Revelation 6:9-11

The book of Revelation, chapter six, we’ve considered the first four seals, so picking up with seal number five in verse nine, I’ll read to the end of the chapter. And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar, the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice saying, how long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge in event? our blood on them that dwell on the earth or the land. And white robes were given unto them, under every one of them, and it was said unto them that they should rest for a little season till their fellow servants also and their brethren that they should be killed, as they were, should be fulfilled. And I beheld, when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake, And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became his blood, and the stars of heaven fell under the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and every island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men, and the chief captains and the mighty men and every bondman and every freeman hid themselves in the dens and the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks fall on us, hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, from the wrath of the lamb. For the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand? May God bless to us, He is sacred and holy word. this morning. We said last week that the real difficulties of interpreting the book of Revelation begin here with chapter 6. We’ve got all vision and symbol coming up here, and so it becomes much more difficult than the early part. What do these symbols found in chapter 6 represent? How do we interpret them? And we talked about last week. If you look at the general nature of the symbols, it has to do with war. It has to do with conquering. And therefore, the effects of war are talked about, such as bloodshed, famine, death, and so forth. All of it culminating in one dreadful final catastrophe, which the land seems to unravel and dissolve. It’s called the Great Day of His, the Lamb’s wrath, in verse 17. Now, anyone can speculate on what they think the sealed judgments mean. We could let our imaginations run wild at this stage and come up with all kinds of ideas. But I said, we need some guiding principles in order to interpret the passage. We need to lay a good foundation. on which to build an interpretation so that we’re not building on sand so that everything we’re building isn’t useless. Otherwise, we’ll be speculating and merely guessing at the time when these things will occur, whether it’s going to be a future day like 20, 30 or something like that. And what it means? Is this nuclear war? Is this World War III that we’re talking about? I said there were three guiding principles that should guide. One, the contemporary nature of, of the prophecy, that it’s a prophecy about John’s day. It’s near and imminent for John’s audience, the seven churches of Asia Minor. These things must shortly come to pass. The time is an end. Secondly, we said the scope of the prophecy relates to the seven-sealed book that is mentioned in Chapter 5. Now, we know that this book is being open. the seals on it are being open in this chapter, chapter 6th. We said from looking at Ezekiel that it’s obvious that this passage has to do with the very same thing that Ezekiel mentions. In his passage in Ezekiel 2, verse 3 through chapter 3, verse 9, he sees exactly the same type of book sealed within and without and so forth. And when this book are written, written lamentations, mourning and woe against the nation of Israel. I suggest you that’s exactly what we’re dealing with here in the book of Revelation. And we also said these judgments resemble Christ’s teachings with regard to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD from the Olivet discourse in Matthew 24th and other places. And so we would suggest that these passages be considered in reference to this. We looked last week at the first four seals. We said the first seal was a white horse which speaks of conquest. And Vesputian is going to conquer with the Roman army, the land of Israel. The second seal was the red horse. We said this had to do with bloodshed. Not only the bloodshed of war, but even civil strife among the Jews themselves. The third seal was the red horse. The third seal was a black horse famine, which often accompanies war when there are shortages of food and the fields get overrun and so forth. And famine results. And we talked about that situation with regard to the Israelites. So that’s the black horse. We said the fourth horse, the pale horse, is death. This is the horror and the miseries of war now taking its effect. upon the population. And Hades, here, or hell, is the place of the unseen dead. Here the wicked Jews upon death immediately face another death, hellfire. There are going to be so many dead that they’re not going to be able to, they’re not going to be able to bury them all. In fact, they will drop them over the hillsides into the valleys and the animals would eat them and so forth. We talked about all that last week. Now we come to the fifth seal. And here we have in verses 9 through 11 the martyrs. And they’re crying out for vengeance. This confirms the context that all the seals relate to God’s judge, judgment, just judgment, on those who harm his people. And the blood of sacrificial animals, you remember in the Old Testament was poured out at the foot of the altar? And here these martyrs, having been murdered, put to death, their blood has been shed, we find them under the altar in heaven, as if their blood has been poured out, and therefore the same idea is portrayed with regard to the Old