God is Winning
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Claim - God ordains conquest, war, famine, strife, disease and death upon the world as a foretaste of final judgement that gives hope to the persecuted church.
Focus - Christians can remain faithful to the Lamb (even to death) who is in sovereign control of even the most terrible events in the world.
Function - To revere the Lamb, remaining faithful to Him in His terrifying sovereignty, even unto death.
PRAY
If your life was in danger if you came to church each Sunday, would you be here?
Why, if the Lion-Lamb has conquered, does the world continue to he a place of evil, violence, and misery?
If you could be severely beaten for reading the bible, would you read it?
If you were told to deny Jesus or die, what would you do?
And if you found yourself in any of those situations,
and were determined to be faithful to Jesus,
and the beating began, would you not be asking the same question we find in v10
They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”
How long?
If as we saw last week,
the Lion of Judah, the promised King of the OT is in the throne room of heaven.
If that great lion - who is also the slain lamb
- if He has died to pay for the sin of the world,
if he has risen in victory to reign in Heaven right now,
If he, and he alone is worthy to open the scroll of God’s sovereign plan for us all,
WHY, why do his people continue to suffer.
Why are Christian’s persecuted across the world.
And not just that,
but why is there war and distress, famine and natural disasters, poverty and strife, disease and death?
God has lost control surely.
Evil is winning.
Dispair reigns, the wicked prosper
Why, if the Lion who is the Lamb has conquered,
does the world continue to he a place of evil, violence, and misery?
We here in one of the most
It’s a question that we here in one of the most
privileged,
luxurious,
wealthy and safe countries in the world still .
Who hasn’t been affected by a relative with a sever illness.
Or struggled with finances,
Or even been anxious about a future Nuclear war.
In some countries you really might face death for coming to church,
War is in progress,
HIV and AIDS affects 1 in 4 people in some countries,
Famine threatens the lives of children every day.
Has God lost control.
They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”
Is the lamb actually just beaten and bruised, perhaps He’s not the Lion of victory after all.
You can see why some determine that there is no God.
Perhaps God is loosing the battle against evil.
--
Chapter 5 showed us into the throne room of God, where John,
Perhaps God is not only in control,
or winning.
Perhpas the Lamb who is a lion is far from weak,
but is the one sending forth the turmoil across the world that we see.
In total control.
Perhaps, we need to remind us of our place before the lamb who is the lion.
BY way of a quick reminder,
chapter 5 showed us into the throne room of God, where John,
who is receiving this vision
saw a scroll
- on which is the sovereign plan of God
for all of history until Jesus returns in the future.
But it was sealed shut by 7 seals.
7 representing the idea of perfection.
Perfectly sealed.
God’s plans cannot come to pass for these seals are sealing them tight.
BUT - there is one who comes forward who can open them.
The Lion of Judah - the promised King in the OT.
And that Lion is also the lamb slain for us.
Jesus is worthy to open the plans of God,
It is Jesus who rules over the history of which we are part of.
So why all the turmoil in the world?
Well chapter 6 addresses that question.
And so Jesus starts to remove the seals -
The first 6 in
Chapter 6
, so here goes:
Seal 1 - White Horse of Conquest
Seal 1 - White Horse of Conquest
I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!”
rev 6 1-
The 4 creatures that hold up the throne room of God
- the angelic creatures of untold power and might who guard the way to the throne room.
We met them in Ezekiel chapter 1 last year and chapter 4 of Revelation.
They exist to exult and worship God Almighty and to carry out His will upon the universe.
It is they, with the authority of the Lamb who call forward the first act that emerges from the first seal.
I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
The first of 4 horses that will emerge from the seals - gallops ahead of the others.
It is white like we have to come to expect from the great military conquest leaders of history.
These are the 4 horses of Zecheriahs’ vision in , some 600 years earlier.
4 horses or judgement upon the enemies of Judah.
And so too here, 4 horses of judgement ride out under the authority,
and this is important,
ordained if you like by the lamb himself -
They ride out upon the earth and it’s inhabitants.
Theses 4 horses are part of God’s plan to reveal his full and perfect scroll.
