Introduction
With the judgments concluding we now turn our attention to Chapter 17 as it portrays the judgment of God on the harlot, that sits in opposition to the cause of Christ.  In chapter 17 the harlot appears in a crude display of the snares of wealth, power and being drunk with the blood of martyrs. This vision can sometimes be seen as confusing but fortunately after the opening vision John learns from the angel the meaning of its symbolism.
 
Revelation 17
Vs 1: John is called by one of the seven angels to view the judgment of this notorious prostitute.  In Old Testament prophetic teaching the imagery of the prostitute is commonly shown to represent religious apostasy and idolatry.
 
The woman/prostitute of the Apocalypse represents a pagan city, and it is unquestionably Rome.  She is decorated in luxury and is intoxicated with the blood of the saints. She represents a dominant world system based on the seduction for personal gain over the righteous demands of a persecuted minority.  The apocalyptic proclamation that the woman shall soon be stripped naked and destroyed comes as a necessary and welcome reminder to the readers that God is forever sovereign, and He continues to occupy the throne of the Kingdom.
 
The woman is pictured as sitting upon a beast in many waters. The waters represent the peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages. Since the prostitute is later named Babylon the Great, it would appear that this is part of the description where Babylon is the city that is “over many waters.”
 
Vs 2: The kings of the earth who had illicit relations with the woman/city are the nations who are in illegitimate relations with Rome. They represent the apostate nations that Rome has enticed into idolatrous worship of herself and the beast.
Vs 7:  The angel who took John to the wilderness to see the vision of the woman and the beast responds to John’s amazement by explaining the mystery of the woman and the beast on which she rides. This is a single mystery that involves both characters. They cannot be understood apart from the other.  But what we see in chapter 17 is widely concerned with the clarification of the beast, but chapter 18 details the judgment of the woman/prostitute.
 
Vs 8:  The portrayal of the beast is a deliberate contrast to the picture of Jesus found in chapter 1 and Ch. 4.  In the widest sense the beast is understood to be a satanically inspired being or force that, even though he died, returns to launch himself with renewed rage against the powers of God.
 
He is the beast of chapter 13 who was fatally wounded in one of his heads and yet survived. Down through history he repeatedly “comes up out of the Abyss” to harass and, if it were possible, to destroy the people of God.  John wrote under the shadow of an impending persecution. The beast is about to come again.
 
The Beast had exercised a controlling influence in the consecutive supremacies of the emperors of Rome, but in this final attack he is to be revealed for what he really is—the incarnation of evil in its deep-seated hatred and violent opposition to God and all that is just and good.  It is the reappearance of the beast that causes the astonishment on the part of the unbelieving world.
 
Vs 18: the woman “represents the great city that rules over the kings of the world.” For John and his readers, the city is Rome. She is the wicked seducer whose malevolent influence has infiltrated the whole of the Mediterranean world. Yet Babylon the Great, who is the basis of universal harlotry and repugnance (v. 5), is more than first-century Rome. Every great center of power that has prostituted its wealth and influence restores to life the spirit of ancient Babylon.  It can be described as the final spiritual Babylon, which will provide the social, religious, and political base for the last attempt of Antichrist to establish his kingdom. 
 
This leads to what I want to spend the remainder of our time together.  The woman and the beast represent evil and idolatry, which God specifically has words to say about idolatry.  As with much of Revelation, we are encouraged to turn our attention to the book of Exodus.  More specifically Exodus 20.
Exodus 20:4. - 6
 
Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 5Do not bow in worship to them, and do not serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, 6but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commands (Exodus 20:4 – 6)
 
What Are Idols?
In Exodus 20:4 – 5 We are introduced to the sin of idolatry and the prohibition of people making images or statues (whether on earth, below the earth or in the heavens) and bowing down in worship to them.
 
