WHO CAN STAND?
Rev. 6:12 – 7:12
Sermon Objective: God’s judgment should give hope to the saint and motivation to repent to the sinner.
Supporting Scripture: Psalm 46; Psalm 91:9-10; Mark 13:24-25, Romans 8:28-39
INTRO
Oh! Excuse me everyone. I was so busy reading this morning’s paper that I didn’t listen to Rit’s song before my sermon. To be honest with you, I’d like to preach this morning but I am really engrossed in the Sunday newspaper. I seem to be a bit fixated on all the tragedies that are happening in our world. They seem to be dominating the headlines. It’s sort of unnerving. There is something about the fear and despair they produce … the sense of “urgent hopelessness” they incite that is riveting … almost intoxicating. I can’t seem to pull myself away from its magnetic draw!
And surely what I read from the news sources is the whole story. Right? They are objective. Right? They would not be showing me only the underbelly of the world simply to sell papers. Right?
I mean … the world must really be falling apart at an unprecedented pace and proportion. Right?
Do you think the world is falling apart? Do you think it’s all hopeless? That global ruin is inevitable? Many do.
I did a google search this week of the question, “Is the world falling apart?”
A sampling of the results from that entry would include:
• A citigroup economist saying that if you are talking about the global economy the answer is “yes” and that the euro may not even be around in one year.
• A young lady from Tokyo says observing that the hurricanes and earthquakes of recent years suggests it is.
• A Georgetown University professor suggesting that the cultural fracturing brought on by 9/11 and radical Islam are steering us toward end-times apocalypticism.
• A blogger suggesting that the violence in Mexico, Columbia, Iraq and other places is an indication of collapse.
• One ecological entry prophesied that the world’s determination to be dependent on a depleting oil supply was a guarantee that our world would collapse in short order.
• An ezine article stating that the fast changing/deteriorating social and cultural shifts taking place across the globe are signs that the world is indeed falling apart.
It’s not hard to find people who will tell you that the world is falling apart. In fact, it seems harder to find people with a confidence in a sovereign God who actually believe that “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases” (Proverbs 21:1) than it is to find doomsday prophets.
And it’s not hard to find people who read John’s Apocalypse as if it is a doomsday newspaper either. In fact, reading it like it’s a Christian thriller novel or Nostradamus-style doomsday prophecy has become the new definition of the term “apocalypse” instead of what it really means … “revelation.” And perceiving the book as a sneak peak to the end of humankind rather than a motivation to trust a sovereign God and follow a conquering Lamb is now the modus operandi.
We must remember that the purpose for the book is encouragement and confidence not to be a sneak peak or pulse racing thriller novel.
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Chapter six is a turning point in John’s Revelation. Jesus begins to open the scroll which has all the markings of a first century legal document – particularly a last will and testament.
What we have discovered in the first five seals suggests that natural man’s hope for an “inheritance” is sought via the things of this world. We discovered that such pursuits are a foolish place to put one’s hope and trust. The “four horsemen of the apocalypse” (the first four seals) show us how silly it is to trust in:
• “National Security” (v. 1-2)
• “Homeland Security” (v. 3-4)
• “Financial Security” (v. 5-6)
• “Physical Security” (v. 7-8)
The martyrs (which are introduced in the fifth seal) contrast this transitory security. They are safely nestled under the altar of God and are given robes of honor because of their faith and faithfulness.
Seal number six (today’s passage) again shows us that trusting and reveling in this world … any part of this world … will end in disaster while trusting in God brings victory.
REV. 6:12-17
6:12I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
6:15Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"
The first four seals show us that man’s workmanship and capability is futile. Seal number six returns to this motif by focusing on the instability of earth itself. We get a glimpse of a shattered universe … a time of terror.
The Jews claimed the earth and the heavens to be the most stable and reliable reality available. Now God even disrupts that!
Earthquake
Darkening sun and moon
Falling stars
Rolling up of the heavens
Moving of the hills and islands of the sea
When I am counseling with someone struggling with panic disorders or fixated on “worse-case scenarios”, I will often remind them that the sun came up this morning and it will come up tomorrow as well. My point is that it may seem like it is the end of the world but it is not. God is still sovereign and there is reason for hope. My approach to their despair is very “Jewish” in that sense. To the Jewish mind God’s universe is a sure thing and solid ground for hope of a “new day” … and consequently a new hope for living too.
Well, by-in-large that is good advice and it can help to restore emotional equilibrium and hope. But there are times when someone’s world really is falling apart. And there is coming a time when the world itself will fall apart (and be remade).
The sixth seal illustrates such a time. I think it has a practical application that can be extended to every generation as well as a cosmic consummation that is yet some time in the future. You see, the book was written to churches that were on the verge of tribulation (7:14) and their world was on the cusp of falling apart. John’s was writing first and foremost to give these churches help and hope; to impart a motivation to faithfulness.
BUT YOU ASK … HOW CAN THE OPENING OF THIS SEAL AND THE SCENARIO IT DESCRIBES EVER GIVE SOMEONE HOPE!?
Good question.
• You obviously noticed that no one, regardless of power, wealth, pedigree or politics, was immune from the wrath of the Lamb.
• You noticed that everyone was crying out to be hidden from God’s presence … or even to be annihilated in a maner that would forever keep them at a distance from His wrath.
• You obviously caught the rhetorical question at the conclusion of the chapter … “Who can stand?”
