The Upside Down Kingdom

2. WELL KNOWN PASTORAL FIGURE
“In Revelation, Jesus is a pride-fighter with a tattoo
down His leg, a sword in His hand and the
commitment to make someone bleed.
That is the guy I can worship. I cannot
worship the hippie, diaper, halo Christ
because I cannot worship a guy I can beat up.”

3. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER…
#1
How does God practice warfare &
how does He bring about judgment
in the book of Revelation?

4. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER…
#1
How does God practice warfare &
how does He bring about judgment
in the book of Revelation?
#2
What is John trying to say about Jesus
& does that connect w/Jesus in the gospels?

5. IMAGES TO KEEP IN MIND
#1
Babylon = Evil empires of the world
#2
Beast = Ferocious violence of the empires
#3
Prostitute = Immorality/idolatry of the empires

6. IMAGES TO KEEP IN MIND
#1
Babylon = Evil empires of the world
#2
Beast = Ferocious violence of the empires
#3
Prostitute = Immorality/idolatry of the empires

7. Is the dragon going to crush
the humble little Jesus movement?
Do the powers of the world
defeat the power of the cross?
Does death = defeat for God’s people?

8. DRAGON = deception (crucifixion = death)

9. DRAGON = deception (crucifixion = death)
CRUCIFIED LAMB = truth (death = victory!)

10. Revelation 5
Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated
on
the throne a scroll written within and on the back,
sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel
proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open
the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven
or on earth or
under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look
into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one
was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

11. Revelation 5
And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more;
behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of
David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll
and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the
four living creatures and among the elders I saw a
Lamb standing,
as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with
seven eyes, which are the seven-fold spirit of God
sent out
into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll

12. Revelation 5
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and open its seals,
because you were slain and by your blood you
ransomed
people for God from every tribe and language and
people and nation, and you have made them a
kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign
on the earth.”

13. WHAT DOES ALL THIS TELL US?!
#1
The Lord is a LION who fights like a LAMB

15. Revelation 7:4 – What John Hears
…144,000 from all the tribes of Israel…
*Culturally assumed to be a violent army that would
join
the Messiah in forcibly destroying Israel’s enemies &
reestablishing Israel as a sovereign nation

16. Revelation 7:4 – What John Hears
…144,000 from all the tribes of Israel…
*Culturally assumed to be a violent army that would
join
the Messiah in forcibly destroying Israel’s enemies &
reestablishing Israel as a sovereign nation
John HEARS a “Babylon” thing,
but SEES a “Calvary” thing,
& what he SEES turns what he HEARD
upside down & transforms its meaning

17. Revelation 7:9 – What John Sees
…a great multitude…from every nation, tribe…
*Encouragement from God that this small, isolated
band of Christ-followers is part of something
far greater than they can currently imagine

18. Revelation 7:9 – What John Sees
…a great multitude…from every nation, tribe…
*Encouragement from God that this small, isolated
band of Christ-followers is part of something
far greater than they can currently imagine
*Their palm branches represent battle & victory
through worshipping the Lamb & confronting
the powers of the Beast

19. Revelation 14:3-4
And they sang a new song before the throne
and before the four living creatures and the elders.
No one could learn the song except the 144,000
who had been redeemed from the earth. These are
those who did not defile themselves with women,
for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb
wherever He goes.

20. Revelation 14:3-4
And they sang a new song before the throne
and before the four living creatures and the elders.
No one could learn the song except the 144,000
who had been redeemed from the earth. These are
those who did not defile themselves with women,
for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb
wherever He goes.
Only those who follow LAMB power can learn
& sing this song; Babylon power CAN’T teach it to you!

21. Revelation 7:14
These are they who have come out of the
great tribulation; they have washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the lamb.
To have blood splattered on you in battle
made you ceremonially unclean; had to be washed;
these folks aren’t washing their enemy’s blood OFF,
they’re washing their captain’s blood ON!

22. Revelation 12:11
They triumphed over (Satan) by the blood
of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much as to
shrink from death.

