In Revelation chapters 4, 5 and
6 John is given the second of the seven parallel visions which
he records in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. We've
seen in Revelation chapter 4 that he looks and there's a door opened
in heaven and he sees through this door the throne which is
set in heaven and the one who is sat on that throne He sees
those who are around the throne, the four living creatures and
the four and 20 elders. He sees that the one who sits
upon the throne holds a book in his right hand, which is written
within and on the backside and is sealed with seven seals. And
a strong angel proclaims with a loud voice, who is worthy to
open the book? and to loose the seals thereof.
And no man in heaven nor in earth, neither under the earth, was
able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And John wept
much. And one of the elders said unto
John, Weep not. Behold, the lion of the tribe
of Judah, the root of David, have prevailed to open the book
and to loose the seven seals thereof. And John beheld, and
lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in
the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb, as it had been slain,
having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits
of God sent forth into all the earth. Yes, one prevailed to
open the book, and that one is the Lamb who stands in the midst
of the throne. even the Lord Jesus Christ. And
in chapter six of Revelation, we see how this lamb, the lamb
opens the first six seals of this book. And we see the consequence
of their opening. And we see the contents of this
book revealed. For this book, which is held
in the right hand of the one who sits upon the throne, is
the book of God's eternal purposes throughout eternity and throughout
time, concerning all his creation. It concerns all his rights upon
creation. Though man who was created upon
this world sought to rebel against his maker, and sought to usurp
the rights of rule over this creation, nevertheless God Almighty
never, ever, gave up his rights to all that he created and this
book concerns those rights and it concerns the unfolding of
God's eternal purposes to claim those rights and to deliver all
that is his and to bring in all that is his for all eternity.
So in chapter six we see the opening of the first six seals
of this book The 7th seal is opened later in the book of Revelation. We see the commencement of the
opening of the 7th seal in chapter 8. But that opening of the 7th
seal is not actually in the same vision, although it's the same
book and although it's the 7th seal. The site of the opening
of that seal is given to John in an entirely new vision. The
vision encompasses the same span of time. So the book is the same
book. and the seal is one of the seven
seals, but it is given an entirely new vision for the seventh seal
encompasses so many different things as a result of its opening,
that John is given an entirely new vision in which the seventh
seal is opened. But at the conclusion of this,
the second of the seven visions in Revelation, he sees the opening
of the first six seals. The first four of these seals,
as they are opened, unleash four horses and four horsemen who
are sent forth into this world with cataclysmic consequences. The consequences of these horsemen
are so great and so mighty that they reveal God's eternal power
and authority over this world. They make it evident to make
it plain. How could any doubt His rule
when these horsemen and the effects of these horses are seen? Following
this, the fifth seal is opened in which we see under the altar
of God the souls of them that were slain for the word of God
and for His testimony. And then finally we see the sixth
seal opened. which brings in the end of this
world and the great day of the wrath of the Lamb of God, the
final judgment in consequence as this world is brought to an
end. Yes, the first six seals are opened. The description of
what is brought about by the opening of these six seals applies
throughout all the age, throughout all the time between Christ's
ascension and his coming again. This is not an historical account. It is not that one seal is opened
covering one span of time, and once that is completed, the next
seal is opened covering the next span of time, and finally onwards
until the end. But the opening of the seals
have their effect throughout all time. It is only with the
sixth seal which brings in the end that all is brought to a
conclusion. But the other seals concern all the age, They concern
the various trials and persecutions which are brought about upon
God's people throughout all the age. And they concern all the
events in history, all the wars, the tumults, the riots, the poverty,
the famines, all the events of history. And all is concluded
with the opening of the sixth seal. when God's wrath is unleashed
upon an evil and upon a rebellious world. For in that day, the great
day of his wrath, all is brought to an end. The sun becomes black. The moon becomes as blood. The
stars of the heaven fall to the earth. The heaven departs as
a scroll when it is rolled together. Every mountain and island are
moved out of their places. The kings of the earth, the great
men, the captains, the mighty men, the bondmen, the free men,
all hide themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains.
