Sunday, March 17, 2024

"Prayers and Trumpets" Sermon: Revelation 8:1-13 (video)

 

"Prayers and Trumpets" Sermon: Revelation 8:1-13 (video) (youtube.com)


"Prayers and Trumpets" Sermon: Revelation 8:1-13 (manuscript)

 

Prayers and Trumpets

Revelation 8:1-13

March 17. 2024 YouTube

          In chapter seven of the book of Revelation, there is a rest or an interlude, between the opening of the sixth and seventh seals.  During this pause, we saw that the Church from the Garden through the Great Tribulation is at war with evil, and, as the followers of Jesus, we suffer tribulation, suffering, of various kinds and degrees until Jesus returns.  The Church is the Church militant – fighting against the evil in the world until Jesus returns.  When He does return, His Wrath is against the wicked, and He makes the Church, the Church Triumphant – the Church Victorious – through the Work of Jesus – glorified and brought into the restored Creation.

          Remember this is a book of hope and comfort.  Despite the truth that there will be suffering for believers on the earth now, we will be delivered into the Kingdom of Jesus where there will never be suffering again.

          We open chapter eight in silence.

          “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”

          Silence is normally associated with judgement.

          We saw what the Church is now – fighting against evil in the world, and we saw what the Church will be in the restored Creation – glorified in the Kingdom with Jesus. We will soon see the judgement of God on the wicked of the earth.  Not the final judgement, but the judgement that comes as the Church fights against evil in the Name of Jesus.

          And we notice that the seventh seal of the scroll is the first trumpet.  And, Lord willing, we will see that the seventh trumpet is the first woe. There is an overlapping of what is being said in these images.

          But first, John sees what happens when the saints pray – when believers – the Church – prays.

“Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.”

We have seen that the number seven signifies perfection and completion.  What does it mean here? Perhaps seven angels and seven trumpets. 

Who are the seven angels?  We don’t know for sure, but there is a distinction here between these angels and the other angels.  These may be archangels. Only two archangels are named in the Bible:  Michael and Gabriel.

Trumpets are most often understood to signify the call to war against the wicked.

“And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.”

We will remember we are told in Revelation 5, “And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” (Revelation 5:8, ESV).

Another angel, not one of the seven, is given a censer – a device to burn incense – we may be familiar with the censor used in the Roman Catholic Church in which incense is burned. And the smoke of the burning incense is or symbolizes the prayers of the people.  The prayers of the people have a pleasant smell and God receives them – symbolically – through His nose.

Quickly, we should ask ourselves, what does prayer do?  Why does God care if we pray?  Does prayer inform God of something He doesn’t know?  No, if God is Sovereign, our prayer do not inform God of anything, nor do they cause God to do anything. So, what is the point of praying?

We pray so we will become more alike with the Mind and Will of God. And somehow, God uses our prayers to carry out His Eternal decrees.  Prayer is the means by which God accomplishes His Purpose on earth. The incense of our prayers is pleasing to God as we pray what God wants for us and the world.

Do you pray? Do you thank God for Who He is and what He has done for you? Do you pray that you would be kept from sin and empowered to do all that God requires of you? Do you pray for those you love and for those you hate? Consider what prayer is for, and please God.

As another angel comes before God and burns the incense, which is the prayers of the saints, God receives those prayers as a sweet smell and God brings them to pass as He has willed.  If we pray righteously, God will be delighted in our prayer and answer what we have prayed – which is according to His Will.

This other angel is either Christ or a representative of Christ who is given the right to burn the incense before God. However, we require intercession between our prayer and God – especially when we don’t know how or what to pray.

If we want to pray and we know we should pray, but we don’t have the right words to pray, the Holy Spirit will assist us and make our payers clear and acceptable to God.  Paul writes, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27, ESV).

Let us notice that the angel does not act until the saints pray.  The angel waits for the prayers of the saints before he presents the incense – which are the prayers of the saints – to God.  And that may sound obvious – the angel doesn‘t present our prays to God until we pray.  But it does show that God uses our prayers to accomplish His Will.  Not that God cannot act without our praying, but God chooses to act and accomplish His Will as we pray for what He wants.

