Jesus Reigns Supreme - Part 1 — Erlo Stegen

We're going to read from Revelations 19, from verse 15. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that with it he should strike the nations. Chapter 11 from verse 15. And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshipped God.

The Seventh Trumpet and the Worship of Heaven

Saying we give you thanks oh Lord God almighty the one who is and who was and who is to come because you have taken your great power and reigned.

And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshipped God.

The nations were angry and your wrath has come and the time of the dead that they should be judged and that you should reward your servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear your name small and great and should destroy those who destroy the earth.

And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshipped God.

Then the temple of God was opened in heaven and the ark of his covenant was seen in his temple and there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake and great hail. This text contains so much which I cannot cover but I'm going to just highlight a few points here and there.

The Sweetness and Power of God's Word

There is no book as sweet as the word of God. Often I wake up at night or at four in the morning and it becomes my time for reading the Bible.

I wake up at four in the morning and it becomes my time for reading the Bible.

I don't make it a rule but when it's quiet, I know all the children are asleep, I take the word of God and it is the nicest time for me to read, to be quiet before him and it is for me, the Bible is sweeter than honey.

The people of this world who say they cannot leave the nice attractive things of this world, they are foolish and they don't know what they mean, what they say. There is nothing as lovely as the word of God, as sweet as the word of God, as I said sweeter than honey.

It revives the spirit, the soul, even the body is revived and refreshed. Those who don't know that and don't experience the power of God's word will wake up in hell. That's why I said that the older generation down there at Makogo who cannot read and who didn't get that opportunity, who are illiterate, we want them to learn so that they can read the Bible.

By not being able to read the word of God, they miss out on so much. There is nothing so attractive, nothing so beautiful as the word of God. If the Lord speaks to you through his word, to Joshua the Lord said take this word and let it never depart from you day and night so that you would overcome and be victorious in everything.

Salvation in the Present and Future

Now here we read about the seventh angel who sounded the trumpet. The other six sounded out the awful things that were going to happen and come upon the people of the serf. But we who are God's children are not disturbed by that.

We are not to be troubled because we know that our salvation draws nigh. As I said, salvation is close. A person might say, but how can salvation draw close when I'm saved already? Yes, we were saved when we repented, when we came to Jesus and surrendered to him.

And then daily we are being saved. We are being rescued and saved from different things and sins and each day it is happening.

The Lord said to Joshua, take this word and let it never depart from you day and night so that you would overcome and be victorious in everything.

And we shall be saved when the final trumpet shall sound. Then all suffering and persecution, all tears will be wiped away. Heaven awaits us.

The Lord said to Joshua, take this word and let it never depart from you day and night so that you would overcome and be victorious in everything. The Lord said to Joshua, take this word and let it never depart from you day and night so that you would overcome and be victorious in everything.

The Lord said to Joshua, take this word and let it never depart from you day and night so that you would overcome and be victorious in everything. The Lord said to Joshua, take this word and let it never depart from you day and night so that you would overcome and be victorious in everything.

Judgment, Suffering, and God's Protection

Do you hear, you who are not saved, you who still live a pagan life of going to seers and mediums, people who work with the spirits of the dead, that doesn't help at all. You cannot go to the spirit of a deceased father or expect them to come out of heaven to eat the meat that you provide for them.

That is foolishness and it shows how twisted you are. The whole world is going to still experience great sufferings and terrible things. At the end of the text, we read that there will be lightning, not just lightning, but lightnings and voices and noises.

Thunderings and an earthquake and great hail coming down in great size and quantity onto the sky. Woe to the one who meets up with this on his head. It will kill him, destroy his brains, spill his brains.

I once read of the hailstorm that came down. Some of it was huge and smaller pieces roundabout. But we as children of God should not be terrorized by that for we are safe and we experience the salvation of God.

You've heard these days about the earthquake in Haiti and how it destroyed buildings and fell upon people. Haiti is actually a beautiful land. Europeans went there and planted sugar cane and a lot of crops.

They made slaves from people in West Africa and other countries and they used the slaves for the fields. As you know, the Europeans often don't have many children, but these slaves on those islands had many children and they were very productive, fertile.

Democracy is a law, not a law. It is a vote.

Their liberation came and there was a democracy. Democracy has ruled there for over 200 years. It is the oldest liberated and now democratic country in the world. However, they are extremely poor. You can't grasp and understand what poverty they live in.

When we were there, we just got off the plane and there were throngs around us offering to carry our suitcases. We thought they were so kind. They asked us where we were going, which car and we said we were going there.

