Sevens
The End is Nigh • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 8 viewsIn the middle of Revelation we hit a series of allegories that would be enough to intimidate anyone. However, when we forge through these allegories and take hold of the broader picture, we can see connections to God's standard of perfection, our own sin, and ultimately Christ's redemption.
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Christ and the Scrolls
Christ and the Scrolls
Following the letters to the seven churches, we get into some of the allegorical elements of the Revelation prophecy.
Allegorical doesn’t necessarily mean “metaphorical” or “literal”… thus is the nature of prophecy (WE DON’T KNOW).
Not knowing doesn’t mean we can’t learn.
Revelation 4: The throne room of God (craziness!)
Displays of power, glory
Displays of God’s dominion over Creation.
Christ’s dominion over creation is essential because it is Christ who is establishing a kingdom; that kingdom can not happen without total dominion.
Revelation 5: The scrolls (sealed seven times)
1 Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides, sealed with seven seals. 2 I also saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or even to look in it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or even to look in it. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Look, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered so that he is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Scroll -> Sealed 7 times… reference to Leviticus 26
14 “But if you do not obey me and observe all these commands—15 if you reject my statutes and despise my ordinances, and do not observe all my commands—and break my covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will bring terror on you—wasting disease and fever that will cause your eyes to fail and your life to ebb away. You will sow your seed in vain because your enemies will eat it. 17 I will turn against you, so that you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even though no one is pursuing you.
And this
18 “But if after these things you will not obey me, I will proceed to discipline you seven times for your sins.
And this
21 “If you act with hostility toward me and are unwilling to obey me, I will multiply your plagues seven times for your sins.
And so on and so forth… SEVEN IN TOTAL
Parallel - Leviticus gives standard of obedience and penalty for disobedience.
23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;
In Revelation, we are seeing that God’s covenant to the Hebrew people was true and the penalties do, in fact, have to be exacted. This is reflected in the seven scrolls.
Read Revelation 5:1-5 and contemplate how the seals are judgment and Christ is the only one qualified to open them. Some today think of Christ as “love and compassion” and ignore that He is also judgment. (1) How does ignoring Christ’s authority over judgment help people overlook sin in their life? (2) If Christ is in control over judgment, how does that amplify His actions on the cross? (3) How does ignoring the judgment component of faith mute the impact of grace?
Seven Seals (Almost)
Seven Seals (Almost)
The passages in Leviticus 26 parallel what we see in Revelation 6. Here is what you end up with.
Seal No. 1: War and conquest (white horse)
1 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!” 2 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.
Seal No. 2: Violence and strife (red horse)
3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 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.
Seal No. 3: Famine and scarcity (black horse)
5 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. 6 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.”
Seal No. 4: Death of all kinds (pale green horse)
7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 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.
Seal No. 5: Suffering for your faith (the martyrs)
9 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.
Seal No. 6: Collapse of society and mankind (sevenfold classification of humanity)
15 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. 16 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,
Many look at these seals as their own signs, but they parallel what we covered in Leviticus 26. They’re signs that what God has ordained since the VERY BEGINNING is still true today: sin had consequences and judgment will come. Nothing can stand against it.
Read about each seal: (1) War and conquest (Rev 6:1-2), (2) Violence and strife (Rev 6:3-4), (3) Famine and scarcity (Rev 6:5-6), (4) Death of all kinds (Rev 6:7-8), (5) Suffering for your faith (Rev 6:9), (6) Societal collapse (Rev 6:15-16). This judgment seems very “total”. How could you relate this to other Biblical stories (maybe like Noah’s Ark)? Notice that we only mentioned 6 seals. What do you think the seventh is?
Seven Trumpets and the Seventh Seal
Seven Trumpets and the Seventh Seal
You may have noticed the trend of “sevens” in this message.
Seven was considered the metaphorical number of completeness.
Example: God's creation story takes place over 7 days with “rest” being a part of it’s completion.
The seventh seal opens up seven trumpets.
1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand in the presence of God; seven trumpets were given to them. 3 Another angel, with a golden incense burner, came and stood at the altar. He was given a large amount of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up in the presence of God from the angel’s hand. 5 The angel took the incense burner, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
First four trumpets: judgement and destruction due to elements.
Next three are called “woes”, though the last is only woeful to some.
Seventh trumpet --> Triumphant Entry of Christ!
15 The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever. 16 The twenty-four elders, who were seated before God on their thrones, fell facedown and worshiped God, 17 saying, We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. 18 The nations were angry, but your wrath has come. The time has come for the dead to be judged and to give the reward to your servants the prophets, to the saints, and to those who fear your name, both small and great, and the time has come to destroy those who destroy the earth. 19 Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant appeared in his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder, an earthquake, and severe hail.
Woe for the unsaved; victory for the saved!
The opening of the seventh seal (judgment complete) and blowing of the seventh trumpet (tribulation complete) ends just as it all started… with Christ!
5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life.
Read Revelation 8:1 and Revelation 11:15-19. At the end of the seven seal of judgment are seven trumpets and at the end of that, Christ’s glory. How does Christ’s glory at the end of judgment (in Revelation) parallel Christ’s glorify being the ultimate end of our own death and sin (in the Gospels)? Bonus question: What do you think is the significance of the Ark of the Covenant popping up at the end?
Concluding Thoughts
Concluding Thoughts
Once again we see Christ is the entire context: the beginning and the end.
Revelation is about the glory of Christ and redemption of creation… the passing of the old is simply a necessity to rid the sin of the world from creation.
Continues to invoke a clear message: be ready and spread the Good News because our God is redemption, and just as He will redeem all creation, He can also redeem us from our own deficiencies.
The final object of Revelation is life… choose life through renewal.
