Following Jesus in a Very Broken World

Revelation 6:1-17 - Riley Boggs

Throughout all of human history there have been tragedies so unbelievably devastating that it likely seemed as if the Lord’s return must be very near. There have been times where it seemed as if things could simply not continue, it must come to an end. Let me give you three examples, spanning the time since Jesus’ resurrection until today.

In the year 71 BC there was a great slave rebellion in the Roman Empire. It was led by the gladiator Spartacus and proved to be successful at the beginning, resulting in thousands of slaves escaping Roman forces. In response, Rome appointed a man by the name Marcus Licinius Crassus to take command of the situation. Under this man’s leadership the rebel forces were eventually trapped and crushed in a final battle. And it was during that final battle where 6,000 rebel slaves were taken as prisoners by the Roman forces. Crassus decided to make an example out of them. He had these 6,000 slaves crucified, one next to the other, along the Roman roads. For miles and miles, these prisoners hung on crosses. I’m sure there were many who walked that road and thought, “Lord, how much longer can this go on? Surely the end is near.”

Then, over a thousand years later, in the years between 1346 and 1353, there was something else tragic that took place. It was in those years that what is known as The Black Death devastated much Europe and beyond. It is estimated that between 25-50 million people died as a result of this plague. That is nearly 50% of all of Europe’s population during that time. You can imagine living in that time and seeing the overwhelming death and devastation all around. People dying faster than graves can be dug. I’m sure there were many in those days who cried out to the God asking that same question. “Lord, how much longer can this go on? Surely the end is near.”

Now, let’s jump about forward about 700 years, to the year 2025. In the year 2025 there was much confusion about what constituted a true human being. There were debates about who exactly was worthy of dignity and honor and respect. But under the guise of healthcare and personal freedom, roughly 1.1 million babies were murdered in the United States. And still today, this very day, there will be babies who are legally slaughtered and it will be funded by your tax dollars. And this day, this very day, there are many, like myself, who ask God that same question asked for thousands of years. “Lord, how much longer can this go on? Surely the end is near.”

The reality is that we often think that the time we are living are the so-called last days. We see and feel and experience the evil around us, and we can’t help but think that the end is near. And the truth is that everyone is right. All the way back in 71BC, when the slaves where crucified along the road, those were indeed the last days. And right now, as the wars rage on around the world, we can truly say that we are in the last days.

See the truth is that ever since Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, we have been in the last days. And not only that, but we will continue to be in the last days until Jesus returns again. The last days are not a final few days where there is extreme devastation happening. That idea doesn’t come from the Bible. Yes, I believe that at the very end there will be a kind of intensifying of things, but the truth is that all of human history since Jesus will feel like the end is near. It will often seem as if things can’t get worse. This truth can be found all throughout the Bible. You can find it in the words of Jesus, in the writings of Paul and Peter, and you can find it right here in Revelation 6.

You’ll remember that last week we saw the first mention of the scroll that is sealed with 7 seals. In chapter 4, John is brought into the throne room of God in chapter and sees God in all of His beauty and splendor, and he sees all of these elders and creatures worshiping Him. Then in chapter 5 John sees that scroll in the right hand of God. It’s a scroll that is sealed by 7 seals and is a representation of God’s great redemptive plan. It’s the full, written before time, plan whereby God planned to redeem a people for Himself. And the problem of chapter 5 was that there seemed to be no one who was able to open the scroll. Now that’s a problem that is deeper than simply being able to see what God’s plan is just for the sake of knowing. Rather the opening of the scroll was representative of actually carrying out the fullness of the plan. There needed to be someone who was worthy and able to open the scroll, to complete this great redemption plan. And, as we saw, it is none other than Jesus Himself who is able to do this. It’s the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, and the conquering crucified Lamb who is worthy to open the scroll, to fulfill this great redemption plan. That’s where we left off last week. This week is where the scroll begins to be opened.

