Please turn in your Bibles this morning to Revelation chapter 6 as we look at God’s wrath being poured out upon a Christ rejecting world. Now before you jump to the wrong conclusion, this is not going to be all gloom and doom, as you will see. But before we get to our text this morning in Revelation chapter 6, let me set the stage in regards to what is taking place here in Revelation chapter 6.
In Revelation chapter 4, as the Church Age comes to an end, John is caught up to heaven and is standing before the throne of God. John is a picture or a type of the church who is caught up or Raptured to be with the Lord prior to the start of the 7-year Tribulation Period.
As we moved into Revelation chapter 5 we see the focus change from God the Father seated upon the throne and God the Holy Spirit around the throne to God the Son or Jesus Christ. The scene opens up with a scroll in the Father’s right hand that no one was worthy to open and loose the seals upon this scroll.
As John sees what is taking place he is overwhelmed and he begins to weep uncontrollably because this scroll is the title deed to the earth. You see, when God created Adam and Eve they were to have dominion over the earth, God had given it to them. But when Adam sinned, when he disobeyed God and listened to Satan, the title deed to the earth was taken from Adam and given over to Satan, the usurper, who is still in control. Satan is called “the god of this age” (II Corinthians 4:4) and “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31). You see, Satan holds claim to the earth by reason of Adam’s sin.
Now as John is weeping over what he sees taking place, one of the elders steps forward telling John to stop weeping and start looking, for the Lion from the tribe of Judah is more than worthy to take the scroll and loosen its seals. And as John turned to look he saw a little lamb as though it had been slain step forward and take the scroll out of the Father’s right hand, and of course, that little lamb as though it were slain is Jesus!
What happens when your favorite football team makes a touchdown, sacks the quarterback, makes a great play to assure a victory? The fan’s go wild, everyone is cheering, the wave begins! What happens as Jesus steps forward to take the scroll out of the Father’s right hand? The four-living creatures, the church, all the angelic hosts of heaven, all of creation goes wild and they begin to worship the Lord and the Lamb! That is how chapter 5 closes, worship fills the heavens!
As Revelation chapter 6 opens up we see Jesus start to open these seven seals that were upon the scroll and as He opens each seal, a judgment from God is poured out upon the inhabitants of the earth, the earth-dwellers. In fact, these first four seals have been called the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse!
As Jesus opens the first seal we see the rider on the white horse come forth and this is the Antichrist who comes on the scene as a man of peace but will show his true colors during the last half of the Tribulation Period. Then, as the second seal is open there will come the rider on the red horse who will bring about deadly wars upon the land, as if any war is not deadly, but these will be not only civil but world-wide wars. Then, as the third seal is open there will come the rider on the black horse, which speaks of famine and how the whole world will be affected by this famine except for the rich. And lastly, as the fourth seal is open we will see the rider on the pale or ashen horse come forth, it is the color of death. Here we see ¼ of the earth’s population, over 1.5 billion people die by the sword, by hunger, by pestilence and by the beasts of the earth!
And by the time we get to the opening of the fifth seal we see those who have been martyred for their faith during this Tribulation Period waiting under the altar, their blood poured out as an offering to God showing their love for Him. And these dead martyred Tribulation Saints will cry out, “ . . . ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’” Revelation 6:10
Folks, I truly believe that is our hearts cry as we see the injustice that is taking place in this world, the violent crimes, deadly diseases, sexual immorality and crimes, poverty, famine and-so-on. And our cry is, “Lord, how long are You going to let this continue on?” And I guess our prayer is truly, “ . . . ‘Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.’” Matthew 6:9-10.
You see, I don’t believe that the cry of these martyred Tribulation Saints will be one of retaliation or is it vindictive in nature – “Let them have it Lord, pound them to pieces, smoke them!” That really is the flesh speaking. You see, I believe it will be their hearts cry to see Satan bound, to see righteousness flow through this land as it did in the beginning of creation. And that should be our hearts desire, not of retaliation or vindictive in nature, but one of restoration, of Thy kingdom come!
I do realize that doesn’t answer the question of how long before the Lord steps in and rights the wrongs in this world but let me share this with you because I believe this French scientist is correct with his observation. In fact, he is very prophetic in the words he said and I don’t believe he realized how prophetic he would be when he spoke them.
Way back in 1860 there was a French scientist by the name of Pierre Berchiet who made this prediction. He said: “Within a hundred years of physical and chemical science, man will know what the atom is. It is my belief that when science reaches this stage, God will come down with His big ring of keys and will say to humanity: Gentlemen, it is closing time!”
