Revelation Ch6v1-17 - How Long, O Lord?

Nation.

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We're going to read Revelation chapter 6 this morning.

Revelation 6 · chapter mention

Let's read God's word together.

I watched as the lamb opened the first of seven seals.

Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like a thunder,

Come!

I looked and there before me was a white horse.

Its rider held a bow.

He was given a crown and he rode out as a conquest, bent on conquest.

When the lamb opened the second seal I heard the second living creature say,

Come!

Then another horse came out, a fiery red one.

Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other.

To him was given a large sword.

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 kilogram of wheat for a day's wages.

And three kilograms of barley for a day's wages.

And do not damage the oil and the wine.

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 quarter of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague,

and by the wild beasts of the earth.

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.

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?

Then each of them was given a white robe and they were told to wait a little while longer

until a full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters were killed just as they had been.

I watched as he opened the sixth seal.

There was a great earthquake.

The sun turned black with sackcloth made of goat hair.

The whole moon turned blood red and the stars of the sky fell to the earth

as figs dropped from the fig tree when shaken by a strong wind.

The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled 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 everyone else,

both free and slave, 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 withstand it?

Well, I'm going to ask you to stand as we pray.

So you can stand as we pray.

If you're able to, if you don't want to stand, that's alright.

It's also a physical exercise.

Get some blood into the legs.

Let's pray.

Let's pray.

Our Father God, we ask that you would help us now as we read your word,

as we study it together.

That you would speak to us by your spirit.

and that you would change us and work in us, we pray.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Please take your seats.

It's been a very sad and difficult week for our nation.

As the community of Creslo have been grieving,

as we have turned on our televisions and watched funeral after funeral,

we see the heartache and we witness the emptiness.

But as the dust settles, questions begin to arise.

Where is God in all of this?

And I think it's a question that we all ask as we face our own personal struggles and suffering.

It could be an illness.

It could be a disappointment.

It could be a broken dream.

And we ask, where is God?

Why is God allowing this?

What is God doing?

Well, chapter 6 might not answer our every question,

but it will help us to see life from God's perspective.

Remember, have a look back at chapter 4, verse 1.

John is given his second vision.

He says, after this, after the first vision, I looked,

and there before me was a door standing open in heaven

so we can imagine him looking up and a door opens before him.

And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said,

come up here, come up into heaven, and I will show you what must take place after this.

You see, we've been invited with John to go through the door into the throne room of heaven.

And as we enter, we get to see life from God's perspective.

But that's not all. Look at chapter 5, verse 1.

As he is in heaven, he says, I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne.

So God is seated on the throne, and he has a scroll with writing on both sides, sealed with seven seals.

What's written on the throne?

Well, it's God's purposes and plans for history in the world,

from the resurrection of Christ to the return of Christ.

As that seal is opened, so we will begin to see what is God's plan,

what is God's purposes for the world as they are laid before us.

So we're going to look at the first six seals this morning.

And as we open them, we will see what we can expect to happen.

First, there will be times of suffering.

As the first four seals are opened, we see four horsemen being unleashed on the earth with devastating effects.

But before we see what they do, we need to ask, who are these four horsemen?

Well, at some level, they seem to represent the powers and authorities of this world.

So we come to them in verse 15, where it talks about the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich and the mighty.

But as we read through chapter 6, we see there's something darker and more sinister.

Behind the evil actions of the powers and authorities of this world is the work of Satan, whose purpose is to bring death and destruction.

So as these four horsemen are unleashed upon the world, we see the rulers carrying out the sinister intentions of Satan and his minions.

So what can we expect to happen?

Well, there's four things that we see here as we study the first four horsemen.

First, there will be military conquest.

Look at verse 2.

I looked and there before me was a white horse.

Its rider held a bow.

This is a weapon of war.

And he was given a crown, so he has a certain amount of authority.

And he rode out as a conqueror, bent on conquest.

Now that's familiar, isn't it?

Because right now there are wars and conflicts all over the world as rulers expand their borders.

We see it in Yemen, in Syria, Ethiopia, Central Africa, Kashmir, Myanmar, and of course the daily reminder of the war in Ukraine.

In fact, right now there are over 490 separate wars going on in the world right now.

But not only will there be military conquest.

We're told there will be violent bloodshed.

Look at verse 4.

Then another horse came out.

A fiery red one.

Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other.

To him was given a large sword.

Again, our news is filled, isn't it, with stabbings, shootings, domestic abuse and violent crime.

Whether it's the slaughter of innocent children in the creche in Thailand.