Then when we had gone through the terminal and we said thank you to them for their kindness.

They asked us where we were going, which car and we said we were going there. They asked us where we were going, which car and we said we were going there. They asked us where we were going, which car and we said we were going there.

We shut our windows and they were pounding on the car. Pounding on the windows, we thought that the windows would break but our host said ignore them. As we travelled, it was like a film. Cars going in this direction and that direction and full of people and things all over the roads.

After all, they've got their freedom. Anybody was free to do their thing. Freedom from traffic laws. They drove just any old car in any direction. We thought we were definitely going to have an accident.

Right in front of us, two cars came head to head. Drivers got out, they had a punch up and then got back into their cars. That's the land of Haiti. Can't describe to you what type of poverty they live in.

You need to go and see for yourself just how it is after 200 years of democracy.

When we get there, we'll drive our cars as fast as we can. When we get there, we'll drive our cars as fast as we can. When we get there, we'll drive our cars as fast as we can. When we get there, we'll drive our cars as fast as we can.

When we get there, we'll drive our cars as fast as we can.

When we get there, we'll drive our cars as fast as we can.

When we get there, we'll drive our cars as fast as we can.

When we get there, we'll drive our cars as fast as we can. When we get there, we'll drive our cars as fast as we can. When we get there, we'll drive our cars as fast as we can. When we get there, we'll drive our cars as fast as we can. When we get there, we'll drive our cars as fast as we can.

When we get there, we'll drive our cars as fast as we can.

When we get there, we'll drive our cars as fast as we can.

God is able to protect his people and if it's in his will, he will not even allow a hair to fall down without him knowing about it. In the Old Testament, it speaks about a thousand falling at your left and ten thousand to your right and you will be untouched.

You'll stand. God can preserve his people. Think of Shadrach and then. When the furnace was heated up seven times hotter to kill them, they bravely said, Well, if it's God's will that we should burn, then it's as well.

But if he wants us not to die, then he will protect us. And the men who threw them into the fiery furnace were themselves burnt and killed. And the king exclaimed loudly that we had put three people, three men into the furnace.

Now I see a fourth one. He seems like the son of God. Jesus is with his people in their sufferings and they walked around freely in the furnace. And then when they were called to come out, they didn't even have the smell of smoke on them.

You won't die unless it's God's will.

Yes, Paul.

Peter, they were executed. The Lord allowed that to happen. But with John, it wasn't yet his time when he was put into a boiling pot, but he was not killed. God won't allow his children to die unless it's his timing.

So don't be fearful or terrorized. You can be completely at ease. We were once visited by a person from Germany, a preacher. And he prophesied that the communists were going to take over right until the River Rhine.

And Germans were very fearful in hearing that. And when I heard it, I thought, well, he makes this very bold statement prophecy. And the Germans were afraid. You get Christians who are afraid and cowardly.

Instead of the communists taking over and getting to that point of the River Rhine, it was West Germany who went into East Germany. Then there was that unification. I don't know whether that preacher was alive when that happened, but he's passed away now.

The Seventh Trumpet Announces Christ's Reign

The seventh angel sounded and there were loud voices in heaven. In Greek it says ponen for voices.

What does it mean? P-H-O-N-E.

That's where we get telephone from. And the idea being that you hear a voice, but you don't see the person on the other side. And that word is used to describe that. And with a telephone, you don't see the person on the other side, but you can hear his words.

P-H-O-N-E.

It also means the expressed thoughts of a person, expressed in words. You can't hear what a person is thinking, but when they are spoken out, that is that word, when they are expressed and sounded. And it says there were loud voices in heaven, spoken by God.

P-H-O-N-E. P-H-O-N-E. P-H-O-N-E.

P-H-O-N-E. P-H-O-N-E.

P-H-O-N-E.

P-H-O-N-E. P-H-O-N-E. P-H-O-N-E. God does speak through various means, through lightnings, noises, earthquakes, etc., but we need to understand and not misinterpret what he says. P-H-O-N-E.

P-H-O-N-E.

P-H-O-N-E.

P-H-O-N-E. P-H-O-N-E.

P-H-O-N-E. P-H-O-N-E.

P-H-O-N-E. P-H-O-N-E.

So where is the kingdom of our God, of our Lord and of His Christ?

The really thing is, have become. It wasn't like that.

It wasn't like that, but now they have, these kingdoms have become His kingdoms, His kingdom.

It wasn't like that, but now they have, these kingdoms have become His kingdoms, His kingdom.

