The Sealed & Seared
The Revelation of Jesus Christ Series • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 50:06
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Seal One, Two, Three, & Four have been peeled back… the Four Horsemen have charged their way into “The Day of the Lord”… bringing with them the wrath of God upon the sin and evil of mankind.
As the next two seals are peeled back we observe a contrasting response to this wrath…
Heavenly Perspective / Worldly Perspective
Cry for Vengeance / Cry of Venom
Repents / Revolts
Martyred Saints / Mad Sinners
Waiting on the Lord / Running from the Lord
Our passage today is looking at those who are sealed by Jesus Christ and those who are seared in their thinking and their hearts towards Jesus Christ…
If the seven seals are describing the overall picture of the “Great Day of the Lord” the “Great Tribulation”, then these two seals reveal the vast difference concerning man’s hearts towards God in this time…
God, from the very beginning in Genesis - all the way to our passage today in Revelation… we see Him striving to draw mankind to Himself. A God calling out to any and all who will listen…
God is Calling Out
God is Calling Out
Paul writes out a chilling truth concerning man’s hearts… Romans 1:18-22
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools,
I find it fascinating that mankind… “knowing the TRUTH”, will reject it, pursuing what is FALSE. Paul sums it up well (FOOLS!!!) not for lack of knowledge but what they CHOOSE knowing what they know!
Creation around mankind declares GOD!!! YET, it will be this same creation that God uses to show Himself inflicting His wrath…
We see a sample of this in Exodus when God introduces Himself to Pharaoh. Exodus 5:2
But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.”
Moses relays God’s message to him… Exodus 7:17
‘Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood.
With each plague God introduces Himself, His power, His desire that they listen (hear) and obey (Heed)
Some Egyptians… hear, see, and obey!
The Israelites… hear, see, and obey
GOD IS INTRODUCING HIMSELF… and He is getting man’s attention
… because no matter how bad it is here and now, HELL IS WORSE!!! (eternal separation from God)
So God calls out, don’t be the fool… Proverbs 8:1-7
Does not wisdom call, And understanding lift up her voice? On top of the heights beside the way, Where the paths meet, she takes her stand; Beside the gates, at the opening to the city, At the entrance of the doors, she cries out: “To you, O men, I call, And my voice is to the sons of men. “O naive ones, understand prudence; And, O fools, understand wisdom. “Listen, for I will speak noble things; And the opening of my lips will reveal right things. “For my mouth will utter truth; And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
REMEMBER… there are two things imminent in this life, BOTH require a relationship with Jesus Christ.
DEATH… there is no second chance
Church Gathered to Christ… any time this can occur, there is no second chance to be part of this
HOWEVER, there will be those who go into this tribulation period who:
heard of Christ before, heard the gospel & rejected it
those who gave it lip service rather than relationship
rejected the message as myth or legend
those who sat with the church Sunday after Sunday, who now get it!!!
God could have come with a one and done approach as He deals with mankind's sin and evil… HOWEVER, “the Lord is patient towards us not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance” Revelation 6:9-11
When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.
Heeding His Call
Heeding His Call
I find the GRACE and MERCY that we see in the book of Revelation astounding! What amazing GRACE He extends!!!
THE APOCALYPSE JESUS CHRIST… and His Grace is made known all the more!
The Fifth Seal reveals those who are MARTYRED… Souls will be saved during this time of tribulation!!!
Side Note… Martyred individuates do not die of old age!
NOTICE:
These are things in Heaven where John has been taken in the spirit to that he OBSERVES…
The souls of those Martyred for their faith… two reasons are given:
1) they hold to God’s Word… it is truth, authority, and unchanging
2) they have a testimony… they are sharing the truth, what they know, seen, experienced
“maintained”… they kept it, strong, unwavering, persevered…
Reminds me of the saints in Acts 4:29
“And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence,
And then it says that the church went out in the power of the Holy Spirit in boldness!
This is more than a bad day… we see those in the church TODAY suffering this way now too
In VOM Richard Wurmbrand stated that those being martyred and persecuted struggle we all do… (real people)
It is difficult… abwe had a section of global missionaries… no names, faces and general locations (hardship)
AVANT shared a statement from Roger’s spouse, Barbara, on not asking “WHY” but rather “HOW”… (focus)
These saints under the alter do not ask “WHY”… but they do ask God something… “WHEN?” … “how long O Lord”
When will YOU judge
When will YOU avenge… (they understood Romans 12:19 )
God listens when we cry out
God responds in comfort and peace (more next chapter 7)
Wait… more must die, it is not yet done, more will follow Me (patience)
Next Slide
As we peel back the sixth seal I am reminded of a fortune cookie I got a few weeks back. it simply stated:
“Everything will be ok in the end. If it’s not, it’s not the end.”
For those remaining on earth it is NOT THE END… Revelation 6:12-17
I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves 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 presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
Rejecting His Call
Rejecting His Call
Remember there is more to come!!! Verse 17 indicates that if not yet happened the second half of the tribulation is here! “Great Tribulation”
It seams that this portion of wrath is kicked off by the first of several earthquakes we see in Revelation.
It is great and wide spread
Most likely volcanoes erupt, darkening the sun and turning the moon to blood
From our cosmos comes meteors falling to earth
Creation is groaning and screaming out… mountains and islands move out of place
This is a Tsunami on a catastrophic level… unlike the world has ever scene
2004 December 26th in the Indian Ocean… left 1/4 million people dead in its wake
The Tsunami warning center strived to call and warn various countries of the impending doom, but the warnings were not heeded, not understanding who they were nor the message that was being conveyed
I thought about this passage as I watched this event unfold on the documentary. These catastrophic events will so no bias, rich, poor, powerful or servant… ALL WILL be impacted.
They hide themselves from God, they flee rejecting His pleading spurning the judgement.
They rather mountains fall in on them than, fall in worship of the One on the Throne, and The Lamb
NOTICE… they know who is bringing this upon them, they credit The Lamb and His wrath yet stiff necked they reject Him! (just as Paul wrote in Romans 1)
Impact of sin on man’s heart is same as in the Garden…
Hiding from God in Fear rather than running to Him in Faith
John looking at the two groups of people contrasted in the circumstances of God’s Wrath pens a question… “Who is able to stand?”
Some heeded the call of God to repent, others rejected God and His pleading call. To each is given the choice…
Now Your Call…
Now Your Call…
God is still calling today… drawing people to Himself.
Are you running?
Make sure it is to Him who is extending GRACE & MERCY and not away from Him
Be counted as one sealed in the Holy Spirit / Rather than one of a seared heart toward God
Are you suffering?
Cry out to God… He hears and He cares (some of you need to hear that this morning)
Maybe ask “how” instead of “why”… remain strong and pray for “boldness”
Are you listening?
Don’t leave here today with greater intellect or knowledge acting the part of a “FOOL”
God is demonstrating Himself to us in many ways, communicating in powerful ways… Listen to what He is declaring in His Word
May you be blessed as… We have READ each of the first six seals being peeled back… you have HEARD what God is declaring will be coming… NOW!!! it is for us to HEED what we have learned and apply these lessons to our lives. YOUR CALL!