How Long?: The Cry of Persecuted Saints – Revelation 6

HOW LONG?:

The Prayers of Persecuted Saints

Revelation: Every Eye Will See Him

Revelation 6:1-17

THE TEXT:

The text for the sermon today is Revelation 6:1-17. Our text can be found on page 1030. These are the words of God:

6 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” ² And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.

³ When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” ⁴ And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

⁵ When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. ⁶ And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”

⁷ When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” ⁸ And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

⁹ When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. ¹⁰ They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” ¹¹ Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

¹² 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, ¹³ and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. ¹⁴ The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. ¹⁵ Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, ¹⁶ 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, ¹⁷ for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

INTRO

 

“Outlined against a blue-gray October sky the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. These are only aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below.”

Grantland Rice, New York Herald Tribune, October 18, 1924. With those words, 4 Notre Dame football players were given football immortality. They would forever be known as the Four Horsemen. But the 1924 Fighting Irish football team are not the only way the term “The Four Horsemen,” has been applied in our lexicon. That name has been applied to a variety of people.

• In the Marvel Comic Universe, Apocalypse is a supervillain, and the Horsemen are other villains who do his bidding.
• There are the Four Horsemen of the Supreme Court, referring to four conservative judges in the 1930s who opposed F.D.R.’s New Deal.
• “Four Horsemen” was also a song on the The Clash’s famous album London Calling.
• And who could forget the Four Horsemen of the WCW: the Nature Boy Ric Flair, Arn & Ole Anderson, & Tully Blanchard?

The specter of these 4 apocalyptic riders permeates our culture. Movies, music, and famous novels have been written about them.

But who are these riders? Are they good? Bad? Are they past? Present? Future? Are they historic figures, or are they more symbolic of movements and events? Will the church experience the troubles they bring, or will the church be removed from the earth before they and their assault are released? All of these questions, and many more, have fascinated, puzzled, and even sadly divided Christians throughout the centuries.

But, at the risk of stealing thunder from the rest of the sermon, let me summarize all of chapter 6 right now:

These four riders symbolize all of human history between the time of Christ’s ascension and return. It’s a history characterized by conquest, war, famine, and death; and in God’s sovereign providence, his saints are not immune to, but rather experience them all. (6:1-8) In heaven, those who have been persecuted and martyred cry out to God, “Lord, since you are holy and good, how long will you let this go on,” and are told to rest and wait. (6:9-11) They wait because God is patiently rescuing others before the final day of his wrath and judgment. (6:12-17) There, that’s the entire chapter.

In 17 verses, John sets our expectations for life in this age, he teaches us how we ought to pray as we wrestle with the reality of these riders, and he shows us the hope we have in God’s final day of wrath. So, let’s learn from this chapter under three headings:

1. The Authority of the Horsemen (6:1-8)

            – Who are they?

            – Why does Jesus send them?

2. The Cry of the Martyrs (6:9-11)
3. The Wrath of the Lamb (6:12-17)

It is difficult to trust God when in his providence, he sends troubles. Yet this passage teaches us that even the troubles he sends work for our good in this world and the next. Let’s begin our study by examining:

1. THE AUTHORITY OF THE HORSEMEN (6:1-8)

If you look down in verse 8 you see these words, “And they [the four horsemen] were given authority [or power].”

Who are these horsemen? Some have argued they are ancient Roman Emperors like Titus and Hadrian. Some see these riders as the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, and therefore this section of Revelation is past. Others take the breaking of the first seal to be the beginning of a future 7-year tribulation after the church has been taken off the earth. Some believe the first rider to be the Antichrist, while others believe the white rider to be Christ himself.

These 7 seals are the complete (7) judgment of God. And who are these riders? They do not depict a specific war, famine, or earthquake, or specific events in Israel, but represent all the upheavals and wars and calamities in this age which lead up to God’s final judgment.

This is not a picture of a rapture of the church followed by 7 years of tribulation. The 4 horsemen are not a picture of specific people or calamities that occur during a 7-year tribulation. Rather, they are a symbolic picture of all that has been happening between Christ’s first advent and his second advent.

