5-26-2019 Be Careful What You Pray For Revelation 6:9-17
Notes
Transcript
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Introduction:
Memorial Day is a time each year when we pause to remember those who laid down their lives for family, friends and freedom. One week after the Pearl Harbor attack President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Those who long enjoy such privileges that we enjoy forget in time that others have died to win them.” Freedom is never really free; it’s almost always bought with the blood of patriots.
The biggest battle we, as Americans, are facing today is the battle for the very soul of our nation. We see it all around us every day. The erosion of our society has been a slow process, but we’ve seen it accelerate rapidly in the just the past few years. It really doesn’t matter whether there’s a Democrat or a Republican sitting in the Oval Office, this nation that we’ve all come to know and love continues to erode. The position we’re in today is because of what we tolerated yesterday. And, the position we’ll be in tomorrow will be because of what we tolerate today.
Not long ago was Easter, and over a month’s time, we find ourselves back in the book of Revelation
We left off in the middle of the seal judgments. The seal judgments of flow directly out of the throne-room vision of , as Jesus, the worthy one, begins to open the scroll by breaking its seals. Each of the judgments (seals, trumpets, bowls) includes seven parts. The first four judgments involve natural disasters on the earth; the last three are cosmic disasters. There are several views about how to understand this series of judgments—seals, trumpets, bowls, but lets just look at the correct way:
Recapitulation View
According to this view, the three sets of judgments repeat each other (are cyclical); they present three ways of viewing the same judgments. Because the trumpets and the bowls have the same order, many have concluded that the three sets are repetitive. In addition, in all three sets, the first four of the seven judgments are very similar, as are the last three of each set of seven. Exact repetition, however, occurs at best only in the trumpets and bowls, so this view does not follow a timeline of events.
The Consecutive View of the Judgments
This view holds that judgments will follow in the order described in Revelation: first the seals, then the trumpets, then the bowls—in other words, Revelation is describing twenty-one separate events. Thus, chapters 6–16 in Revelation would be essentially chronological. The seals destroy one-fourth of the earth; the trumpets destroy one-third; the bowls affect everything. The seventh seal opens the Trumpet Judgments, and the seventh Trumpet calls forth the Bowl Judgments as if they are telescoping out from one another. This view takes the most literal and natural approach in interpretation. This makes the most sense when considering that the wrath seems to be one of progressive intensity.
Progressive Intensification View.
The key to this view is understanding the results of the judgments. The seals destroy one-fourth of the earth; the trumpets destroy one-third; the bowls affect everything. The picture seems to be one of progressive intensity, with each of these sets of judgments ending in the same place—that is, the end of history.
Transition:
So you may recall that the first four seals from chapter 6:1–8 are the colorful “four horsemen of the apocalypse” and function as preliminary judgments that God has really allowed throughout human history - as resulting in the suffering of God’s people at the hands of sinners— Jesus calls these first judgement in the “beginning of birth pains.” As a result, when the fifth seal is opened (6:9–11), John sees the souls of martyred believers in heaven. With the opening of the sixth seal (6:12–17), there is no more delay, and unbelievers now face the wrath of God and the Lamb. encourages us to stand strong as faithful witnesses regardless of any opposition we may face.
So The first four seals (6:1–8) function as preliminary judgments that God allows to operate throughout human history, sometimes resulting in the suffering of God’s people at the hands of sinners. As a result, when the fifth seal is opened (6:9–11), John sees the souls of martyred believers in heaven. They cry out to the sovereign Lord for justice and vindication. God’s response is to assure them of victory and instruct them to wait a bit longer. With the opening of the sixth seal (6:12–17), there is no more delay, and unbelievers now face the wrath of God and the Lamb. As with the trumpet and bowl judgments to follow, when we come to the end of each series, we have arrived at the end of history (cf. 6:12–17; 11:15–19; 16:17–21). encourages us to stand strong as faithful witnesses regardless of any opposition we may face.
Scripture Reading:
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?”
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.
We should expect to suffer as a result of bearing witness to Jesus. As mentioned earlier, God’s people have always suffered opposition. This passage ties suffering directly to the act of witnessing. The martyrs’ most important act was not dying but witnessing faithfully. Revelation never encourages us to seek out persecution, but it does call us to live faithfully no matter what the costs. Although we can often avoid trouble by staying silent, following Jesus means we sometimes must speak up in his name.
The martyrs’ cry, “How long, Sovereign Lord,” is a prayer that has been prayed by God’s people many times before and since. In his merciful sovereignty, God is patient and long-suffering, but he will eventually act to right wrongs and condemn evil.
