The scroll from Chapter 5 includes God's plan of redemption, mercy and judgment and encompasses all of history, especially from the cross to the new creation. We see:
· Christ’s sovereign plan for redemptive history
· the reign of Christ and the saints ‘now and not yet’
· Christ’s protection of his people who suffer trials
· God’s temporal and final judgment on the persecuting world.[1]
We focused last week on the first 6 seals out of 7. I want to focus on the Interlude before the 7thseal, which actually means starting with the 5th seal.
6:9 Now when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed[2]because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given. They cried out with a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Master, holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?”[3] Each of them was given a long white robe and they were told to rest for a little longer, until the full number was reached of both their fellow servants and their brothers who were going to be killed just as they had been.
The prayer is a cry for God's justice to hold to account those who have persecuted and brought about the saints’ suffering in chapters 6:1-8.[4]
6th Seal – The ‘day of the Lord’ judgment: “Who can stand?”
The church in particular cried out from the devastating persecution from the 4 Horsemen (“How long? Do something about our persecutors!”)[5] With the introduction of the 6th seal, there is clearly a judgment going on against the “earth dwellers” – the violent, persecuting followers of the Beast in culture and in church- who cannot escape accountability to God. Turns outthe horsemen which were unleashed against the true church are also the agents of God’s judgment against the perpetrators.[6] It reminds me of the ironic punishment of the plagues of Egypt, which will show up in the trumpet and bowl judgments.
Chapter 7, the interlude, is a flashback,[7] showing what happened before the tribulation of the Church Age and the martyr’s anguished cry.
7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth,[8] holding back the four winds of the earth[9]so no wind could blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, who had the seal of the living God. He shouted out with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given permission to damage the earth and the sea: “Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees until we have put a seal[10] on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
So, this is looking back to before the 4 Horsemen have been unleashed. God’s vision reminds his readers that God had already put into motion a plan to “seal” the people of God in some fashion: they were marked, identified, claimed, kept safe.
Now I heard the number of those who were marked with the seal, 144,000,[11] sealed from all the tribes of the people of Israel: From the tribe of Judah, Reuben, Gad Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed [from each].[12]
Weigh the numbers. Virtually every commentary will tell you it’s just a way or portraying the totality of the church. It’s all the true (spiritual) children of Abraham who have been sealed by God.[13] As for the seal, [14] I believe that uppermost in John's mind is the protection of the believers’ faith and salvation through the various suffering and persecutions inflicted upon them.[15]
· The seal marks genuine membership in the community of the redeemed.
· The seal guarantees protection from God’s eternal judgment: those believing in the Lamb have been spared because the Lamb endured the punishment of death on their behalf.
· The seal enables God's people to faithfully endure in the midst of pressures to give in to the seduction of Babylon (chapter 17) or the power of the beastly empire (chapter 20).
· The seal turns trials into instruments of refining and maturing both individually and corporately.
· The seal empowers believers to perform the role of witness intended for the true Israel – it’s how Abraham’s descendants bless the world through and with Jesus.[16] Somehow, through what they endure, the Great Commission flourishes, and more and more people are brought to salvation as the witness of a church that dies and yet lives points toward the Savior who started it all.
After these things I looked, and here was an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands.[17] They were shouting out in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels stood there in a circle around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Praise and glory, and wisdom and thanksgiving, and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”
The multitude standing before the throne is the direct answer to the question of “Who can stand?” It’s the resurrected saints who endured until the end. This is the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham of innumerable children (turns out it was a spiritual promise!)
The list of sealed tribes is very similar to the census taken in Numbers 1: 21-23 for the purposes of organizing a military force to conquer the Promised Land.
Then one of the elders asked me, “These dressed in long white robes—who are they and where have they come from?” So I said to him, “My lord, you know the answer.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation.[18] They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb! For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple,[19] and the one seated on the throne will shelter[20] them.
