I Want to be in that Number (Revelation 7:1-17)

From the Series: "Following Jesus in a Hostile World

 

Do you know that song, King of My Heart? It’s a popular Christian contemporary song we sing as churches in our worship sets. You may know the repetitive chorus better: “You’re never gonna’ let, never gonna let me down.” The refrain is repeated several times, almost as if to convince the singer of the truth that God is good and faithful in times of trial and trouble. Yet people struggle to sing this song because this has not been their experience. Some even walk out.

             The troubles of this life do a number on our faith. It’s hard to sing, “God is so good,” when one’s faith is shaky. And when we begin to question our own faith in God, don’t you wonder if you have any faith at all? Can I ultimately trust God to keep me through the troubles of this life? Will I be among those who stand before the throne?   

            Back in Revelation 6 we read of the Lamb opening the six seals and the troubles that emerged. The chapter ended with the question, “Who can stand?” Judgment on a sinful humanity was that bad. It sounded as though no one could emerge from that time of tribulation alive. How can we keep the faith in times like this? Chapter 7 is the answer to the question, “Who can stand?” 

            We read in this chapter of 144,000 being sealed by God. Who are these people and what is this sealing? I want to answer these questions by appealing to the text and scripture.

 

1. Scene One: The Sealing of the 144,000 (7:1-8)

 

If the world is the object of God’s wrath as seen in the seals, trumpets, and bowl judgments, how will Christians survive these last days? Satan, that ancient serpent, and his beasts have been thrown down but they continue to pester us and make life difficult. How will we endure?

            When John says, “After this…” he is not speaking chronologically. He is saying, “Here’s another vision.” John sees four angels standing at the four corners of the earth holding back four winds. The imagery of the four horsemen of ch. 6 reminds us of Zechariah 6:1-8. This suggests that the four winds represent the four horsemen. What happens in this vision takes place before the horsemen (conquest, war, famine, & death) are released. Before these troubles are released, God does something to those called “the servants of God.” What does God do to them?

            God sends an angel with the “seal of the living God” to mark those who belong to him. This angel tells the other four angels to hold back the winds “until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” What is this seal?

            Common practice in the ANE was to mark a slave with a symbol or a name indicating who they belonged to. In chapter 14:1, we read that those marked had the Lamb’s name and his Father’s name on their foreheads. So, the seal indicated ownership. And before the wrath of God is released, the angel marks those who belong to God. 

            There is a story in the OT in Ezekiel 9:3-6 telling of a time of wickedness in Jerusalem. The people were rebelling against God, so God tells a man clothed in linen to take his writing kit and go throughout the city marking the foreheads of those who grieved the sin of their people. Those not marked were then slaughtered. God was judging the people of Jerusalem. Who was saved? Those who repented of sin. God marked the forehead of those who loved the Lord.

            Is this seal in Revelation literal? Or what does it mean? Since the fifth seal reveals that Jesus’ followers will suffer for their faith, it is not physical protection. However, the seal is given to protect the faith and salvation of this group from the suffering and persecution that could squelch their spirits. More than that, the seal empowers the faithful to be witnesses of the Lamb in the great trials. 

            Paul gives us a little more insight into the seal in relation to the Holy Spirit. He wrote that God establishes us in Christ and “…has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee,” (2 Cor. 1:22). More directly, he wrote the Ephesians saying, “In him you also, when you heard the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance…” (Eph. 1:13-14a). Paul tells us that God has put his seal on us and given us his Holy Spirit as a guarantee. Paul and John are writing in different contexts, but the connection is worth noting.

            Conversely, this also gives us a clue to the mark of the beast in Revelation 13:16. It is also placed on the forehead of those who followed the beast, kind of like a parody of God’s seal. Both, I suggest, are images rather than literal, physical marks or a number on your head. Both indicate who you belong to…

            John then says, “And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000…” (4a). Who are these men? The imagery is also OT where the fighting men were numbered and placed in battalions according to their tribes. These look like some kind of spiritual warriors prepared to engage spiritual warfare. 

            If we take the numbers literally, as some do, this number represents a remnant of ethnic Israelites. They would be Christian Jews who emerge in the first century or in the last days. Some even say it represents all Israel coming to faith in Jesus. But let’s consider the symbols John gives us. 

            There were 12 tribes in the OT and 12 apostles in the NT representing the people of God. 12 X 12 X 1000 = the idea of completeness. In Revelation 4 there were 24 elders also representing the people of God before the throne. The New Jerusalem has 12 gates and also represents the whole people of God. It seems to me that once again, John uses an image to speak of a spiritual reality. But why speak of Jewish tribes? How does this include the entirety of the people of God?

            Once again, Paul gives us some clarity. He wrote to the Romans and said, “…no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit…” (Rom. 2:28-29). He later writes in Romans 11 that we are grafted into the olive tree, the people of Israel. (see Rev. 2:9; 3:9). 

 

2. Scene Two: The Celebration of the Great Multitude (7:9-17)

 

We talked about the literary cue that John uses to dramatize these images. Remember, he heard “Lion of Judah” and turned to see “the Lamb that was slain.” He hears of a fearsome and majestic lion and sees a slaughtered Lamb alive.

