Is he safe?
Remember the Pevensey children asking Mr. Beaver about Aslan,
the figure of the Christ, the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe.
They've been hearing about Aslan on the move.
He's a lion.
And they ask Mr. Beaver, is he safe?
Is he safe?
This morning I want to ask the question,
is the lamb safe?
Many of us in the room really want him to be safe.
Maybe you've come wanting a safe Jesus.
This morning I'm going to ask a question of you over and over again throughout the sermon.
Here's the question.
Is this your Jesus?
The Jesus, the risen lamb we see in Revelation chapter 6,
is this your Jesus?
Is this the Jesus that is your first love?
What we're going to see is the lamb who was slain is on his throne and he is in control of all things.
And he's carrying out God's plan for the fullness of time.
And it includes devastations and destructions.
He's turning up the heat as he's carrying out God's plan.
And this morning as we turn to Revelation 6,
I'm going to do my best to get us through the opening of the seven seals of the scroll of God's plan
for the fullness of time.
And this scene actually starts earlier than Revelation chapter 6.
It starts in Revelation chapter 4.
And there we are shown one seated on the throne.
He is brilliant in his glory and he's surrounded by 24 elders and four living creatures who are constantly falling down
and praising him without ceasing.
They're praising him.
Holy, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and who is and who is to come.
And then in chapter 5, there we see in the hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll with seven seals.
You've got to think of those seals as kind of authorizations.
Only one person can break open those seals.
And we learn from chapter 5 who that one person is.
Who has the authority?
Who's got the credentials?
Who's got the qualifications to open the seal?
It's the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David.
And what qualifies him to conquer is his blood.
In verse 6 of chapter 5,
Look, in the midst of the throne, John shows us the one who is cross-certified to open the seven seals.
Quote,
I saw a lamb standing as though it had been slain.
End quote.
There with God in the midst of the throne
is the risen lamb, Jesus Christ.
Is this your Jesus?
Standing in the midst of the throne?
The lamb that's been slain?
It was by his death that qualifies him.
It's his death that qualifies him to break open the seals.
And it's his death that has conquered sin.
It's his death that has thrown down the devil onto earth.
It's his death that handed death its death notice.
In chapters 4 and 5,
All of heaven is going nuts in their praise of the lamb and the one seated on the throne.
It's a loud place.
Chapter 4, 5, and 6.
Heaven is a loud place with the praises of God.
And so what we see happening in 4 and 5 is God's plan for the fullness of time
to save men and women from every tribe, language, people, and nation
is also a plan to bring judgment on all the inhabitants of the earth.
It's a plan to bring utter devastation to the current heaven and the earth as we know it.
And this plan has been placed in the hands of the lamb on the throne.
And the lamb is going to execute God's plan for the fullness of time to the uttermost.
And so this morning I want you to see that the risen lamb is on his throne.
He's in control now.
And he's carrying out God's plan for the fullness of time.
Is this your Jesus?
By the time we get to chapter 6,
what we see happening is the lamb begins to open the seven seals of the scroll
of God's plan for the fullness of time.
It's the plan being enacted.
And so what we're going to see is again and again,
as the lamb opens seal after seal,
we're given vision after vision of immediate happenings of cosmic proportions.
It's going to make you a little uncomfortable.
Is this your Jesus?
We're going to see the lamb in a light this morning that
that you may have never seen him before,
or maybe you care not to see him like this.
The question is, is it true?
The lamb is on the throne.
He's in control.
And he's carrying out God's plan for the fullness of time.
And he uses calamity and destruction
according to his will for God's glory.
So here's how we're going to move forward.
We're going to look at the lamb and the four horsemen.
Seals one through four.
And then we're going to look at the lamb and his martyrs.
Seal five.
And then the lamb and his wrath.
Seal six.
And then the lamb and the ominous silence.
Seal seven.
So we're going to focus on chapter six.
Take a, kind of dip our toe into chapter eight.
And you might be wondering, well, what about chapter seven?
We'll come back to that next week.
You'll understand why in a little bit.
Let's look at the lamb and the four horsemen.
Seals one through four.
We're going to take them all together.
This is chapter six, one through eight.
Every seal that the lamb opens is an authoritative act
of him carrying out God's plan for all time.
And what I want you to see is he's turning up the heat on humanity.
These first four seals are all related.
They have a lot of similarities as you go through him, through them.
And if you're wondering about these four horsemen, like where did John think these things up?
He actually didn't think them up.