Testament sacrifices. The martyrs are crying out for God to avenge them by punishing those who killed them. and verse 10 tells us it’s them that dwell on the earth. And I suggest to you, that means those that dwell on the land. This indicates their persecutors were still alive on the earth at this time. And Jesus declared that his generation would be the one which would be held accountable for the righteous blood shed upon the earth of the land. In Matthew, chapter 10th, 23 versus 34 to 38, he says, all the righteous blood from Abel on, this generation is going to be held accountable for it. And so what we find is the martyrs are crying, I, yes, do as you have said. When are you going to avenge us? The recent martyrs are clothed with white robes, which I take is Christ’s righteousness, and told to rest a little while longer, Until the quota of the martyrs is filled up. There are more, they’re going to be martyred. Until that quota is filled, then vengeance is going to come. It’s promised. We read in Luke 18, Jesus said in verse 17, And shall not God avenge his own elect which cry night, and day and night unto him, though he bear long with them. The answer Jesus gives is, I tell you. tell you he will avenge them speedily. In chapter 18 of Luke, verse 8. So here are the righteous. They’re seen as entering into heaven upon death, and are conscious participants in all that’s going to take place here on the earth. So the fifth seal here is the martyrs and their cry for vengeance. Any questions about that fifth seal? All right, that brings us to the sixth seal. In verses 12 to 17. Now, here’s what we call the cosmic collapse language that is being used. In this section, you read of the apparent collapse of the universe. You know, we look at the here, the sun being darkened with the moon turning the blood, this great earthquake, the stars of the heaven falling, and so forth. The literalist runs into trouble here. If all this occurs, literally, then the end of the world as we know it has come. This is it. What would be the problem with that? Why can’t this be the end of the world as we know it? Why don’t we, you know, why don’t we read chapter 7 about the new heavens and the new earth? Yeah. We don’t even got all the seals opened up yet, right? I mean, we haven’t got to the trumpet judgments and the bold judgments or the vile judgments. He’s still opening the book. We didn’t even got it open yet. And this is the sixth seal, and there are seven seals on it. So this seems to give us a problem, doesn’t it? Because we’ve got language that seems to indicate the end of the world, so to speak. And yet at the same time, how can it be the end of the world when these things, have to follow out consecutively here with the seven bowls and the seven trumpets and so forth to follow. So here’s where we’re in a situation where you really need to study the scriptures carefully. You can’t just come to this passage and say, oh, this is the end of the world. This is where three atomic bombs are going off and the world comes to an end. What is meant by this cosmic collapse language here? Now, this book is full of symbols, and we have to consider carefully how this language is used. Is it used anywhere else in scripture that would help guide us so that we may know what is being spoken of in this passage? Now, even today, we sometimes say, when we’re facing a disaster, my whole world has come doing it. or we might say, my world has collapsed. We even use that kind of language. It’s picturesque language, and it’s not understood literally because life continues for you, doesn’t it? It seems like it’s all total disaster. The sun, moon, and stars are often used in scripture in a very symbolic manner. Just to start out, let’s look at Ecclesiastes chapter 3. 12 and verses 1 and 2. Now this is an easy passage just to work with because while he’s using symbolic language you have a pretty good idea what he’s talking about because it’s straightforward here. Solomon, as he closes out the book here, he says, remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them. When the sun or the light, or the moon of the stars be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain. Solomon here is indicating that youth is really the good time, because the body’s working properly, as he seems to indicate in verse 3. You know, in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders shall cease because they’re few. Those that are, look out, the windows are darkened and so forth. he’s indicating that the keepers here, he’s talking about the hands, the strong men are the legs and the knees, the grinders of the teeth, the windows of the eyes. He said, remember your creator in the days of youth because the days are coming when the sun and the moon and the stars are going to be darkened, so to speak, or the light is going to be darkened. And he’s talking about day of trouble. With the collapse of your body, the nearness of death, the bad days that come. So here we begin to see that this type of language can be used for times of calamity. Now let’s get a more and more specific about it. That’s just general. Look at Ezekiel with me, if you would. Ezekiel chapter 32, verses 2 through 11. Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh. king of Egypt. He said, and him, thou art like a young lion of the nations. Thou art as a whale in the seas. And thou cameest forth with thy rivers, and troublest the waters with thy feet, and foulest their rivers. Thus saith the Lord God, I will therefore spread out my net over thee with a company of many people, and they shall bring thee up in my net. Then will I leave thee upon the land, and I will cast thee forth upon the open field, and I will cause all the fowls of heaven to remain upon thee, and I will fill the beast of the whole earth with thee. And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains and fill the valleys with thy blood. I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest. Even the mountains and the rivers shall be full. of thee. And when I put thee out, I will cover the heaven and make the stars there are dark. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, said the Lord God. I will also vex the hearts of many people when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations. into the countries which thou hast not known. Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword before them, and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life in the day of thy fall. For thus saith the Lord God, the sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee. The darkening of the sun and the moon, and the stars symbolize the collapse of a nation. The nation under consideration here is Egypt and personified of course by Pharaoh the king. He’s compared to some young lion or the king James has a whale as well. The word actually means sea monster. actually means some type of, sometimes the idea of a of a dragon. some type of sea monster among the nations. Because they are deviring everybody else. They were a powerful nation. But figurative language here is used to describe his power and his domination in verse 2. They trouble the waters and so forth of different places. Now Ezekiel prophesies here that the king of Babylon is going to spoil the pomp of Egypt and destroy the inhabitants of the land, as verse 11 indicates to us. Now, the vivid imagery of the sun and the moon and the stars being darkened is used by the prophet to speak of the end of Egypt. It’s demise. So the sun and the moon and the stars were not literally darkened at this time in like 570 BC, but it’s figurative language. Things are going to be dark for the next to the next. nation. If this symbolic language is used by Ezekiel to describe the downfall of Egypt, then why not by Christ here in the book of Revelation to describe for us the fall of Israel? Look with me at Isaiah chapter 34, verses 4 to 6. Scripture says, and all the hosts of heaven shall be dissolved. And the heaven shall be rolled together as a scroll. And all their hosts shall fall down. as a leaf falleth off the vine and as a falling fig from the fig tree. For my sword shall be bathed in heaven. Behold, it shall come down upon idumia or edomia, or edom. And upon the people of my curse to judgment. The sword of the Lord is filled with blood. It is made fat with fatness. And with the blood of the land of the land. lambs and goats with the fat of kidneys of rams for the Lordeth a sacrifice in Basra and a great slaughter in the land of idumia or Edel. Again, very vivid, symbolic language is used for the terrible and sudden destruction that God is going to bring upon the nation of Edom, the descendants of Esau, the perpetual enemies of the Jews. Surely no one is going to say here in 570, or 530 something, that the falling here of Edom literally meant these heavens were going to just dissolve completely. The heavens didn’t actually roll together to the scroll. The stars didn’t actually come down from the sky. nor did anyone seriously entertain the idea that a real sword came down from heaven to attack this pagan nation. If all these things literally happen, then when God’s judgment fell on Edom, then the end of the world would have taken place ages ago. Right? Let’s take a look at one more. Look at Isaiah chapter 13. These are all Old Testament passages. Let’s look at the first 10 verses here. The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amos did see, lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them. Shake the hand, they may go into the gates of the nobles. I have commanded my sanctified ones. I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness, the noise of a great multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people, a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together. The Lord of host mustereth the host of the battle. They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the Lord and the weapons of his indignation to destroy the whole land. How ye for the day of the Lord is at hand, and it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint in every man’s heart shall melt. And they shall be afraid. Pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them. They shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth. They shall be amazed one at another. Their faces shall be as flames. Behold the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land. desolate and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it for the stars of heaven and the consolations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened and is going forth the moon shall not cause her light to shine and then look at verse 17 here’s the solution to this behold i stir up the meads against them which shall not regard silver and as for gold they shall not delight in it their bows Also shall dash the young men to pieces. They shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb. Their eyes shall not spare children. And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of Caldean’s excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Solomon in the morning. Here in 539 BC we have the fall of Babylon by the Medes and the Persians. This entire chapter relates to this, of Babylon, the first world power. We might compare the fame of Babylon to some of the great nations, maybe the great cities of the world, like New York or London or