            Here again, John heard the number, 144,000, and then “After this I looked, and behold a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages…” (9a). He hears one thing and sees something different, yet the reality is the same: the complete people of God.

            Some call this “Replacement Theology” because it sounds like Israel is being set aside. Yet looking at the language John uses in this verse we are reminded of the Abrahamic promise in Genesis 17. What did God promise Abraham? That he would be the father of many nations. And Romans 4 teaches that we are all children of Abraham by faith. So, this is not the replacement of the national people of God but the removal of its national limits. This. Is. The. Promise.

            This scene transports us as readers to the future. Scene one shows us believers being sealed by God as his own. Now in scene two, we see the future of an eternity in God’s presence. We see this great throng of people from every nation, tribe, people, language, standing before the throne praising God. Take a photo of this crowd and use your finger on your phone to zoom in; you will see the individual faces of the people. You and I will be in this crowd.

            What they cry out is a great song. “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”Why are they praising God? Because he preserved them in the great tribulation and protected their faith in the midst of trials by means of the seal he placed on them, the Holy Spirit.

            And I think this is an important distinction to make: It is not our faithfulness that protects us. They sing, “Salvation belongs to our God…” He does it! When we stumble in our endurance and faithfulness, God is consistently faithful to us. When we falter, he does not forget us because he has put his seal on us. We can resist the forces of evil that try to steal our faith by claiming, not our own faithfulness, but the Lamb’s. 

            The meaning of this vision was not so clear to John. One of the elders comes to John and says, “Who are these, clothed in white robes…?” I picture this as a test. An older farmer asks a younger farmer about a field of canola, “Do you know what you are looking at?” The reply, “I don’t know,” sets up the opportunity to impart wisdom. 

            The elder replies, “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,” (14). As Layton remarked last week, the tribulation began at Pentecost. The Greek word is literally “trouble.” It is a word used by John in 1:9 where he says, “I, John, your brother and partner in the trouble…” We can debate whether the trouble will get worse in the very last days, but we can say, “we’re in it.” 

            But these are the people who have resisted the temptation to compromise with the Dragon and with Babylon. They did this by trusting the Lamb in the heat of troubles. The “pestering” of Satan comes in many forms. We think of the tribulation as persecution and martyrdom at times. And that is the central thrust of Revelation: it comes from bearing witness to the Lamb. Yet I think that even the fallenness of this world lands on us in our bodies. We endure sickness and family heartache as part of a world struggling with sin. Even in these attacks our faith is tested. These folks are those who resisted doubt and trusted in the Lamb that their sins were washed away. 

            They are dressed in white robes. They are purified from sin and compromise with the world. They have put their faith in Jesus’ cleansing blood. Even the troubles of life have only proven to refine their faith. It tested them, but they persevered and proved their faith in the Lamb to be genuine. They held on to truths like Romans 8:28, knowing that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. God is at work even in the worst of tragedies and troubles and setbacks. We may not see what he is doing or understand why he allows certain things to happen. But we know that his working all things toward his good purpose for those who love him. God takes those things and makes us to be more like Jesus.

 

The African American spiritual rings in my thoughts as I reflect on this vision. You know the words, “Oh, when the saints go marching in…Lord, I want to be in that number when the saints go marching in.” 

            I was surprised to read how much this song draws on the book of Revelation. Many of the verses talk about the throne and that final day. And I thought to myself, Lord, I want to be in that number gathered around the throne of the Lamb praising him for keeping me. He keeps me by the seal he placed on me.

            I am encouraged by this, as I hope you are as well. We are sealed – we are made secure, not safe. Violence and tragedy still visit us. This world is sinful and needs Jesus. But we are secure. No one and nothing can take away the love God has for us in Jesus Christ. He has sealed us by his Holy Spirit, and we await a new heaven and a new earth where we will never know hunger, or thirst, or danger…and God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. 

            These two scenes in John’s vision encourage us not to fear the troubles of this life. We don’t need to abandon our witness. We know that God is preserving our faith and even refining it like silver in the furnace. 

            God is very determined to keep us for the day when we celebrate with him. It will mean enduring this life and remaining faithful to the Lamb. But when we get there, we will know that it was the Lord who kept us, who sealed us, and saved us.

            O Lord, I want to be in that number…

 

                                                            AMEN

Though This World With Devils Filled (Revelation 12:1-17) Guest Preacher - Dr. Layton Friesen (SBC)

From the Series: Following Jesus in a Hostile World

Revelation is written for people who find it hard to follow Jesus.

Now that Jesus is raised and ascended to heaven, now that the Holy Spirit has been poured out at Pentecost, we are in the last days.

What is life going to be like in the last days, the days after Pentecost in Acts 2.

I think there is one big spiritual doubt chapter 12 is speaking to. 

If my life is so hard, has the death and resurrection of Jesus made any difference? 

This book was written towards the end of the 1st century when the apostles were mostly died off and it was looking like nothing had really changed. 

Yes, there was a lot of excitement around the death and resurrection of Jesus Pentecost and so forth, but what had really changed. 

The empires of the world are still staggering on doing all the evil they were capable of. 

And these seven churches that Revelation is written to might have been asking, have we been kind of left alone here? 

