Hi, I'm Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to serve as your Bible teacher every day on this great radio station, on today's edition of Pathway to Victory. If you leave this world without your sins having been forgiven, all that awaits you is the fury, the wrath, the anger of God. That's what Revelation 14 is about.
There's coming the time when God is going to trample out the vintage for God's wrath history, when God will loosen the faithful lightning of his terrible swift sword. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. You know, the first time Jesus came to earth, he brought salvation to all who would believe.
But the next time Jesus comes to earth, he's going to bring judgment to those who refuse to believe. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress takes us to a disturbing passage in Revelation in which the Apostle John describes the judgment of God. Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.
Dr. Jeffress? Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Revelation is one of the most fascinating books in the Bible. But for those who don't traffic in Bible prophecy, it's not always easy to follow.
Some of the strange imagery John employs seems otherworldly, like something out of a science fiction movie. Well, as we venture deeper into John's Revelation, I'm pleased to offer two significant new resources. Each one is designed to help you understand why the sensational imagery in Revelation tells you an important story. The first is a booklet I've written called The Major Characters of the End Times. In my new booklet, I describe 15 of the prominent Bible characters that are associated with God's plan for the future. The second new resource is an exclusive book I've written for you. It's called Mysteries of the End Times and contains a deep dive into five common questions people have about God's timeline for the future. And I'm pleased to send you a copy when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory.
We'll say more about these two resources later on, so be ready to jot down our contact information at the end of the program. But right now, it's time to address the topic at hand. Most people prefer to think of God as a kinder, gentler king who is loving to a fault, rather than a holy judge who comes to set the record straight. Well, today's study in Revelation 14 will obliterate any notion that God shrugs His shoulders or winks at rebellion against Him.
I titled today's message God's Terrible Swift Sword. By November of 1861, it had become clear that the Civil War was not going to come to a quick resolve. As that truth began to sink in with the American people, Julia Ward Howe and her husband Samuel, who was a part of the Sanitary Commission in Washington, D.C., went to inspect some union camps just outside the nation's capital. On the way back from that inspection tour, Julia Howe began to sing a little song, a ditty she had heard the soldiers singing at the camp.
The song was entitled John Brown's Body. It was really kind of a gruesome song about what happened to an abolitionist who had tried to cause an insurrection among the slaves. As she sang that rather depressing song, a minister who was with them named James Clark suggested that Julia Howe change the words of that song and write something that would be more uplifting to the American people. And so when she got to D.C., she went to her room at the Willard Hotel and spent the night writing out a poem with five stanzas.
When she completed it, she sold it to the Atlantic Monthly magazine for $5. They took that poem and slapped a title on it, The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Julia Howe borrowed heavily from Revelation 14, the passage we're going to look at today, about the coming judgment on the earth by Almighty God. You remember the words, mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored. He hath loosed the faithful lightning of this terrible swift sword. His truth is marching on. He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never sound retreat. He is sifting out the hearts of men before the judgment seat. Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer him.
Be jubilant, my feet. Our God is marching on. Originally, this song was thought to be about God's judgment on the south for the sin of slavery, and it was certainly that. Slavery was a horrific sin, but this song is about more than that, and certainly Revelation 14 is about more than that. It's about that time in history when God will pour out his wrath upon the earth for all sins, for all rebellions against him. This song is very, very Christo-centric. It's about Jesus Christ, both his first and his second coming. The first time Jesus came, Julia Howe describes it in that stanza.
In the beauty of the lilies, Christ was born across the sea with a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me. As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free while God is marching on. Most people forget that the Bible talks about two comings of Jesus for two very different purposes. The first time Jesus came in Bethlehem, he came in meekness as a servant. The next time he comes, he will come in power as the judge. The first time he came, he came in humility and gentleness.
The next time he comes, he will come in majesty and splendor. The first time he came, he came to sow the seed of the gospel, to offer salvation. The next time he comes will be to reap the harvest of those who reject the gospel. We read those words of Jesus himself when he said, For the Son of God did not come into the world to judge the world, but that the world through him might be saved.