The first commandment warns of worshiping the wrong God (there are no gods besides me), now the second commandment warns against worshiping God in the wrong way.  This commandment includes imagining the true God as like yourself, a ruler or something lower.  This means we have the tendency to make God into something of our own limited understanding, likeness, or ability to control.  This is what the Israelites did at the base of Mt. Sinai while Moses was receiving the law.  When the Israelites were worshiping the golden calf (Exodus 32) they weren’t worshiping foreign gods like Baal, Ra, or Osiris, they were worshiping their perception or creation of God.  They had created an image in the form of a golden calf and worshiped it as God.  They used their imagination to create and conceive a physical representation of what they believed was God.  Thus, even if their motives were right (which I highly doubt), they were creating an image of god, who could not be created.  This was their sin.  They created a god of their own understanding and imagination.  I have heard people talk about acknowledging or worshiping the god of their own understanding and this concerns me because they are talking about worshiping an idol.  What we perceive or imagine God to be in our own minds is dangerous and goes against the second command.  J.I. Packer writes, “No statement starting, ‘this is how I like to think of God’ should ever be trusted.  An imagined God will always be quite imaginary and unreal.”  
 
Do We Worship Idols Today?
You may say, “I am a Christian and I know I shouldn’t make statues in God’s image, so why is this commandment even relevant or applicable to me today?”  The answer is everything in our lives and in this world has the potential to become an idol!  
 
Modern humanity may not worship statues or carved images, but I would argue that many do have other (both seen and unseen) gods that they worship today. According to recently deceased author and Pastor Timothy Keller, “A counterfeit god (idol) is anything so central and essential in your life that, should you lose it, your life would be hardly worth living.  An idol has so much controlling position in your heart that you spend most of your passion and energy, your emotional and financial resources, on it without a second thought.” Professor Tom Shippey states, "(Idols are when we) take the hearts fondest desires and magnify them to idolatrous proportions.”  Anytime one needs something to represent or to see God we are undermining his freedom.  No image can capture God’s glory. However, we try do this with buildings, pulpits, relics lying around the church or any image that we need to bring us into the presence of God.

This happens in churches today. I remember many years ago once being criticized at a church I pastored for moving a pulpit from the area where I preached to another part of the stage; the reality was, the pulpit had become an idol.  On another occasion I asked a pastor friend if I could borrow some candelabras from his church for a wedding.  He agreed.  I went to the church to pick them up and I was stopped by the church secretary and told, very sternly, those candelabra cannot be removed from their place since they were the only items that had survived a church fire in prior years.  In fact, they are not even supposed to be touched without gloved hands.  Those candelabra had clearly become idols. 
 
Is all idolatry bad?
The short answer is yes.  God does not tolerate idolatry.  Throughout scripture we read that God will not take second seat to anyone or anything. Exodus 20:5 says, “For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.”.  There are many potential idols in our lives and sometimes these can be good, healthy, and advantageous when viewed and used properly… but when we place them above God and worshiped (kiss hand in affection) they subtly become idols, no matter how good or advantageous they may be.
 
What Can Idolatry Look Like for Us?
When we depend on or look to anything more favorably than God as our source of joy, security, and salvation then it/they have become idols in our lives. Idolatry can have many faces in our churches and culture. These idols can also include…

1.  Worship styles.  One person says, “I can only worship God with hymns and organs”.  Others say, “The only way I can truly worship God is only through modern praise songs and bands.” When the reality is, God should be worshiped regardless of musical styles. 
2. Nationalism. Some have elevated nationalism as their god.  Some believe God and country go hand in hand.  Some go so far as to say that they are Christian because they are American or a true patriot.  God does not share his glory with anyone. Now, there is nothing wrong with loving your country we live in a great country.  But our country, government, and ways of governing are not equivalent to God and allegiance to country does not make one Christian.
3. People. Relationships can become gods.
4. Money.
5. Power.

 
Conclusion
Is there something in your life taking precedence over God?  If so, then this “something” has become an idol/God.  We are created beings and we were created in the image of God to worship God.  Unfortunately, our natural sinful inclination is not to worship God, but to worship things created by God.  Romans 1:18 – 23 says, “But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.”
 
Sometimes it is so easy to exchange worship for God with the temporal and fleeting.  We replace God with subtle physical idolatry (people or things) or idols of our hearts (Unseen and possibly good).  
 