Now, it’s not only that the scroll itself is a representation of something, but each of the 7 seals that bind it are also representative of something. And here is where the rules that I have been trying to instill in us week after week become very important. Many have taken each of these 7 seals to be literal events that will take place during what they call the 7 year tribulation. Some believe that Christians will be raptured out before these events take place, others believe that Christians will still be there. And I want to be charitable for those who take that reading, but I also want to be honest. Nowhere in chapter 6 do we get the impression that there is a rapture taking place, where Christians are removed and unbeliever are left behind to endure these things literally. It simply isn’t there.

Not only that, but so far we have seen that the rule to interpret symbolically unless forced to interpret literally has indeed been right way to interpret. We haven’t found ourselves tying ourselves in a theological knot. It’s worked out sort of seamlessly and I believe has put the true meaning of this book at the forefront. So, when we come to this chapter, we need to be reminded that there is simply no reason to think this would be literal. In order to see these opening of the seals as literal chronological events, you would have to bring an outside view into this text. You would have to come to this passage convinced of something before hand and spend your time making this text fit your preconceived idea. And quite frankly, that’s the wrong way to read the Bible. We don’t come to the Word to make it fit what we believed beforehand. We come to the Word so that our believes might be conformed to what the Word does indeed say.

So, the question still remains: What do these 7 seals represent? If the scroll is the redemptive plan of God, then what are each of these 7 seals? Well, it seems that each of these 7 seals are symbolical reminder of what things will be like as this great redemptive plan unfolds. Each of these 7 seals, which are opened by Jesus, are things that will continually be taking place between the first and second coming of Jesus. They are not literal events in that the way things are described are the way that we see them happening here on Earth. Rather, they are symbolic events that point to literal realities that we do and will experience. Hopefully this will be more clear as we work through each of them.

Now, a minute ago, when I was reading this chapter, you might have noticed that there was no 7th seal. The reason for that is that there is an interlude between the 6th seal and the 7th seal. I won’t get into that just yet, but know that the 7th seal does indeed come, but not until the first verse of chapter 8. This morning we will only be looking at the first 6 seals, and next week we will spend time looking at the interlude and 7th seal.

Another thing you might have noticed when I was reading this chapter was that the first 4 seals seemed a bit different than the 5th and 6th one. And that’s because the first 4 seals are intentionally grouped together. So, this morning what I plan to do is look at the first 4 for point one, then look at the 5th and 6th in their own points.

So, with all of that being said, look with me at the first 4 seals in verses 1-8. In each of these seals we are told of what has been historically known as the apocalyptic horsemen. In the first seal, the horseman is on a white horse and has a bow. And it says that he is given a crown, and that he comes conquering and to conquer. In the second seal, the horseman is on a bright red horse with a great sword. And it says that he comes to take peace from the earth, so that people people might slay one another. In the third seal, the horseman is on a black horse and has a pair of scales in his hand. And is says that there is a voice who spoke saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!” And the finally, in the fourth seal, the horseman is on a pale horse. Except this time we learn the riders name, which is Death. Not only that, but we are told that Hades follows him and they are given authority over a fourth of the Earth to kill with sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts.

I want go through each of these and explain what I think they are specifically symbolical of, but first let me just give you the overall point that is being made by all of them together. It is this...

1.) The world we live in will be continually marked by sin, suffering, and death

The reason that I began this morning by reminding us that the last days are not this small portion of time right before Jesus comes, but rather the entire length between the 2 comings of Christ, was so that I could establish some groundwork here with this point. It can be tempting to read each these stories of these horsemen and think that they represent a specific time and event that will happen. But that simply isn’t the case. Each of these 4 seals are a symbolic representation of what time will be like here on Earth until Jesus returns. As Jesus, the Lamb, opens each of these seals, He is reminding us of the judgements that have come upon this Earth as a result of the fall. He’s telling us that in a cursed world with broken and sinful people, this is what life will be like. Your world and your life will be surrounded by these things. Now, He’s not reminding us of this so that we be disheartened, which we will see shortly. But before I get into that, I want to show you what each of these seals are symbolic of specifically.