Folks, I would have to agree with this French scientist, I believe it is closing time, the closing of the Church Age, the start of the Tribulation Period which gives birth to the Kingdom Age where Jesus will rule and reign from His throne in Jerusalem and righteousness will fill this land! Once these seals begin to be loosened, it truly is closing time for those that do not know Jesus Christ!
With that as our background, let’s begin reading in Revelation chapter 6, starting in verse 12 and see what the Lord has for us this morning as we await His return.
Here we see the sixth seal opened and with it there is cataclysmic events being poured out upon the earth and upon its inhabitants, the earth-dwellers. I believe these cataclysmic events occur towards the end of the Great Tribulation or that last 3½ years of the 7-year Tribulation Period.
Now here’s the thing. With all these cataclysmic events occurring you would think that the heart of man would be broken and they would turn to God for forgiveness. But instead of turning to God they harden their hearts more and more towards God. In fact, as the Trumpet Judgments are being poured out, we are told in Revelation 9:20-21, “But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.” And by the time we get to the Bowl judgments, we are told in Revelation 16:9, “And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.”
Make no mistake about it, they will know exactly where this wrath is coming from, who is pouring out this judgment upon them, it is from the One who sits on the throne or God the Father and from the Lamb or Jesus Christ. And instead of falling upon the Rock, Jesus Christ and repenting of their sins, they are calling for the rocks of the earth to fall upon them and hide them from God! That is a hard heart and it truly is sad.
This kind of judgment is hard for some to swallow because they don’t believe God could do something like this. Their rational goes something like this: “If God is good, if He is loving then He could never cause anything like this, in fact, He would never send anyone to Hell!” First of all, yes He is a loving God and there is no darkness in Him at all, not even a little! Secondly, He is a holy and righteous God and thus He must deal with sin, with unrighteousness. You see, if He ignored sin or tried to cover it up, hide it, He would not be just, He would not be righteous. In other words, there would be darkness in Him! But of course there is not and He will judge sin!
Think of it like this. Imagine a judge hearing the case of someone who committed murder. All the evidence points to this man as being guilty. They have fingerprints, DNA evidence, eyewitnesses and as the jury hears the case, they convict the man to death, he is guilty. Now the judge steps in and says that in spite of all the evidence, he was going to let the man go because he could never punish anyone. If that happened we would be outraged. Thus, if God did that, would we not be outraged also because that would be an unrighteous act!
The third point is that God loves us so much that He sent His Son into this world; God became flesh and dwelt among us, to pay in full the penalty for our sins. Thus, the wrath of God that was due us was now placed upon Jesus as He bore the sins of the world on the cross of Calvary and endured the wrath of God that was due us! And so, whoever believes in Jesus, whoever asks Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, he will forgive them their sins, He will cleanse them as white as snow.
Also, and please understand this, God’s forgiveness is extended to all but not all will receive it into their lives. That is the tragedy, that God has given to men this free gift of eternal life with Him that is found in Jesus Christ and many will not receive this gift! Let me explain it like this:
In the archives of the United States Supreme Court is the Record of George Wilson, a man sentenced to die by hanging for a crime he had committed. His case came before President Andrew Jackson, who granted Wilson a pardon. To everyone’s amazement, Wilson tore the pardon to shreds and threw it on the floor of his prison cell. The ensuing legal argument concerned the validity of a pardon that was refused, and the question arose as to whether or not Wilson should be freed or hanged. After great deliberation, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled as follows: “A pardon is a writing, the value of which is dependent upon the acceptance by the individual for whom it is intended.” It was therefore decreed by the court that George Wilson be hanged until dead – not because a pardon was not offered, but because it was not accepted.
This is a perfect picture of the sinner who hears the gospel of Jesus Christ, knows that God has written a pardon for him, yet rejects Him and thus forfeits his right to the pardon. If you are without the Savior today, it is because you choose to be. Your choice to reject Jesus Christ automatically invalidates your pardon and sentences you to the lake of fire.
Each of us is confronted with a choice. We can admit we are sinners in need of a Savior and invite Christ into our lives, or we can choose to reject Him. In either case we will live in eternity by our choice. Those who have chosen to put their faith in Christ will rule and reign with Him during the millennial kingdom and then go into the eternal ages surrounding His throne. Those who reject Him will be cast into the lake of fire and separated from Him forever. As the apostle Paul put it: “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
- Tim LaHaye, Bible Prophecy, What You Need To Know
Do you see the foolishness of this man as he rejected this pardon that was there to free him? He didn’t do anything to earn this pardon, he didn’t pay for this pardon, all he had to do is receive this free gift into his life and he would be saved! “What a fool!” people would say and yet, let’s turn that around for a minute. Jesus has given to us a pardon from our sins not because we earned it, nor did we pay for it, but it is a free gift to us that has been paid in full by the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. You see, God did not ignore sin or tried to hide it but He paid the price for our sins with His life! And yet, look at the millions upon millions of people who reject this pardon God has for them! How foolish they are!
