Eschatology Is About Jesus (Part 3)

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ. Based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the apostle Paul said, but we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

In short, if you like smooth, watered down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn't for you. By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we're called by the divine trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King.

Here's our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth.

Welcome to No Compromise Radio ministry. My name is Mike Abendroth, Mike Lee Abendroth here, and looks like Abendroth, but we had a family feud, and from this day forth, we are the Abendroths. I think that was probably 80 years ago that happened.

So anyway, we're in a new era, an era of forgiveness, a dispensation of forgiveness. Well, if you want to write us, you can. You can send a letter to Bethlehem Bible Church, 307 Lancaster Street, West Boylston, Mass, 01583, or, excuse me, info at nocompromiseradio .com.

The Focus of Eschatology Is Jesus Christ

Well, today, we're going to finish our series on the main emphasis of all eschatology. Sorry about that. The main emphasis of all eschatology, not charts, not graphs, not Schofield reference charts. I mean, if you want to make a chart or something, maybe a chart might be good, but that's kind of the easy thing to critique, a bunch of end times charts, Apache helicopters.

I can just hear all my Amel friends, Apache helicopters, left behind. Okay, then I guess, I guess I must be wrong if it's Tim LaHaye theology. I like to say to those kinds of friends that I have, well, you know, I may be wrong about this.

But Spurgeon was pre-mill, Richard Sibbes was pre-mill. Hey, even Machen worked with pre-millennial people, come on. It's a small world out there. What are you going to do? James Montgomery Boyce, come on, pre-millennial.

Donald Gray Barnhouse, maybe you don't think he's such a scholar. S. Lewis Johnson, he was pre-mill. Now, I don't think these men were all the dispensational pre-mill types. There's kind of a hybrid.

Maybe I'm a hybrid. I don't know what's so funny, except I hardly got any sleep last night. So once you get, you know, the funny bone gets dinged, you just keep on going. So the focus of eschatology is the Lord Jesus Christ.

And we looked last time in the book of Revelation. Remember how Revelation starts? The Revelation, our uncovering, our unveiling, our disclosure of Jesus Christ, which God the Father gave him to show his servants the things which must soon take place.

And so it's an uncovering of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a full disclosure of Jesus. And so, you know, there's a theme these days in, these days, there's a theme these days, these days? These days, Christ-centered preaching.

And certainly the macro level, you have Jesus as the theme of scripture. Now, how micro we go? Well, that's the debate now, isn't it? But you want to preach Jesus in your sermons, pastors always, Bible study leaders, vacation Bible study teachers.

You want to talk about Jesus. Now he might not be found in the particular text you're in. Dog returns to its own vomit, but even there you can say, we are sinful and this is what we do. And that's why we need a savior.

I mean, there's a way to preach Jesus in your sermon. That's not really from your text. Well, I'm getting into preaching now and hermeneutics and stuff like that. But Luke 24, Jesus on the Emmaus road, John chapter five, all these things testify of me, Moses and the prophets, but the book of Revelation doesn't.

Well, we would never say that, but maybe we'd act that way if we're into the bowls and trumpet judgments in such a way that we forget that the book of Revelation probably was meant to be heard in one sitting, right?

Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear. And so at the very front, front loaded, you have Jesus described in Revelation chapter one and Jesus involved in the churches in chapters two and three as he writes the letters.

And so anyway, I want you to focus on Jesus when you think of eschatology. Jesus is coming again, personally, bodily. He will return. He comes the first time as savior. He comes the second time as judge.

The Message of Revelation 19: The Triumphant Messiah

And so before I get into Revelation chapter 19 to describe Jesus, because that's where we were last time, I think it is only fitting. I don't know why I keep thinking the word apropos. I was writing something the other day and didn't know if it needed to have a little accent mark on there, something like the word, I don't know.

I don't know which one I was thinking about. So here I have the message Bible and I'm going to just preview Revelation 19 from the message Bible to see what it says. And you know what, I might be wrong.