When we pray for the overthrow of the wicked, God will overthrow the wicked according to the plan He has forever planned.  And so, we read:

Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.”

This is the warning of the Wrath of God against the wicked.  It is the warning that God is a Holy God and will not tolerate sin in His Presence.  It must be done away with.  It cannot stand.

The imagery John is seeing is what was seen in the history of the people of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.  When they arrived at Mount Sinai for Moses to receive the Ten Commandments, we read:

“On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up” (Exodus 19:16-20, ESV).

As “the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.”

          The angel took the censer that gave forth the aroma of the prayers of the saints and cast down fire from the altar of incense causing a reaction like that on Mount Sinai when God came down upon it to tell the wicked that God is coming with power and wrath against the wicked.  The Church of God will be brought into the Glory of God, but the wicked will suffer at the Hand of God.  The prayers of the saints will turn the world upside down, and God will hear them as they ask for what He desires, and He will bring it to pass.

          It has begun and will continue until the lats day.  As we read, “And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, ‘These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus’” (Acts 17:6-7, ESV).

“Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.”

          “The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.”

          This parallels the seventh plague brought down upon the Egyptians.

“Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail” (Exodus 9:23-26, ESV).

“The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.”

Of the first plague, we read:

“Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt (Exodus 7:20-21, ESV).”

“The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.”

The name, “Wormwood,” is interpreted as “bitter,” and here it is of such a bitterness that it is poisonous.  Jeremiah gives God’s threat of this: “Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed this people with bitter food, and give them poisonous water to drink” (Jeremiah 9:15, ESV).

It can also be associated with the first plague of Egypt when the Nile was poisoned with dead fish and blood.

“The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.”

Of the ninth plague we read:

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.’ So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived” (Exodus 10:21-23, ESV).

          Just as Israel who lived in Goshen in Egypt were spared from the plagues that God brought upon Egypt, God allows us – along with the wicked – to hear the warnings of the trumpets, but God allows us to go on through His patience and the Work of His Son – the Gospel.  Our great prayer is for the coming of the Kingdom – that we – through the Holy Spirit – will be victorious over the world and its evil – and we will according to the promise of God.

          “Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, ‘Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!’”

          The word “eagle” can be translated “vulture.” He flew directly overhead – viewing those who die as the trumpets are blown.  They become carrion – food for the eagle.

          We will remember that emphasis is shown through repetition – three times being the greatest emphasis.  So, the woes about to befall the wicked are the worst that can be imagined.

          Remember this is a book of comfort and hope for the Christians suffering persecution at the time John was writing and throughout all time and space until Jesus returns.  What we see is that God hears our prayer and causes us to become more like Him in heart and mind and will through them.  God works through our prayers to carry out His Will for us and against the wicked – those who never believe in Jesus savingly.

          As Christians suffered and suffer at the hands of the wicked, God tells John and us, that the Church will be delivered into Glory, and the wicked will suffer a horrible judgment beyond comprehension.

          Let us pray:

          Almighty God, comfort us that You will deliver us in these days as You delivered Israel from Egypt and through the Sinai. Strengthen the hope You assure us of – that You are bringing all of Your people into the fulness of the Kingdom – though we will suffer for Christ’s sake to one degree or another.  Help us to pray that we would be more like You.  Help us not to fear but to be in awe of the horror You will bring against the wicked.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

"Militant and Triumphant" Sermon: Revelation 7:1-17 (video)

 "Militant and Triumphant" Sermon: Revelation 7:1-17 (video) (youtube.com)


"Militant and Triumphant" Sermon: Revelation 7:1-17 (manuscript)

 

“Militant and Triumphant”

Revelation 7:1-17

March 10, 2024 YouTube

          Between Jesus opening the sixth and seventh seal, we have the interlude of chapter seven of the book of Revelation in which we are given a picture of the Church militant (during the tribulation) and the Church triumphant (in the Kingdom.)

          We begin with the description of the Church militant – during the tribulation.

