Freedom To Please God
Galatians 5:1-15 July 4th 2010 message
Key verse 5:13-14, Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
“You my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
We have all been looking forward to celebrate our nation’s independence. And now it is here! How are you going to spend your Independence Day? Well, we are spending it here, in the best way. We are worshipping our Lord Jesus Christ with friends and family and meditating on the meaning of our freedom. We are blessed to see Triton co-workers and a genuine missionary to Sudan, Iris. Then we are going to eat supper together and afterwards we are going to the wonderful DeKalb fireworks. What better way to celebrate our Independence Day?
I have always been one who has tried hard to find the meaning of every holiday I celebrate. There is meaning in each. What is Thanksgiving about? Giving thanks to God for his blessings in our lives. What about Memorial Day? The sacrifice of others in war. What about Christmas? God’s unconditional love in sending the Messiah according to his promises? Valentines Day? Romantic love. Easter? God’s grace of salvation in sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and new hope through his resurrection. New Year’s Day? New beginnings. What about Independence day?...Freedom, unity and I would like to add, responsibility. As Christians we need to capture the meaning of Independence day and find some clear direction for our lives in it. This message will be somewhat unorthodox. Part one will explore some noble reasons why Americans celebrate the Fourth. As Christians we tend to want to spiritualize everything and ignore the contributions of the secular society to freedom. I don’t think that is right. In part two we will discover what real freedom is…that is freedom from sin and how, in Jesus, we are set free. We will also discover how we should live in this freedom. Hint…It is not just to do whatever you feel like. Let’s see.
Part l: Some Noble Reasons Why Americans Celebrate Independence.
Many of our ancestors came to this country with the common goal of finding personal freedom and opportunity. The Statue of Liberty, in New York Harbor is a symbol of freedom for people all around the world. Shp Gideon Kiligan’s grandfather came to America from Turkey after surviving terrible genocide of the Armenians there. He found true freedom her and now his grandson, Shp Gideon, is a pastor of Granada Hills UBF in Southern California, being a blessing to this nation and promoting freedom in Christ. Our own Shp Teddy was in Lebanon just before the civil war. He realized that if he stayed in Beirut, he would have to fight against his Muslim friends. And so he moved to the USA in order to seek a life of freedom and peace. He met Jesus personally on the OSU campus and now he is a fruitful pastor of our Triton UBF ministry and a blessing to us all. I came to America in 1991. I was not persecuted in Canada, but I did feel oppressed to fully live out my Christian faith due to e secularized society. I appreciate the freedom to express my Christian beliefs freely, openly and boldly, without any cultural oppression, in America. Through the direction of God’s servants, I could use my freedom to become a nurse, establish a family of faith and be a campus pastor. I am very thankful for these opportunities afforded me in this nation.
The next reason we celebrate the 4th is a reason that overlaps with Memorial day. On this day we are thankful for the thousands of men and women who have died protecting our country and its values. 440,000 Americans laid down their lives in WWll. We could have easily become oppressed by Nazi tyranny if we would have lost that war. Today if we loose the war on terrorism, there could be a time in our future where we may not be able to speak the truth, print the truth or live by the truth without fear of retaliation from a suicide bomber or a radical. So far over 4,400 American soldiers have given their lives so we can live in freedom.
I am especially thankful for all those who are there to serve and protect. They can be trusted and are prompt to respond to calls of distress. I can go for a walk with my dog in the park, even at night, without being afraid of being attacked. Other public servants are ready to respond in any sort of emergency. Like the firemen and ambulance drivers that responded to a recent crash. What about the healthcare providers who are available 24/7 to serve our emergency healthcare needs? What about the majority of government officials who do not give into corruption? Without such trusted public servants we could easily fall into what some cities are becoming in other countries, where people live in constant fear from criminal elements.
One great freedom we have is freedom of choice. We can speak for or against whatever we believe in. We are free to work for another or set out to create our own business. Like Steve Danielson who is building his own lawn care business. We are free to come and go wherever we please. I like this because I am totally free to go on any state sponsored university and college campus to invite people to Bible study. Do you know why I have this freedom? Because I am a tax paying citizen. We are free to get an education if we are willing to work hard and stay focused. We are free to vote. Mostly importantly we are free to worship as we please. I like this freedom. Back in 1776 the British monarchy wanted to make Anglicanism the national religion. This meant a national church tax. The British army even used non-Anglican churches as stables for their horses. But enshrined in our constitution is the freedom of religion. This is the primary reason for the separation of church and state. (The Light And The Glory) I am free to run a ministry out of a house and nobody stopped it or thought it was weird. In DeKalb I have received nothing but praises and words of encouragement for the work of God in our small house church ministry over the last 12 years. Praise God for freedom of religion in the USA! Let us exercise this freedom by actively going on our campuses and preaching the Gospel and raising disciples, especially in the context of house church ministry.
The Fourth of July is a time to celebrate our unity in our diversity. Like it or not, every American is our beloved countrymen. When we think about America, we can not just think about the middle class, Christian, Caucasian, populations of DuPage County, but also the Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, African, Asian and Hispanic areas of Chicago. Do you know that Caucasians are a minority in New York City? Christians will possibly, one day be a minority in the USA. Despite of our differences, we all share a nation and a common historical background. We are all molded by shared media experiences. Did any of you see the movie “Eclipse:” Well so did most of America. Black, white, yellow or brown, rich and poor, republican or democrat, native born or immigrant, we all pay taxes and we all work together to build this country. Benjamin Franklin said that Americans, “Must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” We may have our differences in regards to faith and sin, but we can not ignore the fact that we are all Americans and we need to let the truth of God unite us instead of divide us and isolate us into hostile separated camps. Christians sometimes let the truth divided them and isolate them from the others around them. When we do this we could become like Lot in the Bible. We don’t have to live like Lot, tormented in our righteous souls by the lawless things we see and hear every day. (2 Peter 2:7-8) We don’t have to live as aliens among our own countrymen. We can live in unity with out countrymen, living positive lives of faith as shepherds for others, loving our neighbors as ourselves and leading them to Jesus in culturally sensitive ways. Never alienate yourself and others. Keep the doors open and serve them as shepherds and Bible teachers as Jesus is keeping the doors open and loving and serving you continually.
We must pass onto to the next generation the legacy of how we acquired our freedom. In other words, we should be instilling in the hearts of our youth what true freedom costs and the responsibilities that come with freedom. We can borrow from the ancient Hebrews who successfully passed down the story of the Exodus and their flight to freedom and God’s hope for his newly formed nation. God’s hope for bringing the Israelites out of slavery was so that they can be serve God’s holy purpose in this world. Exodus 19:6 reads, “’you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites." God’s hope for America is similar. He wants us to be light to the Gentiles, a city on a hill. He wants us to use our vast resources and our freedoms to bring the light of the Gospel to the world. Even secular America has some concept of this. In general Americans have been the biggest contributors of money, labor, military and humanitarian support, medical assistance and technology. Buzz Aldrin, former astronaut, said, “Our country is a guardian of liberty and freedom.” (Parade Magazine. p. 10. 7-4-10). Christians have a somewhat different idea about what it means to be a light to the rest of the world but the principle is there. We pray that our nation, may live up to God’s high calling to serve as a kingdom of priests and Holy nation, sharing the gospel and the love of Jesus to all nations of the world.
I think that America needs a Seder tradition, like the Jews do, to teach its story of its flight to freedom and the meaning of our freedom to the next generation. The lessons we have learned from 1776, Pearl Harbor, D-day and 9/11, and all other conflicts, as well as the sacrifices of men and women of faith, should never be forgotten. If we do not pass them down effectively, we will take our freedom for granted. So let’s make our 4th of July celebration a time to reflect on, and tell of our freedom, our unity, and God’s purpose and hope for our nation.