Transition:
We can persevere in faithfulness because we know that one day God will judge evil and vindicate his people, But notice first it started with a prayer:
I. The Plea (vv.9-11)
I. The Plea (vv.9-11)
The scene shifts from the first 8 verses from earth to heaven with the opening of the fifth seal, and John sees the souls of slain believers beneath the altar. The opening verses to this section is a heartfelt prayer.
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.
Heaven is often portrayed as a temple in Revelation, complete with an altar. There is only one altar in Revelation, and it seems to unite the themes of sacrifice and prayer. Like John, these martyrs had experienced persecution because of the “word of God and the testimony” of Jesus. Like Jesus, the sacrificed Lamb, they too had been “slain”. Now, however, they wait in God’s presence, under his protective care.
The souls of those who had been slain are under the altar. That is a picture of the fact that the death of Christ followers is considered by God to be a priestly, sacrificial act. It is also under the altar that they are made righteous and pure by the blood of the Lamb.
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?”
While they affirm God’s holiness and truth, perfect character qualities for executing justice, they question his timeliness. God’s people have often asked him, “How long?” as a matter of pleading for justice . The martyrs first ask when God plans to judge the “those who dwell on the earth,” a phrase used throughout Revelation to portray unbelievers who rebel against God and persecute his people. Second, they ask when God plans to “avenge” their blood
This is an imprecatory prayer—a prayer for vengeance against God’s enemies. Just as David had written psalms that called for vengeance against his enemies (for example, ; ), so these martyrs asked for vengeance and vindication against the people who belong to this world. These words may sound harsh when used in prayer, but the martyrs were calling for God’s justice, and they were leaving the vengeance to YHWH. God promises to help the persecuted and to bring judgment on unrepentant sinners.
I think that most of us can really relate to the prayer of these saints. We look around at the wickedness, pain, suffering and evil in the world around us and we’re ready to join in the chorus – “how long?” But there is a sense in which this prayer seems so out of place. After all, didn’t Jesus tell us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us?
But if we’re really honest, much of the time, we really feel like praying more like this…
But that’s not what is going on here. We should be clear about the martyrs’ prayer. It is a cry for God’s vindication of himself and his people, not for personal revenge (cf. ; ). While we pray for our enemies and our persecutors, primarily for their repentance leading to forgiveness (e.g., ), we also long for and pray for the overthrow of evil
These martyred souls are not merely seeking to avenge their own deaths, but they know that God’s complete judgment must be poured out on the unbelieving world before Jesus can return to the earth and establish His permanent, earthly kingdom. Their request flows not from the concern about their own personal welfare, but rather out of concern for the reputation of God.
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.
And I love how YHWH answers their prayer — YHWH answers by first giving them white robes, symbolic of purity of faith and victory through trials as already seen in Chapters 2-3. So God gives each of them a white robe to assure them that they are pure in His sight because of their faith in Jesus. It is a symbol of His promise that their salvation is secure.
And then God assures them again of His sovereign control over these events. God tells them to “wait” (anapauō, also “rest”) until the number of martyrs is complete. There are still going to be more believers that will give their lives for Jesus before God draws this whole process to an end. But there is indeed an end. That same idea is expressed here in terms of the number of martyrs that will one day be “complete.” Again, only God knows what that number is, but the important fact for those martyred saints, and for us, is that all of this is under the control of a sovereign God and we can take comfort in that even in the midst of trials and tribulation. In this way, God assures the martyrs that judgment and vindication are certain, but only in his sovereign timing.
God tells them to “wait” (anapauō, also “rest”) until the number of martyrs is complete. In this way, God assures the martyrs that judgment and vindication are certain, but only in his sovereign timing.
I think that most of us can really relate to the prayer of these saints. We look around at the wickedness, pain, suffering and evil in the world around us and we’re ready to join in the chorus – “how long?” But there is a sense in which this prayer seems so out of place. After all, didn’t Jesus tell us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us?
But if we’re really honest, much of the time, we really feel like praying more like this…
But that’s not what is going on here. These martyred souls are not merely seeking to avenge their own deaths, but they know that God’s complete judgment must be poured out on the unbelieving world before Jesus can return to the earth and establish His permanent, earthly kingdom. Their request flows not from the concern about their own personal welfare, but rather out of concern for the reputation of God. Their prayer is merely a continuation of the prayers that we saw with the first four seals for Jesus to “come.”
And then God assures them again of His sovereign control over these events. There are still going to be more believers that will give their lives for Jesus before God draws this whole process to an end. But there is indeed an end. As we saw when we discussed the “hamas” violence described by the Old Testament prophets, there is a level of that kind of violence, known only to God, at which point repentance is no longer possible and God’s final wrath will be poured out. That same idea is expressed here in terms of the number of martyrs that will one day be “complete.” Again, only God knows what that number is, but the important fact for those martyred saints, and for us, is that all of this is under the control of a sovereign God and we can take comfort in that even in the midst of trials and tribulation.