He's actually riffing off the four horsemen in Zechariah chapter one and chapter six.
And those horsemen were sent out by God to patrol the earth.
They were agents of God's purposes.
And the horsemen we're going to look at now are agents of God's purposes.
Here's what we're going to see over and over again.
We're going to see the lamb open a seal.
And then we're going to see after the opening of a seal, one of the living creatures, they cry out,
come!
And they call forth one of the horsemen.
And one of those horsemen, there's a horse that's either white, red, black, and pale.
And then there's a rider on one of those horses.
And usually one of the riders is given something.
The rider of the white horse in chapter six, verses one and two, he's given a bow and a crown to conquer.
The rider on the red horse in chapter six, verses three and four, he's on a red horse and he's given a great sword.
And he is to remove the peace on the earth to men slay one another.
It's a picture of war and bloodshed.
The rider on the black horse in chapter six, verses five and six, has a pair of scales.
And there's a voice from the midst of the throne saying, a quart of wheat is worth a denarius.
One day's food is worth one day's wage.
Scarcity.
Economic difficulty.
And then the rider on the pale horse.
Literally, corpse green horse.
And the rider on that horse, chapter six, verses seven and eight, it's the only rider that's been given a name.
Death.
Accompanied by his partner Hades, the place of the dead.
And that rider is given authority to bring the sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts to kill a fourth of humankind.
The four horsemen of Revelation chapter six, these four seals, they represent calamities that are sent forth by the lamb.
Human conquest, the rider on the white horse, to conquer.
National, international power grabbing.
Control, human dominance.
And that results in great bloodshed.
The rider on the red horse with the great sword.
Human conquest, the prideful dominion over one people over another, leads to the shedding of great blood of one people over another.
Which, of course, results in economic scarcity.
Famines brought on by war.
Famines brought on by bloodshed.
Famines brought on by the exertion of human will to conquer.
Just think of North Korea and the famine that's been going on there for years.
And then it all lands with death.
Death after death after death after death.
Here's what's going on with these four seals.
What I want you to see is that Jesus is setting each one into motion.
He opens a seal.
A living creature says, come.
The horse and the rider come.
They're given something.
And they go.
And they wreak havoc on the earth.
So, the risen Christ, who's positioned on the throne with one seat on the throne,
in all his cross-certified authority,
sends calamity after calamity onto the earth.
Is this your Jesus?
Who's reigning on high?
Remember the pedancy children?
Upon hearing of Aslan,
is he safe?
This Jesus that we're looking at is the Lion of Judah.
He's the Lamb who was slain.
And he ushers in calamity on the earth.
I mean, he said he would.
Matthew 24, chapter 24, verses 4 through 8.
If you want to turn back to that.
This is Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.
Matthew 24, verse 4 through 8.
He's talking about the end.
What will happen?
And we hear him say this.
See that no one leads you astray.
For many will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ.
And they will lead many astray.
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.
See that you are not alarmed.
For this must take place.
It must take place.
But the end is not yet.
For nation will rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom.
And there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
What we are seeing in the four horsemen are the birth pains.
I want to help you guys think about something.
It's not when the four horsemen will come.
It's that they have already come.
You hear horsebeats, hoofbeats already.
Every time you open up your news feed on your smartphone,
and you hear about devastations,
think hoofbeats.
When you see the news,
when you hear on the radio,
things that make you say,
no, not again.
Hoofbeats.
I mean, if you are familiar with the genocides over the last hundred years,
how many millions of people have died?
How many Armenians died at the hand of Turks?
How many Jews died at the hand of Nazis?
How many Russians died?
How many Cambodians died?
How many Africans have died of famines?
And North Koreans have died of famines?
How much death has happened?
Hoofbeats are sounding all over the place.
We're living in it.
Why is this happening?
The end is coming.
We're one day closer.
We read in the book of Romans chapter 1
that sinful humanity exchanges the truth of God for a lie.
It's idolatry in the first order.
And if you're God,
and you get swapped out for something you've made,
it is a tremendous offense.
In the words of Paul in Romans 1.28,
since they, sinful humanity,
did not see fit to acknowledge God,
God gave them up to a debased mind
to do what not ought to be done.
The Lamb,
the Lamb is handing an idolatrous generation
over to its cravings and consequences.
And we're hearing hoofbeats all over the place.
The Lamb's turning up the heat.
Now, if you started showing symptoms
of a headache and a cough
and a temperature and chills,
chances are you're going to start thinking,
well, I think I got the flu.
