The Six Seals

Intro

As I was preparing this message, I was struggling a bit with the message it portrayed. Then randomly this song popped up somewhere. It is a song called “Whatever My God Ordains Is Right” The original song was written in 1676 but was somewhat recently redone with different words and music by one of my favorite worship bands called Sovereign Grace music. I want to play it for you today.

song is 4 minutes long

Whatever my God ordains is right, I will follow Him through wherever He guides Knowing He is in control. But why is this important? The next passage gets into the opening of the seals which ushers in the first set of plagues on the world at the time of what we call the great tribulation. I struggled with the idea that this would even be allowed to happen in the first place. It is hard to take, to know God would allow evil, that he would send plagues down to earth.

The main idea that is going to be running through here is that God’s judgement on earth are a way to get peoples attention, one last chance to turn to Him. Though as followers of Jesus we will be saved from the wrath of God, we will not escape suffering from evil. As we have been learning, God is still sovereign, we can trust in Him.

Persecution is coming, can we trust that God is in control? What should we do as we wait for God to judge the earth? How does this change the way that we talk to people about Jesus knowing the wrath of God is going to be poured out? Whatever my God ordains is right He never will deceive me He leads me by the proper path I know He will not leave me.

The four horsemen

The notorious four horsemen of the apocalypse is where we start.

Revelation 6:1–2 CSB

Then I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” I looked, and there was a white horse. Its rider held a bow; a crown was given to him, and he went out as a conqueror in order to conquer.

The seven seals are separated into two groups of four and three. We have the four horsemen of the apocalypse are some of the most widely known symbols of the end times. Many images have been made of what this is going to look like, most notably the left behind series.

We start out with the lamb. We remember He is the only one worthy to open the scroll and reveal the plans of God. He alone is worthy to set these plans into motion. With a voice like thunder one of the four living creatures that we read about earlier calls out with a voice like thunder for the first of the four horsemen to come.

The rider on the white horse

Who is the rider on the white horse? Many view the white horse and the rider as Jesus, coming forth to conquer the world. This comes from Rev 19:11 where we again read of a white horse and rider, one that for sure is identified with Jesus.

Revelation 19:11 CSB

Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and with justice he judges and makes war.

After all this makes sense, someone that has come as a conqueror to conquer. Sounds like Jesus right? Well I do not believe that in this instance. Why does this matter? well it matters because of why the rider came to conquer. In Chapter 19 it is certain that it is Jesus, because earlier on in the chapter it explains it. It says in 19 that he wore a robe dripped in blood with the name the word of God . Written on His robe is the king of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The difficulty in this being Jesus is that the 2 different riders have little in common but the color of their horse. Chapter 6 rider wears a victors wreath (crown) while carrying a bow chapter 19 is crowned with many crowns and armed with a sharp sword. 6 has the context of conquest where as 19 is of righteous retribution.

There will be given authority for the conqueror to go go out and carry out His nefarious work. The symbol of the bow is one of military conquest and the crown is a symbol of victory.

What this suggests is forces opposed to Christians. There is many scripture references to the fact that Satan is going to come to deceive many. The white horse and rider would be referred to as the Antichrist and his forces sent out to conquer the followers of Jesus. Later on in the book of Revelation we are going to see that it will be permitted that the Antichrist to wage war against the children of God.

This is what I struggled against

If the rider symbolizes war being unleashed against the children of God then why? Why would God allow this to happen? If this is the time of what we call the great tribulation, the final time before Jesus returns will we be around?

When it comes to whether we will be around or not, I realize I will have to deal with that at some point. That will happen in a week or two. But there will be followers of Jesus around, that we do know.

We must remember what Jesus promised us. We will not escape suffering no matter the time, and suffering during this time is going to be alot. These plagues we are going to see are the beginnings of the wrath of God being poured out on the earth for the people refusing to follow Him. We need to remember though that as followers of Jesus we will escape the wrath of God, the judgments that are to come.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 CSB

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

But the suffering that we are to face is not due to the wrath of God, but rather it will be due to the evil of man. Satan is going to be unleashed on the earth and He will try all He can to take out the people of God, God is going to send plagues down on the earth to turn people back to Him, and they are going to take it out on us followers of Jesus. just look at some of the plagues that are going to be poured out.

Revelation 6:3–4 CSB

When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse went out, a fiery red one, and its rider was allowed to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And a large sword was given to him.

Revelation 6:5–6 CSB

When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and there was a black horse. Its rider held a set of scales in his hand. Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, but do not harm the oil and the wine.”

Revelation 6:7–8 CSB

When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and there was a pale green horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following after him. They were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by the sword, by famine, by plague, and by the wild animals of the earth.