There is an interesting correspondence here with another passage. In chapter 5:5-6, John first hears about the Lion then sees the Lamb. In chapter 7, John hears of the military census (the lion of the tribe of Judah heads the list) but sees the saints from every tribe and nation with their robes purified and made white through the blood of the Lamb. The church is called to do battle for the Lion - but in the same way in which the kingly Lamb conquered at the cross. By maintaining their faith and witness through suffering and even death, they overcome the dragon, the beast, and all who serve them.
They will never go hungry or be thirsty again, and the sun will not beat down on them, nor any burning heat, because the Lamb in the middle of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of living water,[21] and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”[22]
Abraham’s true children (the church) rejoice in:
· their New Exodus/redemption (from the conquering and enslaving attempts of beasts and dragons)
· their spiritual and eternal victory over their persecutors
· the fact that God has sealed them during their pilgrimage through the wilderness and tribulation of this world (12: 6-14; 7:13-14). [23]
* * * * *
So, let’s talk about “How long must we suffer?” and God’s answer, which is, “When the full number has been reached.”[24]
Notice that Jesus does not respond to this impending persecution by thwarting these plans to attack his church. He had warned his followers of this.
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25)
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test [same word] you, as though something strange were happening to you.” (1 Peter 4:12)
Commitment to Christ has always demanded a willingness to die for a Savior who set the pattern by dying for us. This is at the very heart of the Christian life. That’s why Jesus’ response to his follower’s persecution is not (necessarily) to prevent it.
The call of a disciple is to conquer the persecution or overcome as Jesus did, which is by faithfully enduring it. Remember the classic verse addressing what can separate us from the love of God (or what can erase the seal)?
Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us!
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39)
Christianity doesn't offer persecution and non-persecution options. You can’t uncheck the boxes that say, “trials, testing, tribulation.” Enduring suffering for the sake of Christ is not the mark of a unique set of fanatics. It’s for ALL Christians. The early church didn’t know anything about the kind of prosperity gospel where being a Christian was supposed to keep them healthy, wealthy, and comfortable by the standards of Rome or Babylon. Re-read the letters to the 7 churches. Their wealth was eternal; their prosperity was in Christ.
Today, one out of every two hundred Christians living today can expect to die for their faith. More than 25% of Christians around the world are part of an “underground church.” For those of us who don’t face either of those realities, the testing we face is likely more from the seduction of Babylon than the persecution of Rome. Our testing may have more to do with fighting materialism and greed, or the idolatry of luxury, or the tendency to drift toward a sinful pride in our self-sufficiency. It’s all a test.
So, why is this so deeply embedded in the Christian experience?
First, because the world will never be able to see the ultimate expression of the supremacy of Jesus in the lives of his people if they aren’t willing to lay down their lives for him. We love the stories of people willing to give their life for a cause, a person, an ideal. Everything from self-denial to martyrdom usually strikes a chord with us. We get an idea of what’s more important than life by that which we are willing to give our life.
· If you tell me to renounce Buckeye fandom or I die, I will be the biggest U of M fan you’ve ever seen. No problem. We’ll get ‘em every 10 years J I am not here to be an ambassador for Ohio State.
· If you put a gun to my head and say, “Transfer your citizenship to Costa Rica or else,” I’m going to protest and try to get around it because I like my United States citizenship, but at the end of the day it’s not worth saying goodbye to my family and giving up more time to be an ambassador for Jesus over that. I can love and talk about Jesus anywhere. My true citizenship isn’t in the empires of the world anyway; it’s in a Kingdom not of this world.
· But if you tell me to denounce Jesus or else, I can’t do that. I have to die for that if I am serious about taking it seriously. When it comes to be asked to align my allegiances, I will not give my life for fandom or a worldly or cultural ideology, but I will for my faith. I cannot deny Christ. And I practice this every day; as Paul said, “I die daily” through orienting my life such that I am living for Christ while dying to self and resisting the siren call of Babylon and Rome.
