Matt Nelson - August 22, 2021
Out of Empire
REVELATION: LAMB VS. BEAST Out of Empire 8.22.21 To a persecuted church, John receives a revelation of the ultimate future in order to encourage the church to live faithfully in the present. In the book of Revelation, God is upending our understanding of power and calling the church out of empire and the way of the beast and into the way of the lamb. Revelation 12:7-12 7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. 12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” Until Christ’s return, we must implement the victory that has been given to us through Christ by faith. The spirit of Antichrist uses deception to lead people (even the people of God) away from the way of the lamb and into the way of the beast. The Antichrist uses propaganda and misinformation to… Make evil look good Make the demonic seem divine Make violence seem like the way of peacemaking Make tyranny and oppression like liberation Make leaders seem like our only hope for the future Make political systems our source of salvation Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel, The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb We are called as his people to participate in Christ’s triumph over these powers by submitting to the way of the cross. We are called to be a cruciform people—to live according to the cross-shaped way of Jesus. The strategy of the Enemy – the Devil – Satan – the Deceiver – the Beast – is to keep us from taking up our cross and following the lamb in sacrificial love of the world and instead calls us to take up our sword or the systems/politics of the world. American Nationalism is an idolatrous and heretical conflation of Christian faith with American patriotism. When Nationalism becomes equal or greater than our allegiance to the Kingdom of God: We confuse America with the Kingdom of God We hold the Bill of Rights as sacred as the Beatitudes We believe the second amendment to be equal to the second greatest commandment (to love your neighbor as yourself) We replace our baptismal identity with our national identity and right-wing politics We value being in positions of power over demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit Revelation 14:1-5 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.