Part ll: Jesus Came To Set Us Free. (Gal 5:1-15)
Many things seem to be threatening our freedom. We can think of these things as physical, psychological and spiritual threats. On a more physical level we can reflect on the obvious, outward things. One of our greatest shorelines is in distress. There are problems of unemployment that is leaving the hearts of many of our young people in total despair. Poverty is limiting our freedom. Some people are not free to even walk outside and sit on their porches because of gang violence. Kids do not play outside freely because of fear of violent crime. Though they can come and go as they like, they actually feel far from being free. There is psychological oppression. Students despair that getting a degree may be a worthless venture. When we hear of wars, violence, recession and unprecedented pollution to our environment, there is rise in mental health problems, like anxiety and depression. Oppressive philosophies, like secular humanism, ecumenicalism and atheism seek to suffocate our Christian faith. The very real power of sin and the devil’s influence makes people fall into the sin’s grip and they can’t get out of it. Or they find a loved one who is trapped by sins deceit and suffering greatly. Such people are robbed of the joy of life and of eternal life. They do not know what to do or where to turn.
In verses 2-12, Paul’s talks about one of the greatest threats to the Christian freedom… legalistic righteousness. There were some Jewish converts to Christianity who were teaching that Christians needed to submit to the Jewish custom of circumcision in order to be saved. Paul was adamantly against this because it meant that these new believers were in danger of becoming enslaved in just another religion with a new set of rules and laws to condemn them. If they did they would be no better off than if they remained in Judaism. The joy of salvation would be stolen from them and they would live in condemnation. This is all that I am going to say about this for now for this is the topic of a whole new message. Let’s think about the core foundation of our freedom.
Jesus sets our hearts free. Look at verse 1. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.” Paul wanted to remind them that Jesus came to set us free from the curse of the law. How has he set us free? Galatians 3:13 reads, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’” Christ died on the cross to redeem us from the curse of the law. He became a curse for our sakes. Though he was completely sinless and innocent, Jesus took upon himself the full punishment, due us because of our sins. He was condemned in our place because of the myriad of God’s laws that we break each day. I should be cursed and hung on tree because of my sins of anger, and despair and allowing myself to rendered powerless because of despair. But Jesus died on the cross for my sins. He rose again to plant hope and new life in my heart. When I allowed my heart to be overcome with despair I was like a prisoner. I could not even speak, canceled spiritual meetings and my depressed feelings only burdened others. But because of Jesus I could know where to turn….to the cross. I could know who to listen to, godly advice from my wife Julie and the still, small voice of God. When I turned to Jesus, Jesus set me from the burden of my sins. I found new joy and new love for life and ministry. I could be a blessing to others and have strength to carry on with the mission God has given me, to be a shepherd for the NIU students and the young people of DeKalb. We are saved and set free by God's grace, through faith in Jesus alone. And the gospel is sufficient to save any type of sinner who finds themselves entrapped by their sins.
It is God’s will and sincere desire that we live in spiritual freedom. Look at verse 13a, “You, my brothers, were called to be free…” Freedom was one of God’s great gifts in the Garden of Eden. He told Adam, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden.” (Gen 2:16) He could have pre-programmed Adam and Eve to obey everything perfectly, like robots, but he did not. He has given us freedom so that we can freely choose to obey God and enter into a love relationship with him. This would make our love relationship with God of highest quality and very satisfying. We can be very thankful when we know that God wants us to be free.
Part lll: What Then Shall We Do? (1b, 13b-15)
Freedom in Christ does not mean to simply be free to do whatever we want. Look at verse 13b, “…But do not use our freedom to indulge in the sinful nature…” Most people think that freedom means that they are totally free to give into their sinful nature. So many have live by the mantra, “Don’t tell me what to do.” Even this weekend is marked by drunken parties. Our expressways are filled with State police. Why is that? We are not made free in Christ to do whatever we want? Jesus didn’t die on the cross so that we can indulge in our sinful nature. So what are some reasons that Jesus suffered and died on the cross?
First, we have some responsibility to remain in our freedom. Look at verse 1b again, “…Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.” We need to stand firm on our faith and let nothing move us from holding onto the gospel. In this world are all kinds of forces that try to dissuade us from standing firm in our faith. We think we are too busy to strength ourselves spiritually. We neglect Bible study and prayer and fellowship with believers, believing the lie that Biblical illiteracy and spiritual immaturity and selfishness are O.K. Maybe we don’t even know what spiritual maturity is? But the truth is that if we don’t stand firm in our faith, then we will fall and be captured by all kinds of sins. These sins will rob you true inner freedom. You will feel like a slave even though you live in one of the freest nations of the world. You can keep yourself from being yoked again to spiritual slavery by seeking first God’s kingdom and his righteousness; by being faithful to Bible study, prayer and the practice of the word of God; by seek Jesus along with those who seek the Lord out of a pure heart.
Second, we are set free to love and serve others. Look at verse 13c, “…rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” We have a responsibility to use our freedom to love our neighbors. In the USA we have done that nationally recently through our aid to Haiti. These examples are on a macro level. What about on a micro level. Who is your neighbor? Moses and Iris are loving their neighbors in Sudan. Do you even know your neighbor? Your neighbor is not always your family member. More often then not they are strangers. In our ministry we are called to serve students with the Gospel and the love of God. Some may say, “I am not around students.” Well, if students are not our neighbors, you don’t have to wait until one moves next door. You can move. What I mean by this is visit the campus regularly and make students your neighbors. Then you will also be exercising your freedom to locate wherever you like.
Third, we are set free to free to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We love ourselves a lot. We take good care of ourselves. I think about my health and go on long walks and go to the gym. I try to care for my soul with regular Bible study, prayer and participating in God’s ministry. I love my family, but in many ways I perceive my family as an extension of myself. We can not neglect caring for ourselves and our families. This is important, but we must have inner direction to reach beyond those invisible walls that isolate us from others and reach our neighbors and share the love of Jesus with them. We need to follow Jesus example as revealed in Mark 10:45 which reads, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Let’s be like Jesus and use our freedom to love our neighbor as ourselves.
In this message we learned many reasons to celebrate our freedoms in America. We are thankful for personal freedom and opportunity. We are thankful for the thousands of men and women who have died protecting our country and its values. We are thankful for all those who are there to serve and protect and to guide. We are thankful for our freedom of choice and our unity in our diversity. But we must deeply acknowledge Jesus who suffered and died for our sins and who rose from the grave, making inner spiritual freedom possible. From this inner freedom comes all other outer freedoms that we so enjoy. We must respond to this freedom with thanksgiving and taking steps to never let our hearts be enslaved by the sin again. We must also repent of spending most of our time indulging in the sinful nature and loving only ourselves and use our freedom to live by the word of God, loving God and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Revelations 8:1-13
The Prayers Of The Saints
The 7 Trumpets (4 Disasters)
Revelation 8:1-13 Lesson 8
Key verse: 8:4 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 6-20-10
"The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went before God from the angel’s hand.”
This passage opens with an awesome silence when the Lamb opened the seventh seal. An angel offered incense mixed with the prayers of the saints that went up to God. Their prayers seemed to signal an outpouring of God’s judgment upon the people of the earth. Even though our world seems dark and life is tough, we must know how to respond properly. Hard times are always a time for God’s people to pray and for all people everywhere to repent and come to God. The material in this passage may seem confusing to some. Don’t throw your head down and say, “I don’t understand.” The expectation that you will grasp all this material in one sitting is unreal. Bible scholars have been pouring over these things for a very long time. Keep your mind and heart engaged. Be content with getting a general overview of each passage we study. Walk away with one clear point to hold onto to and put into practice in your lives. Then, if you don’t give up your seeking, God will bless you abundantly. Through a study of this passage may you find hope in God and a renewed conviction to offer up the sacrifices of prayer daily. May you learn what to pray for.