BUT HOLD ON …THAT “RHETORICAL QUESTION” IS NOT SO RHETORICAL. IT IS BY PONDERING THAT QUESTION THAT WE CAN FIND THE ANSWER AND HOPE.
You see, chapter six does not conclude the sixth seal. It simply opens it. The question asked in 6:17 (“Who can stand?”) affords John the opportunity to suggest an answer that contradicts the rhetorical “no one” that would be assumed by the question.
When John wrote he did not change chapters or thoughts at the end of verse 17 … he immediately moved onward to provide further explanation. Chapter seven is not a “by the way” or “time out” or parenthetical message from John … it is the sixth seal carried onward. “After this” implies as much.
Let’s read chapter 7:1-12 (emphasis added).
6:17For the great day of their wrath has come, and WHO CAN STAND?
1After 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: 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." 4Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
5From 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.
9After 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. 10And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." 11All 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, 12saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"
Who can stand when the world is falling apart?
The answer is found in chapter 7.
ANSWER #1: THE ANGELS CAN STAND (V.1)
We sometimes overlook these residents of Heaven but they, too, find their strength and security in Christ’s victory. Satan’s attempt to overcome good with evil would certainly have affected their destiny but the strong name of Jesus gives them reason to rest secure (see chapter 12).
They prove not to be intimidated by evil. This, itself, gives them motivation to serve and can be a source of encouragement for us as well.
The exuberant and uninhibited praise around the throne is evidence of their sense of security. And their eagerness to serve boldly is evidence of confidence in The One seated on the throne and a position of safety.
The simple fact that the angels can stand gives me confidence that, even though the world seems to be falling apart, the God of Heaven is still sovereign, loving, and conquering His foes.
But there is an even more relevant and personal answer to the question “who can stand?”
ANSWER #2: FOLLOWERS OF THE LAMB CAN STAND (VV. 2-17)
Chapter seven reminds Christ’s church that they have been sealed and secured.
We often give a lot of attention (and get a lot of misinformation) about the “markings” on the heads and hands of the inhabitants of the earth. We fail to recognize them for what they are. Not only is there rather clear indications of what the “666” (the mark of the beast) is in The Revelation, it is also clear that it is simply another counterfeit attempt to emulate the genuine mark / seal of identity that God places upon His people.
BUT THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THE SEAL OF GOD! IT IS AN INDICATION OF GOD’S CONFIDENCE IN THE SAVING WORK OF CHRIST AND OF GOD’S CONFIDENCE IN THE ALLEGIANCE OF THOSE WHO FOLLOW HIM.
I will talk more about this seal next week. But suffice it to say that John’s record of the seal of God is intended to remind Christ’s followers that God knows those who are His and has the capacity to see them through the tribulations that await them.
Psalm 91:9-10 says, “If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the LORD, who is my refuge—then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.”
The groups mentioned in 7:5-12 are understood in various ways. There is ample room for variants but the one thing that all good interpretations agree on is that they represent the true servants of God who are faithful to the Gospel and protected by the Lamb.
John is overwhelmed with how many have found security in Christ. It isn’t some small holy huddle … it is “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language!”
Can you imagine the comfort and encouragement that this scene would give to those who are undergoing persecution and hardship? They see God’s special care for the martyrs in the 5th seal and now, in the 6th seal, they see God preserve and protect them from the great day of wrath!
WRAP-UP
The 6th seal talks about the most frightening events world history has encountered and “reveals” that God’s people are safe! They are even filled with praise in the midst of the storm.
A day will come, my friends, when the world will fall apart. The most expensive piece of real estate on earth will be a hole in the ground. And “if men and women will not yield to the love of God, and be changed by the grace of God, then there is no way to escape the wrath of God.” (Warren Wiersbe, “Be Victorious”, p. 67)
But you can be encouraged! Those who follow the Lamb will stand! YOU CAN STAND!!!! Not by your own righteous deeds but by the blood of the Lamb!
If you have never come to Christ for salvation then I implore you this morning not to hesitate another day. There is no secure ground for safety or security from the wrath that is to come except through Jesus Christ the slaughtered lamb. His sacrifice paid the penalty for your sin and His blood covers you and washes you clean. If you wish to stand on that day then today is the day of salvation.
To a lesser extent (but no less urgent extent) God’s promises expressed in this seal hold true for Christians in our present day too. It is not just intended for a future day of wrath. Trusting in the things of this world will always end in collapse but following Christ and living by His ethic assures you of His presence and protection … HE WILL BE WITH YOU THROUGH THE STORM.
As I mentioned earlier, I was surprised by the results of my google search and how many people feel the world is falling apart and have no where to stand.
But I also found a rather encouraging element in the search … many results were not fear-based … THEY WERE FAITH-BASED. They did not pretend that the cataclysms of our day were unreal but they acknowledged a living and loving God who knew and cared for His people. They acknowledged the role that faith and hope play in rebuilding. They acknowledged the role that faith and hope play even if a worse-case scenario was to happen.
Earlier, I could either listen to the Good News heralded in Rit’s song prior to the sermon or give my attention to the voices of the day. You have that choice too. Everyday those voices compete for your attention and allegiance.
IN CHRIST … YOU CAN STAND!
HE WILL SEE YOU THROUGH YOUR PRESENT STORM.
COME, LORD JESUS.
This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