Maybe somehow it's the greatest ever. Then I saw heaven open wide and oh, a white horse and its rider. The rider named faithful and true judges and makes war in pure righteousness. His eyes are a blaze of fire.

On his head, many crowns. He has a name inscribed that's known only to himself. He is dressed in a robe soaked with blood and he is addressed as word of God. The armies and, excuse me, the armies of heaven mounted on white horses and dressed in dazzling white linen follow him.

A sharp sword comes out of his mouth so he can subdue the nations. Then rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the wine press of the raging wrath of God, the sovereign strong. On his robe and on his thigh is written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

I think out of any place I've ever read the message Bible, that's probably the best it's been. So let's see, see how that works. A lot of good that did me for humor. Been criticized recently that there's too much humor in my sermons.

And maybe it's true, I don't know. I never say to myself, insert joke here. I don't tell jokes on the pulpit. What's the difference between Benny Hinn and a dog? Dog can heal, that's why I don't tell jokes.

But there's a little comic relief because my preaching style is pretty tough. And so there needs to be a breather, a breather. Jesus Christ described in Revelation chapter 19, not a baby in a manger anymore.

He's coming as sovereign King. Then I saw heaven open and behold, a white horse. And off we go. So let me give you for our little outline today on the radio and I'm gonna have to go quickly here. Things which must soon take place.

Ten Brushstrokes in the Portrait of Jesus Christ's Second Coming

A 10 brushstrokes in the portrait of Jesus Christ in His second coming. All right, 10 brushstrokes all about the triumphant Messiah. Remember, this is language of the triumph, the Roman triumph. And the general's coming back after his victories around the world.

And the Senate is going to honor him as a hero, the Roman general. And so this is the kind of language of hero and conquer and triumph in Revelation chapter 19. You wanna know what the triumphal entry is?

It's not back in the gospels. It's here in the second coming of Jesus. And the first brushstroke of the portrait of the triumphant Messiah. Remember, here's my subplot here. Well, here's my main point.

It's all about Jesus. Eschatology is all about Jesus. Now, I mean, I'm selfish and wrapped up in my own self too much. And I need to, you know, snap out of my, let's make up a word, mesmerization. Mesmer, right, mesmer.

I read quite a few books. And biographies I typically read in the summer, during the summertime. Either history, you know, non-fiction kind of history, in juxtaposition to fictional history that people like to read.

And I like to read biographies. Last year I read Houdini. I can't get it out of my mind. It's fascinating, Houdini. So when I was thinking of Frank Mesmer, then it made me think of Houdini. He rides on a triumphant horse.

Jesus rides on a triumphant horse. Do you notice in verse 11, here is this white horse, holiness, and the rider on the white horse, the conquering rider rides the white horse as a sign of victory. People would think this horse is an animal of warfare and of triumph and of royalty and of judgment and of war.

Homer even said white horses are usually considered the best. And so you'd give white horses to rulers and officials and even conquerors who would come into Rome for a triumph. This is the great white charger that comes for battle.

Jesus isn't the meek and lowly one here now, is he? He's on a white horse and as some have said, and he's not waving a white flag. He is Jesus, the triumphant one. Brush stroke two, he's faithful and true.

His character is faithful and true, so his character demands triumph. He keeps his promises. Also in verse 11, faithful and true. ESV actually capitalizes faithful and capitalizes true. He is faithful to save and shelter his own, but here he's faithful to judge.

When I first got saved in 1989, I remember someone said, probably Raul Reis, my pastor at Calvary Chapel at the time at West Covina. I think now it's Diamond Bar. If you're a Calvary Chapel listener, by the way, I'd love to hear from you because I came out of a Calvary Chapel environment and glad that they teach the Bible verse by verse there, chapter by chapter at least.

So I'd love to know if you're listening to No Compromise Radio. So at Calvary Chapel, they would say it's a divine layaway program. And of course, if you don't even know layaway these days, they still have them in a few stores.

