The Pause - Revelation 6 Part 3 - Sunday, October 17

Play Tone promise, blessing? Blessed are you? If you read it, if you hear it, and if you keep it. What are also remind you of our method as we're studying it? It's the literal historical grammatical method, meaning if it makes sense, in a literal sense, don't seek another sensor. You will have nonsense. It's the keep it simple method where my case is to keep it simple, stupid method. The lens with which we are methodically stunning. This book aside from that. It's the only book that comes with its own Divine outline, right there. For the things that you have seen those that are and those that are to take place after this. So the things which you have seen, that's the Risen Christ. The Risen Jesus glorified chapter 1, verses 1 through 18, the things which are that's the present age. The church age chapters 2 & 3 and if you miss those studies they're available on the website and go to Calvary Chapel Montesano. You can click let him get caught up and we have chapters four through 20 to the things, which will be after this, or after these things Greek word, meditata, again, you can listen to that, from chapter 4. Chapter 4 & 5, we saw the Rapture and the church in heaven. Chapter 6, which is where we are today, is the beginning of the tribulation. Tribulation is chapter six through 19 and there's a couple things we need to discuss as we get into this chapter 20, the millennial Kingdom, the white Throne judgment chapter 21, 22, new Heaven and a new Earth. That's the outline that we are following some things that I want you to be aware of. As we continue into these judgments that are going to be revealed in chapter 6, no notice. It was the reveling shun. It wasn't plural. This is a single revelation of Jesus, to the Apostle. John. It's not a series of different or independent Revelations. It's a single revelation. We're going to see the whole series of judgments, and all of these judgments come in sets of 7. Right now. We're looking at chapter 6, discusses the Seven Seals, but as you're going to find, if we go through these, you will get six out of the series. And then they'll be a pause, a parenthesis, a break before the 7th is revealed. And then at 7, that starts a new 7, right. So once we get next week, we won't get to it today. Hate to break it to you. The seventh seal, will start the seven trumpets and then we'll have 6 trumpets menopause in a break and then we'll get to the seventh trumpet and I'll start a whole nother 7, that'll be weeks and weeks down the line. Put something for you to consider. There's always 6 then a pause and then the 7th. John has some questions. He doesn't understand everything that he's seeing. And anytime John has a question whether explicitly, hey, I don't understand. He'll ask, or sometimes. He's just standing there with a dumb look on his face. When it's an event that you carrying in heaven. It's one of the elders to explain to him, what's going on. If it is a bit that's occurring on the earth. It's one of the four beasts that gives John his answer. So if you get confused, just look at who is answering John and that will tell you where the locality is about event. And that will help you keep it in focus. And then the last thing I want you to be aware of is there's the contract and we're going to see this contrast grow more Stark as we get further into the tribulation. That's a contrast between those that dwell on the earth or Earth dwellers and that those whose home is in heaven. The Earth dwellers, their home is the earth. They have made their home, the Earth. They have identified themselves with the Earth in the world system, but don't you don't dwell on the earth have made their home in heaven, right? We don't dwell on the earth as in Earth dwellers. We reside where sojourners were pilgrims were passing through but our home is actually in heaven just have that in mind as we go through here. Revelation chapter 6. The first four seals are often called The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Some of you may have read books or seen movies where they talk about the four horsemen horses. And the writers on them are displayed. During the first four seals. We covered that in the last few weeks, Pastor Jed did the first Horseman. Rider on the White Horse. Do not confuse that Rider on that white horse at the beginning of Revelation 6 with the writer on a white horse. In Revelation 19 two different people entirely again, go back to check the message last week, Pastor Travis covered the next three seals. That was the next Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the ride, around the red horse, the black horse, the sickly pale green horse. Again, if you miss that, you can go back and listen online. We keep in mind here during our divine outline. The church is not here during the seal judgments because the church is it on the earth. The church we see is in heaven, right? After 4 and 5, with the Rapture, in the churches in heaven, the seal and the Judgment, the beginning of the tribulation happens in chapter 6, through 19, and we're going to get to a little bit more of that. This morning. So what's the point of a TextNow? Revelation chapter 6 starting in verse 9. When you open the fifth seal I saw under the altar, The Souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness. They had borne. They cried out with a loud voice o Sovereign Lord. Holy and true how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth. Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer until the number of their fellow servants and their brother should be complete who are to be killed as they themselves had been. When you open the 60, I looked, and behold there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth. The full moon became like blood and the stars of the sky fell to the Earth is the Fig Tree sheds, its winter fruit when shaken by a gale, the sky vanish like a scroll that is being rolled up every mountain and Island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the Earth in the great ones and the generals in the rich and the powerful and everyone, slavin free hid themselves in caves in among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains in the Rocks, following us and hide us from the face of him who was Seated on the throne in from the Wrath of the lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand So for my text this morning, we see the opening of the fifth seal. Weeks past, we talked to Hell. There are many different eschatology. Studies of the end things. L, many people try to say all know all this just happened. John was just writing in reflection. It all happened in 70 AD couldn't clearly be talking about anything that would have taken place in the future. We have to ask myself. What does the text say? Remember, we're taking a grammatical historical literal view. The Bible does speak metaphorically. And when it speaks metaphorically, we understand it, seriously, but we don't think that Jesus literally has wings with feathers on them when he says, oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem. How I longed to gather you under my wings, as a mother. Hen does her chicks. We take it. Seriously when the Bible speaks in idioms and metaphors. We understand them. Seriously, when the Bible speaks literally, we understand it to being literal. So there are some, who want to take a purely spiritual, understanding of the entirety of the Book of Revelation. And there's a danger in that because once you start allegorizing and spiritualizing, Literal specific things. There's no stopping point who draws that line if the Bible speaking clearly metaphorical here and it doesn't have a literal specific meaning then, where else might the Bible be speaking metaphorically. Did Jesus? Maybe not really have a Divine Supernatural birth? Maybe he didn't really die on the cross. Maybe that's all just a spiritual allegory. Do you see where the danger is in this? We must be careful to take the Bible. Seriously. When it speaks literally, we're going to interpret it as such in our keeping, it simple. With that said, back to the text. When you open the fifth seal. I saw under the altar, The Souls of those who have been slaying for the word of God and for the witness. They had borne. They cried out with a loud voice o Sovereign Lord. Holy and true how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth. Then they were each given a white robe in the test told to rest, a little longer until the number of their fellow servants and their brother should be complete who are to be killed as they themselves have been again a literal historical grammatical method. We're going to take this literally, you asked me. Who are these Souls under the altar then? Oh, what did the text say that? What you have been slain for the word of God for the witness. They had born. We already established from previous studies and I reminded you of it today, but this is not the church. This is not the bride. We know this from the text this morning, because he's in heaven occupied, a different position, a different place in heaven, their souls underneath the altar. They're not the great multitude that we saw in chapters four and five standing around the throne singing, the song of the redeemed. This is a different group of people. They're aware of time. They're unclosed. They have to be given a white robe and they long for justice. Do they long for justice against against those who have slain them, right? The Earth dwellers. The heaven, dwellers, the Earth dwellers.

