“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.
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