Each one of these horsemen come at the command of one of the four creatures, which we have seen are a representation of creation and the very characteristics of God’s sovereignty. So it’s not as if these things are outside of God’s control. We are actually seeing, very clearly, that they are instruments of judgement that have come from God as a result of the fall of man, as a result of sin. The first horseman that is on a white horse is probably the one that has been the most misinterpreted. When we think of white horse, our minds likely go to the horse that Jesus Himself comes on later in Revelation 19. But, there are many differences between that horse and it’s rider, and this one. This is not Jesus here on this first horse. This reason that this horse is white is because a white horse is symbolic of a king. And we see that is the theme of what this horseman comes to do. It says he comes with a bow, is given a crown, and comes to conquer. In other words, this first seal is a reminder that there will our time on Earth will be continually marked by the conquest of kings and kingdoms. There will always be nations rise up and seek to take more. They will slay people and nations in the search for more power. We of course don’t have to look far in history, or in our world today, to see that be true. Jesus is reminding us that this will be a continually theme until He returns.

The second horseman is on the bright red horse. When you think of bright red, what comes to mind? Blood. And see that to be a fitting theme for what this horseman does. He comes with a great sword to take peace from the earth, not so that he would slay people, but so they would slay one another. This second seal is a reminder that our time on Earth will be continually marked by war. Not only will kingdoms rise and seek to gain power, but there will be other nations who rise to meet them in the battlefield, and there they will slay one another. Time and time again this will happen. And again, we do not need to look far to see this to be true.

The third horseman is on a black horse. This color black is supposed to remind us of scarcity, the lack of something. In this case we see that thee scarcity is in the form of food. The theme of this seal is famine. Now it doesn’t translate exactly for us because we are unaware of what the costs that are listed here actually mean. But put very simply a denarius is a single day’s wages. And so the cost of enough grain for one day is the cost of a full day’s wages. Imagine working your entire day and only making enough money to feed yourself for that single day. That’s the picture that is being painted here, where the price of food is so wildly inflated that people cannot afford it. And this is why the horseman comes with a pair of scales that is used for weighing grain. I won’t spend a bunch of time on this, because I know you all already know it, but the whole way we view food is just very different than much of the world and most of history. Our access to food is just is so wildly different. But let me just remind you that it would not take much for food to become very scarce, even to us. Much of the world can attest to this. In this seal, Jesus is reminding us that because of the sinfulness of mankind and all the repercussions of that, there will be famines and other severe lacks at times.

Lastly, the fourth horseman is on a pale horse. When you see someone who is very pale, what do you think? You think they are about to pass out. It’s the color of life seemingly leaving the body. It’s the color of death. This is fitting because the name of the rider is indeed Death, who is followed by Hades, and is said to have been given authority over a 4th of the earth to kill in many different ways. Actually, it’s the very ways that were mentioned in the previous seals. This seal is a reminder that there will be continual and constant death all around us until Jesus returns.

Okay, now let’s put all of this together. Each of the 4 seals are reminding us that our time on Earth, until Jesus returns, will be marked by conquest, war, famine, and death. But it’s not just those 4 things, it’s more than that. It’s that our time on Earth will be marked with all kinds of sin, all kinds of suffering, and all kinds of death. Each of these 4 seals sort of escalate and build upon one another. They lead to one other. They are the results of one another. All of that is very intentional. This is not a picture of the catastrophic events that will one day come, but they are picture of the world we live in right at this very moment.

Turn with me just for a minute to Mark 13. And if you can, mark that page because we will be coming back here in a little bit. Look with me starting in verse 1. It says, “And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!’  And Jesus said to him, ‘Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.’ And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?’ And Jesus began to say to them, ‘See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.’”

What we see in the Mark 13 is exactly what we are seeing here in these first 4 seals. Jesus is telling us that our time on Earth will be marked by sin, suffering, and death. He’s telling us not be be caught off guard by it. Don’t be naive about it. Know that this world is very broken, and the people who reside on it are very broken. There is going to be pain and confusion. Some of you don’t have to be reminded of this. You are experiencing and feeling it this very morning. Some of you can think back a few weeks, months, or years to a time in your life where this seemed to be the theme. All of us will, without a doubt, find ourselves in it at some point. The brokenness of this world will touch us all.

Now, there is hope and beauty even in that, but I’m holding that until our final point. For now, let’s look at the 5th seal. As the 5th seal is opened, in verse 9, John sees an altar. And under the altar John says he sees the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for their witness. In other words, John sees martyrs. He sees those who have given their life for following Jesus and taking a stand for His Gospel. This is the second point I want us to see this morning.