Who are the souls under the altar? These are the tribulation Saints? Those who are not Believers. At the time of the Rapture, many of you may remember the Left Behind series popular in the 90s in the early 2000s. Tim, lahaye, Jerry B. Jenkins, good series of books. Lots of creative license was taken. I'm not saying it'll occur in exactly those ways, but but theologically it agrees, pretty closely with our Church's view of eschatology or the times of the end. These would be the tribulation Saints, those who were left behind but realized their error. These are the ones who do not bother need to the world system. These are the ones who do not give in to do not follow after, who do not go along to get along. These are those who have been slain for the word of God and the witness they are born. That takes us into the Sixth Seal. I opened the 60. I looked behold. There was a great earthquake, the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became like blood. You could say. Well the people that want to take the preterist view, this happens all the time. We see solar eclipse. We see Blood Moon. This is easily explained, sure, it could be But we start running into a problem here. The stars of the sky fell to the Earth is the Fig Tree sheds, its winter fruit when shaken by a gale with a fig tree sheds its winter fruit shaken by a gale. It loses everything. Last time I checked when it wasn't covered by clouds. I looked up and there was still a heck of a lot of stars in the sky. So I'm going to have to see, we're starting to run into a little problem. Then the sky vanish like a scroll. Nope, still there. It's being rolled up and every mountain and Island was removed. Its place. Anybody been through the mountains lately. Yeah, they're still there. Run into a problem real quick here. Then the kings of the Earth, the great ones, the generals the rich, the powerful, and everyone slave, and free, hit themselves in the caves and among the rocks and of the mountain. We in a cave. Last time I check CNN. All the generals, the leaders. The rulers, they were still there. In caves yet, right. Are we seeing a problem here? They were calling to the mountains in the Rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of him, who is Seated on the throne and from the Wrath of the lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?