Part 1: The Seventh Seal Is Opened (1-5)
When the seventh seal was opened, something ominous happened in heaven. Look at Verse 1, “When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” For "half an hour" awesome silence fell upon the courts of heaven. This was the longest half hour in history. It seemed like the lull before the storm, just before the devastating destruction of a hurricane. The amount of tension at the moment was unimaginable for there was a heightened expectation of God's awesome judgments to follow and everyone waited expectantly to see what God would do next. O.K. then...moving on.
The prayers of God’s servants filled the temple. Look at verses 3-4, “Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 4The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand.” A censer filled with live coals was used in the temple worship. Incense was poured on the coals, and the sweet smelling smoke drifted upwards, symbolizing believer’s prayers ascending to God. (Ex 30:7-9)
What were the saints praying for? They weren’t praying to win the lottery. Nor were they praying selfish prayers. Mostly they were prayers asking for God’s justice like those in Revelation 5;10, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" These prayers produced great unexpected changes on the earth. Look in verse 5, “Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.” God did respond to their prayers for justice. It is revealed in the censer. This censer is a symbolic instrument of judgment in response to prayer. These coals produced symbols of catastrophe: thunder, lightning, and an earthquake. The fact is that no Christian’s prayer is forgotten, but has its effect in due time, in bringing about the Kingdom, that is, the return of our Lord Jesus!
The role of a believer’s prayer is very important. We tend to think that doing things is the most important thing in the work of God. But in my experience, most people who simply “do” things without praying, eventually loose momentum and stop their mission. But those who pray regularly and faithfully have staying power. They can remain true to their mission and their calling all of their lives. It is because God gives us vision, comfort and strength when we pray. He changes our hearts. The Bible says that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:16) 2 Chronicles 7:13-15 is very appropriate here. It reads, “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.” We are not yet in the terrible times that are ahead. Today is still the time of God’s grace. Today is the time of God mercy. Though we may have trials and tribulations, God’s judgment is stayed for the moment. Now is the time for all of God’s people to pray earnestly and faithfully. May God bless the Day of Prayer for the resolution of the Golf oil crisis.
Part ll: The Trumpets And The Woes (6-13)
The trumpets, ushering in the judgment of God, were about to sound. In this chapter they are to warn the inhabitants of the earth that judgment is certain. As the first trumpet sounded, terrible things began to happen in the world. Look at verses 6-7, “Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. 7The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.” Earlier this spring (2010) there was a hail storm with hail stones the size of softballs. I saw a video on YouTube where a swimming pool was churned up by falling hailstones until the pool looked like a boiling cauldron of water. In Exodus, one of the plagues was a hailstorm. Ex 9:18 reads, “Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now.” There was fire mixed with blood from the sky. Blood-red rain is not unknown in nature. In the spring of 1901 witnesses spoke of rain that looked like blood in Italy and Southern Europe. It was the result of air being full of particles of fine red sand from the Sahara. (Constable’s notes) What about the rain of fire? It could be a firestorm. American heritage defines firestorm as, “A fire of great size and intensity that generates and is fed by strong inrushing winds from all sides.” When a nuclear blast goes off there is a “firestorm.” A firestorm leveled Hiroshima after the atomic blast. The effects of the destructive elements of the first trumpet would be devastating. Crops would be crushed and burned. Raging fires would level metropolitan areas.
Then the angel with the second trumpet began to sound. Look at verses 8-9, “The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, 9a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.” Following the blowing of the second trumpet “a great mountain" that was on fire, came crashing down from heaven into the waters of one or more of the seas. This resulted in a third of the oceans becoming blood. Whether the water became blood, or became a substance like blood, or simply looked like blood, is difficult to determine. This mountain-like mass, possibly a meteor, will provide that molecules resulting in a change in the chemical composition of these seas. A third of the creatures living in the sea died, and a third of the ships on the sea perished. People who avoided the firestorms in the cities, by fleeing to the sea shores, would go hungry. There would be fewer and fewer fish to catch. The means for their livelihood, their ships, would be destroyed. There would be economic collapse, famine and great poverty.
The third angel lifted a trumpet to its mouth. Look at verses 10-11, “The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— 11the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.” “Wormwood” was the name of a bitter herb that was fatally poisonous to some people and was a symbol of divine punishment. This judgment is reminiscent of the bitter water that God gave the rebellious Israelites to drink in the wilderness. (Ex 15:23-25). In a simple survey of verses we can see that something was added to the water that made it bitter. It is some kind of pollutant. There will be no way to avoid it. We all need clean water, but what do you do when all there is polluted water? People would suffer from gastrointestinal illnesses, kidney stones, toxic poisoning, neurological diseases, birth deformities, and if they lived long enough…cancer. Maybe there will be water wars, competing for fresh water.
The fourth angel raised a trumpet to its lips. Look at verses 12, “The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.” In the ninth plague on Egypt, darkness covered the land of Egypt for three days (Ex 10:21-23). Evidently God will cut off light from the sun, moon, and stars from the earth by one-third. The text seems to imply that God will reduce the intensity of light from these sources by one-third (cf. Matt. 27:45). Perhaps a combination of a partial eclipse or pollution in the atmosphere could be the cause. Such a reduction in light, and consequent temperature drop and shortened growing season, would have a devastating effect on the earth. There would be global cooling.
These first four trumpets were not the end, but the beginning. Look at verse 13, “As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!" Woe means “a condition of deep suffering from misfortune, affliction, or grief or a ruinous trouble.” Eagles are birds of prey that approach rapidly and are a sign of disaster (Matt. 24:28). This eagle flew all over all the earth, warning of the terrors yet to come.
Part lll: We Must Respond In Repentance And In Faith.
We need to ask ourselves, why did such calamities and great sorrows come upon earth? Their point is to lead hardened, and even hostile unbelievers to repentance and to announce further punitive judgments against those who continue in their hardness of heart. The sad reality is that few will repent. Revelation 9:20-21 gives us some insight. It reads, “ 20The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.”
We tend to blame God for everything. Such a reaction is born out of our own self-righteousness or own idea that we know than God. But we learn that God wants to save people before the final judgment. He is trying his best. In this New Testament era he is drawing people to himself through truth, fatherly discipline and grace, which is God’s love. But as the time grows short and the end of this world draws near, God intensifies his efforts, not wanting anyone to perish. (2 Peter 3:9)
It is also interesting to note that destruction was only brought upon a third of everything. Because of God's mercy, there was only partial judgment. I think that a third is very significant. A third is not a whole. When there is third of possible destruction, then there is still 2/3 not destroyed. If 1/3 of a city is destroyed in war that city will still looks like a city and function as a city. If 1/3 of the environment is destroyed it can still look beautiful in some places and bounce back. People will eventually forget and try to cling to some sort of normalcy and have hope to recover. Why did God stop at 1/3? It is because he still hoped that a remnant of hard hearted people would still turn to him in repentance and believe in him. But it is amazing that most of the people will not repent. Instead they will doubt God’s love. They will harden their hearts against God and raise their fists to heaven.
Our sinful nature wants to ignore God, resist and put things off to the very last moment. We fail to respond even when our lives are 1/3 destroyed. This is true. Romans 1:21-24a reads, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over….” If we insist on our own ways and fail to respond to the Lord’s chastening rod, then he simply hands us over to our sinful nature. He lifts his hedge of protection in our lives and initially approximately 1/3 of our lives start to crumble due to our own sinful nature. We suffer a lot. Will we respond when we are ½ or ¾ destroyed? How much will it take? Will we become one of the Great Multitude or one of those who will be shaking clenched fists at Christ?