Illustration:
Transition:
So it is prayer that starts this section. Next we see:
II. The Response (vv.12-16)
II. The Response (vv.12-16)
With the opening of the sixth seal, God answers the martyrs’ prayer fairly strong. The sixth seal changed the scene back to the physical world with cosmic disturbances.
cosmic disturbances
cosmic disturbances
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,
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.
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.
ESV
These words were common to many of John’s readers and stood for the coming “day of the Lord” or “day of judgment.” The earthquake in Scripture always pictures God’s presence. The color of the sun is that of cloth worn in times of mourning. The moon will appear red due to whatever in the atmosphere caused the sun to be darkened. The stars falling to earth could refer to a terrifying meteor shower with meteors striking the earth (see also ; ). The disappearance of mountains and islands will probably result from the great earthquake (see ).
These same cosmic disturbances associated with the sixth seal were described by the prophet Joel:
30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
ESV
and also confirmed by the words of Jesus as He continues His discourse in :
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Back to Revelation:
14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
Rev 14
As the earthquake moved the mountains and the sky was filled with terrifying signs, everyone on the earth, from the rich and powerful to the citizens, to the slaves, all hid from God.
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,
Finally at this point, they recognized that the end of the world had come and they hoped to hide from YHWH. Horrified at facing the wrath of the Lamb, they attempted to hide and pleaded for a violent death-- they would prefer to be buried alive rather than have to face the wrath of the Lamb. The evil people on earth dread our God more than they dread death. They do not realize that even death cannot help them to escape their judgment by the Lamb. For these left behind, the sacrificial Lamb has now become their Judge.
Illustration:
No one can escape divine justice, not even those currently in positions of power.
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,
Osborne observes that “terror is a great equalizer, and all social distinctions drop away in light of the shaking of the heavens and the arrival of the terrible judgment of God.”
(cf. , ; ; ).5 For the inhabitants of the earth, the sacrificial Lamb has now become their Judge. They fear his wrath more than death itself. They hide from his face, whereas believers are comforted by the promise that one day they will see God’s face (22:4).
ESV
“the wrath of the Lamb”
The wrath of the Lamb! What a phrase! We associate lambs with gentleness and meekness, not with wrath. However, this Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, is capable of wrath. The book of Revelation makes this abundantly clear by using two Greek words to convey its awesome reality. Orge, used here in verses 16 and 17, also appears in 11:18; 14:10; 16:19; and 19:15. The word conveys God’s abiding, universal opposition to evil. The second Greek word, thumos (14:10, 19; 15:1, 7; 16:1, 19; 19:15), conveys a sudden outburst of anger which soon subsides, like the eruption of a volcano or the rapid burning of dry grass.
The wrath of the Lamb! What a phrase! We associate lambs with gentleness and meekness, not with wrath. However, this Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, is capable of wrath. The book of Revelation makes this abundantly clear by using two Greek words to convey its awesome reality. Orge, used here in verses 16 and 17. The word conveys God’s abiding, universal opposition to evil. The second Greek word, thumos, conveys a sudden outburst of anger which soon subsides, like the eruption of a volcano or the rapid burning of dry grass.
Let us be clear: the reason for the terror described in these verses is the wrath of God. We live in a day when it is fashionable to downplay it, but on the day described here, the issue will not be whether there is such wrath, but rather how to face it.
Transition:
Where can a person go to escape a prairie fire? Go to where the fire has already burned. Where can we go to escape God’s wrath? We can go only to the cross, where God’s wrath has already burned Christ as our Substitute.
Events of history bring their own temporal judgments. But when men and women do not repent, only one thing awaits them: God’s abiding, universal wrath in the final judgement. In the meantime, Christ’s people will suffer. In God’s time, however, they will be vindicated, and in the interim he cares for his people.
III. Main Point
III. Main Point
Illustration:
Transition:
So What? (v.17)
So What? (v.17)
for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
On this day of final judgment evildoers will face the wrath of God and the Lamb, a wrath no one can possibly withstand or endure, unless they have been sealed or protected by YHWH Himself
rev 6
Conclusion:
IMPLICATIONS FOR US
1. Praying for Jesus’ kingdom to come has serious consequences
When we pray for Jesus’ kingdom to come, it sets into motion a series of events that have serious consequences. And, those consequences are not relegated to some seven year time period in the future. We don’t have to look hard at all to see that our world is impacted by false Christs, conquest, war, famine and pestilence right here and now.
