Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever.  Amen.  - Jude 24-25 NASB

These are the final verses in the history of redemption series.  This year for me has been blessed by God in so many ways, and one of those has been the opportunity to commit myself to walking through this series with those of you reading.  Last week we heard about the great restoration that will soon take place, as God restores the earth to the way He created it.  Words alone cannot describe how wonderful it will be.

The history of redemption ends with the above call from the book of Jude.  It is a call for the perseverance of the saints.  This is one of the doctrines of grace that we at Redeemer hold firmly to, that it is God who is able to keep us from stumbling, and it is God alone who makes us able to stand in the presence of His glory, blameless with great joy.  Wayne Grudem says of this glorious doctrine, “The perseverance of the saints means that all those who are truly born again will be kept by God’s power and will persevere as Christians until the end of their lives, and that only those who persevere until the end have been truly born again” (Systematic Theology).  I hope you find great comfort in these words, and that you are able to fully trust that you will be kept by God’s power and that you will one day “stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy”.

I love lists.  I love to-do lists, grocery lists, terrorist watch-lists .... really any kind of list.  If you don't believe me, ask my wife.  I love the clarity and cohesiveness that a good list gives to any subject.  I probably love lists more than is healthy.  But I feel that in light of the conclusion of the history of redemption, I am left to ask myself, "How now should I live?".  We get tremendous guidance to answer this question throughout the bible, but the preceding verses in Jude give us particular insight, which I will outline in a list below:

1.  We are called to remember what we have heard.  "But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 17).

2.  We are called to build ourselves up in our faith and to pray.  "But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit" (Jude 20).

3.  We are called to remain IN His love: "keep yourselves in the love of God" (Jude 21).

4.  We are called to wait upon Him: "waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that  leads to eternal life" (Jude 21).

5.  We are called to be missionaries, proclaiming the gospel to those who are perishing.  "And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire" (Jude 22-23).

6.  We are called to act mercifully toward those who are suffering: "to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh" (Jude 23).

7.  And we are called to worship: “to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.  Amen.” (Jude 25).

Let us now continue on this journey, remembering always what the Lord has done for us , and what He is today doing for us, and what He will one day do for us, His chosen bride.  And let us “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).  We have been saved!  To God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ be glory, now and forevermore.  Amen!

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches.  I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star” (Revelation 22:16).

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.  And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”  And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”  Then He said to me, “It is done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.  He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.  He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly”  Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus.  - Revelation 211;3-7; 22:20 NASB  

Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration.  This is God’s story for humanity.  Every worldview held today SHOULD give account for each of these four chapters.  Only one worldview is the truth.

Before I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ I battled with bouts of depression, sometimes lasting days, sometimes weeks.  At that time I understood Creation, and I understood the Fall.  What I did not understand at that time was the application of Redemption and of Restoration.  I did not understand the finality of Christ’s atonement upon the cross, and so I stood condemned by my guilty conscience, knowing that I could never live a life which was not stained by sin.  Likewise, not having read my bible, I had no understanding of what awaited me after this life comes to an end.  I saw before me a world filled with mourning, crying and pain.  And I could not reconcile this with a good and loving God.  Now I can.  Now I understand.  Now I see that the greatest suffering in the history of humanity, was in fact the most merciful outpouring of God’s love for us.  Now I see the redemption bought by suffering, as I look to the cross.

Over the past 46 weeks we have read through God's history of redemption.  We read about His perfect creation in the Garden of Eden.  We witnessed man's rebellion against his Creator.  We heard of man repeatedly turning his back on God, and were therefore reminded of our own rebellion against God.  We then came to that great turning point in God's plan, when He sent His beloved Son, to enter into human history, as the most vulnerable of creatures, at the most vulnerable of times.  We watched that Son march to His death, on a bloody and brutal cross, as He took upon Himself the wrath of God for our sins, for our transgressions, and for our iniquity.  We watched Him then rise from death, in a great victory over satan, as He had paid once and for all the wage for our sin.

And now, we arrive at the greatest climax to the greatest story every told.  And how glorious is the ending to this story?  Never before has there been more hope and more joy and more love expressed in the history of the universe, than there is in the restoration of the earth for God's people, by God.  Other stories may have "happy endings", but they are all fleeting.  The prince and the princess will still one day succumb to sickness and death, another terrorist cell will still rise up and again attempt to destroy their enemy, and another greedy villain will once again surface for James Bond to battle, as his body slowly but surely deteriorates.  Their joy is always temporary.  But our joy is ETERNAL!  The great hero of our story not only conquers, but now dwells with us, forever!  We will never again get sick, we will never again feel pain, we will never again experience the loss of a loved one.  We will never again hunger or thirst, for we will drink forever from the "spring of the water of life".  And we will never again be separated from the love of God!

