Layaway not Accepted
Rev 6:7-17
Layaway Not Accepted
Intro:
Last week we discussed the opening of the seals which represented the judgment of God on the inhabitants who dwell or the earth. This dwelling not only represented a geographical dwelling but one which denotes a allegiance to the world's system and religion of self and hatred for the things of God.
John has written for us the vision of the Lamb of God opening seals of judgment on those who have rejected His great gift of mercy and salvation.
The Lamb is pouring out judgment on those who have continued to put off life with Christ and decided death without Him was indeed life.
Scripture attest that as merciful as God is, He is also righteous. In order for Him to be righteous He must judge and punish wrong doing and sin.
· What has been put off.
· What has been giving grace
· What has been giving time to pay up
Has not come to the end. Only the blood of the Lamb can cover the bill and the invoice due.
Capital One commercial asks a question of What’s in your Wallet?
Christ , the Lamb of God, is now requiring payment for rebellion, pride, and rejection of such a great salvation where
· Payment is due
· Credit lines has been over extended
· The Heavenly courts has declared them bankrupt and unable to set up a payment plan
· It is time now for them to pay
· It is time now for the Lamb to repay them to their face for their eternal decision to reject the One in whom God has sent
It is time now; for The Lamb is requiring payment right here and now in which there is "No Layaway accepted."
background: In Rev 6:1-6 we have saw the opening of the seals of wrath on the earth
· White Horse
· Red Horse
· Black Horse
This particular period in which the opening of the seals represent the period of the tribulation and the appearance of the man of lawlessness or commonly called the anti-christ.
For the 1st 3 1/2 years of the tribulation he will establish a false peace, then submit the world into chaos and war, which leads to extreme famine of both natural and spiritual food.
It is a period lasting in totality of 7 years which the last 3 1/2 representing "Great Tribulation" which the world has never seen before and which for the sake of the elect will be shorten.
It is also a period in which the Church will have been raptured and Israel the chosen of God will acknowledged who they once rejected was indeed the Messiah.
Trans: v 1-6 was the opening of 3 of the six seals found in Rev chapter 6. We already have been introduced to three of the four horsemen and now in v 7 and 8 we are introduced to the fourth horseman who is the culmination of the prior horseman resulting in conquest, war, and famine. He represents a period in which
Repayment is due( v 7-8)
As with a layaway plan, if you don't pay up in full after a certain period, what you put on hold you will lose. They may call you. They may send you a letter. Or when you come to make an additional payment, they may say layaway is no longer accepted.
Well in v 8 we see an analogy of such a statement in the vision of the "Pale " horse.
Anything that is pale is usually not one received positively
It represents:
· having no color
· Usually a result of shock
· Usually a result of fear
· Usually a result of ill health
And symbolic of one whose life has left their body, it is symbolic of death!
It is a greenish color that can be described as the color of disease and death
Dan 5:6 gives us an example of paleness:
So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled. [1]
[2]The Holy Bible : New International Version.
Nahum 2:10 gives us a glimpse of what the inhabitants of earth are experiencing:
She is pillaged, plundered, stripped! Hearts melt, knees give way, bodies tremble, every face grows pale.
Conquest, war, and famine! All who live during this period of the world's great liberator will suffer from his policy to be worshipped.
If we could imagine the inhabitants of the earth during this period.
· no joy
· no happiness
· No life
Death all around them
Scripture gives us a warning of taken God’s grace for granted. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.
Numbers 14:26-35
26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. 28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: 29 In this desert your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. 32 But you—your bodies will fall in this desert. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert. 34 For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35 I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this desert; here they will die.” [3]
[4]The Holy Bible : New International Version.
What does death look like?
Over 600,000 numbered men and a period over 38 years, 14,508 days in the wilderness.
42-43 men a day, 3-4 per hour- Died! Funeral, after funeral, after funeral!
· parents dead
· children orphaned
· widows lamenting
Here in Rev 6:8, the pale rider brings death with Hades following close behind!
Death
· The result of rebellion towards God
Ill: Adam: the day you eat of it you will surely die(moth To moth- in dying you shall die- representing both spiritual and natural death)
The pale rider is bringing not only natural death but is also representing Hades which is a spiritual death and the future abode of all unbelievers.