Yes, the whole earth belongs to the Lord. Yes, Jesus is supreme, but the transfer of power of these kingdoms hasn't happened yet. So you find all manner of sin that is rampant. Yesterday I was heartbroken to hear a story of a girl, I thought if only you would have been there to hear the tragic story of her abuse.

For those who weren't in the service where you could have heard all that she shared, I was so blessed. And we listened to some of it. But couldn't listen to all of it because the minister had to get back to Kauteng and I accompanied him to his plane.

So our text says that the kingdoms of the serf have become His kingdoms. They have become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. So even though there are these things happening in these kingdoms, very soon Jesus will take His rightful place, His kingdom.

He will rule forever and ever. You know it.

We know what kingdoms are or dispensations of political power. Communists had ruled, theirs crumbled. In South Africa the British ruled, that kingdom came to an end. The Afrikaans people and our different dispensations, I pity you if you let your roots go into a kingdom and your loyalty lies there because it will go too.

That will be destroyed for Jesus will rule all kingdoms forever. And some people are so frightened in a kingdom or in a dispensation that they say we're going to emigrate. Well if it's God's will and He speaks to you like that, like to Joseph and Mary when they went to Egypt.

But otherwise you'll find that it's not, if the outside of God's will, you'll find consequences for it. There's no place on earth where Satan is absent. You can go to any country in this world, Satan, you'll find him there too.

Now I'll leave that point and go to the second subheading. And then it says, We don't have time to delve into the 24 elders, like I said I'm only highlighting a few points. They said, called out, we give you thanks oh Lord God almighty, the one who is and who was and who is to come because you have taken your great power and reigned.

Christ Takes His Great Power and Judges the Nations

These days I was reading this at four in the morning, this text was such a blessing to me. It was so wonderfully sweet to me. Where it says you who are, who is, who was and who is to come because you have taken up your great power and reigned.

Now you have taken transfer of your great power. When Napoleon, it is said of him that when he was to be coronated by a very powerful leader or someone in the church to put a crown on his head. He grabbed the crown out of his hands and said, It's not the Pope who has given me the victory and made me the conqueror.

I've done it. So he took the crown and he put it on his own head.

He took power. He took power.

Now it says here and it says thank you and praises to Christ for he has taken his rightful power. Now it is true, it says all power has been given to him. But there comes the time when he says, now I'm taking up the power, now I'm going to use it.

It says the nations were angry.

But your wrath has come and the time of the judgment of the dead.

It says, It says,.

Don't think that everybody is glad at the working of the Lord. Don't think that all nations are pleased by Christ being Lord. No, it says here that the nations were angry and those who were angered by him and got angry. They met with his anger, the wrath of the Lamb.

If you oppose him, he will oppose you. If you try to strike out at him, he will strike you. Be ashamed of him and he will be ashamed of you before the angels and his father in heaven. And it says now the time has come for the judgment of the dead.

So not just those alive who are wicked will be judged, but even the dead, God will raise them up from the dead to judge them.

What do you? Oh, yeah.

Yes. Oh, yes. Well, to you, if you die in your sins, there are some who say, well, it belongs immorality. Promiscuity is just part of our cultural thing in our nation. I have said, no, that's a lie. Jesus Christ can save and set a person completely free, whoever he is, from whatever nation or culture, whether Chinese or from Namibia or England or Germany.

His law stands and his kingdom reigns.

But if I told her, I'm not. I'm not.

No, I'm not. They are those who say that they are going to organize for this football, the FIFA 2010 football happening in South Africa, organized brothels, taking young girls 12, 13 years of age, inject them with drugs, keep them drugged, sell them as prostitutes and make billions.

It's not just here. In Germany, when they had the World Cup, billions were made and profit profiteered out of prostitution. And the Lord said, they shall be judged. But also he will come with his reward for his servants, the prophets and the saints, for those who fear your fear, your name, both great and small.

What a great and glorious time. When the seventh trumpet sounds, it will mean destruction for some, but also for the saints of God, his prophets, his servants. It means he comes with his reward. And that's why I'm excited by this.

I look forward to that day, that day of receiving my reward. And it continues to say that he will destroy those who have destroyed the earth. Consider yourself, what are you busy with? Are you being a blessing and building up and the earth?

Or do you find yourself that you are a destructive influence? Well, you'll meet with God's destruction. So I leave that second point of the sermon. I go now to the third point because time has gone on.

The Heavenly Temple and the Covenant of God

Verse 19, then the temple of God was opened in heaven and the ark of his covenant was seen in his temple. The temple in heaven, you see there, God is at home. It is his home, the temple. The temple was opened and the ark of the covenant was revealed in his temple.