          “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree.

          The number four symbolizes order, stability, and the perfection of Creation. We see there are four Gospels, four angels (here), the four corners of the earth, the four winds of the earth – the perfect completion – the entirety of the earth, the entirety of the wind, the perfect perfection and knowledge of the Gospels – the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The four angels are keeping the wind from blowing on the earth. They are holding back the full Judgment of God.  It is not time for the full Wrath of God to descend upon those who never believe savingly in Jesus.  They are told to wait.  Don’t do anything until God says to.

“Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, ‘Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’

This other angel is Jesus.  He is the Sovereign Who has the seal of the living God on Him, Who has Sovereign Authority over all of the angels. The four angels are told to wait until all of the servants of God have been sealed with the seal of God on their foreheads.

What is the seal of God?

Jesus tells John that the number of the sealed, who, apparently, will escape God’s Wrath is 144,000.  What about those who believe savingly in Jesus after the 144,000 believe? The Jehovah’s Witnesses take this number literally and find other places than the Kingdom to store all of those who believe after the first 144,000.

What is John told?

“And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

          12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,

          12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,

          12,000 from the tribe of Gad,

          12,000 from the tribe of Asher,

          12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,

          12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,

          12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,

          12,000 from the tribe of Levi,

          12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,

          12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,

          12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,

          12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.”

          The first thing to notice is that the tribes listed are not the twelve tribes of Israel.  A few of them have been changed out with the names of relatives of the original persons who made up the actual twelve tribes of Israel.  There are reasons for why this is, but we will not get into that this morning.

          Instead, let us think about the numbers 144,000 and 12,000.

          We will remember in chapter four we saw John records there being twenty-four thrones around the throne of God, and we determined that the twenty-four thrones are symbolic of the twelve sons of Abraham – the twelve tribes of Israel –  plus the twenty apostles. Twelve plus twelve equals twenty-four.

          If we multiplied the two twelves instead, we get 144.

          There is one more step here to understand: this section is about the Church militant – the Church fighting against the wicked during the tribulation.  What we need to know is – at that time – a military unit consisted of 1,000 men.

          144 times 1,000 equals 144,000. 

          Take a moment and let that sink in.

          The people of John’s day would understand this.  The Jehovah’s Witnesses, and any who take this number literally, are wrong.  Taking the number 144,000 literally just makes no sense. That would be to say there are only 144,000 people saved by the work of Jesus. No, they would have understood that Jesus was confirming what Paul wrote: 

“But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’ This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring” (Romans 9:6-8, ESV).

The believers of national Israel and the believers of the New Testament make up the Israel of God. This is the fulness of God’s covenant people.  The 144,000 are symbolic of all the true believers who will fight during the tribulation for the truth of the Gospel – those who have been sealed by God. And, as Paul writes to Timothy, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (II Timothy 3:12-13, ESV).

What does it mean to be sealed?

Hear what Paul tells the Ephesians:  

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30, ESV).

Believers are sealed on the head by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit – not a physical seal, but a spiritual seal given by – and of – the Holy Spirit.  As Ezekiel records:

“Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writing case at his waist. And the LORD said to him, ‘Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” (Ezekiel 9:3.4 ESV).

          In biblical symbolism, it is the place of authority and power.  Believers are symbolically sealed on the head with and of the Holy Spirit so we can understand the Word of God and so we have the authority and power to carry it out.

          All those who are sealed by the Holy Spirit have security of not losing the salvation God has given us.  We have the identification of being Christians because we suffer for Jesus.  We have the authority We have the confirmation that we will receive our inheritance.

Peter writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (I Peter 1:3-5, ESV).

          The Church militant is every believer throughout time and space who fights against the wicked during the tribulation and to its great end.  All of these believers will witness salvation only in Jesus, against the wicked who never believe.  And every believer will suffer persecution.

          All we who been sealed and empowered by the Holy Spirit will fight and be persecuted to one degree of another. Yet, we have the sure promise of victory in Jesus because He Alone is salvation.