I need to go get checked out.
But if you ignore it,
you ignore it to your own peril.
Think about the other symptoms going on
that Jesus is describing.
Human conquest,
great bloodshed,
famine, scarcity,
death, death, death.
Symptoms of the times.
Hoofbeats are sounding all around us.
Jesus is raising the heat.
We can't ignore it.
Billy Graham is quoted as saying,
the sun that melts the butter
hardens the clay.
The sun that melts the butter
hardens the clay.
And depending on the condition
of your heart,
when you experience this kind of heat,
will determine how you respond.
And for those who have a tender heart,
Jesus is giving us time
to repent and to turn to Him
and bow our knee.
But those with a hardened heart,
ignore at your own peril.
You'll see what will that happen
in seal six.
Is this your Jesus
who's on His throne,
controlling all things
and carrying out God's plan
for the fullness of time,
turning up the heat with hoofbeats?
Those are the four seals.
Now let's look at seal five.
The Lamb and His Martyrs.
This is chapter six,
verses nine through eleven.
The fifth seal.
That word martyr,
the word martyr
has an interesting history.
Literally, the Greek word,
it actually shows up
in this chapter.
And it's the word witness.
It literally means,
martyr literally means
in the original language,
witness.
Like you witness
in a court of law.
But over time,
as Christian after Christian
bearing witness to Christ
to their death,
martyr evolved into the meaning
to faithfully bear witness
unto death.
And what we see happening
in seal five is
we're given a vision
of the faithful martyrs
in heaven.
Those who've gone before
faithful to professing Jesus
all the way to the end
of their own lives.
And in verse nine,
we are explicitly shown
who they are.
I saw under the altar
the souls of those
who had been slain.
The souls of those
who've been slain.
The soul is kind of
the disembodied saint.
They are absent from the body
but present with the Lord.
They are in God's presence
in His heavenly temple.
And they're there
because they've been slain.
And notice what they were slain for.
The word of God.
And there it is.
It's a witness they bore.
And what I want you to notice
is exactly where they are.
They are under the altar
of the heavenly temple
in the presence of God.
Now in the Jerusalem temple complex
there were two altars.
The altar of sacrifice
and the altar of incense.
And when an animal
was sacrificed
on the altar of sacrifice
do you know
where its blood would pool?
Under the altar.
What John is showing us
is a very vivid way
to describe
the martyrs of Jesus
as an offering
sacrificed unto the Lord.
They are in a place
where blood would pool.
Who are these martyrs?
Think of Stephen
in the book of Acts.
John Wycliffe.
John Huss.
William Tyndale.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Jim Elliot.
I was reading about
Gracia Burnham this week.
Kayla Mueller this week.
There are men and women
from all different ethnicities
and languages
who have given their lives
for Jesus.
And Jesus knows
every one of them.
Maybe you've seen brothers
on YouTube
who have been beheaded
for being Christ followers
in the Middle East
under the altar.
And notice what they are crying out.
They are crying out
with a loud voice.
Oh Sovereign Lord.
That's to the Lamb.
Oh Sovereign Lord.
It's the word we get despot from.
Oh Sovereign Lord.
Ruler of all.
How long before you judge
and avenge our blood
on those who dwell on the earth?
When will you vindicate us?
When?
They are crying out to the Lamb.
Bring your justice.
How long?
How long will you
avenge until you avenge us?
On those who dwell on the earth.
It's a very important phrase
in the book of Revelation.
Those who dwell on the earth.
And when we hear that
we probably think of like
the seven point
whatever billion people
inhabitants of the earth right now.
Well the book of Revelation
it's a little bit more specific
and technical.
Here's what I mean by that.
As we make our way
through the book of Revelation
when that phrase show up
the dwellers of the earth
here's what's true of them.
They are deceived
by the false prophet
to worship the beast.
They are deceived.
They make an image
of the beast and worshiper.
The dwellers on the earth.
The dwellers on the earth
are given the mark
of the beast.
The dwellers on the earth
become drunk
with the wine
of immorality
of the great prostitute.
And so when you start
to understand
how the book of Revelation
uses that phrase
the dwellers of the earth
you realize
it's not all the inhabitants
of the earth.
It's those
who have refused
to become followers
of Jesus
who are still in their sin.
They're idolaters.
They're unbelievers.
not all the earth's population.
These are the ones
who have turned
from the lamb
to worship
anything but the lamb
and these are the ones
who make it difficult
for the people of God.
And the martyrs
are crying out
how long
until you vindicate us.