2.) Following Jesus in this world will be very costly at times

If this world is broken and marked by sin, suffering, and death, then we can be assured that following Jesus will indeed be costly. It will cost us small things, like convenience and acceptance. It will cost us some larger things, like hatred and rejection. And sometimes, it will cost us everything, like the sacrifice of the things we love or even our lives.

I thought it would be fitting to read the story of at least one martyr here. This is the story of a man named Giovanni from the Fox’s book of martyrs. “Giovanni Pulhus, a poor peasant of La Torre, being apprehended as a protestant by the soldiers, was ordered, by the marquis of Pianesta, to be executed in a place near the convent. When he came to the gallows, several monks attended, and did all they could to persuade him to renounce his religion. But he told them he never would embrace idolatry, and that he was happy at being thought worthy to suffer for the name of Christ. They then put him in mind of what his wife and children, who depended upon his labour, would suffer after his decease; to which he replied, I would have my wife and children, as well as myself, to consider their souls more than their bodies, and the next world before this; and with respect to the distress I may leave them in, God is merciful, and will provide for them while they are worthy of his protection. Finding the inflexibility of this poor man, the monks cried,—Turn him off, turn him off, which the executioner did almost immediately…”

This is who John sees here beneath the altar. People like Giovanni who were killed for their pursuit of Jesus Christ. But it’s not just that they are there, they are crying out and asking something. Look at verse 10. They are crying out and asking a question. They ask, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” They are crying out for justice. They know that Jesus has promised to make all things right, and they desire it to take place. Jesus responds in verse 11. They are each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, and then He tells them why. He tells them that there are still more believers who must give their life. There are still those who must be martyred for Jesus before He brings about final judgment.

Turn back to Mark 13 with me. We stopped in verse 8 last time. Now let’s pick up in verse 9. “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

What we see in Mark 13 is exactly what we see here in Revelation 6. Jesus is reminding us that following Him will indeed cost us. As we take the Gospel across this world, we can be sure that there will be those who hate Jesus, hate His Gospel, and therefore hate us. And in the face of that kind of hatred, we are told to stand firm, even if it means that we might lose our lives.

Have you ever tried to board game for the first time with a group of people who have played it lots of time before? You sit down at the table and they start pulling out these pieces and cards and this massive board, and it literally makes no sense. And then they start trying explain it and it’s like they are speaking a different language. They try and try, and eventually you just say, “You know what, let’s just start. I’ll have to learn as we go.”

In that moment, when you are thoroughly confused and the game seems to not make any sense at all, what’s actually the issue? Is it that the board game itself doesn’t make sense and wasn’t intentionally designed, or is that you just don’t understand yet? In time, as the game is played, you’ll learn more and it’ll make more sense, but there still might be times where you have to go back to the basics and refresh yourself on what this game is all about.

Sometimes I think we treat this life a bit like the first time playing a board game. We look around and things seem out of control. Things don’t make sense. You believe that God is sovereign, and yet there seems to be pain and suffering all over. And not only that, but the closer you follow Jesus, the harder some things become. In those moments, we can be tempted to shake our fist at God and say, “God, this doesn’t make sense! Do something!” But, what’s actually the issue? Well it’s us. It’s that we don’t understand the full picture or the full purpose. The problem is not with God and His good plan. The problem lies with limited minds and hearts that are prone to doubt.

I believe that this chapter is intended to be a reminder that God is indeed in control, though we might not understand. And we are being encouraged to take the next step in faith, regardless of whether or not we understand, because we trust Jesus and believe His promises. That’s the final point I have for us this morning.