My prayer is that you take some time this week and pray about identifying the idols in your life and seek to replace them with the true, life-giving, fulfilling, and joyful worship to the only one who is worthy of praise.  When we faithfully allow God to search our hearts, He is going to deal with us individually and when He does, we need to be prepared to make the necessary changes in our lives so we can be right with God. 
 
 

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​​Introduction
Chapter 15 is the shortest chapter in Revelation. It opens by introducing the seven angels who eventually receive the seven bowls of wrath.  These bowls are the third series of seven (1. Seals, 2. Trumpets, 3. Bowls).  The set of bowls unfold from the seventh trumpet, just as the trumpets unfolded from the seals.  These seven bowls may very well be the third woe that was announced in Ch. 11:14.
 
Chapter 16 is the last of the three judgments of Revelation. They are the final series portraying the flood of God’s wrath. The chapter documents the carrying out of the concluding series of plagues. There are apparent similarities between these judgments and the trumpet-plagues of chapters 8 – 11.  In both plagues the first four plagues are released upon the earth, sea, inland waters, and heavenly bodies correspondingly. The fifth comprises of darkness and pain and the sixth, introduces us to the enemy hosts that come from the area of the Euphrates Both sets of plagues draw heavily for their imagery on the ten Egyptian plagues of Exodus.  However, there are distinct differences between the two sets of judgments.
 
Chapter 15
Vs 1: The seven angels and the seven bowls speak of the certainty and completeness of God’s divine wrath upon the unrighteous.  These are the last of the plagues and they complete the warnings God has given to an unrepentant world.  These plagues are the final outpouring of divine retribution by people whose hearts, like Pharaoh, are hardened against God.
 
V 2: The sea of glass is mentioned previously in 4:6 but it is also mingled with fire.  It is uncertain if the fire represent judgment or is just a descriptive word to help heighten the magnificence of the scene. 
 
The people standing beside the sea of glass are those who have emerged victorious over the beast.  They never abandoned their faith and never submitted to the dragon.  They are playing harps that are appropriate instruments for praising God. 
 
Vs 3 – 4:  they sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb of God.  This is a song of celebrating and praising God for his righteous acts and redemptive history beginning with Moses and concluding with the victorious Lamb.  These are not two songs, but one. 
 
Vs 5 - 6:  After the song has been sung John sees the heavenly temple “sanctuary of the tent” open and the even angels of destruction emerge.  the sanctuary of the tent references the tabernacle of God in the wilderness, and it emphasizes that the final plagues come from the presence of God.  The seven angels emerge from the tabernacle and they are robed in pure bright linen which denotes their noble and sacred office and golden sashes which signifies their royal and priestly functions.
 
What it Means to Worship
I would like to pause here for the remainder of the message and continue to look at the act of praise and worship.  So much of Revelation revolves around worship and praise, thus I feel it is appropriate to talk more at length about worship and praise.
 
The Hebrew word for Worship is Shaw Kaw – Which means to bow down, to prostrate oneself, to honor, reverence as divine or Supreme Being.
 
The Greek word is Pros-Koo-Neh-O which paints a more vivid picture of worship.  It means to kiss the hand towards in token of reverence or kissing like a dog affectionately licking his master’s hand.
 
What we need to know about worship…

1. Worship is reserved for God alone.  Fear only the Lord and worship him alone. Deut 6: 13
2. Worship must be sincere and genuine.
   1. Heb. 10:22 – Let us draw near to God with sincere hearts.  

 
King David said that if he could make one request, he would ask to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. That sentiment comes from a proper understanding and real experience of worship. There’s nothing better than worship, once we learn how to do it. This outline is a beginning. It emphasizes a few key qualities for worship and shows how they contrast with the stale church experience of many people today.
 
Working on our Worship

Come with GLADNESS and joy, not gloom.“Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy.” Psalm 100:1 - 2
 
Many people think of church as the most boring 60+ minutes of the week. Some can have the attitude of, “So maybe the songs this week aren’t my favorite; maybe the message doesn’t hit home…but hey, it’s still not a root canal!” However, our attitude should be “I have an hour plus to be in the presence of God and with his people so I will give God my undivided attention – I will make the most of this time.” 