Did you notice
did you notice
that the martyrs
they're talking
about the lamb
as the judge of all.
Come judge
and vindicate
avenge.
Is this your Jesus?
Just as the writers
were given something
now these martyrs
are given something.
They're given white robes.
And what these white robes
are in verse 11
they are
they're to show
that they share
in the lamb's conquering
in his victory.
It's assurance.
It's like hey
you guys are legit.
You should be here.
I've shed my blood
for you.
You're in my conquest.
My victory.
Not just that.
They are told something.
They're told to rest
rest a little longer.
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 killed.
This is really
sober stuff here.
Because what we're
reading about
is Jesus is giving us
a kind of a
of a marker.
these martyrs
have run
their course
faithfully
to
the appointed
end of giving
their lives
for Jesus.
And what we're
learning now
is that
hey
rest
wait
until
the full number
of the martyrs
comes in.
There's a set
number of martyrs
apparently.
We're being given
a reference point.
In Matthew 24 14
we're given
another kind of
a reference point
by Jesus.
Jesus talks about
the end will come
after the gospel
of the kingdom
is proclaimed
throughout the whole
world to all nations.
Then the end
will come.
So what we know is
the end won't come
until that happens.
Here we're given
another kind of a marker.
That as the gospel
is proclaimed
to the nations
there will be
brothers and sisters
who will be giving
their lives to that.
There's a set
number of martyrs.
People will die
for the cause
of Jesus.
Loving people
helping them
pointing them
to Jesus.
Maybe this will help.
Have you ever seen
those kind of like
desktop daily
countdown calendars?
It sits on your desk
and there is like
the date
January 20th
and then you rip it off
and the next day
is January 21st
and it's all
going down
to the last day.
Think about
the lamb
having a kind
of countdown
calendar
but it's not
by days.
It's by
martyrs.
He knows them
one by one.
One at a time.
Count down
of the martyrs
until
they're done.
And then
the end
comes.
It's sobering
isn't it?
Stakes are high.
The worship
of the lamb
is at stake.
What we've
learned here
is that
the lamb
is the sovereign
Lord who will
judge with
vengeance
all who oppose
him and his
faithful martyrs.
As the judge
he knows
his own.
He loves
his own.
He hears
his own.
He's heard
their cries.
He loves
them.
He shed
their blood
for them.
He will
vindicate
them.
And just
imagine if
you're one of
the seven
churches in
the first
century that
received this
and you're
also being
told that
you're going
to be facing
persecution
and some
of you
will die.
This is
going to be
encouragement
to you.
He's on
the throne.
He's in
control and
he's carrying
out God's
plan for the
fullness of
time including
martyrdom.
is this
your Jesus?
Maybe you're
asking is
he safe?
The sixth
seal we
read about in
chapter 12
verse 17 and
it is related
to the fifth
seal.
I love movie
previews.
I like getting
early to movies
to see the
previews.
And you
know how
previews work.
They give
you a kind
of present
limited glimpse
of a future
release.
So you get
like 30,
60 seconds
of something
coming later
that is going
to be two
hours of
wonder.
The sixth
seal is a
present glimpse
of a future
destruction
of the first
heaven and the
first earth.
earth.
It's
describing what
Revelation 21
describes as
the passing
away of the
first heaven and
the first earth.
Let me read it
for you.
Chapter 6
verse 12
the sixth
seal.
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.
What a
visual.
The sky
vanished like
a scroll that
is being rolled
up and every
mountain and
island was
removed from
its place.
Again
Revelation 21
describes this
as the first
heaven and first
earth passing
away.
If you turn to
2 Peter
chapter 3
2 Peter
chapter 3
describes this
in a little
different terminology.
In verse 7
we read this.
But by the
same word the
heavens and
earth that
now exist are
stored up for
fire being
kept until the
day of judgment
and destruction
of the ungodly.
And if you look
down to verse
10 we read
but the day of
the Lord will
come like a
thief and then
the heavens will
pass away with a
roar and the
heavenly bodies
will be burned
up and dissolved
and the earth
and the works
that are done
on it will be
exposed.
What Jesus is
describing
what we see
here in the
sixth seal is
the final
devastation of
the present
heaven and
earth.
It's a preview
of cosmic
destruction
to come.
The earth
as we know
it will be
dramatically
changed.
It's describing
an event
earthquake.
Did you see
the word
earthquake?
Earthquake
throughout the
Bible usually
is connected
to God's
coming.
