Lion, Lamb, & Lord: The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ

New Creation

July 4, 2021 • Ben Kimmell • Revelation 21—22

In these last two chapters of the Bible, God reveals what he has been planning and orchestrating down through the long and tearful history of the world. It is a symbolic depiction of a realty so breathtaking that John yet again strains at the limits of language to try to capture it all. The new heavens, the new earth, the new Jerusalem... new creation. As we conclude our Revelation series Pastor Ben hopes that God will use this stunning depiction of the new creation to inspire God's people to stand fast in our faith. That we will be emboldened to resist spiritual compromise with the world. That we will be captivated by a vision that is so spectacular that we will refuse to settle for less than God’s future for our lives, our families, and God’s church.

The Defeat of the Dragon and the Destruction of Evil

June 27, 2021 • Ben Kimmell • Revelation 20:1–15

In this message, Pastor Ben explains that Rev. 20 was not written to divide Christians. It was written to inform and edify God’s people with the sacred truth that Satan will be decisively defeated, and that justice will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Revelation 20 reminds us that judgment is coming. Every impure and defiling influence in this world will be consigned to an eternal flame that will never be quenched. Given the reality of coming, irreversible and eternal judgment, Pastor Ben urges all people to repent of sin, trust in Christ, receive His forgiveness, and be remade by the Spirit forever.

The Last Battle

June 13, 2021 • Ben Kimmell • Revelation 19:11–21

The second half of Revelation 19 marks a major turn in the story. It is the story of the return of Jesus in power and in glory to decisively defeat His enemies at the last battle. In this message Pastor Ben wants us to see how this text provides a description of Christ as the Warrior King who will, one day, vindicate His people and eradicate all evil. And because we can trust in the justice of God and the power of Christ to accomplish this, we can rest confidently, securely in the knowledge that every sin, every evil action and every evil doer will be confronted and condemned by Jesus in the end. Evil will not have the last word. Jesus is coming, and justice is coming with Him. We can rest in the sovereignty of King Jesus over this sinful and painful and often predatory world.

The Moment We've All Been Waiting For

June 6, 2021 • Ben Kimmell • Revelation 19:1–10

Revelation 19 gives us an early glimpse of what we’ve all been waiting for. It is a glimpse of the consummation of all things. These verses declare God’s eternal glory in both His ultimate judgment on evil Babylon as well as Christ’s marriage to His heavenly bride. This is the first glimpse of what God has been planning and performing down through human history, the marriage of Christ to His people, the union of heaven and earth, and the renewal of all things. In this message, Pastor Ben aims to cultivate in God’s people at Calvary a life-changing longing for the consummation of His kingdom. And we will see how the Lord’s Supper is a foretaste of an eternal feast. The goal of this message is to create in God's people a longing that will lead us to kingdom labor and steadfast endurance.

The Beauty, the Beast, & the Bride - Part 1

May 23, 2021 • Ben Kimmell • Revelation 17:1—19:10

From chapter 17 through the end of the book really is the original tale of two cities. Babylon represents 1st century Rome in all its excess, its idolatry, its inhumanity over the entire known world. This vision of Babylon’s destruction was meant to challenge Christians to see through the superficial allurement of Roman propaganda and perceive the horrendous spiritual reality at the core of godless Babylonian culture. In this message, Pastor Ben pleads for Christian people to see through the lies we are being told in our culture, and for Calvary Christians to separate themselves from Babylon by meditating on five core themes of this shocking vision of coming judgment on godless culture.

Joy in the Judgement of God

May 2, 2021 • Ben Kimmell • Revelation 15:1—16:21

In Revelation 15 & 16 the adoration of the martyrs and their affirmation of God’s justice in the bowl judgments encouraged suffering Christians to stand fast in their allegiance to Christ lest they be shamefully exposed as hypocrites on His return. In today's message, Pastor Ben aims to encourage Calvary Christians to stand fast in their allegiance to God despite the temptations and seductions of this world. But the irrevocable wrath of God is also an urgent call to unbelievers to repent of sin, trust in Christ, and be saved forever.

Hell & the Justice of God

April 11, 2021 • Ben Kimmell • Revelation 14:1–20

Revelation 14 sets the stage for the coming contrast between the destiny of the wicked city of Babylon and the heavenly city…the New Jerusalem. In this message, Pastor Ben explains that what we see in chapter 14 is both encouraging and challenging. It is both thrilling and also frightening. It raises deep questions about God’s justice and human destiny. And it is meant to encourage God's struggling church that every wrong will, one day, be made right. In the meantime, God calls His people to endure hardship, witness faithfully, and persevere even unto death. May the message of Rev. 14 cause God's people to pray passionately for the lost, and witness urgently to the world around us.