And they say to the mountains, fall on us and hide us from the
face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of
the Lamb. Oh, what a day that is. What a day to be found in, if
there has no hope for eternity. If there has no hope in the Lamb
of God, who was slain for his own. Do you know that that day
fast approaches? Are you prepared for that day?
Or do you turn your back to it and pretend it will never come? Well let us look at the opening
of these seals. It commences with the opening
of the first seal in chapter 6 verses 1 and 2 where we read,
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard
as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying,
Come and see. And I saw behold a white horse
and he that sat on him had a bow and a crown was given under him
and he went forth conquering and to conquer. Here's the first
of the first four seals which are opened and on the opening
of the first of these four we see a horse And when the second
seal is opened, we see another horse, and the third and then
the fourth. The first horse is white, the
second horse is red, the third is black, and the fourth is pale. There are four horsemen and four
horses, commonly referred to as the four horsemen of the apocalypse. They're sent forth into all the
world. And the effects of their coming
are devastating. But why are there four? Well,
as with the four living creatures, there are four because they are
in all the world. And they represent God's rights
and the claim of his rights in all the world. They go into the
four corners of the world. They go to the north and the
south and the east and the west. And the four living creatures,
who symbolically represent the earth and the creation, and God's
rights upon that creation. These four living beasts, these
four living creatures, introduce the opening of each of these
seals. When John looks and beholds the lamb opening each seal, he
hears, as it were, the noise of thunder. And he hears each
beast in turn cry out with a mighty voice, come and see. For the earth as it were cries
out and introduces the coming of these horsemen who declare
God's authority and God's rights in this earth. And they cry out
as it were, as the earth as it were awaits its salvation, awaits
the coming in of the end, and of God's bringing his rights
to pass, and of the Lord Jesus Christ being set upon his throne
forevermore. These living creatures cry out,
come and see, come and see. These horsemen, the four horsemen,
who are released on the opening of each seal represents God sending
forth of his power into all the world. His power to reclaim his
rights. The horse is representative of
power. A powerful creature. That upon
which the warriors of old used to ride forth. A strong beast,
a mighty beast, a powerful beast. God's power is sent forth into
all the world, into all the corners of the world. He sends it forth
into an evil world, a dark world, an indifferent, a blind, a foolish
and apathetic world. He sends forth his power on four
horses to assert his rights over all that is his. The world may
seek to ignore God, and in its stupidity it may pretend that
he is not there. It may pretend that God is not
on his throne. It may pretend that this world
is not God's but man's. Man may go on in his folly and
foolishness, building his own things, making his own things,
building his cities, building his nations, living as he pleases,
doing as he pleases, acting as though God and his rights are
not there and do not exist. And yet God is sat upon his throne
and he hasn't withdrawn from this world for he sent four horsemen
into the four corners of this world and the hoof beats of these
horses beat loud and clear throughout all time and all history and
they make his presence known in many many ways and man cannot
shut his eyes and shut his ears to that presence except he becomes
a fool and except he shuts his eyes to that which is real and
lives in a pretense in that which is but a mirage. For man pretends
that God is not on his throne, but the opening of these four
seals declare loud and clear that he is. The hoofbeats, the
sound of the horses charging, sound forth a very different
message to that which mankind broadcasts throughout this world. Man says we're free, let us live
as we like. There are no bounds, we're in
charge. But the hoofbeats of these horses,
charging up and down throughout the world, bring in their effects
upon all mankind throughout all history, declare a very, very
different message. For God is here, and the earth
is his, and the fullness thereof, and he will have his rights and
his rule declared and made known. He rules over all. He rules. Listen to the sound of the hoofbeats. Listen to the sound of the horses. Oh foolish man this day, listen
to the sound of the horses. For on the earthling of these
four seals, there are four horses who have gone out in power throughout
all this earth, throughout all time. all the events of this world,
the rising up and the crashing down of powers and of nations
and of kingdoms, the wars, the famines, the earthquakes, the
increase in wealth and the loss of riches, the births and the
deaths, the poverty and the ruins, All are determined by the effects
of these four horsemen who were sent forth from on high. All
are determined. Then hear the voice of thunder. Hear the voice of the living
beasts who cry out, Come and see! Behold! See these horses and their effects. But what are these horses? They
are prefigured in the prophecy of Zechariah. The description
of the horses given here in Revelation is not unique to Revelation.