Think about the greatest moment of pain in your life so far.  Now picture God Himself, gently and lovingly wiping away every tear from your eyes.  Oh God, You are so good.

Christ Himself declared on the cross that "It is finished".  We are reminded here again, by Him, that "It is done".  We have nothing to fear.  We are freed from sin, and from death, and we will live forever with our Creator, our Lord, our King our Savior, and our Father.

As Oswald Chambers pronounces, in My Utmost For His Highest, "The greatest note of triumph that ever sounded in the ears of a startled universe was that sounded on the Cross of Christ - “It is finished”.  That is the last word in the Redemption of man.”

“Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus.”

And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.  Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.  This is the second death, the lake of fire.  And if anyones name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. - Revelation 20:10; 14-15 ESV.  

At first glance, these words are a terrifying glimpse of our fate apart from the work of Christ.  As I have read these verses over and over again however, I have realized the incredible amount of information that we learn about God and His plan of salvation in Revelation chapter 20.

What has struck me today is the extent to which God hates sin.  God’s wrath is not a popular topic today, yet it is His wrath against sin which informs us greatly of His holiness.  We worship a holy God.  We worship a God who is “separated from sin and devoted to seeking His own honor” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology).  This is so crucial to who God is, that we should be constantly striving towards a deeper understanding of what it means that God is holy.  When we understand what it means that God is holy, we will worship Him not in spite of, but BECAUSE OF His wrath against sin.

These verses in Revelation 20 also remind me of the incredible mercy of God.  I deserve to be thrown into that lake of fire.  You deserve to be thrown into that lake of fire.  Many theologians and pastors have described hell as “separation from God”.  Often they describe hell as such to make it less offensive.  But hell is described in the bible over and over again, as a real physical place, where those opposed to God are forever tormented.  The thought of hell as God teaches it, is terrifying to me.  It causes me to shudder.  But what should bring me to my knees in fear and trembling is the fact that this is where I deserve to suffer for eternity.  I have stood opposed to God.  I have offended Him.  I have profaned His holy name.  When I am asked by skeptics why anyone deserves to go to hell, I ask them, why does anyone deserve to go to heaven?  The truthful answer to this is, no one.  “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).  By GRACE I have been saved from eternity in the lake of fire.  By grace YOU have been saved.  It is not because of our good works, or our obedience to the law, or by anything but this, GRACE!  Our God has had mercy on me, a sinful and wretched man.  Praise be to God for His immeasurable mercy.

And finally, God knows those whom He has chosen.  Their names are written in a great and awesome book.  And we who have surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ, can now have confidence that our names are written in that book.  How great is our God?

There are many people alive today, whose names are also written in that book of life, and who desperately need to hear the good news, that “Christ was slain, and purchased for God with His blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation”. (Revelation 5:9 NASB).  I have heard it said that we should “respect” people of other faiths, and therefore should not preach “our faith” to them.  However, if you saw someone standing in the middle of the road with a bus heading straight towards them, what would be your response?  Would you “respect” their decision to stand there, and allow them to be killed?  Would you not yell at them to move?  If they were deaf, would you not even push them out of the way?  When we understand what it means to be thrown into the lake of fire, the most respectful and loving thing we could ever do would be to share the gospel with that person.  This should motivate us to live as missionaries, wherever and whenever God has placed us.  “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:15).

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed?  And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?  And how are they to hear without someone preaching?  And how are they to preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:14-15).

They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful. - Revelation 17:14 ESV.  

This is the 44th week that I have written this blog post.  Some weeks it has been very easy for me to write, and the words have come to me quite naturally.  Other weeks I have struggled, and it was not until I spent time in prayer, asking for words, that the Lord gave them to me.  This has been one of those weeks.  And so I have asked the Lord what I am to write.  And He has responded that it does not matter what I write, or how eloquent I am, or how creative my writings are, because I have been “called” and am “chosen” and am “faithful”.

Revelation 17 is a great reminder for me of my identity in Christ Jesus.  What joy it gives me to hear these words from my Lord, that I am “called and chosen and faithful”.  What incredible freedom we have to know that the One we serve is the Victor.  And since we are His, and because He is victorious, we are victorious too!  He will never leave us or forsake us, for we are “with him”, and we are “called and chosen and faithful”.

And what a great King we serve!  He is the Lord of lords and the King of kings, yet He laid down His life, as a Lamb, as one who “is led to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7).  “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8).  And truly He was “wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5).  What kind of king would do this?  Only One.

