Corona Chronicles - Crown of Gold

Welcome back to Corona Chronicles. We are still in Revelation chapter 11. We've seen some amazing stuff, haven't we? These 2 witnesses who have been proclaiming the message of Jesus in the world who couldn't be harmed and yet they were harmed. There was a disaster or an apparent disaster as they died and their enemies gloated over them, but beholds.

No. They were following the pattern of their lord. They were dying, rising, and ascending with him. And in doing that, the gospel was winning victory. Over the nations.

And we're in verse 15 now, and you might remember if you've been following this series that back in chapter 8 when the 7 seal was opened. There was silence in heaven for half an hour. But here, as the seventh angel blows the trumpet, we're gonna see there's nothing like silence. This is another victory song. Verse 15, the seventh angel sounded his trumpet and there were loud voices in heaven which said.

The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our lord and of His Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever. And the 24 elders who were seated on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God saying, We give thanks to you. Lord God, almighty, the 1 who is and who was because you have taken your great power and you have begun to reign. The nations were angry and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead and for awarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name both great and small and for destroying those who destroy the earth.

Then God's temple in heaven was opened and within his temple was seeing the ark of his covenant and there came flashes of lightning rumblings, peels of thunder, an earthquake, and a severe hailstorm. So we saw yesterday that these witnesses who died and rose ascended to be with their lord to share in his victory. And that is what this whole section is about, isn't it? It's more it's more singing, more shouting, more loudness. Mhmm.

And the main subject is that Jesus Christ has begun to reign upon the earth forever and ever. Now Jesus has always been on the throne. He's always been ruling, but as we saw back in verse 8, there has been these city, sodom, and Egypt. These world powers which have had some kind of authority under god. But now when Jesus has returned, he he is the the reign of heaven is coming to earth again, so to speak, and he is going to reign upon the earth.

Mhmm. And that there that is a great day for God's people, isn't it when when this moment happens? And In verse 17, you've got a lovely line. We give thanks to you, Lord God almighty, the 1 who is and who was. Now in the book of Revelation, that has become an incomplete sentence.

Yes. Because normally we would expect who is and who was and who is to come. So as John forgot to scribble this down or what's going on? Well, no. Because this he has come.

So he was and he is. And the coming is no more a future event it is. Yeah. This is it. Yeah.

And and he has taken his proper place upon the earth. And is beginning to beginning to reign in all his in all his blunder. Mhmm. And as as a as a king sort of arrive somewhere and begins his rule over subjects, then they bring their judgments don't they? And they bring their rewards with them, depending on who's being faithful whilst they were away and who's who's sort of rebelled against their rule.

And then that's what we see happen here. So verse 18, the nations are angry about this. So you see the the saints and heaven sort of celebrating -- Mhmm. -- but the world isn't celebrating here. No.

They they're angry about this. But then, so the judgments come, but there's rewards for the the servants and the prophets for those who who reveal your name. And this lovely little detail for both great and small. So the rewards of God, sort of living with him forever enjoying him enjoying each other. And all of these things are for the smallest Christian.

The 1 who became a Christian perhaps on their deathbed. The 1 who failed and struggled their whole life and couldn't put to sin, to to death all of their sins, but love the Lord and we're faithfully trying to follow him. There's there's God's reward for for those as well as the the sort of Christian giants Big Christian giants. Yeah. That week that we know about.

Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. And nothing, as you say, no 1 is gonna be forgotten. Nothing is gonna be overlooked.

And it's just incredible to think, isn't it? That that our lives are really so ordinary in many ways. We, you know, we walk the same streets. We live in the same houses. Most of our lives are made up of just ordinary kind of activities that we are going to share in the reign of Jesus Christ upon the earth.

As those who are redeemed but also as those who who are entrusted with a kind of judgment and a kind of rule -- Yeah. -- over the new earth. And to think that little, you know, sinful week old me -- Yeah. -- you know, might have a part to play in that. It's just it's just staggering, isn't it?

And And as you say, but as you say, it's a polarizing thing, isn't it? Mhmm. You you're either you're either in that party or you're raging against the land. Mhmm. And you're gonna experience his destruction.

Mhmm. And that kind of polarizing in verse 19 is it's either So we see in verse 19 that the God's Temple in heaven was opened. And that is the your response to that is gonna be 1 of 2 things. You're either gonna celebrate or you are gonna be in terror. Mhmm.

Because the temple there was a huge curtain designed to separate sinners from a Holy God. And if you went into the temple and you weren't the priest and you weren't offering the right sacrifices, then you were in danger. Mhmm. And you would you would perish. Mhmm.

So here, God is now exposed. He's coming out -- Yes. -- his temple. Yes. And are you righteous before him?

Or are you have you are you still dead in your sin? Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. And yeah.

Those are the only 2 camps you can be in, aren't they? And so I think I think, you know, for all of us really and for for kids, this is this is a great encouragement, isn't it? Because off after the stories that we love the most, you know, the great fantasy stories and the fairy tales are the 1 where the ones where, you know, the good the good guy comes evil seems to win. Mhmm. But the good guy conquers and triumphs and restores the world and reigns with these people.

And 1 of the reasons we love stories like that is because it allows us to escape escape into a place where we become princes and princesses reigning upon the earth with the king. Yeah. And the reason those resonates so deeply with because they're they're true. Yeah. They're true.

And you know, so for kids, you know, even though a lot of life feels really ordinary, you know, school, not at the moment, but just doing stuff we always do that through faith in Jesus, you are part of this majestic story, this true story. Where we can reign with Jesus over evil. And that's that's an encouragement here. And so chapter 12, we're gonna be into chapter 12, a fresh tomorrow, the woman and the dragon, more imagery, more exciting stuff to see about Jesus. So do join us tomorrow.