Who Can Stand? (Revelation 6:12-17; 7:9-10; 7:13-17)

Revelation 6:12–17 NLT

12 I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. 13 Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind. 14 The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places. 15 Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?”

Revelation 7:9–10 NLT

9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”

Revelation 7:13–17 NLT

13 Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?” 14 And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white. 15 “That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter. 16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. 17 For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

We don’t have enough time to go through everything!

Remember, it is a letter, written to 7 specific churches for a specific time and a specific response.

We do the letter, and the Word of God, a disservice when we take it out of context and use it to force predictions and “End Times” timelines.

Yes, this letter describes things to come but it does it in a way to encourage the Church in ALL GENERATIONS.

In other words, if you think that only our generation can understand this letter because of the current events that, somehow, “make sense”, you are misguided.

Also, it must be noted that Revelation, given the way it is written, is not written to be a timeline.

For example, it should not be understood that the seals will happen in chronological order and then after that something totally different (ie, trumpets) takes place.

John seems to be looking at the same event/events from different perspectives with different details.

With this interpretation, the seals, trumpets, bowls of wrath and even thunders describe the same event. However, each time John returns to the event he provides more detail.

Think of it like watching a great movie on different sized tv screens

You might watch it on a 19 inch

Then maybe a 45 inch

Then a 70 inch

Then a 120 inch IMAX screen

It’s the same movie, just seen, and experienced differently.

I interpret, therefore, this letter as repeating cycles where John is describing the same/similar ideas, but each time he describes them with more detail.

With that, what we have read in Chs 6-8:1 will be introduced again later in more detail.

What do we experience?

4 horsemen

1 reminds us of those who wage war.

The Parthian Empire, to the East of Rome, was a constant threat to Rome’s Empire and security. Rome repeated tried to expand her empire to the east, only to be fought back by the Parthians. Oh, and interestingly enough, the Parthians rode white horses and use the bow and arrow in their cavalry. The only ancient nation to do so.

This is a reminder to not rely on the security of the nation.

2 reminds us of those who take peace

This rider was given a sword. The sword was seen as the administrator of justice in the Roman world. Where the 1st threat seems to be an outside threat, or conquering army, the 2nd horse reminds readers to not be too comfortable with the status quo of the Roman empire. The Roman Empire boasted peace, but often that peace was guaranteed by the silencing of those opposed to the way Caesar wanted things done. It was peace at great cost to citizens of Rome.

3 Reminds us of economic disaster and famine.

This riders has the scales of commerce. But, ordinary supplies like wheat and barley have an exorbitant cost. What is also interesting is the saying “Don’t waste the olive oil and the wine” (6:6). This highlights the economic struggles of the lower class against the upper, elite classes. Wheat and barley are bought at high prices, but the luxurious items do not shift in their cost. The rich get richer at the expense of the poor.

4 This is the horse of death and hades

It is a reminder of famine and plague. Of poor health and hard times that lead to death.

Hades following is also a reminder that death follows all of these threats.

What we see with these 4 horses and their riders is the extent of oppressive forces in our world. In order for the world to be seen for the evil it has become, God has allowed (with some restraint) evil to run rampant. The restraint is seen in that only ¼ of the earth is allowed to be harmed.

These horses are a constant reminder to readers today, as well as hearers in John’s day, to not think too highly of the systems of this world. They are all evil. Their desire is to oppress, suppress, take peace, destroy, cause economic struggle, and ultimately their result is death!

When the 5th seal is opened something amazing happens. We expect more destruction, but we are told.

Revelation 6:9-11 “9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. 10 They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.”

In the midst of the oppressive world, there will always be those who stand for God. Yet, they might not be treated well here, there is a special place for them in God’s throne.

This is the only place in the New Testament where we can say for certain where those who die as faithful witnesses of God are; they are in God’s presence. They ask for God’s justice to be made known (not in some vindictive way, but in a way that recognizes the world is not right). God grants them a white robe (a sign of purity and victory - they are vindicated) and they are given permission to rest at ease. God will be vindicated, but the time has not yet come.

*** When the 6th seal is open it is as if all creation responds to God’s presence. ***

Revelation 6:12-16 “12 I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. 13 Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind. 14 The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places. 15 Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.”

What is interesting to me, is that everyone who was so certain of the peace, conquering, economic stability, and status quo of civilization knows that it is time for judgment. They run to the hills and request the hills to fall on them so that they could flee from God’s presence.

Like Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, this group wishes to run and hide.

It doesn’t matter what they have SAID - their inner rebellion against God is being revealed. They would rather face more disaster than to face the presence of God. Their masks of security are ripped off and they want to run and hide!

Chapter 6 closes with the question

Revelation 6:17 “17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?””

In chapter 7 we read the answer

Those who are marked as faithful followers of God are those who are able to stand.

They are “sealed” kept safe.

This does not mean that they do not experience “thlipsis”

That word is often translated as “trial” “testing” or “persecution”

The souls under the altar in ch. 6 make clear that persecution comes to those who bear faithful witness to God.

It should be clear by now that Revelation is NOT written to evoke an “escapist” idea whereby the followers of Christ somehow escape the troubles and persecutions and trials and temptations of the world. NO! Revelation makes clear that those who are faithful, are faithful like Christ. Willing to surrender EVERYTHING in order to be counted as a faithful witness unto God.

This idea becomes EVEN MORE CLEAR as the chapter unfolds.

First, there is the sealing of 144,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel.

Let’s look at the numerical significance

12x12x1000 (and 1,000 = 10x100)

Twelve Tribes and Twelve Apostles

This makes VERY CLEAR that the church, as the faithful followers of God have NOT escaped the scenes in Revelation as many interpret to have occurred.