Oh, people say, Jesus isn't here to judge anybody. No, he didn't come the first time to judge, he came to save. But the next time he's coming, he's coming as the judge of the entire earth. And it is that second coming of Jesus, when he comes as the judge, to reward the righteous, to punish the unrighteous, that is the focus of Revelation chapter 14.
Turn there in your Bibles, if you would, as we look at God's terrible, swift sword. Now, for those of you who haven't been part of our study in Revelation, we're in that period of time in Revelation, the final seven years of earth's history before the return of Jesus Christ. We call those years the years of great tribulation. There will be a one world dictator, the Antichrist, and it will be a time that he will not only persecute those who are alive on the earth who know Christ, who have been saved during those seven years, but it's a time of God's wrath upon unbelievers that will culminate in the battle of Armageddon and the return of Jesus Christ. Last time, we looked at chapters 12 and 13 about the spiritual force of wickedness that will be responsible for much of what happens during that tribulation time.
We looked at the satanic trinity, if you will, the Antichrist, the world leader, his assistant, the false prophet who will ascend or help him in his ascent to power, and then the third member, the dragon, Satan himself, who is the force behind the Antichrist. Now, when we get to chapter 14, the focus is on the future victory of God's people. John is going to relate three visions that he saw that all pointed to the final victory that Christ will have for his people when he returns to earth. Each of these visions starts with the words, and I saw, and I beheld, and I saw. Notice, first of all, the vision of victory for God's people in verses one to five.
First of all, John describes a song for God's people that he heard. Verse one says, then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was sitting on Mount Zion, who was the Lamb, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. And John says, I saw in a vision Jesus standing on Mount Zion.
This is at the end times. Where is Mount Zion? It's not in heaven.
It's on earth. It's Jerusalem. It was the ancient name for Jerusalem, Mount Zion. And John says, I saw the time when Christ is back, and he establishes his kingdom in Jerusalem. People say, what's the big deal about Jerusalem? Why does everybody get excited about Jerusalem?
Well, not only was Jerusalem the capital of Israel, but it's also going to be the capital city of God's millennial kingdom. He says, I saw Jesus standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 having his name and the name of his father written on their foreheads. Remember, these were the 144,000 Jews that Jesus saves at the beginning of the tribulation. Revelation 7. And he turns them into evangelists. They have a seal of God on them so that they cannot be killed. They can be persecuted but not killed, and they are faithful. God promises to protect them for those seven years.
Now, John, fast forward seven years. At the end of the tribulation, John says, I saw Jesus and those 144,000. Notice there weren't 143,999.
There were 144,000. Not one of them had been lost. And because of that, they sang a new song before the throne.
I wish we had time to talk about what that new song is. It was a song that had never been sung by people who had been saved and sealed and protected from the persecution, the death of the antichrist. But I want you also to notice what John says. He says, I saw the purity of God's people. Notice this description of the 144,000 as well as the tribulation martyrs who died during that time. He says, these are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste.
Now, I know what you're thinking. You read that, defiled with women. Well, there the Bible goes again, downgrading women. Women are evil.
Men are good. John must have been a part of the women haters club. He hates women, just like Paul and just like Jesus. Look, the Bible never denigrates women. In fact, the Bible did something very transcultural. In a day when women were thought to be inferior to men, the Bible says, no, women are equal to men in God's eyes. It was Christianity that raised women up in society, always, always. When he talks about being defiled with women, he's simply talking about committing sexual immorality with someone who's not your wife.
There's nothing defiling about having a physical relationship with your wife. Hebrews 13 says that the marriage bed is undefiled. No, sexual immorality is gonna be rampant during the Great Tribulation time, just as it is right now. But these 144,000 and these followers of Christ refuse to defile themself. These are the ones, he says, who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. You know how to know if you're a true disciple of Jesus? Do you follow Jesus wherever he goes? Are you willing to obey him regardless of the cost? In the Great Tribulation, people will pay a severe price for following the Lamb. Many of them will give their lives in order to do that.