Has Jesus made any difference?

If Jesus has made such a great difference, if Jesus is who he said he was then why is my Christian life so hard? 

Why does it feel like I specifically am targeted by the devil? 

This is the big question I think should be at the back of our minds as we are listening to this text.

So lets take a look at John’s vision.

First we're confronted by this sign in the sky, a brilliant luminous splendid woman. 

Can you imagine what she looked like? 

She’s wearing the sun.

 She’s standing on the moon, and she is crowned with 12 stars. 

She takes your breath away with her power, her beauty, in her splendor.

But there's a great irony in this picture because this woman who is resplendant in power and glory, is also writhing in pain. 

She's crying out in pain. 

How is it possible for someone so powerful to be in so much pain? 

She's crying out in the pains of labour in the agony of giving birth.

So keep that image in your mind; this glorious, powerful woman crying out in pain in the agony of giving birth.

Then in verse 3 we see another sign also in heaven this time it's a great red dragon.

 I think it's red because it's bloody. It's got 7 heads. It's a monster. 

7 is the number of completion, fullness. 

Which means this dragon is fully completely evil. He's got 10 horns 10 is also a number of completion in the Bible. 

Horns make you frightened. 

They’re a weapon of power. 

To have 10 horns is to have maximum power. 

This great bloody dragon has seven diadems on his head. 

7 jeweled crowns. 

So this dragon inspires massive fear for being bloody, has maximum intelligence and has maximum wealth. 

This is evil personified in its most extravagant luxury, it's most awful power, and it's dizzying intelligence. 

He has a great tail that is able to sweep down a third of the stars of heaven.

Just imagine in your mind's eye this awful bloody wealthy powerful monster crouching in front of this woman who is in a very vulnerable place in spite of her glory and power, 

writhing in the pain of giving birth. 

The bloody dragon monster is ready to eat this child as soon as the child is born. 

This is a scene of incredible danger and suspense. 

We don't want this child to be born because we fear what will happen to the baby.

What kind of baby must this be?

When the baby is born we are told who this baby is. 

Listen to these words. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to shepherd (or rule) all the nations with a rod of iron. 

Does that description remind you of anything else like it in the Bible? 

It's a reference to Psalm 2, which is a messianic song that is quoted in the New Testament as much as any other Old Testament passage.

And so this baby is born to be king, born to be the king of the world.

So, if this dragon can devour this baby there will be no Messiah, there will be no salvation, there will be no Kingdom of God.

 But if this dragon allows this baby boy to grow up the dragon is doomed.

As soon as the baby is born he is snatched away and taken to God and to his throne; 

And then the woman turns to run and flees into the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God,

 a place of protection from the great beast, 

a place where she can be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

And now a Great War breaks out in heaven. 

Michael, this powerful Archangel of God and his angels are at war with the dragon. 

And the dragon and his angels they fight back. 

We're told almost nothing about this war, 

we can imagine this must be quite the clash of titans, rocking the whole universe—

but we are given no description of the war before its announced that the war is over. 

That is something Revelation does more than once;

Some mighty battle between God and the forces of evil is mentioned that from our point of view must have been catastrophic and pitched, 

from our point of view the battle between God and Satan goes on through the ages 

but from the point of view of heaven where John sees this vision its over immediately. 

In verse 7 we are given one little phrase, and they were defeated. 

That’s all the description we are going to get.

The dragon and his angels were defeated and there is no longer any place for them in heaven. 

Now we're told a bit more about who this great dragon is in verse 9. 

The great dragon was that ancient serpent who is called the devil and Satan the deceiver of the whole world.

We met this serpent back in the garden of Eden, the serpent that spoke to Eve and tempted her. 

Remember how Eve was told that one day one of her offspring would trample that serpent into the dust?

Well now this serpent is thrown down and his angels are all thrown down with him. 

We're told six times in this passage that this dragon is thrown down.

Can you imagine in your mind's eye this great bloody monster spinning like a top as he crashes out of the sky, flopping to the earth, landing with a sickening thud in the dust. 

I'm going to come back to this song in the middle of the chapter. 

For now lets pick up the story in verse 13 because getting this drama into our minds .

So when this defeated dragon sits up and his brain clears after being bounced from heaven,

 he stands up and he goes and pursues this woman. 

We had a glorious picture of this woman earlier but now she becomes even more amazing. 

She is given wings like the eagle, and she flies into the wilderness to a place 

where she can be nourished for a time, times, usand half a time. The dragon now tries is third tactic. 

He was defeated at the birth of of the male child, he was defeated in the great heavenly battle with Michael and his angels, 

but now he's going to try blowing water. 

In the Bible water is often a symbol of chaos and destruction. 

Think of the flood of Noah destroying creation. 

But now even the earth refuses to help the devil. 

It swallows up the flood as fast as the dragon can spit it out. 

And then wretching with failure, resentful and bitter

 the pathetic dragon goes off to make war on the children of this woman- v 17

those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus. 

In other words Christians like you and me. 

Now you know why the devil fiddles around with pathetic temptations attacking little people like you me. 

He attacks us because we are all he's got left. 

Because he was defeated in the war that really counted, the war to be king of the heavens, he now has to be content with pestering me and you.