The songs and sermons are not designed to be entertaining. They are ways to enhance your worship. Come into his house with praise and expectation. Be overjoyed by the fact that you are a child of God’s and focus on worshiping Him.​

Come to MAKE NOISE, and not quietly to observe.“Praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.” Ps. 150:6

 Worship should be noisy! The Psalms tell us to worship God with shouting, clapping, singing, and dancing – and with every imaginable instrument. What it doesn’t say is “sit quietly with your mouth shut, and watch.” If anything, the Psalms tell us to do the opposite.

Come to GIVE, and not to receive.
“Give thanks to Him and praise his name”.  Ps. 100:4

You are not the focal point of worship. God is.  When we focus on what we get out of worship, we can easily become critical of those who are leading and speaking. But when we focus on giving praise to God, we can look for every opportunity to participate…in singing, praying, giving, and teaching.
 In prayer, the acts of thanking God and praising him are much more appropriate than asking and requesting. This is not to say we can never ask; we can ask God for anything at any time. But when we come to worship, it is appropriate to thank and praise him for who he is and the incredible things he’s done. When you give God worship, ultimately you get more out of it!

Come FOCUSED, and not distracted.
“Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” Ps. 100:3

In worship, there’s nothing more spirit-quenching then to be disengaged, bored and wishing you could get out the door. We are easily distracted, and the devil seeks to distract us from worship by causing our minds to wander, dwell on your selfish desires, and disengage from worship. We need to come to worship focused and ready to praise. When we delight ourselves in the Lord in this way, he gives us the desires of our hearts (Ps. 37:4).

Conclusion

• Worship is not just a part of the church service but is the culmination of what our lives should be in Christ.
• When we gather on Sunday mornings our primary goal should be to worship God, and praise Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.
• As we depart the praise and worship should not end.  Praise and worship does not stop as I say the closing benediction. 
• When we live our lives daily for His glory and seek to devote our whole being to Him, we are worshiping him, so let us continue with this mindset and let our lives become the essence of true praise and worship of God.

​Introduction
Revelation 14 takes a turn from the gloom of the Antichrist and the False Prophet and refocuses on the reward for the readers for their endurance by giving them a glimpse of the final blessings. Chapter 13 is a somber reminder of the impending doom of what lays ahead for the immediate future, thus a little encouragement is for the recipients of this letter.  John now sees the vision of triumph for the followers of the Lamb, Jesus Christ.
 
Vs 1: This scene is intended to be an apparent difference of the vision of the beasts in the previous chapter.  The followers in chapter 13 are stamped or marked with the mark of the Beast (666 or 616) on the right hand or forehead.  It is in this new vision John sees the Lamb standing on Mt. Zion.
 
Mt. Zion
This is appropriate because Mt. Zion has long been associated with divine deliverance.  In this passage Mt. Zion represents

1. God’s sovereign rule.
2. The place of God’s dwelling and where He will establish his kingdom and govern in the end.
3. The Kingdom/or place of justice and peace where God dwells with his people and offers them security. 
4. Where praise happens before the throne of God in heaven.

 
The 144,000 have been interpreted many ways, some have suggested that if we look forward to verse 4 it appears as though they are a select group of saints that are consecrated to God.  But others have suggested the 144,000 is the complete body of the all the redeemed.  Once again, the number is not necessarily exactly or literally 144,000 but both most likely represent the complete number of redeemed throughout history.
 
There is a mark or names on the foreheads of the 144,000 symbolize loyalty and allegiance to the lamb, who is Jesus Christ.  Those who are sealed or marked have committed themselves or are in allegiance to the Lamb.  They are the overcomers whom Jesus has written his own name on them.
 
Vs 2 – 3: John hears a great voice that sounds like the roar of rushing waters, thunder, and a harp and the 144,000 are singing a new song. One would think this is a singular voice, but we find that it is the choir of the 144,000 singing the anthem of redemption.  The voice is many voices because John writes that “they were singing”.   This song is the new song of Revelation 5:9 and it is sung by those who have been purchased by the Lamb. This is a song reserved only for those who have are followers of the Lamb, they are the only ones who are able to sing it. 
 
These 144,000 have been redeemed from the world.  This does not necessarily mean that they were taken physically out of the world but instead they were detached from the evil ways of the world and its false beliefs.
 
