The Lord … Reigneth

22 January 2023 PM – Revelation 19:1-6 – Stepping Stones – Scott Childs

Introduction: According to the BBC, “The most senior US general estimates that around 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured in the war in Ukraine. Gen Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, also suggested that around 40,000 civilians had died after being caught up in the conflict.” In many countries, the persecution of Christians is increasing. The morality of our world is wallowing in the gutter. Divorce is commonplace. Living together outside of marriage is the norm. Many Christians in first-world countries today live so much like the sinful world that they are no longer distinguishable. Our world looks very much like the last days described by the Apostle Paul (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

Near the end of the first century, John the Apostle wrote the Book of Revelation while banished on the Island of Patmos because of his faith in Christ. Life in the first century was not easy either, but John had a right perspective. Read Revelation 19:1-6. “Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”

Though living a godly, separated, faithful life for the glory of God is a bumpy uphill climb, we must remember that our Lord God omnipotent reigneth!

Transition: It is good for us to remember that the Lord reigned in the past, He reigns now in the present, and He will rein eternally in the future.

1. The Lord reigned in the past.

a.         God created all and He governs all.

1)         The opening verse of the Bible reminds us that “In the beginning God…” He alone existed in the beginning.

2)         He then created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. (Nehemiah 9:6) “Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.“

3)         Being Creator of all, God reigned over all.

4)         In His wisdom, God ordained that man should have a free will to choose to obey. Sadly, we know that Adam and Eve disobeyed and plunged the human race into sin.

b.         Though evil flourished, the Lord still reigned.

1)         For more than 6,000 years since man disobeyed, God has reigned in the background, allowing man to see that he cannot solve his sin problems without God’s help.

2)         When Isaiah the prophet was young, God gave him a vision of heaven. (Isaiah 6:1) “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.” Wiersbe wisely points out that, “The throne on earth was empty, but the throne in heaven was filled.” In the dark days of sin in which Isaiah lived, God was still on the throne!

2.        The Lord is reigning in the present.

a.         In the foreground, Satan appears to be reigning.

1)         Evil seems to be prevailing.

2)         Nations that were once godly are now crumbling morally, socially, and spiritually.

3)         People now call evil good and good evil.

4)         Millions are addicted to pornography, gaming, gambling, immorality, drugs, alcohol and to social media.

5)         Virginity until marriage is nearing extinction.

6)         There was a day when Christians condemned the cinema, gambling and immodest dress, but such standards are ridiculed today. I doubt these activities have improved!

7)         In 2 Corinthians 4:4, the Apostle Paul called Satan “the god of this world”. Though that is true, Jesus Christ, through His death and resurrection, destroyed the power of the devil. (Hebrews 2:14-15) “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.“

8)         We might be tempted to cry out, “Why doesn’t God do something!” Or, “If God truly exists, why does He allow so much evil in our world?”

b.         God is still reigning in the background.

1)         Though the devil still acts as the god of this world, Christ destroyed his power over man. Sinners can now be saved from hell and live for God’s glory.

2)         God reigns, but He has not yet sent Satan and his followers to the lake of fire.

3)         God continues to let evil prevail as He did in the past to allow man to see that he cannot solve his sin problems without God’s help.

4)         As King of kings, God lovingly and patiently waits for others to trust Christ for their salvation. (2 Peter 3:9) “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.“

5)         God is reigning today in the lives of all who have truly trusted Him as Saviour.

3.        The Lord will continue reigning in the future.

a.         He will reign at the end of the Tribulation

1)         Our text in Revelation 19 depicts the scene just prior to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and the close of the Tribulation.

a)         The location is heaven.

b)         The attendees include much people in heaven (v.1), the 24 elders representing all believers in heaven (v.4), and the four living creatures in heaven (v.4). John calls them God’s servants and those who fear Him, both small and great (v.5).

c)         The declaration made by the attendees sounded like the noise of many waters and like mighty thunder (v.6).

2)         Their declaration began with praise. Alleluia means Praise the Lord or Hallelujah.

3)         They declared that the Lord God omnipotent has reigned!

a)         The word omnipotent depicts Him as the Almighty, the ruler of all, the ruler of the universe, and the absolute and universal sovereign.

(1)      As the only eternal being, He is omnipotent. As the creator of all that exists, He is omnipotent. As unequalled by any other being, He is omnipotent.

(2)      He is the absolute ruler over all heavenly creatures, over all humans, over all living creatures, over all nature, and over all the heavenly bodies.

b)         He reigned. That is, He has always exercised His Kingly power over all that existed. The word “reigneth” is in the aorist tense, letting us know that it is a fact that cannot change.

b.         He will reign for all eternity

1)         In the 1,000-year Millennium yet ahead, Christ will reign as Absolute Sovereign on the earth.

2)         Following the Millennium, God will reign as Judge of all humanity, justly sentencing to the eternal lake of fire those who rejected or failed to receive Christ’s salvation.

3)         For all eternity, the Lord God omnipotent will reign in glory.

Conclusion: Today, as our world appears to be running out of control like a runaway road train ploughing down a steep descent, it is vital that we remember that the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. In love, He is reigning in the background, awaiting sinners to repent. In a mysterious, sovereign way, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.” (Proverbs 21:1). We need not fear nor should we become careless about our Christian walk for we know the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!

Song: Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty, 13

I gleaned the idea for this sermon from Warren W. Wiersbe’s book “The Bumps are What You Climb On”.