By the way, even in today's society, people pay a price, an increasing price, for following Jesus Christ. If you don't believe that, just consider Jaylene Hinkle. Many of you may know that Jaylene is considered one of the very best female soccer players in the world. After the 2015 Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage, Jaylene posted on her Instagram account, quote, I believe with every fiber in my body that what was written 2,000 years ago in the Bible is undoubtedly true.
This world may change, but Christ and his Word never will. Two years later, as a member of the national team, she chose to withdraw from the team rather than wear a U.S. team jersey sporting rainbow numbers in celebration of gay pride. She explained her decision, quote, I just felt so convicted in my spirit that it wasn't my job to wear this jersey. I gave myself three days to just seek and pray and determine what God was asking me to do in this situation. If I never get another national team call-up again, then that's just part of God's plan, and that's okay.
Maybe this is why I was meant to play soccer, to show other believers to be obedient. As a member of the North Carolina courage team, every time Jaylene Hinkle goes on the field, there are people in the stands who boo her. In the lead-up to the 2019 Women's World Cup, U.S. team coach Jill Ellis invited Jaylene to try out for the national team. After three days of workouts, Jill Ellis, who is gay and married to her lesbian partner, cut Jaylene for, quote, footballing reasons. Many soccer followers were skeptical about why Ellis cut Jaylene. Even Jaylene's pro-LGBT critics admitted that she is the best women's fullback in the country.
We know why she got cut. She was paying a price for following the lamb wherever she goes. Don't be surprised when you're called on to pay a price. It costs you something to follow Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 16, 33, in this world you will have tribulation, but be of good courage for I have overcome the world. The apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 4, brethren, don't be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come upon you for your testing as though some strange thing were happening to you. Don't be surprised when you stand up for your belief and you're persecuted. This world cannot stand to listen to anyone who is at odds with the culture.
But I'd rather be at odds with the culture than at odds with God, wouldn't you? The Bible says you're going to pay a price for it, and certainly the greatest price will be giving your life, as many will do during the tribulation time. There's a second vision that John saw, a warning to God's enemies and a blessing for God's people. Again, it begins with the phrase, and I saw.
I want you to notice the four announcements that John hears. First of all, he sees and hears an announcement of the gospel. Look at verses 6 and 7. And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. I don't understand it, but John says he saw an angel flying through midheaven throughout the earth proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ so that everyone could hear it. I want you to notice here the two descriptions of this gospel message, the message that Jesus Christ came and gave his life on the cross, died for our sins that we could have eternal life. He said, first of all, the gospel is eternal. It's not just for one time period in history.
It's for all time. And then secondly, he said this message is for every nation and every tribe and every tongue and every people. Have you ever heard people say, well, we shouldn't try to impose our culture on other people by sharing the gospel with them? Have you ever listened to these ignoramuses on television talk about religion?
They know just enough to be dangerous. And they'll say things like, well, you know, Christians shouldn't try to impose a Western religion on other parts of the world. You know, that's not respecting people's nationality and tribe. They get the idea that somehow Christianity is an American-made religion.
They don't even know history when they say something like that. The gospel wasn't manufactured in America. The gospel message of Jesus began in the Middle East. Christianity is a Middle Eastern religion that spread beyond the Middle East. Jerusalem was the headquarters for a while, and then it moved throughout Europe. And then Rome became the capital of the Christian faith. And then after the Reformation, the capital moved to Germany. And in many ways, Germany was the capital of the Christian faith. And then it spread to Great Britain. And then it spread to America. And for many years, America could be thought of the Christian center of the world.
But that's not even true any longer, really. In many ways, you could say that Africa has become the new center for the church and the Christian faith. China, hundreds of millions of Christians there. One person who does know history made a very astute observation when he said, unlike any other religion in the world, whether it be Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, all of those religions are intricately tied to their nation or their race's customs. You can't separate the religion from the race or the religion from the country. But only Christianity is transcultural.