The secret is to not make light of the Lord’s discipline and respond correctly. Hebrews 12:5-6 reads, “5And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." When faced with heavy discipline on our lives, even when 1/3 of our lives are adversely affected by life’s circumstances, may we never doubt the love of God. Know that God treating us as true sons and daughters and come to him in repentance and faith. What does God want us to repent of? Well, another glance at Revelation 9: 20-21 will make it clear, “ 20The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.” Ask God and he will help you to understand what needs to be repented of and how. God will help you.
While both believers and unbelievers will experience these judgments, we learned last week that with the mark of God on our foreheads we will be protected from spiritual harm. Respond well to the times. These warnings urge us to make sure our faith is firmly rooted in Christ. We should examine our hearts daily to make sure that we are not putting our hope and faith in the things of this world. We must purge our hearts of anything that is an idol and stand firmly in Christ. I urge you, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to take hold of God’s salvation and prayer continuously. Pray for the souls of those who are hardened by the sins deceitfulness. Pray…trust and be faithful. The times may be tough for us now, but for certain they will get worse. We need to get right with God, almost with a soldier like attitude, for it is going to take all we have in order to get stand firm in our faith.
Part 1: The Seventh Seal Is Opened (1-5)
1. Read vs. 1-5. When the Christ opens the seventh seal, there is silence in heaven. (1) What does it signify? What does another angel offer to God at the altar? (3,4; Ex 30:7-9) How does he signal the wrath of God to be poured upon the earth? (5) Think about the role of the prayers of the believers (5:8)
Part ll: The Trumpets And The Woes (6-13)
2. Read vs. 6-7. At the first trumpet sound, what is hurled down upon the earth? (Ex 9:16-18) What happens to the earth? How would the people suffer? What does “a third” signify about the trumpet judgments? (Zec 13:8-9,Eze 5:12) What is the purpose of the trumpet judgments? (Rev 9:20)
3. Read vs. 8-9. At the second trumpet sound, what is hurled down into the sea? (Jer51:25) What happens to the sea and the things in it? (9) How would this disaster affect the lives of the people? (18:17-19)
4. Read vs. 10-11. At the third trumpet sound, a great star falls from the sky on the rivers. What does the name of the star signify? What happens to the river and the springs of water? (11,Ex 15:22-25). How does this disaster affect the lives of the people?
5. Read vs. 12-13. At the fourth trumpet sound, what happens to the sun, the moon and the stars? (12, Ex 10:21) What happens to the day and the night? How do the people suffer without light? What are the three “woes” that an eagle announces? (9:12; 11:14)
6. In spite of what is happening on the earth, what is the situation of believers in the Lord?
(Rev 7:2-3) What must we do when we see the suffering of the inhabitants of the earth?
(Rev 6:10)
.
The 7 Trumpets (4 Disasters)
Revelation 8:1-13 Lesson 8
Key verse: 8:4 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 6-20-10
"The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went before God from the angel’s hand.”
This passage opens with an awesome silence when the Lamb opened the seventh seal. An angel offered incense mixed with the prayers of the saints that went up to God. Their prayers seemed to signal an outpouring of God’s judgment upon the people of the earth. Even though our world seems dark and life is tough, we must know how to respond properly. Hard times are always a time for God’s people to pray and for all people everywhere to repent and come to God. The material in this passage may seem confusing to some. Don’t throw your head down and say, “I don’t understand.” The expectation that you will grasp all this material in one sitting is unreal. Bible scholars have been pouring over these things for a very long time. Keep your mind and heart engaged. Be content with getting a general overview of each passage we study. Walk away with one clear point to hold onto to and put into practice in your lives. Then, if you don’t give up your seeking, God will bless you abundantly. Through a study of this passage may you find hope in God and a renewed conviction to offer up the sacrifices of prayer daily. May you learn what to pray for.
Part 1: The Seventh Seal Is Opened (1-5)
When the seventh seal was opened, something ominous happened in heaven. Look at Verse 1, “When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” For "half an hour" awesome silence fell upon the courts of heaven. This was the longest half hour in history. It seemed like the lull before the storm, just before the devastating destruction of a hurricane. The amount of tension at the moment was unimaginable for there was a heightened expectation of God's awesome judgments to follow and everyone waited expectantly to see what God would do next. O.K. then...moving on.
The prayers of God’s servants filled the temple. Look at verses 3-4, “Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 4The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand.” A censer filled with live coals was used in the temple worship. Incense was poured on the coals, and the sweet smelling smoke drifted upwards, symbolizing believer’s prayers ascending to God. (Ex 30:7-9)
What were the saints praying for? They weren’t praying to win the lottery. Nor were they praying selfish prayers. Mostly they were prayers asking for God’s justice like those in Revelation 5;10, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" These prayers produced great unexpected changes on the earth. Look in verse 5, “Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.” God did respond to their prayers for justice. It is revealed in the censer. This censer is a symbolic instrument of judgment in response to prayer. These coals produced symbols of catastrophe: thunder, lightning, and an earthquake. The fact is that no Christian’s prayer is forgotten, but has its effect in due time, in bringing about the Kingdom, that is, the return of our Lord Jesus!
The role of a believer’s prayer is very important. We tend to think that doing things is the most important thing in the work of God. But in my experience, most people who simply “do” things without praying, eventually loose momentum and stop their mission. But those who pray regularly and faithfully have staying power. They can remain true to their mission and their calling all of their lives. It is because God gives us vision, comfort and strength when we pray. He changes our hearts. The Bible says that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:16) 2 Chronicles 7:13-15 is very appropriate here. It reads, “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.” We are not yet in the terrible times that are ahead. Today is still the time of God’s grace. Today is the time of God mercy. Though we may have trials and tribulations, God’s judgment is stayed for the moment. Now is the time for all of God’s people to pray earnestly and faithfully. May God bless the Day of Prayer for the resolution of the Golf oil crisis.
Part ll: The Trumpets And The Woes (6-13)
The trumpets, ushering in the judgment of God, were about to sound. In this chapter they are to warn the inhabitants of the earth that judgment is certain. As the first trumpet sounded, terrible things began to happen in the world. Look at verses 6-7, “Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. 7The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.” Earlier this spring (2010) there was a hail storm with hail stones the size of softballs. I saw a video on YouTube where a swimming pool was churned up by falling hailstones until the pool looked like a boiling cauldron of water. In Exodus, one of the plagues was a hailstorm. Ex 9:18 reads, “Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now.” There was fire mixed with blood from the sky. Blood-red rain is not unknown in nature. In the spring of 1901 witnesses spoke of rain that looked like blood in Italy and Southern Europe. It was the result of air being full of particles of fine red sand from the Sahara. (Constable’s notes) What about the rain of fire? It could be a firestorm. American heritage defines firestorm as, “A fire of great size and intensity that generates and is fed by strong inrushing winds from all sides.” When a nuclear blast goes off there is a “firestorm.” A firestorm leveled Hiroshima after the atomic blast. The effects of the destructive elements of the first trumpet would be devastating. Crops would be crushed and burned. Raging fires would level metropolitan areas.
Then the angel with the second trumpet began to sound. Look at verses 8-9, “The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, 9a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.” Following the blowing of the second trumpet “a great mountain" that was on fire, came crashing down from heaven into the waters of one or more of the seas. This resulted in a third of the oceans becoming blood. Whether the water became blood, or became a substance like blood, or simply looked like blood, is difficult to determine. This mountain-like mass, possibly a meteor, will provide that molecules resulting in a change in the chemical composition of these seas. A third of the creatures living in the sea died, and a third of the ships on the sea perished. People who avoided the firestorms in the cities, by fleeing to the sea shores, would go hungry. There would be fewer and fewer fish to catch. The means for their livelihood, their ships, would be destroyed. There would be economic collapse, famine and great poverty.