Vs 4 – 5:  Who are the 144,000?  They can be described as three characters.

1. Virgins who have not defiled themselves.  They are pure and unadulterated..
   1. Some believe that they were an elite group of saints who attained the highest spirituality because they were unmarried, celibate, and virgins. The problem with this interpretation is that it suggests sexual relations within the confines of marriage is defiling.  This is contrary to NT teaching.
   2. The more likely interpretation, in my opinion, is that there is symbolism in describing the church as virgins.  In the OT Israel is referred as a virgin.  So, the 144,000 could be pictured as the promised bride of Christ who are awaiting the day of marriage, and are keeping themselves pure from defiling with the pagan world system.  They have resisted the temptations of the great harlot Rome with whom many rulers have fornicated with.
   3. Others believe they are figurative and the 144,000 have kept themselves from adultery and fornication.  They are virgins in the sense that they never had illegitimate sex or immoral relations.  Some believe the verses refer to those who did not enter sexual relations with temple prostitutes.
2. They are loyal followers of Jesus, or those who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.  This is not a mere following the Lamb as he wanders around heaven.  Instead, they follow his life and commandments while He was still on the earth.  They are disciples of Christ.
3. They are the redeemed from mankind as first fruits for God.  This speaks of the sacrificing themselves for God.  They offered themselves to God freely and they belong solely to him. They are an offering to God.

 
In their mouth was no deceit because they are blameless.  Romans 1:25 tells us that the pagan world has “exchanged the truth about God for a lie.” These 144,000 have not compromised their faithfulness and allegiance to the claims of the Antichrist.
 
Vs 6 - 11: The Lamb and his followers are standing victorious on the heavenly Mt. Zion is then followed by three angelic decrees. 

1. The first decree is referenced as an eternal gospel (Good News).
   1. The eternal gospel is the good news of God’s victory over evil.  The lamb has victory over death, now he calls his people to follow down the same path. This is the call to “deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Him.” The way of victory is the way of the cross.
2. The second decree announces the fall of Babylon the Great.  The symbolism of this announcement is assumed to be understood by the readers.  The city of Babylon had become the religious and political epicenter of the world.  It was renowned for its luxury and corruption.  Babylon was known to be the enemy of the people of God.  A judgment is falling on this pagan city and world system and God’s wrath is being determined. 
3. The third decree is a warning and judgment to all who have taken the mark of the beast or pledged allegiance to the Antichrist.  They are going to drink the wrath of God and face eternal torment in fire and sulfur.  This warning is targeted to the pagan population AND those who are in the Christian community who are tempted to renounce their faith in view of the coming persecution.  The angel is declaring that those who defect to emperor worship will drink the wine God’s wrath poured out in full strength.

 
Vs 12:  John encourages the believer to endure and keep faith in Jesus Christ.
 
 Vs 13:  Another voice from heaven proclaims a blessing to those who are going to be martyred from this point on.  The command to write emphasizes the importance of the message that follows.  A blessing is upon those who faithfully give their lives for God will enter victorious into their rest.
 
Vs 14: “one like a son of man” is none other than the risen Lord Jesus Christ returning in judgment.  On his head he has a “golden crown”, and this crown assigns the risen Lord as the conqueror and thereby has the right to act in judgment. 
 
He has a “sharp sickle in his hand.”  This is a tool of harvest and would signify the Messiah is prepared to reap the harvest of the earth in righteous reckoning. 
 
Vs 15 - 16: Yet again, another angel comes from the temple and gives the divine command to the one sitting on the cloud to begin the harvest.  This harvest, however, is not limited to the gathering of the elect. Because we see in the parable of the Wheat and Tares, it involves the gathering of the wicked for burning as well (Matt 13:30, 40–42). In the OT the harvest was a regular symbol of divine judgment.  Thus, the harvest of vv. 14–16 is likely a general picture of the coming judgment.
The time to reap has been determined by God and the time for judgment and remuneration has come. The harvest of the earth is fully ripe.
 
