Endure Suffering Patiently
Rev 6:1-17
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Thank you for joining us as we continue through our series on Revelation titled, “We Win!” Here is where we have been:
Ch 1 – John on the island of Patmos & Christ among His church
Ch 2-3 – Christ addressing His church
Ch 4-5 – The great throne room of God -Christ appears as a slain lamb
Today we are going to look at Ch. 6, but before we do that, I want to do some teaching that will hopefully help us in reading the book of Revelation. The next couple of weeks I will be doing a section of teaching like this.
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Not all books are the same - For example:
An auto repair manual is different than a mystery novel.
A history book is different that a mathematics book.
Do you approach an instructional book the same way as a novel? No.
That is also true of the Bible. Not every book of the Bible is written with the same style.
· Books like Genesis and Exodus for example tell us the story of creation and Noah and Abraham and the story of Moses and the 10 plagues, the crossing of the Red sea, the journeys in the wilderness.
· Books like the Gospels and Acts tell us the story of Jesus and the birth and early years of the church.
· The letters of Paul to the churches like Corinthians and Ephesians and Romans are meant to be instructional and inspirational.
· Letters to individuals like Timothy and Titus are personal teaching manuals for leaders of the church.
· Then there are books like Revelation, that are written to present a message but that message is communication in symbolic language and visual images.
o Revelation is not the only book in the Bible that is written in this way.
o In the OT you have the book of Ezekiel, and the second half of Daniel, and portions of the other books known as prophecy in the OT – Isaiah, Jerimiah, Amos, Hosea.
o These images and visions are not always the easiest to understand because sometimes they are linked to things that we have no reference point for.
o This type of literature was not unique to the Bible. It was a form of writing used by others in other parts of the world. For those who were used to this type of literature it was easier for them to understand.
o Today we face the challenge of understanding a type of literature that we are not familiar with nor do we have all the cultural connections.
o That does not mean that we can’t understand some of them but that is also why it is important to look at the big picture meaning rather than focusing on minute details.
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My goal is to present a big picture of the message that God is trying to share for us as we strive live out our Christian faith in this world.
· I believe that Revelation was written to give a message to Christians in the 1st century, the 10th century, the 20th century and the one we live in, the 21st century.
· You will hear some teach on Revelation and say that it refers to Russia or Iran or China or some other world power. That makes sense to us and I understand where that comes from but those countries didn’t exist in the 1st century or the 10th century, so does that mean the Revelation was only written for us today in the United States? I don’t think so. That is why I strive to see the big picture message.
· What is it God wants us to learn and apply to our life today – which may have parallels to current world powers and situations but if we focus only on those world powers and situations we may be missing the life changing message He has for us.
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Three things to always remember when reading the Bible
· God is always in control and has ultimate power over Satan in this world and in heaven
· God is the one who hands out punishment and gives His blessings and rewards
· God is here to help us in life now and to give us a hope for the future.
Today I want to dwell on one big idea as we read some amazing imagery that has a message for us:
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Endure Suffering Patiently
1. From Singing to Suffering vs. 1-8
a. We leave the throne room of God singing in Rev. 4 & 5 but only 4 verses into chapter 6 and we find the song being silenced.
b. Revelation 6 & 7 present the first series of messages from God to His people - 7 scrolls.
c. I will teach a little more about this next week but let me introduce it like this. There are three major parts of Revelation that overlap and each overlapping layer presents a more complete picture.
i. Overlay 1 – the 7 scrolls
ii. Overlay 2 – the 7 trumpets
iii. Overlay 3 – the 7 Bowls of wrath
iv. All three layers present a picture of suffering and triumph, with each layer adding a little bit more of the picture.
d. Let’s look at the first overlay – the scrolls
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e. Rev 6:1-8 As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then I heard one of the four living beings say with a voice like thunder, "Come!" 2 I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory. 3 When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, "Come!"
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f. 4 Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere. 5 When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, "Come!" I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, "A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day's pay. And don't waste the olive oil and wine.
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g. 7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, "Come!" 8 I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals.
h. Now, some of you are saying, “Finally, we are getting to the good stuff!”
i. Well, you may have heard of “The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse”. This is where it comes from. The four horses present a picture of strife and suffering – we can find these things going on today.
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i. White Horse – False Hope – imitator of Christ, meant to deceive people.
ii. Red Horse – War and conflict and bloodshed – we have that today, but so has every generation
iii. Black Horse – Famine - A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day's pay – look at what is happening with the wheat in Ukraine & Russia
iv. Pale Green Horse – Death – which certainly goes on
j. These have plagued mankind throughout the ages – then and now
k. The message being given is that those who follow Jesus will face persecution and hard times.
l. The point is: Be warned: before Jesus comes back, things are going to get bad and then they are going to get worse.
m. makes you want to go back into the throne room of Rev 4 & 5 and hide.
n. The first 4 seals that we just read don’t offer much hope. But the 5th & 6th seals present Hope – dressed in two questions:
i. How long? – They know it won’t last forever
ii. Who can stand? – There is hope
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2. From Despair to Hope – vs. 9-17
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a. Rev 6:9-17 9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony.
b. Remember – In the first century, Christians were being killed for their faith. Throughout history Christians have been killed for their faith.
i. To connect it to today, persecution of Christians now is more active than it has ever been since the first century.
ii. According to the Open Doors USA’s World Watch List, which ranks the top 50 countries where Christians experience the worst persecution for their faith, more than 360 million Christians live in places where they experience high levels of persecution just for following Jesus, that’s one is seven believers worldwide.