The third angel lifted a trumpet to its mouth. Look at verses 10-11, “The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— 11the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.” “Wormwood” was the name of a bitter herb that was fatally poisonous to some people and was a symbol of divine punishment. This judgment is reminiscent of the bitter water that God gave the rebellious Israelites to drink in the wilderness. (Ex 15:23-25). In a simple survey of verses we can see that something was added to the water that made it bitter. It is some kind of pollutant. There will be no way to avoid it. We all need clean water, but what do you do when all there is polluted water? People would suffer from gastrointestinal illnesses, kidney stones, toxic poisoning, neurological diseases, birth deformities, and if they lived long enough…cancer. Maybe there will be water wars, competing for fresh water.
The fourth angel raised a trumpet to its lips. Look at verses 12, “The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.” In the ninth plague on Egypt, darkness covered the land of Egypt for three days (Ex 10:21-23). Evidently God will cut off light from the sun, moon, and stars from the earth by one-third. The text seems to imply that God will reduce the intensity of light from these sources by one-third (cf. Matt. 27:45). Perhaps a combination of a partial eclipse or pollution in the atmosphere could be the cause. Such a reduction in light, and consequent temperature drop and shortened growing season, would have a devastating effect on the earth. There would be global cooling.
These first four trumpets were not the end, but the beginning. Look at verse 13, “As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!" Woe means “a condition of deep suffering from misfortune, affliction, or grief or a ruinous trouble.” Eagles are birds of prey that approach rapidly and are a sign of disaster (Matt. 24:28). This eagle flew all over all the earth, warning of the terrors yet to come.
Part lll: We Must Respond In Repentance And In Faith.
We need to ask ourselves, why did such calamities and great sorrows come upon earth? Their point is to lead hardened, and even hostile unbelievers to repentance and to announce further punitive judgments against those who continue in their hardness of heart. The sad reality is that few will repent. Revelation 9:20-21 gives us some insight. It reads, “ 20The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.”
We tend to blame God for everything. Such a reaction is born out of our own self-righteousness or own idea that we know than God. But we learn that God wants to save people before the final judgment. He is trying his best. In this New Testament era he is drawing people to himself through truth, fatherly discipline and grace, which is God’s love. But as the time grows short and the end of this world draws near, God intensifies his efforts, not wanting anyone to perish. (2 Peter 3:9)
It is also interesting to note that destruction was only brought upon a third of everything. Because of God's mercy, there was only partial judgment. I think that a third is very significant. A third is not a whole. When there is third of possible destruction, then there is still 2/3 not destroyed. If 1/3 of a city is destroyed in war that city will still looks like a city and function as a city. If 1/3 of the environment is destroyed it can still look beautiful in some places and bounce back. People will eventually forget and try to cling to some sort of normalcy and have hope to recover. Why did God stop at 1/3? It is because he still hoped that a remnant of hard hearted people would still turn to him in repentance and believe in him. But it is amazing that most of the people will not repent. Instead they will doubt God’s love. They will harden their hearts against God and raise their fists to heaven.
Our sinful nature wants to ignore God, resist and put things off to the very last moment. We fail to respond even when our lives are 1/3 destroyed. This is true. Romans 1:21-24a reads, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over….” If we insist on our own ways and fail to respond to the Lord’s chastening rod, then he simply hands us over to our sinful nature. He lifts his hedge of protection in our lives and initially approximately 1/3 of our lives start to crumble due to our own sinful nature. We suffer a lot. Will we respond when we are ½ or ¾ destroyed? How much will it take? Will we become one of the Great Multitude or one of those who will be shaking clenched fists at Christ?
The secret is to not make light of the Lord’s discipline and respond correctly. Hebrews 12:5-6 reads, “5And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." When faced with heavy discipline on our lives, even when 1/3 of our lives are adversely affected by life’s circumstances, may we never doubt the love of God. Know that God treating us as true sons and daughters and come to him in repentance and faith. What does God want us to repent of? Well, another glance at Revelation 9: 20-21 will make it clear, “ 20The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.” Ask God and he will help you to understand what needs to be repented of and how. God will help you.
While both believers and unbelievers will experience these judgments, we learned last week that with the mark of God on our foreheads we will be protected from spiritual harm. Respond well to the times. These warnings urge us to make sure our faith is firmly rooted in Christ. We should examine our hearts daily to make sure that we are not putting our hope and faith in the things of this world. We must purge our hearts of anything that is an idol and stand firmly in Christ. I urge you, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to take hold of God’s salvation and prayer continuously. Pray for the souls of those who are hardened by the sins deceitfulness. Pray…trust and be faithful. The times may be tough for us now, but for certain they will get worse. We need to get right with God, almost with a soldier like attitude, for it is going to take all we have in order to get stand firm in our faith.
Part 1: The Seventh Seal Is Opened (1-5)
1. Read vs. 1-5. When the Christ opens the seventh seal, there is silence in heaven. (1) What does it signify? What does another angel offer to God at the altar? (3,4; Ex 30:7-9) How does he signal the wrath of God to be poured upon the earth? (5) Think about the role of the prayers of the believers (5:8)
Part ll: The Trumpets And The Woes (6-13)
2. Read vs. 6-7. At the first trumpet sound, what is hurled down upon the earth? (Ex 9:16-18) What happens to the earth? How would the people suffer? What does “a third” signify about the trumpet judgments? (Zec 13:8-9,Eze 5:12) What is the purpose of the trumpet judgments? (Rev 9:20)
3. Read vs. 8-9. At the second trumpet sound, what is hurled down into the sea? (Jer51:25) What happens to the sea and the things in it? (9) How would this disaster affect the lives of the people? (18:17-19)
4. Read vs. 10-11. At the third trumpet sound, a great star falls from the sky on the rivers. What does the name of the star signify? What happens to the river and the springs of water? (11,Ex 15:22-25). How does this disaster affect the lives of the people?
5. Read vs. 12-13. At the fourth trumpet sound, what happens to the sun, the moon and the stars? (12, Ex 10:21) What happens to the day and the night? How do the people suffer without light? What are the three “woes” that an eagle announces? (9:12; 11:14)
6. In spite of what is happening on the earth, what is the situation of believers in the Lord?
(Rev 7:2-3) What must we do when we see the suffering of the inhabitants of the earth?
(Rev 6:10)
.
Revelation 7:1-17
The Great Multitude
The Seven Seals (2)
Revelation 7:1-17 Lesson 7
Key verse. 7:3 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 6-13-10
"Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads
of the servants of our God."
Today, we will study about the period between the sixth and seventh seal, where God's people are marked by God. We will learn of a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language are those who have been faithful to Jesus in the midst of suffering and have made it to heaven. They belong to Jesus because they have been washed in his blood--forgiven their sins and bound to him by the new covenant. This multitude stands before God's throne, praising and thanking him for his great salvation. Through a study of this passage may you take hold of the wonderful promise that God is with us, even in the midst of suffering and know that those who accept Jesus will stand before God and sing his praises forever. How can we have such a wonderful and true hope? It is all because of Jesus, the Lamb that was slain for our sins. We will also learn the heart of worship and get back to it. Let’s see….
Part l: Salvation Belongs To Our God (1-12)
If we remember back to the last passage, the sixth seal had been opened, and the people of the earth tried to hide from God, saying, “Who can stand?” (6:12-17) Just when all hope seems lost God revealed his mercy. Look at verses 1-2, “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:” The winds represent God's judgments coming on the world (v. 3; cf. Jer. 49:36-38; Dan. 7:2; Hos. 13:15) The four winds could cause a great deal of trouble and harm to the church of God. And so the four angels hold back the four winds of judgment until God’s people are sealed as his own. Only then will God open the seventh seal. Though the suffering that was coming upon the earth would be intense. God is the sovereign Lord. He is the all powerful creator God who is in control of nature. And this all powerful God cares about his people. God is able to stop the power of destruction to save the ones who follow him.
