The Sermon Text — Revelation 14: 1-8

Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion! And with him were one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who have been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins; these follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found; they are blameless.

Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation and tribe and language and people. He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water." Then another angel, a second, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."

When you wonder what is about to happen in a movie you listen carefully to the music. When the music is bright, the story is hopeful. When the music grows dark, the plot is soon to become dark.

Listen to the music as we begin to read the 12^th chapter of Revelation. At first, the music is cheery. We meet a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She is ready to give birth. Then suddenly the music grows dark. "And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns and seven diadems upon his head." (12.3) How big is the dragon? "His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth." (12.4) That’s big.

The story grows darker. We are told that the dragon’s intention is to devour the child the moment it comes out of the womb. Who is this dragon? He is "that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world." (12.9) He tries to look like a Lamb, but he is misshapen. He has ten horns, not two.

Then war breaks out, a celestial war between Michael and his angels and the dragon and his angels. The battle in heaven is over quickly, and the dragon is thrown out of heaven. This fits with the ancient story that the evil one is a fallen angel. Harry Potter fans nod their heads and say, "The same thing happens in the Harry Potter novels. Voldemort, the evil one, once was a good guy. He too is like a fallen angel."

And the woman? She is flown away safely by God and her child, who is Jesus, is taken to the throne of God. John announces that the dragon was conquered by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of testimony. These are the two great weapons against evil -- the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the testimony (word) of believers. This is also a clue to us as to how we fight evil in our day. We are invited to rely on the power of God, and the faithfulness of God’s people. When evil attacks go directly to scripture, or go directly to a believing friend. Ask the believing friend to talk you through the evil. Ask the believing friend to pray you through the evil.

In Chapter 13 we meet one of the Dragon’s lieutenants – the beast. Initially, the beast rises out of the sea with ten horns and 13 heads, and a blasphemous name upon its heads. Who is the beast? It is clearly the Roman government. This is not about the future; it is about the time in which the writer lived. The blasphemous name probably refers to the divine names given by the Roman Emperors to themselves: Son of God, king of kings and lord of lords. The emperors had the audacity to think they were divine! And it still happens today. There are leaders all over the globe that think they answer to no one. They are the supreme authority regarding all matters. They act like they are a god.

In Revelation we see that things have changed. At one time Rome was seen by Christians as an ally. It was a friendly power that initially acted as a protector for Christians. As these words are written, that is in the rear view mirror of life. Now Rome has become the wicked city "drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." (17.6) Rome, which is referred to by the code name "Babylon," stands for the arrogance of government and leaders who believe they answer to no one. One of the prime examples of this arrogance is seen in the story of the tower of Babel where people believed that they were capable of living without God. They would build a tower that reached into the heavens and make it on their own (Gen. 11).

All government is seduced into thinking that they have the right to violate the moral law in order to maintain their power. "Power corrupts," a British Lord once said, "and absolute power corrupts absolutely." The more powerful the nation the greater the risk that they trample on the rights of people.

If your standard for power is military might, undoubtedly the United States is the most powerful country on planet earth. Therefore, we are most likely to be seduced into believing that we can do what we want when want to. We run the risk of living like the Beast. We run the risk of violating more human rights than any other nation. Pray that our country not take on the shape of the Dragon or the Beast. Pray that we not violate human rights in our effort to maintain power.

The great Red Dragon is huge and powerful. The Beast is also powerful. So, who will fight this kind of evil? Revelation suggests that the one who will not only fight the Dragon, but defeat it is none other than: the Lamb Who Was Slain.

Revelation refers to "the Lamb who was slain," 28 times. When he appears in Chapter 14, the Lamb looks a bit ridiculous. Even though he has an army of 144,000, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes, a Lamb is no match for a dragon and a beast, or is he?

We live in a time between the defeat of the Dragon, and the final expulsion of the Dragon from our world. C.S. Lewis says that we live in occupied territory.

At the end of World War II we signed agreements with Japan and Germany to end the war. Technically, the war was over. Full effect of the peace didn’t take place immediately. There were islands in the Pacific where Japanese soldiers didn’t hear about the end of the war for years.

Like that period of history, we live in a world where the enemy has been defeated, but not eliminated. Some still live as if the war continues.

We are followers of the Lamb, learning from him how to live our lives and how to journey through this world. We live, not by the power of the Beast or power of the Dragon, but by Lamb power. Lamb power does not destroy its enemies; it forgives its enemies. Our ultimate weapon is the cross, which points us to suffering love as the way we overcome the world.

Revelation’s story is about two different kinds of victory, the victory of the beast and the victory of the Lamb. Revelation is written to invite people to line up with the Lamb.

Many of you have read the very popular Left Behind Series. I read only the first book, but it was clear to me early on that the writers weren’t in tune with the book of Revelation. They advocated Beast Power, not Lamb Power. They associated Beast Power with God. Contrary to what that first book advocated, Revelation is a book about terror defeated not terror inflicted. I can’t imagine God pulling out the driver of a bus or airplane in the middle of their duties and allowing a crash to take place. We will have to fight the beast, but we will fight with Lamb Power.

Jesus did not defeat his enemies by using the latest in technology to kill. He suffered and died. He was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Instructions on Lamb Power are found throughout the words of Jesus. Here is a sample. We quote from The Message:

You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend," and its unwritten companion, "Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best – the sun to warm and the rain to nourish – to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anyone can do that. (Matthew 5:43-47)

That is Lamb Power.

So, how easy is it to learn to live the way of the Lamb. Not easy. It is far more easy to get even. It is far more easy to do unto others as they did to us, rather than to do as we wish they would do to us. How in the world do we make progress toward the way of the Lamb?

The suggestion in Revelation is that we sing and pray our way toward Lamb Power. We sing and pray our way into God’s new vision for our world. That is why Revelation is so full of worship. It is so full of melodic titles for Jesus. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (1.11; 22.13) He is the bright and morning star (22.16) He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

As we sing and pray our way into the heart of this book we become more and more clear that Jesus makes war not by a military sword but by the sword of his mouth.

Evil abounds in our world. We live in enemy occupied territory. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, in disguise, and prepares to take back his world. We expect a frontal attack, power vs. power, but that is not what happens. Jesus invades the world non-violently. He comes to win the hearts of people, and invites them to join in his campaign of sabotage. He invites them (us) to love the world and change the hearts of the world.

Listen to the music of this amazing book. This week the music of Revelation prepares us to learn about warfare. The music gets us read for a battle. A battle between the power of good and the power of evil. It is not a fair fight. Good is far greater than evil. The battle is soon over.

Next week, our fifth and final sermon in this series, the music will be different. I invite you to read the closing chapters of Revelation. You will read about rejoicing in heaven. You will read about a new heaven and a new earth. You will read about the river of life.

Then, come join us for the end of this series. If you have come this far, don’t leave us now. For you have endured all the news about the Dragon and the Beasts. Next week is the good news, for this book is not primarily about the Dragon and the Beast. It is about hope. It is about the Lamb who was slain. He has begun his reign. Alleluia. © 2007

i. I am indebted to Barbara Rossing’s fine book: The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope In the Book of Revelation (New York: Basic Books, 2005). Though the phrase, "Lamb Power" did not originate with her, I saw it in her book for the first time. Several other ideas and phrases in this book can be found first in her book. 

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