Corona Chronicles - Crown of Gold

Welcome back to the corona chronicles. We started looking at chapter 15 of Revelation yesterday. And we're gonna pick up the story now and finish the chapter and look at verses 5 2 8 and 5 2 8. After this, I looked and I saw in heaven the temple, that is the tabernacle of the covenant law, and it was opened. Out of the temple came the 7 angels with the 7 plagues.

They were dressed in clean shining linen. And wore golden sashes around their chests. Then 1 of the 4 living creatures gave to the 7 angels 7 bowls filled with the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power. And no 1 could enter the temple until the 7 plagues of the 7 angels were completed.

Yeah. I mean, it's it's it's it's after this, so in 1 sense it's a new section. Because, I mean, revelation isn't chronological. It's it's jumping us about, hasn't it? And so we've we've seen something of the wrath have gone, and now we're sort of coming now to to to look again at God and temple.

And I guess this whole passage is showing us that you don't mess with God. And he's not a little God. So the 1 that they were singing about at the end of our last section, this is the goat, you know, isn't it? He's He's he's in his temper, it's pictures of holiness and purity, and you can't just wander into his presence because he will die, because he's holy and pure. And that's the God that we're talking about.

Yeah. Which is very different, isn't it? From a lot of people's idea of God, you know? Yes. And people will often say, you know, because, I mean, there are some people who are very happy to say, I do not believe in God, but there are lots of people who who want who don't want to go that far, who say that they do believe in that God or a higher power, but that they want to be able to define them on their own terms.

Or really, they want to look inside and think what they think is good. And then project that onto a sort of spirit form of themselves, really. Yeah. But but I think if we're thinking sensibly, know, if we're gonna acknowledge there's a God, well surely, he's gonna be greater, more powerful than we are. And we've gotta let him define himself.

You know, and that That's what revelation is constantly doing. And, you know, it's not chronological revelation, so we're not moving really in that kind of way. And There's a sense in which we are still caught up in the storm of judgment from chapters, chapter 14. And I was thinking about it like the eye of a storm, which you get in in hurricanes and tornadoes, perhaps, where where the storm comes and it batters the coastline. But then, for a moment, in the middle, there's like a sea of calm, a healthy calm.

And, you know, the people who've got there in this administration, but then that moves again, and you get the back end of the storm. And that's kind of that's kind of where we are here. And the temple language is being used. And it it It's amazing the temple language, because when when God redeemed his people from Egypt, the great promise was that he would come and dwell with them. And that he would live among him.

That really was the climax of the exodus story that God would be with his people. But you get to the end of exodus and Moses can't go in. Because the glory of the Lord is there, the temple is filled with smoke. It's a holy place. This isn't just like Santa Claus has come to you.

You know, this is the God of the ages, the holy God, and you can't muck about. And if you do, a judgement's coming, you know, that's the And, you know, rightly so because That's that's what idolatry is. It's making up an idea of God. I'm not allowed I mean, how would we would like it wouldn't we? If I misrepresent you and say, well, you know, I think Tom is and then I, yeah, make up what you are.

Yeah. You know, it's it's absurd. And actually, it's what the bible would call blasphemous, isn't it? So we have to allow him to be who he is. And he is an awesome god.

Now, of course, he reveals himself as father. He is a God of love and, you know, of course, But we mustn't water that down to say, okay, then he doesn't really care about what I do and what I don't do. You know, I don't think God would judge anyone. Yes, he will. And he has to because it is who he is, the pure 1.

And that's I I think that's what we see. It is. And and you have this all the way throughout the bible that we we can't. I think often we think, to God, as I say, would just be a slightly better version of ourselves. Yeah.

And that when we come to meet him, we'll just be able to casually wander into his presence. Yeah. I hate dudes, you know, in a happier But I mean, that, you know, is just so far from the bible's description of of of meeting God. So you you think about when Isaiah meets God in Isaiah, I turn to 6. You know, it's this language.

Yeah. He sees the Lord high and exalted seated on his own, and the temple was filled with smoke. Yeah. And the threshold, you know, the thresholds and the pillars are shaking. And even though he's a prophet sees who he is.

You know, I'm an unclean man. Yeah. You know, living in the land of unclean people and unclean lips and that sort of stuff isn't it. Yeah. And he knows if the tone isn't provide it, and he's gonna be riddled with plagues.

Yep. Absolutely. Yeah. And then, of course, you you have got what you've got here is that this God has a plan. And he is waging war with impurity.

He is going to cleanse, as we saw at the end of chapter chapter 14, he's going to bring justice. He's going to bring judgment. And and we we have So we're never gonna find heaven on earth. No? Yeah.

Because because God has got to bring He's gonna complete his work, and and judgment is going to come and and and heaven and the New York is happening. Those things happen together, don't they? Yeah. So when people are saying, you know, I'm trying to find heaven on earth. I'm putting all my you know, energy in trying to make my own heaven on earth.

It's a disaster because that has gotta come to an end. For this God's plan to be put into action of a new heaven and a new earth. Okay. We'll finish that.