Or a mindless murder at that funeral in Tralee.

Gangs on the street.

Or the wealthy suburbs.

It doesn't matter where we look.

People kill each other.

They take each other's life.

But it's not just military conquest and violent bloodshed.

We see economic injustice.

Look at verse 5.

I looked and there before me was a black horse.

Its rider was holding a pair of scales.

This is a weighing scales in his hand.

And I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures saying,

A kilogram of wheat for a day's wages.

And three kilograms of barley for a day's wages.

And do not damage the oil and the wine.

It's scarce.

We must be careful with what we have.

This is a picture of extortion and inflation gone mad.

A kilogram of wheat would have fed one person.

Yet it would cost a day's wage.

So how were people meant to feed their whole family on a day's wage?

But again, that's nothing new for the majority of the world's population today.

The cost of living crisis is nothing new.

What they earn today in the majority of many countries is not enough to feed themselves adequately.

It's the effects of economic injustice as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

We get military conquest, violent bloodshed, economic injustice,

and then fourth as we look at the last rider, relentless death.

Look at verse 8.

I looked and there before me was a pale horse.

Its rider was named Death and Hades.

That's the place of the dead.

And he was following close behind him.

They were given power over a quarter of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague,

and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Now we know death comes to all.

And it is very rarely quick and painless.

Tragically, death comes through disasters like floods and famine, sickness and plagues,

through the attacks of men and at times through the attacks of wild animals.

The point is, we can't avoid death.

And mostly it comes with great suffering.

The scene before us is devastating and horrific.

And we don't have to go looking into the future for these things to happen.

They have happened.

They are happening.

And they will happen.

In fact, as we continue to read through Revelation,

we will see that things only escalate and get worse.

This is what life is like.

This side of the return of Jesus.

It's what John and his readers experienced in the first century

as the Roman Empire went on their military conquests,

inflicting violent bloodshed, causing imminent economic injustice

and leaving countless dead.

It's what we've seen in recent history.

The war in the Balkans, invasion of Iraq, genocide in Syria.

Thousands, millions have been slaughtered

while others face starvation through failed crops and droughts.

These are times of suffering, aren't they?

But let's be clear.

This is not evil unrestrained or Satan uncontrolled.

Now we've got to remember, where does this vision take place?

In the throne room of heaven, where God is in control of all things,

even the powers of darkness.

You see, Satan is controlled.

Satan is controlled.

Look who gives permission for these things to take place.

Who is it that's breaking open the seals to let this take place?

Did you see it? Verse 1.

I watched as who?

The Lamb.

That's the Lord Jesus, who opens the first of the seven seals.

Verse 3, the Lamb opened the second seal.

Verse 5, the Lamb opened the third seal.

Verse 7, the Lamb opened the fourth seal.

The order comes from the throne room of heaven.

You see, Satan is not acting at will.

He is under God's supreme control.

It's God who lets Satan loose.

It's God who moves.

But this is not uncontrolled chaos.

Evil.

Evil is restrained.

Look at verse 4.

Then another horse came out, a fiery red one.

its rider was given power.

Did you see that?

The rider was given power.

It doesn't have its own power.

It was given power to take peace from the earth.

Power, but it's restrained.

Again, look at verse 8.

The middle of verse 8.

They were given power over a quarter of the earth

to kill by sword, famine and plague.

You see, it's restrained.

It's just to a quarter of the earth.

Now, this isn't just to say to take that

literally just a quarter, 25% and that's it.

No, it's saying you can go this far and no further.

There are boundaries you will not cross.

You see, we need to be clear that God alone

rules over the powers of darkness.

Satan may be intent on causing evil,

but he remains on a leash.

He cannot do what he wants or pleases.

So if God is in control of these times of suffering,

then why doesn't he make it all stop?

Isn't that the question?

If he's in control of it all,

why doesn't he pull the leash

and restrain Satan that little bit more

and put him back in his cage?

Why?

Well, that brings us to the second big idea.

Not only is there times of suffering,

there will be cries of longing.

Because it seems that these times that we live in

will be doubly hard for Christians.

Not only will we face the suffering inflicted by man,

but Christians will also endure times of opposition

and persecution.

Look at verse 9.

Verse 9.

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.

Just as the lamb had been slain,

so the followers of Jesus will be slain.

Remember Jesus' words to his disciples,

if they persecuted me,

they will also persecute you.

You see, the world and Satan

are actively opposed to Christ and his church.

That was the experience of the churches

that John wrote to.

Have a look back at chapter 2, verse 10.

Chapter 2, verse 10.

Chapter 2, verse 10.

