1 00:00:04,690 --> 00:00:09,630 Greetings, this is Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church 2 00:00:09,630 --> 00:00:15,029 with a moment of truth where we challenge you to think through an important issue of life and 3 00:00:15,029 --> 00:00:21,989 faith. And today, what is the importance of the altar in the mysterious apocalypse? 4 00:00:23,089 --> 00:00:29,129 John sees there at the altar the souls who had been slain because of the word of God and the 5 00:00:29,129 --> 00:00:34,590 testimony that they had maintained. It becomes a place of sacrifice for our sins. 6 00:00:34,689 --> 00:00:41,710 That brings us peace. And thus becomes paradoxically both a place of death and life since we find 7 00:00:41,710 --> 00:00:46,729 now under that altar peace and reconciliation and sanctuary. 8 00:00:47,409 --> 00:00:51,350 Ah, this is what I'd like to treat of here today with you, dear brothers and sisters. 9 00:00:52,070 --> 00:00:57,509 But before we talk a little bit more about that, let's look at the text before us. It is indeed 10 00:00:57,509 --> 00:01:05,269 Revelation chapter 6 verses 9 through 11, a very crucial text because it establishes again the 11 00:01:05,269 --> 00:01:12,230 place of the altar, the altar in heaven as command central for the conquest of all of creation now 12 00:01:12,230 --> 00:01:18,709 by the new Joshua. Indeed, we see that the conquest in the book of Joshua is now the new paradigm for 13 00:01:18,709 --> 00:01:24,890 the book of Revelation 2. And that place of command, headquarters, command central, the place from which 14 00:01:24,890 --> 00:01:35,430 are issued commands and also projects and things that we as the church must do. 15 00:01:35,890 --> 00:01:39,989 Well, let's look at Revelation chapter 6 verses 9 through 11. First of all, 16 00:01:39,989 --> 00:01:47,430 when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of 17 00:01:47,430 --> 00:01:52,709 the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, 18 00:01:52,790 --> 00:01:58,010 How long, sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our 19 00:01:58,010 --> 00:02:05,290 blood? Then each of them was given a white robe and they were told to wait a little longer until the 20 00:02:05,290 --> 00:02:11,629 number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had was completed. 21 00:02:12,150 --> 00:02:19,909 Oh, yes, that's our text for today. And we saw then last week in our title of our message, which is called 22 00:02:19,909 --> 00:02:27,550 Altered State, right? A kind of pun on the old movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger of the idea of an altered 23 00:02:27,550 --> 00:02:34,969 state. Only this altar is spelled like the biblical altar, A-L-T-A-R. 24 00:02:35,289 --> 00:02:42,789 E-D, state, altered state. And that indeed is the state in which our brothers and sisters who've been 25 00:02:42,789 --> 00:02:49,750 translated to the heavenly realms to be with Christ, they are now under the altar. And this is a biblical 26 00:02:49,750 --> 00:02:59,349 picture of our status too as beloved saints, those who have been translated from the church militant 27 00:02:59,349 --> 00:03:06,750 then to the church triumphant in heaven. And that place of the altar was just a beautiful, beautiful 28 00:03:06,750 --> 00:03:15,610 picture in the Bible of our rest in Christ. The altar is several things at once. The altar, of course, 29 00:03:15,669 --> 00:03:23,009 as we saw last week, was the place of sacrifice and of reconciliation, where under the old covenant, 30 00:03:23,009 --> 00:03:30,189 when the temple had been built, when the temple had been built and the various accoutrements of the 31 00:03:30,189 --> 00:03:36,110 temple had been established, the Holy of Holies, where the high priest would enter once a year with 32 00:03:36,110 --> 00:03:47,449 the blood of a sacrificial victim, symbolizing the blood, the life of Israel herself, placed then before 33 00:03:47,449 --> 00:03:54,469 God in sacrifice as a substitute for all the blood of Israel. The high priest would bring in the blood 34 00:03:54,469 --> 00:04:02,469 of the sacrificial lamb of the Passover, which had been slaughtered and prepared and would be 35 00:04:02,469 --> 00:04:10,610 splashed on the altar and then some on the people as well as a picture of the covenant of Israel, 36 00:04:10,610 --> 00:04:17,850 of God's people. We are the new Israel, the new people of God, the church. But that blood would be 37 00:04:17,850 --> 00:04:25,689 sprinkled at the altar before God and then upon the people themselves as a picture, as a symbol of 38 00:04:25,689 --> 00:04:35,910 a life sacrificed for the sin of Israel during that period. And so the altar was at once a place of 39 00:04:35,910 --> 00:04:44,730 reconciliation with God, but it was also a place of safety