These are the four horsemen of the tribulation. As to timing, when this will happen, other signs, we will get into that later. we see bloodshed and war. People will slaughter each-other

The third horsemen, the black horse, symbolizes the poverty and famine that will come because of the effects of war. The scales and prices we see here signify that the price of food is going to signify inflation to the prices for food and living conditions. At the time what would have amounted to 12 times the cost of normal.

The fourth horsemen is death over a fourth of the earth, by sword, famine, plague disease. death is going to run rampant, more then we have ever seen.

All these things are going to happen. We seem to see the beginnings of it now, though I don't think this has all happened yet. It is going to be bad. What we need to remember is that though Christians will be saved from the wrath of God, the sinful people that are left will not let us slide by. We will suffer for the sake of the gospel.

One thing this is going to do is separate the people that are serious about their faith from those that are pretending. There is a message here for those who of us who live in relatively affluent circumstances, enjoying lives of ease and comfort, unthreatened in our faith. As Leonard Ravenhill once observed, “The early Church was married to poverty, prisons and persecutions. Today, the church is married to prosperity, personality, and popularity.”

Should persecution unexpectedly arise, will we discover that we have become soft, self-indulgent, and unwilling to sacrifice our reputations, worldly goods, lifestyles, possibly even our lives, in order to be faithful to Jesus? I trust not. But if we want to pass the test, we will need to have repented of any sins or compromise, to have forsaken the lukewarmness that is so common in much of the church today, and to be daily seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Joy in suffering is what we are told we can have. Joy that we are counted worthy enough to suffer for the name of Jesus. Joy because though they harm our bodies, our souls as followers of Jesus belong to Him. Joy knowing the end is written, Suffering is temporary but we look to eternity with Jesus. We suffer temporarily but we will be glorified for eternity. We need to remember that God is still sovereign, we can trust in Him.

The Cry of the Martyrs

This is hard to take, I struggled with this knowing this was going to happen. Would I have the faith to stand for Jesus? What we here next is not a judgement but the 5th seal we see the cry of the martyrs. All those that had been slaughtered for the name of Jesus. Remember, this is a metaphor. Crying out

Revelation 6:9–10 CSB

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God and the testimony they had given. They cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, the one who is holy and true, how long until you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?”

The idea of the altar, and the souls of the martyrs being under it would suggest the untimely death of the saints a sacrifice to the altar of heaven. A sacrifice poured out to God. nO SIGN YET WE SEE OF THE IDEA OF cHRISTIANS BEING SPARED THE SUFFERING OF THE TRIBULATION BUT RATHER THAT WE ARE TO STAND FRIM THROUGHOUT IT.

They asre given white robes, symbols of purity, robes washed white and told to wait a little while longer, God’s plan is not yet complete. Trust in the Lord God.

He hears our cries out to Him, they do not return void. And He tells us to rest in Him, He has it all under control. Rest in the Lord.

The Earthquake

The last seal we will go through today is the great earthquake.

Revelation 6:12–17 CSB

Then I saw him open the sixth seal. A violent earthquake occurred; the sun turned black like sackcloth made of hair; the entire moon became like blood; the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a high wind; the sky was split apart like a scroll being rolled up; and every mountain and island was moved from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath has come! And who is able to stand?”

The stage is set. One seal is left to be opened. The four horsemen of the apocalypse have been figuratively unleashed on the earth and they leave a trail of death and destruction in their wake. The agonizing plea of the martyrs for judgement on their oppressors has been heard and we can rest assured that God will act, but in His timing. We will suffer persecution and martyrdom. God being sovereign means that God will vindicate himself by vindicating his people. God is in command.

So What?

The suffering of the saints

Should persecution unexpectedly arise, will we discover that we have become soft, self-indulgent, and unwilling to sacrifice our reputations, worldly goods, lifestyles, possibly even our lives, in order to be faithful to Jesus? I trust not. But if we want to pass the test, we will need to have repented of any sins or compromise, to have forsaken the lukewarmness that is so common in much of the church today, and to be daily seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

God will vindicate His people

It wont be easy. This is now not the time to talk about whether we will be here or not when this is all goes down, that will come soon. But this tells us that God hears our cries, He will vindicate the suffering of the saints. It is only temporary. But the suffering of the saints, we can live with assurasnce knowing that it wont be forever.

Our attitude in Suffering

Joy in suffering is what we are told we can have. Joy that we are counted worthy enough to suffer for the name of Jesus. Joy because though they harm our bodies, our souls as followers of Jesus belong to Him. Joy knowing the end is written, Suffering is temporary but we look to eternity with Jesus. We suffer temporarily but we will be glorified for eternity. We need to remember that God is still sovereign, we can trust in Him.

We go through it because of all the people that do not know Jesus as their Lord and savior. If this is their last chance, then we need to make sure they hear the gospel. After all eternity is at stake.

At the moment it may appear that the evil in the world is winning, but the one who defeated them with His death on the cross will return at the end to claim His people forever and destroy forever all those who stand in opposition.