Battling the Beasts

March 14, 2021 • Ben Kimmell • Revelation 13:1—14:5

Picking up on the war that closes Revelation 12, chapter 13 describes the war the dragon makes with God’s people in more detail. He makes war against the woman’s children - those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus - through His two sinister beasts. And these beasts embody two specific forms of power the dragon used, and uses, in his war against God’s people. This chapter, then, is yet another call for the church to stay strong, stand firm, and trust God in the face of deception, coercion, persecution, and even death. In this message, Pastor Ben explains how the dragon uses his power to oppose God’s people and God’s purposes. We must not be ignorant of the devil’s schemes. To be forewarned is to be forearmed so that we can overcome the schemes of the evil one.

Dragon Slayers

March 7, 2021 • Ben Kimmell • Revelation 12

This central passage of Revelation was written to exhort the church to faithful endurance by depicting the deeper dimensions of spiritual warfare in the defeat of the dragon by the death of the Lamb and fidelity of the church. In this message, Pastor Benn challenges God's people to be dragon slayers by meditating on three central figures of the text.

Natural Disasters, Demonic Nightmares, and the Dominion of Our God

February 28, 2021 • Ben Kimmell • Revelation 8:6—11:19

The central idea of Rev. 8-11 is that the trumpets declare the consummation of God’s kingdom in the midst of the darkness of the world and through the witness of the church. In this message, Pastor Ben aims to call unbelievers who are not following Jesus to urgent and utter repentance from sin and to saving faith in Christ. Revelation 8-11 is a call for repentance, but it is also a call for the church to witness faithfully and sacrificially with our whole lives. Pastor Ben issues an urgent call to the church to embody her mandate to be the instruments that God uses to call the world to repentance.

The Sovereignty of the Lamb over the Suffering of the World

February 21, 2021 • Ben Kimmell • Revelation 6:1—8:5

The central idea being driven by the vision of the seals in Revelation is the sovereignty of the Lamb over the suffering of the world along with the security of believers. The vision of the seals was intended to give struggling believers in first-century Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) confidence in Christ's gospel despite the suffering that they endure in a broken and chaotic world. In this message, Pastor Ben presents the vision of the seals as a call to Calvary Christians to witness fearlessly to this world with unshakeable confidence both in God’s sovereignty and the believer’s security.

The Manifold Majesty of God

February 14, 2021 • Ben Kimmell • Revelation 4—5

The throne-room scene of Revelation 4 & 5 declares the manifold majesty of God as sovereign creator and the Lamb of God as the worthy redeemer who will execute God’s will and judgments on the world. In this message, Pastor Ben calls the church to breathtaking wonder as well as fearless, God-glorifying worship in light of the glory unveiled in these chapters. May the manifold majesty of God overwhelm our fears, renew our affections, and restore our resolve to live this gospel out no matter the cost.

The Command from Christ for the Church to Conquer

February 7, 2021 • Ben Kimmell • Revelation 2—3

The letters from Jesus to the seven churches of Asia call the churches to conquer through faithful witness to the gospel and by rejecting all forms of compromise. In this message, Pastor Ben challenges Calvary to conquer the powers of evil in this world and resist compromise in Christ's church by contemplating three vital themes of Christ letters to the seven churches.

A Devastating Vision of the Death-Defying King

January 31, 2021 • Ben Kimmell • Revelation 1:9–20

What we have here is a vision that is so terrifying but also awe-inspiring, that those who receive it are intended to be struck dumb with fear or infused with courage to stand fast against the tides of earthly evil even to the point of death. In this vision, the death-defeating Cosmic King commissions John to write prophetically to the seven churches of Asia Minor with a message of judgment and comfort. In this message, Pastor Ben summons the church to unrivaled allegiance to the Cosmic King by contemplating two central themes of this breathtaking inaugural vision.

Greetings from the Triune God

January 24, 2021 • Ben Kimmell • Revelation 1:4–8

John conveys gospel greeting to the churches from the Triune God who sends this letter. In this message, Pastor Ben attempts to set the foundation for unyielding obedience to this prophecy in the unparalleled majesty of the Triune God by contemplating 5 central themes of the remaining introduction.

Calvary Baptist Church | Perry, FL

The Book of Revelation