In Zechariah 1 we read of the man on horses of various colours
and in chapter 6 we read of the chariots drawn by different coloured
horses, white horses, red horses, black horses and speckled horses. These are figures of that which
is revealed here in the book of Revelation. Even in the prophecy
of Zechariah, Zechariah was warning a fallen nation, warning an evil
world that God has not withdrawn, that God is not apathetic. Zechariah
wrote in a day when Jerusalem and the temple was in ruin and
was not as it was in former days. when the worship of God's people
was in a poor way. And do you think that God was
apathetic to these things? No, he was not. Zechariah looked
at Jerusalem. He beheld the city, the city
of God, Zion. He beheld that place where the
Savior, even Jesus Christ, would one day walk. He looked upon
Gethsemane. He looked upon the Mount of Olives,
he looked upon the mount, he looked upon the city, and he
saw this vision of chariots and of horses. And God declared even
to Zechariah then, that there was coming a time when his son
would indeed rule. And he had not withdrawn, but
his power was indeed sent forth in all the world. It was indeed. And in the book of Revelation
we see the description of this power in his four horses. First
then the first horse, a white horse and he that sat on him
had a bow and the crown was given unto him and he went forth conquering
and to conquer. A white horse with one that went
forth conquering and to conquer. Well, who is this? Who is this
on a white horse who conquers? Who went forth conquering and
to conquer, who is this but the Lord Jesus Christ himself? Yes,
this white horse and the one who rides upon him, this is Christ
upon a horse. He's white, he's perfect, he's
holy, he's pure, he's righteous. White always speaks of purity
and of righteousness. Here comes the Saviour himself
riding upon a horse, riding forth in power to conquer, conquering
and to conquer. He carries with him a bow, a
bow, that which would shoot arrows. But there's no mention in the
verse of the actual arrow, simply the bow by which he fires them. The allusion is to the power
in his gospel, This is one who does not come with carnal weapons. He's not a carnal warrior, he's
not of the earth. He comes as it were spiritually
seen upon a horse, not a literal horse, but a spiritual vision
of the Lord Jesus Christ riding upon a horse in power in this
world, carrying his bow. That gospel through which he
fires the arrows of his gospel into the hearts of his people.
He comes forth riding throughout all the world, seeking those
whom He will save. There was a day when He came
literally. There was an age when He came
into this world, born in the city of David, when He who is
God, who is the Son of God, the eternal Son of God, when He who
is God was made man, was made flesh, and He lived and He died. He lived a man upon this earth.
He came to die upon the tree. He came to die for sinners. He
came to save sinners. He came into this world in power
to save his own. And having died, having died
the Lamb of God for his own, having laid down his life for
his own people, having conquered sin, having conquered death,
having conquered hell, having destroyed that which stood in
the way of them and salvation, having wrought a mighty victory,
having come to conquer, having indeed conquered, he rose again
victorious, and he ascended into the heights above. And from that
ascended heights, from the throne room, The Lamb opens the seals
of this book and throughout all the time subsequently following
his ascension he is not sat idle, he is not dormant, he does not
simply behold a rebellious world and looks on passively. But he
opens the first seal of this book and as a consequence we
see a horse And we see one riding upon the horse, white with a
bow. And here the Lord Jesus by His
Spirit goes forth in power in His gospel. He goes forth conquering
and to conquer. He takes that which He has wrought
upon Calvary's tree. He takes the fruits of that salvation
which He wrought. That complete, that perfect,
that finished salvation. He takes it and He sends it forth
by His Spirit to apply to everyone for whom He died. He sends forth
the Gospel in power. He sends it forth into the four
corners of this world to seek out everyone for whom He died,
to seek them out where'er they may be. Oh, this world may be
in darkness. Yes, it may be evil. yes it may
be rebellious, yes all his people may have fallen in Adam into
sin and rebellion, yes they are children of wrath even as others,
but there is one who has gone forth for their salvation, there
is one who is mighty to save, there is one who rides through
this world seeking them out wherever they may be, however far sunk
they may be, however low they may be, however blind they may
be, however deaf they may be, however rebellious they may be. He rides forth to find them,
and he comes forth with his bow, his bow of the gospel, the power
of his gospel. He rides forth to conquer them,
to conquer their rebellious hearts. to conquer their hard hearts.