Paris or Moscow, even if we combine them all together, they probably wouldn’t match the glory of Babylon. In the days of Isaiah, the glory of Babylon shown as the sun, the moon and the stars. However, her lights are going to be put out. Darkness is going to come over the nation. and Babylon and all its shining beauty, all its marvelous glory would be totally eclipsed. And the Medes and the Persians will do it. Daniel chapter 5 tells us the story and the account of it. So our Lord is using this type of language in talking about Israel and particularly the destruction of Jerusalem in 78, but the overrunning of the nation at the time here in the conquering of the nation that he is speaking. And so with this in mind, we have a pretty good idea when we get to the sixth seal of what we’re talking about here. I have one more passage I’m going to look at with regard to this. I don’t know that we’re going to have time to look at the detail immediately on this, so I won’t press it, but I want to look at one more thing here. I want you to look at me at the detail. the book of the moment in chapter 2 and verses 16 to 21. Because I think this passage is directly relevant to our passage. In fact, I think this is what’s being referenced by John as he speaks of this in the book of Revelation being guided by the Spirit. I’m going to read chapter 2, verses 16 through 21. Now you recall, this is the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit has fallen upon the disciples. They are speaking in the tongues, the languages of other people. And the people are saying that they think that they might be drunk. And Peter gets up and he speaks to the men of Judah and Jerusalem. And he says this. In verse 16. But this is that, which was spoken by the prophet Joel, and it shall come to pass in the last day, saith God. I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams, and all my servants and all my handmaidens, I will pour out in those days of my spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in heaven, above, and signs on the earth beneath, blood and fire, and and vapor of smoke. And the sun shall be turned into darkness. And the moon into blood before the great and notable day of the Lord, and it shall come the path that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now look at Revelation chapter 6 again with me. Let me read verses 12 to 14. Notice the compare these two passages. Behold, and I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, though there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood. The stars of heaven fell upon the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind, and the heaven departed as a scroll when it’s rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Now, we know the story of the prophet Joel, and we are all familiar with the fact that he prophesied of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which took place. on the day of Pentecost. That’s pretty obvious as we look at this. But he says something else here. And what he says in addition to the spirit being poured out is some other event that’s related to this particular time, which he classifies as in the last days. When the Messiah comes, we’re in the last days. And what is it? The desolation of the nation of Israel. That’s what? what he speaks about. On the day of Pentecost, Peter informed his listeners that they were witnessing the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. It was coming to pass before their eyes. Verse 16 is pretty plain. This is that. This is what Joel is talking about, right? It’s not something, you know, it’s not a prototype of what he’s going to talk about. This is it. It’s difficult to imagine more straightforward and straightforward. candid statement concerning the prophecy’s fulfillment. Furthermore, the other events of Joel’s prophecy are being fulfilled too. Holy Spirit’s being poured out. We see that men and women are prophesying, speaking in other languages and so forth. People are being saved by calling upon the name of the Lord. Peter’s sermon implies that Jews would likewise witness the awesome events that symbolically captured by his words here in 19 and 20. Peter understands the meaning of this text. This is why he’s so urgent. Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Because the judgment of God is going to fall upon it. And this is why he preached with such intensity. The prophet of joy is coming to pass. And soon the darkening of Israel’s sun, moon and star, Mars are going to occur. The collapse of Israel as a nation and is going to happen. And so we see him pressing the people with regard to this. The Christ, child, who we read about in Revelation chapter 20, has now gone up to the throne because he said that Christ is in heaven, the one you crucified, he’s in heaven, and he’s going to reign until he put all his enemies under his feet. That’s what he goes on to talk about in this chapter. And one of the enemies he’s got put under his feet is Israel. The apostate nation of Israel. And now we begin to see this language here applied directly to Revelation Chapter 6. Any questions about this? I’m probably going to have to stop at this point. Any questions about this particular idea? We’ll look at a little more closely at the actual language of the Chapter 6 next weekend. They’ll make the practical application as well. But I think it’s important that we understand the principles here that we don’t automatically assume this is the end of the world. It’s because it has this language. Look where else it’s used. It’s been used in the past. And it didn’t mean the end of the world. But it meant the end of the nation that he’s talking about. I don’t.