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.

This is written to God's church.

I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison

to test you

and you will suffer persecution for 10 days.

Now again, I think it's saying

this is for a specific time

and no more.

Be faithful even to the point of death

and I will give you life

as your victor's crown.

A crown awaits for the Christian

but in the meantime,

be prepared for prison

and possibly death.

Look at chapter 2, verse 13.

I know where you live.

I know where you live.

And Satan has his throne there.

Yet you remain true to my name.

You did not renounce your faith in me,

not even in the days of Antipas.

Well, who's Antipas?

Well, he was just a faithful brother,

a faithful Christian.

My faithful witness

who was put to death in your city

where Satan lives.

You see, where the church is,

whether that's in Carigoline or Jelan,

Satan is also there

and he is intent on destroying

and breaking up his church,

God's church.

So it shouldn't be a surprise

that Christians

will be opposed

and will die.

Go back to chapter 6, verse 9.

The reason why we will face opposition

and persecution

is because,

end of verse 9,

because of the word of God

and the testimony

they had maintained.

Now, as we go through

our times of suffering,

we can identify

with their cry.

Look at verse 10.

They all cried out

in a loud voice,

How long,

sovereign Lord,

holy and true?

How long

will this suffering

go on for?

How long

must we put up

with this brutal war

in Ukraine?

How long

must we have to hear

of yet another

violent murder?

How long

must we watch

as children

become victims

of poverty?

How long

must we have to see

so many loved ones

die painfully?

We understand

verse 10,

don't we?

They called out,

How long,

sovereign Lord,

holy and true,

until you judge

the inhabitants

of the earth

and avenge our blood.

When will justice

be done?

When will all

those intent

on doing evil

be held accountable?

When will

the wealthy corrupt

be treated

as they deserve?

When are the

Christians

in North Korea

going to be

released from

their suffering

in prison?

When will the

pastors and

churches

in Mali

and Egypt

stop being

attacked?

When will

the young

women,

disciples in

Afghanistan

stop being

raped?

When will

the 5,898

Christians

who died

for their faith

last year,

when are they

going to get

justice?

justice?

And when will

the 3,829

followers of

Jesus who

were abducted

and trafficked

to other

countries,

when will

they get

justice?

When is

God going to

haul Satan

in and end

all this

evil?

how long

will this

suffering go

on for?

How long

sovereign

Lord?

How long?

How long?

Well, God

does answer

our cry

and it's

both a

comfort

and a

challenge.

Look where

these faithful

saints are

as they

cry out.

Did you

see where

they were?

Verse 9.

When he

opened the

fifth seal,

I saw

under the

altar the

souls of

those who

had been

slain.

It's

temple

language.

It's

talking about

the new

temple and

the new

heavens.

They're

present in

heaven.

And look

what God

does.

Verse 11.

Each of

them was

given a

white robe.

John has

already spoken

about these

white robes.

Just go

back to

chapter 3

verse 4.

As he

writes to

the church,

as he

talks about

these people,

he says,

you have a

few people

in Sardis

who have

not spoiled

their clothes.

That is,

they have

not turned

from God,

but they

have remained

faithful.

They will

walk with

me,

dressed in

white,

for they

are worthy.

The one

who is

victorious

will,

like them,

be dressed

in white.

And I

will never

blot out the

name of that

person from

the book

of life,

but will

acknowledge

that name

before my

father and

his angels.

We can

picture it

there.

These saints

who have

been put to

death because

of their

testimony of

Christ are

given a

white robe

to wear,

a sign of

their victory

presented by

Jesus.

Their names

forever in

the book of

life,

never to be

erased or

taken away.

How long

they cry

to God,

how long

will this

suffering go

on for?

We don't

know,

but as we

wait,

we keep

pressing on

because our

reward awaits

us.

Our white

robe will be

given,

and our

names will

be forever

in the

book of

life.

But there's

also a

challenge as

well as a

comfort.

Not getting

on great

with our

flicker today.

The

challenge of

suffering,

because there

is a challenge,

isn't there?

Look at verse

10.

They call

out in a

loud voice,

How long,

sovereign

Lord,

holy and

true,

until you

had judged

the inhabitants

of the earth

and avenged

our blood?

Then each

of them was

given a

white robe,

and they

were told

to wait

a little

longer,

until the

full number

of their

fellow servants,

their brothers

and sisters,

were killed,

just as they

had been.

the time

for it all

to end

is not

yet.

Not

until Christ

returns.

The full

number of

those who

will die

for their

faith

is not

yet

complete.