Where are you this day? Are you sunk in rebellion? Are
you hiding under the fig leaves of your self-righteousness? Do
you think that when you die you will get into heaven on your
own merits? Are you sunk in apathy? Have
you shut your ears to eternal things? Have you shut your ears
to the gospel? Or has God awakened you to your
state? Has he sounded forth the rumbling
of the horsebeats? Do you know the danger you stand
in by nature? Do you know that there is a day
coming, a day which will be opened at the opening of the sixth seal? when the great day of the wrath
of the Lamb of God will be unleashed, and when this world will be rolled
up and destroyed, when God will pour out His wrath in almighty
vengeance upon the wicked? Has the Spirit made these things
known unto you as He sounded an alarm in your heart to flee
from the wrath to come? If he hasn't, then listen this
day, for the day is fast approaching, that day, that great day of the
wrath of God, when he will surely judge all men according to their
deeds. All men, you and me, according
to our deeds, those who have done righteousness unto eternal
life, and those who have done wickedness unto everlasting destruction. The day comes when he will judge
fairly and uprightly and justly. It fast approaches, we cannot
hide from it, we will not hide from it. And yet, in mercy, God
has sent forth a rider upon a white horse. one who goes forth in
power, one who brings a glorious message, a glorious message of
salvation. That day of wrath will not bring
wrath upon all men, it will not bring the destruction of all
men, for there are those who will hear the message of the
one who sits upon a white horse. There are those who will see
approaching unto them in wondrous beauty, in majestic glory, in
majestic power, in the depths of their sin, in their poverty,
when they are struck down low, when they think they can do nothing
to save themselves, when they know that judgment will be their
lot. When they know that the wrath
of God approaches, when they know that destruction is coming,
in such a state, a glorious sight is brought unto them. They see
a rider upon a horse, a white horse, a glorious rider, the
Son of God, the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. And he
comes riding unto them in power. He comes with his bow, he comes
forth to them conquering and to conquer, and he shoots the
arrows of his gospel into their heart. He shoots the arrows of
his everlasting love into their heart. He cries out unto them
peace. He cries out unto them mercy. He cries out unto them the eternal
love of God. He says unto them, in mercy and
love, unto guilty, lost sinners that know that destruction awaits
unto them. He says unto them, thy sins be
forgiven thee. Thy sins be forgiven thee. Believe on me. Thy faith have
made thee whole. Rise up and walk. Oh, He takes
that heart which was once rebellious and He turns it and He melts
it. He washes it clean. He creates
in such a people a new heart and a new spirit. He makes those
who were once unwilling, He makes them to be willing. He makes
them willing. Once they fled from His presence,
Once they, as with others, would have cried to the mountains on
that day of destruction, fall on us and hide us from the face
of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.