Vs 18: Another angel (the 6th one in Ch. 14) comes out from the altar.  If you recall the altar contained the prayers of the righteous (6:8) and we can conclude that the prayers of the righteous saints play a significant part in bringing God’s judgment upon the wicked.  This angel has authority over fire and fire in the NT is often connected to judgment.  Just as the grain is ready for reaping the grapes are ripe and the time for judgment has come.
 
Vs 19: The angel is God’s instrument for executing the judgment upon the unrighteous.  The angel swings the sickle and gathers the vintage and throws it into the winepress of the wrath of God.  The grapes of the earth are a collection of all who refuse to embrace the righteousness of God and have instead become His enemies.
 
Vs 20: The city outside is probably Jerusalem.  John now graphically describes the judgment of God as he states the judgment is a bloodbath and flows as deep as a horse’s bridle for 1600 stadia which equals 184 miles.  This most likely translates as the judgment of God is extended to all men everywhere who are not under divine protection.
 
The Kingdom: Recap
We need to keep in mind that the events of this chapter, and ultimately this apocalypse letter to the seven churches point to Jesus and the coming Kingdom of God. I talked at length last Sunday about this Kingdom and should recall that Jesus’ Kingdom was not a single event (His first Advent), but it came and continues in stages; it started with his public life, his death, resurrection, and anticipate his future consummation.  When we talk about the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of heaven we are not talking about a place as much as the reality of God being King in and through Jesus and his achievements.  Jesus has possession of the Kingdom through his deeds; He is waiting to hand it over finally to the Father. (1 Corinthians 15:23 -28).

 
Introduction
 Last week we looked at Revelation 13. In this complex and confusing passage, we are introduced to two more creatures. One creature comes out of the sea and begins a reign of terror by deceiving the nations. The next creature emerges from the earth, and his job is to promote the agenda of the beast from the sea. In verse 3, we read about the beast receiving a fatal blow to the head and being miraculously cured or brought back to life. The creature from the earth forced humanity to worship the beast from the sea. In this episode, there is a blatant mockery of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The beast who was killed is now alive. Then he is worshiped as a ruler or king. Satan is the deceiver and accuser. He is not a creator nor a god. Evil does not create or promote originality; instead, it thrives on deception and mockery of all that is holy. The beast receiving the fatal blow to the head and his resurrection are plagiarism of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
 
In the next few chapters of Revelation, we will see kingdoms established, and rulers come to power. These kingdoms and rulers are temporary and, quite honestly, a mockery of the true sovereign God and His kingdom. They are false kingdoms set up by false powers and principalities.
 
So, I wanted to spend some time today and pause between Revelation 13 & 14 and look at the true King who has come and established His Kingdom here on earth and of God and for all eternity.
 
The Kingdom of God
So, let’s start from the beginning.
Acts 1:3 “During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.” The author, Luke, establishes early in the Acts of the Apostles the validity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  He writes in verse 3 that Jesus appears to the apostles on numerous occasions giving proof or evidence that He was and is alive.  Aside from Acts 1, there are several resurrection accounts found in Mat. 28:18, Luke 24:36 – 37, and John 20:14 – 18 & 26 - 29.  These give accounts of Jesus’ encounters with his disciples and the Marys.  The Apostle Paul writes in I Corinthians 15:3 – 8 about Jesus appearing to over 500 people at one time and how he also appeared to the Apostle Paul.  Thus, Paul establishes the resurrection as the core of the Gospel message; without the resurrection, Christianity is empty, void, and false 1 Corinthians 15:14
 
Acts 1:4 - 6
The disciples anxiously ask Jesus, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”  And Jesus responds, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.”  In other words, “It’s none of your business.” Jesus knew what they were asking, and they didn’t understand the big picture.  People often overlook that the disciples were asking a threefold question.