There are four riders, symbolizing that these calamites occur in all the earth. The first rider symbolizes conquest. It’s a picture of men and women who trample one another in the quest for power and domination. As the first rider, who leads out the others, it’s a reminder that envy and selfish ambition are the root of many other calamities.

Aside:

Some have argued that this first rider is Christ and the message of the gospel going out into the earth, because Revelation 19 is a picture of Christ riding on a white horse. But there are several problems here.

• First, the white rider in Revelation 6 carries a bow, but in Revelation 19, Christ carries a sword.
• Second, the white rider in Revelation 6 wears a single crown (stephanos), while Christ wears many crowns (diadems)
• Third, v. 8 tells us that authority is given to these 4 riders to kill.

So, I don’t believe this can be Christ. In fact, thoughtout Revelation we will see Satan attempt to parrot and impersonate Christ. That’s what I believe is happening here. Many world leaders first appear as saviors before they cruelly become tyrants.

The second horse is red, like blood. Throughout the centuries, nations have warred against nations. Families have turned on one another. This red horse pictures the human heart, unrestrained in it’s sinful anger.

Some of you are students of military history, and you have read of the barbaric atrocities humans have perpetrated against one another. We look at the headlines of our own day and the surprise attack in Israel just weeks ago. This is the red horse running through the earth, taking peace.

The third horse is black, the color of deprivation and emptiness. The rider holds scales in his hand; a picture of scarcity, famine, and inflation. Throughout history there are seasons of scarcity, and starvation.

We’re told that a quart of wheat sold for a denarius, and three quarts of barely for a denarius. What does that mean? It’s a picture of rampant inflation. A denarius was a day’s wage, and a quart of wheat was a days subsistence. The idea is that people are living day to day.

The four horse is pale; literally green. It’s the color of sickness and death. You see the natural progression: selfish ambition and conquest, war, scarcity, death. The rider is named Death, and following behind him is Hades. Hades is close to the Hebrew word Sheol. It’s the holding tank where you go to await final condemnation or blessing.

Verse 8 says:

And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

Remember, you don’t read Revelation literalistically. This isn’t saying that the population of the earth is divided into quarters and exactly one quarter are killed. This language of authority over a fourth of the earth symbolizes partial judgment, not full and complete judgement. Throughout history you find war in some nations, but not all. You see scarcity in some continents, not all.

What does all this mean?

Keep the context and original audience in mind: Christians, five decades after the resurrection and ascension of Christ were experiencing increasing persecution, alienation, rejection. And the question must have been in their mind: “If the Father is seated on the throne, and Christ has ascended to the place of authority and power… if he is truly reigning… why are we suffering?”

Remember some of the great promises Christ gave to the church:

“On this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)

“No one can snatch them out of my hand.” John (10:28)

What we learn in this passage is that painful persecution and deadly destruction do not occur indiscriminately, or in spite of Christ’s sovereign exaltation, but as a consequence of it. It is Christ, ascended and reigning who unfolds all of history in the breaking of these seals, even the trials and persecutions of his people.

Therefore, Revelation 6 is not a preview of calamities from which Christians will be removed. Rather Revelation is a heavenly explanation for the calamities Christians have endured ever since the ascension of Christ and will continue to endure until his return.

2. THE CRY OF THE MARTYRS (6:9-11)

In many ways, verses 9 & 10 are the very heart of the passage.

⁹ When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. ¹⁰ They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

The perspective shifts from the devastation of the horsemen on earth back to the throne room of heaven. Here, John sees the souls of martyrs, presumably, Christians throughout the centuries who have been killed for claiming the name Christ.

Notice the question they ask: O sovereign Lord… how long?” How long will the Lord allow these horsemen to plague the earth? If Christ is risen… if he is reigning in heaven, then why is he sending out these riders?

Notice as well, their attention to the Lord’s attributes:

• If you are sovereign (in control of all things), why is this happening?
• If you are holy (morally pure) how can you allow evil?
• If you are true, why do you allow deception?
• And if you are the judge, why have you withheld judgment.