          Now, John sees the Church Triumphant.

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

It is not 144,000 that John sees now, but a great multitude that no one can number standing before the throne and the Lamb.  And, as we came to understand, the 144,000 are more than national Israel, but all those who believe in Jesus for salvation from the beginning until Jesus brings the Kingdom in all its fullness and brings in the Church triumphant.

This is the promise given to Abraham:

“And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, ‘By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:15-18, ESV).

The Church militant becomes the Church triumphant through Jesus by the Holy Spirit from every nation, people, tribe, and language.  There will be people of every type throughout time and space in the Church triumphant – in the Kingdom of God.  There is no type of person in all of time and space that will not be present in the Church triumphant.

And they are wearing white robes – they have been purified by God.  And they wave palm branches – the symbol of victory.

“and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,  saying, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.’”

They cry out that salvation is the work and the gift of God and the Lamb. Not even our bearing witness during the war from the beginning of the tribulation to its great end merits anything.  Just as God brought Israel through the wilderness, God has brough all of His people through the wilderness – through the entire journey of His people – into the Kingdom, where God has made the Church triumphant. He has brought us into His Glory which is living in the presence of Jesus.

And what is the only thing that makes sense to do when you are in the presence of God and the Lamb? The angels fall on their faces, the elders fall on their faces, the four living creatures fall on their faces, and you and I fall on our faces, because all of Creation – including all believers – are overwhelmed with being in the presences of the Almighty God.

And we all cry out the praise of His Attributes, affirming, Amen and Amen – it is now and forever will be. “’Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.’”

          “Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’”

          Does this sound familiar?

          The fifth seal:

“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth’ Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been” (Revelation 6:9-11, ESV).

          What are we told in addition to what was revealed in the fifth seal?

          The white robes are washed by the believers in the Blood of the Lamb.  Although salvation is wholly of Jesus Alone, until we are received into the Church victorious – the Kingdom – we have sins to confess that can only be forgiven through the Blood of the Lamb.

          “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

          These words are similar to a reading later in the book of Revelation that is often read at a funeral. This is how things will be in the Kingdom in all its fullness. This is Heaven on earth.  This is the Church victorious bought and sealed by the Lamb and the Holy Spirit.

          What ought we take from the vision of the Church militant and the Church triumphant?

          From the promise of God to Eve after the first sin to the last day and the return of Christ, the Church will be as war with evil and the wickedness of the world. As soldiers and witnesses to the salvation spoken and sealed in us by the Holy Spirit, we are to proclaim the Gospel of salvation in Jesus Alone, no matter what happens to us.

          As we look forward with the hope we are sealed and destined for the Kingdom, we ought to find ourselves excited, looking forward to the day when all will be restored, washed in the Blood of the Lamb.

          Now there is persecution with the knowledge that we are forever sealed for Jesus’ sake.

          After the tribulation is over – from now until then – we look forward with ecstatic excitement to the triumph of the Church, being brought into the fullness of the Kingdom, and the Glory of God forever.

          Let us pray:

          Almighty God, keep us from despairing and being frightened as we go through these militant days – as we proclaim the truth of the Gospel to the Glory of God and in line with the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation. Keep us set upon the work of the Triune God Who brings us into triumph and is worthy of all glory.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

"Persecuted" Sermon: Revelation 6:9-17 (video)

 https://www.youtube.com/live/xJx3PnJkj9c


"Persecuted" Sermon: Revelation 6:9-17 (manuscript)

 

“Persecution”

Revelation 6:9-17

February 25, 2024 YouTube

          We saw last time that a scroll with seven seals is presented, and the call went out for someone to open the seals of the scroll, but there was no one on heaven or on earth or under the earth that was worthy to open the seals of the scroll – except for the Lion of Judah Who is the slain Lamb, resurrected.  The Lamb took on Himself the sin of His people, was slaughtered and died, and then rose from the dead and ascended to the Right Hand of His Father in Heaven

The Lamb was worthy by His life, death, resurrection, and ascension to open the seven seals on the scroll, and we saw that the first four seals were the four horsemen.  The first horsemen – on the white horse – is Jesus – the Sovereign God and Lord and Savior Who brings all thing to pass according to His will.  The other three horsemen went out in obedience to the first horsemen. The red horse brought persecution to the Church.  The black horse brough extreme poverty, and the pale horse was allowed to kill twenty-five percent of the world with sword, pestilence, famine, and with wild beasts.