We must

wait a

little longer.

Yes,

God has the

power and

authority to

intervene,

as we will

see in a

minute,

but God's

plan and

his purpose

is,

not yet.

Not yet,

not until

Christ returns.

Yes,

there will

be a day

when the

last Christian

will be

killed.

There is

going to

be a day

when the

last Christian

will suffer,

and then

it will be

all over.

But that

day

is not

yet.

we must

wait a

little

longer.

Now,

for those

who are

suffering,

to say

this is a

challenge is

an

understatement.

It's

difficult,

it's hard

to understand

and to

accept.

Why does

God not

intervene and

act now?

God is

sadistic,

well,

if God

tells us

to wait a

little

longer,

then it

must mean

that God

has some

very good

reasons.

It's not

like God

is sadistic,

that he's

somehow enjoying

the suffering

that takes

place.

No,

God is

both

grieved,

and yet

God is

in control

of our

future

destiny.

His plans

and his

purposes are

always right,

and they

are best,

even if we

do not

always

understand

them.

So,

there will

be times

of suffering,

there will

be cries

of longing,

and there

will be a

day of

wrath.

look at

verse 12.

I

watched as

he opened

the sixth

seal,

and there

was a

great

earthquake.

The sun

turned black

like sackcloth

made of goat

hair.

I don't

think any

of us

have any

of that

lying around

the place,

but so

knitted

together so

tight that

the light

can't

penetrate

through it.

The whole

moon

turned

blood

red.

The stars

in the

sky

fell to

earth as

figs

drop from

a fig

tree,

or as we

might say

leaves fall

from the

tree as

shaken by

a strong

wind.

This is

cosmic

and

cataclysmic.

The sun,

moon,

and stars

once spoken

into being

by God

and held

in place

by God

are thrown

into chaos.

This is

a universal

upheaval,

a sign

that judgment

has come.

Of course,

it's not the

first time

the sun

turned black.

Remember

when God

brought his

judgment

against Pharaoh

and the

Egyptians?

He did it

through a

plague of

darkness.

For three

whole days

there was

total darkness.

You couldn't

see a thing.

So when God

tells us that

the sun

will turn

to darkness,

us,

we know

that judgment

has come.

The day

of waiting

will be

over.

The day

of justice

has arrived

and it

will be

terrifying.

Verse 15.

The kings

of the earth,

the princes,

the generals,

the rich,

the mighty,

the leaders

of our

nations

and everyone

else,

both slave

and free,

hid in caves

and among

the rocks

and the

mountains.

They call

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.

The slain

lamb

is also

God's

ruling

judge.

Remember

what he

was like?

The description

we were given

of the lamb

in chapter 5

verse 6.

The lamb

had what?

seven horns,

a symbol

of his

power,

seven eyes

because he

could see

all things,

which were

the seven

spirits

gone into

all the

earth because

the lamb,

the Lord

Jesus,

sees and

he knows

all the

suffering.

He has

heard the

cry of

all his

people.

He knows

the injustice

that has

been endured.

He has

seen the

military

conquests,

the violent

bloodshed,

the economic

injustice,

the relentless

death.

He has

witnessed

the suffering

of his

people,

every single

one.

And so a

day will

come when

the waiting

will be

over.

Evil and

Satan will

be reeled

in once

and for

all.

God's

judgment

will be

unleashed

and there

will be

no one

to hold

it back.

no wonder

there is

fear and

panic.

Look at

verse 17.

For the

great day

of their

wrath has

come and

who can

withstand

it?

You see

God will

have the

last word.

God's

will in

heaven will

be done

on earth.

He rules

over all

things and

all people

and he

will bring

his

justice.

But we're

still left

with the

big question

aren't we?

Why

doesn't he

come now?

Well he

could,

I get

that,

I understand

that.

But why

doesn't he

come right

now?

Why doesn't

God bring

an end to

all the

suffering and

injustice and

all the

heartache?

Why doesn't

he just end

it now?

And maybe

that's the

cry of your

heart and

you're asking

why doesn't

God end

my suffering

now,

today?

Well I'm

not going to

pretend to

have all the

answers or

reasons.

But I

think this

text points

to two

things that

might help

us.

First,

there is a

warning of

judgment.

You see,

these times

of suffering

that we're

looking at

are signs

of a greater

suffering that

is to come.

They're warnings

of the

ultimate judgment

that will

fall.

The wars,

the violence,

the injustice,

the relentless

death that

screams at us

through our

television and

social media

every single

day should

waken us up

to the reality

that one day

God is going

to come in

justice.