Jesus in Matt 13: 44 describes it in His explanation of the parables of the weeds as a place of a fiery furnace where there we be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Hades or Hell also call ge'enna- a place outside the city where they burn their trash. (decay)
2 Peter and Jude described it as the blackest darkness ( Rev 2:11 calls it the second death)
This rider is given Power to kill by sword, famine, and disease over a forth of the earth- approximately a billion people. Mankind becomes bestial towards each other.
Who wants to call liberty travel and book this trip!
Yet millions who reject God and refuse His grace has booked a trip of death and hell.
We the redeemed, have no plot or title in Hades nor are we to fear death
Hosea 13:14 ( 1 Cor 15:55)
“I will ransom them from the power of the gravec;
I will redeem them from death.
Where, O death, are your plagues?
Where, O grave,d is your destruction?
“I will have no compassion,
It is this message in which we are accountable to share the good news with those who are perishing: You don't have to die! Accept the free gift of God and live.
For a time is coming when grace runs out
Jer 14:12
Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.” [5]
[6]The Holy Bible : New International Version.
When God has had enough, the time of repayment is due
Trans: And as we see in verses 9-12, the opening of the fifth seal reveals when
Repayment is Demanded( 9-12)
It will always come a time when the grace period ends. There must come a time when a reconciliation of all debts and services are due. A time when what was loaned or agreed upon must be paid back. A time when a demand for repayment is not longer politely requested but is demanded.
The anti-christ is on the rampaged. Anything that does not uphold him as god and worship him is subjected to immediate death.
Ill: Roman coliseum experienced many a death of Christians who refused to denounce the true God. Lion, tigers, bears, fires, skinned alived,castriaghted,crucuified,boiled in oil are all signs of the depravity of the anti-christ and those who have his spirit.
Before the throne there are those who are demanding justice and repayment. Those who have been slain during the Great Tribulation for their faith in the word of God and their testimony.
· Shows us there will be evangelism during this period
· Many will turn to Christ
· Absent with the body is present with the Lord
Jer 30:7
How awful that day will be!
None will be like it.
It will be a time of trouble for Jacob,
but he will be saved out of it.
[7]
Dan 12:1
At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.[8]
[9]The Holy Bible : New International Version.
Other observations
· Stood on the Word of God
· Stood on their testimony
They have maintained- hold fast, prove, harden, strengthen, to keep at the same level
Scripture tell us we Overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony
They are standing under the Altar
· symbolic of the Altar outside the tent of meeting where the lamb's blood was poured out at the foot or base of the altar. This indicated that those who are standing at the altar gave their lives as a sacrifice unto their God.
· They were martyrs- where we get the word witness. They gave their life on what they have observed and believed
The apostle Paul gives us evidence that he was willing before death to die for what he believed
in 2 Tim 4:6-8
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
The Holy Bible : New International Version.
They are crying out: How Long to:
· The Lord who even in the midst of such tribulation is Sovereign
· How Long will you with hold payment due to those who reject you
· Repay those who have slain those you died for
Ps 74:9-10
We are given no miraculous signs;
no prophets are left,
and none of us knows how long this will be.
10 How long will the enemy mock you, O God?
Will the foe revile your name forever?
The Holy Bible : New International Version.
Shows us evidence of the tremendous grace of God! His children slain day and night and yet He holds out His hand of mercy desiring that no one will perish but come to the knowledger of the truth.
The early church fathers use to say that the church of the Lord is built on the blood of the saints.
The Power of the witness, even unto death!
· God told Elijah I have 7,000 who have not bowed to Baal
· Stephen's shed blood convicted Paul before his Damascus road encounter with the one whose blood was shed for all the world.
· Polycarp, venerable bishop of Smyrna was a personal friend and pupil of John the Apostle. When he was age 86, he was urged by the Roman proconsul to reproach Christ and be set free.
“Eighty and six years have I served Him and He never did me any injury. How then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?”
The proconsul said: “I have respect for your age. Simply say, “Away with the Atheists” and be set free.” Polycarp solemnly said, “Away with the Atheists”—pointing to the pagan crowd.
He joyfully went to the stake, thanking God for counting him worthy to be numbered among the martyr
Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations
· The Catacombs
During the years of the martyrs Christians fled into the underground caverns outside Rome in almost 600 miles of molelike tunnels.