and peace and presence too. God would 40 00:04:44,730 --> 00:04:50,050 dwell with them and be their God, he would promise. And all of that transpired and was symbolized and 41 00:04:50,050 --> 00:04:56,129 pictured at the altar. So we saw that altered state indeed in which our brothers and sisters have been 42 00:04:56,129 --> 00:05:02,629 translated. And one day we will be translated there as well, will we not? And we have seen then, 43 00:05:02,629 --> 00:05:10,550 we've witnessed the breaking of the first four seals of the seven sealant scroll, right? And we saw that 44 00:05:10,550 --> 00:05:16,269 that scroll was the will and testament of the father bequeathed to the only worthy son, the lion of the 45 00:05:16,269 --> 00:05:23,850 tribe of Judah, who has conquered as the Agnus Dei. And this is the opening of the fifth seal. And so the 46 00:05:23,850 --> 00:05:31,889 scene transpires before us then of the souls beneath the altar, the altar, the altar, the Lord is God, 47 00:05:31,889 --> 00:05:37,589 as the psalmist says. And he has made his light to shine upon us, buying the festal sacrifice with 48 00:05:37,589 --> 00:05:44,009 cords up to the horns of the altar. All through the Old Testament, that place of reconciliation, 49 00:05:44,370 --> 00:05:52,769 hasn't that? We've seen Christ now has, by his one sacrifice for all, purchased and ransomed men for 50 00:05:52,769 --> 00:05:58,470 God from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. And he did this by entering in the heavenly temple, 51 00:05:58,470 --> 00:06:03,230 as Hebrews says. Christ has entered, Hebrews says, not into the holy places made with hands, 52 00:06:03,670 --> 00:06:08,790 which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God 53 00:06:08,790 --> 00:06:15,110 on our behalf. Indeed, he has done this on our behalf. And by that one sacrifice for all, 54 00:06:15,509 --> 00:06:22,569 at the heavenly altar, he takes possession of his inheritance, that is, his very own people, right? 55 00:06:22,569 --> 00:06:28,889 Worthy are you to take the scroll, they say, and to open its seals, for you were slain. And by your 56 00:06:28,889 --> 00:06:35,209 blood, you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And you 57 00:06:35,209 --> 00:06:40,110 have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. All that indeed 58 00:06:40,110 --> 00:06:48,269 is now our place then under the altar before God with him. He is our God, and we now are his people. 59 00:06:48,269 --> 00:06:54,769 What a precious thing. And the altar symbolizes all of this, right? We have peace with God through 60 00:06:54,769 --> 00:07:00,790 our Lord Jesus Christ, since we have been justified by faith. And because we have been justified, Paul 61 00:07:00,790 --> 00:07:07,110 says also that we are children now. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs of Christ, 62 00:07:07,569 --> 00:07:12,870 provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him, Paul says. Oh, 63 00:07:12,870 --> 00:07:19,649 these souls under the altar have done just that. They have suffered with him, and they are now glorified 64 00:07:19,649 --> 00:07:26,889 with him under the altar. Now, what a beautiful picture. A major feature of the altar was as a place 65 00:07:26,889 --> 00:07:32,949 of refuge and of safety. It was a place to which a man in flight for his life could go. We saw that 66 00:07:32,949 --> 00:07:42,870 example with Joab. Now, he could find at least temporary refuge there until justice had been served, 67 00:07:43,629 --> 00:07:50,889 but indeed that was a place of refuge, wasn't it? And then we also saw that those in their altered 68 00:07:50,889 --> 00:08:02,470 state now can also appeal to God for justice, for a righteous vindication of their butchery. And they 69 00:08:02,470 --> 00:08:08,850 can do this from the temple, from under the altar. And we saw that from here on in, the heavenly 70 00:08:08,850 --> 00:08:14,810 temple in general and the altar in particular will be the central setting for much of the action that 71 00:08:14,810 --> 00:08:24,910 will transpire. Oh, so get used to it, right? They indeed call for justice, and they will receive 72 00:08:24,910 --> 00:08:32,450 justice. That's promised, right? As co-heirs with Christ, we have every right to expect justice. 73 00:08:32,470 --> 00:08:39,289 For the suffering that's been visited upon us by the enemies of the gospel. And that justice will 74 00:08:39,289 --> 00:08:47,529 come. That's a promise to us. That justice will come. Christ stands astride the altar to deliver 75 00:08:47,529 --> 00:08:54,309 that justice too. But in the meantime, what is promised to us in verse 11? We see under altered 76 00:08:54,309 --> 00:09:04,450 state. Altered state. Our brothers in an altered state, they are contenting themselves with an 77 00:09:04,450 --> 00:09:11,889 imputed righteousness in patient anticipation. Verse 11. Then each of them, verse 11 says, 78 00:09:12,129 --> 00:09:19,429 then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer until the number of 79 00:09:19,429 --> 00:09:25,690 their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. Patience. 