          This morning, we look at the fifth and sixth seals.

“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.”

When Jesus opens the fifth seal, John sees all the souls of the people who had been slain – literally, butchered – for professing the Word of God and for witnessing to the Word of God.  These are the believers throughout time and space who were put to death for believing that Jesus is God the Savior and that all the Word of God is true, and for witnessing to it – for saying that it is all true and being willing to die for that belief – to become martyrs.

That’s fairly straight forward, but why were they under the altar?

The reader – or hearer – of this text would think of the burnt offerings prescribed in the book of Leviticus.  In one telling of the requirements of the burnt offering, we read, “Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering” (Leviticus 4:25, ESV).

When the burnt offering was made, the animal being offered would be cut up and its blood drained into a basin.  The flesh and bones of the animals would be burnt up – symbolizing total dedication to God and repentance for sin.  Likewise, the blood was placed on the horns of the altar – symbolizing safety and strength, and the rest of the blood would be poured out at the base of the altar symbolizing the necessity of blood to free a person from the debt of sin.

Paul uses this imagery when he writes, “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all” (Philippians 2:17, ESV).

Again, Paul writes, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (II Timothy 4:6-8, ESV).

Yet, we know that the blood of animals – and even those who die for believing the Word of God and the Savior – that is not enough to pay the debt for our sin.

“For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.  Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book’” (Hebrews 10:4-7, ESV).

All those who die as Christians – whatever persecution and death they suffer – will be poured out as an offering under the altar – symbolizing their being an acceptable offering to our Lord.

The justified – righteous – believers under the altar – want to know how long.

          “They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.”

          The slaughtered Christians – the saints – under the altar – ask the Holy, True, and Sovereign Lord – how long it will be until He judges and avenges their blood.  Let us be careful: the saints under the altar are not crying out for revenge.  The saints under the altar are not crying out for revenge.  This is important:  the saints under the altar are not crying out for revenge.

          They are asking how long the slaughter of their brothers and sisters will continue, because they want to see the Honor of Christ.  They want to see the Glory of Christ.  They want to see the Justice of Christ.  They want to see the Mercy of Christ.  They want to see the Majesty of Christ.  They want to see the Holiness of Christ.  They want to see the Sovereignty of Christ. They want to see the Righteousness of Christ.  They are not asking Him to right the wrongs done against them – the tribulation they suffered.  Rather, they are asking how long it will be before He reveals His Attributes in all their fullness against the evil in this fallen world.  It is not a matter of the saints seeking vengeance, but of seeing Who God is in all of His fullness.

          After expressing their desire, God dresses them in white robes – indicating that they are justified before God.  God has made them legally sinless before Him – of course, through the work of Jesus. None of us has the right to seek our own vengeance.  We are promised that we will suffer tribulation, but we are justified through Jesus – our sins have been paid for by Jesus, and we have been legally judged through Jesus as justified.

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” (II Timothy 3:12, ESV).

We ought to be aware and humble about suffering persecution for our belief and witness to the Gospel of Jesus and the Word of God. Most of us have it so easy right now.  If we tell others about salvation in Jesus – most of us will get laughed at, or get an angry response, or something like that. But we won’t suffer as so many have throughout Christianity – so many in most of the countries of the world today.  The persecution in America is often churches and ministers who deny the Scripture and try to force us to do the same.  The main-line churches in the United States have largely given up belief in Salvation in Jesus Alone and the truth of all of the Word of God.

          Jesus tells the saints under the altar to be patient – to wait a little longer until the number of the saints – all the saints who have been predestined to be slaughtered for their faith and witness to Jesus – have been brought in as they were. Wait – there is a set number of saints who will be slaughtered and brought under the altar, and then Jesus will reveal Himself in all His Fullness.