Ten generations of Christians were buried in the catacombs during approximately 300 years of suppression. No one knows the exact number, but archaeologists estimate between 1,750,000 and 4,000,000 Christians were interred in the dark tunnels.
Inscriptions of Scripture can still be seen on the catacomb walls. One of the most frequent inscriptions is the sign of the fish. But the inscription which best describes their faith says: “The Word of God is not bound.” Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations :
Can we be sure, as we look around the world- Kenya, Nigeria,the Middle East,India where people are dying for their faith.
Yes even here: When the gunman who was killing his fellow students at columbine high school, he asked a teenage girl a life or death question: will you renounce Christ? In dying she chose life by choosing Christ.
This act of courage led to many confessions of faith and the strengthening of others to the loving power of the gospel. This young lady, like the saints in v 11 has a new attire, a new garment , a white robe!
Notice also-that God values the blood of his children for every one is accounted for and He is sovereign for there is a limit in how many will be required to give their life.
How long, not long for the repayment demanded has become the
Repayment collected
Christ has paid His blood as a ransom for many and has been repaid with rejection and rebellion. He is requiring a repayment on the debt they owe and v 12-15 shows us what a price to pay! No layaway accepted for it is time to collect.
V 12- Natural disasters
· This is the 1st of three great earthquakes(Rev 11:13; 16:18-19)
Not only has the heavenly world been affected but the earthly, all nature is in travail and turmoil!
The unrepentant has refused to stand on the solid foundation and solid ground of God's word and now the ground in which they stand is sinking sand!
Total Quakes Annually
Every year, there are some 500,000 detectable seismic or micro-seismic disturbances around the world. Of these, 100,000 can be felt and 1,000 cause some damage.
Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations
· The Sun will refuse to give its light
· The moon is blood red
Ill: When they crucified our Savior, darkness covered the earth, the Temple curtain was rendered in two and there was a great earthquake.
I wondered if the inhabitants of the earth established the connection of what a grave and eternal mistake they made. If only they would have believed in the one who was slain. His mercy was rejected and now he is repaying them with His wrath.
Zech 14:4-5
4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. 5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquakea in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.
6 On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. 7 It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime—a day known to the Lord. When evening comes, there will be light.
The Holy Bible : New International Version.
· Even the stars hit the ground
Everything man was worshipped on land and everything he has worshipped in the heavens- Sun, Moon, Stars(astrology) His bank accounts and commerce, his temples all fall down
Where is their great deliverer, where is the man of lawlessness, this anti-christ
I submit he was one of the
· Kings
· Generals
· Princes
· Rich
· poor
· slave
· free
Crying out to the mountains which God made-fall on us. Hiding in the caves God made-hide us.
As the saints cried out how long, the world cries out Hide us!
It shows the depravity and hard hardiness of man that instead of crying out for mercy, instead of repenting and asking God to save, they delight in darkness and run form the light of Him who is willing to save.
All they understood was that the Lamb was coming to collect and repay them with wrath.
Rev 6:16-17
“Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
The Holy Bible : New International Version.
Instead of falling on their knees they ran for cover because the great day of the Lord has come, where payment plans cannot be drawn up, bankruptcy cannot be declared, and layaway is no longer accepted. God has demanded repayment for rebellion and He has come to collect.
Conclusion:
There is a day and a time and a place where the great wrath of the Lord will arrive. The world appears uninterested in giving God their attention but there will come a day when God will get the full attention of the world.
A time when He is going to repay them to their face for all to see in heaven and earth their terrible miscalculations that time will always be on there side. They never expect that one day
· Repayment will be due
· Repayment will be demanded
· Repayment will be collected
They never expected a day will Layaway will not be accepted.
They don't believe its true!
1019 So, It Is True!
A newspaper article referred to a striking story in an anonymous book of memoirs published not long ago. The writer met the woman who nursed the great agnostic, Professor J. H. Huxley, through his last illness. She said that as he lay dying the great skeptic suddenly looked up at some sight invisible to mortal eyes, and, staring a while, whispered at last, “So it is true.”
Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations .
Song: Jesus , Jesus, Jesus pg 12
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