Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 6 December, 2020
“O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness:
fear before him, all the earth” (Ps. 96:9)
Morning Service – 11:00 AM
The Lamb, Babylon and the Sickles (2)
The First Two Angels and Their Messages [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Revelation 14
Text: Revelation 14:6-8
I. The Idea of the Angels
II. The Commands of the First Angel
III. The Report of the Second Angel
Evening Service – 6:00 PM
The Lamb, Babylon and the Sickles (3)
The Warning of the Third Angel [youtube]
Scripture Reading: II Thessalonians 1
Text: Revelation 14:9-11
I. The Terrible Drink
II. The Tormenting Fire
III. The Solemn Application
For CDs of the sermons and DVDs of the worship services, contact Stephen Murray
If you desire a pastoral visit, please contact Rev. Stewart or the elders
CPRC Website: www.cprc.co.uk • Live Webcast: www.cprc.co.uk/live-streaming
CPRC YouTube: www.youtube.com/cprcni
CPRC Facebook: www.facebook.com/CovenantPRC
Quotes to Consider
Herman Hoeksema on Revelation 14:7: “… therefore, to every nation and tribe and tongue comes the demand: ‘Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.’ From this point of view all is plain. The meaning of these words can now be understood. The angel sounds the eternal gospel. It is the gospel that God is sovereign, the gospel that God is supreme. It is the gospel that all creation must fear Him, and Him alone, and that He will judge all who refuse to worship Him. It is the gospel that He alone is worthy of worship since He made all things and therefore is the sole sovereign of them all. That demand is as eternal as God’s own decree, and it will last forever. That gospel God will never change. For unto all eternity, even in the new heavens and the new earth, it will still be the gospel. That demand is now placed over against the wicked kingdom of Antichrist. There, in that kingdom, they worship the beast; there they give glory to Satan, and they fear Antichrist. There they say, ‘Antichrist has made all things. Who is like unto the beast and who can war with him?’ There they cast God’s glory in the dust and trample His precepts under foot. But even over against this state of things God maintains His claim: ‘Fear Me, and give Me glory. For the hour of My judgment is come. And worship Me: for I have made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and the fountains of waters’” (Behold He Cometh, p. 495).
Abraham Kuyper on Revelation 14:8: “In Babylon the great evil was begun. The unholy principles which gave birth to the demoniac have from there been carried out into all the world. So it is entirely natural that Babylon as the great metropolis should for all time be the historic name of a demoniacal world life, that both in its beginning and in its course of progress, as well as in its peculiar typification, wages war against Almighty God. From of old the vigorous life of the great metropolitan centers of the world was the source from which falling away from God and consequent demoralization springs. Wherever this now shows itself is, in principle, all one with what sprang up in Babylon. And so Babylon, and notably Babylon as the great city, is the immortal name that designates the demoniacal revolt of the sinful world against its God” (The Revelation of St. John, pp. 142-143).
James Allen on Revelation 14:10-11: “The word ‘tormented’, a more terrible word even than that used of the rich man in hades (Luke 16:24), opens a vista of anguish. It speaks of unrelieved pain. The agent of the pain is defined as ‘in fire and brimstones’ where ‘in’ is the instrumental ‘by’. The expression recurs in 19:20; 20:10; 21:8. The addition of ‘brimstone’ (sulphur) to the more usual ‘fire’, has not only historical echoes of the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24) but echoes also the prophetic voices of Isaiah (Isa. 30:33) and Ezekiel (Ezek. 38:22). The ancient world used the combination of ‘fire and brimstone’ to convey the idea of a self-sustained furnace independent of external fuel. It is the equivalent of the phrase ‘unquenchable fire’ in the ministry of Christ (Matt. 3:12; Luke 3:17)” (What the Bible Teaches: Revelation, p. 364).
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
A new Canons of Dordt resources page has been added to the website.
Saturday night Bible study will meet this week at church and on-line at 8 PM to discuss Hebrews 3:7-19.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s day (Gospel 846 MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. Bruinsma is entitled, “Doubting Zacharias” (Luke 1:18-20).
The Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, 14 December at 8 PM.
Offerings: General Fund: £830. Donation: £200 (England).
Translation Additions: 1 Tamil (Heidelberg Catechism) and 10 Hungarian (including all of Doctrine According to Godliness).
PRC News: Kalamazoo PRC called Rev. D. Holstege (Philippines) to be their next pastor. Cornerstone PRC called Rev. Spriensma. Rev. Spronk (Faith, MI) is considering the call to Hudsonville PRC. Rev. J. Engelsma (Doon, IA) is considering the call to Wingham PRC.
Absalom’s Rebellion
Brian D. Dykstra
II Samuel 15
Absalom has returned to Israel and, being free to leave his own property, enjoys freedom of movement. His plan of usurping his father’s throne is progressing nicely.