Now, because God is holy and righteous, He must judged sin and for those that are not in Christ, those that are not born again, those that have rejected Jesus as their Lord and Savior, the Lamb of God who came the first time to save us from our sins is coming again as the Lion from the tribe of Judah to judge sinful man! And folks, He has been longsuffering, He has been patient, He has been gracious and merciful, but soon His wrath will be poured out!
You may remember what happened back on May 18, 1980, as Mt. Saint Helens exploded with such great force that it flattened everything in 150 square miles. The blast was 500 times stronger than the nuclear bomb that leveled the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Millions of tons of rock disintegrated and disappeared into a cloud reaching 10 miles into the sky. A wall of mud and ash some 50 feet high came crashing down this mountain. And in this was a terrible tragedy, as several people lost their lives. My wife and I visited this site some 20 years after the explosion and you can still see the devastating effects of the blasts, trees still knocked down for miles like toothpicks!
Now please understand, there was plenty of warning. The explosion of Mt. Saint Helens came as no surprise. Police cars and helicopters warned the people to evacuate the area. At every major crossroad around Mt. Saint Helens was a warning that flashed on battery-powered signs. On the radio and television people were being warned of the danger. Short wave and citizens band operators were also warning the people to leave the area because something terrible was going to happen. This mountain is going to explode!
And most of the people heeded those warnings, except a few who refused to listen even though the signs were everywhere of the danger that was growing inside of this volcano. One of those people who refused to leave was Harry Truman, not the president, but the caretaker of a recreation lodge on Spirit Lake, 5 miles north of Mt. Saint Helens. The park rangers tried to warn Harry of the coming explosion. His neighbors begged him to join them as they left the area. Even his own sister tried to talk some sense into this stubborn and rebellious old man. But Harry refused to listen and he ignored the warnings. In fact, on television Harry grinned and said, “Nobody knows more about this mountain than Harry and it don=t dare blow up on him . . . ”
Then, at 8:31 AM on May 18, 1980, Mt. Saint Helens blew up despite Harry’s claims, and he lost his life. Many today are like Harry, they refuse to heed God’s warnings of coming judgment even though the signs are everywhere. You can hear the approaching hoof beats of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse coming! And yet people continue on, living like they want, almost daring God do to something.
And make no mistake about it, God will judge sinful man and the reality is, God does not send a single person to Hell, people go there by their own choice. In fact, God has done everything possible to save sinful man but He won’t force them into the Kingdom, He won’t force them to go to Heaven and be with Him, it is their choice. Man has a really simple choice to make, to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior or reject Him and there are consequences to our choices!
In John 1:12-13 we are told, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Predestined by God to be saved and a free choice on our part to be saved. Now don’t come to the conclusion that it is 50% God predestining us, and 50% our choice to enter in. It is 100% free choice and 100% predestination and I do realize that is 200% and it is not just because I was bad in math. Here again is something that we must believe by faith because our finite minds cannot understand it. Now some may argue, “This is not fair, how do I know if I am saved or not?” Just receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior! “But I don’t want to!” Well, then you are not predestined and you will go to Hell!
Think of it like this, I believe it was Ironside who gave this illustration of free will and predestination. When you die you arrive in the afterlife and you see a door, which says, “All who will may enter.” And as you open the door and enter in you see a huge and beautiful banquet table all set for a feast and names at every place setting. Now, to your surprise, as you look at the names on the cards you find your name. As the door begins to close you notice on the inside of the door a sign that says, “Predestined before the foundations of the world.” I think that is the correct perspective of free will and predestination, at least to try to understand it with our human minds.
But if you reject this free gift of God for your life, then you will receive His judgment that will be fair, it will be just, it will be righteous. Zephaniah describes this period of God=s judgment against a Christ rejecting world, in this manner. He said beginning in verse 14 of Zephaniah chapter 1, “The great day of the LORD is near; it is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; there the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers. ‘I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like refuse.’ Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy, for He will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land.” Zephaniah 1:14-18.
This period of time is known as the Day of the LORD and it speaks of God’s wrath being poured out upon the earth dwellers because of their sin. In Numbers 32:23 we are told “. . . your sin will find you out.” You can’t hide your sin from God, He sees and knows all. And the reason they have sin is because they have rejected the Messiah, Jesus Christ. They are standing in their own righteousness, which is like filthy rags before a Holy God. Therefore, it doesn’t matter how rich or influential you are, because that will not cause you to escape God’s wrath that is coming!