These horses must ride across the earth,
for all of this age, until Jesus returns
- until - the 6th seal is opened, and something far more drastic happens:
So the White horse, which, as we’ve said, is set on conquest.
The Roman Empire of that time, set on conquest - at the expense of any in it’s way.
All of our world’s history is a cycle of conquest after conquest.
Dictators,
Empires,
Super powers.
More Recently,
The British Empire
Nazi Germany
Communism
The United States,
Now China, perhaps Russia is emerging again,
All the time with smaller dictators bent on conquest in their own corners of the world.
Has God lost control?
Why isn’t the church now ruling the world?
Is he loosing?
No, he has released, authorised, ordained the world to operate like this.
It’s part of His plan.
He’s not responsible for the evil they do,
But just like he allows Satan to devastate the life of His beloved Job, - for His own glory,
So God allows, set’s forth conquests across the world.
It’s part of His plan - He is no fool.
He is not disengaged -
He is the Almighty God of the Universe ruling through His son the Lion who is the Lamb.
Seal 2 - Red Horse of War
Seal 2 - Red Horse of War
Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.
The rider of the white horse carried the fearful and precise arrow of conquest.
The rider of the Red horse is given (by the lamb) a large sword.
The chaos and fear of wars and murders, strife and terror.
There will never be ‘peace on earth’ - for the Red horse from heaven rides across it!
But hold on, didn’t the angels proclaim ‘peace of earth’ when they announced the birth of Jesus?
Isn’t that God’s plan - so why now bring the absence of peace, a red horse shedding blood.
It’s surely the same question the orgional readers of this book would have been asking.
Where is the peace the angels promised?
Well hopefully we start to see why this book of Revelation - is actually greatly encouraging.
God has not lost control of peace - is he loosing?
No - he is deliberately keeping peace at bay.... for now.
5-
So do not fear,
7-
Because these are just the seals to God’s plan.
The birthing pains to the scroll finally opening in all it’s glory,
The will be peace - as promised by the angels at Jesus’ birth - but we do not expect to see it yet!
as Jesus himself says in Luke 21v9
When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”
building anticiation
God is sovereign over all.
God is winning.
Seal 3 - Black Horse of Poverty
Seal 3 - Black Horse of Poverty
When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”
Economic failure,
the greed of the wealthy,
the compounded cycle of debt and poverty for the vulnerable is released as a black horse by the creatures of heaven.
The lamb gives them scales by which they can inflate the cost of grain by 800% according to these figures of the day!
A whole day’s salary only covering the price of a loaf of bread!
While the wealthy, they enjoy Olive oil and wine abundantly.
The economic injustices of the world are permitted as part of God’s plan.
He does not loosing,
God is winning.
Seal 4 - Pale Horse of Disease and Disaster
Seal 4 - Pale Horse of Disease and Disaster
When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
The pale horse - literally the green horse - symboling sickness
- hense in English it’s translated ‘pale’ is released across the earth.
Disease, famine, natural disasters, wild animals killing people,
all bring death and hades - hades simply referring to the grave.
They bring death and the grave.
Is God loosing?
No, he has ordained, authorised this strife across the earth.
Dennis E. Johnson. Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation (Kindle Location 1292). Kindle Edition.
Only for grains, the third crop, least expensive but most essential to sustain tain life, were the cities of Asia dependent on import, especially from Egypt and what is now Ukraine! Since a quart of wheat was considered sidered one day's supply for one soldier and a denarius was one day's wage for an agricultural laborer, the price quoted means that a worker's entire earnings would be consumed on his allotment of bread. The usual price of a quart of wheat seems to have been roughly one-eighth of a denarius, so the price quoted here reflects 800 percent cent inflation in grain prices.' The price is inflated by severely reduced duced supply, as the mention of "famine" in connection with the fourth horse's riders shows (6:8). Famine can be brought on by natural ural causes such as drought or infestation (lieut. 28:23-24, 38-42). But here, in the company of riders symbolizing conquest and warfare, fare, the scarcity of sustenance-level food should be attributed to the conditions of war, disrupting trade and transportation during siege (lieut. 28:49-57; ).
