Last week we learned that there are different ways by which to interpret the book of Revelation. I attempted to give you a model brought to my attention in Michael Gorman’s book Reading Revelation Responsibly. I’m hoping I can clarify it this morning. It is depicted in a handout that is available in the back. If you’re joining us live online via Zoom, we’re going to try and get that dropped into the chat this morning.

So on the vertical axis you have past focus, present focus, and future focus.

On the LEFT you have those who see the text of Revelation as code, so it needs to be decoded or deciphered. The goal is to discover the precise correspondences.

On the RIGHT you have those who see the text of Revelation as a lens. These people are thinking anologifally. The goal is discerning similarities, engaging with the text and actualizing it.

It’s important for us whenever we read our Bibles to think about what it meant to the original readers and hearers. Clearly it had some kind of meaning to them.

They didn’t have Google in the first century. They were not schooled in science and empirical data gathering. If they had a question about the mystery of the world they couldn’t pull out their smartphone to look it up.

Living in the world we live in, it is easy to dismiss much of what we read about in Revelation. The question is should we?

The truth is we’ve been desensitized to the vitality and theological importance of the unseen world, of which the book of Revelation is pulling back the curtain on. Most of us claim to believe in the supernatural, but we live as skeptics. This is the challenge we all face as we come to the vision given to John in this book. Some will say that’s because the book of Revelation is just weird.

We’ve already talked about the fact that this is a vision given to John. Think of other visions and dreams we know of in the Bible. It was a dream that told Joseph not to divorce Mary. It was a dream that told him to flee to Egypt with her. Jacob had dreams, Joseph had dreams. Daniel interpreted dreams, and received his own dream visions. Yet we get to Revelation and suddenly we’re not convinced.

This past week I’ve been thinking alot about the chart I mentioned a few moments ago, and think I too have gotten down too far in the weeds. Some might say I got too far onto the left side of our chart, and I’d agree. And its when we get in there in that way that the book becomes so confusing. So I sat down again and just read the vision in one sitting straight through.

I can imagine the first century church sitting and listening to this vision and being drawn in like a child might be to a fantastical story like that of Alice in Wonderland, Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings. It sparks the imagination.

I began to consider whether all those hearing the message in first century understood everything in it in the first hearing. It’s doubtful. Did anyone here understand the book of Revelation in the first reading? Doubtful. Our challenge in many ways is, especially in our western, post-modern, mindsets, we believe we understand the rest of the Bible. Yet when we’re asked about specific details within the Bible we have to admit, we don’t know.

At times it’s fantastical with talking serpents and donkeys; bushes that burn but aren’t consumed; seas that part; pillars of fire and of cloud, cities that collapse by simply marching, praying, and shouting; angels with swords and cataclysmic battles; fire thrown down from the heavens; dreams and visions; healings, demons and exorcisms; God, God’s Son, Death and Resurrection. It is an epic drama to which no literary, cinematic, or dramatic work can compare.

It is without compare the best selling book of all time, and I would contend one of the most bought and least read books of all time. So as we get to the reading this morning, I want you to listen again, this time not just with your ears and critical mind, but with your imagination open. Imagine the scene that is unfolding before us, picture it in your minds eye. Try and think of yourself as hearing this in the first century.

I’d like to invite Cheryl up to read for us.

Revelation 7:1–8:5 “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed. After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “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. “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.”

Opening the Seals (Part II)

Take a moment and let that stir in your mind for a bit. The angels are holding back the winds of destruction until the servants of God are sealed. Then they hear of 12,000 from 12 tribes, 144,000 total. One might say 12 divisions of 1000 from each of 12 tribes. It is reminiscent of the numbering of the tribes before they entered the promised land. Throughout history the conducting of a census was often the first step in preparing for war. 12 divisions of 1000 soldiers from each of the tribes. If you were a first century Jewish follower of Jesus, your heart couldn’t help but swell with pride.

But there’s more, vs. 9, Rev 7:9-10

Revelation 7:9–10 ESV

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Suddenly the worship of God and of Jesus is no longer limited to those who were once Jews, its affirmed readily. And just in case we missed it one of the elders asks John, “Who are these…?” Clearly a rhetorical question, because he answers it himself, Rev 7:14

Revelation 7:14 ESV

“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.”

For the Jewish Christians it reminded them again of how they were only purified by the sacrifice of the young lamb without blemish, now they understand that Jesus Himself took away their sins. For the Gentile Christians they would readily recognize that they too are now included and grafted into the family of God with the Lamb as their shepherd. All of them would have recognized that though they may be suffering for their faith there would be an end to it.

Chapter 8 opens with Rev 8:1

Revelation 8:1 ESV

When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

Some suggested that might be my sermon this morning; oops. ;-)

The vision continues Seven angels standing before God, with seven trumpets - we’ll discuss that next week. Rev 8:3-4

Revelation 8:3–4 ESV

And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.

What a beautiful image. Throughout the Bible (especially in the new testament) followers of God are referred to as the saints, to know that our prayers rise before God. It reminds me of some other verses from the Old Testament:

Psalm 141:2 ESV

Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

Ezekiel 20:41 ESV

As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations.

Malachi 1:11 ESV

For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.

We come to a climactic end to this part of the scene when the angel takes fire from the altar and throws it to the earth: Rev 8:5

Revelation 8:5 ESV

Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

Earlier in chapter 6, we saw the martyrs under the heavenly altar, and we know suffefing saints on earth also cry out for justice. Therefore fire from the altar, from which the saints’ prayers rise, will be flung to the earth in judgment, indicating that the judgements to follow answer the prayers of the saints.

How would the early church have understood these words? First they would recognize that our prayers are heard, they are not just talking to the ceiling, or the sky. The God of all creation hears them. They would also have understood this heavenly vision to demonstrate not only does God hear them, God at the right time will answer them. They would have victory over the injustices of their time,, and there were a lot of injustices at that time. Christianity was openly mocked, we’ve already seen reference to those who have died for speaking the truth of God.

Application

Summarizing the book so far we’ve seen this incredible vision of the Son of God. We’ve read 7 letters that have pointed out weaknesses among the churches that we can easily see in ourselves, and we were able to take time to reflect and repent.

In chapter 4 we were taken up to the throne room of heaven and we witnessed worship of the One who sits on the throne. In chapter 5 we saw the Lamb of God standing as though slain - a clear indication of Jesus sacrificed for us and now alive. He is worshipped alongside of God on the throne. In chapter 6 we discover this Lamb is the only one able to open the scroll and now as we get to chapters 7 & 8 we see get glimpses of all the tribes of Israel sealed, but not just them people from every tribe and nation and language.

Do you put up barriers to come to Jesus?

Do you sometimes think, “they can’t be Christian”.

You can’t come to Jesus until you get your life straightened out.

You can’t come to church unless you have the right clothing.

You can’t come to Jesus until you fall in line with the right politic.

You can’t come to Jesus unless you look like me.

Or perhaps you look in the mirror and you think of barriers for the person looking back at you. Jesus can’t accept me because…

The early church struggled at times with its jewish heritage and put up barriers for non-jews to become Christians. Sometimes we struggle with our own cultural traditions that put up barriers for others to come to Christ. The message throughouot Revelation is one of hope for all of us.

Do you lose hope because your prayers aren’t answered?

Our prayers are heard. Our prayers will be answered. God’s time is not our time. the prayers will be answered. Vengeance is mine says the Lord. Justice will be served. Keep praying, keep serving, keep loving, keep honoring God in your life.

I was at a service yesterday where this verse was used and it says it so well:

Micah 6:8 NIV

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

To God be the glory. AMEN!