There are two questions you might be asking as your imagination lights up with this incredible drama. 

One is who is this woman? 

And the second question what do we do about these odd references to time in this passage. 

In verse 6 we're told first that this woman is nourished in the wilderness for 1260 days, and in verse 14 she is nourished in the wilderness for a time times and half a time. 

To that first question first who is this woman? 

She gives birth to the Messiah, the baby born to be king. 

That is our biggest clue. 

Who do we know gives birth to the Messiah? 

Most obviously this would be Mary, the mother of Jesus. 

Doesn’t this whole story remind you of the Christmas story in Matthew 2 where Herod hears that a baby is born to be king of the Jews and in jealousy he pounces, 

trying to kill this baby Messiah and God dashes her and her baby off to Egypt in the nick of time. 

I have preached Revelation 12 at Christmas as a way to get away from the syrupy sentimental thing we sometimes make of Christmas—

you could call this the War of Christmas. 

But she must be more than just Mary, Mary in a way stands in for all the people of God in the Old Testament. 

Here we might call her Daughter Zion. 

The Old Testament often talks about Daughter Zion, Israel, in labor and giving birth. 

Micah 4:10

Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion,
    like a woman in labour,
for now you must leave the city
    to camp in the open field.
You will go to Babylon;
    there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will redeem you
    out of the hand of your enemies.

 

 

 

And then in Micah 5 we read:

Therefore Israel will be abandoned
    until the time when she who is in labour bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites.

⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

 

Daughter Zion, the people of Israel in the pains of labor through the centuries struggling towards that day of deliverance. 

Struggling to give birth to the Messiah

But finally , she is not only Daughter Zion, not only the Virgin Mary, 

this woman in Revelation also gives birth to other children, in verse 17, 

all those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.

This is language Revelation uses for the saints, followers of Jesus who have conquered through their suffering and follow the Lamb wherever he goes. 

This woman is the mother of the church, the people of God.

What a rich symbol is this woman. 

Mary, the mother of Jesus, Daughter Zion, the mother straining to give birth to the Messiah in the Old Testament, and the Church. 

She is a picture of how the people of God, including you and me have struggled for centuries to bring the Messiah to the world. 

But what about these two time signatures. 

Two times in this passage we are told that the woman representing the people of God, is carried off into the wilderness to be protected by God where she is nourished for a period of time. 

In verse 6 we're told that it's 1260 days. 

In verse 14 we're told that it's for a time, times and half a time. 

When these numbers are used elsewhere in the Bible they refer to a time of waiting, of suffering, of wandering in the wilderness when they learn to depend on God.

Sometimes the Bible will talk about 1260 days, 

sometimes it talks about 42 months, 

sometimes it talks about 3 1/2 years,

 and sometimes it talks about time times and a half a time. 

In the book of Numbers we are told that Israel walked through the wilderness from Egypt to the promised land in 42 stages. 

The Gospel of Matthew starts off by showing that the genealogy of Jesus the time of waiting for the birth of the Messiah is 42 generations. 

If you look back to Revelation 11 John hears about a period of 42 months where the nations are going to trample over the the city of God. 

“And I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, wearing sackcloth.” 

So these time references refer to a time of waiting, wandering in the wilderness, suffering, and a time when all the church can do is prophesy. 

Don’t you feel the power of this vision! 

Don’t you feel in your bones that its so true. 

This is the life you and I are living as the those who keep his commands. Who has the patience to be a Christian? 

Who can believe today that Jesus changed everything? 

Who can believe that this Jesus that we worship, hidden though he might be, is in fact the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

Why does it look like the powers of evil are still attacking us?

 Why is the Christian life so hard if Jesus defeated Satan on the cross was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven to be with God on his throne? 

This doesn't make sense!

But John would say, this makes perfect sense! 

This is exactly the kind of pressure, suffering, persecution you should expect if this story is true. 

If Jesus is the Messiah, if he defeated Satan on the cross, if he was raised from the dead defeating the ancient dragon, if he truly was ascended into heaven, beyond the reach of the dragon, 

then it makes perfect sense that but now all Satan can do is make war on the children of this woman namely the church, namely you and me.

John is saying, right now it looks like the battle with Satan is awesome, awful—towering over our heads—but do not be fooled. 

It looks that way because Satan has been defeated, he has been thrown down. 

It’s a great optical illusion!

Here we raise the great shout from heaven in verse 10:

 

‘Now have come the salvation and the power
    and the kingdom of our God
    and the authority of his Messiah,^[b]
for the accuser of our comrades^[c] has been thrown down,
    who accuses them day and night before our God.
¹¹ But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb
    and by the word of their testimony,
for they did not cling to life even in the face of death.
¹² Rejoice then, you heavens
    and those who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
    for the devil has come down to you
with great wrath,
    because he knows that his time is short!’

 

A couple of years ago Glenda and I had a chance to visit the Coventry cathedral in England. 

This is a cathedral that was built in the 20th century after the old Coventry Cathedral was bombed by the Nazis in World War 2. 

It's an amazing place and I would encourage you to visit if you ever get to England. 

When a person walks up the steps to this cathedral there's a towering sculpture that looms overhead. 

Michael the Archangel Towering over Satan. 