Absalom rises early each morning, eager to take up the labour of the day. He has a daily parade, riding in a chariot with fifty men to clear the way for him—a not too subtle way to present himself as aspiring to the throne (I Kings 1:5). Absalom knows it is important to set himself forth before the people as a regal figure to increase his popularity as he reaches for the crown of Israel. One can imagine the people of Jerusalem each day anticipating catching a glimpse of Israel’s most handsome royal man.
Absalom’s self-assigned work is to meet with the people who have come to bring their need for justice to David. The manner in which Absalom greets the people should not be overlooked. In biblical times when one met a ruler, one humbled oneself by bowing to the ground, even putting the forehead in the dust. Absalom would not allow that. He would reach out to prevent the bow and kiss the appellant, a greeting of equals. Such a greeting would already be a good story to tell once the appellant returned home.
Absalom would always give favourable judgment to the one waiting at the king’s gate. If Absalom had only been given real authority by David, the man’s troubles would be over. Instead, he still had to wait, disappointed and annoyed with David’s lack of action.
Was Absalom’s duplicity ever exposed? In any appeal for justice, there are two parties involved. Did the second party ever hear of his neighbour’s visit to Absalom’s “court” and then go to see Absalom himself? Would the second party then return home and speak of Absalom’s favourable judgment toward him with his neighbour? It is easy to give appellants what they want when the decision has no real effect.
“After forty years,” Absalom notifies David he wants to go to Hebron to pay a vow which he had made to God. There’s a problem with the “forty years” since David was king for forty years. Some think there was a copyist’s error somewhere along the line. Others more plausibly suggest that the forty-year count started at a time previous to David’s formal ascent to the throne, perhaps the first time David was anointed by Samuel.
David must have been overjoyed to hear that Absalom would “serve the Lord.” It’s always a question about how well kings knew their children during biblical times. Kings were busy. The rearing of the king’s children would fall to others, mostly to the mothers. As we go through Old Testament history, it will be enlightening to note what Scripture has to tell us about the mothers of kings. If David had serious concerns about Absalom’s spiritual condition, Absalom’s announcement of paying a vow to God must have given David great joy.
It was all a ruse. Absalom had sent spies through the land to judge the sentiment of the people. Feeling he had enough support, Absalom makes the announcement that he is king.
Why would the people turn against David? There are Psalms in which David confesses his understanding that he must rule God’s people righteously. What real complaint could the people have against him? David had his faults for he was sinful, guilty of serious, public sin. However, he certainly did not oppress the people and he had delivered Israel from her enemies. Did the younger people in the kingdom not know what life was like in Israel at the end of Saul’s reign? Those who hated David hated him for what he was: a man who greatly feared his heavenly Father. They represent those who would reject Christ and demand His crucifixion. They could recognize in carnal Absalom a spiritual brother.
Though many of the people had turned against David, David still shows his love for his subjects. He will not subject Jerusalem to a siege or battle at the hands of those who would fight for Absalom. He prefers to leave the comforts of the palace and suffer the hardships of a life in the wilderness rather than see the people of Jerusalem suffer.
David mourned as he left Jerusalem. He was penitent. David “had his head covered, and he went barefoot.” The faithful men with David followed his example. As a result of David’s sin with Bathsheba, God had said that the sword would not depart from David’s house. David knew his present troubles were a consequence of his sins of adultery and murder. He had the assurance of forgiveness because of his faith in the perfect sacrifice of the coming Son of David but forgiveness does not mean a life free from sin’s consequences. God rewards men according to their works (Matt. 16:27)
David now hears that Ahithophel has joined the conspiracy. Ahithophel was David’s trusted friend. David worshipped with him and shared meals with him. David needed and respected his good advice. Why had Ahithophel now joined Absalom? Ahithophel had a son named Eliam. We know from Scripture that Bathsheba is the daughter of one named Eliam. If Bathsheba’s father is the same Eliam as Ahithophel’s son, Bathsheba is Ahithophel’s granddaughter. Ahithophel may have been disgusted with David for what he did to Bathsheba.
Upon hearing the news, David prays that God would “turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.” This is the proper way of handling the threat Ahithophel poses: prayer. God is able to turn the hearts of men. Another counsellor, Hushai, soon appears before David. He is willing to go with David. David, however, tells Hushai to return to Jerusalem to defeat Ahithophel’s advice. Hushai and Ahithophel will engage in mental combat. There will be subtilty and deceit involved. Rather than descend into deceit, David should have trusted that the God who hears the prayers of His people would grant his request regarding Ahithophel.
Hushai will be in the palace to “advise” Absalom. He will know of the developments in Jerusalem. Hushai can pass the news to Ahimaaz and Jonathan, sons of the priests, who can go to David bringing their reports.
Difficult days are ahead for David but God will be faithful to His servant.