The ark was always to be in the holy of holies.

The ark was always to be in the holy of holies.

Now, in the temple, there was the holy area at first and then there was the area which was divided by a very thick curtain. And that's what Jesus in dying tore from top to bottom between that place and the holy of holies where the ark of the covenant was.

And then the ark of the covenant was revealed, seen. When they saw the ark of the covenant, his covenant was then visible in his ark. His ark. In the ark, there was what God had written on tablets of stone, his 10 commandments.

His covenant in this ark. His ark and his covenant, which is a covenant with you and me, where he says, you shall have no other gods before me. I shall be your God. No other thing shall be an idol to you.

And in his covenant, where he says, you shall honor your father and mother, that it will go well with you in your days lengthened on earth. That is part of his covenant with you. His covenant is an agreement between two parties where he says, this is my part and this is your part.

Keeping Promises Made to the Lord

I spoke to somebody this morning over the telephone. I said, so and so, you say that you have repented now. If God has helped you, then you will not go back. You are saying that you have surrendered to the Lord?

You are going to live for him? He writes that down. That is your covenant with him. And woe to you if you break that covenant and go against what has been covenanted between you and God. Remember the promises you made to him when you were still young, when you were at Sunday school, when you were a teenager.

Woe to you if you have gone back on the promises you have made to the Lord. It will be counted as sin against you if you have made a promise and not kept it. Remember the story of that young man from Kingscliff, that as a boy he would come to me often and he would be there where I was ministering and say, when I grow up, Uncle Elo, I want to be a preacher of the gospel with you.

Son of Kamane, and he had said to me often as he was with me, I want to, as I grow up, be a preacher of the gospel and preach the gospel with you. I have surrendered to the Lord totally. And as you travel preaching the gospel, I'm going to preach with you.

And when he had finished school, the father demanded that when he had finished school, the boy had to go to Durban and earn a salary. Though the boy protested, the father said, you have to listen to me, you've got to earn your keep.

So off he went, he never told me, he went against what his heavenly father, what he had promised his heavenly father, he went back on his agreement. Of course, if you've made a wrong promise, then you need to break it and repent before God.

But if it is a good promise, a righteous one, God expects you to keep it. Then a messenger came telling me that that boy was in jail.

Why was he arrested? I asked.

He was arrested with his gang, his friends. They had murdered somebody and there was blood on a knife and the knife was this boy's. The case came up in court. They were all sentenced to die by hanging.

He wrote a letter to me. And he wrote, I'm not going to die because of sickness or accidents, but I have been sentenced to death by hanging. And he said, please God, tell the whole world, preach and use the story of mine where I'd made a promise to God, but I broke it.

So that Christians would know if they make a promise before God and they don't keep it, they fall under God's wrath. He asked me to come and see him up there in Gauteng in jail, but I said, sorry, I can't make it, but I'm going to ask Uncle Valdemar.

He went and visited him regularly in the death cell and accompanied him right to the platform where he was to be hanged. He said to me, Uncle Elo, what I've seen, I have, I will never forget. The parents of this young man went up to Pretoria to say goodbye to him.

But the young man was able to sing as he went to the hangman's rug because he turned to the Lord, he confessed his sin, and he was singing to the Lord as he was hanged. The parents were below, they heard him singing, but when he dropped, there was total silence.

It was such a shocking experience for them to see him now silenced in death. Uncle Valdemar said he got home and he said, I could not eat because of this terrible scene which I had experienced. He said to me, Uncle Elo, please go and preach all over the world and remind people that if they have promised something to the Lord and they break it, they should see my example.

Meditating on the Word and Hearing God

I can't go through all the different points because so much is said after the seventh trumpet, but have you heard God speaking to you, his telephone, have you experienced him, heard him? Let's bow our heads.

Lord, we've heard what words have been spoken on the seventh trumpet. We ask you Lord to impress these words, write them into the depths of our hearts, each and every one of us. Never forget it right till that day when all this comes into being and is accomplished.

Amen. Go back home, read this, read it tonight, read it tomorrow. Blessed is the one who reads this on their knees before God. If you can't kneel, be kneeling in your heart and you'll be blessed. Get alone with God, out with your family, be alone with God, say Lord I want you to speak to me.

Tell your wife to go, to leave the room, tell your children to go and be alone with God. Lock the door as he said when you go to pray and let him speak to you through his holy word.

If you can't read, ask somebody, say child come please read this for me.