Michael has clearly defeated Satan who is bound with chains but you get the sense as a little human being standing in front of this that this is big time stuff. 

These are powers and principalities that are massive far beyond our imagining. 

You get the sense that defeating evil in the cosmos is a gigantic task.

And as a Christian seeing this, you think, yes, that is how Satan feels to me sometimes.

But then you go from the outside of the building through the doors into the cathedral. 

You've walked from the world into the church, into a place of worship, into a place where Jesus is enthroned. 

And when you look to the front of the church behind the altar you see one of the largest tapestries that anybody has ever created. 75 feet tall.

And it's a towering image of Jesus seated on the throne. 

And so as you're worshiping in this church you were literally sitting in front of this massive glorious image of Christ in all his glory soaring over you in resplendent beauty.

But as you look up in wonder at this image of Christ seated in triumph, you suddenly notice that this tapestry also has a picture of Michael and Satan. 

But instead of Michael and Satan kind of looming over you in this picture it's a tiny little detail the artist has placed beside Jesus’ knee.

This is what the Spirit is wanting us to see and feel in this vision of Christ in Revelation 12. 

Yes that Dragon is a powerful creature at first; but by the end of the vision we come to see him as a pathetic, little sniveling lizard. 

He’s thrashing about in the throes of his humiliating defeat, and those death throes sometimes get you and me hurt.

But over all this vision we see the glory of Jesus Christ, the baby born to be King. 

He is hidden right now—ascended in heaven. 

There are plenty of little powers and principalities in this world that do not yet realize it, 

but Jesus has taken his seat and has begun to reign. 

And we too are beginning to reign with him. 

Its interesting that in verse 11 the vision switches to talking about how the saints, you and me, have conquered Satan. 

But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. 

We, you and I, we conquer Satan, by clinging to the cross of Jesus. 

So yes, there is so much about following Jesus will be hard. 

Satan will use disease, persecution, technology, sex, food, mental illness, family troubles. 

And if none of that works he will use sheer boredom. 

But Satan does not do this because he is powerful. 

He does this because he is defeated. 

Because as verse 12 says, he knows his time is short.           

I want to close by quoting the great hymn written by Martin Luther in the 16^th century. 

A Mighty Fortress is our God. 

Luther was known for his battles with devil. 

He was pestered and tormented by the devil all his life and it could make his days miserable. But listen to these words:

 

 And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God has willed
his truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo! his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.

 

The Lamb and the Empire: Who can Stand? (Revelation 6:1-17)

Series: Following Jesus in a Hostile World

 

Why Babylon? 

            In John’s visions the enemy of God’s people is called Babylon. That name is not used for a couple of chapters yet, but it will soon be revealed that worldly powers and systems opposed to God are Babylon. Some writers think that John used “Babylon” as code for Rome. Perhaps, but there is something more going on here.

            For the Jews, Babylon was the hostile empire from their own history. Babylon represented exile, oppression, forced assimilation to a foreign culture. Whenever they saw their nation attacked, they remembered Babylon. The moral pretenses of Rome, the racial superiority of Nazism, the arrogance of communism, and any nation that puts its priorities above others, are all versions of Babylon’s idolatry.

            Babylon is always present in history. It is an image Jews used for empires that oppress and persecute God’s people. Babylon names empires that oppress those who walk in the way of the Lamb. 

            It is easy to preach up to chapter 5. Revelation gets harder now. More confusing. We have seen a vision of King Jesus in chapter one. We have heard the message of the King for the churches in chapters 2-3. And what a beautiful scene of God on the throne and the Lamb that was slain in chapters 4-5.

            Now the Lamb has taken the scroll with the seven seals. He is worthy to open it and reveal its contents. That scroll exposes the true nature of the empire, whether it is Rome or something else. The confession “Jesus is Lord” was a dangerous one to make before any empire. 

            In Revelation 6, the Lamb exposes and judges the empire for how it operates. He hears the cries of his people suffering under the imperial boot, and he shows us their destiny. What this chapter answers is the question: Who really holds the future? The empire or the Lamb? 

1. Seals 1-4: The Lamb reveals a violent world (1-8)

 

The Lamb has taken the scroll and begun to snap the seals. As he does so with the first four seals, one of the living creatures cries out, “Come!” And with each one, a different colored horse appears. These colored horses have their scriptural roots in Zechariah 1:8-11. 

            First, we see a rider on a white horse. He represents conquest. Some have wondered if this is Jesus because in chapter 19, Jesus is depicted riding a white horse. It doesn’t seem likely because Jesus could not be both opening the seal and riding out. Some have said it is the gospel going forth to conquer. But this is not consistent with the other horses and the terrible outcomes of them. The most likely answer is that this horse and rider represent military conquest. 

            Then we see a rider on a red horse. He was “permitted to take peace from the earth” and caused people to kill each other in warfare. This horse has been riding through history for centuries. And in the 20^th century alone we have witnessed tens of millions of deaths through war, purges and state-sponsored violence. 

            With the third seal we see a rider on a black horse. War brings economic hardship and thus famine and poverty. Luxury items like oil and wine are untouched, but basic food is hard to find.

            The last rider is on a pale green horse. This is Death. And Hades, the realm of the dead, rides with it. 