What ought we do until every believer has been gathered together?  One commentator suggests: we ought to be informed about the people suffering for Christ throughout the world.  We ought to be empathetic with their suffering.  We ought to pray for them.  We ought to support them.  We ought to go to them. (Joel Beeke).

We have a regular offering envelope in our offering box for missions.  Currently, four of us use them.  You can just put money in which will be sent out to missions.  You may list a specific mission you would like the money sent to.  Our missions giving is small, so we send it out at the end of each year. Receipts and responses are posted on the missions’ board in Freeman Hall.

          When the fifth seal is opened, John sees that beliers will suffer persecution – some even to death – and as the blood was poured at the base of the altar in the burnt sacrifice, so all believers will wait there having been declared legally righteous, and looking forward to the last saint being gathered in and the full attributes of Jesus being revealed to all the world.

          Then Jesus opens the sixth seal, and John sees the judgment of every wrong.

“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.”

With the opening of the sixth seal, there is a great earthquake; there is a Divine visitation. And we have to ask ourselves if these seven aspects of the created order are to be taken literally or if they are part of the symbolism of the book of Revelation.

The first thing to take into account is that seven aspects of the created order are named.  We will remember that seven symbolizes perfection and completion.  There are more than seven aspects of the created order, so the fact that there are seven leads us to conclude that every aspect of Creation – the complete Creation – will be shaken and fall and be disfigured in a negative sense.

Isaiah prophesies, “All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree” (Isaiah 34:4, ESV).

Jesus says, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short” (Matthew 24:21-22, ESV).

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Matthew 24:29, ESV).

What has been described here is made plain in the next section of our text.

“Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’”

What Jesus tells John is seen in the seven aspects of Creation and then is shown in the seven aspects of men and women.  Again, we are to understand that just as the imagery is given of the overthrow – the revolution – of the created order, so every power of men and women and in earth and hell will be overthrown by Jesus.

          From the great and the rich to the generals and the poor – all those who have denied the Gospel – all those who never believe in Jesus as God and Savior – will be confronted with Who Jesus is revealed to them, and they run into caves and mountains – to any place they foolishly believe they can escape God – and they cry out for the mountains and rocks and caves to collapse on them and kill them before Jesus takes out His Wrath upon them – again, foolishly thinking that being killed by the Creation would allow them escape Jesus.  Those who persecuted believers to their death will be confronted with the Face of Jesus, and they will be horrified and plead for death.

          John – and we – are told in the sixth seal – that, though Christians will suffer persecution and tribulation, the day will come when Jesus brings down His Wrath in a cosmic revolution that brings judgement and rights every wrong.

          All we who believe have been saved and made righteous through the work of Jesus – we are gathered under the altar until all of the elect have been received. Those who never believe will be overthrown and eternally damned.

          What ought we do? Let us not be fooled by the riches and power of this world, but keep our eyes focused on the Kingdom – on our being brought into the presence of all the saints and Jesus – waiting for the revolution that restores the Creation and rights every wrong.

          Let us pray:

          Almighty God, we thank You for showing us that though tribulation and persecution will come on every Christian, we will be brought into the fellowship of all believers waiting for the fullness of Your Kingdom.  We thank You for showing us that the wicked will not always be allowed to pursue their sin and persecute Your people.  Help us to care for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering tribulation and give us confidence that You have cut the days short for the elect.  Keep us focused on the promise of our being brought into Your house, no matter what degree of persecution we receive.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.   

Sunday, January 28, 2024

"Who Is is Charge?" Sermon: Revelation 6:1-8 (video)

 "Who Is in Charge?" Sermon: Revelation 6:1-8 (video) (youtube.com)


"Who Is in Charge?" Sermon: Revelation 6:1-8 (manuscript)

 

“Who Is in Charge?”