A theophany
an appearing.
And here is
the great
earthquake.
I looked
and behold
there was a
great earthquake
and we see
the results
of it in
verse 14.
Every mountain
and island
was removed
from its
place.
But it's
more than
just a
quaking
of the
earth.
It's a
cosmic
quake
because the
heavenly
bodies
are
dramatically
shaken
and altered
too.
The sun
has turned
black.
The full
moon
has turned
blood red.
Stars fall
to the
earth and
the sky
vanishes
like a
scroll.
The scope
and scale
is absolute
devastation of
the present
heavens and
earth as
we know
them.
And who
set it in
motion?
the lamb.
Is this
your Jesus?
The lamb
is on his
throne in
control and
carrying out
God's plan for
the fullness
of time.
And here he
is as the
catalyst of
the destruction
of the heavens
and the earth
as we know
it.
He opens
the seal
and heavens
and earth
are dissolved.
is he
safe?
I wouldn't
put him in
a safe
category at
this point.
In verses
15 and
17 we
move from
absolute
devastation
in 12
and 14
to another
preview of
the absolute
terror and
fear for
those who
are still
left present
on the
earth when
the great
day of
God's wrath
comes.
we read
this.
Then the
kings of
the earth
and the
great ones
and the
generals
and the
rich and
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 the
wrath has
come
and who
can stand?
We move
from absolute
devastation
to absolute
terror for
those left
on earth.
Now the
question my
wife asked
last night
is well
where are
we?
Where are
the redeemed?
The church?
Look at that
next week in
chapter 7.
But these are
the dwellers
of the earth.
What I was
telling you
before of
those who
have opposed
the lamb
and his
people,
those who
have rejected
him for
idols,
they're still
on the
earth and
when this
devastation
hits,
they are
terrified.
And notice,
it's a
diverse group
of people.
Kings,
great ones,
generals,
rich,
powerful,
everyone,
slaves and
free.
Everyone who
hasn't bowed
the knee and
is on the
planet when
this happens
are going
to be
terrified.
I mean,
think about
it.
Kings,
great ones,
generals,
rich and
powerful,
they're not
the type that
should be
hiding.
Usually,
people hide
from them.
But now,
they're hiding.
They're afraid
because they
know what
has now
come upon
them.
It's going
to be
extensive
devastation.
They're united
in their
fearful
chorus.
Look what
they say.
They're calling
to the mountains
and rocks.
Notice,
they're not
calling out
to the one
seated on
the throne
or to
the Lamb.
They're
calling to
the mountains
and the rocks,
fall on us
and hide us
from the face
of Him.
These are the
big dudes
of the world.
Hide us
from Him
who is seated
on the throne.
Don't let us
see His face.
Hide us
from the wrath
of the Lamb.
They are
still unwilling
to turn to
God even
at this
point.
They're
hiding like
Adam and
Eve hid
in Genesis
chapter 3
from God's
presence because
of their
wrongdoing.
But on
this day,
no one
escapes God's
presence.
No one
escapes the
wrath of the
Lamb.
which raises
a really
interesting
question.
When you
think about
the Lamb,
I'm guessing
you don't
think wrath.
It's almost
paradoxical.
Why is the
Lamb so
full of
wrath?
That He
would destroy
the heavens
and the earth
that He
created?
That He
would terrify
the inhabitants
of the world?
Why is the
Lamb so
full of
wrath?
Well,
you've got to
understand,
God's anger
is not like
our anger.
His anger
is always
sinless.
It's never
kind of
quick-tempered.
His anger
is always
just and
right.
It's a
holy wrath.
And His
wrath is
the outworking
of His
perfect
justice.
We read
in John 3
that those
who do not
believe in
Jesus,
they're under
God's
condemnation.
They're under
His wrath
now.
Now,
when you
sin against
a holy,
just God,
when you
swap Him
out for
something else
as an
idol,
it provokes
His wrath.
It's a
terrible thing
to fall
into the
hands of
the living
God,
Hebrews
says.
Is He
safe?
Is this
your Jesus,
Lamb?
His wrath
will be
poured out
on all
those who
refuse to
submit to
Him,
who
swapped
Him out
for something
else,
and who
mock and
hurt those
who follow
the Lamb.
His wrath
will be
final,
it will be
full,
and it
will be
forever.
Forever.
forever.
And we
have an
announcement.
Verse 17.
These
terrified
ones,
they announce
the great
day of
God's
wrath
has
come.
How about
that for a
preview?