Apparently God put some sort of protective seal on his servants. Look at verse 3. “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." What is this seal that God puts on his people? A seal on a scroll or document indentified and protected its contents. A seal was a symbol of ownership, authentication, and protection. A signet ring made the distinctive impression on the seal. This seal is probably the name of the Lamb and His Father. God places his own seal on his followers, identifying them as his own and guaranteeing their protection from divine judgment while they carry out their service for God on the earth. Their seals may not protect them from harm that other people inflict on them but it does protect them from the divine judgments sent on unbelievers. Nothing can harm our souls when we have been sealed by God. This shows how valuable we are to him.
We have already been sealed already by the Holy Spirit of God. Ephesians 1:13 reads, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,” Paul states, "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come" (2 Cor 1:21-22). Thank God who is marking us out as His own through our Lord Jesus Christ. May people see the seal of God on your life given to you by his grace.
Why the forehead? The forehead was chosen because it was the most conspicuous. It would make your faith and your priorities very clear to everyone. Cain received a seal on his forehead, from God, to protect him from his enemies. Hindus have religious markings on their foreheads. Pious Muslims have prayer calluses on their foreheads. So many people are afraid of looking “too religious” or being called “religious fanatics”. They criticize politicians who wear their religion on their sleeve. But we learn from this passage that true believers will not just wear their religion on their sleeves but on their foreheads. So let’s get over being ashamed of Jesus and Jesus’ words and boldly proclaim our faith while we live in this world. If we are ashamed of Jesus and his words, then he will be ashamed of us when he comes in his Father’s glory. (Mark 8:38)
Who were sealed in this passage? Look at verse 4. “Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.” The 144,000 belong to Jesus (Rev 14:1-5). They are all those who suffer for their faith while on earth. The number 144,000 is 12 X 12 X 1000, symbolizing completeness. God seals these believers either by withdrawing them from the earth (The is called the rapture) or by giving them special strength and courage to make it through this time of great persecution. This means that all of God’s followers will be brought safely to him. Not one will be overlooked or forgotten. In short…They are protected by God in the midst of their sufferings. they will remain true to him until the end.
Let’s take a closer look at the listings of the various tribes. Let’s read verses 5-8, “From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000, 6from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, 7from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000, 8from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.” This is a symbolic list of God’s true followers. We can learn something about what is important to God. (1) Judah is mentioned because first because Judah is both the tribe of David and of Jesus the Messiah (Gen 49:8-12; Matt 1:1). The Messiah would come from Judah. (2) Levi has no tribal allotment because of the Levites’ work for God in the temple (Deut 18:1), but here the tribe is given a place as a reward for faithfulness. (3) Dan is not mentioned because it was the first tribe to establish idolatry in Israel (Judg. 18:30; cf. 1 Ki 12:29-30). It was known for rebellion and idolatry, traits unacceptable for God’s followers. (Gen 49:17). (4) The two tribes representing Joseph (usually called Ephraim and Manasseh, after Joseph’s sons) are called Joseph and Manasseh here because of Ephraim’s rebellion. Like Dan, Ephraim was also notorious for idol worship. This tribe was the head of the Northern Kingdom of Israel that apostatized under King Jeroboam I's leadership. The listing of Manasseh honors Manasseh's faithfulness; contrasting it to Ephraim's unfaithfulness. We tend to overlook these long lists, but we can learn something about God from this list. Things like, God hates idolatry in the hearts of his people and he honors faithfulness greatly. Also each tribe has 12,000 each, in reality some of these tribes were very large and some were small. But in God they are all equal in his eyes.
Next, what about the great multitude? Let’s read verse 9,“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” The great multitude is different from the 144,000. They are the ones who made into heaven. They are from every nation, tribe, people and language and are people who have been faithful to Jesus in the midst of suffering. Believers must go through their time of sufferings as they remain faithful to God. God refines their faith as pure gold.
Let’s think a little bit about what it means to be faithful to God. We know what it means to be faith to a boyfriend or a girl friend. What about being faithful to a spouse or a job? Well, these things give us a clue as to what it means to be faithful to God. No matter who we are, or what church we go to, we must meet Jesus personally and commit ourselves to learning and teaching the gospel no matter what. For the faithful in this passage it cost them their very lives. The faithful are those who are rooted in Christ. The gospel is their life. Such people often miss out on worldly affairs for the sake of Jesus. This is no short cut, or easy way to living a faithful life. But God is serious about us being faithful and he will be at our side to help us when we step out in faith. It all starts with a prayer, “Lord, help me to be a little more faithful to you than yesterday and more faithful to you tomorrow than I am today.”
Part ll: The Heart Of Worship (13-15a)
We can learn the heart of worship from this great multitude. Look at verse 9 again. “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” A great multitude is a number so great that no one can count. Over the millennia millions upon millions of people have come to saving faith in Jesus and have been added to this. They are comprised from all different types of people. When we go to church we should see people of every nation and language. It would look something like the crowds at the World Cup in South Africa. They also came out of the Great Tribulation. This was a time of extreme suffering. But in the midst of their suffering they did not give up their faith. We all have our own sufferings, where we are all tempted to give up our faith. One friend of mine has a rebellious child and another child who had a bad experience in church. He despairs that his life did not turn out as expected. I over heard him say, “I don’t even know if I believe anymore.” I pray that he becomes a member of this Great Multitude who did not give up their faith even in the midst of life’s hardships and struggles. No true believer ever needs to worry about whether they will be part of this great multitude or not. God includes and protects each of us, and we are guaranteed a place in his presence.
We can learn so many things about worship. They were standing all together in front of the throne of God, right in front of Jesus. “All together.” This is significant. There is a movement going on, and it has been going on for the past thirty years to by-pass the church. People tend to over emphasize their own personal relationship with Jesus at the expense of corporate worship. But worship is heaven is worshipping together with other believers, probably shoulder to shoulder. Standing in front Jesus the Lamb, means that they are there with open, honest, humble, transparent hearts, laying out our hearts before God. All the people were waving palm branches. We saw this when the people were welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem as he was riding on a donkey. It is what people did when they were inaugurating a king. The Jews also used palm branches in the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, which was a time of great joy. The Roman world used the laying of palm branches to symbolize victory. They obviously knew who they were worshipping, Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. They were celebrating an eternal victory. They were praising God loudly. They were not concerned about what other people think about. They were only focusing on Jesus and worshipping before him.
This crowd was wearing white robes symbolic of their righteousness and purity. How did they get these white robes? Look at verse 14. “I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” They belong to Jesus because they have been washed in his blood. It is difficult to imagine how Jesus' blood could whiten any cloth, but the blood of Jesus is the world's greatest purifier because it removes the stain of our sins. Sin really stains our lives and makes us dirty. White robes means sinless perfection or holiness, which can be given to people only though faith in the sacrifice and shed blood of the sinless Lamb of God. We need these robes. And God really wants to give each of us these white robes to wear. He tells us in Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool" This is our only hope of righteousness. Amen.
They knew where their salvation came from. In our pluralistic society is not easy to find out where salvation comes from. Very few people seem to know or have the guts to tell others clearly. Well, we see clearly where salvation comes from in verse 10, “And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." Peter states it clearly in Acts 4:11 when he says, “He(Jesus) is " 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ 12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Those who will worship in heaven know that Jesus is the way the truth and the life. (Jn 14:6) They followed that way; they lived by that truth; and sought eternal life in Jesus and they came to stand before the throne of their Father in Heaven.
