Thou art worthy to take the book and open the seals thereof, for thou was slain and has redeemed us, or men, to God by thy blood. A new song.

There are eight new things that are found in the book. And it's interesting to notice that all are linked with the results or the outcomes of redemption. So we have a new song.

You will find that there will be new heavens and new earth. There will be also a new Jerusalem. The Lord Jesus will be given a new name.

And the saints of God will be given new names. My parents gave me the name William in honor of my grandfather when I was accepted by birth into the Skates family. And much as I like the name William, yet I'm looking forward to receiving my new name.

That will be given by my Savior. And it will indicate eternal acceptance with Him in His everlasting kingdom. Now this new song would remind us that there was an old song.

You remember on creation's day, Job 38, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God they shouted for joy. That was the old song when creation came into being. God's power, celebrating God's power in creation.

But creation was spoiled by sin. And right there in the Garden of Eden, when Adam failed and rebelled against God, that creation became contaminated. But now, we find the Lamb.

As He takes the book and He begins to open the seals, He's doing so not only in creatorial power, but in the redemptive power of His blood-shedded calvary. And on this occasion now, there is a new song. A new song that is sung in heaven.

You remember when the psalmist was delivered in Psalm 40, he took up these words and he said, He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God. So what we have here in Revelation chapter 5, is the celebration of the deliverance of planet earth and all the redeemed from it. And so the song is sung in heaven.

A new song. When we come to chapter 14 then, we have the second occurrence of the word song. And you'll remember in that chapter, the 144,000 are seen with the Lamb on Mount Zion.

That's chapter 14. Chapter 13, I'll remind you, there is the vision that John gets of two beasts. That's, as it were, the dragon's masterpiece.

That's the high watermark of his rebellion personified in those two men. It's his best effort. But then you turn the page and you have God's answer to that recapped here in chapter 14.

And John hears these heavenly voices, verse 3, and they sing, as it were, a new song. As it were, a new song. Now I take it it's the same song that was new in chapter 5. Three and a half years later, it is still new.

Qualitatively, it is still new. It is not diminished in time or in use. So we remind our hearts that it has in its focus the Lamb.

And His executive actions that are still fully authorized by the supreme throne. His executive actions that are authorized by the supreme throne. There's no district court that can overthrow these.

But the throne of God is still authoritative. And as a result, you have now the celebration still in heaven and the one who is worthy is still worthy and heaven renders its anthems of praise. In that same verse, we find that the same song, no one could learn it, but the 144,000, nobody else could learn that song.

Then the 144,000 are described in this way. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and of the Lamb. The rest of the world cannot learn this song at this point.

When the 144,000 are sealed, they're redeemed. The only ones redeemed at that point on earth. So I take it that no one else can really sing that song because they are the firstfruits.

There will be others later in the tribulation period, of course, who will not only be converted, but there will be those that will survive and go on into the millennium here on earth. But these 144,000 at this point are representing the redeemed of earth. So that brings us then to the song that we have in chapter 15.

So the chorus of songs and then the context of this song. Let's notice that just very briefly. Verse 1, He sees a great and marvelous sign in heaven.

So what John is seeing up there is signifying what is going to happen down here. The tremendous consequences that are about to come upon earth and it causes John to wonder and to marvel because he sees seven angels having the seven last plagues for in them is filled up the wrath of God. You'll notice that this chapter actually begins and ends with the mention of these seven angels and these seven last plagues and they fill up the wrath of God.

That is, these seven plagues are going to bring that wrath to completion. The verb filled up is the word teleo which in its passive form, you'll remember, was the sixth cry from the cross. It is finished.

It was the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ there upon the cross. The rebellion of sinners is now going to be answered in righteous severity. And the wrath of God will be finished.

Calvary's saving work that could have saved every sinner is now going to result in sovereign wrath falling upon all Christ rejecters that are upon earth. Dear soul, if you're in the meeting this morning still in your sins, it is possible you could survive to this point in the tribulation to experience the final seven plagues. It's a very solemn thought.

