Sermon: The Judgment Begins
"I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword. When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!” When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been. I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”
“The end is near.” Predicting the future and foretelling the end of humanity has been common throughout human history. And certainly in this country there have people in the past and recent years who have made it their duty to tell others how and when the end would come. The Bible tells us that no one knows when the “end” will come (Mt. 24:36), and in fact, it also describes the “end” as a beginning – it is the start of the reign of Christ. This is truly the focus and message of Revelation – it is not so much a book that describes the “end” as it is a revelation of Jesus Christ and how He appears now, what He is doing now and what He will do in the future. The book of Revelation does not lift up the future, it presents the victorious and glorified Christ. Because of this, the future may be bleak for the world, but it is as bright as the sun for those who believe in Him (Jn. 1:12; Rom. 6:23).
The Scripture above describes what will accompany “the end” – the judgment of God. God will not always hold back His judgment, but at some point in time He will judge the earth in a fierce manner. It will be sure and strong and the earth will experience things that it never has. Until that time, we live in an age of grace – God holds back His judgment, calling everyone to repent , believe and receive His forgiveness. As we read the Scripture above, may it remind us to never ask for justice for ourselves. Instead, our cry to God should be for His mercy – we don’t want what we deserve (judgment), we want what we don’t deserve (forgiveness and grace).
On Sunday, we will present an overview of the Book of Revelation and discuss God’s judgment as we begin the sermon series, “The Remarkable Revelation.” Hope to see you then!