But now, thinking they are lost, they heard the wonderful words
of the one who rides upon a white horse, who comes unto them and
cries unto them, I have died in thy place. I have taken thy
sins upon me. I have taken your sins upon my
back. I have been made sin for you. I have taken the wrath which
was due unto you, and I have drunk it up to the uttermost. I have taken it away. It is no
more. There is no wrath unto you, for
I have taken it away. I have overcome, and I have overcome
to the uttermost. Yes, he comes unto such a people
in such a state and says, thy sins be forgiven thee. He takes
that heart which was once unwilling and makes it willing. He overwhelms
it with his love. He overwhelms it with his mercy. He comes conquering. and to conquer,
as there's a rider upon a white horse, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's crowned, he wears a crown,
for this is a king, the king of kings, riding forth to reclaim
his rights to his kingdom, to assert his rule and his dominion
over all that is his. This world may be fallen, but
it was his world, he made it, and He continues to make His
rites known throughout all history. Man may think God is not here,
but He rides throughout all time, declaring His gospel throughout
all time, and His voice will not be shut. None will quench
His voice. None will quench the Spirit. He rides, a rider, upon a white
horse. Has the footsteps of this horse
come past you? Have you heard his voice? Has he conquered you? Has he
overwhelmed your hard heart with his love and with his grace? Have you seen this white rider
upon a white horse? But then there's a second seal
that's opened. When he had opened the second
seal, I heard the second beast say, come and see. And there
went out another horse that was red, and power was given to him
that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they
should kill one another. And there was given unto him
a great sword. Yes, there's a second horse,
a red horse. This horse speaks of warfare,
of bloodshed, it's red. respites of wrath, of anger,
of malice, of warfare, of blood. It says that he comes to take
peace from the earth and there's a horse that's sent forth into
this world that takes away peace. God is angry with a wicked and
a rebellious world. He's angry and his judgment goes
forth. not simply at the end of time
but it goes forth even now it has been going forth from the
beginning and it goes forth till the end of time there is not
peace in this world there never has been peace in this world
and until God brings this world to an end there never will be
any true peace man brought in sin by his rebellion and by sin
came in death and by sin is violence upon this world man sin brings
forth violence and anger and malice and warfare there is constant
warfare in this world there is constant violence for there is
a horseman who rides upon a red horse who carries a sword and
who wields it against the wicked and the fallen generation. He
wields it against those who reject the rider that went forth on
the opening of the first seal. Mankind rejects and shuts his
ears to the rider upon the white horse. It scoffs at him. It laughs at him. It denies him. Well, there's another rider that
comes forth unto such a people, such a rebellious people that
reject God's Son. One who comes forth on a red
horse, one who wields a sword, one who is not passive, for God
does not stand by passive. He sends forth His warning judgments
throughout all time against the wicked. He sends them forth even
now, even now. There are wars and rumours of
wars. There is violence upon every
street. There is anger and malice shown
in every household. God allows men to bring forth
that from their own hearts. Let them not put the blame for
such wars and destruction upon God. For God merely allows man
to bring forth that which is in his own heart. Sin brings
forth that fruit. which it can only bring forth,
which is death, violence, anger and death. Oh, let the world
notice, let it hear, let it hear the hoofbeats of this horse.
For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. He reigns. He is in power. He's in power over all. And all
mankind will burn with its lust one against another and they
will consume one another, they will destroy one another. They
seek to bring peace. They think that by blotting out
God from their thoughts and their affections, by ignoring God,
they think by their own efforts and their own manipulations that
they will rule this world and that by some means they can bring
peace in this world. But they cannot bring peace. their peace is taken away and
by their own actions by your own actions there is war and
there is violence in this world to this very day and if you remain
in your sins be it known unto you this day that if you like
others remain in your sins then your sins will bring forth judgments
judgments now and judgments to come for all eternity, for sin
can only reap anger, malice and violence in one way or another. We reap what we sow. The fruit of sin is death. And
of course these things don't come simply upon the wicked,
but the righteous dwell amongst the wicked and these destructions
and the effects of the wars and the and the violence in this
world have their effects upon the righteous too who must suffer
with them. But of course God's people in
such an evil world will in the end be spared that everlasting
judgment which will be poured out upon those who reject the
rider upon the white horse. For these things will never destroy
us who believe upon Jesus Christ. For God's own have won who cares
for them. following this the third seal
is opened and when he had opened the third seal i heard the third
beast say come and see and i beheld and lo a black horse and he that
sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand and i heard a voice
in the midst of the four beasts say a measure of wheat for a
penny and three measures of barley for a penny and see thou hurt
not the oil and the wine this fourth horse this black horse
his pictorial of poverty and of famine, his pictorial of economic
ruin. He's a black horse and him that
sits upon him has a pair of balances in his hand. He weighs out these
balances, he puts a measure of wheat in one side and a penny
in the other side. And all a penny will buy in this
state is one measure of wheat or three measures of barley.