You can't tie it to any one nation, any one set of customs. It is an eternal gospel that is for every nation, every race, every tribe. Aren't you glad that's the kind of faith you follow?
Nothing that's open to everyone. That's what the angel announced in the last times. Secondly, there was an announcement of destruction. Look at verse eight. And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great.
She has made all of the nations drink of the wine of passion of her immorality. John, again, this isn't the end of the tribulation when John wrote these words, but he's looking to the end. He's looking to that final climactic scene when Babylon is destroyed. Now, what is Babylon? There's a city-state called Babylon. It's present-day Iraq. Remember the city of Babylon? Remember Saddam Hussein, when he was alive, said his goal was to rebuild Babylon to the glory of the days of Nebuchadnezzar?
But in the Bible, especially in the book of Revelation, Babylon isn't so much a location as it is a representative of the world system that is opposed to God. For example, when we talk about Wall Street, Wall Street does this, Wall Street thinks that. We're not just talking about that little piece of real estate down in southern Manhattan. We're talking about the economic system of our nation and our world, Wall Street. Or when we talk about Hollywood, all the evil in Hollywood, we're not talking about geographically, that relatively small town north of Los Angeles on the 101. We're talking about a media empire, the world's media. When we talk about Washington, D.C., we're not just talking about the city.
We're talking about government, the whole system. It's the same way of Babylon. John says, as difficult as things are looking right now, there is a day coming when Babylon, the world system opposed to God, will be destroyed. And then notice, thirdly, an announcement of doom, verses nine through 11. Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, if anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, let me stop there and remind you what we saw last time in Revelation chapter 13. There will be a world dictator that we call the Antichrist.
And at a point during these seven years, he will demand that everyone worship him. And the way you will demonstrate your loyalty to the Antichrist will be by taking a mark on your forehead or in your hands, perhaps some kind of chip that is encoded. If anyone receives the mark on his forehead or on his hand, he will also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of his anger. And that person will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. Let me ask you, would you rather suffer the short-term wrath of the Antichrist or the eternal wrath of God the Father? And when that day of terror arrives, wouldn't you rather be a friend of God than an enemy of God? There's much more I need to tell you about this wake-up call in Revelation 14. I titled today's message God's Terrible Swift Sword. And it's one of the many topics I address in my popular study in Revelation called Final Conquest.
Now, in just a moment, David will explain how you can receive the unabridged collection of CDs and DVDs for this series. Plus, it will be my pleasure to send you a copy of my brand-new book on prophecy that's available right now. It's called Mysteries of the End Times, five little-known truths about God's plans for the future. The book of Revelation is a sensational one to be sure. And in my new book, I help you peel away the layers of complexity that sometimes obscure the most important message. Don't allow today to slip by without requesting your copy of my new book, Mysteries of the End Times. A copy is yours when you support Pathway to Victory with a generous gift. Without question, Pathway to Victory has come upon a season of increased influence for the gospel around the world. People have come to rely on this Bible teaching program as their guiding light in the darkness. Thanks so much for your generosity.
We couldn't do this without you. David. Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. Today, when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, you're invited to request a copy of Mysteries of the End Times. That's the brand-new book by Dr. Robert Jeffress. Call 866-999-2965 or go online to ptv.org.
And when your gift is $100 or more, you'll also receive the complete CD and DVD teaching sets for this month's series on the book of Revelation. Plus, we'll also send you the best-selling book by Dr. Jeffress called Final Conquest. To make your request, call 866-999-2965 or go online to ptv.org. You could write to us if you'd like at P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas, 75222.
Again, that's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins, inviting you to join us for the conclusion of this message called God's Terrible Swift Sword. That's Friday on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. The Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska with Dr. Robert Jeffress set sail from Vancouver, British Columbia on June 15, 2024. Join me along with musical artists, Rebecca St. James and Michael O'Brien and comedian Dennis Swanberg for a vacation you'll never forget. I promise you will come back spiritually, physically and emotionally refreshed. Book your spot on the 7-day Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska at PTV.org.