You see, John tells us in Revelation 6:17, “For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” The Amplified Bible puts it like this, “For the great day of His wrath (vengeance, retribution, indignation) has come, and who is able to stand before it? [Joel 2:11; Mal 3:2.]” You cannot stand before a holy and righteous God in your own righteousness as I have said already because our righteousness is like filthy rags before Him. Thus, the only way to stand before God is in the righteousness that has been imputed to us by faith, the righteousness of Christ!
Now what are we as Christians to be doing during these days we are living in knowing that the Lord’s return is getting close? We are to be sharing the Gospel message or the Good News of Jesus Christ with this world that is in darkness so that they may be saved out of this time of wrath that is coming, so they can escape this Day that is fast approaching and enter into that eternal life with the Lord. Paul, in Romans 1:16 put it like this, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” May we not be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ because it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. Thus, don’t get caught up with foolish arguments, but bring them to Jesus. Keep the main thing the main thing and the main thing is JESUS!
Also, after speaking of this coming judgment in Luke chapter 21, Jesus says this beginning in verse 34, “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:34-36.
Jesus is warning us not to get caught up in the things of this world. Don’t become worldly but keep your focus on God. If you do, that day won’t catch you unprepared, as it will the earth-dwellers. Jesus is speaking of our conduct, that it should reflect our relationship with Him. You see, if the blood of Christ is not applied to our lives, then we are in no way worthy to stand before Him. But if His blood is applied to our lives, then we are “ . . . worthy to escape all these things . . .” Our prayer should be to allow God to transform our lives into His image. That when people see us they would see the character and love of God flowing through our lives.
As I begin to close this morning, let me share this story with you. We are told:
At the end of time, billions of people were scattered on a great plain before God’s throne. Most shrank back from the brilliant light before them. But some groups near the front talked heatedly - not with cringing shame, but with belligerence [hostility]. ‘Can God judge us? How can he know about suffering?’ snapped a young Albanian. He removes his shirt to reveal a bullet scarred back. ‘In Kosovo we endured terror... shootings... torture!’
In another group an aged aboriginal woman pulls a crumpled, tear stained photograph from her pocket. ‘What about this?’ she demanded, ‘This is my precious child. I have not seen her since the day she was stolen away for no crime but being black!’
In another crowd, a pregnant schoolgirl with sullen eyes. ‘Why should I suffer’ she murmured, ‘It wasn't my fault.’
Far out across the plain there were hundreds of such groups. Each had a complaint against God for the evil and suffering he permitted in this world. How lucky God was to live in heaven where all was sweetness and light, where there was no weeping or fear, no hunger or hatred. What did God know of all that people had been forced to endure in this world? For God leads a pretty sheltered life, they said.
So each of these groups sent forth their leader, chosen because he had suffered the most. A Jew, a person from Hiroshima, a horribly deformed arthritic, a thalidomide child. In the center of the plain they consulted with each other. At last they were ready to present their case. It was rather clever.
Before God could be qualified to be their judge, he must endure what they had endured. Their decision was that God should be sentenced to live on earth - as a man!
‘Let him be born into a hated race. Let the legitimacy of his birth be doubted. Give him a work so difficult that even his family will think him out of his mind when he tries to do it. Let him be betrayed by his closest friends. Let him face false charges, be tried by a prejudiced jury and convicted by a cowardly judge. Let him be tortured. At the last, let him see what it means to be terribly alone. Then let him die. Let him die so that there can be no doubt that he died. Let there be a great host of witnesses to verify it.’
As each leader announced his portion of the sentence, loud murmurs of approval went up from the throng of people assembled. And when the last had finished pronouncing sentence, there was a long silence. No one uttered another word. No one moved. For suddenly all knew that God had already served his sentence.
- Source Unknown
It is hard to add to that. Look at all He has done and now He tells us, “Here is a free gift, a pardon for all your sins, just come to Me and receive it!” It breaks my heart and I’m sure it breaks your heart to see so many reject this free gift that God is offering because the consequences are deadly! In Matthew 21:42-44 listen to this perspective that Jesus gives to us. He tells us, “ . . . ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures: “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes”? Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. [And here is the part I want you to focus on] And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.’”
Here is that choice once again for you this morning. Are you going to allow the Rock, Jesus Christ to break you of your stubborn and rebellious will, your hard heart so that you can enter into eternal life with Him? If you refuse, then he will crush you, ground to a powder by the Rock, Jesus Christ in His judgment. Again, it is your choice!
As I close this morning, let me once again draw your attention to the words of the French scientist, Pierre Bercheit and his words that we read earlier this morning. Back in 1860 he predicted, “Within a hundred years of physical and chemical science, man will know what the atom is. It is my belief that when science reaches this stage, God will come down with His big ring of keys and will say to humanity: Gentlemen, it is closing time!” Thus, I pray you are ready to enter in!