"Persecuted" Sermon: Revelation 6:9-17 (video)

 https://www.youtube.com/live/xJx3PnJkj9c

"Persecuted" Sermon: Revelation 6:9-17 (manuscript)

 

“Persecution”

Revelation 6:9-17

February 25, 2024 YouTube

          We saw last time that a scroll with seven seals is presented, and the call went out for someone to open the seals of the scroll, but there was no one on heaven or on earth or under the earth that was worthy to open the seals of the scroll – except for the Lion of Judah Who is the slain Lamb, resurrected.  The Lamb took on Himself the sin of His people, was slaughtered and died, and then rose from the dead and ascended to the Right Hand of His Father in Heaven

The Lamb was worthy by His life, death, resurrection, and ascension to open the seven seals on the scroll, and we saw that the first four seals were the four horsemen.  The first horsemen – on the white horse – is Jesus – the Sovereign God and Lord and Savior Who brings all thing to pass according to His will.  The other three horsemen went out in obedience to the first horsemen. The red horse brought persecution to the Church.  The black horse brough extreme poverty, and the pale horse was allowed to kill twenty-five percent of the world with sword, pestilence, famine, and with wild beasts.

          This morning, we look at the fifth and sixth seals.

“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.”

When Jesus opens the fifth seal, John sees all the souls of the people who had been slain – literally, butchered – for professing the Word of God and for witnessing to the Word of God.  These are the believers throughout time and space who were put to death for believing that Jesus is God the Savior and that all the Word of God is true, and for witnessing to it – for saying that it is all true and being willing to die for that belief – to become martyrs.

That’s fairly straight forward, but why were they under the altar?

The reader – or hearer – of this text would think of the burnt offerings prescribed in the book of Leviticus.  In one telling of the requirements of the burnt offering, we read, “Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering” (Leviticus 4:25, ESV).

When the burnt offering was made, the animal being offered would be cut up and its blood drained into a basin.  The flesh and bones of the animals would be burnt up – symbolizing total dedication to God and repentance for sin.  Likewise, the blood was placed on the horns of the altar – symbolizing safety and strength, and the rest of the blood would be poured out at the base of the altar symbolizing the necessity of blood to free a person from the debt of sin.

Paul uses this imagery when he writes, “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all” (Philippians 2:17, ESV).

Again, Paul writes, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing” (II Timothy 4:6-8, ESV).

Yet, we know that the blood of animals – and even those who die for believing the Word of God and the Savior – that is not enough to pay the debt for our sin.

“For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.  Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book’” (Hebrews 10:4-7, ESV).

All those who die as Christians – whatever persecution and death they suffer – will be poured out as an offering under the altar – symbolizing their being an acceptable offering to our Lord.

The justified – righteous – believers under the altar – want to know how long.

          “They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.”

          The slaughtered Christians – the saints – under the altar – ask the Holy, True, and Sovereign Lord – how long it will be until He judges and avenges their blood.  Let us be careful: the saints under the altar are not crying out for revenge.  The saints under the altar are not crying out for revenge.  This is important:  the saints under the altar are not crying out for revenge.

          They are asking how long the slaughter of their brothers and sisters will continue, because they want to see the Honor of Christ.  They want to see the Glory of Christ.  They want to see the Justice of Christ.  They want to see the Mercy of Christ.  They want to see the Majesty of Christ.  They want to see the Holiness of Christ.  They want to see the Sovereignty of Christ. They want to see the Righteousness of Christ.  They are not asking Him to right the wrongs done against them – the tribulation they suffered.  Rather, they are asking how long it will be before He reveals His Attributes in all their fullness against the evil in this fallen world.  It is not a matter of the saints seeking vengeance, but of seeing Who God is in all of His fullness.

          After expressing their desire, God dresses them in white robes – indicating that they are justified before God.  God has made them legally sinless before Him – of course, through the work of Jesus. None of us has the right to seek our own vengeance.  We are promised that we will suffer tribulation, but we are justified through Jesus – our sins have been paid for by Jesus, and we have been legally judged through Jesus as justified.

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” (II Timothy 3:12, ESV).