The Savior could have been to these people a saver of life unto life, but now in his actions it will be a saver of death unto death. Verse 2 will bring out the conditions of the song. The sea of glass mingled with fire.

The company of the song. The victorious martyrs, I take it, from the tribulation period. And then the complement of the song there.

They have these harps of God, but they're going to be involved in singing this song now. Verse 3. Let's think of the contents of the song for a moment. Verse 3. They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.

That caption of the song will introduce for us a number of couplets that we're going to notice now in the song. Couplets. The first one is this.

The very title. The song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb. Now the song of Moses, the servant of God, that's why we read in Deuteronomy 32.

Redeemed Israel have at this point come through the wilderness. They have been under the discipline of God in the wilderness. And now God will judge His enemies.

We read the verse 41. If I wet my glittering sword and mine hand take hold in judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies and will reward them that hate me. So that is the relevance, I take it, of the song of Moses.

Because of where we are just now when the seven last plagues will be poured out, God is literally going to be wetting His glittering sword. Then the song of the Lamb. That would take us back as I've already indicated to chapter 5, I take it.

That song that was sung to the Lamb. It is after the victory of Calvary with all its potentiality. The Redeemer is being praised in His victory.

And that victory is about to be seen worked out in redemption as He reclaims planet Earth for God and His people. The song of the Lamb is here sung, you'll notice, to the Lord God Almighty. On the very cups of the accomplishment of His victory, in a very practical way now being worked out in the tribulation period in Roth, we find that Heaven's response is to render praise to the Lord God Almighty who has everything perfectly under control.

And everything is perfectly coordinated. And the accomplishment of these seven last plagues is as good as done in Heaven's estimation. Now, let's bring it down to us.

Dear Saint, in all the difficulties of the throes of problems and so on that come into your life in whatever sphere, I believe that the Lamb of God would have us sing. Somebody mentioned in prayer the joy of the Lord. It's our strength.

And to have that gratitude, to have that sense of indebtedness to the Lord and to be praising Him. We can praise God for all that has passed. And we can trust Him for all that is to come.

Now, that's the sentiments of Heaven at this point. The song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. The second couplet, I notice, is this.

Great and marvelous are thy works, just and true are thy ways. Works and ways. What a study that would be for us to consider the works and the ways of God.

When we are aware of the work of God, that God is at work, that brings us joy, doesn't it? It brings us joy even to reflect upon the work of God in our lives that first brought us to Christ. How that He brought circumstances into play. And the Word of God came our way.

And this very room this morning, what a testimony it is to the work of God in these parts. God has been at work in each one of our lives. Has brought us to know the Lord Jesus as our Savior.

And ever since that moment when we trusted Him, we've been learning of the ways of God as well, haven't we? He's been bringing us through the wilderness so faithfully. And our inheritance is still before us. And on the way through, what's He doing? He's developing in us a more intelligent appreciation for the ways of God with us.

That brings us joy too when we recognize that in our souls. So it is an obedience to the Word of God and living in fellowship with God, I believe, that will provide, as it were, the fertile ground for us to learn this couplet. The great and marvelous works of God.

How just and true are His ways even with us as in that future day. Now notice the third one here. Titles of God.

You have the Lord God Almighty, verse 3. And you have also the king of the nations. The king of the nations there in verse 3. Nations do come. Nations go.

Empires rise. Empires fall. But who can turn back the hand of the Lord God Almighty when He moves? And so Moses sang, Deuteronomy 32, 43, Rejoice, O ye nations, with His people for He will avenge the blood of His servants and will render vengeance to His adversaries and will be merciful unto His land and to His people.

To His people. So again, dear saint of God, your future, though it may be unknown, though it may be obscure, your future is all mapped out in mercy by our God. He will be merciful to His people.