But not

yet.

He's

patient.

He's giving

us time.

Bible is

very clear to

tell us that

he longs that

none would

perish and

that none

would have to

face his

judgment.

He longs that

all would

turn to

him.

You see,

if God did

what we

asked right

now,

if God

answered my

prayer and

say,

Lord,

come right

now and

stop all

the suffering,

then that

would be it,

wouldn't it?

His justice

would fall

and there

would be no

opportunity to

turn and

repent.

Our

friends,

our neighbours,

our loved

ones,

time would

be up.

They would

be like

those of

verse 16.

calling to

the mountains

and the

rocks to

fall on

us.

They'd

rather suffer

death like

that than

face God's

judgment.

So in

God's mercy

he says,

no,

wait a

little longer.

Be

patient.

The day

will come,

but not

yet.

I have

many,

many more

to bring

into my

kingdom.

so there

is a

warning,

but there's

also a

promise.

You see,

these times

of suffering

also point

to times

of salvation

because it

is through

suffering

that salvation

ultimately

comes.

I mean,

let's think

about this

together.

As Jesus

died on

the cross,

what do

we see

happening?

The forces

of evil

and Satan

are unleashed.

Together

they march

in military

conquest

seeking to

destroy the

Son of

God.

They act

with violent

bloodshed

as Christ

is crucified

and crushed

with a

crown of

thorns.

Weak and

poor,

Jesus goes

to the

cross

suffering

abuse

and

injustice.

He's

innocent.

And from

the cross

he cries

out,

how long

sovereign

Lord,

why have

you forsaken

me?

And from

the cross

there is

silence.

There is

no answer.

Death's

relentless

call takes

over and

Jesus dies.

But this

is not

uncontrolled.

This is not

unrestrained.

This was

meant to

be.

This was

God's will.

This was

God's plan

and purpose.

it's all

being unfolded

for our

good.

Because what

do we see

as Jesus

is on

the cross?

What

happened to

the sun?

It turned

dark.

From

twelve noon

until three

p.m.

when the

sun is at

its highest

and brightest,

the world

was plunged

into darkness

as the

judgment of

God was

poured out

on Jesus

Christ for

you and

for me.

The judgment

that we

deserve

fell on

him.

And so

as we

turn in

repentance

we are

saved,

we are

rescued.

Through

his

suffering

comes our

salvation.

Maybe if

it was us

we'd say

no,

intervene,

take Christ

down from

the cross.

But there

would be no

salvation.

You see

there is

purpose

in the

suffering.

And that

means there

is purpose

in your

suffering too.

There is

purpose in

your suffering

too.

As we

look to

Christ who

suffered for

us, as

we cry

out from

our hearts

how long

oh Lord,

as we

turn in

trust to

him, as

we long

and wait

for glory

to come,

as we

wait for

the white

robe and

for victory,

as we

wait for

heaven itself,

so we

on our

journey are

causing

others to

stop and

to turn and

to look to

Jesus Christ.

They will

see in us,

in our

longing and

in our

cries,

where our

hope lies,

that our

hope lies

in Jesus

Christ,

who died

for you and

for me,

who was

raised from

the grave,

defeating

death,

to give

life to

all.

Why doesn't

God intervene

right now?

I don't know

all the

answers.

There's a

mystery and

we shouldn't

try to answer

everything.

nothing.

But it is

clear that

he is giving

the nations

and us time

to turn to

him.

There is

more to

come into

his kingdom.

And the

way in which

he will do

that is he

will use

your suffering.

As you

look to

Christ,

so others

will be

drawn to

him.

It's God's

way.

we need

to trust

him.

Let's

take time

to pray.

Let's

just take

time to

reflect.

Father, we

identify with

the cry of

your saints.

How long,

O Lord?

How long?

As we

think about

our world,

as we

think about

our own

individual

lives,

we long

for you

to intervene.

And so

we pray

that you

would give

us patience

and

perseverance

to trust

that you

are working

out your

good and

excellent plan

for us

and for

the world.

Give us

strength,

Lord,

to keep

looking to

you in

the knowledge

that heaven

is to

come

and you

will be

with us

and you

will walk

with us.

Please,

Lord,

bring many

more into

your kingdom.

Use us

to show

others

who Jesus

is.

In his name

we pray.

Amen.

We're going

to sing

together

a song

that

brings our

thoughts

together.

together.

There is

strength

within

the sorrow.

There is

beauty

in our

tears.

And when

you

meet

the

heart,

you

will be

in the

heart.

You

will be

in the

heart.

You

will be

in the

heart.

You