            What do you see in these horses? The future? The Great Tribulation? I see history. Open up your newsfeed and this is happening in our world today. Some say the tribulation is coming but ask the Christian in Iran if things could get worse. Ask the Chinese believers whose pastors are being jailed if this isn’t a present trouble. During the Soviet era, the favorite book of the church in Russia was Revelation – because they were living it. 

            One further detail to note: the Lamb is opening the seals. Does that mean that the Lamb is unleashing these judgments upon the world? Is this God’s will that people suffer? I would not say that. I would say that the Lamb is fully within his authority to judge history and judge evil. A world that has rejected and rebelled against God is experiencing judgment in keeping with its own desires. The empire works this way. Babylon has chosen to operate with violence, and God permits the natural consequences to play out.

            In a sinful world, violence is a reality. But in a violent world, who can stand?

 

2. Seal 5: The Lamb hears the cry for justice (9-11)

 

Caught in the middle of violent world are the followers of the Lamb. You and I have experienced some troubles in this world, but not the extremes brought by the four horsemen.

            Nevertheless, there is conflict between Babylon and the followers of the Lamb. When the fifth seal was opened, John 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?’” (9b-10). 

            A couple of things stand out when you experience pushback from Babylon for your faith. One is that it’s okay to ask God “how long” we have to endure hostility for our faith. It’s a human emotion and that’s okay. It’s cathartic and it’s God-centred. It’s actually worship. Rather than taking out our frustration on that family member who mocks our faith, we pray for God’s justice.

            Related to our cry for justice, we are not taking matters into our own hands. Vengeance is self-centered. This cry is centered on the Lamb who hears our cries and knows the pain of rejection. The truth is the people who mock us for our faith and especially those who kill the saints for Jesus’ sake have been deceived by Babylon. They were duped into thinking that the status quo of the world is “just how things are.” Our persecutors are victims too. So we want to refuse to let our persecutors turn us into something that resembles them. 

            This book we are studying is an instruction manual on how to live as Christian dissidents in an empire characterized by violence, power, exploitation, and arrogance. To “follow the way of the Lamb” and not get caught up in the flow of selfish living. Revelation is not about escaping this world, it’s about living as faithful disciples in a world that needs the Lamb. 

            As dissidents, we are people of hope, people who imagine a better, future world. We live as people who act out that new world in the here and now – the way of the Lamb. Our cry for justice is not for revenge, then, it is that the way we chose, the way of the Lamb, was right all along.

            Babylon is threatened by that life. Historian and political commentator, George Noble, writes about declining empires and how they can become increasingly violent as they struggle to preserve their power. What looks like strength may actually be desperation. The empire lashes out, hoping to preserve what it fears losing. 

            As we live and testify to the gospel of Jesus, the forgiveness of sins, and the new world he has planned, Babylon lashes out because people don’t want the solution. Everyone knows the world is broken, but nobody wants to hear it’s because of “my sin.” If we declare the truth of Christ, we will suffer for it. When justice is delayed, can we stand? 

 

3. Seal 6: The Lamb promises the Judgment to come (12-17)

 

With the first four seals we see the history of our world. With the fifth seal, we acknowledge the reality that Babylon opposes the gospel message and its people. There is a cry for justice from God’s people. And the sixth seal answers that cry.

            There is a judgment coming! Let’s read again the words of the sixth seal (read 12-17). We have read about the Lion who appears as a Lamb. Jesus came in humility the first time as the Lamb. Now we read about the Lamb’s wrath. It seems out of character for the Lamb to inflict judgment. We must remember the Lamb who was slain is the world’s rightful judge. 

            The key to this horrible imagery is to understand “wrath.” Paul wrote about God’s wrath in Romans 1:18. He said, “For the wrath of God is (‘being’) revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” Then Paul goes on to speak of idolatry, lust, and every kind of sin encompassing. Repeated three times in this text is God’s wrathful response, “God gave them over.” He gave them over to what they chose.

            My colleague, prof. Terry Hiebert, surprised me recently saying to a student, “We don’t fail students at SBC.” I’m thinking, “Where is this going?” Then he concluded, “Students fail themselves.” That’s kind of what John is saying in Revelation. God gives men and women what they want. If they choose a moment of sinful pleasure over an eternity of joy, that’s what they get. The responsibility and the consequences belong to the unrepentant sinner. They chose wrath. 

            At the same time, God’s wrath in Revelation 6 is more than people experiencing the consequences of their decisions. The imagery of earthquakes and black suns and blood moons and so on is terrifying. John uses these to say “It’s bad. It’s real bad.” Babylon deceived these people, but they are still responsible for the choices they made. 

            Before talking about God’s wrath in Romans, Paul had written, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” When the cross of Christ is revealed to the world and how they were duped by Babylon to execute, not only an innocent man, but the Son of God himself, how do you think they will react? This is what John reveals in the sixth seal: the Lamb is revealed as this Jesus whom they crucified (1:7b). And they will want to hide themselves in shame, from the greatest to the least. 

            The wrath of God is the revelation of the Lamb on the throne (16). The Lamb who offers salvation is not indifferent to evil, and though he is gracious now does not mean he will withhold his justice in that day. When God’s judgment comes, who can stand? 