2. God uses the same events for both judicial and redemptive purposes
… … …
But these same events serve different purposes in the lives of believers and unbelievers. For the believer, the response to these events serves as a witness of the genuineness of their faith and identifies them to the world as true Christ followers.
For the unbelievers, these events serve as a witness to the holiness and justice of God and provide an opportunity for repentance and redemption. But for those who refuse to repent, those very same events become God’s judgment upon their lives.
3. Each person must choose how to respond to these events. We can choose to:
Fight
The first natural response to the wrath that is unleashed by the coming of Jesus’ kingdom is to try and fight against it. This takes all kinds of different forms. Some try to fight against God through denial of the obvious--”there is no creator”. Others fight through the political process and suppose that they can somehow legislate their own version of morality and goodness. Others believe that they can fight against these consequences through education or social services. But the problem is that none of those methods of fighting can stop the Creator of the universe.
Flight
• Flight
This is the response that we find in the last three verses of Chapter 6:
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,
Even though the people recognized that all these events came from the hand of God and from the Lamb, Jesus, They chose to flee rather than to respond to Jesus in faith. Notice that they don’t even pray to God – they address their pleas to the mountains and the rocks. They would rather be crushed to death than to come face to face with a holy God.
Sadly, that’s how a lot of people, even those who call themselves Christians, attempt to deal with the consequences of the coming of Jesus’ wrath. Even genuine Christ-followers can be tempted to follow this approach, at least to a degree when caught up in sin.
Perhaps more often, the choice to flee from sin takes place in the form of isolation. While we need to be discerning in our associations and in what we watch and read and hear, we need to avoid the temptation to completely isolate ourselves from the world. The fact is, no matter how hard we may try, we can never completely insulate ourselves from the effects of the coming of Jesus’ kingdom. So unfortunately the end result of isolation is that we not only fail to protect ourselves from the consequences of evil in our world, but we also become completely ineffective as witnesses for Jesus.
Faith
Obviously, this is the response that God is looking for. Like the souls of the saints under the altar, we are to rest in Jesus. So in faith, we continue to pray for Jesus to come. In faith, we keep on living our lives each day, focusing our time, resources and energy on those things that are eternal. In faith, we trust that God is sovereign and that one day He will judge evil and give justice to His children.
That is the main focus of the parable of the persistent widow, which ends with these words of Jesus:
7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
, (ESV)
7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?
8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
That is the question that Jesus is still asking all of us today – When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?
Conclusion:
The fifth seal is a further confirmation that Christ followers are not immune to the effects of the first four seals. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone because Jesus, as He continued His discourse in makes it clear that believers would experience tribulation and death prior to His return:
The fifth seal is a further confirmation that Christ followers are not immune to the effects of the first four seals. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone because Jesus, as He continued His discourse in makes it clear that believers would experience tribulation and death prior to His return:
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death…
(ESV)
Paul also confirmed this as he preached in Lystra, Iconium and Antioch:
…and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
(ESV)
The souls of those who had been slain as a result of holding to the Word of God and being a witness for Jesus are under the altar. That is a picture of the fact that the death of Christ followers is considered by God to be a priestly, sacrificial act. It is also under the altar that they are made righteous and pure by the blood of the Lamb.
It is also significant that it is the souls of the believers under the altar. These believers have not yet received their resurrection bodies.
I think that most of us can really relate to the prayer of these saints. We look around at the wickedness, pain, suffering and evil in the world around us and we’re ready to join in the chorus – “how long?” But there is a sense in which this prayer seems so out of place. After all, didn’t Jesus tell us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us?
But if we’re really honest, much of the time, we really feel like praying more like this…
But that’s not what is going on here. These martyred souls are not merely seeking to avenge their own deaths, but they know that God’s complete judgment must be poured out on the unbelieving world before Jesus can return to the earth and establish His permanent, earthly kingdom. Their request flows not from the concern about their own personal welfare, but rather out of concern for the reputation of God. Their prayer is merely a continuation of the prayers that we saw with the first four seals for Jesus to “come.”
And I love how God answers their prayer, don’t you? First, He gives them all white robes. As we’ve seen throughout Revelation already, white robes are a picture of blessedness and purity. So God gives each of them a white robe to assure them that they are pure in His sight because of their faith in Jesus. It is a symbol of His promise that their salvation is secure.