The
destruction
of the
world
and
those
left on
the
planet
who
has
not
yielded
to
Jesus
hiding
from
Him.
But I
got to
tell you
something.
If you're
afraid right
now of
the wrath
of the
Lamb,
you don't
need to
be afraid.
Because
right now
He is
offering
you to
be
free,
forgiven.
You don't
need to
wait
until
that
day.
Today
can be
the
day
in
which
you
turn
to
the
Lamb
who
was
slain
for
you,
who
bore
God's
wrath
on the
cross.
So you
don't have
to bear
God's
wrath
on that
day.
It's
an incredible
display of
mercy.
The
Lamb
who is
wrathful
bore
God's
wrath
for
his
idolaters
today.
And
He offers
it to
all.
Don't
miss the
question
that gets
asked
at the
end of
verse 17
by the
ones who
are terrified.
They say
the great
day of
the wrath
has come
and then
they ask
well who
can stand?
It's a
rhetorical
question.
They don't
think anybody
can stand.
But
chapter 7
answers the
question
who can
stand?
Briefly
look at
chapter 7
verse 9.
After this
I looked
and behold
a great
multitude
that no
one could
number
from every
nation
from all
tribes and
people and
languages
standing
before the
throne
crying out
with a
loud voice
salvation
belongs to
our God
who sits
on the
throne
and to
the Lamb.
Chapter
7 is
really good
news for
us.
It
answers the
question
who can
stand?
We'll come
back to that
more next
week.
But now
would you
turn to
chapter 8
verse 1
and the
last seal?
We read
when the
Lamb opened
the seventh
seal there
was silence
in heaven
for about
half an
hour.
I mentioned
earlier that
the throne
room has
been a
relatively loud
place up
until this
point.
Chapter
4 people
all sorts
of beings
praising the
one seated
on the
throne.
chapter 5
everybody
around the
one seated
on the
throne
and the
Lamb
giving
praises
to him.
Chapter 6
with the
seals.
Seals 1
through 4
we have
the four
living
creatures
yelling
come.
And seal
number 5
we have
the martyrs
calling out
how long?
And then
seal number
6 we have
those dwellers
on the
earth who
are facing
God's wrath
yelling out
fall on
us to the
mountains.
chapter 7
it's loud
praise of
the one
sitting on
the throne
and to
the Lamb.
Salvation
belongs to
him.
We see
that up
until this
point
revelation
this set
of visions
is just
loud.
And then
chapter 8
verse 1
silence.
The
seventh seal
the last
seal
silence
in heaven
for
half an
hour.
Very
specific.
Here's how
to be
thinking about
this ominous
silence.
It's the
calm before
the storm.
Specifically
it's the
calm
before
the fire
storm.
Because when
you see
the trumpets
and what
gets poured
out on a
third of
creation
it's all
burning.
Chapter 8
verse 1
through 5
transitions us
to the
second
or the
third cycle
of
judgments
the trumpet
judgments
and we're
going to
look at
that in
two weeks.
But seal
seven
ends on
a rather
ominous
note.
I've been
asking you a
question
throughout the
sermon.
Is this
your Jesus?
Is the
Lamb of
Revelation
chapter 6
the Jesus
who is your
first love?
Who you
will live
for all the
days of your
life no
matter what
you face?
Is he
your
Jesus?
And maybe
you're still
asking the
question something
like the
Pevensey
children
is he
safe?
Well here's
what I can
tell you.
The Lamb is
on his throne.
He's in
control and
he's carrying
out God's
plan for the
fullness of
time including
devastations and
destructions.
I wouldn't
put him in
the safe
category but
you remember
what the
Beaver,
Mr.
Beaver told
the Pevensey
children when
they asked is
he safe?
He said he's
a lion.
He's not
safe but
he's good.
The Lamb is
good.
The Lamb who
was slain for
you is good.
He is good
and he's on
the throne and
he's in
control and
he is carrying
out God's
plan for the
fullness of
time and he
is good which
means you can
trust him all
the days of
your life no
matter what you
encounter to be
faithful to the
end.
Is he safe?
He's good.
He shed his
blood for you.
He's raining on
high.
Let's pray.
God would
you press this
into our
hearts and
help us to
respond with
the appropriate
reverence and
sobriety,
long-suffering,
willingness to
endure that is
in keeping with
those who follow
you.
O risen Lamb,
will you give us
the strength to
press forward
regardless of what
comes.
It's in the name
of Jesus we
pray.
Amen.