Real hard to make that preterist case now, seriously. So what do you stand this? Wrath of the lamb? And how do they know that the great day is come here. We see both a literal and an idiomatic use of the term day. This word here does not mean just a twenty-four-hour period of time. It's a season or a. Of time. It's an event that occurs but it is Big John in the earth dwellers have recognized that the Wrath of the one who is Seated on the throne and of the Lamb has begun yet. They remain unrepentant. They continue to persist in shaking their fists in the very face of God. They don't ask for forgiveness. They don't repent, they don't beg for mercy. They just long to die. But seemingly they can't, they're hidden in a cave, begging the rocks to fall on them. Yet, they remain.

Darsm. And again, I disagree with these people, the least of the people I disagree with about the Rapture theories who have a pre Wrath of you. They say, what the church is here for the very, very beginning of the tribulation, the first five seals, but then before the Sixth Seal, then the church has taken out because for Cecil only has five nights. Hell's this got is not destined us for salvation. Through our Lord. Jesus Christ. At least we can agree with the Freer a theorist on that. I have no argument with them. They're the only question I have for him, is what do you call the first five seals? That wasn't really mad yet. He wasn't really starting to pour His wrath out. He was just kidding. The Antichrist being revealed, the red horse of war, the black horse famine, the pale sickly green, horse of death disease and destruction. He was just kidding. He wasn't really angry. He wasn't really pouring his wrath out, then it doesn't quite fit and we also don't see it in the text. If you're trying to put the Rapture of a church in a, or a. After the end of The Sixth Seal. You just don't quite see it there. So they have a little bit of spiritual acrobatic and Hoops. They have to jump through that's fine. They're entitled to their opinion. It's not worth being dogmatic over if you hold that view. That's okay. I'll still love you. You're entitled to be wrong if you want to be.

But again, back to our method, the literal historical grammatical method. We've made a case for you. That the Rapture takes place at the beginning of chapter 4. After these things. Meditata, I looked and behold the door standing open in heaven and I Heard a Voice like a trumpet, saying, come up here and I will show you the things which must take place after these things. But at Alta, there's a place we see that in the text at chapter 4. There's not a place. We see that in the middle of chapter 6 unless you try to ascribe that event too, you see my point.