80 00:09:26,250 --> 00:09:36,639 Patience. Patience and a white robe. The fifth seal unlocks the lamb's claim to his people, 81 00:09:36,820 --> 00:09:41,940 brothers and sisters. The lamb's claim to his people, which is his inheritance. 82 00:09:41,940 --> 00:09:53,279 Once again, the new Joshua claims his people, even as God has his inheritance. Israel led by Joshua 83 00:09:53,279 --> 00:09:59,860 into the land of Canaan. Indeed, the inheritance of God was his people, and the inheritance that he 84 00:09:59,860 --> 00:10:08,539 gives to them was the land of Canaan. That was the old paradigm. That was the type. And the antitype 85 00:10:08,539 --> 00:10:15,379 is that of Christ and his people, the church, who then conquer all of creation. That's why we can say 86 00:10:15,379 --> 00:10:21,100 Jesus is the new Joshua. And the conquest is in the new paradigm for the book of Revelation, 87 00:10:21,100 --> 00:10:29,139 because it is patterned upon that. Indeed, Joshua, under the old covenant, laid the groundwork, 88 00:10:29,539 --> 00:10:37,299 gave us the picture of the pattern of what Christ would do as well. Joshua and Israel in the land of 89 00:10:37,299 --> 00:10:44,080 Canaan, picture what Christ is doing even now, I submit to you, what Christ is doing even now 90 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:52,480 in all of creation with his church in claiming their inheritance. The first inheritance of the lamb is 91 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:59,000 his people, though, those beloved souls, you and me, those beloved souls ransomed by his own blood. 92 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:07,879 And that lamb, our Christ, is not neglectful of them either. He counsels here. He counsels to us as well 93 00:11:07,879 --> 00:11:14,279 as to those saints who suffered under the persecution of Nero. He also counsels patience, 94 00:11:14,279 --> 00:11:22,840 and he rewards us with a white robe, which he later explains in chapter 7. He later explains, 95 00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:28,720 as their righteousness, having washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb, 96 00:11:28,919 --> 00:11:34,700 chapter 7, we'll say. What a beautiful picture, isn't it, of the righteousness that we now have 97 00:11:34,700 --> 00:11:40,940 in Christ, this idea of the glistening white robe. And that righteousness is an imputed righteousness 98 00:11:40,940 --> 00:11:48,580 that is one that is reckoned to us. It is not a native inherent righteousness to us, because 99 00:11:48,580 --> 00:11:56,700 we never could be righteous like this. We never could do works worthy enough to be righteous in 100 00:11:56,700 --> 00:12:02,460 his sight. The Bible is clear about this time after time, page after page, book after book. 101 00:12:03,220 --> 00:12:09,679 Isaiah says, for example, in chapter 64, that all of our works are not like white robes, but rather 102 00:12:09,679 --> 00:12:15,799 like filthy rags. All of our righteousness, works of righteousness, are as filthy rags in the eyes of God. 103 00:12:15,799 --> 00:12:23,279 And that is because we are fallen, that we are Adam's true children. Our first parent, 104 00:12:23,419 --> 00:12:28,100 our first father was Adam, and we're like him in every respect, and that we're fallen sinners. So 105 00:12:28,100 --> 00:12:34,840 there's no way that we could do perfect rights, works of righteousness, excuse me, that would 106 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:44,500 characterize us as bearing white robes, glistening white robes of righteousness. And so these robes must 107 00:12:44,500 --> 00:12:52,799 be given us as a gift of grace. Paul puts it this way. He says, for by grace, you have been saved 108 00:12:52,799 --> 00:13:02,600 through faith. And this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of works in order 109 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:14,159 that no one may boast, unquote. Oh, dear listener. In fact, it is the sole damning stain of our own sin 110 00:13:14,159 --> 00:13:23,779 that must be expunged by a power far beyond our own dead powers. We are dead in our sins, Paul says. 111 00:13:23,899 --> 00:13:30,399 We are not able to save ourselves. We are not able to redeem ourselves. We are not able to do works 112 00:13:30,399 --> 00:13:39,240 worthy of life. Our lives, represented by blood, are demanded in payment for our sin, right? 