1. When will you establish this new political kingdom?
   1. The disciples had grown up in Israel.  They all lived in the great hope of the predecessors before them for centuries and had anticipated the Messiah to come to reestablish the nation of Israel to its place of glory.  They longed for the restoration of the early kingdom.  They prayed the nation would go back to the “good ole days” when King David and Israel reigned supreme. 
   2. The disciples couldn’t see that the Kingdom Jesus spoke of was not a kingdom that brought back the “good ole days.”  The kingdom of God was not going back to its former glory; it is about advancing God’s Kingdom here on earth and establishing His Kingdome forever with God as the Sovereign King

 

1. When are you going to establish an ethnically restricted Kingdom?
   1. The disciples, and Jews for that matter, wondered, “When are you going to restore the kingdom of ISRAEL?”  They wondered, when will we, your chosen people, receive our “just reward? God had chosen Israel to be his people to represent and bless the nations. They didn’t quite understand the commission He gave them. The job of Israel was to be a light to the nations, so people could see God and worship Him as their true God. But they weren’t. The reality is they didn’t care about the Gentile nations; in fact, they despised the Gentiles.  Their attitude was, “Who cares about the rest of the world?  They can go to hell for all we care.  We want to know when WE will be victorious.  It is a narrow mindset and a selfish one at that.

 

1. When are you going to set up the kingdom in Israel?
   1. It wasn’t enough to establish a Kingdom for the Jewish people; they wanted the Kingdom to be restored in Jerusalem, on their home turf.  This is where David reigned, and this is where God would establish His next Kingdom as well. 
   2. The disciples never took into consideration that maybe this Kingdom that Jesus was talking about was not about them.  This is a Kingdom that went beyond the borders of Jerusalem and to all the nations of people.  

           
The Jewish people had lived under the thumb of Gentile rules for centuries, and they were ready to take their rightful place at the top of the heap.  But Jesus had something more in mind.  His response may have been, “It’s none of your business.”  But he didn’t end it at that.  He said, “You have other things to concern yourself with.”  In verse 8, Jesus says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  
           
Jesus was telling his disciples, “Let’s not focus on when the Kingdom will come; let’s focus on how the Kingdom of God will come.”  These words were both prophetic and a command.  They were prophetic because the disciples were Christ’s witnesses.  But in the same way, they were a command because he was telling them what they needed to do.  Their witness was to begin in Jerusalem, then expand outward like ripples in a pond to Judea, Samaria, and the rest of the world.  He was commissioning the disciples to be agents to spread the Gospel message to the known world.  But they were to wait until the Holy Spirit empowered them before they went out.  This is important to note because without being empowered by the Holy Spirit, they would have failed.
           
Being empowered by the Holy Spirit is essential when sharing the Gospel with someone.  It is imperative for us to understand that we must be driven by the Holy Spirit when taking the Gospel message to the world.  Yes, we are to use every opportunity we can to share Christ’s love, but we need to realize that it is not us who does the changing or convicting.  This is God’s job, and He is pretty good at it.  We need to trust that when we do share Christ’s love that God will work through us and be sensitive to know that not every situation is the right situation.  Sometimes we need to WAIT for the Spirit and move when He tells us to move.  This is what Jesus was saying to the disciples.  Wait just a little bit longer, and when you have been empowered by the Spirit, then you will go to all the nations.
           
Luke records that after he had spoken these words, “He was taken up before their eyes, and a cloud hid him for their sight.”  It goes on to say that they were looking intently up in the sky when two men stood beside them and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking to the sky?  This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”  
           
It is believed these two men were angels, or maybe possibly Moses and the Prophet Elijah, although it has been accepted pretty much across the board that they were angels.  Who they were does not matter so much as what they said.  They questioned why the Apostles were gazing up at the sky.  The Apostles were not to be stargazers.  They will not be able to bring Jesus back by gazing up at the sky.  He is gone; they must let him go; He will return in his own good time and in the same way.  
           
Jesus will return one day to establish the Kingdom of God.  We do not know the day, the time, or the hour. Only God knows these details.  So, in preparation for Jesus’ return, we must take his commission seriously and be Spirit-empowered and go out to spread the Gospel.  Revelation 1:7 says, “And everyone will see him— even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes! Amen!”
 
The return of Christ will be a public spectacle; it will not be private like his ascension.  Jesus will return as the victorious King, and when HE returns, his sovereignty will be openly displayed. The wailing will not be the same as in Zech. Instead, it will be wailing that results from impending judgment. As Christians, we anticipate this day of the Lord’s return, but until then, we must get on with our witness, for this is Christ’s mandate to us.