23. Revelation 12:11
They triumphed over (Satan) by the blood
of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much as to
shrink from death.
VICTORY in the Kingdom comes from our
willingness to FIGHT like the LAMB;
what LOOKS like death/defeat in BABYLON eyes
is seen to be life/victory in the KINGDOM

24. WHAT DOES ALL THIS TELL US?!
#1
The Lord is a LION who fights like a LAMB
#2
The Lamb’s PEOPLE need to fight as HE does

26. Revelation 19:11-16
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white
horse!
The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes
are
like a flame of fire, and on his head are many
diadems,
and he has a name written that no one knows but
himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and
the name

27. Revelation 19:11-16
From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to
strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a
rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of
the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his
thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord
of lords. This King slays LIES, not PEOPLE;
he already allowed HIMSELF
to be SLAIN BY the people!

29. Revelation 14:14-20
Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated
on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden
crown
on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. And
another angel came out of the temple, calling with a
loud voice
to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and
reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of
the earth is fully ripe.” So he who sat on the cloud
swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was

30. Revelation 14:14-20
Then another angel came out of the temple in
heaven,
and he too had a sharp sickle. And another angel
came
out from the altar, the angel who has authority over
the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one
who had
the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the
clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are
ripe.”

31. Revelation 14:14-20
And the winepress was trodden outside the city,
and blood flowed from the winepress,
as high as a horse's bridle (about 5ft deep)
for 1,600 stadia. (about 185mi)

32. Revelation 14:14-20
And the winepress was trodden outside the city,
and blood flowed from the winepress,
as high as a horse's bridle (about 5ft deep)
for 1,600 stadia. (about 185mi)
What does this passage
IN CONJUNCTION WITH the rest of the book
tell us about God’s judgment?

33. Revelation 16:6
You are just in these judgments, O Holy One,
You who are and who were; for they have
shed the blood of Your holy people and
Your prophets, and you have given them
blood to drink as they deserve.

34. Revelation 16:6
You are just in these judgments, O Holy One,
You who are and who were; for they have
shed the blood of Your holy people and
Your prophets, and you have given them
blood to drink as they deserve.
The JUDGMENT of God
comes in the DRINKING of the grapes’ blood,
not from the SQUISHING of it!

35. Revelation 14:9-10
If anyone worships the beast and its image and
receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand,
they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has
been poured full strength into the cup of His wrath.
The JUDGMENT of God
comes in the DRINKING of the grapes’ blood,
not from the SQUISHING of it!

36. Revelation 14:14-20
And the winepress was trodden outside the city,
and blood flowed from the winepress,
as high as a horse's bridle (about 5ft deep)
for 1,600 stadia. (about 185mi)
The blood from the winepress is that
of the MARTYRS (witnesses);
they don’t overcome by KILLING their enemies,
but by being willing to DIE for/like the Lamb;

37. Revelation 14:14-20
And the winepress was trodden outside the city,
and blood flowed from the winepress,
as high as a horse's bridle (about 5ft deep)
for 1,600 stadia. (about 185mi)
The blood from the winepress is that
of the MARTYRS (witnesses);
they don’t overcome by KILLING their enemies,
but by being willing to DIE for/like the Lamb;

38. DRINKING BLOOD…
In Revelation this is shown as the
judgment of God due to sin
It’s also shown as something God’s enemies
want to do! They’re not made to, but choose to

39. Revelation 17:6
I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood
of God’s holy people, the blood of those who
bore the testimony of Jesus.
The prostitute is DRINKING blood,
which becomes the very JUDGMENT against her;
her sin collapses back onto itself and destroys her;
God’s judgment is a matter of the inherent
destructive power of sin coming back onto us

40. Psalm 7:14-16
Those who are pregnant with evil conceive trouble
and give birth to disillusionment. Those who dig a
hole
and scoop it out fall into the pit they have made.
The trouble they cause recoils on them;
their violence comes down on their own heads.

41. Ezekiel 29:18
I made a fire come of you (Satan)
and it consumed you.
God calls the very CHARACTER of Satan out,
and that fire CONSUMES him, so he
ends up SELF-DESTRUCTING…
This is EXACTLY what happens on CALVARY!

42. WHAT DOES ALL THIS TELL US?!
#1
The Lord is a LION who fights like a LAMB
#2
The Lord’s PEOPLE need to fight the same
#w3a y
God will be FAITHFUL to work out judgment
& He ALONE has the power to RESCUE from it