113 00:13:39,899 --> 00:13:47,940 Oh, the logic goes this way in Scripture. Ezekiel says, the soul that sins shall die. Oh, that's the 114 00:13:47,940 --> 00:13:54,559 promise throughout Scripture. Succinctly put by Ezekiel, the soul that sins shall die. That's the price 115 00:13:54,559 --> 00:14:00,600 demanded. And of course, we see all through Scripture, too, the importance of blood. Leviticus 116 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:07,120 tells us the life of the creature is in the blood. The blood symbolizes the very life of the creature. 117 00:14:07,519 --> 00:14:17,940 That is why it was expected to be demanded then, was it not? Was it not expected to be demanded 118 00:14:17,940 --> 00:14:25,899 at the altar and the sacrifice of the blood of the creature? And so Hebrews can tell us without the 119 00:14:25,899 --> 00:14:31,840 shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. Oh, with all of this as background, dear listener, 120 00:14:32,139 --> 00:14:39,860 we come to understand the vivid picture that the apocalypse paints of our being made righteous, 121 00:14:39,860 --> 00:14:47,159 not by our own good deeds, but by the life of a substitute, that is the blood of the Lamb. 122 00:14:48,259 --> 00:14:53,759 If a picture is indeed worth a thousand words, then the thousand words I may have just used 123 00:14:53,759 --> 00:15:00,860 describing to you what it means to be righteous is pictured for us in the white, glistening robes 124 00:15:00,860 --> 00:15:06,740 given to those under the altar, right, to be worn. It's not something they earn, not something 125 00:15:06,740 --> 00:15:13,220 they created themselves, not something a native and intrinsic to themselves, but something extrinsic 126 00:15:13,220 --> 00:15:18,779 to them that had to be given them. That is the righteousness of Christ given to them in these 127 00:15:18,779 --> 00:15:26,480 glistening robes. And this also explains the apparent paradox, too, of washing a robe in blood 128 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:32,200 and having it come out glisteningly white, too, right? 129 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:44,259 Oh, this is gospel logic, though. This is gospel logic. Oh, if the life of the sinner is demanded in 130 00:15:44,259 --> 00:15:50,460 payment for his sin in order to be glisteningly white again, well, and he's constitutionally 131 00:15:50,460 --> 00:15:57,279 incapable of doing that for himself, well, then another's life is going to have to do the job. 132 00:15:57,279 --> 00:16:06,679 And if shedding the blood of that substitute is the necessary price, then it only stands to gospel 133 00:16:06,679 --> 00:16:15,779 reasoning that washing one's soul in the blood of this substitute, who is the Agnus Dei, the Lamb of 134 00:16:15,779 --> 00:16:23,019 God, the Lamb which was sacrificed during the Day of Atonement and also the Passover Lamb, 135 00:16:23,019 --> 00:16:31,279 the blood of this Lamb will issue in its coming out of the wash glisteningly white if we wash our souls 136 00:16:31,279 --> 00:16:38,559 in the blood of the Lamb. We are told by gospel logic that we will be glisteningly white, but this 137 00:16:38,559 --> 00:16:47,600 is gospel logic, dear listener. It's unacceptably incongruous to the world. It is a logical absurdity 138 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:55,039 to the world, but not so to us. Rather, for us, those of us Christians who have been saved by 139 00:16:55,039 --> 00:17:02,440 Christ, by his death, by the shedding of his blood, this is a beautiful truth to all of us who become 140 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:11,779 familiar with gospel logic. Yes. Well, then, content with this bright attire, the council then is 141 00:17:11,779 --> 00:17:21,000 patience for the remainder of justice's fulfillment. He is told, the souls under the altar are told, 142 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:30,019 rest a little longer, rest a little longer. For there is a reason for this too. That is, until the 143 00:17:30,019 --> 00:17:36,740 number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete. That is the council. There's a 144 00:17:36,740 --> 00:17:42,200 reason for waiting a little longer, and this is another reason why we are counseled patience, 145 00:17:42,700 --> 00:17:51,660 patience too, as Christians. All through the book of Revelation, we'll see, and we've already seen, 146 00:17:51,819 --> 00:17:59,619 established, the idea of the counsel of patient endurance, patient endurance, because we have to 147 00:17:59,619 --> 00:18:07,940 rest for a little bit longer. Oh, we may endure suffering for 10 days, even as the saints were 148 00:18:07,940 --> 00:18:17,339 counseled in the seven cities of Asia, the seven churches of Asia, that