Church, this prayer of the martyrs is not unlike the questions Job asked God in his trial. It’s not unlike the questions the prophet Habakkuk asked the Lord centuries before. In fact, this is the prayer of persecuted saints in every century.

If we’re honest, it’s the question that gives us more trouble than almost any other. Why does God allow and even send all that he sends? You may have asked that question even this week. Friends, I take some comfort in knowing that even saints in heaven ask the same question that we are asking here on earth.

¹¹ Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

In response to their prayer, these saints are given a white robe, symbolizing their own victory. Though they were martyred, their faithfulness is counted as victory. And, they are told to rest. Why? Because there are more martyrs to come.

What’s going on here? They are told to wait for the judgment of God because first there are more Christians to be martyred. Though it may not sound like it, I believe the Lord is showing his patience and mercy. If he were to initiate the final judgment, there would be none left standing.

But, by delaying the final judgment, God allows more time for sinners to repent, to turn from their sins and to trust in Christ. Friend, even this morning, God is showing you patience. If you have not acknowledged your sin, and admitted your need for God’s mercy—do so today.

There will come a day when God’s righteous anger against all sin will be revealed. Because he is good, he will not let a single sin go unpunished. But, because he is also full of mercy, his own Son became a man, lived a perfectly obedient life, and died bearing God’s wrath against sin. Look to Christ, and you will be forgiven. Friend, if you have more questions about what it means to be a Christian, talk to me after the service, or talk to one of the people around you.

John’s original audience, under the persecution of Domitian needed to know that nothing happens outside of the sovereign providences of the risen Christ. The saints today, in North Korea, or Iran need to know that nothing they experience has happened because Christ was weak, or ignorant, or malevolent. And we need to know the same thing.

We need to know that when Scripture says “all things work together for the good of them that love God,” it means even the troubles of today. Even the evil forces of this world, Christ has used as his agent to bring both the sanctification of his people, and the judgment of evil doers.

All Things for Good

Though your afflictions are naturally evil – the wise overruling hand of God disposing and sanctifying them – turn them toward good ends.

He’s teaching you to hate sin. When I preach on sin, that it defiles and damages, you may

He’s making you more like Jesus. The Apostle Paul say, “That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” Was his head crowned with thorns, and do we think to be crowned with roses? It is good to be like Christ, though it be by sufferings.

He uses your sufferings to strengthen others. “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Col. 1:24)

He’s strengthening your will to resist temptation. A tree that is shaken by the wind is more settled and rooted. Just so, the blowing of a temptation does but settle a Christian the more in grace. Peter was tempted to self-confidence. He presumed that his own strength was enough. But when he was put to the test, Christ let him fall. But it was for his good. He went out and wept bitterly (Matt. 26:75). And he became less  self-reliant. When Christ asked him, “Do you love me more than these,” he dared not say so. He simply replied with, “Lord, you know I love you.” The fall into sin broke the neck of his pride.

Even if the circumstances themselves are not good, we need to be able to say that “God is working these things in such a way that the outcome will be for my eternal and everlasting joy.”

3. THE WRATH OF THE LAMB (6:12-17)

 

The 6^th seal is broken in verse 12:

¹² 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, ¹³ and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. ¹⁴ The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

What is being depicted here? I believe we’re seeing the final judgment. Because Revelation is a cyclical book, this earthquake will appear again in chapter 16. The focus here in chapter 6 is on the judgment of God against those who have persecuted his saints.

¹⁵ Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, ¹⁶ 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, ¹⁷ for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

This is the complete overthrow of all earthly powers, rulers, movements, and systems. (Beeke) No matter how powerful the rulers of this world are, regardless of the craftiness of their schemes or cunning, they will all be confounded.

And it is the very Lamb who sent forth the riders who will confound them in the end, and not even the mountains will be able to hide them from his terror. The same Christ who died for sinners in his first appearing, will preside over them as judge when he returns.

The only thing that matters is that we are on the right side of Jesus. That we are able to look into his eyes and see one who has redeemed us from our sins. Philip Dodderidge put it like this:

Ye sinner seek his grace

Whose wrath ye cannot bear

Fly to the shelter of his cross

And find salvation there.