Sin now, pay later. But that layaway program has run out and Jesus returns to judge sin in an absolutely trustworthy fashion, faithful fashion. And with full truthfulness. He's not the deceiving dragon.

He's not the false prophet. He's not the false worshipers. When Jesus said, I will come again, John 14, he, somebody's trying to call me on the phone. Who must that be? Now that my iPad is hooked up with my phone, which is hooked up with my computer and all the FaceTime stuff, I can actually get calls here.

That's scary. I have to turn down all these sounds. Jesus said, I will come again, John 14, verse three. And this just is an echo of the faithfulness of God found in the Old Testament. Thy faithfulness surrounds thee, Psalm 89.

Psalm 36, thy faithfulness reaches to the skies. Isaiah 11, his faithfulness is a belt around his waist. Lamentations three, I know you know the verse. Great is thy faithfulness. And even Hebrews 10 in the New Testament, for he who promised is faithful.

He's faithful. So rides on a triumphant horse. He keeps his promises. Third brushstroke of the portrait of this triumphant Messiah is he's righteous. In righteousness, he judges and wages war. He gives righteous judgment.

See, people say, well, I don't believe in just war theories. Well, now you do. I don't believe in any war. Now you do. He's coming to judge. His judgments are true and righteous. It said earlier in Revelation 19, verse two.

Jesus said in John five, while he was on the earth, as I hear, I judge and my judgment is just because I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me. The angels know that this is just judgment.

Remember in chapter 16, God has given them blood to drink and they say, they, the angels say, of those getting judged, they deserve it. I mean, talk about bone chilling. They deserve it. He judges and wages war.

He came the first time to die a substitutionary death. And now he is at war with sin and sinners. Isaiah 42, the Lord will go forth like a warrior. He will arouse his zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout.

Yes, he will raise a war cry. He will prevail against his enemies. And it's going to be in a dramatic fashion, like flashes from the east to the west as lightning would. So will the son of man's coming be.

The Omniscient Eyes of the Judge

Four, his eyes demand triumph. Verse 12 of Revelation 19, his eyes are like a flame of fire or are a flame of fire. See through things is the idea. Piercing, penetrating, nothing gets by him. He is not going to be tricked at all.

He's fully God, he's omniscient. And he sees through fraud and lying and deception and injustice. And he can search to the depths, to the soul, and he understands what's going on. It's the eye. MacArthur put it this way.

When first he came, his eyes sparkled with tenderness and joy as he gathered little children to himself. As he expressed his love to the poor and the needy. His eyes glowed with compassion as when a single look on guilty Peter melted Peter's heart and made him weep bitterly.

His eyes were filled with tears as he looked over the city of Jerusalem and wept. And as he shed tears from those same eyes at the grave of Lazarus. But the day is coming when those eyes flash with fire, when they are penetrating, burning eyes, probing the darkest recesses of every human soul and purging and purifying with judgment.

To judge rightly, he has to see everything. He has to sound the depths of every human heart. He has to see behind every mask, under every facade. It is the flaming vision of righteous, omniscience and anger.

End quote. Brush stroke five. His crowns demonstrate triumph. Upon his head are many diadems. Verse 12. While the dragon might have a diadem, the beast might have a diadem. This symbol of sovereignty and rule and reign and lordship.

He's got many diadems, many crowns, multiple crowns. Well, what's the idea here? When David conquered the Ammonites, he took the king that he conquered. And then he took the crown from that king and put it on his own head.

Then he took the crown of their king from his head and its weight was a talent of gold and in it was precious stone and it was placed on David's head. And so I'm now king where you were king. And this is victory.

This is domination. This is every rule and every authority and power. First Corinthians 15, 24 type of language. Brush stroke six. His name reveals triumph. He has a name written upon him, which no one knows except himself.

Verse 12. It's indescribable. Back in those days, if you were greater, you could withhold your name. You wouldn't have to tell your name. The lesser one had to tell the name. So that's an obvious illustration here.

Some people think, well, you know, if you knew somebody's name, you could have magic power over them. I doubt that's the thing going on here. But this unknowability, as some commentators have talked about it, there's only so much you can know.