It is the ultimate perfection of God’s people SYMBOLIZED in the 12 tribes of ISrael (the Jewish followers) and the mission of the 12 Apostles (to extend the blessings of Abraham to the world). And, as a perfection of that mission it is multiplied by 1,000 or the number of perfection 10 times the number of greater perfection 100 (or 10x10). THIS NUMBER SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN LITERALLY TO MEAN THAT ONLY 144,000 people will be in heaven, or the number of the martyrs at some point in time has to equal 144,000. THIS IS SYMBOLIC OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD.

To further prove the point.

The tribe of Judah is listed first. Normally Reuben, the oldest if Israel’s sons, would have been listed first. But, this is a reminder of the work of the messiah from the tribe of Judah. Judah’s primacy highlights the role of the messiah and it highlights that those sealed are MESSIAH PEOPLE.

Also, of note, the tribe of DAN is NOT MENTIONED, and neither is EPHRAIM.

Many Jewish traditions said that the anti-messiah (antichrist) would come from the tribe of Dan. The tribe of Ephraim is excluded because of that tribes association with the idol worship that would lead all of Israel astray.

Manasseh, and Joseph replace these two tribes in the list.

The point being?

It is very clear that this list symbolizes the faithful Christ/Messiah people. It is therefore not to be taken literally, but is a symbol for all faithful messiah people

This become even more clear when John turns to “SEE” what was described.

Just like in ch. 5 what John “hears” and what he “sees” have 2 different interpretations of the same idea.

When John turns to see the 144,000 he sees a crowd too great to be numbered! He sees Messiah people from every nation and tribe and people and language. They, like the souls under the altar, are wearing white robes as symbols of victory, purity and like the Messiah they follow, they are vindicated and made conquerors!

So, John is asked if he knows who this great multitude is.

Revelation 7:14 “14 And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.”

Please notice something. The NLT translates this verse VERY ACCURATELY according to its intended meaning. Some translations use the phrase “come out” instead of “died.” It is very imperative that we understand that according to John and this letter the way out is to follow the example of Christ. The way out is to be faithful unto death AND THEN, BE MADE VICTORIOUS AS GOD VINDICATES THEM!

Revelation 12:11 (NLT) 11 And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.

We are told that there robes are washed white by the blood of the lamb. This phrase should remind us of what we say in Ch. 5 where the lamb is worshipped because he was a sacrifice. He is worshipped because he conquered. He was worshipped because they way he overcame powers of oppression, chaos, darkness etc was to let them do the worst to him; kill him. And then, he rose from the dead PROVING THAT THEY ULTIMATELY HAD NO POWER!

The image here is of the faithful followers of Christ standing as a great multitude in heaven; not because they escaped death, but because they OVERCAME it in the same way the lamb did; being faithful to and through death!

The question at the end of Ch. 6 is who can stand on the day of God’s wrath. Here is the answer - those who have chosen to follow the Lamb and accept the earthly consequences of that choice.

These are they who can stand on the day of God’s wrath! We are told that they are sealed and they are granted certain protections from God the Father.

Revelation 7:15-17 “15 “That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter. 16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. 17 For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.””

These protections will be spelled out even more clearly in Chs. 21-22.

When those in Ch. 6 wish to flee God’s presence, Those who have been sealed as God’s faithful followers will receive the BLESSING of God’s presence!

These two groups stand as a warning and an encouragement

The churches/people that PRETEND will find themselves in the 1st group - the group that wants NOTHING to do with God and the Lamb. It doesn’t matter what masks they wear, they are frightened by God’s presence.

But, with this image here, they are given this warning to REPENT. To take off the masks and find their security ONLY in God and the Lamb. They are given time to turn from their unfaithfulness and turn back to the Lamb.

The churches and people that remain faithful - there is encouragement. They are encouraged to Hold tightly to their faith in the Lamb - even to the point of death. Even if they lose out on things and treasures that this world has to offer - they are given a glimpse of the eternal reward they will receive for their faithfulness.

Ultimately, these 2 groups provide a warning against nominal followers of Christ, an opportunity to repent for those who are that way, and an encouragement for those who are remaining faithful at all costs.

Much emphasis has been placed on something we will study in more detail later - the mark / seal of the beast (Revelation 13)

Did you know that in Revelation more detail is given to the mark/seal of God’s people? It seems as though there is a greater lesson here.

Too often we preoccupy ourselves with trying to solve what the mark of the beast is. I have heard doozies of theories. For example; credit cards, micro-chips, symbols of a global economy, followers of Hitler (or Trump or Hillary) etc… I am sure you have heard similar ideas.

But, if more time is given to describe the seal of God in Revelation than the mark of the beast maybe we are preoccupied with the wrong idea.

Being sealed by God is bearing God’s name (think signature) into our world. Bearing God’s name is essentially belonging to His family. To belong to God’s family is to have God’s character in our world.

Maybe, just maybe, our preoccupation should not be on what the mark of the beast is.

Maybe, or more importantly, as those who are called to be faithful witnesses unto God, maybe our preoccupation should be on whether we have God’s seal.

The example before us of those sealed by God are those who Surrendered EVERYTHING to be faithful followers of God. Ultimately, they even surrendered their life.

In order to bear God’s name, character, witness into our world, they were willing to give up everything! They surrendered it all.

I propose, that in order to receive God’s seal, we, the faithful witnesses, must be willing to surrender EVERYTHING to God; INCLUDING OUR VERY LIFE.

Who do we choose to serve?

Joshua 24:14–15 NLT

14 “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. 15 But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

Matthew 6:24 NLT

24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

Psalm 24:3–6 NLT

3 Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. 5 They will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior. 6 Such people may seek you and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob. Interlude

What is YOUR choice?

Do you mask who you really are, but the prospect of standing in the presence of God has you fearful? Or, do you fully chose to follow the Lamb?