And then God assures them again of His sovereign control over these events. There are still going to be more believers that will give their lives for Jesus before God draws this whole process to an end. But there is indeed an end. As we saw when we discussed the “hamas” violence described by the Old Testament prophets, there is a level of that kind of violence, known only to God, at which point repentance is no longer possible and God’s final wrath will be poured out. That same idea is expressed here in terms of the number of martyrs that will one day be “complete.” Again, only God knows what that number is, but the important fact for those martyred saints, and for us, is that all of this is under the control of a sovereign God and we can take comfort in that even in the midst of trials and tribulation.
The cosmic disturbances associated with the sixth seal were described by the prophet Joel and also confirmed by the words of Jesus as He continues His discourse in :
The cosmic disturbances associated with the sixth seal were described by the prophet Joel and also confirmed by the words of Jesus as He continues His discourse in :
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
(ESV)
1. Praying for Jesus’ kingdom to come has serious consequences
When we pray for Jesus’ kingdom to come, it sets into motion a series of events that have serious consequences. And, as we saw last week, those consequences are not relegated to some seven year time period in the future. We don’t have to look hard at all to see that our world is impacted by false Christs, conquest, war, famine and pestilence right here and now.
In just a moment, I’m going to share with you the three possible responses that we can choose in light of this reality.
2. God uses the same events for both judicial and redemptive purposes
I’m not going to spend much time on this principle because we’ve addressed it frequently throughout both the Old Testament prophets and in Revelation. There is absolutely no evidence that Christ-followers are spared in any way from the events that are set in motion by the coming of Jesus’ kingdom. They face false Christs, war, famine, pestilence and death, just like everyone else.
But these same events serve different purposes in the lives of believers and unbelievers. For the believer, the response to these events serves as a witness of the genuineness of their faith and indentifies them to the world as true Christ followers.
For the unbelievers, these events serve as a witness to the holiness and justice of God and provide an opportunity for repentance and redemption. But for those who refuse to repent, those very same events become God’s judgment upon their lives.
3. Each person must choose how to respond to these events. We can choose:
• Fight
The first natural response to the evil that is unleashed by the coming of Jesus’ kingdom is to try and fight against it. This takes all kinds of different forms. Some try to fight against evil through the use of force. Others fight through the political process and suppose that they can somehow legislate morality and goodness. Others believe that they can fight against these consequences through education or social services. But the problem is that none of those methods of fighting address the root issue of man’s sinful nature.
Even well-meaning Christians can get caught up in these efforts to fight. Certainly I’m not advocating that we don’t get involved in the political process, or that we don’t try to educate others or to meet their needs. But what I am concerned about are those who are spending much more of their time and energy to fight against these evils in this temporary world than they are preparing people for eternity.
At the risk of stepping on some toes here, including mine, let me share my heart for just a moment. I’m really concerned about those who are spending more time sending out emails about political issues than they are reading their Bibles. I’m concerned about those who are spending more time and energy trying to get some politician elected or some bill passed than they are praying for their family members, neighbors and friends who don’t know Jesus. I’m concerned about those who spend more time listening to talk radio than they do developing others into mature disciples of Jesus.
• Flight
This is the response that we find in the last three verses of Chapter 6:
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, 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, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
Even though the people recognized that all these events came from the hand of God and from the Lamb, Jesus, They chose to flee rather than to respond to Jesus in faith. Notice that they don’t even pray to God – they address their pleas to the mountains and the rocks. They would rather be crushed to death than to come face to face with a holy God.
Unfortunately, that’s how a lot of people, even those who call themselves Christians, attempt to deal with the consequences of the coming of Jesus’ kingdom. Even genuine Christ-followers can be tempted to follow this approach, at least to a degree.
One way we could do that is to just quit praying. After all, we rationalize, if all these consequences are a result of the coming of Jesus’ kingdom, then maybe it will delay the coming of His kingdom and these associated events if I just quit praying. But obviously that is not how God wants us to respond.
Perhaps more often, the choice to flee takes place in the form of isolation. While we need to be discerning in our associations and in what we watch and read and hear, we need to avoid the temptation to completely isolate ourselves from the world. The fact is, no matter how hard we may try, we can never completely insulate ourselves from the effects of the coming of Jesus’ kingdom. So unfortunately the end result of isolation is that we not only fail to protect ourselves from the consequences of evil in our world, but we also become completely ineffective as witnesses for Jesus.
• Faith
Obviously, this is the response that God is looking for. Like the souls of the saints under the altar, we are to rest in Jesus. So in faith, we continue to pray for Jesus to come. In faith, we keep on living our lives each day, focusing our time, resources and energy on those things that are eternal. In faith, we trust that God is sovereign and that one day He will judge evil and give justice to His children.
That is the main focus of the parable of the persistent widow, which ends with these words of Jesus:
And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
, (ESV)
That is the question that Jesus is still asking all of us today – When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?