Now in modern times this might not make much sense to us, but
in the times in which John wrote, a penny was a lot of money. As
we'll see in the Gospels when Christ talks of a penny in various
parables. A penny is related to a day's
wages. A penny is a lot of money. And
yet a penny here buys just one measure of wheat. For these are
the days of famine and of ruin and of poverty. And this black
horse, when he rides throughout this world, brings famine and
ruin and poverty. Yes, there's a horse that rides
throughout all history. And there are famines throughout
all history. There is poverty throughout all
history. Man cannot escape these things. Millions die in famine, even
in the days in which we live. In Africa and in many places
there is drought that comes, there's famine that comes. There
are millions this world over who suffer from poverty and they
suffer the consequences of poverty. The starvation, the hunger, the
disease, the death. Yes, there's a black horse whose
hoof beats are heard throughout all time and all history. Have you heard his hoof beats?
In such a state, let the world consider Him, Him alone who sustains
life, Him alone who causes the sun to shine and the rain to
fall, Him alone who brings forth the food and the crops. Let them
consider Him, for He can take it away just as easily as He
gives it. He gives life and He can take
life away. yes there's a horse a black horse
that rides and you cannot deny the sound of its hoof beats throughout
history but finally there's a fourth horse a fourth horse in verse
7 and when he had opened the fourth seal i heard the voice
of the fourth beast say come and see and i looked and behold
a pale horse And his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell
followed with him, and power was given unto them over the
fourth part of the earth. to kill with sword, and with
hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. Yes,
there's a fourth horse who comes upon all men throughout all time. For this fourth horse, this pale
horse, the pale horse, paleness speaking of the corpse and of
death, there's a fourth horse that brings death, and hell follows
after it. sickness and disease, which ultimately
leads to death. For all are born and all die. We are but grass that is raised
up one day and is cut down with the sickle the next day. Our
lives are but a vapour. Generations come and generations
go. One after another, one after
another, one after another. People are born and people are
taken away. As time and history passes by,
man cannot escape the loud, loud hoofbeats of this pale horse
that brings death. And to those who know not Christ,
those who know not the rider upon the white horse, those who
reject him and turn away from him, hell follows, an everlasting
destruction. And when he had opened the fifth
seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain
for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy
and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood and them
that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto
every one of them. And it was said unto them that
they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants
also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were,
should be fulfilled. On the opening of the fifth seal,
we see the martyrs of the Lord, those who love the Lord, those
who have been washed by the blood of the Lamb, those who know what
it is to have their sins forgiven, who know what it is to have turned
from sin and fled to the one who died in their place, who
fled to the one who came forth for their salvation, who heard
the sound of the horseman upon a white horse, who heard his
hoofbeats with joy, who heard his coming with joy, and with
gladness and gladly received Him and gladly believed on Him,
who gladly received the One who came with everlasting love and
mercy and grace unto them, that One who conquered their hearts,
who conquered their souls, who conquered their affections, that
One who took away their sin, that One who blotted out death
for them. O His are people who believed
on Him, who trusted on Him, who knew that they were nothing,
who knew that they could do nothing, who knew that He had done everything
to save them, who knew that their works were but filthy rags, who
knew that destruction was their lot. And yet here came a man,
a rider upon a white horse, who came preaching peace, who came
preaching salvation, a mighty conqueror, a mighty savior and
they believed and they trusted and they rested and yet they
lived in a world which hated and despised the one who saved
them and because of their testimony Because they lived in such a
world, because they declared the word of God, because they
gave testimony to the Lamb of God, their Saviour, the world
persecuted them, the world hated them, the world slew them. And such a people were martyred.
Many were martyred in the days of John. He speaks from personal
experience, he knew those who were thrown to the lions in Rome. He knew those who were persecuted,
who were put to death. His fellow apostles were put
to death. Many of the disciples in those
days were slain for the testimony of Christ. Many since have been
slain. And here he sees their voice. Here he sees them laying under
the altar of Christ. Why under the altar? Well, where
else? That is where they have fallen.