Dennis E. Johnson. Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation (Kindle Locations 1335-1341). Kindle Edition.
What does all this mean for us?
As we see societies crumble and collapse,
wars rage on,
famine and economic distress,
our response should not be terrified alarm,
as though our life were bound up with a fragile human network of law and order,
and material wealth,
but
in anticipation and confidence:
we should know that the Lamb is now on the throne,
with God's plan for history firmly in hand.
Whatever we think it looks like!
We may not like it, but that’s becasue we
Jesus continues in Luke 21v10
Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
Dennis E. Johnson. Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation (Kindle Locations 1348-1349). Kindle Edition.
Pale horse
When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”
Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
The lamb is on the throne - God is winning!
He knows all,
He controls all!
He has ordained for the world to receive what they deserve -
To receive the fruit of their rebellion against him.
TO receive a taste of the final judgement to come.
In the hope that some will repent and bow before him.
God is winning - he permits the desperation of this world - for the glory of the Lamb.
Seal 5:Martyrs ask ‘How long?’
Seal 5:Martyrs ask ‘How long?’
Martyrs ask ‘How long?’
The 5th seal is now opened by the lamb, and it transports us away from the horses being released on the earth and takes us to the alter before the throne room in heaven.
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.
rev 6
We are to picture the idea of the heavenly waiting room
where all the souls of Christians
who have been killed for their faith
await the justice that Jesus has promised them.
They have remained faithful, even to death.
They are true martyrs for the Faith -
and as they look upon the earth,
at the injustice,
even with the 4 horses of judgement terrorising the earth - ...
They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”
How long indeed?
Are you loosing the battle?
This seal is not to assure us that we will have a waiting room before the new creation arrives.
For the church in persecution today, the answer to this question is absolutely key!..
This is to encourge the church that is very much alive physically on earth.
A church that is facing persecution and even death themselves as they read this letter.
Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow-servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.
..
Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow-servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.
Don’t worry is the message - you have a white robe.
You are saved, pure innocent before God.
The blood of Jesus has washed you white.
Your martyrdom was worthwhile!
But, wait - literally ‘rest’. Rest and be patient -
God counts the days by the fall of
5th seal
The Lamb will return to avenge his witnesses' blood
The Lamb will return to avenge his witnesses' blood just as soon as the very last martyr lays down his or her life. More familiar to us and more pleasant is the prerequisite to his parousia that Jesus announced in ("The gospel must first be preached to all the nations") and its corollary, that God delays not because he is late but because he is "patient tient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance" (; cf. ). Accompanying the worldwide wide spread of God's good news, however, is the prolonged affliction of the church that bears this joyful message. The days on God's calendar endar are marked off, one by one, in the blood of the martyrs.
just as soon as the very last martyr lays down his or her life.
This sounds odd, but it’s the same core message we know so well
v10...
And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.
The 2 go hand in hand.
And as long and as far as the Gospel extends,
so will the price of persecution and death follow for His people.
2 Pet 3v9 says is differently again:
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Accompanying the worldwide wide spread of God's good news,
is the prolonged affliction of the church that bears this joyful message.
he is "patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance" (; cf. ). Accompanying the worldwide wide spread of God's good news, however, is the prolonged affliction of the church that bears this joyful message. The days on God's calendar endar are marked off, one by one, in the blood of the martyrs.
The days on God's calendar are marked off patiently, one by one, in the blood of the martyrs.
Would you come to Grace Church today if you faced death?
If you trust God as we say we do, then we would.
Becasue we know we have robes of white to dress ourselves in before the Lamb,
And justice will soon come.
Dennis E. Johnson. Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation (Kindle Locations 1387-1391). Kindle Edition.
The first 4 seals symbolised by horses or judgement = we see across our world today and acorss history.
God is in control
God is winning - ever so patiently winning - for the sake of those he loves.
God is patient and kind
He is just,
Seal 6:Final Judgement - Who can stand?
Seal 6:Final Judgement - Who can stand?
He is patient.
He knows the death of every one of His saints and counts them lovingly into rest, becasue he is patiently awaiting more to join His family.
