October 2, 2016 A.D., by Pastor Ben Willis

Introduction
For those of you reading through the New Testament with me this year, you know we’ve just finished The Revelation and have begun The Gospel of Matthew. I’ve committed to preach from something we’ve read, so, here we are at the end of The Revelation. And John is given, in dreamlike visions and imagery, the long-awaited return of Jesus Christ.

Chapter 19 begins with the heavens singing God’s praises, and the herald-angel calling all to join in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. And, as our reading begins, there is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – transplendent – coming in the clouds of Heaven…

The Revelation to John 19:11-21 [NLTse]
11 Then I saw Heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for He judges fairly and wages a righteous war. 12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on His head were many crowns. A name was written on Him that no one understood except Himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and His title was the Word of God. 14 The armies of Heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. 16 On His robe at His thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. 18 Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.”

19 Then I saw the Beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the One sitting on the horse and His army. 20 And the Beast was captured, and with him the False Prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the Beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the Beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the Beast and his False Prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the One riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.

Sermon – “A Tale of Two Banquets”
It will be the best of times. It will be the worst of times. Love like no other will billow in the hearts of many. And dread like no other will weigh down many others.
The return of Jesus Christ will be the rising up of many and the bringing low of many more. Some will be raised up from hardship and obscurity to seats of honor and privilege at the Lord Jesus’ Own wedding table. Others will be brought low from wealth, ease, and influence to places of horror and eternal suffering.
Which banquet are you preparing for?

There’s been a lot of talk in recent years about Heaven. Books and films like “Heaven Is For Real” and “90 Minutes In Heaven” have given readers and moviegoers a sneak-peek inside the pearly gates.
But Hell is for real, too.

About seven years ago a fellow reached out to me who had just had a massive heart operation. He’d died on the operating table, but they’d brought him back.
He’d called me, desperate to meet. When I got there he hurried me out of his home and into his car. He turned on the power, and then turned on the radio, though not too loud. And he started whispering to me, telling me he’d had a near-death experience during the time he’d been dead on the operating table. But that he hadn’t gone to Heaven. He’d gone to Hell.
(Anybody here ever read about or had anyone tell you about a near-death experience where the person had gone to Hell? It’s not as popular as the going-to-Heaven-ones.)

I wish I remembered the description he gave of what he saw and heard while he was there. But what has stuck with me in a way I will never forget was his fear and his panic: Whatever the details of what he’d seen and experienced, sitting there in the front seat of his car with the radio droning in the background, he was terrified.
I know he talked about the darkness, and maybe he even described it as being like a charcoal fire: Grey and dark, but with pockets of searing fire scattered throughout… I don’t remember the details.
The Bible confirms his horror and his dread, however. In parables, the Lord Jesus describes Hell as “outer darkness”, a place where people will “weep and gnash their teeth” (Matthew 25:30). Our Savior calls it “eternal punishment” (Matthew 25:46), so, it’s not a moment’s-worth of suffering and weeping and gnashing. This weeping and gnashing and punishment that goes on forever…
Jesus – “meek and mild” – says that Hell is like one of those horror-story garbage dumps, “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48). A place of maggots, always smoking, always burning.
Back in Revelation 14 John was given this picture: “Anyone who worships the Beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into the God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the Beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.” (9-11)
If it is hard for you to accept the reality of Hell, that’s okay. It should be hard. If the knowledge of such anguish and horrors awaiting family members, friends, coworkers, and neighbors doesn’t sicken us then there is something missing in our spiritual and emotional sensibilities.

Paul, when thinking of his unbelieving kin, the Jews, says, “My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them!” (Romans 9:2-3) And the Father speaks of His Own sorrow at the death of the wicked: “As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?” (Ezekiel 33:11) And we hear the Lord Jesus’ agony as He cries out, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let Me. And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate.” (Matthew 23:37-38)
God has put in our hearts a portion of His Own love for people, even His love for sinners who rebel against Him. That’s why it’s hard for us to acknowledge the reality of Hell. And yet, too often, His compassion within us gets twisted so that we question His fairness and goodness. But it shouldn’t. If Hell-eternal is the loving and just God’s punishment for sin, that should make us question God, it should make us realize the enormity of the evil that is found in sin and rebellion against God, and the awesome wonder of the holiness and the justice of our God that would call forth such punishment.
No, the reality of Hell should move us to greater boldness in sharing the gospel and letting those around us know about the love and the grace of Jesus Christ.
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Celebrating the Lord’s Supper
Expectation of a Great Feast on the Last Day began perhaps with this wonderful prophecy from Isaiah:
“In Jerusalem, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will spread a wonderful feast for all the people of the world. It will be a delicious banquet with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat. There He will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against His land and people. The Lord has spoken!” (Isaiah 25:6-8)
You find echoes of this prophecy in the Old Testament and the New, finally being fulfilled in Revelation with the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-9) and the New Heavens and the New Earth (Revelation 21:4).

“Just as My Father has granted Me a Kingdom,” the Lord Jesus said to His followers in Luke 22, “I now grant you the right to eat and drink at My table in My Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (vv. 29-30)
“People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the Feast in the Kingdom of God,” He said. (Luke 13:29-30; Matthew 8:11)
“He will send out His angels to gather His chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and Heaven.” (Mark 13:27; Matthew 24:31)
“The servants who are ready and waiting for His return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, He Himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat!” (Luke 12:37)

Revelation culminates with the Marriage Supper of the Lamb:
“Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder:
“‘Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to Him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and His bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.’ For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.
“And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.’ And he added, ‘These are true words that come from God.’” (19:6-9)

I’m saddened by the many Christians who, for one reason or another, no longer attend church. The church is flawed, they say. Or, they’ve been hurt in the church. Or, the church is filled with hypocrites. Etc… And these things are too often true, but we are not to give up on Christian fellowship.
“Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do,” the writer of Hebrews says, “but encourage one another, especially now that the Day of His return is drawing near.” (10:25)
For in our future is a seat at the Great Banquet with millions of other fellow believers. Isn’t it ironic that we would separate ourselves now from those with whom we’ll share the Feast and an eternity in Heaven? The essence of a banquet — and of the Lord’s Supper — is not food on which to gorge ourselves, but the joyful fellowship of those at the table.
The Lord’s Supper is our reminder that this life isn’t “as good as it gets.” Just as the seal of the Holy Spirit is your guarantee of future glory (Ephesians 1:13; Romans 8:23; 2 Corinthians 1:22), so the piece of bread and your portion of the cup are a token of your ticket to the Great Banquet at the end of the age.
The Lord’s Supper looks backward as a remembrance to the death of Christ for our sins. It looks to the present as a communion with the living Christ, and it looks to the future as a promise of eternal life in the presence of God.
On that day, the promise of Revelation will be realized. Jesus told His disciples that despite various appearances in one form or another, “No one has seen God at any time” (John 1:18; 1 John 4:12), that is, His essential Spirit-nature. But on that Day, the Scripture says,
“They will see His face, and His name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 22:4-5)

Father: So often our minds are focused on our own needs and problems. From now on, may the Lord’s Supper turn our eyes instead to the Great Banquet and the culmination of all things in You. Maranatha! Come soon, Lord Jesus! Amen.