Revelation 6:1-8

1/28/24 YouTube

As we looked at chapter five of Revelation, we saw John’s vision of the throne of God, the beings around the throne, and the worship that is given to God in Trinity.  The chapter ends with the scene of all of Creation being asked who can open the scroll with the seven seals, and no one is initially found.  Then John sees the Lion of Judah, the root of David, and the slain Lamb, Who is praised as worthy to open the seals of the scroll.

As we begin to look at the opening of the scrolls, it is important – as always – to remember that the book of Revelation is a book written to comfort the Christians of the first century who are suffering horribly for their faith, and all Christians going forward.  Jesus says to the disciples, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, ESV).

          Jesus is Sovereign over the chaos.  What Jesus says gives His people peace.  In this life, believers will suffer for their belief in Jesus – to various degrees – though we ought to be ready for the worst tribulation but hold on to the peace that Jesus gives.  In the midst of the suffering, we will endure for Jesus, we ought to take comfort in knowing that Jesus has overcome the world and the suffering and the chaos that we endure. Paul writes, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” (II Timothy 3:12, ESV).

          As we see the slain Lamb – the Lamb Who shed His blood sacrificing Himself to pay the debt we owe God for our sin – we see the slain and living Lamb open the first four seals. The opening of these seals show us “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” – as they are called together – popularly – and in an attempt to terrify the very people that Jesus said to be at peace and to take comfort – because no matter what horrible thing happens to us – and evil will befall us – Jesus tells us to take comfort – He has triumphed over the world and over the chaos – for us.

          That doesn’t mean everything will be honey and roses.  But it does mean that Jesus is in charge.  The One Who loves everyone who will believe throughout time and space. It does mean, as we will see, Jesus directs and controls the horsemen to carry out His direction.

          Many of us will know some sort of horror story about the four horsemen – like the boogeyman or the headless horseman.  This is something different from those stories.  It is an image that is used elsewhere – as in the book of Zechariah:

“On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying, ‘I saw in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. Then I said, “‘What are these, my lord?’” The angel who talked with me said to me, “‘I will show you what they are’” (Zechariah 1:7-9, ESV).

“Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of bronze. The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses, the third white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—all of them strong” (Zechariah 6:1-3, ESV).

          “Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “’Come!’”

          As the Lamb opens the first of the seals, one of the seraphim speaks with the voice like thunder, calling the first horseman – “Come!”

“And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.”

We will remember that white is the symbol for holiness.  The color of the horse reflects the Rider of the horse.  The rider of the horse is a conqueror Who conquers, and a crown is given to Him. He is given the crown of the winner of the athletic events – even the crown of royalty. These are given to Him.

John tells us who this is later in the book of Revelation:

“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 by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 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” (Revelation 19:11-16, ESV).

As we have noted before, the book of Revelation is a series of cyclical tellings of the same story.  We ought not read the book of Revelation straight through as a linear story.  It is the same story told seven times with different symbols and intensities.

The sons of Korah sing of King David and forshadow the greater David, Jesus, Who was to come and is to come, “In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds! Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you” (Psalm 45:4-5, ESV).

What is Jesus, the Rider on the white horse, doing? 

We ought to note here that each of the riders are given something.  There is something that each rider has to be given to accomplish his task – something that he does not innately have.  In the case of the Rider on the white horse – Jesus – rather being born of normal human generation, He was given to be born by the Holy Spirit, the Son of Mary and the Son of God.  He is given to be both wholly God and wholly human, indwelled by God the Holy Spirit.

Jesus – in His life, death, resurrection, and ascension – conquered sin and death and hell.  He because our Substitute before God as the slain Lamb – Jesus is the Victory, the Conqueror, and He has made all we who believe conquerors with Him.

Jesus rides on through history on behalf of His people.  He is riding through the world and history to spread to Gospel and comfort the Church in the midst of tribulation.  The other horses and their riders are to be seen as part of the promise given to the Church of comfort – and victory – even though there will be tribulation until the return of Jesus.

Jesus is the Rider on the white horse – the King – Who is the Lamb – and gives His people comfort in Him as He leads us through the tribulation to eternity in His conquest.

