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