We ought to be aware and humble about suffering persecution for our belief and witness to the Gospel of Jesus and the Word of God. Most of us have it so easy right now.  If we tell others about salvation in Jesus – most of us will get laughed at, or get an angry response, or something like that. But we won’t suffer as so many have throughout Christianity – so many in most of the countries of the world today.  The persecution in America is often churches and ministers who deny the Scripture and try to force us to do the same.  The main-line churches in the United States have largely given up belief in Salvation in Jesus Alone and the truth of all of the Word of God.

          Jesus tells the saints under the altar to be patient – to wait a little longer until the number of the saints – all the saints who have been predestined to be slaughtered for their faith and witness to Jesus – have been brought in as they were. Wait – there is a set number of saints who will be slaughtered and brought under the altar, and then Jesus will reveal Himself in all His Fullness.

What ought we do until every believer has been gathered together?  One commentator suggests: we ought to be informed about the people suffering for Christ throughout the world.  We ought to be empathetic with their suffering.  We ought to pray for them.  We ought to support them.  We ought to go to them. (Joel Beeke).

We have a regular offering envelope in our offering box for missions.  Currently, four of us use them.  You can just put money in which will be sent out to missions.  You may list a specific mission you would like the money sent to.  Our missions giving is small, so we send it out at the end of each year. Receipts and responses are posted on the missions’ board in Freeman Hall.

          When the fifth seal is opened, John sees that beliers will suffer persecution – some even to death – and as the blood was poured at the base of the altar in the burnt sacrifice, so all believers will wait there having been declared legally righteous, and looking forward to the last saint being gathered in and the full attributes of Jesus being revealed to all the world.

          Then Jesus opens the sixth seal, and John sees the judgment of every wrong.

“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.”

With the opening of the sixth seal, there is a great earthquake; there is a Divine visitation. And we have to ask ourselves if these seven aspects of the created order are to be taken literally or if they are part of the symbolism of the book of Revelation.

The first thing to take into account is that seven aspects of the created order are named.  We will remember that seven symbolizes perfection and completion.  There are more than seven aspects of the created order, so the fact that there are seven leads us to conclude that every aspect of Creation – the complete Creation – will be shaken and fall and be disfigured in a negative sense.

Isaiah prophesies, “All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree” (Isaiah 34:4, ESV).

Jesus says, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short” (Matthew 24:21-22, ESV).

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Matthew 24:29, ESV).

What has been described here is made plain in the next section of our text.

“Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’”

What Jesus tells John is seen in the seven aspects of Creation and then is shown in the seven aspects of men and women.  Again, we are to understand that just as the imagery is given of the overthrow – the revolution – of the created order, so every power of men and women and in earth and hell will be overthrown by Jesus.

          From the great and the rich to the generals and the poor – all those who have denied the Gospel – all those who never believe in Jesus as God and Savior – will be confronted with Who Jesus is revealed to them, and they run into caves and mountains – to any place they foolishly believe they can escape God – and they cry out for the mountains and rocks and caves to collapse on them and kill them before Jesus takes out His Wrath upon them – again, foolishly thinking that being killed by the Creation would allow them escape Jesus.  Those who persecuted believers to their death will be confronted with the Face of Jesus, and they will be horrified and plead for death.

          John – and we – are told in the sixth seal – that, though Christians will suffer persecution and tribulation, the day will come when Jesus brings down His Wrath in a cosmic revolution that brings judgement and rights every wrong.

          All we who believe have been saved and made righteous through the work of Jesus – we are gathered under the altar until all of the elect have been received. Those who never believe will be overthrown and eternally damned.

          What ought we do? Let us not be fooled by the riches and power of this world, but keep our eyes focused on the Kingdom – on our being brought into the presence of all the saints and Jesus – waiting for the revolution that restores the Creation and rights every wrong.

          Let us pray:

          Almighty God, we thank You for showing us that though tribulation and persecution will come on every Christian, we will be brought into the fellowship of all believers waiting for the fullness of Your Kingdom.  We thank You for showing us that the wicked will not always be allowed to pursue their sin and persecute Your people.  Help us to care for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering tribulation and give us confidence that You have cut the days short for the elect.  Keep us focused on the promise of our being brought into Your house, no matter what degree of persecution we receive.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.