Second, tribulation and persecution are given to strengthen our faith, not destroy it. Jesus told the church in Smyrna,
“Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation…”
Jesus tells theses believers that the devil is about to throw some of them into prison, “that you may be tested.” In other words, the persecution is not random; it’s not outside of God’s sovereign oversight. At minimum, God has allowed it as part of his redemptive purpose for the church.[25] Remember Joseph:
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)
For the saints, tribulation serves to refine and purify their faith and character.[26] Persecution is opportunity. Trials are part of God’s plan. Gold is not purified without fire.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you, who by God’s power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. This brings you great joy, although you may have to suffer for a short time in various trials. Such trials show the proven character of your faith, which is much more valuable than gold—gold that is tested by fire, even though it is passing away—and will bring praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:3-7)
This is why fear and panic can never be the Christian response to trials, hardship and persecution that we face because of our allegiance to Jesus. We aren’t called to seek out trouble – indeed, the Bible gives plenty of examples of trying to avoid it when possible[27] – but if and when it comes, God has a plan for how to use it for our good and His glory.
Third, it’s how the gospel is spread. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Why haven’t enough died yet? Because there are more people to be reached with the gospel and brought into the Kingdom through the witness of the faithful who suffer to the point of giving their lives.
The Israelites waited to embark on their campaign to bring God’s judgment against the Amorites because “their sin is not yet full.”[28] God wasn’t going to judge them until the overwhelming nature of their sin (in a sense) forced His hand. “Enough!” After all, God is “not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.”[29]
Jesus was lifted up to draw all people to him (John 8:28), and when time as we know it ends, thee time to respond ends for those who are far from Christ. In our End Times prayers, our prayers of “How long?” should be balanced with our pleading for more time so that more may come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Part of the plan for the pursuit of the perishing is for followers of Jesus to give their lives. That’s a cross to take up, to be sure, but it makes sense: we go where the Lamb goes (Revelation 14:4) in that way that the Lamb goes.[30]
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[1] Excerpts from Revelation: A Shorter Commentary. So much – so, so much – of insight from G.K. Beale’s book shows up in today’s message.
[2] “In his third vision, Hermas, an early Christian, was refused permission to sit at the right hand of the angel because this special place was reserved for those who had endured “scourgings, imprisonments, great tribulations, crosses, and wild beasts for the sake of the Name.” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary Of The New Testament)
[3] “What lessons can we learn from the deceased saints? In our anger against others, are our thoughts and even prayers motivated by a desire for their punishment or by a desire that God be glorified through the execution of his justice? In our anger, can we take the place of God and execute judgment even in our thoughts on those who have wronged us? Do we come before God and the awful awareness that he might judge our own attitudes and actions? how can we pray for God's justice or his glory but we are not reflecting his merciful character ourselves?” (N.T. Wright, Revelation For Everyone)
[4] The cry of “How long?” echoes the psalmist in Psalms 6:3, 74:10, and 79:5.
[5] Jesus said the birth pains of the end times would happen in the generation of his audience (Matthew 24:34), and the glorified saints in Revelation 6:9–11 appear to have suffered under all four trials portrayed in the seals.
[6] God often punishes by “giving them over to themselves” (Romans 1).
[7] A new vision is indicated by the introductory phrase of, “After this I saw.”
[8] The four angels in the four corners symbolize the whole world (Isaiah 11:12, Ezekiel 7:2, Revelation 20:8, Jeremiah 49:36).
[9] Ancients associated the four winds with the four directions (Jeremiah 49:36). In Jewish apocalyptic works, God controls the winds and delegates them to angels, using them for blessing or judgment. In Zechariah 6:1 – 6, God sent out four chariots; common Greek translation of Zechariah 6:5 describes these four heavenly “spirits” as the four “winds” of heaven, which could announce evil world empires (Daniel 7:2 – 3). Here God prevents the winds from blowing in judgment until he has marked his servants for protection. (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)
In the Ancient Christian Commentary On Scripture series, all three of the early church fathers quoted saw the Four Angels at the Four Corners of the Earth as political enemies of either the Jewish nation or of the church.
[10] The seal (in light of 2nd Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30) is said by some to be identified with the Holy Spirit.
[11] The community of the redeemed in 7:3-8 is the same as 14:1-4. It's a figurative picture of the church in its entirety, not in part.
[12] I shortened this by taking out “from the tribe of” and “12,000” from every line.
[13] You can even do some research on the order of the tribes, and some interesting variation in the traditional list of tribes, but I’m not ready to nerd that deep here. Yes, ‘nerd’ is a verb.