We can see the intensity of their worship. Let’s read verse 11, “All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,” These were the angels and the 24 elders and the four living creature surrounding the throne of God. The 24 elders represented the 12 apostles and the 12 tribes of Israel. They had every reason to glory in their own personal achievements and accomplishments. The angels could have reveled in their own power, beauty and glory. But they did not. They laid it all before God, falling face first on the ground. I’m sure the Great Multitude would have fallen to, but they were standing too close to each other. The point is, they gave everything to God. They offered all their glory and honor and sent it right back to God, saying in verse 12, "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" So often we want to revel in our own human glory, beauty, power and strength and give none of the glory back to God. How foolish! How long can you enjoy your human glory anyway? Where did we get the glory, honor, strength and wisdom from in the first place? From God. And why did he give it to you? To glorify him alone. True worship is laying down all our crowns and laurels and giving all glory to God with willingness and thanksgiving. This is getting back to the heart of worship.
Verse 15a, reveals another aspect of their worship. “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple.” Worshipping and serving Jesus is not just once and while. It is not a hobby. It is calling…a 24/7 calling. Their worship of God was a relationship, a walking with the Lord. Those who make into the great multitude realized this before they even made it into heaven.
Part lll: God Will Wipe Away All Tears (15b-17)
Even though the faithful must go through the great tribulation. God will provide for his children's needs in their eternal home. Look at verses 15b-17, “…and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them 16Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. 17For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."” There will be no hunger, thirst, or pain, and he will wipe away all of our tears. He will shelter us. There is an end in sight to suffering and it is glorious. We will be comforted by God. These rewards are also promised for today's believers in order to encourage them to be faithful (21:1- 5). All the things that cause us suffering will be over. We must take comfort in this truth as we carry our own crosses while on earth.
In this passage we learned that God has placed his seal on us when we repented and believed. He sealed us with the Holy Spirit. This seals us to eternal life. We learn that God honors faithfulness and hates idolatry in the hearts of his people. There is a great reward for those who are faithful. Let us purge our hearts of all American idols and be a little more faithful to God than yesterday. Let us get back to the heart of worship, with the same spirit that we will worship Jesus onto eternity.
Part l: Salvation Belongs To Our God (1-12)
1. Read vs. 1-3. John sees the four angels holding back the four winds of the earth. (1,2) How does it show that God is in control of the events? What does the number “four” show about the divine judgment? How does another angel put a seal of the living God on his people? (3) What does the seal symbolize? (3,Eph1:13)
2. Read vs.4-8. What does the number, 144,000 represent? (4) How is the list of the tribes of Israel here different from the normal list? Which tribes are unusually omitted or included? What does it imply by “all the tribes of Israel”? (4)
3. Read vs. 9-10. What does God show John in the heavenly scene? (9) What do their clothes and palm branches show about them? How do they praise God? (10) Who do they represent? (14)
4. Read vs. 11-12. Where are all the angels standing? (11) How do they worship and praise God for the salvation of the believers? (12)
Part ll: God Will Wipe Away All Tears (13-17)
5. Read vs. 13-17. How does a great multitude come out of the great tribulation? (14) How does God provide shelter from the judgment? (16,16:8) How does God bless and comfort them? (17, 21:3,4) How will this heavenly scene encourage the believers who go through the tribulation?
The Seven Seals (2)
Revelation 7:1-17 Lesson 7
Key verse. 7:3 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 6-13-10
"Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads
of the servants of our God."
Today, we will study about the period between the sixth and seventh seal, where God's people are marked by God. We will learn of a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language are those who have been faithful to Jesus in the midst of suffering and have made it to heaven. They belong to Jesus because they have been washed in his blood--forgiven their sins and bound to him by the new covenant. This multitude stands before God's throne, praising and thanking him for his great salvation. Through a study of this passage may you take hold of the wonderful promise that God is with us, even in the midst of suffering and know that those who accept Jesus will stand before God and sing his praises forever. How can we have such a wonderful and true hope? It is all because of Jesus, the Lamb that was slain for our sins. We will also learn the heart of worship and get back to it. Let’s see….
Part l: Salvation Belongs To Our God (1-12)
If we remember back to the last passage, the sixth seal had been opened, and the people of the earth tried to hide from God, saying, “Who can stand?” (6:12-17) Just when all hope seems lost God revealed his mercy. Look at verses 1-2, “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:” The winds represent God's judgments coming on the world (v. 3; cf. Jer. 49:36-38; Dan. 7:2; Hos. 13:15) The four winds could cause a great deal of trouble and harm to the church of God. And so the four angels hold back the four winds of judgment until God’s people are sealed as his own. Only then will God open the seventh seal. Though the suffering that was coming upon the earth would be intense. God is the sovereign Lord. He is the all powerful creator God who is in control of nature. And this all powerful God cares about his people. God is able to stop the power of destruction to save the ones who follow him.
Apparently God put some sort of protective seal on his servants. Look at verse 3. “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." What is this seal that God puts on his people? A seal on a scroll or document indentified and protected its contents. A seal was a symbol of ownership, authentication, and protection. A signet ring made the distinctive impression on the seal. This seal is probably the name of the Lamb and His Father. God places his own seal on his followers, identifying them as his own and guaranteeing their protection from divine judgment while they carry out their service for God on the earth. Their seals may not protect them from harm that other people inflict on them but it does protect them from the divine judgments sent on unbelievers. Nothing can harm our souls when we have been sealed by God. This shows how valuable we are to him.
We have already been sealed already by the Holy Spirit of God. Ephesians 1:13 reads, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,” Paul states, "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come" (2 Cor 1:21-22). Thank God who is marking us out as His own through our Lord Jesus Christ. May people see the seal of God on your life given to you by his grace.
Why the forehead? The forehead was chosen because it was the most conspicuous. It would make your faith and your priorities very clear to everyone. Cain received a seal on his forehead, from God, to protect him from his enemies. Hindus have religious markings on their foreheads. Pious Muslims have prayer calluses on their foreheads. So many people are afraid of looking “too religious” or being called “religious fanatics”. They criticize politicians who wear their religion on their sleeve. But we learn from this passage that true believers will not just wear their religion on their sleeves but on their foreheads. So let’s get over being ashamed of Jesus and Jesus’ words and boldly proclaim our faith while we live in this world. If we are ashamed of Jesus and his words, then he will be ashamed of us when he comes in his Father’s glory. (Mark 8:38)
Who were sealed in this passage? Look at verse 4. “Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.” The 144,000 belong to Jesus (Rev 14:1-5). They are all those who suffer for their faith while on earth. The number 144,000 is 12 X 12 X 1000, symbolizing completeness. God seals these believers either by withdrawing them from the earth (The is called the rapture) or by giving them special strength and courage to make it through this time of great persecution. This means that all of God’s followers will be brought safely to him. Not one will be overlooked or forgotten. In short…They are protected by God in the midst of their sufferings. they will remain true to him until the end.
Let’s take a closer look at the listings of the various tribes. Let’s read verses 5-8, “From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000, 6from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, 7from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000, 8from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.” This is a symbolic list of God’s true followers. We can learn something about what is important to God. (1) Judah is mentioned because first because Judah is both the tribe of David and of Jesus the Messiah (Gen 49:8-12; Matt 1:1). The Messiah would come from Judah. (2) Levi has no tribal allotment because of the Levites’ work for God in the temple (Deut 18:1), but here the tribe is given a place as a reward for faithfulness. (3) Dan is not mentioned because it was the first tribe to establish idolatry in Israel (Judg. 18:30; cf. 1 Ki 12:29-30). It was known for rebellion and idolatry, traits unacceptable for God’s followers. (Gen 49:17). (4) The two tribes representing Joseph (usually called Ephraim and Manasseh, after Joseph’s sons) are called Joseph and Manasseh here because of Ephraim’s rebellion. Like Dan, Ephraim was also notorious for idol worship. This tribe was the head of the Northern Kingdom of Israel that apostatized under King Jeroboam I's leadership. The listing of Manasseh honors Manasseh's faithfulness; contrasting it to Ephraim's unfaithfulness. We tend to overlook these long lists, but we can learn something about God from this list. Things like, God hates idolatry in the hearts of his people and he honors faithfulness greatly. Also each tribe has 12,000 each, in reality some of these tribes were very large and some were small. But in God they are all equal in his eyes.