they may suffer for 10 days, 149 00:18:17,380 --> 00:18:24,660 and that was a symbolic number, meant to be a short, relatively short span of time, 10 in comparison to 150 00:18:24,660 --> 00:18:32,700 the thousand years of glory in Christ's rule, right? That is what is promised to us. If we patiently 151 00:18:32,700 --> 00:18:39,039 endure for 10 days, a relatively brief amount of time, we are assured that there will be an extended, 152 00:18:39,539 --> 00:18:47,779 limitless number of days and years in which we will rule with Christ and establish our reign with him. 153 00:18:47,779 --> 00:18:54,019 We are co-heirs with him, and we will rule with him, and that will come fully then as a promise 154 00:18:54,019 --> 00:18:59,480 in chapter 20 of Revelation. But in the meantime, here in these early chapters, we are counseled to 155 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:07,119 patient endurance, patient endurance for the days of our walk, our pilgrim walk here in this way. 156 00:19:08,299 --> 00:19:16,779 Oh, that is gospel logic. So then, content with this bright attire, these glistening robes of 157 00:19:16,779 --> 00:19:23,660 righteousness, the counsel is patience for the remainder of justice's fulfillment. Rest a little 158 00:19:23,660 --> 00:19:29,500 longer, and we may have to rest a little longer, too, until that day of vindication comes for us, too, 159 00:19:29,539 --> 00:19:36,819 dear brother and sister. There's a reason, right? That number is not complete. That number is not 160 00:19:36,819 --> 00:19:43,700 complete for the first century church. That number is not complete yet for us. The book of Revelation 161 00:19:43,700 --> 00:19:51,519 was meant for us, too, in this fashion. The book of Revelation was not a book designed to predict 162 00:19:51,519 --> 00:19:58,259 far-off future events that had no relevance at all to that first century church, which modern, 163 00:19:58,460 --> 00:20:06,480 contemporary, dispensational pre-millennialism posits, right? The idea is that these are all far-off 164 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:12,500 future events, and if they didn't transpire in your generation, well then, never mind. The book of 165 00:20:12,500 --> 00:20:18,359 Revelation was not for you, I guess. It's meant for the age in which it's to be fulfilled, the 166 00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:23,220 generation in which it's to be fulfilled. It doesn't mean anything to that first century church, 167 00:20:23,460 --> 00:20:29,799 right to the seven churches of Asia then, and it didn't mean anything to my father, who is now 168 00:20:29,799 --> 00:20:36,500 deceased and gone on to glory. It didn't mean anything to his father, my grandfather, who has died and 169 00:20:36,500 --> 00:20:43,079 since gone on to his glory. It didn't mean anything for any of those previous generations, but only for 170 00:20:43,079 --> 00:20:50,880 the generation in which the great seven-year tribulation will happen after a supposed pre-tribulational 171 00:20:50,880 --> 00:21:01,240 rapture. All of the Revelation red heifer rapture rants that you hear are not in consistency at all with 172 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:08,980 the book of Revelation, which indeed spoke to the first generation, spoke to the first century 173 00:21:08,980 --> 00:21:16,819 generation as it does to us, for example, in counseling, then patient endurance, even as the 174 00:21:16,819 --> 00:21:22,200 souls under the altar were counseled, patient endurance, because God will indeed requite justice, 175 00:21:22,200 --> 00:21:29,200 and he will requite justice perfectly in days to come, brothers and sisters, and he does throw, 176 00:21:29,500 --> 00:21:37,660 does so, excuse me, throughout redemptive history, and we've seen justice established even as 177 00:21:37,660 --> 00:21:46,259 he has requited then judgment and vindication on Israel, the first persecutors of the church, 178 00:21:46,259 --> 00:21:53,619 Israel, and they destroyed the entire Jewish economy in AD 70 with the destruction of the temple and the 179 00:21:53,619 --> 00:22:03,559 destruction of the city, which this book forecasts. And so those slaughtered in the great holocaust of 180 00:22:03,559 --> 00:22:11,539 the Jewish people against the church and Rome against the church, Nero against the church, these are all 181 00:22:11,539 --> 00:22:17,819 counseled patients, for God did indeed requite justice in the destruction of Jerusalem, and then later 182 00:22:17,819 --> 00:22:27,259 upon Nero and Rome in the destruction and fall of Rome, which the book of Revelation also then forecasts 183 00:22:27,259 --> 00:22:36,720 and prophesies. There's the true prophecy, not some seven-year imagined, fantasized seven-year 184 