 

The last words of this chapter are stark: Who can stand?

            The Lamb has exposed Babylon as a violent empire, a spirit of conquest, violence, famine, and death. We see governments of our world imposing their agendas for their own political gain. When Christians oppose society’s agenda, they suffer for it and wonder, “How long Lord?” And he replies that judgment is coming. 

            Who can stand?

            Not Babylon. Not the powerful. Not the wealthy. Not the so-called influencers of our time. They cannot hide from the Lamb. Who then?

            We glimpse a hint of the answer in Revelation 7:14. An elder asks John, “Who are these in white robes?” John doesn’t know. The elder answers, “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.” We stand, not because we have overcome Babylon using Babylon’s weapons (fighting fire with fire, as they say), and not because we have been faithful enough to earn our place before God. We stand because we belong to the Lamb who gave his life for us. And because we belong to him, we are learning to walk in his ways rather than the ways of Babylon.

            There are seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls. I won’t unpack them in this series. Someone I read this week said that the trumpets and bowls are like different camera angles of the same action in increasing intensity. As Revelation unfolds, we encounter these cycles: The seventh seal: Silence (8:1). The seventh trumpet: the announcement that God’s kingdom has come (11:15). The seventh bowl: “It is done” (16:17). 

            I understand why people avoid Revelation. These images are confusing and hard to interpret. How then shall we live in a hostile world? Not by believing Babylon's deception, not by fearing Babylon's power, not by despairing over injustice, but by remaining faithful to the Lamb who was slain and who speaks the final word.                  

 

AMEN

 

Worthy is the Lamb! (Revelation 4-5)

From the series: Following Jesus in a Hostile World

 

As we reflected on the seven churches of Revelation, we found our confidence being dismantled. Jesus had some very challenging things to say about the church and about us at RFC. I don’t know how you felt, but I was wrecked by the experience. However, I needed the false supports I depend on, my spiritual pride and achievements, to be kicked out, to fall down, so that God can pick me up again.

            Psalm 11:3 asks the question, “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” And the answer comes swiftly after it, “The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them.” 

            When your life is falling apart and everything you counted on to remain steady fails you, where do you look? Even when the church that promises to help you hurts you instead and fails to live up to its calling, where then is your help? As you struggle to be a good Christian but fall short, where is your hope?

            The psalmist points to the throne in heaven. Isaiah saw the throne (Isaiah 6:1) and was wrecked by it too. But he was also healed in that experience. In Revelation 4-5, John’s vision now points us to the throne of God after the searching words of Jesus to the churches and says, “Look here!” Because this is where your healing begins.

            Let’s see what John saw…

 

1. The Throne: Who is He who Reigns? (4:1-11)

 

Jesus’ last words to the church at Laodicea were a promise. He said that the one who overcomes or conquers, “I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne,” (3:21). 

            It is the voice of Jesus that John hears in ch. 4 inviting him to come and see that throne. John says it was the first voice he heard speaking like a trumpet (1:10), so we know it is Jesus. “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this,” (4:1b). This is not a reference to the “order of things” in history, but simply an invitation to see the next vision. 

            What Jesus reveals to John is the throne room of heaven and him who sits on the throne. We could get lost in the details trying to unpack the meaning of the colors, the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures. But we totally miss the big picture. 

            We do wonder at these things. For instance, the 24 elders are a mystery. David appointed 24 companies of priests in the OT. But there were also 12 tribes of Israel and 12 apostles in the NT, thus representing the entirety of God’s people. We just don’t know. The four living creatures are some kind of angelic being that seem to represent all living creatures on the earth. But we don’t know.    

            The focus is the throne. John mentions the throne 19 times in these two chapters, and 9 times in the first six verses. All the other details ponts to the central figure: God. The imagery we observe is a collage of OT images coming from Moses’ burning bush scene, the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai, Isaiah’s throne vision, and more. What we ought to come away with is the overwhelming glory of God. 

            And what do you do with that? Worship Him! Countless people have said that heaven seems unappealing because singing songs forever sounds boring. Are these creatures and elders in a trance chanting their worship? On the contrary, I liken this worship experience to gazing at a sunset over the Grand Canyon. You can’t help but stare and wonder what’s going to happen next. That’s what is happening here. 

            And why do they worship God? Why do we? Because he is the Creator of all things and all things are in his hand. “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created,” (11). God created all things for himself and for his glory. He deserves our worship.

 

2. The Scroll: What could it be? (5:1)

 

The chapter break is deceiving. There is no break as we move into the next description. John sees in God’s right hand a scroll with writing inside and out and sealed with seven seals. It looks very important. It’s in God’s right hand. It has these “locks” on it, as it were. But what is it? 

            Scholars have debated what it is for centuries. It is understood by some to be a scroll of judgment. Others say it is the Lamb’s book of life with the names of the redeemed. It could be the OT, or it could be the future tribulations of the world given what happens in the next chapters. Again, it is difficult to say with certainty what it is because John does not explain the scroll.

            Although we cannot identify every detail of the scroll, the wider vision of Revelation suggests it contains God’s plan of redemption and judgment. And it includes God’s plan for all of history from the beginning and its conclusion from the cross to the new creation. As the seals are opened, we begin to see this.