That is where they have fallen down in praise and wonder of
the one who was slain upon the altar for them. That is where
the blood is that covers them from head to toe. And that is
where they, as it were, in the footsteps of Christ, have fallen,
slain themselves for the testimony of Jesus Christ. He sees them
slain. but their voice cries out, they
cry out for vindication, they cry out for vengeance, they cry
out for God to be vindicated, for his gospel to be vindicated. How long will God persevere? How long will he suffer the rebellion
of such an evil and a wicked world, who puts to death the
followers of Christ, who despises the word of God and the testimony
of Christ? How long will God put up with
these things? God answers for a little season
until their fellow servants and their brethren who will be killed
as they were should be fulfilled. Until he has saved all his elect,
all those for whom Christ died, all his people, until they are
all brought in, then the end will come. not until everyone
for whom the white rider upon a white horse laid down his life
not until everyone for whom he suffered has heard his gospel
and has been brought to faith not until everyone has been brought
into the sheepfold being brought into salvation not until the
last one hears and believes will he send forth that everlasting
destruction but when the end comes it will come swiftly This
is reflective of that passage in 2 Peter, of course, 2 Peter
3, where people say, where is the promise of Christ coming?
They scoff and they say, things go on just as with our fathers. We marry, people are born, they
marry, they have children, time goes on just as it was in of
old. And yet, Peter writes, Beloved,
be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord
as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is
not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness.
But his longsuffering to us would his elect his people, not willing
that any of his people his elect should perish, but that all of
them should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night. in the whips the heavens shall
pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat the earth also and the works that are therein shall
be burned up seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved
what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation
and godliness looking for and hastening unto the coming of
the day of God wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, we,
according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth,
wherein dwelleth righteousness. Yes, the days come, the days
come, when this world will be destroyed. For John beheld, and
when he had opened the sixth seal, lo, there was a great earthquake,
And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became
as blood, and the stars of heaven fell into the earth. even as
a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a
mighty wind. And the heavenly party does a
scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island
were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and
the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the
mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man hid themselves
in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains. and said to
the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face
of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.
For the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able
to stand? Who? Who shall be able to stand
in such a day? Will you be able to stand? For
this day comes as a thief in the night, it's coming. The sound
of the hoofbeats are there, it's coming. Who shall stand? Only those who are arrayed in
white robes, given unto every one of them, given unto every
one of them. Not robes of their making. These
robes are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ, made theirs
through his blood shed on Calvary's tree. that by which they stand
before God, holy and pure, given unto them. These shall stand
and none other. These shall stand. These whom
the world rejects, these whom the world persecutes, these whom
the world slays like they slayed their master, their saviour,
even Jesus Christ. These shall stand and none other.
For the day of the wrath of the Lamb comes, and it comes swiftly.
it comes swiftly. You see the destruction described
in seven respects, seven aspects of the earth, the sun, the moon,
the stars falling, the mountains, the islands, all these effects
in seven descriptions and then we hear of seven classes of people,
the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the chief
captains, the mighty men, every bondman and every free man. God
brings his judgment in perfection, a two-fold witness to his perfect
and utter destruction of this world. The world is destroyed
and all mankind outside of Christ will be destroyed with it in
the awful day of his judgment. Oh, will you not hear? Will you
not hear of that day when the sun is turned to blackness and
the moon is made blood? that awful destruction. Oh, what
a picture of the cross! In that picture of the sun and
the moon, the Son of God at the cross was made sin for his people. The moon, the law, as its justice
was meted out upon Christ, brought forth the blood of Christ. It
slew him. Judgment came. Now is the judgment
of this world, Christ said. And that day on which he died
will determine where you stand on this day when the sixth seal
is opened. Are you one who is covered in
his blood, washed clean, arrayed in a white robe? Or are you one
who will cry for the mountains to fall upon you as you seek
to hide from the wrath of the Lamb of God? What will you cry? Oh, listen to the sound of the
hoofbeats, Listen to the sound of the seals, listen to the testimony
of the living creatures. When they cry out, come and see. Amen.