That brings us confidence in Him to understand that in the purpose of His will, it's all made secure by the one to whom the nations are but as a drop in a bucket or as the fine dust of the balance. He has the nations firmly in His control. We might wonder at the realignment of things in the very day in which we live.

On the international scene, the realignment of nations. But God is perfectly in control. And He's in control, I take heart, He's in control of my life.

And He's in control of your circumstances as well. The God who is almighty. I'm on a fourth one now.

We have two rhetorical questions in verse 4. Who shall not come to fear thee? Is the idea. Who shall not come to fear thee? The Supreme Lord. Who shall not glorify Him? Two rhetorical questions.

Now the word fear is the word phobia can mean to be terrified or to be in awe of the Supreme Lord. And I take it that here the emphasis is upon a conversion moment when men will come to fear Him. And that will be the experience of many in Israel at the end of that tribulation period when they mourn.

When they will see Him coming up from Heaven and they will mourn for Him. And they will come to fear Him. Who shall not glorify Him? You think of it.

What's the answer to that question? Who shall not glorify? All glory is due to our God. All men should be bowing their souls in full submission to Him to bring glory to Him. And ultimately that is what God has ordained to Him.

Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Aren't we glad that God has so dealt with us that our knees have bowed in time to Him. That brings glory to God.

Let us see to it that in all that we would do in our lives moving forward in His will that we bring glory to Him and it is worthy of His glory. And then the fifth one will be this, For thou only art holy for all nations shall come and worship before thee. Holiness is what it's all about, isn't it? Holiness is, someone has said as it were the crowning glory of God.

It touches every attribute of God. There was holiness in the Garden of Eden before the fall and there will be holiness throughout all eternity to come. I take it that wrath is actually an expression of the holiness of God that will secretly be imposed upon this old, corrupt and ugly world that crucified Christ and still rejects Him.

We are in a time where the holiness of God is being worked out. That's what Christian living is all about. In our lives in a very practical way we should be working out the holiness of God in all that we do.

That is set apart from the world set apart to God in sanctification. Living our lives for Him. In His interests.

No holds barred. Our bodies presented a living sacrifice. That is our worshipful service.

And we have here, all nations shall come and worship before thee. Why? Because He is worthy of worship. He is worthy of devotion.

He is worthy of our complete devotion to Him. That is our worshipful service. And in a very literal way, in a millennial setting, all nations shall come and shall worship before the Holy God.

Let me just finish up with this. The conclusion of the song. After that I looked.

Verse 5 And behold Verse 7 One of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels There is a little indicator perhaps of who those four beasts are. A supreme level of angelic being amongst the principalities and powers. And they give to seven angels, seven other angels of perhaps a lower rank these seven vials full of the seven last plagues.

Bowls that are full of the wrath of the Lord God Almighty. The final notes in this sympathy sympathy of wrath. And it's about to reach a grand crescendo.

Men may come and men may go in their feeble rebellion against God. But the Almighty God who liveth forever and ever will have the final say. We read in our Bibles that because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall wax cold.

But dear brethren and sisters if you and I fix our eyes upon the Almighty God and we are assured in our hearts that His purposes will be brought to pass just as He has determined and set out in His Word it will give us confidence to know that any little difficulty that you and I might face is firmly in His control. And we can rest our hearts in that. Verse 8 The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power.

No man was able to enter into the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. Think of it. Smoking glory.

Smoking power. Filling the very sanctuary of God in holiness. As that holiness is being established upon earth and who is able to stand against it? Who shall be able to stand in that tremendous day of His wrath? We remind our hearts again as we close our degree of faithfulness now this side of the rapture will in the same proportion be seen in the amount of glory that we bring to Him and it will be reflected eternally in us.

So it is the language of our hearts, isn't it? He is worthy. And you shall bring Him glory and I shall bring Him glory and we all shall bring Him glory. Let us maximize it in our lives for glory is His due.

So we have the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb and I trust there's notes of encouragement for us here this morning.