00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:43,440 tribulation, great tribulation that will precede the end of all things and a literal thousand-year reign 185 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:49,859 by Christ from Jerusalem. No, that thousand years is indeed transpiring now, brothers and sisters. Indeed, 186 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:58,480 it is transpiring now and will be fulfilled then when Christ returns in great glory and power, and then 187 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:05,779 perfectly justice will be requited. But until then, we, as well as those first century saints, are counseled, 188 00:23:05,779 --> 00:23:12,599 patient endurance. Patience until all the number of our brothers and sisters indeed are encompassed 189 00:23:12,599 --> 00:23:20,980 and included. Oh, what a day that will be. And our context then, as we have seen, the rest a little 190 00:23:20,980 --> 00:23:28,079 longer, the weight and patience until the number of our fellow servants and our brothers should be 191 00:23:28,079 --> 00:23:35,579 complete. Our context, at least in the first century, was the Neronian persecution. But the 192 00:23:35,579 --> 00:23:41,480 beautiful thing about the apocalypse is that all of this and much, much more applies throughout 193 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:46,000 redemptive history and the history of the church, as we've seen, brothers and sisters, 194 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:54,539 there has been. And there will continue to be other persecutions and sufferings. And we'll see this 195 00:23:54,539 --> 00:24:02,759 then as we go through the rest of the book of Revelation too. Oh, we're make, we are, we believers are 196 00:24:02,759 --> 00:24:12,359 oftentimes loath to make the much abused altar call in evangelism, but indeed I wish to make an altar call 197 00:24:12,359 --> 00:24:19,579 to you today. We can make an exception if you've not already washed your robe in the blood of the 198 00:24:19,579 --> 00:24:24,779 Lamb. Come to this altar, the altar of Christ, and wash your robe in it and find yourself perfectly 199 00:24:24,779 --> 00:24:31,160 righteous and clean. Well, this has been Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church 200 00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:40,079 with a moment of truth. And we're here gleefully and somberly also unfolding for you the book of 201 00:24:40,079 --> 00:24:48,599 Revelation. But we're also doing this then in the context of a community Bible study. And we meet for 202 00:24:48,599 --> 00:24:57,359 this Bible study now on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. We're commencing again. We took a break over 203 00:24:57,359 --> 00:25:05,819 Christmas, but we're commencing again beginning January 9 at 7 o'clock on Thursday evening. That's 204 00:25:05,819 --> 00:25:15,460 January 9, Thursday evening at 7 p.m. at a Starbucks coffee house on 17th street. We've been having a 205 00:25:15,460 --> 00:25:21,180 great time and developing a fellowship and a friendship, even as we unpack the book of 206 00:25:21,180 --> 00:25:27,220 Revelation. And we're hearing a multitude of opinions and points of view and all in the context 207 00:25:27,220 --> 00:25:34,200 of brotherhood and fellowship. And I continue to invite you to come and join us too at 7 o'clock 208 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:44,680 then at Starbucks and join us then. And we look forward to seeing you. But we also are preaching 209 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:51,400 through the book of Revelation at New Geneva. And we've been doing that now for some time. This is 210 00:25:51,400 --> 00:26:00,660 Pastor David Bass. I encourage you, I invite you to join us on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. at 101 4th 211 00:26:00,660 --> 00:26:06,299 Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. And there you're going to find a place of fellowship 212 00:26:06,299 --> 00:26:12,839 and a time when you can worship our Lord Jesus Christ as he's revealed in the book of Revelation 213 00:26:12,839 --> 00:26:21,099 and hear it unfolded and expounded. And we encourage you to join us on Sunday morning. Maybe you've been 214 00:26:21,099 --> 00:26:26,359 thinking about crossing our threshold and seeing who we are, what we are. Well, I encourage you to do so 215 00:26:26,359 --> 00:26:32,359 here in the next week. We meet for holy worship at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th 216 00:26:32,359 --> 00:26:37,859 and Boulevard. And you can call us for more information about the Bible study or our church 217 00:26:37,859 --> 00:26:49,859 or this message. You can call us at area code 208-523-0196. That's area code 208-523-0196.