by Arturo G. Azurdia III
For those of you who happen to be students of World War II, it is very much like June 6, 1944. It’s very much like D-Day. Within 3 days by June 9th 1.1 million men had landed on the beaches of Normandy with tons and tons and tons of material and equipment backed by economic resources, vast steel production, air supremacy, anybody with an eye to see could tell that that was the decisive end of the war. Now, having said that, at that particular point did Adolf Hitler back down and raise the white flag of surrender? Not hardly. But from that point the confidence of the American[s], the confidence of the Allies, American and European never faltered. In fact at one particular point following D-Day one American field General found himself surrounded by Germans on every side and he was asked if he’d surrender. His response went down in memorable fashion, it wasn’t particularity articulated but it was memorable. “Surrender, nuts!” he said. When asked by his own superior to describe the situation he replied, “there are Germans to the North, there are Germans to the South, Germans to East, Germans to the West, we’re attacking.”
That’s the posture you take when you know the decisive battle has been
waged and won. And that you see beloved is the very posture John wants his readers to take. The Dragon has been defeated. The decisive victory has already been won; Satan is principality a defeated foe.
“The prince of darkness grin, we tremble not for him. His rage we can endure, for low his doom is sure.” He is a defeated foe. Which in turn beloved, now, he tells us something of great importance. I’ll overstate it this morning for the sake of effect but I do stand by the truth it communicates. For the Christian the really big deal is not the second coming of Christ, the really big deal is the first coming of Christ. All by itself that fact would keep us in step with the emphasis of the New Testament. I would remind you beloved from Hebrews chapter 9 that in the redemptive program of God the high point of the ages, as the Hebrew writers calls it, was the coming of Jesus Christ and the death, burial and resurrection. Not His coming the second time.
[A few moments latter.]
The definitive event in all of redemptive history is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whatever He comes to do in the future it is not a work that will be new or different in anyway it will be the consummation of His finished work at the Cross. That is the hub of the Revelation you see, this is the axis to which everything else is connected, endure the onslaught of the evil one because the victory of Jesus Christ has already secured the outcome of the war. “Do we anticipate the return of Christ?” Absolutely positively. It’s simply the final expression of what was won for us in His first coming.
Exposition of the Book of Revelation by Arturo G. Azurdia III, sermon 4 titled “The beginning of the End.” [I typed it out while listening forgive me if I made a mistake.]
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