But now, the 6th seal transports us from the present into the future.
Final and full judgement will come upon humanity of all time.
Those with the blood of the martyrs on their hands will be called to account.
Those who have not bowed to the Lamb, will pay.
The horses of judgement - who gallop across our planet now are just a foretaste of the fear and terror and might and power and justice and righteousness of God - will come to a head.
The Second coming of the Lamb who is the Lion,
the 6th seal:
6th Seal
I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig-tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig-tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face 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 can stand?”
REv 6 12-17
The breaking of this seal brings on an earthquake of unparalleled magnitude,
Seal 5 explained the restraint of the judgments of seals 1-4, showing ing that the end will not come until all martyrs have died. Now seal 6 provides the balancing assurance that the end will come certainly and suddenly. The breaking of this seal precipitates an earthquake of unparalleled magnitude, reaching up into the heavens, blackening the sun, bloodying the moon, shaking the stars loose to fill to earth like figs in the wind, ripping the sky open like rolled papyrus, and then returning turning to earth to toss mountains and islands from their places."
reaching up into the heavens,
blackening the sun,
bloodying the moon,
shaking the stars loose so they fall to the earth like meteorites all around.
All the light, the sun the moon and the stars GONE.
The void of darkness, that God filled with His light in creation,
returns to the earth at the end!
Darkness - terror, noise.
the sky rips open like a torn manuscript,
and then the earth quake returns from the sky to earth
to toss mountains and islands from their places.
Dennis E. Johnson. Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation (Kindle Locations 1391-1394). Kindle Edition.
The Scriptures are full of this imagery.
creation shakes before the coming of God as warrior, (; ; ; ),
it shakes before the coming of God to reign over the nations (ls 97:5; 99:1),
it shakes before the coming of God to judge the wicked (; : 31:4; ;
Dennis E. Johnson. Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation (Kindle Locations 1399-1401). Kindle Edition.
26-27 gives us a commentary on that dreadful day:
At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
All created things - that’s you and me, the earth around us
- all shaken, all removed.
No escape.
Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
rev 6 15-16
You know you can take your chances with God - if you like.
If you face death on this earth for your faith, you can deny Jesus the lamb - if you like.
You can see the injustice, war, famine, disease, conquests, dictators and blame God for not ruling how you would rule,... if you like.
You can Claim God doesn’t exist, - if you like.
Claim he doesn’t exist, if you like.
Come to church but fail to humbly repent,- if you like.
You can believe God is loosing, if you like.
But then you will have no answer to the question in v17.
For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
Or, you can bow in awe,
wonder, reverent fear at the throne of the Lion who is a lamb!
You can trust his plans for the earth in which we live.
You can see the turmoil of this world
and know that it is ordained by the Almighty, for His glory,
and for the justice of His people.
You can trust his timing which is patient,
his methods which are awesome,
his methods which are awesome,
You can rest and wait for His final victory to come in confidence,
You can spend every breath, action and thought worshiping the Lamb,
You can fear nothing and hold onto nothing in this world,
And Hold onto the Lamb alone!
He is victorious,
He is in control,
He is winning,
He is reigning right now,
He will return in terrible judgement on all things that have been tainted by evil.
But we will know the answer to the question in v17...
Who can stand?
The Answer?
“We can, the people who belong to the Lamb.”
Have a peek at chapter 7 as it answers that question as we close: 7v9-10
The answer is right there in chapter 7. (v9)
but for now just take a glimpse at chapter 7. (v9)
Who can stand...
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no-one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
rev 7 9-
PRAY
THIS SEAL is not limited to 1/4 of the earth or sections of history and events. - It is targeted at ALL -even the heavens! All things wiped away - most specifically, lights iwll be taken - Sun, Moon and Stars
THIS SEAL is not limited to 1/4 of the earth or sections of history and events. - It is targeted at ALL -even the heavens! All things wiped away - most specifically, lights iwll be taken - Sun, Moon and Stars
Terrifying - no escape - you’ll wish the mountains to crush you rather than face God - but there will be no escape - not even death.
Stats on growth in persecuted church - If you had the chance to be killed today for being here, would you be here.