3.) We must press on in bold faith, remembering that Jesus is in absolute control, and that final salvation and judgment coming

You might have picked up on it, but throughout the opening of these first 5 seals there are all sorts of reminders that it is indeed Jesus who is in control. First of all, in each of these, as I mentioned, it’s Jesus Himself who is opening the scroll. It’s the Lamb who is bringing about these scenes of judgement. Then it almost all of these we see aspects of Jesus allowing these things. In verse 2, a crown is given to the rider. Of course this rider would not get this crown if Jesus did not allow it. In verse 4 the rider is given permission to take peace. Who do you think has the authority to give permission? Again, in verse 8, they are given authority. From who? And then finally, in the words of the martyrs, what do they say? “O Sovereign Lord”. Time and time again we are being reminded that Jesus is in absolute control. Though our world is broken and it seems as if the enemy has won, that simply is not true. Jesus is reigning and He is allowing scenes of judgement to play out. Sin has brought a curse and He has allowed the curse to be just that, a curse.

But make no mistake, none of this pain and suffering is wasted. None of it. Jesus has a good purpose for it. And it’s not good purpose in a “silver lining” kind of way. It’s not that there are good things within the evil things. It’s that the worst things we experience, hardest days we have, the deepest pains we feel. All of it will be used for our good and His glory. None of it, absolutely none of it, is wasted.

I think we can see this especially in what Jesus says to the martyrs. He tells them that He has numbered a certain amount who will give their life for the Gospel. He has them counted. Not a single less, not a single more. Jesus has a good plan that even includes the death of those who follow Him. He’s telling us to trust Him in that. Not to make sense of it and then trust. But to remember who He is, what He has promised, and to walk in bold faith.

But it’s not just that He has purposed all things for our good. It’s that there is final salvation coming for those who believe Him. There is a consummation awaiting. This is what we see in the 6th seal. In this seal we get a picture of judgement day. It’s a vision that is symbolic of the Lord returning to bring about justice. It’s not a literal telling of what will happen, it is a symbolic picture of the magnitude of that day. Look at what happens, starting in verse 12. There is a great earthquake, the sun becomes black, and the moon like blood. The stars begin to fall out of the sky and then the sky itself is rolled up like a scroll. Mountains and islands are removed for their place. And then all everyone on the Earth, from the highest to the lowest, begin to hide themselves. And the in verse 16 they say this, “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 wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Again, this is not a literal telling of what judgement day will look like. It is picture that reminds us that King Jesus is coming back to bring about final justice. He’s coming to make things right, to answer prayer of the martyrs who cry out for vengeance. This picture of creation itself being destroyed is a reminder that on that day there will new heavens and new earth. On that day, He will be bring about final judgement, complete salvation, and all things will be made new in Him.

Go back to Mark 13 one last time. Starting in verse 24. “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.” What is that great tribulation? It’s all of these things we have just seen that characterize the life we live here on Earth. And what is Jesus saying here in Mark 13 and Revelation 6? That He will come back, in power and glory, to bring finish the work He began.

And we see in Mark that He gathers His elect, right? Well guess what Revelation 7 is about? That question that is posed at the very end of chapter 6, “Who will stand?” The answer is those will are in Christ! It’s those whom God has saved and delivered, and has promised to bring home. And next week we will see a whole chapter just about that.

This morning, we are reminded that no matter how difficult and dark this world becomes, we should not be caught off guard. Our Lord has told us that this will happen. He’s bringing about judgment on this world, and He’s caring for His people every step of the way. And He’s even limiting the judgements and sinfulness for us. He’s restraining the evil forces of this world. Why? So that at the right time, He might come to bring about the end. No one else, only Jesus. And on that day, we have nothing to fear. The wrath of the Lamb will not be poured out on us, because we have been washed in His blood. On that day, we will be made new. The heavens and earth will be made new. And all the pain and suffering and injustice we have ever felt will not be a drop in the bucket of what lies before us. Every moment of faithfulness will have been worth it. This morning, we are being reminded to trust our wonderful Savior all the more, and to walk in bold faith until He comes for us.

I want to point you to one last detail in our text. Look at verse 11. The saints who are asking Jesus to bring about final judgement are told to rest and they are given a white robe. Why do you think Jesus did that? Because He wants them to have something to hold on to and to remember that He is going to bring it about in due time. They need not be anxious and worry. He gives them something so that they might remember and find rest.

This morning we have the privileged of coming to the table for a similar reason. We get to eat and drink these elements that remind us that Jesus is on control. That He saved us, that He loves us, that He is coming for us, and that we can truly rest in Him.