And we have limitations. And even with Matthew 11, all things have been handed over to me by my father. And no one knows the son except the father, nor does anyone know the father except the son and anyone to whom the son wills to reveal him.

Number seven. His robe displays triumph. Verse 13. And he is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, baptized literally in blood. The warrior slaughtering, blood splashing. The redemptive work of Christ has already accomplished.

This is not talking about Calvary. This is talking about the second coming where there's blood everywhere. And it's right from Isaiah chapter six. I trod down the peoples in my anger and made them drink my wrath and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.

Why is your apparel red and your garments like the one who treads in the wine press? You can imagine smashing grapes down with the splash. Everything's white in this scene. The horse is white. The saints are white.

The saints' horses are white. The clouds are white. But here we have blood as a backdrop to everything. Our contrast to the white backdrop rather. Number eight. His name creates triumph. He is the word of God.

And his name is called the word of God. Verse 13. The perfect revelation of God to man. His word isn't lifeless as Mount said, but an active agent. He creates with his word and it's going to be destruction here with his word as well.

Nine. His sword wields triumph. And from his mouth, verse 15, comes a sharp sword so that with it he may smite the nations. A deadly sword. And this is right from Isaiah chapter 11, where he will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth and the breath of his lips, he will slay the wicked.

And he deals out using the language of Thessalonica, Thessalonians, out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord. And then finally, number 10. The iron scepter of triumph.

He will rule them with a rod of iron. Sternly. The weapon of the warrior. Kiss the son lest you perish. Right? Do homage to the son lest he become angry and you perish in the way for his wrath soon may be kindled.

If you're not a believer today, you ought to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ because Jesus is coming back again. And the summary of all this section is verse 16. And on his robe and on his thigh, he has a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Somebody be up on a horse and their robe, their garments would stream behind them. And you could see the thigh would be the primary thing that you would see. And here we have, everyone knows that he is the sovereign Lord, King of Kings.

It's obvious who he is. Psalm 45, three, gird thy sword on thy thigh, O mighty one in thy splendor and thy majesty. He's sovereign. He's the warrior. You are doubling the name to show how emphatic it is, how supreme he is, how royal he is.

The Lord of Lords and King of Kings, Revelation 17 says. First Timothy chapter six, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus is the rider on that horse. This is triumph language. It's like what Paul said in second Corinthians two, thanks be to God who always leads us in his triumph in Christ and manifest through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of him in every place.

Christian, aren't you glad Jesus saved you and he's not coming back to judge you? The judgment for you has already happened at Calvary. That's why Paul says, but thanks be to God. We're fragrance of God to Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing to one, an aroma from death to death to the other, an aroma from life to life.

Who is adequate to these things, for these things? Well, I did skip verse 14. The armies, which are in heaven of Revelation 19, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following him on white horses, but no weapons.

He come back with the Lord, but he takes care of everything. Triumph, triumph. Justinian, the persecutor of the church in 300 AD was dying and he said, thou has conquered, O Galilean. That's true, thou has conquered.

And he's coming back to conquer as well. So what we've been talking about on No Compromise the last three times, these days of the week, I think they're probably Thursdays or some Fridays, who knows what day, eschatology.

Yes, eschatology is ethical. Yes, eschatology is important. Yes, eschatology is the study of last days, but remember, it's about Jesus. Don't ever forget that eschatology, the study of the last things, also is the study of the first things, the Lord Jesus Christ.

So when you study eschatology, you should learn a lot about Jesus. Shouldn't be a bunch of charts and graphs and Tim LaHaye books or things like that. My name is Mike Ebenroth. You can write us at info at nocompromiseradio .com.

If you enjoy the program, instead of sending us money, why don't you tell your friends? Maybe they'll send the money.

Info at nocompromiseradio .com. No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Ebenroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life transforming power of God's word through verse by verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 1015 and in the evening at six. We're right on route 110 in West Boylston. You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.

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