Next, what about the great multitude? Let’s read verse 9,“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” The great multitude is different from the 144,000. They are the ones who made into heaven. They are from every nation, tribe, people and language and are people who have been faithful to Jesus in the midst of suffering. Believers must go through their time of sufferings as they remain faithful to God. God refines their faith as pure gold.
Let’s think a little bit about what it means to be faithful to God. We know what it means to be faith to a boyfriend or a girl friend. What about being faithful to a spouse or a job? Well, these things give us a clue as to what it means to be faithful to God. No matter who we are, or what church we go to, we must meet Jesus personally and commit ourselves to learning and teaching the gospel no matter what. For the faithful in this passage it cost them their very lives. The faithful are those who are rooted in Christ. The gospel is their life. Such people often miss out on worldly affairs for the sake of Jesus. This is no short cut, or easy way to living a faithful life. But God is serious about us being faithful and he will be at our side to help us when we step out in faith. It all starts with a prayer, “Lord, help me to be a little more faithful to you than yesterday and more faithful to you tomorrow than I am today.”
Part ll: The Heart Of Worship (13-15a)
We can learn the heart of worship from this great multitude. Look at verse 9 again. “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” A great multitude is a number so great that no one can count. Over the millennia millions upon millions of people have come to saving faith in Jesus and have been added to this. They are comprised from all different types of people. When we go to church we should see people of every nation and language. It would look something like the crowds at the World Cup in South Africa. They also came out of the Great Tribulation. This was a time of extreme suffering. But in the midst of their suffering they did not give up their faith. We all have our own sufferings, where we are all tempted to give up our faith. One friend of mine has a rebellious child and another child who had a bad experience in church. He despairs that his life did not turn out as expected. I over heard him say, “I don’t even know if I believe anymore.” I pray that he becomes a member of this Great Multitude who did not give up their faith even in the midst of life’s hardships and struggles. No true believer ever needs to worry about whether they will be part of this great multitude or not. God includes and protects each of us, and we are guaranteed a place in his presence.
We can learn so many things about worship. They were standing all together in front of the throne of God, right in front of Jesus. “All together.” This is significant. There is a movement going on, and it has been going on for the past thirty years to by-pass the church. People tend to over emphasize their own personal relationship with Jesus at the expense of corporate worship. But worship is heaven is worshipping together with other believers, probably shoulder to shoulder. Standing in front Jesus the Lamb, means that they are there with open, honest, humble, transparent hearts, laying out our hearts before God. All the people were waving palm branches. We saw this when the people were welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem as he was riding on a donkey. It is what people did when they were inaugurating a king. The Jews also used palm branches in the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, which was a time of great joy. The Roman world used the laying of palm branches to symbolize victory. They obviously knew who they were worshipping, Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. They were celebrating an eternal victory. They were praising God loudly. They were not concerned about what other people think about. They were only focusing on Jesus and worshipping before him.
This crowd was wearing white robes symbolic of their righteousness and purity. How did they get these white robes? Look at verse 14. “I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” They belong to Jesus because they have been washed in his blood. It is difficult to imagine how Jesus' blood could whiten any cloth, but the blood of Jesus is the world's greatest purifier because it removes the stain of our sins. Sin really stains our lives and makes us dirty. White robes means sinless perfection or holiness, which can be given to people only though faith in the sacrifice and shed blood of the sinless Lamb of God. We need these robes. And God really wants to give each of us these white robes to wear. He tells us in Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool" This is our only hope of righteousness. Amen.
They knew where their salvation came from. In our pluralistic society is not easy to find out where salvation comes from. Very few people seem to know or have the guts to tell others clearly. Well, we see clearly where salvation comes from in verse 10, “And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." Peter states it clearly in Acts 4:11 when he says, “He(Jesus) is " 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ 12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Those who will worship in heaven know that Jesus is the way the truth and the life. (Jn 14:6) They followed that way; they lived by that truth; and sought eternal life in Jesus and they came to stand before the throne of their Father in Heaven.
We can see the intensity of their worship. Let’s read verse 11, “All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,” These were the angels and the 24 elders and the four living creature surrounding the throne of God. The 24 elders represented the 12 apostles and the 12 tribes of Israel. They had every reason to glory in their own personal achievements and accomplishments. The angels could have reveled in their own power, beauty and glory. But they did not. They laid it all before God, falling face first on the ground. I’m sure the Great Multitude would have fallen to, but they were standing too close to each other. The point is, they gave everything to God. They offered all their glory and honor and sent it right back to God, saying in verse 12, "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" So often we want to revel in our own human glory, beauty, power and strength and give none of the glory back to God. How foolish! How long can you enjoy your human glory anyway? Where did we get the glory, honor, strength and wisdom from in the first place? From God. And why did he give it to you? To glorify him alone. True worship is laying down all our crowns and laurels and giving all glory to God with willingness and thanksgiving. This is getting back to the heart of worship.
Verse 15a, reveals another aspect of their worship. “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple.” Worshipping and serving Jesus is not just once and while. It is not a hobby. It is calling…a 24/7 calling. Their worship of God was a relationship, a walking with the Lord. Those who make into the great multitude realized this before they even made it into heaven.
Part lll: God Will Wipe Away All Tears (15b-17)
Even though the faithful must go through the great tribulation. God will provide for his children's needs in their eternal home. Look at verses 15b-17, “…and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them 16Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. 17For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."” There will be no hunger, thirst, or pain, and he will wipe away all of our tears. He will shelter us. There is an end in sight to suffering and it is glorious. We will be comforted by God. These rewards are also promised for today's believers in order to encourage them to be faithful (21:1- 5). All the things that cause us suffering will be over. We must take comfort in this truth as we carry our own crosses while on earth.
In this passage we learned that God has placed his seal on us when we repented and believed. He sealed us with the Holy Spirit. This seals us to eternal life. We learn that God honors faithfulness and hates idolatry in the hearts of his people. There is a great reward for those who are faithful. Let us purge our hearts of all American idols and be a little more faithful to God than yesterday. Let us get back to the heart of worship, with the same spirit that we will worship Jesus onto eternity.
Part l: Salvation Belongs To Our God (1-12)
1. Read vs. 1-3. John sees the four angels holding back the four winds of the earth. (1,2) How does it show that God is in control of the events? What does the number “four” show about the divine judgment? How does another angel put a seal of the living God on his people? (3) What does the seal symbolize? (3,Eph1:13)
2. Read vs.4-8. What does the number, 144,000 represent? (4) How is the list of the tribes of Israel here different from the normal list? Which tribes are unusually omitted or included? What does it imply by “all the tribes of Israel”? (4)
3. Read vs. 9-10. What does God show John in the heavenly scene? (9) What do their clothes and palm branches show about them? How do they praise God? (10) Who do they represent? (14)
4. Read vs. 11-12. Where are all the angels standing? (11) How do they worship and praise God for the salvation of the believers? (12)
Part ll: God Will Wipe Away All Tears (13-17)
5. Read vs. 13-17. How does a great multitude come out of the great tribulation? (14) How does God provide shelter from the judgment? (16,16:8) How does God bless and comfort them? (17, 21:3,4) How will this heavenly scene encourage the believers who go through the tribulation?
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