And now, because He was the propitiation for our sins, we can be “with him”.  We are “called and chosen and faithful”.  This causes great celebration within my heart.  This causes my heart to swell with joy, and hope, and faith, and such love for my God who would do this for me “the worst of sinners”.

We continue to live in a time of war.  And those opposed to Jesus will make war on the Lamb, but we have nothing to fear, for “the Lamb will conquer them”.  And not only will He conquer, but because we are His, and are “with him”, we too will be victorious.  “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.  And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith” (1 John 5:4).

This week I hope that you will spend time meditating on your identity in Christ Jesus.  I hope that you will remember daily who it is that we worship.  And I hope that you will rejoice greatly, with exceeding joy, that you are “with him” and that you are “called and chosen and faithful”.

Thank you Jesus.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse!  The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.  His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.  He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.  And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.  From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron.  He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.  On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.  - Revelation 19:11-16 ESV.  

What kind of man do you picture when you hear the name Jesus?  Do you picture a humble, yet weak man?  Do you picture a pacifist, carrying a peace banner?  Do you picture a kind and gentle teacher of morality?

Let me tell you what the bible tells us about Jesus.  He is a warrior.  He has a sword coming out of his mouth, sharp enough to strike down the nations.  His eyes burn with the fire of God’s wrath.  He comes to judge, and He comes to make war.  His robe is drenched in blood.  He is followed by the most powerful, and fearsome army you could ever imagine.  He has tattooed on his thigh this name, “King of kings and Lord of lords”.

For too long, Christian churches in America have watered down the Jesus of the bible, in the name of making him “more accessible”.  As I try to reconcile this watered down version of Jesus, with the Jesus spoken of by God in Revelation, I want to vomit.  I am disgusted by the multitude of churches that have turned Jesus into a pathetic spineless hippy.  I am disgusted by all the churches that refuse to even mention the wrath of God, and that would never suggest that Jesus Christ will return to judge and to make war.

We should today (and every day) stand in awe and fear of the Jesus Christ of the bible.  He is Faithful, and He is True, and He is coming to judge and to destroy those opposed to Him.  And he is coming to set free and to reign over and to protect forever those who have believed in Him.  Let us understand who this Jesus is that we are believing in.  He is awesome!

And let not a single day go by, when you do not remember that this great and mighty and sovereign warrior king laid down all of his weapons and all of his power and then laid down His life .... for you.

“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead” (Revelation 1:17).

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.  - 1 Thessalonians 4:16 ESV  

Jesus Christ will return to earth.  We know this to be true because He has promised us this:  “I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3).  For what purpose will He return?  “To unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:10).  Jesus will return in triumph and in glory to restore all things to Himself.

Restoration of this fallen world on which we live is part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Restoration is the great climax to the history of redemption.  Restoration is our doctrine of future hope.  Our knowledge of and understanding of the coming restoration is critical to our knowledge of and understanding of who God is, and what He is doing, and what He will do.

I am writing this blog post from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  All around me is poverty.  In two weeks I will return to my comfortable home in Bellingham, but these people will continue to live in poverty.  This morning I visited a hundred orphans, being fed by the hands of a man and woman who understand that Jesus Christ will one day return to restore all things to Himself.  Their hope is not found in their government, who has let them down time and again.  Their hope is not found in the charity of westerners.  Their hope is not found in their own labor to help the needy orphans of Ethiopia.  Their hope is this, that one day, Jesus Christ will return, will restore and will renew all things.  Their hope is found in the knowledge that one day Jesus Christ will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God (what a terrifying and glorious sound that will be!).  Their hope is in the fundamental truth that Christ will one day put an end to poverty and hunger and despair, and that “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things (will) have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

How then are we to live now?  “We are live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world, awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:12-13).  We are to live our lives based upon the hope of the gospel, the WHOLE gospel, including the promise of restoration by Christ for His people.  We are to walk in faith, to labor for those in need, and to preach the gospel to those who are perishing.  And we are to expect His return at any moment.  And we are to long for His return at every moment.  Let us not forget that He has testified, “Surely I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:20).

Jesus Christ WILL descend from heaven at an hour and a day that no one knows (Matthew 24:44), and it will be terrifying and awful for those who have rejected Him (see Matthew 25:41).  And it will be more glorious and wonderful than you could ever imagine, for those who have accepted Him (see Matthew 25:34).

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth” (Job 19:25).

If you are interested in supporting Yezelalem Minch, the above mentioned orphan care project in Ethiopia, please visit: www.futurehopecampaign.org