Now, before we get in to this pause, this parentheses, this gap between the Sixth Seal and the seventh seal. I want to remind you. That God is not done with the nation of Israel. God is not done with the Jew. There have been many well-meaning god-loving, bible-believing Christians, who throughout the years? For one reason, or another have adopted, a replacement ideology of scripture where the church or their particular group has replaced Israel and all the promises to God from God to Israel. No reply to the church. Each is replacement theology. I have a warning for you this morning. If you hold that view the one in for you this morning is if God's not requiring himself to fulfill that promise to the nation of Israel, what makes you think that you won't be replaced. Are you more faithful than the nation of Israel was? Do you complain less than the nation of Israel did? Is your face stronger than their wandering through the Wilderness? They grumbled they complained? Oh how we long to go back in Egypt didn't work out very well for him. In your trials, in your tribulations, in your struggles in this life. Do you ever complain to you ever, Grumble? Do you ever murmur? I do if it's based on me, if it's based on my work. For God's faithfulness and his promises to be fulfilled. I'm in a world of hurt. I don't know about you. but, Is God's covenant with Abraham is God's covenant with Isaac? God's covenant with Jacob. And his people is independent of us if he is faithful to fulfill his promise to them. Then he will also be faithful to feel his butt. Feel his promise to you. And I Poulan riding to the church at Rome made a definitive point of this. And if you doubt me at all, your homework for today is to go home and read Romans chapters 9, 10 and 11. You set aside three chapters right after the great chapter 8, which I hope we're all living in their chapters 9 10 and 11. Again, kind of this parenthesis. He makes a point to demonstrate to the church in Rome that God is not done with the nation of Israel. Chapter 11 verse 25, lest you be wise in your own site. I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery Brothers. A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in this way. All Israel will be saved as it is written. The deliverer will come from Zion and he will banish ungodliness from Jacob, and this will be my Covenant with them. When I take away their sins. God is not done with the nation of Israel. He will fulfill his promise to the nation of Israel completely.

Passage. I referenced earlier with Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. Do you know when that was that was when they didn't recognize their day of visitation? He has ridden in on Palm Sunday. He was there promised Messiah coming in on the very day that the angel told Daniel, the Messiah would come. And they didn't recognize it.

Chapter 7 beginning and verse 1. After this, I saw four Angels standing at the Four Corners of the Earth holding back the Four Winds of the earth that no wind might blow on the Earth. Receive her against any tree that I saw another Angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the city of the Living. God, you called with a loud voice, to the Four Angels, who have been given power to harm the Earth. In the sea saying do not harm the Earth of the CU, the trees until we have sealed, the Servants of God on their foreheads. And I heard the number of the sealed 144000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben 12,000 from the tribe of GAD 12,000 from the tribe of Asher. 12,000 from the tribe of naphtali 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh. 12,000 from the tribe of Levi 12,000 from the tribe of issachar. 12000 from the tribe of Zebulon 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph. 20,000 from The Tribe of Benjamin were sealed. After this. I looked and behold a great number. A multitude that no one could number from every nation from all tribes and peoples in language is standing Before the Throne before the lamb clothed in white robes with palm branches, in their hands, crying out with a loud voice salvation. Belongs To Our God, who sits on the throne, and to the lamb. Now if you remember there was a question, the Earth dwellers asked at the end of chapter 6 and also remember Revelation was written as a letter. There is no chapter designation. There's no first designation. 7, floors. Right out of six. This is that parenthesis. This is that they were expecting that seventh seal. But there's a there's a there's something that occurs at the end of The Sixth Seal. The Earth Weller's asked. The day of the Wrath of the one who sits on the throne, and the lamb has come.

And who can stand? Chapter 7 tells us, who can stand.

There's three different groups. We see, we see Four Angels standing at the Four Corners of the Earth, holding back the wind. We see a fifth angel, giving them instructions to hold, back the wind. Until 144000 are sealed. Now here. We see an idiomatic representation. How do you know when we know that the Earth is a sphere. Ask where it's not like you? It doesn't have four distinct 90 degree angle corner, right? The Bible tells us. It's a sphere.

But we understand. That the four corners of the earth refer to the four directions. Anybody ever seen a compass rose? Got four points on it. Right? North south east west that's idiomatically. What's referred to by the Four Corners of the Earth. When did Ematic of judgment? The angels are holding back. This particular judgment until the hundred forty-four thousand on the earth have been sealed.