          Three horses and their horsemen follow Jesus, and Jesus is in charge of them.  We do not need to be afraid of them because we will never be separated from the love of Christ Jesus.

“When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, ’Come!’ And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.”

The second seraphim cries out with a loud voice – Come! – and the second horse and his rider comes forth.

This is a disturbing promise – and it goes against those who teach that once we believe in Jesus we will be healthy, wealthy – and wise – a lie.

This is the persecution of the Church throughout time and space.  And Jesus gives the rider on the red horse permission to slaughter – especially those of the Church – with a great sword.  Why would Jesus allow this?

Jesus told the disciples, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:34-36, ESV).

Jesus promises: “As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

‘Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come’” (Matthew 24:4-14, ESV).

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” (II Timothy 3:12, ESV).

War, bloodshed, and tribulation will come upon all true believers – to one extent or another – to show Who this is Who saves His people for the due punishment of their sins.

The red horse and his rider are symbolic of the tribulation – even to death – that the Church will suffer before Jesus returns – like the tribulation the Church was suffering then and that continues today. But be comforted:  all those who believe savingly in Jesus will come through the tribulation into the Kingdom that is being prepared for us.

“When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ‘Come!’ And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!’”

Again, the third seraphim cries out, “Come!” and the black horse and his rider comes forth. And he has been given a pair of scales.

The scales are not scales of truth or justice. The scales are the scales of inflation that leads to famine. Inflation is when the money you have today buys less than it did yesterday. Here we see that the rider on the black horse has been given permission to cause extreme inflation so what we need to buy today – not luxuries, but necessities – cost many times more than they did yesterday.  This will lead to extreme poverty.

          Here we see that one denarius will buy a quart of wheat, and a denarius will buy three quarts of barley. Yesterday, one denarius bought a quart of wheat flour, and a denarius bought three quarts of barley flour.  Today, the same amount of money will not buy flour, only the grain.  The same amount of money will buy food that is worth less.  Inflation. As it takes more money and more work to buy the necessities of life, you slide into poverty.

          The oil and the wine can only be purchased by the super rich.

          Jesus gives the rider of the black horse the power to cause inflation to the point of famine.  All the things that are necessary for life will be beyond the purchase of many.

          Yet, remember the words of Jesus to the Church in Pergamum, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it” (Revelation 2:17, ESV).

“When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, ‘Come!’ And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.”

          A fourth time, the fourth seraphim cries out, ‘Come!’ A pale horse comes out and the rider’s name is death.  He is given the authority to kill one fourth of the earth – twenty-five percent of the earth.  He is given the authority to kill with the sword, famine, pestilence, and wild bests.

          Why? Why is he given the authority to kill one fourth of the earth?  Why is he given the authority to kill twenty-five percent of the earth?

          We know due to the sin of our first parents, we will all die unless Jesus returns first.  So, why – here and now – are twenty-five percent of the earth given to the rider of the pale horse to kill?

          The answer is that twenty-five present is all Jesus allows the rider of the pale horse to kill.  Remember that Jeus is in charge.  Jesus is always sovereign over all. Jesus is victorious over all. The Lamb Who was slain is our God and King and Savior. He allows some of the Church to be slaughtered.  He allows some of the Church to suffer extreme poverty.  He allows some of the Church to die by sword and famine, and plaque, wild beasts, and natural disasters.

          Even so, we are persevered through the tribulation.

          “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-37, ESV).

          Christians can see the work of the four horsemen more clearly that the rest of the world.

          We understand that all these things are happening under the Sovereignty of the Triune God, and that knowledge should give us a God-centered realism.  God tells us all we need to know for faith and salvation, and we understand that Jesus is in charge.

          Let us pray:

          Almighty God, when we look at the world around us, we can be afraid at the wars and diseases and persecutions we see.  Comfort us in knowing that You are in charge of every molecule in all of Creation.  Help us to read about the four horsemen and see that Christians will suffer until Jesus returns, yet, in His Sovereignty, He draws a line before the horsemen and tells them, “This far and no further.” Everything that occurs comes from the Hand of Him Who loves us – though we will suffer.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.