[14] The seal is comparable to the mark of blood on the doors of the Israelites so that they would be protected from God's judgment on Egypt (Exodus 12). This mark protects believers during the trumpet and bold plagues, which is we will see our closely modeled on the plagues of Egypt. The picture of the seal is also seen by Ezekiel when the Lord commands the angel to put a mark on the foreheads of those who hate sin before God strikes the city with judgment.(Ezekiel 9:4-6).
[15] That the protection is spiritual is apparent because believers suffer physical afflictions.
[16] Isaiah 42:6-7, 49:6, 51: 4-8.
[17] The palm branch was used in the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23: 40-43), which celebrated God's protection of the Israelites during their wanderings in the desert.
[18] Alludes to Daniel 12:1; Matt 24:21.
[19] It's worth noting that, to John’s audience, serving in the temple was a privilege.
[20] A good translation is that God spreads his tabernacle over his people, which is language also used in 21:22.
[21] “I am the living bread who comes down from heaven.” (John 6:51) “Whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35) “Whoever drinks from the water that I shall give him, it will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14) “…shelter from the storm, and shade from the heat.” (Isaiah 25:4) “The sun will not strike you by day nor the moon by night.” (Psalm 121:2) “As the deer longs for springs of water, so my soul longs for you, Oh God.” (Psalms 42:1)
[22] Isaiah 25:8; 21:4
[23] The Great Tribulation is referenced in Matthew 24:21 and Daniel 12:1. In Daniel’s tribulation, the latter-day opponent of God's people persecutes them because of their faithfulness to him (Daniel 11). Some will fall away, even as some are doing in 5 of the churches of Asia. The tribulation consists of pressures from the religious system to compromise one's faith, and pressures from the world (including deprivation and persecution). This tribulation commences with the birth of the church and continues throughout the Church Age. It's worth noting that 21of the 23 uses of the word ‘tribulation’ in Paul's writings refer to a present reality. The Great Tribulation begins with the sufferings of Jesus and is now shared by all believers, who are fellow partakers of the tribulation, the kingdom, and perseverance which are in Jesus 1:9. (Beale)
[24] I really liked how this topic was handled at North Shore Church. A lot of my following thoughts build on and borrow from them. http://www.nshorechurch.com/2020/06/23/letters-to-the-7-churches-the-church-at-smyrna-6-21-20/.
[25] All four of these horses seem to bring about one or two ends: Punishment or purification. For evildoers, it's punishment for the evil they have done, which may be seen as the ripple effect of evil in the world and the chaos and pain it brings. For those who are not contributing to this evil, it's meant as purification. It's a time to be gold refined in the fire. (N.T. Wright, Revelation For Everyone)
[26] Romans 5:3-5; 1st Peter 1:7; Daniel 11: 35; Revelation 3:18 and 22:14
[27] There was a time in the early church when some Christians thought martyrdom was the coveted death and pursued it. One Roman rule got so frustrated he pointed them toward some local cliffs and basically said, “Go throw yourselves off if you are that eager.” Yeah….that’s not a posture God calls us to either.
[28] Genesis 15:16
[29] 2 Peter 3:9
[30] “The way of Christ is demonstrated by being a faithful Witness, which often leads to our own death. Jesus said his witness on the cross would be powerful enough to draw all people to himself (John 12:32)… The controlling metaphor or governing symbol for the entire vision of Patmos is the slain lamb… The symbol of the beast can open our eyes to systemic and structural evil in our world. Sometimes injustice or suffering may make it appropriate for us to use the rage passages in prayer. But we must always return and worship to the central motif of the Lamb. The example and teaching of the Lamb must cover the lives of believers. Then the rage we bring to God and leave at the throne of grace will find its proper place.[30]Seven Deadly spirits: The message of Revelations letters for today's Church, T. Scott Daniels
[31] For Christians, suffering is not meaningless, but gives opportunity to pattern our lives after the sacrificial model of Jesus. Seen from the Heavenly perspective, suffering ironically advances the kingdom of God. (N.T. Wright, Revelation For Everyone)