We also see a group standing in heaven. A great multitude. That no one could number from every nation from all tribes. Standing Before the Throne in before, the lamb clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice. Salvation. Belongs To Our God, who sits on the throne and to the lamb. This is who stands during the great day of the Wrath of the Lamb. Who can stand? These can stand. Next question, you may be asking is what who are the hundred forty-four thousand? There have been many groups, overtime who claimed to be the hundred, forty-four thousand. There's a problem with that again with our method historical grammatical. It tells us that there were twelve thousand from the tribe of Judah. Ruben Gad after NAFTA line Manassas Simeon. Levi is a car Zebulon Joseph and Benjamin pretty clear.

Couple things about this.

Anybody notice a tribe of Israel that's missing from that list. One, that's not there. Damn, you're right.

There are Twelve Tribes of Israel. Number 12, allotments of land when the nation of Israel entered in the Promised Land. But one tribe did not receive an inheritance. That's the tribe of Levi. Because the Lord was their inheritance, they were ministers at the temple. They dwelled in and around and they were called to service but they didn't inherit any land proper. Instead. The tribe of Joseph was split into two. Remember Joseph had two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh and when Jacob left Joseph son's, he crossed his hands and you blessed, Ephraim and Manasseh. So we have the two tribes. That Joseph is split into and those twelve not counting Levi, but with Dan and instead of Joseph, it would be Ephraim and Manasseh inherited the land. But there is a promise made and you can do a little homework on this on your own. We don't have time to get into it this morning. When Jacob blessing his sons and he gets to Dan He issued a warning when the tribes come in and take position of the land. They're given another warning. Not to go After idols, not to promulgate idolatry. And that's what we see Dan doing dance. Given an inheritance in the South but they don't like it. They instead moving they take an inheritance up north as far away from Jerusalem as they can possibly get, they liked it better up there and they were greatly influenced by their idolatrous neighbors so much. So don't let the kingdom is divided. The center of worship in the north becomes Dan, in a golden calf is set up there. And that's the replacement false deity. There are some and there's a deductive, reasoning, logical case that could be made. That is, that is why Dan is left off of this list? Because they have lost their inheritance for their embracing of idolatry critics of that one day. We'll all the tribes participated in it. Yes, they did. But not to the extent that the tribe of Dan did again. You'll have to look into that more on your own if you would like, but Dan is the tribe. It's missing. Here is Mansions Joseph in. Ephraim. You can use interchangeably Manasses listed, and Levi is listed in that are go. We have the 12 tribes listed here.

More importantly, who is not the hundred? Forty-four thousand again. I told you there were many groups over the years that said. Hey, we're the hundred and forty four thousand. We're taking the literal historical view, that can't be so especially those that aren't Jewish. The Jehovah's Witnesses have claimed to be a hundred. Forty-four thousand the Mormons at one time claimed to be the hundred, forty-four thousand, the children of God, that Seventh-day Adventist. The worldwide Church of God, cult group of people that claims to be the hundred. Forty-four thousand is mistaken at best. They can't be. How do you know, but text to us? And at the time when there was no nation of Israel, it was a lot easier to embrace replacement theology. It was a lot easier to say. Well, clearly there can't be a nation of Israel. Clearly. There can't be 12,000 from each tribe. These people have been scattered all over the face of the Earth. They've been corrupted by all these cultures. They don't even know what tribes are from. You're right. They don't know what tribe you're from, but God still does, right. He knows the very numbers of hair on my head, even though there's a little fewer of them than there used to be. He knows, and if you think it's too hard for him to keep track of that. We got bigger problems cuz there's way more hard things in the Bible than that, that the Bible claims God's capable and does on the regular basis, were told in him. We live and move and have our being and in him all things consist and he holds together all things. If he can't keep track of a hundred and forty four thousand people, in Which tribes are from. Pretty sure. He's not able to hold all things together, right?