            But that raises a crucial question. If this scroll contains God’s purposes for his creation, who is worthy to open it? 

 

3. The Search: Who is Worthy to open the Scroll? (5:2-7)

 

Among the 24 elders and the four living creatures and the myriads of angels surrounding the throne, no one was worthy to open the scroll. No one in all creation could open it. And as the question is asked, “Who is worthy?” silence! Except for the weeping of John.

            John is so distraught that no one could open the scroll. It’s possible he understands that if no one opens the scroll, God’s purposes for creation will not be fulfilled. He longs to see how God will do this, and no one seems able to do it. 

            Then one of the elders tells him to stop crying. Back in chapter one we talked about John’s way of writing, “I heard…I saw.” He hears one thing but sees another. The elder says, “…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,” (5). 

            What do you hear? A strong military man. The Son of David who conquers his enemies. We are accustomed to the “hero” narratives of Hollywood, the white knight on a fiery steed coming with the morning light. You hear “lion” and think power and strength and might.

            But in perhaps the most mind-wrenching “rebirth of images” in the history of literature, the vision John receives is not what anyone would expect. It is not a ferocious lion John sees, but a slaughtered Lamb. “The shock of this reversal,” writes Richard Hays, “discloses the central mystery of the Apocalypse: God overcomes the world not through a show of force but through the suffering and death of Jesus, the faithful witness.” Everything in Revelation flows from this image.

            This is not a Mennonite or pacifist reading. This is a biblical reading. And the nature of power is revolutionized in this image. The power of the Lamb is in his death and resurrection. It is exactly opposite of how Babylon (the world) operates its power. Babylon forces, oppresses, and persecutes to achieve its goals. The world uses violence; Jesus absorbed the violence of the world on the cross. The world threw everything at him and he died. Paul declared, “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them,” (Col. 2:15). And Jesus said to Paul that his power was made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).

            A Lamb standing as though it had been slain in the midst of the throne changes everything. Richard Bauckham said, “When the slaughtered Lamb is seen ‘in the midst of’ the divine throne in heaven, the meaning is that Christ’s sacrificial death belongs to the way God rules the world.” This is the true face of God. 

            The One who is worthy to open the scroll is the One who conquered through sacrificial death. Jesus conquers through the cross, not the sword. King Jesus does not win converts by killing his enemies, but by dying for them.

 

4. The Worship: Who will join the Chorus? (5:8-14)

 

It is through Jesus Christ that we understand the OT. Adam and Eve sinned; God called Abraham to form a people; Israel failed its mission to be the people of God; it all seems chaotic on its own. But with Christ as our lens, we have the key to understanding the Bible from beginning to end. He reveals God’s purposes to us so clearly. His death and resurrection are so central to the history of our world. He is worthy!

            This is not future. This has happened. Jesus conquered through his death and sat down with the Father in heaven. 

            As we read on, we see concentric circles of worship for this great victory over sin and death. The four living creatures and the 24 elders sing a new song:

“Worthy are you to take the scroll and open its seals, for 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.” (9-10). 

            Worthy are you, Jesus. Why? Because you were slain! Just like the Passover Lamb’s blood freed a people from the bondage of slavery and birthed a nation, the blood of the Lamb has created a new people, a new nation, from every race!

            Another song breaks out. This time, a little further out from the throne, millions upon millions of angels begin to sing: 

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (12). 

            The first song declares why the Lamb is worthy. This song describes the seven honors the Lamb deserves because he is worthy. Why? Because he was slain!

            And the third circle erupts in praise. But wait! John heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea joining the chorus. This is the destiny towards which the story of creation is moving: the universal acknowledgement of the glory and reign of God and the Lamb. “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (13). Who is worthy? Jesus is. Who will join the chorus and acknowledge the worthiness of the Lamb? 

            This text echoes what Paul wrote to the Philippians about the future of creation… “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father,” (Phil. 2:10-11). Not everyone will be saved, but everyone will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord! 

            

Long ago, I read an amazing story about Queen Victoria. As a young monarch, she was expected to remain seated during Handel’s Messiah. But when the chorus sang, “King of Kings and Lord of Lords,” she could not help herself and stood in honor of Jesus, her Savior. I wept over that testimony.

            This week, I discovered it was not true. I was disappointed. I’m getting tired of discovering that some of our most inspiring Christian stories aren’t true. 

We live in a skeptical age. People are re-examining the church, questioning the Bible, and sometimes even trying to deconstruct Jesus.

But here is the good news: the story of Lamb as sung in Handel’s Messiah is not a legend or an embellishment. The Lamb was slain; He really conquered death. And Revelation declares God’s narrative of world history and reframes it in the truth of the risen Lamb.

            The slain Lamb is the center of our worship. It is through him that we can understand the OT and the plans God has for us. Worthy is the Lamb! 

            When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? They can be at peace, take hope, and worship the Lamb, because “The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He rules the kings of the earth, and his bringing Creation to its joyful conclusion.” When we wonder whether evil will have the final word, we look to the Lamb. When we ask who is worthy of our worship, we know the answer. Worthy is the Lamb!

 

                                                AMEN