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c. 10 They shouted to the Lord and said, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?"11 Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.
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d. 12 I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. 13 Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind. 14 The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places.
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e. 15 Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?"
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f. The sixth seal shows the reward of those who follow Jesus (they receive white robes) and the judgement and reaction of those who do not follow Jesus, the non-believers. They have no hope without Christ – they want to just end it all.
g. It doesn’t sound like much fun, does it?
h. Have you ever found yourself asking like, “How much longer to I have to go through this? Or “How can I survive this?” “Why am I going through this?”
i. Have you ever seen the old Rocky movie, or the newer version of the Rocky movies, “Creed”? In the first “Rocky” movie Rocky Balboa wants to go the distance with heavyweight champ Apollo Creed. In the movie there is a clip where we see Rocky struggling as he jogs through the streets of Philadelphia, struggling to do pushups, training with a boxing bag, dancing around a freezing meat locker punching a side of beef. But as the clip goes on His speed and agility improve more and more and the climax of the movie comes when he sprints up the Art Museum in Philadelphia to that song – da, da, da da da - he runs up the steps to look over the city and lift his arms in the classic Rocky pose.”
j. The point of the training montage is clear: Rocky is paying his dues, he puts in the work to become a champ.
i. That’s essential – great struggles make great stories.
ii. Nobody goes to see a movie with the plotline: “naturally gifted athlete does nothing particularly demanding in preparation and easily wins title.”
k. In the movie the deception of the training montage is this: it seems as if the trials before the triumph are relatively brief. Those 2-3 inspirational minutes in the movie are actually months and months of hard work in real life for Rocky. The montage collapses grueling weeks of training into about 120 upbeat seconds.
l. But you and I know, if you’re living through hard times, they don’t feel like 120 upbeat seconds.
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m. To the believers in John’s day and to us today – there is this verse - Verse 11: Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.
Conclusion
So, let me leave you somewhat with an incomplete story today. Let me leave you hanging just a little and say this:
God is not causing the persecution and pain, Satan has been unleashed – 4 horsemen of the apocalypse - and yet limited here on this earth.
God is still in control, and he will not allow the suffering and pain to go on forever.
A time will come when He says, “Enough is enough” and He declares at the end of Revelation that there will be no more suffering, no more pain, no more tears. The old will pass and the new will come.
There will come a time when we are not standing at the top of the steps of the Art Museum, but rather at the foot of the throne, raising our arms to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
What will that be like? What will that look like?
Come back next week to find out.
Study Guide: Endure Suffering Patiently
Rev 6:1-17
Thank you for joining us as we continue through our series on Revelation titled, “We Win!” Here is where we have been:
Ch 1 – Christ
Ch 2-3 – Christ among His church
Ch 4-5 – The great throne room of God
Not all books are the ______________. That is also true of the books in the Bible.
Books like Genesis and Exodus for example tell us . . .
The letters of Paul to the churches like Corinthians and Ephesians and Romans are meant to be . . .
Then there are books like Revelation, that are written to present a message but that message is communication in symbolic language and visual images.
My goal is to present a big picture of the __________________ that God is trying to share for us as we strive __________ _______ our Christian faith in this world.
Three things to always remember when reading the Bible:
· God is always in ______________and has ultimate power over _____________ in this world and in heaven.
· God is the one who hands out ___________________ and gives His _________________ and ___________________.
· God is here to help us in ____________now and to give us a _____________ for the future.
Dwell on one big idea as we read some amazing imagery that has a message for us: Endure Suffering Patiently
1. From Singing to Suffering vs. 1-8
a. We leave the throne room of God singing in Rev. 4 & 5 but only 4 verses into chapter 6 and we find the song being silenced.
b. Revelation 6 & 7 present the first series of messages from God to His people - 7 scrolls.
c. There are three major parts of Revelation that overlap and each overlapping layer presents a more complete picture.
i. Overlay 1 – the 7 scrolls
ii. Overlay 2 – the 7 trumpets
iii. Overlay 3 – the 7 Bowls of wrath
iv. All three layers present a picture of suffering and triumph, with each layer adding a little bit more of the picture.
Read Revelation 6:1-8
v. White Horse – _______________ Hope
vi. Red Horse – __________ and ________________ and ____________________
vii. Black Horse – ____________________
viii. Pale Green Horse – ________________
d. These have plagued mankind throughout the ages – then and now
2. From Despair to Hope – vs. 9-17
Read Revelation 6:9-17
a. The sixth seal shows the reward of those who follow Jesus (they receive white robes) and the reaction of those who do not follow Jesus, the non-believers. They have no hope without Christ – they want to just end it all.
b. Have you ever found yourself asking like, “How much longer to I have to go through this? Or “How can I survive this?” “Why am I going through this?”
c. Illustration of movie “Rocky”
d. In the movie, the deception of the training montage is this: it seems as if the trials before the triumph are relatively brief. Those 2-3 inspirational minutes in the movie are actually months and months of hard work in real life for Rocky. The montage collapses grueling weeks of training into about 120 upbeat seconds.
e. But you and I know, if you’re living through hard times, they don’t feel like 120 upbeat seconds.
f. To the believers in John’s day and to us today – there is this verse – Revelation 6:11: Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.