The other problem with this in, this is where we'll end today. Is the root of anti-semitism?

Anti-Semitism is rooted in the pit of Hell, and it's a very easy trap for even Believers to fall into. Especially. From church history. The Jews were labeled as Christ killers. No, bible-believing. Christian can allow anti-Semitism for even a moment. The Bible tells us that God will bless those who bless thee and curse those who curse when he gave his Covenant to Abraham that Covenant extended to Isaac and Jacob to Israel. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, right? Passage, we referenced earlier where he was longing to gather Jerusalem under his wings, like a mother. Hen gathers her chicks. It's because they missed their day of visitation. He wept. Instructed, that we are to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem was the center. A true divine worship on Earth. Up until the Messiah came. Jerusalem will one day again, be the epicenter of worship. The Lord tarries will eventually get their Revelation 19 through 22.

But anti-Semitism is an easy trap to fall in it. It starts with a thought, it starts with an attitude of the heart. I have been guilty of it myself, and I say that a shame and lie, so cuz I should know better. The company I used to work for a week. We did a HVAC maintenance at one of the Jewish temples in there in Olympia. And I would have Seemingly innocent enough. But man you got to be kidding me. They won't approve this $50 repair. That could save them thousands. They're so cheap. How can these people be so Jewish. and, I had to repent of these thoughts and and they would come day after day and time after time. And it's just this attitude that exists. But we can't allow it to exist. Not in our hearts.

Jewish people. Have been persecuted more than any other ethnic group, more than any other religious group, more than any other National Group throughout history. And yet they're the only religious ethnic group to maintain their identity without having a Homeland for nearly two thousand years.

They were scattered. They were shown as as dust to the wind and yet God has called them back together and even in their communities, they maintain their identity religiously, they maintain their identity, ethnically. No other group throughout history has done that. God has made a promise to his people and He will fulfill it. You really think God was providing for his people during the Holocaust, when more than six million of them were viciously tortured and murdered. I absolutely do. Because if he wasn't, there wouldn't be a single to left on the face of the planet. They've been persecuted Time and Time Again by regime after regime Nation after nation. And yet, God provides a Remnant. And he will again provide himself a Remnant in The Sixth Seal.

With a hundred and forty-four thousand are sealed and sent out there good about to be commissioned for a purpose. For a mission, God is going to set them apart. He's going to provide for them and he's going to miraculously carry them through. The Great Tribulation.

I wish we had more time to go further. Unfortunately, this morning we don't.

So you'll have to come back next week to get the end of chapter 6 or chapter 7 rather. And then we'll get into that seventh seal and the next series of 7 with the seven trumpets. Closing prayer this morning.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for your promises that you are 100% faithful. That because we know you are not done with the nation of Israel that you are faithful and will fulfill your promises fully to them that you will indeed be faithful and fulfill your promises fully to us as well. Thank you for your goodness, your mercy. We thank you, Father, for sending your son, your Holy Spirit for not leaving us, still equipped to walk through this life. Father, we know that there are many out there who are sick. You know, there are many who are facing loss of job of income. You know, there are many who are scared who are uncertain. Who are afraid of what the future may hold? But we just ask that you would send them your spirit. The comforter one who comes along sides and Bay Bears our burdens. Father, we ask that you would remove the blindness from your people.

Father, we ask that you would embolden us.

If you would Empower us to be your Witnesses in this dark and desperate time that we would be were mirrors that reflect the light Love and Hope from Jesus wherever we go. We would carry this message of Hope. For the Hopeless. I want to see that there is nothing in this world has to offer them. There's no hope in government. There's no hope in society. There's no hope in mankind. There is only hope found in you and your son. Help us to carry that. Hope forward. As we leave here this morning in Jesus name. Amen. Hope you have a great day.